September, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Lady Prancealot, Raymundos Secret Top Saturday’s John C. Mabee

The 63rd edition of the John C. Mabee Stakes at Del Mar Saturday has drawn a field of eight older fillies and mares headed by a pair of on-the-rise 4-year-olds in Raymundos Secret and Lady Prancealot.

The Grade II race with its $150,000 purse goes as the 10th of 11 on a card that will have an early starting time of 1 p.m.

Raymundos Secret, a Florida-bred by a British stallion named Treasure Beach, comes into the mile and one-eighth Mabee off a photo-finish tally in a one-mile allowance race at Del Mar on August 14. That was the first start by the Phil D'Amato-trained bay since October 26 of last year, so it surely should serve as a good tightener. It was also the filly's fourth win in six lifetime starts, all on the green. She races for the partnership of Sierra Racing or Sterling Stables.

Lady Prancealot, who does her running out of the barn of trainer Richard Baltas, comes into the Mabee off a series of stakes tries against some of the better grass fillies and mares on the west coast. The Irish-bred by Sir Prancealot most recently finished fourth – beaten less than two lengths despite trouble along the way – in the Grade II Yellow Ribbon at Del Mar on August 8. Last year she won the Grade III Valley View at Keeneland and the Grade I American Oaks at Santa Anita and sports a bankroll of $574,841. She's owned by McClanahan, Iavarone or Parkland Thoroughbreds.

Interestingly, though not surprisingly, the top two riders at the session – Umberto Rispoli and Flavien Prat – ride the top two fillies in the feature. Rispoli will get a leg up on Lady Prancealot, while Prat goes aboard Raymundos Secret.

Here's the full field for the headliner from the rail out with riders and morning line odds:

Amerman Racing's Catch the Eye (J.C. Diaz, Jr., 15-1); Lady Prancealot (5/2); Sondereker, Lewkowitz or Albert, et al's Don't Blame Judy (Drayden Van Dyke, 10-1); Mr. and Mrs. Larry D. Williams' Pulpit Rider (Juan Hernandez, 5-1); Little Red Feather Racing's Zee Drop (Abel Cedillo, 6-1); Jeong or Johnson's Meal Ticket (Tiago Pereira, 15-1); Hronis Racing's Quick (Jose Valdivia, Jr., 8-1), and Raymundos Secret (2-1).

Pulpit Rider comes into the Mabee off a photo-finish score in the Solana Beach Stakes for California-breds going a mile on the grass at Del Mar on August 15. The 5-year-old mare by the late Lucky Pulpit has won six races and more than $460,000 in purses.

Zee Drop, a 4-year-old chestnut by Lemon Drop Kid, steps into stakes competition for the first time. She's won three of her eight lifetime outings, including a victory on the green at Del Mar last September.

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Thoroughbred Charities Of America Awards Grants Over $1 Million In 2020

Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) announced Thursday that grants totaling nearly $1,070,000 will be awarded this year.

A record 92 grant applications were received earlier this year during the organization's annual grant cycle. Ultimately, 70 organizations were approved for a grant including 45 aftercare organizations, 16 backstretch and farm worker programs, five equine-assisted therapy organizations, three Thoroughbred incentive programs, and one research organization. Grant recipients from the last three years can be found on tca.org.

In May, TCA's Horses First Fund made emergency grants to three backstretch organizations, seven aftercare organizations, and supported two feed assistance programs across the U.S. to aid in the relief efforts during the Coronavirus pandemic. The total expended from the Horses First Fund was $79,900 bringing the organization's total 2020 grantmaking over the $1 million mark.

“In a year where we've seen a greater need than ever before we are so grateful that we are able to increase our impact among our grantees,” said Erin Crady executive director of TCA. “TCA's investment in our charities helps to make their work with Thoroughbreds, backstretch and farm workers possible.”

TCA's expanded giving in 2020 is bolstered by two bequests received since its last granting cycle. Last fall, a generous gift from the estate of Robert D. Byington of Lansing, Mich. was received. Mr. Byington was an avid horsemen and part owner of 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom. When told about the increased impact of TCA's grants due to Mr. Byington's gift, a family member shared, “I know my uncle is beaming with pride right now.”

A second generous bequest from the estate of Maryland horsemen Bob Manfuso was received this summer. Mr. Manfuso was a founding member of the TCA Board of Directors where he worked closely with TCA founders, Herb and Ellen Moelis and Allaire duPont. Mr. Manfuso served as a director until 2017.

“The contributions from Mr. Byington and Mr. Manfuso were so important and we couldn't have hit the seven-figure impact mark without them,” said Mike McMahon president of TCA. “As a founder and an active board member for nearly 30 years, Bob Manfuso served horses and horse people. He was a great man. Generous with his hard work and financial support right to the end. Likewise, the generosity of Robert Byington has made a deep and lasting impact on TCA and our grant recipient organizations. We are forever grateful. TCA has had a great volunteer board over the years, and our current board is no exception. Our volunteer board members do a great job giving generously of their time, especially during the pandemic. We are so proud to offer the horses and the people that care for them a million dollars in total 2020 grants.”

TCA's annual grants are provided to organizations that successfully meet the criteria set forth in an annual grant application. Grant applications for the 2021 grant cycle will be available in early January.

TCA's mission is to provide a better life for Thoroughbreds, both during and after their racing careers, by supporting qualified repurposing and retirement organizations and by helping the people who care for them. TCA distributes grants to several categories of Thoroughbred-related nonprofits including rehabilitation, retraining, rehoming and retirement organizations; backstretch and farm employee programs; equine-assisted therapy programs; and research organizations. Since its inception in 1990, TCA has granted over $24 million to more than 200 charities. TCA is the charitable arm of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA).

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Late-Developing Happy Saver Hopes To Use Tesio As Springboard To Preakness Stakes

Wertheimer and Frere's undefeated Happy Saver, a late-developing son of Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Super Saver, will take the next step in his progression when he faces stakes company for the first time in the $100,000 Federico Tesio Monday, Sept. 7 at Laurel Park.

The 39th running of the 1 1/8-mile Tesio for 3-year-olds serves as the highlight of five $100,000 stakes on a special 10-race Labor Day holiday program that caps Laurel's Preakness Prep Weekend. For the fifth straight year, the Tesio serves as a 'Win and In' event for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the 145th Preakness (G1) Oct. 3 at Pimlico Race Course.

Also on the Labor Day card are the Weber City Miss for 3-year-old fillies, a 'Win and In' race for the 96th Black-Eyed Susan (G2) on the Preakness undercard; and a trio of scheduled turf stakes for 3-year-olds and up – the 1 1/16-mile All Along for fillies and mares and the 5 ½-furlong Laurel Dash and 1 1/16-mile Henry S. Clark.

First race post time is 12:40 p.m.

Trainer Todd Pletcher cross-entered Happy Saver in Saturday's Jim Dandy (G2) at Saratoga but said he favors sending the chestnut son of his first of two career Derby winners to the Tesio, a race the seven-time Eclipse Award champion won with Smoked Em in 2002.

“Our first preference is the Tesio, assuming that everything goes according to plan,” Pletcher said. “We were very pleased with his debut and impressed that he was able to stretch out in his second start to a mile and an eighth and win against older horses. We're very pleased with the progress he's made. We felt like the Tesio could potentially be a good segway toward the Preakness if he continues to develop.”

Unraced at 2, Happy Saver debuted in a seven-furlong maiden special weight June 20 at Belmont Park, pressing a quick pace before taking over entering the stretch and sprinting clear to win by 5 ½ lengths. He came back July 26 at Saratoga, settling in mid-pack until making a six-wide move in upper stretch and going on to a four-length triumph at the Tesio distance.

“He seems to be very talented,” Pletcher said. “He had enough natural speed to win going seven-eighths and then was able to kind of sit off the pace in his second start and finish up strongly at a mile and an eighth. He's already shown some versatility and professionalism in only a couple of starts.

“He's one that we've been impressed with his training,” he added. “We've been breezing him with some good horses and he's always held his own very well, so hopefully he continues to move in the right direction.”

Maryland's four-time leading rider Trevor McCarthy has the assignment on Happy Saver from Post 4 of seven.

Cash is King and LC Racing's Monday Morning Qb is entered to launch his comeback in the Tesio. Winner of the seven-furlong Heft Stakes last December in his only previous trip to Laurel, the Imagining colt has not raced since finishing fourth in the 1 1/8-mile Withers (G3) Feb. 1 at Aqueduct.

Trainer Robert E. 'Butch' Reid Jr. said the connections decided to give Monday Morning Qb some time after the Withers, a break that was extended due to the months-long pause in live racing around the country amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“He really filled out nicely. He's always been a big horse. I'll be interested to see how much he weighs when we get down to Laurel, actually,” Reid said. “He really has filled out nicely and his joints have set up really well, just what we were hoping because he's such a big guy. He couldn't be training any better. We brought him back to the track off his breeze the other day and he's just full of himself and happy. We're excited with how he's doing right now.”

Reid entered Monday Morning Qb in a one-mile turf allowance for Maryland-bred/sired horses Aug. 28 at Laurel but he was unable to draw into the main body of the race and was scratched. He also missed the Maryland Juvenile Futurity at Laurel three weeks before the Heft after developing a fever.

“We're asking a lot of him coming back going a mile and an eighth off a layoff, but we breezed him the other morning and he breezed sensational and galloped out good and strong and came back bouncing, so it looks like there's an opportunity to take a shot,” Reid said. “If he comes up a little short, he comes up a little short but it'll get him stretched out around two turns and that's what we're looking for with him.”

Monday Morning Qb is one of four Triple Crown-nominated horses in the Tesio, making the 'Win and In' incentive an added bonus. Victor Carrasco is named to ride from Post 6.

“There's still spots out there and that's why we're kind of pushing him to get this one under his belt and then look for something down the road. And I still think that he'll turf, too, at some point so I'd definitely like to jump over and try that eventually,” Reid said. “He's definitely handled the surface down there so that's at least part of the reason why we're coming.”

Also nominated to the Triple Crown is Don Fausto Racing's Mexican Wonder Boy. The Kentucky-bred Can the Man colt won the seven-furlong Clasico Anahuac (G1) and 1 1/16-mile Clasico Campeonato Juvenile (G2) during a 2019 campaign that saw him named Mexico's 2-year-old champion male.

Mexican Wonder Boy made his U.S. debut July 25 at Gulfstream Park, dismissing a challenge at the quarter pole and going on to a 1 ¼-length triumph in a one-mile optional claiming allowance. Most recently, he was fifth in a similar spot going 6 ½ furlongs Aug. 16 at Gulfstream.

“The horse has good potential,” Gutierrez said. “He won the race at Gulfstream and then we were looking for a mile and a sixteenth, mile and an eighth, and we decide to run him at 6 ½ furlongs. The horse had just a regular performance. It was a very, very hot day and it was not his best day. We think he has more potential and we were looking for options. I think the Federico Tesio is a good option for him.”

Gutierrez compared Mexican Wonder Boy to Letruska, a 4-year-old homebred filly he trained to a pair of Group 1 wins in Mexico in 2019, a victory over males in the Copa Invitacional del Caribe last December at Gulfstream and a win in the Shuvee (G3) last out Aug. 30 at Saratoga.

“He ran in Mexico three times going two turns and the horse ran very, very comfortable and won good. Of course, it's a different level,” Gutierrez said. “The same was true with Letruska. This is a horse that has very similar conditions because he won in good times, even some days to run a little bit faster than other horses the same day. Letruska is a big horse and a good one and he is a little bit smaller but he has quality. We have to take risk and we have to try, no? This is the point. We have to give it a try.”

Horacio Karamanos gets the call from Post 5 at co-topweight of 124 pounds.

Colts Neck Stables' Big City Bob won the one-mile Sapling last September at Monmouth Park in his third career start and first in a stakes but has gone winless since, including a fifth-place finish in the 1 1/16-mile Private Terms March 14 at Laurel in his 3-year-old debut. He ran sixth in the Pegasus, also at 1 1/16 miles, Aug. 15 at Monmouth in his last start.

Howling Pigeon Farms' Amen Corner returned to the winner's circle with a determined nose victory facing older horses in an open 1 1/8-mile allowance July 23 at Laurel. Trained by Laurel-based Jerry O'Dwyer, he joins Happy Saver as the only Tesio horses with a previous win at the distance. Earlier stakes attempts over the winter saw the Malibu Moon colt run fourth in Laurel's Miracle Wood and seventh in the Rushaway at Turfway Park.

The Elkstone Group's homebred Plot the Dots owns two wins and a second from four previous starts at Laurel for trainer Mike Trombetta. The bay son of champion Uncle Mo captured a one-mile waiver maiden claiming event Feb. 17 as well as a restricted 1 1/16-mile allowance over older horses June 26, the latter earning him a shot in stakes company, where he ran fourth in the July 26 Jersey Derby over the Monmouth turf. Plot the Dots was second as the favorite in a seven-furlong off-the-turf allowance Aug. 22 at Saratoga last out.

Completing the field is Randall Block and Six Column Stables' Letmeno, runner-up in the Ellis Park Juvenile Stakes last summer. In his most recent start, the Ian Wilkes trainee finished first by a neck in the 1 1/16-mile Iowa Derby July 5 at Prairie Meadows but was disqualified to second for interference in the stretch.

The Tesio is named for the noted Italian breeder, owner and trainer whose hombreds Nearco and Ribot dominate Thoroughbred bloodlines around the world. Tesio died in Italy in 1954 at age 85.

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TCA Awards Over $1M in Grants

Edited Press Release

Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) announced today that grants totaling nearly $1,070,000 will be awarded this year.

A record 92 grant applications were received earlier this year during the organization’s annual grant cycle. Ultimately, 70 organizations were approved for a grant including 45 aftercare organizations, 16 backstretch and farm worker programs, five equine-assisted therapy organizations, three Thoroughbred incentive programs and one research organization. Grant recipients from the last three years can be found on tca.org.

In May, TCA’s Horses First Fund made emergency grants to three backstretch organizations, seven aftercare organizations, and supported two feed assistance programs across the U.S. to aid in the relief efforts during the Coronavirus pandemic. The total expended from the Horses First Fund was $79,900 bringing the organization’s total 2020 grantmaking over the $1 million mark.

“In a year where we’ve seen a greater need than ever before we are so grateful that we are able to increase our impact among our grantees,” said Erin Crady executive director of TCA. “TCA’s investment in our charities helps to make their work with Thoroughbreds, backstretch and farm workers possible.”

TCA’s annual grants are provided to organizations that successfully meet the criteria set forth in an annual grant application. Grant applications for the 2021 grant cycle will be available in early January.

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