August, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Curragh Intrigue on Friday

The Curragh offer the perfect warm-up to the weekend with a Friday twilight card featuring a trio of Group 3 races including two Classic pointers for 2022.

The first is the Manguard Plus Irish EBF Flame of Tara S. for 2-year-old fillies over a mile, with Flaxman Stables Ireland, Demi O'Byrne & Susan Magnier represented by Albula (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) bidding to double her tally having won over this trip on debut at Naas Aug. 2. Representing the Joseph O'Brien stable, she encounters a pair of Ballydoyle runners in Kiss You Later (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Moyglare Stud Farm, Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor's daughter of the GI Santa Monica S. heroine Switch (Quiet American) who was seventh on debut over seven furlongs here July 18, and the unraced Lullaby (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor and Westerberg's relative of the G3 Jersey S. winner Ishvana (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}). In a race of unexposed types, Zhang Yuesheng's Magical Lagoon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a Jessie Harrington-trained half-sister to Novellist (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}) enters the reckoning despite being only fourth on debut behind Albula at Naas.

The second of the juvenile Group 3 races is the Heider Family Stables Round Tower S. over six furlongs, where Harringon saddles Alpha Racing's Aug. 8 seven-furlong maiden winner Cowboy Justice (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) against some proven performers. They include Juddmonte's unbeaten filly Sacred Bridge (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) who captured the five-furlong Listed Tipperary S. June 30 and the valuable Ballyhane S. over this trip at Naas Aug. 2. John and Jess Dance's July 8 G2 July S. third Sam Maximus (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) ships from Britain, while Mark Dobbin's July 21 Listed Marwell S. winner Ladies Church (GB) (Churchill {Ire}) is another with black-type already under her belt.

In between is the nine-furlong Snow Fairy Fillies S., in which Teruya Yoshida's G1 Matron S. heroine Champers Elysees (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}) looks to get her head in front for the first time in 2021 and bounce back from a disappointing effort when last in the G1 Falmouth S. at Newmarket July 9. Last year's G1 Moyglare Stud S. winner Shale (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has also been in the doldrums of late, but was sixth in the 10-furlong G1 Pretty Polly S. here last time June 27 and can also benefit from a drop in class, while Team Valor International and Gary Barber's progressive Solene Lilyette (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) comes off a career-best win in Gowran Park's Listed Hurry Harriet S. over 100 yards further Aug. 11.

Click here for the group fields.

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Tough Task In Personal Ensign, But Miss Marissa ‘Going In The Right Direction’

Trainer Jim Ryerson said he knows that Miss Marissa is facing the biggest challenge of her career in Saturday's Grade 1, $600,000 Personal Ensign Presented by Lia Infiniti for older fillies and mares at Saratoga, yet he's optimistic that she will give a good accounting of herself.

“The race is very, very tough. There couldn't be a tougher filly and mare race anywhere,” Ryerson said of the nine-furlong test stacked with nine multiple stakes winners and three Grade 1 winners. “But we're here to participate. This race is so tough, but she deserves a chance to run with these and we'll see what happens.”

The Personal Ensign field includes three-time Grade 1 winner and reigning Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Swiss Skydiver, who beat the boys in last year's Grade 1 Preakness and took the Grade 1 Alabama on this track last year; Letruska, who won the Grade 1 Apple Blossom, the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps, and the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis in her last three outings; and Harvey's Lil Goil, the 2020 winner of the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup on the grass. Add dual Grade 2 winner As Time Goes By, whom Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert is so confident in that he sent her here from Southern California, to the mix.

That lineup is mighty fearsome but Miss Marissa, whom Alphonso Cammarota bought for the bargain price of $11,000 as a yearling, might have a surprise in store. She's done it before.

Sent off at 10-1, she was a neck winner over Bonny South in the 2020 Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan in October. She outran her odds again last time out when she took the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap on July 10 and Bonny South disappointed as the odds-on favorite with a fifth place finish. Incidentally, the Brad Cox-trained, Grade 3 winning Bonny South is also entered in Saturday's Personal Ensign.

“Marissa jumped up those times in those Grade 2s. Absolutely,” her trainer said. “She's been very consistent over the last year and done very well running two turns.”

What is also beneficial to this filly is her familiarity with her Saratoga surroundings and her affinity for the racing strip. In a pair of Saratoga starts she finished first in an optional claiming allowance race at nine furlongs in August 2020 and was the runner-up in a maiden special weight race in 2019.

“She ran good on this track and won that allowance race on this track last year. That race she ran here last year was her coming out party. She really improved in terms of her speed and her ability to run a mile-and-an-eighth, and that race propelled her into the Black-Eyed Susan,” Ryerson said. “I think that she has grown up both physically and mentally this year. She's more relaxed, she's put on weight, she's grown. She's matured like you would want a filly to move from three to four. I think that's why you see those two efforts since we stopped her in January and gave her a freshening. Those were real solid efforts and she's going in the right direction. Whether she's good enough, we'll find out on Saturday.”

The Personal Ensign is a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff at Del Mar in November. Ryerson last had a Breeders' Cup runner when multiple graded stakes winner Park Avenue Ball competed in the 2007 Dirt Mile. He is best known as the trainer of 1995 Breeders' Cup Juvenile with Unbridled's Song, who also captured the Grade 1 1996 Florida Derby.

“When you're lucky enough to have a nice horse, they make things different for you and for the whole crew. Everybody gets excited. This is some important stuff,” said Ryerson.

Daniel Centeno has been Miss Marissa's partner for the wins in the Black-Eyed Susan and the Delaware Handicap and Ryerson will leg him up again on Saturday.

“Daniel has done great with her and they team up well. We're sticking with him. He deserves this chance and Marissa deserves this chance,” he said.

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‘Horse For Course’ Cross Border Brings Top Form To Sword Dancer

A winner of 10 races and nearly $1 million in purse earnings, Three Diamonds Farm's Cross Border has saved his best for Saratoga. Trainer Mike Maker, enjoying a spectacular summer of his own at the Spa, is hoping to continue the magic in Saturday's Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer.

The 1 ½-mile Sword Dancer, a 'Win and You're In' for the Grade 1, $4 million Breeders' Cup Turf November 6 at Del Mar, is one of seven graded-stakes – six of them Grade 1 – worth $4.6 million in purses on a blockbuster program highlighted by the 152nd running of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers.

Cross Border, a 7-year-old New York-bred son of turf champion English Channel, has made seven of his 35 career starts at Saratoga with six wins and a second, the latter coming in last year's Sword Dancer. Of his $948,821 lifetime bankroll, $544,400 has been earned at the Spa.

“He's a horse for course. I hope we have another rabbit to pull out of the hat,” Maker said. “I wish I knew [why]. I wouldn't have to train horses. The horse never has a bad hair day. He always looks well and trains well. Obviously, he has an affinity for up here, where he's had his best performances. So, we'll take it.”

Cross Border turned in one of his best efforts to date last out to win the Grade 2 Bowling Green by 1 ¼ lengths July 31. It was his second career graded triumph, the other coming in last year's Bowling Green following the disqualification of first-place finisher Sadler's Joy, who edged Cross Border by a neck at the wire.

“His last race was spectacular,” Maker said. “Obviously, we had a great setup and we'd have no problem getting that again.”

Cross Border has placed in four other graded-stakes, beaten a neck in the Grade 3 W.L. McKnight in 2020 and third by 2 ¼ lengths in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf January 23, both at Gulfstream Park. He was a distant but decisive seconds in last year's Sword Dancer, won by Channel Maker over a course listed as soft.

The 2-1 program favorite for the Sword Dancer is Grade 1 United Nations winner Tribhuvan. Cross Border is the third choice in a field of seven at odds of 4-1.

“Last year we had a lot of rain and it was probably a bit softer than he would prefer,” Maker said, “But he still put in a good effort.”

Also for Three Diamonds Farm on Saturday, Maker will send out Doubly Blessed in the Grade 1, $600,000 Forego for older horses sprinting seven furlongs, marking the graded debut for the 4-year-old Empire Maker gelding.

“We entered an allowance race and it failed to fill, so we figured we'd give this a shot,” Maker said. “He's been doing great. Hopefully, he gets a hot pace to run into. We're looking forward to it.”

Doubly Blessed has not raced since May 29 when he scored by 1 ½ lengths in a second-level optional claimer in the Belmont Park slop. In his only other stakes appearance, he ran fourth in the 1 3/8-mile Stud Muffin March 27 at Aqueduct.

After beginning his career with seven turf races, the first two for previous trainer Jonathan Thomas, Maker moved Doubly Blessed to the dirt this year and he has responded with four wins and a second from six starts including three in a row at Aqueduct to open 2021.

“He had worked well on the dirt and we weren't getting the results we were expecting on the turf, so we figured we'd give it a shot,” Maker said. “Since he came off the turf, he turned the corner and has become a nice horse for us.”

Prior to the Forego, the shortest Doubly Blessed has run is one mile – the distance of each of his three wins this winter. Meet-leading rider Luis Saez will be aboard from post position 5 in a field of seven that includes Grade 1 winners Firenze Fire, Lexitonian, Mind Control, Mischevious Alex and Whitmore and 5-2 morning-line favorite Yaupon. Doubly Blessed is listed at 15-1.

“The competition is the main thing. The seven-eighths, one-turn doesn't bother me,” Maker said. “It's a pretty salty field. We're going to find out how he fits.”

Maker said Three Diamonds Farm's Army Wife was doing well out of her third-place finish in the Grade 1 Alabama August 21, which followed back-to-back wins in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan May 14 at Pimlico Race Course and Grade 3 Iowa Oaks July 2 at Prairie Meadows.

“She's never missed a bite of grain coming out of the race and this morning she was a handful, so we're happy,” Maker said. “She ran a big race, and she came out of it super. We're pointing to the Cotillion.”

The Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/16 miles will be run September 25 at Parx Racing.

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Lukas Classic Next For Knicks Go; Monomoy Girl Update

Coming off a dominant win in the GI Whitney S., Horse of the Year contender Knicks Go (Paynter) will make his next start in the Oct. 2 GIII Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs, trainer Brad Cox confirmed Thursday. Knicks Go will be taking a step back in class in the $400,000 race, but Cox has taken that route before. Knicks Go warmed up for the Whitney with a 10 1/4-length romp in the GIII Prairie Meadows Cornhusker H. at Prairie Meadows.

“It's a mile-and-an-eighth race and he'll be coming right out of his own stall at Churchill,” Cox said of the Lukas Classic.

Knicks Go, who has not had a published work since the Whitney, will get back to business Friday morning at Saratoga.

“He's currently at Saratoga training over the Oklahoma training track,” the trainer said. “We will breeze him [Friday morning] at 6-6:30. It will be just an easy maintenance half-mile, nothing special. We will just let him stretch his legs a little bit. He will stay in Saratoga until the second week of September and then will be off to Churchill.”

Cox also had an update on Monomoy Girl (Tapizar), who rejoined his stable at Ellis Park Thursday morning. She has not started since finishing second in the GI Apple Blossom H. Apr. 17 at Oaklawn. Afterward, it was announced that she had been experiencing some minor muscle strains and hamstring

soreness. She was sent to WinStar Farm to recuperate.

“We're just going to gradually start back with her,” Cox said. “We'll start her off [Friday] with some short gallops and gradually increase the workload, as long as she allows us to press forward with her.”

Cox is not confident that Monomoy Girl can make the Nov. 6 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff.

“To be real honest, I think she's really up against it when it comes to making the Breeders' Cup,” Cox said. “We're going to let her tell us, tell us what she's able to do over the next month or so. The first thing will be getting her back on the work tab. With her being an older horse, I don't think it will take a whole lot of works to ger her fit. But, she'll tell us over the next month or two if she's going to be able to make it back or not.”

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