Rick Samuels
Coglianese Photos
Kelly was recognized as one of the great trainers of his era. He was cherished as a friend and worshiped as a father and husband, but to everyone fortunate to have known him, he was one of the good guys.
There must be steel coursing through the veins of the Campbell family. Three generations of these steel-driving men have been blacksmiths, shoeing some of the finest Thoroughbreds on the East Coast.
A true iron horse - Evening Attire.
Hosted by Lenny Shulman and Steve Haskin, "And They're Off" is a bi-monthly online video series sponsored by Darby Dan Farm. This week's topics include a recap of the Breeders' Cup, including an analysis of the European performances, and a discussion of Horse of the Year.
To honor the hugely popular 10-year-old gelding's career, the New York Racing Association will host "Evening Attire Day" at Belmont Park on Saturday, October 25.
The old warrior Evening Attire, a stakes winner at age 10 and earner of nearly $3 million, has been retired due to a suspensory injury, co-owners and breeders Tommy Kelly and Joseph and Mary Grant announced Sept. 28.
Evening Attire, the 10-year-old gelding who qualified for a starting berth to the inaugural running of the Breeders' Cup Marathon by winning the Greenwood Cup by 8 1/4 lengths at Philadelphia Park Casino & Racetrack in July, will be entered as a main-track-only participant for the $80,000 John's Call Stakes at Saratoga Aug. 17.
Hosted by Lenny Shulman and Steve Haskin, "And They're Off" is a bi-monthly online video series sponsored by Darby Dan Farm. This week's topics include Hialeah, Jeremy Rose, the second season of racing.
MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter
Evening Attire remains at the top of his game, having just qualified for the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships by taking the "Win and You're In" Greenwood Cup Stakes at Philadelphia Park.
Five years after running in the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) at Santa Anita, Evening Attire will have a chance to run on America's richest day of racing once again, as the remarkable 10-year-old iron horse romped to a 8 1/4-length victory in the $250,000 Greenwood Cup at Philadelphia Park, in the process breaking a 16-year-old track record and locking up a berth in the newly-created Breeders' Cup Marathon.
Five years after his last appearance in the Breeders' Cup, wouldn't it be something if ageless iron horse Evening Attire could make a return trip to Santa Anita? That's exactly what the 10-year-old gelding has a chance to do July 19, as he goes to post in the $250,000 Greenwood Cup the first ever Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" event at Philadelphia Park Casino & Racetrack.
The following is a potpourri of stats, quotes, and anecdotes from the 140th Belmont Stakes, which provided plenty of excitement, controversy, and humor.
Delosvientos loped along on the lead of a $200,000 Brooklyn Handicap (gr. II) that was extended to the 1 1/2 mile distance, and the easy fractions he set enabled him to steal home the winner of the June 6 event at Belmont Park. Evening Attire, the Kelly family's hard-knocking 10-year-old contender, finished second.
Trainer Pat Kelly was about to take Evening Attire out of stakes competition, to try the 10-year-old gelding in a few allowance races or to pick spots in turf routes as a main-track-only entry. But the seasoned runner turned in such a solid performance in his last start that NYRA stakes coordinator Andrew Byrnes was able to convince Kelly to tackle the $200,000 Brooklyn Handicap (gr. II) at Belmont Park.
Elisabeth Alexander's Magna Graduate, winner of last year's $200,000 Excelsior Handicap (gr. III), will look to break a seven-racing losing streak when he returns to the 1 1/8-mile event at Aqueduct April 5.
Daaher was beaten soundly for the second consecutive race, this time in the Stymie Handicap March 1 at Aqueduct.
Angliana held off a late surge from 10-year-old Evening Attire to win the $81,600 Aqueduct Handicap by one length on Jan. 19.
Still going strong at age 10 and one of the most popular horses on the New York circuit, Evening Attire makes his 64th career start in the $75,000 Aqueduct Handicap Jan. 19.
In a day and age when retiring graded stakes winners as 3-and 4-year-olds is the now the norm, the Thoroughbred racing industry is in desperate need of older superstars. Gutsy horses that fans can get attached to and follow for the better part of a decade.
Nine-year-old gelding Evening Attire showed his best days are not behind him by winning the $104,900 Queens County Handicap (gr.III) by a head over Barcola Dec. 8 at Aqueduct.
Marital Asset is a newcomer to the stakes scene, but the A.P. Indy colt is coming off a pair of handy allowance wins and that could make him a player in the $100,000 Queens County Handicap (gr.III) at Aqueduct Dec. 8.
Hunting, a Stuart S. Janney III homebred and the longest price in a field of six, ran down 2-1 favorite Utopia in the final yards of the $108,500 Stuyvesant Handicap (gr.III) at Aqueduct to win by a length Nov. 17.
Trainer Mark Hennig knows Barcola is a superior horse over the Delaware Park surface. Now he wants to know if the colt can be as effective at Aqueduct, and he'll find out Nov. 17 in the New York track's $100,000 Stuyvesant Handicap (gr.III).
Fairbanks may have been the 7-10 favorite, but Fred Bradley's 6-year-old Brass Hat put the youngster in his place when they hooked up in a fierce stretch duel in the Sept. 22 running of the $500,000 Massachusetts Handicap at Suffolk Downs.
Evening Attire, Brass Hat, and Fairbanks headline Saturday's renewal of the $500,000 Massachusetts Handicap, a race that has not been run since 2004.
Joseph Allen's homebred Political Force exploited an opening at the head of the stretch and, in spite of drifting out late, rolled to a 1 1/4-length win in Saturday's $400,000 Suburban Handicap (gr. I) at Belmont Park.
Invasor, the defending Horse of the Year, heads a list of 16 nominations for Belmont Park's $400,000 Suburban Handicap (gr. I) on June 30, a race the Argentine-bred horse won in 2006.
Godolphin Stable's Utopia, a 7-year-old Japanese-bred who had not started since winning the 2006 Godolphin Mile (UAE-II) more than a year ago, stayed strong on the rail, overcoming a rough stretch run for a one-length victory in Wednesday's $107,700 Westchester Handicap (gr. III), the opening day feature of Belmont Park's 60-day spring/summer meet.
The Japanese-bred Utopia, winner of the 2006 Godolphin Mile (UAE-II), makes his United States debut in the $100,000 Westchester Handicap (gr. III) as Belmont Park begins a 60-day spring/summer meet Wednesday.
Marc Keller's Grand Couturier, third-place finisher in Saratoga's Sword Dancer (gr. IT) last summer as a 3-year-old, makes his season debut in Sunday's $100,000-added Fort Marcy Handicap (gr. IIIT) at 1 1/16 miles on the turf at Aqueduct.
Corinthian, after jumping in the air at the start, never reached contention, leaving the Excelsior Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. III) for second choice Magna Graduate under a picture perfect ride from John Velazquez for trainer Todd Pletcher.
Corinthian's comeback continues at Aqueduct on Saturday when he returns to New York in the $200,000 Excelsior Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. III) at nine furlongs on the main track.
Nine-year-old Evening Attire, who had not won in seven starts since a neck victory in the Stuyvesant Handicap (gr. III) in November of 2005, split horses in the lane and galloped on to a 2 1/4-length victory in Saturday's $72,605 Stymie Handicap at nine furlongs on Aqueduct's fast inner dirt track.
Homewrecker Stable's Three Hour Nap came through a narrow opening on the turn for home and scooted away to a hard-fought one-length victory over Summer Book in Saturday's $250,000 National Jockey Club Handicap (gr. III) at Hawthorne Race Course.
Entries for Hawthorne's "Big Stakes" Saturday card were drawn April 18 and a pair of grade III events for handicap horses, the National Jockey Club for the boys and the Sixty Sails for the girls, are spotlighted. Both races will be run over nine furlongs.
Old favorites Funny Cide and Evening Attire need top efforts to have an impact in an evenly matched 94th running of the $200,000-added Excelsior Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. III) Saturday at Aqueduct.
Phipps Stables' homebred Happy Hunting won his first stakes try Saturday as the favorite against a group of veteran campaigners in the $110,000 Aqueduct Handicap (gr. III).
Colita looked like a potential star when Team Valor Stables bought into him in 2003, but the son of Grindstone heads into Saturday's $100,000 Aqueduct Handicap (gr. III) still looking for his first stakes victory.
Pacesetting Philanthropist, passed in the stretch by two rivals, surged onward under strong left-handed urging from Eibar Coa to win the $105,400 Queen's County Handicap (gr. III) in his stakes debut at Aqueduct Saturday.
The venerable Evening Attire shoots for his ninth stakes win in Saturday's $100,000-added Queens County Handicap (gr. III) at Aqueduct.
Evening Attire returned to his favorite strip at Aqueduct to put an end to his nine race losing streak, grinding out a neck victory over West Virginia in the $108,600 Stuyvesant Handicap (gr. III) Saturday.
Trainer Pat Kelly would love to get his 7-year-old gelding Evening Attire, with just one win in his last 17 races, back to the winner's circle. With only five opponents to beat in Saturday's $100,000-added Stuyvesant Handicap (gr. III) at Aqueduct, he should have every chance.
One year after Certifiably Crazy and Dreadnaught staged a great stretch battle won by a nose by Dreadnaught, the two square off again Saturday in the $150,000 Red Smith Handicap (gr. IIT) at 1 3/8 miles on the Aqueduct turf.
The undefeated Shakespeare makes his graded stakes debut in the $200,000-added Belmont Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. IIT) Sunday at Belmont Park, taking on a field that includes grade I winner Meteor Storm and grade II winner Greek Sun.
Jay Em Ess Stable's homebred Suave overcame a stumbling start to give trainer Paul McGee his first Saratoga graded stakes victory, carrying jockey John Velazquez to a 2 ¾-length victory in the $245,000 Saratoga Breeders' Cup (gr. II) at 10 furlongs before a crowd of 55,503.
Offlee Wild, winner of the Suburban Handicap (gr. I) at Belmont Park in his last start, will face just five rivals Sunday in the Saratoga Breeders' Cup (gr. II) at the Spa. With Edgar Prado back up, the son of Wild Again will tote high weight of 118 pounds.
Offlee Wild took the lead rounding the far turn and then continued on gamely to win Saturday's $500,000 Suburban Handicap (gr. I) at Belmont Park by 1 1/4 lengths over 26-1 longshot Tap Day.
The Suburban Handicap (gr. I), the traditional holiday weekend feature at Belmont Park, may have lost one of it's big guns earlier in the week, but drew a strong field of eight headed by Pollard's Vision and fan favorite Funny Cide.
Funny Cide, the 2003 champion and dual classic winner, and grade I winner Evening Attire head a field of nine in Saturday's Brooklyn Handicap (gr. II) at Belmont Park. The two multi-millionaires, the only seven-figures earners in the 117th running of the race, competed against each other four times last year.
Everything went right for front-running Classic Endeavor, the former claimer who won Saturday's $112,100 Queen's County Handicap (gr. III) at Aqueduct for his fifth straight victory.
| Trainer | Patrick J. Kelly |
|---|---|
| Jockey | Cornelio H. Velasquez |
| Owner | Grant, Mary, Kelly, Thomas, J., Grant, Joseph, M. |
| Breeder | Thomas J. Kelly & Joseph M. Grant |
| Evening Attire View Five-Cross Pedigree | Black Tie Affair (IRE) | Miswaki |
| Hat Tab Girl | ||
| Concolour | Our Native | |
| Stachys |
No auction history found.
| Classic Empire |
| Tapwrit |
| Spooky Woods |
| Always Dreaming |
| Arrogate |
| Songbird |
| Unspoiled Moments |
| Flipcup |
| Gun Runner |
| Cloud Computing |
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