[caption id="attachment_69375" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Cape Blanco, pictured in Ireland with Seamus Heffernan on board, won all three of his appearances in America."]
Cape Blanco earned North American Turf Horse of the Year for 2011 at last week’s Eclipse Awards ceremony. Now a 5-year-old horse retired to stud, Cape Blanco won all three of his appearances on this side of the Atlantic – the Man o’ War Stakes at Belmont Park, the Arlington Million at Arlington and the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont Park.
A minor injury kept Cape Blanco from returning to America from Aidan O’Brien’s yard in Ireland for the Breeders’ Cup Turf, a race that was won by stablemate St. Nicholas Abbey, to which Cape Blanco is considered vastly superior.
Cape Blanco, the 2010 Irish Derby victor, now stands in Kentucky at Ashford Stud. During his racing career, he was campaigned by the partnership of Mrs. Fitri Hay, Susan Magnier, Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor.
Cape Blanco was one of two Irish-breds to earn divisional honors, the other going to Irvin Naylor’s Black Jack Blues, winner of five of his eight 2011 starts, most prominently the Grand National at Far Hills, N.J. in October. B.J. Griffiths is his breeder.
LYNCH WINS
THREE AT PARX
Cathal Lynch won two races on last Tuesday's Parx card, beginning with Peter Hand's Attack Jack in the sixth race, a claiming sprint at the $16,000 plateau. The 8-year-old gelding had a 4-race win streak snapped in his previous start, but hopes to begin a new one with this hard-earned tally that saw him and Angel Arroyo reach the wire in front by a head. They then had to withstand an objection from the runner-up before the race was made official and the $4.80 win mutuel posted.
Lynch was back in the winner's circle after the eighth race, which was won by Gold Mark Farm's Zuerstgold. Arroyo was also on board for this one, but the variables differed in many other respects. This was a 2-turn starter allowance, in which the winner cruised home in front by five lengths to the public's chagrin; the win price was $40.40.
Lynch capped the week off with a win from Gold Mark’s Silvislip in Sunday’s first race at Philly. The 4-year-old filly joined the fray in this non-winners of two lifetime claimer at the $25,000 level upon entering the lane and was hard ridden by Arroyo to prevail by a neck. She paid $3.80 to win.
You won’t find many 10-year-olds still in training, but Eoin Harty has one in James Yanez and Pete Fer’s Porfido, winner of Sunday’s seventh race at Santa Anita. Porfido made a late run under Rafael Bejarano to down a field of $25,000 claimers over nine furlongs on the turf by just over a length. The win mutuel came back $13.60 on Porfido, which made its first start under Harty’s tutelage.
Geoff Mulcahy hasn't much to work with in Jay Jones' Zaryna, so he places the 3-year-old filly where she is competitive, which, in her case, means bottom-barrel claimers at Beulah Park. She's now 2-for-5 at the Ohio oval after winning Tuesday's ninth race there over a sloppy surface by four lengths with Edgar Paucar in tow. She paid $5.00 to win.
Frank O’Connor’s Haunted, owned in partnership with Andrew Farm, broke his maiden at Gulfstream Park on Saturday in the second race, a maiden claiming sprint at the $25,000 plateau. Edgar Prado delivered the 3-year-old gelding to the wire nine lengths in front. Elizabeth Gray trains Haunted, which paid $5.80 to win in his second career start.
Eddie Kenneally saddled a pair of winners at Aqueduct last week, starting with Avalon Farm’s Supsa, a homebred 3-year-old filly that wired the field in Thursday’s sixth race, a $16,000 claiming sprint. Ramon Dominguez got her home three lengths in front for the $8.00 win mutuel. Supsa, a winner of two of three career starts, was claimed by John Parisella.
Friday’s seventh race at the Big A saw Anstu Stable’s Purely Majestic rally to victory by almost a length under Cornelio Velasquez to provide Kenneally with his second win. The 4-year-old filly made her first appearance with a claiming tag ($30,000) in facing opponents that, likewise, had won only one career race. She paid $11.60 to win and went unclaimed.
