March, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

National Treasure Returns To Training After Setback

National Treasure has returned to light training after being scratched as the morning-line favorite in last Saturday's San Felipe (G2) at Santa Anita due to a bruised foot.

Tom Ryan, managing partner of National Treasure's large ownership group, said in a Twitter post Friday that the connections are “very pleased with the progress he's made.

“Looking to get him back on the work tab when the latest weather system clears out,” Ryan said.

National Treasure was runner-up in the American Pharoah (G1) Oct. 8 at Santa Anita following his debut victory the previous month at Del Mar. He closed the season running third in the Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Keeneland. The Quality Road colt, who cost $500,000 at at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling sale, was third again when making his sophomore bow in the Sham (G3) Jan. 8 at Santa Anita. All four outings thus far came under trainer Bob Baffert. Last month, the colt was transferred to trainer Tim Yakteen.

The hope is National Treasure can have one more start in a Kentucky Derby (G1) prep to accrue the necessary qualifying points to run in the 1 ¼-mile classic May 6 at Churchill Downs. That could potentially come in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 8.

Yakteen said earlier this week he would wait until National Treasure has a work before deciding where he runs next.

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Tyler’s Tribe Fires Oaklawn Bullet

Iowa-bred sensation Tyler's Tribe (Sharp Azteca) worked five furlongs in 1:00 flat Saturday morning at Oaklawn Park, his third breeze since receiving a month off following a second bleeding incident when third in the Dec. 9 Advent S. in Hot Springs. He also bled and was vanned off after being eased home in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint in November. He previously went three furlongs in :36.40 (3/8) Feb. 18 and a half-mile in :48.60 (13/66) Mar. 4.

“Doing good,” said trainer and co-owner Tim Martin. “I'm just kind of working him and seeing where we're at. Working him and scoping him and he's looking good so far.”

The conditioner indicated that he would like to start Tyler's Tribe before the end of the Oaklawn meet May 6, but said he had no specific race in mind for the gelding's sophomore debut.

“I want to make sure he's right,” Martin said. “He's come back doing good and scoped clean every time. We're good, knock on wood.”

Tyler's Tribe won his first five trips to the post–four in stakes company–by nearly 60 lengths combined over sprint trips, and instead of stretching out for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, elected to stick to the Juvenile Turf Sprint. The 4-5 chalk in the Advent S., he set a reasonable early pace, but weakened late and scoped dirty yet again.

To date, Tyler's Tribe has amassed a record of 5-0-1 from seven starts overall and earnings of $320,169.

The post Tyler’s Tribe Fires Oaklawn Bullet appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Clocker-Turned-Trainer Schleis Sends Out First Career Winner At Oaklawn

After trading his stopwatch for a trainer's license, Casey Schleis recorded his first career victory when Hoping for a Ring captured last Saturday's fourth race at Oaklawn under Elvin Gonzalez.

According to Equibase, racing's official data gathering organization, Hoping for a Ring ($15.40) represented the fifth career starter for Schleis, 47, previously a longtime clocker at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa.

“My dad trained and pretty much all I've ever done is work with horses and that's where I was really good,” Schleis said. “I got tired of moving around and I was able to take that job in Iowa and work it out where I could stay in Iowa year-round, and I bought a home and stuff there. When I sold the home (October 2021) is when I really decided that I was about to start doing the racetrack circuit again. Oaklawn seems like it's got more of a future than Iowa really does, so I'm trying to make my shift down here.”

Hoping for a Ring had made three previous starts at the 2022-2023 Oaklawn meeting for Schleis and owner Kenton Christensen. The 5-year-old daughter of Speed Ring, Schleis' lone horse on the grounds, won the $10,000 claimer by 2¾ lengths.

“That's a really hard-trying mare,” Schleis said. “It's just we've been having bad luck here, with the gates. She had a little bit of a gate issue. Run her over her head a couple of times and decided to get real and put her in a spot where she could probably win and there you have it. She tries hard.”

Although Schleis had a late start to his training career, his background in Thoroughbred racing is extensive. His late father, Jim, was a trainer. Casey Schleis was an assistant under the successful Midwestern-based trainer Jim Arnett, who started his last horse in 2006.

“He was kind of an old-timer and since passed a few years ago,” Schleis said of Arnett. “He retired 17, 18 years ago, something like that, and I started clocking at Prairie Meadows after that. That's what I've been doing and I just recently decided to make this switch, training for a guy (Christensen) that was a friend of my father.”

Schleis, on behalf of Christensen, claimed Hoping for a Ring for $12,500 April 22, 2022, at Oaklawn. Schleis started his first horse, Salty Jones, eight days later at Oaklawn.

After Schleis claimed Hoping for a Ring, the horse was campaigned by trainer David Tibbitts last summer and fall at Prairie Meadows. Hoping for a Ring returned to Schleis after his 16-year clocker run at Prairie Meadows ended last fall. Hoping for a Ring made her first start for Schleis Dec. 18 at Oaklawn. Schleis said his only other horse is General Shipman, a 2-year-old Midshipman colt for breeder-owner Jason Cline.

“Slowly but surely, trying to (add horses),” Schleis said. “Jason Cline said he's going to buy some 2-year-olds out of the sale and he's breeding horses still in Nebraska. I'm looking to maybe foal some horses in Arkansas as well.”

Schleis said he will probably run at Prairie Meadows and maybe at Canterbury after Oaklawn's meet ends May 6.

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Major Dude, Congruent, Two Phil’s Among 83 Nominations To Jeff Ruby Steaks

Spendthrift Farm's Major Dude, a flashy two-time graded stakes winner, leads a cast of 83 talented 3-year-olds that are nominated to compete in the $700,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G2) March 25 at Turfway Park.

Nominations for the Jeff Ruby Steaks closed Thursday, along with its five supporting stakes on the spectacular day of racing in Northern Kentucky: the 41st running of the $300,000 Bourbonette Oaks; the 23rd running of the $300,000 TwinSpires Kentucky Cup Classic (Listed); the 37th running of the $250,000 Animal Kingdom Stakes; the 41st running of the $250,000 Latonia Stakes; and the 36th running of the $250,000 Rushaway.

The 1 1/8-mile Jeff Ruby Steaks is a major steppingstone on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and provides qualifying points toward eligibility on a 100-40-30-20-10 scale to the top five finishers. The race helped launch the winner of last year's Kentucky Derby (G1), Rich Strike.

The Jeff Ruby Steaks will go as the finale on the 12-race card at 6:25 p.m. (ET). First post will be 12:45 p.m.

The Todd Pletcher-trained Major Dude is expected to invade from South Florida for the Jeff Ruby Stakes. The 3-year-old son of Bolt d'Oro's resume includes victories in the $200,000 Pilgrim (G2) and $175,000 Kitten's Joy (G3).

Other talented horses that could be targeting the Jeff Ruby Steaks include Tami Bobo and Lugamo Racing Stable's John Battaglia Memorial winner Congruent; Patricia's Hope and Phillip Sagan's Street Sense Stakes (G3) winner Two Phil's and Three Chimneys Farm's Leonatus Stakes winner Funtastic Again.

Coupled with its lucrative prize, the Jeff Ruby Steaks will award the top 5 finishers points on a 100-40-30-20-10 scale towards a spot in the starting gate for the $3 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (GI).

In the Bourbonette Oaks, LNJ Foxwoods and Clearsky Farms' $150,000 Cincinnati Trophy heroine Botanical leads 45 nominees for the 1 1/16-mile Road to the Kentucky Oaks Championship Series contest. The Brad Cox-trained daughter of Medaglia d'Oro is expected to return in the Bourbonette Oaks in hopes of keeping her Turfway Park unbeaten streak intact.

Rich Strike is slated to be in action in the TwinSpires Kentucky Cup Classic. The 81-1 upset winner of the Run for the Roses was originally targeting an international campaig, but his connections have opted to keep him in Kentucky and have stated they are targeting the TwinSpires Kentucky Cup Classic as Rich Strike's first start as a 4-year-old.

For the complete list of Jeff Ruby Steaks nominations, click here.

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