July, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Prayer For Relief Gets First Winner At Stud At Gulfstream Park

Savatiano's strong closing kick down the stretch at Gulfstream Park made him the first winner at stud for multiple Grade 2 winner and Indiana sire Prayer for Relief, BloodHorse reports.

Under jockey Miguel Vasquez, Savatiano stayed in touch with the leaders, then swung five-wide to stage a steady drive and finish a length on top. The gelding finished the five-furlong maiden claiming race 1:00.36 over a fast main track for owner David Romanik and owner/trainer Ronald Spatz.

Savatiano was bred in Florida by SCF, Inc., out of the winning Imperialism mare Retsina.

Prayer for Relief, a 12-year-old son of Jump Start, stands at R Star Stallions in Anderson, Ind., for an advertised fee of $3,000. He began his stud career at Pleasant Acres Stallions in Florida before moving to Indiana prior to the 2018 breeding season.

Over eight seasons of racing, Prayer for Relief won eight of 46 starts for earnings of $2,277,948. His race record is highlighted by victories in the Grade 2 West Virginia Derby and Super Derby, as well as the G3 Iowa Derby and Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap.

Prayer for Relief is out of the multiple stakes-winning Mr. Sparkles mare Sparlkin Lil, making him a half-brother to stakes winner Twin Sparks. His extended family includes Grade 1 winner Another Reef and Grade 2 winner Miss Sunset.

Code of Honor Attempts Travers-Whitney Double

Last year’s GI Travers S. hero Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) looks to become the first horse since Medaglia d’Oro in 2002/2003 to complete the Travers-GI Whitney S. double Saturday at Saratoga and secure a spot in the starting gate for the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic. Capturing the GIII Dwyer S. last term prior to his Travers score, the W.S. Farish homebred came up a nose short of champion Vino Rosso (Curlin) in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup S. in September, but was promoted to first via DQ. Seventh to that rival next out in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic in November, the chestnut captured his seasonal bow in Belmont’s GIII Westchester S. June 6 and was third last out in the GI Met Mile July 4.

“It won’t be easy, but I just hope Code of Honor runs a monster race,” Shug McGaughey told the NYRA notes team. “It will be kind of interesting to see what the tactics are with only five [horses]. I know where I’m going to be, but I’m not sure what the others are going to do or how much they’re going to press.”

Tom’s d’Etat (Smart Strike) is leading the handicap division at the moment and enters this test on a four-win streak. Winner of Keeneland’s GII Hagyard Fayette S. in October, the bay followed suit with his first top-level success in the GI Clark S. in November. Denying Improbable (City Zip) by 3/4 of a length in the Oaklawn Mile Apr. 11, Tom’s d’Etat romped by 4 1/4 lengths in the GII Stephen Foster S. at Churchill June 27.

“You can see from his PPs that when the pace is fast, he comes from off the pace and if it’s slow, he’s right on top of it,” said Stall. “That’s a good thing for us. That’s [a compact field] not my problem. That’s for [jockey] Joel Rosario and it’s 100% in his hands. Joel is undefeated on him.”

The runner-up that day was By My Standards (Goldencents), who kicked off 2020 with a trio of victories, starting with a Feb. 9 optional claimer at Fair Grounds. The bay went on take both the GII New Orleans Classic S. Mar. 21 and GII Oaklawn H. May 2.

Improbable, on the other hand, rounded back into his best form last time out. Off the board in the GI Pennsylvania Derby in September and the GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in November, the chestnut was second in the aforementioned Oaklawn Mile and returned to winning ways in the 10-furlong GI Hollywood Gold Cup S. at Santa Anita June 6.

Rounding out the quintet is hometown hero Mr. Buff (Friend or Foe). The native New Yorker is an eight-time stakes winner, including the Jazil S. in January and Haynesfield S. in February. Runner-up in the Commentator S. at Belmont Jun 12, the chestnut was fifth last time in the GII Suburban S. July 4.

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Honor A.P. Faces Off With Baffert Duo in Shared Belief

Honor A.P. (Honor Code) looks to add more GI Kentucky Derby points to his collection in Saturday’s Shared Belief S. at Del Mar. An impressive second-out graduate when extending from six panels to a mile at Santa Anita in October, the $850,000 FTSAUG buy was runner-up to recent GI Haskell Invitational S. victor Authentic (Into Mischief) in the GII San Felipe S. Mar. 7. The dark bay turned the tables on that rival last time with a decisive score in the GI Santa Anita Derby June 6.

Bob Baffert had three set for this test, but undefeated ‘TDN Rising Star’ and GIII Los Alamitos Derby winner Uncle Chuck (Uncle Mo) has been re-routed to the GI Runhappy Travers S. Aug. 8 instead. That leaves Thousand Words (Pioneerof the Nile) and Cezanne (Curlin) to represent the Hall of Famer. Opening his account with a trio of wins, including the GII Los Alamitos Futurity and GIII Robert B. Lewis S., Thousand Words was fourth in the San Felipe and faded to 11th in the Oaklawn S. Apr. 11. Given a brief freshening, the $1-million KEESEP buy ran second to his stablemate in the Los Al Derby last time.

Cezanne puts his undefeated record on the line here. A debut winner sprinting in Arcadia June 6, the $3.65-million FTFMAR topper captured a one-mile event at Los Alamitos last time July 2.

Also a defecting from the field is Santa Anita Derby fourth-place finisher Anneau d’Or (Medaglia d’Oro), who will instead contest the Aug. 9 Ellis Park Derby. Kiss Today Goodbye (Cairo Prince) rounds out the now four-horse field. Breaking his maiden at fifth asking at Santa Anita Feb. 22, he was 10th last time in an optional claimer there May 17.

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Battaash Cracks the Track Record As he Makes It Four King Georges

His odds were 2-7 and that proved generous as early as halfway as Shadwell’s Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) pulled off a historic fourth victory in Goodwood’s G2 King George Qatar S. on Friday. Recording his fastest time (55.62) in the race in the process, the G1 Nunthorpe S., G1 King’s Stand S. and G1 Prix de l’Abbaye hero was shadowed by last year’s G1 Prix de l’Abbaye winner Glass Slippers (GB) (Dream Ahead) but was comfortably on top at the line to score by 2 1/4 lengths, with Ornate (GB) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}) a neck away in third as he replicated his position in this 12 months ago. Dragged along by the fastest horse in Europe, the next two home also broke his previous track record.

“He was good, just getting a bit lonely out in front but it’s very hard to find horses quick enough to lead him,” Jim Crowley commented. “He was in front a long way and was just idling, so I had to give him a couple of taps just to keep his mind on the job. He’s so fast and very consistent now. If a horse wants to take him on in a race then good luck to them. He’s so quick he burns them off from halfway.”

Battaash’s achievement in bringing up four wins in this is nothing short of remarkable and history bears that out as fact. Of all the current group 1 and group 2 sprints in operation, he is the only one to garner that amount of successes in the same race with only Fine Art (Fr) bettering it with his five victories in the Prix du Gros Chêne from 1942 to 1946. Post-war, he is out on his own and this was all the more meritorious in that he was slicing a decent fragment off his prior track record on terrain made to measure for his style. There have been very few who could go with him once he had done the damage travelling downhill and it took a fast Australian mare to make any kind of impact as Houtzen (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) became the sole rival to get within a length of him at the finish of this race last term.

When you are this good, the only one left to beat is yourself and in his younger days Battaash was guilty of doing that on the occasions that his hot temperament got the better of him. Each year, with consistent tender handling and love and attention, he has become ever more the finished article in terms of maturity and now wanders around the parade ring like an old sage. Having finally conquered York’s flat Knavesmire to win the Nunthorpe in August, he annexed a first King’s Stand on his latest start June 16 and has now set this benchmark which is unlikely ever to be met. He does not even need to blast from the outset any more, with Crowley opting to coast through the first 1 1/2 furlongs without the lead as the free-running French raider Ken Colt (Ire) (Kendargent {Fr}) managed to outspeed Ornate.

Charlie Hills was revelling in the moment as he tried to find expression for what he just seen. “He’s so talented and we’re very proud of him. To have a horse like him in the yard at six is amazing, to be involved with him means everything,” he commented. “Four consecutive group twos takes some doing, he’s not the biggest horse in the world but is so fast and well-balanced. He’s a true athlete. Further Flight, who my dad trained, is the only horse to win a pattern race five years on the trot so we might come back next year!”

Hills is looking at the familiar European sprint options now, but was also not ruling out a tilt at the Breeders’ Cup. “He’s not overly-raced and will have maybe two more runs this year,” he added. “We’re looking forward to the [G1] Coolmore Nunthorpe now and then probably the Abbaye, but it’s a strange year and no-one really knows what the future holds. He’ll go on until he tells us he’s not the horse he was today. I love America and it would be tremendously exciting if he did go.”

Kevin Ryan said of Glass Slippers, “She has run a blinder. I thought for a minute she was going to give him a race, but it is a great achievement by Battaash to win this race four years running. I’m delighted with our filly. It is a possibility we could look at the Nunthorpe, but she is in the [G1] Flying Five in Ireland and we wouldn’t mind going back up to six furlongs again in the [G1] Sprint Cup at Haydock. We always planned to run in the Sprint Cup, as she is as effective over six as she is over five furlongs. That could be an interesting race.”

Battaash is the first foal out of Anna Law (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}), who is a half-sister to four black-type performers including this operation’s Etlaala (GB) (Selkirk) who captured the G2 Champagne S. and was third in the G1 July Cup. Her other half-sibling Bird Key (GB) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}) produced another leading sprinter in these silks in the G2 Duke of York S. winner and G1 Diamond Jubilee S. and G1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint S.-placed Tasleet (GB) (Showcasing {GB}). Anna Law also has Phoenix Thoroughbreds’ unraced 3-year-old filly Valletta Gold (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}) who is in training with John Quinn, and also the 2-year-old full-sister to Battaash who was bought by Shadwell for 800,000gns at last year’s Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1. She is named Altaayshah (Ire) and is in training with Charlie Hills.

Friday, Goodwood, Britain
KING GEORGE QATAR S.-G2, £125,000, Goodwood, 7-31, 3yo/up, 5fT, :55.62 (NTR), g/f.
1–BATTAASH (IRE), 133, g, 6, by Dark Angel (Ire)
1st Dam: Anna Law (Ire), by Lawman (Fr)
2nd Dam: Portelet (GB), by Night Shift
3rd Dam: Noirmant (Ire), by Dominion (GB)
(200,000gns Ylg ’15 TAOCT). O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum; B-Ballyphilip Stud (IRE); T-Charles Hills; J-Jim Crowley. £70,888. Lifetime Record: 2x Hwt. Older Horse-Eur at 5-7f, Hwt. 3yo-Fr at 5-7f & G1SW-Fr, 22-12-2-3, $2,072,804. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Glass Slippers (GB), 125, f, 4, Dream Ahead–Night Gypsy (GB), by Mind Games (GB). O-Bearstone Stud Limited; B-Bearstone Stud Ltd (GB); T-Kevin Ryan. £26,875.
3–Ornate (GB), 128, g, 7, Bahamian Bounty (GB)–Adorn (GB), by Kyllachy (GB). (110,000gns HRA ’17 TATAHI). O-Kings Road Racing Partnership; B-Cheveley Park Stud Ltd (GB); T-David Griffiths. £13,450.
Margins: 2 1/4, NK, 4. Odds: 0.29, 14.00, 100.00.
Also Ran: Liberty Beach (GB), Dubai Station (GB), Ken Colt (Ire), Al Raya (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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