October, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Too Sexy Rallies To Win Floral Park At Belmont

The Elkstone Group's Too Sexy rallied strongly down the lane to make her stakes debut a winning one in Sunday's $150,000 Floral Park, a six-furlong inner turf sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Trained by Christophe Clement, the 4-year-old Quality Road bay entered from a similar closing effort in a six-furlong optional-claiming tilt on September 25 over a Belmont turf rated good.

Honey Cake, with Junior Alvarado up, took charge through splits of :22.57 and :46.22 over the firm going with 3-2 mutuel favorite Robin Sparkles, piloted by Jose Ortiz, tracking her early foot from second position.

The pacesetter led the field through the turn as a host of challengers, including the stalking duo of Introduced and Raven's Cry lined up outside bids with Gogo Shoes advancing up the rail.

But despite having only Secure Connection behind her as the field straightened for home, there would be no denying Too Sexy, who was tipped out wide into the lane and picked off her rivals one by one with a powerful turn-of-foot en route to a 3 1/4-length victory in a final time of 1:09.68.

Raven's Cry completed the exacta by one length over Introduced. Rounding out the order of finish were Secure Connection, Pacific Gale, Gogo Shoes, Honey Cake, and Robin Sparkles. Time Limit was scratched.

Too Sexy's victory came shortly before the Clement-trained duo of Mutamakina and La Dragontea ran one-two in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.

Clement said a patient approach works best with Too Sexy, who has won 4-of-7 starts this season, including a maiden score over good turf at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., in March and an allowance win at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., in July.

“She has been an improving horse all along,” Clement said. “She seems to run better when you wait a little bit on her and twice she has won on ground with a little bit of give in it.”

Lezcano said he felt confident the speed would come back to him.

“I rode her like how Christophe told me, which was to break well, give her a chance to find her footing and make one run. Everything worked out,” Lezcano said.

Luis Saez, jockey aboard the runner-up, said Raven's Cry benefitted from the turnback in distance out of a fifth-place finish in the one-mile De La Rose in August at the Spa.

“She broke right there and was in a perfect spot. We just got beat by a good one,” Saez said. “I think cutting back made a difference, it was good for her.”

Bred in Kentucky by Burleson Farm and McKenzie Bloodstock, Too Sexy banked $82,500 in victory while improving her record to 12-4-4-1. She paid $7.90 for a $2 win wager.

Live racing returns Thursday at Belmont Park with a nine-race card. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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Mind Control Confirmed For Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile

Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stable's multiple Grade 1 winner Mind Control, a determined winner (104 Beyer) of the $200,000 PARX Dirt Mile at Parx in Bensalem, Penn., on September 25, will make his next start in the $1,000,000 Grade 1 Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile on Saturday, Nov. 6 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

Rick Sacco, Racing & Operations Manager for Red Oak Farm, made the announcement after the 5-year-old son of Stay Thirsty – Feel That Fire worked five furlongs on the training track at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher in 1:01.46 on Friday, October 15.

“Mind Control put in an excellent solo breeze and galloped out strongly,” noted Pletcher. “He finished out in 1:14.33, 1:27.09, and got the mile in 1:41.71. Mind Control will ship to California on October 31 to put in his final preparations for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.”

Sacco added that regular jockey and Hall of Fame inductee John Velazquez has been engaged to ride the Red Oak Stable homebred Mind Control in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

Velazquez was in the saddle for Mind Control's hard-fought PARX Dirt Mile victory over 2021 Grade 1 Met Mile winner Silver State.

Silver Slate collared Mind Control and briefly took the lead in the stretch, but Mind Control fought back on the inside to win by a head while covering the mile in 1:36.59.

“He didn't give up, I didn't give up! When I asked for more, he gave me more,” Velazquez said after winning the race.

Mind Control will enter the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile with a record of 9 wins from 23 lifetime starts and career earnings of $1,413,229. His two Grade 1 wins came at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., in the 2018 Hopeful and the 2019 H. Allen Jerkens, both run at seven furlongs.

Mind Control has made three starts at the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile distance, winning twice and finishing second once. The PARX Dirt Mile was around two turns as is the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar.

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Sacco informed that Mind Control's graded stakes-placed two-year-old half-sister Goddess Of Fire will make her third lifetime start in the $150,000 Tempted Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y., on Friday, November 5.

The Red Oak Stable (Stephen Brunetti) homebred by Mineshaft – Feel That Fire broke her maiden at first asking under John Velazquez in August at Saratoga. The bay filly followed up that winning effort with a third-place finish in the $300,000 Grade 3 Pocahontas at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on September 18.'

Red Oak's mare Feel That Fire is currently in foal to Uncle Mo and has a Candy Ride yearling filly that is currently being broke at Red Oak Farm.

“Goddess Of Fire is an improving filly and she should handle the added-distance races down the road,” said Sacco. “If the filly runs well in the Tempted Stakes, we'll point her for the $250,000 Demoiselle Stakes (Grade 2) at Aqueduct on December 4.”

Goddess Of Fire breezed a half-mile on the Saratoga training track on Friday, October 15 in :49.08. “Todd has been pleased with the filly's progression and he's been given the green light to take his time and let her mature at her own pace,” added Sacco.

“These are exciting times for the Red Oak Farm team and we look forward to racing Goddess Of Fire in the Tempted at Aqueduct on November 5 and watching Mind Control on the racing industry's biggest stage in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile on November 6 at Del Mar,” Sacco concluded.

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Mutamakina Rules the Lawn at Woodbine

Al Shira'aa Farms' Mutamakina (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) returned to the site of her win in the GII Dance Smartly S. two months ago to capture the GI E.P. Taylor S. and secure the win in the Ladies of the Lawn series at Woodbine Sunday. The 8-1 shot, four wide into the first turn, tracked pacesetting Kalifornia Queen (Ger) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) who set a pedestrian pace over the rain-soaked turf course. Mutamakina eyeballed the pacesetter entering the stretch, while a host of rivals piled up to her outside and a pair of foes snuck through the inside as Kalifornia Queen drifted out in upper stretch. Mutamakina finally got the best of the stubborn pacesetter in deep stretch before grimly holding off her late-closing stablemate La Dragontea (GB) (Lopa de Vega {Ire}) to win by a neck and give trainer Christophe Clement the one-two finish in the 1 1/4-mile race.

“She ran well over here about a month ago and we saw an opportunity again to bring her out here,” said winning rider Dylan Davis. “Christophe, first off, did a great job of getting her here. I've been breezing her, setting up for this race, and she's been breezing well and maintained herself and we knew that she would be tough coming here.”

Dylan continued, “She handled everything great. Last time she put herself in a great position laying second. Today, again, she got her nerves going a little bit more than previously, but she put herself in a great position putting herself second. We slowed down the pace and she was handling it well for me and I just needed her to finish strong. Once she got a head in front there at eighth pole she was digging in nicely. She handled the turf well today.”

Launched in 2019, Woodbine's Ladies of the Lawn series is a points-based bonus series which began with the Aug. 22 Dance Smartly S. and was followed by the Sept. 18 GII Canadian S. won by La Dragontea. Mutamakina's two wins in the series earned her own a $50,000 bonus.

Mutamakina, twice group-placed in France in 2019, shipped stateside last autumn and was third in the 1 1/2-mile Zagora S. at Belmont Oct. 31 before concluding the season with a win in the 1 3/8-mile GIII Long Island S. She opened 2021 with a runner-up effort in the May 1 GII Sheepshead Bay S. She bested E.P. Taylor favorite Etoile (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) by a half-length in the Dance Smartly last time out.

Pedigree Notes:

Mutamakina's third dam is champion Ridgewood Pearl (GB), who won the 1995 GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Belmont Park. Her dam, Joshua's Princess, produced a colt by Camelot (Ire) this year. Her 2-year-old full-brother sold for 16,000gns at last year's Tattersalls October sale.

Mutamakina joins Steel Prince (Ire) and Precious Ramotswe (GB) as group winners by Nathaniel out of Danehill mares. Nathaniel is also the sire of Group 1 winners Enable (GB)–two-time winner of the Arc–God Given (GB), Lady Bowthorpe (GB) and Channel (Ire).

Sunday, Woodbine

E. P. TAYLOR S.-GI, C$602,000, Woodbine, 10-17, 3yo/up, f/m,
1 1/4mT, 2:09.14, yl.
1–MUTAMAKINA (GB), 124, m, 5, by Nathaniel (Ire)
                1st Dam: Joshua's Princess (GB), by Danehill
                2nd Dam: Josh's Pearl (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
                3rd Dam: Ridgewood Pearl (GB), by Indian Ridge (Ire)
   1ST GRADE I WIN. (100,000gns Ylg '17 TAOCT). O-Al Shira'aa
Farms; B-Widgham Stud (GB); T-Christophe Clement; J-Dylan
Davis. C$360,000. Lifetime Record: SW & MGSP-Fr, 16-5-3-3,
$634,509. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–La Dragontea (GB), 124, f, 4, by Lope de Vega (Ire)
                1st Dam: La Concorde (Fr), by Sadler's Wells
                2nd Dam: La Leuze (Ire), by Caerleon
                3rd Dam: Floripedes, by Top Ville (Ire)
(67,000gns 3yo '20 TATMA). O-Reeves Thoroughbred Racing
& Rebecca Hillen; B-Bartisan Racing Ltd (GB); T-Christophe
Clement. C$120,000.
3–Kalifornia Queen (Ger), 124, f, 4, by Lope de Vega (Ire)
                1st Dam: Kaldera (Ger), by Sinndar (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Konigstochter (Ger), by Dai Jin (GB)
                3rd Dam: Karenina (Ger), by Second Set (Ire)
(€70,000 Ylg '18 BBAGO; €260,000 3yo '20 ARARC).
O-Madaket Stables LLC, Michael Dubb & First Row Partners;
B-Stall Torjager (GER); T-Chad C. Brown. C$60,000.
Margins: NK, NK, 1. Odds: 8.90, 5.85, 2.85.
Also Ran: Waliyak (Fr), Great Island, Keyflower (Fr), Family Way, Court Return, Etoile (Fr), Merveilleux. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Crowded Trade Switches To Turf For Carle Place At Belmont

Klaravich Stables' multiple graded stakes-placed Crowded Trade will make his grass debut in Friday's inaugural running of the $100,000 Carle Place, a seven-furlong Widener turf sprint for sophomores at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, the More Than Ready chestnut graduated at first asking sprinting six furlongs in January at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y. The chestnut colt followed with a pair of game efforts at the Big A, finishing second by a nose to Weyburn in the one-mile Grade 3 Gotham in March and third to Bourbonic in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Wood Memorial in April.

Following an even fifth in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., Crowded Trade did not return until August when a distant third in the Grade 2 Amsterdam, contested over a sloppy and sealed main track at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

He enters from a troubled fifth in a 6 1/2-furlong allowance sprint on September 4 at Saratoga won by Baby Yoda, who exited that effort to finish third in the Grade 2 Vosburgh here last Saturday.

A $185,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, Crowded Trade breezed five-eighths over the Oklahoma training turf Friday in 1:02.95 as Brown looks to re-invent the talented colt.

“He breezed well on it. He's certainly bred on top for it,” Brown said. “I'm going to try and change it up with that horse a little bit. He didn't develop the way we hoped on the dirt, so we'll try this.”

Joel Rosario has the call from the inside post.

Crown's Way Racing's Smokin' Jay rallied past Momos in the final jumps to capture the $100,000 Allied Forces on September 17 at Belmont, providing trainer Kelsey Danner her first career stakes win.

The versatile Cairo Prince gray entered the six-furlong Widener turf sprint for sophomores from a narrow nose loss to Carle Place-rival Arzak in the six-furlong Tom Ridge, contested at six furlongs over the synthetic at Presque Isle in Erie, Penn., on August 2.

Jose Ortiz picks up the mount from post 3.

Sonata Stable's Arzak, a Not This Time chestnut trained by Mike Trombetta, endured a troubled trip in the Allied Forces when bumped at the start, trailing the field of eight by eight lengths. Arzak was tipped out for the stretch run by Irad Ortiz, Jr. and closed to finish third.

A $575,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, Arzak was also compromised at the start when third in the My Frenchman, a 5 ½-furlong sprint over yielding turf at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., three starts back on July 11.

“He's been a little unlucky and I'm hoping we can turn that around,” Trombetta said. “He's not really fast out of the gate. He has a lot of speed but that first step or two he's not as fast as you'd like him to be and inevitably he seems to find a way to get next to a horse that likes to bump into us. We just need everyone to get out of there straight and he'll be fine.”

The durable Arzak has posted a record of 8-2-1-1 in 2021, including a 3 1/4-length optional-claiming score traveling one mile over the Tampa Bay turf in his seasonal debut in addition to his Tom Ridge coup.

“He's solid. He's run with good horses and I'm hoping his turn is coming,” Trombetta said. “He ran really good at Presque Isle and I do think he has an affinity for the synthetic as well, so we'll do that again at some point also.”

Manny Franco picks up the mount from post 6.

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Breeze Easy's Easy Time, a dark bay son of Not This Time, has made his last three starts in graded company, including a win in the Grade 3 Marine at 1 1/16-miles over the Tapeta at Woodbine Race Track in Toronto, Ontario in July.

Trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, Easy Time followed with a fifth in the one-mile Grade 2 Hall of Fame in August on the Saratoga turf ahead of a closing second last out in the 6 1/2-furlong Franklin-Simpson on September 11 at Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Ky.

Easy Time will emerge from post 5 under Luis Saez.

Rounding out the field are Ocala Dream [post 2, Dylan Davis], Indian Lake [post 4, Ruben Silvera], Town of Gold [post 7, Javier Castellano], Wolfie's Dynaghost [post 8, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], Resist the Devil [post 9, Jorge Vargas, Jr.], Rustler [post 10, Joseph Rocco, Jr.], Kawhi Me a River [post 11, Jose Lezcano], Snow House [post 12, John Velazquez],

The Carle Place is slated as Race 9 on Friday's 10-race card. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

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