August, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Rated R Superstar Gives Caldwell First Governor’s Cup At Remington

Owner Danny Caldwell has won 372 times at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Okla., now, but on Friday night, the Poteau, Okla., native won a race he had never won before – the $175,000 Governor's Cup with Rated R Superstar. The Governor's Cup was the feature event on the opening night of the 2021 Thoroughbred Season at Remington Park.

Caldwell has won the Thoroughbred owners' title 11 times at Remington Park and now can add one of Remington Park's richest races to his trophy case. “I don't have one of those; it's pretty,” Caldwell said as he was presented the trophy.

It was also the first win in the Governor's Cup for jockey Ramon Vazquez and trainer Federico Villafranco.

Caldwell picked up Rated R Superstar for $50,000 in a claim at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., on Jan. 30, a race that the 8-year-old gelding won.

“I knew he was going to be special when he ran great against Silver State,” Caldwell said. “I love these older horses. He had a bad couple of races at Turfway Park and no one else put a claim for him that night (in January) so I was fortunate to get him.”

Since the claim, the Kentucky-bred son of Kodiak Kowboy, out of the Gold Case mare Wicked Wish, has won two races, but it was actually a race in which he ran second that showed his class. About six weeks after being the only owner to put in a claim for Rated R Superstar, Caldwell entered the horse in the $500,000 Essex Handicap at Oaklawn, a spot that appeared a bit ambitious for a horse from a $50,000 claiming race. Rated R Superstar came flying at the end of that 1-1/16th mile race to lose by only a neck to Silver State. All Silver State did this year was win six races in a row, including the Grade 1 Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park and the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap. In Silver State's most recent effort, he finished third in the Whitney at Saratoga to Knicks Go, who is the top American horse in the Breeders' Cup Classic rankings.

In the Governor's Cup, Vazquez had Rated R Superstar dead last in the field of nine coming down the backstretch in the 1-1/8th mile race, about seven lengths back of a tightly packed field. He also had him well off the rail toward the middle of the track to keep him out of trouble.

“I knew the horse was doing great right now,” said Vazquez. “I worked him the other morning. He had a lot in reserve when I finally asked him to run.”

By the top of the stretch, Rated R Superstar and runner-up Plainsman, the 6-5 post-time favorite, were heads apart. The winner prevailed at the wire by a neck at 7-2 odds over Plainsman, who had beaten him by a neck in the $50,000 Rasmussen Stakes at Prairie Meadows, Iowa., on June 4. Trident Hit, also 7-2, was another 1-3/4 lengths back in third.

Rated R Superstar earned $105,000 for the win and paid $9.40 to win, $3.60 to place, and $2.80 to show. He improved his record to 55 starts, nine wins, nine seconds, and eight thirds for $1,173,014. He passed the $1 million mark in earnings this summer.

Running time for the distance was 1:50.30. The interior fractions, set mostly by defending champion Hunka Burning Love (8-1) early, setting up Rated R Superstar's kick to victory were :23.61 for the first quarter-mile, :47.17 at the half-mile, 1:11.18 for three-quarters of a mile and 1:37.03 for the mile.

It was the first race for Rated R Superstar on the dirt at Remington Park after having raced on the turf in the $100,000 Remington Green Stakes over the turf here on Aug. 24, 2018. He finished sixth in that start, 3-1/4 lengths back of winner Turbo Street.

Caldwell won nine owner titles at Remington Park in the past 10 years, losing only in 2019 to End Zone Athletics, trainer/owner Karl Broberg's outfit. Caldwell also won in 2008 and 2010. His top year was 2016 when he won the crown with 50 wins, the most ever by an owner here.

The Opening Weekend at Remington Park continues Saturday, Aug. 21 with the first race at 7:07 pm Central.

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Caravel Headlines Highlander

The fleet-footed filly Caravel (Mizzen Mast) rides a hot streak into her first try for Graham Motion and first at the highest level in the GI Highlander S. at Woodbine. Bred and raced by her previous trainer Elizabeth Merryman, the gray captured The Very One S. at Pimlico May 14 and followed suit with a win in Monmouth's Goldwood S. June 25. Bobby Flay bought into the filly after that score and she carried his silks to victory in Saratoga's GIII Caress S. July 24. While Merryman remains part-owner, Caravel was transferred to Motion after that win as previously agreed upon in the terms of Flay's purchase.

Turned Aside (American Pharoah) seeks redemption in this first try in Grade I company. The handsome bay won four of nine starts for previous trainer Linda Rice, including Saratoga's GIII Quick Call S. and culminating with Aqueduct's Turf Sprint Championship S. last November. Sent through the ring at Keeneland January as part of the dispersal of his late owner Paul Pompa's stock, the 4-year-old summoned $725,000 from West Point Thoroughbreds and D J Stable and was sent to Mark Casse. Turned Aside has not been quite the same horse since leaving New York, finishing fourth in Tampa's Turf Dash S. Feb. 24 and failing to fire when ninth in Keeneland's GII Shakertown S. Apr. 3. He has run well off the layoff in the past and displays a series of strong works over the local synthetic in preparation for this.

City Boy (City Zip) represents the estate of late Woodbine legend Gustav Schickedanz in this event. The hard-knocking 7-year-old has not seen the winner's circle since the 2019 GII Nearctic S., but has finished a close second in this last three outings, most recently in a five-panel turf event here Aug. 1.

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Dubawi’s Space Blues Takes The City Of York

Godolphin's Saturday at York had started in ideal fashion and got better as TDN Rising Star Space Blues (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) came back to near his peak over his favoured trip in the seven-furlong G2 Sky Bet City of York S. Last year's G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest hero had needed his European return when fourth in Goodwood's G2 Lennox S. July 27 and was kept away from the frantic speed duel up ahead anchored towards the rear by William Buick. Making smooth progress wide to take control passing the two-furlong pole, the 11-8 favourite employed his superior speed from there to score by 1 1/2 lengths from Highfield Princess (Fr) (Night of Thunder {Ire}), with another Godolphin runner in Glorious Journey (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) a neck away in third. “He settles well in his races nowadays, but the loose ground on top was a bit of an unknown–it's shifting a bit beneath the horses–and he was struggling with it early on,” Buick explained. “When he changed gear and lowered himself, he really found his stride. The Lennox didn't work out as we hoped it would and he was entitled to come on for that run. I think he is quick enough for six furlongs, but I'm not sure that he is at his best over that distance. A stiff six on good or softer ground might suit but, when you look through his form, the best of it is over six and a half and seven.”

Space Blues, whose record at this distance reads seven wins from 10 starts, had continued his winning sequence in Riyadh's 1351 Turf Sprint Feb. 20 but lost his sheen of invulnerability when only ninth in the six-furlong G1 Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan Mar. 27. Charlie Appleby was happy to see him back to his smooth-travelling best here and said, “We were very pleased with Space Blues, who went into the race as the one to beat and did it nicely. The aim now will be to go straight to the [Oct. 3] G1 Prix de la Foret on Arc weekend. We have tried to get him to that race for the last couple of years, but hopefully we can get a clean run with him this time.”

The dam Miss Lucifer (Fr) (Noverre) was also at her best over seven furlongs, winning the G2 Challenge S. and Listed October S. at the trip. She is also responsible for the four times group-winning Shuruq (Elusive Quality), who is in turn the dam of the GIII The Very One S. winner and the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. runner-up Antoinette (Hard Spun) and the GIII Jimmy Durante S. runner-up Javanica (Medaglia d'Oro). This is the family of the G1 Premio Roma heroine High Hawk (Ire), who is renowned as the dam of the triple group 1-winning Breeders' Cup Turf hero and leading sire In the Wings (GB), the G1 1000 Guineas heroine Virginia Waters (Kingmambo) and the G1 Matron S. heroine Chachamaidee (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}). Miss Lucifer has the unraced 3-year-old filly Beautiful Future (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) and a yearling filly by Dark Angel (Ire).

Saturday, York, Britain
SKY BET CITY OF YORK S.-G2, £213,000, York, 8-21, 3yo/up, 7fT, 1:22.60, gd.
1–SPACE BLUES (IRE), 132, h, 5, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Miss Lucifer (Fr) (GSW-Eng, $193,403), by Noverre
2nd Dam: Devil's Imp (Ire), by Cadeaux Genereux (GB)
3rd Dam: High Spirited (Ire), by Shirley Heights (GB)
O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick. £120,792. Lifetime Record: Hwt. Older Horse-Fr at 5-7f & G1SW-Fr, 17-9-3-1, $1,313,807. *1/2 to Shuruq (Elusive Quality), Hwt. Older Mare-UAE at 7-9.5f, MGSW-UAE, GSW-Tur & GSP-Eng, $658,709. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Highfield Princess (Fr), 129, f, 4, Night of Thunder (Ire)–Pure Illusion (Ire), by Danehill. (29,000gns RNA Ylg '18 TATDEY). O/B-Trainers House Enterprises Ltd (FR); T-John Quinn. £45,795.
3–Glorious Journey (GB), 132, g, 6, Dubawi (Ire)–Fallen For You (GB), by Dansili (GB). (2,600,000gns Ylg '16 TATOCT). O-HH Sheikha Al Jalila Racing; B-Normandie Stud Ltd (GB); T-Charlie Appleby. £22,919.
Margins: 1HF, NK, 1 3/4. Odds: 1.38, 8.50, 8.50.
Also Ran: Sir Busker (Ire), Safe Voyage (Ire), Pogo (Ire), Fivethousandtoone (Ire), Primo Bacio (Ire), Lord of the Lodge (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Munnyfor Ro Takes on the Boys in Queen’s Plate

Munnyfor Ro (Munnings) looks to become the fifth filly in the last 10 years to beat the boys in Woodbine's most prestigious race, the $1-million Queen's Plate S. for Ontario-breds. Breaking her maiden on the grass while part of the Brian Lynch's shedrow this spring, the chestnut was third in a turfy allowance at Churchill May 8 and was sixth in the GIII Regret S. three weeks later. Sent back to Kevin Attard, she checked in second on the local synthetic in the GIII Selene S. and followed that with a late-closing victory in the Woodbine Oaks Aug. 1. Four of the last five fillies to win the Queen's Plate entered off a win in the Woodbine Oaks and the fifth, Wonder Gadot (Medaglia d'Oro), was runner-up in that event.

The top male contender is Joshua Attard's Keep Grinding (Tizway). Graduating at third asking in November, the dark bay was third behind Tidal Forces (Malibu Moon) and Harlan Estate (Kantharos) in a local optional claimer June 19. He was second next out in the GIII Marine S. at this venue July 11, in which Haddassah (Air Force Blue) finished third. Tidal Forces was fifth next out in the Marine, meanwhile Harlan Estate returned to win a nine-panel event here July 16, besting Dance Some Mo (Uncle Mo) by a nose.

Avoman (Old Forester) broke his maiden at second asking in the Ontario-bred Bull Page S. on the local lawn in September. Off the board in the state-bred Frost King S. sprinting on the synthetic in November, the gelding was third when trying two turns in an optional claimer here July 3. He won the local prep for this event, the nine-panel Plate Trial S. for Ontario-breds Aug. 1.

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