Rock and Roll is Here to Stay!

- Unfortunate that the rains came to Delaware Park and Colonial Downs on big race days there. In the Delaware Oaks, jockey Stewart Elliot said that favored Round Pond didn’t love the going. "The racetrack was not her favorite [Saturday]. She kind of fought through it and we started to move up. I took her outside of horses to get in good position, but she didn't push for me at the end." [Delaware Online] Round Pond was narrowly favored over Sis City, who also had trouble with the going. The winner, R Lady Joy (Vicar), was sent to the post with extreme confidence by trainer Kirk Ziade.

"I went to the owner and told him to give me two months and I will clean up in the Delaware Oaks, I don't care who's in it," Ziadie said. "She was having a little bit of problems physically. She didn't switch leads and she swallowed her tongue, so we had to put on a tongue tie.” [Daily Racing Form]

R Lady Joy had run second in the slop in the Black Eyed Susan, and a peek at her female family shows mud-loving names close-up like her broodmare sire Cormorant, as well as Valid Appeal. In the Dick Memorial, it was Honey Ryder easily handling the soft track at 4-5.

- And “Rock and Roll is here to stay,” exclaimed track announcer Sam McKee as Rocknroll Hanover dominated the $1 million Meadowlands Pace, storming down the stretch to win by 3 with a :27 final quarter en route to a stakes record 1:48 3/5. Driver Brian Sears sent his colt up to the lead at the half, and when he turned and saw second choice Stonebridge Regal moving up first over to challenge, it just took a couple of whip taps on the sulky, and the challenger never got within a length. "I had no thought of letting him pass me." [Newark Star-Ledger] For Stonebridge Regal, who held for third, it was the ol front hobble hanger excuse.

- Got a note in my email that Bellamy Road worked 4f in 51.36 over the Saratoga training track.

- Congratulations to my friends at Castle Village Farms; great day yesterday with Willfulness running a fine second in the 6th, and Brave Sir Robin taking the nightcap for trainer Billy Turner. Our 2 yo Highland Cat breezed from the gate this morning and he’ll get his gate card up at Saratoga. When I told the Head Chef about the boring name voted for the colt, she replied “Well, it’s better than Flower Alley.” But she said the name really funny, like FLO-wer AL-lee. It sounded very familiar but I couldn’t quite place it until I realized she must have watched the Lane’s End from Turfway with me, and she was unknowingly doing an excellent imitation of Mike Battaglia’s nasal, exaggerated inflections. If I hear Battaglia calling “and it’s HI-lan CAT” in next year’s Lane’s End, I’ll be very happy.