February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Gaff, a son of Maria’s Mon, chased the pace in this six-furlong dash, took the lead inside the eighth pole and fought off War Front to gain the victory in 1:08.50. Shaun Bridgmohan did the riding. Gaff paid $13.60 as third choice in the eight-horse field.
Gaff began his career in Kentucky, where he ran one race at Keeneland in 2004, before he was dispatched to Dermot Weld in Ireland. He was successful first time out for Weld, winning a listed stakes at Fairyhouse. He was unable to duplicate that form in five subsequent Irish outings, however, mostly Group 3 races. Gaff returned to trainer Steve Asmussen in New York last fall, where he reeled off the first of two allowance victories leading up to his Florida stakes engagement. Asmussen said after the race that his goal for Gaff is the $2 million Golden Shaheen in Dubai in early spring.
FAST WORK BY O’BRIEN
Colum O’Brien wasted no time posting his first victory of 2006. The Dublin native saddled Fast Iz a Turtle to a New Year’s Day victory at Aqueduct in a non-winners of two “other than” allowance race for New York-breds. This gelding has shown a fondness for Aqueduct’s inner dirt surface under moist conditions. He broke his maiden there in December of 2004, then cracked his first allowance condition there last month, albeit on a fast track. Whereas he was 45-1 for his December victory, his partisans had to settle for 28-1 after his New Year’s encore. O’Brien also took home a consolation prize when Vesuvius grabbed third money in a maiden tilt, one race before Fast Iz a Turtle won.
While O’Brien was greeting 2006 in style, trainer Joe Hennessy and jockey Clifford Dooley were sending 2005 out in good order. The duo teamed up to put Fivehundredpennies over at 20-1 in a maiden claimer at Tampa Bay Downs. The win was the first at the meet for both Hennessy and Dooley.
With New Orleans’ Fair Grounds out of business due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina, trainer Niall O’Callaghan has had to spread his stock out among other circuits. Aqueduct has been one beneficiary and the Corkman enjoyed a victory there last week when Lunar Rendezvous battled head and head the length of the stretch to get up first in a first-level allowance race.
Irish-bred Silver Cup got her first American stakes victory on Sunday in Santa Anita’s $150,000 San Gorgonio Handicap, a Grade 2 race on the grass. The 4-year-old filly rallied under Victor Espinoza to win by a half-length over Ticker Tape. She paid $35.40 to win. Now owned by Martin Schwartz and trained by Patrick Biancone, Silver Cup was bred in Ireland by Emmet Beston. The victory was her sixth from 11 career starts. Her previous highlight was a Group 2 win in Italy last May.