September, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Harvest Moon Shines In ‘Win And You’re In’ Zenyatta Stakes

The lone 3-year-old in the field, trainer Simon Callaghan's Harvest Moon stalked heavily favored Fighting Mad early and took charge turning for home en route to a rousing three-quarter length score in Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. The Zenyatta is a pivotal steppingstone to the G1 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland on Nov. 7.

With Bob Baffert-trained Fighting Mad, a recent gate to wire G1 winner going to the early lead as expected, Harvest Moon fell into a perfect stalking trip from her number three post in a field of four fillies and mares. Lapped just outside the favorite in the run up the backstretch, Harvest Moon glided alongside Fighting Mad mid-way around the far turn and held Hard Not to Love safe late for the win.

“We thought Fighting Mad would go to the lead and we wanted to keep pressure on her,” said jockey Flavien Prat, who has now guided Harvest Moon to four consecutive wins. “My filly had never been a mile and a sixteenth, but Fighting Mad was carrying 126 pounds. You never know with a 3-year-old against older, but we got eight pounds, so that was good. It turned out this was a good distance for my filly and she really ran well.”

A 1 1/4-length winner of the G3 Torrey Pines stakes versus sophomore fillies going one mile on Aug. 22 at Del Mar, Harvest Moon was the third betting choice at 7-2 and paid $9.80 and $5.60 (no show wagering).

“We have been really patient with her early on and that's a credit to Alice (Bamford, breeder and co-owner) and Michael Tabor (co-owner),” said Callaghan. It was said that this filly has a lot of talent and they were so patient throughout the whole process. She took her time to come to hand, but she's come a long way in a short period of time.

Harvest Moon was under consideration to run against 3-year-old fillies in the G2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes Preakness weekend at Pimlico, but Callaghan opted to keep the filly in Southern California.

“(Running in the Zenyatta) certainly looks like a good decision now. Myself and Alice, along with everyone else, chatted and we felt at this stage keeping her here, receiving weight from Fighting Mad, was the right thing.”

A 3-year-old bay filly by Uncle Mo, out of the Shamardal mare Qaraaba (winner of the G3 Robert J. Frankel Stakes for Callaghan and Harvest Moon's owners), Harvest Moon notched her second graded stakes win and her fourth overall win from five starts. With the winner's share of $120,000, Harvest Moon roughly doubled her earnings to $240,720.

“I'm absolutely thrilled today, completely over the moon for Harvest Moon!” said Bamford. “She's a homebred and she's just so deep in my heart and in my family's heart. It was so good to see her so well ridden today, showing off her beautiful stride … We lost her mother this year, Qaraaba, who (was) a stunning, stunning filly and each time I tell her, 'Harvest Moon, go and do it for your Mama.' And she has.”

The actual second choice in the race at 7-2, Hard Not to Love was a close third throughout and edged by the favorite late by three quarters of a length for second money while returning $5.60 to place with Mike Smith up.

Fractions on the race were 23.37, 46.51, 1:10.21 and 1:36.11.

Named for the legendary mare that remained unbeaten and became the only distaffer to ever beat the boys in the Breeders' Cup Classic by taking the 2009 running at Santa Anita, Zenyatta would then became Horse of the Year in 2010 for owners Jerry and Ann Moss and trainer John Shirreffs. The Zenyatta is a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” Challenge Race qualifier to the G1 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland Nov. 7.

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Longshots Fuel $54,460 Payoff In NYRA’s Cross Country Pick 5

Exciting racing action from Belmont Park and Churchill Downs comprised Saturday's Cross Country Pick 5, which returned $54,460 for selecting all five winners for the 50-cent wager with a total pool of $128,145.

Big Engine powered the wager's first leg, defeating Tribecca by a half-length in a six-furlong main track sprint for allowance optional claimers in Belmont's Race 7. Off at 10-1, Big Engine complete the course in 1:10.07 under jockey Jose Lezcano, returning $23.40 on a $2 win wager. Trained by Linda Rice, Big Engine bested an eight-horse field that included stakes-winners T Loves a Fight and Celtic Chaos.

Action shifted to Churchill for the second leg, with Estilo Femenino rallying from last-of-10 at the half-mile mark to post a three-quarters of a length victory in the one-mile dirt contest for allowance optional claimers in Race 8. The 25-1 longshot, piloted by Joseph Talamo and trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, paid $53.60.

Belmont's Race 8 started the first of three graded stakes to close out the sequence, with trainer Chad Brown notching the exacta in the Grade 3, $100,000 Noble Damsel for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going one mile on the Belmont Widener turf in Race 8. Two English-breds, Viadera and the 2-1 favorite Blowout, ran 1-2 for Brown, who won his fifth consecutive Noble Damsel. Joel Rosario, aboard Viadera [$13] won his third Noble Damsel in the last four runnings as his 4-year-old Bated Breath filly surged along the rail to edge Blowout by a neck in a final time of 1:32.06.

Churchill got in on the stakes action in Race 9 when Mr. Money earned the purse with a 1 ¼-length victory in the Grade 3, $100,000 Ack Ack for 3-year-olds and up going one mile on the main track. Conditioned by Bret Calhoun, Mr. Money went off at 6-1 but used a strong move near the rail to draw away from runner-up Bourbon Calling. Ridden by Gabriel Saez, Mr. Money completed the course in 1:34.85 and returned $14.80.

The finale saw a familiar face make a return trip to the winner's circle, as Firenze Fire registered a 2 3/4-length score in the Grade 2, $150,000 Vosburgh going six furlongs on Belmont's Big Sandy. The Kelly Breen trainee punched his ticket to Keeneland, with the 81st running of the Vosburgh serving as a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint on November 7 in Kentucky. Off as the 2-1 second choice behind favorite and eventual runner-up Funny Guy, Firenze Fire, who hit the wire in 1:09.74, was ridden by Lezcano and paid $7.20.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on track, on ADW platforms, and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool.

The Cross Country Pick 5 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.

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Baffert: Improbable ‘Getting Really Good’ While Maximum Security ‘Didn’t Bring His ‘A’ Game’

It was business as usual for Bob Baffert Sunday morning at Santa Anita after the two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer savored victories on Saturday by undefeated Princess Noor and relatively unsung Improbable in Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races at the Arcadia, Calif., track.

Princess Noor proved convincingly she can handle two turns, giving Baffert a record 12th triumph in the Grade 2 Chandelier Stakes at 1 1/16 miles, while Improbable rallied from last to capture the G1 Awesome Again Stakes, vanquishing stablemate and odds-on favorite Maximum Security in the process.

“You're never sure about going two turns, and she was stuck behind horses coming out of the one hole, but she came out of the race really well,” Baffert said of Princess Noor, a $1,350,000 purchase owned by Saudi businessman Amr Zedan who campaigns as Zedan Racing

“She's still doing her thing and it looks like two turns is not going to be a problem for her,” Baffert added.

Princess Noor will likely be the favorite for the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland on Nov. 6.

Improbable and Maximum Security are likely headed to the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 7, Improbable earning a fees-paid berth with his Awesome Again victory and Maximum Security winning a similar spot through his triumph in the G1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar.

“Improbable and Max came out really well. I knew there was going to be a lot of pace, and we were going to sit off of it and then let Max run, but he was in between Midcourt and they were just bumping the whole way down the backside.

“They were in a full drive from the half-mile pole, but he didn't bring his A game, and Improbable is getting really good. He's got a lot of Grade 1's on his resume, he's filled out, matured, and Drayden (Van Dyke) rode a great race, just sat back there early on.

“He saw what was happening up front and let them go.”

Next up for Baffert is Saturday's Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md. Thousand Words worked five furlongs in 1:00.60 Saturday at Churchill Downs towards that goal while Kentucky Derby winner Authentic works there Monday.

“As long as Authentic works good, both horses will ship to Maryland on Tuesday,” Baffert said.

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The Week in Review: Clout Heading into Classic, Older Horses or Upstart Sophs?

We’re now inside the six-week mark for the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic. Is your money on an older horse winning the season-capping dirt route championship race or one of the 3-year-olds?

Both divisions have a respectable upper crust of candidates. Neither age group has a dominant, standout star who towers over his peers.

Improbable (City Zip)’s last-to-first, 4 1/2-length shakedown of the GI Awesome Again S. field at Santa Anita this past Saturday nudged him into tepid early favoritism for the Classic. The Oct. 10 GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park looms as the final Grade I dirt route for males prior to the Breeders’ Cup. But this season, the pandemic has given us the unique plot twist of the GI Preakness S. falling five weeks out from the Nov. 7 Classic, and Saturday’s concluding Triple Crown event will likely be the more impactful race of the two in sorting out the pecking order for the Breeders’ Cup.

Older horses have won 24 previous Classics; sophomores 12. In the 21st Century alone, the 2:1 ratio is roughly the same (14-6). Older horses have won the last three Classics (Vino Rosso, Accelerate, Gun Runner). But the three years prior to that were swept by a Bob Baffert-trained soph power trio (Bayern, American Pharoah, Arrogate).

So let’s start with Baffert first, because this year he’s holding a balanced hand of both older horses and 3-year-old threats for the Classic.

Baffert trainees ran one-two in the Awesome Again, with 9-5 second choice Improbable benefitting from an ideal speed setup that involved stablemate Maximum Security (New Year’s Day), the 1-2 favorite, committing to prominent placement behind a 59-1 pacemaker. ‘Max’ was always under pressure and sandwiched between horses while bumping and grinding in stalk mode for most of the trip. But he clearly did not have the requisite gear in reserve to put up a serious stretch battle when confronted by Improbable’s quarter-pole surge.

Improbable has now won three straight Grade I routes with triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures in each, and this colt appears to be rounding into form akin to what bettors envisioned when they sent him postward as the 4-1 chalk in last year’s GI Kentucky Derby. He was moved up to fourth in the wake of Maximum Security’s controversial DQ that day, and has since overcome habitual unruliness in the starting gate to blossom over nine and 10 furlongs after attempts to campaign as a miler didn’t pan out.

But Improbable hitting the road for the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland might be a different proposition than the Improbable who relishes his home track at Santa Anita. He’s 3-for-4 there lifetime, and Baffert said post-race Saturday that, “This horse loves this track. He seems to be better in the gate here. That’s why we ran him here. Elliott Walden [the president and CEO of Win Star Farm, a co-owner of the colt], it was his idea to keep him here because we don’t have to ship.”

While Maximum Security (10-for-13 lifetime) didn’t win, he was hardly disgraced in defeat. The colt is now three races into what is widely considered the second phase of his career, and the closely watched line of demarcation for this $16,000 maiden-claimer turned 3-year-old champ is his March transfer out of the barn of trainer Jason Servis, who is facing federal charges for allegedly using performance-enhancing drugs on racehorses.

The feds have Servis recorded via wiretap allegedly discussing (among other things) a 2019 doping regimen for Max, so his performance at age four is unquestionably being viewed through the prism of how much of his past prowess was attributable to illicit pharmaceuticals.

The verdict so far since moving into Baffert’s barn? Yes, Maximum Security has two wins and a second from three graded stakes starts in SoCal. But his far-turn blast-offs don’t ripple with the same raw, kinetic energy that Max flashed so brilliantly at age three. The visual impression he leaves now is of a hard-trying horse who still sustains a high cruising speed without backing away from fights–yet absent the palpable swagger and spark that once enabled him to swat away late-race attacks from A-level competition with ease.

On the sophomore side, Baffert also conditions Kentucky Derby victor and Preakness favorite Authentic (Into Mischief), who picked an ideal time to mature from a colt who had focusing issues into a front-running force capable of carrying his speed over 10 furlongs. Baffert will also send out Thousand Words (Pioneerof the Nile) in the Preakness. That million-dollar KEESEP colt was a late Derby scratch after flipping in the Churchill Downs paddock, and he resonates on paper as the quintessential “other” Baffert dark horse who could go off at a juicy Preakness price with all of the attention focused on Authentic.

Art Collector (Bernardini) figured to be the second favorite in the Derby before being forced to scratch the week of the race with a minor foot injury. He should emerge as the second favorite in the Preakness betting behind Authentic, and having the extra time between his last prep (an Aug. 9 win in the Ellis Park Derby) and the concluding jewel of the Triple Crown could end up working out in his favor for both the Preakness and beyond. Looking ahead to the Classic over the Keeneland surface, it’s worth noting that one of the best races in Art Collector’s past-performance block is his GII Toyota Blue Grass S. win there July 11.

Of course, the top 3-year-old Classic threat from an overall body of work standpoint remains Tiz the Law (Constitution). Even though he ran second in the Derby behind Authentic, ‘Tiz’ hardly ran a losing race–he sat a perfect stalking trip and uncoiled on cue, but genuinely seemed surprised when Authentic slugged back at him with ferocity in their stretch brawl. Trainer Barclay Tagg opted out of the Preakness to instead aim for the Classic, and he’ll head to Keeneland with a mature, confident aggressor who carries himself with panache and knows how to make his own breaks.

Other older-horse Classic candidates include Tom’s d’Etat (Smart Strike), who won four straight stakes before losing to Improbable in the GI Whitney S.; Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}), who is expected for Saturday’s GII Kelso H. at Belmont, and By My Standards (Goldencents), who has a 4-2-0 record from six starts this year with three Grade II wins going long.

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