Texas Arabian Racing Results

January 2007 - April 2007 Sam Houston Race Park

For full race reports and past performance records, see Equibase.

Many thanks to sports writer Randy Chambers, and to racing photographers from Coady Photo.

To order racing photos or for photo use on other sites and in publications, see Coady Photography.

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Sam Houston Race Park - April 05, 2007 Off at: 7:00

Race Type: Maiden Special Weight
Age Restriction: Four Year Old and Upward
Value of Race: $5,000
Distance: Six Furlongs
Surface Type: Dirt
Track Condition: Fast

Winning Time: 1:21.67

	Program #	Horse	Jockey
WINNER	1	VIANSA	Anthony Cruz
Second	2	MOULIN ROUGE MAF	Kim Dvorak-Collier
Third	4	FROZEN ASSETS	Quincy Hamilton

Also ran: 5 - WMA SWEET SIOUX , 3 - HK KALIENTE
Scratched horses: WMA WALK ON WATER

Winning Breeder: MANDOLYNN HILL FARM
Winning Owner: Gay McFarren
Winning Trainer: M. Shawn Finch

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Sam Houston Race Park - March 30, 2007, Off at: 7:00

Race Type: Claiming
Age Restriction: Four Year Old and Upward
Value of Race: $5,200
Distance: Six Furlongs
Surface Type: Dirt
Track Condition: Fast
Winning Time: 1:18.74

	Program #	Horse	Jockey
WINNER	5	CRUZ ALONG	Diego Saenz
Second	1	NORDIK STAR	Larry Taylor
Third	6	FOGGY NOTE	Paul M. Nolan

Also ran: 3 - MIZTER AL , 2 - MW MISTER Z , 7 - KALYPSO MON , 4 - FERNANDEZ

Winning Breeder: DARLEY STUD MANAGEMENT, LLC
Winning Owner: Gillis, Betty J. and Joseph A.
Winning Trainer: Jerenesto Torrez

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2nd race - Sam Houston Race Park - March 25, 2007 Off at: 5:23

Race Type: Allowance
Age Restriction: Four Year Old and Upward
Sex Restriction: Fillies and Mares
Value of Race: $6,200
Distance: Five And One Half Furlongs
Surface Type: Dirt Track Condition: Fast
Winning Time: 1:14.49

	Program #	Horse	Jockey
WINNER	3	VIBVILCCA	Diego Saenz
Second	1	JESSYS PRINCESS	Paul M. Nolan
Third	4	DYNAGLIDE	Quincy Hamilton

Also ran: 5 - KEY FINDER , 2 - DATED WIKING , 1A - ZANS LITTLE WING , 7 - TU AWESUM

Scratched horses: OH SUSANNA

Winning Breeder: DANIEL OR CLAUDIA SPEARS
Winning Owner: North Star Racing
Winning Trainer: Jerenesto Torrez

Vibvilcca Gets Up in the Nick of Time

by Randy Chambers

There is a simple explanation as to why trainer Jerenesto Torrez is known around Sam Houston Race Park as the “Arabian King.” His Arabians win, and they win in bunches. The leading Arabian Texas trainer and long time veteran horsemen scored another victory on Sunday, March 25 in arguably his best training job of the meet when Vibvilcca returned from a two-month layoff to score a gusty ½ length win against allowance foes.

The win gave Torrez win number 19 from 79 starters for the meet, placing him in sixth position in the trainers standings, placing him ahead of prominent horsemen such as Steve Assmussen and Michael Stidham. His 24% win clip ranks him fourth amongst top ten trainers at the current meet, and his 62% in-the-money finish, ranks at the head of the class when compared to the top ten trainers during the winter/spring meeting that concludes on April, 7th. His horses have accumulated purse earnings of $117,579.

Adding to his already eye-catching statistics was the four-year-old Texas-bred filly Vibvilcca. After a strong fourth place effort in the trials for the first leg of the female Triple Crown, the Grade 1 Daughters of the Desert Oaks in January, Vibvilcca was beaten by double digit lengths in the main feature while finishing a disappointing eighth. But, with sufficient time off and a race filled with ample speed, Vibvilcca was able to use a strong closing kick to run down Jessys Princess in the final 110 yards in the 5 ½-furlong event in a time of 1:14.49. Scratched from the Texas Yellow Rose Stakes the previous day in favor of this spot, Jessys Princess, finished 1 3/4 lengths in front of Dynaglide. After an impressive maiden win by six lengths just seven days earlier, Zans Little Wing, jumped to an early lead, but, faded to finish sixth of seven.

Vibvilcca, is a daughter of Virgule Al Maury out of the Wilkolak mare, Wibwilcca. She was bred by Daniel and Claudia Spears of Willis, Texas, and is owned by North Star Racing. The winning rider was Diego Saenz.

“I didn’t want her to be that far off the pace,” said Torrez, referring to Vibvilcca’s early fourth place position while seven lengths from the early pace setter Zans Little Wing. “But, it worked out very well in the end. Diego did a good job with her finding room heading into the far turn. I have had her about a month and a half, and the owners just wanted to give her a little time off after bringing her back from California.”

While most of the Arabian racing community heads to either Delaware or Araphoe Park in Colorado, Torrez will head to Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas to concentrate on his Thoroughbred athletes.

“I lose my Arabians because I always go to Lone Star Park,” Torrez said. “So the Arabians will go to someone else and then I will get them back during the next meet, or any Lone Star Arabian stakes races.”

After running away from maiden competition more than a month ago, Jessys Princess was reeled back seven days later to take on the boys in her first start against winners. In a nice stalking position throughout, she failed to sustain her run finishing a well beaten fifth. After pressuring her stablemate throughout on Sunday, Jessys Princess inched away at the top of the lane, but, just failed to hold off the fast closing Vibvilcca in the end.

The Torrez trained Dynaglide had an uneventful trip after being pinched back at the start while racing well off the pace down the backstretch. After circling the field heading into the stretch, the bay four-year-old-filly lacked a closing kick and ran evenly down the stretch to finish third.

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1st race - Sam Houston Race Park - March 24, 2007

Race Name: Texas Six Shooter Arabian S.

Off at: 7:01
Age Restriction: Four Year Old
Sex Restriction: Colts and Geldings
Value of Race: $40,000
Distance: Seven Furlongs
Surface Type: Dirt
Track Condition: Fast

Winning Time: 1:32.15

NEW TRACK RECORD

	Program #	Horse	Jockey
WINNER	4	THE LAST DANSE	Roimes Chirinos
Second	1A	CROMWELL	William J. Hollick
Third	3	SE BUNKER BUSTER	Larry Taylor

Also ran: 2 - WISH AGAIN , 5 - BUSH HOG , 2B - FRYVOLOUS , 1 - CAPITALIST

Winning Breeder: TRACKSIDE FARM
Winning Owner: Trackside Farm
Winning Trainer: Loren Nichols

The Last Danse. Photo Credit: Coady Photography

6th race - Sam Houston Race Park - March 24, 2007

Race Name: Yellow Rose Arabian S.

Off at: 9:11
Age Restriction: Four Year Old
Sex Restriction: Fillies
Value of Race: $48,300
Distance: Seven Furlongs
Surface Type: Dirt Track Condition: Fast

Winning Time: 1:33.25

	Program #	Horse	Jockey
WINNER	1	ROLLY POLLY	Roimes Chirinos
Second	1A	KITTILINA	Larry Taylor
Third	4	DJENTEEL	Joy Marie Scott

Also ran: 1X - SCOOT , 1B - CAFE LATTE , 5 - CLEOPATRAH , 6 - CAVIYAR , 8 - DREAMM DIVA , 2B - GIZMOSON FIRE , 3 - LELY ROTERRA , 7 - SHES A DANDY

Scratched horses: JESSYS PRINCESS

Winning Breeder: TRACKSIDE FARM
Winning Owner: Trackside Farm
Winning Trainer: Loren Nichols

Full Story here!

Rolly Polly. Photo Credit: Coady Photography

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Sam Houston Race Park - March 22, 2007 Off at: 7:00
Race Type: Allowance
Age Restriction: Four Year Old and Upward
Value of Race: $6,000
Distance: Six Furlongs
Surface Type: Dirt
Track Condition: Fast
Winning Time: 1:21.30

	Program #	Horse	Jockey
WINNER	4	VICTRIX	Paul M. Nolan
Second	5	KALYPSO MON	Diego Saenz
Third	2	MAKZARPONE	Filemon T. Rodriguez

Also ran: 6 - MONTYONTHESPOT , 1 - MW MISTER Z , 7 - CON DOOR , 3 - KD WINCHESTER

Winning Breeder: TRACKSIDE FARM
Winning Owner: Larry A. Jones
Winning Trainer: Elizabeth Brand

Victrix’s Speed Proves Dangerous in Pace Less Race

by Randy Chambers

Training race horses is by no means an easy occupation. Making a living in a sport where you lose more than you win, can be considered by some as just plain foolishness. For some trainers it takes days, some times weeks before they are able to shake the doldrums of defeat. Thinking about what should have been can often lead horsemen/women to migraine headaches.

One trainer that remains on an even keel through the stellar performances and lackadaisical ones, is Elizabeth Brand. After starting the Sam Houston Race Park season on a high note, Brand went through several stressful weeks of not winning a race. Having to endure through several narrow defeats, surely didn’t help matters. Determined to break out of her slump before meets end on April, 7 and heading to Arapahoe Park in Aurora, Colorado, Brand got the monkey off her back on March, 15 when the eight-year-old Foggy Note stormed home under the wire in good fashion. On March, 18 she made her way to the winners circle yet again with the speedy Zans Little Wing, and on Thursday March, 22 she would make it three wins in a row when Victrix stormed home to hard fought 1 3/4 length win. Within three days, her win percentage would jump from 14% to 18%.

In a field devoid of early speed, Victrix, assumed command of the lead early under jockey Paul Nolan, and continued to widen his margin at every pole as he held a four-length at the top of the stretch. Keeping the peddle to the metal, Victrix, Continued to dig in all the way to the wire to hold off the closing Kalypso Mon. Another length back in third came Makzarpone, with Brand’s other entrant Montyonthespot finishing in fourth.

Victrix, is a five-year-old grey son Virgule, out of the Sx Champion mare Carmela Ku. Owned by Larry Jones, he was bred in Florida by Trackside Farm. Victrix scored his second lifetime victory in the time of 1:21.30 for six-furlongs over a fast track.

Victrix ran well to finish second in January, while racing over the slop, despite hitting the gate at the start. What was perceived to be a one time gate incident, Victrix had some trouble at the gate in his next start, prompting Brand to school him at the gate during morning training hours. After a fourth place finish last month, it seemed he had learned from his schooling sessions, that was until his latest fall back on Thursday. Victrix, got away from the gate in an awkward fashion yet again, just this time, he was much the best.

“I have tried to school him and stand him in the gates, but, he still continues to do the same thing,” said Brand. “Nevertheless, he is a really nice horse, and he was due for a win,” she continued. “He looked like he was the quickest in the race.”

As for fourth place finisher Montyonthespot, Brand was perplexed by his unusual running style after the race.

“He ran a little spotty,” she said. “He ranged up really well and it looked like he would kick on by, but, then he started to flatten out. Then right there at the end he kind of came on again.”

Second place finisher Kalypso Mon broke his maiden over this same surface in November of last year, but, had been well beaten in his last two attempts. After being forced wide when finishing sixth in his previous effort, rider Diego Saenz made it a point to save ground for this effort. Kalypso Mon closed well from sixth place, but, was just unable to catch the winner. Kalypso Mon is a four-year-old Virginia-bred bay gelding owned by North Star Racing, and trained by Jerenesto Torrez.

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Sam Houston Race Park - March 18, 2007 Off at: 5:01

Race Type: Maiden Special Weight
Age Restriction: Four Year Old and Upward
Sex Restriction: Fillies and Mares
Value of Race: $5,000
Distance: Five And One Half Furlongs
Surface Type: Dirt
Track Condition: Fast

Winning Time: 1:13.29

	Program #	Horse	Jockey
WINNER	6	ZANS LITTLE WING	Quincy Hamilton
Second	1	GIVE ME A BREAK	Benito Tovar Morales
Third	3	VIANSA	Anthony Cruz

Also ran: 5 - KALDONIA , 4 - WMA SWEET SIOUX , 7 - RUNZINTHEFAMILY

Scratched horses: WMA FLORA

Winning Breeder: SAM VASQUEZ
Winning Owner: Sam A. Vasquez
Winning Trainer: Elizabeth Brand

Zans Little Wing Zips to the Front and Never Looks Back

by Randy Chambers

Zans Little Wing had made just one start in her career. In that start, she was able to save ground and stalk the early pace against the talented filly Surreal Cs. In the blink of an eye, the wheels quickly fell off. With a progressive retreat to the rear of the field, the bay filly was beaten by over 40 lengths. It sounds more dramatic than it really is, considering Zans Little Wing was making her first lifetime start against stakes competition last November.

After her attempt in the Firecracker Stakes at Los Alamitos in Cypress, California, it was discovered that Zans Little Wing had bucked her shins. With the proper care and time off, Zans Little Wing healed from her injuries, and was sent to trainer Elizabeth Brand on February 17 at Sam Houston Race Park. Training in strong fashion after three respectable works, the daughter of Bandera Ka was fit and ready to roll.

And roll she did under. Under confident handling from jockey Quincy Hamilton, Zans Little Wing would break on top and make a very outside pole a winning one to score a convincing six length win as the 4-5 favorite. Final running time for the 5 ½-furlongs was 1:13.29 over the fast track. Give Me a Break would finish third, six lengths ahead of Viansa. Wma Flora for trainer Rita Cunningham was scratched.

Zans Little Wing is owned by her breeder, Sam Vasquez, of Galveston, Texas. Zans Little Wing’s dam, Golly Gal, was a pretty good runner in her own right.

“Her mother was a runner,” said the enthusiastic Brand after sweeping both Arabian races for the week. “She looks like she has a lot of ability as well. I’m not sure if I will take her with me to Arapahoe or not. The boss (Sam Vasquez) hasn’t decided who is going where just yet."

Added Vasquez, “This filly's dam is named Golly Gal. She is a daughter of Widania, who was sold overseas long ago. She was a Darley winner and record holder at Hollywood Park. Her dam never ran, but Jerry Lambert told me she was the fastest thing they ever had at the Magness ranch. Her sire is also Tiki Diablo's sire, so I was hoping to get a lot of speed, which it looks like I got.”

Zans Little Wing set early fractions of :24.59 and :51.63 under a strong hold heading into the far turn. Third place finisher Viansa, looked poised and ready to blow by the eventual winner after making a strong move mid-way on the turn, to draw within three lengths of the winner, but, Zans Little Wing had plenty in the tank.

“I didn’t give any special instructions to Quincy at all,” Brand said. “I told him this is all you.”

Brand and Vasquez will team up again on Saturday, March 24th as they will send out Gizmoson Fire in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, the Yellow Rose Arabian Stakes. The striking grey daughter of Burning Sand finished fourth in the first leg of the Daughters of the Desert Oaks in January, and will more than likely have to face the winner of that race again, Shes a Dandy.

“She is doing really well leading up to the race,” said Brand. “We didn’t get the best of trips last time out, so hopefully with a good trip, she should run well. My other horse Se Bunker Bunster has been training well also.”

Se Bunker Buster is Brand’s entry for the colts and geldings division of the Triple Crown, the Texas Six Shooter. Se Bunker Buster finished fourth in both the trial and Drinkers of the Wind Derby and is owned by Jane Teutsch.

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Sam Houston Race Park - March 15, 2007 Off at: 7:00

Race Type: Claiming
Age Restriction: Four Year Old and Upward
Value of Race: $5,100
Distance: Six Furlongs
Surface Type: Dirt
Track Condition: Good

Winning Time: 1:20.17

	Program #	Horse	Jockey
WINNER	4	FOGGY NOTE	Larry Taylor
Second	1	SAKBEE	Roimes Chirinos
Third	8	CRUZ ALONG	Diego Saenz

Also ran: 2 - ORMOND , 6 - TRUE COLOURS , 7 - ROYAL OPAL , 5 - HAAHIRA

Scratched horses: ZING AWAY

Winning Breeder: TRACKSIDE FARM
Winning Owner: Charles W. Bliss
Winning Trainer: Elizabeth Brand

Veteran Finally Gets the Job Done

by Randy Chambers

For an eight-year-old, Foggy Note is still a pretty good race horse. After some mediocre attempts while dabbling in the claiming races from the $5,000 to $10,000 range last year at Delaware Park, the grey son of Virgule, had been the victim of some horrible racing luck to start 2007, all while facing allowance company. After an uncharacteristic front running trip, an extremely wide one and having his momentum completely stopped just as he began to unleash a furious rally, he still somehow managed to finish third twice and second on another occasion.

Back in the claiming ranks for $5,000 on Thursday, March 15 at Sam Houston Race Park, Foggy Note used his customary late kick to put himself in contention to win, only this time he was able to prevail over seven other foes, albeit by the slimmest of margins. Foggy Note is trained by Elizabeth Brand for owner Charles Bliss. Out of the Sx Champion mare Carmela Ku, Foggy Note was bred in Florida by 2006 Darley Award winning breeders, Trackside Farm. In earning his fourth career win as the 2-1 favorite, Foggy Note has now pushed earnings past the $60,000 mark.

With Ormond taking command early, Foggy Note lagged at the tail end of the field, some 10 lengths off the lead. Unleashing a powerful run from the back of the pack, Foggy Note found himself in a deja vu situation all over again as he ran into a road block behind Cruz Along and Sakbee at the as the field reached the eighth pole. Cruz Along, three-wide at the head of the stretch, ranged up boldly on the outside of the pace setting Ormond, but lost all chance after he hesitated to switch leads and his rider Diego Saenz dropped his whip. Sakbee, trapped on the rail the entire trip around, took a brief lead when Roimes Chirinos slipped through a small gap between Cruz Along and Ormond. Little did he know that the whole he would create would be large enough for two horses, as Foggy Note was also able to bold his way though the gap along with Sakbee to beat that rival by a nose at the finish.

Sakbee would finish ½ length in front of third place finisher Cruz Along. Ormond, making his second start off a layoff would fade to finish fourth. Winning running time for the six-furlongs over a good track was 1:20.17. Sakbee was claimed by owner/trainer Rickey Collier for $5,000 from trainer Jerenesto Torrez and owner Terry Andreasen, and Zing Away was scratched.

“It’s a lot easier when you don’t get shut off,” said winning rider Larry Taylor. “I knew I had it all the way.”

One asset that contributed to Foggy Note’s first win since September of last year was the amount of speed that was present in the race, which aided his late kick.

“The amount of early speed in the race set it up perfectly for him,” said Brand. “Larry said he was confident the whole time.”

With the meet coming to a close on April 7th, one would have to wonder just how much juice the eight-year-old has left in the tank?

“As soon as he runs, I take him to the farm and I put him in a paddock and just let him run around,” said Brand. “That seems to work well, and he has been the perfect picture of health. I haven’t had any problems with as for as health issues are concerned. There is an open allowance race he might run in before the meet is out. If not, I will be taking him to Colorado (Arapahoe Park) and we will compete with him there.

Jerenesto Torrez, the trainer of the tough luck second place finisher Sakbee and third place finisher Cruz Along, came to the conclusion that race was just not meant to be for his two charges.

“The rail hampered Sakbee as he was blocked the entire time,” said Torrez. “The when he did find room, wouldn’t you know it, the other horse (Foggy Note) would get through as well. Then Cruz Along looked like the winner turning for home, but kept running on the same lead, and when Diego went to straighten him up, he lost his stick. Oh well, that’s the way it goes.”

As far as Sakbee being claimed Torrez said, “ I think Sakbee is a nice horse. I think the new connections will have some fun with him.”

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Sam Houston Race Park - March 11, 2007 Off at 5:24

Race Type: Maiden Special Weight
Age Restriction: Four Year Old and Upward
Value of Race: $5,500
Distance: Five And One Half Furlongs
Surface Type: Dirt
Track Condition: Fast
Winning Time: 1:13.58

	Program #	Horse	Jockey
WINNER	4	WISH AGAIN	Rick L. Knott
Second	5	FROZEN ASSETS	Quincy Hamilton
Third	9	MOULIN ROUGE MAF	Rhonda Edwards

Also ran: 1A - CAPITALIST , 1 - CHRYSLER , 7 - CON DOOR , 6 - GIVE ME A BREAK , 3 - UNANIMOUS VOTE , 8 - BF IMPERIAL FYRE , 2 - RAMBO TASKAFIRE

Winning Breeder: DIANNE K WALDRON
Winning Owner: Dianne K. Waldron
Winning Trainer: Phil E. Saxer, Jr.

Wish Again on Track for Second Jewel of Triple Crown

by Randy Chambers

Less than a month ago trainer Phillip Saxer, Jr made the notion that his Wish Again may have more ability than his other star in the making, Fryvolous. This came after the fact that Fryvolous had just beaten Wish Again by double digit lengths, in what turned out to be more of a strong morning gallop for Fryvolous than an old fashioned head-to-head slugfest between the two.

After three so-so starts, Wish Again finally crossed the finish line first, breaking his maiden in career start number four on Sunday, March 24. The win would come at an opportune time, just thirteen days before he's scheduled to renew his rivalry with his stablemate in Arabian racing’s middle jewel of the Triple Crown, the March 24 Texas Six Shooter Stakes. Albeit the win wasn’t pretty, it did manage to lift a huge weight off the shoulders of his trainer.

“This sets him up well for the stakes race later this month,” said Saxer. “This wasn’t his best distance running at 5 ½-furlongs. I still think he will excel going a route of ground, and the stakes is run at 7-furlongs so that should help him out tremendously.”

As for the high praise of being better than his counterpart Fryvolous, Saxer may have altered his opinion just slightly.

Says Saxer, “It’s a horse race, and tonight he was better than the rest of them. Who knows what will happen when the two meet up against each other again (Wish Again and Fryvolous). Fryvolous is just on top of his game right now and you have to wonder if he is better. But I do know one thing, Wish Again has ability and he is a beautiful looking son of a gun.”

Expected to be part of the pace early, Wish Again lagged in mid-pack after the break, allowing Quincy Hamilton aboard Frozen Assets to set comfortable fractions early on. Not happy with his early position, Ricky Knott, aboard Wish Again, awakened his mount at the half mile pole with a furious hand ride and a couple of right handed cracks with the whip. Wish Again closed to within one length of the early pacesetter, but, Frozen Assets and a confident Hamilton re-broke and shook loose heading into the far turn. They held a five length lead at the top of the stretch.

Battling determinedly down the stretch, Knott was able to keep the 1-2 favorite Wish Again straight long enough to prevail for a ½ length victory over Frozen Assets who sent off at odds of 27-to-1 in the field of ten. Moulin Rouge, 10-to-1, closed for third, 2 ½ lengths in front of 2-to-1 fourth place finisher Capitalist. Final time for 5 ½ furlongs over a fast track was 1:13.58.

Wish Again is Florida-bred son of Calin De Loup, and is owned by his breeder Dianne Waldron. Wish Again is out of the ZT Ali Baba mare Zilver Lining. Wish Again is the only foal produced by Zilver Lining.

“You really got to get after him, he is just a lazy guy,”said winning rider Ricky Knott. “I think I was more tired than he was.”

“He is still maturing,” Saxer said. “He doesn’t train like that in the mornings. There are more distractions for him to look at during the evening, so tonight we added the shadow roll. His biggest problem is he just needs to grow up some more.”

After several unwarranted starts against claiming company at Delaware last year, Frozen Assets made his 2007 debut last month while facing both Wish Again and Fryvolous, but lost all chance of victory after bobbling after the start.

With a clean trip the son of Falina Des Fabries was able to flash solid speed, leading at every pole before being run down late. Frozen Assets is trained by Elizabeth Brand for owner Jane Teutsch. Frozen Assets was bred in Florida by Trackside Farm.

Third place finisher Moulin Rouge now has finished in the money in three of his last four starts. Trainer Robert Vickers is confident the Colorado-bred son of Ala Croixnoire will break his maiden in due time.

“We had a rider on him at the farm that got him a little screwed up in the head,” said Vickers. “He has a lot of ability, so we are just taking a step back and starting over with him.”

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Sam Houston Race Park - March 01, 2007

Off at: 7:31 Race Type: Maiden Special Weight
Age Restriction: Four Year Old and Upward
Sex Restriction: Fillies and Mares
Value of Race: $5,500
Distance: Six Furlongs
Surface Type: Dirt
Track Condition: Fast
Winning Time: 1:22.64

	Program #	Horse	Jockey
WINNER	1A	CARTOON	Celso Rodriguez
Second	6	VIANSA	Salvador Perez
Third	3	RUNZINTHEFAMILY	Diego Saenz

Also ran: 2B - WMA SWEET SIOUX , 7 - GIVE ME A BREAK , 8 - DREAMS OF FLIGHT , 4 - MUFVIN , 2 - CALVARO , 5 - KALDONIA

Scratched horses: CASHMEIRE

Winning Breeder: SHAIKH TAHNOON BIN ZAYED
Winning Owner: Guy Neivens
Winning Trainer: Phil E. Saxer, Jr.

Cartoon Turns a Negative Into a Positive

by Randy Chambers

Some equine athletes are able to establish a mental toughness that allows them to change a strenuous situation into a positive one. On Thursday, March 1, 2007 the four-year-old grey filly Cartoon did just that, using reverse psychology, turning a negative into a positive.

After a twenty-eight minute electrical malfunction delay, the daughter of TC Tomtyr used the extra time to form a strategy to defeat a field of eight foes. Her winning plan, bounce straight to the front from the opening bell and never look back to cruise to an easy victory to break her maiden in career start number four.

Breaking from the outside post in a robust manner, Cartoon set moderate early fractions of :25.74, :52.78 and 1:07.23. After opening up a comfortable three length advantage leaving the far turn, Cartoon turned back a strong bid from Viansa down the length of the stretch to score an impressive 1 3/4 length victory in the time of 1:22.64 for six-furlongs on the fast track. Phil Saxer, Jr., was the winning conditioner for owner Guy Nievens. Bred in Maryland by Shaikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed, Cartoon was ridden to victory by apprentice Celso Rodriguez.

“It may have looked like she was getting tired with that other horse (Viansa) coming at her, but she really was running pretty good,” said winning rider Rodriguez. “The problem was, she didn’t want to switch leads coming down the stretch. It didn’t matter she didn’t really need to switch leads because she was running nice and easy.”

Viansa, who looked like a winner inside the eighth-pole, finished a clear cut second 2 1/4 lengths in front of 8-5 favorite Runzinthefamily. Cartoon’s stablemate Cashmeire, was an early scratch to reduce the field to eight starters.

Cartoon had not started since showing speed before fading in a well beaten ninth place finish last December, in the fillies division of the Texas Arabian Futurity. With a solid work under her belt and some schooling sessions on relaxation, trainer Saxer had specific instructions for substitute trainer Jerenesto Torrez.

“He didn’t make it tonight so he had me put the saddle on,” Torrez explained. “All he told me was, send her to the lead and try and slow the pace down. Tell Celso to be patient with her and get her to relax on the front end. It seemed to have worked out quite well.”

Ignoring a deceiving record, one horse to keep an eye on is WMA Sweet Sioux. After being knocked of stride late in her previous attempt when finishing a well beaten fifth, WMA Sweet Sioux showed good stalking speed in her latest effort after breaking in and being bumped at the start of the race. Although she would tire to finish fourth at 10-1 odds, she was beaten just over five lengths, a dramatic improvement over her previous five career starts. WMA Sweet Sioux is trained by Rita Cunningham.

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Sam Houston Race Park - February 25, 2007 5:01 pm

Race Type: Allowance
Age Restriction: Four Year Old and Upward
Value of Race: $6,300
Distance: Five And One Half Furlongs
Surface Type: Dirt
Track Condition: Fast
Winning Time: 1:12.48

	Program #	Horse	Jockey
WINNER	3	CRUZ ALONG	Roimes Chirinos
Second	4	FOGGY NOTE	Larry Taylor
Third	2	TRUE COLOURS	Quincy Hamilton

Also ran: 7 - VICTRIX , 6 - MAKZARPONE , 8 - ZING AWAY , 1A - KD WINCHESTER , 5 - SAMEILL
Scratched horses: ROYAL OPAL

Winning Breeder: DARLEY STUD MANAGEMENT, LLC
Winning Owner: Gillis, Betty J. and Joseph A.
Winning Trainer: Jerenesto Torrez

Cruz Along Stalks Pace Setter Then Pounces on Leader For Win

by Randy Chambers

After facing mostly claimers and a seventh place stakes effort at Delaware Park last year, Cruz Along kicked off his 2007 campaign at Sam Houston Race Park last month against allowance rivals.

Racing over a fast drying surface labeled muddy, Cruz Along raced in fifth position early and used a steady advance to finish second, two lengths behind talented stablemate Nordik Star, at 14-1 odds. His trainer, Jerenesto Torrez, thought: Not bad considering he was returning from a three month layoff and racing at the demanding distance of seven furlongs. “All horses need a race before they really give their best effort,” he said.

The Torrez theory worked to perfection, yet again, as Cruz Along won his first race in more than six months when he beat a field of eight allowance runners on Sunday, February 25 at Sam Houston Race Park.

Using his tactical speed, Cruz Along raced in mid-pack early, drew even with the early pace setter, True Colors, at the top of the stretch, pulled clear at the three-sixteenths-pole, then held off a fast closing Foggy Note to score a 1 1/4 length victory. Foggy Note finished 3 ½ lengths in front of third place finisher, True Colors, followed by another 6 ½ lengths back to Victrix in fourth. Royal Opal, part of the entry with KD Winchester, was scratched. After fractions of :25.14 and :51.73, Cruz Along stopped the clock in 1:12.48 for the 5 ½ furlongs.

Larry Taylor, rider on second place finisher Foggy Note, claimed foul against the winner, alleging that rider, Roimes Chirinos, came out wide to wide at the quarter pole causing his horse to loose momentum during the stretch run. After further review by the stewards, they would rule that there would be no change in the order of finish.

Cruz Along is a five-year-old bay horse by Wiking out of the Edenstreak mare, Minnie Streak. Cruz Along was bred in Florida by the Darley Stud Management LLC and earned his fifth win in twenty career starts. He has now earned $34,499 during his career for owners Joseph and Betty Gillis.

“He had been training really well, and I like to give my horses a race before I really get them cranked up to run well,” Torrez explained. If they happen to run well first time out of the box, that’s fine, but I prefer it this way.

In his first start in Texas, Cruz Along was ridden by Diego Saenz and not Torrez’s first call rider, Roimes Chirinos. Torrez, the fifth leading trainer at the current Sam Houston Race Park and leading Texas Arabian trainer in 2007 had a simple answer to the confusion.

“That day I also had Nordik Star in the race, and he won,” said Torrez. “Roimes was on that horse, and, anytime that happens, I always go to my second man, Diego Saenz. Roimes always has first call, and anytime I have two horses entered like that, he gets to choose which one he wants to ride.”

After watching the race replay on the big screen, Torrez failed to see where Cruz Along had impeded second place finisher Foggy Note. “I didn’t really see anything, Torrez said. “I was looking closely and couldn’t spot anything; I could have missed something, but Roimes sounded pretty confident that he had done no wrong when he dismounted.”

The eight-year-old, Foggy Note, continues to race in good form, has finished in the money in all three starts in 2007 with his recent second place effort and two third place finishes.

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1st race - Sam Houston Race Park - February 23, 2007 7:01pm

Race Type: Maiden Special Weight
Age Restriction: Four Year Old and Upward
Value of Race: $5,500
Distance: Six Furlongs
Surface Type: Dirt
Track Condition: Fast
Winning Time: 1:18.73

	Program #	Horse	Jockey
WINNER	2	FRYVOLOUS	Diego Saenz
Second	2B	WISH AGAIN	Larry Taylor
Third	1A	MOULIN ROUGE MAF	Rhonda Edwards

Also ran: 7 - VIANSA , 4 - CON DOOR , 6 - FROZEN ASSETS , 1 - OLIGARCH , 3 - PRESENT COLORS , 5 - UNANIMOUS VOTE

Winning Breeder: DIANNE K WALDRON
Winning Owner: Dianne K. Waldron
Winning Trainer: Phil E. Saxer, Jr.

Fryvolous Exceptionally Good

by Randy Chambers

In six career starts the French-bred Fryvolous had become the guinea pig his rivals feasted on. From the onset of his career he toiled with the big boys, bouncing around in allowance and graded stakes company. Never an easy task for a maiden, especially when you are knocking heads with the likes of stakes winners Gimmie A Break and The Last Dance.

“We always knew he had the talent,” said his trainer Phillip Saxer. “But we had to back off and let him grow up and mature mentally. They took him home and worked with him down on the farm. He has always had the physical talent; it was just a mental thing with him.”

As the horses arranged themselves in a perfect symmetrical line during the post parade, Saxer added confidently, “Fryvolous hasn’t been out in a while, but I think he will run a big race.”

Making his first start since October of last year, the strategy of giving Fryvolous valuable time off played huge dividends on Friday, February 23rd, at Sam Houston Race Park. With a display of exhilarating speed, the four-year-old bay colt demolished a field of eight maidens by 13 ¼ lengths leaving his competition thinking, “What is in the water down in Florida?”

The son of Dormane sprinted straight to the lead while under minimal urging from rider Diego Saenz, to open up a commanding 7 length down the backstretch. With a shake of the reins, Saenz and Fryvolous spurted clear leaving the far turn. With no competition in sight, Saenz would look back, once, twice, then three times down the stretch before wrapping up the full brother to Frynge Benefit inside the eighth pole. Final time for the six furlongs was an eye popping 1:18.23, just missing the track record of 1:18.13 held by Triple Crown winner TH Richie. Fryvolous is owned by his breeder Diane Waldron.

“Fryvolous is fast, and Wish Again just needs some more distance to run at,” Saxer said. “I told Diego (Saenz) to just make sure he keeps his mind on business or else he will get out there and start looking around and not paying attention.”

Stablemate, Wish Again, rallied to finish second, with Moulin Rogue another 9 ¼ lengths back in third. Viansa finished fourth.

“Diane breeds nothing but good horses,” said Saxer. “Both of these horses, Fryvolous and Wish Again, are nominated for the stakes next month (the Texas Six Shooter, second leg of the Triple Crown).

After less than stellar effort in his career debut back in June of 2006, Wish Again, a ¾ brother to TH Richie, came back on February 23rd to finish second behind another speedster, Set Em Up Joe. Beaten a combined 23 ¼ lengths in two consecutive second place finishes, one would think that Wish Again would have a difficult time defeating a high caliber field such as the one that will be assembled on March 24th.

“He is really a good horse, and the extra furlong for the stakes next month will definitely help his chances,” said Saxer. That race before this one he got a little tired because he had been off for something like nine-months, and that was his first time running under the lights as well. He was ducking and shying away from the lights a little bit, but, once the rider got him going he made a steady run. He is just a horse that is going to thrive with extra distance. I know one thing....” Saxer said with a grin on his face. “He is a good looking son of a gun.”

And as for the now retired Triple Crown winner which Saxer trained and Waldron owned: “He is the best horse I ever trained,” said a jubilant Saxer.

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Sam Houston Race Park - February 18, 2007 5:00 pm

Off at: Race Type: Allowance
Age Restriction: Four Year Old and Upward
Sex Restriction: Fillies and Mares
Value of Race: $6,200
Distance: Six Furlongs
Surface Type: Dirt
Track Condition: Fast
Winning Time: 1:19.26

	Program #	Horse	Jockey
WINNER	2	DJENTEEL	Filemon T. Rodriguez
Second	3	GIZMOSON FIRE	Paul M. Nolan
Third	4	BONITA LORENA	Celso Rodriguez

Also ran: 7 - DYNAGLIDE , 5 - KEY FINDER , 1A - DATED WIKING , 1 - BINT BASKETTE , 6 - TU AWESUM

Winning Breeder: DIANNE K WALDRON
Winning Owner: James M. Morris
Winning Trainer: Courtney Sarris

Djenteel Proves Best After Previous Tough Losses

by Randy Chambers

The seven fillies and mares assembled on Sunday, February 18, 2007 may have been cloned. With the entire field content to play a game of cat and mouse, anyone that would be bold enough to step up and show a little speed had an opportunity to win in wire-to-wire fashion.

The four-year-old filly Gizmoson Fire, fresh off of a fifth place finish to Shes a Dandy in the Daughters of the Desert stakes at Los Alamitos, jumped at the opportunity to shake and bake her competition. Breaking sharply Gizmoson Fire established an early-and-under-control lead heading down the backside. Djenteel, who broke from the rail and was in tight quarters early, engaged Gizmoson Fire at the half mile pole, setting up a private match race between the two. Djenteel and Gizmoson Fire would race as one until inside the eighth-pole where Djenteel was able to inch clear, thanks to lugging out Gizmoson Fire.

Djenteel, a four-year-old chestnut daughter of Ala Croxinoire, won by 3/4-of-a-length over Gizmoson Fire. Bonita Loren finished third twenty-two lengths behind Gizmoson Fire. Dynaglide would finish fourth. After slow early fractions of :25.08 and :51.17, things began to pick up with five-furlongs clipped off in 1:04.86 for a final time off 1:19.26 for six-furlongs.

Djenteel is trained by Coutney Sarris for owner James Morris. Sent off as the even-money favorite, this Florida-bred captured her second win in four starts. Winning rider Filemon Rodriguez had some frightening moments early on but was very enthusiastic about the way Djenteel finished down the stretch.

“She got in tight down along the fence, and she hit the rail and cut herself on her stifle,” he said. I was really in a bad spot, but she had enough speed to get up in there and not get shut off. She ran well.”

Sarris, a third-year trainer based at Retama Park, is in her first season of training in Texas. After primarily racing at Arapahoe Park in Aurora, Colorado her first two years. With a barn of ten horses in training, consisting of both Arabians and Thoroughbreds, it’s days like these that she doesn’t mind the six-hour trek from Selma, Texas to Houston, Texas.

“The drive usually takes us about three hours to drive each way,” Sarris said. “But the horses don’t mind, and that’s the main thing.”

After breaking her maiden by 11 1/4 lengths in December last year, Djenteel's last two starts have been in heartbreaking fashion. She was defeated by a neck to Lely Roterra, the third place finisher in the Daughters of the Desert Stakes and lost by half-of-a-length to Café Latte after getting bumped, then having to steady, all while racing wide.

“I wasn’t terribly too excited about the one hole tonight, but she ran a good race,” Sarris said. “She has come a long way, and she is getting more experience and more brave every time she gets out there to run. Jim Morris purchased her from the breeder Diane Waldron who had her at Delaware for a little while under trainer Phillip Saxer.”

Gizmoson Fire came out of her stakes race in California in good shape after being fanned six-wide into the first turn of the Los Alamitos bullring surface. Trainer Elizabeth Brand was surprised to see her finish that well.

“She came out of the race well and shipped back in good shape. We probably would have been more fortunate with some better rides while we were there because she really is a good filly. She has a tendency to lug out a little, but Courtney has a nice filly as well.”

One horse to keep an eye on is fourth place finisher Dynaglide, who was returning from a five-month layoff after finishing third in a stakes race at Retama for trainer Jerenesto Torrez.

“She had been laid up for a little while, and she really wasn’t ready for this race like I want her to be in the future,” Torrez said. “This was more of a prep race for her for her next start. You can believe one thing- the next time she gets ready to start, with a race under her belt, she will be ready to go.”

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Sam Houston Race Park - February 11, 2007, 5:00

Race Type: Allowance
Age Restriction: Four Year Old and Upward
Value of Race: $8,500
Distance: Six Furlongs
Surface Type: Dirt
Track Condition: Fast
Winning Time: 1:19.61

	Program #	Horse	Jockey
WINNER	1	THOROUGHBRED	Benito Tovar Morales
Second	5	NORDIK STAR	Roimes Chirinos
Third	2	FOGGY NOTE	Larry Taylor

Also ran: 6 - MAGS MAD MAX , 7 - ORMOND , 3 - MAXIMUM HEAT , 8 - ZING AWAY , 4 - TRUE COLOURS

Winning Breeder: SHAIKH TAHNOON BIN ZAYED
Winning Owner: Guy Neivens
Winning Trainer: Ronald D. Martino

Thoroughbred Gets the Job Done After Anxious Moments

by Randy Chambers

Sunday’s February 11th conditioned allowance event at Sam Houston Race Park felt more like a heavyweight match-up as opposed to another horse race. The event stocked with multiple stakes winners and accomplished runners for this level, led to confusion and apprehension for the wagering public on site.

When races of this nature are put together by the Racing Secretary, typically two things will occur: an over abundance of wagering value available to the horseplayer, and a spectacular display of athleticism from the equine athletes competing on the race track. It all usually makes for an exciting finish. However, this would be a day to squash age old handicapping theories, evidenced by the incomprehensible solution of fans making the aptly named, Thoroughbred, the even-money favorite. Be that as it may, after being disinterested at the tail end of the field down the backstretch and an extremely wide stretch run, Thoroughbred's run did make for some eye dropping fireworks in the last 220 yards of the race.

“He is the type of horse that you have to ride really hard,” said winning rider Benito Morales. “You have to keep after him and keep him going, because if you loose focus for one minute, he will quit on you.”

The difficulties Morales is referring to is finding himself well off the pace early with a horse that looked like he was going nowhere fast anytime soon. Morales began to aggressively ride the son of TC Tomtyr at the half-mile pole, and with a few right-handed cracks of the stick Thoroughbred came to life with the three-furlongs left to run. With the early pacesetters beginning to tire and retreat in front of him, Morales found himself in a compromising position- losing ground while racing wide in the initial stages of the turn with a lack of racing room. Instead of compromising his horse’s momentum and getting trapped in between horses, the talented apprentice rider steered Thoroughbred outside of horses midway through the turn leaving him no choice but to be five-wide at the head of the stretch. With Nordik Star getting first run on him, thanks to a heady and ground saving ride by Roimes Chirinos, the 7-to-2 third choice looked home free. That is until Thoroughbred negotiated the turn to perfection sustaining an outside rally to catch the determined Nordik Star by 3/4 of a length in the end, denying the six-year-old back-to-back victories. The eight-year-old Foggy Note, four-wide on the far turn and six-wide into the stretch, closed with a rush to finish third at 36-to-1. The 7-to-5 second choice, Mags Mad Max, raced evenly throughout and had to settle for fourth. Final time for the six furlongs was 1:19.61 after solid early fractions of :24.67, :51.11 and 1:05.36 for five-furlongs.

“The rider did a great job on the turn in not getting trapped in that situation,” said winning trainer Ronald Martino. “ He’s kind of a lazy horse guy so you have to keep him going. He trains the same way in the mornings.”

Thoroughbred is out of the Manganate mare Vanessa Du Loup and was bred in Maryland by Shaikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed. He now has 4 wins in 11 career starts for earnings of $74,007. After only three starts in 2006 and one in the money placing, that coming in the Grade 3 Texas Six Shooter over the same surface, there was no surprise that Martino was ecstatic about getting him off to a good start for 2007.

“This wasn’t really a prep for anything else,” explained Martino. “This race came up and we went ahead and entered him in here. We are just happy to get him up and going again.”

Nordik Star continues to age like fine wine. After ousting a field of allowance just 21 days ago, he again looked strong while facing a much more competitive field. The bay son of Tomanchie, running his usual patient style, opened up a two-length lead at the top of the stretch but failed to hold on in the last sixteenth of a mile. In his last seven starts, Nordik Star has complied a record of 3-3-1 in 7 starts.

“We spotted the winner 10 pounds in this one,” said owner Dan Spears. “If we get the same break in the weights, this race is a different story. Regardless he ran a terrific race in a tough field.”

“Roimes rode a smart race,” said trainer Jerenesto Torrez. “Saving ground on the turn like that and letting Thoroughbred stay to the outside was just a smart move. We will look for another race for him at Sam Houston.”

The old-timer and third place finisher Foggy Note has put together two strong races. He faced Nordik Star in his previous start as well, finishing third when beaten by three-lengths.

“He ran great a great race,” trainer Elizabeth Brand said. “I was very excited by his effort against a tough field like that. There is a race at the end of February and another scheduled at the beginning of March that I will look to bring him back in.”

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Sam Houston Race Park - February 09, 2007, 7:01pm

Race Type: Maiden Special Weight
Age Restriction: Four Year Old and Upward
Sex Restriction: Fillies and Mares
Value of Race: $5,500
Distance: Five And One Half Furlongs
Surface Type: Dirt
Track Condition: Fast
Winning Time: 1:14.08

	Program #	Horse	Jockey
WINNER	5	JESSYS PRINCESS	Patrick Boxie
Second	11	VIANSA	Salvador Perez
Third	9	GIVE ME A BREAK	Filemon T. Rodriguez

Also ran: 3 - DREAMS OF FLIGHT , 7 - WMA SWEET SIOUX , 4 - WMA FLORA , 8 - KALDONIA , 1 - GET HER DONE , 12 - MUFVIN , 6 - TREASURE TROVEE , 10 - DANCERS TOPSTARR , 2 - CASSIOPEIA WP

Winning Breeder: SAM VASQUEZ
Winning Owner: Sam A. Vasquez
Winning Trainer: Allen C. Dupuy

Jessys Princess Plays a Game Of Come and Catch Me

by Randy Chambers

After showing a quick burst of exhilaration before fading, Jessys Princess used her career debut as a learning experience to dismantle eleven other fillies and mares at Sam Houston Race Park on February 9.

Always in command of the race, the four-year-old chestnut filly established an early lead from the opening bell, clicking off the first quarter mile in :26.13 and the half in :52.75. After repelling a bid by Viansa on the far turn, Jessys Princess uncorked a lethal run at the top of the stretch to open a two-length advantage. She continued a sustained run through the stretch to run away and hide by a convincing 5 1/4 lengths. Final time for the 5 ½ furlongs was 1:14.08. Viansa would finish a clear-cut second, 6 3/4 lengths in front of Give Me a Break. There was another four lengths back to fourth place finisher Dreams of Flight, who marred her chances of winning by throwing her head at the start. Kaldonia, who made the 3-to-5 wagering choice after a runner-up effort when competing against similar company two months prior, tired after pressing the early pace and finished seventh.

Jessys Princess, by Burning Sand, out of the Monarch AH mare, Noble Princess, is trained by Allen Dupuy for owner/ breeder Sam Vasquez. Patrick Boxie inherited the mount from James White and was the winning rider.

“I don’t have a problem with being named as replacement rider if it is a situation such as this,” said a jubilant Boxie. “That constitutes as my first Arabian win, so I’m excited. She was a little rank going down the backside, but I got her to relax when I pulled her out into the middle of the track. She relaxed after that, and I just waited until the eighth-pole to let her loose, and she come really well.”

Dealt a lousy hand, Jessys Princess needed more than a stroke of luck if she planned on winning her career debut in December of last year. Sent off at odds of 28-to-1, she had the misfortunate of drawing the rail over a surface labeled sloppy(with affects of a conveyor belt) attributed to the torrential downpour that occurred during the week. Hesitating slightly at the start, she quickly rectified her dismal situation, rushing up along the rail to assume a ½ length. Putting forth a gallant effort, she began to loose touch with the front runners on the final turn, finishing fourth, 14 1/4 lengths from the front. In the subsequent weeks ahead, the well conformed filly would come back to work in substantial fashion, evidenced by her last tune-up coming six days prior to her winning effort, in which she completed three-furlongs in :41.80.

“She just wasn’t ready for her first start,” said winning trainer Dupuy. “They had sent her to California and they gave her to me about three weeks before she made her first start. When she came in she didn’t even have thirty days of training on the farm; she was very green. So I was trying to hurry up to get her to that first race, and the things that she had to go through, like being on the rail, didn’t help any. We brought her back and schooled her, and I worked her with some winners in the barn after that first race, and she outworked them. I was the fourth trainer to get this filly. The other trainers, for whatever reason, just couldn’t seem to get anything out of her.”

Her next test will come in a months time, where she will prep in the trial for the $50,000 Texas Yellow Rose to be held on March 24. The 5 ½ furlong distance she competed at in her first two starts undoubtedly suited her front running style. With the trial and stake set for a longer route of ground-with the latter being coming at seven-furlongs-the debate still remains if Jessys Princess will be able to harness her early speed and have enough left in the tank to put away her competitors like she accomplished when breaking her maiden.

“I told the jock to take her back for this race, but she was just that good,” Dupuy said. “She had a lot left in the end, so I don’t see a problem with her sustaining her speed over a distance of ground. She is going to make a nice filly. She is so pretty, and when you look at her, she is so stout she doesn’t even look like an Arabian race horse. Her father and mother were champions, and, just like them, this filly is worth a lot of money as well.”

Second place finisher Viansa looked like a definite winner heading into the far-turn but, once again, was the victim of a buzz saw. Just twelve days earlier she tried open company, but fell into the hands of defeat to a promising colt by the name of Cromwell. The four-year-old bay by Chndaka just faced the outstanding Rolly Polly in the ladies version of the Texas Arabian Futurity. In 9 career starts, she has finished in the money 66 % of the time.

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Sam Houston Race Park - January 28, 2007

Off at: 5:02 Race Type: Maiden Special Weight
Age Restriction: Four Year Old and Upward
Value of Race: $5,500
Distance: Six And One Half Furlongs
Surface Type: Dirt
Track Condition: Fast
Winning Time: 1:29.60

Also ran: 5 - RUNZINTHEFAMILY , 4 - CON DOOR , 1A - CHRYSLER , 6 - PRESENT COLORS , 9 - UNANIMOUS VOTE , 10 - CALVARO , 2 - ACCLAMATION , 8 - STAR IMPACT , 3 - BF IMPERIAL FYRE

Winning Breeder: SHAIKH TAHNOON BIN ZAYED

Winning Owner: Guy Neivens

Winning Trainer: Ronald D. Martino

Minor Adjustments Help Cromwell Score Impressive Victory

by Randy Chambers

Owner Guy Neivens and trainer Ronald Martino knew from the beginning that Cromwell was special before he made his first start. In his initial stages of training he exhibited several exemplary characteristics: maturity, intelligence and an eagerness to learn- words that quickly took on redundancy. When a runner comes along with such tremendous ability, it’s easy for connections to get caught up in the euphoria of things to come. Neivens and Martino were an exception to the rule. In no way did they want to force the issue of racing in mammoth races on their four-year-old son of T C Tomtyr, Cromwell. It just kind of happened that way.

“He is talented,” said trainer Martino. “He is nominated for some later stakes races, but, as far as him making his first start in stakes company, I couldn’t get him out in anything else, and I had to get an outing into him. The stakes race was good, though. He ran really well in that race; he probably would have ran second but the rider lost the stick at the 3/8ths-pole.”

The race Martino is referring to is the December 9th, Texas Arabian Futrurity at Sam Houston Race Park. Breaking from the dreaded rail, Cromwell broke slow and inward, leaving him seventh and last. Quickly regaining his momentum, the gray colt re-established his position, pressing the pace to be within a neck of the leaders at the quarter-pole. After settling in a stalking position heading into the far turn, the first-time starter began to tire at the head of the stretch, resulting in a third place finish, 7 ½ lengths behind runaway winner, The Last Danse. On Sunday night January 28, at Sam Houston Race Park, 2-5 favorite Cromwell would use his first start as a teaching tool as he schooled a field of eleven other maidens while he scored a decisive 2 1/4 length victory.

Using the same stalking tactics he used in his first start, winning jockey Filemon Rodriguez allowed 29-1 filly Viansa to take a two-length lead while setting early fractions of :25.67 for the quarter-mile,:52.51 for the half-mile. Riled up heading into the far turn, Cromwell used a quick turn of foot to surge past the stubborn Visansa in upper stretch and hold off a late flying bid from 80-1 longshot, Moulin Rougue Maf. Visansa, removing front bandages for the first time in six starts and adding blinkers for the first time held on to finish third another ½ length back. Another 2 1/4 lengths in fourth came Runzinthefamily, a four-year-old filly that raced in mid-pack, advancing steadily to take third at the top of the stretch after being jostled at the start. Next came Con Door, stablemate Chrysler, Present Colors, Unanimous Vote, Calvaro, Acclamation, Star Impact, and Bf Imperial Frye. Time for six-furlongs was 1:21.99 with the final time for 6 1/2-furlongs in 1:29.60.

Dropping back down against non-winners wasn’t the only advantage for Cromwell. His last work of :39 for three-furlongs at Retama was a sharp move, and he was on Lasix, an anti-bleeding medication for the first time.

“The last work was a good tightener for this,” Martino said. “And he bled a little bit in that first race, so the medication helped today.”

Martino, a Florida resident and Delaware trainer, has 19 horses in training at the current time. His career started in 1978 with Thoroughbreds, and he would saddle his first Arabian winner in 1989. The plan for Cromwell is to start in an allowance race before a rematch with The Last Danse in the seven-furlong Texas Six Shooter on March 24, 2007.

Second place finisher, Moulin Rogue, put in a descent effort in his initial start when finishing 10 ½ lengths in sixth against maiden company on December 14, 2006. Racing wide the entire way, the son of Ala Croixnoire, for Robert and Evelyn Vickers, raced in the middle of the field before tiring on the far turn. The winner of that race, Surffdancer, came back to finish third in the $75,000 Drinkers of the Wind Derby at Los Alamitos on January 27 at odds of 24-1. With an awful outside post position draw on Sunday, January 28, the four-year-old bay colt settled nicely in the middle of the field, before a unleashing a furious drive in the stretch to finish with plenty of run.

“He ran a good race in that first race, he was just a little green,” said assistant trainer to Robert Vickers, Lori Spann. “He had a lot to overcome in this race and he did a super job. That first race taught him a lot. We knew he had the talent, it was just a point of getting him to this point because he was a little immature. He was just mentally taking a little longer to grow up. We will wait for the next book to come out and we will look for another maiden race, and hopefully, he won’t draw the twelve hole again.”

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Sam Houston Race Park - January 21, 2007

Off at: 5:01 Race Type: Allowance
Age Restriction: Four Year Old and Upward
Value of Race: $6,400
Distance: Seven Furlongs
Surface Type: Dirt
Track Condition: Muddy
Winning Time: 1:35.31

	Program #	Horse	Jockey
WINNER	1	NORDIK STAR	Roimes Chirinos
Second	3	CRUZ ALONG	Diego Saenz
Third	8	FOGGY NOTE	Paul M. Nolan

Also ran: 5 - MONTYONTHESPOT , 2 - KING SAM SON , 7 - IKANTOO , 6 - ZING AWAY

Scratched horses: ORMOND

Winning Breeder: TOWN AND COUNTRY FARMS CORP

Winning Owner: North Star Racing

Winning Trainer: Jerenesto Torrez

Nordik Star shines at Sam Houston Race Park

by Randy Chambers

It was pretty obvious to the rest of the connections of the six rivals assembled for a seven-furlong second level allowance race at Sam Houston Race Park on Sunday, November 21 that the six-year-old Nordik Star would be tough to defeat. They imagined-where there is a will there is a way, and, hopefully, the class of the field wouldn't be vulnerable to a two-headed monster; they idealized not racing for the past 56-days, and, perhaps, a loss of pep in his step after turning a year older at the first of the year. The son of Tomanchie had other ideas for his rivals. Showing veteran patience while racing in sixth position early, Nordik Star would use a quick turn of foot at the head of the stretch to open up a commanding lead, then display grit and determination down the stretch to hold off his stablemate, Cruz Along, to score an impressive two-length victory in a final time of 1:35.31 on a surface labeled muddy. There was another length back to third place finisher Foggy Note. Nordik Star was bred in Florida by Town and Country Farms and is trained by Jerenesto Torrez for winning owner North Star Racing. He was ridden to victory by Roimes Chirinos.

His layoff and three race losing streak did little to deter horseplayers from making Nordik Star the prohibitive 1-to-9 favorite. Their convincing philosophy, his last three defeats came at the expense of stiffer competition. In October of 2006 he was scheduled to try the turf for the first time, at the distance of one-mile at Retama Park in the Hall of Fame Stakes, but Mother Nature would put a glitch in the game plan causing the race to be switched to the main track after excessive rain fall. Rallying from fifth over a sloppy surface, Nordik Star held a slim margin at the head of the stretch, but tired to finish second, 3 ½ lengths behind Mags Mad Max. He would race twice in November to close out his ‘06 racing season, a 3/4 of a length defeat to track record holder Djet Set De Falgas, and an out of character early front running move where he would eventually tire, resulting in a 10 1/4 length third place defeat at Lone Star park while facing Stakes competition.

Winning trainer Jerenesto Torrez explained that there was no cause for concern for Nordik Star’s recent short hiatus from the races.

“He is a nice horse,” Torrez said. “The only reason why he was laid off was because there were no races to run in at Sam Houston. They couldn’t fill any of the races. He likes to train, and he was training really good coming into the race.”

Just like human athletes, equine athletes have to overcome the deadly sin of aging. Although horses can’t talk, it takes a superb training job such as Torrez’s to know when to push the right buttons to get the right response from their charge.

“He just keeps going,” explained Torrez. “He might not be as good now as he was when he was four or five-years-old, but he is still a good horse that loves to run.”

Nordik Star has now won 6 of 32 starts in his career, and has finished in the money at a remarkable 69%. Out of the dam, Rw Norwegian Star, he has gotten off to a swift ‘07 campaign after winning only one start in 2005 and two in ‘06. His winners share of $3,840 boosted his career earnings lifetime to $121,744. An affinity for the Sam Houston Race Park oval may be an understatement after running his record to 3-2-0 from 5 career starts. However, Torrez was quick to point out, “He likes Retama Park just as well.”

For the time being Torrez is hoping more races will fill at Sam Houston for Nordik Star. He pointed out that races like the Kontiki Stakes, two Texas-bred stakes races for males and females that failed to fill on Saturday, January 20-would have been ideal, but, for one he is not a Texas-bred and the rule change of only allowing four and five-year-olds to participate would not have helped anyway. He will probably go back to Delaware after the conclusion of the Sam Houston meet. Torrez recorded win 11 of the meet from 42 starts, registering an eye-catching win rate of 26%.

Second place finisher, Cruz Along, did well to close for second at odds of 14-1 in his first race since October 31, 2006, where he finished third in a $5,000 claiming race at Delaware Park. Owned by Joseph and Betty Gillis, he too is trained by Torrez.

“I was a little surprised at 14-1 odds,” said Torrez. “When you get horses that come in from Delaware you know they have competed against good company even though it’s in the claiming ranks. He is a good horse as well, and I knew he would run good.”

Third place finisher and eight-year-old Foggy Note, trained by Elizabeth Brand, for owner Charles Bliss, finished seven-lengths behind Cruz Along in the same Delaware claiming race in October. Look for significant improvement from him in his next outing.

The remaining order is as follows; Montyonthespot, King Sam Son, Ikantoo, and Zing Away. Ormond was scratched.

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Sam Houston Race Park - January 14, 2007, 5:01

Race Type: Allowance
Age Restriction: Four Year Old and Upward
Value of Race: $6,000
Distance: Six Furlongs
Surface Type: Dirt
Track Condition: Sloppy
Winning Time: 1:20.90

	Program #	Horse	Jockey
WINNER	5	SAKBEE	Roimes Chirinos
Second	6	VICTRIX	Paul M. Nolan
Third	3	KALYPSO MON	Diego Saenz

Also ran: 4 - MONTYONTHESPOT , 10 - KING SAM SON , 2 - MAKZARPONE , 1 - MW MISTER Z , 9 - THE KENTUCKIAN , 8 - MAS TIKILA

Scratched horses: KD WINCHESTER

Winning Breeder: TRACKSIDE FARM

Winning Owner: Trackside Farm

Winning Trainer: Jerenesto Torrez

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Sam Houston Race Park - January 12, 2007, 7:00
Race Type: Allowance
Age Restriction: Four Year Old and Upward
Sex Restriction: Fillies and Mares
Value of Race: $6,200
Distance: Five And One Half Furlongs