February, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Grade 1 Winner Bleecker Street Retired, Will Be Bred To Into Mischief

Grade 1 winner Bleecker Street has been retired, and she will be bred to perennial leading sire Into Mischief in 2023, Daily Racing Form reports.

The 5-year-old daughter of Quality Road had been preparing for her seasonal bow at Payson Park in Florida, but trainer Chad Brown told DRF that she was retired when it became clear that the injury that sidelined her in the summer of 2022 would prevent her from running a full campaign this year.

Brown trained Bleecker Street for owner Peter Brant, winning seven of eight starts for earnings of $894,700. She went unbeaten in her first seven career starts, culminating with a victory in the G1 New York Stakes at Belmont Park.

Into Mischief stands at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Ky., for an advertised fee of $250,000.

He capped off his fourth consecutive season as North America's leading general sire by earnings in 2022. His combined progeny earnings of $28,106,800 eclipsed the single-season record he set a year earlier, when he hit $24,411,267.

National Handicapping Championship Tour Crowns New Winner

The 2023 National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) is just around the corner, coming up on March 10-12 at the Horseshoe Las Vegas (formerly Bally’s), but one of the biggest and most prestigious prizes in horse racing has already been decided with the conclusion of the 2022 NHC Tour. The official winner was Jay Johns of Meridian, Idaho, who will take home a top prize of $75,000 in prize money.

‘We’ll See’: Recent Maiden Winner Skinner Could Aim For San Felipe

Skinner, a sharp maiden winner going a mile Feb. 12 at Santa Anita after competing in pair of Grade 1 stakes last year, could try graded stakes company again on March 4 in the San Felipe (G2), trainer John Shirreffs said.

Skinner graduated in his 3-year-old bow when rallying from second-last under Victor Espinoza to win going away by 3¼ lengths. Last year while still a maiden, the Curlin colt out of graded stakes winner Winding Way, by Malibu Moon, was third in the Del Mar Futurity (G1) Sept. 11 and subsequently sixth in the American Pharoah (G1) Oct. 8 at Santa Anita.

Shirreffs said Skinner exited his maiden win in good order and the San Felipe is being considered.

“It could be next for him, but it comes up pretty quick,” Shirreffs said. “We'll see.”

Skinner, who was bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, is campaigned by C R K Stable and is Triple Crown nominated. He was a $510,000 auction purchase by Mayberry Farm at last year's OBS Spring sale of 2-year-olds in training, where De Meric consigned him.

The San Felipe is a Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying race, with the top five finishers earning points toward eligibility on a 50-20-15-10-5 basis.

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Alice Marble Gamely Surges Between Rivals En Route To Spring Fever Triumph

Although in top recent form on grass, Nick Alexander's homebred Alice Marble proved invincible in taking Sunday's $100,000 Spring Fever Stakes at Santa Anita as she rallied from off the pace under Flavien Prat to win by 1 ¾ emphatic lengths and is thus unbeaten in four tries on the main track.

Trained by Phil D'Amato, Alice Marble got six furlongs in 1:10.29.

The Spring Fever is part of the lucrative CTBA-sponsored Golden State Series for eligible California-bred or sired runners.

Quick from her rail post, but content to let a threesome of Doris Mae, Chancery Way, and Eddie's New Dream duke it out on the front end, Prat bided his time to deep stretch, where he found a seam between horses a furlong out and burst clear in short order.

“She broke well, I was traveling super,” said Prat, who recommended Alice Marble run in the Spring Fever instead of against open company going 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course in the previous day's $100,000 Wishing Well Stakes. “She grabbed the bridle around the quarter pole and unfortunately, I had nowhere to go, so I just had to bide my time, and when we had a little space she really jumped into it and was really game.”

Most recently third versus state-breds going down the hill in the Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint Jan. 7, Alice Marble was off at even money among a field of five older fillies and mares and paid $4 for the win.

A 6-year-old mare by Grazen out of the More Than Ready mare Unsung Heroine, Alice Marble notched her third stakes win and improved her overall mark to 6-2-3 from 14 starts. With the winner's share of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $410,880.

“When it comes from (Flavien), I give a lot of extra credence to his opinion,” said D'Amato of the decision to run on dirt. “Flavien has won on her on dirt a couple of times, so between all those things, I thought this was the right choice to take a shot.”

Ridden by Ramon Vazquez, Taming the Tigress also rallied from off the pace and finished second, three-quarters of a length in front of third-place finisher Eddie's New Dream.

Fractions on the race were :22, :44.97, and :57.68.

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