May, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Street Lute Seeks Redemption in Miss Preakness

Lucky 7 Stables' Street Lute (Street Magician) looks to rebound off a third as the 3-5 favorite in Laurel's Beyond The Wire S. Mar. 13 and gain her first graded score in the GIII Miss Preakness S. at Old Hilltop Friday. Reeling off five straight wins from last November through February, including the Laurel's six-furlong Xtra Heat S. in January followed by the seven panel Wide Country S. Feb. 20, the chestnut tried a mile for the first time in the Beyond The Wire, but tired late to finish third, beaten five lengths.

“I've always felt she was a better sprinter. We tried her long just because there was nowhere else to run and you've got to find out sooner or later,” trainer John 'Jerry' Robb said. “There's a lot of really nice fillies in here. This will be her biggest test, yet I'm sure. You couldn't work any better, you couldn't go into it any better, and we've got home field advantage.”

Robb opted to bypass the 1 1/16-mile Weber City Miss S. Apr. 24 and point for the Miss Preakness instead. The filly posted her most recent breeze May 7, going four furlongs in a bullet :46.80 seconds, the fastest of 35 horses going that distance at Pimlico that day.

Doug Scharbauer's Red Ghost (Ghostzapper) kicked off her career in style, winning by 8 1/2 lengths in a 5 1/2-furlong off-turf test at the Spa last August but failed to handle the transition to the sod and had to settle for seventh in the Sept. 15 Untapable S. over 6 1/2 furlongs at Kentucky Downs. Returned to the dirt last time, the Wesley Ward trainee came from off the pace to win at six-furlong Keeneland allowance Apr. 16. John Velazquez, who was aboard last time, returns to the saddle Friday.

Alex and JoAnn Lieblong, who won the 2020 Miss Preakness with Wicked Whisper, return this year Abrogate (Outwork), half-length winner of the six-furlong Purple Martin S. Apr. 3 at Oaklawn. Last time out, she ran fifth by 2 1/2 lengths in the seven-furlong GII Eight Belles S. Apr. 30.

“She chased a pretty fast pace in her last race. They went 1:09 for the three-quarters,” Alex Lieblong said. “She was there most of the time right up with the leaders, and it was a quick one. She might be just a six-furlong horse.”

The winner of her first two starts, including a muddy allowance score in Hot Springs Jan. 24, the dark bay finished third in a sloppy renewal of the Dixie Belle S. Feb. 28.

“It's a little quick back,” said Steve Asmussen's assistant, Scott Blasi of the quick turnaround from the Eight Belles, “but she'll appreciate shortening up.”

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Black-Eyed Susan Adventure

Godolphin's Adventuring (Pioneerof the Nile) rides a two-race win skein as she tries to add her first graded victory in Friday's GII George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan S. at Pimlico. Second choice on the morning line at 4-1, the homebred hit the board in her first two starts–both off-turf tests–at the Fair Grounds late last season. Well supported in her Feb. 16 reappearance at the New Orleans oval, the daughter of dual Grade I winning Questing (Hard Spun) came from just off the pace to romp by 6 1/2 lengths before adding another to the win column in Turfway's Bourbonette S. going a mile over the synthetic Mar. 27.

“Obviously, she's very well bred,” said trainer Brad Cox. “We're hopeful that she'll be able to handle the mile and an eighth. She certainly appears that she can.

“She broke her maiden in an off-the-turf race on the dirt and performed extremely well. She was able to get the job done on the synthetic and she works well enough on the dirt to give us the confidence to try a graded stake on the dirt. We're looking forward getting her up there.”

Explaining the decision to bypass the Apr. 30 GI Kentucky Oaks, Cox added, “She had enough points to go in the Kentucky Oaks, but we thought the Black-Eyed Susan made more sense. Plus, she wasn't nominated to we'd have had an extra large fee to run.”

“I really like her…She's already a stakes winner, but we need to, hopefully, get some graded wins.”

Boama Corporation's Beautiful Gift (Medaglia d'Oro) broke her maiden second out stretching to a mile at Santa Anita last October. In a pair of starts facing short fields at that venue this term, the half to GSW and GISP Chitu (Henny Hughes) posted a head victory in the GIII Santa Ysabel S. Mar. 7 before succumbing by a half-length to Soothsay (Distorted Humor) in the GII Santa Anita Oaks Apr. 3. Both races were contested at 1 1/16 miles.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez will re-join the 9-5 program favorite who breaks from the 10 hole.

“She's run well,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “I was going to run her in the Kentucky Oaks, but it came up way too tough. That's one of the toughest Kentucky Oaks I've seen. I didn't want to put her through that. I said, 'We'll wait for the Black-Eyed Susan. You try to spot your horses, give them a chance where they have a chance to win.”

Three Diamonds Farm's Army Wife (Declaration of War) went winless in her first three starts last year–all on turf–before graduating in her first try on dirt at Churchill in October. Runner up going a mile in a Churchill optional claimer Nov. 28, she was a nose winner in a Gulfstream optional claimer Mar. 13 before running third behind winner Search Results (Flatter)–who subsequently finished a close-up second in the Kentucky Oaks–in a nine-furlong GIII Gazelle S. at Aqueduct Apr. 3.

“She's a filly we've always been high on. She makes a fabulous impression,” said trainer Mike Maker. “She had a couple of months off and got a little behind, but she's doing well and we're looking forward to it.”

Joel Rosario gets the call on Army Wife, who breaks from Post 1.

Alex and JoAnn Leiblong's Willful Woman (Nyquist) come into this off an optional claiming victory in the slop at Oaklawn Apr. 9. Prior to that, she finished seventh in the Mar. 6 GIII Honeybee S.

“She lost it at the break,” Alex Lieblong said of the Honeybee. “She was looking at something in the infield when they popped the gate and then got flustered when she missed it. It was just one of those deals where we were like, 'Ok. Let's start over.' That's what we did with the allowance. I hated that we missed the series there, but it might wind up being one of those deals where it worked out for the best, if you just give them time.”

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In Swoop Back In Charge At ParisLongchamp

Building on a return second in the 12-furlong Listed Prix Lord Seymour at ParisLongchamp Apr. 18, last year's G1 Deutsches Derby hero and Arc runner-up In Swoop (Ire) (Adlerflug {Ger}) returned to the same course and distance to get back to winning ways in the G3 Prix d'Hedouville on Thursday. Settled in a share of third early by Olivier Peslier, the 1-2 favourite was wound up to take control with 300 metres remaining and score by a comfortable 1 1/4-length margin from The Good Man (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}). “He is so lazy he can cause you a lot of stress and you have to be after him, but we're delighted he won again,” trainer Francis-Henri Graffard commented. “We knew he'd come on a lot for his first run and is probably a little bit better on softer ground, so he did what he had to do today. He is in the [G2] Grand Prix de Chantilly and also in the [G1] Coronation Cup, so we'll discuss it with his owners.”

In Swoop's dam Iota (Ger) (Tiger Hill {Ire}), who collected the G1 Preis der Diana, is also the dam of his G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern-winning full-brother Ito (Ger) and the New Zealand group 3 scorer Igraine (Ger) by Adlerlfug's close relative Galileo (Ire). She is kin to the group 3 winner Illo (Ger) (Tertullian) and the G1 Preis von Europa-placed Ioannina (GB) (Rainbow Quest) and to the dam of the G2 Grosser Preis der Badischen Wirtschaft winner Itobo (Ger) (Areion {Ger}). Also connected to the G2 Mehl-Mulhens-Rennen winner Irian (Ger) (Tertullian) and the G3 Geelong Cup scorer and G1 Preis von Europa runner-up Ibicenco (Ger) (Shirocco {Ger}), her as-yet unraced 3-year-old filly by Australia (GB) is named Iffy (Ger) while she also has a filly foal by Highland Reel (Ire).

Thursday, ParisLongchamp, France
PRIX D'HEDOUVILLE-G3, €80,000, ParisLongchamp, 5-13, 4yo/up, 12fT, 2:36.81, sf.
1–IN SWOOP (IRE), 128, c, 3, by Adlerflug (Ger)
1st Dam: Iota (Ger), by Tiger Hill (Ire)
2nd Dam: Iora (Ger), by Konigsstuhl (Ger)
3rd Dam: Incitation (Ger), by Be My Guest
O-Gestut Schlenderhan; B-Stall Ullmann (IRE); T-Francis-Henri Graffard; J-Olivier Peslier. €40,000. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 3yo-Eur at 11-14f, G1SW-Ger & MG1SP-Fr, 7-2-3-1, €1,324,530. *Full to Ito (Ger), Hwt. Older Horse-Ger at 11-14f, G1SW-Ger & GSP-Fr, $321,458; and 1/2 to Igraine (Ger) (Galileo {Ire}), GSW-NZ, SW & MGSP-Aus, $218,379; and Iniciar (Ger) (Galileo {Ire}), SP-Fr. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–The Good Man (Fr), 128, c, 4, Manduro (Ger)–So Good (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). O-Adrian Pratt, Martin Ingram, Peter David Anwyl-Harris, Stephane Wattel & Lord Clinton; B-SARL Haras de Saint-Faust, Haras d'Idernes & SAS Gerard Larr (FR); T-Stephane Wattel. €16,000.
3–Sublimis (Ire), 128, g, 5, Shamardal–Be Fabulous (Ger), by Samum (Ger). O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Andre Fabre. €12,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1HF, SHD. Odds: 0.50, 15.00, 2.20.
Also Ran: Influx (Ire), Lord Achilles (Fr), Home Sweet Home (Fr), Nagano Gold (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by TVG.

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Clancy, Smith Named Media Preakness Award Winners

Patrick Smith of Getty Images and Joe Clancy of ST Publishing Inc. will be recognized this weekend for outstanding journalism coverage of the 2020 GI Preakness S.

Smith, a staff photographer at Getty, has been named recipient of the Jerry Frutkoff Photographer Award for his photo of Preakness winner Swiss Skydiver and GI Kentucky Derby winner Authentic coming down the stretch of the 145^th Preakness.

“I loved the facial expression of [Robby] Albarado as he went nose-to-nose with the filly to defeat the Kentucky Derby winner,” Smith said. “All the excitement we dream of when photographing racing was there.”

Clancy was named recipient of the David F. Woods Memorial Award for his story of the 2020 Preakness entitled 'Force of the Filly,' in the November 2020 edition of Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred. Clancy also received the Woods in 2015 and 2017.

“I was kicking around the Pimlico barn area the day before the Preakness, taking notes, talking to people,” Clancy said. “The place felt empty, a little strange due to the Covid restrictions on attendance and media access. It was October, not May. And then I saw Kenny McPeek hosing Swiss Skydiver's legs outside the barn and thought of all the horses I hosed when I worked in my father's barn. I wandered over, said hello, fed the filly a mint or two and Kenny and I talked horses for a while. It was amazing. I remember walking away hoping she would win so I could write about it. She had to come through on the track and did she ever. The battle with Authentic was just what the 2020 Preakness needed and it was an honor to tell her story.”

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