Month: September 2022

Given a masterful ride by jockey Forest Boyce, In a Hurry slowed things down early and came running home late to turn back a bid from Plum Ali and earn her first career stakes victory in Saturday's $100,000 All Along at Pimlico Race Course.

Unlike her name, Stuart Janney III's homebred In a Hurry was in no rush as Boyce, Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey's go-to rider in Maryland, settled her on an uncontested lead through a quarter-mile in a leisurely :26.79 and a half mile in :52.65 with Gladys, a full sister to Hall of Fame mare Rachel Alexandra, and even-money favorite Plum Ali giving closest chase.

“It actually all worked out pretty well. I thought there would be two horses to go with us but luckily they left us alone and we kind of had it all our way, which was nice,” Boyce said. It was the second win of the day for Boyce after capturing Race 2 on West Newton, a 6-year-old gelding bred in England by Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away Sept. 8 at age 96.

“It feels great,” Boyce added, “especially with this horse because we keep knocking on the door and we hadn't quite gotten there yet. It's pretty special today.”

In a Hurry straightened for home in command with Capital Structure making a bid on the far outside and Plum Ali advancing up the rail as six furlongs went in 1:17.59. In a Hurry dug in determinedly and held Plum Ali at bay to win by a half-length in 1:52.71 over a firm turf course.

In each of her three prior races, In a Hurry tracked the pace and finished third in the July 16 Big Dreyfus at Laurel Park, Aug. 15 Old Nelson at Colonial Downs and May 21 Gallorette (G3), the latter on the undercard of the 147th Preakness Stakes (G1).

“I thought [going to the lead[ made whole lot of sense, particularly if it wasn't going to be contested. She likes to get into a nice gallop and she'll finish. She doesn't want to trail way behind I don't think. This was perfect for her,” Janney said of In a Hurry, who returned $10.20.

“We really wanted to win a stake with her and this looked like a good spot. We've been close. She's got a lot of black type but she just hadn't won a stake,” he added. “Obviously, Forest did a wonderful job today. I thought to myself when she was crossing the finish line that there had been any number of times when somebody else had done that to us, and it's kind of nice to be on the better side of that.”

Lake Lucerne was a length and a half behind Plum Ali in third, a head in front of Gladys, followed by Youens and Capital Structure. Champagne Toast was scratched.

The All Along is named for the French-bred filly that won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Rothmans International, Turf Classic and Laurel's Washington D.C. International in the span of 41 days in 1983 en route to becoming the first foreign-based horse to be voted U.S. Horse of the Year. A winner of nine races and more than $3 million in purses from 21 starts, she was inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame in 1990.

Sibelius Records First Stakes Win In Lite The Fuse

Also on the Pimlico card, Jun Park's and Delia Nash's 4-year-old gelding Sibelius won his first stakes race when he led throughout to win the $100,000 Lite The Fuse by 7 ½ lengths over favored multiple stakes winner Jaxon Traveler.

Sibelius, who had won one of his last six races, all coming against allowance optional claimer company, broke cleanly from the gate and took the lead from Jaxon Traveler shortly after the break.

Under jockey Junior Alvarado, the son of Not This Time was pressed past fractions of :22.76 and :45.43 by Quick Tempo before Jaxon Traveler moved three-wide entering the stretch and took aim on the leader. But Alvarado had plenty left under him, and Sibelius drew of down the stretch.

Trained by Jeremiah O'Dwyer, Sibelius covered the six furlongs in 1:09.30.

“When I started the race I thought they'd be a little more speed, but he came out of the gate running and I didn't want to take anything away. He was traveling very nicely. He was going it easily for him,” Alvarado said.

“It was a great effort by him today,” O'Dwyer said. “He's a 4-year-old now, and I think this is his year. He's put it all together.

O'Dwyer said he would consider running Sibelius next in the $350,000 Phoenix next month at Keeneland.

The post First-Time Stakes Winners: In A Hurry Annexes All Along, Sibelius Takes Lite The Fuse At Pimlico appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The only graded stakes winner in Saturday's $102,000 Presious Passion Stake at Monmouth Park acted the part – though it wasn't quite according to the pre-race script.

L'Imperator, who does his best racing on or near the lead, broke in midpack at the outset of the 1 1/2-mile race. In the end, it was the best place to be, with the Chad Brown-trainee eventually collaring Oceans Map at the sixteenth pole on the way to a 1¼-length victory.

The winning time on firm turf, thanks in part to longshot Kingdom on Paws taking the seven-horse field to the half-mile in a snappy :46.14, was a course record 2:32.67.

L'Imperator, who won the Grade 2 Fort Marcy on May 7 at Belmont Park, paid $2.80 as the overwhelming 2-5 favorite.

“The plan was to be on the lead but he just walked out of the gate,” said winning rider Hector Diaz Jr. “I didn't panic. I went to plan B knowing I was on the best horse. I just had to give him the best chance to win from that point. Around the (final) turn I just followed Oceans Map because from that point on it was a two-horse race between the two of us.”

Diaz teamed with Brown earlier in the meet to win the Oceanport Stakes.

A 5-year-old gelded son of Holy Roman Emperor, L'Imperator posted his seventh career win from 15 starts, all on the grass. He is owned by Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, and Robert V. LaPenta.

In his last start, the Grade 2 Bowling Green at a mile and three-eighths at Saratoga on July 31, L'Imperator led all the way until the final eighth of a mile.

“I thought we would be the one on the lead but our horse came out of the gate slow,” said Luis Cabrera, who oversees Brown's Monmouth Park division. “I was worried at that point because he likes to run on the lead or close to the pace and we were back a bit early. It helped when they went those fast early fractions to the half. It set things up for us. This horse been running really good all year. I know Chad likes him a lot. This horse has a lot of class. We thought he was the best horse going into the race and he proved that.”

L'Imperator made his move just as Oceans Map did coming out of the final turn, wearing down that Gregg Sacco-trainee late. It was another 1½ lengths back to Royne in third.

“My horse was running but I didn't know it was a track record,” said Diaz. “I didn't pay too much attention after the early fractions were so quick and we were in a comfortable spot. This is a horse with a lot of class. It's always nice to ride a good one for one of the best barns in the country.”

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Juddmonte multiple graded stakes-winning homebred Set Piece, returning to the site of his most recent victory, duplicated the effort four months later with a last-to-first 1 ½-length victory in Saturday's $200,000 Baltimore-Washington International Turf Cup (G3) at Pimlico Race Course.

The 14th running of the one-mile BWI Turf Cup for 3-year-olds and up was the last of four stakes worth $475,000 in purses following the $75,000 Shine Again won by Swayin to and Fro, $100,000 All Along where In a Hurry earned her elusive first stakes victory, and $100,000 Lite the Fuse won in a runaway by Sibelius.

]Ridden by Sheldon Russell for Brad Cox, the two-time defending Eclipse Award-winning trainer, Set Piece completed the distance in 1:35.70 over the firm course. Pao Alto, a group stakes winner in France and Qatar, was second, a half-length ahead of 8-5 favorite Public Sector.

“That's kind of his race. He's not super-fast, but he comes running at the end,” Cox's assistant Katie Tolbert said. “You just have to kind of keep him relaxed and save some ground and find a good spot. He loves it here. He ran great here on Preakness weekend. That's kind of his race and Sheldon rode him perfect. We're super happy with him.”

Set Piece rallied to win the 1 1/16-mile Dinner Party (G2) May 21 on the undercard of the 147th Preakness Stakes (G1), and since had finished off the board in the Forbidden Apple (G3) and Arlington Million (G1), the latter Aug. 13 following a slow start over a surface rated good.

Aboard for the first time, Russell was unhurried on Set Piece and trailed the field as Grade 3 winner Bizzee Channel, racing first time off the claim for owner-trainer Lacey Gaudet, went the opening quarter-mile in 24.05 seconds and a half in 48.26 pressed by 21-1 long shot English Tavern. Russell began to move on Set Piece around the turn and straightened for home with sights set on the lead, rolling through the stretch to pass horses on the far outside.

“On paper there wasn't a whole lot of pace and I think that was my biggest worry. They went lot faster than I thought they would have,” Russell said. “I thought Lacey's horse was the only one that would show some speed. [Set Piece] was nice and relaxed and I was never really worried because every furlong he sort of caught up to them.

“At the half-mile pole I had a double handful, and it was just whether or not I could keep him in the clear. I got him outside and he took off,” he added. “Very, very nice. I think it helped that he won over this course before. I got really lucky and was fortunate to be able to ride him today.”

Stakes winner Sifting Sands, the Chad Brown-trained stablemate of Public Sector who had been undefeated in three starts at one mile, finished fourth followed by English Tavern and English Channel. Field Pass, the defending BWI Turf Cup champion, was scratched.

It was the sixth career stakes win and third in graded company for Set Piece, a 6-year-old English-bred son of Dansili from the Kingmambo mare Portodora. For Russell, it was his first stakes win since coming back in July from a 10-month absence due to injury. He finished first on English Tavern in the July 16 Prince George's County at Laurel Park, but the horse was disqualified and placed second for interference.

Represented by agent Marty Leonard, Russell rode in all four stakes Saturday finishing second with Grade 3 winner Jaxon Traveler in the Lite the Fuse, third on Lake Lucerne in the All Along and eighth aboard Peyton Elizabeth in the Shine Again.

“It's always nice. [Set Piece] is a really, really nice horse,” Russell said. “Today I had some really live chances and, to be fair, all the horses ran good they just maybe found one better. He gave me a great trip. Thank you to Brad and his team and Juddmonte for the opportunity and fair play to my agent for getting me on this type of horse.

“After every race I'm flicking the page going on to the next page and it's just a better horse, a bigger race, another opportunity,” he added. “This was the biggest one of the day so this one counts and this one felt good.”

Set Piece returned $5.20.

The BWI Turf Cup began as the Colonial Turf Cup in 2005 at Colonial Downs. It was cut back to one mile and renamed the Commonwealth Cup after being moved to Laurel Park in 2015, contested as the Commonwealth Turf Cup in 2016 and under its current name since 2017. The race was not run in 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic altered the stakes schedule.

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