Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Valuable Package can give Einhorn first Belmont win
ELMONT, N.Y. – Skip Einhorn has trained horses for 30 years but has never started a horse at Belmont Park.
“I’ve been on the also-eligible list a few times,” Einhorn said Thursday.
On Sunday, Einhorn, based at Monmouth Park, will venture across the Hudson River and run his first horse at Belmont when he sends out Valuable Package in the Grade 3, $150,000 Matron Stakes for 2-year-old fillies. The Matron, run at six furlongs, drew a field of only five.
Valuable Package, a daughter of Kantharos, won her debut Sept. 10 at Monmouth by 7 3/4 lengths, leading from gate to wire under Wilmer Garcia.
“I was impressed with the race,” said Einhorn, who for the first 20 years of his training career raced under the name Raymond Einhorn. “Wilmer said he had plenty of horse; he was never challenged, really. We figured we would challenge her in this spot.”
Valuable Package earned only a 53 Beyer Speed Figure for her debut win. Einhorn said he and the owners, brothers Kevin and Rick Hoover and Rick’s wife, Cherie, received some offers for the horse afterward.
“I guess her Beyer wasn’t big enough, so they said we could significantly increase that offer if she was to do well in a better race,” Einhorn said.
Valuable Package will take on Happy Like a Fool, who returns to the United States and to dirt after racing twice on turf in England, including a second-place finish in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes. Also entered were Honey Graeme, Take Charge Paula, and Tarawa.
Arroyo back on Highway Star
Highway Star worked a halfmile in 50 seconds Thursday over the Belmont Park training track, the second of four scheduled moves the New York-bred filly will have leading up to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on Nov. 4 at Del Mar.
Jockey Angel Arroyo was aboard for the work, which Daily Racing Form timed in splits of 12.50, 24.64 for the quarter, and a final quarter in 25.36. She galloped out five furlongs in 1:04.08 over a track rated good.
Trainer Rodrigo Ubillo called it “just a maintenance move,” and it came a week after she breezed three furlongs in 37.85.
Arroyo will regain the mount on Highway Star for the Breeders’ Cup. Arroyo had ridden Highway Star in seven consecutive races, including four wins, but he couldn’t ride her in the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom on Sept. 24 because he had shoulder pain from a spill two days earlier.
Luis Saez, Arroyo’s cousin, rode Highway Star to a neck victory in the Gallant Bloom.
Arroyo said he appreciates “the opportunity and the confidence” owner Chester Broman and Ubillo showed in him by giving him the mount back.
“My opinion, the filly has a big, big chance,” said Arroyo, who will be riding in his first Breeders’ Cup race. “I like my filly 100 percent.”
Ubillo said Arroyo has played an integral part in Highway Star’s success – she has won 8 of 13 starts – so he didn’t want to make a rider change.
“I hate to change things around now that we are here,” Ubillo said.
Arroyo said Highway Star would work the next two Thursdays, including Oct. 26, the day she is scheduled to ship to Southern California.