Summer Heat Coast To Coast: Eclipse Firing Away
The presence of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ baby blue and black silks will be seen across North America over the next four days. We have eight horses competing at Woodbine in Canada, Del Mar in California, Saratoga in New York and Delaware Park, of course in Delaware.
Action begins Friday afternoon as ETP’s senior veteran campaigner Patrioticandproud runs in the eighth race at Woodbine, the scene of three of his victories in a racing career that began in August of 2011. This marks Patrioticandproud’s thirty-fifth career start. He has amassed earnings of $552,614 including top four finishes in eight stakes, six of which were of the graded variety. Patrioticandproud has been trained throughout his career by Mark Casse. This test will cover one mile and one-eighth over the all weather surface over which Patrioticandproud has recorded three wins at Woodbine and one at Keeneland. This race runs at 4:36 EST. Patrick Husbands will ride this six-year-old son of Proud Citizen.
On Saturday, Delicate Lady (above) will make her racing debut for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners in the $200,000 Adirondack Stakes (Grade 2) at Saratoga. This two-year-old filly fixture will go as the fourth race at 2:46 EST. This daughter of Thunder Gulch broke her maiden first time out at Arlington Park on July 2. Fourth, six lengths off the lead with just over a quarter-mile to go, Delicate Lady kicked into gear, quickly taking control and proved much the best winning by six and one-half lengths. Within days, Delicate Lady was purchased by ETP and relocated to Todd Pletcher’s barn in Saratoga. She has had four solid breezes over the Saratoga track surface and is sitting on “go.” Delicate Lady will face six others and be ridden by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez. Being by Thunder Gulch, we expect she’ll appreciate stretching out to the six and one-half furlong distance.
Eclipse has three racing “Where the Turf Meets the Surf” at beautiful Del Mar on Saturday. Hiking, a four-year-old daughter of First Defence, will compete in the second race. This is a $70,000 Allowance test covering one mile and one-sixteenth over the turf course. Hiking was purchased privately earlier this year by Eclipse after beginning her racing career in Great Britain where she recorded three victories. In her stateside debut on July 25 at Del Mar, Hiking overcame several traffic obstacles to be a fast closing third beaten only a half length. Hiking will be ridden by meet leading jockey Rafael Bejarano. She is trained by Simon Callaghan and the race runs at 2:37 PST.
American League (above), purchased at the Ocala Breeders’ March Two-Year-Old in Training Sale this year, will make his third career start this Saturday. This son of Old Fashioned finished a promising third in his debut Santa Anita in June. While continuing to racing greenly in his second start, we look for American League to move forward with the additional racing experience. Trained by Michael McCarthy, American League will cover five and one-half furlongs in this $70,000 Maiden Special Weight test at 3:09 PST. Flavien Prat who has been working with this colt in the mornings and ridden him in both starts, will be in the irons.
Our three-year-old daughter of Quality Road, Illuminant, also trained by Michael McCarthy, will run Saturday in the tenth race at Del Mar. Illuminant finished a very good second over grass in her second career start and she returns to that surface in this spot. While this filly has three sprints under her belt, we have thought she would like more ground and she’ll be provided with this opportunity when she travels one mile over the Del Mar turf course in this $70,000 Maiden Special Weight race. We are happy to have Rafael Bejarano ride and this race is scheduled to go off at 6:40 PST.
Mission Driven, purchased privately just last month, will make his second appearance for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners on Sunday at Saratoga in the fifth race. This three-year-old son of Awesome Again finished third beaten a rapidly diminishing two lengths on July 26 in a nightmare traffic-filled trip at Saratoga. Hall of Famer John Velazquez assumes jockey duties on Sunday for trainer Wayne Catalano. This $55,000 Starter Allowance will cover a mile over the Saratoga Inner Turf course at 3:13 EST. Mission Driven has a first, second and third on turf and seems to thrive over this surface.
Bossy (above), a two time winner with six top three finishes in nine starts, will race at Saratoga on Monday in the third race. Bossy came from off the pace to win a five and one-half furlong turf race at Fair Grounds in December and this is a performance we look for her to duplicate on Monday, this also being a five and one-half furlong turf test. Trained by Wayne Catalano throughout her career, Bossy is a three-year-old daughter of Street Boss. She will be ridden by the meet’s second leading rider, John Velazquez. This race runs at 2:06 EST.
Craftsman, ETP’s stakes-winning four-year-old son of Mastercraftsman, runs Monday in an Allowance race at Delaware Park. Craftsman began his racing career under the direction of world-renowned trainer Aiden O’Brien in Ireland. Soon after his racing debut, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners purchased Craftsman. He came stateside in December of 2013 and after a California campaign, Craftsman relocated to the eastern seaboard and won the $50,000 Nick Shuk Memorial Stakes at Delaware Park in July of 2014. The race Monday covers one mile and one-sixteenth over the same turf circuit. Now trained by Arnaud Delacour, Craftsman will be ridden by Carol Cedeno in the sixth race at 3:45 EST
BELIEVE BIG!!