Month: May 2023

Go Nuts! Macadamia Causes Minor Upset in Gamely

A champion and dual Group 1 winner in her native Brazil pre-import, R Unicorn Stable's Macadamia (Brz) (Hat Trick {Jpn}) consolidated some very solid recent American form to post a first elite-level victory in this country in Monday's GI Gamely S. at Santa Anita.

None of the seven entrants in the nine-furlong test seemed especially keen to lead, but eventually, Flavien Prat allowed School Dance (Animal Kingdom) through to take up the running in advance of Bellamore (Empire Maker), as odds-on Queens Goddess (Empire Maker) took back off that pair with a circuit remaining. Brazilian native Tiago Pereira, whose biggest career victory came in the 2010 G1 Dubai World Cup aboard Brazilian-bred Gloria de Campeao, had Macadmia settled at the back of the field, but not too far away, as the pace was moderate at best. Luis Saez asked Queens Goddess to apply some pressure to the outside of the leaders and hit the front going well with 2 1/2 furlongs to race, but Macadamia was traveling equally strongly in her wake a few lengths in arrears. The chalk went for home in upper stretch, but Macadamia always seemed to have the move covered and surged past late en route to a cozy success. The in-form Quatroelle (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) outfinished Queens Goddess for second.

“She is a nice filly,” said winning trainer Phil d'Amato. “I have to give Tiago a lot of credit for just getting on her every week, just breezing her and developing her. She was a quirky kind of backwards filly when we got her.

“She just needed to acclimate to North America. She's taken he time and now she is a Grade I winner. [Tiago] has a great attitude in the morning and I think it translates to the horses.”

Macadamia posted a pair of close third-place efforts from four starts on this circuit in the second half of 2022 and kicked off the new year with a 1 1/2-length allowance tally over Monday's course and distance Feb. 3. A troubled second to Quatroelle in the one-mile GII Buena Vista S. Mar. 4, the bay–still a late-season 4-year-old on Southern Hemisphere time–turned the tables with a one-length victory in the GIII Wilshire S. going eight panels Apr. 30.

Pedigree Notes:

Macadamia is one of 14 worldwide Group 1/Grade I winners for Hat Trick, who passed away in Brazil in August 2020. In the United States, the Sunday Silence stallion has been responsible for 17 stakes winners and nine at the graded level, including the additional Grade I winners King David and Win Win Win.

Macadamia is one of three winners from four to race out of her dam, a stakes-placed daughter of Fares Farm's 1991 GIII Selima S. heroine Ken de Saron, who also produced Brazilian Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old colt Sal Grosso (Brz) (Our Emblem) and the three-time French group-placed Jipapibaquigrafo (Irish River {Fr}).

Monday, Santa Anita
GAMELY S.-GI, $401,000, Santa Anita, 5-29, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8mT, 1:48.01, fm.
1–MACADAMIA (BRZ), 122, m, 5, by Hat Trick (Jpn)
           1st Dam: Une Autre Etoile (Brz) (SP-Brz), by Northern Afleet
           2nd Dam: Ken de Saron, by Kenmare (Fr)
           3rd Dam: Lyre de Saron (Fr), by Luthier (Fr)
O-R Unicorn Stable; B-Haras Springfield (BRZ); T-Philip D'Amato; J-Tiago Josue Pereira. $240,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo filly & MG1SW-Brz, 13-5-3-2, $444,413. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Quattroelle (Ire), 124, m, 5, by Mehmas (Ire)
           1st Dam: Heavenly River (Fr), by Stormy River (Fr)
           2nd Dam: Aaliyah (Ger), by Anabaa
           3rd Dam: Arpista (Ger), by Chief Singer (Ire)
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. (€10,000 RNA Ylg '19 TIRSEP). O-Red Baron's Barn LLC and Rancho Temescal LLC; B-Rossenarra Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Jeff Mullins. $80,000.
3–Queen Goddess, 122, m, 5, by Empire Maker
           1st Dam: Royal Story (SP), by Lemon Drop Kid
           2nd Dam: Bauble, by Tale of the Cat
           3rd Dam: Just Reward, by Deputy Minister
($285,000 RNA Ylg '19 FTSAUG; $1,525,000 4yo '22 FTKNOV). O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber; B-Tolo Thoroughbreds (KY); T-Michael W. McCarthy. $48,000.
Margins: 1, NO, 1 3/4. Odds: 6.20, 7.10, 0.80.
Also Ran: Viareggio (Ire), Bellamore, Closing Remarks, School Dance.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Lightening Rolls From Off Pace For Comfortable Mr. Prospector Win

As speedy as Lightening Larry is, trainer Jorge Delgado didn't want his 4-year-old colt anywhere near the lead in Monday's $100,000 Mr. Prospector Stakes at Monmouth Park.

He learned his lesson from the horse's last start, when the son of Uncaptured was caught in a wicked speed duel in the NYRA Bets Sprint Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on March 26.

That blazing early pace — :43.85 to the half – set up the win for Magical Warrior off the pace.

With that in mind, Delgado had jockey Paco Lopez sit off the early pace in third this time, leaving more than enough in reserve coming out of the final turn after fast fractions once again, with Lightening Larry rolling to a 4½-length victory in the 18th edition of the Mr. Prospector Stakes.

The 9-10 favorite in the field of seven 3-year-olds and up, Lightening Larry covered the six furlongs in a sharp 1:09.28.

“In his last race at Tampa he got in a speed duel with two horses and Magical Warrior (fifth this time) came off the pace to beat us. It was a hot pace that day and we paid the price at the end (finishing second),” said Delgado. “Today I wasn't go to let it happen to me again. We knew there was a horse with speed (Hollywood Jet) who we felt wasn't going to beat us so we decided from the beginning not to go with him.

“He relaxed like this a half-length or so off the leader when he won the Chick Lang (G3) last year so he knows how to do that. You can't always be on the lead and expect to win like that every time. I'm happy Paco made the decision to sit off those two horses early and then move at the right time.”

Hollywood Jet, who set early fractions of :21.36 for the opening quarter and :44.18 to the half with longshot Feast in tow, wound up gamely holding for second, a nose better than the late-running Drafted.

But once Lightening Larry wheeled off the final turn, after keeping the top two in his sights early on, the race was over.

“I had very good position early,” said Lopez. “There was no reason to send him with the speed this time. He has shown he can come off the pace even though he is a fast horse. He was very comfortable today. Most times he is sitting first or second but he was relaxed sitting third early. I really had a lot of horse. Coming off the turn he really wanted to go and I just let him loose.”

The win by Lightening Larry, who improved his career line to 6-5-2 from 16 starts, was the highlight of an afternoon that saw Delgado win three races to finally jumpstart a meet he has high hopes for. Those three wins vaulted him into a tie for second with Chad Brown in the trainer standings, one behind Juan Carlos Avila.

“I was getting a little frustrated because I felt like I should have won more races before today,” said Delgado, who has 58 horses stabled at Monmouth Park. “But today we won three and I feel like we are back on track. I have a goal. I want to be the leading trainer here. I've planned this for years and I feel like this could be the year to do that.”

Lightening Larry, owned by Lea Farms, boosted his career earnings to $457,080. Bred in Florida by Michelle Redding, his dam is the Malibu Moon mare Moon and Sun. He was a $50,000 purchase from consignor Pick View at the OBS March 2-year-olds in training sale

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