The Elkstone Group's homebred colt Joe, recently crowned the Maryland-bred champion juvenile of 2021, puts a three-race win streak on the line when he returns to action in Saturday's $100,000 Private Terms at Laurel Park.
The 33rd running of the Private Terms at about 1 1/16 miles is the next step in Laurel's series of stakes for 3-year-olds following the one-mile Miracle Wood Feb. 19 and preceding the 1 1/8-mile Federico Tesio April 16, a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the 147th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 21 at Pimlico Race Course.
A total of five stakes worth $450,000 in purses will be offered on Saturday's 11-race program, including the $100,000 Beyond the Wire for 3-year-old fillies. First race post time is 12:40 p.m.
Joe's connections opted to pass on the Miracle Wood both to give the Declaration of War colt – named for President Joe Biden – greater spacing off a season-opening victory in a Jan. 23 allowance at Laurel going the Private Terms distance and to keep him around two turns.
“He's doing good,” trainer Michael Trombetta said. “We skipped the Miracle Wood with him to give him a little extra time because he had run a couple times fairly close. He's trained really well and we're looking forward to running him.”
Out of the Arch mare Battle Bridge, Joe ran fifth in his late October unveiling over Laurel's world-class turf course before being moved to the dirt, where he graduated by 3 ½ lengths in a one-mile maiden special weight Thanksgiving week. He won the seven-furlong Maryland Juvenile in mid-December in his stakes debut, rallying from far back with a powerful six-wide stretch move to prevail by a length and a half.
“Quite honestly, I was getting very good feedback on him in late summer. It's been good,” Trombetta said. “He's a big, good-looking guy. I still think he's bred for grass and he does the dirt. I think there's a whole lot of stuff that he can get himself into if he continues on the path that he's going.”
Regular rider Victor Carrasco will be aboard from Post 7 in a field of eight.
“I think there's a lot of upside yet for him,” Trombetta said. “He hasn't been tested super hard – state-bred race [stakes], allowance race, maiden race. Now it's time to turn the heat up a little bit and see how he does with it.”
Trombetta also entered Sonata Stable's Conclusive, a son of 2016 Florida Derby (G1) and Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Nyquist that ran sixth as the co-favorite in the Miracle Wood, his stakes debut. He graduated going 1 1/8 miles in an off-the-turf maiden special weight last Halloween and began 2022 with a front-running 5 ¾-length allowance triumph Jan. 2 over a muddy main track.
“I thought he would run better,” Trombetta said. “I don't know if going back to a one-turn mile complicated things or not. He's had better success at two-turn races than he has at a one-turn mile, and I don't have a great explanation for why that is. I'm anxious to try him back around two turns.”
Laurel's winter meet-leading rider Jevian Toledo gets the assignment from Post 1.
Bird Mobberley's Maryland-bred Local Motive stretched out to a mile for the first time in the Miracle Wood. He raced close to the front for a half-mile, took a commanding lead into the stretch and went on to win by two lengths. It was the third stakes win for the Divining Rod gelding, following the seven-furlong James F. Lewis III at Laurel and five-furlong Hickory Tree over the Colonial Downs turf last summer.
Local Motive and Joe met once before in the Maryland Juvenile, when Local Motive tired to fifth after disputing the early pace between horses. J.D. Acosta returns to ride from Post 2.
“The horse is training good and he's worked really good into this race,” trainer John Salzman said. “I would have worked him twice but I missed a work with him. He grabbed a quarter just bucking and playing on the racetrack so I skipped a work with him, but he's doing really good.
“My question is, how far will he really go?” he added. “He's getting better with every start I feel. As long as he's close and lays just a bit off the pace he'll be in good shape, or he can set the pace if there is none.”
Also exiting the Miracle Wood is runner-up Majestic Frontier. Gerald Grabcheski and Renate Jackson's gelded son of Grade 1 winner Keen Ice bumped with co-favorite Perfect Day at the eighth pole and had his two-race win streak snapped.
“He had trouble last time and finished second so I think that he's got a shot. He could have won that day, so I'm looking forward to trying him back,” trainer John 'Jerry' Robb said. “He had a few problems that needed to be worked out and that we got worked out. They still bug him a little bit but he's been getting better and better and better.”
Xavier Perez will be aboard from Post 3.
J R Sanchez Racing Stable's Shake Em Loose won the Dec. 26 Heft at Laurel in his first start since being claimed for $16,000 by trainer Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon. He returned in the Jan. 29 Spectacular Bid, also at seven furlongs, but lost all chance after rearing when the gates opened and wound up seventh.
Shake Em Loose rebounded in an optional claiming allowance going one mile Feb. 27, making a bold move on the turn and powering through the stretch to a 3 ¾-length triumph. Charlie Marquez, up for that effort, returns from outside Post 8.
“Thank God he's doing awesome right now. He's great. I just worked him the other day and he worked unbelievable. He really impressed me. I hope he doesn't have any problems coming out of the gate,” Sanchez-Salomon said. “That's what happened the last time he ran in a stake. He broke in the air coming out of the gate and that was it. He rushed up a little bit and then relaxed but he had just rushed too much. He's going into it pretty good. I hope he runs well. I think he will. I think he's going to impress even more this time.”
Shipping in from New York is Stud El Aguila's Eagle in Love, a gelded son of 2011 Florida Derby (G1) winner Dialed In that went unraced at 2 but was a 4 ¾-length maiden special weight winner in debut Feb. 3 at Aqueduct for trainer Rob Atras.
Completing the field are Martin Carmichael's Micro Star, a front-running waiver maiden claiming winner by 7 ¼ lengths Jan. 16 at Laurel, and Built Wright Stables' Maximum Impact, respectively fourth and fifth behind Shake Em Loose last month. Maximum Impact finished fifth in the Miracle Wood.
The post Joe Tops Private Terms Line-Up On Stakes-Rich Card At Laurel appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Friday's Observations features a half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner Ervedya:
HALF TO ERVEDYA DEBUTS AT TOULOUSE
5.32 Toulouse, Debutantes, €16,000, 3yo, 10 1/2fT
EREVIYA (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}) makes her entrance on a low-key card, but as a half-sister to the star mare Ervedya (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) is certain to attract keen attention. Jean-Claude Rouget introduces The Aga Khan homebred, whose sibling started out at the smaller provincial track of Tarbes before hitting the heights in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, G1 Coronation S. and G1 Prix du Moulin.
The post Observations: Half To Ervedya Debuts at Toulouse appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
With the prospect of a sub-20 second opening quarter a possibility, Alfred Pais' homebred Brickyard Ride heads a field of eight older California-breds going about 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course in Sunday's $100,000 Sensational Star Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.
The Sensational Star is part of the CTBA-sponsored Golden State Series, for eligible California-bred or sired runners.
Trained by Craig Lewis, Brickyard Ride comes off a pair of scintillating wins versus statebreds, a 1 ¾-length win going six furlongs in the Cal Cup Sprint Jan. 15 and most recently, a 7 ½-length score going a flat mile in the Tiznow Stakes on Feb. 21.
Although the 5-year-old son of Clubhouse Ride has two wins from four tries on turf, Brickyard Ride will be trying the hillside turf course for the first time on Sunday.
“We'll see what happens,” said Lewis upon entering. “If somebody tries to pressure him, he might shade 20 seconds that first quarter.”
Lightning quick on any surface, Brickyard Ride was entered to defend his title in the Grade 2 San Carlos Stakes at seven furlongs on March 5, but scratched on game day in favor of running in the Sensational Star.
A five-time stakes winner, Brickyard Ride, who is out of the Southern Image mare Brickyard Helen, appears to be at the top of his game and has earned solid Beyer Speed Figures in his two starts this winter, earning a 101 on Jan. 15 and a 99 Beyer on Feb. 21.
Strictly the horse to beat, he's got an overall mark of 20-10-1-2 with earnings of $620,977.
A California-bred stakes winner down the hill five starts back on Oct. 17, 2021, trainer Ruben Alvarado's Indian Peak was a vastly improved second to Vladimir Cerin's red-hot Barraza over the course in the Grade 3 San Simeon Stakes on Feb. 20 and rates second billing with John Velazquez taking over. Owned by Wachtel Stable and Gary Barber, this 5-year-old Comic Strip gelding has proven a very versatile sort and will hope to be rolling late.
Idle since a close fourth in last year's Sensational Star when run at six furlongs out of the turf chute, Peter Eurton's speedy Jetovator will likely try to stay close to Brickyard Ride in the early going, but that could indeed be a tough assignment. A 6-year-old gelding by Grazen out of the multiple stakes placed Jet Blue Girl, by Gimmeawink, Jetovator is owned by Ciaglia Racing, LLC and SAF Racing and was bred by Sharon Alesia and Ciaglia Racing.
With a career resume that reads 19-3-4-5, Jetovator will be making his second stakes start and be ridden by Edwin Maldonado.
Third in his only hillside try, a first condition allowance 22 starts back on Oct. 28, 2018, Harris Farms' homebred Fashionably Fast may've lost a step but he's still plenty competitive at age seven. By Lucky Pulpit out of the Forestry mare Fall Fashion, Fashionably Fast, a six-time stakes winner, comes off a third place finish in a second condition allowance going 6 ½ furlongs on dirt Feb. 4 and will be ridden back by Abel Cedillo.
Owned by Harris Farms and Per Antonsen, Fashionably Fast will likely be in a stalking position to the dirt crossing at the top of the lane and if the speed tires, his class and heart could carry the day. The leading money earner in the field with $697,123, he has an overall mark of 28-9-6-7.
SENSATIONAL STAR WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS
IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 7 of 8 Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT
Indian Peak—John Velazquez–124
Brickyard Ride—Juan Hernandez—124
Sacred Rider—Tyler Baze—122
Jetovator—Edwin Maldonado—122
Riding With Dino—Flavien Prat—122
Big Fish—Mike Smith—124
Whooping Jay—Mario Gutierrez—122
Fashionably Fast—Abel Cedillo–124
First post time for an eight-race card on Sunday is at 1 p.m. with admission gates opening at 11 a.m.
The post Brickyard Ride Trying Santa Anita’s Hillside Turf Course For First Time In Sensational Star appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
