Owner wheeling, dealing
HOT SPRINGS — Rick Porter’s winter home is Hobe Sound, Fla., but today his heart will be in Arkansas, where he chases a personal daily double at Oaklawn Park.
A semiretired automobile dealer from Wilmington, Del., Porter owns Grade I stakes winner Round Pond, who will make her 4-yearold debut in the featured ninth race, a $ 40, 000 allowance / optional claiming sprint for older fillies and mares.
About an hour earlier, Porter’s latest acquisition, Jolted and Jostled, is scheduled to run in a 1-mile entry-level allowance race for 3-year-olds.
Porter said he completed a deal Tuesday morning to purchase one-half interest in Jolted and Jostled from WinStar Farm, which also bred the Storm Cat colt.
Trainer John Servis is pointing Jolted and Jostled toward the $ 300, 000 Grade III Rebel Stakes on March 18, Oaklawn’s last major steppingstone to the $ 1 million Grade II Arkansas Derby on April 15.
Jolted and Jostled has won 1 of 3 career starts, including a Jan. 20 maiden-allowance race at Oaklawn.
“I feel he has the potential to be a graded stakes horse and is improving each race,” said Porter, who was in Hot Springs on Saturday to watch his Rockport Harbor win the $ 100, 000 Grade III Essex Handicap. “John is very happy with his works and his gallops since his win. The pedigree is excellent. I thought it was a great opportunity.”
Porter said Servis informed him about two weeks ago that WinStar, a prominent racing and breeding operation based in Versailles, Ky., was interested in selling part of Jolted and Jostled.
Servis already has developed Jostle (the dam of Jolted and Jostled ), Round Pond and Rockport Harbor into major stakes winners for Porter’s Fox Hill Farms. Jostle was one of the country’s top 3-year-old fillies in 2000, winning the Grade I Coaching Club American Oaks 1 at 1 / 2 miles and the Grade I
1 Alabama Stakes at 1 / 4 miles. “He’s got a lot of upside,” Servis said of Jolted and Jostled, born May 3, 2003, the same day Funny Cide (also bred by WinStar ) won the Kentucky Derby. “The farther they went, the better she got. So as far as distance goes, I don’t think that’s an issue at all with him.” In his first route race, Jolted and Jostled overcame a fourwide trip on both turns to break his maiden at a mile opening day. “It’s time to get a barometer on this horse and see where we’re at,” Servis said. “It will be a good race for that.” Pond rippling
Trainer John Servis had every intention of launching Round Pond’s 4-year-old campaign in the $ 175, 000 Grade III Azeri Breeders’ Cup on March 11.
But the daughter of Awesome Again had other ideas, signaling she was ready to roll with a 6-furlong work in 1 : 13. 09 on Feb. 5.
“After this work the other day, I’m thinking, ‘How am I going to hold the filly on the ground for another month ?’” Servis said. “I had no plans on running her before then. It was some kind of work, buddy.”
Round Pond galloped out 7 furlongs in 1 : 26. 10 — faster than the 7-furlong split older $ 25, 000 male claimers recorded later that day — and a mile in 1 : 41. 36.
A finalist for 3-year-old filly champion, Round Pond hasn’t started since finishing second in the $ 500, 000 Grade II Delaware Oaks on July 16 at Delaware Park. After the race, she underwent surgery to remove a bone chip from a knee.
Round Pond turns back to a sprint for the first time since breaking her maiden last February at Oaklawn. After that victory, she won the Honeybee Stakes, Grade II Fantasy Stakes and Grade I Acorn Stakes.
“She might not win, but she’ll be running at the end,” Servis said.
The Azeri Breeders’ Cup is 1 1 / 16 miles. Holthus’ horsepower
Lawyer Ron, the likely heavy favorite for Monday’s $ 250, 000 Southwest Stakes, breezed 5 furlongs in 1 : 00 Tuesday morning under regular rider John McKee.
It was the second-fastest of 48 works recorded at the distance.
“He went a little faster than we hoped, but he just moves on the ground pretty easy and kind of got away from John,” Holthus said. “But he looked like he came out of it good. Walked good [Wednesday morning ].”
Holthus said he was “very pleased” with stablemate Red Raymond’s 5-furlong work in 1 : 01. 60 on Tuesday morning.
Red Raymond will be making his 3-year-old debut in the Southwest. SUNDAY’S LATE SIMULCASTING BETTING BREAKDOWN Santa Anita ($ 48, 826 ); Golden Gate Fields ($ 19, 707 ); Sam Houston Race Park ($ 17, 818 ); Mountaineer ($ 17, 177 ); Portland Meadows ($ 5, 192 ). SUNDAY’S INSTANT RACING HANDLE ($ 780, 014 ) TODAY’S TIMES First post for the 10 races is 1 : 30 p. m. Gates open at 11 a. m. TODAY’S SIMULCASTING SCHEDULE Tampa Bay Downs (11 : 25 a. m. ), Aqueduct (11 : 30 a. m. ), Laurel (11 : 35 a. m. ), Gulfstream Park (11 : 50 a. m. ), Golden Gate Fields (2 : 45 p. m. ), Santa Anita (3 p. m. ), Turfway Park (4 : 30 p. m. ), Charles Town (6 : 15 p. m. ), Penn National (6 : 25 p. m. ), Evangeline Downs (6 : 45 p. m. ), Sam Houston Race Park (7 p. m. ), Australia (approximately 7 p. m. ), Southland Greyhound Park (7 : 30 p. m. ) CLASSIX CARRYOVER ($ 30, 749 )
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