January, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Trainer Phillip Capuano Notches First Career Wins At Charles Town, Laurel

Louis Ulman's 3-year-old colt Imagine a Cure ($12) dug in again after being passed by Bubba Chrome in midstretch and surged late for a half-length victory in Race 2 Saturday at Laurel Park to give trainer Phillip Capuano his first career winner in Maryland.

Capuano, 29, took over the stable from his uncle, Dale Capuano, a winner of 3,662 races who retired effective Jan. 1 following a 41-year training career based in Maryland.

Imagine a Cure's win came less than 16 hours after Capuano, the son of fellow Maryland-based trainer Gary Capuano, registered his first career winner with Neil Glasser's 6-year-old mare Thunderturtle Friday night at Charles Town.

Glasser and Ulman were both longtime clients of Dale Capuano. Imagine a Cure, a Maryland-bred by Imagining, was making his sophomore debut after going winless with a second and a third in three tries at 2.

“It's a blessing. I'm so happy that Lou decided to stay on with me and give me a shot,” Phillip Capuano said. “It's just a tremendous opportunity.”

Capuano, who also ran fourth in Race 2 with Bruce Yarwood and Renee Latour's Hopperness, picked up his second winner of the day with Steve Newby's Vance Scholars ($9.80) in the Race 8 feature, a third-level optional claiming allowance for 4-year-olds and up. Mopo Racing's Walk Away Joe was fifth for Capuano in Race 7.

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‘The Dream Is Alive, Right?’: Pletcher Saddles Pair Of Promising 3YO Debut Winners At Gulfstream

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher saddled a pair of promising 3-year-old debut winners Saturday at Gulfstream Park, where he and jockey Luis Saez teamed with three sophomore winners on an 11-race program.

Spendthrift Farm LLC's Kingsbarns, a son of Uncle Mo who brought $800,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Select 2-Year-Olds-in-Training Sale, where Tom McCrocklin consigned him, was particularly impressive while debuting at one mile, racing in traffic before splitting horses in the stretch to win by 1 ¾ lengths.

“I thought it was very professional for a debut. He broke OK but was kind of behind horses the whole way. He had to work his way through a seam. Plus, going a mile first time out, that was very impressive,” Pletcher said of the colt, who returned $8 for the victory.

Kingsbarns, bred in Kentucky by Dattt Farm LLC,was produced by the Tapit mare Lady Tapit.

Earlier on the card, MyRacehorse and Mathis Stables LLC's Cuvier ($21.60) demonstrated a lot of courage while graduating at first asking in Race 5, an $84,000 maiden special weight event for 3-year-olds going six furlongs.

The Pletcher-trained son of Collected, who was purchased from consignor Thorostock for $140,000 at the 2022 June OBS Open sale, set the pace into the stretch while withstanding outside pressure from favored stablemate Sgt. Pepper and Practiko. After his closest early pursuer began to fade, Cuvier was met with a strong outside stretch challenge from Al Atlasi but held gamely to the wire to score a gutsy triumph by a half length.

“It was a determined effort the whole way. He was under the gun the whole way and kept finding a little more,” said Pletcher, whose race favorite Sgt. Pepper pressed the pace between horses and faded to sixth.

Bred in Kentucky by Machmer Hall, Cuvier is out of the Flower Alley mare Chasing the Moon.

Pletcher saddled Constitution for a debut victory at Gulfstream Jan. 11, 2014 and Materiality for a first-out victory at Gulfstream Jan. 11, 2015, before both late-developing colts went on to win the Florida Derby (G1) two starts later.

“The dream is alive, right?” quipped Pletcher, who also trains Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Forte, who currently occupies the top spot on the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard with 40 qualifying points.

Pletcher and Saez also teamed with Team Valor International LLC's Ok Boomer ($19.60), a Noble Mission colt who stayed undefeated with a late-rallying length score in an $86,000 optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds at 7 ½ furlongs on turf.

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Illinois-Bred Oeuvre Notches Third Consecutive Stakes Win With Nelson J. Menard Victory At Fair Grounds

Pan Zareta winner filly Oeuvre broke alertly and relaxed professionally behind a pair of Louisiana-bred longshots before taking command in the stretch and winning Saturday's 4th running of the $100,000 Nelson J. Menard Memorial Stakes at Fair Grounds by two lengths over seven other older females.

Campaigned by trainer Chris Block for owner-breeder Richard Perkins, Oeuvre covered 5 1/2 furlongs over a firm turf course with the rails 34 feet out in 1:06.26 under jockey Jareth Loveberry.

“It's been an honor to ride this filly,” Lovebery said. “She can break the front and relax. She can sit right off of it, which is what she did today. Very comfortable. And she does it on her own.”

Oeuvre, now with three stakes straight victories, was considered for the one-mile Pago Hop on New Year's Eve but connections decided to keep the 4-year-old Illinois-bred at her proven distance.

“A lot of the breeders in the state have proven that Illinois-breds travel well,” Block said. “We've thought about stretching her out and were actually looking at the Pago Hop (run on Dec 31). Mr. Perkins and I decided that we'd stay sprinting with her for now.”

Oeuvre broke outside the two early speedsters from post 7 and tracked from third as Charlie T led the field through fractions of :22.67 and :47.90.

Co-favored with Oeuvre at 2-1, Astute, the recent addition to the Brad Cox barn, who was making her first run in over 19 months, got shuffled back soon after the break. Aboukir Bay also settled far back, conceding as many as 12 lengths at the three-eighths pole. As Charlie T proved bold holding the lead at the top of the stretch, Loveberry asked and Oeuvre took over, and it was never in doubt she would be the winner.

Charlie T held on for second as comebackers Astute and Aboukir Bay rallied for third and fourth, respectively.

“Jareth (jockey Loveberry) is right,” Block said. “She relaxes really nice. She was kind of an aggressive filly back in the spring. Now she relaxes, which gives her an added dimension. Maybe we can stretch her out at some point. It's kind of hard to do that with how good she's been as a sprinter. She'll run on anything you ask her to. We have the whole season ahead of us. We just have to use the right judgment and pick the right spots. I'm happy to have her here at the Fair Grounds.”

The $60,000 first prize increased Oeuvre's career earnings to $413,126 from a record of 9-3-2 in 15 starts.

Sent off as the 2-1 co-favorite, Oeuvre paid $6.80 for the win.

Behind the top four, Eve's Delight, New Boss, Touch of Class, and Violenza completed the order of finish.

Oeuvre is a daughter of Shackleford out of the winning Kitten's Joy mare Love This Kitten.

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‘Anybody Could Have Won On This Horse Today’: Favorite Ginobili Easy Victor In Oaklawn’s Fifth Season

California invader Ginobili lived up to his billing as the 9-5 favorite and drew off to an impressive four-length victory in Saturday's $150,000 Fifth Season Stakes at Oaklawn Park before an on-track crowd of 17,500.

Ginobili broke well under jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. and moved into second behind pacesetter Dreamer's Disease, who set fractions of :23.23 and :46.53 for the first half mile. The winner moved to the front without being asked midway around the final turn and from there the only battle was for second.

Runnin' Ray, who at one point dropped back to sixth, got up for second, finishing a neck in front of 2022 Fifth Season winner Rated R Superstar, who closed from last and came wide to get third in his 10-year-old debut. The winning time for the one-mile race was 1:37.35 over a fast track.

Ginobili, a 6-year-old Munnings gelding out of the Sharp Humor mare Find the Humor, is trained by Peter Miller. He improved his record to 4-3-1 in 17 starts, which includes a victory in the 2021 Pat O'Brien (G2) prior to a runner-up finish in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1), both at Del Mar. He has earned $561,050 for owners Slam Dunk Racing, Jerry McClanahan, and Michael Nentwig.

Bred in Kentucky by Hinkle Farms, which sold him to Richard Baltas for $35,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September yearling sale, Ginobili returned $5.80 to win as the strong favorite.

Fifth Season Stakes Quotes:

Winning jockey Ricardo Santana Jr.: “The only thing I can say: Anybody could have won on that horse today, how he was training in the morning. He was training impressively, and I was excited to see him come back from a layoff. First race of the year. I can't wait for what's next for that horse.”

Winning trainer Peter Miller: “He sat off that speed horse (Dreamer's Disease), kind of a longshot, and just pushed the button when he (Ricardo Santana Jr.) thought it was time. There's a very good chance that he'll stay there, but we'll talk to the owners and see how he pulls up and kind of make a plan from there.”

Winning owner Nick Cosato: “There's nothing wrong with leaving gas in the tank, right? So, if he has a little more gas, it will only help us down the line.”

Jockey Martin Garcia, second on Runnin' Ray: “He tries his best all the time. He never disappoints anybody. I thought today was a tough race because the winner is a really good horse.”

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