Haller & Haller Bests Modica Pitching ‘Wicked’ Strongest In Wood Heading To Derby After Big A Victory from the NYRA press office Trainer Jimmy Jerkens was still basking on Sunday morning, Apr. 6, in the glow of Wicked Strong’s emphatic victory over previously undefeated Samraat and Social Inclusion in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million TwinSpires.com Wood Memorial Stakes. The win gave Wicked Strong 100 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby, ensuring him a spot in the starting gate for the May 3 race, but Jerkens said he and the colt’s owner, Centennial Farms, hadn’t made any firm plans for a trip to Louisville. “We don’t really know anything yet; we haven’t talked but I am sure we will this afternoon or tonight or tomorrow,” said Jerkens, whose father, Hall of Fame trainer H. Allen Jerkens, won the 1992 Wood with Devil His Due. “It’s kind of early. I don’t really organize horses’ training right down to the minute. I like to have a little bit of a plan, but I don’t want to be stuck to something if I see something I don’t like. Thinking off the top of my head, I hear there’s a plane leaving the Monday before the Derby; we’d probably want to do that. He’d do the majority of his training here at Belmont Park.” Jerkens said Wicked Strong looked good, albeit a little tired, this morning. The Hard Spun colt ran the 1 1/8-mile Wood in 1:49.31, the fastest since Bellamy Road’s record 1:47.16 in 2005. “He was a little tired, which is understandable,” said Jerkens, adding that Wicked Strong’s schedule calls for him to walk for two days, then gallop, then walk again. “Usually, he’s hogging the hotwalker. He walked around like a regular horse this morning.” Wicked Strong, named in recognition of the heroes and victims of last year’s Boston Marathon Rajiv Maragh and Wicked Strong fly down the stretch at Aqueduct to win the $1 million, Twinspires.com Wood Memorial Stakes last Saturday, Apr. 5. The victory earned the colt a spot in the May 3 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. (NYRA photo/Adam Coglianese) bombing, is one of a number of graded stakes winners trained by Jerkens and his father for the Massachusetts-based Centennial Farms. Samraat, who suffered his first career defeat when second by 3 1/2 lengths to Wicked Strong, will breeze twice at Aqueduct before he departs for Louisville, Ky. to compete May 3 in the Kentucky Derby, trainer Rick Violette said Sunday morning. “In two weeks he’ll go a half mile, and then a week later he’ll go a mile, and then on Apr. 28 we’ll get on a plane and go to Kentucky,” said Violette, who trains the homebred for Leonard Riggio’s My Meadowview Farms. In contrast to the Wood, Samraat raced outside his main competition in the Withers and Gotham, and Violette hopes the experience gained by the son of Noble Causeway will help him when he competes in the Kentucky Derby. “If he’s a good horse, he’s supposed to move forward off this,” said Violette. “Most tough running experiences make the better ones better.” Owner Ron Sanchez looked anything but dismayed that his beaten 3-2 favorite Social Inclusion didn’t win the Wood Memorial Saturday. On the contrary, he was delighted with his colt’s third-place finish behind Wicked Strong and Samraat after clearing off by 1 1/2 lengths at the top of the stretch. “He ate everything this morning; he’s happy,” Sanchez said Sunday morning. Sanchez said Social Inclusion would be at Gulfstream Park to train for the Preakness Stakes on May 17. The Wood effort was an attempt to get the colt into the Kentucky Derby, but Sanchez said there would be no further push for the first leg of the Triple Crown. “If we can make the Derby, we’re going to go, but I think the main goal is the Preakness,” Sanchez said. “It was the original plan. It’s going to be tough to be in the Derby, you know? Actually, we are in spot 22 with 20 points, and there are like four preps coming up. It wasn’t our main goal to get into the Derby, but we gave it a try.” Bullllettiin Boarrd BASKETBALL REDNMF RECREATION is looking for basketball players to play on Saturdays. Full court, full press, full fun. For more info, call 1-646-872-8392 or visit www.leaguelineup.com/redbball. TEAM OPENINGS for all Men’s divisions. Top Gun, Competitive, Intermediate and Recreational Divisions. Games are played at Christ the King HS, Msgr. McClancy HS and Redeemer Lutheran School. Call 1-917-951-4523 or visit www.rpsabasketball.com. 40 AND OVER MEN’S LEAGUE starting mid-December in Bayside. Contact Jimmy 1-917- 699-3955 or Glenn 1-516-994-3232. SOCCER WOODHAVEN SOCCER CLUB is currently registering players for teams from U14 through U16. For additional information, go to www.woodhavensoccerclub.com. BLAU WEISS GOTTSCHEE SOCCER is seeking boys and girls for its intramural and travel team programs at Juniper Valley Park. For more info call 1-718-268-3713 or visit www.bwgottschee.org. LONG ISLAND CITY YMCA offers various instructional clinics. For additional information, call 1-718-392-7932, ext. 239. TRACK & FIELD FOREST PARK RUNNERS CLUB meets at 8 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays at the intersection of Woodhaven Boulevard and Forest Park Drive for runs of 4 to 8 miles. Visit forestparkrunners.org or email [email protected]. ROLLER HOCKEY OVAL HOCKEY LEAGUE spring season is ongoing at Mafera Park in Ridgewood. Contact valhockeyleague @gmail.com or call 1-718-757-0890. BASEBALL/SOFTBALL INN SOFTBALL LEAGUE has openings for men’s teams in its six- to 12-foot arc league starting in April. Doubleheaders played weekday nights at Juniper Valley and Maurice parks. Call 1-917- 680-8472 or visit www.foulpoles.com. THE QUEENS ALLIANCE BASEBALL LEAGUE and the Queens Kiwanis are taking registration for players 12 and up for all divisions. Call 1-718-366- 7718 or 1-718-821-4487. RGMVM Little League is registering players for the 2014 season. Call 1-718-821-4487 for registration dates and times. QUEENS LIGHTED SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION is expanding and looking for teams. Cash prizes and championship rings available to league champions. Visit www.leaguelineup.com/ QLSA. BVD SOFTBALL MEN’S TEAMS needed for Sunday snowflake doubleheaders, games at noon, 6’–12’-arc on dirt. Regular pitch counts. Call 1-718- 416-0287 or email [email protected] MAURICE PARK SOFTBALL LEAGUE. Sunday morning games. Slow modified, balls included, games at same park. Call 1-347-351-2905 or visit www. leaguelineup.com/isl. FOOTBALL QUEENS FALCONS. Register now and attend workouts for the upcoming season. Call your team’s coach to get signed up and suited: • Peanuts (7-8 years old) and Mighty Mites (5-6 years old): Call Dennis at 1-917-886-7159. • Jr. Pee Wee (9-10 years old /120 lbs. max): Call 1-646-335- 6828 or email [email protected]. • Pee Wee (11-12 years old /140 lbs. max):Call 1-917-642-2821 or email [email protected]. • Bantam (13-14 years old /160 lbs. max): Contact Neil O’Donnell at 1-718-877-8618 or email [email protected]. • Intermediate (15-16 years old; no weight limit): Call 1-212-380- 8716 or email [email protected]. ORTHODONTICS WWW.GLENRIDGEORTHODONTIST.COM Est. 1976 ©Times Newsweekly 2014-GLENRIDGE FREE* Consultation and Exam WWW.GLENRIDGEORTHODONTIST.COM Medicaid Approved Diplomate, American Board of Orthodontics Dr. V. Bilello*, Dr. M. Nissenbaum, Dr. P. Bilello, Specialists in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics 65-34 Myrtle Ave., Glendale, NY 11385 Most Insurance Accepted As Partial or Full Payment 1-718-381-2965 1-718-386-8728 SHARE YOUR TEAM’S BIG WINS WITH US! SEND IN YOUR SPORTS NEWS AND PHOTOS Email [email protected] Remember Our Deadline: Every Tuesday At Noon Slugfest Highlights An RGMVM Opener Summer and warm weather must be right around the corner as little league baseball in Queens is now underway with the first games held by the Ridgewood Glendale Middle Village Maspeth circuit at the their opening day Sunday, Apr. 6. In the minor division, this past weekend, Haller & Haller faced Modica Pitching. James Szala took the ball as the starter for Haller. After jumping out to a seven run lead, Haller responded resiliently by scoring six of their own to get within one in the second. In that six run inning Jack Cayli started things with a single to center and later in the second he scored the first run for Haller. With the score 7-6 heading to the third, Haller tapped Joe Pennolino to pitch. He threw two impressive shutout innings and struck out five. In the bottom of the third, Ryan Regan singled up the middle and later came around to score on a fielders choice from Nicholas Macio to tie the game. After two quick outs and the game still tied in their half of the fourth, Joseph LaBarbara socked a ball for an inside-the-park home run to give Haller the lead. Following LaBarbara’s homer, Cayli reached safely for the third time and was pinch-run for by Szala. Szala stole second and third with two outs and then scored what would be the winning run on an errant throw. In the top of the fifth, Haller turned to LaBabara to close out the game. He surrendered a lead-off triple and the runner later scored, trimming the lead to 9-8. LaBarbara was able to regain his composure and earn the save by striking out the side while stranding the tying run on third to get the win for Haller. TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2014 • 70
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