Photo: CDI
Trainer Steve Margolis was all smiles Sunday morning
on the clubhouse apron as he watched workouts with wife Sue by his side
– and that was easily understandable.
Two of his 3-year-old fillies, Right Time Racing’s Bouquet
Booth and Gold
Square’s Little Miss
Holly, finished first and third respectively in Saturday’s $100,000 Silverbulletday
Stakes and Margolis began his afternoon by saddling Richard, Bertram and
Elaine Klein’s Early Return to win the $60,000 F. W. Gaudin Memorial
in the first race of the day.
“I didn’t anticipate being on the lead with Bouquet Booth
yesterday, but she certainly ran a good race,” said Margolis. “I would say
she’s a little more advanced than the other filly at this point in time, but I
thought Little Miss Holly ran a very good race, too.
“I would say we’ll probably be pointing Bouquet Booth to
the (Grade III) Rachel Alexandra (middle leg of Fair Grounds’ series for
sophomore fillies Feb. 19) but I’m not sure what we’re going to do with Little
Miss Holly. I hate to keep running them against each other, but I just might do
that. I’ll talk it over with the owners. Maybe I could send Little Miss Holly
to Oaklawn for one of their 3-year-old filly races. I just don’t know yet.
“Of course, I was very happy with Early Return’s race,
too,” said Margolis. “We’ll probably shoot for the ($60,000) Colonel Power
(Feb. 19) with him. We’ve been very fortunate here this winter. We’re having an
unbelievable meet and it’s because I have a really good staff helping to keep
things going. Everyone from my assistant Loren Diego to Ashley
Giannini to Shorty The Foreman. He’s the chef. He feeds all the
horses.”
RICK AND ASHLEY GIANNINI ENJOY ‘ONE HAPPY HOUSEHOLD’
SATURDAY NIGHT
Rick Giannini serves as trainer Neil Howard’s
assistant, while wife Ashley is a key member of trainer Steve Margolis’s
staff, and reflected together on their separately successful professional
afternoons Saturday evening.
“Yes, we were one happy household last night,” said
Howard’s chief assistant on Sunday morning. “I grew up around horses, but when
I first met Ashley, she didn’t know anything about them. I dragged her into
this business, but now she enjoys it as much as I do.”
Coincidentally, trainers Howard and Margolis were the two
special guests for a “Question and Answer” session with Fair Grounds Racing
Analyst Katie Mikolay Thursday night at a Twin Spires Club V.I.P.
Stakes Mixer held in the Clubhouse for Gold and Platinum level members, and
both conditioners graciously stayed around to mingle with the players following
the structured portion of the program.
NAPRAVNIK TROIKA SATURDAY MOVES HER UP TO SECOND IN THE
LOCAL STANDINGS
Jockey Rosie Napravnik enjoyed a riding triple
Saturday at Fair Grounds, including a score astride Feel The Thunder Stable’s Gran
Estreno in the Grade III Col. E. R. Bradley Handicap, to move her
into sole possession of the runner-up spot in Fair Grounds’ jockey standings at
the end of the day.