Grace Hall got her name from one of the top 5 indoor college venues in the nation
Mike Caruso, a three time wrestling champion at Lehigh University campaigns the 3-year-old Anthony Dutrow trained filly, Grace Hall, in the name of his Bethlehem Stables in partnership with Stuart Grant’s The Elkstone Group.
The Kentucky bred daughter of Empire Maker, Grace Hall has had a stellar racing campaign so far for the co-owner Mike Caruso, and now sent as the heavy favourite to win the Grade 1, $1 million Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on 4 May, 2012, Mike Caruso
said that all this success by Grace Hall holds a special meaning for him.
“To have a horse like Grace Hall would have been great to start off with; she’s my first grade I winner in 33 years,” said Caruso.
Mike Caruso at the Lehigh University used to compete in the famous arena called the Grace Hall, and he shared that the two most exciting things in his life are both names Grace Hall.
The famed arena was chosen by USA Today as top 5 indoor venues for college sports, which was built for wrestling way back in 1939 by the president of Bethlehem Steel Corp, Eugene Grace.
“He gave a blank check to the president of Lehigh and said, ‘Build a wrestling arena,’ ” Caruso said.
Mike Caruso wasn’t the only one who was sentimental about Grace Hall, the venue, being names after him because of his wrestling accomplishments, it was also trainer Dutrow who insisted that the filly he purchased at the 2010 Keeneland September yearling
sale for $95,000 should be named after the facility.
“I buy a lot of horses—probably 25 yearlings every year—and I buy a lot of bad ones,” Dutrow said. “But when I saw Grace Hall at Keeneland, for two days, I got on everybody’s nerves asking them, ‘Do you think we’ve got enough money to buy that filly?’, “I
really liked her that much.”
Dutrow further went on to say that he spotted the filly and she looked strong and athletic, and after he found out that it was an Empire Maker filly than it became apparent that she is going to be really good on the track.
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