West Point Thoroughbreds’ multi-millionaire Awesome Gem completed major preparations for Sunday’s $200,000 Lonagcres Mile, Grade 3, with a half-mile workout Tuesday in 47 2/5 seconds over Del Mar’s synthetic Polytrack surface.
Trainer Craig Dollase termed the work “a perfect blow-out” and said the 8-year-old Awesome Again gelding would board an LAX charter for Seattle on Wednesday evening. En route, the flight is scheduled to stop in Oakland to pick up fellow Longacres Mile competitor Slew the Man.
Awesome Gem (45-8-14-5-$2,578,270) will be making his second Longacres Mile appearance. He finished second to Assessment in 2009, and is 4-5-1 in 14 starts on dirt with earnings of $791,908. Assistant trainer Sergio Martin—who handled saddling duties with Awesome Gem in 2009 and third-place Mile finisher Tropic Storm in 2008—will accompany Awesome Gem to Emerald Downs, where the gelding will be stabled at the barn of Vann Belvoir. Nancy Ury will be the West Point Thoroughbreds representative at Emerald Downs.
Slew the Man (24-5-7-5-$173,445) returns to Emerald Downs where he finished fourth in the 2010 Emerald Derby before romping by three lengths in the restricted, one-mile Chinook Pass Stakes. Owing to a busy schedule, trainer Jeff Bonde will miss the mile and said assistant Larry Dennis would accompany Slew the Man to Emerald Downs. The 4-year-old Washington-bred will be stabled with Steve Fisher.
Possible Starters—$200,000 Longacres Mile (G3)—Sunday, Aug. 21
Horse Trainer Jockey Weight
Noosa Beach Doris Harwood Gallyn Mitchell 125
Awesome Gem Craig Dollase David Flores 122
St Liams Halo Michael Puhich Mario Gutierrez 120
Slew the Man Jeff Bonde Frank Alvarado 119
Crew Leader Dino Condilenios Chad Hoverson 118
Assessment Howard Belvoir Juan Gutierrez 117
Honour the Deputy Jerry Hollendorfer TBA 117
Winning Machine Frank Lucarelli Leslie Mawing 117
Hollywood Harbor Chris Stenslie TBA 116
Saratoga Boot Tim McCanna Joe Crispin 116
Davos Junior Coffey TBA 115
Posse Power Frank Lucarelli Russell Baze 115
J P Jammer Karyn Seal TBA 114
Wasserman Howard Belvoir TBA 112
The Longacres Mile field is limited to 12 horses, high weights preferred. Entries for the Longacres Mile and $65,000 Emerald Distaff will be announced 11 a.m. Wednesday in the Emerald Room. (An open $30,000 allowance race at 6-½ furlongs also will be offered Sunday).
CANADIAN HOPEFULS SET TRAVEL PLANS FOR LONGACRES MILE
Glen Todd and Patrick Kinsella’s St Liams Halo will be the first shipper to arrive at Emerald Downs in advance of the $200,000 Longacres Mile (G3).
The van is scheduled to leave Hastings Racecourse Wednesday at 7 a.m. and arrive at Emerald Downs around noon.
Todd said his filly Late Affair, projected to run in Saturday’s allowance race, and would also be aboard Dashing Daisy, nominated to the $65,000 Emerald Distaff, could also ship with her stable mates for the filly/mare championship event.
“I haven’t decided yet whether Dashing Daisy will make the trip down,” Todd said. “As of right now, it’s 50/50.”
Trainer Dino Condilenios confirmed that he would send one horse for each championship event on Friday—both Crew Leader and Distaff titleholder Kimmyv are scheduled to arrive at Blaine Wright’s barn—No. 1 East—at approximately noon from Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver.
St Liams Halo has been arguably the best older horse at Hastings, winning 3-of-4 this season, including stakes victories in the May 23 John Longden 6000 and July 1 Lt. Governors Handicap. Todd said his 4-year-old gelding couldn’t be doing better.
“I talked with his rider, and he told me that (St Liams Halo) is feeling the best he felt all year,” Todd said. “I don’t know if we are going to win the race, but I’m happy to be in it.”
Condilenios, who’s entered the most Mile horses the past two years with four—all with owner Swift Thoroughbreds, Inc.—cashed checks in both Miles with a third-place finish in 2009 with Teide and a fourth last year with recent BC Classic winner Almost Time.
This year’s Mile quest rests solely on the withers of 4-year-old Kentucky-bred Crew Leader, winner of the SW Randall Plate Handicap at Hastings. The Pulpit gelding has won 3-of-4 races this year, and Condilenios said Crew Leader should give a good account of himself on Sunday.
“I’m really happy with the way he’s going,” said Condilenios. “He worked really well over the weekend and looks ready for a big run.”
Condilenios could be in line for a Distaff-Mile double if Kimmyv repeats last year’s Distaff performance, prevailing over Summer Song with a one-length-victory at 10-to-1 odds.
This year, however, Kimmyv has yet to find her 2010 form when she notched four wins in five starts. Winless in four starts this year, a fast track could help as her last three efforts have been over sloppy tracks including a third-place finish in the May 15 Hastings Handicap at Emerald Downs. Condilenios said he expects Kimmyv to appreciate the return to the Auburn oval.
“For whatever reason, she seems to run better down there than up here at Hastings,” Condilenios said. “She must like the track.”
WASHINGTON-BRED JON WHITE TO SERVE AS HONORARY STEWARD
Emerald Downs is pleased to announce that Thoroughbred racing historian extraordinaire Jon White, a native of Spokane, is the official Honorary Steward for the 76th running of the Longacres Mile.
White—on-air analyst for both Santa Anita and HRTV and morning-line maker at Santa Anita—follows in the footsteps of Eddie Delahoussaye (2010), Laffit Pincay Jr. (2009) and Don Pierce (2008) as Longacres Mile Honorary Steward.
It’s a fitting role for one of The Mile’s biggest enthusiasts and historians, and for somebody who frequently references and supports Washington racing on a national level.
“This really is a special honor, particularly considering what The Mile has meant to me,” White said. “I witnessed it for the first time in 1967 while standing near the finish line on a hot afternoon as Kings Favor and John Sellers won it.
“I am really excited about being able to witness The Mile this year, especially with Noosa Beach running in the race. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Incidentally, White is probably the world’s biggest fan of the great Washington-bred gelding Turbulator. White, in fact, has personalized California license plates that reads: TURBULATOR.
White has a (Seattle) slew of activities this week at Emerald Downs. He will speak at both Wednesday’s Longacres Mile Draw Breakfast and Saturday’s Washington Racing Hall of Fame Banquet. He also will be on hand for Sunday’s Railbird Rally and, finally, present the trophy to the Longacres Mile winning connections. He also plans to write his weekly XpressBet.com column on the 2011 Longacres Mile.
Other Longacres Mile Developments
Run It (119) worked five furlongs in 1:02 2/5 Saturday at Del Mar and trainer Tim Yakteen said the 5-year-old Cherokee Run horse would not run in The Mile. “He hasn’t run since May, and I wanted to see little more sparkle in his work,” Yakteen said.
Hastings Racecourse-based Don’twaitforme (116) missed a scheduled workout Sunday due to a cough, and trainer Robert VanOverschot ruled the 4-year-old Vying Victor gelding out of The Mile.
Awesome Gem and Slew the Man flying to Emerald Downs for Longacres Mile | Horse Racing
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