October, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Bombs Away in the Bourbon

Tiz the Bomb broke through the gate before the start and had to overcome a wide post, but those obstacles proved no matter as the improving colt picked up his second straight stakes win in Sunday's GII Castle & Key Bourbon S. at Keeneland, punching his ticket for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

Easily the most expensive progeny of his sire to sell in 2020 when hammering for $330,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearling Sale, the bay only beat one horse home debuting over five furlongs on the Churchill dirt May 14, but improved drastically stretching out to a mile in an Ellis off-the-turfer July 2, cruising to a 14 1/4-length graduation. Stepping up in his first start on turf and initial try against winners to annex the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile S. Sept. 6, Tiz the Bomb was made a fractional favorite in this full 14-horse field despite breaking through his stall and running off for about a furlong before being corralled and reloaded.

Finding a good spot racing in the clear in fourth behind fractions of :22.94 and :47.54, he got shuffled back a bit midway around the far turn and appeared to be spinning his wheels in sixth as the field straightened for home. Starting to find his best stride passing the three-sixteenths marker, Tiz the Bomb drew alongside a trio of battling leaders a furlong out, forged to the front soon after and inched clear to prevail. Stolen Base rallied late to get into second.

“It's not a good omen, typically, and yeah, it makes a trainer nervous when it happens, but [jockey] Brian [Hernandez] did a great job wrangling him up and keeping him under control,” winning trainer Ken McPeek said of Tiz a Bomb breaking through the gate. “It's worse if he comes off or something like that. This horse has got a lot of talent and we're fortunate to have a guy like Brian who handles things on the oval. He does a great job.”

“We were ready, we were set up, and as the last horse was walking in, I turned his head to set him to where we could leave the gate in good order,” related Hernandez. “He got a little anxious and just charged forward one step and the gate popped open. Most of the time when that happens, horses have a hard time recovering from it, but when we finally reloaded and he left the gate in good order the second time, we were able to get around the first turn in good order. I was really confident in him, and he took care of it from there.”

The win capped a big weekend at Keeneland for McPeek, whose Rattle N Roll (Connect) ran away to an impressive success in Saturday's GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity. McPeek, however, said that Rattle N Roll may pass on the Breeders' Cup while indicating that Tiz the Bomb will be on a plane to Del Mar.

“I think for this horse definitely the Breeders' Cup Juvenile [Turf] is ideal,” he commented. “Everything happens for a reason. You could have made the case that Tiz the Bomb could have run yesterday for sure, and Rattle N Roll–of course, they're apples and oranges. It's a high-level problem we've got right now. We're just going to enjoy this, relish the moment and make those decisions as we get closer.”

Pedigree Notes:

One of seven stakes winners for Spendthrift Farm's Hit It a Bomb, Tiz the Bomb becomes his fifth graded stakes winner with the victory. He's the second foal to race out of his dam, who was fourth at 22-1 in the 2014 GI American Oaks. A $330,000 Keeneland September buy by Spendthrift, she has a yearling Free Drop Billy filly and foaled a colt by Mor Spirit this season before being bred to Gormley.

Sunday, Keeneland
CASTLE & KEY BOURBON S.-GII, $200,000, Keeneland, 10-10, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 1:43.69, gd.
1–TIZ THE BOMB, 120, c, 2, by Hit It a Bomb
   1st Dam: Tiz the Key, by Tiznow
   2nd Dam: Cabbage Key, by A.P. Indy
   3rd Dam: Mayville's Magic, by Gone West
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($330,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL).
O-Phoenix Thoroughbred, LTD; B-Spendthrift Farm, LLC (KY);
T-Kenneth G. McPeek; J-Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.
$120,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0, $447,841. Werk Nick
Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Stolen Base, 118, c, 2, Bodemeister–Running Wild, by
Indian Charlie. ($45,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR). O-Three
Diamonds Farm & Deuce Greathouse; B-Peter E. Blum
Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Michael J. Maker. $40,000.
3–Credibility, 118, c, 2, Nyquist–Class Edge, by Indygo Shiner.
($32,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $15,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR). O-Harry
Rosenblum; B-DJ Stable, LLC (KY); T-Mark E. Casse.
$20,000.
Margins: 3/4, HF, 3/4. Odds: 2.90, 7.90, 45.00.
Also Ran: Red Danger, Dowagiac Chief, Rocket One, Play Action Pass, Lucky Boss, On Thin Ice, Brit's Wit, Martini'nmoonshine, Heaven Street, Fast N Steady, Waita Minute Hayes. Scratched: Red Run, Vivar.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Bombs Away in the Bourbon appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Sacred Life Swoops In Late To Take Knickerbocker At Belmont

Field Pass took the lead in the opening strides of the Grade 3 Knickerbocker and looked poised to take the field gate to wire when Sacred Life powered down the stretch to nip Field Pass at the wire at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Breaking from the rail, Field Pass took the lead at the start, moving out to a one-length advantage around the first turn and into the backstretch. Sacred Life hung out toward the back of the pack, next to last in front of only Corelli early. Around the far turn, Temple moved up on the outside to challenge Field Pass, but the leader dug in, maintaining his one-length lead as the field approached the wire.

Trapped behind horses on the rail, Jose Ortiz took advantage of an opening at the top of the stretch to move between horses and find an opening running lane. Once clear, Sacred Life poured on the speed, boldly moving down the center of the track as the wire approached, catching Field Pass in the final jumps. The final time for the 1 1/8 miles on the firm turf was 1:46.66.

Sacred Life paid $12.80, $5.40, and $4.60. Field Pass paid $7.40 and $5.30. Temple paid $6.80. Find this race's chart here.

“He's [Sacred Life] trained well. He's an honest horse. It just hasn't worked out for him in some of his races and he clicked with Jose [Ortiz] today and got a great trip. He got some pace to run into and made a late run and was able to get up at the wire. It was an exciting finish. It looked a little more fun for Jose than it did for me,” Dan Stupps, assistant to trainer Chad Brown, said after the race.

“He has no speed early on and I had to ride him from early. At the six furlongs, I started pushing on him and he was coming little by little. I knew sooner or later he would pick it up and he picked up nicely around the half-mile and then I just wanted for Rosario [Joel, aboard No. 2, Breaking the Rules] to go and I followed him,” jockey Jose Ortiz told the NYRA Press Office after the Knickerbocker. “I had a lot of room to work with [moving inside of Manny Franco aboard No. 4, L'Imperator in the stretch run] so I decided to do it. He was flying late. I just had to keep him straight.”

Bred in France by Viktor Timoshenko and Andriy Milovanov, Sacred Life is by Siyouni (FR) out of the Montjeu mare Knyazhna (IRE). He is owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, and Michael Caruso. Consigned by Quesnay, Sacred Life was sold for $55,925 to Chantilly Bloodstock Agency at the 2016 Arqana Deauville August Yearlings Sale. The G3 Knickerbocker is the 6-year-old ridgling's first win of 2021, for a lifetime record of seven wins in 21 starts and career earnings of $616,768.

The post Sacred Life Swoops In Late To Take Knickerbocker At Belmont appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Letruska Dominates in Keeneland’s Spinster

Popular star distaffer Letruska (Super Saver) took another step toward a potential Horse of the Year trophy Sunday at Keeneland, rolling to her fourth Grade I victory and sixth graded stakes win overall on the year as a heavy favorite in the GI Juddmonte Spinster S.

A dual Group 1 winner in Mexico for Fausto Gutierrez in 2019, Letruska stamped herself as a horse to watch with an impressive wire-to-wire score in last summer's GIII Shuvee S. at Saratoga and, after disappointing when finishing a well-beaten fourth in Belmont's GII Beldame S., added open-lengths graded stakes successes in the GIII Rampart S. and GIII Houston Ladies Classic S. over the winter. A narrow second in the GII Azeri S. at Oaklawn, the 5-year-old sent a seismic shock through the racing world when improbably re-rallying to stun dual champion Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) in the GI Apple Blossom H. Apr. 17 in Hot Springs. She then added a 2 3/4-length conquest of the GI Ogden Phipps S. and came back three weeks later for a 5 3/4-length romp in the GII Fleur de Lis S. before fighting off a host of challengers to annex the GI Personal Ensign S. last out Aug. 28 at Saratoga.

Away with all the money on to keep it rolling in this first career start at Keeneland, the bay broke as cleanly as Gutierrez could have asked for and established command in the first handful of strides under regular rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. Shaking loose from her nearest pursuers with ears pricked heading into the clubhouse turn, Letruska clicked off moderate fractions of :24 flat and :47.89 while moving easily in the clear. Crystal Ball (Malibu Moon) tried her best to take a run at the chalk as three-quarters went up in 1:12.52, but was always under more pressure than Letruska and dropped away by the top of the lane. Distant second choice Dunbar Road (Quality Road) began to make up marginal ground passing the eighth pole, but was never a realistic threat, and Letruska bounded past the wire a victress for the 17th time in her remarkable 22-race career.

“This is a horse to change the life of any person,” said Gutierrez. “She's a superstar and she proves [it] every second, every race. She shows her game, her ability at Churchill, at Oaklawn, at Saratoga. She's a racehorse.”

“She's doing so good right now,” added Ortiz. “I think she has great condition, a good trainer. She's doing unbelievable right now. She was just moving smooth out there. She didn't go that fast today but she did it easy, relaxed, and whenever I asked her she was there for me.”

Pedigree Notes:

One of 32 stakes winners, 16 graded stakes winners and seven Grade I winners for 2010 GI Kentucky Derby hero Super Saver, Letruska is the third black-type performer and second black-type winner from seven foals to race out of GSP Magic Appeal, a half-sister to GISW and sire J P's Gusto (Successful Appeal) and the dam of dual Canadian champion Miss Mischief (Into Mischief). Second dam Call Her Magic (Caller I. D.) was an eight-time winner in 14 career starts and ran a 107 Beyer when airing in a turf sprint stake by 6 3/4 lengths at Delaware in 2000. She is also a half-sister to the dam of 2008 GI Kentucky Oaks winner Proud Spell (Proud Citizen). Magic Appeal, a $100,000 Keeneland November pickup by Letruska's owner/breeder in 2015, has an unraced 2-year-old Hard Spun colt named Ocotzingo, a yearling colt by Arrogate and a weanling filly by Malibu Moon. She was bred to Curlin this spring.

Sunday, Keeneland
JUDDMONTE SPINSTER S.-GI, $500,000, Keeneland, 10-10, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8m, 1:49.01, ft.
1–LETRUSKA, 124, m, 5, by Super Saver
                1st Dam: Magic Appeal (GSP), by Successful Appeal
                2nd Dam: Call Her Magic, by Caller I. D.
                3rd Dam: Malibu Magic, by Encino
O/B-St. George Stables, LLC (KY); T-Fausto Gutierrez; J-Irad
Ortiz, Jr. $300,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 3yo Filly-Mex,
22-17-1-1, $2,236,459. *1/2 to Trigger Warning (Candy Ride
(ARG)), MSW & GISP, $555,378. Werk Nick Rating:
   Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Dunbar Road, 124, m, 5, by Quality Road
                1st Dam: Gift List, by Bernardini
                2nd Dam: Private Gift, by Unbridled
                3rd Dam: Private Status, by Alydar
($350,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP). O-Peter M. Brant; B-Jeffery J.
Drown (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $100,000.
3–Bonny South, 124, f, 4, by Munnings
                1st Dam: Touch the Star, by Tapit
                2nd Dam: Willstar, by Nureyev
                3rd Dam: Nijinsky Star, by Nijinsky II
O/B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $50,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, 2 1/4, 2HF. Odds: 0.40, 4.60, 6.10.
Also Ran: Crystal Ball, Envoutante, Town Avenger. Scratched: High Regard. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Letruska Dominates in Keeneland’s Spinster appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Averly Jane Rockets to Indian Summer Win

Hat Creek Racing's Averly Jane (Midshipman–Sh Sh Shakin', by Richter Scale) powered home a much-the-best winner in Keeneland's Indian Summer S., a 'Win and You're In' race for the GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar Nov. 5. Undefeated in three prior starts for trainer Wesley Ward, including a commanding score in Saratoga's Skidmore S. Aug. 20, she was installed the 4-5 choice while facing the boys and getting blinkers off here. To the front like a shot, she rolled through opening splits of :21.64 and :44.50. Turning on all boosters late, Averly Jane crossed the wire a commanding four-length winner over stablemate Kaufymaker (Jimmy Creed). With the win, Averly Jane set a new stakes record of 1:02.65 for 5 1/2 furlongs.

The Indian Summer marked Averly Jane's third score over colts as she'd also faced and beaten them in both the Skidmore and in Churchill's Apr. 28 Kentucky Juvenile S. The bay filly has faced her own gender just once when debuting with an 8 3/4-length victory Apr. 15 at Keeneland. The Indian Summer was her first start on the lawn.

Trainer Ward also won the Indian Summer in 2019 with another filly in Kimari (Munnings), whose further exploits included victory in Keeneland's GI Madison S. this past April.

Sh Sh Shakin' has also produced 2018 Skidmore winner Chattel, whose injuries sustained when clipping heels and falling in the stretch at Kentucky Downs later that year caused his death. The mare also has a yearling colt by Brody's Cause, who sold for $45,000 to Emerald Farm as a Fasig-Tipton short yearling, and was bred to World of Trouble for next term.

Sunday, Keeneland
INDIAN SUMMER S. PRESENTED BY KEENELAND SELECT, $200,000, Keeneland, 10-10, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, 1:02.65, gd.
1–AVERLY JANE, 117, f, 2, by Midshipman
               1st Dam: Sh Sh Shakin', by Richter Scale
               2nd Dam: Capote's Gift, by Capote
               3rd Dam: Bubbles Darlene, by Fappiano
($35,000 Ylg '20 FTKOCT). O-Hat Creek Racing; B-University
of Kentucky (KY); T-Wesley A. Ward; J-Tyler Gaffalione.
$120,000. Lifetime Record: 4-4-0-0, $313,140. *1/2 to
Chattel (Giant Oak), SW, $111,540.
2–Kaufymaker, 116, f, 2, Jimmy Creed–Heaven's Touch, by
Montbrook. O/B-Gregory Kaufman (KY); T-Wesley A. Ward.
$40,000.
3–Circle Back Jack, 118, g, 2, Tonalist–Sucat, by Medaglia
d'Oro. O-Susan Evans & Cathy Sweezey; B-Susan Evans &
Mary Catherine Sweezey (KY); T-Sarah Hamilton. $20,000.
Margins: 3, NK, NK. Odds: 0.90, 3.20, 47.50.
Also Ran: Detroit City, Pure Panic, Roman Poet, Big Boss Ben, Bonus Appreciation, Diamond City. Scratched: Sonnyisnotsofunny.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Averly Jane Rockets to Indian Summer Win appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post