Saratoga

LAUREL -- Laurel and Pimlico race courses will simulcast one race a day from Saratoga, Thursdays through Sundays, beginning today and continuing for the rest of the Saratoga meeting, which ends Aug. 28.There will be nine live races and one simulcast Thursdays and Fridays and 10 live races and two simulcasts on Saturdays and Sundays.The move was made because it is becoming extremely difficult to fill 10 live races a day with competition from six other thoroughbred tracks in the Middle Atlantic area.

Other trainers and owners, Bill Beatson said, took a look at the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap, saw the name "Shackleford" and passed. Even Beatson, and his partners at Dark Hollow Farms, David and JoAnn Hayden, knew that a win against the 2011 Preakness winner would be unlikely. They decided to enter the horse, Poseidon's Warrior, anyway, and so on Sunday the Maryland-bred horse was at the gate of an off track at the grade I race at Saratoga. His odds were 36-1, the second longest shot in the field.

Other trainers and owners, Bill Beatson said, took a look at the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap, saw the name "Shackleford" and passed. Even Beatson, and his partners at Dark Hollow Farms, David and JoAnn Hayden, knew that a win against the 2011 Preakness winner would be unlikely. They decided to enter the horse, Poseidon's Warrior, anyway, and so on Sunday the Maryland-bred horse was at the gate of an off track at the grade I race at Saratoga. His odds were 36-1, the second longest shot in the field.

Sagamore Farm's Millionreasonswhy won the $150,000 Grade II Matron Stakes at Belmont Park on Sunday. Jockey John Velazquez rode the 2-year-old filly, a 6-1 shot, to a two-length victory over Say a Novena in the six-furlong race. Millionreasonswhy finished in 1 minute, 12.68 seconds, over the fast track that dulled after rain earlier in the day. Millionreasonswhy, trained by Ignacio Correas IV, pulled ahead of Say a Novena a little more than three furlongs into the race and pulled away for the win. "Sagamore is very proud of the tremendous effort put forth by Millioreasonswhy today," said Tom Mullikin, general manager of Sagamore Farm.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- And the new king of Saratoga is . . . Mike Smith.With one winner on the card, Mike Smith came out on top yesterday after a furious 30-day fight for the Saratoga riding crown with Julie Krone and Angel Cordero.Smith defeated Krone, who had two winners yesterday, 33-32. Cordero finished with 30 winners; he didn't have a victory on either of the final two cards.Cordero has won 13 of the last 16 titles but has not won a meet here in two years.The Saratoga title was the latest accomplishment in New York for Smith, who came to Aqueduct in November 1989 expecting to stay only a few months before success disrupted plans to go to Oaklawn Park.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y., - Before they even lined up for the 87th running of the Sanford Stakes, Linda Rice was spotting D. Wayne Lukas $1,941,000 and 13 years in experience. The colt she trains, City Zip, was purchased for $9,000 last year as a yearling. His colt, Yonaguska, was picked up for $1.9 million seven months ago as a 2-year-old. Rice had a handful of important stakes races on her resume; he had 13 Triple Crown victories and 20 national champions on his. But it took only 1:10 3/5 of horse racing - the time City Zip clocked to win his second stakes race - for Rice to show that inexpensive does not mean slow.

All Maryland betting outlets will offer full-card simulcasts from Saratoga race course on a daily basis when the upstate New York track begins its 34-day meet tomorrow.Betting on the Saratoga races will be available through self-service wagering terminals only.Joe De Francis, operator of Laurel/Pimlico, said the move to use the automated machines is an effort to control costs because the New York Racing Association charges a premier rate for selling its Saratoga signal."This move is also an effort to try to preserve our Maryland handle," De Francis said.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Julie Krone suffered multiple fractures of the right ankle yesterday during a violent spill on the final day of Saratoga's racing season and was not expected to ride again for the rest of this year and possibly longer.The jockey, 30, a tiny dynamo who has won riding titles at Belmont Park, Monmouth Park, Atlantic City and the Meadowlands, also suffered severe cuts and bruises on her left elbow. She underwent surgery at Saratoga Hospital to stabilize the ankle joint and will undergo more surgery in New York City to repair the fracture.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Maryland-based Grab the Green pulled clear through the stretch to win the second division of yesterday's Nijana Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga.The daughter of Cozzene, with Angel Cordero Jr. aboard, set a stakes record in her five-length victory, completing the 1 1/16-mile run over a firm course in 1 minute, 40 1/5 seconds.The win was Grab the Green's fifth in eight starts this year. The Texas-bred filly, based at Laurel Race Course, earned $59,280 and returned $6.40, $3.60 and $3.20.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Star of Cozzene went after Furiously in the stretch run of the Bernard Baruch Handicap. Jose Santos only wanted to go after Julie Krone.There were winners, losers and angry jockeys yesterday at Saratoga.Furiously, undefeated in three starts on the turf, upset Star of Cozzene by a length in the nine-furlong Baruch to earn revenge for stablemate Lure, who has lost two straight to his rival.In doing so, he may have had an assist from the Krone-ridden Royal Mountain Inn, who had Star of Cozzene and Santos in tight quarters through much of the stretch run and appeared to bump with him several times.

Water main break floods W. Saratoga St. A water main break Sunday afternoon in the 600 block of West Saratoga Street heavily damaged the north side of the street, said Kurt Kocher, a spokesman for the city's Department or Public Works. He said the 40-inch wide transmission main ruptured about 1 p.m., closing West Saratoga west of Greene Street. The force of the break raised the street about 8 to 10 inches and created an enormous hole. Kocher said residences and businesses may experience low water pressure and temporary outages.

On Saturday, August 8th, 2009, Mrs. Anna M. Urbanas Visitation for family and friends will be held on Tuesday, August 11th, 2009 from 5-9:00 PM in HUBBARD FUNERAL HOME, INC., 4107 Wilkens Avenue, Baltimore, MD. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, August 12th, 2009 at 10:00 AM in St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, 114 West Saratoga Street, Baltimore, Maryland. Interment will follow in Loudon Park Cemetery.

Verna Catherine Miller, who spent 53 years at the old Hutzler's department store selling dresses, died of heart disease July 31 at Gilchrist Hospice Care. The former Patterson Park area resident was 91. Born in a Luzerne Avenue rowhouse, where she lived for more than 80 years, she attended St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parochial School and attended the old Seton High School on Charles Street. When her father died in 1934, she left school to help support her mother and four younger siblings.

Eager to see construction begin on a controversial "robotic" garage and apartment project planned for West Saratoga Street, the building's developer has agreed to let a mural be painted on two sides, and Baltimore's planning department has offered to help secure funding for it. Developer David Hillman of Southern Management Corp. in Vienna, Va., is working with the planning department and Baltimore's Office of Promotion and the Arts to select an artist to create the mural on the west and north sides of a 402-space, 80-foot-high garage that he wants to build at 18 W. Saratoga St. One possible subject of the mural is university and hospital founder Johns Hopkins, who owned a house that once stood where the garage would rise.

On August 18, 2007, ROBERT E. ROBERTSON. A memorial service will be held at Old St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Charles and Saratoga Streets on April 28 at 2 P.M.

On March 3, 2009, PHILUSTER KEARNEY, JR.; loving and devoted husband of Carrie Kearney. On Friday, friends may call Vaughn C. Greene Funeral Services, 4905 York Road, where the family will receive friends from 4 to 8 P.M. On Saturday, services will be held at Timothy Baptist Church, 1214 W. Saratoga Street, where the family will receive friends from 10:30 to 11 A.M with services to follow. Inquiries to (410) 433-7500.

Beginning today, Maryland's six wagering outlets will take bets on full-card simulcasts from Saratoga and Del Mar, two of the nation's great resort racetracks that open this afternoon.Maryland's two newest stakes stars are expected to compete in rich events during the two meets. Jacody, owned by Arnold Mekiliesky of Randallstown and Donna Donovan of Baltimore, is expected to take on leading 3-year-old filly Sky Beauty in the $500,000 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 14.A week later, Bob and Jane Meyerhoff's Valley Crossing will run in the $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 21. Both horses won important races at Monmouth Park last weekend.

On the day after Will's Way won the Travers Stakes but did not decide the war for 3-year-old champion, older horses raced into the spotlight in three states yesterday, with dramatic results.At Saratoga in New York, L'Carriere, a 5-year-old stablemate of Will's Way also trained by James Bond, completed a rousing weekend for the team when he won the Saratoga Cup for his first victory since he won the same race a year ago.At Monmouth (N.J.) Park, Serena's Song challenged colts one more time but ran third behind the 4-year-old Canadian star Smart Strike in the Philip H. Iselin Handicap.

SARATOGA COFFEE 222 Saratoga, 222 E. Saratoga St. / / Open 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday / / 410-332-7155 ........................ THIS NEW, QUAINT COFFEE SHOP IN THE recently renovated 222 Saratoga condominum building has a charming setting. The shop carries both an assortment of deli sandwiches and natural beverages. "We carry Italian sodas, natural juices and teas," says Maria Tembra, assistant manager. "We pulled away from the Coke and Pepsi kind of thing because no one here drinks that stuff."

On April 28, 2008 James Visitation at Calvin B. Scruggs Funeral Home, 1412 E. Preston St. on Monday, May 5th from 2 to 7 P.M. Family will receive friends on Tues. at Greater Harvest Baptist Church, 1617 W. Saratoga St. from 10:00 to 10:30 A.M.at which time funeral will begin. Interment Garrison Forest Veteran Cemetery.