Gazumba | Golden
Dynasty | Harlem
Rocker | Holy
Knight | Hot
Bullet | Powerful
Storm
Harlem
Rocker Race
Results
Date |
Race |
Distance |
Result |
Purse
(US Dollars) |
Earnings
(Estimated) |
| August 23rd,
2008 |
Saratoga
Springs, NY - Travers Stakes |
1 1/4 Miles |
4th
|
$1,000,000 |
$40,000 |
| July 13th, 2008 |
Fort Erie (Canada) - Prince of Wales Stakes |
1 3/16 Miles |
1st |
$495,400 |
$297,240 |
| June 1st, 2008 |
Woodbine (Toronto Canada) - Plate Trial |
1 1/8 Miles |
4th |
$151,781 |
$9,059 |
| April 26th,
2008 |
Aqueduct
- The Withers Stakes |
1 Mile |
1st |
$142,500 |
$90,000 |
| March
30th, 2008 |
Gulfstream
Park - Allowance |
1 Mile |
1st |
$42,500 |
$25,500 |
| February
14th, 2008 |
Gulfstream
Park 7F - Maiden Special Weight |
7 Furlongs |
1st |
$40,000 |
$24,000 |
3 Years
Old |
5
Unique Tracks Raced (4 Dirt, 1 Artificial) |
|
4
Wins |
$1,872,181 |
$485,799 |
Harlem
Rocker Current
Status
(Updated
07-15-2008) |
|
|
Current Status:
Training at Saratoga Racetrack in Saratoga Springs, NY. |
Quick
Harlem Rocker Update
September
13TH, 2008
It
looks like Harlem Rocker is headed to the $150,000 Grade II Jerome
Handicap on October 5 at Belmont Park. Its also possible he may
run on November 29 in the Grade I Cigar Mile Handicap at Aqueduct
racetrack. I am not sure if I will make it out to Belmont to see
the race. I've never been, and it might be exciting to go, but
I have been doing A LOT of traveling lately, and a trip to Belmont
and fighting the tolls and the bridges may be a bit much. We'll
see though. I also may be camping in the Adirondacks too, so we'll
see, we'll see.
Travers
Coverage
August
24TH, 2008
Well,
we went out to the Travers this year and had a great time. I am
pretty devastated that Harlem Rocker didn't win, but I have to
tell myself that 4th place against those top horses is actually
really good. I am working on going through all my photos from the
weekend (All 270 of them). For now, here is a start of the Travers
Gallery. Visit the gallery for my thoughts on the trip, and
the race.
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Harlem
Rocker
Photographed: 08-23-2008
Camera: Canon SD850IS |
Harlem
Rocker
Photographed: 08-23-2008
Camera: Canon SD850IS |
Mambo
In Seattle
Photographed: 08-23-2008
Camera: Canon SD850IS |
Harlem
Rocker Headed for the Travers?
July
18TH, 2008
Grumblings
are afoot on the NTRA and picked up by ESPN today that Harlem Rocker
could be headed for the Travers at Saratoga this August. The $1
Million Mid Summer Derby is one of the biggest races of the summer.
Quotes from Pletcher:
"Harlem
Rocker, who remained undefeated on dirt with his victory in the
Prince of Wales Stakes last Sunday, could make his next start in
the $1 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga, trainer Todd Pletcher
said Thursday. "I would say it's a possibility; I haven't
had a chance to speak with the Stronachs yet, but the spacing is
good," Pletcher said..."
Do
dreams come true? Being a pessimist, I would usually say no. But
I've been dreaming of seeing Harlem Rocker in the Travers since
he won his Maiden Race. We've got our tickets already, and man,
the Travers is one hell of a fun party each summer as it is. I
can't imagine how awesome it would be if we had a horse running
in it... and he won. Keeping all my fingers crossed...
Articles:
Pletcher
eyes Travers for Harlem Rocker - From NTRA
Pletcher
eyes Travers for Harlem Rocker - And some more Pletcher Horse
Updates from ESPN
Racing
Blog with Travers Rumors - Timesunion.com Blog
Thoughts
on the Race
July
15TH, 2008
Harlem
Rocker really looked ready to go for this race. Walking by to the
paddock area he had his ears perked up and was ready to go. During
the warm up, Eibar Coa did not use a track rider and Harlem Rocker
bounced about playfully, he was ready to race. Coa gave HR a trot
by on the way to the gate, and we were eager to see what he could
do. As the track announcer had said, the speed was winning today,
but that was only for shorter distances, we felt Harlem Rocker
could run his race and beat this field.
It
took a little for Harlem Rocker to get into the gate, which had
me a bit worried. We would read latter that he's a feisty horse
and usually takes a little effort to get in. Out of the gate Harlem
Rocker settled into 5th with East End Tap beside
him in 4th, and a trio of front runners sprinted to the front.
Coming around the third turn, it seemed as though Harlem Rocker
started to break a little early. We would read latter that Coa
did this to get the jump on Not Bourbon, and prevent getting stuck
on the inside.
Already
starting his run, HR broke 3 wide onto the front straightaway and
started towards the finish. I was a little worried as East End
Tap appeared to close on him, but HR broke free again and won by
2-3 lengths. We were right on the front stretch rail to get the
great photos you can see of the race in the gallery. We were overjoyed
with his win, and we made some $$$ in the process.
From
what we are told, next up is "a race in Saratoga". I'm hopping
this means the Travers.
Prince
of Wales Stakes Results -
PDF File 
Harlem
Rocker Wins 2008 Prince of Wales Stakes
July
13TH, 2008
Today
Tracy and I drove the short distance (1 hour) to Fort Erie Canada
to witness the running of the Prince of Wales Stakes. Harlem Rocker,
the horse we own a share of through Adena Racing Venture 2 and
Horse Hats Racing Club was running in the $500,000 8th race. Morning
Line Odds were 2-1 but he eventually went off as the 4-5 favorite.
We made some bets and were highly confident of a win. Harlem Rocker
did not disappoint, and won by a length over East End Tap. It was
a great race, and a great day. View a bunch of the photos I took
in our Harlem Rocker Prince
of Wales Stakes Photo Gallery.
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Harlem
Rocker - 2008
Photographed: 07-13-08
Camera: Canon S700IS |
Reaching
for the Finish!
Photographed: 07-13-08
Camera: Canon S700IS |
Dusty
and a Winner!
Photographed: 07-13-08
Camera: Canon S700IS |


Visit
the Gallery for More Images!
Harlem
Rocker to Race in Prince of Wales Stakes
July
9TH, 2008
Harlem
Rocker is set to run Sunday, July 13th in the Prince of Wales Stakes
at Fort Erie Racetrack. Located just over the Peace Bridge near
Buffalo NY, this track hosts the second leg of the Canadian Triple
Crown. The race is 1 3/16 mile on a dirt oval. The total purse
is $500,000. 8 Horses will partake in this years running.
Harlem
Rocker drew post 4, and has morning line odds of 2-1. The favorite,
Queens Plate Winner Not Bourbon drew post 7 and odds of 7-5. I
think harlem Rocker has had some good workouts lately, and will
do well. Looks like Eibar Coa is back up top. I am planning on
making the trip to the track, as I only live about a 1.5 hours
away.
Harlem
Rocker Update - Pointed Saratoga Way...
June
15TH, 2008
For those of
keeping track, Harlem Rocker had a poor polytrack outing in his
Queen's Plate trial. I was wondering how often he worked the track,
and If they had an idea he may not like the polytrack or not. With
such low odds 1-5, I did not make a bet on him in the trial, and
he disappointed, finishing 4th. The plan was to continue training
and work towards the $1,000,000 Queen's Plate on June 22nd (Is
that in Canadian or American $$$$?).
Things were looking
up I felt when Harlem Rocker turned in a bullet workout Saturday.
- Date: June
14, 2008
- Track: Woodbine
- Distance:
Five Furlongs
- Time: 58:20
- Track Condition:
Fast
- Surface:
All Weather Track
- Rank: 1/70
I was eagerly
looking forward to seeing him race next weekend, and had plans
to make the trip up to Woodbine for a day of betting and racing.
Then we got this update from Dave W:
"Although
Harlem Rocker's workout yesterday at Woodine was fast, he still
didn't like the track. He appeared uncomfortable on the surface
and Adena feels that it will probably be in his best interest
to skip the Queens Plate.
The plan
now is for him to reunite with Pletcher at Belmont and start
looking for a race at Saratoga."
Doh! Rats, I
had hoped to see him this weekend. But even more disappointing,
was that he had skipped the Preakness because it was felt his best
route was the Queen's Plate. I think he could have given Big Brown
(who I never liked anyway, and is obviously beatable) a run for
his money.
BUT... I have
said all along I'd love to see this horse race Saratoga, so maybe
this is a blessing in disguise. The Jim Dandy is held at the end
of July and the past 3 winners (Street Sense, Bernardini, and Flower
Alley) have all gone on to race and win the Travers. I love Saratoga,
and I would love to see Harlem Rocker win there... and take out
Big Brown in August!
Harlem
Rocker, Not So Hot...
June
2ND, 2008
Well, we all
knew that Harlem Rocker was headed towards the Plate Trial on June
1st, but official confirmation never came until Forday afternoon.
I was out of town this weekend, or else I would have made the trip
up there, for what prmoised to be a easy race. I had hoped to make
a heft y wager on this race, and make some nice scratch, but when
I saw the past perfomrances the only horse in the same league as
Harem Rocker was Not Bourbon. From what I saw, Harlem Rocker would
go off at very poor (betting) odds. I was not surprised when morning
line odds came out a 1/1 for Harlem Rocker. There was no money
to be made here on what would obviously be a Harlem Rocker / Not
Bourbon Exacta.
Queen's
Plate Trial Past Performance - PDF File 
After I saw the
morning line odds, I decided not to bet. I figured he would go
off around 1/5 for 1/3, and what is the point of wagering $100
to win maybe $25? When you could easily lose that $100, as anything
can happen in horse racing. If Harlem Rocker had worked out on
the Polytrack, I may have felt more confident in betting. How would
he behave on the poly track? Well, the answer may have been poorly.
I never saw the
race (link anyone?) but from Dave W. "Harlem Rocker ran
4th today in the Plate Trial at Woodbine. He seemed to struggle
on the surface and this may be a case of a horse not liking polytrack.
He looked to be "swimming" a bit around the final turn
and failed to launch into his usual stretch run."
Queen's
Plate Trial Results - PDF File 
Race
Audio File - 2.89MB MP3 
More info from
Dave W. about Harlem Rocker's Performance "I spoke with Adena
today about Harlem Rocker and he seems to have come
out of the race OK. As of now, the plan is for HR to remain at Woodbine.
They have not given up on the Queen's Plate as an immediate target and want
HR to have a chance to train over the Woodbine surface before making a final
decision about his ability to handle that kind of track.
Coa said this after the
race: "He kind of made a move and realized
it wasn't his game and he decided not to run. He never made me feel
that he was handling it at the beginning of the race, I wasn't worried
about it. But he never picked up the bit."
Coa told Adena that the
distance was not the problem, and that HR was not really acting
like himself prior to the race either. He did
not load easily, and never really got into the bit at all during
the race. I'm sure we will get some updates on his training over
the next week or so and will let you know how he is doing."
Here are a few
more articles on Harlem Rocker's Disappointing performance:
From Blood Horse: Harlem
Rocker Empty in Plate Trial
From the Toronto
Sun: Not
So Hot...
Toronto Sun - Praise
for Harlem Rocker (Before the Race)
Well, I don't
know what to think now. It would be easy to say, well the horse
didn;t like the poly, but how do we bet him at the Queen's Plate
now? Which horse will show up? I plan on trying to make the trip
our for the Queen's Plate this month. I can't wait to get some
photos of this fine horse. I hope he can rebound.
Kind
Words for Harlem Rocker
May
13TH, 2008
ESPN
has a pretty good article with some quotes about Harlem Rocker
not running the Preakness. Expect big things from him in the
future!
"Harlem
Rocker's defection may have made Big Brown's task a little easier.
Harlem Rocker was coming off a victory in the Withers Stakes at
Aqueduct, and worked sharply on Sunday morning on Belmont Park's
training track. But Frank Stronach, who bred and owns Harlem Rocker
- and whose Magna Entertainment owns Pimlico - decided not to run
after conferring by telephone from his native Austria with Harlem
Rocker's trainer, Todd Pletcher. "He felt like it's early
in this horse's career, [and] it's a long year," Pletcher
said in his Belmont Park barn office Monday morning. "He wants
to play it conservative for now."
and from Pletcher...
"So, rather
than run in the Preakness, Harlem Rocker's goal is now the Queen's
Plate at Woodbine on June 22, a race that is restricted to Canadian-breds.
Pletcher wanted to go to the Preakness, in which Big Brown will
be racing on just two weeks' rest for the first time in his career. "The
horse is doing well," Pletcher said. "He had a very good
breeze. You could make the case now might be the right time to
catch Big Brown. But there are a lot of important races down the
road."
and from Dutrow...
"Richard
Dutrow Jr., who trains Big Brown, had said last week that the Preakness
rival he would fear most was Harlem Rocker. When informed on Monday
that Harlem Rocker was passing the race, Dutrow said, "I'm
happy he's out. How could I not be happy about it?" "Plus," Dutrow
added, laughing, "I don't like beating Stronach in big races."
Harlem
Rocker Not Preakness Bound
May
12TH, 2008
We
got an update from Dave W. about the plans for Harlem Rocker.
"Mr.
Stronach has decided not to send Harlem Rocker to the Preakness.
He will continue to train for the Queen's Plate and that will be
his immediate goal."
So
that's it, he will not be headed to the Preakness. Harlem Rocker
worked 5 furlongs in 1:00:10 Sunday morning, and an article
at NTRA had this to say: "If Harlem Rocker runs in the
Preakness, he would most likely be the second betting choice behind
Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown. If Harlem Rocker doesn’t
run, Behindatthebar could become the second choice."
From
Pletcher: "That was the best I’ve ever seen the gray
horse work," Pletcher said of Harlem Rocker. "He’s
not traditionally a real willing horse, he was very willing this
morning."
The
latest from NTRA.com on Harlem
Rocker passing on the Preakness:
"Big
Brown’s task just got a little – or a lot – easier
with the decision of Harlem Rocker’s owner Frank Stronach
to bypass Saturday’s Preakness Stakes (gr. I) and await the
$1-million Queen’s Plate at Woodbine June 22."
“We
really believe the horse has a bright future, and (Mr. Stronach)
decided to take a step back right now,” Adena Springs Farm
managaer Dan Hall said. “Our next main objective will be
the Queen’s Plate. Todd (Pletcher) is very high on the horse
and wanted to run him in the Preakness, but we almost always take
the conservative approach, so we’re going to be patient and
stick to our program.”
I
think Giant Moon has a good shot at the Preakness. But with an
admittedly weak Kentucky Derby field, and no horses from that field
challenging Big Brown, how strong could the Preakness field really
be? I don't believe horse racing needs a triple crown winner like
indy car needed Danica Patrick. Do we really want someone with
as many drug suspensions as Dutrow to be the poster boy of thoroughbred
racing?
I
am really hoping that Harlem Rocker makes it to Saratoga this summer,
for the Jim Dandy, or my favorite, The Travers in August.
Withers
Photos and Preakness News
May
8TH, 2008
First
off, here is a neat article about the Preakness with a great quote
from Dutrow about Harlem Rocker:
"...and
Dutrow already is sizing up the prospective opposition for the
1 3/16-mile race. He said "Pletcher's white horse" -
Harlem Rocker, the Withers Stakes winner trained by Todd Pletcher
- is the only one that concerns him, but otherwise, a horse to
upset Big Brown "is going to have to be a really good one." "
Full
Article From ESPN Here: Dutrow
has it all figured out
I
love that quote!
Also,
here's the official Withers Photos. Here is the contact information
for ordering:
Adam Coglianese
NYRA / Official Track Photographer
718-659-2292

Photo
By: Adam Coglianese

Photo
By: Adam Coglianese

Photo
By: Adam Coglianese

Photo
By: Adam Coglianese

Photo
By: Adam Coglianese
As
a side not of fun, here's a little indirect shout out from Jen'
Thoroughbred's Blog:
"HARLEM
ROCKER is 80% owned by Stronach Stables and 20% by Adena Racing
Venture II, the 2nd of 3 syndicate packages of 6 horses offered
by Adena Springs. According to Adena, there are no Canadian owners
in the 20% but there sure a lot of fellow bloggers out there
who have little pieces of the grey colt."
Her
website offers an intersting look at what's going on in thoroughbred
racing, and a wide variety of information on the Queensplate and
other Canadian races
Harlem
Rocker to the Preakness?
May
6TH, 2008
Well
the word is floating around... Preakness. Will Harlem Rocker go
there or not? Word from Dave W is that the Stronach family is deciding
soon, with consultation with Pletcher as to what to do. The latest
update from Dave W:
"Harlem
Rocker is scheduled to workout this Saturday. Depending on how
he comes out of the work, Pletcher will determine if he should
go on to the Preakness or head to the Plate Trial. At this point
Mr. Stronach has decided to aim for the Preakness, but only after
getting the "A-OK" from Pletcher.We should know which
way we are headed late this weekend or early next week."
Harlem
Rocker has gotten some mentions in articles about to who will face
Big Brown in the Preakness. Here are a couple articles:
From
ESPN: Rivals
want no part of Big Brown in Preakness
From
Blood Horse: Dutrow
After Derby: 'The Horse is Good'
I
remember a race in April, where everyone thought the favorite would
win, and very few horses entered. It was the G3 Withers, and J
Be K was so favored he "scared" everyone away, and there
was a field of 4. Well, Harlem Rocker won that race. So here we
are, Big Brown, a big favorite heading into the Preakness, will
Harlem Rocker be there to unseat him?
Some
Withers Stats on Harlem Rocker
May
6TH, 2008
Dave
W sent us some stats on the best Beyer numbers for 3 year olds
this year. Harlem Rocker is in some good company with the 106 number
he put up at the Withers. From Dave W: "Harlem Rocker earned
a 106 Beyer number for his win yesterday in the Withers. That ties
us with Big Brown from a Beyer standpoint....Here is a list of
the best Beyer numbers by 3 year old colts this year:"
Horse
|
Track
|
Date
|
Distance
|
Beyer
Number
|
| Motovato |
CRC |
25 Apr |
7F |
111 |
| Bob Black
Jack |
SA |
26 Jan |
6F |
109 |
| Big Brown |
GP |
05 Mar |
1M |
106 |
| Big Brown |
GP |
29 Mar |
1 1/8 M |
106 |
| Harlem Rocker |
AQU |
26 Apr |
1M |
106 |
| Gattopardo |
LRL |
01 Mar |
7F |
103 |
| Gayego |
OP |
12 Apr |
1 1/8M |
103 |
| Georgie
Boy |
SA |
10 Feb |
7F |
103 |
| Gayego |
SA |
20 Jan |
6 1/2F |
102 |
Also
A Picture of Harlem Rocker after he passed J Be K in the stretch
(Courtesy of Equisport Photos):

Harlem
Rocker Still Pointed Towards Canada?
April
27TH, 2008
This
article from the Daily Racing Form mentions that Harlem Rocker
may still be pointed towards the Queen's Plate and the Queen's
Plate Trial at the start of the month of June. There's also a shout
out to the Adena Racing Venture, that we are a small part of. From
DRF:
Harlem
Rocker remains perfect in Withers
By DAVID GRENING
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Todd Pletcher's recent assault on North America's 3-year-old
graded stakes continued Saturday at Aqueduct when Harlem Rocker blew past odds-on
favorite J Be K inside the eighth pole to win the Grade 3, $150,000 Withers
Stakes by 2 1/2 lengths.
J Be K, who set
all the early fractions under Garrett Gomez, finished second by
7 3/4 lengths over Double or Nothing. Face the Cat was last.
The victory was
the third from as many starts for Harlem Rocker, a Canadian-bred
son of Macho Uno owned and bred by Frank Stronach. Harlem
Rocker is part of the Adena Springs Racing Venture, a package of
six Stronach-bred colts that Stronach owns with other partners.
For Pletcher,
the Withers victory comes two weeks after Monba and Cowboy Cal
ran one-two in the Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland and one week
after Behindatthebar won the Grade 2 Lexington Stakes, also at
Keeneland.
While the Withers
did produce 2006 Preakness winner Bernardini, Harlem Rocker is
most likely going to target the $150,000 Plate Trial Stakes at
Woodbine on June 1 and then the $1 million Queen's Plate on June
22.
Under Eibar Coa,
Harlem Rocker settled into fourth position while J Be K set fractions
of 23.91 seconds, 46.41, and 1:09.53 being chased by Double or
Nothing.
Harlem Rocker
moved into third after a half-mile, came four wide into the stretch,
went past J Be K inside the eighth pole, and drew clear while lugging
in somewhat late. Harlem Rocker ($6.60) covered the mile in 1:34.50.
"I was a
little bit concerned that he was a little bit too close today,
but he took me there himself so I kind of let him be,'' said Coa,
who has ridden Harlem Rocker in all three starts. "At the
five-sixteenths pole I thought if Garrett and J Be K are just good
enough they're going to draw off and beat me, but I knew he was
going to finish. At the end he started playing around just because
he's still green, but he showed he can compete against these horses.''
Harlem
Rocker Wins GIII Withers
April
26TH, 2008
Going
into the Grade 3 Withers 2008, there wasn't a lot of love for Harlem
Rocker. The experts were going the way of J Be K, and so were many
of the bettors. Harlem Rocker was getting some play, eventually
going off at 2:1. Here's a selection of articles from various online
publications about the race:
No
Love For Harlem Rocker at BetUs.com
Blood
Horse Describes the Small Field for the 2008 Withers
Daily
Racing Form Race 3 Analysis
There were 40
horses eligible for the 2008 Withers, but word on the street was
that J Be K scared most of them away. Here's a list of
the eligible horses:
Withers
2008 Nominations - PDF File 
So only 4 horses
showed up for the race. Harlem Rocker, J Be K, Double or Nothing,
and Face the Cat. I saw picks all over the board for this one,
but most online analysts, and the bettors went with J Be K.
I was able to
watch the race on TVG, and the analysts liked J Be K. "Simon" made
him his sole pick in his Pick 4 for the day. I hoped Harlem Rocker
would prove him wrong. Harlem Rocker was clean out of the gate,
J Be K to the front, followed by Double or Nothing, HRock and Face
the Cat. They stayed this way down the back stretch with J Be K
taking the lead and Harlem Rocker hanging Back in third with the
Cat. On the corner to the front stretch, Harlem Rocker made his
move, and Face the Cat started to fade. Harlem Rocker powered down
the stretch, passing J Be K who could not rally, and both of them
left Double or Nothing in the dust. Here's the results:
Withers
2008 Results - PDF File 
Wow, what a great
win. I love the way this horse races. Coa has him hanging back,
racing his race, not taking the urge to run up front.
Then he lets him loose to power down the stretch.
Race
Audio MP3 File 
What's next for
Harlem Rocker? Well, Stronach sure has been pushing his Adena Racing
Venture 3 in the Daily Racing Form each week. What better way to
promote the newest venture than by making a superstar out of your
horses from Venture 2. Promote this horse, keep him in the USA.
I'd love to see this horse follow Bernardini's
path of success. On to the Preakness and then a variety of
Summer dates taking him to Saratoga for the Jim Dandy and, my Favorite,
The Travers (which I already have hotel reservations for this summer).
Out of Ontario, this Horse is eligible for the Canadian Triple
Crown starting at Woodbine this summer. But who really hears that
much about the Queens Plate? I'd love to see him race the Preakness.
At the same time,
this horse seems well suited to the mile races. What can he do
at longer distances? He seems to be coming out of his races in
good shape, so he may be capable of more. This fan is voting PREAKNESS!
Results Publications:
Thoroughbred
Times - A Convincing Win
Blood
Horse - A Comfortable Win - With Race Video
Harlem
Rocker Path Forward
April
6TH, 2008
Got
an email from Dave W with this to say about Harlem Rocker:
"Todd Pletcher
spoke with Mr. Stronach and they have decided to map out a campaign
for Harlem Rocker with the Queens Plate as the focus. He will be
pointed towards the Withers S. (G3) at Aqueduct on April 26th.
Assuming he does well there he will then go on to the Plate Trial
at Woodbine on June 1, then the Queens Plate at Woodbine on June
22nd. This is of course subject to change but that is the working
plan.
The Queen's Plate
is the obvious target for Harlem Rocker as he is an Ontario bred
horse and the Stronach's have a residence in Canada. They won the
Queen's Plate with Awesome Again in 1997 and he turned out to be
quite a racehorse and sire."
I am not surprised,
as Dave W says Adena springs is based in Canada, so this was the
more obvious path. Hopefully Harlem Rocker will keep winning, otherwise
this is just idle speculation.
Harlem
Rocker Projections
April
6TH, 2008
With
Harlem Rocker's second win, now its time to look ahead at where
he may go next. As I speculated earlier, the Queens Plate at Woodbine
June 22nd is an option. We heard from Dave W, who has contact with
the decision makers. He said there are two potential options:
"The
plan for Harlem Rocker is to run in the Queens' Plate, which is
the first jewel in Canada’s Triple Crown of Thoroughbred
Racing and the longest continuously run stakes race in North America.
It is a 1 1/4 mile race for 3 year olds foaled in Canada and is
run at Woodbine and will be held on June 22nd this year.
...Mr.
Stronach is also considering the possibility of running in the
Preakness. He would have to obtain some graded earnings prior to
that and the races being discussed are the Lexington Stakes at
Keeneland, The Derby Trial at Churchill, and the Withers at Aqueduct.
There has been no decision made yet as to which way he will go
but I imagine we will hear something within a week or two."
I
looked up some of these races on the internet to check their past
fields. In 2006, The Withers was won by Bernardini, who then went
on to win the preakness. Bernardini won the Jim Dandy, Travers,
Jockey Club Gold, and finished second to Invasor at the Breeders
Cup. If you ask me, that's the path I'd like to see Harlem Rocker
take. :)
Winning
Photo:

Photo
By: Adam Coglianese
Harlem
Rocker Wins Again!
March
31ST, 2008

Photo
By: Adam Coglianese
Well
it had been a little quiet on the Adena Racing Venture 2 horse
ownership stage lately. A few workouts here or there, but not much
going on. Harlem Rocker's been putting in some great workouts,
and word from Dave W was that Pletcher was pointing him towards
an allowance race at the end of the month.
Last
3 Workouts:
- 03/24/2008-PALM
BEACH DOWNS-Five Furlongs-Dirt Good-1.00:20 Breezing
- 03/16/2008-PALM
BEACH DOWNS-Five Furlongs-Dirt Good-1.01:00 Breezing
- 03/09/2008-PALM
BEACH DOWNS-Five Furlongs-Dirt Good-1.00:00 Breezing
Then
word came out on the 28th of March that Harlem Rocker would run
this Sunday at Gulfstream Park again. A $42,500 Allowance race,
where he would be coupled with Barreling Home, another Adena Horse.
Harlem Rocker would be ridden once again by Eibar Coa. Morning
line odds were 4-5 meaning most handicappers had already caught
on to Harlem Rockers value. There was little point in racing out
to bet at such low odds, so we decided to settle back and watch
the race on TVG (Unfortunately TVG does not broadcast Gulfstream
races).
The
Daily Racing Form has Harlem Rocker chosen to win. DRF -
PDF File 
Track
Handicapper Ron Nicoletti picks Harlem Rocker to win. Nicoletti's
Picks - PDF File 
No
love from Pronosticos! Pronosticos Text
File (in spanish)
Free
Past Performances From Todd Pletcher - Past
Performances - PDF File 
Long
story short, Harlem Rocker broke well, settled back, then raced
hard around the final turn to win convincingly and be pulled up
at the finish. Lots of energy to spare there. He didn't pay much
$3.80 on $2 bet. The exacta and trifecta were light too.
Its
exciting to have another win and to think what may come next.
Sporting
News had this to say of the race:
"In
the second race of his career, the 3-year-old son of Macho Uno
showed explosive punch in the stretch to catch front-runner Samba
Rooster and capture the 8th race Sunday afternoon at Gulfstream
Park Racing & Casino."
Read
the full article here: Sporting
News, Harlem Rocker.
Jen
Morrison's Thorough-blog had this to say:
"TROTTIN'
TO A WIN: HARLEM ROCKER (photo at right from the Adena Racing
Venture website) romped in his 2nd career start yesterday at
Gulfstream (even with jockey Eibar Coa seemingly pulling him
up before the wire) and earned a lofty 95 BEYER FIGURE. The Canadian-bred
3yo can now be considered a strong contender for the QUEEN'S
PLATE along with COOL GATOR, who finished 5th in the Florida
Derby on Saturday. Harlem Rocker is owned by Stronach Stables/Adena
Racing Venture and trained by Todd Pletcher. The grey is by Macho
Uno and out of Freedom Come, Lit de Justice, a very fast mare
who raced mostly at 6 furlongs."
Read
all her thoughts here: Thorough
Blog.
What's
next? I don't know. A quick search of google.com on Harlem Rocker
shows he is nominated for the Queens Plate at Woodbine in Toronto
June 22nd. It's Canada's version of the Triple Crown.

Harlem
Rocker - Photo from Adena Springs
Race
Audio Added
February
23RD, 2008
I
added MP3 Audio for Harlem Rocker's win at Gulfstream on February
14th and Powerful Storm's come from behind second place finish
at Turfway on February 16th.
Harlem
Rocker Wins!!!
February
14TH, 2008
I managed to make it out to OTB to watch Harlem Rocker
race today. I liked his workouts and his Jockey (Eibar Coa) and Trainer
(Todd Pletcher) had really good results at the track. I placed a
$5 Win and a $5 Show bet on him. His Morning Line Odds were at 8/1
which would have been a great payday, but his pedigree and buzz about
him made sure he only went off at 7-2.
It was a great race. Harlem Rocker had a terrible start
and dropped into the trialing pack. Back by over 7 lengths at one
point. On the turn he started making up ground, and by the final
corner he went three wide and made for the lead. He seemed to race
down the stretch with little effort and won by 1 3/4 lengths.
The
local track guy, Ron Nicoletti picked Harlem Rocker to finish 1st,
and the sanish dude had him to place.
Photos
By: Adam Coglianese

  
From Dave W: Harlem Rocker won his debut race today
at Gulfstream despite a poor
start. It was an impressive race and Harlem Rocker
has a real easy way of moving and the race seemed almost effortless
for
him. His easy going style might be part of the reason that Pletcher did
not
have high hopes for him in this race. In his workouts he has not
overly
impressed Pletcher, but given the quality and quantity of horses
Pletcher has been around, that is understandable. Harlem Rocker might be the
kind of horse that only shows up on game
day,
and doesn't waste his time and efforts in the mornings.
Its too early to get overly excited about his future, but he certainly
did beat a very good group of maidens today. Assuming he comes out
of
the race in good order he will probably run in an allowance race
next
time out. Adena horses are not rushed, and he will not be put on
a
fast
track schedule in order to make any big springtime races.
Harlem
Rocker DRF Comments
February
13TH, 2008
Here are the comments from the Thursday edition of
the Daily Racing Form regarding Harlem Rocker:
Harlem Rocker:
Will get plenty of support at the windows because of the connections
involved; the grey's sire won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and 1.85
million; offspring of Macho Uno have won 3 of 31 debuts; the dam
was 4 of 9, 218K earner and this is her only foal to start.
Eighth Race
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Excess Capital 2. A Diehl 3. Harlem Rocker
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXCESS CAPITAL, a son of Distorted Humor, showed vast improvement
in his second start, finishing second in a very fast maiden race,
narrowly edging A DIEHL for the place. The latter was outfinished
by the top choice, but had a right to get a bit tired given that
he had not raced since a fourth-place at Saratoga in September.
HARLEM ROCKER earned his way into the Pletcher barn, despite being
one of the better-bred Stronach colts in training. Works further
suggest that this Macho Uno colt is runner and a threat at first
asking.
From Dave W:
I am still hearing from Adena that Harlem Rocker might need a race
or
two
to before
he starts winning, so take that into consideration
before heading to the windows....
Harlem
Rocker Entered
February
10TH, 2008 We
got a notice that Harlem Rocker is set to make his long anticipated
debut on February 14th,
8th
race at Gulfstream Park going 7F. Coa will be riding for Pletcher. It appears
as if they waited to find the toughest possible spot for him
to run in! At least 5 of the horses in the race look to be super
tough,
but after this race we should know just how good Harlem Rocker
might
be. He doesn't have to win this, and in fact Pletcher has said
that he
might need a race or two, but a good showing would be excellent
news.
As you all know he has
had a very steady work tab leading up to this
and
he should be very fit. When Adena inquired about the many workouts
Pletcher told them that he felt Harlem Rocker had a little "baby fat" that
he wanted to work off... I guess this means that the baby fat is gone and he
is ready to rock!
Pictures
and a General Update
January
31ST, 2008
We
got a couple horse photos of Holy Knight (half brother to Ghostzapper)
and Golden Dynasty (3/4 brother to Awesome Again and 1/2 brother
to Macho Uno). Both pictures were taken yesterday at Palm Meadows
in Florida.
Both of the MSW
races at Gulfstream on Feb 1 filled and Harlem Rocker did not get
in. They will more than likely enter him in the next
available race. Giant Gizmo, a horse from the 1st Adena Racing venture will
be running in the G2 Strub stakes this weekend at Santa Anita. We have NO ownership
Giant Gizmo, the info as a matter of interest, and to give us some hope that
maybe one day a horse from our venture (2) will make it to a Graded Stakes
race.

Photo
From Adena Springs
Another
Powerful Storm Entry and Harlem Rocker Update
January
17TH, 2008
We
got an update on Powerful Storm and Harlem Rocker. Powerful Storm
will make his second start in a 1 1/16 mile MSW at
Turfway Park on Saturday, Jan. 19th.
The extra distance should be to his advantage and Dale Romans has
expressed a bit more confidence in him than he did in his prior
race.
The race will be at about 6:00 pm, and the forecast is calling
for snow
early and freezing temperatures later in the day.
I heard yesterday that Harlem Rocker is getting close to his much
anticipated debut. They are looking at a 7f MSW race for him on Feb.
1
at Gulfstream. He is also a horse that will appreciate a route of
ground, so they are looking at this race as a stepping stone for
the
next one. They want him to have one under his belt before he is asked
to for his best effort.
Racing
Venture Update
December
31ST, 2007
We
got an this update on the racing venture today:
(Dave) spoke
with Adena this morning about Powerful Storm who is running
later today at Turfway. The racing mgr. is not very optimistic about
the horse at this point,
and thinks that the best thing we have going for us is the relatively
soft field we will be facing. Dale Romans has told Adena that he
is a "heavy" horse (too much weight on him) and that he
is a bit of a
plodder
in his works. They hope that he "wakes up" in the race and shows
them
a
little more speed than he has in the morning.
All of the trainers that
work for Adena are told only to run when the
horse is ready - there is no pressure to run early or to point to
anything specific, truly an ideal situation for any trainer. Adena
believes in giving all of their horses as much time as they need
to
develop which is evident in the fact that this is the first horse
from
the group of 6 to make a start as a 2 year old.
Harlem Rocker is progressing well and should start at Gulfstream
soon,
and Holy Knight is training steadily. Frank Stronach is a big fan
of
Holy Knight (He loves his intelligence and believes that he will
be a
very useful horse). Golden Dynasty is also training forwardly and
has
some believers as well. Hot Bullet is a horse that will benefit from
longer distances and is being given some time at Adena South (still
training) before heading back to the racetrack.
Harlem
Rocker
Update
November
12TH, 2007 We
got an update on Harlem Rocker, who worked 4F in 48.11 at Belmont
yesterday, galloping out in
:59 and change. Pletcher was pleased with the work and will breeze
him
again on Saturday and then look for a race the following week. He
feels that Harlem Rocker will be best suited to a route of ground,
but may
enter him in a 6F or 7F race for his first start. The Adena
crew in Ocala that broke Harlem Rocker think very highly of him and
are convinced that he is a very talented horse.
Racing
Update
November
8TH, 2007 Dave
says that the horse that is closest to making a start is HARLEM
ROCKER, who is with Todd Pletcher. He will probably start within
the
next few weeks, but you never know. Adena is extremely careful with
their horses and they are in no rush to get them to the track. It's
hard to argue with their philosophy as they are currently leading
owner and breeder, and have been for several years.
Harlem
Rocker Shipped Out
September
4TH, 2007
We
got an update that on August 31st Harlem Rocker shipped from
Adena Springs South to Todd
Pletcher in NY. He is probably 30-45 days from a race if all goes
according to plan. Pletcher will most likely have a string of horses
at
Belmont and Keeneland during that time frame, so he may make his first
start at either place.
The
Horses Get Shipped Out
May
30TH, 2007
We
heard from Adena that some of the horses have been assigned to
trainers and are shipping out to their respective tracks.
- Gazumba -
Still with Graham Bell at Adena Farm training center in Canada
will most likely go to Brian Lynch at Woodbine.
- Golden Dynasty
- with Bobby Frankel at Belmont
- Harlem Rocker
- still in Ocala
- Holy Knight -
with Bobby Frankel at Belmont
- Hot Bullet
- with Kiaran McLaughlin at Belmont
- Powerful Storm
- with Dale Romans at Churchill
Adena
Racing Venture 2 Details
May 10TH, 2007
The
club has sold out! Here is a PDF file presentation on the six horses
we have bought into.
Welcome
To Horse Hats Racing Club VI
May 9TH, 2007 Today
we just joined Horse Hats Racing Club VI. Horse Hats is probably
the best web site for buying horse racing hats. In addition to
the hats, on occasion the site owner will purchase shares in a
horse and then offer pieces of his share to anyone willing to pay
(and who can get in in time). The shares usually sell out quickly.
Our friend Mark got shares in Club V, and we bought shares in Club
VI.
In
this club we paid a little more money, but we also got a small
share in six horses instead of one. The six horses are all out
of the Adena Springs racing stable. Their names are Gazumba,
Golden
Dynasty, Harlem Rocker, Holy Knight, Hot Bullet, and Powerful Storm.
This web page will be your source, and my source for keeping track
of all the information I get regarding these horses. Will we ever
see a profit? Doubtful, but its more of a fun ride for us. |