Month: April 2023

When the pedigree includes a two-time Grade 1 winner, much is to be expected.

Godolphin homebred filly Loved delivered on her potential Friday afternoon at Keeneland by crushing a field of overmatched maidens by 11½ lengths going 1 1/16 miles in the fourth race for trainer Brendan Walsh. Ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, she covered the distance was 1:44.55 on a fast track.

By Medaglia d'Oro out of the Bernardini mare Velvety, Loved is a 4-year-old half sister to $2,001,812-earner and six-time graded stakes winner Maxfield, who also was trained by Walsh. Maxfield's first stakes victory came in his lone Keeneland start when he scored a 5½-length romp in the 2019 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1). The son of Street Sense also captured the 2021 Clark (G1) at Churchill Downs.

“She is nice, and she and Maxfield are both good-looking horses,” Walsh said of Loved, who returned to the races after a 13-month layoff from her career debut in a sprint at Gulfstream Park. “We have always liked her. She had to make us wait, and hopefully it will work out well.”

Walsh said Loved might join his string at Churchill Downs “at some point.”

“There is an allowance race there in three weeks, but that may be too quick back,” Walsh said.

Loved's victory started a three-win afternoon for Walsh. It marked the second triple for Walsh in two years; the other came on Toyota Blue Grass Day in 2022 when his trio was highlighted by the victory of Prevalence in the Commonwealth (G3).

The post Godolphin Filly Loved, Half Sister To Elite Runner Maxfield, Dazzles In Keeneland Maiden Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Andrew Farm, For the People Racing Stable, and Windmill Manor Farm's Verstappen made his graded stakes debut a winning one Saturday when he posted a head victory over millionaire Red Knight in the Elkhorn (G2) going 1½ miles on the grass at Keeneland.

“He went back to Turfway Park last night where he had trained all winter,” said Paul Madden, assistant to trainer Brendan Walsh.

Verstappen, who in 2021 was a $350,000 Keeneland September yearling sale purchase by Stripes Stable from consignor Eaton Sales, gave jockey Declan Cannon his first Keeneland stakes victory. Cannon has ridden Verstappen in his past four starts, scoring three victories aboard the War Front gelding and a runner-up finish.

A possible next start for Verstappen could be the $225,000 Louisville (G3) to be run May 20 at Churchill Downs at 1½ miles on the turf.

“Now that we know he can run with those horses, races like that will be in play,” Madden said.

The Elkhorn marked the graded stakes debut for Verstappen, whose first stakes appearance came in his start prior to that in the Kentucky Cup Classic, in which he finished rallying second, March 25 on the all-weather surface at Turfway Park.

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George Krikorian's seven-time graded stakes winner War Like Goddess will make her 2023 debut when she faces five rivals in Friday's $300,000 Bewitch (G3) in a bid to win the race for the third consecutive year on closing day of Keeneland's Spring Meet.

The Bewitch is the eighth race with a 4:44 p.m. (ET) post time on the 10-race program that begins at 1 p.m.

Trained by Bill Mott, War Like Goddess won last year's Bewitch by 1¾ lengths despite a troubled trip in which she was steadied and bumped. Joel Rosario, who rode her last year, has the mount Friday and will exit post position four.

In 2021, War Like Goddess won the Bewitch by 3¾ lengths with Julien Leparoux aboard.

On Friday, the 6-year-old English Channel mare returns to face her own gender after closing 2022 with a third-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) at Keeneland and a victory in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1) at the Belmont meet at the Big A.

Leading challengers to War Like Goddess in the Bewitch are Town and Country Racing's Temple City Terror and Joseph Allen's Personal Best.

Trained by Brendan Walsh, Temple City Terror was a three-length winner of last fall's Rood & Riddle Dowager (G3) at Keeneland going 1½ miles. Fourth in the Hillsborough (G2) at Tampa Bay Downs on March 11 in her 2023 debut, Temple City Terror will be ridden Friday by Jose Ortiz and break from post two.

Personal Best, winner of the La Prevoyante (G3) in January and most recently second in the Orchid (G3) at Gulfstream Park, is trained by Shug McGaughey and will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. from post five.

The field for the Bewitch, with riders and weights from the inside, is: Chaton Rouge (Jack Gilligan, 118 pounds), Temple City Terror (Jose Ortiz, 120), Ensemble (IRE) (Tyler Gaffalione, 118), War Like Goddess (Rosario, 123), Personal Best (Irad Ortiz Jr., 120), Sopran Basilea (IRE) (Luis Saez, 118).

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On the Saturday work tab at Belmont Park was Grade 1 winner and classic-placed Zandon, who has not raced since finishing fourth in the Cigar Mile Handicap (G1) Dec. 3 at Aqueduct.

The son of Upstart, trained by Chad Brown for owner Jeff Drown, had worked consistently at Payson Park Training Center in Florida since February before shipping north to record a half-mile in :48.44 Saturday over the Belmont main track. It was the second-fastest of 49 recorded works for that distance.

Brown said Zandon could target the $175,000 Westchester (G3) on May 5 at Belmont, a race that could also see the Brown-trained New York-bred stakes-winner Dr Ardito make his next appearance.

“He's doing fine and he's nominated to the Westchester, so we'll see,” Brown said of Zandon. “It looks like he's training good towards [his next start].”

Zandon has a 2-3-3 record from nine career starts that include victory in last year's Toyota Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland and third-place finishes in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Travers (G1).

In addition to Zandon and Dr. Ardito, the Westchester is also likely to attract a salty field with graded stakes winners White Abbario, Repo Rocks, and Weyburn among the possible contenders along with the graded stakes-placed Expressman.

Brown, who has won the training title at the past seven Belmont spring/summer meetings, including last year with a record 47 wins, appears poised for another strong showing at this year's meet with a host of horses pointing towards stakes engagements.

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