Spring Hill Farm has two entries in Breeder's Cup
11/3/2009 11:34 PM
By BEN BAUGH
Staff writer
A quintet of runners who've trained over the Aiken Training Track have been pre-entered to run in the 2009 Breeders' Cup at the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.
Edward Evans Spring Hill Farm has two entries that will contest the Pro-Ride surface this Saturday, Nite Light and Quality Road, with both horses having been broken and trained in Aiken by Legacy Stable's Ron Stevens.
Spring Hill homebred Quality Road has been pre-entered in the $5 million 1¼-mile Breeders' Cup Classic. The Virginia-bred colt has had an outstanding sophomore campaign setting two track records. The 3-year-old set a track record in winning the 11/8-mile Grade 1 Florida Derby, covering the distance in 1:47.72 seconds. The son of multiple grade 3 winner Elusive Quality had previously been conditioned by James Jerkens, and Quality Road was considered by many to be the favorite for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby but developed quarter cracks in both his right hind and right front hooves. Quality Road also won the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes.
The bay colt was given the necessary time off and moved to Todd Pletcher's barn. In his first start for his new conditioner after a 4-month layoff, Quality Road established a new track record in the 6¬½-furlong Grade 2 Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, winning in a time of 1:13.74. He followed that performance by placing in both the Grade 1 Travers (third) and Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup (second) over off tracks, with both surfaces being listed as sloppy. This will be Quality Road's first start over a synthetic surface. He has lifetime earnings of $972,830. He will break from the outside from post position 12, and will have jockey John Velazquez in the irons.
"I think he's legitimate, the rider said he hated the mud in his last two races, and he still ran second and third against the best horses out there," said Stevens. "Should he like that surface, I think he has a real shot. He should like it better than the off-going, where he wasn't able to get traction because of his size."
Nite Light, a Grade 3 winning 5-year-old horse conditioned by Todd Pletcher, is scheduled to start in the $500,000 1¾-mile Breeders' Cup Marathon on Nov. 6, and drew post position three and will have the services of jockey John Velazquez. The son of Eclipse Award winner and dual Classic winner Thunder Gulch has been a consistent performer, placing in 12 of 15 starts and winning the Grade 3 1 1/2-mile Turfway Park Fall Championship Stakes on the Polytrack Classic surface on Sept. 12.
Nite Light, whose dam is multiple Grade 1 winner Lite Light, placed second in the Grade 2 Hawthorne Gold Cup at Hawthorne Park on Oct. 3. The bay horse was purchased by Spring Hill Farm at the Keeneland 2004 November Breeding Stock Sale for $190,000. The four-time stakes winner has bankrolled $473,900.
"He's a nice horse, an honest horse and an improving horse, and we hope he'll like the surface out there and likes the distance," said Stevens.
Contact Ben Baugh at bbaugh@aikenstandard.com.
11/3/2009 11:34 PM
Staff writer
A quintet of runners who've trained over the Aiken Training Track have been pre-entered to run in the 2009 Breeders' Cup at the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.
Edward Evans Spring Hill Farm has two entries that will contest the Pro-Ride surface this Saturday, Nite Light and Quality Road, with both horses having been broken and trained in Aiken by Legacy Stable's Ron Stevens.
Spring Hill homebred Quality Road has been pre-entered in the $5 million 1¼-mile Breeders' Cup Classic. The Virginia-bred colt has had an outstanding sophomore campaign setting two track records. The 3-year-old set a track record in winning the 11/8-mile Grade 1 Florida Derby, covering the distance in 1:47.72 seconds. The son of multiple grade 3 winner Elusive Quality had previously been conditioned by James Jerkens, and Quality Road was considered by many to be the favorite for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby but developed quarter cracks in both his right hind and right front hooves. Quality Road also won the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes.
The bay colt was given the necessary time off and moved to Todd Pletcher's barn. In his first start for his new conditioner after a 4-month layoff, Quality Road established a new track record in the 6¬½-furlong Grade 2 Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, winning in a time of 1:13.74. He followed that performance by placing in both the Grade 1 Travers (third) and Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup (second) over off tracks, with both surfaces being listed as sloppy. This will be Quality Road's first start over a synthetic surface. He has lifetime earnings of $972,830. He will break from the outside from post position 12, and will have jockey John Velazquez in the irons.
"I think he's legitimate, the rider said he hated the mud in his last two races, and he still ran second and third against the best horses out there," said Stevens. "Should he like that surface, I think he has a real shot. He should like it better than the off-going, where he wasn't able to get traction because of his size."
Nite Light, a Grade 3 winning 5-year-old horse conditioned by Todd Pletcher, is scheduled to start in the $500,000 1¾-mile Breeders' Cup Marathon on Nov. 6, and drew post position three and will have the services of jockey John Velazquez. The son of Eclipse Award winner and dual Classic winner Thunder Gulch has been a consistent performer, placing in 12 of 15 starts and winning the Grade 3 1 1/2-mile Turfway Park Fall Championship Stakes on the Polytrack Classic surface on Sept. 12.
Nite Light, whose dam is multiple Grade 1 winner Lite Light, placed second in the Grade 2 Hawthorne Gold Cup at Hawthorne Park on Oct. 3. The bay horse was purchased by Spring Hill Farm at the Keeneland 2004 November Breeding Stock Sale for $190,000. The four-time stakes winner has bankrolled $473,900.
"He's a nice horse, an honest horse and an improving horse, and we hope he'll like the surface out there and likes the distance," said Stevens.
Contact Ben Baugh at bbaugh@aikenstandard.com.
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