February, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Irad Ortiz, Jr. Talks Life Is Good, Recent Suspension On Writers’ Room

It was an eventful few months for three-time Eclipse champion jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. Shortly after scoring a hat trick of victories at the Breeders' Cup, Ortiz was suspended 30 days for careless riding at Aqueduct. Upon his return, the 29-year-old picked up where he left off at Gulfstream, piloting winners left and right and over the weekend, added two more seven-figure Grade I wins to his trophy collection with victories in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational S. on back-to-back winner Colonel Liam (Liam's Map) and Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. aboard emergent superstar Life Is Good (Into Mischief). Tuesday, the sometimes polarizing rider sat down with the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland as the Green Group Guest of the Week to discuss his success, his suspension, his rise to the top of the game and whether or not he pays attention to either the positive or negative attention he receives from racing fans.

“Honestly, I know my horse is fast, but I never thought I was going to be on the lead by three or four lengths,” Ortiz said when asked if he was surprised by how easily Life Is Good outran presumptive Horse of the Year Knicks Go (Paynter) in the Pegasus. “But that's racing. [Sometimes] after the gates open, everything changes. I let him go into the first turn and then I just used my judgment. He was feeling good, he was running relaxed and going the right way, so I just didn't mess with him, I let him do his thing and keep going. The difference between him and some other horses; some other horses can go fast and hold their speed for six furlongs or a mile, but he can stay the distance. It's really hard to find a horse that can stay with his same speed and finish the way he finishes.”

Asked about the 30-day suspension he was handed by New York Racing Association stewards for a Dec. 3 incident in which he crowded a horse on the rail, causing apprentice jockey Omar Hernandez Moreno to fall off his mount, Ortiz took responsibility and said he had no issue with the punishment.

“We learn from our mistakes,” he said. “I made a mistake, it was not intentional, but I'm grateful and glad that the kid is okay. The stewards did their job. I agreed with them 100%. They gave me 30 days and I took it right away, I didn't say anything because I knew I made a mistake, so I'll pay for it. That's why they're there, to watch everybody and try to keep all the jockeys safe. I'm not perfect, I'm human, and now I'll just turn the page, learn from it and try not to do that again.”

Ortiz was also asked to reflect on his meteoric rise to the top of racing and whether or not he foresaw this level of success when he first came over to the U.S. in the late 2000s.

“I'm grateful and I thank god I am where I am, but when you get here, there are a lot of good jockeys,” he said. “I work hard, but you never know what's going to happen. Are you going to get the opportunities right away or not? Sometimes it'll take you five, six, seven, eight years until people start giving you a chance. So I always had big dreams, but I never pressured myself like, 'I have to be there.' It never was like that. I just worked step by step and tried to do the right thing every time someone gave me an opportunity. And that's the way we did it. My agent, Steve Rushing, does a great job, and since I started working with him, everything changed a little bit. I got better numbers. I got better chances. We got better horses. You need a little bit of everything: you need a good agent, you need to do the right thing, you need the right horses and you need the opportunity from the owners and trainers.”

Elsewhere on a jam-packed show, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, West Point Thoroughbreds, Lane's End, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, XBTV and Legacy Bloodstock, the writers discussed the courtroom drama in Seth Fishman's doping trial, the back-and-forth of the Bob Baffert vs. NYRA hearings and T.D. Thornton's comparison of racing's current era to the steroid era in baseball. Click here to watch the podcast; click here for the audio-only version or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

The post Irad Ortiz, Jr. Talks Life Is Good, Recent Suspension On Writers’ Room appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Subconscious Looks To Add Another Graded Stakes To Resume In Thunder Road

A Grade 2 winner over the course two starts back, Richard Mandella-trained Subconscious heads a field of six older horses going one mile on turf in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Thunder Road Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

Most recently fifth, beaten 2 ¼ lengths in the G1 Hollywood Derby going 1 1/8 miles on turf at Del Mar Nov. 27, Subconscious pressed the pace two starts back en route to an authoritative 1 ¼ length win going the same distance in the G2 Twilight Derby on Oct. 31, which was his third consecutive win.

Owned by LNJ Foxwoods, Subconscious took a one mile turf allowance in similar fashion three starts back on Oct. 2 and with Juan Hernandez back in the saddle, he looks to be the horse to beat as he shortens up a furlong for the Thunder Road. A 4-year-old gelding by Tapit, Subconscious has raced exclusively on grass while compiling an overall mark of 7-3-1-1.

A sharp third, beaten a half length at 5-2 in the G3 San Gabriel Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on dirt Dec. 26, Phil D'Amato's Ready Soul gets back to his preferred surface as he seeks his first stakes victory in what will be his 14th career start. Ridden by Kent Desormeaux in the San Gabriel, he'll get the services of John Velazquez in the Thunder Road. Owned by Slam Dunk Racing, Old Bones Racing Stable, LLC and Michael Nentwig, Ready Soul, a 5-year-old gelding by More Than Ready, has two wins from three tries over the Santa Anita turf.

D'Amato's Count Again, who kept good company while winless in five starts last year, has been idle since running fifth to multiple Grade 1 winner Mo Forza in the G2 Del Mar Mile (turf) on Aug. 21 and looms dangerous with Flavien Prat taking over for the first time.

A 7-year-old gelding by Awesome Again, Count Again was bred in Ontario, Canada, by his co-owner Sam-Son Farm. A graded stakes winner in both Canada and Southern California, Count Again has two wins from four tries at one mile on turf and will likely try to rally from well off the pace on Saturday. Owned by Sam-Son Farm and Agave Racing Stable, Count Again has four wins from 13 overall starts and earnings of $403,665.

GRADE 3 THUNDER ROAD, WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS
IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 1 of 9 Post time 12:30 p.m. PT
1. Subconscious—Juan Hernandez—124
2. Sniper Kitten—Christopher Emigh—124
3. Count Again—Flavien Prat—124
4. Delaware—Mike Smith—124
5. Ready Soul—John Velazquez—122
6. Hurricane Cloud—Umberto Rispoli—122

First post time for a nine-race card which will include three graded stakes on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m. Admission gates open at 10:30 a.m.

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Remsen Winner Mo Donegal Gets Sophomore Season Under Way In Holy Bull

Donegal Racing's Mo Donegal is poised to make his 2022 debut in the $250,000 Holy Bull (G3) Saturday at Gulfstream Park, and his Hall of Fame trainer, Todd Pletcher, has opted for no soft spot for the son of Uncle Mo's highly anticipated return to action.

The 33rd running of the Holy Bull, the first graded-stakes on the Road to the Florida Derby (G1), headlines a 12-race program that will also feature the $100,000 Claiborne Swale (G3), $100,000 Forward Gal (G3), $100,000 Kitten's Joy (G3) and $100,000 Sweetest Chant (G3).

Although Mo Donegal, 3-1 on the morning line, will be put to the test in a field that includes two Grade 1 stakes-placed opponents, the Pletcher-trained colt has already passed the most rigorous test for all Triple Crown prospects – the two-turn test over 1 1/8-miles. The $250,000 purchase at the 2020 Keeneland September yearling sale enters the Holy Bull off a gutsy triumph in the 1 1/8-mile Remsen Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct Dec. 4.

“We were pretty focused on the Remsen right after he broke his maiden. We locked in on that and after the race I got with [Donegal Racing's] Jerry Crawford, and we talked about how we could go about getting on the Derby trail. We decided that the Holy Bull was the right starting point,” said Pletcher, who saddled Audible (2019) and Algorithms (2012) for Holy Bull victors. “It gives us plenty of options. If he were to run well, we still have the (March 4) Fountain of Youth to come back in if we wanted to or we could train up to the Florida Derby like we did with Audible. We kind of felt like it put us in a position to have the most options.”

Mo Donegal finished third in his Sept. 30 debut at Belmont, in which he broke slowly and was subsequently steadied in traffic. He came right back to graduate at 1 1/16 miles despite breaking a step slowly a month later. In the Remsen, Mo Donegal encountered bumping at the start, moved to the lead heading into the stretch, and battled with Zandon to the wire to eke out a triumph by a nose.

“I'm really pleased with his training since he came here after the Remsen. We targeted this right away and, knock on wood, thankfully everything has gone according to schedule,” Pletcher said. “He has not missed a beat since he's been here.”

Mo Donegal's Pletcher-trained sire, who captured the 2010 Breeders' Cup Juvenile, was 1-for-1 at Gulfstream, where he dominated the Timely Writer Stakes in his 3-year-old debut in March 2011. He takes after Uncle Mo in the looks department.

“Uncle Mo stamps his offspring probably more so than any stallion in the country. He looks like a lot of them do. He's got the same build. He's a good-sized colt,” Pletcher said. “He's had a bit of a growth spurt and he's done what you'd like to see 2-year-olds turning 3 and young 3-year-olds this time of year do, growing and physically developing.”

Irad Ortiz Jr. has the return mount aboard Mo Donegal, whose opponents will include Kenny McPeek-trained Tiz the Bomb, runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) at Del Mar, and Dale Romans-trained Giant Game, third-place finisher in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1.

Phoenix Thoroughbreds LTD's Tiz the Bomb rode a three-race winning streak into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf that started with a dazzling front-running maiden score by 14 ½ lengths in an off-the-turf second-out maiden race at Ellis Park July 2. The son of 2016 Breeders' Cup Juvenile turf winner Hit It a Bomb went on to capture the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile and the Bourbon (G2) at Keeneland from off the pace on turf.

“There are limited opportunities for 3-year-old grass horses in North America. He's a really talented horse and we don't want to lock him in as strictly a grass horse. There's no sense pigeonholing him as a grass horse,” McPeek said. “Even last year we could have made a case for keeping him on dirt, but I chose to keep him separated from some of my other colts. At this stage, we're going to give him the opportunity to play on the dirt.”

Tiz the Bomb dropped back to 12^th while in traffic in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf before rallying strongly to finish second behind Modern Games.

“I thought it was somewhat of an unlucky trip, but he still ran well. It was a respectable run. He ran a good race; he split horses and came flying late. The other horse got a little bit of a jump on him,” said McPeek, who saddled Harvey Wallbanger for a 29-1 upset victory in the 2019 Holy Bull.

Regular rider Brian Hernandez Jr. is scheduled to travel from Fair Grounds for the Holy Bull.

Albaugh Family Stables LLC and West Point Thoroughbreds' Giant Game made a four-wide move into contention in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile before settling for third in his stakes debut. The son of Giants Causeway, who will be ridden by Luis Saez for the first time Saturday, had previously finished third in the debut before graduating by three lengths at Keeneland in his two-turn debut.

C2 Racing Stable LLC and La Milagrosa Stable LLC's White Abarrio enters the Holy Bull off a third-place finish behind McPeek-trained Smile Happy and Brian Lynch-trained Classic Causeway in the Nov. 27 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs.

“He's coming out of a strong prep that Smile Happy won, and he's the Derby favorite right now. The [trainer Keith] Desormeaux horse [Call Me Midnight] that was behind him came back to win the prep at Fair Grounds [G3 Lecomte] the other day, so it's a race that's produced some good form so far,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “He's going to face good horses again this time. This is going to be one of the best preps so far on the Derby trail competition-wise, so he's going to need to improve, but we feel like he's eligible to improve.”

White Abarrio was purchased privately after romping to a 6 ¾-length victory in his Sept. 24 debut at Gulfstream, where the son of Race Day came right back to score a five-length optional claiming allowance victory over Strike Hard, who went on to finish second in the Jan. 1 Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream.

“He's doing well. He missed some time. He got a little sick, so he missed some days, but he was plenty fit before that,” Joseph said. “I think he goes in there with a good chance.”

Tyler Gaffalione is scheduled to ride White Abarrio for the first time in the Holy Bull.

Tami Bobo's Simplification, who won the Mucho Macho Man by four lengths in front-running style, is expected to set or attend the early pace while stretching out around two turns for the first time.

“The longer the race, the better is it for my horse,” trainer Antonio Sano said.

The long-striding son of Not This Time broke his maiden at Gulfstream by 16 ¾ lengths at six furlongs in his second career start. He came back to finish a troubled third again at six-furlongs before impressively stretching out to a mile in the Mucho Macho Man.

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano has the call on Simplification.

OXO Equine LLC's Galt, who broke his maiden by three lengths while trying two turns for the first time at Gulfstream, Cash is King LLC and LC Racing LLC's Eloquist, who finished fifth in the Remsen; Stonehedge LLC's Cajun's Magic, a strong force in the Florida Sire Stakes series last year; and BBN Racing LLC's Spin Wheel, a maiden winner at Churchill Downs last time out; are also entered in the Holy Bull.

Post/Horse/Jockey/Trainer/Morning Line Odds

1-Galt-Alvarado-Mott 15-1
2-Mo Donegal-I. Ortiz-Pletcher 5-2
3-Eloquist-Pennington-Reid 20-1
4-Simplefication-Castellano-Sano 4-1
5-Cajun's Magic-Rios-Yates 8-1
6-Tiz the Bomb-Hernandez-McPeek 6-1
7-Spin Wheel-Leparoux-Arnold 20-1
8-White Abarrio-Gaffalione-Joseph 6-1
9-Giant Game-Saez-Romans 7-2

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Breeders’ Cup Winner Ce Ce Kicks Off 2022 Campaign In Saturday’s Santa Monica Stakes

Fresh off the biggest win of her career, the Bo Hirsch homebred Ce Ce heads a field of five older fillies and mares going seven furlongs in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Santa Monica Stakes at Santa Anita.

A handy 2 ½ length winner of the G1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint going seven panels at Del Mar Nov. 6, Ce Ce will be bidding for her third consecutive graded stakes win in what will be her first start at age six on Saturday.

With five wins from eight starts at Santa Anita, Ce Ce, who is by Elusive Quality and is out of Hirsch's Grade 1 stakes winning Miss Houdini, by Belong to Me, is a three-time Grade 1 winner who has earnings of $1,753,100 from an overall mark of 16-8-1-3.

Trained by Michael McCarthy, Ce Ce enjoyed a tremendous year at age five, winning four out of her six starts while banking $888,000. She'll again be ridden by Victor Espinoza, who has been aboard for all but two of her career starts.

Bob Baffert will be represented by a pair of distaffers, recent Grade 1 winner Kalypso and Merneith, who ran a big second in the ungraded Kalookan Queen at 6 ½ furlongs Jan. 2 following a nearly one year absence. A winner of last year's Santa Monica, Merneith, a 5-year-old mare by American Pharoah, will be ridden for the third consecutive time by Edwin Maldonado, who was aboard for last year's Santa Monica score.

Owned by HRH Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Al Saud, Merneith, who will hope to improve with a recent race to her credit, is 11-4-4-2 overall with earnings of $373,620.

A 4 ¾ length winner of the G1 La Brea Stakes at seven furlongs Dec. 26, Kalypso will nonetheless be facing tougher competition as she'll be competing against older distaffers for the first time. Owned by Rockingham Ranch, David Bernsen, Littlefield, et al, Kalypso, a 4-year-old daughter of Brody's Cause, has won two of her three starts, including last year's G2 Santa Ynez Stakes at seven furlongs. With an overall mark of 9-3-3-2 and earnings of $480,600, she'll be ridden back by John Velazquez.

Hronis Racing's Park Avenue, who had a two-game winning streak snapped when a well beaten second in the G3 La Canada Stakes going a mile and one sixteenth on Jan. 1, will shorten up out of five consecutive routes in what will be her second stakes engagement.

Trained by John Sadler, Park Avenue, a 4-year-old filly by Quality Road, will be ridden for the third consecutive time by Juan Hernandez.

THE GRADE 2 SANTA MONICA WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 6 of 9 Approximate post time 3 p.m. PT

Kalypso—John Velazquez—124
Ce Ce—Victor Espinoza—124
Merneith – Edwin Maldonado – 122
Full of Grace – Abdul Alsagoor – 120
Park Avenue – Juan Hernandez – 120

First post time for a nine-race card, which will include three graded stakes on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m. Admission gates will open at 10:30 a.m.

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