Major Rhythm Breezes for Saturday’s James B. Tafel Stakes

In Today’s Notes:

· Major Rhythm Breezes for Saturday’s James B. Tafel Stakes
· Matthews Also Readies Ravensworth for Illinois Owners Stakes
· Brothers Nicholas ‘Possible’ for Local Ky. Derby Day Feature

MAJOR RHYTHM BREEZES FOR SATURDAY’S JAMES B. TAFEL STAKES
The ‘Rhythm’ method seems to work as well as ever, but then it should – because Major Rhythm is a gelding.

However, the Kentucky-bred is also a 9-year-old during this 81st Arlington season, and after the James Messineo color bearer breezed five furlongs in 1:01 Tuesday morning in preparation for Saturday’s third running of the $100,000 James B. Tafel Illinois Owners Stakes, trainer Doug Matthews was asked if the old soldier was showing any signs of fading away.

“We got just what we wanted this morning,” said Matthews of the horse who created a “Major” upset when winning Arlington’s Grade III Stars and Stripes Handicap two summers ago. “He always works very fast on Polytrack, but he does it so effortlessly that it doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve only had this horse for a short time, but he’s run very well for me this winter in both of his starts since I got him.

“I sent him up to Woodbine Dec. 8 and he won by two and a quarter, and then brought him back to Hawthorne where he was based all winter,” said Matthews. “Then I hauled him down to New Orleans for the first race of that turf series at Fair Grounds (Grade III Col. E. R. Bradley Handicap Jan. 12) and he finished second (beaten less than two) to French Beret. That horse went on to finish second in the (Grade II) Mervin Muniz Memorial.

“Actually, the original plan was to send him back for the middle leg of that series (Grade III Fair Grounds Handicap) – as well as the ‘Mervin’ – but the weather was so bad up here in Chicago that I just lost too much training time with him during the winter,” said Matthews.

“Ramsey Zimmerman was aboard for the work this morning,” said Matthews, “and he’ll ride him Saturday as well. I’m real happy with the way the horse is training, and he still loves racing, but as soon as he shows any signs of not wanting to do it anymore, he’ll tell us. We’ll always do right by him. All these older horses that give you everything they’ve got for such a long time deserve a happy retirement. I ran a horse a couple of weeks ago named Gravano who won for me in his 103rd lifetime start. I retired him immediately after the win. He deserved to go out a winner.”

MATTHEWS ALSO READIES RAVENSWORTH FOR ILLINOIS OWNERS STAKES
In addition to the high profile 2006 Stars and Stripes hero Major Rhythm, trainer Doug Matthews expects to start the 4-year-old gelding Ravensworth in Saturday’s $100,000 James B. Tafel Illinois Owners Stakes at Arlington Park.

The third running of the 1 1/16-mile turf test serves as Arlington’s featured event on Kentucky Derby Day, which is the second day of the Northwest Chicago oval’s 2008 racing season.

Matthews owns and trains Ravensworth, second under the wire in his most recent start March 14 at Hawthorne before being disqualified. Before that, the Kentucky-bred son of Old Kentucky Home out of a Miswaki mare won Feb. 8 at Oaklawn and has previously won at Hawthorne last Dec. 29.

Ravensworth breezed five furlongs over Arlington’s Polytrack course in 1:03.80 on Sunday in preparation for Saturday’s locally featured stakes.

“Admittedly, running him in Saturday’s race is a bit of a stretch,” said Matthews, “but he’s a horse ‘on the improve’ right now and I think he deserves the chance. Trey Agilar will ride him Saturday.”

BROTHERS NICHOLAS ‘POSSIBLE’ FOR LOCAL KY. DERBY DAY FEATURE

Northwestern Stable’s Brothers Nicholas breezed five furlongs in 1:00 over Arlington’s Polytrack course Tuesday morning in “possible” preparation for Saturday’s $100,000 James B. Tafel Illinois Owners Stakes at a mile and a sixteenth on the grass.

“I’m thinking about it,” said trainer Jerry Calvin when asked about the possibility of Brothers Nicholas’ participation in Saturday’s featured event.

Brothers Nicholas won his last start by a length and a quarter on April 12 over Oaklawn’s dirt course, and broke his maiden last Oct. 18 at Hawthorne by more than 12 lengths in a race that was taken off the grass and run on the main track.

Was it possible that Calvin was hoping that the Illinois Owners would be taken off the grass for Brothers Nicholas?

“No, that’s not the plan at all,” said Calvin. “If they took Saturday’s race off the grass they’d run it on the Polytrack course, and the only time I ran this horse on Polytrack (last Aug. 25) he wouldn’t relax at all. Then I took the blinkers off him in his next start back on turf at Arlington (Sept. 8) thinking that might help him relax, but he didn’t run his race, so taking the blinkers off didn’t help. It was the Polytrack he didn’t like. I put the blinkers right back on and I’ve run him with blinkers ever since.”