Parcells’ Hit It Once More wins Albany
SARATOGA SPRINGS >> Friday’s Albany Stakes featured a rematch between the top-2 finishers from the New York Derby July 23.
Hit It Once More looked to hold off Extinct Charm, like he did by 6 1/2 lengths a month ago at Finger Lakes Race Track.
Friday’s 1 1/8-mile outing on dirt proved that the New York Derby wasn’t a fluke as the Gary Sciacca-trained colt wired the field and took down secondplace finisher Extinct Charm by 3 3/4 lengths on the Saratoga Race Course main track. Celtic Chaos finished third.
“He ran a great race up in Finger Lakes and he came right back and did it again, so he’s for real,” Sciacca said of Hit It Once More. “He could have sat right off it, but he runs better that way. He comes from last — it doesn’t matter. He can run anywhere he wants, but they didn’t go fast, so that put him right in the driver’s seat.”
Hit It Once More has a history of taking the lead sooner rather than later, and once he does he usually finishes on top. In three of his last four races, the 3-year-old colt has had the lead by the stretch and galloped to victory.
“He got out to the lead and was running nice and easy, and when horses came up to him he responded,” winning jockey Kendrick Carmouche said. “At the top of the stretch, he exploded and it was over.
“If they wanted to come up with us, they weren’t going to keep up with us. We wanted to just go and improve our position.”
The 1:50.38 final time gave August Dawn Farm, which is owned by Hall of Fame NFL head coach Bill Parcells, and Sciacca their first victories of the meet.
Parcell’s August Dawn Farm also owned fourthplace finisher Jet Black.
“There are a lot of Giants fans around here. I just appreciate their support,” Parcells said. “The trainer Gary Sciacca did a great job, Kendrick rode him great, just like the last time. We’ve been getting really lucky with that horse.”
“I would like to say congratulations to coach (Parcells) and Gary Sciacca for their first win of the meet here,” Carmouche added. “I know how hard it is to win at Saratoga, but it’s a good race to win.”
His name comes from when Sciacca told Parcells to “hit it once more” when Parcells was purchasing the horse. The extra hits cost Parcells about $20,000.
“Actually, Gary picked him, and he went over budget,” Parcells said. “That’s how he got his name, Hit It Once More, because he kept telling me, ‘Bill, we have to hit it once more, hit it once more.’ Once we got him, I said, ‘That’s his name.’”
On a two-race win streak, the Pennsylvania Derby could be next for Hit It Once More.
“We’re probably leaning on the Pennsylvania Derby,” Sciacca said. “We liked him earlier and then he got little problems here and there — growing pains. But he got a little older and started doing really well after that. Then as we stretched him out, he started doing really well. The farther he was going, the better he was running.”
King Kreesa shows grit in West Point win
Running back on just six days rest, and having to overcome a slow start, King Kreesa showed his grit and class by out-finishing three rivals in a mad dash to the wire to post a popular nose victory in the $150,000 West Point Stakes.
Yes, the 7-year-old gelding got away with pokey fractions (1:14 flat for threequarters) on the yielding Inner Turf course. But when long-time rival Kharafa — who had an even worse start — and two others came at him inside the sixteenth pole, the son of Kitalpha needed the benefit of his six years of racing experience in holding on for the win. Time of the race was 1:42.96.
“Good horses overcome their trainers’ and riders’ mistakes,” winning trainer David Donk said when asked about running his horse back on such short notice. “He’s a horse who doesn’t need a lot of time to recover. And there aren’t a lot of options for him.
“I’m sure happy to get this one,” added Donk, who recorded his first win of the meet in the West Point.
Kharafa was second by a neck over Offering Plan, with favored Tapitation another neck back in fourth. They were followed by Brother O’Connell, Notacatbutallama and With Exultation. Nine-year-old Lubash, Harbor King and MTO entrant Good Luck Gus were scratched.
King Kreesa, who won the 2014 West Point and was second last year, now has an 11-7-4 record from 34 starts and lifetime earnings of $1,371,704. Friday’s stakes victory was the tenth of his career.
Regular rider Irad Ortiz Jr. was in the irons for owners Gerald and Susan Kresa. King Kreesa was bred in New York by Horse Partners.
Despite riding a fourrace winning streak, a shortage of earnings relegated Fourstar Crook to the alsoeligible list for Friday’s Yaddo Stakes. All the 4-year-old filly needed was one scratch and she would draw in — there were three — and she would be given a spot in the starting gate.
Fourstar Crook an AE winner in Yaddo
Fourstar Crook proceeded to show she belonged in the $150,000 turf event for older fillies and mares, coming from off the pace to post a three-quarters of a length victory. The running time was 1 minute, 43.56 seconds for 1 1/16 miles over yielding turf.
Invading Humor made the early running, maintaining a short lead into upper stretch. With 3/16ths to run, a number of horses were still in with a shot, but Fourstar Crook proved much the best, taking over outside the eighth pole and cruising to victory. Flipcup was a fast-closing second, with defending champ The Tea Cups another neck back in third.
Javier Castellano was aboard the winner for trainer Chad Brown and owners Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stables LLC and Gary Aisquith. Fourstar Crook was bred in New York by Delaney Stable.
The daughter of Freud out of Avril a Portugal, by the Secretariat stallion D’Accord, paid $6.30 as the 2-1 favorite.