October, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘Quality’ Remains Unbeaten in GI Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity

Attempting to follow up on a victory by fellow Godolphin-bred Maxfield (Street Sense) in last year’s GI Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity, Essential Quality (Tapit) thoroughly dominated his competition to score, thus earning a trip to next month’s GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Three paths wide into the first turn as Upstriker (Upstart) assumed the earning advantage, Essential Quality pressed that rival through an initial quarter in :23.97. Challenging for the lead despite pilot Luis Saez kept his feet set firmly in the dashboard, the homebred poked his head in front following a half in :48.86. Moving clear heading rounding the home turn, Saez asked his mount for more down the lane and the grey obliged, winning by a strong three-length margin over 52-1 longshot Keepmeinmind. Super Stock rounded out the trifecta.

Following the race, winning rider Luis Saez said, “Today he proved that he’s a very good horse. He did it pretty easy. He was a little green when he came to the track–he was looking around a little bit, but he took off. He was running. What a horse. I’m so glad I’m on this horse.”

An impressive four-length winner in his career debut going six furlongs at Churchill Downs Sept. 5, Essential Quality earned TDN Rising Star status in that sparkling performance as the 9-5 favorite. In his latest tightener for the Breeders’ Futurity, the colt worked five furlongs at Churchill in :59.80, the fourth fastest of 57 at the distance Sept. 26.

“We’ve had some very nice 2-year-old fillies, but this is probably the best [2-year-old colt] I’ve had as far as talent goes,” said trainer Brad Cox. “He’s our first Grade I winner as a 2-year-old colt. He means a lot to us. He showed us from Day 1 that he’s special, very talented. Luis did a good job of getting him to relax. He’s a very green horse. That was my concern today–could he put it all together? And he did. He pulled up a bit on the backside. He’s got some learning to do. If he can figure it out, he’s a serious animal.”

Pedigree Notes:
Essential Quality’s MSW and GSP dam is a daughter of Contrive (Storm Cat), whose daughter Folklore (Tiznow) won the 2005 GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Belmont Park. Contrive was purchased by Godolphin for $3 million in foal to Pleasantly Perfect at the 2005 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. The 11-year-old Delightful Quality is the dam of a yearling colt by Uncle Mo, was barren to the same stallion for 2020 and was bred to Uncle Mo’s GI Kentucky Derby winning son Nyquist this past season. Essential Quality is bred on the cross over Gone West that is responsible for Tapit’s Grade I winner Zazu and additional graded winners Flashback, Bandbox, Ticonderoga and Golden Hawk.

Saturday, Keeneland
CLAIBORNE BREEDERS’ FUTURITY-GI, $400,000, Keeneland, 10-3, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:44.37, ft.
1–ESSENTIAL QUALITY, 122, c, 2, by Tapit
1st Dam: Delightful Quality, by Elusive Quality
2nd Dam: Contrive, by Storm Cat
3rd Dam: Jeano, by Fappiano
TDN Rising Star 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Luis Saez. $240,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $295,144. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Keepmeinmind, 122, c, 2, Laoban–Inclination, by Victory Gallop. O-Southern Equine Stable LLC; B-Southern Equine Stables, LLC (KY); T-Robertino Diodoro. $80,000.
3–Super Stock, 122, c, 2, Dialed In–Super Girlie, by Closing Argument. ($70,000 Ylg ’19 KEESEP). O-Erv Woolsey and Keith Asmussen; B-Pedro Gonzalez & P.J. Gonzalez (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $40,000.
Margins: 3 1/4, 1HF, 4HF. Odds: 1.90, 52.70, 10.40.
Also Ran: Upstriker, Founder, Calibrate-(DH), Dixie’s Two Stents-(DH), King Fury, Notary.
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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Miss Marissa Upsets Favored Bonny South In Black-Eyed Susan

Sent to the post at odds of 10-1 after two straight allowance victories, Alfonso Cammarota's Miss Marissa was able to fend off the furious late charge of 4-5 favorite Bonny South by a neck to win Saturday's Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico. Piloted by Daniel Centeno on behalf of trainer James Ryerson, the 3-year-old daughter of He's Had Enough ran nine furlongs over the fast main track in 1:48.08. It was the first stakes victory for Miss Marissa, earned in her 12th lifetime start.

Miss Marissa was keen early alongside of Mizzen Beau, the pair a length ahead of the rest of the field through early fractions of :23.10 and :46.61. Meanwhile, the favored Bonny South was last of the 10-filly field after being squeezed back a bit at the start (the G1 Alabama runner-up has a late-running style anyway, so it may not have compromised her chances).

Rounding the far turn, Miss Marissa took command from Mizzen Beau and grabbed a two-length lead into the lane. Bonny South weaved in and out of horses to be about six lengths off Miss Marissa at the head of the stretch, but it took her about a sixteenth of a mile to find her best stride.

Bonny South really started to close in the final sixteenth, and Miss Marissa briefly looked in trouble before Centeno asked his filly for just a bit more. Bonny South was able to cut the distance to a neck in the shadow of the wire, but had to settle for second as Miss Marissa got her first stakes victory.

Hopeful Growth closed to finish third ahead of frontrunning Mizzen Beau in fourth.

Bred in Kentucky by Woodford Thoroughbreds, Miss Marissa is out of the winning Arch mare Ardara. She was an $11,000 yearling at the OBS October sale, and required four starts to break her maiden as a 2-year-old. She finished off the board in two graded stakes efforts last year, but returned as a 3-year-old to be third in the listed Ruthless Stakes in January. Recently, the filly won two straight allowance races, one at Monmouth and another at Saratoga, prior to stepping back into graded company.

Overall, Miss Marissa has four wins from 12 starts for earnings of over $320,000.

Winning Trainer James Ryerson (Miss Marissa) – “She's fairly fast. The fractions are going to be fast with her up near the lead, so I wasn't too concerned [with the early fractions]. She ran great.”

“Last year, I thought she wanted two turns and she made a liar out of me. It was ugly. But [this year] ever since we got a two-turn race at Monmouth she just moved forward in the race we got in at Saratoga. It was a small field but there were some nice horses in there. She ran fast, and then you look for a tougher spot. She answered today.”

Winning Owner Alfonso Cammarota (Miss Marissa): “This is my biggest win, but I have won other races with other horses.”

“I knew she was going to win. I do a lot of background on the horses when I buy them. I buy the horses personally. I do a lot of background on the siblings. Her mother won a race at a mile and a quarter and I knew she was going to be good. She proved it today. My research paid off.”

Winning Jockey Daniel Centeno (Miss Marissa): “The plan was to try to break sharp, get a good position and try to go easily from there. If someone tried to go to the lead we wanted to make sure that we were very close and make sure that she was really comfortable. She broke really sharp, I saw the inside horse go and I let her go. She sat off her practically all the way around. When I asked her she responded very well to the end.”

Jockey Florent Geroux (Bonny South, 2nd): “Horses that are deep closers sometimes you need some luck. She ran a great race. She finished the fastest. Today, we couldn't catch the winner.”

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Gufo Flies Home to Belmont Derby Score

Gufo (Declaration of War), favored at 7-5 in Saturday’s GI Belmont Derby Invitational, a ‘Win and You’re In’ for the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland, came storming down the stretch to deliver a smart, one-length victory over No Word (Silent Name {Jpn)). Mo Ready (Uncle Mo) was third.

Gufo capped a four-race winning streak with come-from-behind scores in Gulfstream’s English Channel S. May 2 and Delaware’s GIII Kent S. July 4. He established a new course record in the latter.

He rallied from seventh to finish a very close second behind Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the $500,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational S. last time Aug. 15.

Gufo caboosed the Belmont Derby field of eight as they began their run into the clubhouse turn. He raced in a covered up fifth through a half mile in :50.61 and began to launch midway around the far turn. The chestnut punched through a tight spot splitting horses and slightly drifted out, forcing Eric Cancel aboard a tiring Moon Over Miami (Malibu Moon) to tap on the brakes in the stretch.

Gufo had all of the momentum from there, however, and came rumbling home to record a career high.

The result stood after a Stewards’ Inquiry looked into the stretch run regarding Gufo and Moon Over Miami.

“He won well,” winning trainer Christophe Clement said. “I thought he had a great trip from Junior [Alvarado] and when he asked him to quicken, he really quickened well in the stretch. He’s a good horse. If you look at all his races this year, he’s been running well all year round. I know he got beat last time, but he actually ran a winning race when you look back at it.”

On a potential start in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, Clement added, “I’m not sure. We’ll have to check with the owner and see how he comes out of it. There’s also the [GI] Hollywood Derby [Nov. 28 at Del Mar] going a mile and an eighth.”

Pedigree Notes:

Gufo is the sixth Grade/Group 1 winner for Declaration of War. He is the sire of 17 graded winners (30 blacktype) and was also responsible for GII Pilgrim S. hero Fire At Will on the undercard. Petionville is the broodmare sire of five graded (20 blacktype) stakes winners.

Gufo is a half-brother to popular three-time graded victor Hogy (Offlee Wild). Floy’s most recent produce is the unraced 2-year-old filly Sisi (Tourist). She was bred to Preservationist for 2021.

Floy, a homebred for Fairly Stable, was fourth in her lone career start for Jeffrey D Thornbury at Keeneland in 2007. She RNA’d for $1,500 in foal to Shaniko at the 2011 FTKFEB Sale.

Saturday, Belmont Park
BELMONT DERBY INVITATIONAL S.-GI, $250,000, Belmont, 10-3, 3yo, 1 1/4mT, 2:02.25, fm.
1–GUFO, 122, c, 3, by Declaration of War
1st Dam: Floy, by Petionville
2nd Dam: Risen Miss, by Peteski
3rd Dam: Eddie’s Star, by Risen Star
1ST GRADE I WIN. O-Otter Bend Stables, LLC; B-John Little &
Stephen Cainelli (KY); T-Christophe Clement; J-Junior Alvarado.
$137,500. Lifetime Record: 7-5-1-1, $415,010. *1/2 to Hogy
(Offlee Wild), MGSW-USA & SP-Can, $1,339,782. Werk Nick
Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–No Word, 122, c, 3, Silent Name (Jpn)–Listen A. P., by A.P.
Indy. O/B-Wertheimer et Frere (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.
$50,000.
3–Mo Ready, 122, g, 3, Uncle Mo–Ready and Good, by More
Than Ready. O/B-Repole Stable Inc (NY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.
$30,000.
Margins: 1, 1 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 1.45, 3.15, 28.50.
Also Ran: Ajourneytofreedom, Pixelate, Moon Over Miami, South Bend, Venezuelan Hug. Scratched: Domestic Spending (GB). 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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Complexity Defeats Code Of Honor In Kelso Handicap

Winning his first graded stakes since taking the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes in 2018, Klaravich Stables' Complexity was a prompt favorite in Saturday's G2 Kelso Handicap at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., winning the one-mile contest by 2 1/4 lengths over Code of Honor as the 4-5 favorite in a four-horse field. Stan the Man finished third, with Endorsed fourth.

Complexity, a 4-year-old colt by Maclean's Music bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, was timed in 1:33.82 on a fast track, carrying 119 pounds, five fewer than Code of Honor. He is trained by Chad Brown and was ridden to victory by Jose Ortiz.

He paid $3.80 as the favorite.

Complexity broke on top in the one-turn mile but Ortiz allowed Endorsed to set the early pace, going the opening quarter mile in :23.30 and the half in :46.61. Complexity moved up alongside Endorsed approaching the quarter pole, six furlongs timed in 1:10.05, easily putting away that rival and gearing up for the expected stretch run of Code of Honor.

Last year's G1 Travers winner, Code of Honor, trailed the field early under Javier Castellano, moved up to make a three-wide bid on the turn, but never could catch Complexity, who widened his advantage in the final sixteenth of a mile.

Complexity won his first two starts as a 2-year-old, a maiden race at Saratoga and the G1 Champagne at Belmont, then finished 10th behind Game Winner in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs. He returned the following June, finishing last of 11 runners in the G1 Woody Stephens, then went to the sidelines again until late November, winning an allowance race/optional claimer at Aqueduct.

Following a fourth-place finish last Dec. 28 in the G1 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita, Complexity was given more time off, coming back to win an allowance/optional claiming race at Belmont Park July 2. then was nipped at the wire by Win WIn Win in the G1 Forego at Saratoga in his most recent start.

Complexity's record now stands at five wins and one second from nine starts.

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