April, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Unbeaten Argentine Star La Renoleta Returns Saturday At Oaklawn Park

When the racing world last saw Argentine-bred star La Renoleta, she was crushing allowance opponents early last year at Oaklawn in an audition for one of the country's biggest two-turn races for older fillies and mares.

Then, there was an injury. Now, there's a comeback.

Unbeaten La Renoleta (5 for 5) is scheduled to make her first start in over a year in Saturday's seventh race at Oaklawn, a 1-mile allowance, for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

After winning her first four career starts in Argentina, including the Estrellas Distaff (Gr. 1) in June 2019 – her last race in South America – La Renoleta was privately purchased by Kentucky bloodstock agent Peter Bradley III (Bradley Thoroughbreds) and sent to Asmussen in the United States.

La Renoleta resurfaced in a Feb. 8, 2020, allowance race at 1 1/16 miles and was a 9 ¾-length winner under perennial Oaklawn riding champion Ricardo Santana Jr., earning a solid 89 Beyer Speed Figure in her American debut. Bradley said La Renoleta was being considered for Oaklawn's $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) when a minor soft-tissue injury was discovered, prompting a lengthy break from racing.

“While it wasn't career ending, it was one of those things that took a long time to come around,” Bradley said Thursday morning. “We gave her every bit of time she needed, so it looks like she's back on top of her game and we can't wait for her to run this weekend.”

Bradley assembles racing partnerships, or racing ventures, focusing primarily on fillies. After dipping into South America to privately purchase Chilean-bred filly Dacita, who became a multiple Grade 1 winner in the United States for four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, Bradley said he began tracking La Renoleta in June 2019 before finalizing a deal roughly three months later.

A 6-year-old daughter of grass standout Treasure Beach (a Grade 1 winner in the United States and Group 1 winner in Europe), La Renoleta will again be running at Oaklawn following a lengthy layoff. Bradley said retirement was never seriously considered following her injury, adding four months of recovery stretched to seven out of caution.

“There was a hemorrhage along with it, that made it look worse,” Bradley said. “Essentially, we just wanted to be extra careful and we took some time. Knock on wood, it's paid off. We may have even overreacted a little bit, but that's OK. We wanted to make sure she's 100 percent. That's what we have right now.”

Bradley said La Renoleta resumed training around New Year's Day. The mare has seven published workouts at Oaklawn since March 10 in advance of her 2021 debut.

“We figured she would be ready for a spring/summer campaign,” Bradley said. “We hoped we could have been ready early in the Oaklawn meet and could have made a decision on the Apple Blossom. There's two ways you find out if a horse is ready to run. The horses tell you and then Steve tells you.”

Mexican champion Letruska won last Saturday's $1 million Apple Blossom (G1), nosing out two-time Eclipse Award winner Monomoy Girl. La Renoleta's allowance race is an “extra,” meaning it wasn't in the condition book and is a substitute race written by Oaklawn racing secretary Pat Pope. Bradley said Saturday's comeback spot isn't a prep for something specific, just a gateway to, hopefully, graded stakes events this summer.

“We always hope to do that with them, if they look like they've got this type of talent,” Bradley said. “Again, one step at a time. We've got this race Saturday. After that, we'll see. If she runs up to our expectations, we'll most probably look for a stakes race. If it turns out that she needs a race, we'll go to Plan B. I would hope that some races at Saratoga would be in her future this summer, some of their top races.”

Co-owners of La Renoleta are Swift Thoroughbreds Inc. (Mark Mache), Paul Braverman and Tim and Anna Cambron. Bradley, in partnership, won the $200,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) for older fillies and mares in 2019 at Oaklawn with the Asmussen-trained She's a Julie.

La Renoleta is the 8-5 program favorite for Saturday's seventh race at Oaklawn, which carries a $107,000 purse. Probable post time is 4:04 p.m. (Central).

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Keeneland ‘Firster’ Headline Report Gives Spendthrift’s Gormley Initial Winner

Spendthrift Farm freshman sire Gormley was represented by his first winner from his first starter on Friday when 2-year-old colt Headline Report won on debut in a $60,000 maiden special weight race at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

Owned by Breeze Easy and trained by Wesley Ward, the bay colt proved best in the 4 ½-furlong race after hitting the wire 2 ¼ lengths in front, stopping the clock in 51.75 seconds over a fast Keeneland main track.

Bred in Kentucky by Ledgelands LLC & Andrew Ritter, Headline Report is out of the Tale of the Cat mare Green Eyed Cat. He was purchased by Breeze Easy for $550,000 at last month's OBS March sale for 2-year-olds in training in Ocala after breezing a furlong in a bullet 9.4 seconds. The price marked the highest for a colt by a freshman sire at the sale. He earned $36,724 for his debut victory.

Gormley captured some of California's biggest races at two and three. The millionaire son of Malibu Moon won the FrontRunner Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita in his second start as a juvenile before going on to capture the $1 million Santa Anita Derby (G1) and Sham S. (G3) at Santa Anita as a 3-year-old. The multiple Grade 1 winner earned $1,026,000 before retiring to stud at Spendthrift.

Gormley is standing the 2021 breeding season for a fee of $5,000 S&N and is participating in the farm's “Safe Bet” program that insures breeders by guaranteeing at least one graded stakes-winning juvenile in 2021 from Gormley's first crop or no stud fee will be owed for resulting foals in 2022.

For more information about Gormley or the Safe Bet program, please visit SpendthriftFarm.com/SafeBet or SpendthriftFarm.com/Gormley, or contact Des, Mark, or Brian at 859-294-0030.

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Kentucky Oaks: Undefeated Search Results ‘Came Back Bouncing’ From Final Breeze

Klaravich Stables' Search Results, undefeated in three starts for trainer Chad Brown, including the April 3 Gazelle (G3) at Aqueduct, had some classy company as she completed her last major work for the Oaks. The daughter of Flatter walked onto the Churchill Downs main track at 7:34 with her stablemate, the grade 1-winning millionaire Dunbar Road, who starts in Friday's La Troienne (G1). The pair went five furlongs in a comfortable 1:02.60, which gave Brown plenty of reason for encouragement.

“I gave her an easy work by design,” Brown said. “She's coming back in four weeks so she's very, very fit. I liked the way she went and she really seemed to get over the ground. I just wanted to get her used to the track a bit and she came back bouncing around when we untacked her. I wanted to bring her in there sound and happy and I think we're well on our way to doing that.

“She doesn't normally work with Dunbar Road, they've been in different places, but I just go with the roster I have,” Brown said. “With both horses running two turns on the dirt next Friday, they were a real good match. They were right together and perfect, but in fairness, it was an easy work and anyone could have stayed with anyone. Dunbar Road has run here before and the other filly hasn't been here very long, so with this particular horse, where she's at in her development, I thought it was important.

“She's got a nice solid mile and an eighth race into her in the Gazelle,” Brown said. “She ran quite fast at Aqueduct, faster than the boys in the Wood (G2) on the same card (1:54.14 to 1:54.49), so that's a pretty good indicator of how fit she is and what she potentially got out of that race. So, I just wanted to get her over the track, and they galloped out really well. I got them galloping out in 1:15 (for six furlongs) and her ears were up and I was really happy with it.

“The dynamics of the Oaks figure a lot different than the Gazelle (Search Results was just a length off a half-mile in 50.09),” Brown said. “This filly, much like our Derby horse Highly Motivated, has good early tactical speed. They have shown they can be on the lead at any point, but are probably a touch better with a target. So, with speed signed up in the Oaks—there looks like there are some horses and I've seen some quick breezes here too—if somebody goes out there and she can lay in close proximity, that's my ideal trip. Of course, whether you get your ideal trip in a horse race, is to be determined, but that's what I'd like to see.”

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Havlin Decides Against Appeal

Jockey Rab Havlin has decided he will not appeal the decision by Lingfield stewards to suspend him 21 days for failing to take all reasonable and permissible measures to win a race on Apr. 21. Havlin was riding the John and Thady Gosden-trained Stowell (GB) (Zoffany {Ire}) when the 3-year-old made a late move on debut but just failed to catch his stablemate Polling Day (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), ridden by Frankie Dettori. Stowell was beaten a head under a hands and heels ride.

Gosden spoke out in support of Havlin, saying he always asks jockeys to avoid using the whip on newcomers.

Havlin said after riding Side Shot (GB) (Frankel {GB}) to win at Doncaster on Friday, “There were a few avenues we could go down. I spoke to Rory [Mac Neice, solicitor] and we discussed it, but I just didn't want it to drag on into next week. I wanted to draw a line under it and just move on. That's racing, my lad wasn't going much quicker in the straight and Frankie's was and was ridden out. I just thought it was the best thing to do [not appeal], put a line under it and walk on.

“I'll take some time off. I haven't had a day off in 18 months, so I'll take some time off and spend it with the kids.”

Gosden, speaking from Sandown, also addressed the news this week that his apprentice Benoit de la Sayette has had his license suspended after testing positive for cocaine, having previously denied using the.

“This is a problem in every town, village and city up and down the country,” said Gosden. “The teenagers have been in lockdown for a year, they are bored stiff and can't even go and play football with their friends in the park. They are looking for another stimulant. You don't have to be Einstein to see alcohol sales have gone through the roof, people are drinking more because they are bored looking at the walls. These kids are no different, to that extent they need all the support they can get, and a firm talking to.

“You could probably go into Esher now and find some cocaine in a beer garden. But remember it also suppresses appetite, if you are a jockey wasting. If you drink alcohol you've got sugar and carbohydrates that go with that so it's another way of having a good time. But it's illegal and it's got to be stamped out.”

“Urine samples are one thing, but hair samples are another. He was messing around with it at the beginning of the year and he's paid a mighty price. I see no harm in doing more testing, it's an obvious place to go.”

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