February, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Champion Forte Works ‘Strongly’ For Fountain of Youth

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Forte breezed five furlongs in 1:01.41 Saturday morning at Palm Beach Downs in preparation for a planned start in the $400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) March 4 at Gulfstream Park.

“He finished up very strongly and galloped out great. We're very, very happy with him,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said.

Saturday's breeze was the fifth in a series of workouts following the son of Violence's Eclipse Award-clinching victory in the Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Keeneland. Irad Ortiz Jr., the only race rider Forte has known, was aboard for Saturday's Fountain of Youth tune-up.

“So far, everything's gone just as we hoped it would as we scheduled it out,” Pletcher said. “He spent some time at Stonestreet in Ocala with Ian Brennan. They did a great job freshening him up and doing some light work with him before he came in. So, far everything has gone smoothly. This was his second five-furlong move this morning. We let him finish up a little bit and he galloped out strongly. I'm very pleased with his fitness level and the way he's been training.”

The 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth is the key prep for the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1), Gulfstream Park's premier Triple Crown prep for which Pletcher has saddled a record six winners.

Forte won four of five starts during his championship juvenile season that was launched with a 7 ¾-length victory at Belmont Park last May. After finishing fourth in the six-furlong Sanford (G2), he rallied from off the pace to win the seven-furlong Hopeful (G1) at Saratoga. He polished off a stellar campaign with a pair of off-the-pace scores around two turns in the Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1).

“At Keeneland, where he came from off the pace, he got a lot of experience in the Breeders' Futurity. He made another step forward in the Breeders' Cup,” Pletcher said. “It seems like he's gotten even better and better since then. It's great to have won with the foundation he has and the experience he has going into these races.”

Another notable workout was recorded Saturday morning at Gulfstream Park by Courtlandt Farms' General Jim, who captured the seven-furlong Swale (G3) at Gulfstream Feb. 4. The Shug McGaughey-trained son of Spendthrift Farm's leading sire Into Mischief breezed a half-mile in :49.28.

Albaugh Family Stables LLC and Castleton Lyons' Cyclone Mischief, who disappointed as the favorite in the Feb. 4 Holy Bull (G3) after registering an eye-catching optional claiming allowance score, breezed four furlongs in a sharp 47.60 seconds. The Dale Romans-trained son of Into Mischief turned in the second fastest of 115 recorded at the distance.

AMO Racing USA's New York Thunder, who has kicked off his career with two sharp victories at Gulfstream Park, produced the fastest of 41 workouts recorded at the five-furlong distance with a :58.61 clocking. The 3-year-old son of Nyquist is trained by Jorge Delgado.

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“A Lot Better Than Last Year’: Jockey Kylee Jordan Improving Upon Past Oaklawn Success

A riding double Friday gave Kylee Jordan nine victories at the 2022-2023 Oaklawn meeting, one more than her total last season when she debuted in Hot Springs as an apprentice jockey.

“It was a really good day,” Jordan, 20, said Saturday morning. “Very good day.”

Jordan won the third race aboard Penetrator ($18.20) for trainer Todd Jordan and the fourth race aboard Uncle Ray ($17) for owner/trainer F. Dewaine Loy. Penetrator was significant because it marked the first career Oaklawn victory for Todd Jordan, who has a small string this season in Hot Springs. He's also Kylee Jordan's father.

“Really glad I got a win for him here,” Kylee Jordan said.

Penetrator was making his first start since Todd Jordan claimed the 4-year-old Point of Entry colt for $16,000 out of a third-place finish Jan. 27 at Oaklawn. Penetrator resurfaced Friday for a $25,000 claiming price.

“I knew he was doing good,” Kylee Jordan said. “I was pretty excited about him. I jogged him the day before and he was feeling really good. I didn't think he would win, honestly. I mean, there were a lot of horses dropping down and the race kind of came up a little bit tough. But I knew dad's horse would run good. All of his horses have been running pretty good here.”

Friday's double helped boost Jordan's purse earnings at the meet to $432,981. She amassed $327,095 last season. Seven of her eight victories at the 2021-2022 meeting came after she returned from a dislocated shoulder suffered in a late December spill. She resumed riding in late January.

“A lot better than last year,” Jordan said, describing her 2022-2023 meeting.

Jordan said she will once again ride at Oaklawn and Will Rogers Downs this spring. Will Rogers opens March 6 and races Mondays and Tuesdays (dark days at Oaklawn) next month. Jordan said she's already made the 4 ½-hour drive from Hot Springs to Claremore, Okla., twice this month to work horses at Will Rogers Downs.

“That's the plan,” Jordan said, referring to double duty. “I've been going over the last couple of weeks. I went over there on Mondays. I worked 12 horses the first Monday and 13 horses the second Monday, I think.”

Oaklawn's 2022-2023 meeting ends May 6. Will Rogers Downs will race until May 17.

Jordan's career took off last year at Will Rogers Downs, where she captured her first career riding title. She added her second riding title last year at Prairie Meadows in her native Iowa.

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Dubai Breeze-Up Sale Catalog Includes Offspring By U.S. Leading Sire Into Mischief, Other Prominent American Stallions

The Dubai Racing Club and Goffs have announced details of the 2023 Dubai Breeze-Up Sale catalog, which is now available online and features 73 world-class 2-year-olds, including a number by prominent sires based in the United States.

Following a hugely successful debut in 2022, the sale returns during the prestigious Dubai World Cup meeting, taking place on Tuesday, March 21 at 5 p.m. local time in the Parade Ring at Meydan Racecourse. It will be preceded by the Breeze-Up on the Dubai Racing Club Training Track at 7:45 a.m. on Monday, March 20.

The inaugural Dubai Breeze-Up Sale has already produced 11 individual winners across Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Among them are Labeling who is a winner and Group 1-placed in Japan, and Mr Raj, a winner in Dubai and placed last weekend in the UAE 2000 Guineas (G3).

This year's catalog looks set to reap further rewards for buyers with a catalog of outstanding individuals and a sire profile that includes global powerhouses American Pharaoh, Constitution, Curlin, Ghostzapper, Hard Spun, Gun Runner, Into Mischief, Justify, Kingman, Medaglia D'Oro, No Nay Never, Not This Time, Sea The Stars, Speightstown, Tapit, War Front, Yoshida, and more.

Sheikh Rashid bin Dalmook Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Racing Club said: “We are delighted to welcome buyers, consigners, and bloodstock agents to the second edition of the Dubai Breeze-Up Sale, held in association with Goffs, after a very successful inaugural auction in 2022. The catalog contains carefully selected specialist horses that serve the underlying vision of this unique sale in the region.

“Thanks to the leadership and vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, we aim to be the best at what we do. We will continue our efforts to assist them passionately in this sport.”

Sheikh Rashid continued: “We always believed that the Dubai Breeze-Up Sale offers potential buyers a unique opportunity to purchase young horses sourced from various farms and bloodstock sales worldwide based on studies of their attributes and pedigrees and with varieties that meet various needs and expectations. It offers potential buyers from the region select runners, saving them the hassle of travelling and shopping around, at competitive prices in a venue so close to numerous vibrant racing centers.”

The catalog features outstandingly bred individuals; many of whom are by some of the world's leading stallions and are related to horses who thrived in this region. This bunch of young horses feature great conformation and soundness. They have undergone basic training and are ready to pay back prospective buyers, and this week we will have the pleasure of seeing them in action during the breeze, which will take place on our track at Meydan Racecourse.

Commenting on publication of the catalog, Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby said: “The Dubai Breeze-Up Sale in association with Goffs achieved some of the strongest results of any Breeze Up Sale in 2022 and the inaugural sale has already produced impressive results for buyers with 11 individual winners in five countries and several group-placed horses.

“Buoyed by the success of year one, the Breeze-Up consignors went to the world's leading yearling sales with this year's Dubai Breeze-Up firmly in their sights. Our selection team, led by Tom Taaffe and Nick Nugent, has worked with them to compile a catalog of unrivalled quality that will appeal to all Middle Eastern and international buyers attending the Dubai World Cup (G1).

“It is an honor for Goffs to conduct the Dubai Breeze-Up in association with the Dubai Racing Club, and I wish to extend my thanks once again for the trust placed in the Goffs service by Sheikh Rashed bin Dalmook Al Maktoum and his team whilst we salute the vison of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in adding this sale to the iconic Dubai World Cup meeting. We look forward to building on the success so far and to a spectacular renewal of the Dubai Breeze-Up Sale at Meydan next month.”

Potential purchasers intending to bid, whether in person or online using the GoffsOnline.com platform, will be required to register with the Dubai Racing Club in advance. Registrations will open from March 1 and details will be announced in advance.

To view an online catalog for the Dubai Breeze-Up Sale, click here.

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Coolangatta Punches Royal Ascot Ticket In Lightning

Coolangatta (Aus) (Written Tycoon {Aus}), who won the G1 Black Caviar Lightning S. at Flemington on Saturday, will be pointed toward a start at Royal Ascot, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, the 3-year-old filly has won five of her eight starts, and started this campaign with a third in the G2 Mitty's McEwen S. at Moonee Valley in September. She claimed a first Group 1 crown in the Moir S. there on Sept. 23, but could only manage fifth in the G1 Coolmore Stud S. at Flemington on Oct. 29. Given a rest, the Lightning was her first start back.

“From here the dream would be Royal Ascot for everyone involved,” co-trainer Eustace told the paper. “She's shown she likes the straight and I think everyone in the group would be keen to go there.

“Where she goes next, I'm not sure, but ultimately, we'd love to give that a crack.”

Added jockey Jamie Kah, “I thought she would run second today honestly, I didn't think she would be able to beat Nature Strip (Aus) (Nicconi {Aus}).

“The race did shape out for her, there was pressure early, but she is half the size of him, and she just does things she shouldn't do, she is just an amazing horse.”

Last year's Royal Ascot sprint darling Nature Strip did not deliver his customary burst of finishing power and finished sixth. It was his third straight start without a win since he captured the G1 T J Smith S., G1 King's Stand S., and G2 Bowermans Shorts in succession in April, June and September.

His jockey, James McDonald, did not offer an excuse and said, “He tried hard.”

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