Contact: Graham Ross (847) 385-7500 ext. 7319
GRoss@arlingtonpark.com

In today's notes:

• Guana Returns 'Flawlessly' as Ritter Remembers 'Gallop'
• Haylie's Dawn, Strikes No Spares Also Doing Well Wednesday
• Carlos' Countdown Continues; Silva Now 10 Away from 3,000 Wins
• Reservations Recommended for Arlington's Father's Day Brunch
• Bits & Bridles

GUANA RETURNS 'FLAWLESSLY' AS RITTER REMEMBERS 'GALLOP'

Thomas Van Meter, Doug Hendrickson & Mike Lowenbaum's Guana, who closed with a bold rush in the lane to capture Sunday's $45,000 Flawlessly Stakes by four and a quarter lengths, returned in good order and was doing well Wednesday morning, according to assistant trainer Shannon Ritter.

"She's doing fine," said Ritter, a former jockey who has been an assistant to conditioner Elliott Walden for several years. "Elliott hasn't told me anything about future plans for her. It usually takes him a few days to decide."

Exactly four years ago on Belmont Stakes weekend, Ritter was in New York with Prestonwood Farm's Victory Gallop when that colt upset the Triple Crown aspirations of Mike Pegram's Real Quiet. The former rider remembered what went through her mind during the running of the 1998 Belmont Stakes as the field turned for home.

"I was reminiscing about that all weekend when they kept showing the tape of Victory Gallop beating Real Quiet," Ritter said. "During the race I was worried when I didn't see him on the turn. Then all of the sudden I saw him coming. He ran an awesome race, even though he got hit in the head coming down the lane. Gary Stevens (Victory Gallop's rider) told us about it later. One of the other jockeys accidentally hit Victory Gallop right in the face with his whip.

"From where I was standing, I couldn't tell whether he had won or not," Ritter said of the photo finish that day. "It seemed like it took them forever to put Victory Gallop's number up, and then we had to wait out an inquiry. Later, we found out that it was a good thing Victory Gallop won, because if Real Quiet had beat him at the wire they might have had a legitimate reason to take his number down (losing the Triple Crown by a disqualification.)"

HAYLIE'S DAWN, STRIKES NO SPARES ALSO DOING WELL WEDNESDAY

Mt. Brilliant Stable LLC's Haylie's Dawn and Northwest Farm's Strikes No Spares, second and third respectively in Sunday's Flawlessly, were also doing well Wednesday, their connections confirmed.

"Haylie's Dawn is fine," said Rico Rosas, assistant to trainer Mike Stidham, conditioner of the runner-up in Sunday's Flawlessly, who came from last place to gain the second spot. "She has no problems."

"My filly came back good," said trainer Richard Lundy of Strikes No Spares, third-place finisher in the Flawlessly. "She's still a little green but I think she's going to be a pretty nice filly. I took the blinkers off and that didn't hurt. I'm not sure what her next start will be. I may even try her back on the dirt one more time."

CARLOS' COUNTDOWN CONTINUES; SILVA NOW 10 AWAY FROM 3,000 WINS

Veteran reinsman Carlos Silva won Sunday's second race astride Susan J. & Wally Kotzmann's Zennamatic for trainer Janice Ely, bringing his career win total to 2,990 as he continues to move closer to the 3,000-win milestone.

"I'm not feeling any pressure at all," said Silva Wednesday morning. The Chilean-born Silva is scheduled for mounts in Wednesday's first and sixth races.

"It's been a good year so far," said Silva. "I'm not getting anxious to get it behind me or anything like that. The 3,000th win will happen when it happens."

RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED FOR ARLINGTON'S FATHER'S DAY BRUNCH

Arlington Park will offer a special Father's Day Brunch buffet this Sunday in the International Room, beginning at noon.

Reservations are recommended, and may be made by calling (847) 385-7550.

Prices per person for the special Dad's Day buffet are $48 for adults, $18 for children 4-11 years of age, and free for children under 4. The price includes admission, a Daily Racing Guide, the buffet, which will be open for two hours, and an open bar for four hours.

BITS & BRIDLES

  Trainer Dallas Stewart, now a high profile conditioner and formerly an assistant to D. Wayne Lukas, scored his first win of the Arlington Park season (and first ever as a trainer of record at Arlington) with John D. Gunther's Saratoga Cat in Sunday's fifth race.

  Trainer Joey Camardo saddled his own Royal Tramp to win Sunday's fourth race, giving him a perfect two-for-two record during the young Arlington Park season. Camardo has returned to the training ranks after a short stint as a jockey's agent.

  Defending Arlington Park jockey champion Rene Douglas tallied twice on Sunday's program to increase his lead in this season's standings to two over jockey E. T. Baird. Douglas scored aboard Peter Abruzzo's Ship Shape in Sunday's sixth race for Jerry Hollendorfer, the defending trainer champion here, and came back astride the Liane Davis-trained Chartwell, owned by Steve H. Lewis, in the final race on Sunday's program.

  Mike Riordan, John Bates & Rod Kirk's Silent Flick, a Quiet American colt who goes to the post in Wednesday's finale, is a half-brother to Gary & Mary West's Baptize, who captured the Grade II Arlington Classic last season here for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. The Arlington Classic, to be contested for the 68th time later this month on June 29, is the first leg of Arlington Park's Mid-America Triple. The Mid-America Triple continues with the Grade II American Derby on July 21 and concludes with the Grade I Secretariat on August 17 as part of the International Festival of Racing on Arlington Million Day.

  Trainer Tim Hamm, an Ohio-based conditioner who saddled Dan Martin & Jerry Ayres' Joanies Bella to capture the Grade III Arlington-Washington Lassie last year, is the trainer of Destiny's Farm LLC's Ifufeelfroggyleap in Wednesday's third race.

  Jockey Enrique Pacheco, who rides both halves of Wednesday's daily double, is a Peruvian-born reinsman who has two wins in this country - one at the recently-concluded Hawthorne meeting and another at Calder before that.

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