February, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Charge It Set To Launch Comeback At Gulfstream Sunday

Whisper Hill Farm LLC's Charge It is scheduled to make his long-awaited return to action in Sunday's Race 8 feature, a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Park.

The 4-year-old son of Tapit has been away from the races since he rolled to a 23-length victory in the July 2 Dwyer (G3) at Belmont Park that left racing fans wanting to see much more of the abundantly talented colt.

The wait is over. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Charge It is scheduled to meet six rivals in Sunday's comeback in the $87,000 feature.

“He's doing really well. He's come back and trained the way you'd expect him to,” Pletcher said. “We're happy to have him back and to get the season underway.

Charge It graduated by 8 ½ lengths at Gulfstream in his second career start last February before overcoming a starting gate issue to finish second behind White Abarrio in the $1-million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) in April. The Pletcher trainee finished off the board in the Kentucky Derby (G1), in which he encountered some road traffic, before rebounding with his spectacular showing in the Dwyer.

“It was frustrating because it was looking like he was putting it all together, but it was one of those things that he needed some time because he grabbed a quarter in the Dwyer and we just couldn't get it healed up to continue racing and training,” Pletcher said. “Hopefully, the time off has done him well and he has a big year ahead of him.”

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Fair Grounds: Hoosier Philly Fires Bullet In Five-Furlong Breeze, Victory Formation, Other 3YOs On Work Tab

Saturday morning's work tab was filled with Kentucky Derby and Oaks dreamers. Hoosier Philly fired her second bullet in as many works since returning to Tom Amoss' barn from her Florida freshening. The undefeated filly breezed five furlongs in 1:00, the best of 67 runners.

“I liked it,” said Fair Grounds clocker Frank McGoey. “She went solo but started about 12-15 lengths behind another Amoss set and caught them at the wire and galloped out well in front. She's got a big stride and covers a lot of ground.”

The Rachel Alexandra (G2) has produced nine of the last 26 winners of the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1).

“We had a good work this morning and continue to point toward the Rachel Alexandra,” Amoss said.

Ten promising 3-year-old colts hit the morning track running on Saturday, including five of trainer Brad Cox's Derby hopefuls. Victory Formation was the sharpest of the five. Making his third morning appearance since winning the Smarty Jones, the son of Tapwrit sizzled through 5 furlongs in 1:00.40, second only to Hoosier Philly. He is undefeated from three starts.

Tapit Shoes and Tapit's Conquest both went four furlongs in :48.80 (7/107) in their first morning work since their allowance race on the “Road to the Derby Day” card.

In his third local work since finishing second to Wildatlanticstorm in the Remington Springboard Mile, Giant Mischief breezed five furlongs in 1:01.20 (9/67). Verifying posted the same time in his second work since his allowance win at Oaklawn Park.

All first breezes since heir last race and all breezing four furlongs, of the other 3-year-old colts on the work tab, it was Invulnerable who stole the show.

The Joe Sharp trainee fired a bullet, going :47.60–the best of 107 runners at the distance. Determinedly, the winner of that common allowance race on the Lecomte undercard, breezed :49.20 for Mark Casse (19/107).

Exiting the Lecomte, both Denington for Ken McPeek and Confidence Game for Keith Desormeaux breezed, with the former traveling a second faster (:49.00; 13/107) than the latter (50.00 47/107).

The Florida-bred Cagliostro, an impressive maiden winner on the Lecomte Day undercard for Cherie DeVaux, breezed four furlongs in :49.60 (29/107).

After finishing a game second to The Alys Look in the Silverbulletday, Chop Chop returned to the morning work tab, logging an easy four furlongs in :50, ranking 47 of 107.

The Myrtlewood Stakes winner, Key of Life posted her fifth local work for Brad Cox. The 3-year-old filly breezed four furlongs in :49.80 (35th of 107).

The post Fair Grounds: Hoosier Philly Fires Bullet In Five-Furlong Breeze, Victory Formation, Other 3YOs On Work Tab appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Rocket Can Gives Red Hot Into Mischief Win in Holy Bull

A major stepping stone to the GI Curlin Florida Derby, Saturday's Holy Bull appeared on paper at least, to be a competitive affair. Leading the fray was two-time winner Cyclone Mischief (Into Mischief), a $450,000 KEESEP purchase, trained by Dale Romans. Also gaining respect at the window at 5-2 was Frank Fletcher's Rocket Can, who drew the less-than-ideal outside draw in the 8 1/2-furlong test. Hustled along off the blocks and unable to make any real headway, he was fanned out several paths wide going into the first turn as Mr Bob (Practical Joke) took control. Eagerly pulling Tyler Gaffalione along during a solid opening quarter, Cyclone Mischief found himself boxed as Rocket Can loomed to his outside. As the pacesetter continued to show the way through a :48.84 half, Rocket Can continued to bide his time in fourth, although only about two lengths behind the pace. Picking up the tempo around the far turn, Rocket Can soon pushed his head in front approaching the home turn, responded to a swift right-handed reminder by Alvarado in early stretch and dug in late as stable-mate Shadow Dragon (Army Mule) closed from behind to grab the runner-up spot, only 3/4 of a length adrift of the winner. West Coast Cowboy (West Coast) was a clear third. Favored Cyclone Mischief faded to seventh.

“The horse broke sharp, and I hustled out of there just to make sure I'm forwardly placed and he was there for me,” explained Alvarado. “I couldn't really save much ground the first part because everybody had the same idea to get out of there running. I ended up being a little bit wide, but he was very kind. He was nice and relaxed the whole way around, so I was very pleased with what I had under me. By the three-eighths pole I started picking it up little by little knowing that it's the first wire. I had a great feeling going all the way around.”

Rocket Can finished off the board in a pair of sprints at Saratoga last summer before stretching out around to turns to graduate at Churchill Downs Oct. 30. The colt rounded out his juvenile campaign with a close up second-place finish in a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance at Churchill Downs Nov. 26.

“It was a little worrisome on the first turn-he was four-wide,” said Mott. “It's a short run to the first turn and he had the outside post. He was four-wide in the first turn and then three-wide. The good part about all that is you have a clear trip. You're running farther than everyone else, but he got a nice clean trip and maybe that's what he needed today.”

Asked whether either of his top two finishers might contest th Mar. 4 GII Fountain of Youth S., he added, “I think we'd want to do that with one of them, for sure.”

Pedigree Notes:
The third graded winner of Saturday and the 62nd graded winner for his sire, Rocket Can is out of the win-less Tension, who is out of Dual Grade I winning Tough Tiz's Sis (Tiznow). After dropping a City of Light colt in 2021, the half-sister to GSW and GISP Tiz Midnight (Midnight Lute) was barren last season and was bred back to Collected.

Saturday, Gulfstream Park
HOLY BULL S.-GIII, $250,000, Gulfstream, 2-4, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:44.97, ft.
1–ROCKET CAN, 118, c, 3, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Tension, by Tapit
2nd Dam: Tough Tiz's Sis, by Tiznow
3rd Dam: Leaseholder, by Taylor's Falls
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($245,000 RNA Ylg '21 FTSAUG). O-Frank Fletcher Racing Operations, Inc.; B-Woodford Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Junior Alvarado. $150,350. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-0, $249,738. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Shadow Dragon, 118, c, 3, Army Mule–Fire Assay, by Medaglia d'Oro. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($105,000 Ylg '21 FTKOCT; $375,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR). O-Peachtree Stable; B-AJ Suited (NY); T-William I. Mott. $48,500.
3–West Coast Cowboy, 118, c, 3, West Coast–Coco's Sweetie, by Tenpins. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($35,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $170,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR). O-Gentry Farms (A.P. Gentry); B-Gary & Mary West Stables Inc. (KY); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.. $24,250.
Margins: 3/4, 2 1/4, 4 1/4. Odds: 2.60, 34.10, 58.10.
Also Ran: Legacy Isle, Il Miracolo, Lord Miles, Cyclone Mischief, Mr Bob.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Rocket Can Gives Red Hot Into Mischief Win in Holy Bull appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Cairo Consort Overcomes Bad Start To Win Sweetest Chant; Pletcher Wins Fourth Of The Day

Town and Country Racing and Repole Stable's Cairo Consort, whose flat-footed start spotted her rivals several lengths at the break, came with a dramatic late run through the stretch to catch long shot stablemate Alpha Bella approaching the wire and win Saturday's $175,000 Sweetest Chant (G3) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The 1 1/16-mile Sweetest Chant for fillies was the fourth of five graded-stakes for 3-year-olds and second of two on the grass preceding the $250,000 Holy Bull (G3), the next step on Gulfstream's road to the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) April 1.

Cairo Consort ($6.40) gave Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher his fourth win of the day and second in a stakes, following Major Dude in the $175,000 Kitten's Joy (G3). He also won with 3-year-olds King's Fortune and Tapit Trice.

It was the third win of the day for jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., who tied a track record with seven winners on a single card Friday. Ortiz was also aboard King's Fortune and Major Dude.

Winner of the one-mile Ginger Brew Jan. 7 at Gulfstream in the first start for her new connections, Cairo Consort had her head turned to the right when the starting gates opened and she hesitated to come out, then settled in behind her eight rivals as Sweetlou'sgotaces and Malleymoo raced through splits of 22.75 seconds, 47.11 and 1:11.66.

Alpha Bella, also trained by Pletcher and ridden by Luiz Saez, saved ground early before being swung outside on the turn to take on the leaders. Alpha Bella found herself in front passing the eighth pole but Cairo Consort was in full flight down the center of the stretch and rolled past to a narrow victory.

Heavenly Sunday was third, followed by Metaphysical, Bulsara, Malleymoo, Stephanie's Charm, Padma and Sweetlou'sgotaces.

Cairo Consort won the Catch a Glimpse in her stakes debut and was second in the Natalma (G1) last summer, both on the Woodbine turf, before finishing third at odds of 19-1 in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1). Following that effort, she fetched $875,000 at Fasig-Tipton's November mixed sale and sent to Pletcher.

$175,000 Sweetest Chant (G3) Quotes

Trainer Todd Pletcher (Cairo Consort, 1st; Alpha Bella, 2nd): “At the start I didn't give her much chance to recover, she broke so poorly behind the field. But I'll tell you, she came with a really big late run.

“The funny thing is the last time she broke well but she wasn't well-behaved behind the gate so we've been doing a lot of work with her that way. We shipped her over early this week and paddock schooled her, and I thought she was behaving beautifully so I was surprised when she did that at the start. I think she probably enjoyed that kind of trip, sitting back and making one run, so it's something we might keep in consideration down the road.

“I thought for a moment [Alpha Bella] was going to save the day and then all of a sudden Cairo Consort kind of came out of nowhere. A very good effort by both fillies.

“I usually like to take the logical approach and look at the next stake here, but there's also some consideration to try this filly [Cairo Consort] on the dirt at some state. We'll kind of see how things unfold and how she trains.”

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. (Cairo Consort): “She just moved her head in the gate the same time they opened it. She missed the break, so I had to go to Plan B.

“When she missed the break, I just let her relax. She was happy back there, relaxing. At the same time, she was in contact with the field. She wasn't that far back. By the turn, she wanted to go. I didn't want to go too wide, so we cut the corner. She was there and gave me a good turn of foot.”

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