Acoma Returns in Azeri
Trainer David Carroll knows top horses. Working for hall-of-fame trainer Shug McGaughey for six years, Carroll got to be around Easy Goer, who foiled Sunday Silence’s attempt at the Triple Crown in 1989, and Personal Flag, a Grade I winner. Since striking out on his own, Carroll has made his name known with the horses Fire Slam, who won the Riva Ridge Stakes at Saratoga, and most recently Denis of Cork, winner of the 2008 Southwest at Oaklawn.
Carroll comes into Oaklawn with Acoma for the $150,000 Azeri Handicap on Sunday, March 8. The four-year-old filly makes her first start of the 2009 season and will be making her first against older horses. Frenchman Julien Leparoux will be in from Florida to ride.
“She has been training beautifully. We gave her a bit of a break after her last start, and sent her down to Payson Park in Florida. I got her back in January and she has done very well since,” commented Carroll this morning during training hours. “She looks fantastic, seems to have shipped in well, eating up every meal, getting over the track well, but we will see what happens in her race.”
“She seems to be a filly that runs well where ever she is stabled, so we decided to bring ship her here for this race and see how well she does,” mentioned Carroll. “We aren’t too excited about the post position, but that’s horse racing. We are excited to get her going, and we will see how she handles the dirt. Her last two wins have come on turf, but she has won on dirt, so we want to see how she runs here. We will contemplate the Apple Blossom, but will take it one race at a time.”
Carroll, as earlier mentioned, came to Oaklawn in 2008 and won the Southwest with Denis of Cork (pictured), who would go on to run third in the Kentucky Derby and second in the Belmont Stakes. “We were real proud of Denis of Cork last year,” said the Irish trainer. “He is at Vinery, where he will be for most of 2009. He had a little injury and we will give him some time.”
Look for Carroll’s Acoma to break from the rail in the Azeri Handicap and look for the trainer to further showcase his abilities with top horses.
Donnie K. Von Hemel Zeroes In
Call Friday’s race card a day for the Von Hemels, as three races were taken by the family. The head of the house, Don Von Hemel, took the seventh race with Wings of an Angel and returned in the ninth to win with Pure Baby. That left son Kelly in the eighth race with Slave’s Ransom. Not to feel left out Donnie K. (pictured) took two races on Thursday’s card with Silver Chain in the fourth and promising maiden Differentiate in the eighth race.
The Von Hemels have had a productive week so far, and now can look to the future with their promising charges. Donnie K. gets things started with his talented three-year-olds in both the Honeybee and Rebel stakes next weekend.
“Peachy Brew is likely for the Honeybee on Sunday, and I will say that Poltergeist is possible for the Rebel,” commented the older of the Von Hemel sons. “We are shopping around for a race for Euphony, who won a stakes race last year here. Euphony has been training well, and we are excited to get her going for 2009. As for Going Ballistic, he just may be a summer horse, he never seems to run well here. We have a lot of options coming up for all the horses so we will see.”
Moving on to Semaphore Man, Kelly’s barn star will more than likely appear in the Hot Springs Stakes, mentioned the youngest Von Hemel. “He’s a neat horse. He has overcome some ailments over the years, but he’s a fighter. He is a hard horse not to like.”
The Von Hemel family, ever prominent at the Oaklawn meets year in and out, will look to add to their family stakes claim with brothers Donnie K. and Kelly, but don’t count out dad Don.
A Little Bit More
Trainer Bret Calhoun confirmed this morning that Silver City (pictured) will run in next Saturday’s $300,000 Rebel Stakes. The second place finisher in the Southwest worked this morning at Calhoun’s main base Fair Grounds. The son of Unbridled Song worked a mile in 1:39 over a fast track in New Orleans.
Plans call for Oaklawn’s top three-year-old colt and filly to put in their final works for their upcoming stakes engagements Sunday morning. Rachel Alexandra, who won the Martha Washington Stakes, will be working a half-mile for her upcoming start next Saturday in the Fair Grounds Oaks. In the meantime, Old Fashioned will be working five panels in preparation for his start in the Rebel Stakes here next Saturday.
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