9/2/2010

A FILLY'S GRASS DEBUT THURSDAY

She's bigger than most fillies, she's undefeated, and her owner-trainer calls her "my Zenyatta." That's where the similarities end between Zenyatta, the California supermare, and Lisa's Booby Trap, the 3-year-old fairytale filly with the club foot and blind left eye who makes her turf debut today in the $70,000 Riskaverse Stakes at the Old Spa after winning her first four starts by a combined 42¾ lengths.

Whereas Zenyatta's owner, A&M Records founder Jerry Moss, hobnobs with the Hollywood elite, Tim Snyder, when he bought Lisa's Booby Trap for $4,500 last winter, survived on a diet of day-old hotdogs scrounged from a local gas station, mixed with Ramen soup.

Since then Lisa's Booby Trap, named for Snyder's ex-wife and his favorite Florida strip club, has become a phenomenon. Lisa Snyder, before dying of ovarian cancer on Christmas Eve, 2003, a week before her 38th birthday, said she'd come back as a horse. Tim Snyder suspects she was right, and can Lisa (the horse) run. After romping in her first three starts at Finger Lakes, she blitzed stakes fillies in the Loudonville at Saratoga earlier this meet.

Now she heads for the inner turf course in the mile Riskaverse, split into two divisions run as the fourth and ninth races. Lisa's in the ninth, with post time at 5:31 p.m.

Why the switch to the grass? "A heavy, laboring racetrack does a lot of pulling and straining that she doesn't need," Snyder said. "She's got enough issues. The turf should be a lot easier on her than getting bogged down in that deep stuff.

"It's an experiment, but I think she'll handle it well if she goes like she did the other day."

Lisa tested the grass at the Oklahoma training course on Aug. 18. What started out as an "open gallop" under jockey Kent Desormeaux turned into a workout, as the clockers caught her going a sharp three furlongs in :35, though in truth the work was more like five furlongs in a minute flat.

"I think she's going to run back to her races at Finger Lakes, when she showed a lot more early speed," Snyder said.

A TV crew from NBC's Dateline will be on-hand to film the Riskaverse for a possible segment on Lisa's Booby Trap and her trainer, who also has book and movie deals in the hopper.

by Ed Fountaine
from nypost.com

On the New York worktab

Carter H. (G1) victor WARRIOR'S REWARD (Medaglia d'Oro), sixth in the Metropolitan H. (G1) most recently, logged a half-mile in :49 3/5 over Saratoga's fast main track on Wednesday. The Ian Wilkes runner is headed to Saturday's Forego S. (G1).

Toboggan S. (G3) hero WALL STREET WONDER (City Place), unraced since a last-place run in the May 1 Churchill Downs S. (G2), posted three panels in a bullet :35 3/5.

Multiple Grade 1 winner COURT VISION (Gulch), second by a neck two back in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (G1), covered three-quarters in 1:13 on the firm Oklahoma turf training course.

Grade 2 scorer EXPANSION (Maria's Mon), third in the Man o' War S. (G1) two back, posted a grassy half-mile in :50 1/5.

Grade 3 victress KEERTANA (Johar), runner-up last out in the De La Rose S., worked five-eighths on the green in 1:02.

Canadian Grade 3 winner BRIDGETOWN (Speightstown), winner of the Latham S. in his only start so far this season, breezed four furlongs in :49 3/5 on the turf.

MARY'S FOLLIES (More Than Ready), last seen taking the 2009 Mrs. Revere S. (G2), logged six furlongs in 1:14 3/5.

IT'S TEA TIME (Dynaformer), triumphant by 7 1/4 lengths in the Lake Placid S. (G2) last out, negotiated a half in :52 3/5 on the fast Oklahoma dirt training track.

Dual Grade 2 winner ANAK NAKAL (Victory Gallop), unraced since running a close fifth in last November's Clark H. (G2), worked four furlongs in :51.

Grade 3 winner THISKYHASNOLIMIT (Sky Mesa), most recently fifth in the West Virginia Derby (G2), breezed four furlongs in :49 1/5.

Argentinean Group 3 vixen ISIDORA (Arg) (Mutakddim) readied for her U.S. bow with a half-mile move from the gate in :48 3/5.

Majestic Light S. king OMNISCIENT (Pulpit) went four panels in :49 3/5 in advance of the Forego.

Last-out Jaipur S. (G3) victor STRADIVINSKY (Stravinsky) clocked five-eighths in 1:00 4/5 on the fast main track at Aqueduct.

Multiple stakes queen SAPPHIRE SKY (Sky Mesa), last seen taking an allowance/optional claimer by a nose in May, breezed a co-bullet four furlongs in :48 2/5 on Belmont Park's fast dirt.

from brisnet.com