August, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Palace Malice’s Fly On Angel Home First in CT Oaks

Making her first start since being claimed for $50,000 out of a winning effort in a Parx optional claiming event Aug. 10, Fly On Angel caught a flyer out of the gate, set a strong pace up front and managed to last over ‘TDN Rising Star’ Wicked Whisper by a diminishing half-length to take Friday evening’s GIII Charles Town Oaks.

Fly On Angel was quickly into stride from gate seven and dropped down onto the fence while taking two-pronged pressure to her outside. Able to pinch a bit of a break turning up the backstretch, she was ridden along three furlongs for home as Wicked Whisper was getting under way from about fifth. Still clear with a furlong and a half to race, Fly On Angel began to shorten stride noticeably and although her Grade I-winning foe made good ground late, the wire arrived in time.

A six-length debut winner at Penn National last September, Fly On Angel tacked on a Parx allowance in November ahead of a fourth in Laurel’s Gin Talking S. Dec. 28. Ninth in a Gulfstream turf sprint first off the layoff June 19, she finished runner-up in a Delaware optional claimer when not in for the tag before being haltered last time.

Pedigree Notes:
The third graded winner and fifth black-type winner overall for her sire, Fly On Angel was a $15,000 Keeneland November weanling and $20,000 Keeneland September yearling before fetching $23,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. The winner’s stakes-placed dam was sold for $45,000 in foal to Honor Code at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale and that produce, a gelding now named Jack Gave Back, worked three furlongs in :36.40 (3/11) at Churchill Aug. 18.

Friday Night, Charles Town
CHARLES TOWN OAKS-GIII, $200,000, Charles Town, 8-28, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:26.15, ft.
1–FLY ON ANGEL, 118, f, 3, by Palace Malice
1st Dam: Runge (SP), by Posse
2nd Dam: Tioga, by Hadif
3rd Dam: Saratoga Babe, by Saratoga Six
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($15,000 Wlg ’17 KEENOV; $20,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP; $23,000 2yo ’19 EASMAY). O-Joseph E Besecker; B-Machmer Hall & Haymarket Farm (KY); T-Claudio A Gonzalez; J-Fredy Peltroche. $116,400. Lifetime Record: 9-4-2-0, $225,160. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Wicked Whisper, 118, f, 3, Liam’s Map–Zayanna, by Bernardini. ‘TDN Rising Star‘ ($500,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP). O-Alex & JoAnn Lieblong; B-Siena Farms LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $38,800.
3–Princess Cadey, 120, f, 3, Dialed In–Dyrce, by Sandpit (Brz). ($28,000 Wlg ’17 KEENOV; $16,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP). O-Magic Stable, LLC; B-Martin J Keogh & Tanya Johnson (KY); T-Claudio A Gonzalez. $19,400.
Margins: HF, NO, 1. Odds: 9.10, 4.80, 16.20.
Also Ran: Ankle Monitor, Tonalist’s Shape, Turtle Trax, Boerne, Lenzi’s Lucky Lady, Gifted Heart. Scratched: Call On Mischief, Hopeful Growth. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Selflessly Turns Tables On Sweet Melania In Lake George

Klaravich Stables' Selflessly finished well back of Sweet Melania when running fifth in the Grade 3 Wonder Again in June the previous time the two faced each other. But Friday, the Chad Brown trainee got the better of her rival, overtaking her in the final jumps for a victory by a nose in the Grade 3, $100,000 Lake George for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

After that effort in the one-mile Wonder Again at Belmont Park, Selflessly returned to the same distance at the Spa a fresh horse two months later. With David Cohen picking up the mount as Irad Ortiz, Jr. recovers from an injury, Selflessly tracked in fifth position as Windracer led the 10-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in 23.92 seconds and the half in 48.48 on the inner turf course labeled good.

Sweet Melania, the 3-5 favorite conditioned by Todd Pletcher, powered through an opening along the rail out of the final turn and was urged home by jockey Jose Ortiz. But the two-time graded stakes winner couldn't repel Selflessly, who Cohen angled out slightly to Sweet Melania's outside, gaining ground in the final sixteenth before getting up just ahead of hitting the wire in a final time of 1:36.06.

“We were happy to get a good trip behind the horse [Sweet Melania] I thought would take us the whole way,” said Cohen, who won his first graded stakes since 2018 and first at Saratoga since the 2012 Travers when he piloted Golden Ticket to a dead heat for first with Alpha. “You never really want to get stuck behind a horse that's going to back up into you. My filly really finished up strong and showed a lot of heart.

“Chad and I had the same idea,” Cohen added. “We thought there would be two or three to go and we really wanted to get her out aggressively and not get shuffled back into the first turn and played it by ear. If Sweet Melania was on the lead and I was fortunate to get behind her then great she would take me the rest of the way and if not just figure it out from there. We went to Plan B and Plan C real quick. Everything got bottled up into that first turn and as Chad requested, if we didn't send her out of there strong, we would have been shuffled seven eight back and probably never have the chance to get up for the win.”

The stretch drive featured a duel between the charges of the top-two leading trainers of the summer meet. With the win, Brown tied Pletcher for the top mark with 24 victories apiece. The 40-day meet has eight days remaining before closing on Labor Day, September 7.

Selflessly won her second graded stakes and first since capturing the Grade 2 Miss Grillo in September at Belmont. That preceded her fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita to cap her 2-year-old year. After a seven-month break, the More Than Ready filly made her sophomore bow in the Wonder Again before returning to Saratoga for the first time since her runner-up debut effort a year to the date of the Lake George.

“The first race of the year I was a little disappointed watching the race unfold and when we got her back to the barn, she had some cuts on the backs of her legs. She missed some training after that race to heal up, so she probably had an excuse in there,” Brown said. “My team at Belmont has had this horse all meet getting her ready and they really did a great job. David stepped in today when Irad couldn't ride and I'm really proud of him. He rode a great race and we were happy to put him on the horse. I use him occasionally and we certainly ride against him a lot. He rides particularly well on the turf saving ground.”

Off at 14-1, Selflessly returned $30.60 on a $2 win wager. She improved her career earnings to $219,000.

“Some loyal Chad Brown fans made money today, for sure,” Brown said about winning with a rare longshot at the Spa.

Sweet Melania, owned by Robert and Lawana Low, finished a half-length in front of Witez for second. The daughter of 2015 Triple Crown-winner American Pharoah has never finished off the board in eight starts, moving to 3-2-3.

“Todd handicapped the race really well and he thought the two outside horses had more speed than we did,” Ortiz said. “In my mind, I was going to save when I break and those two went fast at the break, so it was easy for me to sit there. I sat very controlled the whole way around and had a good spot on the rail. She gave me a good run. The last couple of jumps, the other horse came to me, but she dug in and fought hard. It was a good race. Tough beat.”

Micheline, Sugar Fix, American Giant, My Sassy Sarah, Windracer, Velvet Crush and Cat's Pajamas completed the order of finish. Miss Peppina, entered for the main track only, was scratched.

Live racing resumes Saturday at Saratoga with an action packed 11-race card which will feature four graded stakes races, including the Grade 1, $300,000 Forego presented by America's Best Racing at seven furlongs over the main track, the Grade 1, $500,000 Sword Dancer going 1 ½ miles over the inner turf, the Grade 3, $100,000 Saranac for 3-year-olds going one mile over the inner turf and the Grade 2, $150,000 Amsterdam for 3-year-olds going six furlongs over the main track. First post is 1:10 p.m.

The post Selflessly Turns Tables On Sweet Melania In Lake George appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Early Longshots Key $27,631 Payout On Stronach 5

Five winning tickets in Friday's Stronach 5 each returned $27,631.10.

The Stronach 5, featuring three races from Laurel Park and one each from Gulfstream Park and Golden Gate Fields, had a $100,000 guaranteed pool, an industry-low 12-percent takeout, and continues to provide a strong return on investment.

Friday's sequence began with Laurel's seventh race and Royal Thunder ($18.20) winning off the claim for trainer Carlos Mancilla. That was followed by Gulfstream's ninth race and first-time starter Viburnum ($23.40) winning for trainer Kelsey Danner. The Stronach 5 concluded with the second race from Golden Gate Fields and a game victory by Heatsky ($9.60).

The largest payoff in the sequence was Viburnum, while the shortest price was Cannon's Roar ($7), winning Laurel's eighth race.

Friday's races and sequence

Leg One – Laurel Park 7^th Race: Royal Thunder $18.20
Leg Two –Gulfstream Park 9^th Race: Viburnum $23.40
Leg Three –Laurel Park 8th Race: Cannon's Roar $7
Leg Four –Laurel Park 9th Race: R V Treasure $9.40
Leg Five –Golden Gate Fields 2^nd Race: Heatsky $9.60

Fans can watch and wager on the action at 1/ST.COM/BET as well as stream all the action in English and Spanish at LaurelPark.com, SantaAnita.com, GulfstreamPark.com, and GoldenGateFields.com.

The Stronach 5 In the Money podcast, hosted by Jonathan Kinchen and Peter Thomas Fornatale, will be posted by 2 p.m. Thursday at InTheMoneyPodcast.com and will be available on iTunes and other major podcast distributors

The minimum wager on the multi-race, multi-track Stronach 5 is $1. If there are no tickets with five winners, the entire pool will be carried over to the next Friday.

If a change in racing surface is made after the wagering closes, each selection on any ticket will be considered a winning selection. If a betting interest is scratched, that selection will be substituted with the favorite in the win pool when wagering closes.

The Maryland Jockey Club serves as host of the Stronach 5.

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Art Collector Leads Derby Workers, Caracaro Injured

With just seven days remaining until the coronavirus-delayed GI Kentucky Derby, the race’s likely second favorite Art Collector (Bernardini) topped a busy Friday morning worktab at Churchill Downs. News also emerged from Saratoga that ‘TDN Rising Star‘ Caracaro (Uncle Mo) would be forced to miss the ‘Run for the Roses’ after suffering an undetermined injury in a breeze Friday morning.

With gameday jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. in the irons, Bruce Lunsford homebred Art Collector (second in the TDN Kentucky Derby Top 12) went five-eighths of a mile in a 1:00.80 (XBTV video) under the watchful eye of trainer Tom Drury, Jr. Art Collector enters the Derby on a four-race winning streak, including the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. July 12 and a defeat of Attachment Rate (Hard Spun) in the Aug. 1 Runhappy Ellis Park Derby.

“He really loves this track here at Churchill,” Drury said. “He galloped pretty strong yesterday on his first day back at Churchill and turned in a really strong work today. The difficult part is out of the way and now we just need to keep him happy and healthy until Saturday.”

Louisville native Lunsford added in an NTRA teleconference: “He did exactly what we wanted. He worked in basically ’12s’ and I would say that he came out of it looking like he hadn’t really done much. There wasn’t any sense in taking any unnecessary chances. [Tom and Brian] were very happy with the work and how he handled it. He looks terrific.”

Art Collector figures to be a clear second wagering choice to GI Belmont S. and GI Runhappy Travers S. hero Tiz the Law (Constitution), who works at Saratoga either Saturday or Sunday.

Caracaro (#11 TDN Derby Top 12) was ruled out of Derby contention by trainer Gustavo Delgado after suffering a slight injury to his right front leg during the gallop out of a six-furlong breeze at Saratoga Friday morning. The GIII Peter Pan S. and Travers runner-up was timed in 1:12.26 for his move, but exercise rider J.J. Delgado dismounted when he felt there was an issue.

“I don’t know how bad it is, but later on we’re going to x-ray and find out,” assistant trainer Gustavo Delgado, Jr. said. “It’s disappointing because he worked so well. He just took a bad step and he wasn’t feeling right. His work had already been done. I don’t think it’s going to be that bad, but we’ll know more once we do the proper examination.”

Ny Traffic (Cross Traffic, #10), who nearly came back on ‘TDN Rising Star’ Authentic (Into Mischief) when last seen in the GI TVG.com Haskell S. July 18, was also in action up at Saratoga, breezing five furlongs in :59.45 just after the renovation break with David Cohen up.

“I thought he went super. It’s what we wanted,” said trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. “I got him in 59 and change and out in 1:12 [for six furlongs. I just wanted to see him cool out good and scope good. With our fingers crossed and with a good eight days [before the Derby], we have a very good chance. Today was important. I just wanted to see him come out of the work good.”

Sole Volante (Karakontie {Jpn}, #8)) is taking a somewhat less-conventional approach to his pre-Derby preparation and in that vein, the GIII Sam F. Davis S. winner and runner-up to King Guillermo (Uncle Mo) in the GII Tampa Bay Derby, went five furlongs over the Palm Meadows turf course in :57.80 to the delight of co-owner and assistant trainer Andie Biancone.

“He worked really well. We did a shorter work today to get a little speed into him,” said Biancone. “He worked very well and came back great.”

Luca Panici has the call on the gelding, a distant sixth to Tiz the Law in the Belmont in his most recent racetrack appearance.

“I’m excited to be there. I’m thankful to the connections for giving me this opportunity with a good horse. I’m very, very happy to be a part of this team,” Panici said. “I’m very, very proud and proud of the people who work with me.”

Back at Churchill, the morning’s other breezers included:

Major Fed (Ghostzapper), five furlongs in :59 flat (:12.20, :23.80, :47, out six furlongs in 1:12)
Necker Island (Hard Spun), a half-mile in :48.40 with Miguel Mena (:12.60, :25, :36.60) (XBTV video)
Rushie (Liam’s Map), five-eighths in 1:01.60 (:12.80, :24.80) (XBTV video)
Winning Impression (Paynter), five furlongs in :59.20 (:11.80, :23.40, :34.60, :47, out three-quarters in 1:12.60) (XBTV video)

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