March, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Big ‘Cap Still ‘Electric’ For Trainer John Shirreffs

It's going on half a century since John Shirreffs served his country in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War before being honorably discharged and heading to Hawaii to become a surfer.

But first he stopped in California, eventually walking hots for trainer Gene Cleveland and later breaking yearlings for Ed Nahem at Lakeview Thoroughbred Farm.

Shirreffs got his trainer's license in 1978, and the rest is history.

His lengthy legacy includes winning the 2005 Kentucky Derby with 50-1 outsider Giacomo, and masterfully crowning it with the once-in-a-lifetime mare Zenyatta, winner of 19 straight races in dramatic come-from-behind fashion that had to be seen to be believed, before losing for the first time in her 20th start and career finale by a head to Blame in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Classic.

Her career is a movie waiting to happen.

Fast forward to Saturday, when Shirreffs, now 76, will saddle favored Express Train in a bid to win the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap presented by Yaamava' Resort & Casino.

It is Santa Anita's marquee race for older horses, emblazoned with a rich history since first run in 1935 when captured by Azucar, ridden by George (The Iceman) Woolf.

Other luminous winners are a Who's Who of racing, among them Seabiscuit (1940), Noor (1950), Round Table (1958), Ack Ack (1971), Cougar II (1973), Affirmed (1979), Spectacular Bid 1980), John Henry (1981 & 82), Alysheba (1988), Best Pal (1992), Tiznow (2001), Lava Man (2006 & 07) and Game On Dude (2011, 2014 & 14).

Shirreffs, long and lean with an ever-present baseball cap, hopes Express Train joins that elite group Saturday, when he breaks from post six in a field of eight going a mile and a quarter.

“I think post position makes a difference, but ours is very good,” said Shirreffs, who almost won his first Big 'Cap last year when Express Train led but was caught late by Idol and finished second by a half-length.

Otherwise, the son of Union Rags, still a full horse at age five, has been ultra-consistent with a 6-4-3 record from 16 starts, earning $935,800 for owner C R K Stable LLC.

Bred in Kentucky by Dixiana Farms LLC, the bay has an advantageous style, usually in close attendance to the pace before making a winning run through the stretch.

“Around the barn, he's like a lot of really good race horses,” Shirreffs said. “He's got a lot of energy, he's sharp, he's on his toes, but you don't want to ad lib with him. You don't want to do anything he doesn't expect.

“I hope there's a little speed in the race and we can sit a bit off it if all goes well. We're really happy with Express Train, how he's doing now and what he's accomplished.”

The Big 'Cap is a race every trainer desires to have on his or her resume, and Shirreffs is no exception. Although he was born in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, he has been entrenched in California for decades, making his home in Arcadia.

He can still harken back to those thrilling days of yesteryear.

“When you think of Santa Anita, the race that comes to mind is always the Santa Anita Handicap,” Shirreffs said. “I've been here when 60,000 people were in the stands watching the race.

“You couldn't even see the horses. The only way you knew they were coming into the stretch was by hearing this wall of noise coming towards you as they approached.

“It was electric in those days.”

The field for the 85th edition of the $650,000 Big 'Cap which goes as the 11th and final race with a 12 noon first post time:

Spielberg, Abel Cedillo
Why Why Paul Why, Juan Hernandez
Warrant, Flavien Prat
Soy Tapatio, Diego Herrera
American Theorem, Mike Smith
Express Train, Victor Espinoza
Kiss Today Goodbye, Kyle Frey
Stilleto Boy, John Velazquez

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Graded-Placed Magic Circle Aims For Oaks Points In Busher

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez will look to secure his third win in the $250,000 Busher Invitational on Saturday when he sends out graded stakes-placed Magic Circle in the one-mile test for sophomores fillies at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Busher, a prep race for the Kentucky Oaks on May 6 at Churchill Downs, offers 50-20-10-5 qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

J.W. Singer's Magic Circle enters from a 2 3/4-length win in the nine-furlong Busanda on Jan. 23 at the Big A, a performance that garnered an 80 Beyer Speed Figure and awarded the Kantharos filly 10 points. She is currently 10th on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard.

The Busanda was the first stakes win for the chestnut filly, who broke her maiden at first asking in September at Saratoga Race Course before finishing fourth in the Grade 1 Frizette at Belmont Park in her stakes debut.

She finished a close second in the Tempted going a one-turn mile at Belmont, besting Nest for place honors one start before finishing third in the nine-furlong G2 Demoiselle behind Nest and returning rival Venti Valentine.

Sent off as the even-money favorite in the Busanda, Magic Circle led the field of six through easy fractions, racing a length in front of Rosebug through the first three-quarters before widening her margin to five lengths at the top of the stretch. Roused by Jose Ortiz for more, Magic Circle held off a late bid from returning rival Morning Matcha to secure the win in a final time of 1:51.29.

Magic Circle worked a half-mile in 50 seconds flat over Belmont Park's dirt training track on Monday.

“So far, so good. She looks like she's doing everything we are asking and improving in every race – not much, but improving, and that's what we hope for,” said Rodriguez.

Magic Circle has set the pace in her last two efforts and may face pressure early from Venti Valentine and Sterling Silver, the latter making her first start at one mile.

Rodriguez said Magic Circle should appreciate the one-turn mile.

“She'll be OK. She's a very versatile filly and has won at seven-eighths, too,” Rodriguez said. “We ran a good race at Belmont at a mile and ran a little green going a mile and an eighth but then she won [the Busanda]. We just hope that it will work for her.”

Kendrick Carmouche will ride from post 5.

Graded stakes-placed Venti Valentine returns from a short break after finishing a close second in the Demoiselle on Dec. 4. Trained by Jorge Abreu, the New York-bred Firing Line filly is a half-sister to 2019 Busher winner Espresso Shot, both out of the winning Medaglia d'Oro mare Glory Gold.

Campaigned by NY Final Furlong Racing Stable and Parkland Thoroughbreds, Venti Valentine was a debut winner sprinting six furlongs in September before stretching out to a one-turn mile to take the restricted Maid of the Mist by 3 3/4 lengths.

The chestnut filly rated from off the pace in the Demoiselle, putting in a strong late bid down the stretch under Hall of Famer John Velazquez to come up just shy of the win, finishing a neck behind Nest.

“Since she was on the farm, that's been the consensus that she could be even more talented than Espresso Shot,” said Vince Roth, co-founder of NY Final Furlong Racing Stable. “The team has all had the opinion that if she could put it together, she'd be special. So far, she has. [She] is really going to appreciate two turns. We're in a good spot with her going forward.”

Venti Valentine will emerge from post 4 with Manny Franco aboard.

Stakes winner Sterling Silver will try to retain a perfect record as she makes her second stakes start for trainer Tom Albertrani and owner Mark T. Anderson. A daughter of Cupid, Sterling Silver was the definitive winner of her stakes debut last time out in the 6 1/2-furlong Franklin Square on Jan. 22.

The grey filly was a debut winner sprinting six furlongs at the Big A in November, closing from the middle of the 12-horse field to best Can't Hurry Love by a nose at the wire under Trevor McCarthy. With a similar running style in her next outing, Sterling Silver was held by McCarthy in fifth through the first quarter before coming away with the lead in mid-stretch to win the Franklin Square by 2 1/4 lengths.

Albertrani said he is confident that Sterling Silver can handle the stretch-out to a mile and be more forwardly placed.

“Last time, she was getting a little keen. Trevor actually had to try and rate her a little and not let her go too soon,” said Albertrani. “Going a little bit longer, I would expect her to be a little closer to the pace stretching out. She'll be ratable, but we'll let her tell us where she wants to be when they leave [the gate].”

Sterling Silver will face three other stakes winners in the Busher, a challenge Albertrani said he and his filly are ready for.

“It's going to be very competitive, but we'll certainly go in and give it our best shot. She's been training well and I think she's going to shape up pretty well with the competition,” said Albertrani. “We'll just take it from there.”

McCarthy will ride again from post 2.

Radio Days, trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, ships in from Gulfstream Park off a runner-up effort in the seven-furlong G3 Forward Gal on Feb. 5, defeated a length by Girl With a Dream in her stakes debut.

Campaigned by Allen Stable, the Gun Runner filly graduated at first asking in a maiden special weight sprint over the sloppy and sealed main track at Belmont Park in October. She skipped away to a strong victory in her first start against winners at the Big A on Dec. 2, widening her margins to come home an 8 1/2-length winner of the seven-furlong optional claimer.

Regular rider Dylan Davis will pilot Radio Days from post 6.

Completing the field are Ruthless winner Shotgun Hottie [post 1, Eric Cancel] and Morning Matcha [post 3, Frankie Pennington], who enters off her runner-up effort to Magic Circle in the Busanda.

The Busher is slated as Race 9 on Saturday's 10-race card which also features the G3 Tom Fool Handicap in Race 3 and the G3 Gotham in Race 10, which awards 50-20-10-5 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby to the top-four finishers. First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

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Ricky Courville Joins TDN Writers’ Room

Heading into the GII Rebel S. a lot of people may not have known the name Ricky Courville. That's the way it is when you're a small-time trainer based in Louisiana who, going into the Rebel, had never had a graded stakes winner, let alone one in a $1-million race.

They know who he is now. Courville pulled off the upset of the year when winning the Rebel with 75-1 shot Un Ojo (Laoban), a one-eyed horse who now has enough points to make it into the field for the GI Kentucky Derby.

Courville was this week's Green Group Guest of the Week on the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland to tell his story and the story of a horse who has surpassed all expectations after losing by 24 lengths in his first career start.

A former jockey who began training in 2008, Courville went to work for owner Cypress Creek Equine, breaking babies and training some of their cheaper horses. Eventually, owner Mike Moreno started giving him some of his better horses to train. But Courville didn't make the trip to Oaklawn for the Rebel, leaving his son Clay in charge. He tried to watch the race on his phone, but said the picture froze.

“My son calls me and he's just screaming on the phone, he's just hollering and screaming,” Courville said. “Then I started getting texts and phone calls for hours after the race. I never got to watch the race until 10:00 that night.”

Courville said the fact that Un Ojo is missing his left eye hasn't caused any serious problems.

“Running, he's fine,” he said. “Handling him around the barn is different. You have to watch it because it's on the side you handle him from, on the left side. Actually, when he first came in, he was really, really timid and he would brush up on you. He put himself against you where he could feel you because he couldn't see you. He wouldn't walk on the side, he'd walk behind you and nudge you with his nose all the way around the barn. But on the track, it took him a long time to really get comfortable. He was maturing late, but once he started running there haven't been any problems. He'll go inside, outside. It doesn't matter to him.”

Courville said that Un Ojo will run next in either the GI Arkansas Derby or the GI Toyota Blue Grass S.

Elsewhere on the show, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, West Point Thoroughbreds, XBTV, the Pennsylvania Horse

Breeders Association and Legacy Bloodstock, the writers discussed the latest twists in the Bob Baffert story and speculated whether or not he will win his legal battle and be able to compete in this year's GI Kentucky Derby. They also discussed last week's stakes action and the story of D. Wayne Lukas winning the GIII Honeybee S. at Oaklawn with Secret Oath (Arrogate) and previewed this coming weekend's action.

Click here to watch the podcast; click here for the audio-only version or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

The post Ricky Courville Joins TDN Writers’ Room appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Diamond Wow Returns To Turf In Herecomesthebride

With a comeback race under her belt, Diamond 100 Racing Club, Amy Dunne and trainer Patrick Biancone's stakes winner Diamond Wow makes her return to the turf in an overflow field of 13 for Saturday's $125,000 Herecomesthebride (G3) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The 35th running of the Herecomesthebride for 3-year-old fillies and 36th renewal of the $125,000 Palm Beach for 3-year-olds, both going one mile, are among six turf stakes on a blockbuster 13-race program offering nine stakes, eight graded, worth $1.7 million in purses including the $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) for 3-year-olds on the road to the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) April 2.

First race post time is 12:10 p.m.

Named for the South Florida-based mare that won 12 of 16 starts and six stakes including the 1977 Bonnie Miss at Gulfstream and 1978 Columbiana Handicap (G3) at Hialeah, the Herecomesthebride anchors a mega promotion between Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita, which will host 15 stakes, 14 graded, between them on Saturday.

The Coast to Coast All Dirt Stakes Pick 5 and Coast to Coast All Turf Stakes Pick 5, multi-race wagers with a $1 minimum and a low 12 percent takeout, will be on the cross-track wagering menu. There will also be a free contest with the chance to win a $5 million jackpot for picking the winners of all 15 stakes that will be run that day at the 1/ST sister tracks.

Diamond Wow notched back-to-back wins to open her career at Gulfstream, graduating in on debut in front-running fashion last August before coming from off the pace to become a popular winner of the off-the-turf Our Dear Peggy three weeks later. Biancone brought her to Kentucky, stretched her out and put her back on turf for the 1 1/16-mile Jessamine (G2), where she was beaten a head after a difficult trip.

A win would have earned Diamond Wow a free trip to Del Mar for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1), but Biancone instead opted to give the chestnut daughter of two-time champion Lookin At Lucky a break until her 3-year-old season.

“She's doing really good,” he said. “Obviously we missed the Breeders' Cup because she was a bit tired at that point of the year, but we had a plan to prepare her for the spring, step by step, to have her ready for the big races in April and May.”

Part of that plan was bringing Diamond Wow back in the Feb. 5 Forward Gal sprinting seven furlongs at Gulfstream, the same track and distance as the Our Dear Peggy. She chased eventual winner Girl With a Dream for a half-mile before winding up fourth, less than a length behind stakes winner and fellow Herecomesthebride entrant Last Leaf.

“I wanted to run her short the first time because I know she'd be a bit too fresh, and she showed exactly that. But she ran a good race, a good prep race, and now she can go two turns with no problem,” Biancone said. “We expect her to improve on her first race. She worked really well and we're looking forward to seeing her doing the talking.”

Regular rider Romero Maragah will be aboard from Post 3.

Teneri Farm and J Stables' Opalina, similarly based in South Florida, also went to the Jessamine off a 12-length maiden win at Gulfstream, but lost all chance following a troubled start yet rallied to make a late run and be fifth, beaten 1 ½ lengths. She came back to run third in the one-mile Ginger Brew Jan. 1 and broke through with a three-quarter-length triumph in the 1 1/16-mile Sweetest Chant (G3) Feb. 5, both over her home track.

Championship Meet-leading rider Luis Saez will climb back aboard from Post 8.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. won last year's Herecomesthebride with Con Lima, and they will team up again Saturday with Michael Tabor's homebred Beside Herself. The bay daughter of champion Uncle Mo was third in a pair of maiden special weights last fall and winter before breaking through with a gate-to-wire 3 ¼-length victory going 1 1/16 miles on the Gulfstream turf Jan. 30.

Pletcher is confident that Beside Herself, having shown the ability to win and run well both on and off the lead, will find herself in a comfortable spot breaking from Post 5.

“I think it'll just depend on how the race shapes up. I think she can be effective either way,” Pletcher said. “She's coming off the maiden win but I like the spacing and I want to give her a try in a stakes race.”

Stakes winners Howdyoumakeurmoney, Last Leaf, Lemieux, Lia Marina and Mischievous Kiss are also entered, along with last out maiden winners Dia de Sol, and Spendarella. Rounding out the field are Bali Del Sol, Soul of an Angel and Dolce Zel, the latter listed as the lone also-eligible.

Multiple Stakes Winner Red Danger Tops $125,000 Palm Beach

Silverton Hill's multiple stakes winner Red Danger will take on eight rivals including Grade 3 winner Coinage and Credibility, his Grade 2-placed stablemate from the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, in Saturday's $125,000 Palm Beach for 3-year-olds on turf.

Red Danger won the 6 ½-furlong Juvenile Sprint at Kentucky Downs last fall and the 7 ½-furlong Pulpit Dec. 3 at Gulfstream as a 2-year-old for trainer Brian Lynch. The son of 2013 Fountain of Youth (G2), Florida Derby (G1) and Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Orb kicked off his sophomore campaign running fifth by 2 ¼ lengths in the 1 1/16-mile Kitten's Joy (G3) Feb. 5 at Gulfstream.

St. Elias Stable and Repole Stable's Triple Crown-nominated Royal Spirit ran second in the Kitten's Joy, taking a lead into the stretch before being beaten a neck by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher-trained stablemate Grand Sonata. Winless in three starts at 2 including a pair of stakes, Royal Spirit was a professional maiden special weight winner sprinting 7 ½ furlongs Jan. 2 at Gulfstream.

Chester and Mary Broman and D. J. Stable's Coinage began his career on dirt against New York-breds, but was successful moving to turf and trying open company in the With Anticipation (G3) at Saratoga, going the 1 1/16-mile distance up front to win by two lengths. He was beaten by Royal Spirit in two of his last three starts, the one-mile Nownownow last fall at Monmouth Park and the Kitten's Joy, running third each time.

D. J. Stable also bred Harry Rosenblum's Credibility, by 2016 Florida Derby-Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist. Credibility has enjoyed success at Gulfstream, breaking his maiden on debut last August going a mile over the turf. Third in the Bourbon (G2) before finishing off the board in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1), he was a gutsy neck winner of a one-mile, 70-yard optional claiming allowance Jan. 22 that was moved off the grass to Gulfstream's all-weather Tapeta.

Main Event and Moms Moon both exit maiden special weight wins at Gulfstream. Harrell Ventures' Main Event graduated in front-running fashion going 1 1/16 miles Jan. 30 in his turf debut, while Mill Ridge Farm's Moms Moon went gate-to-wire to win by a neck in a one-mile trip over good ground Jan. 15.

Also entered are C My Meister, third in Colonial Downs' Kitten's Joy and Gulfstream's Juvenile last year; Bueno Bueno, a winner on turf and dirt that ran third in an optional claimer sprinting 5 ½ furlongs over the Gulfstream Tapeta Feb. 3; and maiden Sosua Summer.

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