January, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Heavy Favorite Abaan Extends Win Streak In W.L. McKnight

Heavy favorite Abaan rolled to a 2½ length victory Saturday in the $200,000 W.L. McKnight Stakes (G3) to extend his win streak to three races.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher won the W.L. McKnight for the fourth time.

Abaan, owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Alex Daigneault, was sent off as the 3-2 favorite in the field of 12 after his easy gate-to-wire victory in the 2-mile H. Allen Jerkens on Dec. 26. Under leading rider Luis Saez, Abaan pressed the pace set by King Cause through early fractions of 25.39 seconds, 50.38, 1:15.43. The 5-year-old son of Will Take Charge seized the lead in the third and final turn of the 1½ miles turf race and had no challengers in the stretch and paid $5.00.

Temple was second in the McKnight for the second-straight year. Media Blitz was third.

$200,000 W.L. McKnight (G3) Quotes

Winning trainer Todd Pletcher (Abaan): “We anticipated that he wouldn't be on the lead today, and we felt like he could be effective without having it. It was nice to see him prove that. I think it opens up a lot of options for him in terms of the way he needs to be ridden.”

“He went to the far turn and he was pretty authoritative when he took the lead and spread the race open right there. It looked like he finished with good energy.”

“There's a lot of options. He's been invited to Saudi for the long race there. We nominated to Dubai. We'll see how he comes out of it and I'll talk to [the owners] and we'll come up with a game plan. He's doing so well here at Gulfstream, there's another option or two here. There are some big prizes we'll have to take a look at.”

Winning jockey Luis Saez (Abaan): “We tried to break from there and see if someone took the lead, we could be in the perfect spot. Everything worked out pretty great, like the plan. When we came to the top of the stretch, he just took off.”

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Oaks Prep: Arrogate Daughter Secret Oath Very Impressive In Martha Washington Victory

Briland Farm's Secret Oath won like a 1-2 favorite should when she drew off to win Saturday's $200,000 Martha Washington Stakes in dominating fashion and in the process earned 10 points towards eligibility in the May 6 Kentucky Oaks (G1).

Secret Oath settled into fourth as Optionality set easy fractions of :24 and :48 2/5 for the first half mile. The winner dragged her jockey Luis Contreras to the lead rounding the turn for home and from there the race was for second-place only as Secret Oath drew off to win by 7 ¼ lengths in 1:46 1/5 for 1 1/16 miles over a fast track.

Optionality held on for second, 4 ¾ lengths in front of Como Square. They earned four and two points, respectively towards Kentucky Oaks eligibility, while Hypersport earned one point for finishing fourth. The Kentucky Oaks is limited to 14 starters.

“I had a great trip,” Contreras said. “I had so much horse the whole way around. Once I got her on the outside of the horses, she gave me everything she had.”

Secret Oath, an Arrogate filly out of three-time Oaklawn stakes winner Absinthe Minded, won for the third time in five starts and had now earned $285,167. The heavy favorite paid $3, $2.20 and $2.10.

The remaining races in Oaklawn's Kentucky Oaks series are the $300,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) (85 points) on Saturday, Feb. 26 and $600,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) (170 points) on Saturday, April 2.

Live racing resumes Sunday with a 12:30 p.m. first post.

Stakes quotes:

In the absence of Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, Secret Oath was saddled by his longtime assistant, Sebastian “Bas” Nicholl.

Winning jockey Luis Contreras: “She's a really good filly. I had a really clean trip. I had a good break and the fractions really weren't strong in front. I just tried to keep her covered as much as I could. She was fighting with me. She wanted to go every single step of the race. I just tried to keep her covered behind another horse. When I put her outside, she just exploded.”

Winning trainer D. Wayne Lukas: “It was a replay (of her last race) and that's what we were looking for. That consistency is now coming and we're getting that maturity, as far as a professional racehorse. She's been very manageable, but she was a little immature before. But I think it's coming together now and we've just got to keep her happy and fat and we'll go down the road. What was I thinking down the stretch? 'Oh boy, oh boy. Here she comes.' I said, 'Let her roll.' When she made that big move, the fractions were so slow early on, I thought that Steve's (Asmussen) filly (Optionality) might just hang in there because they were slow. I was a little bit concerned, but not when she pulled up to their hips, back to the flanks. I said, 'When he (Luis Contreras) let's her go, she's going to roll.' “

Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., second on Optionality: “I saw that horse at the three-eighths (Secret Oath) and when I saw him (jockey Luis Contreras) pass me that easy, there was no way I was going to beat him. My horse ran well. Just second best.”

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Pricey Midnight Storm Colt a Debut Winner at Gulfstream

4th-Gulfstream, $53,000, Msw, 1-29, 3yo, 7f, 1:24.53, ft, 1 1/4 lengths.
SWING SHIFT (c, 3, Midnight Storm–Tasunke, by Indian Charlie) and GIII Iroquois S. fourth Bourbon Heist (Practical Joke) were nigh inseparable by the betting public up until the gates opened for the former's career debut; the latter ultimately ending up the slimmest of 5-2 favorites. With first-time Lasix for his unveiling, Swing Shift broke fast from the outside slot and took command going up the backstretch with a stubborn challenger in stablemate and fellow firster Congressman (Constitution) glued to his outside. Dueling through fractions of :22.92 and :46.73 into the far turn, last year's $550,000 OBS April procurement (:20 4/5) turned his longtime shadow away late while drifting in the lane and held off fast-closing charges led by Bourbon Heist to graduate by 1 1/4 length. It was another neck back to Positive Review (Unified), who was forced to steady in mid stretch. The winner is his dam's second foal and second winner as well as being her final reported offspring when Tasunke came up barren in 2020 after visiting Mshawish. Swing Shift was the most expensive of 30 juveniles to switch hands by Midnight Storm in the ring last year. The result stood after a stewards inquiry and a trainer objection from Saffie Joseph, Jr. (trainer of Positive Review) involving the stretch run. Sales history: $180,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $550,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $31,800. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-WinStar Farm LLC, Woodford Thoroughbreds LLC, CMNWLTH and Siena Farm LLC; B-Siena Farms LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.

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Weveallbeencaught Tops Cheltenham January Sale

Weveallbeencaught (Ire) (Getaway {Ger}) (lot 14), a debut winner at Dromahane last month, topped the Tattersalls Cheltenham January Sale staged on Saturday for just the second time when knocked down to Twiston-Davies Equine and Jimmy Wenman for £210,000. The newly turned 5-year-old was offered by Michael Kennedy Racing and was one of 12 horses from 39 offered to cross the six-figure threshold.

Fillies and mares filled the next three top spots, headed by the 5-year-old Queens Vic (Ire) (Shirocco {Ger}) (lot 8), who was bought by Joey Logan, Gordon Elliott and Andy Brown for £175,000. Queens Vic won on debut at Dromahane on Sunday.

A total of 34 horses were sold for £2,672,000, at an average of £78,588 and a median of £69,000.

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