Month: August 2022

Trainer Kelly Breen knew he was rolling the dice a little by trying He'spuregold on the dirt for the first time in his career on Sunday on Monmouth Park.

But he also saw enough in the morning from the 4-year-old gelding to give it a try.

Shortly after being named New Jersey's champion turf runner for 2021, He'spuregold made his dirt debut a winning one with a 2½-length victory in the $125,000 Charles Hesse III Handicap, the feature race on the New Jersey Thoroughbred Festival card for state-breds.

“He has breezed so well over the Monmouth Park dirt and after finally convincing owner John Bowers that he would run well on the dirt (his first 13 career starts were on the turf) this was a perfect opportunity to try,” said Breen. “Paco Lopez still thinks he's better on the turf. John Bowers thinks he's better on the turf. He could be better on the turf but pound for pound against Jersey-breds he is a top notch horse and this was the perfect spot for him.”

The victory by He'spuregold, who was last in the Grade 1 United Nations in his previous start, was the fifth from 14 career starts for the Bowers homebred sired by Australian Group 1 winner Vancouver. His dam is stakes winner Smart n Classy, by Smart Strike.

Earlier on the all-Jersey-bred card, Holly Crest Farm's homebred Speaking impressed with a 1½-length victory in the $100,000 New Jersey Breeders' Handicap for trainer Eddie Owns, while I Can Run roared from off the pace for leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez for a 1¾-length win in the $100,000 Eleven North Handicap.

He'spuregold was able to stick close to early leader Prendimi in plodding early fractions for the mile and a sixteenth Hesse, and had plenty left when the running started.

After early fractions of :25.13, :49.94 and 1:13.74, He'spuregold sprinted away from the field late, with Golden Brown rallying for second, two lengths ahead of Irish Meadow.

The winning time was 1:44.15, with He'spuregold returning $5.60 as the favorite in the eight-horse field.

“I was worried a little bit about him being on the dirt for the first time,” said Lopez. “The past couple of times he has worked on the dirt he didn't work the best but I knew he can handle it. So I was a little concerned about it.

“I wanted to come from behind, maybe be a couple of lengths off, but no one wanted to take the lead. It was very slow early so my horse was up close right off the leader. This is a very classy horse. He probably showed a little more speed when the 10 horse (Amatteroftime) didn't break and with the fractions being so slow. So I had a good position and a good break. Everything worked out for us.”

Speaking, who has won against both state-breds and in open company, was vigorously urged to the early lead by jockey Albin Jimenez in the six-furlong New Jersey Breeders' Handicap and was never seriously threatened. The winning time was 1:09.57, with Speaking returning $5.60 to win.

Dr. Doyle was second, a neck better than Pianzi.

Owens said he would point Speaking, by Mr Speaker out of High Noon Nellie, by Silver Deputy, to the  seven-furlong Vosburgh (G2) October 8 during Belmont Park fall meeting at Aqueduct.

I Can Run provided jockey Carlos Rojas with his first career stakes victory with his late-running win in the Eleven North, with the 3-year-old daughter of Tourist covering the six furlongs in 1:11.38.

Roselba took the eight-horse field to the half in :44.92, setting up I Can Run's furious rally. Alta Velocita was second, one length ahead of a tiring Roselba.

It marked I Can Run's first career stakes victory in her 12^th lifetime start. The filly, bred by Bright View Farm, is out of the Peaks and Valleys mare Hana J. She is campaigned by Robert Bone and Magic Stable LLC.

The post State Turf Champ He’spuregold Wins Dirt Debut In Charles Hesse Handicap On New Jersey Thoroughbred Festival Day appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

By David Blicksilver

Two-time graded stakes winner Wit drew away from five rivals to post a 2 3/4-length score Sunday in the $135,000 Better Talk Now, a one-mile inner turf test for sophomores that have never won a stakes other than state-bred at a mile or over.

A Practical Joke colt trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher for Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable, and Gainesway Stable, Wit was patiently handled by jockey Jose Ortiz en route to his first career win on the lawn in just his second attempt on the surface.

Breaking from post 3 as the 3-5 betting favorite, Wit sat comfortably in third position as longshot Fluid Situation and Legends Can't Die broke on top and battled for early position through an opening quarter-mile of :22.93 over the firm footing.

Fluid Situation went around the clubhouse turn in front and increased his margin to as many as eight lengths down the backside through a half-mile in :46.98 before his lead began to diminish as the field rounded the far turn with three-quarters in 1:12.12.

At the quarter pole, it was Legends Can't Die who got the first run at the lead from the two-path under jockey Manny Franco, but Wit followed with a three-wide move and was able to draw away from the rest of the field in the stretch to post the victory in a final time of 1:36.87.

Ohtwoohthreefive, who was last for most of the race, split rivals down the lane under jockey Eric Cancel and got up for place honors 3 1/2-lengths ahead of the Chad Brown-trained Napoleonic War.

Rounding out the field was Legends Can't Die, Emboite and Fluid Situation. Serifos, Camp David, Riot House and main-track only entrant Seal Beach were scratched.

Ortiz said the early jump from Fluid Situation didn't concern him.

“Going into the first turn, the pace developed very fast and I was very happy to see that and go to the backside with great position,” Ortiz said. “The grass is soft so the pace he was running, I knew there was no way. At that point, I only worried about the horses behind me. Chad's horse and I felt like the gray horse in front of me [Legends Can't Die] was the other horse to beat.”

Wit made his first six starts on the main track, taking the six-furlong Grade 3 Sanford here last summer ahead of on-the-board efforts in the Grade 1 Hopeful at the Spa and Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont to close out his juvenile campaign.

He captured the seven-furlong Grade 3 Bay Shore at Aqueduct in April in his seasonal debut before finishing a distant fourth to Jack Christopher in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens in June at Belmont.

Wit made his turf debut in the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame, closing four-wide to finish second.

“He was very good early on, on dirt,” said Ortiz. “He was a very good horse, but he found Jack Christopher in and it was hard for him. Todd decided to work him on the turf a couple of times and he found another life. He likes it and the two times he ran on turf have been great.”

Pletcher said Wit looks like a new horse since he moved to the turf.

“We feel like he kind of sprung to life when we put him on the turf, and I think for right now we'll probably keep him on it,” Pletcher said. “It was really just about kind of looking for an opportunity and when we worked him on it, it was obvious that he took to it.”

Cancel said he was proud of the effort Ohtwoohthreefive made to close from so far back.

“Once I started asking him getting close to the quarter pole, he started responding little by little,” Cancel said. “By the time he took off, the other horse already opened up a few lengths on me but he gave me a big kick. He's a really big grinder and has a really big heart.”

Bred in Kentucky by Rosilyn Polan from the Medaglia d'Oro mare Numero d'Oro,, Wit banked $74,250 in victory, increasing his earnings to $500,250, while improving his record to 4-2-1 from eight career starts. He returned $3.30 for a $2 win wager.

The post Wit Posts First Turf Win In Better Talk Now At Saratoga appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post