Summer Bird joins sire with Belmont/Travers double
Horseracing Betting Lines
08/29/2009 - Saratoga Springs, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two days of rain did not prevent Belmont Stakes champ Summer Bird from joining his sire, Birdstone, to win the $1 million Travers Stakes Saturday at Saratoga Race Course. Birdstone won the Belmont Stakes and the Mid-Summer Derby in 2004.
The quality of the Travers' field was greatly reduced this week with the defection of Rachel Alexandra to next week's Woodward Stakes and the announcement that Mine That Bird is still recuperating from recent throat surgery and will be held out of the race.
Summer Bird, ridden by Kent Desormeaux, raced for most the 1 1/4 mile Travers away from the rail on Saratoga's sloppy track. Setting the pace was Our Edge with Jim Dandy winner Kensei second on the inside.
Desormeaux had Summer Bird in third as the field entered the far turn and moved the colt into second behind Kensei on the turn for home. Summer Bird, trained by Tim Ice, took the lead coming off the final turn and extended his advantage at the top of the stretch.
Summer Bird, who had never won on a sloppy track, maintained his lead down the stretch and went on to win by 3 1/2-lengths over Hold Me Back. Quality Road, who acted-up going into the starting gate, finished third followed by Charitable Man, Warrior's Reward and 4-1 third choice Kensei. Our Edge was eased in the stretch and did not finish.
Summer Bird covered the 1 1/4 miles in 2:02.83 over a sloppy Saratoga surface.
"This is great," said trainer Tim Ice. "It's a great thrill to win this race."
Summer Bird picks up $600,000 with the win for owners Drs. Kalarikkal K. and Vilasini D. Jayaraman. The three-year-old colt has now won three of seven career starts for $1,573,040.
"He was a very lightly raced colt coming into the Kentucky Derby and into the Belmont," Ice said during Tuesday's teleconference. "He is starting to figure it out what he is out there for. I think physically, he is catching up to where we thought he was mentally coming into the Kentucky Derby. But he is still a horse on the improved."
The chestnut colt was coming off a second-place finish to Rachel Alexandra in the Haskell Invitational on a sloppy track earlier this month at Monmouth Park. Summer Bird was third to Papa Clem in the Arkansas Derby before finishing sixth in the Kentucky Derby, also on a sloppy surface.
During the teleconference Ice said that a decision on the colt's next start was still being discussed.
"We're going to wait and make that decision after Saturday," Ice said, "after the race. You know, there is a few races that we're looking at, but, we first have to see how he comes out of the race. And second is, as far as picking up the right spot and, you know, they have a race that's out in California. There is a race in Belmont. Obviously, we have Super Derby at home. So, you know, there is still options out there and we will figure it out after the race."
Sent off as the 5-2 second pick, Summer Bird returned $7.80, $4.30 and $2.70. Longshot Hold Me Back paid $12.40 and $ 5.30, and 3-2 favorite Quality Road paid $2.50 to show.
Jockeys riding in Saturday's Travers Stakes have pledged 10-percent of their purse earnings from the race to establish a fund for 23-year-old apprentice jockey Michael Straight, who was critically injured in a fall at Arlington Park on Wednesday.
"This was an easy decision," said John Velazquez, chairman of the Jockeys' Guild and rider of Quality Road. "What happened to Michael is a tragedy and we want to do whatever we can to help support him and his family during this difficult time."
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MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect
LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.
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