Bailey Sets Season Stakes Mark

With a sweep of the three graded stakes at Aqueduct on Saturday, jockey Jerry Bailey surpassed Mike Smith’s record for stakes victories in a season.

Thanks to victories by Ashado in the $200,000 Demoiselle, Read the Footnotes in the $200,000 Remsen and Congaree in the $350,000 Cigar Mile, Bailey has 70 stakes scores in 2003, two more than Smith had in 1994.

Bailey will try to add to his record with Etoile Montante in the $500,000 Matriarch and Senor Swinger in the $600,000 Hollywood Derby today at Hollywood Park.

“It’s a load off my back,” Bailey said. “Last year, I thought I had it and then I didn’t. I give [Smith] a lot of credit. It’s very tough to do, but I’m glad it’s over with. I have to give [agent] Ron Anderson a lot of credit for picking good horses.”

Congaree, the 3-5 favorite and 124-pound highweight, won the Cigar Mile for a second consecutive year, beating Midas Eyes by 5 1/4 lengths in 1:34.30.

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Not long after Bailey finished cleaning up in New York, Julie Krone did the same at Hollywood Park.

The jockey won the $100,000 Generous Stakes with 7-2 shot Castledale and the $400,000 Citation Handicap with 5-2 second choice Redattore on the second day of the Autumn Turf Festival.

Making his first start in the United States after winning once in seven starts in Ireland, Castledale ($9.40) held on to beat 2-1 favorite Dealer Choice by a nose.

Owned by Greg Knee and Frank Lyons and trained by Jeff Mullins, Castledale, a 2-year-old bred in Ireland, completed the mile in 1:35.43.

Ending a three-race losing streak, Redattore won for the 11th time in 22 starts on turf when he outbattled favored Irish Warrior in the Grade II Citation.

Owned by Luis Alfredo Taunay and trained by Richard Mandella, the 8-year-old, who was bred in Brazil, ran the 1 1/16 miles in 1:40.74 while winning by three-quarters of a length.

The Generous and Citation victories gave Krone four stakes wins at the meet, tops among all riders; she has three stakes wins in three days.

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Fleetstreet Dancer, who was claimed for $40,000 by trainer Doug O’Neill for owners Lee and Ty Leatherman about 13 months ago, pulled a 48-1 surprise in the $2-million Japan Cup Dirt at rainy Tokyo.

Ridden by Jon Court, Fleetstreet Dancer, who was second to eventual Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Pleasantly Perfect in the Goodwood Breeders’ Cup Handicap on Oct. 4 at Santa Anita, defeated favored Admire Don by a nose.

Fleetstreet Dancer’s time for the 1 5/16 miles was a track-record 2:09.20.

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Making her first start since finishing well back in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, favored Be Gentle led all the way to win the $200,000 Golden Rod Stakes, one of two graded races for 2-year-olds on the final day of Churchill Downs’ fall meet.

One race later, odds-on choice The Cliff’s Edge, one of several talented juveniles trained by Nick Zito, prevailed in the $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club.