March, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

California-Based Hot Rod Charlie Getting Revved Up For Louisiana Derby

If Doug O'Neill shows up in the Big Easy, you better take notice. The two-time Kentucky Derby winning trainer has invaded Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots for some major wins over the past decade and he'll try to do it again from his Santa Anita base in the March 20 TwinSpires Louisiana Derby (G2), when he sends Hot Rod Charlie in as a legitimate contender for the meet's centerpiece race.

The $1 million Louisiana Derby, run at 1 3/16 miles, offers 170 qualifying points for the May 1 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, on a 100-40-20-10 scale. First post for the March 20th program, which features seven other stakes including the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2), will be at 11:20 a.m. CT.

Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, and William Strauss' Hot Rod Charlie brings some serious credentials to the Louisiana Derby. He was second to last year's 2-year-old champion Essential Quality in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last November at Keeneland. The son of Oxbow was 94-1 that day but came within three quarters of a length of pulling off one of the biggest upsets in Breeders' Cup history. Hot Rod Charlie has the pedigree to be a star, as he's a half-brother to Breeders' Cup Sprint winner and Sprint Champion Mitole, which gave O'Neill confidence going in to the Juvenile, even though his stable star had just a maiden win to his credit at the time.

“Him being a half-brother to a Breeders' Cup winner like Mitole, we knew he had the class and the blood there,” O'Neill said. “He was training so well (going into championship day). He had routed well prior to going to Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup. He was 94-1 but he looked 9-5 to us and it was a great effort and we were very proud of him.”

Hot Rod Charlie took the rest of the year off after the Juvenile and returned January 30 in Santa Anita's Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3). He settled in fourth early and rallied nicely to finish third, beaten just a neck and nose for all the money behind the well-regarded Medina Spirit. Options are aplenty when you have a talented 3-year-old, but Fair Grounds and the Louisiana Derby made a lot of sense to O'Neill, for a myriad of reasons.

“We love the spacing and of course the distance,” O'Neill said. “I love the long stretch there at the Fair Grounds and the million-dollar purse doesn't hurt either. A lot of it was the timing too; we have a little bit of flexibility too, with the six weeks (to the Kentucky Derby). All that went into play and we're optimistic we'll get a big effort from him.”

Hot Rod Charlie shows a strong series of works at Santa Anita since the Robert Lewis, including a six-furlong move in 1:14.00 on March 6. O'Neill, who won the Kentucky Derby in 2012 with I'll Have Another and in 2016 with Nyquist, knows there's a balance between cranking up a horse too early in their 3-year-old season, which could leave the lemon a little dry come the first Saturday in May.

“We freshened him up a little bit (after the Juvenile) and he came back and ran a really tough race in the Bob Lewis,” O'Neill said. “From our experience, when you run that hard off the layoff, the best thing you can do is give them a little extra time before the next one. Just watching him train, he seems to get stronger as the distances go out in the morning.”

The Louisiana Derby is shaping up as one of the best renewals in years, with Mandaloun, Proxy, and Midnight Bourbon — the top-3 in the locally run Risen Star (G2) — all expected back, along with some strong new shooters as well. O'Neill won the Risen Star in 2007 with Notional and Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) in 2017 with Mistical Plan and in 2016 with Land Over Sea, so he knows what to expect when he rolls into town.

“We know going to the Fair Grounds it will be some tall grass and it won't be easy by any means,” O'Neill said. “The one good thing we know is Hot Rod Charlie can ship without a problem and fly to other places and run. The field is going to be tough, but for a million dollars you expect that. It's exciting every time you get to run in New Orleans. There's so much energy in the air. If you don't like New Orleans, you don't like life.”

According to Fair Grounds' racing secretary Scott Jones, the prospective field for the Louisiana Derby include: Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, and William Strauss' Hot Rod Charlie (O'Neill); Juddmonte Farms' Mandaloun (Brad Cox); Godolphin's Proxy (Mike Stidham); Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon (Steve Asmussen); Michael Shanley's Nova Rags (Bill Mott); Barrett Bernard, Tagg Team Racing, and West Point Thoroughbreds' O Besos (Greg Foley); Wayne T. Davis' Rightandjust (Shane Wilson); John and Diane Fradkin's Rombauer (Mike McCarthy); Tom Durant's Run Classic (Bret Calhoun); and Stewart Racing Stable and WinStar Farm's Starrininmydreams (Dallas Stewart).

The draw for the 108^th edition of the Louisiana Derby (G2) will take place live on the Fair Grounds simulcast feed and via Facebook live on Saturday, March 13th at 11:30 a.m. CT.

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Whether Riding in The Big ‘Cap or the Nightcap, Rosario Is a Master of Timing

The Week in Review, by T.D. Thornton

Generally speaking, when your horse is parked near last for most of the trip, fanned six wide on the far turn, fifth with a furlong to go, and still third 100 yards from the wire, your chances of winning are slim.

Unless Joel Rosario is riding, of course.

That was the exact scenario facing Idol (Curlin) in deep stretch of Saturday's GI Santa Anita H. at Santa Anita Park. Yet “Judicious Joel,” who at age 36 is without fanfare blossoming into the absolute master of timing in modern American racing, was once again confidently capable of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.

If and when in-race wagering arrives on a large scale here in the States, discerning bettors are going to make a killing taking vastly overlaid odds on the late runners that Rosario rides, knowing that if the horse has it in him to close a seemingly insurmountable gap, Rosario is going to elicit that effort in the most efficient way possible.

Yes, the “Big 'Cap” has lost some of its luster over the last several decades because of the glut of global big-money races now scheduled during the first quarter of the year.

In 1996, the “world's richest race” lure of the G1 Dubai World Cup first made a dent in the stature of North America's premier dirt race for older horses.

Then the 2017 advent of the GI Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park coincided with The Stronach Group's trimming of the Big Cap's purse at sister track Santa Anita from its $1-million level and the selling of the race's sponsorship rights to a casino.

The arrival of the $20-million Saudi Cup in 2020 further crowded the international calendar at the Big 'Cap's expense. The 2021 edition run 10 days ago siphoned away America's top two older dirt males, Knicks Go (Paynter) and Charlatan (Speightstown), the latter of whom is stabled right at Santa Anita but instead shipped hallway around the planet to run for absurdly more purse money.

Yet even diminished, the Big 'Cap still resonates at a certain level of importance. Just ask an emotional Richard Baltas, Idol's trainer, who had to compose himself before saying in the winner's circle interview that “I've been coming here since I was 13 years old. Before I even got to be a horse trainer, I saw all the greats run here in the Big 'Cap and you never think that you're going to be here, but you keep working hard and God blessed you.”

Idol ended up winning the Big 'Cap by a well-timed half a length, which is a comparatively wide margin of victory for Rosario in Santa Anita's showcase race, which he has now won three years in a row.

In 2020, Rosario was aboard Combatant (Scat Daddy), who won the Big 'Cap by a neck with a stalking trip and a four-wide sweep off the turn.

In 2019, partnering with Gift Box (Twirling Candy), Rosario forced the issue on the front end, then held off a late charge by the 2-5 favorite to prevail by a nose.

The Big 'Cap victory Saturday boosted Rosario's wins in graded stakes races in 2021 to nine. You'd have to add together the totals of his next two closest rivals (Irad Ortiz Jr. and Luis Saez, who have five each) to top that fast start through the first 11 weeks of the year.

When Rosario doesn't win a graded stakes, he's infrequently far off the hunt. He's hit the board with nine other graded stakes mounts, which puts him at an ultra-impressive nation-leading 18-for-24 (75%) in-the-money clip among jockeys with at least 10 graded stakes starts.

Overall, those nine graded stakes wins account for 28% of all of Rosario's 32 victories this season so far.

“I knew [Idol] wanted all of a mile and a quarter, and the jockey made a bit of a difference too,” Baltas said. “We needed all of Rosario's power in the stretch to get him home.”

But while Baltas emphasized Rosario's strength, that's only part of his skill set. Even more remarkable is how Rosario meshes that power with patience.

He's also one of the most selective riders in the game about employing his stick. Although no one keeps statistics on this sort of thing, I'd be willing to wager that Rosario leads the nation in cocking his crop, looking back quickly to get a sense of where his stretch competition is, then putting the whip away after making a split-second decision that it's not needed.

Barely a half-hour after his emphatic win aboard Idol, Rosario gave another prime example of how to eke out a victory in disciplined fashion.

Riding the layoff maiden Defunded (Dialed In), Rosario sat chilly while eighth in a 12-horse field, biding his time atop a second-time starter who had been fractious as the beaten favorite under another jockey in his only other start.

Nudged to pick up the pace around the far turn, Defunded quickly inhaled half the field and had built enough steam to launch into contention at the top of the stretch. But he bumped and brushed repeatedly while bulling through traffic, and Rosario had to snatch his mount off the heels of a tiring foe, a move that might have been a momentum-staller for other riders.

Yet Rosario deftly kept his mount focused and barreling forward onward under a hand ride without overreacting and resorting to the whip. The pair coasted home to a measured half-length win at 8-1 odds, underscoring that whether it's the Big 'Cap or just an ordinary nightcap, “Judicious Joel” is truly on a roll.

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Arrieta Making Big Impression In First Year At Oaklawn

Francisco Arrieta points his right index finger to the sky following each victory. The jockey said it's not about finishing No. 1, but acknowledging the heavens.

Arrieta had raised his right arm 19 times through Saturday, the 18th day of racing at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark. In a room full of newcomers at the 2021 meet, Arrieta has clearly made the biggest impression, trailing only seven-time local riding champion Ricardo Santana Jr. in the standings. Santana ended Saturday with 21 victories. Arrieta's purse earnings of $886,253, from 82 mounts through Saturday, ranked third.

“Everybody told me it's really tough here,” Arrieta, 32, said during training hours Friday morning. “But I've got belief. When you believe and get the opportunity, if you get the opportunity … now I'm doing really good.”

Arrieta credited his strong start to Jay Fedor, the jockey's well-connected agent who represented Martin Garcia, Oaklawn's co-second-leading rider at the 2020 meet. Fedor said after splitting with Garcia, he began searching for a 2021 replacement and “cold-called” Arrieta, then riding at Fair Grounds, in December. Arrieta said he planned to ride the 2020-'21 Fair Grounds meet before Fedor convinced him to move his tack to Oaklawn.

“Looked up his record and watched a few of his races and called him,” Fedor said. “Good kid. Generally, for the last few years, I've had a name that I could walk in the door with – (Gary) Stevens, (Robby) Albarado, Stewart Elliott, Martin, (Corey) Nakatani, Michael Baze – so this was a challenge that excited me, taking somebody that I was pretty certain that not many would know. A few people knew him, but I got lucky.”

Through Saturday, Arrieta had ridden his 19 winners for 10 trainers. They were Cipriano Contreras (5 victories), Jason Barkley (4), Jerry Hollendorfer (3), Aidan Green (1), Jimmy DiVito (1), Joe Sharp (1), Mac Robertson (1), Phil D'Amato (1), Randy Matthews (1) and Steve Asmussen (1).

Prior to coming to Oaklawn, Arrieta had never ridden a horse for Hollendorfer or Asmussen, both members of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Arrieta did forge a relationship with Robertson at Canterbury Park, and they teamed for an upset victory with Beach Flower ($41.20) in Friday's allowance feature for older fillies and mares. Beach Flower represented their 12^th career victory together.

“He does the weight,” Robertson said. “He's won 600 races in three years. That says more than what anyone else says, right?”

Arrieta, a native of Venezuela, has ridden extensively the past few years in New Mexico, Arizona and Minnesota. He said moving to Arkansas wasn't an easy decision, owing to his family traveling with him. Retired Hall of Fame jockey Ramon Dominguez, who is also from Venezuela, is among the people Arrieta said he leaned on for advice.

“He said it was a great opportunity,” Arrieta said. “Ramon's a really smart guy. He always helps. I really like the outdoors here, the mountains. I'm really happy.”

Arrieta said he doesn't know where he'll ride after the Oaklawn meeting ends May 1, but he's weighing a couple of options. He was leading rider at Canterbury in 2019 and second-leading rider there last year. The suburban Minneapolis track normally draws a handful of prominent Oaklawn figures.

“I've got to call Ramon,” Arrieta said with a laugh.

According to Equibase, racing's official data gathering organization, Arrieta entered Sunday with 616 victories and $9,886,008 in purse earnings in his career. Arrieta ranked eighth nationally in victories (250) in 2019, also setting a career high in purse earnings ($4,033,210).

Arrieta recorded his first United States victory in 2015.

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Runhappy 3-Year-Olds Making Joyful Cadence Toward Winner’s Circle

Champion Runhappy was represented by his first Oaklawn winner when Joyful Cadence ($6.40) broke her maiden by 8 ¾ lengths in Thursday's seventh race for fillies and mares, 3 and up, under apprentice Joshua Morales. It was her second career start.

Joyful Cadence, 3, is from the first crop of Runhappy, an Eclipse Award winner (male sprinter) in 2015 for colorful owner James “Mattress Mack” McIngvale who now stands at historic Claiborne Farm in Kentucky.

According to a news release from Claiborne, Joyful Cadence was the 11^th winner this year for Runhappy to lead the country's second-crop sires. Runhappy got off to a pedestrian start at stud, known more in 2019 and 2020 for a seemingly nonstop marketing push that tied the horse's name to stakes races, a race meet and six-figure bonuses for his progeny breaking their maidens in unrestricted races at a handful of major venues. Joyful Cadence is a half-sister to Grade 3 winner Country Grammer, who finished fifth in the $1 million Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) for 3-year-olds last August at Saratoga.

“I had high hopes for her from the very beginning,” said John Ortiz, who trains Joyful Cadence for WSS Racing (William Simon). “I just thought patience with these Runhappys was going to be a key and that turned out to be correct. A lot of Runhappys that are now running as 3-year-olds, they had a good month. Again, everybody's tracking them. I knew it was going to be an older-horse thing and we're lucky to have one.”

Simon, a former Walmart executive who has a home in Rogers, Ark., purchased Joyful Cadence for $235,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Ortiz said the filly made the short list of WSS's bloodstock agent, Jared Hughes, adding “she was one of the most beautiful yearlings we saw at the sale.”

“She was just athletic from Day 1,” said Ortiz, who has trained for Simon for approximately four years. “That's the biggest investment that we have made so far, in the hopes of finding that nice Grade 1 filly, or horse, period.”

Ortiz said he stopped on Joyful Cadence last summer to give her time to mature for a 3-year-old campaign. Joyful Cadence, in her career debut, finished seventh over a synthetic surface Jan. 15 at Turfway Park. Ortiz said he used the sprint for “education” and “fitness” purposes.

“I was not disappointed in that race at all,” Ortiz said. “That race, actually, showed me what I actually had. She wasn't 100 percent fit to run that day, but she didn't look like a loser. The track was very heavy on the rail. First time, going 6 ½, and on a dead rail, I think, took a lot out of her. Even then, she came back on her toes and I kind of got an idea what she had to do now and I think that's when she put it together. We brought her to Oaklawn right away.”

Racing over a fast track Thursday, Joyful Cadence covered 6 furlongs in 1:09.95 to earn a 93 Equibase Speed rating. Ortiz said Joyful Cadence came out of the race in “great shape” and he'll probably point for a conditioned allowance event and “see where that takes us.” Joyful Cadence, Ortiz said, is the only offspring of Runhappy he now trains.

“If anybody out there has one, send the Runhappys,” Ortiz said with a laugh.

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