February, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Great Island Overcomes Stumble To Win Off-The-Turf Suwannee River

Alpha Delta Stables LLC's Great Island overcame a bad stumble at the start to put her head in front at the finish of Saturday's $100,000 Suwannee River at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

Making her first main-track start in the 1 1/8-mile stakes for older fillies and mares that was taken off the turf due to afternoon rain, the 4-year-old daughter of Scat Daddy collected her first career stakes victory while narrowly prevailing over pacesetter Drop a Hint on a sealed sloppy racetrack. The Chad Brown-trained filly provided jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. with his fourth of six victories on Saturday's 12-race program.

Sent to post as the 1-5 favorite in a field reduced to six by scratches, Great Island stumbled leaving the starting gate to drop several lengths behind the field heading into the first turn. Drop a Hint set fractions of 24.28 and 48.81 seconds without pressure for the first half mile and continued to show the way on the far turn after rebuffing a challenge by Loving Moment. Great Island steadily advanced along the backstretch and far turn to reach contention on the turn into the homestretch, but Drop a Hint wasn't showing any signs of weakening under Edgard Zayas.

“It's hard to overcome after that in the first part of the race,” Ortiz said. “She just stumbled, big-time, twice. After I said, 'Let me just see what she can do.' I just let her settle and by the backside she started moving really good so I didn't want to take too much hold of her after what happened in the beginning. I just let her roll and find her stride.”

It took the entire length of the stretch, but Ortiz succeeded in urging the Chad Brown trainee to victory by a head.

“By the quarter pole. I had to start working on her, but thank God, she kept coming. The trainer did a great job. She had a lot of stamina,” Ortiz said. “For a second, I thought she didn't want to go by the other horse probably, and she was looking at her, so I just tried to stay a little away in the stretch so she can feel free and go on and pass that horse. I got lucky I could go by.”

Great Island, who was placed third after finishing second in the Via Borghese at Gulfstream in her previous start, ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:52.51. Drop a Hint finished second, a half-length ahead of Mylastfirstkiss.

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Candy Man Rocket Passes Two-Turn Test, Leads Mott Exacta In Sam F. Davis

For a few fleeting seconds nearing the turn for home in the Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla., it appeared pace-setter Boca Boy was about to pull away from his closest pursuer, Candy Man Rocket.

But Junior Alvarado, the jockey on Candy Man Rocket, wanted to wait a little longer to launch his move.

“I didn't really want to engage the horse up front (Boca Boy) or make any quick move too early. I just had to move a little bit, keep holding my position and wait as long as I could,” Alvarado said. “He doesn't have a real quick turn of foot, but he started grinding it out so I started picking it up and I was really pleased by the quarter pole turning for home.”

Then, when he requested more, Candy Man Rocket delivered.

“At the sixteenth pole when I switched my stick to the right hand and showed it to him to see what I had left, he put his head low and kept grinding his way there,” Alvarado said after posting a one-length victory over stablemate Nova Rags, ridden by Samy Camacho.

The Sam F. Davis was the centerpiece of a Festival Preview Day 41 Presented by Lambholm South card that set a Sam F. Davis Day handle record of $13,200,523, an increase of more than $2.1-million from last year. The total handle is the third-largest in track history. Three other stakes were contested, including two graded races on the turf, with total stakes purse money of $750,000.

Riley Mott, the son of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and his father's assistant, had a good feeling Candy Man Rocket was going to earn the $120,000 Sam F. Davis winner's share when Alvarado turned him loose.

“He got into a real nice comfort zone down the backside and Junior let him out a notch going to the three-eighths-mile pole and at that point there wasn't a whole lot coming from behind,” the younger Mott said. “He hit the front a little bit early, which was concerning – he's still inexperienced and sometimes when they get to the front too early, they tend to wander – but Junior kept him to the task and he really ran on well and passed the two-turn test.”

Mott also saddled Nova Rags, who won the Pasco Stakes here on Jan. 16.

“He is a quality horse, and he sat a good trip too,” Mott said. “We weren't sure about the two turns, so to see him come back and pass the two-turn test and run so well to a good horse and his stablemate was pretty encouraging.”

Candy Man Rocket paid $8.20 to win as the second betting choice in the 12-horse field. His time for the mile-and-a-sixteenth on a fast dirt track was 1:44.30. He won by a length, with Nova Rags and Camacho holding on for second by a neck from Hidden Stash. Boca Boy finished fourth.

The top two were both racing around two turns for the first time.

Candy Man Rocket, a son of Candy Ride–Kenny Lane, by Forestry, is owned by Frank Fletcher Racing Operations. He is 2-for-3 in his career. The Sam F. Davis is a “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points race, with Candy Man Rocket taking away the top award of 10 points.

The 1-2 finish by the Mott charges puts the Grade 2 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby squarely in their sights, although Riley Mott said the March 6 race might come up a little quick for Nova Rags. Regardless, having options is what it's all about for 3-year-olds at this stage of the year.

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Baffert 1-2 As Concert Tour Edges Freedom Fighter In San Vicente

Racing as a team the final quarter of a mile, a pair of talented Bob Baffert runners, heavily favored Concert Tour and Freedom Fighter, were separated by a half length at the finish of Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Ridden by Joel Rosario, Gary and Mary West's homebred Concert Tour got seven furlongs in 1:24.06 and stamped himself as an A-lister among Kentucky Derby hopefuls and provided Baffert with his record 11^th San Vicente win.

With Freedom Fighter and Drayden Van Dyke darting to the lead from the rail, Concert Tour, who broke from the outside in a field of five, was just one length off his stablemate and The Chosen Vron three furlongs out. The Chosen Vron, who had driven up the rail inside Freedom Fighter, dropped back a bit leaving the quarter pole and from that point it was all Baffert to the wire.

“Freedom Fighter just broke like a rocket ship, he's really fast and been doing really well,” said Baffert. “Rosario was trying to teach this horse how to rate a little bit and I thought they were going to get into a speed duel. I think it was a good race for both of them.

“I learned a lot about (Concert Tour), how he wants to run and maybe he doesn't need blinkers…Now we go to where I can stretch them out…I think from here you can take that big jump that you want to take, he's going to have to really step it up for now, but now he's ready for it.”

A 3 ½ length first-out maiden winner going six furlongs on Jan. 15, Concert Tour was off at 2-5 and paid $2.80, $2.40 and $2.10.

“After the other horse (Freedom Fighter) went to the lead, I thought the two horse (The Chosen Vron) was going to go faster, but he took his time and I thought I was in a good spot,” said Rosario. “He was a little green and cut away a little bit at the last part when I took the lead. I thought it was a good race.”

By Street Sense, out of the Tapit mare Purse Strings, Concert Tour picked up $120,000 for the win, increasing his earnings to $156,600.

Freedom Fighter, who had been idle since breaking his maiden at first asking going five furlongs on Aug. 1, ran huge off the bench, finishing 2 ¾ lengths in front of The Chosen Vron. Off at 5-1, Freedom Fighter paid $3.60 and $2.20.

The Chosen Vron, who didn't appear to like being inside a quarter mile from home, kept to his task through the lane in a solid effort. Ridden by Mike Smith, he was off at 7-2 and paid $2.10 to show while finishing six lengths clear of Found My Ball.

Fractions on the race were 23.41, 45.98 and 1:10.56.

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Risk Taking Bursts on Derby Scene in Withers Win

While the snow on the ground and in the forecast for the following day framed the $250,000 Grade 3 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack with icy thoughts of winter, the winner did a pretty nice job of igniting thoughts of a certain Saturday in May. Young, developing 3-year-olds who can successfully navigate two turns are a precious commodity at this time of year and Klaravich Stables' Risk Taking surely fits into that coveted category.