Not many people can say that an up-and-coming three-year-old with past soundness issues is faster than stallion Santanna Blue Chip. Although that is what Carl Jamieson, the trainer of Up The Credit and Santanna Blue Chip, has gone on the record as saying
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In an interview this past weekend with the Woodbine Entertainment Group, Jamieson sang the praises of his Western Terror colt Up The Credit, who lowered the stakes record in the Somebeachsomewhere Stakes to 1:49.
In regard to Up The Credit's freshman campaign last year, Jamieson said, "He had a big chip in his knee that we couldn't remove. They said they had to take too much bone out, so we had to rest him --- just stall rest him."
The conditioner went on to say that Up The Credit needed a lot of work and TLC over the winter. It's still early in the stakes season, but that work looks to be paying off in full.
"I work on them. I have a laser machine I work on him with," Jamieson was quoted as saying by WEG. "I had the oxygen chamber that I put him in. I had him in the swimming pool --- magnets, I used everything on him, and I used it on him all winter. The chip has healed. Of course, there is a little bit of calcification there, I would imagine, around the knee. We hope and pray that nothing happens and he stays sound all summer. I'm a little greedy, I like the 'all summer,' but the next two races would be good."
Up The Credit has drawn into the second of Mohawk Racetrack's three NA Cup eliminations which will head postward Saturday, June 11. The $1.5 million final will be the highlight of the track's June 18 card of racing.
When asked whether Up The Credit is faster than Santanna Blue Chip, Jamieson said, "I really think he is faster. I've never had a horse that could really go a mile in (1:) 49 and come a last quarter in 25 (seconds) and change. I don't really think there are too many that can do that. I don't know if he can do it every week or not, but he did it [in the Somebeachsomewhere Stakes]."
To view the draw results for the NA Cup elims, click here.
It really is hard to do a
It really is hard to do a comparison of the two. Santanna was a much better two year old obviously and at three he had to chase The Beach around. He raced huge in the Confederation Cup finishing second to him in the World Record time. And around the last turn I thought he was going to possibly upset for a second...he looked huge.