November, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Sovereign Headlines Strong Cast For Friday’s Bahrain International Trophy

Friday's £500,000 (approximately US$591,750) Bahrain International Trophy has drawn a strong cast for the 2020 renewal, topped by 2019 Irish Derby hero Sovereign.

Supplemented at a cost of £10,000, Sovereign will be trainer Aidan O'Brien's first ever runner in Bahrain, and jockey Ryan Moore ships in to ride from post eight in the field of 14.

The Ballydoyle master said: “Sovereign is a strong mile-and-a-quarter horse. He is a very strong galloper who likes to go forward in his races, and we think the Bahrain International Trophy will suit him.”

Racecourse Media Group in partnership with the Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club have secured widespread global coverage, and the race will be shown on on Fox Sports in the United States with an approximate post time of 8:00 a.m. Eastern.

Adding further top-level interest on Nov. 20 is the Japanese-trained mare Deirdre (Mitsuru Hashida), whose big wins include last year's Nassau Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.

Other strong contenders include: last year's Queen Anne Stakes winner Lord Glitters representing David O'Meara, dual Canadian International Stakes winner Desert Encounter runs for David Simcock, and Saeed bin Suroor calls on 2019 Jebel Hatta victor Dream Castle.

Barney Roy has suffered a minor setback and will miss the race, but Godolphin will still be doubly represented – with Mark Johnston's Royal Ascot winner Dark Vision joining Dream Castle.

John Gosden saw Turgenev finish second in the inaugural race last year and will be hoping to go one better with Global Giant, who will be ridden by Frankie Dettori for owner HH Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

Andrew Balding and King Power Racing were sixth with Pivoine in 2019 and are back this year with Bangkok – while Lady Wannabe (Fozzy Stack), Certain Lad (Mick Channon), Pogo (Charlie Hills) and Quest The Moon (Sarah Steinberg) complete the European challenge.

Two spots in the field are guaranteed for locally-trained horses, and the two Bahraini-based contenders are confirmed as Port Lions (Fawzi Naas) and What A Welcome (Hesham Al Haddad).

Shaikh Salman bin Rashed Al-Khalifa, executive director of Rashid Equestrian & Horseracing Club, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the class of horses that we have attracted to this year's Bahrain International Trophy.

“To have five individual Group One winners in the field – compared to only one last year – shows the leap in quality. We are very grateful to the trainers and owners for placing their trust in Bahrain, and we very much look forward to welcoming them.”

The post Sovereign Headlines Strong Cast For Friday’s Bahrain International Trophy appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Sir Dudley Digges To Enter Stud In Ontario Following Keeneland November Sale

Sir Dudley Digges, the winner of the 2016 Queen's Plate, will begin his stallion career at the Orangeville, Ontario farm of horseman Cole Bennett after the horse sold for $6,700 Wednesday at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, Canadian Thoroughbred reports.

The 7-year-old son of Gio Ponti has been dormant since June 2019, bringing an end to a racing career that saw him win seven of 32 starts for earnings of $939,690. His resume is highlighted by a victory in the 2016 Queen's Plate, the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown. He went on to sixth in the Prince of Wales Stakes in Fort Erie, then he returned to form to run second in the Breeders' Stakes.

A well-traveled runner, Sir Dudley Digges went on in later campaigns to win the Old Friends Stakes at Kentucky Downs, and venture all the way to Barbados to win the 2018 Barbados Gold Cup for owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey.

Bred in Ontario by Bernard and Karen McCormack, Sir Dudley Digges is out of the stakes-winning Kris S. mare My Pal Lana, whose five foals to race are all winners.

Bennett, an owner and trainer, told Canadian Thoroughbred that eligible mares would be allowed to stay and breed at the farm this coming spring with no boarding charges. Plans are also in the works to offer bonuses to 2-year-old maiden special weight winners by the new stallion.

Strong Tide Living Up To His Dam’s Legacy With Third Stakes Win Of 2020

Having a very successful mother can be hard to live up to, but Strong Tide has risen to the challenge. The son of Dreamin Big, winner of more than $600,000 and listed second on the list of all-time leading Indiana bred females in earnings, is now a three-time stakes winner this season for Mike and Penny Lauer.

Bred to run on the turf, Strong Tide stepped up to tackle opponents on the dirt in the 23rd running of the $100,000 To Much Coffee Stakes. Named in honor of one of Indiana's first standouts, To Much Coffee, multiple stakes winning and track record setting gelding, the race showcased the state's best older males in the event.

Strong Tide began his journey from the center of the starting gate and was in the midst of an all-out charge to the first turn of the one and one-sixteenth mile event. Horses were stacked seven-deep into the first turn and jockey Marcelino Pedroza found a resting spot along the inside early on as Mystery Unbridled and Kendal Sterritt emerged as the first leader of the 12-horse field.

Down the backstretch, the field remained tightly packed with Uphold and Jesus Castanon moving to the lead by the halfway marker. Pedroza had Strong Tide right at his heels tracking every move he made heading into the turn. Mystery Unbridled was not going away easily on the inside in the turn, and it gave Strong Tide the opportunity to move out three-wide and get ready for the attack in the stretch.

Strong Tide and Uphold began to match each other stride for stride in the early stages of the stretch drive, but as the wire neared, Strong Tide was able to get into another gear and get by Uphold. The three-year-old son of English Channel was a two-length winner at the wire over Uphold for second. Max Express and Alex Achard closed quickly on the outside for third.

“We were able to get right behind the two (Uphold) early on, and I thought that was a great place to be,” said Pedroza, who scored four wins on the Wednesday racing card. “I thought the two (Uphold) had a shot after looking at the way he ran in his last race, so we stayed right there until we got a shot to get through. Once we got through and he got by the two (Uphold), he really responded and was strong all the way to the wire.”

It was the fifth win in 17 starts for Strong Tide, who is a homebred by the Lauers, who also campaigned Dreamin Big. Mike handles the training duties while is wife, Penny, is the owner. The sophomore colt now has in excess of $247,000 in purse earnings.

The abbreviated 2020 racing season comes to a close Thursday, Nov. 19 with a mandatory payout in the Straight Fire 6. The carryover heading into closing day is in excess of $140,000 and will begin in Race 5 to capture the final six Thoroughbred races of the season. Racing dates for 2021 will be approved and announced by the Indiana Horse Racing Commission in December.

The post Strong Tide Living Up To His Dam’s Legacy With Third Stakes Win Of 2020 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Piedi Bianchi Doubles Up In Frances Slocum Stakes

Piedi Bianchi has been brilliant most of her career, tackling Graded Stakes company beginning in her 2-year-old season with a fifth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in 2017. Now, the 5-year-old grey Indiana bred mare is a two-time winner of the $100,000 Frances Slocum Stakes, scoring a convincing win Wednesday, Nov. 18. It was the 24th running of the event going 1 1/16 miles at Indiana Grand.

Piedi Bianchi, who was kicking her heels up in the post parade, was ready to race when the gates opened. She burst out of post nine in the 12-horse lineup and was quickly among the top group heading to the lead. Copper Nickel and Jermaine Bridgmohan crossed over to the lead and were tracked closely by Unbridled Class and Rodney Prescott in the early stages. Horses were three and four wide around the first turn to stay close to the pace setters.

Down the backstretch, some began to retreat, allowing Piedi Bianchi to advance up slowly on the outside. In the final turn, she began to stretch out even more and was neck and neck with Magical Peapod and Rocco Bowen and Copper Nickel. In the stretch, Fernando De La Cruz gave a command to advance and she blasted to the lead, drawing away by seven and one-half lengths at the finish line for the win. Fireball Baby and Marcelino Pedroza closed gamely for second, just a head in front of Expect Indy and Emmanuel Esquivel to make it a first and third finish for trainer Cipriano Contreras.

“I was a little worried about the post position,” admitted De La Cruz. “We were four-wide, but we were able to sit down and wait. I knew at the half-mile we had a good shot to win because I was sitting on a lot of horse. At the quarter pole, I asked her for more and she did it all by herself.”

Piedi Bianchi now has six career wins in 19 career starts for owners Jay Oringer, Jack Bick and Madaket Stables. An $80,000 purchase at two from the Ocala sales in 2017, Piedi Bianchi now possesses in excess of $578,000 in purse earnings and moves into eighth place on the list of all-time leading Indiana bred money earners. Among females, she is ranked third behind Lady Fog Horn ($824,273) and Dreamin Big ($602,350).

“This is a nice mare that has been running in Graded Stakes competition,” said Contreras. “She has been training really good up to this race and I think she is a little bit better going a little longer. The main thing today is to stay out of trouble and the race worked out perfectly. When you are a big favorite like that, the worst thing to happen is to get caught in behind horses, so being wide wasn't a concern. Fernando (De La Cruz) did a good job. He waited and was patient.”

The post Piedi Bianchi Doubles Up In Frances Slocum Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post