NEWS
Midway Magistrate's winning verdict
Posted: Saturday, May 06, 2000
Former claimer earns first graded stakes victory of career to close Keeneland spring meet
Horsemen by nature love to keep their options open, especially when they are blessed with a horse who has proven ability on different surfaces and at various racetracks.
Ben Ali S. (G3)
Keeneland, April 28, $108,900, 11/8 miles, fast, 1:49.15
1-MIDWAY MAGISTRATE, g. 6, Magesterial-Say Forever, by Little Current.
2-Liberty Gold, h. 6, Crafty Prospector-Restless Colony, by Pleasant Colony.
3-Early Warning, h. 5, Summer Squall-Vid Kid, by Pleasant Colony.
Trainer Rick Hiles has just that luxury with Midway Magistrate, a six-year-old gelding he resurrected from the claiming ranks nearly two years ago and developed into a multiple stakes winner. The son of Magesterial has earned stakes victories on the turf and on the dirt while running at six different racetracks for Hiles.
Midway Magistrate added to that resume on April 28 when he came from just off the pace to nip Liberty Gold and capture the $108,900 Ben Ali Stakes (G3), the closing day feature of Keeneland's spring meet. Shane Sellers rode Midway Magistrate, who won a three-way photo by a nose over Liberty Gold, who was a head in front of Early Warning, getting the 1 1/8 miles over the fast track in 1:49.15.
Midway Magistrate collected his first career graded stakes win with the triumph, which came at Keeneland after Hiles had pondered shipping him north to run in the National Jockey Club Handicap (G2) a day later at Sportsman's Park. Hiles opted for the Ben Ali when the race "came up right."
"He is so game and he never gives up," said Hiles. "When he gets in a dogfight, he'll win nine times out of ten. The closer they got to the wire, the more he was sticking out his head."
Owned by the B M H Stable, which includes Hiles, Robert McMahan, Leroy Mudd, and Ralph Buckley, Midway Magistrate was sent off as the 1.90-to-1 favorite in the field of seven by the crowd of 15,819. B M H claimed Midway Magistrate for $25,000 in June 1998 at Churchill Downs.
Sellers allowed the dark bay gelding to settle in sixth in the early stages as Early Warning and Jorge Chavez clicked off quick fractions of :22.94, :46.46, and 1:10.46. Francisco Torres sent Liberty Gold after the lead as the field came out of the final turn, and Midway Magistrate began closing ground despite going five wide around the turn.
Liberty Gold, the third choice at 3.50-to-1, stuck his head in front inside the sixteenth pole and then exchanged mild bumps with 3.10-to-1 Early Warning, who was tiring down on the inside but responding to persistent urging by Chavez. Sellers had dead aim on the top two in deep stretch, and Midway Magistrate got up in the final strides for his 15th career victory.
"In the middle of the turn I thought I'd get them," said Sellers, who won three races on the day. "I had him running the best I could. He's a fighter, and he really likes to get in there when it is tough. You put him in a dogfight and he'll usually come out on top."
Midway Magistrate was coming off a third-place effort in the Creme Fraiche Handicap (G3) at Gulfstream Park on March 11. The Ben Ali victory improved his record to 15-13-7 in 50 lifetime starts over five years of racing and boosted his career bankroll to $516,912.
Hiles did not say where Midway Magistrate would run next but indicated a return to the turf-a surface on which he won last year's Tri State Handicap at Ellis Park-might be a possibility.
"Most Magesterials love the turf. I think he's better on the dirt, but Shane said he still thinks he's better on the turf," Hiles said. "He's better now than he was at this time last year."
Late burst wins Bewitch
Charles Kenis's The Seven Seas unleashed one of the most impressive late kicks of the meet when she closed from next-to-last in the final quarter-mile to win the $113,100 Bewitch Stakes (G3) on April 27. The victory marked the first in the career of the lightly raced chestnut daughter of El Gran Senor.
Bewitch S. (G3)
Keeneland, April 27, $113,100, 1 1/2 miles, turf, firm, 2:29.31
1-THE SEVEN SEAS, f. 4, El Gran Senor-Tiffany's Gem, by Effervescing.
2-Innuendo (Ire), m. 5, Caerleon-Infamy (Ire), by =Shirley Heights (GB).
3-Hollywood Baldcat, f. 4, Kris S.-Bald Cat, by Baldski.
Ridden by Alex Solis, The Seven Seas flew past the leaders despite going nine wide into the stretch and then drew off with authority to a 2 1/2-length victory over Innuendo (Ire) and Hollywood Baldcat. The Seven Seas ran her final quarter-mile in less than :22 and completed the 1 1/2 miles over firm turf in 2:29.31.
"She was excellent. As soon as the leaders went out there, we just relaxed and dropped down near the rail," Solis said. "We were real patient and just waited for our time. It opened up real nice for us, and she was real impressive. When she got her chance to run, she ran."
Trained by Bobby Frankel, The Seven Seas was coming off a second-place finish in an optional claiming event on April 1 at Santa Anita Park, an effort that followed a third-place finish in the La Canada Stakes (G2) on the dirt on February 6. The Bewitch victory improved her career record to 3-1-1 from seven starts and increased her earnings to $148,147.
The Seven Seas began racing last year in France, winning a nearly 1 1/2-mile event at Clairefontaine-Deauville in her third career start on August 25. Shipped to Santa Anita, she easily won an allowance at 1 1/8 miles on the turf on January 22 before finishing third in the La Canada.
Bailey-Hennig day
The trainer-jockey combination of Mark Hennig and Jerry Bailey took center stage on April 26 and won the $112,500 Elkhorn Stakes (G3) with Drama Critic. Bailey's textbook ride aboard the four-year-old son of Theatrical (Ire) was the duo's third win of the afternoon after earlier victories with fillies Gold Mover and Ministorm in maiden and allowance races, respectively.
Elkhorn S. (G3)
Keeneland, April 26, $112,500, 11/2 miles, turf, firm, 2:28.03
1-DRAMA CRITIC, c. 4, Theatrical (Ire)-Guiza, by Golden Act.
2-Craigsteel (GB), h. 5, Suave Dancer-=Applecross (GB), by =Glint of Gold (GB).
3-Dixie's Crown, c. 4, Dixieland Band-Jewel in My Crown, by Secretariat.
Five wide into the stretch and brushed deep in the drive, Drama Critic won the 1 1/2-mile Elkhorn by a neck over Craigsteel (GB) for his first career stakes win. His time over the firm turf was 2:28.03.
Longshot Show Falcon led the field through the first six furlongs in 1:14.76 and a mile in 1:38.85 as Bailey was content to place Drama Critic in the middle of the ten-horse field in the early stages. Drama Critic inched closer to the leaders on the outside around the far turn the final time, went five wide into the stretch, and had some difficulty pulling clear for the win as he and Craigsteel exchanged light bumps.
"He tucked in nice and settled nice," Bailey said. "He went right up to the leaders very easily, but he was reluctant to open up. If something had come up to him on his outside, he might have picked it up."
Craigsteel finished 1 1/2 lengths clear of Dixie's Crown, who made a belated run from the back of the pack, and was a neck in front of 2.50-to-1 favorite Royal Strand (Ire).
Sent off as the 4-to-1 third choice, Drama Critic won for the third time in five starts this season for Amerman Racing Stables. He has compiled a record of 4-2-1 in nine career starts and boosted his earnings to $149,460 with the victory.
UNDER THE DOGWOODS-Dallas Stewart, previously a longtime assistant to Racing Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, claimed the first trainer's title of his career by sending out nine winners from 28 starters. Stewart finished with three more victories than runner-up Elliott Walden. ... Pat Day, who earlier in the meet passed Don Brumfield to become Keeneland's all-time leading rider, secured his second spring riding title and first since 1981 with 18 victories. Day has won 14 riding titles during the Keeneland fall meet. Sellers finished second with 17 wins, two more than Marlon St. Julien. ...Flat Top, 1998 Eclipse Award-winning steeplechaser, returned from about 17 months on the sidelines with a 1 1/2-length victory in the $185,875 Royal Chase for the Sport of Kings Hurdle Stakes on April 28. Ridden by Blythe Miller for trainer Janet Elliott, the seven-year-old Alleged gelding has now won 7-of-15 career starts and $354,475. Campanile, the 1.10-to-1 favorite in the field of seven, and Pinkie Swear finished second and third. Time for the 2 1/2 miles was 4:42.29. Early pace-setter Snuggle (NZ) fell over the last jump but was not seriously hurt.
Tom Law is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer.
