Month: November 2022

The 8-year-old Greeley and Ben, expertly piloted by Manny Franco for owner Darryl E. Abramowitz, made the grade in his 39th career start, staving off the late charge of Runninsonofagun to post a narrow neck score in Saturday's Grade 3, $175,000 Fall Highweight at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Greeley and Ben was making his first start for trainer Faith Wilson, who notched her first career win in May 2021 at Monmouth Park, and provided the conditioner with her first graded score.

“I wish my kids [Chelsea and Christian] were here for this, but it's a far drive from New Jersey every day that me and my husband [Carlos Cortez] take,” Wilson said.

Greeley and Ben, carrying 130 pounds, turned the tables on Runninsonofagun after finishing fourth to his familiar foe in the six-furlong Bold Ruler (G3) at Aqueduct in October. The Greeley's Conquest gelding exited that effort to capture a six-furlong allowance tilt at Aqueduct on November 10.

“We loved him since he came to the barn and he's just been getting better and better,” Wilson said. “The starter allowance was supposed to be a confidence booster for him last time. Since then, he's been wild in his training, so he was proud of himself since that last win going into here. We were pretty impressed with how he was doing.”

Bezos set the tempo in the Fall Highweight, surging to the lead through splits of :22.90 and :46.67 over the fast main track with Jaxon Traveler tracking along the rail in second. Greely and Ben advanced from third position through the turn, cutting the corner into the stretch run to duel for the lead with Jaxon Traveler as Factor It In, a close third in the Bold Ruler, and Runninsonofagun took aim.

All four rivals were in with a shout in the final 70 yards but a game and determined Greeley and Ben stuck his neck out to prevail in a final time of 1:11.95 for the six furlongs. Runninsonofagun completed the exacta by a head over Factor It In with Jaxon Traveler another head back in fourth. Synthesis, Happy Farm and Bezos rounded out the order of finish.

Franco, who won the Notebook at Aqueduct Friday with Acoustic Ave, said he wanted a prominent trip.

“My main thing was I wanted to get him to break well and stay close,” Franco said. “I just hugged the rail the whole way around. In the stretch, the horse on the lead opened up the rail and my horse just went through and did the rest. He fought hard.”

Kendrick Carmouche, aboard the mutuel favorite Runninsonofagun, said he was proud of the effort from the John Toscano, Jr. trainee, who shared co-highweight honors of 132 pounds with Factor It In.

“My horse ran so good. It would be different if he could have leveled off and opened up on them, but he brings you there so easy thinking you've got so much horse,” Carmouche said. “But overall, the horse gave his best effort. I had him in the right place to win and the owners and the trainer would have liked to have won this one before we put him away for the season and start him over next year.”

The Fall Highweight was just the third graded attempt for Greeley and Ben, who was a close-up third in last year's Grade 3 Whitmore at Oaklawn Park for his then conditioner Karl Broberg. The well-traveled gelding moved barns several times since that effort before being claimed for $40,000 by trainer Jeffrey Englehart from a winning effort in September at Saratoga.

Bred in Kentucky by Millard R. Seldin Revocable Trust, Greeley and Ben banked $96,250 in victory while improving his record to 39-23-7-2. He returned $16.80 for a $2 win bet.

The post Greeley And Ben Game In Fall Highweight For First Stakes Triumph Under New Trainer appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Ronald Cuneo's Armando R, scratched from a Thanksgiving Day allowance, came with a steady run on the far outside down the center of the track to upset favored Ournationonparade by a half-length in Saturday's $100,000 Richard W. Small at Laurel Park.

The 22nd running of the 1 1/8-mile Richard Small for 3-year-olds and up anchored three stakes on the post-Thanksgiving program following the $100,000 Safely Kept for 3-year-old fillies, won by Swayin to and Fro, and $100,000 City of Laurel for 3-year-olds, captured by Little Vic, both races at seven furlongs.

It was the second straight stakes win for Armando R ($23) following his neck triumph in an off-the-turf edition of the 1 ½-mile Japan Turf Cup Oct. 1 at Laurel, his prior start. He also won an optional claiming allowance June 12 at Laurel in his only prior attempt at nine furlongs.

“He takes care of himself in the morning,” winning trainer Damon Dilodovico said. “Really, he's just so determined.”

Thomas Shelby, beaten a neck when second in the Feb. 12 Razorback (G2) at Oaklawn Park, outran Oct. 22 Maryland Million Classic winner Ournationonparade for the early lead, going the opening quarter mile in 24.16 seconds. Cordmaker, making just his second start since winning the General George (G3) Feb. 19 at Laurel, raced up close in third with American d'Oro, riding a two-race win streak, fourth.

The half went in 48.11 with Thomas Shelby still in front but Ournationonparade closing the gap and American d'Oro passing Cordmaker for third. The running order went unchanged through six furlongs in 1:12.21 while Armando R, unhurried in the early going, began to roll on the outside under Horacio Karamanos.

“I was just so worried with the early lack of pace I didn't know what was going to happen,” Dilodovico said. “But Horacio was in tune with everything. He had him closer than I kind of expected him to be and was able to stay in contention.”

Armando R, a 6-year-old gelded son of Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Blame, reeled in Ournationonparade, who held off a game Cordmaker by a length for second. Cordmaker's third-place finish was worth $10,000, pushing him over the $1 million mark in career purse earnings at $1,000,880.

Thomas Shelby, Forewarned, American d'Oro and Wish for Peace completed the order of finish. Ridin With Biden and Treasure Trove were scratched.

Armando R continued a strong season-ending run for Dilodovico, who moved into a three-way tie for second at Laurel's fall meet with 13 wins from 45 starters  (28.8 percent).

“Our team is unbelievable right now,” he said. “For a smallish stable, they just keep knocking it out.”

Formerly run as the Broad Brush, the multi-millionaire and four-time Grade 1 winner he trained, the Richard W. Small was renamed following the beloved horseman's death from cancer in 2014. Baltimore-born 'Dickie' Small served two tours of duty during the Vietnam War as a Green Beret before becoming a trainer, also campaigning Broad Brush's son, 1994 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Concern. He won at least one stakes race in Maryland every year but one between 1974 and 2014 and is also known for helping launch the riding careers of female jockeys such as Andrea Seefeldt, Jerilyn Brown, Rosie Napravnik and Forest Boyce.

Swayin To And Fro Wires Safely Kept

Baxter Racing Stable's Swayin to and Fro, showing a new dimension, took advantage of her inside draw to lead all the way around and edge clear late to notch her second career stakes victory in the Safely Kept.

Ridden by Grant Whitacre for trainer Mario Serey Jr., Swayin to and Fro ($15.80) completed the distance in 1:24.00 over a fast main track for her fifth win in six career tries over Laurel's main track. Her prior stakes victory came over elders in the restricted Shine Again Sept. 10 at historic Pimlico Race Course.

“We drew the rail and that was Mario's call to just go. He said, 'If she gets tired, she gets tired. Just send her to the front and let's see what we've got,'” Whitacre said. “He changed up the training with her and it paid off today.”

South Carolina-bred Swayin to and Fro broke sharply and was quickly in front under Whitacre, running splits of 22.72 and 45.78 seconds while pressed to their outside by 11-1 long shot Liscolvin. Swayin to and Fro dug in again once straightened for home to keep Liscolvin and 7-2 betting favorite Bazinga C at bay before drawing clear to win by 3 ½ lengths.

Liscolvin held off Bazinga C by a head for second, and it was 3 ¼ lengths back to Moody Woman in fourth. Buy the Best, November Rein, Grade 1-placed Divine Huntress, Click to Confirm, Half Is Enough, Vibrant Judy and Still My Babe completed the order of finish. Sweet Gracie, Last Leaf and Noble Bid were scratched.

“They weren't making me go terribly fast and probably about the three-eighths pole I felt her take a breath. It wasn't like she was getting tired; she was just in hand the whole way and I knew I had plenty left. It worked out perfect,” Whitacre said.

“She kicked away and there wasn't that much competition with her pushing her along. I felt her kind of come back to me a little bit and I kept asking her a little bit and she picked up the bit again and went on,” he added. “She wasn't even blowing coming back, so that was great.”

The Safely Kept honors the champion sprinter of 1989 and member of the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame Class of 2011. The daughter of longtime Maryland sire Horatius was the first sprinter to top $2 million in earnings, the first Maryland-bred to win a Breeders' Cup race in the 1990 Sprint (G1), a four-time Maryland-bred champion including Horse of the Year twice (1989,1990) and is one of only seven horses to win three Maryland Million races. She won 24 races, 22 in stakes, from 31 lifetime starts

Little Vic Registers Big Effort In City of Laurel

Victoria's Ranch's Little Vic, unplaced in three graded-stakes attempts this year, dropped into listed company and made his Laurel Park debut a successful one with a determined 1 ½-length triumph in the City of Laurel.

A sophomore son of multiple graded-stakes winning millionaire Practical Joke, Little Vic ($12.40) earned his second straight win after beating older horses in an open six-furlong allowance Oct. 20 at Delaware Park for trainer Juan Carlos Avila.

Little Vic settled in fifth as 15-1 long shot Defend took the field of 11 3-year-olds through a quarter-mile in 22.41 seconds with Uncle Buddy in close pursuit and 2021 Timonium Juvenile winner Cynergy's Star three wide in the clear in third. Uncle Buddy inherited the lead after a half in 45.34 while Al Loves Josie began to roll on the outside and jockey Carlos Olivero stayed put along the rail, forging a short lead after six furlongs in 1:10.50 and edging clear.

Radical Right, sent off the 2-1 favorite, came with a sustained late run on the outside to edge Al Loves Josie by a neck for second, followed by Nimitz Class, Uncle Buddy, Local Motive, Irish Boolum, Undercover Kitty, Steinbeck, Cynergy's Star and Defend. Coastal Mission and Twisted Ride were scratched.

Little Vic debuted last fall in South Florida, winning his unveiling at Gulfstream Park and finishing seventh in the Sam F. Davis (G3) Feb. 12 at Tampa Bay Downs in his third start. He was sixth in the May 21 Chick Lang (G3) at historic Pimlico Race Course and 10th in the Sept. 24 Gallant Bob (G2) at Parx prior to his current streak.

The post Armando R, Swayin To And Fro, Little Vic Sparkle In Stakes At Laurel Park appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Bluebirds Over, under Edgard Zayas, made it two wins in as many starts after another strong showing, this time in the $159,300 Grey Stakes (G3) for 2-year-olds at Woodbine.

Sent off as the 5-2 co-second choice, Bluebirds Over and 14-1 One Bay Hemingway both broke alertly in the 1 1/16-mile Tapeta event, with the former taking the early lead as the field passed the wire for the first time. Mo Tourist tucked into third, Hal sat fourth and Forever Dixie was last of five. 

After guiding the field through an opening quarter in :25.17, Bluebirds Over was quickly overtaken by One Bay Hemingway, who proceeded to open up on his rivals, holding a three-length advantage after a half timed in :48.81. 

As the quintet approached the three-quarter mark in 1:12.37, Zayas gave Bluebirds Over his cue, and the English Channel colt glided up effortlessly on the outside to confront One Bay Hemingway. 

The duo matched strides throughout most of the drive to the wire, with Bluebirds Over eventually wearing down his stubborn foe late to record a 1 ½-length victory in 1:45.32. Mo Tourist nosed out Forever Dixie for third.   

Bred and owned by Edward Seltzer and , the Kentucky-bred colt romped to an eight-length score over a mile and 70 yards on the Gulfstream synthetic in his debut on November 5. 

Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., Bluebirds Over was far more polished in his second start after running rank in his career bow.  

“He was way, way more relaxed,” said Zayas. “It helped, I think, that we didn't take him away from the pony. The first time, we took him away from the pony and he ran off with me before the race too. He was green the first time. He broke out of there last time and he broke straight to go to the lead, and I was trying to take a hold of him to sit second. It took me a little bit to relax him. But today, he broke out of there sharp, and he relaxed from the get-go. He's really impressive.” 

Bluebirds Over paid $7.20 for the win. 

The post ‘He Relaxed From The Get-Go’: Bluebirds Over Goes From Debut Winner to Graded Stakes Victor In Grey Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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