Rice nails personal superfecta

SARATOGA SPRINGS — When her horses finished first, second and third in a New York Stallion Series stakes race last fall, trainer Linda Rice figured it would be a long time before she could top that, if ever.

Nine months later, she went one better.

In what may have been a New York first, the 44-year-old Rice saddled the first four finishers in Monday’s $83,250 Mechanicville, an overnight grass sprint stakes for state-breds at Saratoga Race Course.

Ahvee’s Destiny rallied down the middle of the Mellon Turf Course to catch stablemate Canadian Ballet and win by a head in 1:02.72 for 51⁄2 furlongs.

Silver Timber was third, beaten by a half-length, and Karakorum Elektra was another three-quarters of a length back to complete the Rice superfecta, which returned $3,490 for a $2 wager.

“I’m superstitious; I don’t bet,” Rice said in the winner’s circle. “Not on my own horses, anyway.

“People kind of joked about it before the race, but I thought it was more of a case of wishful thinking. But it sure feels good.”

Sent off at odds of 9-1, Ahvee’s Destiny returned $20.60, $10 and $6. Canadian Ballet (12-1) paid $11.20 and $6.80, and Silver Timber (7-2) paid $4.30. The triple was worth $914.

Karakorum Elektra was the

longest shot of the four Rice horses at 17-1. Owned by different clients, they ran as separate betting interests.

“I’m surprised at the prices,” Rice said. “I thought they might be a little better regarded. They were all training well, and I thought they all had a chance to win.”

Ironically, none of Rice’s horses had either of her two main riders aboard, Cornelio Velasquez and Alan Garcia, who had other mounts in the race. Edgar Prado replaced Kent Desormeaux on Silver Timber.

“My boys bailed out on me,” Rice joked. “That’s OK. I won’t hold it against them.”

In the paddock before the race, Rice saddled Ahvee’s Destiny first, followed by Canadian Ballet and Karakorum Elektra. Her assistant put the tack on Silver Timber in an adjacent stall.

It was the second victory in 10 days for Ahvee’s Destiny, who captured a second-level allowance at Monmouth Park on Aug. 8. It was the third win in four career starts at Saratoga, the other two coming last summer, at the same distance on the same course.

“I thought Ahvee’s Destiny had a good chance,” Rice said. “I thought if she didn’t run well, it would be because of the quick turnaround, but I just felt she was really on top of her game.”

On Nov. 11, 2007, the Rice-trained Canadian Ballet, Sweet Bama Breeze and Noble Fire went 1-2-3 in the Fifth Avenue Division of the New York Stallion Series.

In 1983, retired trainer Michael Dickinson saddled the first five finishers in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the most prestigious steeplechase race in England.

LIGHT SPEED

In Monday’s co-feature, heavy favorite By the Light survived a steward’s inquiry to win the $84,150 Union Avenue by a half-length.

Ridden by Edgar Prado, By the Light ($2.70) drifted to her right turning for home and appeared to bother Street Sass, who wound up fifth.

After straightening out, By the Light reeled in long shot leaders Light Tactic and Just Zip It to win for the second time in three starts this year. Her lone loss came to 2007 juvenile filly champion

Indian Blessing in the Grade I

Prioress July 5.

RIDER INJURED

Parker Buckley, a former jockey who works as an exercise rider for trainer Steve Asmussen, was seriously hurt in a training accident Monday morning.

A horse the 40-year-old Buckley was galloping for Asmussen dumped him and stepped on his head at the Oklahoma training track.

Asmussen said Buckley, who was conscious and sat upright on the track after the incident, was taken by ambulance to Saratoga Hospital.

Later Monday, Asmussen told the Racing Form that an initial CT scan revealed bleeding on his brain. Buckley was then flown to Albany Medical Center with loss of movement on his right side. He had a second CT scan at 12:30 p.m. and was put in a medically-induced coma after taking a turn for the worse.

Buckley, who worked for

Asmussen for 16 months, was listed in critical condition.

BACK ON TRACK

Unraced since leaving the Triple Crown trail, Icabad Crane and Big Truck return to action in Wednesday’s $150,000 Albany Handicap.

Icabad Crane won the $100,000 Federico Tesio at Pimlico on

April 19, then ran third in the Preakness and eighth in the Belmont, his last start.

“Those two races took the wind out of his sails a little bit,” trainer Graham Motion said Monday morning.

“I think in freshening him up, he’s done well. He looks well. This is a race I’ve had in mind for a while, and I feel like he’s in good form. It’s a very competitive race.”

Big Truck won the $104,000 Bertram Bongard against state-breds at 2, and beat 2007 juvenile champion War Pass in the Grade III Tampa Bay Derby in March. He was 11th in the Grade I Blue Grass and 18th in the Kentucky Derby, and hasn’t run since.

The 11⁄8-mile Albany is the third leg of OTB’s Big Apple Triple, following the Mike Lee Handicap and New York Derby.

No horse has swept all three races since the $250,000 bonus was inaugurated in 1999. This year, the challenge falls to Tin Cup Chalice, who is 6-for-6 lifetime for owner-trainer Mike Lecesse.

Image Maker (2000), Ferocious Won (2006) and Chief’s Lake (2007) all won the first two legs, but lost the Albany. Traffic Chief lost the Mike Lee in 2003 before winning the N.Y. Derby and Albany.

HEADING NORTH

It appears that Better Talk Now may not make a record-tying fifth appearance in the Breeders’ Cup.

Motion said that the 9-year-old gelding came out of his runner-up finish in the Grade I Sword Dancer Aug. 16 in good shape.

At this point, Motion is leaning toward skipping the Breeders’ Cup Turf in favor of the $2 million

Canadian International at Woodbine Oct. 4.

“I think we’ll be more inclined to run him in the Canadian race,” Motion said. “We’ve got to make a decision with him. I think it’s unlikely we would go to the Breeders’ Cup this year. That fact that it’s out in California on the firm turf, it’s going to be a tough race.”

Better Talk Now won the 2004 Turf in his Breeders’ Cup debut, then ran seventh in 2005, second in 2006 and fourth in 2007.

He is one of seven horses since the Breeders’ Cup originated in 1984 to make four or more appearances. Kona Gold and Perfect Drift have each made five, while El Senor, Hollywood Story, Precisionist and Riskaverse have also made four.

In the Sword Dancer, Better Talk Now got caught wide turning for home under jockey Ramon Dominguez, and was unable to run down repeat winner Grand Couturier, finishing second by two lengths.

“He’s great. He came out of his race super,” Motion said. “I

really do think if he had more of a ground-saving trip, I don’t know if he would have beaten the other horse, because the other horse ran a huge race, but it would’ve been a lot closer.

“Ramon was just unlucky. When he made the decision to go around, who would have imagine they would have been fanned six wide. It was just unlucky, but he ran great. I can’t say he didn’t run his race, for sure.”

WORKING OUT

In addition to 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin, Asmussen on Monday breezed multiple graded stakes-winners Pyro and J Be K, who will both be running on Saturday; Pyro in the $1 million Travers at 11⁄4 miles, and J Be K in the Grade I King’s Bishop at seven furlongs.

Pyro was second to Macho Again in his Travers prep, the Grade II Jim Dandy here July 27.

“He came off a pretty strong race,” Asmussen said. “Trying to get two good races out of a horse here is sometimes pretty tricky. I think the trip’s going to be the key to the Travers this year, especially for him.”

Pyro was clocked in :52.28 for a half-mile on the training track, with Carlos Rosas up.

“He handles this track beautiful,” Rosas said. “To me, he’s training better than he was before the last race. I think he’s going to run big.”

Rosas also breezed J Be K, who went in :50.67 for four furlongs at the Oklahoma.

AROUND THE TRACK

u Bullion Cache, a 2-year-old colt co-owned by Schenectady native Don Lucarelli, is being pointed to the Grade III Sapling at Monmouth Park Aug. 31. Bullion Cache was scratched from the Grade II Sanford here July 27 with a fever.

u Winner of the $150,000 Cab Calloway Aug. 6 for Saratoga-based owner Sackatoga Stable, Doc N Roll worked a bullet half-mile in :46.86 on the turf Monday, the fastest of 27 horses.

u Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux returned to California Monday, and was replaced on all four of his mounts. He is expected to return for Wednesday, when he is named in seven of 10 races.

u Multiple Grade I winner Country Star, off since running sixth in the May 2 Kentucky Oaks, made a successful return in Monday’s seventh race, a one-mile turf allowance. The 4-5 favorite, Country Star ($3.80) and jockey Javier Castellano had to survive a claim of foul from Dominguez, the rider of runner-up Marie Rossa.