Maker a Triple Threat in Arlington Classic
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Photo: Coady Photography
Gorgeous Kitten winning on Keeneland's turf course April 26
When 10 3-year-olds passed the box for the May 27 Arlington Classic Stakes (G3T) it wasn't surprising to see trainer Mike Maker's name on the entry's list, but three times? Based at the Churchill Downs Training Center, the horseman has Prize Fight (rail), Gorgeous Kitten (post 3), and Fast and Accurate (post 6), for the $100,000 race going 1 1/16 miles on the grass.
Fast and Accurate, racing for Dr. Kendall Hansen, Harvey Diamond's SkyChai Racing, Bode Miller, and Sand Dollar Stable, is the best known of the bunch, but least accomplished on turf. The gray/roan colt by Hansen won Turfway Park's JACK Cincinnati Casino Spiral Stakes (G3) on Polytrack March 25 that led to a 17th-place finish the first Saturday in May in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1).
Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Gorgeous Kitten, by perennial leading turf sire Kitten's Joy, certainly has the turf foot, scoring a one-length win over fellow Classic contender Giant Payday April 26 at Keeneland going nine furlongs on the grass. The homebred had Julien Leparoux that afternoon and will be ridden by Chris Emigh at Arlington International.
Maker's third runner, Prize Fight, has raced solely on the turf, with a win over $20,000 maiden claimers in February at Gulfstream Park and back-to-back third-place finishes over more accomplished rivals this spring.
Stakes-quality rivals await Maker's trifecta including Head of Plains Partners and Cheyenne Stables' Cowboy Culture. The son of Quality Road , a $100,000 Keeneland September yearling buy, won the Keith Gee Memorial Overnight Stakes in early February going a mile on the turf at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, then tested the tough Ticonderoga, finishing seventh in Gulfstream's Palm Beach Stakes (G3T) and was a gaining sixth at Keeneland in the Transylvania Stakes (G3T).
Anderson Thoroughbreds' Parlor, by Lonhro (AUS), scored a high 100 Equibase Speed Figure while fifth behind Arklow in Churchill Downs' American Turf Stakes (G2T).
Arlington Classic S. (G3T)
Arlington International Racecourse, Saturday, May 27, 2017, Race 8
- 1 1/16m
- Turf
- $100,000
- 3 yo
- 5:09 PM (local)
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Wgt | Trainer | M/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1Prize Fight (FL) |
Santo Sanjur | 117 | Michael J. Maker | 15/1 |
| 2 | 2Mas Mischief (KY) |
Edgar Perez | 117 | Eduardo Rodriguez | 30/1 |
| 3 | 3Gorgeous Kitten (KY) | Christopher A. Emigh | 119 | Michael J. Maker | 6/1 |
| 4 | 4Sakonnet (KY) |
Carlos H. Marquez, Jr. | 117 | Anthony J. Granitz | 10/1 |
| 5 | 5Red Corvette (KY) |
Julio E. Felix | 117 | Gary M. Scherer | 20/1 |
| 6 | 6Fast and Accurate (PA) |
Channing Hill | 124 | Michael J. Maker | 9/2 |
| 7 | 7Parlor (KY) |
Jesus Lopez Castanon | 117 | Eddie Kenneally | 7/2 |
| 8 | 8Cowboy Culture (KY) |
Shaun Bridgmohan | 119 | Brad H. Cox | 4/1 |
| 9 | 9Giant Payday (KY) |
Chris Landeros | 117 | Ian R. Wilkes | 5/1 |
| 10 | 10Don't Split Tens (IL) | Jose Valdivia, Jr. | 117 | Chris M. Block | 8/1 |