Month: July 2022

Mark Casse trainee Filo Di Arianna kept his Woodbine unbeaten streak intact, taking the $179,300 Connaught Cup (G2) on Saturday at the Toronto oval.

With Luis Contreras aboard, Brazilian-bred Filo Di Arianna, the slight 2-1 choice, broke running and quickly assumed command of the seven-furlong grass feature, as multiple graded stakes winner Silent Poet, to the outside, and longshot Vanbrugh, to the inside, kept close tabs on the pacesetter through an opening quarter timed in :23.19.

The six-year-old son of Drosselmeyer out of Principessa Capri, by Northern Afleet, was still running comfortably on the lead as Silent Poet, still second, and Vanbrugh, in third, continued to track the frontrunner through a half reached in :46.25.

As the field headed into the turn for home, Contreras and Filo Di Arianna were still in charge, as a host of horses began to launch their bids down the lane.

Ahead by a length at the stretch call, Filo Di Arianna easily fended off his rivals, crossing the line a 2 ½ length winner. March to the Arch completed a one-two Casse finish, nosing out Silent Poet for second spot. Chewing Gum was fourth.

The final time over firm going was 1:20.36. ​ ​

Contreras, aboard the chestnut for the first time, took over from leading rider Kazushi Kimura, who was injured in the seventh race on Friday's card.

“My agent mentioned it [getting the call] this morning,” said Contreras, who won last year's running with Avie's Flatter. “I was so happy, but sorry for Kazushi. I hope he's okay and hopefully he can come back soon.”

The veteran rider was thrilled with the effort of the horse owned by Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable, and Peter Deutsch, who is now a perfect three-for-three at Woodbine, including a win last time out, on July 3, over seven panels on the Tapeta.

“He's just a great horse and I'm so thankful Mark gave me the confidence to be on him today,” Contreras said. ​

Filo Di Arianna, bred by Stud Principessa di Capri, is now 6-0-0 from eight career starts. He paid $6.80.

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Michael Schrader's Robin Sparkles made every pole a winning one under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano in Saturday's $200,000 Caress (G3) for older fillies and mares sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs over the Mellon Turf Course at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Bruce Brown, Robin Sparkles arrived at her second graded test from a third-place finish behind speedy returning rival Bout Time in the Goldwood on June 25 at Monmouth Park. Her other start this year was a victory in an off-the-turf edition of the Politely in May over the Oceanport oval in her first start back from a seven-month layoff.

Robin Sparkles, who returned $44 for a $2 win wager, is now the third horse bred in the Empire State to win a graded stakes at this year's Saratoga meet, following scores by City Man in the Grade 3 Forbidden Apple and Down Royal in the Grade 1 A.P. Smithwick Memorial over the hurdles.

Brown said it was rewarding to see Robin Sparkles make the grade after some setbacks last year.

“Last year, she had some bad luck and different things going on. She was very in-and-out as far as how she was doing, but she's really come back better and better each start,” said Brown. “The last race was down in Monmouth and that was a suicidal kind of pace, but she bounced out of it real good and has been eating the bottom out of the feed tub and doing great.”

Robin Sparkles broke sharply and was hustled from post 6, establishing the lead as post-time favorite Caravel was off slow and settled on the rail in the middle of the 10-horse field through an opening quarter mile in :21.54 over the firm turf.

As Bout Time gave chase and tired to the outside of Robin Sparkles, Caravel and Miss J McKay had traffic troubles and were forced to steady with the field approaching the turn. The ground-saving closer Souper Sensational swung widest of all exiting the turn and made her bid for the lead, while Robin Sparkles maintained her advantage by three lengths at the top of the stretch.

Robin Sparkles continued to find more under urging from Castellano, but Souper Sensational loomed under a strong ride from Dylan Davis and gained with every stride. Though Lady Edith provided another threat down the center of the lane, Robin Sparkles dug in gamely and would not be denied the victory, fending off the furious bid from Souper Sensational by a head in a final time of 1:01.98.

Lady Edith finished third a half-length behind Souper Sensational and a neck ahead of her troubled stablemate Miss J McKay. Star Devine, Bout Time, Kept Waiting, Tobys Heart, and Caravel completed the order of finish.

Castellano said Robin Sparkles runs her best races when she's the one to watch.

“I really like the horse and the way she did it today. The horse is a free-running horse. She only likes to go to the lead,” said Castellano. “She broke so well out of the gate, I took a big advantage and put her on the lead and tried to slow down the pace the best I could. I like the way she finished. She is such a game horse. Today, she put in 100 percent and Bruce did such a good job.”

Brown, who teamed up with Castellano to score three stakes victories with fellow turf sprinter Spring to the Sky, praised the veteran rider's Hall of Fame talents.

“He, especially on the grass, is one of the best and if you have him, you know you are going to get a fair shot,” said Brown. “He rode my good sprinter Spring to the Sky and won a few races on him and I told him in the paddock, 'let's try to do that and get her out there.' She doesn't like to be held too tight, just loose reign and nurse her around there and that's exactly what she did.”

Robin Sparkles was bred in New York by Hibiscus Stables and earned $110,000 in victory, improving her record to 9-2-3 from 16 career starts and total purse earnings of $530,668. She finished third in this event last year behind Caravel and picked up a stakes win earlier that summer in an off-the-turf running of the Mount Vernon against state-breds at Belmont Park. The consistent daughter of Elusive Quality has finished on the board in 14-of-16 outings.

Davis said Souper Sensational gave her all in her valiant runner-up effort.

“I thought it was a great trip. She gave me 100 percent,” said Davis. “I just needed a couple more jumps. She ran a great race.”

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Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, and Louis Lazinnaro's Adhamo broke through for his first win in the United States and first at the highest level Saturday in capturing the $618,000 United Nations Stakes (G1) at Monmouth Park, capping four straight graded stakes victories on the card for trainer Chad Brown and jockey Flavien Prat.

Adhamo relaxed in midpack on the rail as last year's United Nations winner and stablemate Tribhuvan laid down fractions of :24.70, :48.86, and 1:13.26 through six furlongs with 72-1 longshot Epic Bromance in pursuit in second.

Saving ground down the backstretch, Prat angled out Adhamo midway on the far turn and the 4-year-old Intello colt came three wide into the stretch to launch a strong rally. Tribhuvan led by 2 ½ lengths in early stretch, but the winner reeled him in with a determined drive, catching that rival with a sixteenth to run and drawing clear to score by 1 ½ lengths.

Adhamo finished the 1 3/8-mile turf test in 2:12.68 on firm turf.

“He didn't break super sharp and I was a little worried with post 1,” Prat said. “But the pace was fair, a little slow but fair, and he relaxed well. When they slowed it down he was pulling me. I had to be patient and wait to get out. He made a great run in the stretch. When I tipped him out he was ready to go. I think have won two or three stakes races in a row but never four in a row like this.”

Epic Bromance was up for second, a head in front of third-place finisher Temple. Tribhuvan finished fourth, another head back.

Adhamo won the 2021 Prix la Force (G3) in France last year but since arriving in the U.S. had failed to win in his first three starts—all graded stakes—for  Brown but placed second or third in each, including a pair of Grade 1's at Belmont and Churchill Downs, most recently the Resorts World Casino Manhattan June 11 after the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic May 7.

“He's been a little unlucky this year,” said Brown, who won five races overall on Saturday's card. “He's still a little bit of a work in progress. I'm still trying to figure out what his best distance is, and ground and such. I was pretty confident going in to today that if he was able to get out in the clear and with a little bit extra ground to work with that he could run down a horse as good as Tribhuvan, and he did. He's a pretty talented horse. We're still figuring the horse out.”

Adhamo, who returned $5.60, improved his overall record to 5-3-3 from 15 starts and earnings to $755,090.

Bred in Ireland by Alain and Gerard Wertheimer, Adhamo was produced by the Invincible Spirit mare Foreign Tune.

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