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VIP Stable Headlines

Click the image to listen to Tom Janes interview on the Meadowlands Racing Insider

NO BOOST NEEDED FOR CAYENNE
TURBO IN HIRAM WOODRUFF
Cayenne Turbo coasted wire-to-wire
to win the $18,000 second leg of the Hiram Woodruff Wednesday
night at the Meadowlands.
With Andy Miller in the bike, Cayenne Turbo held off Macho Lindy
to win the night’s seventh race in 1:52.1. Snazzy Hot Rod made
a late rally down the stretch to finish third. Cayenne Turbo
paid $13.80.
Cayenne Turbo has won three out of nine starts for 2008.
Trained by Julie Miller, Cayenne Turbo has increased his
earnings to more than $130,000. Eugene W. Schick of Elgin,
Illinois, Larry Baron of Horsham, Pennsylvania, and VIP Internet
Stable LLC of Piscataway, New Jersey own the 4-year-old bay
stallion.
The Hiram Woodruff concludes with a $45,000 final on May 17.
Quick Arrow N Refuses to Lose Final
Saturday, October 06, 2007 - by Kyle Fitzgerald, for Colonial
Downs
October 6, 2007
VIP
Internet Stable’s Quick Arrow N continued his stellar
4-year-year-old season with a gritty head victory in the $15,900
Virginia is for Horse Lovers late closing series final Saturday
night at Colonial Downs.
Quick Arrow N ran his win streak to three and posted his sixth
win from just nine starts this season by out gaming Kelly’s Spur
at the end of a mile in 1:51.
Quick Arrow N was fairly quick off the gate but was out sprinted
for the early lead by Broule Hanover and Notorious Bigslick.
Broule Hanover got the opening quarter in a brisk 26.4, but
driver Jonathan Roberts was intent upon the lead, sending Quick
Arrow N to the front right before the field hit Colonial’s lone
turn, passing Broule Hanover and Notorious Bigslick en route to
a half in 54.2.
Despite winning the early battle, Quick Arrow N got no breathers
on the turn as Kelly’s Spur moved first-over to challenge his
supremacy at the three-eighths pole. Kelly’s Spur got a nose in
front and emerged at the top of the lane with a narrow advantage
after three-quarters in 1:22.1.
Kelly’s Spur had another gear for the 1300-foot stretch drive
but Quick Arrow N refused to give up while racing on the inside,
scratching out a quarter-length advantage at the eighth pole.
Kelly’s Spur slowly cut into the margin with every stride but
Quick Arrow N simply would not let him by, holding off his
stubborn foe by a head in the end.
Winterwood Jet closed well to get third, 3¾ lengths behind the
winner.
Quick Arrow N has now won five of seven starts since joining
Greg Trotto’s barn after beginning his career in New Zealand.
The 4-year-old gelding demolished the lifetime mark of 1:52.3 he
set two weeks ago in the second leg of the Virginia is for Horse
Lovers.
I Believe Its True stays hot at Maywood
Saturday, March 31, 2007 - by Mike Paradise, publicity director,
Maywood Park
MAYWOOD, IL — I
Believe Its True had little trouble staying the hottest horse at
the Maywood
Park
meeting. The four-year-old state bred rambled to his fourth
consecutive victory in Friday night's $11,500 feature race by
four open lengths with Dave Magee in the bike.
The 1:53.3 winning mile as the
third consecutive new lifetime mark for the four-year-old son of
Cole Muffler for owners Larry Baron Horsham (PA) and VIP
Internet Stable (Piscataway (NJ) who took I Believe Its True out
of a $25,000 claiming race at The Meadowlands on January 13.
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Maywood Park photo. |
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I
Believe Its True (Dave Magee) was all alone at the
finish of Friday's Maywood feature, chalking up his
fourth consecutive victory in a career best time of
1:53.3. |
Unlike last Friday's
first-over victory, this time drive Dave Magee sent I Believe
Its True out in a hurry from the two-slot and into a quick lead
the bay gelding never relinquished.
"It was either hustled him out and
cut the fractions or take the pocket and try to get to get
around Deville again, who can horse can be tough at times," said
Magee." I thought it would be in our best interest to try and be
ahead of him tonight. My horse was good the whole mile. When I
asked him for a little more he responded. John (trainer
Butenschoen) has this horse really sharp right now."
The 4-5 favorite I Believe Its
True ($3.60) needed a :27.2 first quarter to maintain the lead
and have the speedball Deville drop into the pocket. Magee was
able to have his pacer get away with soft middle quarters of
:28.3 and :29 flat before I Believe Its True starting to pull
away soon after the 1:25 three-quarter pole. The winner came
home in :28.3 without much urging, four lengths ahead of the 7-2
second choice Caps Classic, who came from eighth and last at the
half. Deville held on for third, another three-quarter of a
length behind.
With the
Illinois
bred allowance, I Believe Its True earned $6,640 in the race for
$27,500 to $32,500 claimers and now has banked $23,681 on the
current season.
http://www.maywoodpark.com/press/index.cfm?Press_ID=1199
Good news, bad news for Battle of Lake Erie field
Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - by Keith Gisser, assistant publicity
director, Northfield Park
Northfield, OH ---
Northfield Park's Director of Racing Gregg Keidel received some
good news and some bad news this week in his quest to assemble
the best possible field for the 22nd annual $125,000 Battle of
Lake Erie, the track's premier race.
The "By Invitation Only" event
for the eight best pacers Keidel can attract is scheduled for
Saturday night, April 21 -- so the next few weeks are critical
for horses hoping for a spot behind Northfield's starting gate.
One likely starter is 2005
Battle champion Maltese Artist, fresh off a sharp 1:49.2 triumph
last Saturday night at The Meadowlands. A career earner of over
$900,000, Maltese Artist is trained by Mickey Burke for owners
Sylvia Burke of Pennsylvania, John Howard of West Virginia and
Jim Koran of nearby Macedonia, Ohio.
Unfortunately, last season's
Battle winner Buckeye One is doubtful to return to defend his
title. The Ohio-bred has been resting since late November and is
unlikely to be ready for an April 21 trip to Northfield
according to his connections in Ontario.
A wide array of pacing
standouts from tracks across North America are under
consideration for Battle invitations. Mister Big, winner of the
$74,000 Aquarius Series Final in February at The Meadowlands, is
a very likely starter while Delaware standout Roddy's Bags Again
and Yonkers Raceway (New York) campaigner Cameloft are also in
the mix.
Besides the action on the
track, the first 3,000 fans in attendance on Battle of Lake Erie
night who pay the regular price of admission ($1.75 Grandstand
or $3.00 Clubhouse) will receive a Northfield Park 50th
Anniversary sweatshirt, all part of Northfield's 50th
Anniversary celebration in 2007.
Free Admission Earns Payday At Dover
Monday, March 26, 2007 - Marv Bachrad
It was Free Admission at Dover
Downs on Sunday, March. 25. Free Admission, the Powerful Toy
three-year-old filly, along with Double Flip, won their Delaware
Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) first leg preliminaries along
with Mr Aviator, Be Bad Bill and Skeleton Key, the colt division
winners, in $20,000 paces. Longshots were galore on the regular
card.
In other top races on the
Sunday card, $16,000 conditioned pace, Ross Wolfenden won his
second behind Magic Force, off at 7-1, for Rodney Long and VIP
Empire Stables. Now That's Art (Brad Hanners) was next in front
of Art's Sake (Tim Tetrick).
I Believe Its True Wins Again
Game Pacer Wins Third Straight at Maywood
Friday, March 23, 2007—MELROSE PARK,
ILLINOIS: I Believe Its True continued his
winning ways by capturing Maywood Park’s $11,500 featured Third
Race pace Friday night. The four-year-old
son of Cole Muffler was given a near-perfect steer by veteran
Hall of Fame reinsman Dave Magee to
nail down his third seasonal win in 1:54.1.
“I know when this horse came back from the
Meadowlands that John (trainer Butenschoen)
wasn’t really happy with his performance (out there),” Magee
noted. “Since he’s been back he’s won three of his last four
starts and John told me the horse has been a pleasant surprise
for him.”
I Believe Its True had a pair of
disappointing tenth-place efforts at The Big M in January, and
shipped back to his new barn soon afterwards.
His connections claimed him for $25,000 on January 13 at
the East Rutherford, NJ one-miler. Since
returning, the bay gelding has earned over $16,000 for owners
Larry Baron & VIP Internet Stable LLC of Pennsylvania and New
Jersey.
Brent Holland hustled 2-1 Deville quickly
away from the gate and lead the field to a
:28.4 first quarter. The field
continued on single file style to the :57.4
half and I Believe Its True was the first to pull going down the
backstretch. Passing the three-quarter mile
marker in 1:26, I Believe Its True had his head and front and
then quickly cleared the tiring Deville. The
leader than began to draw off with little urging from his
driver, and held off a late charge by runner-up My Tractor’s
Sexy (Mike Oosting). Deville hung on
gamely for third.
“I thought Deville might be a challenge to
get around because of the soft fractions but my horse was very
aggressive and dug in gamely tonight,” Magee added.
I Believe Its True lowered his seasonal
best mark with the victory and upped his career earnings to
$62,254.

Click the image to listen to Ed O'Connor's
interview on the Meadowlands Racing Insider
Driving
Into History
By:
Shelly Blake, courtesy of
www.Saratogagamingandraceway.com
October 12th started
out as just another night at work for Dan Cappello, Jr.
By the time his night was over, Saratoga Gaming and
Raceway’s leading driver had accomplished what no other driver
in the history of the Spa Oval has been able to do.
He won six races.
While an amazing feat, that is not what
sets Cappello, Jr. apart from all other drivers. The track
record for most wins by a driver in a single night stands at
seven—a record shared by Bill O’Donnell and Tony Morgan. All Dan
Cappello, Jr. did was win six races. But this was the
third time in a single season he visited the Winner’s
Circle that many times in one night.
A new track record.
And yet it seems to be just one more
accomplishment in the career of Dan Cappello, Jr.
Being the son of a very successful
horseman, Danny, as the 47-year-old is often called, grew up in
the business of horse racing. “I was a janitor for about 20
minutes. That’s all it took (to realize he didn’t want to do
anything else but work with horses).” The New Jersey native
followed his father, Daniel Cappello, Sr., from New Jersey to
Monticello to Saratoga, learning the tricks of the trade from
both his father and a man who worked for the senior Cappello,
Richard King. It wasn’t long before the apprentice came into his
own…and then some.
Danny has been Saratoga’s driving
champion eight times. This year marks the 14th
time he has driven over a hundred winners in a season.
The Saratoga Chapter of the United States Harness Writers
Association has awarded Cappello, Jr. with Horseman of the Year
three times since bestowing upon him the Johnny Page Award for
“Up-and-Coming Driver” in 1983. He has bankrolled over ten
million in his impressive career and recently won “Driver of the
Year” honors for the 2006 Saratoga season.
Of course if you ask Danny, he has
nothing to do with his own success. “There’s a bunch of guys
here that could be leading driver. It’s just a matter of getting
good horses to drive and having some luck. That’s all. That’s
what I always thought.”
Although there are some that tend to
disagree. Just ask Bill and Peggy Hohenstein, co-owners with the
rest of the V.I.P Stable of trotter
Nystateofmind. According to the Hohensteins, their four-year-old
gelding had a real problem staying trotting. Since he has been
in Cappello Jr.’s care, he has never gone off stride. The
reason? “He’s the best,” claims Peggy, “Danny is just the best.”
What Danny considers “the best” are the
horses, such as the ones he catch-drives ( “Swift Sport I like a
lot. I really like driving him. He tries all the time”), the
ones he trains and drives currently, ( “Arts Regards…he’s a nice
horse”), as well as in the past, (“Mr. Bruiser…he was a nice
horse. I took him down to the Meadowlands, we went in 1:53—and
that was when 1:53 was fast”), and even horses he has no
connection to, such as Open Pacer Our First Falcon and Hall of
Famer Brett Hanover—a horse Danny always “thought the world of”
when he was younger.
When he was younger, Danny also had a
different perspective of what it’s like to be out on the track
behind a horse. “When my father was driving and I’d be watching
him… well, it’s a lot easier to drive from the grandstand. I’d
be yelling at him after the race, why did you do this or that?”
However, since the younger Cappello has logged some miles of his
own in the bike, his perspective has changed quite a bit.
“It’s not that easy out there. You have to make decisions
quick and a lot of the time, they’re wrong. A lot of times the
horse overcomes the bad decision you make, if you’re driving a
good horse you can make a couple mistakes and the horse will
still overcome that.”
Yet it wasn’t a good horse that won six
races in a single night three times this season.
Perhaps it’s modesty, but it’s clear when
talking to Cappello, Jr. that he doesn’t take himself too
seriously. “I use to, but now I just try to have fun.”
And he does, which is apparent in his sense of humor as
his responses to the best and worst thing about racing harness
horses being, “the summer and winter.” Yes, it can get very cold
out there. And what a lot of people don’t realize is how
physically demanding it all can be, not just on the horses, but
for everyone involved. “It’s a seven day a week job. You get
banged up sometimes, sure. Work long hours.” But Danny is not
complaining, even when the job gets a little too dangerous.
On July 3rd,
Kiss Me Cam, a horse then trained and driven by Cappello, Jr.
fell within moments of the start of the race. Danny hit the
unyielding track hard—hard enough to sprain his ankle quite
severely. The horse, thankfully, was fine. Danny was not.
However, nine days later, he was back in action with two wins,
three seconds and two third place finishes in seven attempts.
This article was going to be titled, “Mr.
Saturday Night,” but the truth is Dan Cappello, Jr. doesn’t have
just one night where he reigns supreme. He can be found in the
Winner’s Circle on both trotters and pacers, with cheap claimers
and Invitational horses, during matinees and night cards.
Although he’s never driven a winner in the NY Sire Stakes Night
of Champions, something he’d very much like to achieve one day,
he has done something which no other driver among the very
talented drivers through Saratoga’s history has been able to do.
Three six-baggers in a single season is not just historic. It
speaks volumes about the man behind these good horses.
October 31, 2006
George Teague
trained yearling added to VIP's "GRAND SLAM" Yearling
Partnership
George Teague has been a little hard to get in
touch with lately - he's been busy racing in The Breeders Crown,
winning the Cane Pace, and just generally lighting up every
stakes race on the east coast...but we can finally announce the
verbal deal we struck with George several weeks ago to purchase
an interest in our 3rd yearling for our GRAND SLAM yearling
partnership. We will be adding 1 more yearling with George at
next week's Harrisburg sale.
We are thrilled to be adding JUST DESSERTS, a yearling pacing
filly by red hot NJ sire ARTISCAPE - also the sire of George's
Yorse Of The Year, Rainbow Blue. Our new filly is out of the
Jate Lobell mare, ROMANTIC GESTURE, who has already produced 5
winners from 6 foals (4 in 1:55) including stakes winners
FLITABOUT (1:52f), BULL ON THE BEACH (1:54.1), and WINE ROSES N
CANDI (1:54).
Her family gets even more impressive with the 2nd dam, multiple
stakes winner TOWN TATTLER (1:54.3) - winner of Helen Dancer,
Juggette heat, Bluegrass elim, Mistletoe Shalee elim, and 3 legs
of Blossom series at M. She has been a world class broodmare,
having produced LIFE IS A CABARET ($774,222 1:50.2), TATTLER'S
TORPEDO ($400,737 1:53.4), BLACK TATTLER ($173,101 1:50), and
SCOOTIN TATTLER ($119,166 1:51.4), and 2 others in 1:55 and
another 4 more with wins in 2:00 or better.
The pedigree for JUST DESSERTS is online at
http://www.vipstable.com/files/programs/Teague/417-Artiscape-filly-20K.pdf
George Teague is as hot as you can get right now, having
selected and trained such notables as 2004 Horse of the Year
Rainbow Blue, 2005 Woodrow Wilson winner Western Ace, and 2006
North America Cup winner Total Truth in addition to a slew of
2yo stakes winners already this year. Interestingly, quotes from
both George and VIP's Ed O'Connor were part of the same article
in the June 28 issue of Horsemen and Fair World magazine (see
below link). It must be fate that we'll be working together!
(http://www.vipstable.com/files/Pictures/VIP-HWFmag.jpg)
Our first 2 yearlings with trainer Tom Fanning (pacing colts THE
RACE IS ON and LEXUS HANOVER), are already broken, jogging, and
doing very well. More information on them is available at
http://www.vipstable.com/grand-slam.html
September 11, 2006
Our
"Grand Slam" Yearling partnership has
been received well so far and we do have spots left. That's
good news for those of you not involved yet, because we bought 2
very exciting colts yesterday at the NJ Classic sale.
Trainer Tom Fanning got the first horse in the sale -
LEXUS HANOVER,
a colt by champion sire Cam's CardShark out of the multiple
stakes winning mare, Lady Dynamo (1:54.4 $201,480). This is a
great looking individual with the classic Cam Fella line looks -
athletic and perfectly proportioned. The dam side family is
great with 3 winners of over $100,000 and 7 with winning marks
of 1:57 or better. We were very excited to
get our Grand Slam started off with such a promising NJ bred
colt.

We also
took home the Pro Bono Best colt
THE RACE IS ON
late in the day. Tom Fanning was the
high
bidder on this very good looking NY sired colt out of the
multiple Open class winner, Incredible Talent (1:54.3 $70,227).
Pro Bono Best's first crop are just 2 this year, and they
have been very impressive - several will be in the NYSS
Championships this weekend at Stga. We were
very impressed with this colt's confirmation – long and stout
with a look that reminded me of our $500K earner Bayside Hall.
With the NY stakes program HUGE already and Yonkers about
to get started, this guy will be racing for serious money.
I also
spoke at length to George Teague about our next 2 purchases –
he'll be looking at the KY sales as well as at Harrisburg .
There is
no feeling in harness racing like standing in the winner's
circle with a horse you've been following since he was a baby!
Please contact either Tom or me to get your spot in
this partnership!
August 28, 2006
VIP Stable
goes over $300,000 in purses for 2006 - a new high for the
stable with 4 months to go. With our 2 year olds just
getting started in the next few weeks, and Yonkers and Chester
opening in the next month, we're looking to run up the score in
2006.
June 23, 2006
VIP Stable
founder and Managing Partner, Ed O'Connor, was featured in
Horseman and Fair World magazine

May 21, 2006
VIP Stable sends starter number 1,000 to post!
VIP
Stable Sweeps Spa Series
Monday, April 10, 2006 - by Mike Sardella, for Saratoga Raceway
This past Saturday night’s
Virginia O'Brien Pacing Series Final looked to be a good one,
and was led by the Cappello-trained entry of Gemini Jon and
Cameloft. Together, they had been a perfect five for five
series, and went to post, coupled, at 3-5.
Most eyes were on Gemini Jon,
who was undefeated in five starts at Saratoga, highlighted by a
1:544 victory, and who had the local leading driver,
Dan Cappello, Jr., in the sulky. Cameloft had the driving
services of Josh Marks.
Cappello rushed Gemini Jon at
the half-mile station and took the lead, but after a tough trip
took its toll their stablemate, Cameloft, picked up the pieces,
moved from eighth to first, and swooped the group for Marks.
Gemini Jon finished second and
Redford Hall (Frank Coppola, Jr.) finished third. Cameloft
stopped the timer in 1:554, and with his share of the
purse made more money in this one start than he had all of last
year, while a regular $4,000 claming pacer at the Spa.
Fanning solves crisis
March 17, 2006
Although trainer Tom Fanning had
a tough day Wednesday having to scratch two horses “injured” out
of races at the Meadowlands, he quickly left that crisis mode
when his 4-year-old mare Crisis won Thursday night at the Big M.
Crisis was North America’s fastest performer on Thursday with a
1:52 gate-to-wire effort in a $12,500 conditioned pace. It was
the daughter of The Panderosa’s first win in four starts after
being purchased in late January and sent to Fanning’s barn at
Gaitway Farm in New Jersey. Crisis had been racing in Illinois
before being bought privately by Ed Bardowski of New Jersey, who
later sold three-quarter interest to VIP Internet Stable, a
group managed by Tom Janes of New Jersey.
“My owner Ed Bardowski bought the mare, he really liked her. I
have to give him 100 percent credit because I wasn’t crazy about
it,” said Fanning. “He sent her back here and she is accepting
her job. Every week she seems to be a little bit more relaxed
and willing to cooperate.”
Fanning said that Crisis had been trained by Illinois-based
conditioner John Butenschoen before being purchased, and he
gives credit to his peer for helping settling down the
rambunctious distaffer.
“They wanted to sell her, but I don’t think there was a lot of
interest in her. She had problems with the gate,” said Fanning.
“She wouldn’t make the gate or wouldn’t go behind the gate. She
was also a very hard horse to control. She had all kinds of
baggage but she has a very good pedigree. And Butenschoen did a
good job getting her to the races.
“We made some changes,” he added. “We put an ear hood on her and
screen over the eyes. We let her head down a little bit. We
tried to keep her happy.”
Bardowski had previously owned horses that Butenschoen trained,
and he felt familiarity would also help in the sulky. That is
why Andy Miller was named to drive in her first three starts at
the Big M, before Miller had to pick off to drive his brother
Erv’s mare Gro on Feb. 23. Yannick Gingras picked up the mount
and he drove her to a second-place finish, losing by a nose to
Gro. This time around the tables were turned as Gro finished
third behind the winning Crisis.
“She has a tremendous upside,” said Fanning. “I wanted to put
her in a $20,000 claimer when I got her but the owners wouldn’t
let me. They were right. And I’m glad they were right. As long
as she behaves herself she can be a pretty tough horse.”
(courtesy
www.harnessracing.com)

3/16/06 - Gemini Jon, with Dan Cappello, Jr in the sulky,
posted a winning time of 1:55.4 for owners VIP Internet
Stable. Competing in the first leg of the Virginia O'Brien
Pacing Series, Gemini Jon scored the fastest time of
the evening in the six series divisions run. Other first leg
winners were Cameloft, Cleaning Lady, Ms Raider, Chianaglia and
One Magic Kat. (courtesy www.saratogagamingandraceway.com)
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Copyright © 2006 VIP Internet Stable, LLC
Last modified: 3/27/07
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