Spiral Stakes Receives 131 Nominations
Updated: Wednesday, March 2, 2011 11:04 AM
Posted: Tuesday, March 1, 2011 4:11 PM
Photo: Vassar Photography
El Camino Real Derby winner Silver Medallion is among the 131 nominations for the Vinery Racing Spiral Stakes.
The $500,000 Vinery Racing Spiral Stakes (gr. III), Turfway Park’s signature event for 3-year-olds, closed March 1 with 131 nominations.
The 40th running of the nine-furlong race will be held March 26 on Polytrack. Formerly known as the Lane’s End Stakes, the Vinery Racing Spiral Stakes was downgraded from grade II to grade III this year.
Among the local nominees are
Inhisglory, who won the Turfway Prevue, the first local prep for the race, and
Twinspired, who won the second local prep, the WEBN Stakes. The final prep is the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes, which will be run on March 5.
Inhisglory was moved to the barn of Michael Stidham after the Turfway Prevue, as owner Peter Redekop bought the gelding shortly before that race.
Twinspired is trained by Mike Maker for the partnership of Alpha Stables, Skychai Racing, and Sand Dollar Stable. Maker also nominated five others, including
Derby Kitten and
Derby Obsession for Ken and Sarah Ramsey. The trainer won this race last year for the Ramseys with Dean’s Kitten and also won in 2006 with Ron Peltz’s With a City.
The most nominated by one trainer is nine from the barn of Steve Asmussen, including Michael J. Ryan’s
Silver Medallion, who currently ranks 19th among 3-year-olds on the graded stakes earnings list after winning the El Camino Real Derby (gr. III) last month.
The Vinery Racing Spiral Stakes will highlight a 12-race card that includes four undercard stakes: the Bourbonette Oaks (gr. III), a prep for the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I); the Rushaway, also for 3-year-olds; and the Hansel and Queen stakes, both sprints.
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