The Pizza Man Delivers Chicago Style
An 8 month layoff was not a problem for the 5-yr-old gelding by English Channel and Smart Strike. His return to racing was met with high expectations as he led a six horse field in the $100,000 Added Black Tie Affair Handicap as the overwhelming favorite. And, as he’s known to do, The Pizza Man delivered for Midwest Thoroughbreds.
It was the first official ride for Sheldon Russell but his familiarity with the winner could not be more obvious. “It’s a huge advantage when trainers allow you to get these horses and do some of their morning workouts," said Russell. "I’m very fortunate that Roger (Brueggemann, Trainer) gave me the opportunity to get used to this horse."
That relationship showed this afternoon at Arlington Park as Russell was a very cool customer aboard The Pizza Man in his debut mount.
The Pizza Man broke cleanly and Russell settled him nicely into third place as they approached the first turn. Maintaining that position through the backstretch proved to be the right call as Russell had him right where he wanted.
“The Pizza Man is such an old class horse and maybe doesn’t have that big kick so I wanted to make sure he was close enough at the top of the stretch,” said Russell.
At the three-eighths pole, The Pizza Man eased by Domain’s Rap before making his move on the front runner Tazz who led the field through fractional times of 23.83, 48.93 and 1:13.58. As the two made their way home, under a steady bid and very confident ride, The Pizza Man pulled ahead to edge Tazz by a half length at the wire.
The win was a big rebound for The Pizza Man after he finished as the runner up in the 2013 edition. The Illinois Stakes was for Illinois-breds, 3-year-olds and upward. The final time was clocked in 1:42.86 over a distance of 1 1/16 Mile on a Turf listed as Good.
Sweet Home Chicago
The Pizza Man delivers Chicago Style most often. He has only raced outside of Chicago on two occasions. His best was an allowance win at the Fair Grounds in March of 2013. However, he’s very comfortable in here as today’s win improves his career record in Illinois to 12-8-1-1 and his Arlington record to 8-5-1-1. Finally, the Black Tie Affair Handicap brings his streak to three consecutive wins.
Russell on the Rise
Over the last six-plus years, Russell has been a mainstay on the East Coast. Contending for riding titles at Pimlico Race Course, Laurel Park and Colonial Downs puts him in great position in this his first full season at Arlington Park’s summer meet. Russell has displayed a remarkable ability to ride in big races and his performance here today has done nothing to risk his future with The Pizza Man and Midwest Thoroughbreds. Russell’s capacity to excel was apparent, so look for him to remain in the saddle.
July 12 will be a very big day at Arlington Park as it will feature a total of four Grade 3 Stakes races. Look for The Pizza Man to return to racing on that day. Nothing was disclosed but it is very likely his connections will be choosing between the G3 Stars and Stripes, G3 American Derby or the G3 Arlington Handicap.
In last year’s G3 Stars and Stripes The Pizza Man finished third. Based on the distance in that race, 1 ½ Miles, it is more likely that we will see him remain closer to today’s distance of 1 1/16. If so, he should be in position to score in his debut G3 Arlington Handicap (1 ¼ Miles) or make up for a very rare finish in his first G3 American Derby (1 3/16 Miles) – 6th in 2012.
As for today, Sheldon Russell summed it up perfectly. “He’s got a big heart and I think he proved that he is still a very good horse”. Well said and very true. The Pizza Man is always welcome (figuratively and literally) and it was very nice seeing him deliver on time today Arlington Park.