U.S. Arabian Racing From Lone Star Park

U.S. ARABIAN RACING FROM LONE STAR PARK by

Steve Andersen Orona photos

EASTER MAN (Burning Sand x Angel Proof by NF Proof) fought off a sustained challenge to win the Grade 3 $20,000 Arabian Stallion Stakes for colts at Lone Star Park on November 8. Easter Man is owned by Joe and Betty Gillis, trained by Jerenesto Torrez, and was ridden to a close win by Carol Cedeno.

T

he royalty of American Arabian racing was on display at Lone Star Park in Texas on November 8.

Within an hour, the champions Easter Man and Uptown Sandy Girl won year-end stakes that may lead to further accolades when the Darley Awards honoring the champions of 2019 are announced in the spring.

Easter Man (Burning Sand x Angel Proof by NF Proof) fought off a sustained challenge from the three-time Darley Horse of the Year Paddys Day (Burning Sand x AK Loretta by Virgule Al Maury) to win his third stakes of 2019 in the $20,000 Arabian Stallion Stakes at a mile.

Easter Man was the champion three-year-old male of 2015 and four-year-old male of 2016. He is a candidate for champion older male and Horse of

the Year of 2019. Easter Man has been the leading runner for the Gillises, finishing the year with five wins in nine starts. The latest win in the Arabian Stallion Stakes was not without plenty of drama through the stretch, however.

Easter Man’s jockey, Carol Cedeno, lost her whip, leading to anxious moments in the final strides.

Easter Man led by three lengths with a furlong remaining, but won by only a head. Paddys Day led a few jumps after the wire.

“He seemed to be cruising,” Joe Gillis said.

“Paddys Day started gaining back on him and she didn’t have a whip to encourage him. We were really lucky.”

A seven-year-old trained by Jerenesto Torrez, Easter Man began the year with consecutive stakes wins at Sam Houston Race Park in March – a

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UPTOWN SANDY GIRL (Burning Sand x Wibwilcca

by Wilkolak) won the Grade 3 $20,000 Arabian Stallion Stakes for fillies and mares at Lone Star Park on November 8. Uptown Sandy Girl, who races for Jon and Krista Henningsgard, was trained by Jerenesto Torrez and was ridden to a decisive win by Jose Garcia.

one-length win over Uptown Sandy Girl in the Sheikh Zayed Cup and a nose win over Quick Sand AA in the Darley Sprint. Easter Man was fourth twice and second once in three stakes at Churchill Downs and Delaware Park in the spring and summer before the November 8 win at Lone Star Park.

In the Horse of the Year balloting, there will rightfully be support for RB Texas Hold Em, who was unbeaten in three starts, all in stakes, but did not race after a win in the Delaware Park Arabian Derby in July.

Understandably, Joe Gillis is hopeful that Easter Man’s season-long record will draw the attention of Horse of the Year voters, who compile their selections in January.

Easter Man was sent to the Gillises farm after the Arabian Stallion Stakes for an autumn rest

while a 2020 campaign is being planned. Easter Man has won 16 of 37 starts and earned $369,945. He earned $90,230 in 2019, slightly less than his career-best of $94,940 in 2017.

“He’s got a lot of age on him,” Joe Gillis said. “But as long as he keeps winning, why should I stop?”

Joe Gillis said Quick Sand AA, 2018 Horse of the Year, is also resting on his farm for a 2020 season, and that Burn Em Joey, the stable’s highly-regarded four-year-old will race next year, too.

Uptown Sandy Girl (Burning Sand x Wibwilcca by Wilkolak) won her third consecutive stakes in the $20,000 Arabian Stallion Stakes for fillies and mares. Uptown Sandy Girl, who races for Jon and Krista Henningsgard, was the Darley Champion three-year-old filly of 2017 and four-year-old filly of 2018. She is expected to be named champion older female of 2019.

Uptown Sandy Girl has shown she can compete with males, and is the nation’s superior female

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runner. Her win in the fillies and mares division of the Arabian Stallion Stakes was her 11th win in 20 starts.

A five-year-old, Uptown Sandy Girl has won eight stakes in her career.

Even with that record, Uptown Sandy Girl was not favored with bettors in the Arabian Stallion Stakes, a role that went to Dance With Me BW, a 14-length winner of the Texas Arabian Oaks at Retama Park near San Antonio on September 10.

Uptown Sandy Girl had won the Darley Distaff Stakes at Sam Houston in March after her loss to Easter Man. She did not race again until the prestigious Buzz Brauninger Distaff Handicap at Delaware Park on August 31, a race she won by a head over Dance With Me BW (Grilla x Shall We Dance BW by Line Dancer).

Also trained by Torrez, Uptown Sandy Girl was ridden by Jose Garcia in the one-mile Arabian Stallion Stakes. At the start, it appeared the much-anticipated duel between Uptown Sandy Girl and Dance With Me BW would materialize. Dance With Me BW took the lead, closely followed by Uptown Sandy Girl. Midway through the race, Dance With Me BW had a narrow lead on the inside before Uptown Sandy Girl took the lead on the turn.

Quickly, Uptown Sandy Girl pulled clear to win by 7 ž lengths over the three-year-old filly RB Blyng (Majd Al Arab x Frynzy by Dormane). Dance With Me BW faded to finish third, a neck behind RB Blyng. Dance With Me BW and RB Blyng are owned by RoseBrook Farm, the prestigious racing and breeding operation of Floridabased Dianne Waldron and her family.

RB KINETIC (Baseq Al Khalediah x Rich Kinkga by TH Richie) won the $20,000 Lone Star Juvenile Stakes for three-year-old fillies on October 25 for Dianne Waldronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s RoseBrook Farm.

RB Kinetic is trained by Jerenesto Torrez and was ridden by Ernesto Valdez-Jiminez.

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RB RICH LYKE ME (Majd Al Arab x Rich Frynd by TH Richie) won the $20,000 Lone Star Juvenile Stakes for three-year-olds on October 25 for Dianne Waldron’s RoseBrook Farm.

RB Kinetic is trained by Jerenesto Torrez and was ridden by Ernesto Valdez-Jiminez.

RoseBrook Farm had a brilliant day at Lone Star Park on October 25 when RB Kinetic and RB Blyng finished first and second in the $20,000 Lone Star Juvenile Stakes for three-year-old fillies and RB Rich Lyke Me and RB Double Down finished first and third in the $20,000 Lone Star Juvenile Stakes. Those races were run at six furlongs.

RB Kinetic (Baseq Al Khalediah x Rich Kinkga by TH Richie), a winner of four of five starts, won her stakes debut in the Lone Star Juvenile Stakes, and her third consecutive stakes. Trained by Torrez and ridden by Ernesto Valdez-Jiminez, RB Kinetic led throughout to record a convincing win over RB Blyng, who was a heavy favorite.

Even though RB Blyng was beaten in the Lone Star Juvenile Stakes against her own age group and against older fillies and mares in the Arabian

Stallion Stakes, she displayed ample promise and figures to improve in 2020 when she races at distance of a mile or farther more frequently.

In the Lone Star Juvenile at six furlongs, RB Rich Lyke Me (Majd Al Arab x Rich Frynd by TH Richie) was favored and performed to expectations. Ridden

by Valdez-Jiminez for Torrez, RB Rich Lyke Me disputed the early pace and won by 7 ¼ lengths over Kissouur (Nivour de Cardonne x Blowing Kissis by Falina des Fabries).

RB Rich Lyke Me has won four of six starts and is expected to be part of the stakes races when top-class Arabian racing resumes at Sam Houston in the new year.

Steve Andersen is a correspondent for Daily Racing Form.

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