Grand National 2021: Aintree entries – quick guide
List of potential runners in the Grand National at Aintree on 10 April, where a maximum of 40 horses will run.
Month: March 2021
Greatest Honour Installed As 6-5 Morning Line Choice For 11-Horse Florida Derby
Courtlandt Farms' Greatest Honour will have a lot going for him in Saturday's $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa. The 3-year-old son of Tapit has shown a distinct fondness for the Gulfstream Park racetrack, over which he has won all three of his races during the Championship Meet. He also possesses a ground-devouring stride and a pedigree geared for stamina.
Oh, and the homebred colt happens to be trained by Shug McGaughey, a Hall of Famer who has done and won all that.
“I'm looking forward to running him,” McGaughey said. “He's been a pleasure all winter. He's never missed a beat. Things have sort of been the same. We just hope it continues.”
The 1 1/8-mile Florida Derby, which has produced the winners of 60 Triple Crown events, will headline a program with 10 stakes, including the $200,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) and the $200,000 Pan American (G2) presented by Rood & Riddle. The blockbuster 14-race program will also be highlighted by a mandatory payout of the Rainbow 6 pool, which is expected to swell into the multi-millions should the popular multi-race wager go unsolved through Friday. There will also be $750,000 guaranteed pools in the Late Pick 5 and Late Pick 4.
The Florida Derby will offer 170 qualifying points for the May 1 Kentucky Derby (G1) on a 100-40-20-10 basis.
Greatest Honour, who followed up a Dec. 26 maiden score with victories in the Jan. 30 Holy Bull (G3) and the Feb. 27 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2), was installed as the 6-5 morning-line favorite Wednesday after drawing Post No. 7 for the Florida Derby, which attracted a deep field of 11 3-year-olds. McGaughey is hoping his late-running powerhouse will follow the example of Orb, whom he saddled for late-rallying victories in the 2017 Fountain of Youth, the Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby.
“They're two different horses that have the same running style,” said McGaughey, noting Greatest Honour's more imposing physical stature. “They may look the same, but it's just on paper.”
Greatest Honour, like Orb, possesses a strong late kick that has carried him to three straight victories in going-away fashion at 1 1/16-miles. After graduating by 1 ¼ lengths, the Kentucky-bred colt employed a furious stretch run to win by 5 ¾ lengths in the Holy Bull. Five lengths back in mid-stretch, Greatest Honour unleashed an eye-catching surge to catch frontrunner Drain the Clock and go on to score by 1 ½ lengths.
“I think he was doing – three times – what he wasn't wanting to do – going a mile and a sixteenth over a speed-favoring track – and he was able to catch up all three times against pretty good company,” McGaughey said. “So, I am looking forward to getting him stretched out where maybe in the Florida Derby he'll be laying like he was in the Holy Bull and not as far back as he was in the Fountain of Youth.”
Greatest Honour was winless in three starts last year, finishing third in his first two career starts at Saratoga and Belmont, both at seven furlongs, before finishing second in a photo finish at 1 1/8 miles Nov. 8 at Aqueduct.
“One of the things that impressed me was, with his pedigree and his make-up, he was able to make the races as early as he did, which was [September] at Saratoga,” McGaughey said. “And he was very effective in those two maiden races going seven-eighths.”
As impressed as McGaughey may be about how much Greatest Honour has achieved thus far, he is more excited about the future.
“He's a big, tall horse. He's grown a little over the winter. So, that will be fun watching him develop. His pedigree says he'll run as far as you want him to run,” McGaughey said. “With his stride, I don't think he's a horse with a quick turn of foot, but when he gets going, he covers so much ground that he catches up in a hurry.”
Jose Ortiz has the return mount aboard Greatest Honour.
With Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert sending Spielberg to Gulfstream, the 70th running of the Florida Derby has the potential to turn into an East-meets-West showdown.
The son of Union Rags, who was rated second at 4-1 in the morning line after drawing Post. No. 10 is coming off a second-place finish behind Eclipse Award-winning Essential Quality in the Feb. 27 Southwest Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park for owners SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm LLC and Robert Masterson.
In his 2021 debut, Spielberg stumbled at the start of the Robert B. Lewis (G3) at Santa Anita before finishing fourth behind Baffert-trained winner Medina Spirit.
Spielberg had a productive six-race juvenile campaign, in which he finished second in the Del Mar Futurity (G1) and third in the American Pharoah (G1) at Santa Anita before breaking his maiden in his fourth start. He went on to win the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) two starts later.
“He's had a lot of races. Of all my horses, he's had the most starts. He's second to Concert Tour in money earned. He runs solid. He shows up,” Baffert said. “Once in a while he'll run a flat race. He's doing well and I think he will like the mile and an eighth. He sort of comes running, but he's got to ship well and behave himself. And he's got to break well. He can't break like he did the last time.”
Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano is scheduled to ride the Baffert trainee for the first time.
St. Elias Stable's Known Agenda will hold the distinction of being the only horse in the Florida Derby field to own a decision over Greatest Honour. The son of Curlin defeated Greatest Honour by a head while graduating in a 1 1/8-mile maiden special weight race Nov. 8 at Aqueduct.
“He's won at a mile and an eighth and he was able to beat Greatest Honour when he did that,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “The form from that maiden race has held up well. Overtook, who finished third that day, came back and was second in the Withers.”
Known Agenda, who drew Post No. 5 and was rated third at 5-1 in the morning line, is coming off a sharp 11-length optional claiming allowance victory Feb. 26 at Gulfstream Park at the Florida Derby distance. After getting away last and finishing fifth in the Feb. 6 Sam F. Davis (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs, he was equipped with blinkers for the first time for his recent romp.
“He needed a little early focus. It definitely put his mind in the game a little bit,” Pletcher said. “He's a horse we've always liked, and I think the further he gets to go, the stronger he'll be.”
Irad Ortiz Jr., who teamed with Known Agenda for the first time in his recent win, has the return call.
Three Chimneys Farm and e Five Racing Thoroughbreds' Collaborate is scheduled to make the leap from the maiden ranks to Grade 1 company in the Florida Derby. The son of Into Mischief graduated by 12 ½ lengths under wraps on the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) undercard while completing a one-turn mile in 1:36.35. The Kentucky-bred colt, who was purchased for $600,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, had finished a troubled fifth, beaten a length by victorious Democracy, in his six-furlong career debut over a sloppy track Feb. 6. McGaughey-trained Bears Watching, who finished third, a neck and a nose ahead of Collaborate, came back to graduate by 7 ¾ lengths in his next start.
“It would mean a lot to win. This horse has a lot of ability. What we're asking him is a tall task, but it seems like he has the ability to overcome it,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said.
Tyler Gaffalione has the return mount aboard Collaborate, who is rated fourth at 6-1 in the morning line.
Michael Shanley's Nova Rags, second behind stablemate Candy Man Rocket in the 1 1/16-mile Sam F. Davis (G3) last time out, will be given an opportunity by Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott to prove he deserves Triple Crown consideration.
“We've opted to try the Florida Derby and just give him that one chance to see if we belong going on and moving forward and moving up the ladder. It's a big race with 100 points [to the winner],” Mott said. “If he would qualify for the Kentucky Derby, then we'd have to consider it, but this is the race that's going to tell us what we're going to do with him.”
Junior Alvarado has the call aboard the son of Union Rags.
Live Oak Plantation's Soup and Sandwich, undefeated in two starts, is scheduled to make the jump from a first-level optional claiming allowance to Grade 1 company Saturday. The son of Into Mischief is eligible to take a share of a $100,000 bonus offered to Florida-breds who finish first, second or third in the Florida Derby with 70 percent for a victory, 20 percent for a runner-up finish and 10 percent for a third-place finish.
Trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, Soup and Sandwich made an auspicious debut at Gulfstream Jan. 28, scoring by 7 ¼ lengths at 6 ½ furlongs. In his introduction to two-turn racing, Soup and Sandwich stalked the pace before drawing off to win by 2 ¾ lengths a month later at Tampa Bay Downs.
Hall of Famer John Velazquez is scheduled to ride Soup and Sandwich.
Magic Stables LLC's Papetu, who finished third behind Greatest Honour in the Fountain of Youth, will return in the Florida Derby. The son of Dialed In made a strong middle move while forced to race very wide from his far outside post position but came up short in the stretch. He had finished second in the Mucho Macho Man and fourth in the Holy Bull in his two prior starts.
Trainer Antonio Sano also entered Gelfenstein Farm's Sigiloso, who finished fifth on turf in the Palm Beach in his most recent start.
Emisael Jaramillo has the mount aboard Papetu, while Leonel Reyes will ride Sigiloso.
OGMA Investments LLC and Off The Hook LLC's Jirafales, a strapping son of Social Inclusion who finished fifth in the Fountain of Youth; Lothenbach Stables Inc.'s Quantum Leap, a maiden winner at 1 1/8 miles in his last start at Gulfstream; and Robert Baron's Southern Passage, second behind highly regarded Prevalence in an optional claiming allowance last time out; round out the field.
Edgard Zayas is scheduled to ride Jirafales; Miguel Vasquez has the call on Quantum Leap; and Corey Lanerie has the mount aboard Southern Passage.
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Warrior’s Charge Makes His 2021 Debut In Thursday Allowance At Oaklawn
If Warrior's Charge wants to stick around for major stakes race next month at Oaklawn, he'll have to make his case Thursday for co-owners Ten Strike Racing and Madaket Stables and trainer Brad Cox.
The multiple graded stakes winner will make his 2021 debut in the eighth race, a one-mile allowance for older horses that carries a hefty $107,000 purse. The speedy 5-year-old son of Munnings hasn't started since finishing eighth in the $100,000 Ack Ack Stakes (G3) Sept. 26 at Churchill Downs.
“It's obviously the starting point for the year,” Clay Sanders, a founding partner in Ten Strike, said Tuesday morning. “Probably not exactly the distance or race we wanted, but if we could get a stake race at Oaklawn the two options were the Oaklawn Mile or the Oaklawn Handicap. If we want to consider the Oaklawn Handicap, we didn't want to run him not having a prep race. Going a mile and an eighth off the bench is pretty tough. We'll give him a start and kind of see where he is fitness-wise. He's not 100 percent cranked, but we'll see where we're at.”
The $400,000 Oaklawn Mile is April 10. The $1 million Oaklawn Handicap (G2) is April 17.
Warrior's Charge was among Oaklawn's leading two-turn older horses last year after winning the $500,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) at 1 1/16 miles and finishing second in the $600,000 Oaklawn Handicap (G2). Following a subpar performance in the Ack Ack, Warrior's Charge was sent to Florida horseman Paul Sharp for a break. Sharp's farm is the go-to vacation spot for horses connected to noted bloodstock agent Liz Crow, who is also Ten Strike's stable manager. Ten Strike privately purchased then-unraced Warrior's Charge from his breeder, Al Shaquab Racing, after Crow watched the horse train at McKathan Brothers Training Center in Florida.
In 12 career starts, the consistent Warrior's Charge has compiled a 5-1-3 record and bankrolled $836,310. Warrior's Charge also finished fourth in the $1.5 million Preakness Stakes (G1) – beaten 2 ½ lengths – in 2019 and fourth in the $500,000 Met Mile (G1) – beaten two lengths – July 4 at Belmont Park. Warrior's Charge faded to eighth in the Ack Ack after dueling through a demanding :44.85 half-mile.
“We think he was a little over the top, as far as he'd been in training for over a year,” Sanders said. “Obviously, we wanted to go to the Breeders' Cup with him. Obviously, off that result we didn't feel confident going into the race and even at that point, we didn't know Brad had Knicks Go. Exit an allowance race and then kind of showed himself (winning Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile). Probably in hindsight, it (Ack Ack) wasn't the right spot because it was a one-turn race and there was a ton of speed in the race. He went out crazy fast and just didn't have anything left in the tank. Brad had kind of mentioned after the race that he wasn't training as sharply as he was earlier in the year. We wanted to give him a break there so we would have at least some shot of making Oaklawn.”
Warrior's Charge rejoined Cox's Fair Grounds division in January and has had seven published workouts there since Feb. 5, including three 5-furlong moves this month. Warriors Charge arrived Monday in Hot Springs.
“We'd liked to have made the Essex or the Razorback, but time just got a little short on us and didn't get him ready in time,” Sanders said.
The Razorback and Essex are two major local steppingstones to the Oaklawn Handicap, a race Cox said he covets. Cox has never won the Oaklawn Handicap.
Memphis, Tenn.-based Ten Strike offers fractional ownership on its syndicate side (founding partner Marshall Gramm and Sanders are the claiming arm) and “probably 35 to 38” have a share in Warrior's Charge, Sanders said. The majority of the owners are from Arkansas, Sanders said, meaning a victory in the Oaklawn Mile or Oaklawn Handicap would be a big deal for them, too.
“But then you include family and spouses and friends – you saw the winner's circle for the Razorback,” Sanders said. “It gets pretty big pretty quick in Arkansas.”
Sanders, a Mountain Home, Ark., native, said adding a Grade 1 victory to the resume of Warrior's Charge is a goal this year since it would boost his value as a stallion prospect.
“The tricky part with this horse is that probably a mile and a sixteenth is like his optimal distance,” Sanders said. “They don't have any Grade 1's at a mile and a sixteenth, so a mile and an eighth is probably at the tail end of his. But it wouldn't even be crazy at maybe a mile and a quarter, if he could get out on a slow pace, some of these five-horse fields, maybe he could walk the dog on the front end. Those are the things we'll kind of explore.”
In addition to the Razorback and powerful front-running maiden- and first-level allowance victories at the 2019 Oaklawn meeting, Warrior's Charge (via disqualification for stretch interference) captured the $200,000 Philip H. Iselin Stakes (G3) Aug. 22 at Monmouth Park.
Warrior's Charge is the 8-5 program favorite Thursday, with Florent Geroux named to ride from post 6. Also entered are Mailman Money, My Sixth Sense, Home Base, Guest Suite and Final Jeopardy.
Probable post time is 4:40 p.m. (Central).
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Del Mar Boosts Ship & Win Program To Record Levels For 2021
Del Mar's highly successful Ship & Win program will increase to record levels this year as part of the seaside track's 82nd season which kicks off on Friday, July 16.
Ship & Win will provide horsemen and horsewomen who bring in out-of-state runners to race at Del Mar this summer a $4,000 starter bonus for their initial outing with a further 50% purse supplement for all dirt starters and a 40% purse supplement for all races run on turf. Those are the highest incentives provided since the program began in 2011.
The purse bonuses extend to additional starts at the summer meet and are designed to enhance all purses won by first through fifth finishers. Further, should a Ship & Win horse be claimed out of its first outing and subsequently run back at the meet, the original owner will receive all bonuses.
“The Ship & Win program has been essential to Del Mar's racing program and for racing in California,” said Del Mar's racing secretary David Jerkens. “Our local owners and trainers are our biggest backers of the program, providing over 70% of the runners. Doubling the bonus levels this year has got people really excited. My phone is ringing off the hook.”
Del Mar has been working in conjunction with Santa Anita to attract runners to Southern California and this year the seaside track will extend purse benefits to a horse which makes its initial Ship & Win start in either May or June at Santa Anita. Further, that same horse may make up to two starts during that period and still have its purse benefits extended through the Del Mar summer meet.
The simple rules for Ship & Win runners are as follows:
- Horses must have made their last start outside of California
- Horses cannot have raced in California in the past 12 months
- First-time starters are not eligible
- $4,000 first-race starter fee to all qualifying horses
- 50% purse bonus for dirt finishers first through fifth; 40% purse bonus for turf finishers; bonuses stay the same for subsequent
- starts at the meet
- If a Ship & Win horse is acquired after its initial S & W start, the original owner earns purse bonuses for subsequent outings through the summer meet
- Stakes runners (including overnight stakes) are not eligible for the 50% or 40% purse supplement, but will receive the $4,000 starter bonus
- Those with questions concerning the program are encouraged to contact Jerkens or Del Mar's executive vice president for racing Tom Robbins at (858) 792-4230 or via e-mail: david@dmtc.com or tomr@dmtc.com.
“Del Mar's Ship & Win program benefits owners, and the entire ecosystem,” said Thoroughbred Owners of California chairman Gary Fenton. “Del Mar Ship & Win graduates have accounted for over 100 starts during the first 10 weeks of racing at Santa Anita Park 2021. TOC is very appreciative of Del Mar's continued efforts in providing great opportunities for everyone.”
In February Del Mar announced a major purse increase for the 2021 season. The track expects to average more than $700,000 per day in purses. Del Mar will begin its 31-day summer meet on July 16 and race through Labor Day Monday, September 6.
The post Del Mar Boosts Ship & Win Program To Record Levels For 2021 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
