Stakes winners Mighty Brown and Holiday Magic are the headliners as the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company holds its 25th annual Day of Champions race card on Tuesday, January 21st.
Held in conjunction with the OBS Winter Mixed Sale for the first time, the five-race card also offers pari-mutuel racing on the first two races. The day gets underway with a $10, 000 allowance dash for quarter horses followed by the six furlong $50,000 OBS Sprint Stakes for 3-year-old fillies who have gone through the ring at an OBS Sale.
The entire card will be streamed live via the OBS website at obssales.com as well as the DRF and Blood-Horse websites. Post time for the first race is 1:00 p.m.
Bernard G. Schaeffer’s Henny Jenney and Mark Dodson’s Ruslana are co-favored at 3-1 for the OBS Sprint for fillies. Idle since a fourth place finish in the Blue Mountain Juvenile Stakes at Penn National last fall, the daughter of Henny Hughes has been supplemented to the race by trainer Bill Connelly. She’ll be ridden by Scott Spieth. Ruslana, also idle since a turf test at Churchill Downs in November after breaking her maiden impressively at Keeneland, is trained by Wesley Ward and will be ridden by Kent Desormeaux.
Here’s the field in post position order: Cabernet Racing Stables and Ed Seltzer’s Shanagarry, 6-1, Melanie Pinto; Debra Posgai’s Sunset Silhouette,8-1, Manoel Cruz; Second Chance Stable’s Epic Story, 5-1, Jose Caraballo; Saddlebrook Stables LLC and Tim Fogarty’s Savvy N Speightful, (scratched); Gelfenstein Farm’s Luna Santa, 6-1, Paco Lopez; Henny Jenney; G Ray Trisler’s Sliver of Hope, 6-1, Marlon St. Julien; Ruslana. All will carry 120 pounds.
Mighty Brown, winner of the Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in his last start, rates top billing in the third race, the six furlong $50,000 OBS Sprint for colts and geldings. The colt by Big Brown, who also placed in a pair of stakes at two, has been supplemented to the race by trainer Tim Ice and will be ridden by Dean Butler.
The field of seven also includes Rontos Racing Stable’s stakes placed Breitling Flyer and Abdullah Saeed Almaddah’s Green Mask, a sharp fourth last fall in the Real Quiet Stakes at Hollywood Park. The horses and riders in post position order: Breitling Flyer, J.J. Gonzalez; Green Mask, Dylan Davis; Tommy Roberts and Dan Hurtak’s Can’t Stop the Kid, Luis Saez; Rustlewood Farm’s Prudhoe Bay, Paco Lopez; Klaravich Stables & William H. Lawrence’s Endowment Manager, (scratched); Mighty Brown; Piedra Racing Stable’s Gryvon, Javier Castellano. All will carry 122 pounds.
Pinnacle Racing Stables, H. Jack Hendricks and Roger L. Justice’s Holiday Magic heads a field of 11 entered for the fourth race, the $100,000 OBS Championship Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at a mile and a sixteenth. The Florida-bred filly by Congrats won the Brave Raj Stakes at Calder last fall and also was on the board in all three divisions the Florida Stallion Stakes. Regular rider Juan Leyva again gets the riding assignment from trainer Bill Kaplan. Trainer Reade Baker sends out Jus Luk Stable, Richard Mah and his own Norquay, second in Woodbine’s Glorious Song in her last start and Antonio Sano will saddle Gelfenstein Farm’s stakes placed Luna Santa. The field in post position order: Norquay, Joe Rocco; Darcy W. Scudero’s Bump Bump, Gary Boulanger; Alifyfe Racing’s Babe’s Ruler, Antonio Gallardo; William McCarty’s Naughty Holiday, Javier Castellano; Holiday Magic; Casner Racing’s Stock Yard Hen, Joe Bravo; Luna Santa, Paco Lopez; Jack Garey’s Lady Doris, Julien Leparoux; Sherry D. McLean’s Charlotte’s Quest, Luis Contreras; Gelfenstein Farm’s The Best Love, Diego Gomez; Soldi Stable’s Raising Passion, Edgard Zayas. All carry 120 pounds.
H. Jack Hendricks and Roger Justice’s East Hall, third in the recent Gulfstream Park Derby, heads the finale, the mile and a sixteenth $100,000 OBS Championship Stakes for 3-year-old colts and geldings. The Florida-bred colt by Graeme Hall, who just missed by a nose in Calder’s Seacliff Stakes last summer is trained by Bill Kaplan and will be ridden by regular rider Juan Leyva.
Wesley Ward sends out Ice Wine Stable’s well-traveled Here’s Johnny, a close fourth last summer at in a stakes race at Deauville in France before running second in a pair of stateside stakes at Keeneland and Gulfstream. Kent Desormeaux gets the call on the Florida-bred Colonel John gelding.
Todd Pletcher ships in Alto Racing’s Canzoni to the Championship. The colt by Unbridled’s Song, winner of his only other start, will have the services of Javier Castellano.
The field in post position order: Anstu Stables’ Nowhere To Run, Julien Leparoux; Canzoni; Sandra New’s Steve, Paco Lopez; B-5, LLC’s Wondrouswager, Pedro Monterrey, Jr.; Rontos Racing Stable’s Specialnightaction, J.J. Gonzalez; Gelfenstein Farm’s Mandatario, Diego Gomez; Kathy, Tom & Jim Thompson and Scott Farmer’s Rare, Antonio Gallardo; NY Final Furlong Racing Stable and Jena M. Antonucci’s Howaboutwe, Abdiel Jaen: Here’s Johnny, East Hall; Anthony Mitola’s Glenstal Abbey, Joe Bravo. All will carry 122 pounds.
Monica Lee Arrieta’s Dashin Bye Slinky, winner of his last start at Hialeah, is the 5-2 morning line favorite in a ten horse field for the first race, a 220 yard quarter horse allowance event. The 3-year-old gelding, trained by Angel Rodriguez, will be ridden by Oscar Delgado and carry 122 pounds. Javier Rodriguez’ Craig Judd, second choice at 3-1, also comes into the race off a win at Hialeah Park. The 3-year-old colt, also saddled by Rodriguez, will be ridden by Osdany Leal and carries 122.
For more information regarding the OBS Championship Stakes, please call (352) 237-2154 or visit the OBS website at obssales.com