Hour By Hour wires field in Lansing Stakes

Hour By Hour struck the first blow on the road to defending his co-title as the best male of his Michigan-bred crop with a front-running score in Saturday’s $50,000 Lansing Stakes at Pinnacle Race Course.

The Elusive Hour colt fired immediately and took command on the outside in the race’s opening strides. He kept a one-length cushion as he worked his way to the rail, while Secrets Only and post time favorite Prince of Paulie battled to keep chase. Hour By Hour maintained his lead heading into the final turn while Prince of Paulie fell off the pace and was replaced by a gaining calvary charge.

Secrets Only whittled away at Hour By Hour’s lead throughout the turn and came to even terms heading into the stretch. His charge was quickly repelled by Hour By Hour, who responded to urging by jockey Federico Mata to regain his advantage and power away from his rival. Under Mata’s right hand whip, Hour By Hour continued to add to his lead as he drove to the wire to win by 2 3/4 lengths. Secrets Only carried on to finish second, two lengths ahead of a rail-running Meadow Magic.

Hour By Hour completed the six furlong race in 1:11.67 over a fast track, just two tenths of a second off the track record of 1:11.40, set by Funky Pirate on September 16, 2008. He was the field’s sixth choice at odds of 9.40-to-one.

Hour By Hour was homebred in Michigan by Valerie Irvine and is also owned by Laura Jackson. He is trained by James Jackson. With the win, Hour By Hour improved his career record to three wins from five starts. Two of those wins have come in stakes company. His career earnings now total $72,940.

For an Equibase chart of the race, click here.

11 – Hour By Hour (Federico Mata) 20.80 / 6.80 / 5.60
5 – Secrets Only (Jeffrey Skerrett) 7.40 / 5.40
1 – Meadow Magic (Tommy Molina) 4.00

Six Furlongs
Time: 1:11.67

Prince of Paulie, Hour By Hour square off in Lansing Stakes

Following a 2009 meet where the state’s two-year-old males took turns beating each other in stakes contests, Michigan was left with co-champions in its juvenile colts and geldings division.

Track announcer Matt Hook’s champion, Hour By Hour, and the Michigan Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association’s title holder, Prince of Paulie, will try to break the stalemate among a field of 11 in Saturday’s $50,000 Lansing Stakes at Pinnacle Race Course.

The six furlong race for Michigan-bred three-year-olds is notable in Pinnacle’s history for being the track’s inaugural race on its opening day in 2008. That installment was won in an upset victory by Equally Good.

Prince of Paulie was the only horse in his crop to hit the board in all three of Pinnacle’s stakes races for two-year-old males in 2009. The Meadow Prayer gelding won the Sept. 12 Patrick Wood Stakes, then finished third in the Oct. 3 Michigan Sire Stakes and second by a neck in the Oct. 17 Michigan Futurity. He enters the Lansing off a fourth place finish in a May 22 allowance race at Thistledown. Prince of Paulie is owned by John Mack and will be saddled by Richard Rettele. Regular rider J.J. Delgado retains the assignment.

Hour By Hour will make his 2010 debut in the Lansing. Last year’s campaign was highlighted by a three-length victory in the juvenile males division of the Sire Stakes. The Elusive Hour colt ended his 2009 run with an unplaced finish in the Michigan Futurity. Federico Mata will have the mount aboard Hour By Hour for owners Valerie Irvine and Laura Jackson. Hour By Hour is trained by James Jackson.

Also entered is Arts And Leisure, who makes his debut at Pinnacle and in stakes company. The Equality gelding has won three of five career starts at Presque Isle Downs, Thistledown and Tampa Bay Downs. His most recent victory came in a June 3 claiming event at Presque Isle, where Arts And Leisure was checked, but came back to score by a head. Arts And Leisure will run for owners Gene and Phyllis Gilmore and trainer Gerald Bennett. A rider had not been named for Arts And Leisure at the time the morning line odds were set.

#. Horse / Jockey / Trainer / Odds

1. Meadow Magic / T Molina / J R Jackson / 4-1
2. Wiley Potts / A A Marin / R M Gorham / 15-1
3. Music Conductor / J R Martinez, Jr. / R J Rettele / 20-1
4. Why Not Nauiti / G W Mayhew / B I McBride / 20-1
5. Secrets Only / J Skerrett / R M Gorham / 8-1
6. Ready To Tango / R Barrios / L R Uelmen / 5-1
7. Dream Victory / J Cruz / J R Jackson / 10-1
8. Power Of Titus / D Rodriguez / D D Waite / 8-1
9. Prince of Paulie / J J Delgado / R J Rettele / 7-2
10. Arts And Leisure / No Rider / G S Bennett / 12-1
11. Hour By Hour / F Mata / J R Jackson / 6-1

Weekend Stakes Recap

Juggle hangs on to win Lansing Stakes

Juggle made an early statement in Michigan’s three-year-old colts and geldings division, holding off stablemate Meadow Wise to win by a nose in Saturday’s $50,000 Lansing Stakes at Pinnacle Race Course. The Elusive Hour colt dueled with post-time favorite Perfect Start for a half mile and pulled clear entering the stretch. Juggle then held off a late charge from Meadow Wise to win the race in 1:13.17 under jockey Jeffrey Skerrett. Longshot Red Bow Tie finished 2 1/2 lengths behind Meadow Wise for third. Perfect Start faded to fourth.

 Juggle, bred by E.D. Hubel and J.E. Hubel, increased his career earnings to $59,231. The winning exacta was owned by Mast Thoroughbreds LLC and trained by Robert Gorham. The Lansing Stakes was Juggle’s third win from five starts. He is two-for-two in 2009, winning an allowance race on Pinnacle’s opening day, June 5.

For a chart of the race, click here.

5 – Juggle (Jeffret Skerrett) 7.20/4.00/3.40
1 – Meadow Wise (Angel Stanley) 12.00/11.80
3 – Red Bow Tie (Ivan Gonzalez) 9.20

Six Furlongs
Time: 1:13.17 

Your winner, Juggle (photo taken from a previous race, though it is nice he kept the same number).
 

Dials Corona for Me powers clear in GLQHA MI-Bred Futurity

Dials Corona for Me (2b) holds off Happenedindamoonlite (6) to take the final (and yes, I blew the shot. I’m awful at getting quarter horse finishes with large fields).

Dials Corona For Me managed to avoid much of the commotion coming out of the gates to take Sunday’s $26,170 Great Lakes Quarter Horse Association Michigan-Bred Futurity by a half length at Mount Pleasant Meadows. The homebred two-year-old Corona for Me filly put a nose ahead of a tight pack coming into the stretch and pulled away as the wire drew near under jockey Oscar Delgado. Dials Corona for Me was joined in her late separation from the pack by Happenedindamoonlite, who finished 3/4 lengths ahead of Cc Cartel to take second in the 300-yard race.

Owned and trained by Tony Cunningham, Dials Corona for Me increased her career earnings to $12,317 with the win. The race was the filly’s first victory in three starts, following two third-place finishes earlier this year.

For a chart of the race, click here.

2b – Dials Corona for Me (Oscar Delgado) 6.00/3.20/2.60
6 – Happenedindamoonlite (Harold Collins) 5.40/2.60 
1c – Cc Cartel (Mike Holmes) 4.00

300 Yards
Time:  15.818 seconds

Your winner, Dials Corona for Me; Oscar Delgado, up.

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Speaking Michigan-breds in stakes races, 2008 Michigan Thoroughbred of the Year Valley Loot is entered the $75,000 Golden Sylvia Stakes at Mountaineer on Tuesday. Federico Mata gets the assignment (after riding several races at Pinnacle, nonetheless) aboard the second longest morning line choice at 8-1. Fellow 2008 Sire Stakes winner Bipolar Express is also entered in an allowance optional claimer earlier in the card.

Perfect Start seeks first blacktype victory in Lansing Stakes

Can Perfect Start keep his mojo going in the Lansing Stakes? Jockey T.D. Houghton takes the colt out on the track before his first start.

Following a convincing 5 1/2-length victory in his first start last Saturday, Perfect Start will look to parlay his success into a stakes win one week later in Saturday’s $50,000 Lansing Stakes at Pinnacle Race Course. The six furlong race is the first major test for Michigan-bred three-year-old colts and geldings at the Detroit racetrack.

Perfect Start is one of six horses in the field of seven coming off about a week’s rest after starts on opening weekend.

Owned by Charlie Williams and trained by Sandra Adkins, Perfect Start broke his maiden in his first start with a front-running effort at five furlongs. Based on his four straight bullet works at Pinnacle, announcer Matt Hook called the Jump Start colt a budding superstar in the post parade before his maiden win. T.D. Houghton will return from Mountaineer to take the assignment.

Also entered is allowance winner Juggle. The Elusive Hour colt also won his season opener, a five furlong allowance contest on opening day, by 5 1/2 lengths. The Robert Gorham-trained Juggle, owned by Mast Thoroughbreds LLC, finished third or better in three starts in his juvenile campaign, including a 6 3/4 maiden win and a third-place effort in the Michigan Sire Stakes two-year-old males division. He will be ridden by Jeffrey Skerrett.

Returning from a busy winter and spring is James Jackson trainee Scrimpy. Owned by Millenium Farms, the Scrimshaw colt spent his time away from Pinnacle on the Kentucky circuit, breaking his maiden at Turfway Park on Dec. 31. He comes off a sixth-place finish in a $32,500 claiming race at Arlington Park. Scrimpy will have Men Chen in the saddle.

Here is the full list of entries for Saturday’s Lansing Stakes…

#. Horse / Jockey / Trainer / Odds
1. Meadow Wise / A.O. Stanley / R. Gorham / 15-1
2. Perfect Start / T.D. Houghton / S. Adkins / 6-5  
3. Red Bow Tie / I.R. Gonzalez / R. Rettele / 10-1 
4. Elusive Furrari /R. Barrios / S. Adkins / 12-1
5. Juggle / J. Skerrett/ R. Gorham / 5-1
6. S S Victory / F. Mata / R. Gorham / 8-1
7. Scrimpy / M. B. Chen / J. Jackson / 3-1

PHOTO ACTION ALERT: It does not look like I will be able to make it to Pinnacle to see the race in person or get pictures. If anyone in attendance for the race would be kind enough to get a picture of the stretch drive and one of the winner and email them to me for the recap, I would be eternally grateful. Selected photos will be credited to the photographer (Don’t worry, I don’t play games with things like that) and if he or she has a personal website they would like me to link to, as long as it’s family friendly, I’ll be glad to do it. For an idea of what I am looking for click here or here. Thanks a bunch!