April, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

On to Derby for White Abarrio

White Abarrio (Race Day) came out of his victory in Saturday's GI Curlin Florida Derby in fine shape and will now be aimed at the GI Kentucky Derby, trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. confirmed Sunday.

“He was further back than we envisioned and to see him be able to sit back that far off the pace and make his move, it gives you a lot of confidence, because you know he can run close to the pace and now sit back and be as effective,” Joseph said of his charge's Florida Derby win.

White Abarrio, third in last year's GII Kentucky Jockey Club S., is now two-for-two at three. He opened the year with a 4 1/2-length victory in the Feb. 5 GIII Holy Bull S.

Saffie said he continues to see improvement in the gray colt.

“Physically, he's not an overly big horse. He's filled out and he's grown a bit. He's a changed horse,” Joseph said. “He's changed from November to now, and he's showing it on the track. That's what you want. You want to be improving at this time of year. I feel he's making forward progressions.”

Whisper Hill Farm's Charge It (Tapit) came up with a gritty performance against more experienced colts while finishing second in the Florida Derby in only his third career start. The Todd Pletcher trainee, who hit the gate at the start, made a solid run at White Abarrio before racing greenly in the stretch.

“To get a real education in a race like that was very encouraging. He got a little green down the lane. He kind of drifted in behind that horse and I felt like if he could have just run straight that last 100 yards, he was going to be right there. But I thought it was a huge effort, considering everything,” said Pletcher, who added the Kentucky Derby will be under consideration for the well-bred colt.

Also aiming for the Kentucky Derby is the Florida Derby's third-place finisher Simplification (Not This Time).

“I am so happy with the race because the horse ran well and came back well,” trainer Antonio Sano said.

Simplification was second to White Abarrio in the Holy Bull before winning the GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S.

“The plan was to be up front, but the pressure from Pappacap outside made Jose [Ortiz] move the horse before it was time,” Sano said. “It was a good field and my horse ran very good. In the Kentucky Derby, I believe he will run great.”

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Trainer Joseph Looks To Add Another Derby Hopeful In Wood Memorial

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., who won the Curlin Florida Derby (G1) Saturday with White Abarrio, is set to saddle a pair of longshots for the $750,000 Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) next Saturday at Aqueduct in Gentry Farms' A. P.'s Secret and Daniel Alonso's Skippylongstocking.

Manny Franco will have the call aboard A. P.'s Secret and Junior Alvarado will pilot Skippylongstocking in the 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifier as Joseph looks to add to his Derby candidates list.

A. P.'s Secret has made all four career starts at Gulfstream Park, graduating at first asking in a seven-furlong maiden special weight in November and followed two starts later with a prominent score in a one-mile optional-claimer on January 9.

He enters from a troubled seventh in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on March 5 in which he pressed from third position before clipping heels at the quarter pole and dropping back.

Joseph, who saddled Math Wizard to a fourth-place finish in the 2019 Wood Memorial, said A. P.'s Secret exited the Fountain of Youth in good order.

“He came out of that race well and we couldn't really use that bumping as an excuse. He was losing his spot when it happened, but he did get bumped pretty hard,” Joseph said. “I think because he's such a big horse that he was able to take the bump from the inside horse that came out and hit him. He bounced out well and he's worked well since.”

Joseph said A. P.'s Secret, who worked a half-mile in :49.15 Sunday at Gulfstream, should appreciate the added distance.

“He always trained like this distance will be to his liking,” Joseph said. “He didn't run like that his first time going two turns, but I feel like distance is his forte. The longer the better for him.”

Bred in Kentucky by Tami D. Bobo, the gray son of Cupid was purchased for $150,000 at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

Skippylongstocking breezed furlongs in 1:00.40 Saturday at Palm Meadows Training Center. The more experienced of Joseph's contenders boasts a record of 8-2-1-1 with all but one of those starts coming at Gulfstream Park.

A two-time winner at the Hallandale Beach, Fla. oval, Skippylongstocking notched a 10 1/2-length maiden win traveling one mile in September and a last-out 3 3/4-length optional-claiming score on March 2 at the Wood Memorial distance. His lone out-of-town start was a fourth-place finish in the listed Street Sense Stakes in October at Churchill Downs immediately after his maiden score.

“He broke his maiden and that form line didn't come back that strong, so he was kind of disappointing in the Street Sense,” Joseph said. “We were kind of in two minds to cut him back in distance or run him longer.”

Joseph said Alvarado, aboard for his last two starts, suggested stretching out Skippylongstocking after guiding the Exaggerator colt to a fourth-place finish in a one-mile optional claimer on February 4.

“After the one-turn mile, Junior said, 'This horse wants to go two turns,' ” Joseph said. “In all his one-turn races, he was stopping. We ran him two turns and it was quite a competitive allowance race (last time out). He won it well and it was a pleasant surprise. Until he does it against better quality horses, we won't know for sure, but the way he won the other day you would think the two turns helped him big time – not rushing him and letting the race fall into his lap. We believed early on that he wanted to go longer, but it just so happened we were getting one-turn mile races.”

Out of the War Chant mare Twinkling, Skippylongstocking was a $37,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

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Potager, Son Of U.S. Champion Mare, Wins At Top Level In Japan

Potager, a son of 2007 U.S. champion older mare Ginger Punch, upstaged Japan's reigning Horse of the Year Efforia and defending winner Lei Papale while notching his first win at the highest level Sunday in the $3.7 million Osaka Hai (G1) at Hanshin Racecourse.

A 5-year-old Japan-bred by Japanese sire Deep Impact, Potager was positioned near the front-runners in fifth behind Lei Papale, who came with good speed race in fourth position from gate 14 in the 16-horse field while highly regarded Jack d'Or set the pace for most of the about 1 ¼-mile trip.

As the field began to close in on the leader approaching the final turn, Potager continued to chase Lei Papale, then shifted to her outside for his bid and was soon joined by Arrivo. He showed considerable guts to outfoot both to win by a neck.

“We had a good draw (post 8), so I was hoping to secure a good position today,” said winning jockey Hayato Yoshida. “Potager adapts well to various race developments and he was terrific in that he was able to keep up with the pace of the other really strong horses in front.

“He really gave his all in the end and all I could do was keep urging him on, so I'm happy that we were able to win.”

Lei Papale, overtaking early leaders at the furlong pole, was overhauled just before the wire, finishing second.

Potager, a 58-1 longshot trained by Yasuo Tomomichi for owner Kaneko Makoto Holdings Co., finished the trip from older runners in 1:58.40 on turf rated as good to firm.

Arrivo, who had traveled in midfield just behind race favorite Efforia, chose not to follow that foe to the outside for the stretch run but instead found a clear path in the center lane as the top two finishers broke away from the rest of the crowd and made his bid outside of the eventual winner, finishing a close third.

Heavy favorite Efforia was unable to show much in his first start of this season, finishing ninth. Breaking smoothly and rated outside a rival in mid-division, he made his move three furlongs out, angled to the outside for a clear run turning for home but failed to find another gear and was well beaten for the first time of his career.

“Efforia was not himself. We made an early move but he just didn't have anything to give at the straight. He was a bit heavy and wasn't as sharp in his movement during training last week which may have affected his performance today,” said jockey Takeshi Yokoyama.

Potager, who was bred by Northern Farm, has six wins from 15 career starts. Katsumi Yoshida of Northern Farm paid $1.6 million to purchase his dam, multiple grade 1 winner Ginger Punch, a daughter of Awesome Again who won the 2007 Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), at the 2009 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale, where she was offered in foal to Bernardini.

Kaneko Makoto Holdings bought Potager for $1.7 million from Northern Farm at the 2018 JRHA Select Yearling Sale.

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Blue Grass Possibles Blackadder, Grantham Tune Up At Keeneland

Four horses expected to be entered on Wednesday for Saturday's 98th running of the $1 million Toyota Blue Grass (G1) put in works over a fast Keeneland main track Sunday morning.

Trainer Mark Casse was represented by the first two Toyota Blue Grass workers of the morning with Volcanic covering the half-mile in :51.40 when the track opened at 5:30 a.m. and Golden Glider following an hour later in :49.40 for the same distance. Jockey Declan Carroll was aboard for both works.

“I was very pleased with both of them,” said David Carroll, assistant to Casse. “They both got here Friday from Ocala and galloped yesterday. I just wanted to let them get a feel for the track.”

Both colts have returned to Keeneland, where they trained here last spring before making their racing debuts.

For Breeze Easy's Volcanic, Sunday's work was his fifth since a third-place finish in the Sam F. Davis (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 12. Adam Beschizza is scheduled to ride Saturday.

Conrad Farms' Golden Glider had his second work since finishing fourth in the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) on March 12. Clockers caught Golden Glider in fractions of :12.40, :25, :49.40 with an out time for 1:02.40 for five-eighths and 1:16.60 for three-quarters. Ricardo Santana Jr. has the Toyota Blue Grass mount, according to Carroll.

Next at 7:30 a.m. after the first renovation break was Three Diamonds Farm's Grantham, who worked a half-mile in company with an unraced 3-year-old in :48.60 for trainer Mike Maker.

“I thought he worked well,” Maker said of Grantham, who arrived here a couple of days ago from Gulfstream Park.

Second in the Tampa Bay Derby, Grantham will be ridden in the Toyota Blue Grass by Tyler Gaffalione, Maker said.

Following the second renovation break at 9 a.m., El Camino Real Derby winner Blackadder worked five furlongs in company with the five-year-old allowance winner Cibolian in 1:02.80 with Adam Beschizza aboard for trainer Rodolphe Brisset.

The work was the second at Keeneland for Blackadder after being transferred to Brisset. “He did what we wanted, and hopefully it sets him up for Saturday,” said Brisset's wife, Brooke, who supervised the work.

Brisset is scheduled to return to Lexington Sunday afternoon following the victory by Yuugiri in Saturday's Fantasy Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park.

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