Thistledown's busy Memorial Day weekend is highlighted by the seemingly-ageless Catlaunch returning for the $50,000 Michael F. Rowland Memorial on Saturday, and Pay The Man and Slides Choice renewing their rivalry as fillies and mares battle in the $50,000 Angenora Stakes on Monday.
Thistledown's busy Memorial Day weekend is highlighted by the seemingly-ageless Catlaunch returning for the $50,000 Michael F. Rowland Memorial on Saturday, and Pay The Man and Slides Choice renewing their rivalry as fillies and mares battle in the $50,000 Angenora Stakes on Monday.
The stakes for Ohio-breds will lead to the North Randall oval's biggest race of the season, the $100,000 Ohio Derby on June 4 that has Racing Secretary Billy Couch working overtime. Couch has spent weeks trying to round up the best of the available three-year-olds from around the country for the 1 1/16-mile Grade III stakes race.
The Ohio Derby nominations closed Wednesday, and 31 three-year-old thoroughbreds are still eligible for the June 4 classic. Now it's a puzzle to determine which nominees will show up at Thistledown. The top two names are Alternation, the Pin Oak Stables' winner of the $200,000 Peter Pan at Belmont Park and a winner of three of four this season; and Santiva, who finished fifth in the Kentucky Derby for owner Tom Walters. If either of those horse owners, or both, decide the Ohio Derby is for them, it will scare off quite a few possible entrants.
Thistledown trainers who have nominated horses for the Ohio Derby are Jamie Ness (Jaggermonster), Jerry Bennett (Valueable Silver, King Samurai, Irish Lion and Crimson Knight), Rodney Faulkner (Unstoppable Mick), Joe Kasmerski (R Dirteater), Elliot Sullivan (Picaroo), and Ray Vernino (Marco's Fling).
'Cat' to pounce: The oldest stakes winner in America this year after scoring in the $50,000 Babst/Palacios Memorial Handicap at Beulah Park, 10-year-old Catlaunch has thoroughly dominated Thistledown's Rowland Memorial, a six-furlong race. The veteran has won the Rowland Memorial four times since 2006, including an impressive 4 1/2-length victory in 2010. He's the richest and the oldest thoroughbred in a field of nine geldings, with 35 victories in 84 starts and lifetime earnings of $923,944.
Owned by Scioto Farm, the dark bay son of Noble Cat is trained by Ivan Vazquez and will be ridden by Luis Gonzalez.
It's no surprise Thistledown established Catlaunch as the early 2-1 favorite over Drummond Island (5-2) and Fason (5-1). Catlaunch also won the Lewis Memorial here last year, as well as the $75,000 Best of Ohio Endurance, a 1 1/4-mile test. The veteran added the $50,000 Gendelman Memorial at River Downs in 2010.
"It really seems like Catlaunch is not really getting older," said owner-breeder Ron Fields last year after the Best of Ohio Endurance. "Physically, he's in great shape, and he just keeps getting better."
Northfield's schedule: After Friday night's live racing card at Northfield Park, they'll park the starting gate until next Wednesday. The harness racing track has switched from live to simulcast racing on Saturdays in May and June to feature Triple Crown races and other stakes racing. There is also only simulcast racing for Monday's holiday program. Northfield has live racing on Monday, Wednesday and Friday throughout June.
Thistle post times: The first-race post time at Thistledown is generally 1:50 p.m., but not always. This week, Friday and Saturday posts time are backed off to 3:15 p.m. The first race on Ohio Derby Day on June 4 goes off at 2:30 p.m. The Saturday programs on June 18 and June 25 begin at 3:15 p.m. Thistledown has live racing on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday through August.
The late start on Fridays is designed to feature Finish Line Friday, a sort of late afternoon happy hour that debuts this week. Friday's party at the race track features live music from the country band Tony Rio and Relentless from 4-8 p.m. and discount hot dogs and beverages. Finish Line Fridays will be held through Sept. 2.
Spiffy Cedar Downs: The races beamed to Cedar Downs, the off-track betting parlor in Sandusky, are looking a lot sharper this week, said Northfield Park Vice-President of Operations Brent Reitz. Rows of new big-screen televisions were installed just in time for the Preakness, and workers added fresh paint, wallpaper and carpeting in recent days.
The only off-track betting facility in Ohio, Cedar Downs is on Ohio 6, at the entrance to Cedar Point Amusement Park. It is open every day from noon to midnight.
Preakness winner: Raymond Nemeth of Northfield won the $5,000 Preakness Drawing at Northfield Park on Saturday. His name was one of 14 drawn before the big race at Pimlico and Nemeth was awarded Shackleford in the Preakness. Northfield will have a special handicapping contest in conjunction with the Belmont Stakes on June 11 with a $1,000 prize.
Closing on 2,000: A pair of Northfield Park drivers are closing in on 2,000 career wins. Elliott Deaton, who is also racing in Indiana this year, is just four wins shy of the mark. Reinsman Todd Jones is only six victories away.
Great stats: Don McKirgan is still picking off purses at Northfield Park, more than 50 years after he first arrived at the harness racing plant. The 70-year-old horseman began racing at Northfield Park when the track opened in 1957, and has been a steady hand on the reins of hundreds of trotters and pacers over the years. Through Sunday, McKirgan was just a stone's throw from hitting the $10 million mark in purses won, needing about $30,000. McKirgan has 3,513 driving wins.
Preakness viewers up: The Preakness Stakes broadcast on NBC Sports, an exciting show as Shackleford held off Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom by a half-length at the wire, drew 8.8 million viewers. It was an increase of five percent over the 2010 race and the second most-watched Preakness in five years.
Source: http://www.cleveland.com/horseracing/index.ssf/2011/05/horse_racing_insider_rowland_a.html
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