NOTES Holding Aces lights the board
By Jeff Scott SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Holding Aces’s career got off to a promising start when he won at first asking in a maiden special weight at Churchill Downs on Sept. 18, 2015. Since then, though, it had been mostly downhill for the five-yearold ridgling, who failed to win in his next nine starts. Running for a tag for the fifth straight time, Holding Aces was dispatched at 20-1 in Sunday’s seventh race, a $40,000 claimer.
Racing at his customary place near the front, Holding Aces soon passed early pacesetter (and 5-2 favorite) Diamond Jim, and led by a half-length after a quick half in :45.59. When the son of Eskendereya wheeled into the stretch, he found himself still in front, and from there he widened his lead. He was up 3½ lengths at the furlong pole and 5 ¾ at the finish, completing the six furlongs in 1:10.79.
In the meantime, fellow longshots Main Road (131) and Legal Precedent (101) were clunking up to grab the second and third spots, touching off a $3,788.00 triple. Holding Aces, who competes for Island Wind Racing and is trained by Chris Englehart, has two wins and three placings from 11 starts.
Manny Franco was aboard for the ride. It was the first of three straight wins for the veteran rider, who also won the eighth race on Yummy Bear (12-1) and the ninth with Royal In- heritance (5-1). eighth-place finish at 80-1 – Hoboe showed signs of getting the hang of the game by hitting the board in two of his three most recent starts.
Sent off at 9-2 in Sunday’s fourth-race maiden special, Hoboe saved ground under leading rider Jose Ortiz as pacesetter Silky Way showed the way through a 48.98-second half-mile. Still in sixth rounding the turn, Ortiz booted Hoboe out several paths, but he still had a ways to go when he straightened out. Motoring down the center of the track, the son of Macho Uno began picking off horses, and, after appearing to hesitate outside the sixteenth pole, ran by favorites Appealing Briefs and Summer Mischief late to triumph by a half-length.
Time of the race for 8½ furlongs over firm going was 1:42.27. Hoboe, who races for Siegel Sez Stables and is trained by David Donk, broke his maiden in his seventh try.