Race Analysis:
This $50,000 Grade II event was contested over 2 1/16th miles at
Saratoga on August 5th. Campanile asserted himself as the pro-tem
leader of the handicap division by winning his second Grade II steeplechase
stake race in a row. Harrowman lead the race for the first 10 of
11 fences but jumped poorly at the 10th fence. Campanile, who had
stalked Harrowman up until that point, took advantage of Harrowman's
miscue and was gunned through a small opening on the rail to take
the lead going into the far turn in an aggressive move by his jockey
Blythe Miller. Campanile held his lead around the turn but was challenged
coming to the last fence by Ninepins and Willstown. Those three
jumped the last fence together and fought to the finish in an exciting
stretch drive. Campanile edged away from Ninepins in the final sixteenth
to prevail by a neck. Willstown faded through the drive was passed
in deep stretch by Approaching Squall. Heavy favorite Brigade of
Guards, who won this stake race in 1997 and was just beat a nose
in last year's edition, had several bad fences and left the course
before the final jump. The winning time of 3:40.09 was 3 and 3/5ths
of a second off the track record of 3:36.2 set by Hudson Bay in
1996.
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Campanile leads Brigade of
Guards, Ninepins, Approaching Squall and Willstown in the A.P.
Smithwick. |
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Campanile returns to the winner's circle after capturing
his second Grade II victory in a row.
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The complete results are listed below:
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Entries/Results:
|
FP
|
Horse
|
lbs
|
Jockey
|
Trainer
|
Owner
|
| 1 |
Campanile |
142 |
B. Miller |
Elliot |
Gregory D. Hawkins |
| 2 |
Ninepins |
144 |
Kingsley |
Sheppard |
Hudson River Stable |
| 3 |
Approaching Squall |
150 |
Clancy |
Voss |
The Fields Stable |
| 4 |
Willstown |
138 |
Boucher |
Sheppard |
Augustin Stable |
| 5 |
Harrowman |
146 |
C. Miller |
Sheppard |
R.D. Hubbard |
| PU |
Brigade of Guards |
154 |
Kiser |
Voss |
The Fields Stable
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Smithwick Biography: A. P. (Paddy) Smithwick rode 398 steeplechase
winners during his career, second only to Joe Aitcheson's total
of 440. Mr. Smithwick was the nations leading steeplechase jockey
in 1956, 1957, 1958, and again in 1962. He won the Temple Gwathmey,
at the time the country's most prestigious steeplechase race, run
in the late fall at Belmont Park, four times. He won the Meadowbrook
Handicap and the Georgetown Handicap six times each, the International
Handicap and the Beverwyck Handicap five times each, and the New
York Turf Writers and the Grand National three times each. Mr. Smithwick
said the greatest horse he ever rode was Mrs. Ogden Phipps three-time
champion Neji, who retired in 1960 as the leading steeplechase earner
of all time. In 1958 Mr. Smithwick was aboard Neji when he won the
Grand National carrying 173 pounds. Forced to retire from riding
in 1966 after a spill at Monmouth Park that left him partially paralyzed
in the left arm, Mr. Smithwick went on to train two stakes winners
on the flat including Bel Sheba, the dam of Kentucky Derby winner
Alysheba and a ful sister to the dam of Campanile's sire, Lear Fan.
Mr. Smithwick died of cancer at the age of 46 in 1973, shortly after
he was inducted into the Racing Hall Of Fame.
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Pedigree
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Breeding Analysis:
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Campanile is a 5-year-old gelding by Lear Fan out of Irish Jody,
who is by Irish Tower. He was bred in Illinois by the Bond Stable.
Campanile is in-bred 4x4 to the speed favoring blue hen Rough Shod
II through the full brothers Lt. Stevens and Ridan. Other notable
race horses in-bred to Rough Shod II include 1996 steeplechase champion
Correggio and 1998 Japan Cup (Grade I) winner El Condor Passa. Campanile
has a dosage profile of 2-3-15-0-0, a dosage index of 1.67 and a
center of distribution of 0.35.
Campanile's sire, Lear Fan, was a Grade I stakes winner in Europe.
He was a consistent racehorse who won 5 of his 8 starts and finished
off the board only once in his career. Lear Fan was undefeated as
a 2-year-old, including a victory in the Grade II Laurent Perrier
Champagne at 7 furlongs. As a 3-year-old in 1984, Lear Fan won the
Grade I Prix Jacques le Marois and the Grade II Craven Stakes, both
contested at a mile, defeating Palace Music and Rainbow Quest. He
ran 2nd in the Grade I Prix du Moulin de Longchamp to Mendez and
was 3rd in the Grade I Two Thousand Guneas to El Gran Senor. Lear
Fan has sired four Grade I winners: Ryafan was the Champion Turf
Mare in 1998 after winning Grade I races in the England, France
and the United States; Windsharp was the Champion Turf Mare and
Champion Older Mare in Canada in 1995; Sikestown was the Champion
2-year-old in Italy in 1988 and and the Champion 3-year-old in 1989;
and Loup Solitare was highweight at two in France after winning
the Grade I Grand Citerium. Lear Fon is out of the Lt. Stevens mare
Wac, a full sister to Bel Sheba, the dam of Alysheba. Bel Sheba
was trained by Hall of Fame steeplechase jockey Paddy Smithwick.
Lear Fan has an Average Earning Index of 2.19. The average winning
distance of his progeny in North American open stakes races is 8.5
furlongs on the dirt and 9.4 furlongs on the turf. He stands at
Gainesway for a stud fee of $25,000.
Lear Fan is a son of Classic chef-de-race Roberto, the Champion
2-year-old colt in Ireland in 1971. As a 3-year-old, Roberto won
the English Derby and the Coronation Cup, both of which are Grade
I races contested at 11/2 miles. Roberto is by Hail To Reason, a
son of Turn-To by the Nearco sire Royal Charger.
Campanile's dam, Irish Jody, won 9 of 18 starts including 3 stakes
races at Canterbury Downs. In addition to Campanile, she has produced
stakes winner Will Post Bond, by Cryptoclearance, and two other
winners from four foals of racing age. Irish Jody is a half sister
to stakes winner Sweet Alex and to Landmark Decision, who produced
stakes winner Green Boundary, the dam of stakes winners East of
Easy and Trevelyan.
Irish Jody is by Irish Tower, a consistent sort who won stake races
at ages 2, 3 and 4. Irish Tower had his greatest success at age
4 when he won the Grade II Excelsior Handicap as well as the Grade
III Stymie and Grey Lag Handicaps; he was the highweight in all
three of those victories. That same year (1981) Irish Tower finished
2nd in both the Grade I Metropolitan Handicap to Fappiano and second
in the Grade II John B. Campbell Handicap to Relaxing, the dam of
Easy Goer. Irish Tower is by Irish Castle, a son of Bold Ruler.
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Race Analysis | Entries/Results
| Pedigree | Breeding
Analysis
