Archived News

The Forest Wildcat filly, named Kat Scratch Fever, breezed 3 furlongs in 38.6 on Wednesday at Hollywood Park.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the work and Ron said, "I worked her 2 furlongs and the clockers got her galloping out 3 furlongs. She's doing really well. Last week I worked her in company with another horse and they were both very aggressive. So this week I worked her in company with a different horse and that horse was very green and worked slow. That's why Kat Scratch Fever's time was a bit slow. She could have gone faster but it was the other horse's fault. Next week I'll bump her up to a 3 furlong breeze and continue to move her forward. She's really moving along nicely with no issues at all."

Ron will breeze Kat Scratch Fever back in about 6 days next time working her 3 furlongs.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Monday's 4th race at Finger Lakes, which is a $4,000 claiming race for non-winners of 3 lifetime races for 3-year-olds and up going 6 furlongs. He'll be breaking from the 9th post position and jockey Ezequiel Perez is named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 5-2 Daily Racing Form morning line favorite.

The purse for this race is $8,500.

First race post time is 12:15 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 4 which is scheduled to go off at 1:36 PM. We'll be at the Finger Lakes version of the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Finger Lakes Racetrack for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Salt Water Reign breezed Wednesday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 37.2. That work was 4th best out of 11 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That breeze was to keep her sharp. We're pointing to the open N1X on November 30."

Steve is pointing Salt Water Reign to the N1X for fillies, three years old and up, going 6 furlongs at Aqueduct on November 30.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, breezed 4 furlongs from the gate in 49.4 on Saturday over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was 5th best out of 20 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He worked well. He's ready to run. I'm going to look for a race for him. They have some Maiden Special Weight races coming up but some are at 7 furlongs and I don't want to debut him at that distance. I'll look for something shorter; probably 6 furlongs and maybe 5 ½ furlongs."

Steve will look for an appropriate spot for Lord Greystoke to make his debut. There's currently a Maiden Special Weight going 5 ½ furlongs at Aqueduct put up as an extra for November 16. That race is a strong possibility. If Steve doesn't enter in that spot or that race doesn't go then there's a Maiden Special Weight in the Aqueduct condition book on November 29 going 6 furlongs.

The Forest Wildcat filly, named Kat Scratch Fever, breezed 3 furlongs in 37.6 on Wednesday at Hollywood Park. That work was 8th best out of 15 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the work and Ron said, "She really worked 2 furlongs in 25 and change. The clockers put her down for 3 furlongs, which was the gallop out time. She’s doing really well. This was only her first breeze since she’s come back so we don’t want to go crazy. One thing that needs to be remembered is that with any horse that’s purchased from a sale, the horse is taught to run as fast as it can for as long as it can because in a sale breeze show that’s what’s needed. When it finally gets to the racetrack we need to now teach it to not do that and instead to dole out its speed as needed. So we don’t want to blow it out each time we breeze it. Overall she’s doing great. Can’t really ask for anything more."

Ron will breeze Kat Scratch Fever back in about a week.

Portuguesemano'war once again ran a very game third on Saturday at Finger Lakes and was moved to second place after a disqualification.

Portuguesemano'war, for the fourth race in a row, broke from a far outside post, this time breaking from the 10 hole. He broke a bit slow and found himself in 8th place after a quarter mile. He moved down the backstretch picking up speed and rallied 6 wide in the turn. He swung wide at the top of the stretch and moved past horses gaining ground and finished an eventual 3rd behind entry mate Jumping the Fence, who broke much sharper and raced much closer to the lead, and Indian Brave who contested the pace from the start. Indian Brave drifted out in mid-stretch and interfered with And a Bump and, after a jockey's objection, was disqualified and moved from 2nd to 7th.

Portuguesemano'war earned $1,750 for Saturday's race.

Portuguesemano'war continues to be a competitive little hard-knocker picking up checks as he goes along. He always gives us an exciting run for the money. We’re hopeful that he will soon draw an inside post and have a better chance of an easier trip and getting to the wire first. We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and Chris will point him accordingly; most likely to the next $4,000 Claiming N3L on November 15.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, breezed 3 furlongs in 37.8 on Thursday over the dirt track at Delaware Park.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He continues to do well. He’s a good horse. I think I’m going to give him one more blowout and then look to run him."

Steve will breeze Lord Greystoke sometime next week and then look for a race in which for him to make his debut.

Iron Curtain breezed 3 furlongs in 37.4 on Thursday over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was 6th best out of 12 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work. Steve said, "He went fine and he’s doing fine. I’m keeping him fit looking for a possible race for him. Now that turf season is winding down here in the northeast and there are no turf sprints at Aqueduct the racing options are getting limited. We’ll have to see what comes up."

Steve will keep Iron Curtain fit while he looks for the next possible race.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Saturday's 2nd race at Finger Lakes, which is a $4,000 claiming race for non-winners of 3 lifetime races for 3-year-olds and up going 6 furlongs. He'll be breaking from the 10th post position (program number 2B) and jockey Ezequiel Perez is named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 6-5 DRF morning line favorite.

The purse for this race is $8,500.

First race post time is 1:10 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 2 which is scheduled to go off at 1:37 PM. We'll be at the Finger Lakes version of the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Finger Lakes Racetrack for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

William Thomas ran a very credible debut on Wednesday. Although he finished off the board he flashed some impressive early speed and gave a good account of himself.

William Thomas broke from the number 2 post and snapped immediately out of the gate. Jockey Eibar Coa found himself on the lead after a couple of jumps and made the decision to go for it on the front end. At about the same time jockey Alan Garcia decided to gun his horse, Seeking Eldorado, the post time favorite and only horse in the field with a race under his belt, to the lead and both horses instantly found themselves in a speed duel. The quarter went in a blistering 22 flat and the half in 45.4. At that point William Thomas, being a first time starter, was cooked. He was clearly tiring and Coa made the proper decision to wrap up on the horse and to not abuse him. He finished 8th after a suicidal trip but showed some very impressive early speed.

Mike spoke with Coa after the race and he said, “He got right out of the gate and I sent him. I didn’t think he wanted to be behind horses. The other horse went with us and our horse was dead tired at the quarter pole. He’ll be better next time.”

Mike also spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and Steve said, “Out there the jockey has to make split-second decisions and the jockey made the call to go for the front. He didn’t know that the favorite was going to go with him. Once they both committed their fates were sealed and when they hit the quarter pole the race fell apart. The favorite wound up taking third. The long shot of the field clunked up for second. If we weren’t in the race then Seeking Eldorado would have won. If Seeking Eldorado wasn’t in the race then we would have hit the board. William Thomas is a much better horse than that so don’t judge him based on that race.”

Steve will see how William Thomas comes out of the race and train him accordingly. William Thomas will tell us when he’s ready for his next race which, barring anything unforeseen, should be around late November or early December.

Portuguesemano'war ran a very game third on Saturday at Finger Lakes just missing by 3/4s of a length after a troubled trip.

Portuguesemano'war, breaking from the extreme outside, broke sharply from the gate and raced wide down the backstretch. Jockey Ezequiel Perez got him to relax and settle as he found himself 5 lengths off the early pace setters. As they hit the turn Portuguesemano’war moved up to challenge but, due to his outside post position, found himself 5 wide in the turn. Despite that situation Portuguesemano'war moved up to challenge. The early pace setters, Disco Doc and Silver James were done by that point and Portuguesemano'war gained the lead in the stretch. The eventual winner, Sipsey moved up inside of Portuguesemano'war to challenge and ultimately moved in front. At the same time, the second place finisher, Tactical Chatter moved up on the outside and Portuguesemano'war found himself in tight between horses and there was some bumping as they came down the lane. Portuguesemano'war checked a bit at the wire but it didn’t cause him to lose position. What was relevant is that Tactical Chatter, in traffic at the top of the stretch, moved out and bumped the horse to his immediate outside causing a chain reaction that pushed that horse into another horse. That move allowed Tactical Chatter to break free and make his run for second. There was an inquiry and a jockey’s objection after the race but it was not upheld and the order of finish was allowed to stand.

Portuguesemano'war earned $850 for Saturday's race.

Portuguesemano'war continues to be a competitive little hard-knocker picking up checks as he goes along. He always gives us an exciting run for the money. We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and Chris will point him accordingly; most likely to the next $4,000 Claiming N3L on November 1.

The Yonaguska colt, named William Thomas, breezed Friday working a sharp 3 furlongs from the gate in 36.6 over the dirt track at Delaware Park.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "I really gave him a quarter tightener from the gate but the clockers recorded the gallop-out. That was just to keep him interested. He’s ready and we’re going to run in the next Maiden Special Weight race."

William Thomas is entered to run in Wednesday's 2nd race at Belmont Park, which is a Maiden Special Weight for 2-year-old New York state-breds going 6 furlongs. He drew post position 2 and jockey Eibar Coa is named to ride. Coa is currently ranked 5th in the Belmont Park jockey standings with 24 wins and a 14% winning percentage.

William Thomas is the first member of our Vintage 2008 to make his racing debut and this is a very exciting time for us. We’re pleased to have Eibar Coa on board as he’s ridden many Hibiscus horses over the years and has won with Salt Water Reign and also won twice with She’s Got Zip as a 2-year-old. This should be a thrilling race as there are 8 runners and 7 of the 8 are first time starters. The one that’s run before only has 1 start and that was on the grass.

The purse for this race is $46,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and William Thomas’ race is Race 2, which is scheduled to go off at 1:32 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, breezed Friday working 3 furlongs from the gate in a blistering 36.2 over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was tied for the bullet out of 5 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was a just a quarter out of the gate. The clockers recorded the gallop-out. I didn’t realize that he galloped out in 36.2 after a gate move. He’s been training very well. He’s pretty much ready at this point. We don’t want to run William Thomas and Lord Greystoke in the same race so we’ll let William Thomas go first and then look for a race for Lord Greystoke."

Steve will monitor the condition book looking for a race for Lord Greystoke to make his debut.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Saturday's 5th race at Finger Lakes, which is a $4,000 claiming race for non-winners of 3 lifetime races for 3-year-olds and up going 6 furlongs. He's on the Also Eligible list and will be breaking from the 13th post position if he scratches into the race. Jockey Ezequiel Perez is named to ride. It was Perez who piloted him for the first time in his last race and led him to a career high Beyer Speed Figure of 54 in a near miss second place finish by a neck.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 7-2 DRF morning line favorite.

The purse for this race is $8,500.

First race post time is 1:10 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 5 which is scheduled to go off at 2:58 PM. We'll be at the Finger Lakes version of the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Finger Lakes Racetrack for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Mr. Blue Grey breezed Tuesday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 37.2.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze who said, "The breeze went great. He's doing great. He remains on track for a start in a few weeks. We should have a lot of fun with this horse over the winter."

Steve will breeze Mr. Blue Grey on a 6 to 7 day schedule gearing him up for his return to the races.

Iron Curtain ran a respectable 3rd on Saturday going 6 furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park.

As always, Iron Curtain broke sharply from the gate and vied for the lead. Jockey Channing Hill allowed him to settle and relax and stalk the pace-setting Please Impress and the pressing Bang Bang Bang. Iron Curtain sat that trip throughout the entire backstretch and turn and then angled out at the top of the stretch and was ready to challenge. As Please Impress and Bang Bang Bang slugged it out Iron Curtain seemed unable to make up any ground. Ultimately Please Impress began to fold and Iron Curtain was able to move up a bit and overtake him but as that was happening No More Green rallied from the clouds and was able to rush up and win as Bang Bang Bang hung on for second..

Mike spoke with jockey Channing Hill after the race and he said, "I was able to get the trip that we wanted. I saved ground and got him to relax. When I moved outside at the top of the stretch I thought he’d really make a move but he didn’t really have it. The early fractions were a bit slow and once they hit the stretch it was like a sprint to the wire but I thought he would have had a little more today."

Iron Curtain earned $3,500 for Saturday's 3rd place finish plus an additional $350 in New York-bred Award Program Open Owner Awards.

We'll see how Iron Curtain comes out of the race and Steve will point him accordingly.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, breezed Friday working 4 furlongs in 50 flat over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was 9th out of 15 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He’s doing great. He needs a couple of more works and then he should be ready for a race."

Steve will breeze Lord Greystoke on a 6 to 7 day schedule gearing him up for a debut which, barring any setbacks, will be in late October.

The Yonaguska colt, named William Thomas, breezed Friday working 4 furlongs in 49.8 over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was 8th out of 15 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He’s been doing very well. He’s ready to go. I’m going to look for a race for him."

Steve is going to point William Thomas to a Maiden Special Weight for New York state-bred 2-year-olds going 6 furlongs at Belmont Park on October 22.

Iron Curtain is entered to run in Sunday's 8th race at Belmont Park, which is a $35,000 Claiming N3L for 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs on the turf. He drew post position 7 and jockey Channing Hill is named to ride.

Iron Curtain is currently the 5-2 favorite in the Daily Racing Form morning line. He is the second choice in the Daily Racing Form consensus to win the race. One DRF handicapper selects him to win the race and two select him to take second.

The purse for this race is $35,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Iron Curtain's race is Race 8, which is scheduled to go off at 4:43 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

On an additional note, although there is no rain in the forecast, trainer Steve Klesaris has notified us that, in the event that the race is rained off the turf he will scratch Iron Curtain so please keep an eye on the scratch board.

Mr. Blue Grey breezed Tuesday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 36 flat. That work was 2nd best out of 9 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze who said, "He went well. Considering that it was his first breeze since the layoff he went very well. I planned to work him a nice easy 3/8s so 36 flat is very nice."

Steve will breeze Mr. Blue Grey on a 6 to 7 day schedule gearing him up for his return to the races.

Portuguesemano'war ran a very strong second on Saturday at Finger Lakes just missing by a neck.

Portuguesemano'war, breaking from the extreme outside, broke sharply from the gate and raced in a stalking position stalking the leader and favorite, Friendly Freud, through the backstretch. Jockey Ezequiel Perez let out Portuguesemano'war in the turn and slowly closed ground on Friendly Freud and swung out to challenge at the top of the stretch. Portuguesemano'war slowly wore down Friendly Freud and actually took the lead in deep stretch. He dug in gamely in an attempt to hold off the late rushing Short Time Affair but was ultimately necked a few jumps from the wire. Portuguesemano'war ran a very strong race and we're extremely proud of his performance.

Portuguesemano'war earned $1,700 for Saturday's race.

We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and Chris will point him accordingly; most likely to the next $4,000 Claiming N3L on October 18.

The Yonaguska colt, named William Thomas, breezed Saturday working a strong 3 furlongs from the gate in 36.4 over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was tied with his classmate, Lord Greystoke, as the bullet out of 9 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was a great work from the gate. He's a nice horse. Everybody who gets on him likes him. He's getting close."

Steve will breeze William Thomas on a 6 to 7 day schedule gearing him up for a debut which, barring any setbacks, will be in mid-to-late October. William Thomas should breeze back on Friday or Saturday.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, breezed Saturday working a strong 3 furlongs from the gate in 36.4 over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was tied with his classmate, William Thomas, as the bullet out of 9 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was a great work from the gate. He went well. He's a very sound and sturdy horse. He's getting close."

Steve will breeze Lord Greystoke on a 6 to 7 day schedule gearing him up for a debut which, barring any setbacks, will be in mid-to-late October. Lord Greystoke should breeze back on Friday or Saturday.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Saturday's 2nd race at Finger Lakes, which is a $4,000 claiming race for non-winners of 3 lifetime races for 3-year-olds and up going 6 furlongs. He'll be breaking from the 8th post position and jockey Ezequiel Perez is named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently 3-1 second choice in the DRF morning line. The DRF consensus has Portuguesemano’war as the third choice and all four of the DRF handicappers have Portuguesemano'war to hit the board; one selecting him as the second choice and three selecting him as the third choice.

The purse for this race is $8,500.

First race post time is 1:10 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 2 which is scheduled to go off at 1:37 PM. We'll be at the Finger Lakes version of the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Finger Lakes Racetrack for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Saturday's 7th race at Finger Lakes, which is the 10th running of The Proud Puppy Handicap $50,000 for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs. She drew post position 6 and jockey Mike Luzzi is named to ride. Trainer Steve Klesaris was crafty in landing Mike Luzzi. Mike is the only downstate based jockey to be in town for Saturday’s card. Saturday’s 8th race will be the New York Breeders’ Futurity and Linda Rice has brought in Luzzi to ride her star filly Mother Russia (who happens to be a half-sister to our Iron Curtain). Steve quickly seized the opportunity to get Luzzi to ride Salt Water Reign in our race giving us the advantage of having a rider who’s ridden her before and who also may be a cut above the local riders in terms of talent.

Salt Water Reign is the 7-2 third choice in the Daily Racing Form morning line and is second choice in the DRF consensus to win the race. Three of the four DRF handicappers select her as the second choice and one selects her as the third choice in the race.

This race came up as a double-edged sword, so to speak. It’s very soft in terms of an open company stakes race, however, there is one apparent monster in the field who happens to be the DRF consensus best bet of the day to win. She’s Coli Bear and her Beyer Speed Figures, speed, and class put her as very difficult to beat in this spot. Ironically Steve Klesaris used to train Coli Bear before she was sold to her current owners for $200,000. Steve said, “She’s a very tough filly. Very tough. Even on a bad day she’s going to be difficult to catch.” Other than Coli Bear there doesn’t seem to be any other horses to fear and we expect Salt Water Reign to stand in well with the rest of them. How she handles Coli Bear will be up to her.

The purse for this race is $50,000.

One added benefit is that this is an open company race and, as a New York-bred, Salt Water Reign will qualify for the New York Award Program owner’s bonus of 10% on top of the regular purse if she can finish in the top 4 positions. This is one of the nice benefits of running a New York-bred in open company in New York.

First race post time is 1:10 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 7 which is scheduled to go off at 3:52 PM. We'll be at the Finger Lakes version of the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Finger Lakes Racetrack for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Kat Scratch Fever, the Forest Wildcat filly, is doing extremely well at Oakmont Training Center, and is scheduled to return to Hollywood Park on October 1.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis on Wednesday and Ron said, "I just went to see her and she looks absolutely great. She's got no physical issues and is training perfectly. She's been jogging 1/2 miles and galloping miles. I have her scheduled to come in on October 1. Depending on how she settles in she could be breezing in 2 or 2 1/2 weeks. At the OBS sale when we bought her she breezed 1/8th in 10 flat. But the people at the training center tell me that she's very green. So you can imagine if she can breeze 10 flat when she doesn't know what she's doing she could go even faster once she learns what to do."

These are very encouraging words from Ron as the filly moves forward toward her debut.

Salt Water Reign breezed Tuesday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in a blistering 35 flat. That work was the bullet out of 9 at the distance and a full second faster than the next horse.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was a tightner. We’ve got our eye on The Proud Puppy Handicap at Finger Lakes or an open allowance at Belmont. I think I like the Proud Puppy better."

Steve will look at the nominees for the Proud Puppy and make a final decision at the time of entries as to which way he wants to go.

Portuguesemano'war posted a very convincing win on Tuesday at Finger Lakes easily putting away 8 other horses as the even money favorite.

Portuguesemano'war, breaking from the extreme outside, was bumped a bit at the start by Big City Sports and then settled in 4 wide in the backstretch about a length or two off the pace setters Coach Moto and Gerald’s D.J. Portuguesemano’war moved up in the turn to challenge and moved into the lead exiting the turn. He opened up a 2-length lead in the stretch and hung onto win by about 1 length under mild urging.

Mike spoke with trainer Chris Englehart after the race and he said, "There wasn’t much early speed in the race and John just let him go. He didn’t need to send him. He did that all on his own. We’ll see how he comes out of the race and look to run him back in a few weeks."

Portuguesemano'war earned $5,100 for today's victory.

We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and Chris will point him accordingly; most likely to a $4000 Claiming N3L.

The Yonaguska colt, named William Thomas, breezed Monday working a very easy 3 furlongs in 38.2 over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was tied with his classmate, Lord Greystoke, for 3rd out of 7 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That breeze was nice and easy. He went well. Some gate work is next. I’ll have him working from the gate in the next day or two. Paul Sharp said he’s worked from the gate before and he goes through the gate well. We’ll see as we start to school him a bit. Everything is coming along perfectly. Baring anything unforeseen he should be ready in about a month.”

Steve will breeze William Thomas on a 6 to 7 day schedule gearing him up for a debut which, barring any setbacks, will be in mid-to-late October. William Thomas should breeze back on Monday or Tuesday.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, breezed Monday working a very easy 3 furlongs in 38.2 over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was tied with his classmate, William Thomas, for 3rd out of 7 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was a nice easy 3 furlong work. He went well. Some gate schooling is next. I’ll have him working from the gate in the next day or two. Everything is coming along perfectly. Baring anything unforeseen he should be ready in about a month.”

Steve will breeze Lord Greystoke on a 6 to 7 day schedule gearing him up for a debut which, barring any setbacks, will be in mid-to-late October. Lord Greystoke should breeze back on Monday or Tuesday.

Iron Curtain ran 6th on Sunday going 6 furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park.

As usual Iron Curtain broke well and jockey John Velazquez kept a firm hold of him down the backstretch and into the turn. John angled him to the rail in a ground saving move. When they were in the stretch Iron Curtain tried to make his run but seemed to be flat in the stretch and finished an eventual 6th.

Mike spoke with John after the race and he said, "When we broke on top he had a lot of daylight in front of him and he wanted to run. I had to keep a tight hold on him. I almost had to fight him to keep him from running off. He really wanted to run. When it was time to let him out he seemed to be a little flat. Maybe he was tired from me holding him that when we needed him to run he didn't have it."

We'll see how Iron Curtain comes out of the race and Steve will point him accordingly.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Tuesday's 2nd race at Finger Lakes, which is a $4,000 claiming race for non-winners of 2 lifetime races for 3-year-olds and up going 6 furlongs. He'll be breaking from the 9th post position and leading jockey John Davila, Jr. is named to ride. Davila is currently ranked first in the Finger Lakes jockey standings with 116 wins a 30% winning percentage.

Portuguesemano'war is currently 4-1 second choice in the DRF morning line in what in what doesn’t appear to be a very difficult spot.

The purse for this race is $8,500.

First race post time is 1:10 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 2 which is scheduled to go off at 1:37 PM. We'll be at the Finger Lakes version of the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Finger Lakes Racetrack for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Iron Curtain is entered to run in Sunday's 8th race at Belmont Park, which is a N2X Allowance for New York State-breds, 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs on the turf. He drew post position 9 (program number 7) and, jockey John Velazquez, is once again named to ride. Velazquez finished 2nd in the Saratoga jockey standings with 36 wins and a 17% winning percentage.

Iron Curtain is currently the 7-2 second choice in the DRF morning line.

The purse for this race is $51,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Iron Curtain's race is Race 8, which is scheduled to go off at 4:43 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

On an additional note, although there is no rain in the forecast, trainer Steve Klesaris has notified us that, in the event that the race is rained off the turf he will scratch Iron Curtain so please keep an eye on the scratch board.

The Yonaguska colt, named William Thomas, breezed Tuesday working 4 furlongs in 49.4 over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was tied with his classmate, Lord Greystoke, for 22nd out of 53 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "I like this horse. He’s a good horse. He’s nice. Barring anything unforeseen, if everything goes perfectly, he could be ready in 3 weeks or so.”

Steve will breeze William Thomas on a 5 to 6 day schedule gearing him up for a debut which, barring any setbacks, will be in mid-October. William Thomas should breeze back on Monday or Tuesday.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, breezed Tuesday working 4 furlongs in 49.4 over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was tied with his classmate, William Thomas, for 22nd out of 53 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "I continue to be pleased with this horse. Barring anything unforeseen, if everything goes perfectly, he could be ready in 3 weeks or so.”

Steve will breeze Lord Greystoke on a 5 to 6 day schedule gearing him up for a debut which, barring any setbacks, will be in mid-October. Lord Greystoke should breeze back on Monday or Tuesday.

Iron Curtain came out of his race last race victory in good order. He’s doing well and training for his next race.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris who said, “He’s doing well. There’s a N2X at Belmont on September 21. We’re going to point to that race.”

Steve will continue to train Iron Curtain for his next race. He’ll point him to the N2X for NY-state-breds, three years old and up, going 6 furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park on September 21.

True to Hibiscus Stables’ core philosophy that to be the best you must partner with the best, we’ve established a relationship with trainer Chris Englehart for our horses at Finger Lakes. Chris currently sits atop of the Finger Lakes trainer standings with a 30% winning percentage and 65% in-the-money percentage. Chris has won the Finger Lakes trainer’s championship each of the past 5 years and will likely win again in 2008. Additionally, Chris uses John Davila, Jr. as his go-to jockey and John currently sits atop the Finger Lakes jockey standings with a 31% winning percentage. John has won the Finger Lakes jockey’s championship each of the past 6 years and will likely win again in 2008.

We’ll begin by moving Portuguesemano’war into Chris’ barn. Any additional Hibiscus horses that find themselves at Finger Lakes will also be trained by Chris. Linda Rice will continue to train Hibiscus horses at Belmont Park as our commitment to Linda Rice has not changed. We will continue to work with Linda being a member of our team and fully intend to get her more horses in 2009 and beyond.

Mike spoke with trainer Chris Englehart on Sunday and Chris said that he intends to breeze Portuguesemano’war this week and then point him to a race on September 22.

Chris will point him to $7,500 Claiming N2L, three years old and up, going 6 furlongs at Finger Lakes on September 22.

The Yonaguska colt, named William Thomas, breezed Thursday working 3 furlongs in 37 and change over the dirt track at Delaware Park in an unpublished work.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He went very well. I breezed both William Thomas and Lord Greystoke on Thursday. I don’t know why they picked up one and not the other. He went in 37 and change. Barring anything unforeseen, if everything goes perfectly, he could be ready in about a month.”

Steve will breeze William Thomas on a 6 to 7 day schedule gearing him up for a debut which, barring any setbacks, will be in mid-October.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, breezed Thursday working 3 furlongs in 37 flat over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was 5th out of 9 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "This horse looks really good. He’s really got the look. He’s big and athletic. The breeze went well. He worked in company. Barring anything unforeseen, if everything goes perfectly, he could be ready in about a month.”

Steve will breeze Lord Greystoke on a 6 to 7 day schedule gearing him up for a debut which, barring any setbacks, will be in mid-October.

Salt Water Reign ran an even 4th in the Schenectady Handicap on Sunday.

Breaking from 2nd post Salt Water Reign settled in along the rail in a stalking trip tracking eventual wire-to-wire winner Under Serviced every step of the way. They ran that way for much of the race as jockey John Velazquez saved ground along the rail into the stretch. As they moved down the lane Salt Water Reign had the position to make a run but she simply stayed along the rail failing to make up any ground on the winner and finishing an eventual 4th.

Mike spoke with Velazquez after the race and he said, "She ran a good race. Every time I asked her to give me more she gave it to me. She did everything I asked her to do. There are no excuses or problems. The other horses were just faster today."

Salt Water Reign earned $5365 for Sunday's performance.

Steve will see how she comes out of the race and point her accordingly; most likely to an open N1X at Belmont Park.

The Yonaguska colt, named William Thomas, arrived at Delaware Park on Saturday and he arrived in good order.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris’ assistant, Ray Flynn on Saturday morning and Ray said that William Thomas arrived in good order. When a horse ships in one of the first things they do is take its temperature. William Thomas’ temperature was normal and he’s currently settling into his new surroundings. He’ll jog and gallop for a few days until he gets acclimated and then begin the next phase of his training with Steve. The likelihood is that he’ll put in his first breeze in about a week.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Sunday's 9th race at Belmont Park, which is the 28th running of The Schenectady Handicap $100,000 for New York-bred fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs. She drew post position 2 and jockey John Velazquez is named to ride. Velazquez finished 2nd in the Saratoga jockey standings with 36 wins and a 17% winning percentage.

This race came up with 6 horses entered and 4 of the 6, including Salt Water Reign, ran in the Union Avenue at Saratoga. Salt Water Reign finished ahead of or right next to each of those horses in what was widely considered a questionable trip. The two horses that didn’t run in the Union Avenue aren’t monsters and appear to fit with this field. The race looks very evenly matched and Salt Water Reign fits right in with this group breaking from the cozy 2 post. The main wildcard in this race will be Salt Water Reign’s apparent difficulty handling the Belmont Park surface. Career-wise she’s 0 for 3 at Belmont, all off-the-board finishes, with all 3 races being her career worst. We’ll find out on Sunday whether this is coincidence or a fact of life.

The purse for this race is $100,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 9 which is scheduled to go off at 5:15 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

Portuguesemano’war ran a very credible 3rd on Tuesday at Finger Lakes narrowly missing 2nd place by a neck.

In his typical running style, Portuguesemano’war was unhurried down the backstretch spotting the frontrunners 3 to 4 lengths. Jockey Jose Gutierrez pushed the button around the ½ mile pole and Portuguesemano’war mounted his bid and moved up in the 2 path around the turn. Gutierrez swung Portuguesemano’war wide into the stretch and Portuguesemano’war made his run making up ground on horses falling a neck short of running down Just Driving for second place. No one was going to get to Pro’s Pal, an easy even money wire-to-wire winner.

Jockey Jose Gutierrez said after the race that he felt that Portuguesemano’war could have gotten 2nd place.

Portuguesemano’war earned $950 for Tuesday's performance.

We’ll see how he comes out of the race and point him accordingly.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, breezed Wednesday working 3 furlongs in 38.2 over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was 14th out of 26 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "This is his very first breeze since he arrived so don’t even look at the time. This was just to get him out there and see where he’s at. He went very well. I like the way this horse looks. He’s a nice horse. I hadn’t seen him since the March sale at OBS. He was a big muscular horse when we bought him and he’s filled out very nicely. He looks good. We’ll breeze him back in about 6 to 7 days.”

Steve will breeze Lord Greystoke on a 6 to 7 day schedule gearing him up for a debut which, barring any setbacks, will be this fall.

Iron Curtain handily put away 10 other rivals on Monday coasting to an easy win in a race for New York state-breds going 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf at Saratoga.

Iron Curtain broke sharply from the gate and settled into a ground-saving stalking trip as C.T. Phone Home and Lyke a Hurricane set sharp fractions up front. Jockey John Velazquez had Iron Curtain sitting that trip until about halfway through the turn when he pulled Iron Curtain outside and up to challenge Lyke a Hurricane. As they rumbled down the stretch Iron Curtain and Lyke a Hurricane dueled for a bit before Iron Curtain drew in front near the 1/8th pole. Velazquez gave Iron Curtain a couple of cracks with the whip to keep him interested but essentially brought him down the lane in a hand ride as he opened up and rolled on to a 3 length victory. What's most impressive about this win is that, going into the day, horses breaking from the rail in turf sprints at Saratoga, had been a combined 1 for 31. That means that Iron Curtain prevailed decisively against a severe meet-long bias.

Prior to the race trainer Steve Klesaris said, "We should have knocked out this condition the last two times we ran. I came up here (to Saratoga) to get this straightened out."

Iron Curtain earned $36,600 for Monday's victory.

Monday's win brings Iron Curtain's lifetime earnings to over $92,000 of which $82,550 were earned this year in his 3-year-old season.

We'll see how Iron Curtain comes out of the race and Steve will point him accordingly, most likely to a N2X on the turf at Belmont Park.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Tuesday's 3rd race at Finger Lakes, which is a $7,500 claiming race for non-winners of 2 lifetime races for 3-year-olds and up going 6 furlongs. He'll be breaking from the 6th post position (program number 5) and jockey Jose Gutierrez is named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently 4-1 in the DRF morning line in what is again a very contentious field of 8 horses.

The purse for this race is $9,500.

First race post time is 1:10 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 3 which is scheduled to go off at 2:04 PM. We'll be at the Finger Lakes version of the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Finger Lakes Racetrack for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Iron Curtain is entered to run in Monday's 7th race at Saratoga, which is a N1X Allowance for New York State-breds, 3-years-old and up, going 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf. He drew post position 1 (program number 3) and, in a jockey change, leading jockey John Velazquez, is named to ride. Velazquez is currently ranked 2nd in the Saratoga jockey standings with 32 wins and a 17% winning percentage.

Iron Curtain is currently the 3-1 favorite in the DRF morning line. He is the top choice in the Daily Racing Form consensus to win the race. One DRF handicapper selects him to win the race, one selects him to take second, and two select him to take third.

The purse for this race is $61,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Iron Curtain's race is Race 7, which is scheduled to go off at 4:14 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Saratoga for a fun day of racing.

On an additional note, although there is no rain in the forecast, trainer Steve Klesaris has notified us that, in the event that the race is rained off the turf he will scratch Iron Curtain so please keep an eye on the scratch board.

The Yonaguska colt, William Thomas, has been thriving at Paul Sharp’s Willow Creek Ranch in Ocala and is scheduled to ship north to Steve Klesaris at Delaware Park at the end of the first week of September.

Mike spoke with Paul on Friday and Paul said, “He’s doing extremely well. He’s fit and sound. He’s working halves here on a weekly basis and he’s very professional in the way that he goes about his business. This horse is talented, especially for a New York-bred. I expect that he’ll get through his New York-bred conditions rather quickly and be able to hold his own in open company allowance level races. Additionally, New York has a very lucrative state-bred stakes program and I can see him fitting right in with that level.”

We’re very excited to have a horse in the barn with such nice potential. Paul will probably breeze William Thomas one more time and then ship him to Steve Klesaris at the end of the first week of September. Steve will then continue with William Thomas’ conditioning putting him through his paces gearing him up for his debut which we expect will be in the fall.

The Good and Tough colt, Lord Greystoke, has completed his conditioning at Niall Brennan’s farm in Ocala and has shipped to Steve Klesaris at Delaware Park. He arrived at Delaware on Friday morning in good order and has settled in nicely.

Steve will now proceed with the next phase of Lord Greystoke’s training building up his fitness and stamina by breezing him and also teaching him how to race in company and preparing him for a debut. Niall has been breezing Lord Greystoke 4 furlongs and, as such, he’s quite far along in his conditioning. Mike spoke with Niall on Thursday and Niall said, “He’s been working halves here and he’s doing very well. He’s grown quite a bit since I’ve had him. He’s in great shape in terms of fitness and soundness. Once Steve gets him it shouldn’t be long before he can get to a race.”

Steve will put Lord Greystoke through his paces and his lessons. We’re expecting that he may very well be the first of our 2-year-olds to get to the races which will likely be sometime in the fall.

Iron Curtain breezed 3 furlongs in 35.8 on Saturday over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was 3rd best out of 16 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work. Steve said, "We're getting him ready for his start next Saturday. We're definitely going in that spot. I want to get this condition knocked out in Saratoga where the purses are higher."

Steve will enter Iron Curtain in the N1X for New York state-breds going 5 ½ furlongs on the turf at Saratoga on August 30.

Sextant Breezed 5 furlongs in 1:02.03 on Wednesday over the Oklahoma training track turf course at Saratoga. That work was 5th best out of 13 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the work and Linda said, "That was a great work. She went 36.2, 48.3 and 1:01 and change. I don't know what the clockers will report but I'm very pleased with that breeze. Ideally I'd like to breeze her one more time before we race her but she can run off of this work. She's fit enough."

We'll look to see how Sextant comes out of this breeze and then determine if she's ready for a race.

Salt Water Reign ran a very strong 4th in her return to stakes company on Monday.

Breaking from the extreme outside she ran her usual stalking trip sitting a few lengths off the pace. Exiting the turn Summer Palace, the horse immediately in front of her began to throw her head around as she took up. Jockey Ramon Dominguez had to swing Salt Water Reign outside to avoid making contact with Summer Palace and possibly clipping heels. Salt Water Reign rallied down the middle of the track under left handed urging and was making up ground on the leaders. It appeared that Salt Water Reign had the momentum to get to the lead when Ramon inexplicably switched his stick to his right hand and sent Salt Water Reign behind the leaders and to the rail. Again she seemed to rally through a large opening between the rail and the inside horse when Ramon made a strange move and adjusted his goggles and stopped riding as Salt Water Reign flattened out and settled for 4th place. It was a very strange and eventful ride.

Mike spoke with jockey Ramon Dominguez after the race and he said, "We lost the race coming out of the turn when I had to carry her wide to avoid Summer Palace. She seemed to lose momentum at that point."

Mike also spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and Steve said, "I don't really know what happened there. I just don't know. No matter what else, she showed us today that she can run with New York-bred stakes horses."

Salt Water Reign earned $4208 for Monday's performance.

Steve will see how she comes out of the race and point her accordingly. We'll take a look at the Schenectady Handicap $100,000 at Belmont Park on September 7. If that race isn't an option then we'll look for an open N1X.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Monday's 9th race at Saratoga, which is the 5th running of The Union Avenue for New York-bred fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up going 6 furlongs. She drew post position 9 and jockey Ramon Dominguez is named to ride. Dominguez is currently ranked 3rd in the Saratoga jockey standings with 18 wins and a 15% winning percentage.

We had been monitoring the nominations and the entries on an almost daily basis. We had been working closely with the NYRA stakes coordinator and it had appeared from the beginning that the race was going to come up very reasonable with horses that appeared to be no better than Salt Water Reign. As of Friday afternoon we were told that it was shaping up to be a 6-horse field with the tougher horses such as Talking Treasure, Under Serviced, and open stakes winner Weathered not likely to enter. Speaking with Steve on Friday evening he advised us to "wear our Sunday best". When entries came out on Saturday afternoon everyone was quite surprised to see that Rick Dutrow had supplemented By the Light. By the Light was last year's champion New York-bred 2-year-old filly. She won 5 of her first 6 races including beating the boys in the $269k New York Breeder's Futurity and also winning the open $300k Delta Princess at Delta Downs. Her only loss was a second place finish in the G1 Prioress to champion Indian Blessing. She's already banked $547k in only 6 starts. Everyone wondered why that particular horse would show up in this spot. It turns out that By the Light was originally pointed to a 2-turn open stakes at Saratoga on Sunday but that race didn't fill. Racing her in The Union Avenue was a fallback position.

By the Light will likely go off as the odds-on favorite and will be extremely difficult to beat. That said, Salt Water Reign appears to fit solidly with the rest of the field. Hitting the board in any slot would give Salt Water Reign valuable black type on her resume and add to her residual value as a broodmare. Additionally, it will also establish her as a stakes caliber horse within her division. Steve has her razor-sharp and we're looking for a solid performance from her.

The purse for this race is $80,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 9 which is scheduled to go off at 5:30 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant and also in an owner's box. Everyone is invited to join us at Saratoga for a fun day of racing.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Saturday's 4th race at Finger Lakes, which is a $12,500 claiming race for non-winners of 2 lifetime races for 3-year-olds and up going 6 furlongs. He'll be breaking from the 5th post position and jockey Dennis Carr is named to ride. Carr is currently ranked 2nd in the Finger Lakes jockey standings with 74 wins and 20% winning percentage.

Portuguesemano'war is currently 5-1 in the DRF morning line in what is again a very contentious field of 7 horses.

The purse for this race is $13,000.

First race post time is 1:10 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 4 which is scheduled to go off at 2:31 PM. We'll be at the Finger Lakes version of the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Finger Lakes Racetrack for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Salt Water Reign breezed Saturday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in a blistering 35 flat. That work was the bullet out of 20 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "She's doing really well. She's tight. She's ready. We're going to go in The Union Avenue at Saratoga on Monday."

This will be Salt Water Reign's final breeze before the race. Steve will enter Salt Water Reign in The Union Avenue $80,000 going 6 furlongs at Saratoga on August 18.

Portuguesemano'war breezed Friday working 5 furlongs over the Finger Lakes dirt track in 1:02.8. That work was 3rd best out of 10 at the distance.

Mike spoke with assistant trainer Bill Bartlett after the breeze and Bill said, "He went really well. The track wasn't playing very fast today at all. It was deep. It was a good breeze. I scoped him afterward and he scoped clean so we can move forward with him. We'll point him for a start on August 16."

Portuguesemano'war appears to be over the cold that had hindered him for a bit. We'll point towards the Claiming $12,500 N2L going 6 furlongs at Finger Lakes on August 16.

Iron Curtain ran a strong and very troubled 3rd on Wednesday going 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf at Saratoga.

As usual Iron Curtain broke well and jockey Javier Castellano had a firm hold of him down the backstretch as he settled comfortably into a stalking position along the rail. He held that spot for most of the race while Please Impress and Thunder Buddy controlled things up front amid very soft fractions. In deep stretch Javier moved Iron Curtain and he began to move between the two pacesetters. Thunder Buddy, under left-handed urging began to drift out while Please Impress began to drift in as Iron Curtain attempted to split them. Both of those horses bumped Iron Curtain and Javier had to hit the brakes and steady him in very deep stretch. That blatant interference and steady nearly caused Iron Curtain to go down and certainly cost him any chance to win the race. He held on for 3rd place despite all the nonsense in the lane. There was a steward’s inquiry after the race and unbelievably the order of finish was allowed to stand.

Mike spoke with Javier after the race and he said, “They squeezed me and bumped me. He still had a lot of run left in him. I had a lot of horse in the stretch. There was gas in the tank. He had enough to win this race.”

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and Steve’s words are unprintable here.

Sentiment is pretty well consistent across the board that the stewards badly blew this call. We’re not sure what they were thinking. To see a horse drift in under a left-handed whip and then cut off and make contact with another horse trying to make a move and then not be disqualified is simply unfathomable. Indeed even Todd Schrupp of TVG said after the race, "I've seen it happen once in my 20 years in racing. A double disqualification. But just watching what I can see (here), there is a tremendous case for it to be called." When the decision was upheld he added, "This reminds me of last summer. You literally have to put someone over the fence in order for there to be a disqualification." We’re all quite miffed with Wednesday’s events but at this point there’s simply nothing that can be done about it now.

Iron Curtain earned $6,100 for Wednesday's 3rd place finish.

We'll see how Iron Curtain comes out of the race and Steve will point him accordingly, most certainly to a N1X going 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf at Saratoga on August 30.

Iron Curtain is entered to run in Wednesday's 10th race at Saratoga, which is a N1X Allowance for New York State-breds, 3-years-old and up, going 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf. He drew post position 4 and his usual jockey, Javier Castellano, is named to ride. Castellano is currently ranked 9th in the Saratoga jockey standings with 5 wins.

Iron Curtain is currently the 9-5 favorite in the DRF morning line. He is the top choice in the Daily Racing Form consensus to win the race. All four DRF handicappers select him to win.

The purse for this race is $61,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Iron Curtain's race is Race 10, which is scheduled to go off at 6:04 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Saratoga for a fun day of racing.

On an additional note, Steve has notified us that, in the event that the race is rained off the turf he will scratch Iron Curtain so please keep an eye on the scratch board.

Salt Water Reign breezed Friday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 35.2. That work was the bullet out of 17 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "She's doing great. We're going to take a look at The Union Avenue Stakes at Saratoga. It's at 6 furlongs which is her preferred distance."

Steve will explore the available options for Salt Water Reign and point her accordingly, continuing to monitor the upcoming New York-bred stakes at Saratoga and Finger Lakes.

The Yonaguska colt, named William Thomas, has been doing very well at Paul Sharp's Willow Creek Ranch in Ocala.

Mike spoke with Paul on Tuesday and Paul said, "He continues to do great. He's a very talented horse. As a New York-bred you should be very pleased with him. I'm targeting having him at Fair Hill by the first week of September."

Paul will continue to work with William Thomas getting him ready to ship to Steve Klesaris in early September. William Thomas remains on target for a fall debut.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, breezed Tuesday working 3 furlongs in 37.3 at Niall Brennan's farm in Ocala.

Mike spoke with Niall after the breeze and Niall said, "He's doing very well. He worked in 37.3 and galloped out in 50 and change. That's a nice work considering that we haven't really asked him to do anything yet. He's a nice horse to train. He's worked in company and from the gate. He does everything we ask him to do. We'll tighten the screws a little more and then get him to Fair Hill. I would guess that we'll give him 1 or 2 more breezes and then prepare to move him. I'd say in about 2 weeks."

Niall will continue to work with Lord Greystoke getting him ready to ship to Steve Klesaris shortly. Lord Greystoke remains on target for a fall debut.

Portuguesemano'war breezed Saturday working 4 furlongs over the Finger Lakes dirt track in 51.4.

Mike spoke with assistant trainer Bill Bartlett after the breeze and Bill said, "That work was very flat so I scoped him afterwards and he had some mucous in his throat. I put him on some antibiotics and we should be able to get rid of the cold without too much downtime. We'll get that cleared up and then look for a race for him."

Bill will keep Portuguesemano'war on medication until the cold is knocked out. We'll point towards the Claiming $12,500 N2L at Finger Lakes on August 16.

Salt Water Reign breezed Saturday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 36 flat. That work was 2nd best out of 22 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "We're just keeping her on her toes while we look for a spot for her to run. She's doing great."

Steve will explore the available options for Salt Water Reign and point her accordingly, continuing to monitor the upcoming New York-bred stakes at Saratoga and Finger Lakes.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, is training along right on schedule at Niall Brennan's farm in Ocala.

Mike spoke with Niall on Tuesday and he said, "He's been breezing and working from the gate. He's doing great. I estimate that he'll need 1 or 2 more breezes and we'll make arrangements to send him north to Steve Klesaris."

We couldn't be more pleased with this colt's progress. As of this time, it would appear that he's on schedule to be our first 2-year-old to make it to the races. He's right on schedule to be racing by the fall.

One additional note; a 2-year-old filly by Good and Tough named Goodday set the track record at Del Mar on Thursday breaking her maiden by 3 lengths. We're always pleased to see the progeny of our horse's stallions do well. We expect Lord Greystoke to uphold the family name.

Salt Water Reign breezed Wednesday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 36 flat. That work was 2nd best out of 25 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "I actually worked her 4 furlongs in 48 flat but the clockers got is as a 3 furlong move in 36. She went very well. She's doing great."

Steve will explore the available options for Salt Water Reign and point her accordingly, continuing to monitor the upcoming New York-bred stakes at Saratoga and Finger Lakes.

Iron Curtain ran a strong 2nd on Saturday going 6 furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park.

As always, Iron Curtain broke sharply from the gate and sat behind the pace-setting Phobia. Iron Curtain stalked Phobia for much of the race. Jockey Javier Castellano sat the stalking trip until about the 1/8th pole and then rolled up to the outside of Phobia to take the lead. Iron Curtain held the lead in deep stretch until the final jumps when he was ultimately nipped by the late-surging Senior Musician.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and he said, "He ran a good race. You can't take anything away from him. We just got nipped today. We'll come back in Saratoga. I'll have him ready."

Iron Curtain earned $9,800 for Saturday's 2nd place finish.

We'll see how Iron Curtain comes out of the race and Steve will point him accordingly, most certainly to a N1X going 5 ½ furlongs on the turf at Saratoga on August 3.

Sextant is entered to run in Sunday's 9th race at Belmont Park which is a N1X Allowance for New York State-bred fillies, 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs on the turf. She drew post position 2 (program number 1) and jockey Mike Luzzi is named to ride. Belmont Park’s leading rider, Eibar Coa, was originally named to ride. Coa was supposed to ride Sextant two weeks ago when she was first scheduled to make her return. When that start was postponed Coa again agreed to ride on Sunday but then his plans changed as he’s now expected to be out of town that day. Mike Luzzi is a fine jockey and a perfectly capable backup.

Sextant is 7-2 in the DRF morning line where the favorite is a tepid 5-2. She’s the DRF consensus 3rd choice in the race. One DRF handicapper has her to win the race and another has her for third.

Sextant has been training well on the turf and Linda Rice feels she's ready to make her return. Mike spoke with Linda on Friday and Linda said, "She’s done everything we’ve asked her to do. Now is a good time for her to make her return. We’ll have to see how the race unfolds. She may need a start but we’ll see. If she needs this one then it should set her up for some nice efforts in Saratoga."

The purse for this race is $49,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Sextant's race is Race 9 which is scheduled to go off at 5:15 PM. It’s nice to finally get Sextant back to the races. We'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. As always, everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Iron Curtain is entered to run in Saturday's 6th race at Belmont Park, which is a N1X Allowance for New York State-breds, 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs on the turf. He drew post position 6 and his usual jockey, Javier Castellano, is named to ride. Castellano is currently ranked 6th in the Belmont Park jockey standings with 35 wins and a 19% winning percentage.

Iron Curtain is currently the 3-1 favorite in the DRF morning line. He is the top choice in the Daily Racing Form consensus to win the race. Two of the four DRF handicappers select him to win; another DRF handicapper selects him to take second and the other selects him to take third.

The purse for this race is $49,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Iron Curtain's race is Race 6, which is scheduled to go off at 3:39 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

On an additional note, reigning Horse of the Year, Curlin, will be racing in Saturday’s G1 Man O’ War. Those of you wishing to attend Iron Curtain’s race will get the additional treat of being able to watch Curlin, arguably the best horse in the country. Because the weather is expected to be extraordinary and Curlin will be racing we expect a large crowd at Belmont. As such, if you’re planning on joining us for Iron Curtain’s race we suggest that you notify us as soon as possible so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Tuesday's 8th race at Finger Lakes, which is a $12,500 claiming race for non-winners of 2 lifetime races for 3-year-olds and up going 6 furlongs. He'll be breaking from the 4th post position (program number 3) and jockey Paul Nicol is named to ride. Paul Nicol rode Portuguesemano’war to his maiden breaking victory in his last race.

Portuguesemano'war is currently 5-1 in the DRF morning line in a very contentious field of 7 horses.

The purse for this race is $13,000.

First race post time is 1:10 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 8 which is scheduled to go off at 4:19 PM. We'll be at the Finger Lakes version of the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Finger Lakes Racetrack for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Salt Water Reign breezed Saturday working 4 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 48 flat. That work was 2nd best out of 36 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That work was right on schedule. No issues or concerns. All’s good. I’ll take a look and see what options are available to us in July. I’ll see if there’s a race for her or else we’ll just look at some New York-bred stakes at Saratoga."

Steve will explore the available options for Salt Water Reign and point her accordingly.

Iron Curtain breezed 3 furlongs in 38.4 on Friday over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was 8th best out of 11 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work. Steve said, "I gave him a little freshener before we run him next week. He’s been training well and we’re ready to go."

Iron Curtain has been training well and Steve will enter him in Saturday’s N1X for New York-breds 3 years-old and up going 6 furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park on July 12.

The Good and Tough colt is doing very well with Niall Brennan in Ocala and progressing right on schedule.

Mike spoke with Niall on Monday and he said, “He’s moving forward right on cue. He’s been galloping and I’d expect that we should have him breezing in a week to ten days. We’ll get some breezes under his belt, pop him out of the gate a few times, and when the time is right we’ll get him up to Steve at Fair Hill. He’s definitely grown since you last saw him. He’s a bit taller, a bit longer. He’s a nice looking colt.”

Niall will get the Good and Tough colt ready to ship to Fair Hill Training Center by breezing him and getting him gate work. We’re targeting a trip to Steve sometime in August and racing by the fall meet at Belmont Park.

Portuguesemano’war came out of his last race in good order and is being readied for his next start.

He had been pointed to a race at Finger Lakes on July 5 but that race failed to fill and will likely be brought back as an extra next week. Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice on Tuesday and Linda said, “They haven’t decided exactly what they’re going to do. The track is dark until Friday so we’ll have a better idea what they have in mind when I speak with the racing office when they reopen. It’s a very good likelihood that they bring it back one day next week, hopefully at 6 furlongs, which is the distance at which he won his last race.

Linda will communicate with the racing office on Friday and find out their intentions for bringing back the race. She’s pointing him for the next running of the $12,500 claimer for non-winners of 2 races lifetime going 6 furlongs at Finger Lakes.

Iron Curtain came out of his last race in good order and is being pointed to a race at Belmont Park on July 12.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris on Tuesday and Steve said, “He’s doing fine. He came out of his last race great and we’re just getting him ready for the next one. I’ll breeze him this week and then look to run him on July 12.”

Steve will breeze Iron Curtain this week and then point him to the N1X for New York-breds going 6 furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park on July 12.

Sextant is doing very well and is being pointed to a race at Belmont Park on July 13.

Sextant missed her most recent start due to an ankle bruise. Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice on Tuesday and Linda said, “She’s doing great. The ankle is 100% and she’s been training and everything is fine. She trains on it and moves perfectly with no signs of favoring it. I’m going to work her nice and easy on the infield turf course on Thursday and then once again point to a race. Barring anything unforeseen we’ll point to the race on July 13.

Linda will work Sextant on the turf on Thursday and then point her to the N1X for New York-bred fillies going 6 furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park on July 13.

Salt Water Reign breezed Saturday working 4 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track labeled "good" in 47.2. That work was the bullet out of 26 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was nice. She actually went in 46.3. She's doing well. I'm going to breeze her back in about 6 days and then see where we are. Assuming there are no problems we'll take a look at some upcoming New York-bred stakes."

Steve will breeze Salt Water Reign on or around Friday then explore her upcoming racing options.

Portuguesemano'war posted a very nice win in his Finger Lakes debut. Clearly the change of scenery did him a world of good as he put away 7 other horses over a sloppy track.

Portuguesemano'war, breaking from the 4th post, broke cleanly from the gate but was a step slow to get into his stride. This seems to be his running style as he's spotted the field lengths in each of his starts. As such, jockey Paul Nicol raced Portuguesemano'war unhurriedly down the backstretch trailing the leader by as many as 6 lengths after the half. He began to make his move entering the turn as he moved up into third place then mounted his charge to the outside rolling up three wide in the turn and into the lane. Portuguesemano'war charged up outside of the pace setting Silver James and then rolled up alongside of Phone Charger, who was then on the lead, paused for a stride, then nailed him at the wire by a head in a photo.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the race and she said, "It looks like we found the right level for him. Finger Lakes should be a good environment for him as the level of competition is simply not the same as Belmont and Saratoga in the summer."

Portuguesemano'war earned $10,440 for today's victory.

We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and Linda will point him accordingly.

Sextant breezed on Thursday over the Belmont Park infield turf course. There are no poles or clocks out there but trainer Linda Rice said that Sextant again went very well.

Mike spoke with and Linda after the breeze and Linda said, “She put in another good work. She went well. The rider said she was going well and the horse felt good underneath him. I might work her one more time next week and then look to enter.”

Linda will decide whether or not she wants to work Sextant back next Thursday. She will either breeze her a third time or simply point to the N1X at Belmont Park on June 28.

Iron Curtain ran a very respectable 4th on Thursday in his first attempt against winners going 7 furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park.

As always, Iron Curtain broke sharply from the gate and pressed a very wicked pace along the hedge. The first quarter went in 22.36 and the half in 45 flat. Iron Curtain was ½ length in front after the half and was still on the lead after ¾ which went in 1:09.1. By the time they hit the 1/16 pole the blistering fractions and the extra furlong took their toll as Iron Curtain tired and was run down by the eventual winner. Iron Curtain was only beaten ½ length for second place money.

Mike spoke with jockey Javier Castellano after the race and he said, "I think he's a pure sprinter. The extra furlong got him. The fractions were fast and he was on the lead after 6 furlongs. If the race were a 6 furlong race he'd have won."

Mike also spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and he said, "He was very eager. The jock had a firm hold on him and he was still racing up close. It would appear that he's going to be an excellent 6 furlong horse. That will be his niche. Maybe even 5 furlongs, which they write at Saratoga. The first time against winners is always tough." Then he said jokingly, "We saved the condition for Saratoga. It's more fun to win up there anyway."

Iron Curtain earned $2,450 for Thursday's 4th place finish.

We'll see how Iron Curtain comes out of the race and Steve will point him accordingly, most certainly to a N1X going 6 furlongs on the turf.

Salt Water Reign breezed Tuesday working 4 furlongs “handily” over the Belmont Park dirt training track in 47.19. That work was 2nd fastest out of 22 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was a really nice work. Despite that I don’t think she’s quite ready for the race on Sunday. She missed some training after her last race due to a sore throat. With that, the 5 hour ship to Finger Lakes, and the stakes competition I think it might be too much too soon. I’m going to bring her back to Fair Hill on the van with Iron Curtain after his race on Thursday and work with her for a week or two. I’ll train her, evaluate her, and then point her accordingly."

Steve will bring Salt Water Reign in for a tune up and then make a decision in a week or two as to where to run her next.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Saturday's 6th race at Finger Lakes, which is a Maiden race for New York state-bred 3-year-olds and up going 6 furlongs. He'll be breaking from the 5th post position and jockey Paul Nicol is named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 3-1 DRF morning line favorite.

The purse for this race is $17,400.

First race post time is 1:10 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 6 which is scheduled to go off at 3:25 PM. We'll be at the Finger Lakes version of the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Finger Lakes Racetrack for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Iron Curtain breezed a sharp 3 furlongs in 36.3 on Saturday over the all weather training track at Fair Hill Training Center. That work was 6th best out of 19 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work. Steve said, "He went very well. He has no affects from his last race. He's been training like himself. We're ready to rock on Thursday." Steve also added, "I would think we should get some starts with him at Saratoga."

Iron Curtain is entered to run in Thursday's 8th race at Belmont Park, which is a N1X Allowance for New York State-breds, 3-years-old and up, going 7 furlongs on the turf. He drew post position 4 and jockey Javier Castellano is named to ride. Castellano is currently ranked 6th in the Belmont Park jockey standings with 20 wins and a 19% winning percentage.

Iron Curtain is currently 9-2 in the morning line. He is the top choice in the Daily Racing Form consensus to win the race. Three of the four DRF handicappers select him to win; one of which has him as his best bet of the day. The other DRF handicapper selects him to take second.

The purse for this race is $49,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Iron Curtain's race is Race 8, which is scheduled to go off at 4:45 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

Sextant breezed on Thursday over the Belmont Park infield turf course. There are no poles or clocks out there but trainer Linda Rice said that Sextant went very well.

Mike spoke with and Linda after the breeze and Linda said, “I’m very pleased with the work. There were two or three other horses out there and Sextant went better than all of them. She was happy, she went well and she was loving it. We scoped her after the breeze and she scoped clean. Originally I was thinking that she’d need more time and I was expecting that we couldn’t get a start until mid-July. But based on this work I think we can work her one or two more times and then look to enter. I think the race on June 28 is something we can point towards assuming there are no other setbacks.”

Linda plans to work Sextant back on Thursday and take it from there. She will either breeze her a third time or simply point to the N1X at Belmont Park on June 28.

Our broodmare, Dream Affair, gave birth to a beautiful Freud filly on May 2. Mother and baby are doing extremely well.

Dream Affair and the foal are currently in Kentucky where Dream Affair was bred back to Whywhywhy. Once we confirm that she’s in foal we’ll ship her and the filly back to New York where they’ll resume residence at Waldorf Farm.

Our broodmare, Dream Affair, gave birth to a beautiful Freud filly on May 2. Mother and baby are doing extremely well.

Dream Affair and the foal are currently in Kentucky where Dream Affair was bred back to Whywhywhy. Once we confirm that she’s in foal we’ll ship her and the filly back to New York where they’ll resume residence at Waldorf Farm.

Portuguesemano'war breezed 4 furlongs on Friday over the Belmont Park training track in 49.37. That work was 22nd out of 30 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and Linda said, "At this point I think a good course of action would be to move him to the Finger Lakes where the competition is softer. It’s important that we get some good races under his belt, win a few races, earn some purses, and allow him to build some confidence. He’s a decent horse and he can win some races. We can do well with him in the right spots. I want to get him going in the right direction."

Linda will ship Portuguesemano'war to the Finger Lakes where she keeps a string. She’ll point him to his next start which will probably be a Maiden race going 6 furlongs on June 14.

Salt Water Reign is doing well and training for her next race.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris who said, “She’s doing well. I want to put a breeze or two into her and then look to point her to the Susan B. Anthony Handicap at Finger Lakes.”

Steve will continue to train Salt Water Reign for her next race. He’ll point her to the Susan B. Anthony Handicap $50,000 for NY-state-bred fillies and mares, three years old and up, going 6 furlongs at Finger Lakes on June 15.

Iron Curtain came out of his race last race in good order. He’s doing well and training for his next race.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris who said, “He’s doing fine. There’s a N1X at Belmont on June 12. We’ll point to that one.”

Steve will continue to train Iron Curtain for his next race. He’ll point him to the N1X for NY-state-breds, three years old and up, going 7 furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park on June 12.

The Yonaguska colt is training along right on schedule at Paul Sharp’s Willow Creek Ranch in Ocala.

Mike spoke with Paul on Friday and Paul said, “He’s right on target. I’ve got him breezing 3/8s and I plan to work him a 2-minute half on Saturday. He’s very professional in the way that he goes about his business. He’s a real pleasure to have around. ”

Paul then added, “He’s a very talented horse…very talented. Considering that he’s a New York-bred then he’s extremely talented. Believe me; I’ve had a thousand of them come through here. He’s extremely talented for a New York-bred. “

Paul finished by saying, “It shouldn’t be long now. I’ll have him up to Steve fairly soon.”

It’s always reassuring when you get a glowing review from the trainer. It’s not often when all the planets line up. Recent horses include Salt Water Reign and Sextant. All systems are “go” with this colt as Paul gets him ready to ship north to Steve Klesaris at Fair Hill for the next phase of his training. With a little luck Steve will have him ready for Saratoga.

Portuguesemano'war breezed on Thursday over the Belmont Park infield turf course.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and Linda said, "The work was over the infield turf and they don’t time them out there. This is the second trip over the turf and again he didn’t demonstrate that he prefers it. The work was OK but I think the results are still inconclusive. Since we don’t have overwhelming evidence that he wants the grass I think we should shelf the turf experiment for now, work him over the dirt next time, and point for a dirt race. I’ll plan to breeze him back on the dirt next week; either Thursday, Friday, or Saturday and we’ll go from there. Because he didn’t seem to like the grass that much it’s tough to gauge his level of fitness off of that breeze. After his next dirt breeze we’ll better know where we stand."

Linda will move Portuguesemano'war back to the dirt for his training and will get him ready for his next dirt start.

Iron Curtain rolled to an easy win today in his return from a 7 month layoff easily handling a field of 9 other colts in a race for New York state-breds going 6 furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park.

Iron Curtain broke sharply from the gate and raced up along Dont Forget Grampa for a few strides before settling back a length or two. Dont Forget Grampa’s racing style has been pop and stop and jockey Javier Castellano was crafty to not engage him in a speed duel. Iron Curtain stalked along the outside and then rolled past the tiring pacesetter as they exited the turn. He rolled out to the lead and was never challenged as he went on to a 2 ½ length victory.

We spoke with Javier after the race and he said, “He won going very well. He galloped out well and had gas left in the tank. It’s amazing how much he’s grown since I last saw him. He’s really filled out and matured. This was a good win today.”

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and he said, “He’s been training very well so I somewhat expected this. He’s a nice horse. I really like him.”

Iron Curtain earned $27,600 for today's victory.

We’ll see how Iron Curtain comes out of the race and Steve will point him accordingly, most likely to a N1X on the turf.

Iron Curtain is entered to run in Thursday's 4th race at Belmont Park, which is a Maiden Special Weight for New York State-breds , 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs on the inner turf. He drew post position 8 and jockey Javier Castellano is named to ride. Castellano is currently ranked 3rd in the Belmont Park jockey standings with 8 wins and a 32% winning percentage.

Iron Curtain is 9-2 in the morning line which would be the third choice in the race. He is the top choice in the Daily Racing Form consensus to win the race. Two of the four DRF handicappers select him to win; one of which has him as his best bet of the day. One other DRF handicapper has him to take second.

The purse for this race is $46,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Iron Curtain's race is Race 4, which is scheduled to go off at 2:36 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Sunday's 1st race at Belmont Park, which is a N1X for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up going 6 ½ furlongs. She drew post position 8 (program number 7) and jockey Cornelio Velasquez is named to ride. Velasquez is currently ranked 4th in the Belmont Park jockey standings with 8 wins and a 22% winning percentage.

Salt Water Reign is the 5-2 morning line favorite and is second choice in the Daily Racing Form consensus to win the race. One of the four DRF handicappers selects her to win. She drew the extreme outside post and appears to be the controlling speed in this field. Her last race Beyer Speed Figure of 88 is the best in the field other than an 89 posted two back by a Florida shipper posted at speedy Gulfstream Park. She clearly fits with this group and we’re expecting a strong performance from her.

The purse for this race is $55,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 1. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

Iron Curtain is entered to run in Saturday's 10th race at Belmont Park, which is a Maiden Special Weight for New York State-breds , 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs on the turf. He drew post position 1 (program number 2) and jockey Javier Castellano is named to ride. Castellano is currently ranked 5th in the Belmont Park jockey standings with 4 wins and a 27% winning percentage.

Iron Curtain is the 3-1 morning line favorite and is second choice in the Daily Racing Form consensus to win the race. One of the four DRF handicappers selects him to win.

The purse for this race is $46,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Iron Curtain's race is Race 10, which is scheduled to go off at 5:57 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

It’s important to note that very heavy rains are forecast for the area on Friday putting Saturday’s turf races into question. Trainer Steve Klesaris has decided that he will scratch Iron Curtain if the race is taken off the turf. If you plan on attending the race you should follow the weather and the online scratch board to make sure that Iron Curtain is still in the race.

Mr. Blue Grey breezed Thursday working 5 furlongs from the gate over the Belmont Park dirt training track in 1:03.16.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze who said, "He really worked 4 furlongs in 48 and change and galloped out the 5 furlongs. He broke from the gate a bit slow but finished very well. I don’t know why he’s breaking slowly because he broke fine when I had him here at Delaware Park. If we have to send him back to the gate to give him more schooling we’ll do so. I’ll breeze him back in 6 or 7 days and then look to enter him."

Steve will give Mr. Blue Grey more gate schooling and breeze him back in about a week and then look for a race for his return.

Salt Water Reign breezed Wednesday working 3 furlongs over the Belmont Park dirt training track in 39:43.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze who said, "It was really just two-mile a leg-stretcher. You’re required to have a published work every 30 days so we just put the clock on her for the last 3 furlongs. Don’t pay any attention to the time. She’s doing fine and we’re going to enter her for Sunday."

Steve will enter Salt Water Reign for Sunday’s N1X for fillies, three years old and up, going 6 1/2 furlongs at Belmont Park.

Sextant breezed 4 furlongs in 49.46 on Sunday over the Belmont Park training track. That work was 30th out of 53 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the work and Linda said, "I scoped her after the work and she didn't bleed which continues to be great news. She's doing fine but she still isn't as sharp as she was when we were working her back in March. I think she'll need at least two more breezes before she can race. I'm going to look for a N1X going short on the turf for her when the next Belmont condition book comes out. Hopefully she'll be ready by then but we'll have to take it one work at a time."

Linda will continue to work with Sextant to get her to a return race. Linda is targeting mid to late May.

Iron Curtain breezed 4 furlongs in 49.4 on Tuesday over the all weather training track at Fair Hill Training Center. That work was 3rd best out of 8 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work. Steve said, "That's it. He's ready to go. I'm going to go ahead and enter him for May 10." Mike asked Steve if he planned on breezing him one more time before the race and Steve said, "No, no, he's ready. I'll enter him and as soon as we know that the race fills I'll ship him up to Belmont."

Iron Curtain has been training sharply for his return. We're expecting a strong performance from him. We'll enter him in the Maiden Special Weight for New York-breds 3 years-old and up going 6 furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park on May 10.

Salt Water reign came out of her victory in good order and is being readied for her next race.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris who said, “She ran a big number in her last race. Unlike last year where she was very inconsistent, this year she’s shown great consistency. She’s developed into a very, very nice horse. I’m going to sit down and map out a stakes program for her for the summer. I’ll look for some New York-bred stakes and point her accordingly. If there’s nothing in mid-May then we can look at an open N1X on May 11. I’ll use that as a fallback position. We have options, which are always a good thing.”

Steve will bring Salt Water Reign along and have her ready for a race in mid-May. Steve’s confidence in this horse is apparent in that he’s mapping out an entire summer stakes campaign for her. Getting her some blacktype will be very instrumental in supporting her residual value as a broodmare once her racing career comes to an end. In the meantime, she’s still eligible for the open N1X which has a purse of $55,000 plus a 10% bonus for her because she’d be a New York-bred running in open company. That would put the effective purse north of $60,000 which is better than some overnight stakes. Salt Water Reign’s recent coming into her own underscores the importance of patience in managing a Thoroughbred. Her 2-year-old season consisted of one race and then a layoff. Her 3-year-old season consisted of two wins in five starts and then another layoff. It’s easy to become frustrated but now it appears that the patience may pay dividends.

Sextant breezed 4 furlongs in 49.86 on Saturday over the Belmont Park training track. That work was 47th out of 62 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the work and Linda said, "She went very well; better than her last breeze. She’s coming along but she’ll probably need at least two more works before she can race. I know she’s been off for a long time and we’re anxious to get her into a race but we want a good result off the bench and there’s simply no point in entering her when she’s not ready. The good news is that she scoped clean after the breeze; no mucous and no bleeding. That’s the most important thing"

Linda will continue to work with Sextant to get her to a return race. Linda is targeting mid to late May.

Iron Curtain breezed 4 furlongs in 49.6 on Monday over the dirt track at Delaware Park.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work. Steve said, “He’s doing great. No sign of any effects of the knee surgery. I’m very pleased. I really like this horse. I think we’re going to do well with him. I’m expecting to have him ready for the race on May 10.”

Steve will continue to work with Iron Curtain bringing him along for his return to the races. There’s a 6 furlong Maiden Special Weight on the turf in the Belmont Park condition book scheduled for May 10. Steve is pointing Iron Curtain for that race.

The Forest Wildcat filly breezed 2 furlongs in 25.6 on Saturday at Hollywood Park.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the work and Ron said, "It was a nice easy work. I want her to take it easy and relax but she’s so competitive that she just wants to go. I worked her alone rather than in company so she could just take it easy. I’m more interested in condition and stamina right now rather than speed. We already know she can go in 10 flat (based on her breeze at the sale). I’m very encouraged after the way she’s worked this week. I’ll probably keep her on a 9-day work schedule."

Ron will work with the Forest Wildcat filly getting her ready for a debut which could be as early as May.

After considering some names for the filly we looked at the name of her sire and her dam. Her sire’s name is Forest Wildcat and her dam’s name is Scratch Paper. We concluded that Cat Scratch Fever was a logical name. We even solicited and received the approval of Ted Nugent. Unfortunately The Jockey Club has a rule about naming a horse after the name of a copyrighted song or book. So we modified the name to Kat Scratch Fever and received Jockey Club approval. Her official name is Kat Scratch Fever.

We’re pleased to see that Kat Scratch Fever’s 3-year-old brother, Behindatthebar, won the G2 Lexington at Keeneland on Saturday earning $325,000 and a trip to the Kentucky Derby. Forest Wildcat continues to produce stakes winners we’ve got high hopes for our filly.

Iron Curtain breezed 3 furlongs in 37.2 on Tuesday over the dirt track at Delaware Park.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work. Steve said, “He went well. He’s doing great. As long as everything goes according to plan I think he’ll be ready for a race that’s in the book for May 10.”

Steve will continue to work with Iron Curtain bringing him along for his return to the races. There’s a 6 furlong Maiden Special Weight on the turf in the Belmont Park condition book scheduled for May 10. Steve will point Iron Curtain for that race.

Sextant breezed 4 furlongs in 50.14 on Tuesday over the Belmont Park training track. That work was 25th out of 33 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the work and Linda said, "It was a nice easy 4 furlongs. She went well. I had her scoped after the work and she scoped clean. There was no mucous and no bleeding. I’ll bring her along gently. She’ll need at least 2 more works before she can race and I’ll work her back in about a week."

Linda will work with Sextant to get her to a return race. Linda is targeting mid to late May.

Portuguesemano’war is entered to run in Thursday's 6th race at Aqueduct, which is a Maiden race for New York state-bred 3-year-olds and up going 1 mile. He’ll be breaking from the 4th post position and jockey Stewart Elliot is once again named to ride. Elliott is currently ranked 6th in the Aqueduct Spring Meet jockey standings with 4 wins.

A close look at the race shows that Portugueseman’war fits with the other competition. There are no standouts in this field and with the favorable post position switch from the last two races we’re confident that Portuguesemano’war will give a good account of himself. Portuguesemano’war is currently 7-2 in the DRF morning line.

The purse for this race is $25,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Portuguesemano’war’s race is Race 6 which is scheduled to go off at 3:25 PM. We'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. As always, everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Mr. Blue Grey ran a very respectable 5th in his debut on Saturday. He had a few negatives working against him on that day and the 5th place finish with a Beyer Speed Figure of 50 makes his first-time start perfectly acceptable.

Mr. Blue Grey has a tendency to be studdish and that was very obvious in the paddock before the race. His mind was clearly on other things and it was difficult keeping him focused. Additionally, once he was placed into the gate, his gate assistant had to leave him to tend to another horse having problems in the gate. Mr. Blue Grey had never broken from the gate without an assistant so this change in routine took him off guard. When the door sprung open he wasn’t expecting it and therefore broke extremely slow and spotted the field many lengths. Despite all these difficulties Mr. Blue Grey still finished extremely well. Speaking with Steve after the race he said that Mr. Blue Grey has never had any problems breaking from the gate during training and there’s no reason to expect anything other than a clean break next race. Additionally, because of Mr. Blue Grey’s studdishness, he was gelded a few days after the race and he should be much sharper next time out. Steve is not the least bit concerned and expects significant improvement next race.

Mr. Blue Grey is recovering from his gelding nicely and should be back in training any day. We’ll point him towards his next race which should be in May. There’s a race on May 3 at Belmont Park which may be a bit soon. There’s another one on May 17. Additionally, the racing secretary is continually writing this race as an extra so there will be no shortage of opportunities for Mr. Blue Grey when he’s ready for his next start.

The Forest Wildcat filly breezed 1 furlong on Friday at Hollywood Park.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the work and Ron said, "It was her first work so we didn’t do too much with her. She worked an eighth and galloped out the quarter. They don’t put a clock on them here unless they go at least a quarter. She went in 12 and change and galloped out in 24 and change. She’s very feisty and competitive. I worked her in company and she really wanted to go. Next time I’ll work her alone just to reel her in a bit. I think I’ll work her back on Friday probably going a quarter."

Ron will work with the Forest Wildcat filly getting her ready for a debut which could be as early as May.

Salt Water Reign posted a convincing win over a field of 7 in a race for New York state-bred fillies going 7 furlongs at Aqueduct.

She broke alertly along the rail as she usually does and immediately went to the lead in a race somewhat devoid of other early speed. Jockey Mario Pino allowed her to settle into a comfortable pace on the front end throughout the backstretch. She set some very honest fractions going the quarter in 22.3 and the half in 46 flat. She maintained the lead throughout the turn and was challenged by Just Zip It at the head of the stretch. Salt Water Reign casually shook off that confrontation as she widened her lead throughout the stretch and won in a hand ride drawing off by 5½ lengths. This race was more impressive than it looked because the track was playing to outside closers all day long and Salt Water Reign’s main rivals, Rizi’s Twist and What’s Your Point are both deep closers and it appeared that this race set up perfectly for them. The fact that Salt Water Reign put them away and drew off on the front end on the rail completely against the bias is an indication as to how good a horse she really is.

We spoke with jockey Mario Pino after the race and he said, “She won easy. I shook her up a little in the lane just to keep her paying attention but it really was easy for her.”

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and he said, “She’s a very good horse. Now that she’s run through her state-bred conditions we have some options. We can try a New York-bred stake or try the open company N1X. If we run in the open company N1X we’ll be eligible for a 10% bonus on top of the purse money. Getting her some blacktype will boost her residual value as a broodmare after her racing career is over. Right now we'll just train her up to her next race and when she’s ready we’ll see what races are available to us and make the decision at that time. What’s nice is that we have options.”

Salt Water Reign earned $28,800 for today's victory bringing her career earnings up over $100,000.

We’ll see how Salt Water Reign comes out of the race and Steve will point her accordingly.