June, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Ce Ce Ships East For ‘Win And You’re In’ Princess Rooney

Trainer Michael McCarthy has sent Ce Ce on a cross-country journey to Gulfstream Park on a quest to snag the biggest prize of the Spring/Summer Meet in Saturday's $350,000 Princess Rooney Invitational (G2).

The Southern California-based trainer has a history of big-race success at the Hallandale Beach track, having claimed the Championship Meet's richest event with City of Light's score in the $9 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) in 2019.

“City of Light's win in the Pegasus was a nice introduction to Gulfstream,” McCarthy said. “We came back to Gulfstream for the Pegasus this year with Independence Hall, who I thought ran a very good third. It's a racetrack we've performed well at. We're obviously expecting more of the same this weekend.”

The Princess Rooney, a seven-furlong 'Win and You're In' Breeders' Cup Challenge Series race for fillies and mares, will headline Saturday's Summit of Speed program that will also feature the $200,000 Smile Sprint Invitational (G3), a six-furlong race for 3-year-olds and up.

Ce Ce, 3-1 in the morning-line in a field of eight fillies and mares in the Princess Rooney, is a two-time Grade 1 stakes winner. The 5-year-old daughter of Elusive Quality scored back-to-back victories in the Beholder Mile (G1) at Santa Anita and the Apple Blossom (G1) at Oaklawn last year. Although Bo Hirsch LLC's home-bred mare's greatest successes have achieved in two-turn races, McCarthy said he was confident that she was ready for Saturday's one-turn challenge.

“I thought the seven-eighths would be a wonderful distance for her. It looks like there might be some rain down there this week, and I think she might like a wet-fast racetrack,” said McCarthy, who had considered the 1 1/16-mile Ogden Phipps (G1) on the June 5 Belmont Stakes (G1) undercard.

Ce Ce concluded her 2021 campaign with a fifth-place finish behind Monomoy Girl following an extremely wide trip in the Nov. 7 Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) at Keeneland. The Kentucky-bred mare came back five-months later to capture a seven-furlong optional claiming allowance at Santa Anita by 3 ¼ lengths. She went back to two-turns in the Santa Maria, in which she bobbled at the start and faded to fourth.

“She had a nice little break after the Breeders' Cup – I thought her race in the Breeders' Cup Distaff was sneaky good,” said McCarthy, a former long-time assistant to Todd Pletcher before going on his own in 2014. “It was always our plan to give her some time off. She's come back good. These racetracks in California have gotten deeper and gotten looser. They don't seem to suit her.”

Ce Ce arrived at Gulfstream Tuesday evening. McCarthy has “deputized” Ralph Nicks to oversee her training and saddle her for the Princess Rooney in his absence.

Victor Espinoza, who rode American Pharoah for a sweep of the 2015 Triple Crown, will venture from Southern California to ride.

Gulfstream Park has also been a friendly venue for Holly Hill Stables LLC's Pacific Gale, who captured the Inside Information (G2) and Hurricane Bertie (G3) during the 2020-2021 Championship Meet. The John Kimmel-trained daughter of Flat Out is is scheduled to return to Gulfstream from New York to regain her winning form. The 6-year-old mare has finished third in the Vagrancy (G3) and fourth in the Bed o' Roses (G3) at Belmont since leaving South Florida.

Romero Maragh has the call on Pacific Gale (4-1).

Medallion Racing and partners' Estilo Talentoso, who captured the June 4 Bed o' Roses last time out, also has a fondness for the Gulfstream Park track, over which she will seek her third victory and second stakes success. The Juan Arriagada-trained 4-year-old daughter of Maclean's Music was Grade 1 stakes-placed twice this year prior to her first graded-stakes win at Belmont.

Javier Castellano will return to South Florida, where his Hall of Fame career in the U.S. began in 1997, for the riding assignment on Estilo Talentoso, the 5-2 morning-line favorite.

Gary Barber's Laura's Light (7-2), a Grade 2 stakes winner on turf, will also represent Southern California in the Princess Rooney. The 4-year-old daughter of Constitution, who is trained by Peter Miller, is coming off a victory in the off-the-turf Ouija Board Stakes at Lone Star Park.

Florent Geroux, who guided Gun Runner to a victory in the $16 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) in 2018, has the mount.

e Five Racing Thoroughbreds' Sound Machine (12-1), who finished second behind Pacific Gale in the Hurricane Bertie and won the seven-furlong Musical Romance for Florida-bred fillies and mares last time out; and Windylea Farm LLC's Thissmytime, who finished second behind Pacific Gale in the Inside Information, are among the most accomplished South Florida-based fillies and mares entered in the Princess Rooney.

My Purple Haze Stables Inc's Heiressall (20-1) and Al Rashid Stables LLC's Hallawallah (20-1) will be the other South Florida-based Princess Rooney entrants.

Sound Machine, Thissmytime and Heiressall are eligible for a $25,000 'Win Only' bonus available to Florida-breds.

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‘Versatile’ Fulsome Records Final Workout Before Indiana Derby

Juddmonte Farms' Fulsome turned in his final workout for the $300,000, Grade 3 Indiana Derby on July 7, cruising five-eighths of a mile in 1:00.80 under jockey Florent Geroux shortly after the Churchill Downs track opened at 5:30 Wednesday morning.

“He did great. It was just maintenance,” Geroux said afterward. “He went 48 and 1:01, so he's doing good. We'll see how the race shapes up.”

The Brad Cox-trained Fulsome started his career with four turf races, winning a maiden race and finishing fourth in a stakes in New Orleans, before impressively capturing his dirt debut when a Keeneland allowance race came off the turf. He is now 3-for-3 on dirt, following up with Arkansas' $300,000 Oaklawn Stakes on Kentucky Derby Day and Churchill Downs' Grade 3 Matt Winn.

“He transferred over to the dirt well in April at Keeneland,” said Cox, perennially among Indiana Grand's leading trainers. “I'm glad it came off the turf; it was in the mud. He gave us the confidence to press forward on the dirt, so it's been very rewarding this spring.”

Cox said they were looking both at the grass and the two-turn mile distances available in turf maiden races when Fulsome began his career.

“A little bit of both. He just never shined a whole lot early on when he was chasing Mandaloun around there last fall,” he said with a laugh in reference to Juddmonte's Kentucky Derby runner-up. “It took him a little while to come to hand. He's not a real big horse, and I thought the grass might be a little kinder on him, that he could handle it a little better. He ran well on the grass, but he definitely has stepped up on the dirt.”

In the Matt Winn, Fulsome beat O Besos, one of his Indiana Derby rivals. O Besos, who finished fifth in the Kentucky Derby, is ridden by Indiana Grand's meet-leader Marcelino Pedroza.

“He ran a good race at Churchill,” Geroux said. “He was going to go by him (O Besos) pretty easily at the end. I was kind of tracking him all the way. He had a very nice turn of foot that day. Hopefully he can repeat and do the same thing at Indiana.”

Geroux rode Fulsome in his first three starts on grass.

“I think he's probably a touch better on the dirt,” he said. “He was not very quick. So Brad and Juddmonte didn't feel there was a great need to sprint him on the dirt, having him all the way back and eating dirt. So that's why he ran a few times on the turf, around two turns. And when he was ready to take on the dirt, they switched him over and he's been pretty good since then. His numbers show he's better on dirt, but I think he's very versatile. He can be close up to the pace and also be farther back — and he's good on both surfaces.”

Geroux and Cox, the 2020 Eclipse Award-winning trainer, teamed to sweep last year's Indiana Derby with Shared Sense and Indiana Oaks with Shedaresthedevil, who in her next start won the Kentucky Oaks. Now they'll try to repeat with Fulsome and Oaks contender Marion Francis, winner of a Churchill Downs allowance race in her last start.

“It was great last year,” Geroux said. “We brought some nice horses over there. It's easier when you're the favorite, or one of the favorites, to win these types of races. But it looks like he should be the favorite for the Indiana Derby. I don't know who's coming, but my guess is that he would be the favorite.”

The Grade 3 Indiana Derby will be joined by five other stakes on the card, bringing stakes purses for the day to $840,000. The Indiana Derby will be slated as the 12th race on the card with an estimated post time of 8:25 p.m. The Grade 3 Indiana Oaks will be carded as Race 11 with an estimated post time of 7:43 p.m.

The 19th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing is now in progress and continues through Monday, Nov. 8. Live racing is conducted at 2:25 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, with first post on Thursday set at 3:25 p.m. A special Indiana Champions Day highlighting the state's top Thoroughbred and Quarter Horses will be held Saturday, Oct. 30, beginning at noon. More information about the 2021 racing season is available at www.caesars.com/indiana-grand.

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Chance It ‘Dressed Up And Ready’ For Saturday’s Smile Sprint

It's been a long wait.

But 18 months after branding himself as a promising 3-year-old, and 15 months after going off as one of the favorites in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2), Shooting Star Thoroughbreds, LLC's Chance It appears ready to establish himself as one of the country's premier 4-year-olds in Saturday's $200,000 Smile Sprint Invitational (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

“He's all dressed up and ready to go,” said Mary Lightner, managing partner of Shooting Star Thoroughbreds. “We were looking for a big 3-year-old year for him. It didn't happen. Now we're looking for a big 4-year-old year.”

Chance It, trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. and 3-1 in the morning line, will need his best Saturday in the six-furlong Smile when facing a field of eight that includes multiple Grade 2 winner Diamond Oops (5-2), 2020 Florida Derby (G1) runner-up Shivaree (15-1), and graded-stakes placed Double Crown (9-2) and Frosted Grace (6-1).

The Smile is one of two graded stakes races comprising Saturday's Summit of Speed card highlighted by the $350,000 Princess Rooney (G2), a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” that has attracted multiple Grade 1 winner Ce Ce.

One of the fastest 2-year-olds of 2019, Chance It won two-thirds of the Florida Sire Stakes – including the 1 1/16 mile $400,000 In Reality in September to wrap up his juvenile season. The son of Currency Swap made his 3-year-old debut on Jan. 4 2020 by winning the Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream. Two months later, Chance It went off the second choice at 5-2 in the Tampa Bay Derby and finished fifth. The colt would no return to the races for nearly 15 months.

“He came out with a soft tissue injury from that race,” Lightner said. “At 3 he was certainly a stakes horse, but we felt he was a graded-stakes horse. So, we decided to give him all the time he needed.”

Chance It prepped for the Smile May 23 when he finished second in an allowance optional claimer at Gulfstream while making his first start in 15 months.

“We were happy with his race,” Lightner said. “We're pretty competitive people so we would have liked to have won. But he really needed the race and the horse that beat him [Double Crown] is a good horse.”

Chance It enters the Smile off two 'bullet' workouts. Edgard Zayas is named to ride.

The Patrick Biancone-trained 6-year-old Diamond Oops won the Twin Spires Turf Sprint (G2) at Churchill Downs and the Phoenix Stakes (G2) at Keeneland (G2) last fall. After a fourth-place finish in the Twin Spires Turf Sprint in May, the son of Lookin At Lucky won the $50,000 Hollywood Lakes in June at Gulfstream. Diamond Oops has won six of 11 starts at Gulfstream and three of four at the distance. Florent Geroux is named to ride.

Trainer Kathy Ritvo has entered three in the Smile in Frosted Grace, Double Crown and Ournationonparade.

Frosted Grace, a 5-year-old son of Mark Valeski, enters the Smile off a third-place finish May 15 in the Maryland Sprint (G3) at Pimlico. Earlier in the year Frosted Grace was second in the Gulfstream Park Sprint (G3) and second in the Sir Shackleton. Double Crown's victory over Chance It in May was his first start since finishing second in the Chick Lang Stakes (G3) at Pimlico in October. The son of Bourbon Courage finished third in last year's Smile behind Cool Arrow. Ournationonparade finished third behind Diamond Oops in the Hollywood Lakes last time out and was fifth in last year's Smile.

Ritvo has named Javier Castellano on Frosted Grace, Luca Panici on Double Crown and Cristian Torres on Ournationonparade.

Willy Boi (15-1), trained by Jeff Engler, finished fourth in the Hollywood Lakes last time out. The Uncaptured colt had previously finished fourth in the Chick Lang. Miles Ahead (4-1) finished second in the Hollywood Lakes for trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. Miles Ahead has won six races at Gulfstream and is four of six at the distance.

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Grade 1 Winner Viadera Headlines Saturday’s $100,000 Perfect Sting Stakes

Multiple graded stakes-winners will comprise an accomplished field in Saturday's $100,000 Perfect Sting for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up competing at one mile on the Widener turf course at Belmont Park.

The Perfect Sting is one of two stakes on the Saturday card, including the Grade 2, $400,000 Suburban Handicap that is a “Win and You're In” qualifier to the Grade 1, $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic in November at Del Mar.

While the eighth edition of the Perfect Sting is not graded, the resume of the participants provides a big-race pedigree, highlighted by Juddmonte's Grade 1-winner Viadera.

The Chad Brown trainee will be making her 5-year-old debut after capping 2020 with three consecutive stakes scores by slim margins, starting with a win by a neck in the one-mile De La Rose in July at Saratoga Race Course in her second North American start.

The British-bred daughter of Bated Breath posted another victory by a neck in the Grade 3 Noble Damsel going one mile on the Belmont turf in September and concluded her successful year by edging Blowout by a nose in the Grade 1 Matriarch going one mile in November at Del Mar, earning a career-best 98 Beyer Speed Figure.

Viadera, who has been training at Saratoga leading into the Perfect Sting, won three of her first nine starts in Ireland and Great Britain before being shipped to the United States and transferred to Brown's care.

Joel Rosario will ride from post 9.

Susan and John Moore's Princess Grace also will be making her seasonal bow off graded-stakes success, with the 4-year-old Karakontie filly concluding her sophomore year with a 2 3/4-length win in the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere moved off the turf in November at Churchill Downs.

Princess Grace has won three of her four starts, getting her picture taken in her first two outings before earning a personal-best 88 Beyer for a runner-up effort in her stakes debut when she finished just a half-length back to Stunning Sky in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Valley View in October at Keeneland.

“She's a small, feminine looking filly but she runs huge in her races and everything she does is game and all heart,” Stidham said. “Those kind don't have to be big and powerful, they just have what it takes inside and she seems to have that.”

Luis Saez will have the call from post 3.

Piedi Bianchi has won three stakes on dirt but earned black type going seven furlongs on the turf last out, finishing just 1 1/2 lengths back to Change of Control in a strong runner-up finish in the Grade 3 Intercontinental on June 3 as part of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

Owned by Jay Oringer, Jack Bick, Al Bianchi Racing, Adam Bayroff and Mike Maturo, Piedi Bianchi, whose experience at Belmont includes a third-place finish in the 2020 Grade 2 Ruffian on Big Sandy, put in a strong breeze going five furlongs in 1:01.55 on June 20 over the Belmont inner turf. Trainer Carlos Martin said her workout sustained her progress after earning an 86 Beyer for her Intercontinental effort.

“She showed another dimension last time and ran her best turf race. She really ran a terrific race,” Martin said. “We only got beat by Change of Control, who is one of the better turf fillies out there. She's keeping the momentum and I'm optimistic. We'll see. It just came up a very tough race for a listed stakes. This looks like a Grade 2 field.”

Piedi Bianchi, who won her first stakes in the Frances Slocum in 2018 before adding wins last year in the Correction at Aqueduct Racetrack and another in the 2020 edition of the Frances Slocum at Indiana Grand Race Course, will be seeking her first turf win in five starts.

The Overanalyze grey will break from post 4 under Flavien Prat.

Augustin Stable's Honey Cake, an Irish-bred daughter of Siyouni who last raced in November when winning the seven-furlong Prix Ceres at the Fontainebleau in France, will make her first start in the United States.

Transferred into the care of Jonathan Thomas, the 4-year-old Honey Cake has been breezing at Belmont, including a five-furlong work in 1:01.80 on the inner turf Sunday.

Honey Cake will look to return off a seven-month layoff and show the form that led to four wins in eight starts in France to begin her career.

“She came with a nice resume,” Thomas said. “We're just hoping to pick up where it left off. She's a beautiful filly and seems to have a lot of class and had some good works on the turf. She's shown a very nice turn-of-foot.”

Manny Franco will ride from the inside post.

Team Valor Racing and Everything's Cricket Racing's Madita, the runner-up in the One Dreamer in September at Kentucky Downs, will make her first start in more than eight months for trainer Arnaud Delacour, drawing post 7 with Hall of Famer John Velazquez in the irons. The German-bred Madita, making her 6-year-old bow, will be looking for her second win in seven starts since arriving from her native country in 2019.

Rounding out the field are Hogans Holiday [post 2, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] and Sunset Kiss [post 6, Jose Lezcano]. Truth Hurts and Velvet Crush are entered for the main-track only.

The Perfect Sting is carded as Race 9 on Saturday's 10-race program. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.

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