November, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Del Mar: Nine Signed One For Turf Stakes On Opening Day Friday

Nine frisky sophomores will pull on their running shoes Friday at Del Mar for a one-mile spin around the Jimmy Durante Turf Course in the featured attraction – the $75,000-added Let It Ride Stakes – on the opening day program for the ninth fall racing season at the seaside course.

The four-week racing stand, fondly known as the “Bing Crosby Season” in honor of the track's iconic founder, will cover a total of 13 racing days with a primary MO of Friday, Saturday and Sunday sport starting at 12:30 in the afternoon. The lone exception to that arrangement is a Thanksgiving Thursday (November 24) card that starts at 11 a.m. and finishes up around 3 p.m., allowing time enough for fans to make it back home before the turkey gets cold.

Possible favorite for Friday's overnight feature could be CYBT, Lantzman or Nentwig, et al's Handy Dandy, a hard-trying son of the Florida stallion Fury Kapcori who has been there or thereabouts in his last 10 races. The gelding has a solid stretch kick and has put it to good use for in-the-money finishes in all of those 10 outings, amassing a bankroll of more than $216,000 in the process. He was last out in the Twilight Derby at Santa Anita less than two weeks ago where he ran into a world of trouble, yet still managed to get beaten just a little over two lengths in the Grade II stakes.

Del Mar training kingpin Peter Miller saddles Handy Dandy and he'll give a leg up Friday to Juan Hernandez, the shore track's runaway riding champ from this past summer season.

Here's the full field for the Let It Ride, which goes as race seven on the eight-race program: C R K Stable's Clutch Hitter (Victor Espinoza in the irons); Handy Dandy; California Racing Partners, John Ford Racing, et al's Law Abiding (Mario Gutierrez); Patrick Brogan's Crazy Dreams (Abel Cedillo); Stone Farm's Script (John Velazquez); Alice Bamford's St Anthony (Flavien Prat); Bernsen or Weijland's Time To Party (Joe Bravo); Muir Hut Stales' Spycatcher (Ryan Curatolo), and Godolphin's Degree of Risk (Drayden Van Dyke).

Script is an interesting addition to the field. The homebred colt by Algorithms comes into the heat off an allowance tally at Keeneland last month at a mile on the lawn. He's conditioned by the highly respected H. Graham Motion and the fact that Hall of Famer Velazquez is named on board works in his favor also.

The lightly raced Spycatcher was a good second at 68-1 in the Del Mar Derby to Slow Down Andy locally on September 3 in his most recent try. This will be only his fifth start but the colt by Noble Mission – who is still a maiden – deserves some respect in this lineup.

St Anthony is a double stakes winner in Northern California and takes his lesson from Hall of Fame conditioner Neil Drysdale.

The Let It Ride is one of four turf races on the Friday program.

Reddam Racing's Team Merchants won the 2021 version of the Let It Ride.

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Jockey Of The Week: Irad Ortiz, Jr. Sets Single Season Earnings Record, Wins Three Breeders’ Cup Races

When you're hot, you're hot. And reigning Eclipse Award jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. is definitely hot. Three Breeders' Cup wins at Keeneland were capped by three wins Sunday at Aqueduct including two stakes, plus he established a new single-year North American record for earnings by a jockey. Ortiz, Jr. was voted Jockey of the Week for Oct. 31 through Nov. 6. The award, which is voted on by a panel of racing experts, honors jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 1050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys in the United States.

Ortiz, Jr.'s outstanding weekend began on Friday at Keeneland winning the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile aboard Forte for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. After saving ground while in fifth, Ortiz, Jr. angled Forte outside approaching the top of the lane. Forte confronted odds-on favorite Cave Rock in the stretch and drew clear to win by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:43.06 for the 1 1/16 miles over a fast track.

“Beautiful trip,” said Ortiz, Jr. “I broke good, saved some ground and took my time down the backside. I started making my move around the turn. He (Forte) deserves all the credit.”

On Saturday, trainer Chad Brown gave a leg up to regular rider, Ortiz, Jr. on Goodnight Olive in the G1 Filly and Mare Sprint. Off as the favorite in the field of 12, Goodnight Olive took command at the top of the stretch and cruised to a 2 1/2-length win in 1:21.61 for seven furlongs.

“Lot of speed in the race,” said Ortiz, Jr. “She broke on top but I didn't want to rush her. When she is on her game, she can do anything. I've ridden her and I knew that.”

Continuing his winning ways, Ortiz, Jr. was in the saddle on Elite Power for the first time for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott in the G1 Breeders' Cup Sprint. Elite Power surged by favored Jackie's Warrior at the sixteenth pole cruising to a 1 1/4-length victory in 1:09.11 for the six furlongs. The win was Ortiz, Jr.'s 17th in the World Championships.

“I had the perfect trip,” said Ortiz, Jr. “He broke real sharp and I let him settle. I was able to cut the corner around the turn. When I tipped him out, he was there for me.”

Ortiz, Jr. was back at Aqueduct on Sunday winning three races including a stakes sweep of the G3 Nashua with Champions Dream for trainer Danny Gargan and the Tempted Stakes on Good Sam for trainer Chad Brown. Both races were for a 2-year-olds at one mile. With the wins, Ortiz, Jr. established a new single-year North American record for earnings by a jockey with $34,628,316.

Other nominees for Jockey of the Week included Junior Alvarado who won the G1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile with Cody's Wish, Luis Alberto Batista who was the leading jockey for the week in wins with 12, Flavien Prat who won the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic aboard Flightline, and Edgard Zayas who won two stakes races at Gulfstream Park and recorded his 2,000th career win.

The post Jockey Of The Week: Irad Ortiz, Jr. Sets Single Season Earnings Record, Wins Three Breeders’ Cup Races appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Oscar Performance’s Stud Fee Set At $20,000 For 2023

Mill Ridge and the shareholders and breeders to Oscar Performance are most encouraged with the results on the track of his first crop 2-year-olds.

With 14 winners so far, led by Grade 2 winner Andthewinneris, he has a high percentage of winners to foals (16 percent), and black type placers with three (4 percent). Equally encouraging is that two of his winners have been on the dirt.

The stud fee for 2023 will be $20,000 live foal, and in appreciation to any breeder who has bred to Oscar Performance in his first four years, the fee will be $17,500.

“We are so appreciative to the Amermans for giving Mill Ridge the opportunity with Oscar Performance and to the shareholders and breeders who have supported him all four years. He is off to a great start at stud with his 2-year-olds, and we all look forward to his future. In the next few days, we will share more on our new stallion, Aloha West,” said Price Bell, general manager, Mill Ridge Farm.

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Bloodlines: Nashua Winner Champions Dream Shows A New Side To Justify’s Debut Crop

“This colt was kinda small when I bought him,” said pinhooker and consignor G.W. Parrish when I was inspecting the gray colt that he had purchased out of the 2021 Keeneland September sale and had trained up to working a quarter-mile for the OBS March sale in :20 4/5.

The colt had turned in a very good work, showing a stride length of 25.3 feet and earning a BreezeFig of 73. In addition the colt was speeding up through his work, attracting further notice for that as he worked around the turn.

In addition to a quick work, the colt was from the first crop by champion Justify (by Scat Daddy) and out of a graded stakes winner by Tapit. Even so, Parrish had acquired the colt for only $25,000 as a yearling.

“I brought him down here and put him in training, and he never missed a day, never did anything wrong,” Parrish continued. “He's turned into a really nice colt.”

Most everyone else thought so too, and the gray son of Justify brought $425,000 from Rosedown Racing Stables, which is the entity owned by commercial real estate developer Jeffrey Weiss. The owner sent his new colt to trainer Danny Gargan, and the colt, named Champions Dream, won his debut going seven furlongs at Saratoga on Sept. 3 by 2 ¼ lengths.

Conor Foley of Oracle Bloodstock, along with his team, had selected the gray colt for Weiss at the March sale and said “he was one of the best horses in the sale. We loved him and were tickled to bits to get him for Jeff Weiss, although I was surprised by the price. I believe everyone expected him to go for more.

“Danny thought this was a nice colt very early, and Champions Dream then won his maiden at Saratoga comfortably, which is the right way.”

A month later, Champions Dream had a rough trip in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes and finished fifth, but in his next start, on Saturday at Aqueduct for the G2 Nashua, Champions Dream was organized and on cue, winning his first stakes by three-quarters of a length over Full Moon Madness.

Bred in Kentucky by John Oxley, Champions Dream is the fifth stakes winner for Justify from a first crop of 176 foals. That represents 3 percent of his foals to date, but the achievement is most notable for a quartet being graded or group winners. Of the five, four are fillies; Champions Dream is the sire's first stakes-winning colt, so far.

Justify's first book of mares included about 40 major stakes winners and dozens of mares who had produced high-class racers from around the world. One of the quality racemares sent to Justify was Dancinginherdreams (Tapit), winner of the G2 Golden Rod Stakes at two. The elegant gray filly also ran second in the G2 Forward Gal and Davona Dale Stakes at Gulfstream but didn't win another stakes.

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Cast in the beautifully balanced mold of her distinguished sire Tapit, Dancinginherdreams was medium-sized and elegant, and her Justify colt was definitely in the type of his dam and Tapit. Having grown well over the winter, adding strength and standing about 15.3 as a 2-year-old in training, Champions Dream had the profile and phenotype of a miler who would develop well at two and possess the potential to be a challenger as a 3-year-old.

How different from his massively constructed sire Justify, who combines the immense strength and muscularity of broodmare sire Ghostzapper with the scope and height of Scat Daddy. Justify is a tank; Champions Dream is a sport vehicle.

That difference is not a bad thing. Champions Dream stood up to the rigors of early training and handled the preparation for the in-training sales well. He prospered under the Parrish Farms regimen and has continued to develop and improve over the summer in Gargan's barn.

“Champions Dream showed Danny pretty early that this was an above-average colt,” Foley said, “and he keeps on doing things well. He's going to Florida, gives us the feeling he'd like Gulfstream, and will be on the Derby trail. We're all very excited for Jeff Weiss and his family to have a colt of this caliber.”

The future looks bright for this progressive young athlete, and if he proves as high-class and tough as Nashua himself, Champions Dream should bring a lot of smiles and dreams.

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