Weekend Hideaway is the 121 pound highweight in Fabulous Strike
A full field of 11 accomplished runners will take to the gate this upcoming Wednesday night as Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course hosts the fifth running of the $200,000 Fabulous Strike Handicap. In addition to the six furlong Fabulous Strike, a pair of six-figure stakes – the $100,000 Swatara Stakes and the $100,000 Blue Mountain Juvenile Fillies – will also be on the November 23, Thanksgiving Eve menu at Penn National.
Weekend Hideaway, a New York-bred son of Speightstown, owned by Red and Black Stable, is the 121 pound highweight for the Fabulous Strike. Trained by Philip Serpe, Weekend Hideaway proved he could sprint with some of the country’s best speedsters when running third in the Vosburgh (G1) at the recently concluded Belmont fall meet. He followed that with a runner-up finish in the $150,000 Hudson Handicap when once again facing restricted company. Both stakes were run on an off track, which has proved to be no problem for Weekend Hideaway who has won four of his seven starts in muddy or sloppy conditions. Overall, Weekend Hideaway has earned $872,532 in his 35 career starts.
"This horse has had a remarkable year for us," said Serpe. "He continues to be very consistent and Luis has done a great job with him. We are excited to send him up for this race."
Jockey Luis Saez, who has ridden the six-year-old in his last six starts, will break from post position eight on the 3-1 morning-line favorite.
Drawing the far outside post is Barbara Hopkins' Trouble Kid, a four-year-old gelded son of Harlan's Holiday trained by Ramon Preciado, who enters the Fabulous Strike as the lone graded stakes winner in the field having taken last year’s Gallant Bob (G3) at Parx. Second in last year's Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel Park, Trouble Kid prepped for this with an 11-length allowance score two weeks ago at Parx.
Angel Arroyo will ride the Kentucky-bred earner of $515,478.
New Jersey-bred Chublicious has done little wrong in 2016 winning three of his four efforts. Owned by David Gruskos, the five-year-old son of Chub ships to Penn National off of three, six-furlong stakes wins at Monmouth Park this year, including a score in the unrestricted Mr. Prospector Stakes in June. Thus far in 2016, Chublicious lone defeat came at the hands of A.P. Indian in the Alfred Vanderbilt (G1) at Saratoga back on July 30. Now trained by Claudio A. Gonzalez, Chublicious has bankrolled $299,514 in his 16 lifetime starts.
Victor Carrasco has the mount on Chublicious who breaks from post position two.
David Jacobson owns and trains Chief Lion, a six-year-old Florida-bred, who is just one of three entrants in the Fabulous Strike field with experience at Penn National having decimated an allowance field by more than 9 lengths back on May 5. Recently, Chief Lion has been testing the waters in some deep company, checking in third behind Breeders’ Cup Sprint starters Delta Bluesman and Limousine Liberal in the Smile Sprint (G2), second behind stablemate Stallwalkin Dude in the Tale of the Cat and then ninth in the Forego (G1). All told, this will be his 33rd career start with eight wins and earnings of $417,461.
Emannuel Esquivel who rode him to the allowance victory at Penn National in May and in his most recent victory – an allowance score at Parx on October 8 - has the mount on Chief Lion in the Fabulous Strike.
The well-traveled Candip, owned by K Town Partners, has been successful sprinting at Churchill Downs, Prairie Meadows, Gulfstream Park and most recently, Remington Park in Oklahoma City. Trained by Michael Tomlinson, the 5-year-old son of Candy Ride is closing in on the $300,000 earnings mark with seven career wins.
Kendrick Carmouche has the mount on Candip, who sits at 8-1 on the morning line.
Colts Neck Stables Awesome Speed hopes cutting back to sprint distances is a recipe that will get him across the finish line for the first time in four outings. After winning the one mile Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream Park in January, the son of Awesome Again found himself on the Triple Crown trail contesting the Fountain of Youth (G2) and, eventually, the Preakness (G1). Sandwiched between those two starts was a win in the Frederico Tesio at Pimlico – a race that saw him moved up to the top spot after first place finisher Governor Malibu was disqualified.
Most recently, Awesome Speed contested the Gallant Bob (G3) on the Pennsylvania Derby and Cotillion undercard and checked in fourth, his first defeat in three tries at the Fabulous Strike’s six furlong distance.
Jevian Toledo rides Awesome Speed for trainer Alan Goldberg.
Sir Rockport, Imperial Hint, Easy to Say, Measured and Pomeroy’s Package complete the lineup.
Post time for the first race on the Wednesday, November 23 card is 6:05 p.m. EST, with the Fabulous Strike Handicap scheduled as Race 4 with a post time of 7:26 p.m.
The ?Fabulous Strike Handicap and Swatara Stakes are part of the Penn Gaming Racing Challenge Event, a year-long incentive competition that offers bonuses such as waived entry fee nominations and travel costs to leading owners, trainers and riders in select PGNI events.
$200,000 FABULOUS STRIKE HANDICAP
November 23, 2016
Race 4 – Post time 7:26pm EST
3&up, 6 Furlongs
PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. Sir Rockport, Trevor McCarthy, 114, Guadalupe Preciado
2. Chublicious, Victor R. Carrasco, 116, Claudio A. Gonzalez
3. Imperial Hint, Jose Luis Flores, 113, Luis Carvajal, Jr.
4. Candip, Kendrick Carmouche, 118, Michael A. Tomlinson
5. Chief Lion, Emmanuel Esquivel, 120, David Jacobson
6. Easy to Say, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 116, Jason Servis
7. Awesome Speed, Jevian Toledo, 116, Alan E. Goldberg
8. Weekend Hideaway, Luis Saez, 121, Philip M. Serpe
9. Measured, Andrew Wolfsont, 116, Michael W. Salvaggio, Jr.
10. Pomeroy’s Package, Hector Caballero, 116, Mario Serey, Jr.
11. Trouble Kid, Angel S. Arroyo, 117, Ramon Preciado
CHARITABLE ANNUITY LEADS SWATARA FIELD
While the $200,000 Fabulous Strike has top billing on Penn National’s Thanksgiving Eve card, a pair of $100,000 stakes in the Swatara and Blue Mountain Juvenile Fillies have drawn full fields of their own. The seventh running of the Swatara attracted a field of ten very capable runners at the distance of one mile and one-sixteenth on the main track.
Charitable Annuity drew the rail and was installed as the 5-2 morning line favorite.
Owned by Mark Russell of Winchester, Virginia, the four-year-old son of Charitable Man, is in fine form this year having won five of his ten outings in 2016. Included in those defeats was a game runner-up finish in the $500,000 West Virginia Breeders Classic at Charles Town on October 8 as he fell just short in a bid to defend his title.
"This is a very versatile horse," said Russell. "In his last stakes, he got in a tight spot and had to steady, but he impressed us the way he re-rallied and overcame adversity. We could not ask for him to be doing any better right now."
In his 20 career starts up to this point, Charitable Annuity has posted 12 wins and bankrolled $601,840. Russell, who has owned thoroughbreds since 1985 including recent retiree Russell Road, had a favorable experience at Penn National in June, when his new stable star ran third in the $200,000 Mountainview Handicap on June 4.
"We were up here for the Mountainview and had this race, as part of the series, in the back of our minds," said Russell. "The timing worked out well for him."
In the Mountainview, the West Virginia-bred was beaten just four lengths by 2016 New Orleans Handicap (G2) winner S’Maverlous and multiple graded stakes winner Red Rifle.
Trainer James Casey will give a leg up to regular rider Antonio Lopez on Charitable Annuity come Wednesday night.
There are several proven routers in the Swatara Stakes, most notably, Fabulous Kid, a five-year-old son of Congrats, owned and trained by David Jacobson. Top New York rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. will pilot the Florida-bred, who just missed in his recent open allowance one-mile test at Aqueduct.
Fabulous Kid has earned $347,017 in his 28 lifetime starts, and will break from post position three as the 3-1 second choice.
Res Judicata owned by Someday Farm and trained by John Servis, will likely attract some attention at the betting windows on the back of his front running score earlier this summer in the Salvator Mile (G3) at Monmouth Park and his local record. The six-year-old by Smarty Jones is nearing the half-million mark in lifetime earnings and has won both of his starts on the Penn National oval.
Jorge Vargas will ride Res Judicata from the far outside post.
The lone 3-year-old in the ten-horse field is Badabing Badaboom, bred in Indiana by Penny and Michael Lauer. The dark bay gelding has won four of his 10 lifetime starts with a stakes win on a sloppy track at Indiana Grand in June. Michael Lauer trains the son of Spring at Last, who has won two of his three efforts at the Swatara’s mile and one-sixteenth distance.
Post time for the first race on Penn National’s Thanksgiving Eve card is set for 6:05pm EST, with the Swatara scheduled as Race 3 with a post time of 6:59pm.
Both the ?Swatara Stakes and Fabulous Strike Handicap are part of the Penn Gaming Racing Challenge Event, a year-long incentive competition that offers bonuses such as waived entry fee nominations and travel costs to leading owners, trainers and riders in select PNGI events.
$100,000 SWATARA S.
November 23, 2016
Race 3 – Post time 6:59pm EST
3&up, 1 1/16 Miles
PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. Charitable Annuity, Antonio Lopez, 119, James W. Casey
2. Winter Ride, Jeremy Rose, 119, Harold Wyner
3. Fabulous Kid, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 119, David Jacobson
4. Badabing Badaboom, Luis Saez, 120, Michael E. Lauer
5. Double Whammy, Horacio Karamanos, 119, Mary E. Eppler
6. Amplified, Anthony Salgado, 119, Ramon Preciado
7. He’s Achance, Jevian Toledo, 119, Jason Egan
8. Grasshoppin, Hector Caballero, 119, Mario Serey, Jr.
9. Warrioroftheroses, Alcibiades C. Cortez, 119 Damon Dilodovico
10. Res Judicata, Jorge A. Vargas, Jr. 121, John C. Servis
Source: Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course