February, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Smile Happy, White Abarrio Co-Individual Favorites In Third Kentucky Derby Future Wager

The third of five pools for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”) is set for its three-day stand Friday at noon with the pari-mutuel field of “All Other 3-Year-Olds” tabbed as the clear 5-2 morning line favorite while Lucky Seven Stable's undefeated Smile Happy along with C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa Stable's $250,000 Holy Bull (Grade 3) winner White Abarrio lead the individual choices at 8-1.

The third KDFW pool will run through Sunday at 6 p.m. ET. Bettors can place win and exacta wagers at simulcast outlets throughout the country and online at TwinSpires.com, the official ADW of the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs Incorporated.

Like in Pools 1 and 2, the KDFW pools assumes that horses under the care of trainers suspended from competing in the 2022 Kentucky Derby will not be under consideration. Those horses are included in the “All Other 3-Year-Olds” pari-mutuel field.

Smile Happy, the 3 ¼-length winner of the $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (Grade 2) in late November at Churchill Downs, is slated to make his 3-year-old debut in the $400,000 Risen Star (G2) on Feb. 19 at Fair Grounds, according to his trainer Kenny McPeek.

Smile Happy closed as the 8-1 individual favorite in Pools 1 and 2 of the KDFW in November and January.

White Abarrio closed at odds of 171-1 in Pool 2 but has since jumped into serious Derby contention following his emphatic 4 ½-length score in last Saturday's Holy Bull. Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., White Abarrio is targeting the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) on Saturday, April 2 as his final prep prior to the Kentucky Derby, according to his connections

Here's the complete Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 field (with trainer and morning line odds): #1 Barber Road (John Ortiz, 20-1); #2 Call Me Midnight (Keith Desormeaux, 20-1); #3 Chasing Time (Steve Asmussen, 15-1); #4 Classic Causeway (Brian Lynch, 50-1); #5 Commandperformance (Todd Pletcher, 50-1); #6 Early Voting (Chad Brown, 12-1); #7 Emmanuel (Pletcher, 10-1); #8 Epicenter (Asmussen, 15-1); #9 Forbidden Kingdom (Richard Mandella, 10-1); #10 God of Love (Mark Casse, 50-1); #11 Happy Boy Rocket (Bill Mott, 50-1); #12 Howling Time (Dale Romans, 50-1); #13 In Due Time (Kelly Breen, 30-1); #14 Major General (Pletcher, 30-1); #15 Make It Big (Joseph, 50-1); #16 Mo Donegal (Pletcher, 30-1); #17 Pappacap (Casse, 15-1); #18 Rattle N Roll (McPeek, 30-1); #19 Simplification (Antonio Sano, 30-1); #20 Slow Down Andy (Doug O'Neill, 20-1); #21 Smile Happy (McPeek, 8-1); #22 White Abarrio (Joseph, 8-1); #23 Zandon (Brown, 30-1); and #24 “All Other 3-Year-Olds” (5-2).

There are eight new individual interests from Pool 2 in the KDFW. They are Southwest Stakes (G3) runner-up Barber Road; Lecomte (G3) winner Call Me Midnight; Withers (G3) winner Early Voting; San Vicente (G2) winner Forbidden Kingdom; Grey Stakes (G3) winner God of Love; maiden winner Happy Boy Rocket; Street Sense winner Howling Time; and fast first-level allowance winner In Due Time.

Combined handle for the first two KDFW pools was $687,657, up 20.4 percent from last year's $571,366.

The Kentucky Derby Future Wagers provide fans of Thoroughbred racing with opportunities to place bets on possible entrants in the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade 1) at odds that could be far greater and more attractive than those available on the day of the race. The 148th running of Kentucky Derby, America's greatest race and the first leg of the Triple Crown, is set for Saturday, May 7, 2022 at Churchill Downs.

There are no refunds in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager. Should Churchill Downs officials determine during the duration of this week's three-day pool that one of the wagering interests has experienced an injury, illness or other circumstance that would prevent the horse from participating in the Kentucky Derby, betting on the individual horse will be suspended immediately.

More information, Brisnet.com past performances and real-time odds on the Kentucky Derby Future Wager will be available before the pool opens Friday online at https://www.kentuckyderby.com/wager/future-wager.

The other Future Wager dates are March 11-13 (Pool 4) and March 31-April 2 (Pool 5). The lone Longines Kentucky Oaks Future Wager will coincide with Pool 4 of the KDFW on March 11-13.

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Smile Happy, White Abarrio Top Individual Choices in Derby Future Wager Pool 3

The third of five pools for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager is set for its three-day stand Friday at noon with the pari-mutuel field of “All Other 3-Year-Olds” tabbed as the clear 5-2 morning line favorite while Lucky Seven Stable's undefeated Smile Happy (Runhappy) along with C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa Stable's GIII Holy Bull S. winner White Abarrio (Race Day) lead the individual choices at 8-1.

Here's the complete Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 field (with sire, trainer and morning-line odds): #1 Barber Road (Race Day, John Ortiz, 20-1); #2 Call Me Midnight (Midnight Lute, Keith Desormeaux, 20-1); #3 Chasing Time (Not This Time, Steve Asmussen, 15-1); #4 Classic Causeway (Giant's Causeway, Brian Lynch, 50-1); #5 Commandperformance (Union Rags, Todd Pletcher, 50-1); #6 Early Voting (Gun Runner, Chad Brown, 12-1); #7 Emmanuel (More Than Ready, Pletcher, 10-1); #8 Epicenter (Not This Time, Asmussen, 15-1); #9 Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah, Richard Mandella, 10-1); #10 God of Love (Cupid, Mark Casse, 50-1); #11 Happy Boy Rocket (Runhappy, Bill Mott, 50-1); #12 Howling Time (Not This Time, Dale Romans, 50-1); #13 In Due Time (Not This Time, Kelly Breen, 30-1); #14 Major General (Constitution, Pletcher, 30-1); #15 Make It Big (Neolithic, Saffie Joseph, 50-1); #16 Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo, Pletcher, 30-1); #17 Pappacap (Gun Runner, Casse, 15-1); #18 Rattle N Roll (Connect, Ken McPeek, 30-1); #19 Simplification (Not This Time, Antonio Sano, 30-1); #20 Slow Down Andy (Nyquist, Doug O'Neill, 20-1); #21 Smile Happy (McPeek, 8-1); #22 White Abarrio (Joseph, 8-1); #23 Zandon (Upstart, Brown, 30-1); and #24 “All Other 3-Year-Olds” (5-2).

The other Future Wager dates are Mar. 11-13 (Pool 4) and Mar. 31-Apr. 2 (Pool 5). The lone Longines Kentucky Oaks Future Wager will coincide with Pool 4 of the KDFW Mar. 11-13.

The post Smile Happy, White Abarrio Top Individual Choices in Derby Future Wager Pool 3 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Robust Start To Bumper Goffs February Sale

KILDARE, Ireland–A dreich day may have tried its hardest to dampen the spirits, but there was an altogether warmer feel to proceedings in the ring as the sales season sparked into action in Ireland with a bumper mixed catalogue at Goffs.

Extended to three days, with around 600 horses slated to sell, it is tricky to make direct comparisons with smaller and Covid-interrupted sales of previous years, but a healthy median of €10,000, average of €20,235, and turnover of €2,124,700 from 105 horses sold (64%) should be regarded as a decent start to a sale which cleared a little over €4 million in two days just before the pandemic struck two years ago.

Roughly half the horses catalogued for the February Sale have just become yearlings, and a full session of the class of 2021 will be offered on Wednesday, but of those taking their turn during the opening day, it was an AQPS 4-year-old hurdler who topped the list at €150,000.

The Irish-based racing syndicate All About Sunday is making a first foray into the UK and will be represented by the wild card 27B, a Great Pretender (Ire) gelding named Invincible Power (Fr).

“He will be trained by Donald McCain and will be our first horse in training in England,” said All About Sunday founder Darren McGrath. “He seems to have a great temperament, he's a really relaxed horse, with size and scope. His form in France is pretty good and everyone is chasing the French horses.”

Following two placed starts in the French provinces, the Pascal Noue-bred relation to Grade 1-winning hurdler Cilaos Emery (Fr) (Califet {Fr}) was consigned to Goffs by Derryluskin Stud and will now head to Cheshire to join the in-form McCain stable, which was the first to reach the 100-winner mark this jumps season.

A 2-year-old son of Teofilo (Ire) (lot 99) from Shadwell's Derrinstown Stud draft headed the Flat-bred offerings, and the grandson of the dual Grade I winner Fleet Indian (Indian Charlie) will be heading to Jim Bolger's Coolcullen stable after being knocked down to his grand-daughter Clare Manning's Boherguy Stud for €135,000. As the breeder and trainer of Teofilo, Bolger is of course no stranger to the stallion, and he has bred and/or trained six of Teofilo's 22 Group 1 winners. His latest acquisition, out of the dual winner Fleeting Smile (Distorted Humour), has plenty of well-credentialed relations, including American champion 2-year-old Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}) and his fellow Grade I winner Flagstaff (Speightstown), both of whom are out of a half-sister to Fleeting Smile.

A Shadwell-bred Teofilo 2-year-old was on the shopping list of Patrick Prendergast, who went to €80,000 for lot 52, a daughter of the Group 3 and Listed-placed Reyaadah (GB) (Tamayuz {GB}) who is already a stakes producer via her Listed-placed daughter Tamreer (GB) (New Approach {GB}).

As the yearlings took to the ring, it was a member of the first crop of Ballylinch Stud's Waldgeist (GB) (lot 160) who commanded the highest price, with the son of the dual Listed winner Modeeroch (Ire) (Mozart) fetching €85,000 when sold to Ronald Rauscher. The agent confirmed that the Ballylinch-bred youngster, from the family of champion 2-year-old Belardo (Ire), had been bought to race for a German owner.

Weanlings by the Arc winner fared well at the Goffs November Sale, with nine sold for an average a little in excess of €54,000. Another two sold on Tuesday, the second (lot 122) being a half-brother to Group 3 winners Burnt Sugar (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and Brown Sugar (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}), who was bought for €50,000 by David Cox of Baroda Stud.

Saudi Arabia's Najd Stud has made quite an impact when buying horses with form but it got in on the action a little earlier with the purchase of lot 186, a yearling colt by Dark Angel (Ire) from the G3 Prix d'Aumale-placed Pleasemetoo (Ire) (Vale Of York {Ire}), for €82,000. This time around Boherguy Stud was on the other side of the transaction as consignor on behalf of Godolphin.

Ross Doyle conducted the bidding in the company of Najd Stud's Saud Al Qahtani and said after signing for the colt out of the half-sister to Group 3 winners Siyoushake (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Skyward (Fr) (Camelot {GB}), “He'll continue to be raised in Ireland and will probably go into training here. He's been bought to race and he's a good strong colt by a stallion who does it everywhere and from a very good family.”

The team from Tally-Ho Stud stepped in to buy the half-brother to G1 Matron S. winner Champers Elysees (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}) by their promising young stallion Cotai Glory (GB) for €70,000. Lot 118, was consigned by Railstown Stud on behalf of breeder Archway Stud and is out of La Cuvee (GB) (Mark Of Esteem {Ire}), who returned to Elzaam in 2021.

The sale gets underway an hour earlier on Wednesday at 10am.

The post Robust Start To Bumper Goffs February Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Bigger, Stronger Mishriff Ready To Defend His Saudi Cup Title

Mishriff is reported to be bigger and stronger by joint-trainer Thady Gosden as the star 5-year-old prepares to defend his $20 million Saudi Cup crown. Gosden oversaw his preparation for the world's most valuable race 12 months ago and he officially joined his father John on the training license soon after the historic defeat of top-class American hope Charlatan.

Mishriff, owned by His Royal Highness Prince A A Faisal, went on to win the Group 1 Juddmonte International at York last summer by an impressive six lengths.

If he wins the G1 Saudi Cup – run at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh on Saturday, Feb. 26 – he will become the highest-earning horse of all time.

Gosden said: “He's a year older, he's done a bit of growing so he's a little bigger. He's got a great athletic physique and he's definitely strengthened a bit from last year.

“He's a little flamboyant on occasions but he's very tough. He's incredibly versatile and he travels very well, he makes it all look quite easy. He's been training well.”

The defending champion is likely to face another strong American challenge in the shape of Mandaloun and Midnight Bourbon, but Gosden believes the track is well suited to the European raiders.

He said: “The one turn makes a big difference, the longer straight is especially an advantage to the European horses.

“The American horses are used to using a lot of speed to get forward and then having a short straight to get home in.

“The surface is also a bit kinder – the kickback is not as bad. It rides a bit softer, a bit fluffier – it's a brilliant track.

“The Saudi Cup has obviously become a huge meeting on the international racing circuit. Everything runs very smoothly – the quarantine facilities are top class, the track is top class and we have no concerns with taking any horse out there.

“It's definitely something that will become a fixture for us if we have the right horses.”

The Gosden father-and-son training partnership could also be represented by Lord North in the Neom Turf Cup presented by Jahez. He could line up for the $1.5 million Group 3 contest on his first run since landing the Dubai Turf at Meydan in March.

Gosden added: “He had a bit of an issue so, being a horse of his caliber, we gave him all the time he needed. He's bouncing around the place now and I think he's pretty determined to get out there.”

Fellow British joint-trainers William Muir and Chris Grassick have opted for the Neom Turf Cup presented by Jahez for their stable star Pyledriver. They had also received an invitation to run in The Saudi Cup.

After watching Pyledriver work around Kempton on Tuesday morning, Muir revealed he thought the 2100m contest would suit the G1 Hong Kong Vase runner-up better.

He said: “We brought Pyledriver to Kempton to let him have a blow over the surface, so he's covering the distance.

“It was just getting him away from home for something different, a change of scenery to perk him up and keep him in good shape.

“Martin (Dwyer) got off him and said he's been riding horses all winter and to get on one like Pyledriver around there it felt like they broke the track record.

“I've got the others in the family and they all get stronger and stronger. He looks a monster now.

“He's strong and where he should be. I think this horse has everything in front of him – he's now at his peak so you'll see him at his best this year.”

The Lambourn-based trainer is expecting last year's Group 1 Coronation Cup hero to have improved for his Hong Kong experience last December and regular rider Dwyer will fly out to partner him again.

Muir added: “It was his first time out of this country. He never worried about anything but everyone said once he's done it once he'll thrive on it.

“It was just a few things we picked up from the boys that do it all the time, the little tips that help.”

Yorkshire-based trainer Mark Johnston and his son Charlie have had runners at The Saudi Cup meeting in each of the last two years. They will send Nayef Road to contest the G3 Longines Red Sea Turf Handicap this time.

The six-year-old warmed up for the $2.5 million race, run over 3000m, by finishing fourth at Kempton on Saturday.

Joint-trainer Charlie Johnston said: “Perhaps things weren't really run to suit – he was boxed-in in a slowly-run race.

“We gave him a break through November and December. It probably showed at Kempton as he was a little bit ring rusty and we'd be hopeful he'd come forward for that.

“I think the trip, fast ground and quite positive, verging on aggressive, riding leads to his best performances, as we saw when he won the Rose Bowl at Newmarket at the back end of last year.

“He's a relentless galloper and there should be no excuses regarding the conditions he's going to face over there.

“Given the money on offer in Saudi this is the priority for him – if you finish anywhere in the first six you can pick up significant prize money and we'll be looking to pick up some of it.”

Johnston already has one eye on a return to The Saudi Cup meeting in 2023 with Subjectivist. He was the impressive winner of the G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot last season before injury struck ruling him out until next year.

Johnston added: “It was a very tough decision we had to make – biting the bullet and leaving our best horse on the sidelines for this season, but we felt to give him the best chance of standing training going forward we would rule this season out.

“He'll come back into training in September with The Saudi Cup meeting of 2023 his primary target.”

There is also likely to be a strong challenge from France at the meeting.

Sealiway, winner of the G1 Champion Stakes at Ascot in October, is on course for The Saudi Cup. It will be his first race since joining trainer Francis-Henri Graffard.

He said: “He's very classy and he has a lot of personality. The first morning he came to me he was like 'I am the boss'.

“He's a tough horse and he can adapt very easily – adapt to the pace of the race and the ground. He's a nice horse to be around and it seems like he does everything very easily. My worry is, will he be ready as he does everything so easily?

“He was not over-raced last year and he came to me in very good shape. I'm very, very happy with the way he looks, the way he behaves and the way he works, so I'm keen to go.”

Ebaiyra will also be having her first run for Graffard, who is now combining running his own Chantilly yard with overseeing the private stables of the Aga Khan, if she makes it to The Neom Turf Cup presented by Jahez.

Graffard said: “She looks really well – so far everything is going right. She's due to work on Saturday morning and a decision will be made after that.”

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