BY BROCK SHERIDAN
NOVEMBER 15, 2008—Carol Staley’s Dry Martini ended a streak of five races and more than 16 months without a victory with a convincing three-and-a-half-length score in the mile-and-one-eighth Stuyvesant Handicap (Grade 3) at Aqueduct.
Assigned the second top weight of 116 pounds with 2-1 favorite Solar Flare (Arg), Dry Martini and jockey Channing Hill started advancing from last of six while four-wide on the turn to get control from Temporary Saint a furlong out. Dry Martini then scampered clear to win in 1:51.18 on a muddy and sealed track in his fourth start for trainer Bill Turner Jr.
Stud Muffin, who was carrying 115 pounds including Alan Garcia, had followed Dry Martini from the half-mile pole and was in contention at the top of the stretch. Stud Muffin could keep pace in the run for home, finishing second, nearly three lengths in front of Temporary Saint in third.
Despite the long drought, Dry Martini went off as the third choice with 4-1 odds and paid $10.20 to win.
The Stuyvescent was his seventh career win in 20 starts with four seconds and two thirds and increased his earnings to $552,172. It was Dry Martini’s third stakes victory at the time, all graded.
He won five of his first 13 starts for trainer Harry Benson including the Grade 3 Memorial Day Handicap in May of 2007 at Calder before owners Carol and George Nyren sent him to Barclay Tagg to win the Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap (G2) in his next start in June. He finished 2007 and his first stint with Tagg with a fifth in Lawyer Ron’s Whitney (G1) at Saratoga in July, also the first time he ran under the sole ownership of Carol Staley (Nyren).
He made his first start of 2008 in August at Calder Race Course with trainer Ronald Spatz, finishing fifth in an allowance, before being sent to Turner at Belmont Park. He made three starts for Turner at Belmont, the best of which was a second to Formal Decree in the $81,000 Stawberry Road going a mile-and-an-eighth in his first start on grass, before winning the Stuyvescent. He had one more start for Turner, finishing third in the Queens County Handicap (G3) won by Researcher in December as the 8-5 co-favorite and 118 co-highweight with Sir Whimsey, who was fourth.
Dry Martini was returned to Tagg’s barn where he stayed for the remainder of his career—winning the $66,050 Three Coins Up Stakes at Belmont in May of 2009 and the Suburban Handicap (G2) two months later. He earned $240,000 with his Suburban victory, becoming a millionaire with earning $1,152,406.
He would start 10 more times but his best finish would be a second to Quality Road in the Donn Handicap (G1) at Gulfstream Park in February of 2010. He retired after finishing fifth in the $500,000 Sunshine Millions Classic won by Tackleberry at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 29. He ended his career with nine wins, seven seconds and five thirds in 36 races with earnings of $1,344,006.
Dry Martini was by Slew Gin Fizz out of Jon’s Kimberly, by Criminal Type and was bred in Florida by Carol and Marty Hershe at their Turtle Pond Farm in Ocala. The Nyrens acquired Dry Martini from the Hershes in a private purchase.
Return to the November 15 issue of Wire to Wire
