Month: November 2022

My Racehorse Stable and Spendthrift Farm's Sixtythreecaliber fended off a strong late rally from favorite Kathleen O. to score the first graded win of her career in Friday's $175,000 Comely (G3) for sophomore fillies at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Tom Amoss, Sixtythreecaliber extended her win streak to three-in-a-row after a last-out victory in the Seneca Overnight on Sept. 24 at Churchill Downs and an optional claiming score in August at Horseshoe Indianapolis with Edgar Morales in the irons. It was her second attempt at a graded victory, her other effort a distant fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks in July.

“She's a filly that has really improved from her first start to now, and I'm fortunate enough to work for the My Racehorse group that gave me the time to work with her and never pressured me into when I was going to run,” Amoss said. “Her races are fairly spread out. She's a horse that has started – with all due respect to the other racetracks – in more minor league types of races, speaking comparatively to the New York racing circuit. But she is certainly no minor league horse. She used those races to build confidence and it showed up today.”

With Kendrick Carmouche up for the first time, Sixtythreecaliber broke from post 2 and settled in second behind Tizzy in the Sky, who stumbled slightly from the outermost post 8 and rushed up to lead the field to the first turn through an opening quarter-mile in :24.63 over the fast main track.

Positions remained unchanged down the backstretch as Tizzy in the Sky completed the half-mile in 49.94, but the dynamics soon changed as Carmouche roused his mount for more and went on even terms with the pacesetter as the pair rounded the turn. Kathleen O., last-of-7 under a patient ride from Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, made steady progression into the turn and by the stretch call, was within striking range of her two rivals up front.

Sixtythreecaliber took a clear advantage into the stretch and soundly put away a tiring Tizzy in the Sky, but was quickly challenged by a closing Kathleen O. down the center of the racetrack. With strong encouragement from Carmouche, Sixtythreecaliber gamely fended off her determined foe to secure the half-length victory in a final time of 1:53.89 for the 1 1/8 miles on the fast main track.

The late-running Morning Matcha held onto show honors by a neck over Falconet, with Tizzy in the Sky, Skratch Kat, and Nostalgic rounding out the order of finish. Pistol Liz Ablazen was scratched.

Carmouche said he was able to establish his position when Tizzy and the Sky and Falconet did not show their usual speed.

“I had a perfect trip. I just wanted to make sure I used my inside post good,” said Carmouche. “I didn't see both speed horses outside break good outside and once the one cleared [Tizzy in the Sky] me, I just put her in the clear because that's the way she's run all the races when she won. I didn't want to take that away from her.

“Going down the backside at the half-mile, I reached and grabbed her and she jumped on the bit,” Carmouche added. “I looked underneath my arms and knew I had to wait a little bit longer and then I pulled the trigger because nine times out of ten on this track, as deep as it is, it takes a lot of strides for a horse to catch up with you. At the sixteenth pole, she kind of waited and then as soon as she saw that horse [Kathleen O.] she pinned her ears and went right back at it again.”

Bred in Kentucky by Lee Pokoik, Sixtythreecaliber was a $250,000 purchase at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The bay daughter of Gun Runner became the 10th graded stakes winner for her red-hot sire and banked $96,250 while improving her record to 7-5-0-0. She returned $24.40 for a $2 win wager.

Amoss said a next start is still to be determined for Sixtythreecaliber.

“I really haven't thought beyond this race. She's now a graded stakes winner which speaks to her value off the racetrack,” said Amoss. “She's got to be by one of the hottest sires of our time in Gun Runner. The My Racehorse management crew and I will get together and go from there. She will leave New York and go back to Kentucky in the next couple of days. She'll come to Fair Grounds and that's where she'll train. Where we go after that will be decided by what races come up after Jan. 1.”

Castellano praised the effort from the multiple graded stakes-winning Kathleen O., who made her first start off a six-month layoff after finishing fifth in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey.

“She did really well but it seemed to me the two horses that had speed outside didn't go,” said Castellano. “The pace was very slow in 49 and change and 1:15. For those type of horses, they're walking nearly every single step of the way. My horse is a come-from-behind horse and you can tell the way she did it today, she responded so well.

“I'm satisfied how she did it and I'm happy she came back in good order,” Castellano continued. “I think this is the first step back for her. Unfortunately, the way the race developed today, it was hard for horses to come from behind but still, she almost did. With a little more pace, we'd be right there. Most importantly, she came back good and I'm looking forward to the long term.”

The post Sixtythreecaliber Fires In Comely For First Graded Stakes Victory appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing's Acoustic Ave secured his third consecutive stakes score, outdueling favored D'ont Lose Cruz to the wire in Friday's $100,000 Notebook, a six-furlong sprint for New York-bred juveniles, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The dramatic stretch run kicked off the first of four stakes on a lucrative nine-race card that also features the $300,000 Long Island (G3) in Race 6; the $175,000 Comely (G3) in Race 7; and the $150,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship in Race 8.

Trained by Christophe Clement and piloted by Manny Franco, the Maclean's Music chestnut was off a step slow and tracked in second as the Irad Ortiz Jr.-piloted D'ont Lose Cruz blitzed through splits of :23.38 and :47.59 over the fast main track. Acoustic Ave pressed to the outside of the pacesetter into the turn as Starquist advanced to third position and angled off the rail for the stretch run.

Acoustic Ave and D'ont Lose Cruz went eye-to-eye for the stretch run with both competitors digging in gamely, but the more seasoned colt pulled away in the final jumps to prevail by a half-length in a final time of 1:13.68. D'ont Lose Cruz held second by a head over the hard-charging Starquist with Flashy Alex and Mshindi rounding out the order of finish. General Banker was scratched.

It was a record third Notebook score for Clement, who won this race previously with Sea Foam [2017] and Senbei – last year's New York-bred champion 2-year-old male, who is co-owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Darlene Bilinski.

“He has a tremendous amount of life and a great level of energy,” Clement said. “I love the fact that Manny did not actually have to chase the speed. He just sat off the pace and the horse responded. He was game and finished all the way until the end.”

Franco said he resorted to the backup plan after the sluggish start.

“He kind of broke a step slow and my plan was to go [to the lead], but it was perfect,” Franco said. “The four horse [D'ont Lose Cruz] was clear and we went around him and then he did the rest.

“I like him when he's on the front end, but today he sat off another horse and that was good,” added Franco. “I like him and he fights hard.”

Ortiz said D'ont Lose Cruz, who entered from an impressive gate-to-wire maiden win at Aqueduct on October 27, was hard to handle down the lane.

“My horse broke good and did everything right. He just got beat down the lane,” Ortiz said. “He wasn't helping me too much with drifting a little. I had to fight with him the whole stretch.”

Acoustic Ave, a $200,000 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase, has made all five of his career starts against fellow state-breds, graduating on debut in July at Saratoga Race Course ahead of a distant third in a muddy and sealed edition of the Spa's Funny Cide won by well-regarded Andiamo a Firenze. He entered the Notebook from back-to-back wins at Finger Lakes, romping by 9 1/4-lengths in the Aspirant in September ahead of a last-out nose score over Andiamo a Firenze in the New York Breeders' Futurity on October 26 that the third-place finisher, Stonewall Star, exited to win the Key Cents here last weekend.

“He's a 2-year-old with five starts and three stakes wins. He's obviously very tough in his own division,” Clement said. “We'll more than likely put him away for the winter and bring him back in the spring and see what happens. He's a fun horse. He's very game as you can see. He was very game in his last race and he was very game today as well.”

Bred in the Empire State by Chester and Mary Broman, Acoustic Ave is out of the Street Boss mare Rock Ave. Road, who is a half sister to stakes winner Can You Diggit. He banked $55,000 in victory while improving his record to 5-4-0-1. Acoustic Ave returned $5.60 for a $2 win ticket.

The post ‘He Fights Hard’: Acoustic Ave Edges Past Tenacious Rival Late To Win Notebook appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post