Month: August 2022

Trainer Charlie Appleby opted to keep both Nations Pride and With The Moonlight in New York after they each finished second in the opening legs of the Caesars Turf Triple Series in July at Belmont Park.

That decision paid off when both returned to win their respective next starts as Nations Pride captured the Caesars Saratoga Derby Invitational (G1) on Saturday and With The Moonlight took command in deep stretch to post a 1 3/4-length score in Sunday's $700,000 Saratoga Oaks Invitational (G3) at Saratoga Race Course.

“I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have to say, NYRA and everybody at Saratoga have been very kind to us and very hospitable,” Appleby said of his prosperous first in-person visit to the Spa. “They looked after myself and my team very well. Obviously, it's great to have the winners, but it's my first time here and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's an amazing place and I can see why there's been a lot of history and a lot of fun had here.”

Ridden to victory by William Buick, who also completed the sweep after guiding Nations Pride to victory, With The Moonlight improved from a 1 3/4-length defeat to McKulick in the Belmont Oaks Invitational (G1) to get the better of her familiar foe in the 1 3/16-mile event for sophomore fillies.

A homebred daughter of Frankel, Godolphin's With The Moonlight emerged a touch slow from post 3 and settled in behind pacesetter Contemporary Art as the Irad Ortiz Jr.-piloted McKulick settled along the rail after brushing with New Year's Eve from the inside post. Contemporary Art led the compact field of five through an opening quarter mile in :24.91 over the firm Mellon turf course while maintaining a comfortable one-length advantage over With The Moonlight, who tossed her head a bit in the first turn under patient handling from Buick.

Positions remained unchanged through a half-mile in :50.14 before New Year's Eve made an early move along the rail as McKulick went to the outside of rivals to make her run with rousing from Ortiz. Contemporary Art remained in command at the top of the stretch, but With The Moonlight charged down the lane to her outside with purpose, coming to even terms with the stubborn pacesetter while McKulick angled in between foes and chased to the inside of With The Moonlight.

With The Moonlight edged clear in deep stretch to secure the victory in a final time of 1:54.60. McKulick collared stablemate Contemporary Art just in time to hold off the late bid of New Year's Eve and land place by a neck. Contemporary Art rounded out the superfecta with Oakhurst, who trailed throughout, finishing fifth. Walkathon was scratched.

Buick had replaced veteran rider Frankie Dettori after he rode her from just off the pace to her second-place finish in the 10-furlong Belmont Oaks. Appleby said distance contributed more to her defeat than her ride.

“They went hard at Belmont and to be fair to Frankie, it was the first time he'd sat on her and I said, 'Look, ride her like she'll get the trip.' On the evidence of today and evidence of that day, coming back a half a furlong suited her,” said Appleby. “She's got plenty of boot. You could almost bring her back to a mile. The more races she's got, the more experience she's got. She's learning how to do it. It was a good performance today.”

The scratch of Walkathon, a prominent winner of her last three outings, altered the dynamics of the race as there appeared to be no clear speed on paper, prompting Contemporary Art, the daughter of Dubawi who was forwardly-placed last out in her maiden score, to be the one to establish command.

Appleby said he would have been content to let With The Moonlight dictate terms, but was happy with the way things turned out.

“When there were three of Chad's horses in there and to be fair to the Dubawi filly she led when she broke her maiden. We were going to try and jump to the lead and see if anyone wanted to take it off us, but she was a half a stride slow from there and the race developed the way it did,” said Appleby.

It was the first graded win for With The Moonlight, who flashed her talents early on in England with a maiden win at second asking last August at Chelmsford. Three starts later, she notched her first stakes win in the Pretty Polly this May at Newmarket. She followed with an off-the-board finish in the Epsom Oaks(G1) in June before her runner-up finish in the Belmont Oaks.

Appleby said the $700,000 Jockey Club Oaks (G3) going 1 3/8 miles on September 17 during the Belmont at the Big A fall meet will be too far for With The Moonlight and that he will look for another spot for her.

“The question mark was whether the Oaks would be something to look at, but that's clearly not an option for her. William said that was far enough for her today,” said Appleby.

Buick said he knew his filly would run a big race.

“She felt really good today,” said Buick. “I think the team had been really happy with the way she was training, so they were quietly confident going into it.

“She travels very well, which is key really,” Buick added. “Our horses coming from Europe to here, they always improve with one run on these tracks. It's a lot different for them. Yesterday and the filly today, they were always going to improve off that first run and I think they showed that.”

Scoring the middle legs of the Caesars Turf Triple was special for Buick as well, who rode at Saratoga for this first time in yesterday's Saratoga Derby.

“It's nice to come over here with two nice horses, two nice rides and two winners,” Buick said. “It's a real privilege to be here to be honest. It really feels special.”

With The Moonlight returned $4.30 on a $2 win wager as the even-money post-time favorite. She earned $375,000 for the victory, boosting her total purse earnings to $559,271 and improving her record to 8-4-1-1.

Ortiz had no excuses for McKulick, who benefitted from a swifter tempo in the 10-horse Belmont Oaks.

“I got a perfect trip. I can't complain. The turf is a little firmer, harder today [compared to yesterday],” said Ortiz, Jr. “Last time, the pace was a lot different for my filly which she appreciated because she loves the distance. The pace today was a little too slow for her, but she was still coming and ran big. She got beat by a nice filly and the pace was slow. He got the jump on me and my filly kept trying, so I'm happy.”

With The Moonlight was bred in Ireland from the Dubawi mare Sand Vixen.

The post Godolphin’s With The Moonlight Caps Appleby’s Weekend Sweep Of Both Middle Legs Of New York Turf Triple Series appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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With all of the positive signs that Bay Storm has been giving in the mornings since arriving at Monmouth Park at the start of the meet, trainer Jonathan Thomas figured he had only one option with his 4-year-old filly.

“She has really thrived this summer at Monmouth Park. She has really taken to Monmouth and has done well,” said Thomas. “She was doing so well I couldn't think of anything else to do but let her run.”

The daughter of Kantharos showed the good vibes she was giving off were a hint of things to come, slipping up the rail under jockey Jaime Rodriguez on the way to a one-length victory in Sunday's $100,000 Incredible Revenge Stakes at the Oceanport, New Jersey racetrack.

The 13-10 favorite in the field of seven fillies and mares was able to use post No. 1 to secure an inside trip off dueling early leaders A G Indy and Red Ghost before Rodriguez found an opening on the rail coming out of the final turn. Bay Storm quickly dashed to the lead and was never headed.

The winning time for the 5½ furlongs over a firm turf course was 1:02.29.

“Jonathan told me if I could get the lead comfortably to go for it but if they were going out there like crazy, then stay off the pace until you are ready to move,” said Rodriguez, a regular on the Delaware Park and Maryland circuits. “The horse outside of me (A G Indy) was going a little fast and I didn't want to go with her. I had the rail so I stayed where I was knowing something would open for me. When the rail opened out of the turn she went right through it. She wanted to run.

“I had a decision coming out of the turn. Do I go outside or stay inside and wait and be patient? I decided to wait because most of the time when you do that the rail opens for you. That's what happened. I had a lot of horse once that hole opened.”

Owned by Bridlewood Farm, Bay Storm improved to 4-3-1 from nine career starts, all on the grass, in recording her second career stakes win while increasing her lifetime earnings to $291,080.

Rodriguez had Bay Storm comfortable and stalking through fractions of :21.92 and :44.93 to the half. Red Ghost held second, a nose ahead of 8-5 second choice Honey Pants.

The victory marked the third stakes win of the meet from just 14 starters for Thomas. He previously won the Jersey Derby with Fuerteventura and the Blue Sparkler Stakes with Benbang.

“I thought Jaime Rodriguez rode a really clever race, because even though she saved a lot of ground I don't think she had the easiest trip,” said Thomas, who has six wins and four seconds from his 14 starters at the meet. “I thought he did a nice job. He was very patient. He let her get her feet under her and let her show a turn of foot, which I love. It was a very good ride. Obviously she is doing super but you have to have a pilot who can get them there.”

Bay Storm, a $400,000 purchase out of the Woodford Thoroughbreds consignment at the Ocala Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training, returned $4.60 to win.

Bred in Kentucky by Candy Meadows LLC, Bay Storm was produced by the stakes-winning Midshipman mare Stormy Regatta.

The post Rail-Skimming Favorite Bay Storm Lands Monmouth’s Incredible Revenge Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Fresh off his breakthrough stakes victory in Saturday's West Virginia Derby (G3), Daniel Alonso's Skippylongstocking is a candidate for the $1.25-million Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1).

The son of Exaggerator, who launched his career at Gulfstream before hitting the road in the spring to knock heads with the top 3-year-olds in the country, was shipped back to Saratoga from Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort Sunday.

“The plan was always to go back in class and find an easier spot. It wasn't an easy spot but we were hoping it would be,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said between races Sunday at Gulfstream. “We were trying to give him a chance to win a stake, which, thankfully, he has now done. Maybe, now we'll jump back into deeper waters, maybe the Travers or the Pennsylvania Derby.”

The 1 ¼-mile Travers will be run at Saratoga August 27, while the $1-million Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at Park is scheduled for September 24.

Skippylongstocking closely stalked pacesetter We the People before engaging the 9-5 favorite at the top of the stretch and steadily drawing away to score by 1 ½ lengths under Gulfstream-based Edwin Gonzalez.

“He tried hard. It was a breakthrough. To win one like that is rewarding for the horse. He's been one of those horses that ran hard as a 2-year-old and ran hard as a 3-year-old. He hardened. When they harden, they're able to sustain that kind of campaign,” Joseph said.

Skippylongstocking entered the West Virginia Derby off a third-place finish in the June 11 Belmont Stakes (G1) behind Mo Donegal and Nest and three-quarters of a length in front of We the People. He previously finished third behind Mo Donegal and Early Voting in the Wood Memorial (G3) and fifth in the Preakness (G1). He earned his way onto the Triple Crown trail when he won a 1 1/8-mile optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream March 2 in his first start around two turns.

“He's definitely a horse that's gotten progressively better going around two turns. Junior Alvarado is a credit to the horse. We were running him at one turn and he was stopping. We didn't know where to go with him, and he said, 'Definitely two turns.'” Joseph said. “That was the turnaround for the horse.”

The Travers distance wouldn't discourage Joseph from running Skippylongstocking in the 'Mid-Summer Derby'.

“The mile and a quarter would be good for him. Obviously, the class would be the biggest concern. I do think the mile and a quarter would be to his benefit, but the Travers is going to be a deep competition,” Joseph said. “I do like Saratoga because it suits closers, it's a deep track, especially this year.”

Tami Bobo and Tristan De Meric's Simplification, who finished an even third in the West Virginia Derby, is still on track to run in the Pennsylvania Derby, said trainer Antonio Sano Sunday.

This year's Gulfstream-based Fountain of Youth (G2) winner was making his first start since finishing sixth in the Preakness Stakes. He previously finished fourth in the Kentucky Derby (G1).

The post West Virginia Derby Winner Skippylongstocking Under Consideration For Travers appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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