Having run second despite encountering trouble both early and late, Flanagan Racing's The Reds was promoted to victory following the disqualification of first-place finisher Excellorator in Saturday's $125,000 Federico Tesio at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.
The 40th running of the 1 1/8-mile Federico Tesio headlined an 11-race Spring Stakes Spectacular program featuring six stakes worth $650,000 in purses. For the sixth straight year, the Tesio offered Triple Crown-nominated 3-year-olds and automatic berth in the 146th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 15 at Pimlico.
Saturday marked the return of the Tesio to Pimlico, where it debuted in 1981 and stayed every year but two through 2015. Named for the noted Italian breeder, owner and trainer whose homebreds Nearco and Ribot dominate Thoroughbred bloodlines around the world, the Tesio was held at Laurel Park in 1987 and 1989 and each year since 2016.
Sent off the 9-5 favorite in a field of eight that included stakes winners Shackled Love, Hello Hot Rod and his former stablemate Maythehorsebwithu, The Reds ($5.80) gave both local jockey Victor Carrasco and New York-based trainer John Kimmel their first Tesio victory.
“I thought he showed tremendous courage, really,” Kimmel said by phone. “He got squeezed at the start so he ended up losing his spot. He should have been much closer. Then he had a terrible trip getting to where he was when the horse came out on him, which was a call I thought was deserved. We were just very fortunate.”
Shackled Love, who edged Maythehorsebwithu in the March 13 Private Terms at Laurel, broke side-by-side from the two outermost posts and both were intent on the lead, going the first quarter-mile in 24.13 seconds and a half in 48.12 with Excellorator and jockey Angel Cruz tracking in third. Six furlongs went in 1:11.50 with the top two still in front, though Excellorator was closing the gap.
Neither leader was able to maintain their momentum and began to drop back as they came into the stretch, leaving Excellorator to inherit the lead. Meanwhile The Reds, shuffled back between Royal Number and Hello Hot Rod early and steadied on the far turn, got straightened out and was coming with a run when Excellorator drifted out under Cruz's left-handed urging. The Reds was forced to alter his path and had Royal Number closing on his outside.
Once on a straight path, Excellorator dug in and held off The Reds by a head after completing the distance in 1:49.98 over a fast main track. Following a lengthy stewards' inquiry and objections from both Carrasco on Cruz and Royal Number jockey Julian Pimentel on Carrasco, Excellorator was taken down and placed second behind The Reds.
“Not too disappointed really, because the horse ran a wonderful race,” Excellorator's trainer, Hugh McMahon, said. “We did our part. There's just so much we can do, but there's so many external variables that influence these kinds of outcomes.”
The remaining order of finish was unchanged. Royal Number was third, followed by Hello Hot Rod, Maythehorsebwithu, Shackled Love, Zertz and Tiz Mandate.
“He broke good. You could see going into the turn, I'm trying to get him to relax. We had a great outside post and I wanted no part of dueling for the first three-quarters,” jockey Sheldon Russell, aboard Maythehorsebwithu, said. “I'm making every effort to sort of break his stride and get him to relax. We do a lot of work trying to teach them to relax in the afternoon, but we probably had him a little too fresh today. He just ran his race early on. We'll regroup and see how he comes out.”
By Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Tonalist, The Reds broke his maiden in his fifth career start and second this year, a 1 1/8-mile maiden special weight Jan. 31 at Aqueduct. Last time out, he ran fifth in the one-mile Gotham (G3) March 6, also at the Big A.
The Reds is not Triple Crown-nominated, but can be supplemented to the 1 3/16-mile Preakness at the time of entry, May 10.
“This horse is really suited to run further. He's got that kind of temperament. He settles really well,” Kimmel said. “I'm not sure if we'll come back in three weeks but we'll see how the Derby and the participants in the Preakness shakes out and we'll go from there.”
The post The Reds Awarded Federico Tesio Stakes Via Disqualification appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Hronis Racing, Siena Farm, Summer Wind Equine, West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing's Flightline (Tapit) turned in one of the more impressive debut performances in recent memory Saturday at Santa Anita to stamp himself as a no brainer 'TDN Rising Star'. Pounded down to 4-5 favoritism into the face of two Bob Baffert firsters, a $650,000 Simon Callaghan trainee and a MyRacehorse runner, the John Sadler pupil and $1-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga grad broke perhaps a half-step slowly but quickly rushed up through horses to set a pressured pace from the rail. He began to widen his advantage after a :21.59 opening quarter, got the half in :44.42 while already some seven or eight lengths clear, and cantered to the wire from there to romp by a geared-down 13 1/4 lengths while stopping the clock in a sharp 1:08.75. Baffert runner Brutto (Nyquist) was best of the rest.
It was a productive day for seven-figure Saratoga graduates co-owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, Woodford Racing and Siena Farm. The overlapping connections also celebrated a debut win Saturday at Belmont with $1.5-million FTSAUG co-topper First Captain (Curlin). Flightline was the co-third-priciest purchase at that boutique auction.
Jane Lyon's Summer Wind purchased dam Feathered (Indian Charlie) for $2.35 million in foal to War Front at the 2016 Keeneland November sale. The 2015 GIII Edgewood S. winner, who was also a MGISP juvenile, is a granddaughter of MGISW Finder's Fee (Storm Cat). Her now 2-year-old Pioneerof the Nile colt sold for $100,000 at Fasig-Tipton October and was subsequently sent to Russia. Feathered has a yearling colt by Tapit named Failsafe and a foal colt by Curlin.
7th-Santa Anita, $62,000, Msw, 4-24, 3yo/up, 6f, 1:08.75, ft, 13 1/4 lengths.
FLIGHTLINE, c, 3, Tapit
1st Dam: Feathered (GSW & MGISP, $577,474), by Indian Charlie
2nd Dam: Receipt, by Dynaformer
3rd Dam: Finder's Fee, by Storm Cat
Sales history: $1,000,000 Ylg '19 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $36,600. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree or the VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Hronis Racing LLC, Siena Farm LLC, Summer Wind Equine, West Point Thoroughbreds & Woodford Racing LLC; B-Summer Wind Equine LLC (KY); T-John W. Sadler.
The post Seven-Figure Tapit Colt Soars to Rising Stardom at Santa Anita appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
