February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
“She’s so full of confidence,” Solis said. “At the quarter pole, I had a good position and I thought I was in good shape. I was inside, but I had so much horse I thought I could push someone out of the way if I had to. As it worked out, I got through and everything was fine.”
Magical Fantasy, which is owned by the partnership of David Bienstock, Paul Mandabach and Charles Winner, now has five wins from 16 career starts, and has won three in a row. Her career earnings total $859,231.
HAVE CONDITION BOOK, WILL TRAVEL
Eddie Kenneally must have a small library of condition books that he works out of. The Waterford native won races at four different tracks last week, beginning with Gary and Mary West’s Aspire, which broke its maiden at first asking in the second race at Saratoga on Wednesday. The 2-year-old colt by Tale of the Cat ran most of the stretch on his wrong lead, but Julien Leparoux got him to the wire a half-length in front for an $8.90 win mutuel.
Kenneally’s next winner was another 2-year-old first-timer, Summerplace Farm’s Running Bride in the sixth race at Hoosier Park on Friday. This Cherokee Run filly left her nearest pursuer seven lengths behind at the wire in this maiden special weight sprint. Rodney Prescott rode and the win mutuel came back $3.60.
The finish was a lot closer in Arlington’s seventh race on Saturday, when Kenneally sent out Robert Dewitt’s Taletobetold (another Tale of the Cat offspring) to a nose victory in a money allowance race at five furlongs on the grass. Eusebio Razo, Jr. was aboard the mare, which returned $15.60 in the win slot.
Putting an exclamation point on the week for Kenneally was Elusive Fantasies, owned by Fergus Galvin and Glory Days Racing, which won Saturday’s first race at Presque Isle Downs. This 3-year-old daughter of Point Given stalked the early pace and then came on in the lane under Mario Pino to win by one length. She paid $6.60 to win in her third career start.
Co. Kildare native John Good sent out a winner right after Kenneally took his bows at Arlington on Saturday. He dropped Mark Stanley’s Little Nancy in claiming price from $32,500 to $17,500 and she responded to trounce a field of non-winners of two career races by four lengths in the eighth race. Inez Karlsson was in the saddle, the filly paid $6.80 to win and she went unclaimed.
Also at Arlington, David Carroll closed out the week when he saddled Wesslin Corporation’s Salty Wave to victory in Sunday’s ninth race. The 4-year-old filly had been winless in 10 starts this year under prior management, but she cracked first time out for the Co. Meath native, winning this five-furlong sprint on the main track for $25,000 claimers by one-half length under Fernando Jara. The win price was $12.20.
James Graham remains in the thick of the Arlington jockeys race. The Dubliner rode four winners last week, beginning with Miss Triss, an $8.40 winner of Wednesday’s seventh race. After being blanked on Thursday, Graham resurfaced in the winner’s circle after Friday’s seventh race, which he won on the chalky Turnpike Tommy. This wire job resulted in a $4.40 win price.
Graham won Saturday’s first race on Tony Terrific via disqualification, when the first finisher was taken down. Graham’s mount, which lost by a neck, had been forced out in deep stretch, and the stewards took action. Tony Terrific paid $10.20 to win. Then, on Sunday, Graham rallied from last to get Eat N Run up by a head at the wire. The win mutuel was $8.20. Graham now trails Junior Alvarado by one win – 69 to 68 – in the standings.