February, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Clairiere Avenges Earlier Loss To Travel Column, Earns 50 Kentucky Oaks Points In Rachel Alexandra Stakes

Last early, Stonestreet Stables LLC's homebred Clairiere rallied in the final sixteenth of a mile under Joe Talamo to edge favored Travel Column to win the Grade 2, $300,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes at Fair Grounds in New Orleans on Saturday.

Moon Swag finished third, with Littlestitious fourth in the field of eight 3-year-old fillies. The race was the first of the 85 qualifying points races for the Kentucky Oaks, giving 50-20-10-5 points to the top four. Charlie's Penny, coming off a win in the Silverbulletday Stakes at Fair Grounds last out, was scratched from the Rachel Alexandra.

A daughter of Curlin out of the multiple G1-winning Bernardini mare Cavorting, Clairiere traveled 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.34 on a fast track. She was the 2-1 second choice behind Travel Column, the even-money favorite who beat Clairiere when the two met in their last start in the G2 Golden Rod Stakes at Churchill Downs last Nov. 28.

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Mandaloun Turns Tables with Addition of Blinkers in Risen Star

Mandaloun added yet another feather to his superstar sire Into Mischief's cap with a victory in Saturday's GII Risen Star S. at the Fair Grounds. Adding blinkers after a third-place finish in the GIII Lecomte S. last time, the Juddmonte Farms homebred was away alertly from stall 10 and rushed up to stalk from a two-wide third as Rightandjust (Awesome Again) was pressed along by Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) through early fractions of :23.65 and :48.45. Midnight Bourbon stuck hi head in front entering the bend with Mandaloun roaring up on his outside and Proxy (Tapit) outside of him. Running three-wide, Mandoulon overtook Midnight Bourbon in mid-stretch and charged clear with determined strides to win by 1 1/4 lengths. Proxy pushed past Midnight Bourbon late to be second.

“He's had two great works since so we expected him to move forward,” Cox said. “I think the blinkers did help out. Florent [Geroux] immediately made a comment after the race. Much more focused in the post parade, more focused on his job. We didn't put a bunch of cup on him, just like a one-inch cup, but it seems to have done the trick to get him mentally where he needs to be.”

As for what's next, Cox said, “The [the GII Louisiana Derby] is definitely going to be in play. We will talk it over with Garrett O'Rourke and the Juddmonte team and come up with a game plan. I'm very proud of the colt. He stepped up and ran a big race today. That [nine furlongs] is a big ask at any time for a Thoroughbred, and then to do it in February of your 3-year-old year. Garrett has made the comment several times that he thinks he's a mile-and-a-quarter-horse and he trains like one. He's got the physical make-up of a mile-and-a-quarter horse so we're optimistic he'll get better with more ground.”

Closing strongly to capture his career bow going six furlongs at Keeneland Oct. 24, Mandaloun cleared his first-level allowance condition going a furlong further at Churchill Downs Nov. 28. He completed the trifecta behind Midnight Bourbon last time in this venue's Lecomte S. Jan. 16 and prepped for this with a best-of-35 five panels in :59 4/5 in NOLA Feb. 6.

Pedigree Notes:

Mandaloun is the 37th graded scorer and 87th black-type winner for the mighty Into Mischief. He is also the 24th graded victor and 52nd black-type winner out of a daughter of the late Empire Maker. The Juddmonte colors were also carried to victory Saturday at Gulfstream by another Into Mischief colt out of an Empire Maker mare in good-looking graduate Floriform. Mandaloun is a fourth-generation homebred for the late Juddmonte principal Prince Khalid Bin Abdullah. His operation purchased his fourth dam Queen of Song (His Majesty) for $700,000 in foal to Seattle Slew at Keeneland November back in 1989. Mandaloun's dam Brooch is a two-time group winner in Europe and a half-sister to MSW & MGSP Caponata (Selkirk). He is her second foal and the 10-year-old mare has since produced a pair of colts by Into Mischief. She was bred back to War Front last spring. This is also the family of Irish Highweight Emulous (GB) (Dansili {GB}) and Group victor First Sitting (GB) (Dansili {GB}).

Saturday, Fair Grounds
RISEN STAR S. PRESENTED BY LAMARQUE FORD-GII, $400,000, Fair Grounds, 2-13, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:50.39, ft.
1–MANDALOUN, 122, c, 3, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Brooch (MGSW-Ire, $217,059), by Empire Maker
2nd Dam: Daring Diva (GB), by Dansili (GB)
3rd Dam: Aspiring Diva, by Distant View
'TDN Rising Star' 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-Brad H Cox; J-Florent Geroux. $240,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-1, $351,252. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*.
2–Proxy, 122, c, 3, Tapit–Panty Raid, by Include. O-Godolphin, LLC; B-Godolphin (KY); T-Michael Stidham. $80,000.
3–Midnight Bourbon, 122, c, 3, Tiznow–Catch the Moon, by Malibu Moon. ($525,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Steven M Asmussen. $40,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, HF, 5 3/4. Odds: 2.10, 4.00, 5.60.
Also Ran: O Besos, Senor Buscador, Rightandjust, Santa Cruiser, Sermononthemount, Starrininmydreams, Carillo, Beep Beep. Scratched: Defeater, Keepmeinmind. 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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Captivating Moon Springs $89 Surprise In Fair Grounds Stakes

Rallying far out in the middle of the Fair Grounds turf course, Lothenbach Stables' homebred Captivating Moon upset the apple cart at odds of 43-1, getting up in the final sixteenth of a mile to win Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000 Fair Grounds Stakes in New Orleans, La.

Trained by Chris Block and ridden by Marcelino Pedroza, the 6-year-old son of Malibu Moon was 1 3/4 lengths ahead at the finish, covering 1 1/8 miles on the soft Fair Grounds turf in 1:50.27 and paying $89 on a $2 bet.

Logical Myth finished second, edging Peace Achieved by a head, with Set Piece a nose bacj in a three-horse photo. Factor This, the 9-5 favorite, finished fifth in the field of 10 older runners. Blackberry Wine was scratched, trainer Joe Sharp opting to run the horse one race earlier in the Mineshaft Stakes.

Captivating Moon raced near the back of the field, alongside Set Piece, as Spectacular Gem and Factor This battled on the front end through fractions of :23:35, :48.14 and 1:12.20 for the opening six furlongs.

Pedroza took the outside route and Set Piece went inside as the field rounded the turn and headed into the long Fair Grounds stretch. Captivating Moon began running down the leaders in the final furlong, after a one-mile clocking in 1:37.99, then took command in the closing strides.

“He does like a soft turf,” said Block. “Marcelino did a nice job of keeping him in the clear.”

Block had also entered Captivating Moon in the Colonel Power Stakes, a 5 1/2-furlong turf stakes, earlier in the card, but opted for this spot.

The victory was the fifth in 29 career starts for Captivating Moon, who had run on dirt in his eight most recent races. The Fair Grounds Stakes was his first graded stakes victory.

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Clairiere A Fitting Winner of the Rachel Alexandra

Hall of Famer Rachel Alexandra carried the famed burgundy and gold silks of Stonestreet Farm to six victories, four of which were Grade Is, including the GI Preakness S. and GI Woodward S. So, it was only fitting that another filly carrying the colors of Barbara Banke's operation, Clairiere (Curlin), won that Horse of the Year's namesake Grade II race at the Fair Grounds Saturday. The event, which produced GI Kentucky Oaks winners in 2018 and 2019, offered 50 points towards this year's run for the lillies.

Clairiere rallied strongly from well back to capture her 1 1/16-mile debut at Churchill Downs Oct. 25. She made another late run for the lead in that venue's GII Golden Rod S. Nov. 28, but was collared by the re-opposing Travel Column (Frosted) and forced to settled for second.

Dispatched as the 2-1 second choice behind that rival in this sophomore bow, Clairiere stumbled a bit exiting her rail draw and was left at the back of pack as 25-1 shot Off We Go (Air Force Blue) dictated terms several lengths clear of Travel Column through an opening quarter in :23.73. Clairiere snuck up the fence to improve her position to mid-pack through a half in :47.99. Travel Column charged to the front approaching the far turn as Clairiere muscled her way between rivals to stay close to her favored foe. The Stonestreet homebred slipped inside of the chalk at the top of the lane, but Travel Column closed up that opening at the fence, forcing Clairiere's rider Joe Talamo to switch tactics. He swung his mount to Travel Column's outside and the two surged clear of the rest of the field. Clairiere was going the better of the two and forged ahead of Travel Column in the final sixteenth to win by a neck. Moon Swag (Malibu Moon) completed the trifecta.

“I'm extremely excited about who she is,” said winning trainer Steve Asmussen, who also conditioned Rachel Alexandra. “This filly, the third run of her life, is just getting better. Races going further look like they'll be right in her wheelhouse. For her to win the Rachel Alexandra in the Stonestreet silks is extremely special. We'll discuss her next start with the team and she how we're doing. This filly has a very bright future.”

“This is a really nice filly, very professional,” said Talamo. “Steve gave me all the confidence in the world in her. Going in he said to just ride your race. I just kind of pointed her in the right direction and down the lane when I eased her out she was all racehorse. It's fun to ride those kind. The sky is the limit, especially with that just being her third start.”

Pedigree Notes:

Clairiere is the first foal out of Stonestreet's 'TDN Rising Star' Cavorting (Bernardini), a three-time Grade I winner and earner of over $2 million. A daughter of GSW Promenade Girl (Carson City), the now-9-year-old mare has since produced a juvenile filly by Medaglia d'Oro and a yearling colt by Curlin. The half-sister to GSW Moon Colony (Uncle Mo) failed to get in foal to Quality Road last season. The second graded winner of the day out of a daughter of Bernardini, following GIII Mineshaft S. victor Maxfield (Street Sense), she is also his 25th graded winner and 45th black-type scorer as a broodmare sire. Clairiere is the 36th graded winner and 75th black-type victor by Curlin, another Hall of Famer who carried the Stonestreet silks.

Saturday, Fair Grounds
RACHEL ALEXANDRA S. PRESENTED BY FASIG-TIPTON-GII, $300,000, Fair Grounds, 2-13, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:45.34, ft.
1–CLAIRIERE, 122, f, 3, by Curlin
1st Dam: Cavorting (MGISW, $2,063,000), by Bernardini
2nd Dam: Promenade Girl, by Carson City
3rd Dam: Promenade Colony, by Pleasant Colony
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Steven M Asmussen; J-Joseph Talamo. $183,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $270,492. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Travel Column, 122, f, 3, Frosted–Swingit, by Victory Gallop. ($850,000 Ylg '19 FTSAUG). O-OXO Equine LLC; B-Mr & Mrs Bayne Welker Jr & Denali Stud (KY); T-Brad H Cox. $60,000. 'TDN Rising Star'
3–Moon Swag, 122, f, 3, Malibu Moon–Yara, by Put It Back. ($150,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Brad King, Jim Cone, Scott Bryant and Stan & Suzanne Kirby; B-Spendthrift Farm LLC (KY); T-Brendan P Walsh. $30,000.
Margins: NK, 6HF, NK. Odds: 2.30, 1.00, 23.70.
Also Ran: Littlestitious, Becca's Rocket, Souper Sensational, Zoom Up, Off We Go. Scratched: Charlie's Penny.
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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