Nolan Wins Grade 3 Connally Turf Handicap on Scrappy Roo at Sam Houston
We call him the Sod Surgeon and Paul Nolan was operating again on Saturday night at Sam Houston in the $200,000 Grade 3 John Connally Turf Handicap. The 5-year-old Texas-bred Scrappy Roo looked to be in deep facing the likes of Grade 1 winner Student Council and Oklahoma Derby winner Going Ballistic. Scrappy Roo entered the Connally off four consecutive Sam Houston turf course victories. Last night’s big win must make him the horse of the meet.
Nolan knew he had a horse with a big heart. “When we got on the track for the post parade I said ‘Scrappy, this is your house; your turf. You don’t let anyone come in and steal the money.'” Scrappy Roo, a pace presser, has never shown the need to be on the lead but last night he took to the front. “You just have to let him run early, then he settles down,” Nolan said. “I just let him bounce out of the gate. We wanted the rail.” Nolan battled inside on the front throughout and was a half-length clear at the head of the stretch. Going Ballistic took to the rail in the lane and looked to be set to sail by at the wire. “My horse just dug in. He wasn’t going to get beat,” Nolan said.
Scrappy Roo was racing at the $15,000 claiming level last year and is eligible for the $100,000 Claiming Crown Emerald.
With the Sam Houston meet concluded, Nolan intends to head north to his Bloomington home and take a couple of days off. Look for him to ride a few at Prairie Meadows before Canterbury opens on May 3. Nolan also reports that MN bred Normandy Shore, a winner at Sam Houston is likely to end up in Shakopee. This is one to watch for the Minnesota Derby.
Win Place button back on the SAMs
Those of you that place your wagers on the self-service screen activated machines will be happy to find that the WP button has returned. If that’s your wager, your time at the SAM will now be cut in half.
Pick Six Results
A letter to the editor appeared in Sunday’s Daily Racing Form crying out for the disclosure of winning Pick Six ticket information. In the age of technology and the need for transparency in this industry it makes perfect sense to divulge the winning combination of pick six wins. We don’t need to know who, just what. To me it is not dissimilar to holding an election and simply announcing who won without and details of the vote totals.
jm
