David Cassidy on the Web
Half Heaven
October 30, 2005
www.nybreds.com
Half Heaven (8.90-to-1), a homebred racing for television and singing star David Cassidy in partnership with Edward Lipton, came from next-to-last to register her second-placing in the mile and a sixteenth Gaviola for three-year-old fillies that had not won a turf stakes, overcoming bump-and-run congestion in the upper stretch. The bay filly increased her earnings by $13,990 to $122,649 off a record of 3 - 3 - 1 in 10 starts, which includes a third-placing in Belmont's restricted Jena Jena Stakes on turf in July. In her latest previous outing on September 21, Half Heaven had finished fourth -- beaten only three-quarters of a length for everything in her first effort with Velasquez on board -- in Belmont's Auntie Mame Stakes at a mile on grass under the same condition restrictions as the Gaviola. Her latest stakes-placing also jointly qualified Cassidy and Lipton for an additional $2,798 owner award, and it qualified Cassidy for yet another $2,798 breeder award. Conditioned by NYTB 2004 Trainer of the Year Gary Contessa, Half Heaven is by Regal Classic (Vice Regent - No Class, by Nodouble), who stands at Joe and Anne McMahon's McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in Saratoga Springs and whose New York syndicate connections qualified for a $979.30 stallion award. She is the second offspring and second New York-bred winner that Cassidy has bred from Sand Pirate, a seven-time winning daughter of Desert Wine out of graded winner Wayward Pirate ($150,608) and a half-sister to the dam of Grade 2-winning millionaire Continental Red ($1,336,518).
