HENDERSON, Ky. (Monday, July 3, 2017) — Start the countdown: Buff Bradley is only 499 wins away from his 1,000th victory training racehorses.
Bradley earned his 500th victory with Kiss My Note, owned by the trainer and David Goldman, leading all the way to win Ellis Park’s first race Monday. The winning rider was Calvin Borel, who at various stages rode two of Bradley’s most important horses: $2 million-earner Brass Hat, the trainer’s first Grade 1 winner, and two-time female sprint champion Groupie Doll. Borel also was aboard when Bradley earned his 100th Churchill Downs victory with Tempestuous Angel on June 22.
“It’s good to hit this milestone. We waited for it for about a month,†Bradley, a four-time Ellis Park training champion, said with a laugh. “We had that win the other day to get to 499. But it’s always good to reach these milestones. We need to start toward 1,000 in the fifth race. Hopefully, Calvin is on my 501.â€
Mission accomplished on Poseidon’s Way, leaving Bradley 2 for 2 on the day.
“Yeah, Calvin’s gotten me started on the next 500,†Bradley said afterward. “Very good day. I’m happy and glad Calvin was on both of them. He’s probably won as many races as any jock with me. I’m glad he hit the milestone with me last week and then this week.â€
The 3-year-old Kiss My Note won a $7,500 maiden-claiming event, not the stage of Bradley’s biggest victories such as Brass Hat in Gulfstream Park’s Grade 1 Donn Handicap, Groupie Doll twice winning the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Santa Anita and most recently Divisidero becoming only the third horse to win Churchill Downs’ Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic twice.
But Ellis Park has special meaning to Bradley, who is from Frankfort, Ky., but spent parts of many summers here with his late father, Fred, a product of nearby Providence, Ky., who considered Ellis his hometown track.
“I did grow up around here in a sense,†Bradley said.  “My dad brought me down here quite a bit at an early age. That’s probably been more than 40 years ago that I was coming with him.
“It’s a laid-back atmosphere; everybody is friendly and has a lot of fun here.â€
Brass Hat will parade July 16 at Ellis Park on TAA Day
At age 9, Brass Hat finished a good second in Ellis Park’s Cliff Guilliams Memorial behind future Grade 1 winner Turallure, then winning Keeneland’s Grade 3 Sycamore in his penultimate career start. Brass Hat will return to Ellis Park on Sunday, July 16, to parade and be on display in the paddock as part of the festivities for Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Day at the track. Joining him will be King of Speed, his former stablemate and now paddock buddy at Bradley’s Indian Ridge Farm. King of Speed ran 15 times at Ellis in a career spanning 111 races. Both horses had second careers in the show ring after retiring from the track.
The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance accredits and helps fund facilities that rehab, retrain for second careers and adopt-out retired racehorses.
Borel inducted into Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame
Calvin Borel, the only jockey to win the Kentucky Derby three times in a four-year span, missed Saturday’s opening card to attend his induction into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches, La. He is only the 10th person enshrined for horse racing. Borel also is a member of the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame.
Among those inducted with Borel into the Louisiana hall were former NFL star Ed Reed, golfer David Toms and major-league baseball standout Juan Pierre.
“It was awesome, to be around people who were born and raised where I was and to see them come back,†Borel said. “It brought back a lot of memories. It was pretty cool.â€
Yes, that was 30-1 odds on Asmussen allowance winner
There’syourtrouble, 12-1 in the morning line and coming off victory in a maiden special-weight race, would have seemed more likely to go off at 3-1 than 30-1 for Hall of Famer and 2016 Ellis champion trainer Steve Asmussen. But the cleverly-named 3-year-old daughter of Into Mischief (and out of the mare Wickedly) ran down 25-1 shot On Probation in the stretch to win Monday’s $41,000 allowance feature by 1 1/4 lengths, covering 5 1/2 furlongs on firm turf in 1:01.42 and paying $63.20 to win in her turf debut.
It was There’syourtrouble’s fourth lifetime start, all this year, and coming after she won a six-furlong maiden race at Indiana Grand by 2 1/2 lengths under apprentice Katie Clawson. The filly is owned by her breeders, Charles and Ben Kidder and Nancy Cole.
“I know she just broke her maiden at Indiana Grand, and she’s was running against fillies who have been running in allowance races,†said jockey Alonso Quinonez, who this year returned to Kentucky, where he competed early in is career, after spending a decade in California. “But she was feeling super-good. I said, ‘I’m just going to let her have her own trip, and if she’s good enough she’s going to win.’ And she did. She was pretty professional.â€
“She couldn’t read the Form,†said Christy Hamilton, who oversees Asmussen’s Ellis Park division. “She’s a really nice filly who is coming into herself and performing tremendously. I’m extremely proud of her and the team behind her and grateful for the opportunity from the owners and Steve to work with her.â€
One happy couple after the race was Dennis and Rachel Johnson from Hancock County, who came to Ellis to celebrate their fourth anniversary a day early. The Johnsons were having no luck handicapping, so Dennis told Rachel just to pick three numbers.  Rachel came up with the 2, 5 and 10, with Dennis boxing the 10 (There’syourtrouble) and 2 (On Probation) for $2 to bag the $1,633 exacta. Throwing in the 5, he also had a $1 trifecta box with favored No. 5 Jet Away Sue, hitting for another $7,199 while betting a total of $10.
“I had one horse that I particularly liked the name, that was the 10,†Rachel said. “Then I chose the two digits in his age. It happened to be two of those had really high odds. He laughed and said it would be a miracle if those two horses came in. We really did not expect anything near a winner.â€
Sprinting out: Ellis Park ends its four-day holiday run with Tuesday’s July 4 card, then goes to its regular Fridays through Sunday schedule…. Friday is the first Meet the Announcer promotion, where fans can sign up for a chance to go to the announcer’s booth and meet Jimmy McNerney, seeing how he prepares for and calls a horse race. Saturday is the ever-popular ostrich and camel races. That morning announcer Jimmy McNerney and paddock analyst Joe Kristufek conduct the first of their handicapping seminars held every Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Central in the first floor of the clubhouse. Programs, coffee and donuts are free to attendees …. Making of a Racehorse, the fan-education initiative staged in collaboration with Ellis Park and the Kentucky HBPA that represents the track’s owners and trainers, will start July 22, being held every Saturday thereafter throughout the meet. The free event begins at 7:30 a.m. Central by the starting gate positioned in the mile chute, with the public able to park close by in the south end of the parking lot past the clubhouse. Fans learn about the preparation that goes on in the mornings to get a horse ready to run in the afternoons.
Photos: Kiss My Note, with Calvin Borel up, won Ellis Park’s first race Monday for trainer Buff Bradley’s 500th career victory. Head shot of Buff Bradley, and winner’s circle presentation. Bottom right is There’syourtrouble and jockey Alonso Quinonez winning the allowance feature. Credit for all: Coady Photography
