Many racing officials at Colonial Downs, weary of Central Virginia downpours, may have to pardon trainer James Toner if he does a rain dance Saturday morning.

 

In making his last three starts on either soft or yielding turf, Team Valor International’s Sailor’s Cap won the $600,000 Colonial Turf Cup (gr. IIIT), closed to within a neck on emerging rival Tizdejavu in the $150,000 Crown Royal American Turf (gr. IIIT) at Churchill Downs, and won an $53,540 allowance race on the Keeneland turf.

 

Despite receiving somewhere between three to six inches of rain before and during the Colonial Turf Cup in June, the Secretariat Turf Course was officially listed as soft during the 1^st leg of the Grand Slam of Grass.  Jockey Alan Garcia kept Sailor’s Cap off the rail in order to have a clear shot at the wire and prevailed by over 6 lengths in a boggy 2:04 & 2/5ths.

 

Trainer Christophe Clement needs sunshine or at least overcast conditions to gain an advantage.  Gio Ponti has won all of his turf starts over a firm course, the latest in the $100,000 Hill Prince (gr.IIIT) at Belmont Park.  In Gio Ponti’s only turf start on a yielding surface, Gio Ponti was eighth, four lengths back in the $1 million Breeder’s Cup Juvenile Turf (gr. IT) at Monmouth Park on October 26th.  Garrett Gomez, who visited in the winner’s circle after the Hill Prince, returns for the assignment.  Clemente would have the concurrence of many Colonial officials have seen storm clouds on many of their biggest traditional attendance days, the Strawberry Hill Steeplechase Races in April, the Colonial Turf Cup and Independence Day.

 

Familiar faces to Sailor’s Cap returning to the Virginia Derby will be Kentucky Derby starter Court Vision, El Sultry Sun, Your Round and Baltimore Bob out of the Turf Cup.

 

Should Sailor’s Cap prevail, the third leg of the $5 million Jacobs’ Investments Grand Slam of Grass could feature a Crown Royal American Turf rematch in the $400,000 Secretariat Stakes (gr. IT) at Arlington Park on August 9^th.  The final leg of the Grand Slam of Grass is versus older horses in the $3 million John Deere Breeder’s Cup Turf at Santa Anita on October 25^th.

 

Newcomers in the Virginia Derby field are Old Man Buck, Budge Man and Southwest.

 

 

SUNDAY, JUNE 22ND

 

SAILORS CAP “RAINS” IN TURF CUP

 

When everyone at Colonial Downs was looking for shelter or an umbrella they should have been looking for a Sailor’s Cap. 

In a drenching thunderstorm, Alan Garcia swung Sailor’s Cap four wide coming out of the turn and pulled away to prevail by 6 3/4 lengths over a willing Nistle’s Crunch in the $600,000 Colonial Turf Cup (gr. III) on a soft course at Colonial Downs. Your Round, the longest shot on the board at 55-1, finished third.

The ownership group of Team Valor International managed by Aron Wellman slapped high fives and danced in the mud waiting for Garcia to return their 3-year old by Distant View--Wave On (by Caveat) to return to the winner’s circle. Trained by James Toner, Sailor's Cap went off as a lukewarm 7-2 choice in a field of 10 sophomores.

The race started with a subtle lull in the rain that kicked up several notches once the field crossed the wire for the first time.  While Kentucky Bear set the pace at :25.26 for the opening quarter, :50.91 for the half and 1:18.26 after three quarters of a mile, Garcia galloped Sailor’s Cap eight lengths behind the frontrunner going up the backstretch. When the pacesetter faded, Garcia angled Sailor's Cap coming out of the turn wide enough to avoid traffic. After getting the lead, they increased their margin over the challengers in the final furlong.

“This horse he loves this kind of soft turf,” said Garcia, running back to the paddock with a big smile in the storm. “He handled everything fine. He was much the best today.”

Nistle's Crunch stalked the pace for Robby Albarado on the outside of Kentucky Bear before getting the lead near the quarter pole. Though he was no match for the winner, he held gamely for second by one length over Your Round, who edged Court Vision by a head for third. Second choice Adriano finished fifth.

Sailor's Cap owns two wins and a second in three tries on soft or yielding ground and was coming off a tough-luck loss by a neck to Tizdejavu in the American Turf (gr. IIIT) on a yielding Churchill Downs turf course May 2. Nistle's Crunch finished a close third that day.

Wave On bred the bay colt in Kentucky. Sailor's Cap earned $360,000 for his third win in six lifetime starts, all on the lawn, and has banked $463,495.

Court Vision and Adriano, both coming out of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), were followed by Baltimore Bob, El Sultry Sun, Sporting Art, Boss Lafitte and Kentucky Bear.

 

CROP WATCH

 

Prior to the stakes races, the ten jockeys and trainers in the 5^th race, a $28,500 optional allowance race going a mile on the inner turf course, agreed to use riding crops instead of whips.  If there were any defectors in the field, the testing the crops would have been scratched.  There were none.

 

“There not against anything.  They’ll try anything,” commented Iain Woolnough, Colonial’s General Manager prior to the race, an advocate for the crops.  “There professional athletes and they’ll go along with it.”

 

Of the five jockeys interviewed after the race, three found the crops satisfactory with a few adjustments such as handle thickness while two others thought they were fine but needed to be longer.

 

TUESDAY, JUNE 17TH

 

A TOAST TO THE TURF CUP

 

Saturday’s Turf Cup card at Colonial Downs would have a hard time being more appealing to Virginia racing fans.  Among the jockeys scheduled to ride are Edgar Prado, Robby Alvarado, Alan Garcia, Javier Castellano, Garrett Gomez, Julian Lepareaux and Elbar Coa representing the riders of the current best horse in the world, the recent Belmont Stakes winner, 5 of the last 6 Virginia Derbys.

 

Three horses off the Triple Crown; Adriano, Kentucky Bear and Court Vision are among a field of turf veterans; Sporting Art, El Sultry Sun, Boss Lafitte, Sailor’s Cap, Nistle’s Crunch, Baltimore Bob and Your Round.

 

The All Along Stakes came out of the box well with Rutherienne, Valbenny, High Moment, J’ray, Lady Digby, Indescribable, Eclisse, Pamilla, Dancing Band and Royal Pleasure.

 

KARAMANOS GETS THREE-DAY SUSPENSION

 

Pending an appeal, jockey Horatio Karamanos learned Saturday morning that he will receive a three-day suspension by the racing stewards at Colonial Downs.

 

JOCKEY’S FIRST WIN D’QED BY STEWARTS

 

The jockey colony at Colonial Downs didn’t care when Bryan Halligan had his number taken down in the 6th race at Colonial on Saturday.  They let him have it. 

 

“He’s about to be taken down,” jockey Jonathan Joyce heard from the crowd. 

 

“I don’t care,” responded Joyce in a whisper.  “He crossed the wire first.”

 

Shortly after that. as Halligan half-heartedly shared the bad news in the paddock, he was dumped with ice, water, eggs in a cloud of baby powder.

 

Halligan’s mount, Luna Sombra was placed last, giving Cosalinda the win.  Halligan horse had come a lane in the turn and impeded the last place finisher Celestial Quest.  

 

WEEKEND STAKES RECAP

 

Frisky Thunder Rumbles in the Marsh

 

Braeburn Farm’s (Crozet, VA) Frisky Thunder under Eric Camacho’s direction, stayed close to the pacesetting Citi Charisse, switched outside to find racing room and stormed home clear of True Blue Fingers by over 5 lengths in the $60,000 John D. Marsh Stakes.  Sired by Travers winner Thunder Rumble, the winner in a field of Virginia-breds is bred by the owner and trained by James Murphy.

 

Ghost Dancing in the Oakley

 

Jockey James Lopez, whose father and grandfather were both jockeys, won the feature on Father’s Day in the $60,000 Oakley Stakes at Colonial Downs.  Trained by Tony Dutrow and owned by Edward Evans, the gray filly stayed to the inside early as far back as fifth and went wide for run to prevail by over a length.