Arlington Park Stakes Advance: Grade III Arlington Matron
Contact: David Zenner
Dzenner@arlingtonpark.com
FULL FIELD ASSEMBLED FOR GRADE III ARLINGTON MATRON
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (May 26, 2010) – A talented group of a dozen members of the distaff set will assemble at Arlington Park Saturday for the 74th edition of the Arlington Matron. The Grade III $150,000 race for fillies and mares will be run at nine furlongs over Polytrack and share top billing on the Saturday card with the Grade III $100,000 Hanshin Cup for older males.
Michael Tabor’s Floating Heart invades from trainer Todd Pletcher’s Kentucky division for Saturday’s Matron after posting a fifth-place finish in the Grade III Bewitch Stakes on turf at Keeneland in her most recent trip to the post on April 22. The daughter of champion Giant’s Causeway previously ran third in the Grade II La Canada and the Grade I Santa Margarita, both contested over Santa Anita Park’s synthetic Pro-Ride surface, and was a winner in allowance company over Turfway Park’s Polytrack last fall. Jesus Castanon has the mount.
Claiborne Farm’s Haka has also been a consistent performer on synthetic surfaces. The 4-year-old Dynaformer miss won the Grade III Doubledogdare at Keeneland last out on April 16 and last year was graded stakes-placed in the Grade III Santa Ysabel and the Grade I Las Virgenes at Santa Anita. Trained by Christophe Clement, Haka will be ridden Saturday by Corey Nakatani.
Darley Stable’s Tizaqueena comes into the Matron off a fifth-place finish as the favorite in the Grade II Distaff Turf Mile at Churchill Downs in her last start. The locally based daughter of Tiznow finished second in the Grade III Modesty Handicap and fourth in the Grade I Beverly D. over the Arlington park turf course last summer but has since scored in a pair of stakes at the Fair Grounds, capturing the $60,000 Allen LaCombe Memorial Handicap and the $100,000 Bayou Handicap at the Fair Grounds. E. T. Baird will ride the Mike Stidham-trained 5-year-old mare.
Trainer Donnie K Von Hemel will be represented by two Arlington stakes winners in this year’s Matron lineup. The veteran conditioner will saddle defending champion Pin Oak Stables’ Euphony and Robert Zoellner’s Peach Brew, who captured last year’s Grade III Arlington Oaks. Cliff Berry has the mount aboard Euphony while Quincy Hamilton is slated to pilot Peach Brew.
Completing the field for the Arlington Matron (with riders named) are: Rich Ege and Team Block’s Askbut I Won’ttell (Eduardo Perez); Jessica Coudelaria’s Celtic Princess (Aldo Canchano); Jerry Jamgotchian’s Sweet and Flawless (Junior Alvarado); Nancy A. Vanier’s Home’s the Best (Lyndie Wade); Louise and G. Watts Humphrey Jr.’s Magical Theater (Michael Baze); and Bob Ackerman et al.’s Souper Miss (Tim Thornton).
Arlington Park – the Chicago area’s premier Thoroughbred racetrack located in Arlington Heights, Ill. – will run a 91-day meet in 2010 from Thursday, April 29 through Sunday, Sept. 26. Arlington Park, whose parent company is Churchill Downs Incorporated (Nasdaq: CHDN), also operates 10 off-track, simulcast-wagering facilities: Trackside Arlington Park (Arlington Heights), Trackside Chicago, Trackside Quad City Downs (East Moline), Trackside Waukegan, Shooters Bar & Grill at Don Carter Lanes featuring Trackside Rockford, Fat Sam’s Bar & Grill featuring Trackside OTB in Lockport, Lucky’s featuring Trackside OTB in South Elgin, Nicolino’s featuring Trackside OTB in McHenry, Tad’s Sports Bar & Grill featuring Trackside OTB in South Beloit and Salerno-Pincente Ristorante featuring Trackside OTB in Hodgkins. Information on Arlington Park can be found online at www.arlingtonpark.com.
