February, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Count Again Storms Home To Capture Thunder Road

Idle since Aug. 21, the Phil D'Amato-trained Count Again was ready for action on Saturday at Santa Anita, as he stormed home through the lane to take the Grade 3, $100,000 Thunder Road Stakes. Ridden for the first time by Flavien Prat, the 7-year-old gelding by Awesome Again got one mile on turf in 1:34.12.

With longshot Sniper Kitten showing the way to the far turn, Count Again was next to last in a field of six older horses, about four lengths off the lead heading into the far turn. Heavily favored Subconscious took control at the top of the lane while Count Again was on the move, while fourth and three-wide. In a ferocious stretch rally he inhaled the leaders late to win easily.

“The (time off) did him a ton of good,” said D'Amato. “He told me in his last race at Del Mar (a fifth place finish in the G2 Del Mar Mile), 'Hey, I've had a long campaign, maybe it's time to give me a freshener.' And we did that. The owners have been great. Sam-Son Farms, Mark Martinez of Agave Racing, they just told me to give him all the time he needs, and we brought him back fresh and happy.

“I think Flavien got acquainted with him, breezing him the last couple of times and I think that helped him with his timing. He's a horse that just takes him a while to get in gear, but once he does, he's got a pretty impressive late turn of foot.”

A Grade 2 winner in his first start for D'Amato six races back on Nov. 28, 2020, Count Again, who is out of the Red Ransom mare Count to Three and was bred in Ontario, Canada by Sam-Son Farm, was off at 5-2 and paid and paid $7.60, $2.80 and $2.40.

“I've been on this horse a few times in the morning, so I got to know him,” said Prat, who notched his meet-leading 10th stakes victory. “We had a good trip and he put me in the race. He was traveling super all the way around there and when I asked him to run, he gave me a good kick.”

A Grade 3 winner at Woodbine in Toronto, Count Again is now a three-time graded stakes winner and is 14-5-1-4 overall. With the winner's share of $60,000, he increased his earnings to $463,665.

The 3-5 favorite with Juan Hernandez, Subconscious appeared to be in control approaching the furlong pole, but he was no match for the winner close home while finishing three lengths in front of Ready Soul. Idle since Nov. 27, Subconscious returned $2.20 and $2.10.

Ready Soul, who is also trained by D'Amato, was off at 7-1 with John Velazquez and paid $2.60 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.32, 47.41, 1:11.16 and 1:22.65.

Source of original post

Grand Sonata Continues Pletcher Parade In Kitten’s Joy

Whisper Hill Farm homebred Grand Sonata (Medaglia d'Oro) found racing room when he needed it, surging through an opening in deep stretch to run down stablemate Royal Spirit and win Saturday's $100,000 Kitten's Joy (G3) by a neck at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The 10th running of the 1 1/16-mile Kitten's Joy on turf was the second of five graded-stakes for 3-year-olds on a program highlighted by the 33rd edition of the $250,000 Holy Bull (G3), the next step on the road to the $1 million Florida Derby (G1).

Winner of the one-mile Dania Beach Jan. 1 at Gulfstream in his previous start, Grand Sonata ($13.60) completed the distance in 1:41.53 over a firm course under jockey Tyler Gaffalione to give Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher his second stakes win of the day following My Prankster in the Claiborne Farm Swale (G3).

It was the fifth graded-stakes win over the last two Saturdays for Pletcher, including last weekend's $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) and $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1). Overall he has 12 stakes wins at the 2021-2022 Championship Meet, seven of them in graded company.

“I thought he was a little bit overlooked today,” Pletcher said of the winner, sent off as the co-third choice in a field of eight with Royal Spirit. “All his turf races have been good. He had a really tough trip at Aqueduct and didn't get the win but he's a really nice colt, very professional.”

Coinage, winner of the With Anticipation (G3) last summer in his turf debut, was sent to the front by jockey Luis Saez and ran a quarter-mile in 24.03 seconds and a half in 48.22 pressed by Royal Spirit on his right hip. Gaffalione had Grand Sonata settled in third along the rail, with 40-1 long shot Red Knobs on his outside.

“We were concerned there wasn't much pace on paper and Coinage can be tough when he gets loose, so we wanted to be aware of that. The fractions were pretty modest. I thought both horses were in good spots and both finished up well,” Pletcher said. “Actually I thought Royal Spirit might have it for a second, but this horse has a big turn of foot and Tyler knows that. Once he got him in the clear they finished in a rush.”

Royal Spirit moved up to even terms with Coinage exiting the far turn with Gaffalione still looking for room in behind. A couple of openings closed quickly in the stretch before Grand Sonata was able to tip out around Royal Spirit and came with a dramatic late burst to get the edge.

“I had a ton of horse. I had to be patient to wait for a spot. A little crack opened and he hesitated just a little bit, but I had so much horse, he wound up getting through and finished the job nicely,” Gaffalione said. “Mr. Pletcher and I spoke before the race. He said he didn't see much speed in the race and to just follow [Coinage] around there and wait for a spot. When he got out, he really finished well.”

Coinage stayed on for third, 1 ¼ lengths behind Royal Spirit, followed by Eldon's Prince, Red Danger, Speaking Scout, Father Glado and Red Knobs.

Source of original post

Early Voting Never Challenged In Aqueduct’s Withers

Seth Klarman's Early Voting delivered as the 6-5 post-time favorite in Saturday's Grade 3 Withers Stakes, leading the field from gate-to-wire to hit the Aqueduct finish line 4 1/2 lengths clear of his nearest rival. In just his second career start, the 3-year-old son of Gun Runner earned 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Trained by Chad Brown and ridden to victory by Jose Ortiz, Early Voting ran nine furlongs over the muddy main track in 1:55.90.

“The plan was to sit second behind the one-horse [No. 1, Constitutionlawyer], but he broke sharply and I wasn't taking that away from him,” Ortiz said. “He finished well on a tiring track. One step at a time, but we're going the right way.”

Un Ojo closed from the back of the field to finish second at 28-1, earning 4 points, while Gilded Age (6-1) held third to earn 2 points. Grantham checked in fourth to earn the final point toward the Run for the Roses.

Debuting over a mile at Aqueduct on Dec. 18, Early Voting contested the early pace and drew away under steady urging in the stretch to win by 1 1/2 lengths. This time, Ortiz sent Early Voting a bit quicker out of the gate to take the lead around the clubhouse turn, and allowed the colt to pull away for a 1 1/2-length advantage down the backstretch.

After early splits of :23.57 and :48.04, Early Voting pulled away from the field by three lengths, then by as many as six at the head of the lane. Ortiz kept the colt to task down the stretch, and Early Voting crossed the wire much the best. Un Ojo rallied from well off the pace to be second, while Gilded Age made a big move on the outside around the far turn and was just out-finished for the place. Grantham was forwardly-placed throughout and managed to hold fourth.

Bred in Kentucky by Three Chimneys Farm, Early Voting is the third foal out of the unraced Tiznow mare Amour d'Ete. His dam is a half-sibling to millionaires Speightstown and Irap. A $200,000 yearling purchase at the Keeneland September sale, Early Voting now boasts earnings of over $190,000.

“He showed some speed in his first race, so we were pretty confident that he would stretch out even further to a mile and an eighth,” said Brown's assistant Dan Stupp. “He broke well and Jose [Ortiz] did the rest from there. I was confident in the mile and an eighth. He's out of a Tiznow mare, so he's bred to run all day. We were very confident in the distance.

“He's a horse that's going to progress with each race. Each race is going to propel him, and we've seen that in the morning with him. He was very impressive in his works. Especially, in his last two works leading up to this. He's an exciting horse and I was really ready to see him run today. I think he'll move forward nicely in his 3-year-old year.

Source of original post

Another Step ‘Forward’ for Practical Joke Filly

Girl With a Dream (Practical Joke) made it three straight victories with a front-running decision in Saturday's GIII Forward Gal S. at Gulfstream.

She was sent to the lead and showed the way through an opening quarter in :22.85. The chestnut let it out a notch rounding the far turn as unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Radio Days (Gun Runner) launched her bid from the back to set her sights on the leader.

Girl With a Dream still had plenty left for the stretch, however, and held the heavily favored Radio Days, who was making her first start since a runaway optional claiming victory at Aqueduct Dec. 2, safe by a length for a career high.

A runaway debut winner at Ellis last summer, Girl With a Dream wasn't quite ready for the big leagues yet, and reported home a distant eighth after a troubled trip in Saratoga's GI Spinaway S. Second in an optional claimer at Keeneland Oct. 21, she's been perfect in three subsequent starts, including a front-running score in the Letellier Memorial S. last time at Fair Grounds Dec. 27.

“There just aren't a lot of graded stakes opportunities where we run, at Fair Grounds and Oaklawn, so we had targeted this race after her last start,” trainer Brad Cox said. “She was doing good and came out of her last race strong, so we shipped her over Tuesday. We thought we'd let her do her thing and go to the front and try and make them catch us and it worked out great.”

Winning owners Jim Bakke and Gerald Isbister also campaign unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Jack Christopher (Munnings) in partnership.

Pedigree Notes:

Girl With a Dream became the second graded winner for Coolmore America sire Practical Joke, who has been firing on all cylinders with his initial crop and ranks second only to sensation Gun Runner on the first-crop sire list. Practical Joke has also sired last year's GSW and MGISP Wit, as well as four other black-type winners. Girl With a Dream is also in on the ground floor with her damsire, Corinthian, as she's just the seventh stakes winner out of one of the Pulpit stallion's daughters.

A $115,000 Keeneland September purchase, Girl With a Dream is out of a half-sister to MGSW & MGISP Mr. Commons (Artie Schiller). Machmer Hall and D + J Racing Stable bred Girl With a Dream out of Machmer Hall's 2016 Keeneland November broodmare purchase Henley ($31,000). The mare has a 2-year-old filly by Twirling Candy and was bred back to a Twirling Candy son, the Machmer Hall-bred Gift Box, for this spring. Like last week's GI Pegasus World Cup winner Life Is Good, who is by Practical Joke's sire Into Mischief, Henley traces directly to French and American blue hen Frizette (Hamburg), her 10th dam.

Saturday, Gulfstream Park
FORWARD GAL S.-GIII, $100,000, Gulfstream, 2-5, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:23.42, ft.
1–GIRL WITH A DREAM, 120, f, 3, by Practical Joke
                1st Dam: Henley, by Corinthian
                2nd Dam: Joustabout, by Apalachee
                3rd Dam: Fleetside Review, by Quadratic
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($115,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP).
O-Bakke, Jim and Isbister, Gerald; B-Machmer Hall & D + J
Racing Stable LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Luis Saez. $60,760.
Lifetime Record: 6-4-1-0, $231,480. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click
for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Radio Days, 120, f, 3, Gun Runner–Remembered, by Sky
Mesa. 'TDN Rising Star' 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK
TYPE. ($750,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Allen Stable, Inc.; B-Hinkle
Farms (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III. $19,600.
3–Last Leaf, 120, f, 3, Not This Time–My Miss Kallie, by Paddy
O'Prado. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($7,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV;
$10,000 Ylg '20 OBSWIN; $23,500 Ylg '20 OBSOCT). O-Monarch
Stables, Inc.; B-Khalid Mishref Alkahtani (KY); T-Ronald B.
Spatz. $9,800.
Margins: 1, 6 1/4, 3/4. Odds: 5.40, 0.60, 60.10.
Also Ran: Diamond Wow, Greatitude, She's So Beautiful, Disco Ebo. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Another Step ‘Forward’ for Practical Joke Filly appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post