March, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Mastery’s Promise Me a Ride Strides Clear at the Fair Grounds

7th-Fair Grounds, $50,000, Msw, 3-19, 3yo, 1 1/16m (off turf), 1:45.25, ft, 4 1/4 lengths.
PROMISE ME A RIDE (c, 3, Mastery–Promise Me More {SW & GSP, $171,866}, by More Than Ready), Triple Crown-nominated and sporting many of the same owners as his stablemate one race prior, 'TDN Rising Star' Bishops Bay (Uncle Mo), raced from the second flight in this off-turf unveiling and rode the rail going into the first turn. Angled out into the four path and pulling for his head to take command, Promise Me a Ride was in control at the half-mile pole and going willingly at the three-eighths. Striding clear as Monomoy Girl (Tapizar)'s half-brother and even-money favorite Tapthedrum (Tapit) closed encouragingly from fourth to take runner-up honors by a head, the dark bay gave his conditioner a daily double by 4 1/4 lengths. A half to MSP Warrior's Promise (Warrior's Reward) and SP North Arm Bay (Overanalyze), Promise Me a Ride has a 2-year-old half-sister by Classic Empire. Dam Promise Me More is due to Maclean's Music for 2023. Sales history: $95,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $30,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Spendthrift Farm LLC, Steve Landers LLC, Schwartz, Martin S., Dubb, Michael, Ten Strike Racing, Bakke, Jim, Titletown Racing, LLC, Kueber Racing, LLC, Big Easy Racing LLC, Winners Win and Caruso, Michael J.; B-Almar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox.

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Apprentice Yoel Navas Scores At 35-1 On First Career Mount At Gulfstream

Apprentice Yoel Navas launched his riding career in spectacular fashion in Sunday's last race at Gulfstream Park, scoring aboard his very first mount, 35-1 longshot Captain Jack.

The 20-year-old native of Guatemala has worked for Captain Jack's trainer Ian Wilkes as an exercise rider for the past two years.

“He's worked for me for a couple of years,” Wilkes said in the winner's circle. “He's always wanted to be a jock. I brought him along. I thought he was ready to ride.”

Navas gained outside stalking position along the backstretch and into the far turn with Captain Jack in the six-furlong maiden optional claiming race before moving to the lead at the top of the stretch en route to a neck victory in 1:11.65.

Captain Jack ($73.80) is a 3-year-old gelding by McCraken out of the Harlan's Holiday mare Great Family and was bred in Kentucky by Brereton C. Jones. He is campaigned by Lothenbach Stables.

“My goodness. It's very important, this race, for me. The horse ran very well,” Navas said. “Thanks, Ian Wilkes, for the opportunity.”

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Cal-Bred Star The Chosen Vron Extends Win Streak In Sensational Star Thriller, Notches 10th Stakes Victory

First by the slimmest of margins, heavily favored The Chosen Vron found a way to get it done in Sunday's $100,000 Sensational Star Stakes at Santa Anita as he had show punters looking for a bridge to jump from before the photo finish came down.

Owned in-part and trained by Eric Kruljac, The Chosen Vron nosed out a game Kings River Knight while getting about 6½ furlongs down the hillside turf course in 1:12.97 under Hector Berrios as the pair posed for their sixth consecutive win in what was The Chosen Vron's 10th career stakes victory.

The Sensational Star is part of the lucrative CTBA-sponsored Golden State Series for eligible California-bred or -sired horses.

Ridden by Flavien Prat, Kings River Knight took the lead from Fast Buck at the half-mile pole and these two went head and head for the front approaching the dirt crossing at the top of the lane as The Chosen Vron, who was bothered by an erratic Jack Sixpack, was caught four-deep and about two lengths off the lead.

With Fast Buck falling out of it approaching the furlong pole, Kings River Knight opened up two lengths on Jack Sixpack as both The Chosen Vron and Indian Peak got rolling late. In a thriller, it was The Chosen Vron winning by a nose from Kings River Knight, who was a head in front of third-place finisher Indian Peak.

Fresh off a romping 6½-length win going a mile on dirt in the state-bred Tiznow Stakes Feb. 20, The Chosen Vron was off at 1-5 in a field of five older horses and paid $2.60 for the win. (There was $128,123 bet to show on the winner, creating a minus show pool of $27,590).

“I had to wait a bit to assure my position and I went a little wide on the turn, but I knew what I had under me and we got it done,” said Berrios. “There was a little doubt that we won, but I'm glad we did.”

A 5-year-old gelding by now-deceased sire Vronsky out of the Tiz Wonderful mare Tiz Molly, The Chosen Vron was bred in California by Tiz Molly Partners and is owned by Eric Kruljac, Sondereker Racing LLC, Robert Fetkin, and Richard Thornburgh.

With Saturday's win, The Chosen Vron picked up $60,000, increasing his earnings to $732,678.

“I thought we got it by a nostril, a very thin one,” said Kruljac. “Maybe a nasal hair. He came (on) when he needed to. He had a little trouble early and it cost him some momentum (but) he kicked back in. Maybe he likes to scare you, you know?”

Kings River Knight, in his first start for John Sadler, ran a tremendous race at 7-1 to get second.

Ridden by Juan Hernandez for Peter Miller, Indian Peak made a solid run from off the pace but came a head short for second.

Fractions on the race were :22.22, :44.60, and 1:06.96.

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Carrasco Sixth In Return To Riding Sunday At Laurel

Nearly 4½ months after being injured in a spill at Laurel Park, journeyman Victor Carrasco made his long-awaited return to the races Sunday.

Carrasco, 30, finished sixth aboard Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds' Libraryofcongress, a first-time starter for trainer Graham Motion, in Race 6, a seven-furlong maiden claimer for 3-year-olds. As a Maryland-bred, the Honor Code colt had the claiming price waived.

Libraryofcongress stumbled out of the gate and raced near the back of the nine-horse field in the early going before making a late run and winding up eight lengths behind Mine Run, half of the favored Brittany Russell-trained entry.

A four-time meet-leading rider in Maryland and the 2013 Eclipse Award winner as outstanding apprentice jockey, Carrasco's mount was his first in 150 days since the eve of the 2022 Jim McKay Maryland Million. He was hurt when his horse, Hooky Player, fell approaching the wire in the Oct. 21 opener.

A winner of nearly 1,200 career races, Carrasco was named in seven of the eight stakes and four starter stakes on Maryland Million Day. One of his mounts, Sky's Not Falling, won the $100,000 Turf Sprint with Paco Lopez aboard.

Carrasco wound up seventh overall in Maryland in 2022 with 61 wins from 376 mounts, with $3.133 million in purses earned. Jockey Kevin Gomez, who broke his collarbone in the same spill, returned to riding Jan. 6.

“I had a dislocated left thumb. It was pretty bad,” Carrasco said. “I didn't know that it was going to take me this long to get back to where I'm at right now. The doctor said that my thumb was dislocated in the main joint, and that's the reason it took me longer than we expect to get back.

“They gave me two options. They said we can put a screw on your thumb, but you're going to have to have the screw for the rest of your life. Or, we can take your own tendon from your forearm and wrap your thumb with your own tendon. But it's going to be a longer recovery. I'm sure with a pin, I could have been back in eight to 12 weeks,” he added. “It was pretty challenging. I never thought that I would need my left thumb as much as I did when I got hurt.”

After getting clearance from his doctors, Carrasco began getting on horses for Motion at Tampa Bay Downs before returning to Maryland, where he is represented by agent Scotty Silver.

“It feels fine. I wanted to test it out in the warm weather before I came to the cold weather just to make sure I was 100 percent,” Carrasco said. “It was great. I started getting on horses for Graham. Jesse Cruz put me on one. I came back up to Fair Hill and Laurel and things have been pretty much back to normal, working for the same outfits and trying to get myself back in shape.”

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