Month: May 2022

Fresh off the best race of her career, the Bob Hess, Jr.-trained Cairo Memories rates top billing as she bids for her second consecutive stakes win in Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Honeymoon Stakes at Santa Anita. For 3-year-old fillies at a mile and one eighth on turf, the Honeymoon has attracted a field of seven, including recent Grade 3 winner Island of Love.

Distanced in the G3 Santa Ysabel on dirt March 6, Cairo Memories was completely dominant at a mile and one eighth on turf April 9, taking the G3 Providencia Stakes when ridden by Mike Smith, who will be back aboard on Sunday.

A one mile turf maiden winner in her first start Sept. 5 at Del Mar, Cairo Memories then took the ungraded Surfer Girl at the same trip here at Santa Anita on Oct. 3. Owned by David Bernsen and Schroeder Farms, LLC, Cairo Memories earned a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure in the Providencia and will hope to replicate that performance in the Honeymoon.

With all three of her wins coming on turf, Cairo Memories, a Kentucky-bred filly by Cairo Prince out of the Indian Charlie mare Incarnate Memories, has earnings of $292,500 from six starts.

Trained by Phil D'Amato, Irish-bred Island of Love, the beaten favorite in a pair of ungraded one mile turf stakes on March 6 and Jan. 30, put it all together in a most impressive 2 ¼ length score going one mile on turf in the G3 Senorita Stakes on May 7.

With leading man Juan Hernandez riding her back, Island of Love, who won as though she may relish an extra furlong, appears to be very much on the improve for D'Amato, the meet's leading trainer by both total wins and stakes victories. Owned by R Unicorn Stable, Island of Love was unbeaten in two Italian starts at age two and thus has three wins from five overall starts with earnings of $109,755.

Second, beaten 2 ¼ lengths by Island of Love in the Senorita, Irish-bred Sterling Crest was second, beaten 4 ½ lengths by Cairo Memories two starts back in the Providencia, races in which she pressed the early pace. Trained by Richard Baltas to an 8-1-4-2 mark, Sterling Crest will make her first start for George Papaprodromou and be ridden for the first time by Ramon Vazquez.

A two-time stakes winner at Golden Gate Fields, the Steve Specht-trained Ellamira rallied for a solid one length win going a mile on grass in the restricted Campanile Stakes on May 1 and will hope for a lively pace Sunday with Frank Alvarado riding her back.

A California-bred filly by Street Boss out of the Ghostzapper mare Tuedays With P, Ellamira is owned by her breeder, Cole Ranch Partners, LP and will be making her third start on the Santa Anita turf, having run a pair of credible fourths in both the G3 Sweet Life Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside Feb. 12 and in the Cal Cup Oaks at one mile on turf four starts back on Jan. 15. With three wins and a second from eight starts, she has earnings of $136,806.

THE GRADE 3 HONEYMOON WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 7 of 9 Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT

1. Island of Love—Juan Hernandez—124
2. Ballet Dancing—Drayden Van Dyke—120
3. Gold Dragon Queen—Kyle Frey—120
4. Fuente Ovejuna—Edwin Maldonado—120
5. Cairo Memories—Mike Smith—124
6. Sterling Crest—Ramon Vazquez—120
7. Ellamira—Frank Alvarado–124

First post time for a nine-race card on Sunday is at 1 p.m.

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Alfred Pais' brilliantly fast Brickyard Ride seeks his fifth consecutive stakes victory as he heads a field of six older horses going seven furlongs in Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Triple Bend Stakes at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.

Trained by Craig Lewis, Brickyard Ride, a 5-year-old California-bred horse by Clubhouse Ride, has been nothing short of sensational at the current meet, winning four stakes in a row, his most recent triumph coming at 6 ½ furlongs in the G3 Kona Gold, a race he took by 2 ¼ lengths while earning a 98 Beyer Speed Figure.

Accomplished in customary gate to wire fashion, his win in the Kona Gold also marked the fourth consecutive time that Brickyard Ride has been dispatched as the betting favorite, his last three wins as the odds-on choice.

Off at 2-5 in the Kona Gold with regular rider Juan Hernandez, Brickyard Ride carved out splits of 21.95, 44.10 and 1:08.45, finishing up 6 ½ furlongs in 1:15.07.

“He's pretty fast,” said Lewis following the race. “Juan said he wanted to take it easy on him, but he wouldn't let him. So, you saw the results and they ran fast…He was geared down so, no telling. He just keeps getting better and better.”

A two-time graded stakes winner, Brickyard Ride is one for two at seven panels, as he took the G2 San Carlos Stakes here 10 starts back on March 6, 2021 and finished a close fifth in the G2 Pat O'Brien five starts back at Del Mar on Aug. 28.

Out of the Southern Image mare Brickyard Helen, Brickyard Ride is 22-12-1-2 overall with earnings of $740,977.

If anyone is going to challenge Brickyard Ride for early supremacy, it'll likely be the John Sadler-trained Elector, a lightly raced 4-year-old who has a pair of impressive sprint victories to his credit at the current meet, both accomplished in gate to wire fashion.

A lights-out 4 ¾ length maiden winner going seven furlongs in his second career start Feb. 26, he came back to drill allowance foes by 1 ½ lengths going 6 ½ furlongs on April 16, earning a 95 Beyer, which followed up on 97 fig earned when breaking his maiden.

Owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, Edwin Barker and William Sandbrook, Elector is by Constitution and is out of the Notional mare Oh Kay See. With two wins from three starts, he'll be ridden for the third time in a row by Ricky Gonzalez.

A 6-year-old California-bred by Coil, trainer Librado Barocio's Principe Carlo is in top form, with his most recent start resulting in a second place finish behind multiple graded stakes winner Cezanne in the G2 San Carlos at seven furlongs on March 5.

Owned by Mia Familia Racing Stable, Principe Carlo, who earned a 92 Beyer in the San Carlos, will be seeking his first graded stakes win. With an overall mark of 25-8-8-0, he has earnings of $445,343.

Well beaten going a mile on turf in the G1 San Francisco Mile April 30, owner Gary Barber's Get Her Number, a winner of the G1 American Pharoah Stakes on dirt at age two, will get the first-time services of Ramon Vazquez as he returns to dirt after racing on grass in his last three starts.

Trained by Ruben Alvarado, Get Her Number, who pressed the pace en route to a head victory going 6 ½ furlongs out of the turf chute two starts back on March 12, takes an unorthodox route to the Triple Bend but his connections are hoping his class will make him a contender.

By Dialed In out of the Bernstein mare Fancier, Get Her Number has three wins from nine starts and earnings of $319,817.

THE GRADE 2 TRIPLE BEND WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 4 of 9 Approximate post time 2:30 p.m. PT

1. Get Her Number—Ramon Vazquez—120
2. Exaulted—Edwin Maldonado—120
3. American Theorem—Joe Bravo—120
4. Brickyard Ride—Juan Hernandez—122
5. Principe Carlo—Kyle Frey–120
6. Elector—Ricardo Gonzalez—120

First post time for a nine-race card on Sunday is at 1 p.m.

The post Brickyard Ride Chasing Fifth Straight Stakes Win In Sunday’s Triple Bend appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Lloyd Madison Farm's multiple graded stakes winner Sconsin is set to make her 5-year-old debut and defend her crown in Monday's 19th running of the $200,000 Winning Colors (Grade 3) at Churchill Downs.

Monday's Memorial Day program from Churchill Downs will have a first post of 12:45 p.m. (all times Eastern). The Winning Colors will go as Race 8 of 9 with a post time of 4:22 p.m.

Five rivals entered to face five-time winner Sconsin in the Winning Colors. The Greg Foley-trained daughter of Include has been on the sidelines since her half-length victory in the $300,000 Open Mind last September.

Sconsin cruised to a 3 ¼-length win in last year's Winning Colors under jockey Tyler Gaffalione. Following her victory in the Winning Colors, Sconsin was narrowly defeated by Bell's the One in the $110,000 Roxelana. Sconsin tested Grade 1 company in last year's $500,000 Ballerina but finished fourth to champion female sprinter Gamine.

“Her setup this year is sort of the same as last year getting the winter off,” Foley said. “She took the winter off after she ran fourth in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint in 2020. We brought her back in the Madison but decided to target the Winning Colors this year to start the year.”

Sconsin will be ridden by Gaffalione from post position No. 3.

She'll be joined in the starting gate by graded stakes-placed fillies Joyful Cadence and Li'l Tootsie along with allowance winners Euphoric, Novel Squall and Tipsy Gal.

The Winning Colors field from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):

1. Joyful Cadence (Joe Talamo, John Ortiz)
2. Novel Squall (Brian Hernandez Jr., John Ortiz)
3. Sconsin (Gaffalione, Foley)
4. Li'l Tootsie (James Graham, Tom Amoss)
5. Tipsy Gal (Ricardo Santana Jr., Dallas Stewart)
6. Euphoric (Gerardo Corrales, Bernie Flint)

Wagering for the Winning Colors, and every race from Churchill Downs, is available on www.TwinSpires.com, the official wagering provider of Churchill Downs Incorporated and the Kentucky Derby.

The post Sconsin Will Make 5-Year-Old Debut In Monday’s Winning Colors appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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