July, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Call Me Love Gets First North American Stake Win In River Memories

Trainer Christophe Clement's persistency paid off Sunday as Call Me Love notched her first win in seven starts against North American stakes company, edging favorite Virginia Joy by a neck in the $150,000 River Memories – the Belmont Park spring/summer meet Closing Day feature race at the Elmont, N.Y. track.

Owned by R Unicorn Stable, Call Me Love, a dual grouped winner in Italy, went 0-for-5 in a 2020 campaign, where she solely ran against graded stakes company. The 5-year-old chestnut mare has displayed a turnaround in form for her past two starts, defeating allowance optional claiming company going 1 1/16 miles on May 23 at Belmont Park ahead of Sunday's engagement.

Call Me Love broke from post 2 under jockey Junior Alvarado in the 1 ½-mile contest for older fillies and mares as graded stakes-winning stable mate Mutamakina assumed command in the early stages over the good going on the Widener turf course. Last year's winner, Civil Union, tracked to her outside in second with Call Me Love along the rail in third position.

Mutamakina maintained her advantage as she slowed the tempo down through a half-mile in :47.80, while Alvarado had a tight hold aboard Call Me Love, with 6-5 favorite Virginia Joy inching closer to her outside.

Around the far turn, Call Me Love found herself last of five in the tightly packed field as Virginia Joy joined Mutamakina and Delta's Kingdom in pursuit on the front end. Alvarado weaved Call Me Love several paths wide at the top of the stretch as Mutamakina, Virginia Joy, and Delta's Kingdom all battled for control. The latter threw in the towel just past the furlong marker as Mutamakina and Virginia Joy duked it out on the front end.

In the final strides, Call Me Love prevailed, completing the 12-furlong journey in 2:27.59. Virginia Joy finished a head to the better of Mutamakina, who rounded out the trifecta. Delta's Kingdom and Civil Union completed the order of finish.

Pallas Athene, Luck Money, and main track only entrant Thankful were scratched.

Call Me Love, who returned $17 for a $2 win wager, registered her second consecutive victory for the first time since capturing the Group 3 Premio Verziere Memorial Aldo Cirla at San Siro and the Group 2 Premio Lydia Tesio at Capannelle to close out her 2019 season. The River Memories conquest upped her lifetime earnings to $613,121 through a 16-7-2-3 record.

Clement said the stretch out in distance benefitted Call Me Love.

“Call Me Love has been a bit unlucky in the past,” said Clement, who closed out the meet with five stakes victories. “I've probably been running her a bit shorter than I should have done looking back at today's performance.

“Mutamakina always gives a good account of herself and even if she got beat today, I thought she ran a good race,” Clement added. “The plan was for Junior to be comfortable on the lead or close to the pace and for Rosario [aboard Mutamakina] to wait and be comfortable as well. But the other horse didn't break that well and Joel ended up on the lead and was very comfortable.”

Alvarado, who also captured his fifth stakes win of the meet, said he was hoping to be on the lead, but he had to call an audible when Call Me Love broke a touch slow.

“This is the kind of race that you have to figure it out when they open the gate,” Alvarado said. “I was supposed to be on the lead – even Christophe said I could be the speed of the race – but she broke a little flat-footed. Going a mile and a half, I didn't want to rush her to go to the lead. She did it nice and quiet. Turning for home, she started picking up very nicely.”

Bred in Great Britain by Grundy Bloodstock SRL, Call Me Love is by multiple Group 1 winner Sea The Stars and is out of the Rainbow Quest mare Fresnay.

Live action resumes on Thursday afternoon for Opening Day at Saratoga Race Course. The first day of racing for the prestigious 40-day meet is spearheaded by the Grade 3, $120,000 Quick Call for 3-year-olds going 5 ½ furlongs over the Mellon turf course and the Grade 3, $150,000 Schuylerville for juvenile fillies going six furlongs over the main track. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

The post Call Me Love Gets First North American Stake Win In River Memories appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Pixelate Leads List Of Nominees for Pimlico Turf Stake

Godolphin homebred Pixelate, coming off a victory in last month's Prince George's County over the track, is one of seven graded-stakes winners among 28 horses nominated to the $200,000 Grade 3 Baltimore-Washington International Turf Cup Saturday, July 24 at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

The one-mile G3 BWI Turf Cup for 3-year-olds and up is one of four grass stakes worth $500,000 in purses on the program, joined by the $100,000 Bald Eagle Derby at 1 ½ miles for 3-year-olds and the $100,000 Sensible Lady Turf Dash sprinting five furlongs and $100,000 Big Dreyfus going 1 1/8 miles, both for fillies and mares 3 and up.

Pixelate posted a third consecutive bullet workout Sunday over the all-weather surface at Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md., going a half-mile in :48 flat. All three have come since the 4-year-old City Zip colt, winner of the 2020 Grade 3 Kent at Delaware Park, rallied to beat fellow BWI Turf Cup nominee Logical Myth by a length in the 1 1/8-mile Prince George's County June 13.

Also exiting the Prince George's County are Eons, Talk Or Listen, and English Bee, who respectively ran third, sixth, and seventh. Eons, a 5-year-old horse, saw his winless streak extend to 10 races since capturing the 2019 Kent after encountering trouble last out, finishing just a length behind Logical Myth.

Eons' Arnaud Delacour-trained stablemate Talk Or Listen chased the pace in the Prince George's County before fading, though beaten less than four lengths. In his previous start, the 5-year-old gelding ran second by a length to Somelikeithotbrown in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Dinner Party May 15 on the undercard of the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes.

English Bee won the James W. Murphy at Pimlico, Grade 3 Virginia Derby, and Parx Fall Derby in 2019 but has been unable to win since, running second in the Grade 3 Canadian Turf and Grade 2 Wise Dan last year. A 5-year-old son of turf champion English Channel, he was also seventh in the Dinner Party, beaten 2 ½ lengths.

Field Pass, trained by Mike Maker, won the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby, the Grade 3 Transylvania, and the Grade 3 Ontario Derby in 2020 and has finished fourth in three of four starts this year, including the G2 Wise Dan last out June 26 at Churchill Downs and the Grade 1 Maker's Mark Mile April 9 at Keeneland.

Mr Dumas, winner of the 2019 Grade 3 Commonwealth Turf, has yet to race since capturing a Keeneland allowance last October. California-based Neptune's Storm made his 2021 debut running second in the June 20 Grade 3 American at Santa Anita Park. Graded wins have come in the 2020 Grade 3 San Francisco Mile and 2019 Grade 2 Hill Prince.

Also nominated are Oak Bluff Stables' 6-year-old Therapist, four-for-seven lifetime at one mile with earnings of $671,865 for New York-based trainer Christophe Clement, fellow multiple stakes winner Rinaldi, owned and trained by James Bond; and Augustin Stable homebred Corelli, who beat Pixelate by a neck in the April 24 Henry S. Clark at Pimlico and was most recently third in the June 5 Grade 3 Monmouth.

Wootton Asset and Doubleoseven, respectively third and fourth in the 1 1/8-mile Kent July 3, are among 20 sophomores nominated to the Bald Eagle Derby. The Kent was the season opener for Wootton Asset, second by a nose in the Laurel Futurity last fall at Pimlico, and the turf debut for Doubleoseven, stakes-placed sprinting on dirt.

Also nominated are Michael Matz-trained filly Line Dancing, third in the Grade 3 Edgewood April 20 in her 2021 opener; Eamonn, fifth in the Kent; Indian Lake, third by less than a length in the 7 ½-furlong Sussex July 8 at Delaware Park; Experienced and Vikram, debut maiden special weight winners for Jonathan Thomas, who also trains Corelli; and Shackled Love, winner of the March 13 Private Terms over Laurel Park's main track.

Line Dancing is also one of 29 nominees to the Big Dreyfus, along with four from Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown – 2021 Grade 3 Endeavour winner Counterparty Risk, Feb. 6 Suwannee River winner Great Island, third in the May 15 Grade 3 Gallorette at Pimlico; German Group 2 winner Kalifornia Queen and Nay Lady Nay, winner of the All Along at Laurel and Grade 3 Matchmaker in 2020. Speaktomeofsummer, winner of the 2020 Grade 2 Lake Placid at Saratoga, multiple stakes winner Summer in Saratoga, and Sosua, undefeated in three career starts, are also nominated.

The Sensible Lady Turf Dash also attracted 29 nominees including multiple stakes winners Street Lute, who has yet to run on grass; Caravel, bred, co-owned and trained by Maryland-based Liz Merryman, and Jakarta; Ellanation, Dendrobia, Quiet Company, Can the Queen, Introduced, and Spun Glass, the top six finishers from the July 4 Jameela at Pimlico; Gotta Go Mo, second to Caravel in the five-furlong The Very One May 14 at Pimlico; and Miss Auramet, runner-up behind Caravel in the June 25 Goldwood at Monmouth Park.

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Malathaat Works for CCA Oaks

Shadwell Stable's undefeated Malathaat (Curlin), last seen winning the GI Kentucky Oaks Apr. 30, turned in a four-furlong work in :49.96 (22/36) over the dirt training track at Belmont Park Sunday ahead of an expected tilt at the July 24 GI Coaching Club American Oaks.

“She went great. I'm really pleased with the way she's doing,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “She worked well with a big, strong gallop out. We'll probably have one breeze at Saratoga and she'll be ready to go.”

Also working from the Pletcher barn was WinStar Farm's Country Grammer (Tonalist), last-out winner of the GI Hollywood Gold Cup, who breezed a half-mile in :49.22 (27/98) in company with GIII Peter Pan S. winner Promise Keeper (Constitution) on the dirt training track Sunday.

Country Grammer is working towards a start in the Aug. 7 GI Whitney S., which offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the GI Breeders' Cup Classic.

“He's an honest workhorse, but the more we're around him it seems he's really good at just clicking off those :12s,” said Pletcher. “We'll put a couple more good works into him and have him ready for the Whitney.”

Pletcher said Woodford Thoroughbreds, WinStar Farm and Rock Ridge Racing's Promise Keeper, most recently fourth in the June 26 GIII Ohio Derby, will target either the July 31 GII Jim Dandy S. or the Aug. 7 GIII West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer.

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Brown Runners Tune Up for Diana

A pair of runners from the barn of trainer Chad Brown tuned up for expected starts in the July 17 GI Diana S. with works over the inner turf course at Belmont Park Sunday morning. Lemista (Ire) (Raven's Pass) went five furlongs in a bullet 1:01.80 (1/10) outside of stablemate Pocket Square (GB) (Night of Thunder {Ire}), who completed the drill in 1:01.89 (3/10).

Peter Brant's Lemista, a two-time group winner in Ireland last year, opened her stateside campaign with a late-closing runner-up effort in the GIII Beaugay S. last time out May 8.

Pocket Square, a Juddmonte homebred, was a group winner in France in 2019. After winning a Keeneland allowance in her U.S. bow in April, the 4-year-old is coming off a fifth-place effort in the June 5 GI Just a Game S.

“They both worked well with one another and are going to the Diana,” Brown said. “Lemista has relished the time in between her races. With Pocket Square, I'm drawing a line through the Just a Game. She was lined up so well going into that race and there were things I was hopeful she would be able to overcome, but it didn't quite work out.”

Brown has won the Diana six times, including the past five editions with talented turf distaffers Dacita (2016), Lady Eli (2017), Sistercharlie (2018-19) and Rushing Fall (2020).

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