Contact: Graham Ross
GRoss@arlingtonpark.com

In today's notes:

• Lismore Knight Has Good Morning Sunday, Leaving Later
• Other Arlington Classic Contestants All Well Sunday Morning
• Anticipating America's Birthday Weekend at Arlington Park
• Fires Keeps Cool in Unusual Saturday Ride
• Bits & Bridles

LISMORE KNIGHT HAS GOOD MORNING SUNDAY, LEAVING LATER

J. J. Pletcher & Barry Simon's Lismore Knight, best by three-quarters of a length in Saturday's Grade II Arlington Classic, presented by Woodford Reserve, returned from that winning effort in the first leg of the Mid-America Triple in good order and will leave Sunday evening to return to his Belmont Park headquarters.

"He came out of the race really well," said Ginny DePasquale, trainer Todd Pletcher's assistant who accompanied Lismore Knight on his journey from New York late last week. "He ate up everything last night and was bouncing around the shedrow all morning.

"Although we arrived by air, we are scheduled to go back by van later this evening," DePasquale said Sunday morning. "There were no connecting flights scheduled to go back today so tonight it looks like I'll be sleeping on the van."

Lismore Knight, a son of Woodman out of an Ogygian mare, is now undefeated in two starts as a sophomore after winning an allowance race at one mile on the Belmont turf May 17. Plans for his next start have not been finalized.

The Grade II American Derby, second leg of Arlington's Mid-America Triple, presented by Jack Daniel's, is scheduled for July 20. The final leg -- the Grade I Secretariat Stakes -- will be run on Arlington Million Day August 16 as part of Arlington Park's International Festival of Racing.

OTHER ARLINGTON CLASSIC CONTESTANTS ALL WELL SUNDAY MORNING

Claiborne Farm's Remind, runner-up in Saturday's Grade II Arlington Classic, presented by Woodford Reserve, left by van at 4:49 a.m. Sunday, according to records at Arlington Park's stable gate.

Ross Gilbert's Good Day Too, the Irish-bred, Irish-campaigned sophomore who finished third in the Arlington Classic, cooled out fine and ate up all his feed Saturday night, according to Chris Block, who is scheduled to take over the Danetime colt's training during his American campaign.

Trainer Hugh Robertson, very pleased with Jer-Mar Stables LLC's Scottago's fourth-place finish in the Classic at 36-1, also reported his colt was doing well Sunday.

Team Valor's European, the other Irish-bred, Irish-campaigned Classic contestant, was also doing well Sunday morning, according to Shannon Ritter, assistant to European's new trainer Elliott Walden. European was reluctant to load in the gate prior to the Classic and trailed the field throughout after being well regarded in the wagering,

"He's fine," said Ritter. "It was just the new experience that probably bothered him. He cooled out fine after the race."

ANTICIPATING AMERICA'S BIRTHDAY WEEKEND AT ARLINGTON PARK

Friday's Firecracker Day Arlington Park schedule will have family activities beginning at 2 p.m., an hour before Arlington's regular Friday late post time of 3 p.m.

The family day activities on July 4 beginning at 2 p.m. include pony rides and a petting zoo and will continue until 6 p.m., and the regular Miller Lite Party In The Park festivities will also be held. The Four Man Band will begin playing after Friday's first race in the Park area and play until 9 p.m., while face painters and a caricature artist will be on hand from 3-7 p.m.

The Banjo Buddies Dixieland Trio and Soup Kitchen Quartet will begin playing at Arlington's entrances at 5 p.m. and then roam throughout the crowd until 8 p.m.

Following the races, Arlington Park television personality Christine Gabriel and Arlington Park announcer John G. Dooley will welcome guests to Arlington Park's Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular presented by LaSalle Bank at 7:15 p.m., and T-shirts will be thrown to the crowd. A Dizzy Bat Race will be held on the track.

At 8 p.m. in the winner's circle, a pie-eating contest involving 10 persons will be held, followed by a game of musical chairs and a limbo contest at 9 p.m.

The 60-second countdown to Arlington Park's Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular presented by LaSalle Bank will begin at 9:30 p.m.

FIRES KEEPS COOL IN UNUSUAL SATURDAY RIDE

Hall of Fame jockey Earlie Fires, Arlington Park's all-time leading reinsman, showed some athletic professional horsemanship in an unusual manner during Saturday's sixth race.

Fires encountered problems aboard Thomas C. White's Tablet shortly after the start, when a stirrup hook not securely in its hole came loose. Having effectively lost that iron, Fires placed his whip in his mouth, leaving his hands free for a while in an unsuccessful effort to secure the iron. During much of this journey Fires and Tablet made or forced the pace in the one-mile race before eventually fading to last in the stretch run.

BITS & BRIDLES

  Jockey Eddie Razo continued his recent hot streak with a riding double on Saturday's program. Razo won the third race aboard Dave Flanzbaum, John Meador & Jill Harrington's Cloud Harbor for trainer Ida Spagnola, and came back in the ninth on Big Daddy Longlegs for the Hurt, Hoppe & Milchoefer partnership for trainer Leo Gabriel Jr.

  Wednesday, July 2 will be the second of four Senior Days at Arlington Park, with seniors once again offered a special package on that day that emphasizes senior concerns.

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