Once again, the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes promises to play an integral role in finalizing the field of 20 for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve.
Month: April 2023
All-Graded Stakes Cross Country Pick 5 Features Races From Aqueduct, Keeneland
The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host a Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday, featuring an all-graded stakes sequence from Grade 2 Wood Memorial Day at Aqueduct Racetrack and Grade 1 Blue Grass Day at Keeneland.
The Cross Country Pick 5 requires bettors to pick the winner of five select races from tracks across the country. The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is available on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country with each week featuring a mandatory payout of the net pool. The Cross Country Pick 5, boasting a low 15 percent takeout, offers sequences with races from Aqueduct Racetrack and partner tracks across the country.
The sequence kicks off at 3:09 p.m. Eastern in Race 6 from Aqueduct Racetrack, the Grade 3, $200,000 Bay Shore for sophomores sprinting seven furlongs. The field of seven is led by graded stakes-placed Prove Right for trainer James Chapman. The son of Justify was last seen posting a dominant 9 1/4-length victory in an optional claiming event on Friday at Laurel Park. He earned graded black type when third in the Grade 3 Nashua in November at the Big A. The Linda Rice-trained Joey Freshwater looms large to his inside and enters from a narrow defeat against older horses in a first-level allowance effort on March 19 that produced a field-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure.
The second leg will feature the first of two Grade 1 races in the sequence as a field of seven assemble for the $300,000 Carter Handicap presented by NYRA Bets [Race 8, 4:19 p.m.], a seven-furlong sprint for older horses. Grade 1-winner White Abarrio is in search of his second top-level conquest for conditioner Saffie Joseph, Jr. after a last-out optional claiming victory that garnered a career-best 103 Beyer. The Race Day colt won the Grade 1 Florida Derby last year and finished a game third in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile in December at the Big A.
The in-form Repo Rocks seeks his second career graded score for trainer Jamie Ness, who has enjoyed a perfect run of form from the Tapiture gelding since taking over training duties from Gregory DiPrima four starts back. Little Vic, who won the Grade 3 Tom Fool last out for conditioner Juan Carlos Avila, and the streaking New York-bred Today's Flavor both provide interest from posts 5 and 1, respectively.
The action switches to Keeneland for the middle and penultimate legs, beginning with the Grade 2, $350,000 Shakertown for 3-year-olds and upward sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs on the grass in Race 8 [4:35 p.m.].
The overflow Shakertown field is highlighted by Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint victress Caravel, who makes her first start for trainer Brad Cox since her upset win in that event on November 5 over the same course.
The multiple graded stakes winner will rematch with veteran gelding Artemus Citylimits, who also returns for the first time since the Turf Sprint where he finished a close fifth behind his familiar foe. The talented son of Temple City has finished on-the-board in 21-of-23 starts and earned two graded placings last year for trainer Mike Maker. Bakers Bay seeks a breakout victory for trainer Tom Drury, Jr. on the heels of a one-length optional claiming score while multiple graded stakes-winner Arrest Me Red looks for his first win since May for conditioner Wesley Ward.
Grade 1 action will continue in Race 9 at Keeneland [5:15 p.m.] in the $1 million Blue Grass, a nine-furlong test for sophomores that awards 100-40-30-20-10 qualifying points towards the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby to the top-five finishers. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle last-out Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby winner Tapit Trice as he looks to cement his place in the Kentucky Derby starting gate. The son of Tapit closed impressively from 11th-of-12 to take command late in the stretch and cross the wire two lengths ahead of Classic Car Wash, who also runs here for Hall of Famer Mark Casse.
The talented field includes Grade 1 Champagne-winner Blazing Sevens, who looks to get back on track for four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown after finishing a distant eighth in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth in March at Gulfstream. Grade 3 Gotham winner Raise Cain and John Battaglia Memorial runner-up Scoobie Quando will vie to give their conditioner Ben Colebrook the second Grade 1 victory of his career.
The sequence concludes with another Kentucky Derby prep at Aqueduct Racetrack as a field of 13 have entered the nine-furlong Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino, a 100-40-30-20-10 qualifier, in Race 11 [6:16 p.m.]. Brad Cox will send out two entrants in Grade 3 Withers-winner Hit Show and Grade 3 Gotham runner-up Slip Mahoney. The two grey colts have both already won over the Big A main track and will vie to give Cox his first win in this event.
Todd Pletcher, who is tied with trainer “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons for most Wood Memorial victories at seven, will have three chances to secure the record outright as he saddles two-time winner Classic Catch and the maidens Crupi and Dreamlike, the latter of which has been a close second in two career outings. Multiple graded stakes-placed New York-breds Arctic Arrogance and General Banker have entered for trainers Linda Rice and James Ferraro, respectively, while the Brittany Russell-trained Uncle Jake makes his stakes debut off a visually impressive maiden win by 9 1/2 lengths on March 10 at Laurel Park.
Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence will be available for download at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/cross-country-wagers.
America's Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct spring meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.
NYRA Bets is the best way to bet every race of the Aqueduct Racetrack spring meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.
Cross Country Pick 5 – Saturday, April 8
Leg A: Aqueduct Racetrack, Race 6 – G3 Bay Shore (3:09 p.m. Eastern)
Leg B: Aqueduct Racetrack, Race 8 – G1 Carter H. (4:19 p.m.)
Leg C: Keeneland, Race 8 – G2 Shakertown (4:35 p.m.)
Leg D: Keeneland, Race 9 – G1 Blue Grass (5:15 p.m.)
Leg E: Aqueduct Racetrack, Race 11 – G2 Wood Memorial (6:16 p.m.)
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Hillside Turf Course Specialist Amy C Returns In Saturday’s Monrovia
Hillside turf course specialist Amy C will look to bag her second graded stakes win of the Classic Meet when she takes on 10 rivals over Santa Anita's unique layout in Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 Monrovia Stakes.
Trained by Phil D'Amato, Amy C has won two straight and is a perfect 3-for-3 on the hillside turf course. Her wins down the hill include most recently the G3 Las Cienegas on Jan. 2 and the Senator Ken Maddy last October during the Autumn Meet.
Jockey Umberto Rispoli has been aboard for all three of Amy C's win down the hill and will again be in the irons Saturday. Bred in England, Amy C is a 5-year-old mare by Charming Thought. She made her first two starts in France before moving to trainer Chad Brown in New York where she was a one-time allowance winner.
Owned by Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb and Robert LaPenta, Amy C has banked $248,385 with a record of 5-1-0 in 10 starts.
Also exiting a stakes win down the hill is Freedom Flyer, who pulled a 7-1 upset under Frankie Dettori in the restricted Wishing Well on Feb. 18. She went gate to wire to win by a neck over Big Summer, who also returns in the Monrovia for trainer Carla Gaines.
Freedom Flyer will again have Dettori up Saturday. Trained by Leonard Powell and owned by Marsha Naify, the 5-year-old Constitution mare has a record of 21-4-5-4 with earnings of $272,120.
Graded winners Leggs Galore and Canoodling each return from layoffs for their seasonal bows. With a record of 9-3-1 in 18 starts, California-bred Leggs Galore has been a consistent performer for D'Amato and owner-breeder William J. Sims. She has not started since a close-up second in the Oct. 15 California Distaff Handicap on the hillside turf course.
Leggs Galore, a 6-year-old Bayern mare, has a bankroll of $694,548. She will have regular rider Ricardo Gonzalez in the stirrups.
Canoodling has not started since a fourth-place finish last May in the G1 Gamely going 1 1/8 miles at Santa Anita. Trained by Mike Puype, Canoodling also has a nose for the wire with a record of 8-1-2 in 17 starts. Her biggest wins were last year at Santa Anita in the G3 Wilshire and G3 Megahertz.
Owned by B4 Farms LLC, Canoodling is a 5-year-old mare by Pioneerof the Nile. She will have Santa Anita leading rider Juan Hernandez in the irons.
Also entered are Kirstenbosch and Awake At Midnyte, who are both exiting the G1 Beholder Mile on the main track here March 11.
Kirstenbosch was fifth in the Beholder Mile one start after winning the G3 La Canada at 1 1/16 miles on the main track here Jan. 15. She broke her maiden on turf going 1 1/8 miles at Santa Anita last April, but has never navigated the hillside turf course.
Kirstenbosch is a 4-year-old Midnight Lute filly for owner-breeder Keith Abraham and trainer John Sadler. Jockey Kazushi Kimura, who has been aboard for her last three starts, again has the call on Saturday.
Awake At Midnyte was sixth in the Beholder Mile for trainer Doug O'Neill. She has one previous start on turf, a second in the 2021 G3 Jimmy Durante going a mile at Del Mar. Awake at Midnyte is a 4-year-old Nyquist filly owned by Reddam Racing. She will have regular rider Mario Gutierrez in the saddle.
THE GRADE 3 MONROVIA WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 10 of 12 Approximate post time 4:30 p.m. PT
- Elm Drive—Ramon Vazquez—124
- Awake at Midnyte—Mario Gutierrez—120
- Canoodling—Juan Hernandez—124
- Tom's Beauty—Hector Berrios—120
- Stella Noir—Kent Desormeaux—120
- Kirstenbosch—Kazushi Kimura—124
- One Silk Stocking—John Velazquez—120
- Amy C—Umberto Ripoli—124
- Big Summer—Joe Bravo—122
- Leggs Galore—Ricardo Gonzalez—124
- Freedom Flyer—Frankie Dettori—122
First post time for a 12 – race card on Saturday is at 12 noon. Admission gates open at 10 a.m.
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Kilroe Mile Winner Gold Phoenix Stretches Out For Saturday’s Charles Whittingham
Santa Anita's leading trainer with 30 wins at entry time Wednesday, Phil D'Amato would dearly love to notch his 11th stakes win in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Charles Whittingham Stakes as his Irish-bred Gold Phoenix seeks his second consecutive graded stakes win of the current Classic Meet. With Japanese native Kazushi Kimura set to ride him back, Gold Phoenix heads a field of seven older horses at a mile and one quarter on turf.
The Whittingham is named for the legendary late HOF trainer, affectionately known as “The Bald Eagle,” who ranks second among all trainers with 203 Santa Anita stakes wins, which included a record 14 tallies in what was Santa Anita's signature turf stakes—the San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap at a mile and three quarters with a hillside start.
In what appeared to be his best race to date, 5-year-old gelding Gold Phoenix burst through at the rail late under Kimura to win the G1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile by a neck on March 4, earning a 98 Beyer Speed Figure.
Three for 10 with D'Amato stateside, Gold Phoenix, although winless in two tries at a mile and one quarter on turf, was a close third on both occasions, beaten 1 ¾ lengths seven starts back in last year's Whittingham and more recently, when beaten a neck three races back in the G2 John Henry Turf Championship here on Oct. 1.'
Owned by Little Red Feather Racing, Sterling Stables, LLC and Marsha Naify, Gold Phoenix stalked the early pace in last year's Whittingham and will likely do the same on Saturday. Off at 10-1 in the Kilroe Mile, he'll be a considerably shorter price in the Whittingham as he seeks to improve upon an overall race record of 11-4-3-3 and earnings of $675,257.
Idle since a troubled sixth, beaten 1 ¾ lengths in going a mile and one quarter on turf in the G3 San Marcos Feb. 5, English-bred Dicey Mo Chara would benefit from a lively pace with Juan Hernandez riding back. A half length winner of the G2 San Gabriel at a mile one eighth on turf Dec. 26, Dicey Mo Chara lacked room late in the 10-horse San Marcos and rates a huge look for owners Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal.
A classy 5-year-old gelding trained by Leonard Powell, Dicey Mo Chara, who has been graded stakes placed on three occasions, seeks his second graded stakes win on Saturday. With an overall mark of 18-4-4-3, he has earnings of $430,777.
In a very evenly matched lineup, D'Amato's Masteroffoxhounds, sixth, beaten 4 ¼ lengths by his stablemate Gold Phoenix in the Kilroe Mile, was second, beaten a neck two starts back in the San Marcos appears better suited going a mile and one quarter.
Owned by Gary Hartunian's Rockingham Ranch, Masteroffoxhounds, a 6-year-old full horse by War Front, has two wins and three seconds from six tries at the Whittingham distance. A close second in last year's renewal, Masteroffoxhounds also seeks his second graded stakes victory.
With an overall mark of 23-4-4-5, Masteroffoxhounds has earnings of $590,542 and will be reunited with Umberto Rispoli, who last rode him two starts back in the San Marcos.
Claimed for $25,000 three starts back on Nov. 24 at Del Mar, trainer George Papaprodromou's Opry comes off a fast closing third in the San Marcos, a race in which he was beaten three quarters of a length when ridden for the first time by Frankie Dettori, who rides him back on Saturday.
Owned by David Bernsen, LLC, Mark Gorman and Andrew Schwindt, Opry, a 7-year-old gelding by Declaration of War, was a Grade 3 winner on grass in New York at age two and will be seeking his second graded stakes victory nearly five years later on Saturday in his third start for Papaprodromou.
THE GRADE 2 CHARLES WHITTINGHAM WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 5 of 12 Approximate post time 2 p.m. PT
- Opry—Lanfranco Dettori–120
- Dicey Mo Chara—Juan Hernandez—124
- Midnight Jostar—Kent Desormeaux—120
- Oflee Naughty—John Velazquez—120
- Oncoming—Hector Berrios–120
- Masteroffoxhounds—Umberto Rispoli—122
- Gold Phoenix—Kazushi Kimura–124
First post time for a 12-race card that will include five other stakes on Saturday is at 12 noon. Admission gates open at 10 a.m.
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