Named for the Todd Pletcher-trained New York-bred champion who won eight straight races, including Saratoga’s Grade 1 Personal Ensign and Belmont Park’s Grade 1 Beldame in 2006, the scholarship was founded by Fleet Indian’s owner, Paul Saylor, to help New York students hoping to pursue a career in the Thoroughbred racing industry.
Additionally, anyone with a valid college identification can sign up to win a $1,000 scholarship this afternoon.
Saylor is a board member of The Race for Education, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that over the last six years has provided almost 200 college scholarships, totaling more than $2 million to students who intend to pursue a career in the equine industry and/or to children of industry employees. In addition to the Fleet Indian Scholarship, The Race For Education has awarded $184,000 to 14 New York students in the last six years.
Cousins graduated this spring from Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School with an advanced Regents diploma. She achieved high honors since the ninth grade, and was a member of the computer club, the New York State Science Honor Society, the New York State Honor Society, and the New York State Math Honor Society. She served for two years as vice president of the Ponies and Horses 4-H Club, which she and her mother founded. She has volunteered at the Saratoga Therapeutic Equestrian Program since 2003. At SUNY-Morrisville, Cousins plans to study equine science and management, with the goal of becoming a trainer.
The Race For Education (RFE) enables children of low-income equine industry families, as well as children who want to pursue an equine-related career, to obtain a college degree by providing tuition support; financial literacy training to help students minimize their debt load; mentoring services to provide students with emotional support; and assistance in finding career-related internships during college and permanent jobs upon graduation.
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Ketchikan, who showed promise as a three-year-old with his second-place finish behind Grade 1-winning millionaire Circular Quay in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby last year, breezed four furlongs by himself on Tuesday on the Saratoga main track in :49.18. The work was the 11th fastest of 25 at the distance on a track rated “fast.”
The Al Stall, Jr.-trained son of Mr. Greeley was considered a contender for the Kentucky Derby in 2007 before an injury after the Louisiana Derby forced him out of training.
“He had a bone bruise at the tip of his cannon bone,” explained Stall. “No surgery was required; just a lot of rest.”
Ketchikan has turned in two dull efforts since then in allowance races at Churchill Downs, but Stall thinks he may have an excuse.
“Hopefully, he’s just rusty. He had a 418-day break between races,” said Stall.
Ketchikan is expected to run on Sunday in a two-turn allowance race on the dirt.
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Jockey John Velazquez leads all Saratoga riders entering today’s card with seven wins from 30 starts and earnings of $784,868; most of which came from his win aboard Commentator in the Grade 1 Whitney Handicap last Saturday.
Cornelio Velasquez, who won last year's riding title at Saratoga, and Eibar Coa are tied for second with six wins each.
Elvis Trujillo has won with an impressive 50-percent (3-for-6) of his mounts so far. The young jockey, who was previously based at Churchill Downs after relocating from Florida in search of larger purses, has teamed up with trainer Wesley Ward for all three of his wins.
Steve Asmussen, who leads the nation in purse money won with $18,063,905 and wins with 380, also leads the Saratoga trainer standings with four wins from 15 starts thus far. Asmussen won the Grade 3 Schuylerville on opening day with Jardin and has finished second in three other stakes here.
Five trainers: Hall of Famers Nick Zito and Bobby Frankel, Rick Dutrow, Jr., Gary Contessa and Wesley Ward are tied for second in the standing with three wins each. Zito leads all trainers in purse money won with $623,832 - like Velazquez, most of that came courtesy of Commentator.
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Little more than three years ago, trainer David Duggan was an assistant to John Kimmel at Saratoga Race Course. Now out on his own, Duggan has finally found the winners’ circle at Saratoga.
With just three starters during the just-concluded first week of Saratoga’s 140th meet, Duggan won his first race at Saratoga with Lyke a Hurricane on Saturday. He liked that winning feeling so much that he came back on Monday with Cagey Girl. Both winners were on the turf.
“The horses are doing well at the right time,” said Duggan, who has eight horses at Saratoga and another 12 at Belmont. “It’s not rocket science. It’s all about getting them in the right spots. As long as they stay healthy and sound, I’m planning to have a lot of runners here.”
Last year, Cagey Girl was Duggan’s best runner at Saratoga with a second-place finish in an allowance race for New York-breds and third-place finish among claimers. His six other horses did not finish among the top three.
Coming from Ireland, Duggan went to California as an exercise rider for Hall of Fame trainer Neil Drysdale for about 15 months. Working as an assistant for Kimmel and Eoin Harty – each for five years – he helped handle horses that included Dubai World Cup winner Street Cry and multiple graded stakes sprinter Successful Appeal before going out on his own.
His first winner came at Delaware Park with Malaysia in a maiden race on September 13, 2005. Duggan’s first winner on the New York circuit was Heavenly Psalm on January 27, 2006.
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When Arrrrr won Monday’s second race at Saratoga Race Course, no one was more delighted than his owner and breeder, Randy McGlinn.
Not only was it the chestnut gelding's first victory, it fulfilled a dream McGlinn had ever since he named the 3-year-old son of Regal Classic.
“One of the reasons I named him Arrrrr was that I wondered what the announcer would do with it,” said McGlinn, a chiropractor who owns a 10-acre thoroughbred farm in Windsor, Vermont. “I thought it would be fun.”
Track announcer Tom Durkin thought so too, delighting the fans at Saratoga by growling "Arrrrr .... Arrrrr ... Arrrrr" in pirate-like fashion as the colt came flying down the stretch.