Churchill Downs Barn Notes: Quartarolo Hopes to Establish a Loose Rein at Churchill Downs

By Darren Rogers —-

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Thursday, May 17, 2018) – There are several new faces on the Churchill Downs backstretch to begin the 2018 Spring Meet, and one is New Jersey native and veteran horseman Anthony Quartarolo.

“I never thought I’d love Kentucky as much as I do,” Quartarolo said. “I think I came in at a good time and it’s been great so far at Churchill Downs.”

Quartarolo didn’t always have his hand in the Thoroughbred industry. The 71-year-old conditioner started his career in the early 1970s training Standardbreds in New Jersey.

“I’ve come a long way in my career since my time in harness racing and at the Meadowlands,” Quartarolo said. “A couple years ago, during one of their big race days, they had a trivia question on their TVs that said, ‘Who is the only person to win at the Meadowlands as a Standardbred trainer, owner, driver and Thoroughbred trainer and owner?’ Well, you’re talking to him. It’s a pretty fun stat to be able to tell people.”

Quartarolo trained and drove Standardbreds for most of the 1970s and ‘80s until his home track, Roosevelt Raceway in Long Island, N.Y., closed in 1984.

“I sometimes miss driving in a harness race,” Quartarolo said. “I almost drove in a race last summer when I was in Saratoga saddling a couple of horses. I called up my friend who trains harness horses in New York and said, ‘Got any rocket ships in your barn you could put me on for a race? If I come back to the bike, I don’t want to drive any slow ones.’ He told me he had plenty of fast ones. So, it got me thinking about making a one-race comeback but I never pushed the button to do it.”

Quartarolo switched career paths in the late 1980s to begin working with Thoroughbreds and started his training career in 1993 at Delaware Park. After stepping away from the game from 2003-09, Quartarolo’s training career continued in 2010 at Monmouth Park in northern New Jersey.

Since 2014, Quartarolo has trained primarily for Ron Paolucci’s Loooch Racing. Quartarolo has a string of about 18 horses based in Churchill Downs’ Barn 24 that includes Apple Blossom (Grade I) third and recent $62,500 claim Fuhriously Kissed and highly-regarded Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI) entrant Heavenhasmynikki.

SOME IN TIEME MADE 5-2 MORNING LINE FAVORITE FOR SATURDAY’S LOUISVILLE ‘CAP – Some In Time Inc’s Some in Tieme (BRZ) is poised for a repeat performance in Saturday’s $100,000 Louisville Handicap (Grade III) at Churchill Downs as the 5-2 morning line favorite in the field of eight older horses running the marathon distance of 1 ½ miles over the Matt Winn Turf Course.

“We have three really good chances Saturday in the Louisville Handicap,” trainer Kenny McPeek’s Churchill Downs-based assistant Jeff Hiles said. “All three horses have trained well at Churchill since we shipped them here. Some in Tieme upset the field last year in this race and hopefully we can do it again this year as one of the favorites.”

A Group I winner in his native Brazil, Some in Tieme won the 2017 Louisville Handicap by three lengths but has not visited the winner’s circle since. The McPeek-trained 6-year-old is the 118-pound starting high weight and will break from Post 7 with Manny Cruz in the saddle.

Some in Tieme will be joined in the Louisville Handicap by stablemates Harlan Strong (ARG), a recent allowance winner at Keeneland, and Vettori Kin (BRZ), a Group I winner in Brazil.

The Louisville Handicap is carded as Race 10 with a scheduled post time of 5:26 p.m. (all times Eastern) on the 11-race program that also includes a simulcast of Preakness Day action from Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course. Churchill Downs’ first race is 12:45 p.m.

The Louisville Handicap field from the rail out (with jockeys, assigned weight and morning line odds): Designed for War (Adam Beschizza, 115 pounds, 7-2); Roman Approval (Corey Lanerie, 114, 4-1); Vettori Kin (BRZ) (James Graham, 115, 5-1); Bronson (Shaun Bridgmohan, 115, 12-1); Cooptado (ARG) (Declan Cannon, 114, 12-1); Cartoon (Jack Gilligan, 114, 10-1); Some in Tieme (BRZ) (Cruz, 118, 5-2) and Harlan Strong (ARG) (Brian Hernandez Jr., 116, 5-1).

The 143rd running of the $1.5 million Preakness Stakes (GI), the middle jewel of the Triple Crown headlined by Kentucky Derby winner Justify, goes as the 13th of 14 races at Pimlico at approximately 6:48 p.m. The race will be shown on television monitors throughout Churchill Downs, including the massive Big Board.

Churchill Downs admission gates will open Saturday at 11:30 a.m. General Admission is $5, reserved seating is $10 and reserved dining packages are $49. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.ChurchillDowns.com/Tickets. Also, Churchill Downs will provide free parking and shuttles from Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.

MEET LEADERS – Through the first 10 days of the 38-day 2018 Spring Meet at Churchill Downs, Brian Hernandez Jr. lead Corey Lanerie 16 wins to 13 in the jockey standings. Ricardo Santana Jr. and Julien Leparoux were tied for third with eight wins. … Ian Wilkes held a 7-6 win edge in the trainer standings over Steve Asmussen. Rusty Arnold II and Kenny McPeek were tied for third with five victories. … Janis Whitham’s Whitham Thoroughbreds topped the owner standings with three wins.

ADVANCE WAGERING FOR PREAKNESS AVAILABLE ON FRIDAY – Advance wagering on Saturday’s 143rd Preakness Stakes (Grade I) at Pimlico Race Course near Baltimore will be offered all day Friday at Churchill Downs.

Admission gates open Friday at 11:30 a.m. (all times Eastern) and the first of nine races is 12:45 p.m. General admission is $3.

Friday’s feature race at Pimlico is the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (Grade II) for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles. It goes as Race 11 at approximately 4:48 p.m. Similar to the Oaks/Derby Double, Pimlico will offer the Black-Eyed Susan/Preakness double, which requires bettors to pick the winners of both races.

The pageantry of the Preakness will be featured prominently at Churchill Downs on Saturday with the simulcast of the 1 3/16-mile race scheduled for 6:48 p.m. (all times Eastern) – which comes after the final live race at 5:58 p.m. Video and audio of the races from Pimlico will be shown on select television monitors throughout the facility, and between races on the massive Big Board when they don’t conflict with live action.

Churchill Downs admission gates will open Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and the first of 11 live races is 12:45 p.m. General Admission is $5, reserved seating is $10 and reserved dining packages are $49. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at www.ChurchillDowns.com/Tickets. Guests at Churchill Downs will have an opportunity to enjoy a taste of the Preakness with The Black-Eyed Susan, the event’s official drink that will be available at locations throughout the track (complete with commemorative glass).

DOWN THE STRETCH – Twilight Thursday will kick off the racing week at Churchill Downs with a post time of 5 p.m. There is a four-day carryover of $419,279 in the 20-cent Single 6 Jackpot which begins in Race 3 with a scheduled post time of 5:58 p.m. EDT. Racing continues Friday-Sunday with first posts of 12:45 p.m. … Today’s Twilight Thursday will feature Americana music on the Plaza stage by Mark Charles Heidinger, Cheyenne Mize and Chris Rodahaffer. There also is $1 beers, food trucks and lawn games including Snookball, Corn Hole and Giant Jenga. … Congratulations to trainer Rusty Arnold II for winning Churchill Downs’ Barn of the Week honors. The barn will be honored with a complementary lunch and a winner’s circle presentation during Friday afternoon’s racing program. … “Inside Churchill Downs” will air Friday at 6 p.m. on ESPN 680/105.7. The one-hour horse racing radio show is co-hosted by Churchill Downs Racetrack’s John Asher, Darren Rogers and Kevin Kerstein and delivers a wide-ranging list of interesting guests, from jockeys, trainers, owners to well-informed handicappers and other industry insiders. Those outside the Louisville radio market can listen live online at http://www.espnlouisville.com/ or via podcast on the station’s website or https://soundcloud.com/. … The Churchill Downs Racing Club’s 4-year-old filly Dial Me, trained by Tommy Drury Jr., will seek her second career win in Saturday’s sixth race, a $50,000 claiming event for non-winners of two races lifetime at 6 ½ furlongs. …Jockeys Julien Leparoux and Ricardo Santana Jr. have mounts at Pimlico on Friday and Saturday. Florent Geroux will join them at Old Hilltop on Saturday.… Friday is Senior Day at Churchill Downs where guests 60 and up can enjoy lunch and a day at the races in Millionaires Row for only $24. … Sunday’s 10-race card features the year’s first Family Adventure Day Presented by Kroger. The day of racing is complimented by plenty of family activities in the Plaza area including pony rides, inflatables, a petting zoo, stick horse races, face painting and more. … Happy birthday to jockey James Graham, who celebrates his 39th on Thursday. Trainer Grant Forster will turn 44 on Friday.