J B Quick Sets Six Furlong Record at Calder

NOTE--Please see our Friday morning posting "J B Quick's Time Adjusted to 1:11.27, from 1:08.72


J B Quick set a six-furlong dirt track  record of 1:08.72 at Calder in winning Thursday's sixth race at the Gulfstream Park West meet.

J B Quick, a 4-year-old gelding, broke the Calder record of 1:08.95 that Forty One  Carats set on Oct. 7, 2000 in winning the then ungraded Smile Sprint Handicap.

The win by the previously obscure J B Quick came in a $16,000 claiming race with a  $17,000 purse.  The track was listed as fast.

It was his fourth win in 16 career starts.

J B Quick, at 2-1, was ridden by Edgard Zayas and won by eight lengths over Boyfriend's Back.

It was J B Quick's first race  for Acclaimed Racing and trainer Ralph Ziadie.  On Aug. 28, Acclaimed claimed the horse for $6,250 out of a race at Gulfstream.

J B Quick won that seven furlong race in 1:24.27--solid but not special at Gulfstream. He was owned by Rodney Lundock and trained by Ralph Catanese.  

Thursday's track record underscores something we have been writing about since the GP West meet opened on Oct. 8.

The usually deep Calder dirt track has been producing some faster than usual  times this meet.  We plan to be at Calder on Friday, and will ask  some reasons about "why?"




For example in today's fourth race, a $35,000 optional claimer, the 2-year-old colt Cinderela El Crome won at six furlongs in 1:10.12.

This is the third year that Gulfstream has held the Gulfstream Park West meet at Calder in October and November. 

The Gulfstream maintenance team, headed by Bill Badgett, has been in charge of Calder's turf course and dirt track for all three meets and during the ten months when about 400 horses train at Calder for racing at Gulfstream.  

Thus far, times on the Calder turf course have generally been similar to those of previous  years.

Rains forced Gulfstream to take all races off turf on three of the first 15 GP West (Calder) race days. During the past week, trainers including Carlo Vaccarezza and Phil Gleaves have told us they feel that both turf and dirt have been playing safe for horses at Calder.
--Jim Freer