April, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘Very Excited About Her’: Cox’s Two-Time Oaklawn Victress Punchbowl To Make Big Step Up In Ashland

Punchbowl, who is perfect in her two career starts, both at Oaklawn Park, will step up to Grade 1 competition in the $600,000 Ashland Stakes (G1) for 3-year-old fillies April 7 at Keeneland, trainer Brad Cox said.

A homebred for Gary and Mary West, Punchbowl, after a tardy start, inhaled most of the field while sprinting in her Feb. 11 debut, then scored a wire-to-wire 4 ¼-length victory in first-level allowance race at 1 1/16 miles March 5.

The 1 1/16-mile Ashland will offer 200 points (100-40-30-20-10, respectively) to the top five finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Oaks (G1), the country's biggest race for 3-year-old fillies.

Cox also trains Wet Paint, who was the program favorite for the $600,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Saturday at Oaklawn. Wet Paint (70 points) has already secured a spot in the Kentucky Oaks after winning Oaklawn's Martha Washington Stakes at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 28 and the Honeybee Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 25.

After considering the Ashland for Wet Paint, Cox opted to keep her at Oaklawn and send Punchbowl to the Ashland.

“Here's the way I looked at it: Wet Paint, she's 2 for 2 at Oaklawn, as the other horse is, too,” Cox said. “But it (Ashland) gives her more time. It's giving Punchbowl a little more time. Honestly, it was easy to figure out from a trainer's standpoint. Keeneland is a mile and a sixteenth, the Ashland. It's a shorter stretch. Doesn't mean a speed horse is going to win it, but I think you help yourself if you're able to at least get involved in the race. Wet Paint, obviously, doesn't have much speed out of the gate and it's a short stretch at Keeneland. Punchbowl has more early speed. It was actually easy to decide who really belonged where.”

Punchbowl, a daughter of Uncle Mo, will likely need a top-two finish in the Ashland to qualify for the Kentucky Oaks, which is limited to 14 starters.

“This is a very nice prospect for this year,” jockey Florent Geroux said after guiding Punchbowl to her March 5 victory. “We've always thought she could route. I was a little bit afraid of the inexperience. She had only run one time sprinting. I was not expecting her to be on the lead, my filly. When I asked her down the lane, she rebroke again. Very excited about her.”

Punchbowl, in company, worked five furlongs in 1:01.80 Friday morning at Oaklawn in preparation for the Ashland. Another locally based 3-year-old filly, Effortlesslyelgant, worked a half-mile in :50.80 Friday morning. Effortlesslyelgant, a March 19 allowance winner at 1 1/16 miles, is being considered for the Ashland, trainer Norm Casse said.

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Trainer Riley Mott Aims For First Career Stakes Win Sunday At Oaklawn

Riley Mott, son of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, will try to win the first stakes race of his fledgling career Sunday at Oaklawn Park.

Mott, 31, who went out on his own Nov. 1, will saddle Mystic Night for Oaklawn owner Louis Cella in Sunday's $150,000 Temperence Hill Stakes for older horses at 1 ½ miles. Mystic Night (12-1 on the morning line) will mark Mott's third career stakes starter. The 6-year-old Into Mischief gelding enters off a fourth-place finish in a March 18 allowance race at Oaklawn going 1 1/16 miles.

“Every time we've run him, the jock has come back and said, 'Man, this horse needs more ground,'” Mott said. “I think we've run him three times here already. I'm not necessarily one that wants to wheel them back super quick, but he's a big, strapping horse that kind of takes to training really well and came out of the last one in good shape.”

Mystic Night is one of two horses Mott purchased for Cella at Keeneland's November Horses of Racing Age Sale. Mystic Night (a $120,000 buy) finished seventh and fourth in his first two starts at the meeting for Mott, who recorded his first career victory Nov. 10 at Churchill Downs with Unifying. After a slow start, Mott, through Friday, had added five victories at the 2022-2023 Oaklawn meeting and finished second with Unifying in the Year's End Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at one mile Dec. 31. Mott has managed roughly 20 horses this season at Oaklawn.

“I think a lot of it was I just kind of scrapped together whatever horses people were willing to send me, whether they, at the end of the day, fit at Oaklawn or not,” Mott said. “That's up for someone's determination. But we came here with some nice horses that did fit and we've won some nice races. We've won five, but four of them $100,000 purses. So, I think in the first three or four months of my career I'm pleased with that, without getting too greedy.”

Traverse, a homebred for famed Claiborne Farm, has emerged as the star of Mott's stable, finishing fourth in the Pippin Stakes for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 7 before scoring sharp allowance victories Feb. 12 and March 17. Mott said Traverse is pointing for the $300,000 Doubledogdare Stakes (G3) for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles April 21 at Keeneland.

“She's obviously had a good season here at Oaklawn,” Mott said. “Obviously, a lot of horses don't really hit their stride until after their 3-year-old year, so it's nice for her to do well here at Oaklawn. Been cool for me because, just obviously starting out, to have a nice horse for Claiborne competing in those nice races.”

Mott said Claiborne is scheduled to send him some 2-year-olds this spring in Kentucky, where the trainer will be based. Oaklawn closes May 6.

“I'm going to definitely leave some horses here for the end of the meet,” Mott said. “We're going to be doubling in size with the 2-year-olds coming in. We should have a pretty busy spring.”

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Second Chances: Candy Ride Colt a ‘Second-Half Horse’ for Spendthrift

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar.

A little racing experience may be, ahem, just what Ocasek (c, 3, Candy Ride {Arg}–Shananies Song, by Eltish) needed.

Carrying the name of Ric Ocasek, the late frontman for The Cars, the Spendthrift Farm colorbearer wasn't off to the sharpest of beginnings from his rail draw and was forced to steady in the early stages traveling 6 1/2 furlongs on debut for Chad Brown in the opener at the Big A last Sunday.

Pushed along by Dylan Davis while trailing the field of five through an opening quarter in :22.39, Ocasek hit the gas entering the far turn and was rolling while four wide approaching the quarter pole as well-meant firster Harrodsburg (Constitution) kicked for home in complete control.

Still racing on his left lead down the stretch, Ocasek finally switched over a furlong from home and finished up nicely in a field-best :31.82 to cut Harrodsburg's margin of victory to 2 1/4 lengths.

Ocasek, a $440,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling, earned a rock solid 83 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.

“I think in the first start, mostly I just want to see them finishing strong,” Spendthrift Farm General Manager Ned Toffey said.

“We never really thought he was gonna be a real early horse. It was very encouraging the way he ran on. Chad was very positive about what he saw and the numbers he ran.”

Toffey added, “With a little luck, he feels like he might be a nice second-half horse for us.”

Bred in Kentucky by Charles T. Matses, Ocasek's leading sire Candy Ride is responsible for 17 Grade I winners, including the brilliant Gun Runner.

Out of the stakes-winning and very productive Eltish mare Shananies Song, a homebred for Matses, Ocasek is a half-brother to Favorable Outcome (Flatter), GSW & MGISP, $522,818; Mouheeb (Flatter), GSW-UAE, $192,966; Bellamentary (Bellamy Road), SW & MGSP, $216,200; and last year's GIII Fantasy S. runner-up Beguine (Gun Runner).

What's next for the Triple Crown-nominated Ocasek?

“That's really more up to Chad,” Toffey replied. “We certainly feel like this horse is gonna be best going farther. He came out of the race well. Certainly, the plan will be to stretch him out, whether that happens in his next start or after that. We'll see how things go with him, but we're very encouraged so far.”

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Behind Enemy Lines Takes Gulfstream’s Cutler Bay In U.S Debut, Becomes First U.S. Stakes Winner For Sioux Nation

British-bred Behind Enemy Lines turned in an impressive performance in his North American debut Saturday, winning the $100,000 Cutler Bay at Gulfstream Park by two lengths.

The eighth running of the Cutler Bay for 3-year-olds sprinting 7 ½ furlongs on the turf was the first of 10 stakes, five graded, worth $2.35 million in purses on a 14-race program anchored by the $1-million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa for 3-year-olds.

Trained by Jack Sisterson for new owners Talla Racing, Rockingham Ranch, and David Bernsen, Behind Enemy Lines stalked the early pace set by Drinking Problem of :25.05 and :48.80. Jockey Jose Ortiz moved him to the outside in the second turn and he quickly accelerated to grab the lead. He extended his advantage in the stretch, reached the wire in 1:30.35 and paid $8.40 to win.

Behind Enemy Lines, a colt from the first crop of Irish Group 1 winner Sioux Nation out of the Invincible Spirit mare Autumn Snow, began his career in Ireland with trainer Joseph O'Brien and previous owner Justin Casse. He broke his maiden Jan. 4 at Dundalk before shipping to the U.S., where on Saturday he became the first U.S. stakes winner for his sire, a Kentucky-bred son of Scat Daddy who stands in Ireland at Coolmore.

LFG Racing's Anglophile, making his first start since July 30 for trainer Brian Lynch, closed for second at 16-1. NBS Stable's Dunedin was third.

Behind Enemy Lines was bred by The Brigadier Partnership.

Cutler Bay Quotes

Winning trainer Jack Sisterson (Behind Enemy Lines): “He trained like he was going to perform this afternoon. All he had to do was bring his works to the afternoon, and we thought it was going to be a big performance. I have to give all the credit in the world to the owners for allowing me to be patient with him. A lot of guys want to get them here and run straight off the plane. But we thought he was a good horse when he arrived [two months ago], and we trained him that way, and it's paid off for them. We might look at the American Turf Stakes on Kentucky Derby day and see if he'll stretch out a bit for those big races. But the owners will make the decision.”

Winning jockey Jose Ortiz (Behind Enemy Lines): “My first victory for Jack Sisterson with a horse coming from his good friend Joseph O'Brien; they thought the colt would be a good fit for Gulfstream because of his natural speed, and he did show it today. I had had the chance to breeze the horse for the race, and I thought he had the talent to accomplish what we did today. All I had to do was to decide whether to go around the horses or between them, and once I did, he provided a great kick.”

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