Month: May 2022

Following a successful conquest in Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000 Beaugay at Belmont Park, Peter Brant and Michael Tabor's Rougir, who captured last year's Group 1 Prix de l'Opera at Longchamp in France, could seek her first Grade 1 win in the United States in the $750,000 New York on June 10 at Belmont Park.

Rougir made her debut for trainer Chad Brown in the 1 1/16-mile Beaugay for older fillies and mares on the inner turf, displaying a phenomenal turn of foot to rally from last-of-seven. Rougir, with Flavien Prat up, made a five-wide sweeping move in upper stretch to win by three lengths. The 4-year-old daughter of Territories registered a 97 Beyer Speed Figure for the triumph.

“She came out of her race well,” Brown said. “It looks like she'll be headed to the New York Handicap.”

Brown, a three-time winner of the New York, could also have Brant's Virginia Joy or Bleecker Street point to the ten-furlong turf test for older fillies and mares. Virginia Joy captured last Saturday's Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay at Belmont while Bleecker Street kept an unbeaten record intact when taking last Friday's Grade 3 Modesty at Churchill Downs.

“I'd probably only run two, but I'll speak to Mr. Brant about what we want to do and how the horses are doing,” Brown said. “There's still plenty of time between now and then so we'll see how everyone is doing. Hopefully, we have two representatives in there.”

Following her Prix de l'Opera coup in October, Rougir shipped to Del Mar for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf for previous conditioner Cedric Rossi. Brant joined forces with Coolmore's M.V. Magnier to purchase the talented filly in December out of the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale in December, where she was acquired for nearly $3.4 million.

Brown noted her forward training over the winter at Payson Park in Florida.

“She's got a terrific turn of foot and she had a terrific winter. We got her down to Payson Park and gave her time to acclimate. We turned her out for a little while. She just really adapted well,” Brown said. “Obviously, she had good form prior and was a super talented horse before we got her. But we were able to get her acclimated and put a lot of weight on her. Her coat really came around and was shining by the time we had her ready to run. I was just so pleased with how she looked and trained going into the race. I'm very relieved to see her show that good turn of foot and get her 4-year-old campaign started the right way.”

Brown also saddled Brant's Lemista in the Beaugay. The 5-year-old Raven's Pass mare finished second in last year's Beaugay, but could do no better than fourth this time around when returning to action off an eight-month layoff from a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Beverly D. in August at Arlington Park.

Brown indicated that Lemista and Rougir would go their separate ways next out.

“She just got out of position midway through the race and doesn't have the turn of foot that Rougir has,” Brown said. “It didn't work out for her, but I was proud of her to try and to pick up some horses late. She was just out of position for her style of running. She's back off a long layoff with a race under her belt now. We'll separate them now and find a race for her.”

Brown had multiple horses work over Belmont's inner turf on Sunday morning, including Brant's dual Grade 1-winner Regal Glory, who went five furlongs in 1:02.12 in company with maiden winner Credit Event.

Regal Glory, a 6-year-old daughter of Animal Kingdom, is unbeaten in two starts this year when capturing the Grade 3 Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf Invitational in January at Gulfstream Park en route to a victory three months later in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley at Keeneland.

Brown said he and Brant contemplated retiring Regal Glory following the Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf, but opted to keep her in training for another year due to her strong effort in that race.

“We were at least going to run in the Pegasus prior to breeding season and then decide on her 6-year-old campaign based on how she did there, and she ran terrific,” Brown said. “So, we decided to run her another year and so far, it's paying off. She's an outstanding racehorse.”

Regal Glory is targeting the Grade 1, $500,000 Longines Just a Game at one mile on turf for older fillies and mares on June 11.

Brown also worked Bradley Thoroughbreds, Belmar Racing and Breeding, Tim Cambron, Anna Cambron, and Team Hanley's Haughty, third in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, in company with Klaravich Stables' Customer List, a debut winner over the Monmouth Park turf in September. Both fillies went five furlongs in 1:02.33.

Brown said one, but not both, of the sophomore fillies could entertain the $150,000 Penn Oaks on June 3 at Penn National. He said the Grade 3, $100,000 Soaring Softly on May 28 is a possibility for Haughty, as well as a local allowance event for both fillies.

“I like what I see from Haughty. She's training quite well,” Brown said. “She fell a little bit behind this winter. She got a little sick on me and we got started a little later than I wanted to, but she's making up for lost time rapidly now in her works. She might be headed to the Penn Oaks, I won't run two in that race. Allowance races in New York are also on the table.”

The post Rougir Showed ‘Terrific Turn Of Foot’ To Win Beaugay; $3.3 Million Filly Will Point To G1 New York Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Bobby Flay's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Filly Turf (G1) winner from last year Pizza Bianca will headline the 50th running of the one-mile $100,000 Hilltop Stakes Friday at historic Pimlico Race Course.

The Hilltop, for 3-year-old fillies, and the $100,000 The Very One for fillies and mares 3 and up sprinting five furlongs, are the turf stakes on the 14-race card on the eve of the 147th Preakness Stakes (G1). The main event on Friday's program is the 98th running of the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) for 3-year-old fillies.

The Hilltop will be the second start for Pizza Bianca since she ended up in the winner's circle at the Breeders' Cup. That was one of the more popular wins on the two-day Breeders' Cup program as it exorcised 24 years of frustration for trainer Christophe Clement. Before that win, he had gone 0-for-40 in his training career at racing's World Series.

“That was fun,” Clement said. “She has always been a nice filly. Before her maiden win [last June 22 at Saratoga] we knew she was a nice filly.”

Pizza Bianca had two wins and a second as a 2-year-old. She started this season with a second-place finish as the 4-5 favorite in the ungraded Memories of Silver at Aqueduct on April 22.

“She got beat by a nice filly [Consumer Spending],” Clement said. “The winner had a perfect trip and ran a good race. We ran OK. We just got beat. I thought she was pretty fit the first time out; maybe she was a bit rusty. There are no more excuses now.”

Pizza Bianca, a daughter of Fastnet Rock, will be ridden by Jose Ortiz, who has been aboard for her last two starts.

If all goes well in the Hilltop, Pizza Bianca will be on her way to Royal Ascot in England for the Coronation Stakes (G1) next month, Clement said.

Pizza Bianca has had two works at Belmont Park since the Memories of Silver, the most recent being a four-furlong move in 52.10 seconds last Friday.

“If would be nice to see if she can settle and finish with the explosive turn of foot that she showed as a 2-year-old,” Clement said.

Clement also entered Robert Masiello and Steven Rocco's Diamond Hands, a daughter of Frosted, to the Hilltop.

“She is a nice filly,” he said. “She ran three times last year and broke her maiden in the third start.”

Clement gave Diamond Hands the winter off and she resumed training in Florida in mid-March. After six works at the Payson Park Training Center, the filly has had two works at Belmont, the most recent being a four-furlong drill in 49.71 seconds last Monday.

Irad Ortiz Jr. has taken the call on Diamond Hands.

Trainer Graham Motion, who has won the Hilltop five times – including last year's edition with Alda – will saddle Gary Broad's Vergara this year. Motion is hoping the daughter of Noble Mission can atone for an eighth-place finish in the Bourbonette Oaks at Turfway Park on April 2. It was her first start this year and her first try on a synthetic track.

Motion says the bad performance was all on him.

“It was stupid of a trainer to send her all the way to Kentucky to run from the 12-hole off a layoff,” Motion said. “It was ridiculous. I don't know what I was thinking. She was completely compromised. A silly move. I think we will, hopefully, see the proper Vergara on Friday.”

Luis Saez will ride Vergara. He was on board when she won the ungraded Tepin at Aqueduct in her final start as a 2-year-old on Nov 28.

Also entered in the eight-horse field are Determined Gold, Determined Star, Hail To, Lady Puchi and Murph.

Evenly Matched Field of 11 to Contest $100,000 The Very One

Trainer Christophe Clement says he has Jim Bakke's and Gerry Isbister's Honey Pants right where he wants the 4-year-old gray filly, sprinting on the grass in Friday's $100,000 The Very One at historic Pimlico Race Course.

The five-furlong The Very One saw 12 horses entered including Hey Mamaluke, entered for main track only.

“Honey Pants is a nice filly and is improving all the time,” Clement said. “I probably ran her a bit too far last year. She is a sprinter. She has never won a stake, but she has placed in a stake. She deserves to win a stake.”

The daughter of Cairo Prince has raced 10 times on the grass and has three wins and four seconds. Three of the runner-up finishes came in ungraded stakes races.

This wide-open race also attracted the Mike Maker-trained Phantom Vision, who is owned by Albert Frassetto. In her last start, the Declaration of War filly was no factor in the 5 ½-furlong Giant's Causeway April 16 at Keeneland, finishing eighth. Before that, Phantom Vision won a pair of off-the-turf allowance springs.

“The Giant's Causeway probably had the best filly and mare turf sprinters in the country,” Maker said. “They all showed up; she was in just a bit over her head and she should appreciate the class drop.”

Phantom Vision has a win, a second and a third in six grass starts.

Maryland-bred Can the Queen, a winner of four of 10 career starts on grass, will return to face fillies after a fourth-place finish against the boys in her first start of 2022, the King T. Leatherbury April 23 at Laurel Park. She is owned by Joanne Shankle.

“She's coming out of a really tough race,” trainer Rudy Sanchez-Salomon said. “She lost to the very nice horse of Graham Motion's [True Valour]. He is a very nice horse and she was competing with him pretty much until the end. She fought hard against the boys; I am really excited about her.”

Also entered are Dendrobia, who was ninth against the boys in the Leatherbury; Payntdembluesway, a winner of nine of 15 career starts on grass; the front-running Princess Kokachin, making her first start on grass; Adelaide Miss, a winner the only time she tried this distance; West Virginia-bred Door Buster; 2021 Maryland Million Ladies' winner Epic Idea, eighth in this race last year; Spun Glass, making her first start since September; and Whispurring Kitten, unraced since October 28.

The post Breeders’ Cup Winner Pizza Bianca To Headline Hilltop; Royal Ascot Trip Possible For Clement Trainee appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post