June, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

White Abarrio, Tawny Port Among Eight Entered For Ohio Derby

Grade 1 Florida Derby winner White Abarrio, Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby winner Classic Causeway and Grade 3 Lexington Stakes winner Tawny Port – all exiting off-the-board finishes behind Rich Strike in the Kentucky Derby – head a line-up of eight 3-year-olds scheduled to go postward in Saturday's $500,000 Ohio Derby, a Grade 3 race going nine furlongs at JACK Thistledown in North Randall, Ohio.

The Ohio Derby, which dates back to 1876 when it was run at defunct Chester Park in Cincinnati, is one of four stakes on the program that also includes the $250,000 Lady Jacqueline Stakes for fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up. Multiple graded stakes winners Army Wife and Crazy Beautiful head up a field of 10 in that race. The Lady Jacqueline goes as the 10th race at 4:48 p.m. ET.

White Abarrio, trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. for C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa Stable, returned to his South Florida base following a 16th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. Prior to his Florida Derby win, the Race Day colt won the G3 Holy Bull Stakes on Feb. 5. He's had a steady string of breezes at Gulfstream since the Kentucky Derby.

White Abarrio, winner of four of six starts, will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, who also rides Army Wife in the Lady Jacqueline.

Irad Ortiz Jr. comes in from New York to ride Tawny Port, who finished seventh in the Kentucky Derby for trainer Brad Cox and Peachtree Stable. The Pioneerof the Nile colt raced three times in five weeks, starting with a second-place finish in the G3 Jeff Ruby Steaks on the synthetic surface at Turfway Park on April 2. Two weeks later, Tawny Port rallied in the stretch to win the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland, then three weeks after that ran in the Kentucky Derby. Winner of three races in six starts, Tawny Port has been training at Churchill Downs.

Cox won the 2019 Ohio Derby with Owendale.

Kentucky West Racing and Clarke Cooper's Classic Causeway will be making his first start for trainer Kenny McPeek after being transferred from Brian Lynch following an 11th-place Kentucky Derby finish. Lynch had been reluctant to run the Giant's Causeway colt at Churchill Downs after running a dull 11th in the Florida Derby. Prior to that, Classic Causeway rang up back-to-back front-running victories at Tampa Bay Downs in the G3 Sam F. Davis and the Tampa Bay Derby. Brian Hernandez Jr. rides Classic Causeway, who breaks from the outside eight post.

McPeek, who won the 2003 Ohio Derby with Wild and Wicked, has had Classic Causeway training at Churchill Downs.

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas also has one victory in the Ohio Derby, with Mr. Z in 2015, and he brings Ethereal Road from Churchill Downs to Thistledown for owner Aaron Sones. The Quality Road colt, to be ridden by Rafael Bejarano, comes off a 4 3/4-length score in the Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico on the Preakness undercard on May 21. Prior to that, Ethereal Road finished fourth in the Lexington, seventh in the G1 Blue Grass Stakes and second in the G2 Rebel. He was entered in the Kentucky Derby but scratched, allowing Rich Strike to draw in from the also eligible list.

Post time for the Ohio Derby is 5:35 p.m. and it's the final race on an 11-race card that begins at noon ET. All starters carry 126 pounds.

The field for the Ohio Derby, with jockey and morning line, follows.

1-Barese, Kendrick Carmouch, 9-2

2-Brigadier General, Reylu Gutierrez, 12-1

3-Droppin G's, Malcolm Franklin, 8-1

4-Ethereal Road, Rafael Bejarano, 4-1

5-White Abarrio, Tyler Gaffalione, 7-2

6-Pineapple Man, T.D. Houghton, 10-1

7-Tawny Port, Irad Ortiz Jr., 3-1

8-Classic Causeway, Brian Hernandez Jr., 6-1

The post White Abarrio, Tawny Port Among Eight Entered For Ohio Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Munnys Gold Carries Big Dreams Into Saratoga

While her connections were hoping for a good showing on debut, no one really quite foresaw the performance 'Hagyard TDN Rising Star' Munnys Gold (Munnings) put on when she ran off the screen June 17 against Monmouth Park maidens, stopping the clock in a scorching :56.60 for five furlongs. Jacob West, advisor to the filly's owners, Robert and Lawana Low, was watching the race from his phone in the midst of a round of golf and admits he initially lost her in the shuffle after the break. By the time she found her way to the front, the first quarter was put up in :22.41 and she'd rolled through a 'touch crazy' second split of :45.22, but was doing it easily. Not long after she coasted in and the final time went up, the congratulatory text messages began flooding in.

“We didn't expect that from her first race–you never do–but we were pleasantly surprised,” West said in a phone interview Monday. “We always believed in her.”

A few days after the fact, and West reports that no news is good news, the filly having come out of the eye-catching effort in great shape. The current plan is to ship Munnys Gold up to Saratoga, get her settled in and on a routine, before deciding which race is next on her radar; the $175,000 GIII Schuylerville S. July 14 and the $200,000 GIII Adirondack S. Aug. 7 are the most likely targets. Where she goes will solely depend on how she's doing when it comes time to make the decision.

When he purchased her for $300,000 from the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling sale in July of 2021, it was the filly's physical which stuck with West the most vividly.

“The July sale produces many athletic and precocious horses, and they had this filly in a great spot. She was a well-made, beautiful horse,” West replied, when asked what encouraged him to spend the fourth highest amount paid for a filly at the auction last year. “Her pedigree was a little light at the time, but I prefer an athletic conformation over pedigree.”

He did add that, while her page wasn't heavy with black-type, it wasn't lacking, either. Champion 2-year-old Anees makes an appearance under the fourth dam and the filly's sole older half-sibling was placed in his two starts. Four broodmare sires in her female line all impart a heavy influence of stamina: Medaglia d'Oro, Distorted Humor, Unbridled, and Alydar. Combined with the speed on top from her sire Munnings, and it bears very advantageous fruit when it works out. Early reports from the farm provided their first inkling of budding talent, and by the time they were loading the filly onto a truck bound for the track, the anticipation was clear.

West gives Todd Pletcher and his crew a lot of the credit when it comes to providing seamless transitions from the training farm to racing careers. It's an operation known for its ability to get the best out of young horses and the results tend to speak for themselves. When Munnys Gold shipped up to Monmouth Park, a move with no external meaning beyond stall availability and being able to race in her own backyard, assistant trainer Anthony Sciametta was quick to get hands on her and the filly is thriving. The move north to New York is anticipated to be just as smooth.

Of course, the process is always made easier with enthusiastic owners, and Lawana and Robert Low are the epitome of the word. The former is rumored to be an eagle-eyed handicapper and a trip to the races is always a family affair. West was generous in praise he maintains the owners richly deserve after decades of patience and faith in the sport. He described them as two of the most humble and 'down to earth' people in the room.

“The Lows don't take anything for granted, so when a special horse comes along, they get very excited. For them, it's love the animal, first, and a career, second. Hopefully, Munnys Gold will be another exciting runner for them.”

The post Munnys Gold Carries Big Dreams Into Saratoga appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Arc Bid “Not Out Of The Question” For French Oaks Runner-Up

Plans for G1 Prix de Diane runner-up La Parisienne (Fr) (Zarak {Ire}) to race in America are on hold with connections opening the door to a tilt at the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe after their star filly went down fighting behind Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) at Chantilly on Sunday.

It had been suggested that La Parisienne would be trained in America at some point in her career but part-owner Peter Bradley revealed on Monday that the filly will remain in the care of the father and son team of Carlos and Yann Lerner.

Reflecting on Sunday's race, Bradley told TDN Europe, “It was a bit gut-wrenching but, when you lose to a filly like Nashwa, you know it represented a huge step up from La Parisienne.”

He added, “It was amazing how Gérald Mosse rode her and, when he asked her to quicken, she produced a huge run. You really can't ask much more than for horse and rider to do their best and that they did.”

Bradley thinks La Parisienne possesses a lot of the key attributes needed to excel in America but admitted that the lure of some of the top races in France, including the Arc, is enough for connections to leave the star filly in training there.

Kentucky-based Bradley said, “Most of the time when I buy a horse, the plan is for them to come to America in the relatively near future and, judging by her first race, after which we bought her, she certainly looked like she had the turn of foot you love to see in American turf racing.

“In America, you absolutely need a turn of foot because of our short straights, but in Europe, the straights are much bigger and a horse who grinds it out can get there.”

He added, “She looks like she would be a good fit for America and the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. would have been a good race for her but the timeframe rules that out because there is only three weeks until that race.

“Coming into the French Oaks, the way she had been training, I really felt that she'd finish top six or seven and, with the talent in the race, said that, if she ran a top three finish, I'd be exceedingly happy. Given the way she ran, finishing a short neck behind one of the best fillies in Europe, she stamped herself as a filly who needs to stay in France.”

La Parisienne will be aimed at the Prix Vermeille at ParisLongchamp next with Bradley revealing that her trainers believe the best is yet to come from the filly.

He said, “We will give her an easy summer and maybe look at the Prix Vermeille then we'll see what October holds. We'll look at the Prix de l'Opéra and the Arc wouldn't be out of the question.

“Team Lerner think she will be better with cut in the ground. They all think that soft ground is what she needs and, if that is the call, the autumn could be exciting.”

The post Arc Bid “Not Out Of The Question” For French Oaks Runner-Up appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

‘He Came Out Of It Good’: Golden Pal Ran Fastest Individual Furlong In Last Three Royal Ascots

Despite finishing last in the Group 1 King's Stand Stakes, Golden Pal ran the fastest individual furlong in the last three meetings at Royal Ascot, according to At The Races' sectional timing expert Simon Rowlands. He missed the break under Irad Ortiz, Jr., but ran the second furlong in 10.36 seconds.

Trainer Wesley Ward said Ortiz told him he was turned around looking at a horse still behind the gates, which he later learned had been scratched at the last minute, when the field broke for the King's Stand.

(Read more about the incident here.)

A few days after the race, Ward told planetsport.com that Golden Pal was doing well but that the 4-year-old will return to Ward's farm in the United States before future plans are made.

“He came out of it good, there were no problems at all physically, but we'll get him home this week and start moving forward again and see where we're at and where he's at,” Ward said. “The Breeders' Cup is right there on our home track (Keeneland), so hopefully he'll be there.”

The two-time winner of the Breeders' Cup has only finished out of the money twice, both times on trips overseas. Overall, his record stands at 6-2-0 from 10 starts for earnings of $1,473,431.

The post ‘He Came Out Of It Good’: Golden Pal Ran Fastest Individual Furlong In Last Three Royal Ascots appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post