February, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Risen Star Hopefuls Drill Saturday At Fair Grounds

A full field of 14, including Grade 3 winner Curley Jack and stakes winner Victory Formation, were entered for the $400,000 Risen Star (G2) Feb. 18, and on Saturday five of them breezed.

The 1 1/8-mile Risen Star is a Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifier, offering 50-20-15-10-5 points to the top five finishers.

Two workers from trainer Brad Cox's barn, Victory Formation and Tapit's Conquest, are entered in the Risen Star, along with Angel of Empire who did not breeze on Saturday. Both Victory Formation and Tapit's Conquest went five furlongs, though not together, and each stopped the clock at 1:00.40 (fourth fastest of 62 timed moves at the distance).

“Tapit's Conquest went in company with an unraced mate,” Fair Grounds clocker Frank McGoey said. “He pulled well clear late in a strong move.”

Determinedly went four furlongs for Mark Casse in :49, the 17th best of 86 at that distance.

Trainer Tom Amoss sent out Curly Jack to drill four furlongs, stopping the clock in :48.60 (11/86).

Single Ruler went five furlongs for trainer Keith Desormeaux in 1:01.80 (30/62).

The connections of Banishing chose the allowance race on the undercard, instead of the Risen Star. The Brendan Walsh-trainee caught McGoey's attention, as well.

“Banishing was visibly best in his work with St John's (unraced 3-year-old colt),” McGoey said. “Jockey Jareth Loveberry was up in a solid 1:01.40 through five furlongs and out in 1:13.60.”

The Louisiana Derby Preview Day showcases six stakes, including the $400,000 Risen Star; the $300,000 Rachel Alexandra (G2); the $250,000 Mineshaft Stakes (G3); the $150,000 Fair Grounds Stakes (G3); the $100,000 Colonel Power Stakes, and the $100,000 Albert M. Stall Memorial Stakes.

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Road To The Kentucky Derby: Litigate Provides Pletcher Record Seventh Sam F. Davis Victory

Just when a race seems more wide open than you can imagine and any one of eight or nine horses seems to have a chance to land in the winner's circle, along comes this Pletcher fellow to snap you back to reality.

Hall of Famer and reigning Eclipse Award outstanding conditioner Todd Pletcher won his record seventh Sam F. Davis Stakes in the rain at Tampa Bay Downs, as his 3-year-old Litigate turned in a sustained rally under jockey Luis Saez and held off long-shot Groveland by 1 1/4 lengths to win the $250,000 Grade 3 event.

Classic Car finished third, 1 1/2 lengths behind Groveland.

Litigate picked up 20 “Road to the Kentucky Derby” qualifying points after completing the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:44.83. Another longshot, Classic Car Wash, finished third in the 11-horse field, with betting favorite Dubyuhnell never getting untracked and finishing eighth.

Litigate paid $7.60 to win as the second wagering choice. “I'm very pleased with Litigate,” Pletcher said from his south Florida base after winning the Sam F. Davis for the first time since 2016 with Destin. “He got a good position early and finished well. We thought he would appreciate two turns.”

Saez was able to secure good position in fifth place early, keeping Litigate out of trouble and saving his best for the stretch run.

“That was magnificent,” Saez said. “The game plan was trying to break from the start and pick up some spots. He ran from there pretty well and when he came to the top of the stretch, I felt like I had a lot of horse and let him run free and keep going. I had plenty of horse and he was running pretty nice.”

The victory, Litigate's second from three career starts, was worth $120,000 to owner Centennial Farms, raising Litigate's bankroll to $182,590.

“It's exciting to be on the Kentucky Derby trail,” said Centennial Farms president and co-owner Donald Little Jr., who bought the Blame colt from Nursery Place for $370,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September yearling sale. “He just really improved mentally from his last race (a second-place finish on Jan. 8 at Gulfstream) and put it all together today. Luis gave him a really tactical ride. He broke him early, got in there and saved some ground in the first turn and then he moved him to the outside and let him rock.”

Litigate, bred in Kentucky by Nursery Place, Donaldson and Broadbent, was produced by the Mineshaft mare Salsa Diavola.

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Chase the Chaos Lassos El Camino Real Derby

A last-out winner against optional claimers over the Tapeta at Golden Gate Dec. 30 by a tidy 7 1/2-lengths, Chase the Chaos (Astern {Aus}) broke his maiden under Robertino Diodoro at second-asking Sept. 17 at Canterbury Park. Switching to the Moger barn he was an outkicked third in the Golden Nugget S. Nov. 12 and caught late in the Gold Rush S. Dec. 3.

Up to the challenge against a pair of high-priced KEESEP grads who were invading for Bob Baffert in favorite Gilmore (Twirling Candy) and pacesetter Nullarbor (Candy Ride {Arg}), the gelding sat center of the pack, as he bided his time. Down the backstretch and into the far turn, the field steadily began to reel in Nullarbor. At the top of the lane with the outside splayed, Chase the Chaos made his move, running on gamely past the eighth pole to secure the victory by 1 1/2-lengths, plus collect 10 Kentucky Derby points and an invitation to the G1 Preakness S in mid-May.

Third dam Miss Marta produced hard-knocking Mister Marti Gras (Belong to Me), MGSW, Earnings $1,194,027, while the winner's dam is responsible for a yearling filly by Take Charge Indy. She was bred to Instagrand last year. As for sire Astern (Aus), this was his seventh stakes winner across the globe.

Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

EL CAMINO REAL DERBY, $101,350, Golden Gate Fields, 2-11, 3yo, 1 1/8m (AWT), 1:51.68, ft.
1–CHASE THE CHAOS, 122, g, 3, by Astern (Aus)
          1st Dam: Live the Moment, by Uncle Mo
          2nd Dam: From Jump Street, by Jump Start
          3rd Dam: Miss Marta, by Cure the Blues
($10,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Adam
Ference and Bill Dory; B-Dale N Krapf (PA); T-Ed Moger, Jr.;
J-Armando Ayuso. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 6-3-2-1,
$123,000.
2–Gilmore, 122, c, 3, Twirling Candy–My Surfer Girl, by Henny
Hughes. ($48,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV; $250,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP).
1ST BLACK TYPE. O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket
Stables LLC, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Jay Schoenfarber,
Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan; B-Dividing Ridge Farm (KY);
T-Bob Baffert. $20,000.
3–Harcyn, 122, c, 3, Goldencents–Florian, by Street Cry (Ire).
1ST BLACK TYPE. O/B-Jerome S. Moss (KY); T-Steve M.
Sherman. $12,000.
Margins: 1HF, 1, HD. Odds: 4.20, 1.80, 4.70.
Also Ran: Passarando, Nullarbor, Sea Dog, In Honor of Autism, Happy Does.

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Gulfstream Park: Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed At $500,000 Sunday

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 gross jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $500,000 Sunday at Gulfstream Park.

The popular multi-race wager went unsolved Saturday for the ninth racing day following a mandatory payout.

The Rainbow 6 jackpot is paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day's pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Sunday's Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 6-11, including five straight maiden special weight or optional claiming allowances with purses off $84,000 or higher.

An $86,000 entry-level optional claiming allowance for 4-year-olds and up kicks off the sequence. The six-furlong sprint attracted a well-matched field that includes Starship Renegade, who incoming off a sharp 3 ¾-length victory in the same condition for Florida-breds. Todd Pletcher-trained Bourbon Ready, who scored in a maiden optional claimer by 10 ¼ lengths, is the 5-2 morning-line favorite.

A six-furlong maiden special weight race for 3-year-old fillies with an $84,000 purse follows in Race 7, boasting a field that includes a Brendan Walsh-trained daughter of Into Mischief, a Shug McGaughey-trained daughter of Quality Road, and a daughter of Justify trained by Chad Brown, among several well-bred fillies.

A first-level optional claiming allowance for 4-year-olds and up with an $86,000 purse drew a full field for a mile turf event in Race 8. Penner Ash, a son of Curlin who lost a Keeneland allowance by a neck while finishing third in his last race, is scheduled to make his first start for trainer Michael Maker. Jimmy Toner-trained Siege of Boston, a son of War Front, is coming off a 3 ½-length maiden score at a mile on turf at Aqueduct.

An $84,000 maiden race for 3-year-old fillies at a mile in Race 9 drew a field of 10, including Juddmonte homebred Forenoon, a debuting daughter of Arrogate trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott; Chad Brown-trained Get Your Kicks, a debuting daughter of Quality Road; and Seduction, a daughter of Bernardini trained by Pletcher; is set to make her Gulfstream debut after finishing second in her career debut at Aqueduct.

A mile optional claiming allowance on turf with an $86,000 purse drew a highly competitive field of 10 3-year-old fillies for Race 10. Mott-trained American Rockette, who finished fourth in back-to-back Grade 1 stakes last season, is scheduled to make her 2023 debut. Christophe Clement-trained Breath Away, Breath Away, an English-bred daughter of Bated Breath, returns after rallying to graduate over the Gulfstream turf in her debut.

A five-furlong dash for $10,000 claimers on Tapeta closes out the sequence in Race 11.

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