Margolis reports Santa Super Saturday runners doing well
Trainer Steve Margolis, whose horses DUE DATE (El Prado [Ire]) and EARLY
RETURN (Carson City) finished first and second, respectively, in the $60,000
Bonapaw S. on Santa Super Saturday, reported that both of those Richard, Bertram
and Elaine Klein-owned five-year-olds came out of their Fair Grounds engagement
without problems. Margolis also said that they will likely return in future
stakes events during the current racing season in New Orleans.
“All of my horses that ran yesterday came back fine,” Margolis said Sunday
morning after celebrating over an Italian dinner with Richard Klein Saturday
night. “We’ll probably give Due Date a little break and wait to run him back in
the (February 19) Colonel Power, but Early Return might come back before that in
something like the (January 22 F.W.) Gaudin (Memorial).
“Of course, we also have
Cash Refund (Petionville) (another Klein color bearer who won last year’s Gaudin)
getting ready to run, and he might end up in the Gaudin as well.”
In addition to Due Date and Early Return, Margolis also saddled Right Time
Racing’s STREET STORM (Storm Atlantic) to a third-place finish in her stakes bow
in the Letellier Memorial S.
“I also thought Street Storm ran a good race yesterday,” Margolis said of the
juvenile miss. “She’s fine today and we’ll probably look at the three-year-old
filly series with her.”
Margolis was expected to send out Cheyann Belief (D’wildcat) in the Sugar
Bowl S., but the undefeated two-year-old was scratched. His only other runner in
the stakes events on Saturday, last year’s Sugar Bowl S. winner COOL BULLET (Red
Bullet), wound up seventh in the Bonapaw while making his grass bow.
“Jake Ballis’ horse (Cheyann Belief) came up with a little problem,” Margolis
said. “He worked good the other day but then he wasn’t acting quite right, so we
took a look at him and discovered a little chip. That’s why we had to scratch
him out of his race yesterday.
“As for Cool Bullet, I thought he’d like the grass
better than he ran over it yesterday because he won so easily on synthetic, but
it’s back to the drawing board with him.”
Considering the impact the Margolis barn has had on Fair Grounds’ stakes
program recently, it’s hard to believe that it was exactly two years ago on
Saturday that the trainer saddled his first winner at Fair Grounds when Gold
Square’s Lady Chace (Tiznow) reached the winner’s circle.
Margolis wasn’t the only trainer celebrating on Saturday, though. Conditioner
Greg Geier was all smiles the morning after his charge COUNTRY FLAVOR (Empire
Maker) closed strongly to win the Tenacious H. by a neck.
“The horse was sick when we got here from Chicago,” Geier said, “but he’s
doing fine now, even after running such a good race yesterday.”
Owner Jim Tafel, a Barrington, Illinois, resident who won the 2008 Kentucky
Derby (G1) and Travers S. (G1) with Street Sense, was equally pleased, according
to Geier.
“He was tickled to death,” Geier said. “This horse is one of his homebreds —
out of one of his mares — so that makes it even better. I think we’ll look at
the (January 22) Louisiana H. for (Country Flavor’s) next start.”