July, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Brown Trio Faces GI Veterans in Manhattan

Rare is the high-caliber turf contest in New York that doesn’t go through Chad Brown and the GI Manhattan S. is no exception. The reigning four-time Eclipse winner as outstanding trainer has the favorite, multiple graded stakes-winning Instilled Regard (Arch). Last seen getting a 102 Beyer when winning Belmont’s June 6 GII Fort Marcy S. at a furlong shorter, Instilled Regard has won graded stakes three years running and looks to remedy the lack of a Grade I victory on his resume here.

Instilled Regard’s reopposing stablemate Devamani (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}) was a neck behind in the Fort Marcy, also notching a 102 Beyer, and a nose away from the win in his other 2020 start, the Feb. 8 GIII Tampa Bay S. He looks to be an improving sort who has a previous win over this distance at Belmont. The third of the Brown entries, Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), placed in last year’s GI Belmont Derby at this distance in his first U.S. start and was last seen a nose behind United (Giant’s Causeway) in the May 23 GII Charles Whittingham S. at 10 furlongs, although he was disqualified to third. He’s looking for his first Stateside win in four starts, but has three graded placings in that time.

The Brown trio may be favored, but they’ll have to get by Grade I veterans Sadler’s Joy (Kitten’s Joy) and Channel Maker (English Channel) first. The 7-year-old Sadler’s Joy, a Tom Albertrani trainee, placed in two previous editions of the Manhattan and has won over this distance at Belmont, but generally prefers a little longer, as seen in his four graded wins which include the 12-furlong GI Sword Dancer S. He and the Bill Mott-trained Channel Maker both used the ungraded Tiller S. over 1 3/8 miles at Belmont June 4 as their wake-up call after brief freshenings with neither proving a threat that day. Channel Maker hasn’t won in 13 months since taking the GI Man O’ War S., but has a mountain of back class.

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Epsom Derby: English King, Kameko & Mogul lead runners; Aidan O’Brien seeks record

BBC Sport sets the scene as the Derby and Oaks are held on the same day at Epsom for the first time.

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McKinzie Headlines Loaded Runhappy Met Mile

A talented and deep field of eight will line up for Saturday’s highly anticipated 127th renewal of the GI Runhappy Metropolitan H. at Belmont Park.

An unlucky second behind the mighty Mitole (Eskendereya) in last year’s contest, ‘TDN Rising Star’ McKinzie (Street Sense) figures to vie for favoritism. He was first or second in all seven of his starts in 2019, led by a win in Saratoga’s GI Whitney S. and a runner-up finish in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic.

The four-time Grade I winner made up for a dismal performance in the inaugural $20-million Saudi Cup Feb. 29 with a good-looking victory in the seven-furlong GII Triple Bend S. at Santa Anita June 7. Hall of Famer Mike Smith makes the trip from Southern California to guide the 2-1 morning-line favorite.

“I think any time you win a Grade I on the East Coast it’s pretty important, especially at Belmont and Saratoga. It’s like hitting a home run in Yankee Stadium, it means something,” Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said.

“His comeback race was just perfect. If he brings his ‘A game,’ that’s what we’re looking for. He’s doing really well.”

Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}), winner of last year’s GI Runhappy Travers S. and GI Jockey Club Gold Cup S. over subsequent Classic hero Vino Rosso (Curlin) via disqualification, kicked off his 4-year-old campaign with a well-timed decision over Endorsed (Medaglia d’Oro) in the GIII Westchester S. in the Belmont mud June 6.

“He just grew up physically in his body and his mind,” Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey said. “He’s gotten more aggressive and he’s caught onto what it’s all about now. He was still figuring things out last year, especially earlier in the year. Everything he’s done this year has been good. He acts like he’s ready to run.”

Moved up to second via disqualification in the GI Kentucky Derby, Code of Honor is three for four at Belmont Park, including a track-and-trip score in last July’s GIII Dwyer S.

Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg}), well-beaten in last year’s Kentucky Derby, has found his niche racing around one turn this term. A sharp winner of Gulfstream’s Sir Shackleton S. Mar. 28, the chestnut realized a career high while earning a gaudy 110 Beyer Speed Figure with a jaw-dropping victory over Network Effect (Mark Valeski) in a sloppy renewal of the GI Runhappy Carter H. in Elmont June 6. Both wins were at seven furlongs.

The Runhappy Met Mile offers a free berth to the GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in November at Keeneland.

The post McKinzie Headlines Loaded Runhappy Met Mile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Weekend Lineup: Met Mile Again Brings Marquee Names Together

Throughout the year, the NTRA will provide a guide to the best stakes races in North America and beyond. Races are listed in chronological order (all times Eastern). Full previews when available can be found through the link for each race.

The Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap, which offers a berth in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in November at Keeneland, headlines a stellar card offering five graded stakes on Saturday at Belmont Park. Slated as Race 9 on Saturday's 11-race card, the Met Mile will be featured live on NBC from 5 – 6 p.m ET. Saturday's one-hour program will also include the G3 Poker Stakes, featuring Eclipse Award finalist Got Stormy.

America's Day at the Races, produced by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) in partnership with FOX Sports, returns on FOX Sports and MSG+ for holiday coverage and analysis of the best in Thoroughbred racing from Belmont Park. The national telecast will air through Sunday on FS1, FS2 and MSG+, highlighted by the blockbuster Met Mile card.

TVG will be live on site for opening weekend at Monmouth Park and will feature holiday racing from across the country including the Grade 3, $150,000 Los Alamitos Derby on Saturday. On both Saturday and Sunday morning, fans of international racing can tune in for world class racing from England featuring the return of champion Enable (GB) who will try to defend her title in the Group 1 Coral-Eclipse Stakes. Post time is 10:35 a.m. ET.

Saturday July 4

2:24 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Victory Ride Stakes at Belmont Park on FS1

Two-time winner Reagan's Edge will make her stakes debut against four other sophomore fillies in the 18th running of the Victory Ride going 6 ½ furlongs. Trained by Cherie DeVaux, Reagan's Edge was a runaway nine-length debut winner going six furlongs on September 24 at Indiana Grand Race Course defeating next-out winners Competitive Fire and Pranked. Following a six-month layoff, the chestnut daughter of second crop-sire Competitive Edge was third beaten 5 ½ lengths in her seasonal bow before defeating winners with a last-to-first rally in a first-level Churchill Downs allowance race on May 16.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL070420USA3-EQB.html

4:45 p.m.—$300,000 Grade 3 Delaware Oaks at Delaware Park on TVG

Graded stakes winner Comical seeks to end a seven-race losing skid when she breaks from the rail in a field of eight for the 1 1/16-mile Delaware Oaks. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Comical last visited the winner's circle when she captured the G3 Schuylerville Stakes at Saratoga last July. The daughter of Into Mischief most recently finished second in the Gardenia Stakes at Oaklawn Park May 1.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/DEL070420USA-EQB.html#RACE8

4:46 p.m.—$175,000 Grade 2 Eclipse Stakes at Woodbine on TVG

The Eclipse, run at 1 1/16 miles on the Toronto oval Tapeta, has attracted seven hopefuls for the 65th running of the stakes for 4-year-olds and up. Three-time stakes winner Cooler Mike, a 5-year-old son of Giant Gizmo, goes after his first graded stakes title. Bred and owned by father and son duo Mike and Nick Nosowenko, the gelding is one of the most consistent competitors on the Woodbine grounds, having assembled a 6-4-5 record from 21 career starts.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/WO070420CAN8-EQB.html

5:13 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 3 Poker Stakes at Belmont Park on NBC

Gary Barber's Got Stormy will once again take on the boys as she looks for the first win of her 2020 campaign in Saturday's Poker Stakes, a one-mile turf test for older horses. In August, Got Stormy became the first filly to win the G1 Fourstardave, in its 35th running, besting the boys at one mile over a firm inner turf in a track record 1:32 flat at Saratoga Race Course. Trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, Got Stormy would face males in her next two starts finishing second in both the G1 Woodbine Mile, over soft going, and G1 Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL070420USA8-EQB.html

5:15 p.m.—$125,000 Grade 3 Kent Stakes at Delaware Park on TVG

Otter Bend's Gufo tops the G3 Kent Stakes at Delaware Park, a 1 1/8-mile grass affair which has attracted a field of eight 3-year-olds. Gufo will try to extend his current winning streak to four. The Kentucky-bred trained by Christophe Clement, started his career with a third in an Aqueduct turf maiden on Nov. 17 and followed with three successive turf victories all at Gulfstream Park. In his most recent, he won the $75,000 English Channel Stakes on May 2.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/DEL070420USA9-EQB.html

5:47 p.m.—$500,000 Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park on NBC

An eight-horse field boasting a combined 20 graded stakes victories, led by Grade 1-winning multimillionaires Code of Honor and McKinzie, make up a talented group assembled for Saturday's 127th running of the Grade 1 Met Mile. Code of Honor, a $2.4-million earner and winner of last year's Grade 1 Travers Stakes and Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, continued to build on his graded stakes winning form in his 2020 bow when scoring a victory in the Grade 3 Westchester Stakes on June 6. Owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, McKinzie was a troubled second beaten three-quarters of a length to eventual champion Mitole in last year's running of the Met Mile, where he lacked racing room down the stretch, found a hole to the inside of runners and made a late move to complete the exacta.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL070420USA9-EQB.html

6:20 p.m.—$400,000 Grade 1 Manhattan Stakes at Belmont Park on FS1

Sadler's Joy has twice finished in the money in the Grade 1 Manhattan and will look to earn a trip to the winner's circle in the race's 119th edition on Saturday. Sadler's Joy has come tantalizing close to a Manhattan win for trainer Tom Albertrani, finishing a neck behind Spring Quality as part of a blanket finish in 2018. The year prior, the son of Kitten's Joy ran third, 1 ½-lengths back to winner Ascend. Off a three-month layoff, Sadler's Joy returned to New York to run third in the 1 3/8-mile Tiller Stakes on June 4 at Belmont.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL070420USA10-EQB.html

6:28 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby at Los Alamitos on TVG

Hall of Famer Bob Baffert has two of the five entrants in the 1 1/8-mile Los Alamitos Derby including graded stakes winner Thousand Words. Thousand Words won his first three starts and earned his first graded victory when he prevailed in the G2 Los Alamitos Futurity last December. The bay colt is winless in three starts this year.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/LRC070420USA6-EQB.html

6:51 p.m.—$200,000 Grade 2 Suburban Stakes at Belmont Park on FS1

Saturday's Suburban Stakes, a 1 1/4-mile test, will feature the one-two-three finishers of last year's G1 Belmont Stakes as Sir Winston, Tacitus and Joevia renew their rivalry. Tracy Farmer's Sir Winston, trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, was a 10-1 upset winner of the 2019 Belmont Stakes, outkicking Tacitus for a one-length win. Sir Winston made a successful seasonal debut with a 2 ¼-length score in an optional-claiming mile at Aqueduct Racetrack on Jan. 31. After traveling for the Dubai World Cup, which was cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Sir Winston made his belated return on June 11 on a sloppy Belmont strip in the 1 3/8-mile Flat Out, running second by 5 ¼-lengths to Suburban rival Moretti.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL070420USA11-EQB.html

7:28 p.m.—$200,000 Grade 2 Great Lady M. Stakes at Los Alamitos on TVG

Multiple Grade 1-winner Bellafina headlines a field of seven entered for the 6 ½-furlong Great Lady M. Stakes. Trained by Simon Callaghan, Bellafina enters off a victory in the Grade 3 Desert Stormer Stakes at Santa Anita Park on May 17. That win was the first for the daughter of Quality Road since her triumph in the 2019 G1 Santa Anita Oaks.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/LRC070420USA8-EQB.html

Sunday July 5

8:35 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Iowa Oaks at Prairie Meadows on TVG

The Steve Asmussen-trained Strong Flag and stakes winner Dynasty of Her Own head up a field of seven entered for the 1 1/16-mile Iowa Oaks. Dynasty of Her Own, trained by Jonathan Wong, won the California Oaks in her most recent start on May 31 while Strong Flag seeks her first victory since breaking her maiden at Oaklawn Park on March 15.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/PRM070520USA9-EQB.html

9:02 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap at Prairie Meadows on TVG

Night Ops, the 5-2 morning-line favorite, aims to get back on track following a ninth-place run in Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap on May 2. Trained by Brad Cox, Night Ops won the Essex Handicap at Oaklawn Park on March 14 after scoring an allowance victory earlier in the meet. Sir Anthony won last year's Cornhusker Handicap but is winless in four starts since.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/PRM070520USA10-EQB.html

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