Though the $202,000 Grade 2 Pat O'Brien Stakes attracted a bevy of graded stakes winners, Ginobili brought improving comeback form to spring a mild upset. The 4-year-old gelding brought home his first stakes trophy, fittingly at Del Mar, the location of all three of his lifetime victories.
Month: August 2021
Il Malocchio Rallies To Win Bison City Stakes At Woodbine
Il Malocchio, coming off a third-place finish in the Woodbine Oaks presented by Budweiser, stalked the pace from fourth and rallied smartly through the lane to give trainer Marty Drexler the biggest win of his career in Saturday's $250,000 Bison City Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.
In winning the 1 1/16-mile Bison City by half-length under Patrick Husbands, Il Malocchio dispatched of five fellow Canadian-bred fillies, including the highly fancied Miss Speedy, who faltered to finish fourth at odds of 2-5.
“She ran a big race today,” said Husbands, who was riding his leading eighth stakes winner of the meeting. “Last time she tricked me. By the quarter-pole, I thought I had the race won, but when I asked her she paused for about three strides and those three strides cost me the Oaks.
“Today, before we swung for home, I made sure I had her in gear.”
The Bison City unfolded as expected with Miss Speedy, unbeaten in two previous starts, went straight to the front from her inside post and led by 2 ½ lengths through a quarter in :23.57 and a half in :46.68.
And while she maintained a 2 ½ lengths lead through six furlongs in 1:11.13, her supremacy was about to be threatened as first Emmeline and then Il Malocchio loomed large.
Emmeline, who had nosed out Il Malocchio for second money in the 1 1/8 mile Woodbine Oaks presented by Budweiser, had raced closest to Miss Speedy throughout and had led by a head over Il Malocchio with a furlong to run, only to succumb grudgingly as they stopped the clock in 1:43.42.
The second-place finish was the fourth straight for the hard-luck Emmeline, who remains a maiden after seven starts.
Cielo d'Oro closed for third money, three lengths behind the runner-up and three-quarters of a length before Miss Speedy.
Miss Marie and Youens rounded out the order of finish.
Owned and bred by Franco Meli, Il Malocchio placed in a pair of Woodbine stakes at age two and was sent south to trainer Kenny McPeek with a long-term eye toward the Woodbine Oaks. After finishing third in the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, Il Malocchio was up the track in the Fair Grounds Oaks but then finished a good second in a 1 1/8 mile allowance race at Keeneland with Kenny McPeek as her trainer of record.
Back home with Drexler at Woodbine, Il Malocchio opened up with a fourth-place finish in the seven-furlong Fury before her solid effort in the Woodbine Oaks, where she was beaten 1 ¼ lengths.
“She's special,” said Drexler. “In my barn, we run a lot of cheaper, middle claimers. We don't have a lot of horses like this. It's nice to get one that you can play on this stage.”
Sent off as the 9-2 third choice, Il Malocchio returned $11.50 and topped a $33.60 with the 4.40-1 Emmeline. Cielo d'Oro, at 15-1, rounded out a $198.10 trifecta with Miss Speedy completing a $1 superfecta worth $207.75.
The Bison City followed the Woodbine Oaks as the second leg of Canada's triple tiara for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies. The $250,000 Wonder Where Stakes, at 1 ¼ miles on E.P. Taylor Turf Course, concludes the series on October 2.
“She gives it all; she's going to be getting close to being over the top”, said Drexler. “But, I have to think that's where we're going to aim.”
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Gulfstream Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed At $600,000 Sunday
The 20-cent Rainbow 6 Jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $600,000 Sunday at Gulfstream Park.
The Rainbow 6 went unsolved Saturday for the 15th consecutive racing day since a July 31 mandatory payout. Multiple tickets with six winners Saturday returned $10,070.54.
Sunday's Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 6-11, headlined by the $60,000 Village of Biscayne Park, a five-furlong overnight handicap on turf for fillies and mares, in Race 10. Choose Joy, who is slated to concede between seven and 11 pounds to her seven rivals entered to run on turf, has been rated as the 7-5 morning-line favorite.
Owned and trained by Steve Dwoskin, the 4-year-old daughter of Munnings has been first or second in five of her last six starts since trying five furlongs on turf for the first time – her only off-the-board finish coming in an off-the-turf Captiva Island March 6.
“Her game is short turf,” Dwoskin said. “When we ran her five-furlongs on turf, she was a different horse. That's the secret.”
Choose Joy, who captured the Golden Beach Stakes on turf following her Captiva Island disappointment on dirt, came off a two-month freshening to win a July 31 overnight handicap at five-furlongs on turf. Miguel Vasquez has the return mount aboard the Kentucky-bred filly.
The Rainbow 6 jackpot is paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day's pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.
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Octane Powers To Victory In Affirmed At Gulfstream
Octane set a quick early pace, but the Arindel homebred had plenty left in the tank for the stretch on his way to a commanding 3 ¼ -length victory in the $200,000 Affirmed at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.
The Affirmed, a seven-furlong open-division sprint, and the $200,000 Affirmed, a seven-furlong sprint for fillies, co-headlined Saturday's second leg of the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes for juveniles sired by accredited stallions standing in Florida.
Octane, one of four Arindel homebred sons of Brethren in an 11-horse field, broke alertly from his rail position and rushed up to lead along the backstretch, pressed by Lightning Larry and stalked by Big and Classy, $100,000 FSS Dr. Fager winner Cajun's Magic, and King Cab. Octane set fractions of :22.50 and :45.24 for the first half-mile with Cajun's Magic looming prominently in pursuit turning into the stretch. The Dr. Fager winner gave it his best shot, but Octane kicked clear through the stretch under Emisael Jaramillo to complete the seven furlongs in 1:25.16.
Cajun's Magic, the 7-5 favorite, finished second under Jesus Rios, three lengths ahead of Big and Classy and jockey Edwin Gonzalez.
Octane, who finished second in his June 18 debut, was coming off a July 17 maiden victory in which he overcame traffic and fractious behavior at the starting gate.
“I love this little horse. He's small but he has a ton of heart,” trainer Carlos David said. “He was a little bit nervous prior to his second start. He was a little wild behind the gate. I had to put a lot of gate work into him and teach him to stand right. He's got some growing up to do, but I think he's going to be all right.”
Octane, who was sent to post at 10-1, was stretching out two furlongs from his five-furlong maiden score.
“I think the workout he had about a week ago was key. It was five furlongs, galloping out three-quarters in 1:13. That told me that he can definitely get the distance. I was very confident coming into this race,” David said.
The 2021 Florida Sire Stakes series will conclude Sept. 25 at Gulfstream with the open-division $400,000 In Reality and the $400,000 My Dear Girl for fillies. Both races will be run around two turns at 1 1/16 miles.
“I know the next leg is a mile-and-sixteenth, so it is challenging. I'll have to talk to the connections. Arindel has been great. They've given me the opportunity to train for them,” David said. “We have great communication. We'll talk about it and make a plan.”
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