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Ramsey-Maker team cap off four Claiming Crown wins in Jewel
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| Parent's Honor capped off a stellar day for his connections
(Adam Coglianese Photography) |
Ken and Sarah Ramsey teamed up with trainer Mike Maker to take four of the
seven Claiming Crown events on Gulfstream Park's opening-day card Saturday,
including the richest race of the day, the $194,000
Claiming Crown Jewel.
The team captured the Jewel with the unlikeliest of winners in Parent's
Honor, who had been well-beaten in his past two against stakes company. The
Elusive Quality four-year-old was settled just off the rail by jockey Alan
Garcia and ran near the back of the 11-horse field on the backstretch. The bay gelding
began picking off horses entering the turn, and had pulled his way up to the
front runners before
being blocked by a wall of horses entering the lane.
Garcia didn't panic and patiently waited for an opening before sending
Parent's Honor through a narrow hole to split rivals. The Kentucky-bred kept
motoring and got up to post a three-quarter length victory over Dominant Jeannes
while finishing nine furlongs on the fast main track in 1:50.
Parent's Honor finished third in the Hunch Stakes at Aqueduct in December 2011 and
was also fourth in the Hockessin Stakes at Delaware Park in late July of this season.
One race later he was entered in a claiming contest at Saratoga, which he won,
and found new owners in the Ramseys. His last two races didn't offer much
encouragement, but the bay proved to be a savvy claim after all with his win on
Saturday. |
Parent's Honor improved his career mark to read 19-7-2-3 and has now earned
$325,395. His second dam, the multiple Grade 2-winning Trempolino mare Trampoli, is a
half-sibling to Grade 1-scoring sire Roi Normand.
Two races earlier, Star Silhouette continued the Ramseys and Maker's good day
at Gulfstream, flying down the center of the track to pass the entire $122,500
Claiming Crown Tiara field and get up for a 1 1/4-length win under Garcia.
"He's easy to train for," Maker said of Ken Ramsey after the race. "He tells
it like it is and he places them where their competitive. He loves the game. It
makes my job easy."
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| Star Silhouette was but one of the Ramseys' Claiming Crown 'stars'
(Courtney Stafford/Adam Coglianese Photography) |
Star Silhouette, whose dam is a half-sister to Grade 1-winning
multi-millionaire Evening Attire, bided her time in last of the 12-distaffer
field before putting in her winning rally to stop the clock in 1:42 4/5 for 1
1/16 miles on the firm turf. The five-year-old mare has found success on turf,
dirt and synthetic tracks during her career, racking up a 31-11-5-5 line and
banking $254,766 in earnings.
Star Silhouette came to the Ramseys after being claimed at Saratoga in August
2011. In 13 starts since, she has captured seven races while finishing
second or fourth in five others.
Richard Sherman's homebred Nikki's Sandcastle denied a Ramsey-Maker double in
the turf Claiming Crown events when securing the $122,500
Emerald in a head-bob
with that team's Major Marvel.
Nikki's Sandcastle took full advantage of a ground-saving rail trip on the
backstretch of the Emerald under jockey Corey Lanerie before angling to the
outside of Major Marvel. The pair passed pacesetter Diamondsdiplomat in the
stretch and duked it out in the lane before Nikki's Sandcastle completed 1
1/16-grassy miles in 1:43. |
The five-year-old gelded son of Castledale is no stranger to the winner's
circle, earning his first stakes victory in the Sea o' Erin at Arlington Park in
early June and running second in the Grade 2 Fayette, Robert F. Carey Memorial
Handicap and Edward J. DeBartolo Memorial Handicap in his past three. Nikki's
Sandcastle finally got back to his winning ways in this spot, and the chestnut
boasts a 29-7-9-3, $339,067 resume.
"It's been a little frustrating to see him finish second the last three
times, but this makes up for it," trainer David Kassen said. "He runs hard every
time and on any surface -- dirt, turf, Polytrack -- although I think he's a
little better on turf. He ran good in all five of his races here last winter,
but got in trouble several times. The jock said he got to loafing when he got to
the lead to day, but got it done."
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| Brother Bird, for a brief moment, grabbed the spotlight from his half-brother with a win in the Iron Horse
(Adam Coglianese Photography) |
The Ramseys' Brother Bird may not have the fan following his older Kentucky
Derby-winning half-brother Mine That Bird does, but the Yonguska gelding looked
a champion when running down pacesetter Jazzit to take the $98,000
Claiming
Crown Iron Horse. Joel Rosario guided the Maker pupil around Gulfstream,
settling the dark bay five-year-old in midpack before sending him wide around
the turn. Brother Bird dug in and got up to beat Jazzit by three parts of a
length while completing 1 1/16 miles on the dirt in 1:43 2/5.
Brother Bird came to the Ramseys via a July 8 claim, and has since finished
second in an optional claiming contest at Turfway Park and seventh in a starter
allowance at Keeneland, both over the synthetic Polytrack. The Iron Horse
boosted his record to 9-5-3 from 25 starts and he's now earned $234,175.
"That wasn't an ideal spot for him last time when he ran at Keeneland, but
this race came up at the right place and right time," Maker remarked. "I can't
say what we might do with him next. We'll just enjoy this one today."
It didn't take long for the Ramseys, Maker and Rosario to return to the
winner's circle, as Bernie the Maestro gave the team a 2 3/4-length score in the
$97,000
Claiming Crown Rapid Transit one race later. The Bernstein gelding
captured his fourth race from his past five starts when running seven furlongs
in 1:21 3/5 after tracking the early pace in third. He took over from leader Off
the Jak at the top of the stretch and drew away from that rival over the fast
dirt.
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"I hope the next one makes me the winningest winningest trainer," Maker
quipped after becoming the leading trainer in Claiming Crown history with Bernie
the Maestro's win.
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| Bernie the Maestro conducted a winning performance in the Rapid Transit
(Courtney Stafford/Adam Coglianese Photography) |
Bernie the Maestro was a stakes performer early in his career, winning the
2010 editions of the Ride the Rails and American Dreamer while placing in five
other black-type events. However, this year the dark bay five-year-old has been
claimed five times, most recently winding up in Maker's shedrow after the
Ramseys got him from a Saratoga optional claiming contest. Bernie the Maestro
immediately rewarded his new connections with a four-length starter allowance
victory at Keeneland, and is now two-for-two for his new barn while improving
his overall record to 47-12-7-7, $423,254.
The Ramsey-Maker team didn't get a chance to make it three in a row after
their entrant in the $96,000
Claiming Crown Glass Slipper, Isabelle's Thunder,
was scratched. That filly would have had a tough job anyway in trying to
overcome romping winner Starship Truffles. Campaigned by Chasing Tail Stables,
the Ghostzapper sophomore challenged on the front end throughout the
seven-furlong race before taking over rounding the turn and easily pulling away
in the lane to be four lengths clear on the wire in a time of 1:22 1/5.
Trained by Marty Wolfson and ridden by Luis Saez, Starship Truffles has
finished off-the-board only four times in her 16-race career, and boasts a 9-1-2
mark to go along with $146,805 in lifetime earnings. The bay filly has captured
seven of her past nine races now, six of which have come since being claimed at
Calder on Independence Day.
Starship Truffles, who is from the same family as
ill-fated Kentucky Derby hero Barbaro, was purchased privately by her current
connections following a 7 1/4-length starter allowance triumph on September 15
at Calder.
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"I had her in this race and the mile-and-a-sixteenth against colts (Iron
Horse), but she drew the outside (14) in that one, so I decided that this was a
better spot for her even though she's been running in two-turn races," Wolfson
said. "She had won going 5 1/2 (furlongs) early in her career, so I thought she
would handle this. We bought her privately (after her September 15 victory at
Calder). We love Ghostzapper and now she's got some black-type. She's actually
still eligible for 'a other than' (allowance) conditions."
A jockey's mistake ended up giving Joey Merritt's Tiban the win in the
opening Claiming Crown race, the $96,000
Express, by a half-length over
Pot of Gold. That bay gelding looked a winner in late stretch, but jockey Pedro Cotto Jr. misjudged the wire, pulling up Pot of Gold and allowing Tiban with
Calvin Borel aboard to slip by to his inside. Cotto realized his mistake and
began riding again, but it was too late as Tiban stopped the clock in 1:09 4/5
for six main-track furlongs.
"I got confused with the poles," Cotto admitted. "I feel very bad. I
should have been more prepared."
"It's unfortunate (what happened to Pedro)," Borel commiserated. "I've been
there. We've all had those days. I had a good trip and when I saw (Cotto) pull
up I knew I had it."
Tiban has not been worse than third in his past 14 starts, including the
Express. The five-year-old gelded son of Flatter was claimed by Merritt from a 6
1/2-length score at Churchill Downs on May 19, and proceeded to rack up a 3-3-1
mark from seven starts for trainer Tim Glyshaw. The bay ran second in an
allowance under the Twin Spires earlier this month, and now shows a 21-9-6-1
scorecard to go along with $144,813 in career earnings.
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