Maywood Park (11/17/11)
Contact: Tom Kelley
(708) 672-1414
LIVE JAZZ TRIES TO HIT WINNING NOTE IN GALT TROT
After winning three of his eight races and earning $65,123 while setting a World Record for a two-year-old trotting colt on a half-mile track at the Delaware County Fairgrounds last season, expectations were quite high for Live Jazz as he entered his sophomore season.
The $55,000 2009 Lexington Select yearling purchase came into the 2011 season rated as the number seven ranked trotter in the Experimental Championship Ratings for three-year-old trotters, which appeared in the March edition of Hoof Beats magazine. Unfortunately some physical ailments and some bad racing luck have kept the royally bred son of Andover Hall-Limitless Sky from reaching his true potential, but the Scott Andrews trainee will have a chance to change that when he takes on six rivals in the first of two $55,500 divisions of the Galt Stake on Friday night.
“He had his problems in the early part of his two-year-old season and it seemed like he didn’t care whether passed anybody,” said co-owner Chuck Sylvester. “Later in the year it seemed as though he really woke up though and he started off his sophomore season more mature and more racy which really gave us a lot of hope.”
Owned in partnership by Sylvester, Melvin Hartman, Neal Goldman and Juniper II, Live Jazz’s mother was a multiple stakes winner and full sister to stakes winners Hard Rock N Roll and Jailhouse Jesse, plus a half sister to 2004 Matron Stakes champ Jailhouse Joey.
With the Hambletonian as their main goal heading into 2011, Live Jazz gave every indication that his connections could have a contender for the three-year-old’s trotter’s biggest prize.
After taking a new life mark of 1:55.4 while winning the $78,200 Historic-Dickerson Cup at Tioga Downs in June, things appeared to moving along perfectly for Live Jazz. Unfortunately the colt came up short in the Yonkers Trot which concerned his connections. Adding to the dismay, Hall of Famer John Campbell who owns part of Live Jazz along with his wife Paula (Juniper II), had been badly injured in a racing accident at Harrah’s Chester.
After missing more than six weeks Campbell climbed back into the bike for Live Jazz’s Hambo elimination but the colt did not qualify for the final after finishing a disappointing ninth in his elimination.
After being given some time off Live Jazz was shipped to The Red Mile where he struggled badly, making breaks in three straight starts including both heats of the Kentucky Futurity.
Shipped to Chester for a qualifying effort the bay colt looked like his old self as he cruised to an easy victory for Campbell. Live Jazz was then shipped to Indiana Downs where he captured a division of the Circle City Stake in a career best of 1:54.4. He then finished a disappointing seventh after being victimized by a tough post in the $231,500 Oliver Stake.
A return to a half-mile oval like Maywood’s could benefit Live Jazz according to trainer Scott Andrews.
“He seems to like the smaller tracks and he definitely gets around them in good fashion,” said Andrews. We changed the driving bit on him during his two-year-old season and he responded well to it on the smaller tracks. I definitely expect him to be a big factor on the half-mile oval.”
