A.P. WARRIOR PUTS SHIRREFFS BACK IN DERBY TRAINER OF LAST YEAR'S LONG SHOT GIACOMO HAS ANOTHER UPSET.Byline: Kevin Modesti Staff Writer ARCADIA - John Shirreffs John A. Shirreffs (born June 1, 1945 in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. Based in California, Vietnam War veteran John Shirreffs began training Thoroughbreds in 1978. doesn't crave the Kentucky Derby Kentucky Derby One of the classic U.S. Thoroughbred horse races. It was established in 1875 and run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs track in Louisville, Ky. With the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, it makes up U.S. racing's coveted Triple Crown. spotlight. Or any spotlight. But Shirreffs was only joking when he tried to sound reluctant after A.P. Warrior's victory at Santa Anita on Saturday gave the trainer of 2005 Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo a reason to book a return trip to Louisville. ``It's tough on horse trainers - the pressure!'' Shirreffs said with a laugh after A.P. Warrior ($17) and jockey Corey Nakatani rallied on the outside to win the $250,000 San Felipe Stakes The San Felipe Stakes is a race for Thoroughbred horses run each year at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The race is normally held in mid-March and is open to horses, age three, willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles (8.5 furlongs) on the dirt. by one-half length over Point Determined with favored Bob and John third. A.P. Warrior produced one of the three upsets in the four stakes with Derby implications that were run Saturday. Like Now ($74.50) held off Keyed Entry in New York's Gotham Stakes, and Deputy Glitters ($18.60) handled Bluegrass Cat in the Tampa Bay Derby The Tampa Bay Derby is a race for Thoroughbred race horses held in March at Tampa Bay Downs. A Grade III event, the race is open to three-year-olds willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles (8.5 furlongs) on the dirt. . On an afternoon of TV-watching that felt like March Madness for thoroughbreds, the lone high seed to stand up was the sharp-looking Lawyer Ron ($5.60) in Arkansas' Rebel Stakes. Though Shirreffs kids about pressure, in truth he faced little scrutiny as he prepared Giacomo to win the Derby at 50-1 odds. It might be different if Shirreffs takes the better-regarded A.P. Warrior to Churchill Downs for this year's Derby. Saturday's race marked A.P. Warrior's first start for Shirreffs, and the 60-year-old trainer will get a lot of credit if the colt does well in the April 8 Santa Anita Derby The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California and carries a purse of $750,000. and the May 6 Kentucky Derby. A.P. Warrior, a son of A.P. Indy who sold for $1.3 million as a yearling yearling an animal in its second year of age, e.g. yearling cattle, yearling filly, yearling colt. yearling disease rinderpest in wildebeeste in the Serengheti. , commanded attention from the beginning while running for trainer Eoin Harty. He was the tote-board favorite in the Norfolk Stakes won in October by Brother Derek, now the Derby favorite. But after fourth-place finishes in the Hollywood Futurity (to Brother Derek) and El Camino Real Derby The El Camino Real Derby is a race for Thoroughbred horses held in late winter at Bay Meadows. The El Camino Real is open to three-year-olds willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles (8 and 1/2 furlongs) on the dirt. A Grade III event, it offers a purse of $200,000. (to Cause to Believe), owner Stan Fulton of Las Vegas moved A.P. Warrior from Harty to Shirreffs. In the San Felipe, A.P. Warrior dropped back to sixth in the nine-horse field before challenging the leaders four-wide on the turn, opening a clear lead in mid-stretch and holding off Point Determined. The 1 1/16-mile clocking of 1:42.40 was better than average for a race that counts Sunday Silence, Fusaichi Pegasus and Point Given among its recent winners and Silver Charm, Real Quiet and Giacomo among its runners-up. Trainer Bob Baffert had a mixed day with Point Determined, Bob and John, and last-place Sky Diving. Elsewhere, Lawyer Ron looked like a leading 3-year-old when he and jockey John McKee rallied to win the $300,000 Rebel at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., by three lengths over 22-1 Red Raymond as trainer Bob Holthus swept the exacta ex·act·a n. A method of betting, as on a horserace, in which the bettor must correctly pick those finishing in the first and second places in precisely that sequence. Also called perfecta. . Lawyer Ron is 6 for 6 on dirt tracks and 0 for 7 on turf and Poly track surfaces. Private Vow finished seventh in the Rebel, his first start of 2006. In the $200,000 Gotham at Aqueduct in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , stretching-out sprinter Like Now and jockey Fernando Jara took the lead from previously unbeaten Keyed Entry at the start of the 1 1/16 miles and never gave it up. Achilles of Troy Achilles of Troy is a thoroughbred horse. As a foal of 2003, he was a possible contender for the Triple Crown in 2006 but on April 5, 2006 it was announced that soreness will sideline Achilles of Troy from the Kentucky Derby and the Triple Crown. finished fifth and was vanned off the track. In the $250,000 Tampa Bay (Fla.) Derby, Deputy Glitters and Jose Lezcano scored the colt's second victory by reversing the order of a second-place finish to Bluegrass Cat in their previous race. Kevin Modesti, (818) 713-3616 heymodesti(at)aol.com |
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