May, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Taxed Leads Home Grey Exacta in Black-Eyed Susan

Running for a $50,000 tag as recently as last November, 11-1 chance Taxed (Collected) proved one of the biggest bargains on the afternoon, coming from off the pace to peg Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief) while also leaving the previously undefeated and piping-hot 3-5 choice Faiza (Girvin) in her wake in the GII George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan S. at Pimlico Friday.

Last season's GII Golden Rod S. winner Hoosier Philly was intent on getting to the front, and she did so dutifully, as Sacred Wish (Not This Time), Merlazza (Medaglia d'Oro) and Faiza drafted in behind on her outside flank through an opening quarter in :23.44. The rail-skimming Scared Wish tried to creep up on the leader, but promptly had that door slammed in her face, losing some ground in the process. With Hoosier Philly still narrowly in front and Merlazza and Faiza keeping her honest, Taxed was only about four lengths away and moving easily following a :47.24 half. Given her cue leaving the far turn, the grey swung out four wide while inching closer to the front turning for home, gradually reeled in the drifting pacesetter and overtook her game, but tiring rival at midstretch en route to a 3 3/4-length victory. The GI Starlet winner Faiza was a clear third over 14-1 shot Balpool (Uncaptured).

“I had a very good trip,” said winning rider Rafael Bejarano. “I put her in the position the way that I wanted and went from there. I followed the favorite [Faiza], came to the stretch and let her out. My horse responded really good and she finished really well. She has improved a lot.”

In regard to the beaten favorite, Bob Baffert explained, “She broke well and was in a good spot. When the running started, she did not have that kick that she usually has. She ran a good race; she just wasn't good enough today. We are still trying to figure her out. [Flavien] Prat said she had the trip. She did everything right but win.”

He added, “It was a good test for her, this being her first time shipping. We are proud of her; at least she was right there. Those two fillies [Taxed and Hoosier Philly] looked good in the paddock; I thought they would run well. We will go home with her and regroup.”

The victory gave Bejarano's his first graded victory since the 2021 GII Jessamine S. on California Angel, while it was trainer Randy Morse's first since the 2014 GI Stephen Foster S. with Moonshine Mullin.

“It's hard to compete with these guys who go in and spend millions of dollars on young horses,” said Morse. “I'm not knocking them–I'd like to be in their position. Most of my better horses have been claimed.

“I won the Stephen Foster, that was a Grade I. Even if it's a claiming race, a win's a win.”

Claimed for $50,000 while facing maidens at Churchill Downs last November, Taxed returned to be fourth behind future GI Central Bank Ashland S. winner Defining Purpose (Cross Traffic) in the Year's End S. at Oaklawn Dec. 31 before posting a solid runner-up finish to Wet Paint (Blame) in the Martha Washington S. Jan. 28. Fading to ninth after pursuing the early pace in a sloppy renewal of the GIII Honeybee S. Feb. 25, a race also won by Wet Paint, she came home an improved second to that familiar foe after shedding the blinkers in the GIII Fantasy S. Apr. 1.

“She was just always pulling, too rank,” explained Morse. “Because every time she ran, she looked like she was going to win, and she just didn't have any finish. As you see now that she's relaxing behind horses and settling. It's made a huge difference.”

Taxed wound up in the Black-Eyed Susan after failing to draw into the May 5 GI Kentucky Oaks as the first also-eligible.

The filly's owner, Omaha, Nebraska, resident Richard Bahde, has owned horses for 30 years, racing primarily in Kentucky and Arkansas. According to Bahde, the win marked his first win at this level.

“I started out in the bull rings in Nebraska with $5,000 claimers and then I met [trainer Randy Morse] and he took me to a whole different level. We have had a lot of fun together.”

When asked about Taxed's latest win, he enthused, “When she made her move on that turn, I knew we had it won. She loves her job, she loves to run and once she got clear to the outside, it was over. She went past [Hoosier Philly] like she was standing still.”

Pedigree Notes:

Taxed's Black-Eyed Susan victory gives her the distinction of being the initial graded winner for sophomore sire Collected, who stands at this breeder's Airdrie Stud. Her dam, three times stakes placed through a 15-race racing career, won at distances ranging from six to eight furlongs and was purchased by Brereton Jones for $75,000 in foal to Congrats at Keeneland November in 2015. A 100% winner-producer from her four foals to make the races, Yankee Union has an unraced juvenile colt by Airdrie's Preservationist (Arch) named In a Jam who was picked up by D J Stable for $50,000 at Fasig-Tipton July and is training forwardly at Casse Training Center. She is also the dam of a yearling filly by American Freedom and foaled a filly by Complexity Mar. 31.

Friday, Pimlico
GEORGE E. MITCHELL BLACK-EYED SUSAN S.-GII, $300,000, Pimlico, 5-19, 3yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:49.45, ft.
1–TAXED, 118, f, 3, by Collected
1st Dam: Yankee Union (MSP, $164,064),by Yankee Gentleman
2nd Dam: A Touch of Romance, by El Prado (Ire)
3rd Dam: Dance Account, by Private Account
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($27,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $105,000 2yo '22 OBSMAR). O-Richard Bahde; B-Brereton C. Jones (KY); T-Randy L. Morse; J-Rafael Bejarano. $180,000. Lifetime Record: 8-2-2-0, $379,644. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Hoosier Philly, 124, f, 3, Into Mischief–Tapella, by Tapit. ($510,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Gold Standard Racing Stable, LLC; B-Candy Meadows LLC (KY); T-Thomas M. Amoss. $60,000.
3–Faiza, 124, f, 3, Girvin–Sweet Pistol, by Smart Strike. ($90,000 Ylg '21 FTKJUL; $725,000 2yo '22 EASMAY). 'TDN Rising Star' O-Michael Lund Petersen; B-Brereton C. Jones (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $30,000.
Margins: 3 3/4, 2 3/4, 2HF. Odds: 11.00, 6.30, 0.60.
Also Ran: Balpool, Merlazza, Cats Inthe Timber, Towhead, Comparative, Sacred Wish. Scratched: Frosty O Toole, Miracle, Pate.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Heavy Favorite Rattle N Roll Up In Final Jump To Take Pimlico Special

Sent away as the even-money favorite, Lucky Seven Stable's Rattle N Roll needed every inch of the 1 3/16-mile distance of Friday's Grade 3, $250,000 Pimlico Special Stakes presented by Bullett Bourbon, getting up in the final jump under Flavien Prat to nose out front-running Speed Bias and jockey Luis Saez.

The Pimlico Special, first run in 1937, was co-featured on Friday's Black-Eyed Susan Stakes card at Pimlico race course in Baltimore, Md.

Trained by Ken McPeek, Rattle N Roll ran the 1 3/16 miles (the same distance as Saturday's Preakness) in 1:54.72. The 4-year-old colt by the Curlin stallion Connect out of Jazz Time, by Johannesburg, paid $4.20 to win. The Pimlico Special was his fourth graded stakes victory and seventh win overall from 17 starts.

Speed Bias, an Uncle Mo colt making his stakes debut for Ron Moquett, led every step of the way until the last one, setting fractions of :23.56, :47.58, 1:10.77, and 1:35.61. Clapton finished third, with Keystone Field fourth and Kuchar fifth in the field of seven older runners. Cooke Creek was scratched.

Rattle N Roll settled well off the pace early and was kept wide throughout by Prat, moving four wide around the final turn and into the stretch before unleashing his late rally.

“I almost skipped the race and almost waited for the Blame at Churchill,” said McPeek. “I was fortunate to be able to get Flavien Prat. It wasn't the easiest win, but this horse is so solid.”

McPeek said he didn't have a specific next race in mind for Rattle N Roll, but now has a pair of top older runners for the Lucky Seven Stable of Leo and Ginny Mackin and their five children: Mike ,Jeff, Kim, Jay, and Craig.

Lucky Seven Stable also owns Smile Happy, winner of the G2 Alysheba Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 5.

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Maple Leaf Mel Sparkles In Front-Running Miss Preakness Performance

Maple Leaf Mel kept her record perfect on May 19 with a win in her graded stakes debut, taking the Grade 3 Miss Preakness at Pimlico decisively under jockey Joel Rosario. Trained by Jeremiah Englehart, the 3-year-old had to scrap for the early lead with favored rival Key of Life out of the gate, but took over a quarter-mile in and didn't look back, easily fighting off closing efforts from Afternoon Tea and Topsy to win by 1 1/2 lengths, with minimum urging from Rosario in the stretch.

The race is the fourth run and the fourth win for Maple Leaf Mel, who took a break after her 2-year-old campaign and came back to win the East View Stakes at Aqueduct in late March.

Maple Leaf Mel is named for Englehart assistant Melanie Giddings, who hails from Canada. Owner Bill Parcells and Englehart wanted to pay tribute to Giddings, who is a endocervical and ovarian cancer survivor. Giddings has been with the gray filly for most every day of her career so far, and the pair share a special bond.

Topsy finished second, followed by L Street Lady and Afternoon Tea. The final time for the six furlongs was 1:09.56.

Maple Leaf Mel went off at 8-5 and paid $5.40, $3.60, and $3.20. See the full chart here.

August Dawn Farm owns the New York-bred daughter of Cross Traffic, who was bred by Joe Fafone. She is out of City Place mare City Gift.

Maple Leaf Mel was an $18,000 yearling purchase at Keeneland September by Paul Neatherlin from the consignment of Eaton Sales. She was later pinhooked into the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale by consignor Robert Brewer, where August Dawn gave $150,000 for her.

$150,000 Miss Preakness (G3) Quotes

Winning Trainer Jeremiah Englehart (Maple Leaf Mel): “I loved the way she was in the paddock. She had really good energy. (Assistant trainer) Melanie (Giddings,) has been telling me she has been doing very well. She's one of those fillies that loves doing what she does. It showed today.

“Joel (Rosario) was thinking, 'Do you want to go to the lead?' I said, 'Well, we've got the outside post. At least break and see where everyone is going.' We knew the 2 had the speed. I was content with just sitting off her. When Joel got the lead, I got thinking, 'Coach (owner Bill Parcells) told me that he wanted to sit. In the locker room I was going to get beat up pretty good if she took the lead and then faded late. It worked out great.

“You can do whatever you want with her.”

“The way she does it, I always figured she would run with whoever we put her against just because when you ask her to run, she does it. I thought she would handle it but this was going to be her real, true test to show she would handle it. She passed.”

Melanie Giddings, assistant trainer to Jeremiah Englehart and cancer survivor): “This is emotional. There is a lot of pressure when you have Bill Parcells as the owner. He will say, 'Is she ready? Is she ready?' I keep telling him, 'Yes,' and you just hope it all works out.

“This is special not just for me but there are a lot of other people as well. I can't tell you how many people have come up to me and they say, 'Oh my God, I feel you.' They have had this or that happen to them. It's nice. They have a horse to look up to, in a sense, when she is winning.

“I had endocervical and ovarian cancer, which was diagnosed in 2020. Bill named the horse for me, partly because of that (She is also from Canada) and we had built up a friendship. He is at the barn every day (in Saratoga during the summer). He loves the sport. It's nice for him to get this win. He might have been a little nervous today because I did not hear from him. I think everyone can kind of feel a little relief. She is a New York-bred and the other filly (Key of Life) won in Lexington, This is a nice horse. This makes me feel proud because I think so highly of her.”

Winning Jockey Joel Rosario (Maple Leaf Mel): “She has a lot of speed. Her break was not really super-fast, but she has so much speed. After she got the lead, she looked around a little bit. And I just let her do her thing, and hopefully we had something left turning for home.”

Trainer Steve Asmussen assistant Darren Fleming (Topsy, 2^nd): “I thought she ran huge. She finished up really well. I'd have to watch the replay. I don't know how she got that far back.”

Jockey Tyler Gaffalione (Topsy, 2^nd): “My filly broke alertly, put herself in a good spot and she was really finishing down the lane. The track's a little tight, but it's very fair out there. It seems like the best horses are getting it done.”

Trainer Brittany Russell (L Street Lady, 3^rd): “You know, we were really trying to get a piece of this, and L Street Lady ran a really big race. She came from off it and for her to run up and get third was great. They were really rolling. She is a nice filly. I am surprised she did not get a little more respect (45-1 odds). I am delighted, very happy with her.”

Brad Cox, trainer beaten-favorite Key of Life: “She got outrun, it looked like to me. The winner was very good; and we didn't run our best race but were no match for the top finishers.”

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New Yorker Repole Has Cal-Bred Juvenile Filly Set To Debut At Santa Anita

High-profile owner Mike Repole is a born and raised New Yorker whose vast racing stable typically competes on the eastern and Midwest circuits. But in recent years, the founder of VitaminWater has increasingly dabbled with California-breds.

Repole's California presence will be on full display Saturday with first-time starter Pushiness, a 2-year-old filly by Kantharos who debuts in the opener for trainer Michael McCarthy. Repole purchased Pushiness for $115,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings and Horses of All Ages Sale.

McCarthy's relationship with Repole dates to McCarthy's time serving as an assistant for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, who is Repole's main trainer in New York. Repole and Pletcher had the morning-line favorite for this year's Kentucky Derby, Forte, but that colt was scratched the morning of the race.

McCarthy says he currently has a “handful” of California-bred 2-year-olds owned by Repole and more are expected in the coming days.

“He likes the state-bred program and tries to take advantage of it,” McCarthy said referring to the purse incentives that are offered for horses bred in California.

As for Pushiness, she is listed as the 2-1 morning-line favorite for her debut, a 4 ½-furlong dash on the main track. She has worked six times since April 10 including a pair of quick gate drills. On April 22 she went a half mile in 46.80 seconds and added another gate work in 46.60 seconds two weeks later.

Pushiness is out of Imperial Pippin, a stakes-placed daughter of Empire Maker who got her start in Europe for international powerhouse Juddmonte Farms.

McCarthy said he had hoped to debut Pushiness on turf but landed on this spot in order to get a race under her girth.

“She's had a couple of decent gate works. We'll see what happens on the dirt,” he added.

Pushiness has lured Santa Anita leading rider Juan Hernandez for her debut but will have to overcome the inside post in a seven-horse field. Post time for the opener of Saturday's 10-race card is 1 p.m.

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