October, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Streaking Shantisara Gives Brown Fourth QEII and Another Graded Exacta

Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Bob LaPenta's Shantisara (Ire) (Coulsty {Ire}) underscored the sheer domination of trainer Chad Brown in the nation's turf races with an emphatic victory in Saturday's GI Queen Elizabeth Challenge Cup S. at Keeneland. Also representing the four-time Eclipse Award winning trainer in the nine-furlong test was dual graded-winning Technical Analysis (Ire), however, early favoritism went to Coolmore's Empress Josephine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), hailing from another behemoth of the turf world, Aidan O'Brien.

Delayed a few minutes after the gate scratch of Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown), Shantisara, who was sent off at 5-2 behind the slightly more fancied 2-1 European invader, settled just off the early pace as stablemate Technical Analysis led into the first turn while under mild pressure from Empress Josephine and Burning Ambition through a :23.91 quarter. Inching her way forward following a half-mile in :48.63, Shantisara started to put the screws to the front runners midway on the far turn. Overtaking the weakening favorite turning for home, she collared the pacesetter in early stretch and drew off with ease to score by five lengths. Burning Ambition rounded out the trifecta. Empress Josephine faded to last of nine.

Shantisara's margin of victory is the largest in the history of the race, eclipsing the 4 1/2-length victory by Hot Cha Cha in 2009. The win also gave Brown his record fourth victory in the race following Dayatthespa (2012), Rushing Fall (2018) and Cambier Parc (2019) to break a tie he held with Jimmy Toner and John Veitch. Brown also won the GII Sands Point S. with Fluffy Socks at Belmont Park earlier in the afternoon.

“It was a good run and I was really pleased with the draw [post 3],” said winning rider Flavien Prat. “She broke well and I was able to tuck her in right away and she switched off nice. I thought the good horses were around me, and I was able to keep tracking them. She made a really good move around the turn–and when I asked her to make a move, she responded well. I was traveling super and, when it was time to go, she was there for me.”

Jose Ortiz, who partnered runner-up Technical Analysis, added, “She broke good, went to the lead and was a little keen early on. We set pretty decent fractions and I had plenty [of horse left] turning for home, but the other horse was just better. My filly was very relaxed [when they had to back the field out of the starting gate]. She's always a little nervous, but actually when they backed them up she was able to stand a little bit behind the gate and she relaxed a little bit better. I have no excuses; she ran her race.”

As for the beaten favorite, John Velazquez said, “It was going well until I [asked her for more] and she didn't go anywhere. She didn't have it. She didn't show up today.”

Shantisara, a winner of two of five starts for trainer Frederic Rossi in France, launched her U.S. campaign with a runner-up finish in Monmouth's Boiling Springs S. in June before breaking through with a three-length score in Arlington's nine-furlong GIII Pucker Up S. Aug. 14. Stretching out to 11 panels for her latest, she came home a 1/2 length on top in Belmont's Jockey Club Oaks Invitational Sept. 18.

“I expected her to run really well because of the way she breezed last time [five furlongs in 1:03.40 over the turf at Keeneland a week earlier],” explained Baldo Hernandez, assistant to winning trainer Chad Brown. “She improves all the time. She's coming along. This filly, she has a really good talent. She handled the turf really well here.”

Pedigree Notes:
With a Grade I win under her belt, Shantisara (Ire) moves to the head of the class for young sire Coulsty (Ire) and revives a previously prolific female line that had recently fizzled. Second-crop stallion Coulsty, who stands in Ireland's County Kildare at Rathasker Stud, has another Group winner in Santosha (Ire), as well as two additional listed winners, all in his first crop of 45 foals. Shantisara's broodmare sire, European Horse of the Year Dalakhani (Ire), will be far more familiar to Americans with the 41 stakes winners out of his daughters including 2019 English, French, and Irish champion Pinatubo (Ire) (Shamardal). Shantisara is the only runner out of her dam, the unraced and late Kharana (Ire). Interestingly, Kharana's dam was also unraced and her only winner was in Greece. Shantisara's third dam was a listed winner and Group-placed in Ireland, but also produced little of note. However, Shantisara's fourth dam was French champion Kozana (GB) (Kris {GB}), who counted U.S., Irish, and English champion High Chaparral (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) among her grandsons.

Saturday, Keeneland
QUEEN ELIZABETH II CHALLENGE CUP S. PRESENTED BY DIXIANA-GI, $500,000, Keeneland, 10-16, 3yo, f, 1 1/8mT, 1:48.86, yl.
1–SHANTISARA (IRE), 121, f, 3, by Coulsty (Ire)
                1st Dam: Kharana (Ire), by Dalakhani (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Khantala (Ire), by Zafonic
                3rd Dam: Khanata, by Riverman
1ST GRADE I WIN. (10,000gns 2yo '20 TATGBR). O-Michael
Dubb, Madaket Stables LLC & Robert V. LaPenta; B-Mr Oliver
Donlon (IRE); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Flavien Prat. $300,000.
Lifetime Record: 9-5-2-0, $788,108. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Technical Analysis (Ire), 121, f, 3, by Kingman (GB)
                1st Dam: Sealife (Ire), by Sea The Stars (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Bitooh (GB), by Diktat (GB)
                3rd Dam: Sitara (GB), by Salse
'TDN Rising Star' (200,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT). O-Klaravich
Stables, Inc.; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Limited (IRE); T-Chad C.
Brown. $100,000.
3–Burning Ambition, 121, f, 3, by Uncle Mo
                1st Dam: Do You Remember (Saf) (G1SW-SAF,
                GSP-Aus, $166,603), by Silvano (Ger)
                2nd Dam: Festive Occasion (Saf), by Casey Tibbs (Ire)
                3rd Dam: Noble Feast (Saf), by Al Mufti
O/B-Michael De Broglio (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $50,000.
Margins: 5, 1 3/4, 2 1/4. Odds: 2.50, 3.10, 10.50.
Also Ran: Nicest (Ire), Queen Goddess, Closing Remarks, Cloudy Dawn (Ire), Flippant, Empress Josephine (Ire). Scratched: Lady Speightspeare. 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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Neptune’s Storm Returns To Best Distance In Lure Stakes At Santa Anita

Neptune's Storm, a versatile son of prolific turf sire Stormy Atlantic, returns to a distance he fancies—one mile on grass—in next Saturday's $70,000 Lure Stakes for three-year-olds and up at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.

The bay gelding is coming off an eventful ninth-place finish in the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship at a mile and a quarter, the longest route ever attempted in his 23 career starts.

“A mile is a better distance for him,” said trainer Peter Miller, alluding to the tractable campaigner's record of five wins, one second, and one third over that venue.

Leading rider Flavien Prat, who won the restricted Wickerr Stakes on Neptune's Storm at a mile on Del Mar's turf course July 18, will be back aboard.

“He's a nice horse that tries hard,” said Miller, who has had Neptune's Storm for his last four races, the gelding having previously been trained by Richard Baltas and earlier Bill Morey.

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Practical Joke Represented By First Japanese Winner

Coolmore America's successful first-crop sire Practical Joke (Into Mischief) was represented by his first Japanese winner and 15th overall when Dugat validated even-money favoritism in a 1200-meter turf maiden Saturday afternoon at Hanshin Racecourse.

Bred in Kentucky by Erv Woolsey and Ralph Kinder, the son of the mutiple stakes-placed Untraveled (Canadian Frontier) was knocked down to trainer Hideyuki Mori for $190,000 from the McKathan Bros. draft at this year's OBS March Sale after the Mar. 31 foal breezed an eighth of a mile in the bullet time of :9 4/5. So highly though-of was the colt that he made his career debut in allowance company, finishing third in testing conditions at Kokura Racecourse Aug. 14. Dugat just missed the placings in the G3 Kokura Nisai S. when making his second trip to the races Sept. 5 and was returning to the turf Saturday after finishing unplaced in a seven-furlong dirt maiden Sept. 25.

The heavy favorite bounced well from gate nine beneath Yutaka Take and crossed and cleared his rivals, covering the opening quarter mile from a standing start in :23.3 and the first 800 meters in :45.6 while well in hand. Under no urging whatsoever, Dugat widened his advantage in upper stretch and was gathered up in the final 50 yards, scoring by four lengths in 1:09.3 (see below).

Dugat is the only of his sire's first-crop runners to have started to date in Japan. Mori also paid a sales-topping $750,000 for a Practical Joke filly out of Peruvian champion Valiant Emilia (Per) (Pegasus Wind) at OBS March. The filly, from the family of GII Tampa Bay Derby hero Helium (Ironicus) and now named Clos de Mesnil, is in steady training and is likely to debut before the end of 2021. Dugat is the third of Mori's eight OBSMAR purchases–seven of which have started–to salute this fall.

WATCH: Dugat graduates easily at Hanshin

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Brown Brigade Readies for Breeders’ Cup

Several of runners targeting next month's Breeders' Cup at Del Mar breezed for trainer Chad Brown at Belmont Saturday, including Oct. 2 GI Champagne S. winner Jack Christopher (Munnings), who worked a half-mile in :49.05. According to Brown, the Jim Bakke, Gerald Isbister, Coolmore Stud and Peter Brant-owned colt remains on target for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Nov. 5.

“He was great,” said Brown. He was in control the entire way and galloped out super. He came back good.”

Also on Saturday's worktab, Klaravich Stables' multiple Grade I-winner Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}) breezed five-eighths in 1:01.85 in company with Peter Brant's multiple Grade I-winner Raging Bull (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}).

“They went excellent this morning,” said Brown. “Both horses are on target for the Breeders' Cup.

Domestic Spending, who will target the Turf, is a winner of a trio of Grade Is including this season's Manhattan and a co-topping effort with Colonel Liam (Liam's Map) in the May 1 Turf Classic. Most recently, he was a closing second in the GI Mr. D on Aug. 14 at Arlington Park.

“He breezed great today and galloped out strong. He's very fit,” Brown said.

According to Brown, Raging Bull, a closing third in the Sept. 18 GI Woodbine Mile, will make his next start in the Mile.

“He's looking for really fast ground and I expect to get that at Del Mar,” added Brown.

In addition to Domestic Spending, Brown is also aiming GI United Nations scorer Tribhuvan (Fr) (Toronado {Ire}) and GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic S. victor Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) at the 12-furlong test. The former worked five panels in 1:00.50 in company with Group 2-placed filly Nazuna (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) (1:00.40).

Targeting the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf, Peter Brant's My Sister Nat (Fr) (Acclamation {GB}) and Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables and Michael J. Caruso's Orglandes worked a half-mile in company over the inner turf. The 11-furlong GIII Waya S. winner went in :49.23, while the latter completed the task in :49.26.

“The mile and three eighths is a good trip for her,” Brown said of the half-sister to champion Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}).

Also on target for the F&M Turf, Juddmonte's Pocket Square (GB) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) worked five furlongs in 1:02.02 with Tamahere (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) (1:02.11) over the inner turf.

“The filly is training pretty good. I'm going to pre-enter her in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf and see what it looks like,” said Brown of the Sept. 25 GIII Athenia S. winner. “Her last race really changed my mind about her. I thought she ran good at that distance and the way she galloped out steady. If she's good enough or not, I'm not sure. It's not a definite she's going but I want to take a look at it and see.”

Klaravich Stables' Portfolio Company (Kitten's Joy) breezed a half-mile in :49.41 in company with General Ken (Violence), a recent private purchase for an ownership led by Louis Lazzinnaro. A maiden winner, Portfolio Company was runner up in the GIII With Anticipation S. in September at Saratoga and GII Pilgrim S. Oct. 3 at Belmont. He is targeting the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

Brown also confirmed that Royal Flag (Candy Ride {Arg}), last out winner of the GII Beldame S., will target the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff and Blowout (GB) (Dansili {GB}), recent winner of Keeneland's GI First Lady S., would be pre-entered to the Mile.

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