August, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Cross Border Repeats In Bowling Green At Saratoga

Three Diamond Farm's New York-bred Cross Border ran down pacesetter Channel Cat in the stretch and repelled Rockemperor's late bid for a 1 1/4-length victory to repeat as the winner in Saturday's $250,000 Grade 2 Bowling Green for 4-year-olds and up going 1 3/8 miles on the inner turf at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Cross Border tracked in third position as Channel Cat and Channel Maker – who like Cross Border were sired by English Channel – with the opening quarter-mile going in :24.75, the half in :49.37, three-quarters in 1:14.52, and a mile in 1:38.71 over a course rated good.

Under jockey Luis Saez, who won the Grade 2 Jim Dandy on Essential Quality in the prior race, Cross Border was angled out slightly from the rail out of the final turn, challenging Channel Cat when straightened for home before overtaking him in the final furlong. Rockemperor made up ground in the final jumps, but Cross Border hit the wire in 2:16.36 to secure his first win since the Lubash in July of last year at the Spa.

Cross Border improved his Saratoga record to four wins and one second from five starts.

“He loves it here. This is a special horse that I love riding,” Saez said. “He always tries hard. Today, he ran huge. It set up perfect with a good pace. When we came to the top of the stretch, he really gave me that kick and he battled. He always wants to give me everything. It all went according to plan.”

Trained by Mike Maker, Cross Border started his 7-year-old campaign with consecutive third-place finishes in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational in January at Gulfstream Park followed by the Grade 2 Pan American in March at the same track.

Returning to stakes company after running second in an allowance on June 27 at Belmont Park, Cross Border had to defeat a field that included 2019 Bowling Green-winner Channel Cat and 2018 victor Channel Maker [who dead-heated that year] to secure a second straight win in the contest. Cross Border crossed the wire second in 2020 but was elevated to first when Sadler's Joy was disqualified for causing interference.

“He's a model of consistency and durability,” Maker said. “Hopefully, we have another couple of years with him. He's handled everything. Especially here.”

Bred by Berkshire Stud and B.D. Gibbs, Cross Border went off at 6-1 and returned $14.40 on a $2 win bet. He improved to 10-8-4 in 35 career starts and approached millionaire status with his bankroll at $948,821.

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The $750,000 Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer for 4-year-olds could be Cross Border's next start. The 1 1/2-mile turf contest for 4-year-olds and up is a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” qualifier to the $4 million Longines Turf in November at Del Mar.

Rockemperor, trained by Chad Brown, bested Shamrocket by one length for second under jockey Joel Rosario. The Irish bred was making his first stakes appearance since running fifth in the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan on Belmont Stakes Day June 5.

“He ran really well,” Rosario said. “On the first turn, I got a little out of position, but he ran well. The horse who won ran the best.”

Shamrocket, conditioned by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher and ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., rallied from sixth to edge Channel Cat by a head for third.

Red Knight, Moon Over Miami, Channel Maker, and Breakpoint completed the order of finish.

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Essential Quality Holds Off Keepmeinmind For Jim Dandy Win

In a hard-fought battle to the wire, Essential Quality, the 2-5 favorite, prevailed by a half-length over a tenacious Keepmeinmind to win Saturday's nine-furlong, $600,000 Grade 2 Jim Dandy for 3-year-olds at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The Godolphin homebred's victory in the 58th running of the Jim Dandy stamped him as the favorite for Saratoga's signature race, the $1.25 million Grade 1 Runhappy Travers on August 28. In June, the handsome gray son of Tapit was the decisive winner of the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.

Essential Quality, who has been piloted by Luis Saez in seven of his eight career starts, defeated four rivals after the scratch of Risk Taking.

Dr Jack broke sharp from his rail post and was followed by Masqueparade, Weyburn, and Keepmeinmind. Saez had Essential Quality in the clear on the outside in fifth, not far off the leaders. Following sharp fractions of :23.81, :47.41, and 1:11.13 on the fast main track, the pacesetter was retreating while Masqueparade and Weyburn were taking up prominent positions as the field turned for home.

But Essential Quality, with a sweeping outside move, bore down on those rivals, while Keepmeinmind, whose sire Laoban won the 2016 Jim Dandy, was snaking his way up on the rail. It then became a race down to the finish line between those two, with Essential Quality pulling clear in the shadow of the wire, stopping the clock in 1:49.92.

It was a nail-biter for Essential Quality's trainer, Brad Cox.

“When they straightened up, I thought, 'Wow we've been wide both turns,' and then we see a horse slip up the inside [No. 4, Keepmeinmind] who looked like he had some run left,” Cox said. “It made for some anxious moments down the lane. Overall, he's a very determined horse. He has the heart of a champion. He's a good horse, he stays on.

“There was a lot of ground lost today,” Cox added. “Luis obviously had to work to win. He got something out of it, I do think that. I think he's carrying a little more weight now than he was leading up to the Derby or Belmont. I think this was a good tightener for him, four weeks out [from the Travers].”

The win marked a second straight and third overall Jim Dandy win for Godolphin, whose royal blue colors scored last year with Mystic Guide as well as with Alpha in 2012. The last time a Jim Dandy winner connected with a victory in the Travers was 2012 when Alpha finished in a dead-heat for the win with Golden Ticket.

Jimmy Bell, president of Godolphin operations in the United States, said, “The really good horses just show up and find a way to get things done and he has seemed to do that every start. Consistency has been his hallmark and it was a battle down the stretch. It was probably good for him, which is easier to say after the race than when they're at the sixteenth pole.”

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For his part, Saez said, he felt confident he was sitting aboard the winner.

“I saw him [No. 4, Keepmeinmind], but I had a lot of horse and I knew he was going to finish,” the meet's leading rider said. “The plan today was not to take too much away from him. He always fights and he always wants to win.”

Essential Quality returned $2.80 for a $2 win wager. Find this race's chart here.

Masqueparade finished third, 2 1/4 lengths behind Keepmeinmind, and was followed under the wire by Weyburn and Dr Jack.

The win elevated Essential Quality's earnings to $3,545,144 and brought last year's 2-year-old champion's record to 7-0-0 from eight starts. His lone career loss came in the Kentucky Derby when he crossed the wire in fourth place.

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Diabolic Takes My Dear In Stakes Debut At Woodbine

Diabolic was full of run late in taking the $125,000 My Dear Stakes Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.

The trio of Bid Once, Royal Engagement, and first-time starter Curlin Candy duked it out in the early stages of the 5 ½-furlong Tapeta race for 2-year-old fillies, but it was Diabolic, making her stakes debut, who delivered the knockout punch for trainer Mark Casse.

Despite acting up before the start, the daughter of Dark Angel, with Antonio Gallardo in the irons, hit her stride as soon as the gates opened and then watched the front-end proceedings from along the rail.

It was Bid Once who held a narrow advantage through an opening quarter-mile of :22.64, with Royal Engagement and Curlin Candy right alongside. Gallardo maintained a patient hand, sitting mid-pack, through a half-mile timed in :45.79, waiting for the right moment to make his move.

As the field turned from home, Diabolic was pivoted to the outside and instantly began to track down the leaders with each stride.

At the wire, the gray filly won by 2 ¼ lengths, with Curlin Candy in second and Royal Engagement third. Lois Len, the 9-5 choice, was fourth.

The final time was 1:04.15.

Diabolic, owned by D.J. Stable and Nexus Racing Club, arrived at the My Dear off a gutsy neck nod in her career bow at Gulfstream on May 20, rallying to win a five-furlong turf sprint.

“She was sitting down in the gate and I was a little nervous on how she'd be breaking,” said Gallardo, who celebrated his first Woodbine stakes win. “I don't see myself being on the lead or too close. I watched the replay when she won with Jaramillo [jockey, Emisael] in Gulfstream and I can see she is very smart. I wanted to be saving ground and following the speed. Really, she did everything perfect. When I pulled her in the clear, I asked and she gave me 100 percent. She's a nice filly.”

Bred by Yeomanstown Stud in Ireland, Diabolic paid $9.20 for the win.

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My Sassenach Draws Clear For Decisive Win In Desert Vixen At Gulfstream

Champion Equine LLC's My Sassenach swept to the lead at the top of the stretch and drew clear for a dominating 8 ¼-length victory in the $100,000 Desert Vixen while taking her veteran South Florida trainer back to the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes winner's circle following a long absence.

The Desert Vixen, a six-furlong sprint for fillies, co-headlined Saturday's 13-race program at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., with the $100,000 Dr. Fager, a six-furlong open-division dash, kicking off the 2021 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes, a tradition-rich series for juveniles sired by accredited stallions standing in Florida.

My Sassenach ($21), who finished second in her July 1 debut, graduated in the Desert Vixen, giving trainer David Braddy his fifth career success in the Florida Sire Stakes series for juveniles sired by accredited stallions standing in Florida.

“It's good for me. I've won these races four or five times, but not recently,” said Braddy, who enjoyed FSS success with Stacy's Toy in the 1989 Desert Vixen and Susan's Girl, Mystic Obsession in the 1991 Desert Vixen, and Sly Rajab in the 1998 Affirmed. “It's good to be back with a nice filly.”

My Sassenach broke cleanly under Miguel Vasquez to gain a prime outside stalking position behind pacesetter Rufa Red Knot, who set fractions of :22.12 for the first quarter and :45.74 for the first half-mile. My Sassenach made a three-wide sweep to pull alongside the pacesetter leaving the turn into the homestretch and continued on to score comfortably and impressively.

“I thought she was a real good filly the first time we ran her. We worked her nine days in front of the race, scoped her, and she was clean. We ran her in that race and she scoped with a lung infection,” Braddy said. “I think that cost us the first race, but we've been high on her all along.”

Demurely closed from off the pace to finish second, three-quarters of a length behind a tiring Rufa Red Knot. Noble Dreamer, the 7-5 favorite in a field of eight fillies, finished an even fourth.

My Sassenach, who was purchased for $152,000 at the OBS April sale for 2-year-olds in training, ran six furlongs in 1:12.17.

“We liked the way she breezed at the sale and we liked the way she galloped out,” said Champion Equine LLC's Michael Sucher. “We have a lot of high hopes for her.”

Florida Sire Stakes action will continue Aug. 28 with the $200,000 Susan's Girl for fillies and the $200,000 Affirmed, both slated for seven furlongs, and Sept. 25 with the $400,000 My Dear Girl for fillies and the $400,000 In Reality, both to be run around two turns at 1 1/16 miles.

“I think the seven-eighths might be all right. I'm not so sure about the long [race],” Braddy said. “We'll just have to see.”

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