Sunday, July 07, 2002
Mr. John wins $400,000 Cornhusker
Racing notebook
The Associated Press
ALTOONA, Iowa — Mr. John pulled away in the stretch to beat Unshaded by 2 1/4 lengths and win the $400,000 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Breeders' Cup Handicap on Saturday.
Ridden by Mark Guidry, Mr. John, a 4-year-old, won for the fifth time in 10 career starts but for the first time in a stakes race.
Fajardo was another three-quarters back in third. Euchre, the 2001 Cornhusker winner, was fifth as the 2-1 favorite in the 10-horse field.
Mr. John was second in the Gotham and Lexington stakes last year, then chipped an ankle in the Preakness and didn't run again until April.
“They had to take the chip out and he was off for awhile,” said David Fortner, assistant to trainer Elliott Walden. “Now, he's better than ever.”
Mr. John covered 1 1-8 miles in 1:47 4-5 seconds, 1 1-5 seconds off Beboppin Baby's 1998 track record.
The Cornhusker, with a $325,000 purse from Prairie Meadows and $75,000 added from the Breeders' Cup, is the track's biggest race.
Awesome Humor wins Debutante
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Awesome Humor rallied wide at the top of the stretch and took the lead at the 16th pole for a two-length victory over Vibs in Saturday's $109,500 Grade III Debutante for 3-year-old fillies at Churchill Downs.
The daughter of Distorted Humor covered the 5 1/2 furlongs on a fast track in 1:03.45 with Calvin Borel aboard. She paid $17.20, $9 and $5.80 in her second win in as many starts.
Vibs paid $6.80 and $4.40. Attemptress finished two lengths back in third and paid $4.40.
Blues In Seattle, the 3-2 favorite, tired after setting the pace and finished fourth.
Owned by Tom Durant and trained by Ronny Werner, Awesome Humor earned $67,890 to increase her lifetime earnings to $99,115.
Hear No Evil wins $100,000 Criterium Stakes at Calder
MIAMI — Favored Hear No Evil beat long shot Supha Blitz by a half-length Saturday to win the $100,000 Criterium Stakes for 2-year-olds at Calder Race Course.
Lex Luthier, a 25-1 shot, prevailed in a four-horse photo-finish for third in a field of nine. Awesome Of Course, running in an entry with the winner, finished fourth.
Hear No Evil, ridden by Abel Castellano Jr., was timed in 1:06 for the 5 1/2 furlongs. The entry paid $3.60, $2.40 and $2.10. Supah Blitz paid $5.40 and $3, while Lex Luthier was $3.20 to show.
Hear No Evil, a son of Carson City, has won three straight races after finishing second by a half-length in his debut at Calder on May 1. He has earned $101,590.
In another race, Coolbythepool rallied to win the $50,000 Georgia On My Mind Stakes for fillies and mares.
Ridden by Julio Garcia and carrying 117 pounds, Coolbythepool ran 1 1-16 miles in 1:45 3-5 and paid $6, $4 and $2.40 in beating Sea Mist by 1 3/4 lengths. Sea Mist returned $3.60 and $2.40, while Bay Street Gal, the 6-5 favorite in the field of six, was another 1 1/2 lengths back in third and paid $2.20 to show.
Hawk Wing wins Eclipse Stakes
SANDOWN, England — Hawk Wing made it back to the winner's circle after two runner-up finishes, beating stablemate Sholokhov by 2 1/2 lengths in the $494,780 Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Racecourse.
Owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Hawk Wing was second in English Derby last month and second in the 2,000 Guineas in May. This time, the 3-year-old Hawk Wing would not be denied under jockey Mick Kinane.
The victory in the 1 1/4-mile race was the first Group 1 win for Hawk Wing and fourth overall. Trainer Aidan O'Brien was pleased with the result.
“It was a big worry coming here today,” O'Brien said. “He'd had a tough race in the Derby and coming back again in tacky ground was a big worry.
“Mick gave him a super ride — he nursed him and waited, let him use his class.”
Sholokhov was a 200-1 runner-up in last week's Irish Derby. Equerry, owned by Godolphin Racing Inc., was third.
Promising thoroughbred dies in barn mishap
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Slammed, a promising 2-year-old thoroughbred, died early Saturday in a barn mishap at Churchill Downs.
The son of Grand Slam was found dead in the shedrow of trainer Al Stall Jr. by a night watchman, track officials said.
Stall said Slammed appeared to have suffered a broken neck when the colt burst through the webbing of his stall and hit the barn wall with his head.
“I got a call in the middle of the night from my night watchman, who said he heard a big thud and he went around the corner and here he was, laid out there in the shedrow,” Stall said.
Stall said Slammed would be sent to the University of Kentucky for an examination.
“He came not over, but through the webbing — like breaking out of the gate — and straight into the wall,” Stall said. “We're going to send him to UK just to make sure there wasn't some sort of seizure before that, but we don't think so.”
Owner B. Wayne Hughes bought Slammed for $250,000 at last year's Keeneland July Sale. The colt circled the field in his debut to win easily under jockey Larry Melancon. Stall said Hughes was at Churchill Downs to watch Slammed's debut victory and was excited about the colt's potential.
The debut win by Slammed, who covered 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03.03, was so overpowering that Stall had planned to move him into stakes company for his next start in the Sanford (Grade 2) on July 25 at Saratoga.
Sports Stories
Reds 6, Brewers 4
Reds box, runs
Reds Q&A
The pride of Newberry
DAUGHERTY: A strike for 'rights' is wrong
Choosing stars no highlight for Brenly
Cloudy forecast for Bud Bowl
A fast but tenuous start
Midseason report
Cinergy Moment No. 20 - July 1, 1973
Down on the farm
Graves 'Lucky'
Griffey's return may come in 2 weeks
Reds chatter
Relief tempers envy of Yankees' Weaver trade
Memories of an American original
No funeral services for Kid
Bats 3, Clippers 1
John Fay's power rankings
AL roundup
NL roundup
Notes from Saturday's games
GROESCHEN: Prep Insider
Mr. John wins $400,000 Cornhusker
