Month: February 2023

Four-year-old colt Emmanuel surged through the stretch and captured the $175,000 Tampa Bay Stakes (G3) by 1 ¾ lengths from pacesetter Winfromwithin, setting a turf course record.

Emmanuel's time of 1:39.65 eclipsed the previous Tampa Bay Downs mark for the distance of 1:39.65 set by Legs Galore in the same event in 1999, the second year of racing on the Oldsmar oval turf course.

“I'm very pleased. It was an excellent comeback,” trainer Todd Pletcher said via text message about Emmanuel's first start since early August. “(The course record) makes it even more impressive.”

Winning jockey Javier Castellano was more expansive in describing things.

“(Coming off the pace today) really was the game plan,” Castellano said of Emmanuel, who had won the  Pennine Ridge (G2) on June 4 at Belmont in front-running fashion. “I thought there would be a lot of speed in the race, and (Winfromwithin) had the speed to dictate the pace. We saved ground as best we could and when I tipped him outside, he responded.”

Castellano said he benefited from working Emmanuel last week at Pletcher's Palm Beach Downs base in south Florida. “It seemed like he was relaxed today. It was a beautiful trip, and I was very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time,” Castellano said.

Jose Batista, on Winfromwithin, had no complaints with his horse's effort. The 5-year-old hung on gamely to edge Golden Alchemist by a neck for second, with Verbal fourth in the 12-horse field.

Emmanuel, who paid $14.60 to win, had been on the Triple Crown trail last year, with an impressive 4 ½-length victory in his second career start on Jan. 30 on the Tampa Bay Downs dirt creating Kentucky Derby fever among many of his followers.

But Pletcher switched gears after a fourth in the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) and a third in the Toyota Blue Grass (G1) , and the son of More Than Ready out of Hard Cloth, by Hard Spun, seems to have found a new niche.

Owned by WinStar Farm and Siena Farm, he is now 4-for-7, with career earnings of $362,100.

The post Emmanuel Powers To Turf Course Record In Tampa Bay Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Mired in a career-worst slump and winless on the day, Flavien Prat found a way to win Saturday's 10th and final race at Santa Anita, as he surged late aboard the Phil D'Amato-trained Earls Rock to win the $100,000 Thunder Road Stakes (G3) by a nose while getting a flat mile on turf in 1:34.05.

Away alertly from his rail post in a field of 11 older horses, Earls Rock hugged the rail while midpack to the far turn as Prat bided his time with plenty of horse underneath him. Turning for home, he scraped paint and set after Frankie Dettori aboard Dark Shift and Juan Hernandez aboard Air Force Red as these two were battling head and head past the sixteenths pole.

Just as Air Force Red drifted out a bit, Prat split horses and in a dramatic three-horse photo, he held off the late charge of Umberto Rispoli and Du Jour on the money.

“I've been waiting for this win,” said Prat, an overall nine-time leading rider at Santa Anita who had but six wins through 16 racing days coming into Saturday with zero stakes victories. “I feel very happy for Phil and Mr. Fanticola (owner), they've been great supporters of mine, and I was able to run a good race today.

“(Earls Rock) is always a bit keen. Last time, there was no pace, so I struggled a bit to relax him. Today we had a fair pace and he relaxed well. I was travelling super and when I asked him, he showed me a good turn of foot.”

Idle since taking a 1 1/16 miles turf allowance at Del Mar Dec. 4, Irish-bred Earls Rock, who notched his first graded stakes win, is now unbeaten in four pairings with Prat. Off at 7-2, he paid $9.80 for the win.

A 5-year-old Fascinating Rock gelding owned by Anthony Fanticola, Earls Rock, who was second in his lone Irish start at age 2, is now four for six with D'Amato and is 4-1-1 overall from seven career starts. With the winner's share of $60,000, he increased his earnings to $207,799.

Next to last early, 15-1 Du Jour flew late to just miss while finishing a neck better than Air Force Red.

Forwardly placed throughout, Air Force Red kept the pressure on eventual fifth-place finisher Dark Shift and finished third by half length in front of Argentine-bred Irideo.

Fractions on the race were :22.79, :46.71, 1:10.45, and 1:22.17.

Earls Rock, bred by Newtown Anner Stud, was produced by the Shamardal mare Ajaadat.

THUNDER ROAD QUOTES

TRAINER QUOTES

PHIL D'AMATO, EARLS ROCK, WINNER: “They were all confident, I was like, 'We have to watch this photo, that 2 (Du Jour) was coming on strong.' Luckily we got the bob and it's great to train for Tony Fanticola, who gave me my first start, my Breeders' Cup win with Obviously and Flavien riding that horse and now to win a stake with this horse. Jessica (Pyfer) rides and breezes him for us in the morning, so it was just a great family win here.

“His gallop out (in his last work) was so strong, Jesse's eyes lit up when she pulled him up in the drill and took him to the track. She just said that was spectacular and time wise it was great. This was a step up for him and he proved that he can compete with stakes company.

“That was a Prat ride there, splitting horses and getting up on the wire that's what Flavien Prat does.”

The post ‘That Was A Prat Ride There’: Earls Rock Splits Rivals, Gets Up Late For Slim Thunder Road Score appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Ridden with supreme confidence by Juan Hernandez, California-bred Fun to Dream made short work of five rivals as she rallied from off the pace to take Saturday's $200,000 Santa Monica Stakes (G2) by 2 ½ lengths.

Owned and co-bred by trainer Bob Baffert, the 4-year-old daughter of Arrogate got seven furlongs in 1:22.75.

Unhurried out of the gate, Fun to Dream, the 1-2 favorite in a field of six older fillies and mares, was fifth, about two lengths off the lead at the three furlong pole and in very tight quarters. Hernandez played it cool though and split horses while three-deep at the top of the lane and easily inhaled a well-meant Awake At Midnyte inside the furlong pole.

“Juan rides her with so much confidence,” said Baffert, who got his second stakes win on the afternoon. “He has gotten a chance to ride these good horses and that's what he does—is ride them with such confidence hoping they have something at the end. I was worried about the three-eighths, but she was looking good today and doing the best I've seen her do. It just goes to show that she's ready to (run) a mile or two turns.”

A winner of the La Brea Stakes (G1) at the same distance versus sophomore fillies on Dec. 26, Fun to Dream notched her fourth consecutive win and paid $3 for the victory.

Co-owned and bred by Connie Pageler and Bob Baffert, Fun to Dream, who is out of the Maria's Mon mare Lutess, notched her fourth overall stakes win and her sixth victory from seven overall starts. With the winner's share of $120,000, she increased her earnings to $546,590.

“She broke pretty good, but I couldn't keep (up) with the pace in front of me, so she relaxed well behind horses,” said Hernandez, who doubled on the day and picked up his meet-leading ninth stakes win. “This filly is getting really good and I felt like she was on the bridle. Around the three eighths, I felt like I had a lot of horse. Last time turning for home, she exploded and passed everybody and today she did the exact same thing.”

Awake At Midnyte, who was also second to the winner in the opening day La Brea, was the second choice and finished 2¼ lengths in front of Samurai Charm.

Samurai Charm, who forced the early pace along with Anacapa and Angel Nadeshiko, was third.

Fractions on the Santa Monica were :22.81, :45.74, and 1:10.37.

The post ‘This Filly Is Getting Really Good’: Fun To Dream Kicks From Last For Santa Monica Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Hunter Valley Farm's A Mo Reay benefitted from all the pressure put on pace setter Lovely Ride early in the race and swept to the lead late to win Saturday's $250,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) before an on-track crowd of 21,000 at Oaklawn Park.

Ridden patiently by Florent Geroux, A Mo Reay was fifth early as Lovely Ride, looking for her third straight stakes victory, bounced to the lead and set fractions of :24.24 and :48.07 for the first half mile while heavily pressured by Graysonsmacho Gal. Lovely Ride shook free around the turn for home and opened up a two-length lead before a fast closing A Mo Reay caught her in the final furlongs to prevail by a half-length in 1:45.07 for 1 1/16 miles over a fast track. Le Da Vida was third.

A Mo Reay, a 4-year-old Uncle Mo filly out of Margaret Reay, by Pioneerof the Nile, is trained by Brad Cox. She improved her record to 4-1-3 in 11 starts and has now earned $392,650. She paid $6.20,  as the 2-1 favorite.

Bred by T & G Farm of Kentucky LLC, she sold to Green Acres Farm for $400,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall mixed sale, where Taylor Made Sales Agency consigned her.

Bayakoa (G3) Stakes Quotes

Winning jockey Florent Geroux: “It's funny, I was looking at the race and I think I had ridden four of them before and won on them, so I knew the field very well. It worked out great. I think the trip really helped. I was able to stay inside all the way; crept up a little bit on the backside. At the three-eighths pole, I ended up right behind the runner-up (Lovely Ride). All I had to do was run her down, pass one horse. Very good filly. It was a nice battle all the way down the lane. But the last sixteenth of a mile, my filly made up the difference.”

Winning trainer Brad Cox: “She got a good trip. Florent (Geroux), obviously, slipped up the inside and saved some ground. Ultimately, who knows? But it may have made the difference in winning and losing. Obviously, the runner-up (Lovely Ride) was very, very hard to get past.”

Second-place jockey Cristian Torres, Lovely Ride: “The No. 1 filly (A Mo Reay), she got the perfect setup. The 5 (Graysonsmacho Gal), John Ortiz's filly, went head-to-head with me, but my filly proved she can handle pressure. She's still a nice filly. She gave me everything she had down the lane. She tried until the wire.”

Second-place trainer Robertino Diodoro, Lovely Ride: “Any time you've got a speed horse in the race and another guy's got two (trainer John Ortiz), it's a part of the game. I knew that was the play the last time – they were going to try to kill us with one of the (Ortiz horses). It didn't work. Just took enough starch out of her today.”

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