December, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Cigar Mile Scratches Resurface in Mr. Prospector

Grade I winners Firenze Fire (Poseidon’s Warrior) and Mind Control (Stay Thirsty) were both scratched from GI Cigar Mile Dec. 5 after heavy rains soaked the Aqueduct main track and will instead start in Saturday’s GIII Mr. Prospector S. at Gulfstream.

A Grade I winner at two, Firenze Fire won several graded stakes during his tenure for Jason Servis and was transferred to Kelly Breen after the former was federally indicted and removed from the racetrack. Fourth in the slop in the GI Carter H. in his first start for his new conditioner June 6, the homebred won the GII True North S. June 27 and was fourth in Saratoga’s GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. July 25. Failing to fire when 11th in a sloppy renewal of that venue’s GI Forego S. Aug. 29, the bay captured Belmont’s GI Vosburgh Invitational S. Sept. 26 and was third in the GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint S. at Keeneland Nov. 7.

“Whitmore was able to get through [in the Breeders’ Cup],”owner Ron Lombardi said. “We were just behind him, but it closed up on us and we couldn’t get there. He ran a great race. He always does. He tries all the time. The slop is obviously difficult for him. That’s what led to the decision to skip the Cigar Mile and ship him to Florida.”

After closing 2019 with his second Grade I win in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial S., Mind Control kicked off 2020 with a pair of victories at Aqueduct in the GIII Toboggan S. Jan. 18 and the GIII Tom Fool H. Mar. 7. With racing shut down due to COVID-19, he was next seen in the Vanderbilt, where he finished third, and was eighth in the Forego. Third when given a big class break in Monmouth’s Mr. Prospector S. Sept. 12, the homebred could only manage ninth behind the re-opposing Sleepy Eyes Todd (Paddy O’Prado) last time in Keeneland’s Lafayette S. Nov. 7.

“It’s been a little bit of a hard luck year,” said trainer Greg Sacco. “He started out the year super and then COVID hit. The Carter got pushed back and he hit the slop and he hates the slop. We ran him back in the Vanderbilt and he ran super. We were back on track and we hit the slop again. We brought him back to Monmouth to give him an easier race to give him a confidence booster. He got a rough trip that day and got checked back on the backstretch. The race at Keeneland, a horse gave way right in front of him and Johnny [Velazquez] had to snatch him up. We’ve been sort of a victim of circumstances this year.”

The versatile Diamond Oops (Lookin At Lucky) will look to defend his title in this race. Fourth in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. Jan. 25, the gelding was subsequently shelved and resurfaced in a local handicap, finishing second June 13. Back to winning ways in the GII Twin Spires Turf Sprint S. at Churchill Sept. 4, the bay followed suit with a win in Keeneland’s GII Phoenix S. back on dirt Oct. 2 and was sixth in the BC Sprint there.

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Dec. 19 Insights

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SIX-FIGURE MEDAG COLT MAKES FIRST START AT TAMPA

3rd-TAM, $27.5K, Msw, 2yo, 1m 40yds, 1:12 p.m.

Godolphin’s NEW DAWN (Medaglia d’Oro), a $600,000 KEESEP buy, will face the starter for the first time Saturday at Tampa. She is out of SW Wait Til Dawn (Giant’s Causeway), who is a full-sister to GSW Excited, who in turn is the dam of SW & MGSP Thrilled (Uncle Mo). This is also the family of MGISW Spain (Thunder Gulch). TJCIS PPs

PLETCHER UNVEILS PRICEY ‘CHROME’ COLT

5th-AQU, $80K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 1:45p.m.

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable joined forces to secure INSPIRATION POINT (California Chrome) for $725,000 at the delayed OBS April Sale and the colt debuts here for Todd Pletcher. A $65,000 RNA at KEESEP, the gray became his sire’s most expensive offspring after breezing in a sharp :20 3/5. He has continued to breeze sharply for Pletcher, including a half-mile bullet in :47 flat (1/34) two works back over the Belmont training track Dec. 9. His unraced dam Diva Style (Unbridled’s Song) is a half to GSW Tizfiz (Tiznow), who is the dam of MGISW Tiz the Law (Constitution). TJCIS PPs

STONESTREET DEBUTANTE DEBUTS IN NOLA

8th-FG, $50K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 4:25 p.m.

Stonestreet homebred PAULINE’S PEARL (Tapit) looks to follow in the hoofprints of her talented dam Hot Dixie Chick (Dixie Union) as she gets her career started for the same trainer, Steve Asmussen, at the Fair Grounds Saturday. Barbara Banke purchased Hot Dixie Chick for $435,000 at the 2009 FTFFEB juvenile sale and she won four times, including the GI Spinaway S. at Saratoga. She is also the dam of Union Jackson, who carried the Stonestreet colors to a pair of stakes win and a graded-stakes placing during his tenure in the Asmussen barn. He now stands stud at Becky Thomas’ Sequel New York. Out of GSW Above Perfection (In Excess {Ire}), Hot Dixie Chick is a half-sister to GI Kentucky Derby hero Always Dreaming (Bodemeister) and GSW Positive Spirit (Pioneerof the Nile), who brought $1.5-million from Spendthrift at FTKNOV last month. Pauline’s Pearl enters off a best-of-21 five panels at Fair Grounds in 1:00 1/5 Dec. 10. Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider homebred Symptom (Runhappy) also makes her first trip to the post here. The bay is out of GSW Sign (Pulpit), who is a half-sister to GSW Vexed (Arch). She prepped for this with a half-mile bullet in :47 1/5, the best of 78 at the distance, in NOLA Dec. 11. TJCIS PPs

EXPENSIVE QUALITY ROAD COLT MAKES CAREER BOW

11th-GP, $50K, Msw, 2yo, 1mT, 5:14 p.m.

John Oxley’s $625,000 KEESEP acquisition COURAGEOUSLY (Quality Road) debuts in this spot for trainer Mark Casse. Out of MSW Miss Red Delicious (Empire Maker), the dark bay is a half to GSW Nootka Sound (Lonhro {Aus}) and SP Follow No One (Uncle Mo). Miss Red Delicious is a half to MGSW & GISP Lady Apple (Curlin), who brought $1.2 million at FTKNOV; SW & GSP Dr. Diamonds Prize (Pure Prize); and the dam of SW & GISP Parlor (Lonhro {Aus}). Todd Pletcher saddles another intriguing firster in Ultimate Gift (Pioneerof the Nile). The $350,000 KEESEP buy is out of GSW Savvy Supreme (Distorted Humor), a full-sister to two-time GI Whitney S. winner Commentator.

TJCIS PPs

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‘Thinking Big’: Young Spanish Trainer Alvaro Soto Takes Aim On Saudi International With Oriental

Spanish trainer Alvaro Soto is aiming to fly the flag for his country with his star horse, Oriental in the $500,000 Saudi International Handicap on Feb. 19, 2021. The 2100m (about 1 5/16 miles) race, a new addition to The Saudi Cup meeting, is open to horses trained in countries not included in the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities' Part One nations.

Oriental was horse of the year in Spain in 2019 having joined Soto from his old boss Carlos Laffon-Parias, a Spaniard based in Chantilly, France. He had been used as a lead horse for the top-class Recoletos, who won two French Group 1 races before retiring to stud at the end of 2018.

Having won two of Spain's biggest mile races in 2019 – the Gran Premio Gobierno Vasco and Gran Premio de la Hispanidad – as well as one of Morocco's top prizes, the 1 1/2 mile Grand Prix de la Sorec, Oriental was hampered by breathing issues earlier this year.

Madrid-based Soto is now confident he has solved those problems and he will give the 6-year-old a run on Dec. 30 before hopefully preparing him for the Saudi International Handicap.

Soto said: “He's in great form. He could have run two weeks ago but I was waiting for this race. I think it's going to be a very easy race because it's on the all-weather and all-weather races in Spain are not strong.

“In the morning Oriental is doing things I saw last year – I didn't see them at the beginning of this year. He's been galloping with a filly who won by six lengths last week and he was very easy beside her. I'm full of hope.”

Soto might only be 29 years old, but he has packed a lot into life so far with little room for anything but racing. His father owned horses in Seville, where Soto grew up, and he started riding out racehorses in his early teens after having started off with showjumpers. After riding 15 winners as an amateur jockey he turned to training in Madrid three years ago. He now has 22 horses in his yard.

Soto said: “My whole life has been racing. When I was at school I was always riding. I used to go to the racetrack in the morning and then on to school at 9:00 a.m. It was the same when I was at university studying business. I had a very good relationship with Carlos Laffon-Parias as he is from Seville also. Our families are good friends so every summer I went to him in Chantilly.”

The link with Laffon-Parias has certainly been a fruitful one as it led to him snapping up Japanese-bred Oriental after he had won a Listed race at Craon, France in September 2018.

He explained: “When I came back to Spain I met M'Hammed Karimine, a Moroccan owner who was looking for a good horse. I saw Oriental work and said 'you have to buy this horse – you are going to have a great time with him'.

“I knew he was a very good horse and we only had to change his mind as he had been the lead horse for Recoletos. I think we've done it. He was expensive but he won two of the best mile races in Spain last year and he was runner-up behind a good French horse in the other. He won in Casablanca, Morocco, over 1m4f. That's why I think he can be very useful in Saudi Arabia.

“He is very competitive from a mile up to 1m4f. The race is very good for him. He's also a good traveler. To go to Casablanca last year, he had to travel for 18 hours and his behavior was amazing.”

Travelling horses to the Middle East is nothing new to Soto. He took runners to Qatar and Dubai when pupil assistant trainer to Marco Botti in Newmarket, England.

Having also spent time as assistant to Laffon-Parias, he was tempted back to Spain to start training three years ago. He is fiercely ambitious and sees the Saudi International Handicap as a chance to show what he can do on racing's world stage.

Soto added: “We would love it if we were invited to Saudi Arabia for the International Handicap. This is the type of opportunity I'm looking for – it is very important for my career. Everyone will be at The Saudi Cup meeting and everyone will be watching. It's very important to go to these type of races to meet people.

“I'm always thinking big. If you don't think big you don't go anywhere. I started training to be involved in these sort of races. It's why I decided to make my life about racing. This is what makes me get up at 5:00 a.m. every morning – in the cold, on Sundays. I love horses and I love training – I don't like anything else more than racing.

“For me, it would be amazing to go to Saudi Arabia but I wouldn't be going there to make up the numbers, I'd be going because I think Oriental can be very competitive. If we could win, personally for me it would be very important and it's also very important for Spanish racing. In Spain we only have 600 horses – that's like two yards in Newmarket!”

Organized by the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia and run at the King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, The Saudi Cup is a two-day festival of international racing headlined by the USD$20m Saudi Cup – the world's most valuable race.

Established in 2020 with the second renewal set to be run on Saturday February 20, 2021, The Saudi Cup day card carries a total prize purse of $30.5m and features dirt and turf races for the highest caliber of racehorses in the world.

A full card of racing on the preceding Friday includes an International Jockeys Challenge which sees seven female and seven male jockeys compete as individuals as well as the $500,000 Saudi International Handicap for horses trained in IFHA-registered Part II and III racing countries.

The Saudi Cup is charged with raising awareness of horse racing in the country, encouraging participation among men and women. It also aims to promote Saudi Arabia at international level, acting as a marker for the Kingdom's transformational journey, encouraging tourism and investment.

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Los Alamitos Owner Threatens to Close Track

According to reports in the Los Angeles Times and The BloodHorse, Los Alamitos owner Dr. Ed Allred told the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) Thursday that he plans on withdrawing his application to run Thoroughbred and nighttime Quarter Horse races in 2021. Allred said he would look to convert the Los Alamitos property to real estate.

Allred made the announcement after the CHRB voted to grant the track a six-month license instead of a license for a full year. The decision to give Los Alamitos what amounted to only an interim license was in response to the track having had an unusually high amount of fatalities this year. According to the Times, since Dec. 27 there have been 29 racing or training fatalities at Los Alamitos.

The move to grant Los Alamitos a six-month license was spearheaded by CHRB Vice Chairman Oscar Gonzales. Should the CHRB conclude that steps had been taken to cut down on the fatalities and that racing had been conducted without any serious problems, Los Alamitos would then be approved to run during the second half of the year.

Initially, the CHRB vote to give Los Alamitos the six-month license ended in a tie at 3-3. Commissioner Alex Solis did not take part in the virtual meeting. Two commissioners, Dennis Alfieri and Damascus Castellanos, reversed course and joined Gonzales. The dissenting vote came from CHRB Chairman Greg Ferraro who called issuing Los Alamitos a six-month license a “mistake” and lobbied for the one-year license.

Allred told the board that the track could not operate with only a six-month license because horsemen need to make plans for an entire year of racing.

“If you’re going to do it only for six months, people can’t make preparations and plans, going forward,” Allred said, according to The BloodHorse. “This is devastating to Los Alamitos. It will become a real estate development. I don’t want that to happen.”

Gonzales replied: “If the kind of improvements continue, then racing continues at Los Alamitos, as will be the case at other racetracks. But I just don’t feel that a racetrack that has not lived up to the expectations that we’ve set forth in reform–and a very serious-minded board–that we should allow for a carte blanche of racing dates without any conditions or stipulations.”

Los Alamitos will ask the board to reconsider its decision.

“Los Alamitos will be requesting reconsideration of the action taken by the board and hopes that its request will be acted on in an expedited manner,” said Los Alamitos Vice President Jack Liebau.

Though racing only a limited Thoroughbred schedule, Los Alamitos has become an important part of the Southern California circuit and its closure would have serious ramifications. It was slated to conduct two two-week Thoroughbred meets in 2021 and provides stabling for hundreds of Thoroughbreds on a year-round basis.

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