Cinco Charlie Headed to Sunland Park
Brisk $50,000 Sugar Bowl Stakes winner Cinco Charlie will join the Triple Crown trail next out, according to trainer Steve Asmussen, and head to Sunland Park for the $100,000 Riley Allison Derby on Jan. 24. The son of Indian Charlie and winner of the Grade III $100,000 Bashford Manor Stakes early in his juvenile season has been training steadily locally, including a five-furlong move in 1:02.40 on Monday.
Speeding the six furlongs of Fair Grounds’ Sugar Bowl on Dec. 20 in 1:10.06 and earning a 97 Beyer Speed Figure accordingly, the William and Corinne Heiligbrodt homebred will be separated from his stablemate Tiznow R J, who is slated for Saturday’s Grade III $200,000 Lecomte Stakes. The Riley Allison Derby is a two-turn mile event and serves as the first major Kentucky Derby prep of Sunland Park’s season. Cinco Charlie has four stakes wins to his credit, but has never ventured beyond 6½ furlongs.
IMPROVING INDIANA-BRED PADDY’S NOTES GOES AFTER LOUISIANA
Ronald Grothaus’ Paddy’s Notes was a surprise entrant into Saturday’s Listed $75,000 Louisiana Stakes when the race drew on Monday, Jan. 12, but being a surprise is nothing new as of recently for the Tim Glyshaw-trained charge. A winner of two consecutive one-mile and 70-yard optional claimers in wire-to-wire style at odds of 9-1 and 3-1, respectively, the former sprinter has become a different horse with the addition of a turn.
“He was transferred to me and we had never tried him long,” Glyshaw said. “He had such an affinity for running short, but he was built like a route horse. I think he’ll get even better the more we run him long because he can rate. The last couple races he went (the half-mile) in :47 and was doing it easily. Those 91 and 90 Beyers were pretty good, too.
“He’s a really cool horse who does whatever you ask of him,” Glyshaw continued. “He’s been a pleasant surprise and we’ve had a lot of success with Indiana-breds like Unreachable Star. We brought (Paddy’s Notes) to (Fair Grounds) to run in some conditioned races that hopefully set us up for Indiana-bred stakes in the summer. In the case that he doesn’t run (in the Louisiana Stakes), he will probably turn up in a two-other-than. It’s nice to see a lot of Indiana-breds running well in open stakes.” Loosen Up Stables’ Unreachable Star is the all-time leading Indiana-bred in purses earned and was the Indiana-sired Older Horse of the Year four years in a row (2009-2012).
A six-time winner in 21 lifetime starts, Paddy’s Notes was assigned post four in the 69th running of the six-horse Louisiana and is scheduled to be piloted by Marcelino Pedroza, for whom he has won his last two. When last in stakes company, the son of Aragorn was fourth beaten by two lengths in the $89,000 Brickyard Stakes going six panels at Indiana Grand on Sept. 10.
Source: Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots