Month: October 2022

J and N Stables and Diamond M Stable's Dancing Buck broke sharp and took a lead he never relinquished, storming home to a five-length victory in Saturday's $200,000 Belmont Turf Sprint (G3) during the Belmont at the Big A fall meet at Aqueduct.

Dancing Buck, who trainer Michelle Nevin elevated to graded stakes company for the first time in his 14th career start, broke on top and was sent to the front by jockey Manny Franco as his charge led the nine-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in :23.19 and the half in :46.25 over the yielding outer turf course.

The 4-year-old War Dancer gelding posted five-eighths of a mile in :57.69 and continued strong to the wire, completing six furlongs for 3-year-olds and older in a final time of 1:09.60 for his first career stakes victory.

“I wanted to break sharp and be close, I didn't want him to get parked too far away,” Nevin said. “Manny did a hell of a job getting him out there and to the lead like that.

“He's such a nice, easy-going horse,” Nevin continued. “He'll just wait on the jock to tell him what to do. I wasn't concerned that he was going to go to the lead and go too fast, he's very, very ratable.”

Voodoo Zip edged Yes and Yes by a neck for runner-up status, with Arzak, Thin White Duke, Chewing Gum, Scuttlebuzz, Seven Scents and Value Proposition completing the order of finish. Noble Emotion, Nothing Better, Fauci and main-track only entrant Greeley and Ben were scratched.

Off at 4-1, Dancing Buck returned $10.60 on a $2 win wager. Bred by co-owners J and N Stables in the Empire State, he ran well in a second consecutive stake after running second to Thin White Duke by a nose in the Lucky Coin on September 2. Nevin left open the possibility of targeting the 5 1/2-furlong $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1) on November 5 at Keeneland next.

“I'd really like that. I thought he ran huge in Saratoga going five and a half,” Nevin said. “He was unlucky to get nipped up there [in the Lucky Coin].”

Dancing Buck improved his career earnings to $431,770, banking $110,000 in victory.

“I took advantage of the break because he broke so sharp,” Franco said. “I just went on with him and he did the rest. He was nice and comfortable on the lead and he got it done. He's getting better with age and Michelle has been doing a great job with this horse.”

Voodoo Zip, trained by Christophe Clement and ridden by Joel Rosario, rallied from seventh to earn a placing for the first time in three career stakes starts.

“He kept moving forward, but it's tough sometimes when they run away from you like that,” Rosario said. “But he kept moving forward and we're happy with him. He always showed that he finished well in the last part, and that's exactly what he did today. He handled the ground fine. He ran a good race, it's just too bad we couldn't catch the one in front.”

The post Dancing Buck Breaks Through For First Stakes Win in Belmont Turf Sprint, Enters Breeders’ Cup Picture appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Bob Baffert, sidelined earlier in the year with a 90-day suspension, proved yet again that he is very much “back” as he collected his record eighth win in Saturday's Grade 1, $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., with longshot Defunded. Ridden by Edwin Maldonado, Defunded, made every pole a winning one and easily defeated his heavily favored stablemate Country Grammer by 1 ¾ lengths, giving Baffert the exacta.  A 4-year-old gelding by Dialed In, Defunded got 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:49.38.

A Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” Challenge Series qualifier, the Awesome Again win thus provides Defunded with a fees-paid berth in the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland Nov. 5.

Large and in charge through splits of 22.67, 46.70, 1:10.89 and 1:36.06, Defunded, ridden for the first time by Maldonado, never looked a loser in providing the veteran rider with his first career Grade 1 victory.  Most recently a tiring sixth in the Grade 2 Pat O'Brien Stakes going seven furlongs, Defunded was off at 5-1 in a field of eight 3-year-olds and up and paid $12.00, $4.60 and $3.40.

Owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Defunded, who collected his first-ever graded stakes win, is now 12-4-3-1 overall and with the winner's share of $180,000, he increased his earnings to $518,100.

Although he never threatened the winner, Country Grammer kept to his task late and was game in overhauling Slow Down Andy for the place.  Off at even money under Juan Hernandez, Country Grammer paid $3.00 and $2.40.

Slow Down Andy, who sat second nearly the entire trip, was off at 14-1 under Mario Gutierrez and paid $4.40 to show.

JOCKEY QUOTES

EDWIN MALDONADO, DEFUNDED, WINNER: “It was a very nice trip. Bob told me I had a great shot in this race so put him on the lead. And when Bob says you have a shot, you have a shot. I just want to thank Bob and all the connections for the opportunity, I'm grateful to be here. At the point of my career right now, I was due for a big race. It came through. What better time than the second day in Santa Anita?  A good time.”

TRAINER QUOTES

BOB BAFFERT, DEFUNDED, WINNER: “I'm proud. Defunded ran so well here before and when we got to Del Mar, he just had a melt down in the Paddock and didn't behave himself. Today he was perfect. They all loaded in the gate perfect, and I give Edwin a lot of the credit he is such a great speed rider. I told him I'd throw him a nice horse when we got up here and he rode a perfect race.”

The post Defunded Earns Classic Berth With Front-Running Awesome Again Triumph appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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