November, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Sharp Starr Looks To Repeat In Go For Wand At Aqueduct

Barry Schwartz's Sharp Starr will look to capture back-to-back editions of the $250,000 Grade 3 Go For Wand Handicap, a one-turn mile for fillies and mares slated for next Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

The 4-year-old Munnings filly, out of the A.P. Indy mare Mindy Gold, breezed solo Saturday morning under trainer Horacio DePaz over a fast training track at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., going four furlongs in :48.68.

Last year, Sharp Starr defeated five rivals in the Go for Wand which saw the New York-bred filly capture her first graded stakes win and also her first win in open company while earning a 97 Beyer. Sharp Starr owns a 3-2-0-1 record racing at one mile on the dirt at the Big A.

DePaz believes his filly is in better shape for this year's edition.

“She's always had good form and it looks like she's stepping up. She's matured much more physically, so I'm very happy with her,” DePaz said.

Sharp Starr captured the $250,000 Empire Distaff last month at Belmont, off a two-month layoff, where she notched a 16-1 upset coming from last-of-10 under jockey Jose Ortiz, who will retain the mount. She earned a 92 Beyer for the win, her first of the 2021 season in five starts.

The post Sharp Starr Looks To Repeat In Go For Wand At Aqueduct appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Trinni Luck Breezes Ahead Of Staten Island, Bella Sofia Gets A Break

Ryan Racing's homebred Trinni Luck breezed five-eighths in company in a bullet :59.60 Saturday over the dirt training track at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., in preparation for the seven-furlong NYSSS Staten Island for fillies and mares next Sunday at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez said the work was designed to help the 4-year-old Trinniberg filly with the cutback in distance after making her last two starts at 1 1/16-miles at Belmont, including an open allowance win in September and an off-the-board effort in the Empire Distaff on October 30.

“She did it the right way,” Rodriguez said. “We put company on her and tried to sharpen her up a little bit. She cooled out good.”

Bred in New York by her owner, the talented bay boasts a record of 7-4-1-0 with purse earnings of $185,350.

Rodriguez said J. W. Singer's Magic Circle is training well into next Saturday's $250,000 G2 Demoiselle, a nine-furlong test for juvenile fillies which offers 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points.

The Kantharos filly, who finished a close second to Gerrymander last out in the one-mile Tempted on November 5 at Belmont, breezed five-eighths in 1:02.02 November 23 over the Belmont dirt training track.

“She's doing very good. We'll work her again next week,” Rodriguez said. “She's coming into the race good and we just have to hope she likes the two turns.”

Magic Circle was a maiden winner at first asking sprinting seven furlongs in September at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., ahead of a tiring fourth in the one-mile G1 Frizette on October 3 at Belmont.

Rodriguez said Magic Circle should appreciate the stretch out in distance.

“I'm hoping we can sit behind the speed and make a run. She's a very kind filly and you can do what you want with her,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said that Michael Imperio, Vincent Scuderi, Sofia Soares, Gabrielle Farm, Mazel Stable Partners, Matthew Mercurio, Medallion Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds, and Barry Fowler's Bella Sofia is off for a freshening ahead of a 4-year-old campaign.

The Awesome Patriot sophomore filly, who was unraced as a juvenile, went 4-for-6 in a tremendous campaign that included wins in the G1 Longines Test in August at the Spa and the G2 Gallant Bloom Handicap in September.

She completed her season with a fourth-place finish in the G1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint after traveling wide from the outermost post 5 under regular pilot Luis Saez.

“We didn't run our best race in California. I knew we were in trouble from the draw, but we were pleased with her year,” Rodriguez said. “We'll give her a little break and bring her back next year. We sent her to the farm and we'll give her two or three months and get ready for Belmont. Hopefully, she'll come back even better.”

The post Trinni Luck Breezes Ahead Of Staten Island, Bella Sofia Gets A Break appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Pletcher Breezes Cigar Mile Duo

'TDN Rising Star' Following Sea (Runhappy) and the progressive Americanrevolution (Constitution) worked a half-mile in company in :49.21 over the Belmont training track Saturday morning, with both 3-year-old colts headed towards next Saturday's GI Cigar Mile, presented by NYRA Bets.

Spendthrift Farm's Following Sea, two-back winner of the GII Vosburgh S., exits a third-place effort to Aloha West (Hard Spun) and Dr. Schivel (Violence) in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint, while Americanrevolution ran up the score last time in the Oct. 30 Empire Classic, besting his New York-bred elders by 11 3/4 lengths over a sloppy Belmont main track.

“They both went well,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, a four-time winner of the Cigar Mile. “It was a good breeze for them both with a solid gallop out. They both seem to be happy and healthy, knock on wood.”

Seven 3-year-olds have won the Cigar Mile, including Maximum Security in 2019.

In other Cigar Mile news, Ginobili (Munnings), second to 'TDN Rising Star' Life Is Good (Into Mischief) in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, tuned up for Saturday's race with a five-furlong drill at trainer Richard Baltas's San Luis Rey base in :59.60 Friday morning.

“It was an excellent work,” Baltas said on Friday evening. “He galloped out in 1:12 1/5 and out in 1:26 and did it in a gallop. I was really happy with the way he worked. He was more relaxed than usual.”

The post Pletcher Breezes Cigar Mile Duo appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Ginobili Breezes Ahead Of Cigar Mile At Aqueduct

Graded-stakes winner Ginobili breezed five-eighths in :59.60 Friday at San Luis Rey Training Center in Bonsall, Calif., in preparation for next Saturday's Grade 1 Cigar Mile presented by NYRA Bets.

Trained and co-owned by Richard Baltas with Slam Dunk Racing, Richard McClanahan, and Michael Nentwig, Ginobili is named for Manu Ginobili, a retired basketball player who starred for the San Antonio Spurs.

“It was an excellent work,” Baltas said on Friday evening. “He galloped out in 1:12 and 1 and out in 1:26 and did it in a gallop. I was really happy with the way he worked. He was more relaxed than usual.”

The 4-year-old Munnings bay, a $35,000 purchase at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, graduated at second asking sprinting six furlongs in August 2019 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., ahead of a fourth-place finish in the G1 Del Mar Futurity.

That effort was followed by a difficult run of form with Ginobili hitting the board just once in his next four starts to conclude his sophomore season in October 2020.

Ginobili was given a lengthy layoff and returned in May to finish off-the-board in a turf sprint and fourth in a main-track sprint in June at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. But the addition of blinkers and a stretch out in distance in July saw Ginobili end a nine-race losing streak with a two-turn score in a one-mile optional claimer at Del Mar that garnered a career-best 104 Beyer.

Ginobili followed that effort by besting multiple graded stakes winner C Z Rocket in the seven-furlong G2 Pat O'Brien in August at Del Mar, a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. Ginobili performed admirably in the Dirt Mile, completing the exacta behind Life Is Good.

Baltas said that Ginobili, who was gelded in June 2020, benefitted from a number of changes.

“I turned him out and we did a minor surgery [ankle chip] on him and gave him some time and brought him back as much sounder horse as a 4-year-old,” Baltas said. “The blinkers were a big deal and the stretch out – it's been a combination of things. We're excited that he's done what he's done this year and we're hoping that will continue.”

Baltas said Ginobili was slated to ship to New York on Saturday.

The post Ginobili Breezes Ahead Of Cigar Mile At Aqueduct appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post