Month: June 2022

Idle since Oct. 22 and in his first start for Neil Drysdale, Chilean-bred Breakpoint set the pace and survived a late surge from favored Red King to take Santa Anita's traditional closing day marathon, the 83rd running of the $125,000 San Juan Capistrano Stakes (G3) by a head.

Ridden by Tyler Baze, Breakpoint got 1 ¾ miles on turf in 2:47.32, providing Drysdale with his fourth win in the San Juan dating back to 1999.

With a hillside start, Breakpoint, a three-time Group 1 winner in Chile but winless in four stateside starts in New York and Kentucky, was engaged with Dean Martini for command early but opened up a two-length advantage as the field made the dirt crossing at the top of the stretch.  From there, he settled into stride and was pressed by Modus Operandi around the far turn, dispatched him a furlong out, and just held an unlucky Red King safe at the wire.

“He'll go two miles, he'll go all day long,” said Baze, who collected his second San Juan win. “He's just a big plodder and we learned a lot from him today. You just really don't want to take hold of him. He just wants to be free-running and he ran great. Once we hit the half-mile pole, I asked him to pick it up around the turn and he picked it up a little bit, but he just kept plodding along. He galloped out way in front of everybody and galloped out strong, so, the further we can run, the better.”

Distanced while finishing last in a Sycamore Stakes (G3) going 1 ½ miles at Keeneland when trained by Steve Asmussen on Oct. 22, Breakpoint was off at 9-1 in a field of eight 3-year-olds and up Sunday and paid $20.20.

“I'm delighted for the horse,” said Drysdale, a longtime member of racing's Hall of Fame. “He had a masterful ride and it's just good to see the get his form back from South America. …What is in store is, we'll give him some carrots tonight and a good dinner, and we will see where we go.”

Owned by Don Alberto Stable and bred in Chile by Haras Don Alberto, Breakpoint, a 5-year-old by Constitution out of the Seeking the Dia mare Safawi, is now six for nine lifetime. With the winner's share of $75,000, his earnings increased to $286,163.

Red King, the 2-1 favorite who won the San Juan Capistrano in 2020, was full of run turning for home but couldn't get out from behind horses. He was again bumped late by third-place finisher Avenue and just missed in a big effort.

Avenue was a bit erratic late, drifting out inside the final sixteenth and then shifting in three lanes at the wire.

The post ‘He Had A Masterful Ride’: Breakpoint Prevails In Thrilling Finish In San Juan Capistrano appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Santa Anita's 18-day Autumn meet which begins Sept. 30, will be highlighted by 26 stakes, 15 of them graded. Overnight purses remain the same as last year.

Most all stakes purses are the same as in 2021, with the following exceptions: both the Golden State Juvenile and the Golden State Juvenile Fillies have had purses increased from $150,000 to $175,000, while the Unzip Me and the Anoakia have purses of $85,000, up from $75,000 last year. Additionally, two restricted stakes, the Swingtime and the Lure, now offer purse money of $80,000, an increase of $10,000 each.

The 2022 Autumn Meet stakes schedule will include five Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” stakes over the first two weekends, Oct. 1 & 2 and Oct. 8 & 9, all significant preps to the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland Nov. 4 & 5. These include three Grade 1 events, the $300,000 Awesome Again on Oct. 1 and the $300,000 American Pharoah, and the $300,000 Rodeo Drive, both on Oct. 8.

Thanks to the Breeders' Cup, the Autumn Meet will get off to a fast start, with 11 stakes, seven of them graded, offered opening weekend, Oct. 1 & 2. The second weekend, Oct. 8 & 9, features six stakes, five of them graded.

The Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes is a prep to the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic; the Grade 1 American Pharoah is a prep to the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile; and the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive Stakes is a prep to the $2 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1).

The Grade 2 Awesome Again headlines a tremendous day of stakes on Oct, 1, supported by five additional added money events: the Grade 2, $200,000 Eddie D Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at about 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course; the Grade 2, $200,000 John Henry Stakes for 3-year-olds and older at 1 ¼ miles on turf; the Grade 2, $200,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship at six furlongs; the Grade 2, $200,000 City of Hope Mile on turf for 3-year-olds and up and the $85,000 Unzip Me for 3-year-old fillies at about 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf.

On Sunday, Oct. 2, five stakes will be offered, the Grade 2, $200,000 Zenyatta Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles; the Grade 3, $100,000 Chillingworth Stakes for fillies & mares three and up at 6 ½ furlongs; the $100,000 Speakeasy Stakes for 2-year-olds at five furlongs on turf, the 100,000 Tokyo City Cup for 3-year-olds and up at 1 ½ miles (which has been permanently moved to the Autumn Meet as a prep to Breeders' Cup Marathon races) and the $100,000 Senator Ken Maddy, for fillies and mares three and up at about 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course.

Four California-bred Stakes, the California Distaff ($125,000) on Oct. 15; the California Flag ($125,000) on Oct. 16; the Golden State Juvenile ($175,000) on Oct. 29 and the Golden State Juvenile Fillies ($175,000) on Oct. 29, will again provide local owners and breeders' ample added money opportunities through closing day, Nov.

Santa Anita's complete 2022 Autumn stakes schedule will be available soon at santaanita.com.

The post Santa Anita’s 18-Day Autumn Meet To Offer 26 Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Eddie F's Racing's Dream Central broke her maiden and scored her first stakes win for trainer Gary Sciacca in Sunday's $150,000 Cupecoy's Joy division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series for eligible state-sired sophomore fillies sprinting seven furlongs on the Widener turf at Belmont Park.

The bay Central Banker filly arrived at the Cupecoy's Joy from an even seventh-place effort in a maiden special weight over the same distance and course on May 30 where she was bumped at the start and forced seven-wide in the turn. After making her first two starts on dirt, she finished third in her second try on the lawn on April 29 sprinting six furlongs.

“I knew she was a decent filly. She was training well,” said Eddie Fazzone, owner of Eddie F's Racing. “We tried her on the dirt when she first came up, and she hated the dirt. She was doing really well when we brought her back. The maiden race last time, she wasn't paying attention. She was looking around. The first time on the turf this year she ran a nice third, so we knew she'd love the grass. Seven furlongs I thought would be her best distance, too. I saw the race and said, 'This is the race right here.' ”

Sent from post 2 at odds of 39-1, longest odds in the field of 11, Dream Central was allowed to stalk the pace in sixth under patient handling from Jose Lezcano as Royal Dancer and Shinfull vied for the lead through an opening quarter-mile in :22.36 over the firm turf.

Royal Dancer gained the advantage over a retreating Shinfull entering the turn through a half-mile in :45.50 as the Manny Franco-piloted Robyn and Eli swung to an outside path from six lengths back in eighth to begin her run at the leader.

Lezcano got to work aboard Dream Central as Royal Dancer confidently extended her margin to two lengths at the stretch call. Robyn and Eli quickly closed the gap with a strong run down the center of the track as Dream Central found her best stride nearing the sixteenth pole.

Lezcano guided Dream Central between Robyn and Eli and a tiring Royal Dancer to find the wire just in time and stun the field of 11 by a neck in a final time of 1:21.57.

Robyn and Eli secured place honors a half-length ahead of Royal Dancer, who rounded out the trifecta 2 1/4 lengths the better of Howdyoumakeurmoney.

Shigeko, Silken Dollar, Morning Matcha, Galaxina, Shinfull, Liberty Flame and Half Birthday completed the order of finish. Bank On Anna, who was entered for the main track only, was scratched. Shigeko was pulled up after the wire and vanned off.

Lezcano said he had plenty of horse under him even when Franco made the first move at the pacesetter with Robyn and Eli.

“My filly didn't get out when I needed and then the other horse tried to hold me over there. He [Franco] did his job,” said Lezcano. “But my filly, when I asked her, she really responded and finished the job. She picked it up real good and the other horse was fighting back at the same time.”

Franco said Robyn and Eli gave her best effort.

“My filly ran great. We just got beat,” said Franco. “I tried to do the best I could to take his momentum, but I knew he had horse. I moved and got the jump, but he had horse – he beat me.”

Sciacca, who has seen stakes success with Eddie F's Racing's Chowda and Lobsta, credited Fazzone with the idea to run Dream Central in the Cupecoy's Joy.

“Eddie really wanted to run here,” Sciacca said. “Two months ago, he picked this spot out. He wanted to run here no matter what. We had a couple of bad breaks with her. A couple of times, things didn't go right. But she got it all together today.”

Fazzone said the Cupecoy's Joy was on his radar because of the New York-bred and New York-sired programs.

“I love it. It's great,” Fazzone said. “When I buy the babies, I do the Virginia certified with the New York-bred. It's the best racing going, the horses are great. The sire stakes here are nice.”

Bred in New York by Fedwell Farms, Dream Central returned $81.50 and earned $82,500 for her winning effort. Her record now stands at 1-0-1 from seven starts and purse earnings of $95,917. Her dam is the Deputy Wild Cat mare Dreamed to Dream.

The post Maiden Dream Central Springs 39-1 Surprise In Cupecoy’s Joy Division Of NYSSS appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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