Local Sports

Snicker Cookie returns for win in $100,000 Sagamore Sired Stakes at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino

Snicker Cookie picked up where he left off in his seasonal debut Wed. May 22 at Indiana Grand, scoring the win in the sixth running of the $100,000 Sagamore Sired Stakes. The three-year-old son of Noble’s Promise rallied home a convincing winner in the six furlong event.

 

Coming into 2019 off a win in his last start last fall in the $100,000 Indiana Futurity, Snicker Cookie was ready for action. The sophomore gelding isn’t real quick out of the gate, but his final quarter is always impressive. Ridden by Gabriel Saez for the first time, Snicker Cookie followed along as race favorite Ace of Aces and James Graham led the way. In the turn, Snicker Cookie began to advance and had perfect positioning at the head of the stretch.

 

Down the stretch, Saez continued to ask Snicker Cookie for more speed and he responded by catching up to Ace of Aces and Solitaire Game ridden by Carlos Villasana. It was a three horse race for a while until Snicker Cookie moved ahead for the win by one and one-quarter lengths over Solitaire Game. Ace of Aces finished third.

 

“I warmed him (Snicker Cookie) up in the post parade and that helped,” said Saez, who is a native of Panama and a graduate of the Laffit Pincay Jockey School. “The first quarter I kind of worked my way to get going and in the turn he responded very well. Turning for home I asked him for whatever he had and he cleared very well. I want to thank this combination (Bauer and Rigney) for this opportunity today on both of their horses.”

 

Snicker Cookie, trained by Philip Bauer and owned by Richard and Tammy Rigney’s Rigney Racing, is now two for four in his young career. He increased his career bankroll to more than $141,000 for the Rigney’s who also raised him.

 

“We turned him out at the end of last year and we felt he needed a race, but we wanted to see how he would do,” said Richard. “This race set up well for him. We plan to keep him here for the entire season this year.”

 

Rigneys raced Noble’s Promise, the sire of both Snicker Cookie and Fireball Baby, who finished fourth in the $100,000 Swifty Sired Fillies Stakes earlier in the card. Rigneys have approximately 20 broodmares with two, Cookie (dam of Snicker Cookie) and Bubbles and Babies (dam of Fireball Baby), in Indiana. Noble’s Promise stood at Breakway Farm in Dillsboro, Ind. until he passed away last August due to kidney failure. Since that time, the Rigney’s have been looking for a horse to replace as their Indiana stallion and may have found one. They currently own Madison’s Luna, a son of Tapit and winner of the Grade 3 Hutchison Stakes last year at Gulfstream Park. The Rigneys plan to send him to Breakway Farm for either the 2020 or the 2021 breeding season. In the meantime, they are still reaping rewards from the sons and daughters of their first stallion, Noble’s Promise.

 

“The filly (Snicker Cookie) always trains well but this colt is all business come race day,” said Bauer, who is stabled at Churchill Downs. “This is pretty overwhelming because I had both the mamas of these two as racehorses. The filly had a tough race today but the win from him (Snicker Cookie) is a great way to end the day.”

 

Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing continues through Wednesday, Nov. 6. Racing is held Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 2:15 p.m. with Saturdays beginning at 6:15 p.m. For more information, visit the website at www.indianagrand.com.

Search

Weather


Obits

Entertainment