This blog is mostly a laundry list of works, but I wanted to make sure everyone was kept up-to-date with the 2-year olds. Someone please remind me not to get behind posting these again.  I am also curious whether any names sound particularly interesting or meaningful to anyone.

2-Year Old Works 

Returning to the WorkTab (horses previously mentioned in this blog)

April 26 

Alexabella (filly; Congaree - Diane's Birthday by With Approval), 4 furlongs at Keeneland in :49.60.

Ambraw (colt; Congaree - Fabulous Flight by Flying Continental), 5 furlongs at Silverton Hill Farm in 1:05.11.

Darkin Color (colt; Congaree - Southerncomfortgal by Hermitage), 3 furlongs at Lone Star Park in :35.20. This was the fastest of 26 works at the distance.

Lookin Left (colt; Congaree - Santa Fe Strip by Phone Trick), 3 furlongs at Will Rogers Downs in :36.80.

April 27

Rapid Redux (colt; Pleasantly Perfect – Thiscatsforcaryl by Storm Cat), 3 furlongs at Monmouth Park in :34.20.  Rapid Redux previously appeared in this blog under the name Storm Leopard.  Somewhere along the way, he has undergone a name change.  I like the old one better, but it's not my horse.

River Treck (colt; Congaree - Gem Treck by Java Gold), 3 furlongs at Churchill Downs in :37.60.

Katolak Cowboy (colt; Saarland - Tide Cat by Storm Cat) returned to the worktab after racing on April 20, working 3 furlongs in :35.80 at Woodbine (5th fastest of 39 works).

Also back after racing was Tiger Rules (colt; Peace Rules - Danzig Tiger by Danzig Connection) who worked at Arlington Park, going 4 furlongs in :51.40.

April 28

Renda (filly; Medaglia d'Oro - Ten Carats by Capote), 4 furlongs in :49.60 at Calder.

April 29

Peace Town (colt; Peace Rules - Darnestown by Williamstown), 3 furlongs in :37.00 at Laurel.

Gabby's Golden Gal (filly; Medaglia d’Oro – Gabriellina Giof (GB) by Ashkalani (IRE)), 4 furlongs in :46.40 at Hollywood.

Singing Rose (filly; Congaree - Dial a Song by Mining), 3 furlongs in :36.00 at Keeneland - Singing Rose has been entered in a race at Churchill Downs on May 1.

New to this blog

April 26

Two horses with foot-related names both worked 3 furlongs at Churchill Downs.  Shoe Strap (colt; Birdstone - Boot Strap by Storm Boot) recorded a time of :38.60 over the sloppy going while Danceyoursocksoff (filly; Pleasantly Perfect - Come Dancing by Two Punch) worked in :37.60. Shoe Strap is the first foal out of a winning mare.  Danceyoursocksoff is a half-sister to 6 winners.

Aerin She Lovely (filly; Birdstone - Strawberrydaiquiri by Cherokee Run, who happens to be the first named Birdstone foal alphabetically, worked 4 furlongs at Calder in :53.00. The dam of Aerin She Lovely is a half-sister to Wimbledon, who earned $443,818 including a win in the Louisiana Derby (gr. II).

Luvthat d'Oro (filly; Medaglia d'Oro - Uluvitnunoit by Evansville Slew) went 3 furlongs in :38.56 at Prairie Meadows (where presumably they have very precise timekeepers.) Uluvitnunoit was a stakes winner who earned $105,795. Luvthat d'Oro is her first foal.

At Evangeline Downs, Delachaise Dreams (filly; Congaree - Rovie Wade by Silver Ghost) worked 3 furlongs in :37.20. Rovie Wade is a half-sister to 2 stakes winners including the grade III winner, Minor Wisdom.

Halo Beauty (filly; Peace Rules - Halo Tyra by Sunny's Halo) went 4 furlongs in :52.01 at the Evangeline Training Center. Halo Beauty is the first foal out of a stakes winning dam who earned $154,564.

Last but not least on this date, Go Smarty Go (colt; Smarty Jones - Sarah's World by Holy Bull) worked 3 furlongs in :37.44 at Belmont Park. Go Smarty Go is a half-brother to 2 winners including Higher World, a stakes winner who earned $278,948 ($213,210 as a 2-year old).

April 27

Winestone (filly; Birdstone - Miz Dixie by Dixieland Band), who happens to currently be the last Birdstone 2-year old alphabetically, worked 3 furlongs in :38.00 at Delaware Park. Miz Dixie was unraced, but she is a half- or full-sister to three winners including stakes-placed Five Towns.

At Arlington, Cradle of Peace (colt; Peace Rules - Cat's Cradle by Flying Paster) went 4 furlongs in :53.80.  Cat's Cradle was a Grade I stakes winner who earned $807,808 including 3 victories and a third as a 2-year old. She broke her maiden in her first start at 4.5 furlongs.  In her career, she won or placed in 17 stakes.

April 28

At Woodbine, the cleverly named Bear Onamission (colt; Congaree - Milagra by Maria's Mon) worked 3 furlongs in :37.40.  Milagra was a winner who earned $103,596. She is the dam of Bear Holiday who was three for three as a 2-year old including victories in the Silver Deputy and Colin Stakes.

April 29

Not Telling (colt; Saarland - Country Penny by Country Pine) worked 2 furlongs in :26.55 at Crupi's New Castle Farm. Not Telling is a half-brother to one winner.

Curly Works

And, most important of all, on April 29, Curly went 5 furlongs in 1:03.40 at Arlington Park.  Good to see Curly back on the worktab.  I am looking forward to his next start. 

The long-awaited debut of Curly occurs this Saturday at Oaklawn Park.  Regular readers will recall that Curly is, in the words of Blood-Horse Staff Writer Claire Novak, just 2 letters away from being horse of the year. That alone was enough to endear him to our hearts, but Curly was also no slouch in the sales ring where he brought $145,000 as a weanling (at a sale where the average weanling price was $62,347).  He also has some bloodlines worth boasting about. He is by Gulch out of the Kris S. mare, Fount, who earned $45,260 at the track.  Fount has had only one offspring reach the track, but that foal, a filly by Street Cry, won her debut and earned $29,845. Fount is also a half-sister to 6 winners including Salt Ridge who finished 3rd in the Gallant Fox (gr. III) and earned $150,400. 

Let's take a look at the competition:

April 12, 2008
Oaklawn Race 6
Maiden Special Weight
1 1/16 miles
Three, Four, and Five Year Olds
Post Time: 3:48 PM; HRTV 

Curly is the only first-time starter in the race. Castillo Del Sol (El Corredor - Color Me Special by River Special) is a four-year old who has started 10 times, recording 2 seconds and 4 thirds to earn $34,500.  He also sold for $240,000 as a yearling. His dam was a stakes-placed earner of $225,760.

Another four-year old in the field is Hollywood Handsome (Include - Jewel Dance by Robyn Dancer) who has started 6 times with a 2nd and a 3rd (both placings this year). He is a half-brother to 3 winners.  

Placing third in one start out of three is the 3-year old Stirrup Excitment (Evansville Slew - Deanne's Lady by Dancing Champ). Stirrup Excitment is out of a dam who earned $91,526. Five of her offspring have won and three of them have won stakes.  The latter include Cowboy Stuff who earned $428,280. 

There is also a stakes-placed runner in the race, Letmeby (Orientate - Saramah by Forty Niner) who finished 3rd in the Skyy El Joven Stakes in 2007 as a 2-year old.  Overall, he has 3 thirds in 5 starts and has earned $17,081. His dam has produced 3 winners including the stakes-place Voodoo Lady who earned $145,135.

Orientate Express (Orientate - Waterwild by River Special) who sold for $40,000 as a yearling, has placed 2nd twice in two starts.  He is a half-brother to one winner who has earned $158,200 through 2008.

And how about Curly Cameli (Petionville - Kennedy's Angel by Boston Harbor)? He certainly would make an interesting sounding exacta with our boy Curly.  Curly Cameli has finished 2nd once in 4 starts to earn $11,560. His dam has produced one winner. 

2-Year Old Works

Returning to the WorkTab (horses previously mentioned in this blog)

Peace Town (colt; Peace Rules - Darnestown by Williamstown) and Valid Rule (colt; Peace Rules - Valid Bonnet by Valid Appeal) both worked 3 furlongs at Vinery Stable on 4/11.  Peace Town recorded a time of :37.20 and Valid Rule recorded a time of :37.00.

Also recording a time of :37.00 for 3 furlongs on 4/11 was Prime Time (colt; Medaglia d'Oro - Sioux City by Carson City) who did his running at Keeneland.

New to this blog

The Medaglia d'Oro filly, C. S. Silk (Medaglia d'Oro - Remember the Day by Settlement Day), went 4 furlongs at Elloree Training Center on 4/10 recording a time of :52.80. C. S. Silk's dam was a stakes winner who earned $39,090.  She has produced 8 winners including graded-stakes winner Remember Sheikh who earned $227,495.  Remember Sheikh won his first start as a 2-year old and also captured the Barretts Juvenile Stakes that year.