Close It Out Makes Kenny Noe Bid for 92YO Owner

 

The Steve Towne-trained son of Closing Argument, who has finished first or second in 17 of his 39 career starts, has earned $464,661 while providing considerable pleasure for his owner/breeder Samuel H. Rogers Jr.

“This horse has brought a lot of enjoyment to the owner. Mr. Rogers is 92 and living in an assisted-living facility, and when this horse races, it’s the thing he looks forward to the most,” Towne said. “I fax him the racing form. His wife goes to visit him and they watch the race together.”

The Rogers’ eyes will be glued to the TV on Sunday, when Close It Out takes on seven rivals in the $90,000 Kenny Noe Jr. Stakes at Gulfstream Park West.

 

Close It Out is back in form following a layoff of nearly six months that began shortly after a late-closing second behind Simmstown in last year’s Kenny Noe Jr. After an even fifth in the Housebuster Stakes at Gulfstream Park on July 5, the Florida-bred gelding finished second in a starter allowance, captured a $63,500 optional claiming allowance and placed third in an allowance. The latter effort came at Gulfstream Park West, where he has been in the money in 17 of 20 starts.

“I’ve been real pleased with his return,” Towne said. “He just hadn’t had a break in years. He’d been in training for a long time. We just wanted to give him a break.”

 

Close It Out tuned up for the Kenny Noe Jr. with a sharp half- mile breeze in 47.10 seconds (fastest of 23 at the distance) at Gulfstream on Nov. 4. Although his workout was swift, the confirmed closer will leave the early running to others – the more the merrier for the Towne trainee.

 

“That’s what we need, a lot of pace,” said Towne, who awarded the return mount to Jose Valdivia Jr. “We’re ready.”

 

Stephen Screnci’s Risk Factor, who posted a front-running score over Close it Out last time out at Gulfstream Park West, is again expected to be a strong pace factor for trainer Rohan Crichton. The much-improved 4-year-old son of Stormy Atlantic, who is slated to be ridden by Edgar Prado, will likely have to contend with graded-stakes winning Singanothersong during the early going of the six-furlong stakes for 3-year-olds and up. The 4-year-old son of Songandaprayer pressed the pace in his return from a seven-month layoff before tiring and finishing third behind Close It Out on Sept. 8.

“We had a problem with him during the summer, because he’s a non-sweater. We had the same problem last year. The weather has changed, so that seems behind us now,” said trainer Ron Pellegrini, who named Juan Leyva to ride Singanothersong. “He turned it around last year once the weather changed. I think it will be the same this year.”

Herman Van Den Broeck’s 4-year-old, who finished a close second behind Clearly Now in the 2013 Swale (G3), captured the Mr. Prospector (G3) last December after pressing the early pace.

Grande Shores, who has been first or second in his last eight starts, shouldn’t be too far behind the pacesetters. The 6-year-old son of Black Mambo finished three-quarters of a length behind Risk Factor last time out, 1 ¼ lengths ahead of Close It Out.

“This is not going to be an easy race. It’s a wide-open stake,” said trainer Stanley Gold said, whose trainee is scheduled to be ridden by Edgard Zayas. “There are some good runners in there.”

Grande Shores, a half-brother to multiple-Grade 1 stakes winner Jackson Bend, has blossomed the past few seasons for Gold, who has to closely monitor the Jacks or Bettor Farm homebred’s chronic digestive condition that had put his life in peril.

 

“He’s what I thought what he would be,” Gold said. “That he overcame what he did is the amazing thing.”

 

Priscilla Vaccarezza’s Little Daddy, who scored an impressive 8 ¼-length optional claiming allowance victory at Gulfstream Park West on Nov. 6, is scheduled to come right back in the Kenny Noe Jr. The Carlo Vaccarezza-trained 3-year-old is stakes-placed on dirt and turf this year. Leandro Goncalves is named to ride the son of Scat Daddy.

 

City of Weston, who captured an allowance race at Gulfstream before checking in fourth behind Risk Factor, Grande Shores and Close It Out; Speechify, a winner of three of five starts on dirt before returning from a long layoff with an off-the-board stakes effort on turf; and Mongolian Saturday, who captured a starter allowance on turf on Nov. 6; round out the field.

 

Source: Gulfstream Park Communications