ON THE TAKE

CHARLES PRAVATA, one of California's top photographers, captured the super finish to the SAN GORGONIO yesterday at Santa Anita. The winner was TIZFIZ (Tiznow) in the middle of the battle of fillies.

GULFSTREAM DAY TWO

from 15,000 fans to 4,100...

$10 million bet to $6 million


EUGENE MELNYK'S Kentucky bred filly GEMSWICK PARK won the 3rd stake of the Gulfstream meeting yesterday when she had her nose in front at the wire of the Grade 3 Old Hat Stakes.

from Gulfstream media..

Melnyk Racing Stable’s 3-year-old Kentucky homebred filly Gemswick Park was up in the final steps under jockey John R. Velazquez to post a nose victory over Martin Schwartz’ favored Elusive Heat in Sunday’s $100,000 Old Hat Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

Elusive Heat was made the 11-to-10 favorite in the field of seven 3-year-old fillies after winning her only previous start impressively in October at Belmont Park, and took command early in the six-furlong test with Gemswick Park stalking from the outside and Dare To Dream Farm’s Frolic’s Dream close-up on the inside down the backstretch. It became a three-horse battle to the wire in deep stretch with Frolic’s Dream finishing only a nose back of the runner-up in third.

A daughter of owner-breeder Eugene Melnyk’s Eclipse champion sprinter Speightstown, Gemswick Park was making her first start since finishing second in the Temped Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct on Nov. 2 and paid $11 for $2 to win. She was timed in 1:09:77 over the ‘fast’ track.

Winning Jockey Quotes
John R. Velazquez:

“From the three-sixteenths pole on down it was a smooth one. I couldn’t ask for more. I felt a little pressure but, like I said, she responded at the three-sixteenths and we were able to finish. Once we got going I didn’t have any problems. This horse has a bright future ahead. Everything went well thank God. “

Winning Trainer Quote

Tom Albertrani:

“We tried to stretch her speed out a little farther than she probably really wants to go in the Frizette and Tempted (third and second, respectively, going one mile). I’m not sure what’s next. I think I’d rather run her five furlongs than seven, but we’ll see. I do think she’ll handle any surface though, including turf.”

Fractions:

22:17, 44:92 & 1:09:97


GEMSWICK PARK is out of Queen's Plark, by Relaunch, who raced in Canada.




$5.50 - PRICE IS UP ON THE BIBLE!

DAILY RACING FORM has hiked its price from $5.00 to $5.50 beginning today.
The valuable paper, available on-line as well, is the most necessary tool for handicapping the races these days but if you don't want to be bogged down with the high amount of columns and editorial, get a subscription to get pp's only!



ELSEWHERE...

HARLEM ROCKER worked at Palm Meadows yesterday in 1:02.00 for 5 furlongs. The Canadian-bred topped THOROUGHBLOG'S HOT CANADIAN BRED LIST of 2008 (see chart at right).










MONKEY BUSINESS...THE GREEN MONKEY, recently photographed at a stallion show at HartleyDeRenzo farm in Ocala, Florida...remember him?

After selling for $16 million as a 2yo at Calder, the next year's Calder sale had a little surprise for buyer Demi O'Byrne (see photo below)






















LEADING FRESHMAN SIRES
BLOOD-HORSE STATS

final 2008

THOROUGHBLOG will get to work on finalizing the FRESHMAN SIRE CONTEST STATS by stallion and my team (your team is on the link at right).
Prizes will be given for top 2 teams.
I will tabulate results according to a leading database.

Check back soon.
Here is the final list according to the Blood-Horse:
(and all the columns have to be in paragraph form, sorry!)


Rank Stallion, YOB Sire Standing Farm 2009 Stud Fee Current 2YOs Rnrs Wnrs Rpt. Wnrs SWrs GSWrs SHs Yearling Average Chief Earner, Earnings Earnings


1 Tapit, 2001 Pulpit Gainesway, KY $35,000 92 56 24 3 3 2 5 $50,677 Stardom Bound ($1,420,600) $2,811,337

2 Lion Heart, 2001 Tale of the Cat Ashford Stud, KY $20,000 161 85 33 6 4 2 8 $78,811 Azul Leon ($232,400) $1,655,339

3 Candy Ride (ARG), 1999 Ride the Rails Hill 'n' Dale Farms, KY $12,500 113 45 21 9 3 2 7 $38,413 Evita Argentina ($204,900) $1,370,460

4 Medaglia d'Oro, 1999 El Prado Stonewall Farm Stallions, KY $40,000 140 57 18 6 4 2 7 $125,600 Retraceable ($227,717) $1,335,405

5 Speightstown, 1998 Gone West WinStar Farm, KY $35,000 97 41 17 5 2 1 6 $165,436 Lord Shanakill ($327,518) $1,246,219

6 Chapel Royal, 2001 Montbrook Signature Stallions, FL $10,000 153 82 37 2 - - 3 $41,348 Our Lady Chapel ($58,980) $995,943

7 Even the Score, 1998 Unbridled's Song Millennium Farms, KY $7,500 74 33 14 6 2 1 6 $25,054 Four Gifts ($352,779) $812,780

8 Birdstone, 2001 Grindstone Gainesway, KY $10,000 62 30 12 4 4 3 5 $41,995 Mine That Bird ($304,381) $809,971

9 Peace Rules, 2000 Jules Vinery, FL $7,500 98 49 23 8 2 - 2 $40,811 Peace Town ($88,850) $781,482

10 Congaree, 1998 Arazi Adena Springs Kentucky, KY $10,000 90 44 18 1 3 1 6 $52,410 Bear's Conductor ($88,837) $702,588

11 Cuvee, 2001 Carson City Gainesway, KY $6,500 109 53 20 7 2 - 5 $37,405 Haley's Lolipop ($59,300) $658,763

12 Friends Lake, 2001 A.P. Indy Airdrie Stud, KY $12,500 79 41 16 3 2 1 3 $65,964 Screen Your Friend ($149,156) $655,289

13 Stroll, 2000 Pulpit $- 34 13 9 7 3 1 3 $16,780 Van Lear Rose ($283,080) $610,868

14 Tomahawk, 2000 Seattle Slew Firestone Farms, CAN $- 55 26 10 - 1 - 2 $34,813 Win and Reign ($131,303) $584,390

15 Read the Footnotes, 2001 Smoke Glacken Sequel Stallions New York, NY $7,500 51 24 11 3 1 - 4 $20,966 Forty Thieves ($146,893) $561,213

16 Alke, 2000 Grand Slam Vinery, FL $3,000 56 32 18 4 - - - $20,365 Broadway Al ($74,741) $542,469

17 Olmodavor, 1999 A.P. Indy Adena Springs South, FL $5,000 63 32 12 3 2 - 2 $14,463 High Mist ($145,263) $539,212

18 Omega Code, 2000 Elusive Quality Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds, FL $7,500 85 43 21 3 1 - 1 $23,906 Code Runner ($96,054) $479,622

19 Roar of the Tiger, 1999 Storm Cat Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds, FL $6,000 67 37 15 4 - - 2 $14,720 Prowl On ($65,325) $479,596

20 The Cliff's Edge, 2001 Gulch Margaux Farm, KY $7,500 67 37 11 1 - - 2 $31,357 Dave's Revenge ($142,570) $476,372