NO SHADOW FOR WIARTON WILLIE – 6 more weeks of winter.
Just the news I wanted to hear
Hotep dominates rivals in allowance race Monday at Fair Grounds
By Bob Fortus, The Times-Picayune
February 01, 2010, 6:13PM
With an authoritative victory in a two-turn allowance race Monday at the Fair Grounds, Hotep put his name in
the conversation about 3-year-olds who might wind up in the Louisiana Derby.
Trainer Mark Frostad said he’ll wait to see how Hotep comes out of the race before deciding the next race for
Hotep. Frostad said late Monday that he’s not ruling out the Risen Star, which will be run Feb. 20.
Whether Hotep runs in that race on not, the Louisiana Derby is a possible target for him, Frostad said.
Hotep broke poorly in the allowance race and settled several lengths off a slow pace. He made a powerful move on the final turn and kicked clear in the stretch, defeating runner-up Down With Dixie by 3 1/4 lengths. Hotep
ran the mile and 40 yards in 1:41.55.
HOTEP (inside) was a huge longshot winner of his debut. The full brother to Eye of the Leopard (Plate winner, ch. 3yo of 2009) could be headed to the Louisiana Derby.
http://www.nola.com/horseracing/index.ssf/2010/02/hotep_dominates_rivals_in_allo.html
EGYPTIAN SIGN FOR HOTEP (at peace) is an offering table
FLICK THE BICK!
Canadian bred wins graded stake on weekend!
BY JIM FREER
Miami Herald Writer
GULFSTREAM PARK
Bickersons put on a dominant show at Gulfstream Park on Sunday with a seven-length victory over Joanie’s Catch in the $150,000 Forward Gal Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.
Bickersons ran the seven-furlong distance in 1:22.35 on a track rated fast.
She Be Wild, the 2009 Eclipse Award winner as a champion 2-year-old filly, finished fifth in a strong 11-horse field.
The runaway victory was an indication that Bickersons could become a star among this season’s 3-year-old filly sprinters.
“Seven-eighths [of a mile] is probably her best game,” trainer Kelly Breen said.
Bickersons was sent off at 9-1 in the Forward Gal, run in a light rain.
She won two of seven starts last year, including the seven-furlong Moccasin Stakes last Nov. 22 on the
synthetic track at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif.
Bickersons, ridden by Joe Bravo, showed the expected early speed and took readily to Gulfstream Park’s dirt track.
She grabbed the lead after a half mile in 45.24 seconds and stretched it to six lengths heading around the turn.
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/other/story/1456739.html
BICKERSONS (Silver Deputy – Dancehall Floory) bred by Robert Harvey in Ontario is a 7 furlong ace and a graded stakes winner.
Perhaps we’ll see her at Woodbine in the spring.
Vanessa Ng photo
CONTINUING MIKE GILL STORY
If you have been following this story on Thoroughblog or the paulickreport.com, you know that owner Michael Gill has been in hot water again at Penn National – spurred by recent breakdowns of horses including former Canadian runner LAUGHING MOON.
He has four horses entered tomorrow but the jockey boycott continues:
Here’s the latest:
DAILY RACING FORM REPORT
In wake of boycott, Gill calls it quits
By Marty McGee
Owner Michael Gill said he intends to sell off all of his Thoroughbred holdings, saying he is “just worn down”
by the recent controversy involving the breakdowns of his horses at Penn National Race Course.
In the meantime, Gill said he intends to race the four horses he has entered for Wednesday night at the
Grantville, Pa., track, although an apparent jockey boycott may make running those races impossible.
Gill has one horse entered in each of the third, fourth, fifth, and eighth races Wednesday night. But only four
other horses in those races – two in the fifth race and two in the eighth race – have jockeys named to ride on
the revised overnight sheet, released Monday. On the original overnight sheet, released Friday, every horse in those four races had a rider named. Jose Baez has replaced Francisco Garcia on the four Gill horses, while Abel Mariano and Luis Quinones each has a mount in the fifth race, and David Cardoso and Stacey Zavala remain named on horses in the eighth race. No horse besides Gill’s has a rider named in the third and fourth races. A total of 26 jockeys originally named Friday to ride in those races have taken themselves off mounts.
http://www.drf.com/news/article/110504.html
C.A.N.T.E.R has Canadian-bred that GILL RACED
Nor’easterner (Fusaichi Pegasus- One More Breeze)
from the Canter website:
PA-T1664-01 Nor’easterner, 2005 bay gelding, 16.1 hands. Talk about FLASHY! A strikingly handsome guy with an equally impressive personality, we feel this one would be an IDEAL PROJECT HORSE!!! Harmoniously put together, with good proportions, this guy could go in a lot of different directions: hunters, jumpers or eventing. No surprise to hear that this athlete is by the famous stallion Fusaichi Pegasus and was purchased for $250,000 as a weanling… that’s something worth bragging about! To top it off, this guy is a nice mover, very straight and correct, making him a solid choice for anyone looking for a competitive partner. No issues what-so-ever!
$1,200. Jennifer Hamm 717-994-9402.
AND…FROM THE PAULICK REPORT – whistleblower at the farm:
http://www.paulickreport.com/blog/gills-gang-of-misfits/
KENTUCKY DERBY TALK
The leading newspaper for Derby coverage is ready to roll!
It’s 3 months to the Kentucky Derby – time to get start thinking about paying attention to all the preps and
all the interesting 3yo’s out there.
Canada could be represented – who knows? HOLLINGER is unbeaten and while his owner Robert Harvey has said Plate, Plate, Plate, this guy could be the real, real deal.
HOTEP is headed to a Derby prep for Sam-Son Farms too.
Here is the intro piece for the LOUISVILLE COURIER-JOURNAL’S outstanding Derby coverage:
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/2010100130008
