August, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Gregorian Chant Heads Green Flash Field At Del Mar

Slam Dunk Racing and Old Bones Racing Stable's Gregorian Chant, ending an 11-week layoff, carries 5-2 morning line favoritism against seven rivals in Sunday's $100,000 Grade 3 Green Flash Handicap at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

The Green Flash, a five-furlong sprint over the Jimmy Durante Turf Course, is the last of seven graded stakes presented during the three-day Pacific Classic weekend with combined purses totaling $1.95 million.

Gregorian Chant, a 5-year-old English-bred gelding, took a three-race winning streak at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., to Belmont Park in Elmont, New York for the Grade 1 Jaipur on June 5 and, after being forwardly-placed early in the six-furlong turf sprint, tired and finished seventh of nine.

“I don't think it was as much the (listed 'good') turf as the tactics,” trainer Phil D'Amato said. “He likes to come from off the pace and we wound up dueling with the co-favorite on the lead.”

Brought back to the West Coast and given a break, Gregorian Chant has had five turf works here since the July 16 start of the meeting.

“We freshened him up with this race in mind,” D'Amato said. “We'll see if the distance is good for him for the Breeders' Cup.”

The $1 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint will be run over the same course on Saturday, November 6.

The field for the Green Flash from the rail out with jockeys and morning line odds in parentheses: Kneedeepinsnow (Drayden Van Dyke, 20-1); Texas Wedge (Umberto Rispoli, 6-1); Lieutenant Dan (Giovanni Franco, 7-2); Collusion Illusion (Flavien Prat, 7-2); Chasin Munny (Jose Valdivia, Jr., 10-1); Little Juanito (Ricky Gonzalez, 6-1); Give Me the Lute (Kent Desormeaux, 6-1), and Gregorian Chant (Juan Hernandez).

The post Gregorian Chant Heads Green Flash Field At Del Mar appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Baffert Considers Next Start For Medina Spirit, Gamine, Classier Work

The rumors on the backstretch were too persistent to ignore. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, they said, was going to run Kentucky Derby winner (pending rulings and litigation) Medina Spirit in the $100,000 Shared Belief Stakes, a one-mile main track event for 3-year-olds here on August 29.

“There have been rumors about that horse since May 1,” Baffert said with a laugh this morning. “There has been a lot of talk about that horse.

“He's going to breeze this week and I'll know more after that. I go work-by-work with him. I'm looking at the Pennsylvania Derby, maybe as an option. (The question becomes) Do I give him a race here? I'm going to let him tell me, the horse will let me know.”

Medina Spirit was not among the 14 nominated for the Shared Belief by Thursday night's deadline. Santa Anita Derby winner Rock Your World notably was, and trainer John Sadler said that will be the next assignment for the son of Candy Ride. Supplemental entries, at a cost of $1,000, can be made up to closing time of entries next Friday morning.

The $1 million Pennsylvania Derby, a 1 1/8-mile test for 3-year-olds, is set for September 25 at Parx, formerly Philadelphia Park, in Bensalem, Penn.

Classier, another of Baffert's talented 3-year-olds, worked six furlongs in a bullet 1:11.00 this morning and will run here in either the Shared Belief or next Saturday's $200,000 Grade 2 Pat O'Brien Stakes, a seven-furlong extended sprint for 3-year-olds and up.

Yet another Baffert standout, Gamine, worked six furlongs in 1:12.00 with an eye toward next week's Ballerina at Saratoga and Baffert's As Time Goes By, a winner of two stakes at the Santa Anita meeting, covered five furlongs in a bullet :58.80.

The post Baffert Considers Next Start For Medina Spirit, Gamine, Classier Work appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Son of Malibu Moon Identifies Himself as a ‘TDN Rising Star’

H P Moon (Malibu Moon), controversially scratched at the gate due to a horse identification issue out of an intended debut at Saratoga July 31, proved well worth the wait with this jaw-dropping Pimlico unveiling against five overmatched rivals. Working a steady diet of bullet drills at trainer Lacey Gaudet's Delaware base, including a four-furlong move in :47 (1/63) Aug. 14, the 2-5 choice took control from his rail draw and was pressed through an opening quarter in :23.10. He began to shake clear approaching the quarter pole, and put on a show down the stretch while racing well in hand en route to a geared-down, 9 3/4-length decision. Bold Leader (Keen Ice) was second.

H P Moon's dam Fun Affair, a daughter of champion 2-year-old filly and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies heroine Caressing and a half-sister to champion 3-year-old colt West Coast (Flatter), produced a filly by Connect this year and was bred back to Malibu Moon. The Malibu Moon/Distorted Humor cross is also responsible for two-time graded winner and millionaire Stanford. H P Moon RNA'd for $385,000 after breezing an eighth in a strong :10 at FTFMAR. Malibu Moon, who died in May at age 24, has now sired an impressive 23 'TDN Rising Stars.'

“When he got to the paddock, the identifier said he had markings that were incorrect and they needed to be corrected before he could run, so they had him scratched at the gate,” trainer Lacey Gaudet said of his Saratoga scratch. “We were very high on him. It was extremely disappointing.”

She continued, “The owners all called and said, 'Let's go back to Saratoga.' I said, 'You know what guys? All eyes are going to be on this horse when he runs back. Let's make it look good. Let's give them something to talk about. Honestly, if the owners allow me to, we'll probably aim small and go to Churchill for an allowance race. That's probably the right thing to do. It gets a little sticky this time of year because they all want to start stretching horses out for the Breeders' Cup, and there's no too many short 2-year-old races. We'll see what happens.”

2nd-Pimlico, $47,380, Msw, 8-21, 2yo, 6f, 1:10.76, ft, 9 3/4 lengths.
H P MOON, r, 2, by Malibu Moon
                1st Dam: Fun Affair, by Distorted Humor
                2nd Dam: Caressing, by Honour and Glory
                3rd Dam: Lovin Touch, by Majestic Prince
Sales history: $100,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL; $385,000 RNA 2yo '21 FTFMAR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $27,600. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
O-K E M Racing Stable & Five Hellions Farm; B-Castleton Lyons & Kilboy Estate (KY); T-Lacey Gaudet.

The post Son of Malibu Moon Identifies Himself as a ‘TDN Rising Star’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Prat Increases Lead In Del Mar Jockey Standings, Looks To Add More Saturday

With two wins yesterday, Flavien Prat increased his lead from four to six victories over Abel Cedillo and five to seven over Juan Hernandez atop the jockey standings entering the final 11 days of the 31-day meeting. Prat is looking to make it three straight riding titles at the summer meeting and five of the last six either taken outright or shared.

Prat has recorded six stakes victories, working toward the record 14 stakes in a season he established last year.

And, in terms of quantity and quality, the 29-year-old native of France appears positioned to advance toward both those goals with his mounts on the TVG Pacific Class Day program that is the annual highlight of the season.

Prat has mounts scheduled in all 11 races, five of which are stakes. In the six non-stakes events he is booked on two morning-line favorites – Barbwire (5th, 3-1) and Dream Shake (8th, 7-2) — and has no mounts higher than 4-1 in the early odds. During the run of five stakes in six races, here are Prat's runners on oddsmaker Jon White's morning line:

Race 6, Torrey Pines – Private Mission for trainer Bob Baffert, 9-5 favorite.

Race 7, Del Mar Mile – Mo Forza for trainer Peter Miller, 8-5 favorite.

Race 9, Del Mar Oaks – Going Global for trainer Phil D'Amato, 9-5 favorite.

Race 10, Pacific Classic – Tizamagician for trainer Richard Mandella, 4-1, co-fourth choice.

Race 11, Del Mar Handicap – United for Mandella, 2-1 favorite.

Of course, all that stands in the way of Prat's success today is 83 other horses and 22 other riders intent on success of their own.

The post Prat Increases Lead In Del Mar Jockey Standings, Looks To Add More Saturday appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post