NEWS
Presious Passion to open season in Mac Diarmida
Posted: Friday, February 26, 2010 6:03 PM
PRESIOUS PASSION
Coglianese Photos
by Steve Bailey
The connections of multiple Grade 1 winner Presious Passion have an eye on Dubai in late March.
First, however, the seven-year-old Royal Anthem gelding will need to get through his 2010 debut in the $150,000 Mac Diarmida Stakes (G2) on Sunday at Gulfstream Park.
Patricia Generazio’s Presious Passion has won ten stakes, including three Grade 1 races, and finished second to Conduit (Ire) in the 2009 Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) during the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita Park in his most recent start.
Should he fare well in the 1 3/8-mile Mac Diarmida and come out of the race sound, he will be pointed toward a start in the $5-million Dubai Sheema Classic (UAE-G1) at 2,410 meters (11.98 furlongs) on March 27 at the new Meydan Racecourse.
Presious Passion won last year’s Mac Diarmida and was installed as the 5-to-2 morning-line favorite for this year’s race.
Mr. and. Mrs. Bert Firestone’s homebred Winchester, the second choice on the morning-line at 3-to-1, also will make his 2010 debut for trainer Christophe Clement.
The five-year-old Theatrical (Ire) horse, winner of the 2008 Secretariat Stakes (G1), was winless in four starts last season but finished second in both the Bowling Green Handicap (G2) at Belmont Park (G2) and the Sycamore Stakes (G3) at Keeneland Race Course and third in the W. L. McKnight Handicap (G2).
Stakes winner Imawildandcrazyguy is winless in two starts this season for trainer William Kaplan and owners Lewis Pell and Michael Eigner. Last year, the six-year-old Wild Event colt won once from 13 starts, capturing a 1 1/16-mile allowance race in September at Calder Race Course, but did have three runner-up finishes and two third-place finishes.
Imawildandcrazyguy, a two-time classic starter in 2007, is third on the morning line at 5-to-1 along with stakes-placed winner Sr. Henry.
Steve Bailey is deputy news editor of Thoroughbred Times
Mac Diarmida S.
February 28, $150,000, 4yo & up, 1 3/8M, Gulfstream Park, 5:14 PM ET
| Post |
Horse |
Sire |
Weight |
Jockey |
Trainer |
| 1 |
Sr. Henry 5, g. |
Straight Man |
117 |
Kent Desormeaux |
Kenneth McPeek |
| 2 |
Winchester 5, h. |
Theatrical (IRE) |
117 |
Alan Garcia |
Christophe Clement |
| 3 |
Gabriel's Hill 6, h. |
A.P. Indy |
117 |
John Velazquez |
Seth Benzel |
| 4 |
Presious Passion 7, g. |
Royal Anthem |
123 |
Elvis Trujillo |
Mary Hartmann |
| 5 |
Bearpath 4, g. |
Dynaformer |
117 |
Javier Castellano |
Ian Wilkes |
| 6 |
Thou Swell 5, h. |
Aptitude |
117 |
Cornelio Velasquez |
James Jerkens |
| 7 |
Feels All Right (IRE) 4, c. |
Danehill Dancer (IRE) |
117 |
Corey Nakatani |
Patrick Biancone |
| 8 |
Expansion 5, h. |
Maria's Mon |
121 |
Julien Leparoux |
Chad Brown |
| 9 |
Imawildandcrazyguy 6, g. |
Wild Event |
117 |
Manoel Cruz |
William Kaplan |
