Capsized Back on Turf for Sunday's Sea O'Erin

Graded stakes winner Capsized may rates the mild edge when he faces seven rivals in the $150,000 Sea O' Erin Breeders' Cup Mile Sunday on the turf at Arlington Park.

The race, which includes $50,000 from Breeders' Cup fund for eligible horses, serves as a final local prep for the $1 million NetJets Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) which will be run here Oct. 26 as part of the World Thoroughbred Championships.

The Sea O' Erin and the $400,000 Washington Park Handicap (gr. II), also on Sunday's 10-race card, will be shown live on NBC as part of a 90-minute "NTRA Road to the World Thoroughbred Championships" telecast that begins at 3:30 p.m. Central time.

Capsized, who races for the partnership of Stonerside Stable LLC & Gold Spur Stable, won the Fourstardave Handicap (gr. III) over a sloppy main track at Saratoga Race Course on Aug. 24. The race was initially carded for the turf, where the son of Summer Squall had captured his previous start one month earlier.

The 6-year-old horse is graded stakes placed on the lawn, finishing third over that surface in the Appleton Handicap (gr. II) at Gulfstream Park in January and second there in the Canadian Turf Handicap (gr. III) a month later. He also ran third in the Fort Marcy
Handicap (gr. III) at Aqueduct in April.

Trainer Lisa Lewis has secured Hall of Fame rider Gary Stevens to ride Capsized, who will carry 116 pounds in the Sea O' Erin.

Starting highweight at 117 pounds is Buenos Dias, who employed front-stepping tactics when taking top honors in the $50,000 Lure Stakes at Pimlico earlier this month. Previously, the Lawrence Murray-trained son of Mt. Livermore captured the $75,000 Independence Day Handicap at Mountaineer Park and last year won the $100,000 Pennsylvania Governor's Cup at Penn National.

Illinois-bred Mystery Giver, who finished last of nine in the Arlington Million (gr. IT) last month, looks to rebound from that effort in the Sea O' Erin. The son of Dynaformer beat fellow state breds in the $90,450 Cardinal Handicap here in June and endured a tough trip when finishing fifth in the $225,000 Arlington Handicap (gr. III) the following month. Earlier this year, he bested open rivals in the $150,000 Fair Grounds Breeders' Cup Handicap in New Orleans.

Appleton Handicap hero Pisces looks for his third graded stakes score of the year. In addition to the Appleton, he was adjudged the victor of the Louisville Handicap at Churchill Downs (gr. IIIT) in June after the disqualification of Two Point Two Mill in that 1 3/8-mile turf test. In two starts since, the son of Prized ran second in the Stars and Stripes Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IIIT) here on July 6 and was second in the Miami Mile Breeders' Cup (gr. IIIT) at Calder Race Course earlier this month.

$150,000 Sea O' Erin, 1 mile on turf, 3 & Up
PP, Owner/Horse (Jockey, Wgt.)
1. James D. Tilton Jr.'s Noble Ruler (Jorge Chavez, 114 pounds)
2. Team Block's Mystery Giver (Rene Douglas, 116)
3. John Castro's Al's Dearly Bred (Seth Martinez, 115)
4. Mrs. & Michael P. Brickman's Smilin' Slew (Earlie Fires, 115)
5. Sondra D. Bender's Buenos Dias (Horatio Karamanos, 117)
6. Diamond C Stables' Pisces (Robby Albarado, 116)
7. Stonerside Stable LLC & Gold Spur Stable's Capsized (Gary Stevens, 116)
8. Coast To Coast Racing Fund LLC's Mercenary (Frank Lovato Jr., 114)