Post-Race Analysis:
Saratoga Springs, NY - August 30, 2007: Arcadia Stable’s Footlights,
perhaps taking her queue from Belmont Stakes winner Rags to Riches,
overtook Preemptive Strike on the final turn and then sprinted away
from the field to win the 66th running of the $150,000 Grade I New
York Turf Writers Cup Handicap by 11 ½ lengths. Underbidder edged
The Looper by a neck to finish second. Even money favorite Mixed
Up faltered under his 162-pound impost as he faded through the stretch-run
and finished a dull fifth. The time for the 2 3/8ths miles run over
a firm course was 4:33.01, well off the track record of 4:12.04
established by Hokan in 1998 and tied by It's A Giggle over a rock-hard
course in 2001.
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Footlights romped to an easy 11 ½ length
victory in the Grade I New York Turf Writers' Handicap.
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Like Rags to Riches, who was the first filly to win the Belmont
Stakes in 102 years, Footlights enjoyed a break in the weights from
the colts and geldings in the New York Turf Writers Cup. Her edge,
however, was much bigger.
The seven-year-old Pleasant Tap mare, trained by Roger Horgan and
ridden by Xavier Aizpuru, was assigned 133 pounds, the lightest
load of the eight runners and 29-pounds less than high-weighted
favorite, Mixed Up, the 2006 New York Turf Writers Cup winner.
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Preemptive Strike leads Underbidder and
Class Vantage at the 8th fence.
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“I guess this is the year to do it (referring to Rags to Riches
defeating the males in the Belmont Stakes),” said winning trainer
Roger Horgan of his first victory in this race. “She carried 133
pounds, and obviously, liked the course. We wanted to go in the
`two other than’ up here, but it didn’t fill. (Aizpuru) gave her
a fantastic ride. She jumped so perfectly.”
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Class Vantage leads (left-to-right) Footlights,
The Looper (obscured) and Mixed Up at the 3rd fence.
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Preemptive Strike and jockey Paddy Young opened a large early lead
on the field, which contented itself to remain in a tight pack.
But with seven furlongs to go, the gap narrowed to about six lengths.
Preemptive Strike, tiring under the heat and 152 pounds, stumbled
over the next-to-last fence, lost action shortly thereafter and
left the course. Footlights quickly took the lead into the far turn,
and with the lighter load and the hot, humid weather, it was going
to take a Herculean effort to catch her with one jump to go. That
simply didn’t happen.
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Preemptive Strike faltered badly at the
3rd fence and almost fell.
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“She got a big pull in the weights from everyone,” Aizpuru said.
“Still, she had to bring her A-game. She was fantastic throughout
the race. She felt comfortable and jumped great. I decided to close
up on the leader (Preemptive Strike), because he can be tough if
left alone. I didn’t want to give him too much of an advantage.
“She’s a tough mare. She had to step it up today, and she did.”
Footlights returned $18 to win. It was the seventh victory of
her 30-race career, and by far, her biggest. Hall of Fame trainer
Jonathan Sheppard tried for his 13th NY Turf Writers Cup with Mixed
Up, who ran fifth, Sweet Shani (NZ), who was sixth and runner-up
Underbidder, was dismissed at 28-1.
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Footlights and a happy Xavier Aizpuru
return to the winners' circle.
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“Mixed Up did his best, and was able to move up to second at one
point,” Sheppard said. “But he exhausted himself getting there,
especially in a race this long, where he carries 162 pounds in 90-degree
heat. That’s a little bit more than he can handle. These horses
are not machines.”
Best Attack, Divine Fortune and Orison were scratched.
The steeplechase circuit returns to New York on September 22 with
the first running of the Grade 1 Lonesome Glory Stakes at Belmont
Park. The $150,000-added stakes will be a prep for the Grade 1,
$300,000 Breeders’ Cup Grand National, to be run October 20 in Far
Hills, New Jersey.
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Former steeplechase jockey Roger Horgan
captured his first Grade I race as a trainer when Footlights
won the New York Turf Writers Cup Handicap.
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Edited from NYRA press release.
The complete order of finish for the Grade I New York Turf Writers
Cup Handicap is set forth below.
Results:
|
FP
|
Horse
|
lbs
|
Jockey
|
Trainer
|
Owner
|
|
1
|
Footlights |
133 |
Aizpuru |
Roger Horgan |
Arcadia Stables |
|
2
|
Underbidder |
136 |
Petty |
Jonathan Sheppard |
Timber Bay Farm |
|
3
|
The Looper |
140 |
C. Murphy |
Thomas H. Voss |
Mill House |
|
4
|
Gliding (NZ) |
146 |
McCarron |
Doug Fout |
Brigadoon Stable |
|
5
|
Mixed Up |
162 |
Hodsdon |
Jonathan Sheppard |
William L. Pape |
|
6
|
Sweet Shani |
145 |
Slater |
Jonathan Sheppard |
Calvin Houghland |
|
PU
|
Preemptive Strike |
152 |
Young |
Sanna N. Hendriks |
Polaris Stable |
|
PU
|
Class Vantage |
142 |
Boucher |
Lilth Boucher |
Mede Cohaba Stable |
|
Scr
|
Orison |
144 |
|
Doug Fout |
EMO Stables |
| Scr |
Best Attack |
146 |
|
F. Bruce Miller |
Sarah J. Radcliff |
| Scr |
Divine Fortune |
141 |
|
Jonathan Sheppard |
William L. Pape |
back to top
Pedigree of Winner:
Click
here for Footlight's 5-cross pedigree.
Pedigrees compliments of Del
Mar Pedigree Query
Previous Winners:
| YEAR |
FIRST (Age) |
JOCKEY |
lbs. |
SECOND (Age) |
lbs. |
THIRD (Age) |
lbs. |
| 1970 |
El Martirio (6) |
Plain |
138 |
Wustenchef (5) |
151 |
Shadow Brook (6) |
155 |
| 1971 |
Soothsayer (4) |
Fishback |
153 |
Predominio (7) |
141 |
Shadow Brook (7) |
162 |
| 1975 |
Life's Illusion (4) |
Quanbeck |
145 |
Soothsayer (5) |
161 |
Artic Joe (8) |
148 |
| 1976 |
Happy Intellectual (10) |
Elser |
152 |
Life's Ilusion (5) |
160 |
Strait and True (6) |
155 |
| 1977 |
Happy Intellectual (11) |
Aitcheson |
152 |
Naval Person(5) |
143 |
Cassamayor(7) |
150 |
| 1978 |
Happy Intellectual (12) |
Martin |
152 |
Popular Hero (5) |
148 |
Leaping Frog (5) |
157 |
| 1979 |
Leaping Frog (6) |
Christinson |
159 |
Tan Jay (7) |
150 |
Canadian Regent (5) |
143 |
| 1980 |
Zaccio (4) |
McWade |
157 |
Running Comment (6) |
142 |
Leaping Frog (7) |
152 |
| 1981 |
Running Comment (7) |
McWade |
143 |
Codicioso (6) |
144 |
Red Invader (8) |
142 |
| 1982 |
Zaccio (6) |
Hendriks |
161 |
Give a Whirl (5) |
146 |
Running Comment (8) |
145 |
| 1983 |
Double Reefed (7) |
Cushman |
161 |
Sugar Bee (5) |
135 |
Census (5) |
148 |
| 1984 |
Flatterer (5) |
Fishback |
164 |
Census (6) |
155 |
Double Reefed (8) |
158 |
| 1986 |
Le Sauteur (7) |
Houghton |
157 |
Twas Ever Thus (7) |
15o |
Eremite (6) |
146 |
| 1987 |
Chief Of The Clan (4) |
Lawrence |
148 |
Gateshead (8) |
154 |
Chammsky (8) |
152 |
| 1988 |
Rio Claro (5) |
Morris |
152 |
Steve Canyon (8) |
162 |
Jive With Five (4) |
146 |
| 1989 |
Double Bill (6) |
Guessford |
142 |
Uptown Swell (7) |
152 |
Polar Pleasure (7) |
149 |
| 1990 |
Double Bill (7) |
Guessford |
146 |
French Hill (5) |
154 |
Peer Prince (5) |
134 |
| 1991 |
Yaw (9) |
Smart |
145 |
Moonstruck (8) |
148 |
Double Bill (8) |
149 |
| 1992 |
Yaw (10) |
Smart |
146 |
Three Bells For Me (5) |
140 |
Make Azilion (8) |
142 |
| 1993 |
Warm Spell (5) |
Lawrence |
161 |
Castlwworth (7) |
142 |
Darby Sky (6) |
145 |
| 1994 |
Mistico (8) |
Thornton |
168 |
Cheering News (7) |
142 |
Lonesome Glory (6) |
168 |
| 1995 |
Lonesome Glory (7) |
B.Miller |
166 |
Mistico (9) |
160 |
Rowdy Irishman (6) |
142 |
| 1996 |
Petroski (6) |
O'Brien |
160 |
T.V. Gold (6) |
140 |
Prime Legacy (7) |
138 |
| 1997 |
Bisbalense (8) |
Kingsley |
142 |
Confidente (8) |
140 |
Lonesome Glory (9) |
156 |
| 1998 |
Hokan (5) |
Clancy |
142 |
Romantic (6) |
143 |
Sundin (7) |
142 |
| 1999 |
Campanile (5) |
B. Miller |
148 |
Willstown |
138 |
Romantic (7) |
152 |
| 2000 |
Ninepins (13) |
Kingsley |
150 |
Campanile (6) |
160 |
Allgrit |
138 |
| 2001 |
It's A Giggle |
B. Miller |
142 |
Canta Ke Brave |
152 |
Praise The Prince (NZ) |
160 |
| 2002 |
Zabenz (NZ) |
Thornton |
146 |
Double Leaf (GB) |
140 |
Flat Top |
150 |
| 2003 |
Praise The Prince (NZ) (8) |
Brown |
150 |
Tres Touche (6) |
148 |
Indispensable (9) |
142 |
| 2004 |
Tres Touche (7) |
Bentley |
152 |
Cherokeeinthehills |
138 |
Barzulu (NZ) |
144 |
| 2005 |
Hirapour (Ire) (9) |
McCarron |
158 |
Three Carat |
140 |
Party Airs |
146 |
| 2006 |
Mixed Up (7) |
Hodsdon |
148 |
Top of the Bill |
154 |
Mark the Shark |
142 |
Post-Race Analysis | Results
| Pedigree of Winner | Previous
Winners
