No fewer than four current and four former New York sires had New York-bred progeny in the winner’s circle in the first “week” of the 2010 Saratoga meet, which actually entailed only four days of racing.
Roderick 7/23/2010 (Photo: Adam Coglianese)
On the meet’s soggy opening Friday, Roddy Valente’s homebred Roderick was the undoubted star of the fifth race, delivering an impressive maiden-breaking performance as he wired an off-the-turf maiden special weight for state-breds three and up re-carded for seven furlongs over the sloppy (sealed) main track. The three-year-old gelding is by Read the Footnotes (sire of Rightly So, winner of the Grade 3 Bed o’ Roses on July 5th), who is currently number seven in the New York sire rankings with over $1.1 million in earnings. Read the Footnotes has been in the state since 2006 and stands for Sequel Stallions at Keane Stud.
Spa City Fever 7/24/2010 (Photo: Adam Coglianese)
On Saturday, over yielding turf, Adam Madkour’s aptly named Spa City Fever by Roaring Fever defeated ten rivals to capture a NW2X New York-bred allowance/optional claiming event for three and up run at 1 1/16 miles. The four-year-old gelding wired the field for his second victory in 2010. With his two first- and two third-place finishes this year, Spa City Fever is his sire’s leading 2010 earner. Roaring Fever, who currently sits at 11th on the New York sire list has been in the state since 2005 and stands for Questroyal Stud at Dutchess Views Farm.
Cody Samora 7/25/2010 (Photo: Adam Coglianese)
Cody Samora, a four-year-old daughter of Mayakovsky owned by Gary and Susan Lundy, shook off a challenge in the stretch on Sunday to win a seven-furlong first level allowance for state-breds on Sunday running over a “good” track. Mayakovsky, a top-20 New York sire, has stood in the state from 2004 until the present at Mill Creek Farm in Stillwater.
Bernie's Pal 7/28/2010 (Photo: Adam Coglianese)
Finally, on Monday four-year-old Bernie’s Pal, a three-year-old filly by Hook and Ladder owned by Preferred Pals Stable, won a 5 ½-furlong Maiden Special Weight sprint for state-bred fillies three and up (which was re-carded from turf to dirt) in wire-to-wire fashion. Hook and Ladder, currently the ninth-ranked New York stallion and resident in the state since 2004, stands for Sequel Stallions at Keane Stud.
An additional four winners on Saratoga’s first four cards were sired by stallions once based in New York, but no longer either at stud or registered in the state. The very first race of the meet, a NW1X allowance for New York-breds run at 1 1/16 miles over an inner turf course labeled “good,” belonged to Tom Mina’s homebred Dontstealmyland, a four-year-old gelded son of Badge, who stood at Foggy Bottom Farm from 2002 to 2009. On Saturday Lindsay’s Point won a maiden special weight for three and up for state-bred fillies and mares. The four-year-old’s sire Desert Warrior stood from 2004 until 2009 at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds. The following day Starjetta, owned by Mi Star Stables, Inc. was best in a field of ten fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles over yielding turf. Her sire, the late A. P Jet, led all New York sires in 2005 and stood at Sugar Maple Farm in Poughquag from 1997 until he was pensioned in 2008. On Monday, Primed to be Ready won (and was claimed from) a six-furlong $10,000 claiming race for New York-bred fillies and mares three and up. The three-year-old is by Prime Timber (sire of multiple graded winner – and former claiming horse – Silver Timber), who stood at Sez Who North from 2004 to 2009.
