Month: June 2022

Bo Hirsch LLC's Ce Ce will follow a formula for proven success when she defends her title in Saturday's $300,000 Princess Rooney Invitational (G2) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The 6-year-old daughter of Elusive Quality dominated last year's edition of the seven-furlong sprint for fillies and mares on her way to clinching a 2021 Eclipse Award title in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) at Del Mar. The Michael McCarthy-trained mare will seek to earn another fees-paid berth in this year's World Thoroughbred Championships at Keeneland when she takes on five rivals in the Princess Rooney, a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” event.

The Princess Rooney will headline Saturday's Summit of Speed program that will also feature the $100,000 Smile Sprint (G3), a six-furlong race for 3-year-olds that will offer Breeders' Cup incentives to the top three finishers. Saturday's first-race post time is set for 12:30 p.m.

Ce Ce, the 4-5 morning-line favorite, has an impressive career resume of versatility into the Princess Rooney, having achieved Grade 1 success in both one-turn and two-turn stakes.

“She's just an incredibly classy mare. She's always aiming to please. I said it before: I wish all my colleagues, at one time in the lives, could have a mare like her, because all she does is try,” McCarthy said. “She's made us look good a couple of times. We're not lost in the fact of what she's done for us, so we try to do everything right for her.”

Although she has won two Grade 1 stakes around two turns, it was around one-turn in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint that she became the first McCarthy-trained Eclipse Award champion.

“Those are the kind of things that you can leave your mark on the game with horses like her. It's wonderful that she can be recognized as an Eclipse Award champion. It's wonderful to do it for a guy like Bo Hirsch. He's just a real patron of the game. His family's been around for a long time. His father was a real icon of California,” the Santa Anita-based McCarthy said. “So, it's a big deal, a big deal for us and a big deal to be able to share it with someone like Bo Hirsch.”

The defending Eclipse Award female sprint titlist will be cutting back to race around one turn in the Princess Rooney after capturing the Azeri (G2) and finishing third in the Apple Blossom (G1) around two turns at Oaklawn Park.

“Earlier this year, with nothing really fitting [in Southern California], we decided to go to Oaklawn for the Azeri. She ran so well in the Azeri that we decided to go back and give it a shot in the Apple Blossom. It looked like a race on paper that wasn't going to be easy for us from a pace scenario. You had Letruska in there who was the lone speed. We didn't want her to get too far away from us, so we took the race to her fairly early,” McCarthy said. “I thought she ran well in defeat. It was one of those things, timing-wise, that you had to take a chance.”

Ce Ce's proven success at Gulfstream has bolstered McCarthy's confidence in her chances to repeat in the Princess Rooney.

“The tracks just seemed to have gotten a little deeper out here. She likes things a little bit faster,” he said. “We've been able to find a few racetracks to her liking.”

McCarthy, who saddled City of Light for a victory in the $9 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) at Gulfstream in 2019, has awarded the return mount on Ce Ce to Hall of Famer Victor Espinoza.

Trainer Charlton Baker and Michael Foster's Glass Ceiling brings graded success at seven furlongs into the Princess Rooney. The New York invader notched back-to-back graded-stakes victories at the distance in the Feb. 19 Barbara Fritchie (G3) at Laurel and April 9 Distaff (G3) at Aqueduct while producing a four-race winning streak.

The 5-year-old daughter of Constitution is coming off a distant third behind victorious Bella Sofia in the June 10 Bed O Roses (G2) at Belmont Park.

Edgard Zayas has the call aboard Glass Ceiling, who is rated second at 7-2 in the morning line.

Grade 1 stakes-placed Make Mischief is entered to seek her first graded-stakes victory in the Princess Rooney. Gary Barber's 4-year-old daughter of Into Mischief, who finished third in last year's Acorn (G1), is coming off a victory over New York-breds in the Critical Eye at Belmont by four lengths.

Edwin Gonzalez has been named to ride the Mark Casse-trained filly.

Slam Dunk Racing, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., Daniel Damen, Dominique Damico, Steven Bouchey, Parkinson Goodrich LLC, K-Mac Stable LLC and Brian Martin's Allworthy makes a return into graded-stakes company Saturday while coming off a two-length victory in 6 ½-furlong optional claiming allowance May 14 at Churchill Downs.

“Initially, we thought she was a filly who wanted to go long. She's a filly who trains a lot better than she runs. She's done decent, but we feel there is more there.”

After finishing a tiring fourth in a mile optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream, Allworthy pressed the early pace in the Churchill race before drawing clear by two lengths.

“Last time, we cut her back thinking she'd be a come-from-behind sprinter. Weirdly enough, she broke with the speed. She showed speed, so it was uncharacteristic how she ran, but we're hoping that's what she wants to be,” Joseph said. “Hopefully, she wants to sprint.”

Allworthy, who earned a graded-stakes placing in last year's Charles Town Oaks (G3), will be tested Saturday in her quest for her first graded-stakes victory.

“It's a much different kind of race – you're facing Ce Ce, the Breeders' Cup [Filly and Mare] Sprint and defending Princess Rooney champion. It's a big class check for her, but it's on her home ground and she's in good order,” Joseph said. “We're going to give it a try. If you don't try, you don't know.”

Edgar Perez has the mount aboard the 4-year-old daughter of Tonalist.

Jacks or Better Farm Inc.'s Spirit Wind is set for her graded-stakes debut in the Princess Rooney while coming off a three-race winning streak that includes back-to-back stakes victories over the Gulfstream main track. The 3-year-old daughter of Bahamian Squall, who has won her last three starts by a combined 23 lengths, defeated a pair of next-out winners in the $100,000 Any Limit during the Championship Meet before running away from Florida-bred rivals by open lengths in the Musical Romance May 21.

The Ralph Nicks-trained filly finished second in her debut last year before returning nine months later to graduate by 15 ½ lengths Feb. 18 prior to winning back-to-back stakes.

“The filly's doing good and she's run well. We get to stay home,” Nicks said. “It's a huge step up facing the champion from last year, but at least we have the homecourt advantage, and we'll see what happens.”

Leonel Reyes has the return call aboard Spirit Wind, who is eligible for the $50,000 'Win Only' for Florida-breds, as is EKB Stables' Corey.

Corey enters the Princess Rooney off a third-place finish behind Spirit Wind in the Musical Romance. The Peter Walder-trained 7-year-old mare captured the Bal Harbour Handicap in her previous start

Miguel Vasquez has been named to ride the daughter of First Samurai

 

post     horse                       odds

1          Spirit Wind                 6-1

2          Allworthy                    8-1

3          Glass Ceiling               5-2

4          Corey                          15-1

5          Ce Ce                          4-5

6          Make Mischief            6-1

The post Female Sprint Champ Ce Ce Bids For ‘Win And You’re In’ Repeat In Princess Rooney appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Grade 1 stakes winner Drain the Clock will seek to regroup in the $100,000 Smile Sprint (G3) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., on Saturday while making his first start since competing in the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) on the March 26 Dubai World Cup (G1) undercard at Meydan Racecourse.

“He came back good. He had to fly back to Kentucky because that's how the flight arrangement was organized. We left him at WinStar, and they took care of him for a month,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “He had a little freshening, because the Smile was always the plan to bring him back in.”

The Smile, which offers a $50,000 “Win Only” bonus for Florida-bred runners, will be featured on Saturday's Summit of Speed program that will be headlined by the $300,000 Princess Rooney (G2), a seven-furlong Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” Challenge Series event for fillies and mares.

Drain the Clock, the 6-5 morning-line favorite in the six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up, earned Grade 1 credentials last year while defeating Jackie's Warrior in the Woody Stephens (G1) on the Belmont Stakes undercard.

“Our goal right now is to win a Grade 1 with him this year, hopefully,” Joseph said. “Obviously, the Breeders' Cup is at the end of the year. If he was in good form and he did win a Grade 1 before then, we'd give it a try.”

The Smile is one of 12 graded dirt stakes included in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Dozen, an incentive-based participation bonus program. The winner of the Smile will earn a $30,000 credit toward the entry fee for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) Nov. 5 at Keeneland. The second-place finisher will earn a $15,000 credit, while the show horse will earn a $7,500 credit.

Drain the Clock has won four of six starts at Gulfstream, including a victory in the Swale (G3). The son of Maclean's Music also stretched out last year to finish second behind Greatest Honour in the Fountain of Youth (G2).

Prior to shipping to Dubai, the Kentucky-bred colt lost a photo finish in his 2022 debut, edged by 2021 Smile Sprint winner Miles Ahead in a swiftly run Gulfstream Park Sprint Feb. 19.

“Right before he went to Dubai, he got beat a head, but he was coming off his best races numbers-wise,” Joseph said.

Drain the Clock recovered from a rather slow start to lead the way in the six-furlong Dubai Golden Shaheen before fading to seventh under Irad Ortiz Jr., more than five lengths behind victorious Switzerland.

“He was a little tardy out of the gate, and Irad had to use him a bit to get to the lead. I thought he was in the perfect spot, but he stopped – something he doesn't usually do,” Joseph said. “He travelled well in the race but just stopped the final eighth. It was a bit shocking to see him do that. The track was playing heavy, because we watched later in the day and Life Is Good looked like he was going to win and he stopped the same way. It was uncharacteristic because when [Drain the Clock] made the lead, I felt really comfortable. I didn't think he would get beat from there to be honest.”

Edwin Gonzalez will ride Drain the Clock for the first time Saturday.

Lea Farms LLC's Willy Boi enters the Smile coming off a pair of eye-catching victories – a 7 ½-length optional claiming allowance score going six furlongs at Tampa Bay Downs in his 2022 debut and a 5 ¼-length romp in the seven-furlong Big Drama for Florida-breds at Gulfstream Park.

“His last race, we had a little hesitation, because we didn't know if he was going to like the seven furlongs. I prepared him for that race with a little more gallop every day, and he responded to that all very well,” trainer Jorge Delgado said. “You could see he was happy out there and showed another trick. He came from second place and came to King Cab, the fastest horse in the race, and he just passed him easily and won by open lengths.”

The 4-year-old son of Uncaptured, who captured the six-furlong Hutcheson during his sophomore campaign, was transferred to Delgado's stable for his 2022 season,

“The horse is a very smart horse. He's a mature horse now,” Delgado said. “Now, with age, he's getting wiser and getting stronger and getting faster. I'm happy to have him. I'm looking forward to his races the rest of the year.”

Chantal Sutherland has the return mount aboard Willy Boi, who is rated second at 5-2 in the morning line.

“Chantal knows the horse really well and she has been fantastic with him,” Delgado said. “She has been doing amazing for my barn.”

Willy Boi is eligible to take down the $50,000 “Win Only” bonus for Florida-bred participants.

“I think there's more to come,” Delgado said. “He's getting better.”

Owner Daniel Walters and trainer Rohan Crichton are represented by two entrants in the Smile – Absolute Grit and Yes I'm a Beast

Daniel Walter's Absolute Grit enters the Smile with four victories in five starts since being claimed for $20,000, The 5-year-old gelding is coming off a seven-length victory in the June 9 Miami Shores Handicap at six furlongs.

Emisael Jaramillo has the return call on the son of Kantharos, who is rated third at 4-1 in the morning line.

Yes I'm a Beast has won five of his last seven starts in claiming and option claiming company. Edgar Perez has been named to ride the son of Big Beast

Trainer Elizabeth Dobles and Imaginary Stable's Pudding, who finished third in the Miami Shores, is set to return in the Smile. The 7-year-old gelding captured the Sprint Stakes for Florida-breds at Tampa Bay Downs prior to the Miami Shores.

Arindel's Gatsby, who captured the Sunshine Sprint for Florida-breds during the Championship Meet; rounds out the field.

Absolute Grit, Yes I'm a Beast, Pudding and Gatsby are also eligible for the $50,000 'Win Only' bonus for Florida-breds.

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