February, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Got Stormy Noses Out Zofelle In 6-Year-Old Debut in Honey Fox

My Racehorse CA and Spendthrift Farm's multiple Grade 1 winner Got Stormy reeled in long shot pacesetter Jakarta in mid-stretch and held off a furious late bid from graded-stakes winner Zofelle by a nose to make a triumphant 6-year-old debut in Saturday's $125,000 Honey Fox (G3) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The 36^th running of the one-mile Honey Fox for older turf females was the sixth of nine stakes, eight graded, worth $1.475 million on a blockbuster 14-race program headlined by the $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) for 3-year-olds on the road to the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa March 27, and $200,000 Davona Dale (G2) featuring the seasonal debut of 2-year-old filly champion Vequist.

With regular rider Tyler Gaffalione aboard for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, Got Stormy ($4.20) completed the distance in 1:35.52 over a firm course to earn her 11^th career victory and push her bankroll further over the $2 million mark. Sent off as the even-money favorite in a field of eight, Got Stormy was racing for the first time since running fifth against males in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1) Nov. 7.

It was the second win of the day for Gaffalione and helped provide of measure of relief for Casse. Earlier in the day, Casse ran second by a nose with Olympic Runner in the $125,000 Canadian Turf (G3) and saw Spanish Loveaffair disqualified from first to fourth in the $100,000 Herecomesthebride (G3).

Gaffalione settled Got Stormy in second behind Claiming Crown Distaff Dash winner Jakarta, who finished third to Got Stormy after setting the pace in the Franklin County (G3) last fall at Keeneland. Jakarta posted splits of 24.29 seconds, 48.76 and 1:12.72 and maintained the lead turning for home. Got Stormy ranged up in the straight and drew even inside the eighth pole as Zofelle began rolling on the outside, setting up the spirited bid to the wire.

Feel Glorious was part of the photo finish, running third, with Jakarta fourth and Art of Almost fifth.

$125,000 Honey Fox (G3) Quotes

Winning trainer Mark Casse (Got Stormy): “She had a great spot. Just kind of what we thought, we thought the horse that was on the lead would be there and she was sitting nice. She kicked and you could see a little bit of the rustiness today. She kicked, but she didn't kick as hard as she does sometimes. I think she'll build from this and get better.”

“I just wanted to get over this. I called [Spendthrift GM] Ned [Toffey] and said I figured out where I wanted to come back and I told him, and he said, 'Fine.' We'll see what's next. A lot of it depends on weather. She can't go over a mile, and it needs to be hard if it's a mile.”

“She was in the sale and I knew what the reserve was, and when she went over it my wife and I were watching from the office and it was sad. It was sad. And then about 20 minutes later I got a phone call that I wasn't expecting and [Spendthrift GM] Ned Toffey said to me, 'Let me ask you a dumb question. We'd like to run her another year, would you like to train her?' We went from being sad to very happy. We're excited we were able to deliver. I thought maybe last year getting her ready for her first race back I didn't do such a good job, and this year we cranked her up a little more.”

“I was really confident with her, as long as the turf stayed hard. She should build from this; it's just which direction do we go. She can do a little bit of anything. I don't know. We may sprint her. Never over a mile though.”

“They don't come around very often. We got her after a couple starts and she just got better and better. People always ask me what go ther better and it was just her confidence and much better on the racetrack. She used to be very nervous and now wherever you take her, she gets out of the van, looks around, and says, 'Where have you taken me now?'”

Winning jockey Tyler Gaffalione (Got Stormy): “She's a tremendous filly. I've been able to get to know her the past few years and I have a lot of confidence every time I'm on her. She shows up every time. Really all the credit goes to Mark and his team to get her ready off the layoff. She fired a big one today.”

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Casse Will Appeal Herecomesthebride DQ

After Spanish Loveaffair (Karakontie {Jpn}) was disqualified for causing interference in the $100,000 GIII Herecomesthebride S. Saturday at Gulfstream, trainer Mark Casse said he would appeal the decision.

“I have the paperwork right here and I am filling it out,” he said just a few minutes after the race.

On the far turn, Spanish Loveaffair got tangled up with I Get It (Get Stormy) and the two appeared to clip heels, which caused I Get It to bounce off the inner rail. It was not exactly clear whether or not I Get It's rider Miguel Vasquez went for a hole that was not there. The stewards reviewed the race for about 10 minutes before making their call.

Tyler Gaffalione was aboard Spanish Loveaffair, who crossed the wire 2 3/4 lengths in front. I Get It crossed the wire fourth, but was elevated to third because of the disqualification. Spanish Loveaffair was placed fourth.

“I've been through a lot of DQ's in my life and have appealed a few. But it's been about 10 years since I've done that,” Casse said. “I don't want to be a crybaby and I take my lickings. But I thought Vasquez moved into a spot he probably shouldn't have been in. There's no question that they clipped heels, but he initiated the contact. Our opinion is that she should not have been DQ'ed.”

Spanish Loveaffair is a half-sister to GI American Oaks winner Spanish Queen (Tribal Rule).

“Do you know what this race meant to her value as a broodmare?” Casse said. “If they hadn't taken her down she would be a half-sister to a Grade I winner who is a Grade III winner herself at Gulfstream Park. The DQ cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

The post Casse Will Appeal Herecomesthebride DQ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Tapit’s Greatest Honour Rallies to Fountain of Youth Win

Courtlandt Farm homebred Greatest Honour (Tapit) looked all but hopeless rounding the final bend in Saturday's GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream, but he flew home in the stretch to complete a huge daily double for his sire. The Shug McGaughey trainee's victory came just minutes after returning champion Essential Quality (Tapit) cruised in Oaklawn's GIII Southwest S. Pacesetting Drain the Clock (Maclean's Music) held well for second, beaten 1 1/2 lengths, while longshot Papetu (Dialed In), who briefly looked like the winner, checked in third. It was the third Fountain of Youth for Hall of Famer McGaughey, who won in 2019 with Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) and in 2013 with Orb (Malibu Moon). The latter, who employed similar late-running tactics and hails from the same A.P. Indy sire line, would go on to add the GI Florida Derby and GI Kentucky Derby.

Saturday, Gulfstream Park
FASIG-TIPTON FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH S.-GII, $300,000, Gulfstream, 2-27, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:44.02, ft.
1–GREATEST HONOUR, 123, c, 3, by Tapit
                1st Dam: Tiffany's Honour, by Street Cry (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Better Than Honour, by Deputy Minister
                3rd Dam: Blush With Pride, by Blushing Groom (Fr)
O/B-Courtlandt Farms (Donald & Donna Adam) (KY); T-Claude
McGaughey III; J-Jose L. Ortiz. $176,700. Lifetime Record:
6-3-1-2, $351,940. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Drain the Clock, 120, c, 3, Maclean's Music–Manki, by Arch.
O-Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Wonder Stables &
Michael Nentwig; B-Nick Cosato (KY); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.
$57,000.
3–Papetu, 118, c, 3, Dialed In–Lady Malkin, by Sharp Humor.
($80,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Magic Stables LLC; B-Almar Farm,
LLC (KY); T-Antonio Sano. $28,500.
Margins: 1HF, 2, 1 3/4. Odds: 1.00, 2.80, 18.30.
Also Ran: Tarantino, Jirafales, King's Ovation, Prime Factor, Fire At Will, Tiz Tact Toe, Sososubtle. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

Developed with the typical patience McGaughey is renowned for, Greatest Honour was third in seven-furlong events at Saratoga Sept. 5 and Belmont Oct. 11, respectively, to kick off his career. He was beaten a head when stretched out to nine panels at Aqueduct Nov. 8 by well-bred Known Agenda (Curlin), who was subsequently third in the GII Remsen S. and most recently took a local optional claimer by 11 lengths on Friday. Greatest Honour broke through over track and trip Dec. 26, and took his game to a whole different level when annexing the GIII Holy Bull S. Jan. 30 by 5 3/4 lengths.

Immediately out-sprinted, Greatest Honour seemed to resent the kickback early while ultimately settling in third last and saving some ground. He appeared to be going up and down after six furlongs in 1:11.51 and as Papetu blew by him from even farther back midway on the home bend. Drain the Clock turned for home with a three or four-length advantage, but he was going to need a bigger cushion than that. Greatest Honour was switched wide and exploded down the center, bounding by with fluid strides to win with room to spare.

“He broke good, a bit slow like he always does, and I put him in the race,” said winning rider Jose Ortiz. “I tried to be as close as I could going to the backside and I got a good path behind Prime Factor (Quality Road). But, when we hit the turn I bumped the horse outside of me and lost my hind end a little bit and it was very hard to get him back going. He's such a big horse with such a big stride. At the three-eighths pole I'm trying to get him going and I got a space on the inside, but I didn't want to have to stop him again, so I decided to go wide and when he hit the clear, boom. He was there for me. Huge run.”

McGaughey, who said the Mar. 27 GI Florida Derby would be next on the agenda, admitted he wasn't feeling confident for much of Saturday's race.

“I wasn't real comfortable,” he said. “I could see what was going on and I felt like if Jose got him in the clear then we could have a shot to make a run at him. The horse that was second [Drain the Clock], when he did break clear I said, 'Uh, oh.' But, he's a really nice horse.”

He continued, “The pace wasn't that fast today, I don't think, but he was able to overcome it. He's won twice down here now in stakes doing what he doesn't want to do, and that's a mile and a sixteenth. Like Jose said, I'm glad these mile and a sixteenth [races] are behind us. We'll be looking forward to getting him stretched out. Hopefully it's in the near future but, if not, I know what we've got. Hopefully as we keep going longer he'll keep improving. The farther the better for him.”

Owner/breeder Don Adam was also on hand to celebrate.

“It's very exciting,” he said. “Being a horse that I bred and the history by which I came by him is very gratifying. I was a little concerned in this one. It looked like he wasn't in the best position, but this will be the shortest race he runs in a long time. And the longer he goes, the better he will be.”

Adam added, “I bought the mare [Tiffany's Honour] in foal to a Tapit colt and that colt hit the ground and was killed in a paddock accident. So, I bred her back to Tapit and got him. I bought her at a Fasig-Tipton sale.”

Click here for more on Courtlandt and Tiffany's Honour and her Tapit colts.

Pedigree Notes:

Greatest Honour is one of 88 graded stakes winners by Tapit, but is the only one out of a Street Cry mare. Street Cry also sired the dam of Fearless (Ghostzapper), who took the GII WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile S. earlier on the card. Courtlandt acquired dam Tiffany's Honour after she RNA'd for $2.3 million at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton November Sale in foal to Tapit. The unplaced daughter of GISW and Broodmare of the Year Better Than Honour (Deputy Minister)–dam of GI Belmont S. and GI Kentucky Oaks heroine and class of 2021 Hall of Fame nominee Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy)–produced a War Front colt in 2017 who would go on to fetch $1.1 million at Keeneland September the following year. After producing Greatest Honour, Tiffany's Honour sold to Japan's Katsumi Yoshida for $2.2 million at the 2018 Keeneland November sale.

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Champion Essential Quality Returns With Victory Over Spielberg In Southwest

Making his first start since winning the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland last Nov. 6, Godolphin homebred Essential Quality – the reigning 2-year-old champion of 2020 – remained undefeated in four starts with an off the pace win for trainer Brad Cox in Saturday's Grade 3, $750,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark.

The Tapit colt out of Delightful Quality, by Elusive Quality, covered 1 1/16 miles on a sloppy track under Luis Saez in 1:45.48 and paid $3.80 for the win as the 4-5 favorite, winning by 4 1/4 lengths.

Spielberg, a late entry to the Southwest from Bob Baffert's West Coast stable, finished second, with pacesetter Jackie's Warrior another 4 1/4 lengths back in third and Woodhouse fourth in the field of seven 3-year-olds.

The Southwest, postponed from its original date because of the winter storm that hit Arkansas, was a qualifying race for the Kentucky Derby offering 10-4-2-1 to the top four finishers.

Updated Kentucky Derby Leaderboard

Jackie's Spirit, also making his first start since the Breeders' Cup Juvenile – in which he finished fourth, his first career loss in five career outings – went to the lead under Joel Rosario. The Maclean's Music colt, who won the G1 Hopeful and G1 Champagne as a 2-year-old, went the opening quarter in :23.52, a half-mile in :48.11 and six furlongs in 1:13.59.

Essential Quality, fifth early, moved into contention approaching the far turn, went three wide at the three-eighths pole and took command into the stretch. He clocked a mile time of 1:39.05 and drew off for the win.

Spielberg, after getting away slowly rallied from last to get second for the third time in eight starts to go with a maiden win and victory in the G2 Los Alamitos Futurity.

Winning trainer Brad Cox, Essential Quality: “Luis put him in a good position. I was little nervous when I saw the :48, but look our horse ranged up at the half mile pole in a nice comfortable way. He showed up and ran his race. It was somewhat of a relief to get this race over with. The delay of the race, the track condition, just a lot of obstacles to overcome. Good horses do overcome, but it doesn't mean the trainer doesn't worry. We just want to wrap him in bubble wrap and get to the next race.”

Winning jockey Luis Saez, Essential Quality: “I'm so excited. I was very happy to be riding this horse. We were waiting a long time. What a talented horse. We knew the speed was to our outside. The plan was to try to follow him (Jackie's Warrior) the whole way. Everything came together. He broke pretty well and at the 5/8^th pole he took the bridle and was really pulling me, but I was waiting, just trying to wait with him. We came to the stretch just so easy. He switched leads and just took off. What a nice horse. He finished very strong and I still had a lot of horse.”

Trainer Bob Baffert, second with Spielberg: “After the start, Martin didn't panic. He stayed back there and rode his race. He was just moving a little (in the gate). But, you have to give credit to the winner. He's a good horse. I'm proud of the way (Spielberg) ran. He showed up. I'm very happy. Other than the gate, everything went well. He shipped well and he ran well.”

Jockey Martin Garcia, second on Spielberg: “He missed the break. I put him in the race and on the outside, I just followed the winner every step. When I asked him, he went, but the winner was already being asked. I think my horse will be better at 1 1/8 miles.”

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