Trainer Jorge Delgado's plan for Winfromwithin in Monday's $102,000 Red Bank Stakes at Monmouth Park was simple enough. He wanted the horse on the lead and he didn't care what it took for him to get there.
Not only did Winfromwithin make the lead from the break, he carried his speed throughout the one-mile turf feature to score a 1¼-length victory over longshot Nothing Better.
Delgado's only anxious moments, in fact, were surviving a claim of foul and a stewards' inquiry after Winfromwithin drifted over and crowded Nothing Better on the rail at the eighth pole. No action was taken.
“The way we do things and the way we run our program, we don't change things if we have a strategy going into a race,” said Delgado, who recorded his first stakes win of the meet. “We live and die with our strategy. I'd rather finish last than change our strategy and today our strategy was for him to go to the lead no matter how hot the pace was.
“I wanted to be on a clear lead. That's when he is at his best and it showed today. There was no other horse that was next to him so he was able to go by himself and find a rhythm. When he is alone like he was he gets brave.”
The winning time over a firm grass course was 1:34.59, with Winfromwithin carving out fractions of :23.11, :45.16 and 1:08.53 as he basically taunted his six rivals to come after him. Hot Blooded rallied for third, four lengths behind Nothing Better.
“My plan from the start was to go to the lead,” said winning jockey Carlos Rojas. “They told me that is when this horse is at his best. He was traveling comfortably the whole time. Even with the six furlongs going in 1:08.53 he was comfortable and doing it on his own. This is his game, being on the front and being the one everyone else is chasing.”
The 4-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Into Mischief out of the Mr. Greeley mare Rau Breck, owned by Lea Farms, recorded his fifth win from 14 career starts. He was a tiring fourth in the Oceanport Stakes in his last start on Aug. 14 and missed by just a half-length in the Cliff Hanger Stakes on May 28. Both grass races were at Monmouth Park.
The win was his first in stakes company since capturing the Columbia Stakes at Tampa Downs on March 6, 2021. Todd Pletcher was his trainer then.
“The bar was high when I got him because Todd Pletcher had him before me and won a stakes with him,” said Delgado. “He had two good races in stakes company since I got him, and the way he trains in the morning I always felt he would be a stakes winner for me.”
Winfromwithin, who was bred by Mulholland Springs, returned $8.40 to win. Even-money favorite Good Governance, trained by Chad Brown, was a non-threatening fourth.
The post ‘My Plan From The Start Was To Go To The Lead’: No Catching Winfromwithin In Monmouth’s Red Bank Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Q: I have heard that pollinators like bees and butterflies are in danger of not having enough flowers. Are there flowering forages that I can include in my horse pastures that support both my horses and the pollinators?
A: Insect pollinators such as bumble bees and monarch butterflies have shown population decline in recent years. Pastures provide a great opportunity to support these insects while also producing forage for grazing animals like horses. When planning to incorporate flowering species into a pasture, it is important to consider three factors:
1) a little goes a long way, pastures do not need to be full of flowering plants and as little as 1 percent ground cover occupied by flowers can significantly help insect pollinators
2) depending on the pasture type and land characteristics, seeding flowering species can be throughout the pasture, or in strips such as along fences or even overgrazed areas
3) incorporating a mixture of species with different flowering seasons can provide more floral resources throughout the summer, which can support more pollinators.
There are many flowering forages already used in horse pastures, many of which are legumes. Clovers (e.g., white, red, crimson) are easy to establish and can provide flowers throughout the season, especially during rainy periods. Alfalfa will also flower throughout the summer but must be allowed to rest and grow to maturity. Therefore, alfalfa may be best for rotated pastures. Birdsfoot trefoil is another common pasture species that can produce a persistent forage source with flowers once established. When incorporating birdsfoot trefoil in horse pastures, select a variety that does not produce prussic acid. Aside from supporting pollinators, legumes (e.g. alfalfa, clover) also improve pasture yield, seasonal distribution, and adaptability to weather conditions.
When selecting flowering species, it is important to note that not all types are safe for horses. Although species such as thistles, milkweed, buttercup, and black locust trees all provide excellent floral resources for insect pollinators, all (and more) are toxic or physically harmful to horses. Research has not yet been conducted to determine if native wildflowers (e.g., goldenrods, purple coneflower, black-eyed susan) are toxic or palatable to horses and should be avoided when seeding directly into pastures at this time.
The post Ask the Expert: Pollinator-Friendly Horse Pastures appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Robert Yates/Kentucky Downs
Millionaire Grade 1 winner and Central Kentucky first-crop sire Sharp Azteca has gotten off to a rousing start at stud and one of the best runners from his initial crop may be the horse to beat in the $500,000 Global Tote Juvenile Sprint Stakes Thursday at Kentucky Downs.
Sharp Aza Tack drew post 2 on Friday morning for the Juvenile Sprint Stakes, a 6 ½-furlong race for 2-year-olds that lured a field of eight.
Trained by two-time Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Doug O'Neill, Sharp Aza Tack has won his two career starts, both five furlongs on turf, by a combined 9 ½ lengths after leading at every point of call.
Sharp Aza Tack, at odds of 12-1, broke his maiden by 2 ¼ lengths June 10 at Santa Anita and cruised home by 7 ¼ lengths as the even-money favorite in the Tyro Stakes on July 30 at Monmouth Park.
“He's always been a pretty precocious colt,” O'Neill said. “It's safe to say he's exceeded our expectations. He's been a really super addition to the stable and we're optimistic that we can keep it going.”
O'Neill purchased Sharp Aza Tack for $100,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. March Sale of 2-Year-Olds In Training. The colt now races for R3 Racing (Ron Arakelian).
O'Neill said he decided to begin Sharp Aza Tack's career on turf because he believed the competition wouldn't be as tough as debuting on dirt.
“I think the initial start was one where he was training good, but just thought, generally early in the year, especially with the (Bob) Baffert barn, and some of the powerful barns out here, the turf sprints are a little bit easier than the dirt sprints,” the Southern California-based O'Neill said.
“Just thought you might avoid the million-dollar horses in the turf sprints. That was kind of the mindset and so far, so good.”
Sharp Aza Tack has been based since early July at Keeneland, where he has recorded a series of swift workouts leading up to the Global Tote, a race O'Neill said he circled after the colt won his career debut.
“The purse is through the roof,” O'Neill said. “He's a Kentucky-bred. He hasn't done anything wrong so far, so we're excited.”
Three-time Eclipse Award winner Irad Ortiz Jr. (2018, 2019 and 2020) is named to ride Sharp Aza Tack for the first time in the Juvenile Sprint Stakes.
O'Neill is seeking his second career Kentucky Downs stakes victory after taking the 2019 Nevada State Bank Franklin-Simpson (G3) for 3-year-old sprinters with longshot Legends of War.
“We're fired up and optimistic,” O'Neill said.
Sharp Azteca, who stands privately at Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Kentucky, currently ranks third among North America's freshman sires, according to BloodHorse statistics. His offspring also include unbeaten Iowa-bred sensation and Breeders' Cup candidate Tyler's Tribe, who has won his four starts by a combined 53 ¼ lengths. Tyler's Tribe is a three-time stakes winner.
The post ‘Fired Up’ O’Neill Has Unbeaten Sharp Aza Tack In Juvenile Sprint Stakes At Kentucky Downs appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
