Salvatore Mile Stakes 2011 – Grade 1 Carter Handicap winner Morning Line enters
Nicholas Zito has high hopes as Morning Line steps in the Salvatore Mile Stakes at the Monmouth Park on July 2, 2011 as the “only Grade 1 winner”.
The four-year old makes his way to the Grade 3 Salvatore Mile Stakes after scoring a win in the Grade 1 Carter Handicap, which was held on April 9, 2011. The son of Tiznow was ridden at the time by John R. Velazquez.
The brown colt has participated in two other starts this year. Morning Line came third in the Hal’s Hope Stakes held on January 8, 2011. He then stepped into the Grade 1 Donn Handicap held on February 5, 2011 and came second in it.
In his last year’s start at the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, he came second, this must have enhanced his owner’s and trainer’s faith in the colt’s ability to run over dirt and so they decided to let him have a shot at the Salvatore Mile Stakes.
The race is contested on dirt over a distance of 8 furlongs. Eddie Castro will ride Morning line in the Salvatore mile Stakes.
Zito once expressed his opinion about the colt:
“Amazing. I'm very grateful, I'm very happy for the horse. He's lost some tough ones; the Breeders’ Cup Mile was a heartbreaker. The Donn was a heartbreaker. He's such a well-deserving grade I horse. He beat a top horse. It was a great run race. He did what a professional horse is supposed to do. He's just a very versatile horse. He'll probably run any distance”.
Morning line was bred in Kentucky by the Dell Ridge Farm. He has picked four wins from ten starts. His career has him battling alongside the rail to win the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby. Pennsylvania is a Grade 2 race.
By scoring a win in the Carter Handicap, he boosted his earnings to $1,114, 800. He was bought for $700,000 from Keeneland in 2008. His pedigree has something very interesting; he is out of the A.P. Indy mare Indian Snow.
A.P. Indy is an accomplished graded stakes winner, who has won races such as the Grade 1 Breeder’s Cup Classic, the Grade1 Belmont Stakes and the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby. A.P. Indy is known as the two time leading sire.
The other contestants of the race also deserve due attention. They include Motovato, who picked up a win at the Memorial Day Handicap at Calder Casino and Race Course on May 30, 2011.
The Florida based six-year old bay colt is a graded stakes winner scoring wins in 2009 and 2010. He is trained by Martin D Wolfson and his mount will be held by Joe Bravo. Motovato is sired by Proud Citizen.
Other prominent contestants include Soaring Empire, Freisan Empire, Cactus Charlie, and, Kensei. Salvatore Mile Stakes has a track record of 1 minute and 34.25 seconds set by Gottcha Gold in 2007. Salvatore Mile Stake is named in the honour of the U.S. Hall of Fame inductee, Salvator. It is hoped that the best horse scores a win in the Salvatore Mile Stakes.
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