Contact Information:
Bob Roberts (216-662-8600)
October 22, 2008
www.thistledown.com
THISTLEDOWN WRAPS UP LIVE SEASON SATURDAY WITH OHIO DERBY WINNERS IN BREEDERS' CUP
Thistledown brings down the curtain on the 2008 live racing season this weekend with eight-race cards on both Friday and Saturday in concert with two afternoons of Breeders' Cup action, worth $25.5 million in purses, from Santa Anita.
Local railbirds will have a rooting if not betting interest as the last two winners of the Ohio Derby --- Smooth Air and Delightful Kiss -- seek to score big Saturday paydays as well as uphold the rich tradition that winners of Thistledown's premier race have established in the Breeders' Cup series. Skip Away, winner of the 1996 Ohio Derby, went on to win the 1997 Breeders' Cup Classic, while Concern, third in he 1994 Ohio Derby, won that year's Classic. Macho Uno, third in the 2001 Ohio Derby, won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile the previous year.
Delightful Kiss, winner of the 2007 Ohio Derby, drew the No. 3 post in a field of nine in the first ever $500,000 Breeders' Cup Marathon. He'll be ridden by Calvin Borel in the 1 1/2 mile test. Smooth Air, winner of this year's Ohio Derby, drew the No. 6 post in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic. The Bennie Stutts Jr. trainee will be ridden by Manuel Cruz, who rode him to victory at Thistledown. Smooth Air is listed at morning line odds of 50-1 to upset the 7-5 earlybird favorite Curlin, the 2007 Horse of the Year and earner of $10.2 million, most ever by a North American thoroughbred.
For the first time in the Breeders' Cup's 25-year history, the championships will expand to 14 races and be run over two days. Friday's program includes five Cup races, all for fillies and mares. Post time for the first Breeders' Cup race is 3:35 p.m. Saturday's card features nine Breeders' Cup races and will get underway at 1:10 p.m. The Classic, the rich finale, is set to go to the post at 6:45 p.m. The highlight for bettors is Saturday's Ultra Pick 6, which offers the world's largest guaranteed pool at $3 million. ESPN2 will televise Friday's five races live, while Saturday's program will be on ABC-TV from 1 to 3:30 p.m. before the programming switches to ESPN for the last five races from 3:30 to 7 p.m.
END'S IN SIGHT --- Just 16 live races --- eight on Friday and eight more on Saturday -- are all that remain in the 2008 live thoroughbred season at Thistledown. The 121-day stand was scheduled as 122 days, but the Sept. 15 card was lost due to storm damage suffered by overnight winds and was not rescheduled . . . The last day of morning training is Saturday, Oct. 25, and the barn area will officially close Saturday, Nov. 1.
'CAPPING THE CUP --- Thistledown television analyst Rich Ruda will conduct a three-hour (3 to 6 p.m.) handicapping seminar Friday in the sixth floor Bistro that will be heard live on KNR2 (AM 1540) from 4 to 5 p.m. .The public is invited to attend. There will be door prizes, refreshements and a cash bar. Ruda's guest will include Thistledown Director of Racing Bill Couch, veteran trainer John Bourke, and Thistledown publicist Bob (Railbird) Roberts. Ruda and Roberts will also host a Breeders' Cup/Thistledown race seminar on Saturday in the fourth floor Starting Gate Museum at 12:30 p.m.
RADOSEVICH SADDLES 1,000th CAREER WINNER
Jeff Radosevich, the only horseman in Thistledown history to win both year-long riding and training championships, saddled his career 1,000th winner Friday when Best Star went wire-to-wire to capture the sixth race at the North Randall oval.
Radosevich, who celebrated his 47th birthday on Thursday, claimed Thistledown training honors the past two years. He was the winningest jockey in 1988.
"It’s hard either way," said Radosevich when asked if winning 1,000 races is harder as a trainer or as a jockey.
Veteran jockey Edgar Donaghey was aboard Best Star who ended a run of 29 consecutive Thistledown starters without a win for Radosevich.
"You've got the monkey off your back," Donaghey told Radosevich in the winner's circle.
Radosevich hadn't won a race at Thistledown since Oct. 3, a day he won three of the first five races run. Ten of the horses that failed to win finished either second or third. Radosevich retired from riding the fall of 1993, got his trainers' license in November and registered his first winner, a horse named I'm A Gogo, that December at Thistledown.
Asked how he was going to celebrate his 1,000th winner, Radosevich said, "Just go home with these kids," said the father of five, who had two of his daughters with him in the winner's circle.
LEADERBOARD --- Barring a closing weekend rush, Louis Stokes is going to claim the riding title at the 65-day season-ending Randall-Cranwood Meeting. The Lafayette, La. native has 61 winners while runner-up Luis Gonzalez has 57 winners. Stokes also won the season-opening Summit-Thistle Meeting, which will give him a sweep of the titles as well as the overall championship, the first ever in his career . . . Jeff Radosevich is pretty much a cinch to win the Randall-Cranwood training crown. He has 34 winners to Rodney Faulkner's 27. Like Stokes, Radosevich also won the Summit-Thistledown stand. His overall championship will be his third in a row . . . The final two days of racing may decide the leading Randall-Cranwood owner, because R and P Racing Stables and Bridget Sipp are deadlocked at 19 winners.
FEED BAG --- Thistledown will be open for late night simulcasting Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday this week (Oct. 22-23 and 26). It is open seven days a week for daytime simulcasting . . .Thistledown is saying goodbye to longtime executive secretary Cindy Holden on Saturday. Holden is moving to a position in the health care industry . . . Dr. Daniel Stearns, whose scarlet and gray silks with the word "Ohio" printed on them, are the oldest colors racing at Thistledown, scored his first victory of the season Monday when his homebred Sound Charge won the fifth race. Stearns, an Ohio State graduate, is a veterinarian and resident of Euclid. Tony Cucinotta is Stearns' long time trainer.