August, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Olympic Runner Adds Graded Stakes Winner To Resume In King Edward At Woodbine

Olympic Runner has started in his share of graded stakes races, coming close to winning several of them, including his last-out second-place finish in the Grade 2 Connaught Cup at Woodbine Race Course in Toronto, Ontario. Sunday, he finally broke through to graded stakes winner status in his 23rd start with his win in the Grade 2 King Edward Stakes at Woodbine, taking the lead late in the one-mile stakes to win by 1 1/4 lengths.

Town Cruise, breaking from the inside post, found plenty of running room at the break, taking the lead in the first furlong with Gray's Fable and Jolie Olympica a length and a half behind him. Olympic Runner with jockey Rafael Hernandez moved to the rail before the first turn, sitting in fourth behind Town Cruise throughout the first seven furlongs. The leader, a chestnut gelding by Town Prize, held as much as a three-length advantage on the backstretch, entering the far turn looking like he could take the field wire to wire. About that time, Hernandez moved Olympic Runner off the rail, using the open running lane to mount their bid for the lead.

In the stretch, though, the margin between Town Cruise and the field began to shrink as both Olympic Runner and Avie's Flatter closed in on the leader. Olympic Runner was fastest, taking the lead from Town Cruise in the last sixteenth of a mile to seal the victory. Town Cruise held on for second, with a fast closing March to the Arch overtaking Avie's Flatter for third. Gray's Fable, Jolie Olympica, Valid Point, and Alfons Walde rounded out the order of finish.

The final time for the mile over the E.P. Taylor turf course at Woodbine was 1:31.73, a new track record. Find this race's chart here.

Olympic Runner paid $16.80, $7.60, and $4.30. Town Cruise paid $5.40 and $3.50. March to the Arch paid $2.80.

Bred in Kentucky by Eutrophia Farm LTD, Olympic Runner is by Gio Ponti out of Nadadora, by Carson City. He is owned by Gary Barber and trained by Mark Casse. The 5-year-old gelding was consigned by Equest Thoroughbreds and sold to Justin Casse for $180,000 at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. With this victory in the G2 King Edward, Olympic Runner has two wins in seven starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of 5-7-2 in 23 starts and career earnings of $419,450.

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Real Talk Gets First Stakes Win In Jersey Shore At Monmouth

A few jumps out of the starting gate, jockey Paco Lopez knew he was a winner in Sunday's $100,000 Jersey Shore Stakes at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.

With a pair of speedsters – Mighty Mischief and Moonlite Stroke – inside of him, Lopez and Real Talk got the jump on both from the start of the six-furlong feature and cruised to a front-running 4½-length victory, with the 3-year-old son of Gemologist notching the first stakes win of his 10-race career.

Mighty Mischief, in post position three, and Moonlight Strike, in post position one, both looked to have superior early speed on paper. But Lopez never let either one get close to the lead, opening up on the field a few jumps out of the gate.

“I'm not surprised he made the lead even with all of the speed inside of him,” said winning trainer Carlos David. “I had Paco Lopez. When the horse was in Gulfstream (before shipping to Monmouth) I called Paco's agent and said `I need him for this race.' He said `we have to wait for nominations.' I told him `I don't care. I need Paco on this horse.'

“Paco was the key. The horse is nice and he's fast but Paco getting him out there on the lead was the difference. He rode him great. I was worried about Mighty Mischief but I was also worried about Moonlite Strike because he had the one post and I was thinking he was going to go. I felt I needed to beat both to the spot to get the rail and we got it and he got the job done.”

After breaking on top, Lopez rolled through fractions of :22 flat for the opening quarter and :44.44 for the half. With yet another speedster, Fire Sword, backing out after being frustrated from chasing the leader, Mighty Mischief made a three-wide bid coming around the final turn. But he found himself in the uncomfortable position of chasing instead of being chased. It was another length back to Moonlite Strike in third.

“Sometimes you have to be lucky,” said Lopez, well on his way to an eighth riding title at Monmouth Park. “Sometimes you have to come out there firing, sometimes not. He just broke out of the gate so fast. He was right on top after the gate opened. It reminded me of when I rode quarter horses.

“I knew Mighty Mischief was the horse to beat and that we would probably have to get the jump on him to win. I let him go and he was able to get comfortable.”

The winning time for the six furlongs was 1:10.02, with Real Talk returning $6.40 to win.

Owned by Bell Racing LLC, Real Talk now has four wins and three seconds from 10 career starts. David, Gulfstream-based but with a division at Monmouth Park the past three years, notched his first stakes win at the track with the victory.

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Ward Sends Overbore, Kaufymaker In Skidmore Friday At Saratoga

After saddling Golden Pal to a superb victory in last year's $120,000 Skidmore, trainer Wesley Ward will vie for more prosperity in the 5 ½-furlong Mellon turf sprint for 2-year-olds, sending out stakes-winner Overbore and impressive maiden winner Kaufymaker in the ninth edition of the race on Friday at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Owned by Peter Leidel, Overbore arrives off a two-month layoff after breaking his maiden in the Tremont on June 4 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. He tracked a swift pace from third to capture the 5 ½ furlong event over muddy and sealed going by three-quarters of a length.

The favorite in all three of his starts, Overbore, a dark bay or brown son of Speightstown, will return to turf two starts after finishing second, beaten a nose to Artos in a maiden race over the Churchill Downs turf on May 21.

“We gave him a little break and he's back to doing well,” Ward said. “I wanted to give him a little breather after he fired three races like he did. He's been doing well at Keeneland. We shipped him up to Saratoga and he's settled right in nicely.”

As the lone stakes winner in the Skidmore field, Overbore boasts $108,500 in earnings.

Purchased for $275,000 from the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Overbore is the first progeny out of the stakes-winning and multiple graded-stakes placed Saffir mare Galina Point.

Jockey Joel Rosario retains the mount from post 9.

Mr. Gregory Kauffman's Kaufymaker returns stateside following an endeavor across the pond in the Group 2 Coventry on June 15 at Royal Ascot, where she was eighth beaten four lengths.

The chestnut Jimmy Creed filly was outstanding on debut, breaking her maiden by 6 ¼ lengths over a good main track in April at Keeneland Race Course in Lexinton, Ky.

Kaufymaker resumed training at Keeneland before shipping to Saratoga, where she recorded a half-mile work in :48.11 Sunday over the Oklahoma turf course under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez.

“She's doing very well. Ascot was disappointing because I was pretty confident going into that race,” Ward said. “She was really working tremendously on the grass. She had a real nice work this morning over the Oklahoma turf with Johnny V up. She's doing really well and we're looking for a big effort with her.”

Velazquez will return to the irons from post 3.

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Leading trainer Mike Maker sends a formidable contender in Kendall Hansen's Pure Panic, who scored on debut last month in a 5 ½-furlong maiden event over the turf at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky. The gray or roan son of Summer Front will look to give Maker his fourth stakes triumph of the meet.

Jockey Tyler Gaffalione will ride from post 8.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen will saddle J. Kirk and Judy Robison's Bonus Appreciation after a second-out maiden victory in an off-the-turf event on July 11 at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.

Jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. picks up the mount from post 6.

Completing the field are Barone Cesco [post 1, Eric Cancel], Catch the Smoke [post 5, Jose Ortiz], and Baytown Warrior [post 10, Brandon Whitacre].

Averly Jane [post 2, Tyler Gaffalione], Backnthewoods [post 4, Jose Ortiz], and Golden Bell [post 7, John Velazquez] have been entered for main track only.

The Skidmore is carded as Race 9 on Friday's 10-race program at Saratoga Race Course. First post is 1:05 p.m. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the summer meet on FOX Sports. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Jockeys And Jeans Names Elmore Man Of The Year For 2021

Jockeys and Jeans, which has raised over $1.6 million for former jockeys supported by Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, has made Brian Elmore, the Executive Director of the Indiana Horsemen's Protective and Benevolent Association, its 2021 Man of the Year.

“We can think of no one who is more deserving,” said Barry Pearl, president of the all-volunteer group. “He has furthered the cause of severely injured jockeys in many ways.”

Organized in late 2014 by a group of former jockeys, it held its first fundraiser a few weeks later at Tampa Bay Downs in Tampa, Fla., raising $23,000. The event moves each year and Elmore, then the Corporate Vice President of Racing for Indiana Grand Racetrack and Casino in Shelbyville, Ind., was eager to host the 2015 event. It raised over $205,000.

“We learned a lot about fundraising events from Brian and the success invigorated our committee,” said Pearl. “We knew we could fund a significant portion of the PDJF yearly budget. Brian is a valued friend and true mentor.”

Elmore will receive the award at the seventh annual Jockeys and Jeans event at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. on Saturday, Sept.11. Seventeen Hall of Fame jockeys are scheduled to attend and honor seven of their fallen brothers and sisters. The PDJF distributes a monthly stipend of $1,000 to 62 former jockeys who suffered catastrophic, career-ending injuries, with at least 40 either para or quadriplegics.

Elmore has long advocated for jockeys. In 2016, he won the Eddie Arcaro Award, presented by the Jockeys' Guild to a person or group that consistently shows exceptional commitment to jockeys and the organization. Now the Indiana HPBA Executive Director, Elmore enlisted the group to donate $30,000 to PDJF over the last few years. He is also the only Jockeys and Jeans Ambassador that is not an active or former jockey, a position he takes to heart. At the 2019 Jockeys and Jeans fundraiser at Santa Anita, Elmore gave an impassioned speech on the importance of supporting disabled jockeys and cited the death of 17-year-old promising jockey Juan Saez, younger brother of jockey Luis Saez, following an Oct. 15, 2014 racing accident at Indiana Grand Racing and Casino when he headed the track's management team.

“I will never forget the sound the helicopter blades made when it carried him to a trauma ward,” he said. “It was a tough day for his family, the riding colony, and all who knew him. I have a passion for two things; our equine athletes and the jockeys who put their lives on the line every time they race. I feel I have a responsibility to do my best for both of them.”

The event begins in Monmouth Park's Turf Club on Sept. 11 at 11:30 a.m. Tickets cost $75 and may be purchased at seatgeek.com/monmouth. There will be silent auctions of racing-related memorabilia and autograph sessions throughout the course of the event.

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