Month: June 2022

CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm's multiple Grade 1-winner Life Is Good will take on Godolphin's Grade 1-winning homebred Speaker's Corner in Saturday's Grade 2, $250,000 John A. Nerud, a seven-furlong sprint for older horses at Belmont Park.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Life Is Good, a 4-year-old Into Mischief bay, won 4-of-5 starts last year led by scores in the Grade 2 Kelso Handicap in September at Belmont ahead of a 5 3/4-length win in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in November at Del Mar.

Life Is Good launched his current campaign with a gate-to-wire 3 1/4-length victory over 2021 Horse of the Year Knicks Go in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational in January at Gulfstream Park. He finished fourth last out in the 10-furlong Group 1 Dubai World Cup on March 26 at Meydan.

Pletcher said Life Is Good didn't appreciate the slow Meydan surface.

“It was the wrong racetrack for him,” Pletcher said. “We were a little concerned about that going in. I thought they would have it a little tighter on that night, but it didn't play to his style at all.”

Life Is Good has breezed five times over the Belmont dirt training track since returning to Pletcher's care in New York, including a half-mile effort in 49.49 seconds Saturday.

Pletcher, who won this event last year with Mind Control, said the talented colt will use the Nerud as a springboard to the nine-furlong Grade 1, $1 million Whitney on August 6 at Saratoga Race Course, which offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic in November at Keeneland.

“We would like to have a prep before the Whitney and this seemed like the logical place,” Pletcher said.

Flavien Prat, who guided Flightline to victory over Speaker's Corner in the Grade 1 Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 11 here, will take over from the suspended Irad Ortiz, Jr.

“Flavien has proven he rides really well in any occasion,” Pletcher said. “There might be some similarities to Flightline and Life Is Good, but we'll have a talk about the horse a little bit. He's got kind of a quiet touch, so that should suit him well.”

Life Is Good will emerge from the inside post carrying 124 pounds.

Speaker's Corner, a 4-year-old Street Sense colt, has won 3-of-4 starts this year, including scores traveling one-mile at Gulfstream Park in the Grade 3 Fred W. Hooper in January and the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile in March. His impressive 4 1/2-length win in the seven-furlong Grade 1 Carter Handicap in April at Aqueduct Racetrack garnered a 114 Beyer Speed Figure, the highest number recorded this year.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott and piloted last out by Junior Alvarado, the talented bay set splits of 22.78 and 45.01 in the Grade 1 Met Mile but could not turn back the streaking Flightline, who drew off to a six-length score over Happy Saver with Speaker's Corner a further 2 3/4-lengths back in third.

Speaker's Corner breezed five-eighths in a bullet 59.60 Saturday over Big Sandy in his first breeze back. With Alvarado committed to riding Olympiad for Mott in Saturday's Grade 2 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs, Speaker's Corner will be piloted by Jose Ortiz from post 5 touting 124 pounds.

Ortiz has ridden Speaker's Corner on two previous occasions, including a 5 1/4-length allowance win in August at Saratoga.

CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm's Harvard [post 3, Kendrick Carmouche, 118 pounds] will return from a two-month layoff for trainer Rodolphe Brisset.

The 4-year-old Pioneerof the Nile gelding has posted a pair of front-running scores, graduating at third asking last May at Indiana Grand followed by a nine-furlong allowance score one month later at Churchill. He was last seen finishing last-of-7 in a 1 1/16-mile optional-claimer on April 30 at Belmont.

Out of the New York-bred Cat Thief mare Sambuca Classica, Harvard is a full-brother to 2016 Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Classic Empire, who notched three Grade 1 scores and banked more than $2.5 million in purse earnings.

Harvard has trained at Keeneland for his return, including a bullet five-eighths breeze in 1:01 flat on June 19.

The multiple graded-stakes placed War Tocsin [post 4, Dexter Haddock, 118 pounds], owned and trained by Uriah St. Lewis, enters from a third-place finish at odds of 69-1 in the Grade 2 True North on June 10 at Belmont. The 6-year-old Violence bay has hit the board in three of his last four starts, including a second in the Grade 3 General George in February and a third in the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint in May at Pimlico.

Rounding out the field is Double B Racing Stables' Repo Rocks [post 2, Javier Castellano, 118 pounds], who sports a record of 6-2-1-1 over Big Sandy led by a sharp allowance sprint score on April 28 that garnered a career-best 99 Beyer.

Trained by Gregory DiPrima, the 4-year-old Tapiture gelding placed in a pair of graded events at the Big A this winter, finishing second in the Grade 3 Toboggan in February and third in the Grade 3 Tom Fool Handicap in March.

The John A. Nerud is slated as Race 4 on Saturday's 10-race card, which also features the Grade 3, $250,000 Dwyer in Race 8. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the spring/summer meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

The post Life Is Good, Speaker’s Corner Square Off In John A. Nerud appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Charge It, who finished 17th in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby last out, will cut back in distance in Saturday's Grade 3, $250,000 Dwyer for sophomores going a one-turn mile at Belmont Park.

Owned by Amanda Pope's Whisper Hill Farm, Charge It brings a 4-1-2-0 record and earnings of $230,400 while seeking to give Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher a third Dwyer triumph.

In the Kentucky Derby on May 7 at Churchill Downs, Charge It raced in the middle of the pack and in between horses approaching the first turn, finding himself in seventh down the backstretch. Coaxed by jockey Luis Saez around the far turn, Charge It came up empty in the stretch and was beaten 28 lengths.

Charge It was an impressive 8 1/2-length winner of his second out maiden score going the Dwyer distance in February at Gulfstream Park, where he registered a 93 Beyer Speed Figure. The son of Tapit replicated that figure when a hard-fought second to White Abarrio in the Grade 1 Florida Derby on April 2 at Gulfstream.

“I don't think he got to show his true ability that day in the Kentucky Derby,” said Pletcher, who previously won the Dwyer with Any Given Saturday [2007] and Strong Hope [2003]. “He displaced a soft palate, which we did a minor surgical procedure on since then. I think we got that corrected, so hopefully he'll come back to top form.”

Pletcher indicated that the Dwyer could set Charge It up for the nine-furlong Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy on July 30 at Saratoga Race Course.

“We're just looking for a place to get started, hopefully to set him up for some bigger stuff down the road,” Pletcher said. “If we're running at Belmont in any race besides the Belmont Stakes, we have to go one turn, so I don't think it'll be a problem. He broke his maiden going a mile impressively.”

Hailing from the prominent Take Charge Lady maternal bloodlines, Charge It is out of the Indian Charlie mare I'll Take Charge, a half-sister to Grade 1-winners Take Charge Indy and As Time Goes By, as well as 2013 Travers winner and Champion 3-Year-Old Will Take Charge. The influential family also includes Grade 1-winner Omaha Beach and 2014 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Take Charge Brandi.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez, a three-time Dwyer winner, will pick up the mount from post 1.

Trainer John Terranova will saddle Fluid Situation, who will see added ground following a fourth-place finish in the six-furlong Gold Fever on May 15 at Belmont. The Curragh Stables-owned Warrior's Reward bay received a troubled trip in the Gold Fever, getting checked several times down the backstretch. Fluid Situation made a menacing move approaching the top of the stretch, but was unable to catch pacesetting winner Senbei and finished fourth beaten five lengths.

Fluid Situation broke his maiden going seven furlongs on March 27 at Tampa Bay Downs, and Terranova said he is excited to stretch the colt out in distance.

“He got to a rough start in the Gold Fever. He had to check a couple of times. It got a little tight there,” Terranova said. “He's the kind of horse that really doesn't like to be hammered down like that. We were in the race at Monmouth the weekend before [the Long Branch on May 7] and we just decided to keep him at home rather than ship him back there when they brought the race back the following week. It didn't set up the right way, and I think overall he wants a little bit more ground anyways. He hasn't really had a chance to do that other than the time he broke his maiden going seven furlongs.”

Terranova said Fluid Situation should show speed.

“You don't want to get in his way. He's a horse that needs to be allowed to run a little bit,” Terranova said. “He's just got real natural speed. Going a mile, obviously he's a horse that should be prominent up front.”

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will ride from post 3.

Peter Brant's Nabokov will make his stakes debut for four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, who won the 2017 Dwyer with Practical Joke.

Following a close second on debut in April when going 6 1/2 furlongs at Keeneland, the bay son of Uncle Mo passed the distance test with a second-out score going 1 1/16 miles on May 15 at Belmont. The colt built on his advantage throughout, notching his maiden score by 3 1/4 lengths to garner a 91 Beyer.

A $775,000 purchase at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Nabokov is a full-brother to graded stakes winner and multiple Grade 1-placed Mopotism, both are out of the Bernardini mare Peppy Rafaela. Nabokov was bred in Kentucky by Frank Batten.

Nabokov will exit post 6 under Flavien Prat.

Completing the field are stakes-winner No Sabe Nada [post 2, Roberto Alvarado, Jr.]; maiden winner Unbridled Bomber [post 4, Jose Ortiz]; and stakes-placed Runninsonofagun [post 5, Kendrick Carmouche].

The Dwyer honors the well-known Dwyer Brothers, Mike and Phil, two Brooklyn businessmen who campaigned many notable horses under their Dwyer Brothers Stable moniker in the late 1800s. Either as collaborative or standalone owners, the Dwyers owned Hall of Fame thoroughbreds Hindoo, Ben Brush, Hanover, Miss Woodford and Luke Blackburn.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the spring/summer meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

The post After Undergoing Airway Procedure, Charge It Returns In Saturday’s Dwyer appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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