September, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

By My Standards Shows Grit In Alysheba Stakes Victory

After finishing second in two of his three career starts at Churchill Downs, the fourth time was the charm for By My Standards, who turned away a calvary charge of some of the older male division's runners on Friday to win the Grade 2 Alysheba Stakes.

The 4-year-old son of Goldencents sat calmly to the outside of pacesetter Mr Freeze, who led the field through an opening quarter in :25.71 seconds, with McKinzie, Owendale, and Silver Dust all remaining within striking distance. By My Standards remained attached to the outside hip of Mr Freeze as they approached the final turn in a leisurely :49.93, and then under jockey Gabriel Saez, By My Standards began to lodge a challenge for the lead as the front duo turned for home.

By My Standards entered the stretch with the lead, with Mr Freeze conceding on the inside path, Owendale looming on the outside, and McKinzie diving in to attempt splitting horses. Both Owendale and McKinzie loomed as threats to By My Standards, who changed leads on multiple occasions in the stretch, but an aggressive ride by Saez and a right-handed whip to keep the horse on task saw the colt find another gear and draw off from his rivals to prevail by 1 3/4 lengths. Owendale carried on from a wide trip to finish second, edging out a late-gaining Silver dust, while McKinzie finished fourth.

By My Standards completed 1 1/16-mile race in 1:42.24 over a fast main track for owner Allied Racing Stable and trainer Bret Calhoun. He paid $5 to win as the post time favorite.

The victory was worth $245,520 and increased By My Standards' earnings to $1,764,430 record of 12-6-4-1.

It was a successful reunion for By My Standards and Saez, who rode the colt for each of his first nine starts, but wasn't aboard for his two most recent efforts, both runner-up finishes. The pair have won all four starts together this year, including the Grade 2 New Orleans Classic Stakes and G2 Oaklawn Handicap.

It was also a bit of redemption in the colt's Churchill Downs resume. By My Standards finished second in his debut start at Churchill Downs in November of his juvenile season in 2018, then returned a year later to finish 12th in the Kentucky Derby. Earlier this year, he ran second in the G2 Stephen Foster Stakes.

Bred in Kentucky by Don Ladd, By My Standards is out of the Grade 2-placed stakes-winning Muqtarib mare A Jealous Woman. He was a $150,000 purchase out of the 2018 Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.

See the full chart here.

ALYSHEBA QUOTES, courtesy of the Churchill Downs media office

Gabriel Saez (winning rider, By My Standards) — “A little bit out of the gate, I see (Manny) Franco trying to get going (on Mr Freeze). I said, 'OK, he's going to go. I'm going to stay in here close. It was not really fast on the front end, but when it was time to get running around the half-mile pole, he picked up an extra gear. Each time I asked him to give me that acceleration, he did. I was really confident in him today. I was expecting him to run a huge race today, and here we are. I'm glad we got the job done. I'm looking forward to the Breeders' Cup. Fingers crossed and hope for the best.”

Bret Calhoun (winning trainer, By My Standards) – “Winning a race like this at Churchill is always special for our entire team. This horse got in some interesting pace scenarios in the last two starts and today Gabe (Saez) gave him the perfect ride and sat a perfect trip the entire way around there. It's kind of weird to think the Alysheba is a prep for the Breeders' Cup Classic (GI) but we're going to go with it and hope to get there in November.”

Brad Cox (trainer, Owendale, second) — “There was no pace. I didn't really know what to expect. Going into it, I didn't think there was going to be much pace on paper and then obviously there was none. I am finding out about this horse … that he doesn't really like kickback. He likes being out in the clear. He'll run, but he's not going to take it over the span of 5-6 furlongs and then expect to run on. He ran good, I was proud of the effort. He was beaten by a very, very good horse here. After the last race here (fifth in the Grade II Stephen Foster on June 27), I was kind of wondering where we belong in the handicap division and he put himself back in the mix. Very pleased, I was glad he got it turned around. Just his third race this year so hopefully we'll see what happens coming out of this.”

Adam Beschizza (rider, Silver Dust, third) – “He ran his usual solid performance. I'm delighted for Bret (Calhoun). He's been looking for redemption for a while with that horse (By My Standards). Silver Dust (also trained by Calhoun) is always knocking on the door. He always brings home a check. I'm sure his day is right around the corner.”

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Tiz The Law’s Only Loss Came At Churchill Downs, But Knowlton Says His Problem Wasn’t The Track

As Tiz the Law prepares to go to the post as the 3-5 favorite in tomorrow's Kentucky Derby, it's hard not to notice that his lone career loss came at Churchill Downs. If anything, Sackatoga Stables co-founder and operating manager Jack Knowlton says, he's feeling a little better about that this week.

“In many ways I think there's enough pressure now at the 3-5 favorite, but if you go into this race as an undefeated horse seven races in, that would be a little too much to bear,” Knowlton told media Thursday. “If you're going to lose one that was the one to lose.”

Knowlton referred to the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, in which Tiz the Law came third behind Silver Prospector and Finnick the Fierce. There was a lot going on for Tiz the Law in that race last November – he didn't break well and was stuck behind a slow pace, jammed in at the rail for most of the race.

“The jockeys here were race riding,” Knowlton. “They were doing what they were supposed to do, giving themselves the best chance to win.

“After the race, Manny Franco said it wasn't the track, it was the trip.”

Knowlton hopes that if anything, experiencing a trip that didn't go as planned has made the colt even tougher. It's safe to say most of this racing season has not gone as planned for horses or humans. One of many concerns for Tiz the Law's connections was the drawn-out nature of this year's road to the Derby, and whether he could remain in peak form long enough to make the Derby. Now, after a decisive Travers win and a Belmont Stakes victory, Knowlton thinks it's possible the longer timeframe makes Tiz the Law's accomplishments all the more impressive.

“Some people were concerned because it's only four weeks between the Travers and Kentucky Derby this year,” said Knowlton. “You look at the two works he had up at Saratoga and I think that question was answered. He's as sharp as he's ever been.”

If Tiz the Law is good enough to win both the Derby and the Preakness, Knowlton points out he will be just the second horse in Triple Crown history to win all three races plus the Travers. Whirlaway is the only one to manage it in 1941. Only American Pharoah and Affirmed have tried.

Having a good horse in this strange year has its drawbacks, though.

“Everything is different,” said Knowlton, who noted Sackatoga partners had to watch their G1 Florida Derby win from home. “It's frustrating to have a horse that's this kind of horse and turned into what he's turned into, and not be able to go to the race.”

In a small semblance of normalcy however, Knowlton said Funny Cide fans can again expect to see Sackatoga partners pouring out of a yellow school bus. In fact, to allow for social distancing, they're making the trip to Churchill in two of them.

Thanks to the National Turfwriters and Broadcasters Association (NTWAB), which has assembled a group of pool reporters providing independent reporting to members unable to be on the Churchill Downs grounds this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

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‘That Sort Of Swing, The Glide, The Stride’: Shirreffs Says Honor A. P. Should Go The Distance

Honor A. P., the likely second choice for Saturday's rescheduled edition of the Kentucky Derby, has made quite an impression galloping over the Churchill Downs surface in the mornings. The son of Honor Code has the look of his grandsire, A.P. Indy, and should relish the 1 1/4-mile distance of the Run for the Roses, according to trainer John Shirreffs.

“Obviously he's named after his grandsire, so what he really has is a really big stride,” Shirreffs explained. “He has a long underline, and he has a very big stride, and it's an effortless stride. Like, when you watch sprinters run, they kind of run hard, like they're turning the stride over, turning the stride over, turning the stride over. You're not seeing that swing, that little rhythm to their stride, usually.

“With Honor A. P., that's what you see, that sort of swing, the glide, the stride; swing, glide, stride. That shows or indicates that he's not putting a lot of effort into it, so that helps horses go farther.”

Though he was particularly impressive winning the Santa Anita Derby on June 6, racing pundits may be hesitant to back Honor A. P. after his loss last out in the Shared Belief Stakes. Shirreffs explained that he didn't have the colt completely focused on running ahead of that 1 1/16-mile contest at Del Mar.

“Going into the Shared Belief, we were working on other things than cranking him up for the race,” the trainer said. “We were working on his attitude a little bit, trying to get him to behave a little bit better. He was starting to feel really good, and he was starting to be a little difficult to handle. So we wanted to do everything we could to quiet him, calm him down, get him to relax, and not crank him up and get him stressing.

“The only way you can do that with a big strong animal is to quiet them, and the best way to quiet them is to give them lots of exercise. Wet saddle blankets is the best thing for a high-strung horse.”

Honor A. P. has been on his best behavior at Churchill this week, and while Shirreffs believes he's ready for the challenge, the trainer said he'd just as soon have run the Derby in May.

“It would have been nice to run then, because the sequence would have been perfect,” he said. “I don't think the four months have helped him or hurt him, he was pretty precocious early on.”

Shirreffs knows what a Kentucky Derby winner looks like, after all. He saddled Giacomo to an upset victory in 2005, and told reporters he still hasn't watch the replay from that first Saturday in May.

“The feeling I had after the race was so special, I want to keep that feeling,” Shirreffs said. “I don't want to analyze the race, and go, 'oh, look at this and look at that.' I just want to think of the whole thing and the feeling I got from it.”

He'll miss the fans at this year's September Derby, of course, but Shirreffs is hoping for a big effort from Honor A. P. on Saturday.

“(Listening to the fans is) sort of an electric feeling, but winning the Derby is always special,” said Shirreffs. “But Honor A. P. is a completely different horse, and it's his opportunity, so we want to make the best of that.”

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Sharing Leaves No Doubt With Decisive Edgewood Victory Under Franco

Sharing came ready to run in the Grade 2 Edgewood Stakes at Churchill Friday, holding off a late challenge from rival Hendy Woods at the wire of the mile-long turf contest. Under the guidance of Manny Franco, Sharing broke sharply and was keen for the lead in the early going of the race before agreeing to settle for Franco behind pacesetter In Good Spirits, tracking a pedestrian early pace. The filly, who was 3-5 by race time, kicked into gear enthusiastically at the top of the stretch and took command, drawing clear for her fifth lifetime victory.

Sharing paid $3.20 to win.

Lucky Betty was fourth behind Hendy Woods. The final time for the mile was 1:36.87.

The win for the Graham Motion trainee comes after some difficulty with foot issues following her trip to Royal Ascot, where she was second in the G1 Coronation. She had originally been slated to ship to California after her return from England, but instead required the summer off. Previous wins include the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and the Tepin Stakes.

Sharing is owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gainesway Stable. She was bred in Maryland by Sagamore Farm and is the daughter of Speightstown and Pleasantly Perfect mare Shared Account.

No doubt Franco is hopeful Sharing's victory is a sign of good things to come for him this weekend, as he will be aboard odds-on Kentucky Derby favorite Tiz the Law on Saturday.

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EDGEWOOD QUOTES, courtesy of the Churchill Downs media office

Manny Franco (winning rider, Sharing) — “She has tactical speed. She broke out of there good and put me in a position where I wanted to go. After that, she knows how to get it done. She is so nice and has a really good turn of foot. She is very professional.”

Graham Motion (winning trainer, Sharing) — “I can't lie, I was pretty anxious about it because she was coming off a long trip and a long break. But she's so classy, she makes us all look good I think. She had a great work last weekend and Manny (Franco) gave her a perfect ride. It couldn't have set up any better quite honestly.

“I figured she probably would be (a little fresh). The last thing I said was just tell Manny to keep her settled. She hasn't run for a while so it's not surprising but she's never overly anxious. She's such a pro.

“The only question I have in my mind is how far she wants to go. She obviously loves this distance. The next race would be 1 1/8 miles if we go to the QE2 at Keeneland. I don't know if she wants to go that far, I don't know why she wouldn't, but she seems awfully good going a mile. I think the QE2 is a race anyone with a good 3-year-old filly wants to go. I'm so tickled to get a race under her now because this makes it easier going forward now we've got this level of fitness. And I can't say enough about working with Aron (Wellman) and Antony (Beck). I feel like we've called the right shots and it's because of them, they've never put any pressure on me.”

John Velazquez (rider, Hendy Woods, second) – “She ran really well. She's looking at the infield and everything. She's not kind of settled behind the horses there. But finally she got settled on the second turn. I made a run with her. A good horse beat her today.”

Mark Casse (trainer, Hendy Woods, second) – “Very pleased. I want to talk to (jockey) Johnny (Velazquez) because twice he checked her and fell back in the saddle. I don't know if that cost us anything but definitely when you run against a filly like that (Sharing) and run second, there is no shame.”

Declan Cannon (rider, Lucky Betty, third) — “She kind of was not liking the soft ground, but I got in behind Sharing down the back and she made one run. She tried hard. I wish it was harder ground because she may have gotten a lot closer to Sharing, but my hat's off to the winner. She's the best in the country right now.”

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