FRIDAY FUN

IT’S A WIN!

Canadian-bred IT’S A DANZIG, a Queen’s Plate eligible, won his maiden at 9 furlongs on the Churchill grass yesterday in his fourth career start. Owned by Stan Fulton and trained by Rebecca Maker, the Danzig-Dake colt was bred by Gus Schickedanz and was a $500,000 yearling purchase.

It’s a Danzig won by 1 ¼ lengths in 1:49 3/5.

KELVINGTON WINS CHURCHILL ALLOWANCE

Canadian-bred KELVINGTON, owned by Maggi Moss, won an allowance race at 12 furlongs on the turf at Churchill Downs yesterday, his 3rd win his 15 career starts. Bred by Kinghaven Farms, the Theatricl-MySweet Country, Bold Ruckus 5-year-old gelding is a half-brother to Patriot Love and top western Canadian stakes winner Deputy Country.

SKY CONQUEROR COULD SEEK BIG APPLE

The Manhattan Handicap could be next for champion turf horse and recent Grade 1 winner SKY CONQUEROR, the homebred 5-year-old owned byBill Sorokolit Sr. and trained by Darwin Banach.

Sky Conqueror, who resembles his sire Sky Classic, also has the Northern Dancer and Canadian International Championship on his schedule for 2007.

Sorokolit said yesterday that one significant offer has been made for his star runner, who just won the Woodford Reserve Stakes at Churchill on Kentucky Derby day, but that he is reluctant to sell.

“I’ve been waiting 40-50 years for a horse like this, I’m too old to sell,” joked Sorokolit.

ROCKETING TO LONE STAR

Plate supplement races at Lone Star tomorrow

(courtesy Daily Racing Form)

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - For the stakes winner Reata's Rocket, the trail to the $1 million Queen's Plate will run through Lone Star Park. He was flown here late last month and has been training toward a start in the Grade 3, $300,000 Lone Star Derby on May 12.

"We thought it would be a nice stepping-stone on our way to the Queen's Plate, and with a little luck, we show up and run our race," said Joe Orseno, who trains Reata's Rocket.

Reata's Rocket is bidding to become the second straight Canadian-bred to win the Lone Star Derby, after the 2006 winner, Wanna Runner. He will start as a top choice following his third-place finish to eventual Grade 1 Blue Grass winner Dominican last out in the $100,000 Rushaway at Turfway Park on March 24.

The race was Reata's Rocket's first around two turns, and it came at the 1 1/16-mile distance of the Lone Star Derby. Earlier in his career, he won the $200,000 NATC Futurity at Monmouth Park, and was fourth in the Grade 2 Hutcheson and Grade 2 Swale, both at Gulfstream Park.

Reata's Rocket flew from south Florida to Lone Star on April 25. Orseno said he decided to ship in early for the race rather than move the horse to Monmouth with the rest of his stable at the close of Gulfstream, then have to ship Reata's Rocket again, to Texas.

"I wanted him to train over that racetrack for a little while, and I'm going to breeze him on the weekend, so it worked out okay," said Orseno. "He's probably there six, seven days longer than I normally would have done it, but I always like to get there beforehand and let a horse just get acquainted with the racetrack and get familiar with the surroundings and everything."

Orseno said there are a number of reasons the Lone Star Derby works well for Reata's Rocket, one of which is the timing of the race, which sets him up well for the Queen's Plate at Woodbine on June 24.

"And to top it all off, Al Micallef is from Fort Worth," Orseno said of the owner of Reata's Rocket. "He owns the restaurant there, Reata's, which is where the horses get their names from, Reata's Rocket. So, we thought it would be a lot of fun to take him to his hometown and run him in the Lone Star Derby, and it would be a good stepping-stone for the Queen's Plate for us."

Orseno said Rajiv Maragh has the mount for the Lone Star Derby.

-Mary Rampellini

*Reata’s Rocket was bred by Rod Ferguson and Anderson Farms and was a $95,000 2-year-old purchase last spring. He is by Cape Canveral out of the French Deputy mare Selborne.

TODAY, EVERYWHERE

No feature races at WOODBINE on the nine-race card unless you consider maiden allowances for Ontario-sired older horses (race 6) or a B level maiden allowance for fillies & mares the features.

Longtime maidens BROCKPORT and PRATTLE takes on morning line favourite REGALLY RED (Randy Regent) from the Laurie Silvera barn.

Beginners MOONSHINE TALKER (Talkin Man) and FULL OF WISDOM (Whiskey Wisdom) have had some fast workout times.

The 9th race is a very competitive 14-horse field and among the favourites should be Sam-Son Farms’ DYNAMITE EYES. The Kentucky-bred half-sister to Angel on Watch, by Dynaformer, is highly regarded but she stopped in her career debut at Keeneland on April 7.

Canadian Triple Crown winner WANDO’S full sister FUHRLEEN makes her second career start after finishing a mild 4th in her debut on April 22.

First time starters of interest in the race include Bonny Breeze Acres LADY ELIZA HIGGINS (Gold Case) who is a daughter of a mare who won 17 races; SMART EXPLOITS, a full sister to a juvenile stakes winner by Exploit and SAIL CLOTH, a grass gal by hot sire Mizzen Mast.

At Churchill Downs, A NICE SPLASH (That’s a Nice) is seeking his 2nd consecutive win in a starter allowance race on the grass. The irish Acres-bred 7-year-old Canadian-bred has won 13 of 51 starts and $348,416.

The colt that beat Queen’s Plate hopeful INCLUDE US, Lemon Custard, comes back from that win in an allowance race at Churchill today. The Kentucky-bred colt ran an 80 Beyer Figure when he beat Include Us by a short head.

Talking about GRILLHOUSE last week. He’s not Canadian-bred but he raced at Woodbine for a long time. The 10-year-old is in today at Pimlico for $5,000 claiming. He has won 22 races from 60 starts and $611,000.