There’s A Moral To This Tale

By JIM WELLS

Moralist had a moral for anyone interested in the feature race on Monday, the $35,000-guaranteed Honor the Hero Turf Express.

Better (almost) late than never.

It applied to his trainer, not to him.

The defending champion in the five-furlong dash, Moralist found room along the rail under Ry Eikleberry and hit the wire ¾ length in front of Bullet From Abroad, who was there 1 ¼ lengths in front of Haraldo.

Winning trainer Tammy Domenosky cut it closer than her horse did, arriving at the barn only minutes before the horses headed to the paddock.

She was in Chicago with her stable of 26 and wasn’t certain on Sunday that she could break free for today’s race in Shakopee.

“My conscience was starting to bother me,” she said. “I couldn’t not come.”

As it turned out, she made it happen, arrived in the Twin Cities at 3 p.m., hurried to her hotel and convinced the maid to clean the bathroom so she could shower.

Eilkeberry, asked by public handicapper Kevin Gorg about the hole he needed to slip through to the rail, responded, “There was a 90 percent chance I could make it,” he said.

Moralist is owned by Miracle Logistics Inc. Greg Peterson, one of the three owners in the partnership, approached Domenosky near the winner’s circle.

“She’s the greatest trainer in the world,” he said, “if we can ever keep track of her.”
She was easy to find on Monday _ in the winner’s circle.

NORTH CENTRAL DERBY

Moonlight Masquerade masqueraded as a 4-1 outsider for this $16,500 stakes race, but was a clear winner with veteran, Hall of Fame rider Scott Stevens in the irons.

Moonlight finished 1 ½ lengths in front of Babblin Brook, who was ½ length in front of 3-5 favorite Oak Tree Boulevard.

That gave trainer/owner Amber Blair a sweep of the weekend quarter horse stakes races.
The winner was a maiden just two weeks ago, and on Monday became a stakes winner.

“We bought her as a weanling,” Blair said. “We raised her and are very happy with her.”

So, in two weeks the horse matured that much, media relations director Jeff Maday asked.
“It looks that way,” Blair responded.

WELCOME BACK, JAKE

It was like days of old with the return on Monday of Jake Mauer, who put his tip-sheet business into mothballs after operating at Canterbury since 1985.

“Good to see you back,” said one patron after another as he or she forked over $2 for one of Jake’s Green Sheets.

“Hey, you didn’t retire then,” one fellow remarked as he strolled past. “Never mind,” Jake retorted.

A man and a woman approached Jake’s stand for a sheet. “Let us have one of those,” the fellow said. “Hey, here’s a hug for good luck,” Jake said to the woman.

“I hope I win,” she said.

“Oh, you will,” Jake responded.

Mauer plans to work Saturdays and Sundays only as a rule. He is is recovering from lung surgery and is playing his return to Canterbury by ear.

“We’ll see how it goes,” he said.

THE YANKEES DON’T ALWAYS WIN, EITHER

“Hey, did you notice the sale prices on these horses?” wondered Peggy Davis, Canterbury’s clerk of course/placing judge.

The comment immediately followed the third race on Monday’s card, an optional claiming race at six furlongs.

Davis had a smile on her face as she pointed out that Nomorewineforeddie, a $4,700 September Yearling sale purchase at Kenneland in 2007, had gotten the best of horses that sold for nearly a million and $200,000.

Nomorewineforeddie, a four-year-old son of Scrimshaw bred by Wind-N-Wood Farm in Minnesota, owned by Anthony Didier of Nebraska and trained by Bruce Riecken, outdueled four rivals under Dean Butler, including Forest Echoes, a $900,000 purchase and Brave Victory, a $200,000 buy.

“That’s why people play this game,” Davis said.