June, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Regal Presence Opens the Royal Meeting

While it is expected that The Queen will be at Royal Ascot on Tuesday, the fact that the monarch is not going to attend each day and that there will be no royal procession means that as far as normality is concerned we are far from out of the woods.

In an upgrade on the atmospheric void that was 2020, there will be 12,000 in attendance to create some buzz at Flat racing's magnificent summer showcase which still boasts a strong, if slightly diminished, international element. While French entries have suffered the most this year, it is debatable whether they would have supplied anything to hamper the opening race's star turn Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}). One of if not the key protagonist of this year's meeting, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum's 'TDN Rising Star' has all the ingredients of a “banker” with Frankie Dettori in the saddle looking for an instant addition to his 73 Royal Ascot winners.

Heading 11 declarations confirmed on Sunday for the mile contest, last year's G1 St James's Palace S. hero who has since also captured the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville and the May 15 G1 Lockinge S. at Newbury comes here with an air of invulnerability. “He's a lovely horse and has done everything right in his life,” John Gosden said last week. “We're happy with him and there's plenty to look forward to with him.”

As usual, Wesley Ward is looking strong and he kicks off the 2021 expedition with Gregory Kaufman's Kaufymaker (Jimmy Creed), who bids to become the first filly since Diadem in 1916 to win the G2 Coventry S. There is also a North American flavour to the G1 King's Stand S., in which the elite sprinter Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) faces 15 rivals including the Mar. 27 G1

Al Quoz Sprint hero Extravagant Kid (Kiss the Kid) and Wesley Ward's Maven (American Pharoah). Frankie Dettori has been snapped up by Brendan Walsh for Extravagant Kid after Ryan Moore was committed to Doreen Tabor's Keep Busy (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) and that is not the only notable spare ride for the 50-year-old with Joseph O'Brien booking him for Thunder Moon (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) in the G1 St James's Palace S. Last of 14 in the G1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket May 1, Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez's G1 Vincent O'Brien National S. winner bids to bounce back along with fellow flops Wembley (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Battleground (War Front), with Ryan Moore picking the latter this time.

Of the 13 declared for the St James's Palace, the Guineas hero Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) is the current favourite for a wide-open affair with Jim Bolger happy to go again after the homebred was subsequently sixth in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and runner-up in the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas. “It's been an extraordinary season, with just one real hiccup and another that was self-inflicted at The Curragh,” his owner, breeder and trainer said. “Nothing went right in the race at Longchamp and we've drawn a line through it. He came back very quickly to finish second at The Curragh, so he's very, very hardy–you couldn't do that with every horse. The biggest trouble I have is keeping the weight off him. He's a great doer and he still has to do plenty at home, despite the schedule.”

“Dawn Approach was pretty hardy too and took it well, but he wouldn't have been the same as Poetic Flare,” Bolger added. “I might have had one or two others like him and I remember when I won the 4-year-old hurdle at Aintree in 1978 with Beparoejojo she had to have a blow-out on the morning of the race, but I've never had a colt of his quality who needed as much work as he does. He's very well and I think he has a big chance–the bookmakers seem to think so too. He goes on any ground too, which is a big advantage. It was good-to-firm when he won at Newmarket, but personally I'd prefer it if there was no firm in the description as horses last longer that way.”

In recent times, it seems almost impossible that the meeting can escape significant rain and there is also a very real threat of thunderstorms in the middle of the week this time. Tuesday's action is certain to start on a lively surface, however, as Ascot's Clerk of the Course Chris Stickels ponders the watering policy. “Going wise we are good, good-to-firm in places and in the middle of a watering cycle,” he explained on Sunday. “It's a very warm day today–29 degrees as the afternoon goes on and we are expecting a warm, dry day tomorrow too. The track is in lovely condition. We'll end up with good-to-firm ground by the middle of the afternoon on Tuesday.”

“The question then comes what do we do in the evening after racing, depending on the forecast,” he added. “We'll have to play that one by ear when the forecast for the remainder of the week becomes clearer. We may have to put a bit of water on on Tuesday night to hold it at good-to-firm. There does look like a breakdown in the middle of the week. Certainly Wednesday night into Thursday, when some thunderstorms might develop from northern France. The nature of thunderstorms is they are hit-and-miss, but there is confidence in that forecast after racing Wednesday and on Thursday. This far out on Sunday, talking about Wednesday night, it's very difficult to imagine what is going to happen at this stage.”

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Woodbine Opening Day a Record Setter

Woodbine opened its 2021 season Saturday with an opening-day record handle of $6,912,477. Opening day was delayed two months due to the pandemic. The $6.9-million handle broke the previous opening-day handle record of $5.5 million set in 2020, which was also had a delayed opening day due to the pandemic. Saturday's eighth race (14-horse, mile, maiden allowance on the E.P. Taylor turf course) generated the largest single-race handle of the day at $1.1 million. The average per race handle was $628,407.

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Thomas Targets Belmont Derby for Hard Love

Trainer Jonathan Thomas didn't get the prep race he initially had in mind for Robert LaPenta, Augustin Stable, and Madaket Stables' Hard Love, but said he still plans on running the talented son of Kitten's Joy in the $1 million Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational, first leg of the Turf Triple series, on July 10 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Hard Love was entered in the Grade 2 Pennine Ridge Stakes on May 29 but scratched when inclement weather forced the event onto the main track. Thomas went to Plan B and ran Hard Love in a nine-furlong allowance optional claiming race against older horses on the turf in the Belmont Stakes Day finale on June 5.

Piloted by Manny Franco, Hard Love tracked the pace from second, battled to the outside of pacesetter Desert Peace in the stretch drive, and prevailed by a head.

“We felt like we had him ready for the Pennine Ridge,” Thomas said. “It was a bit of a gut punch having it come off the turf, so we were lucky the allowance race was in the book. We felt like we got a nice prep into him for the Belmont Derby. Based off what we've seen, it looks like the further the better. He is an efficient moving horse, and his pedigree suggests the further the better. He should appreciate the added distance.”

Thomas is targeting a second Belmont Derby victory having won in 2018 with the versatile Catholic Boy, who proceeded to win the Grade 1 Runhappy Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. that year.

“There are some similarities in his physique,” Thomas said. “He's a big leggy colt and also a very genuine horse. He seems to show up every time. He's a little more laid back in his disposition than Catholic Boy. But the biggest difference is that I am almost certain he's not the same horse on the dirt. He's a turf horse.”

Thomas said he was delighted to see Burning Bright notch a third lifetime victory in a 1 ¼-mile off-the-turf allowance optional claimer on May 30.

Owned and bred by George Strawbridge, Jr.'s Augustin Stable, the son of Empire Maker, out of 2008 Champion Grass Mare Forever Together, won the event by 7 ¼ lengths, recording an 89 Beyer Speed Figure.

Thomas did not rule out going back to turf with Burning Bright and mentioned the $150,000 Grand Couturier Stakes on July 5 at Belmont Park going 1 ½ miles and the $500,000 Grade 1 United Nations on July 17 at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. as options.

Burning Bright's lone start on grass was a well-beaten tenth on debut going 1 1/16 miles at Tampa Bay Downs last March.

“He breezed on the turf before his last race and I really liked what I saw,” Thomas said. “His first race on the grass was a toss-out. I've been looking forward to getting him on the grass. The main thing is getting the opportunity to stretch out. The further, the better.”

Thomas also eyes a return to grass for fellow Augustin Stables homebred Evoking, who won on debut by 4 ¼ lengths in an off-the-turf maiden special weight going six furlongs on May 29.

“We'll keep our options open with Evoking,” Thomas said. “She is probably going to be better once we get her on the grass. I was very pleased with the effort.”

Thomas said McConnell Racing Stable's War Terminator, a maiden winner in April at Aqueduct who had been pointing for Saturday's $150,000 NYSSS Spectacular Bid, would get some time off following a minor issue.

“We like the horse quite a bit and the owners are exceptional people, but we need to back off on him unfortunately,” Thomas said.

While War Terminator will be out of action, Thomas will soon welcome LaPenta's New York-bred stakes winner Nicky the Vest back to his stable. The son of second-crop sire Runhappy was a last-out winner of the Gander Stakes on February 15 at Aqueduct but was sidelined due to a knee chip discovered following a workout in late March.

“The recovery is going well,” said Thomas. “They've got him doing a lot of aqua therapy. I hope to get him back in a few weeks.”

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DJ Stables Buys Majority Interest in Masseto

Len Green's DJ Stable has purchased a majority interest in Masseto (GB) (Territories {Ire}), who is scheduled to start in Tuesday's G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot. The 2-year-old colt will race in the name of DJ Stable, and will continue to be trained by Donnacha O'Brien with minority partners involved in the ownership.

Masseto, a debut winner at Navan Apr. 25, was second in the G3 GAIN Marble Hill S. in his second outing over heavy ground as the 15-8 favorite. He was a 62,000 gns Tattersalls December Foal and a 65,000 gns Tattersalls Book 2 October Yearling.

“As an entrepreneur, I study patterns and seek out business opportunities,” said Len Green of the purchase. “About four years ago, we noticed that European-based horses who journeyed to the United States were successfully competing in some of the top graded stakes turf races. We wanted to know why; was it the training regimen, their pedigrees, the way they were raised, or a combination of those factors?

“After months of thorough analytics and evaluations , we felt ready to invest in a handful of European horses,” Green continued. “We currently own seven Irish-breds and, with the assistance of bloodstock agent Kim Valerio, are aggressively seeking out talented horses on a worldwide scale.”

“Over the past four decades, we've been fortunate to compete in some of the top races in North America, ranging from the Breeders' Cup to the Kentucky Derby. But we have never owned a horse good enough to enter at Royal Ascot, and feel privileged to have Masseto represent our colors in the Coventry S.”

Jon Green, the General Manager of DJ Stable, added, “Masseto is exactly the type of physical athlete you look for in a Thoroughbred. He has an effortless way of running, is a long strider and displays a very professional demeanor. His presence and physical gifts jump off the video. I can honestly say that there are few horses I have ever watched with such awe and admiration.”

Masseto is named for a Super Tuscan wine produced in the Bolgheri region of Italy.

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