Month: May 2023

R.A. Hill Stable, Black Type Thoroughbreds, Rock Ridge Racing, Blackridge Stables and James F. Brown's Pass the Champagne, a three-time runner-up in stakes competition, finally broke through, overtaking Gerrymander and Idiomatic at the top of the stretch before extending her lead en route to a 5 1/2-length win in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Ruffian for older fillies and mares at Belmont Park.

Pass the Champagne, who started her 5-year-old campaign with runner-up efforts in the Wayward Lass in January at Tampa Bay Downs and last out in the Heavenly Cause in April at Laurel Park, sat in fourth position as the Chad Brown-trained Gerrymander, piloted by Dylan Davis, led the compact six-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in 23.51 seconds before moving up to third with the half in 47.01 over the fast main track.

The George Weaver trainee, ridden patiently by Feargal Lynch, was tipped out exiting the turn. Once straightened at the top of the stretch, Pass the Champagne responded well to Lynch's right-handed encouragement, thundering home from the outside and drawing away to complete the one-turn mile in a final time of 1:36.13.

Idiomatic outkicked Gerrymander by 1 1/2-lengths for second, while Timeless Journey, Kathleen O. and Mommasgottarun completed the order of finish.

“This is very rewarding,” said Blair Golen, assistant to Weaver. “She's such a great, talented filly and we knew she had it in her. For her to be able to pull that off today on such a big day is pretty special and amazing, because she's always been special. She has been training very well and it paid off. I'm very proud of the team.”

Off at 7-1, Pass the Champagne returned $17 on a $2 win bet. She increased her career bankroll to $315,070.

“I had a great trip, just like we planned it with George,” Lynch said. “We just wanted to take this filly back and make one run. We felt like when she's up there on the pace, she's just doing a little too much and can't finish it off. She's got a closing kick for an eighth of a mile and you just have to hold on to it as long as possible.”

The Flatter mare showed ability as a 3-year-old, as Pass the Champagne in just her second career start finished second to subsequent two-time Champion Malathaat in the 2021 Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland and finished her sophomore season with an off-the-board effort in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks before returning last February to win an optional claiming event at Gulfstream Park. That marked her only race of 2022 before returning this year, earning a winner's circle trip for the first time in the current campaign.

Pass the Champagne's connections credited the previous race, where she ran second to Beth's Dream in Maryland, for the win in the Ruffian's 47th edition.

“It absolutely [gave her fitness] and it gave Feargal a chance to learn an awful lot about her,” Golen said. “I was very impressed with how she ran down there stretching out down the lane very nicely.”

Idiomatic, trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Trevor McCarthy, has finished on the board in all seven of her career starts, moving to 4-1-2. The 4-year-old daughter of Hall of Famer Curlin was making her graded stakes debut.

“It was a really great effort,” McCarthy said. “She broke very well and we wanted to let her run forward and take away nothing that came easy to her. Chad's filly [Gerrymander] wanted to go to the lead, so I kind of just sat my hands down and let them go. I got her into a comfortable rhythm and she's a horse who doesn't have a huge turn of foot, but she finished well and there was no beating the winner.”

Pass the Champagne was bred in Kentucky by the late Preston Madden. Her dam is the Distorted Humor mare Champagne Taste.

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“It's some form of a consolation prize, but obviously not why we were here,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher told NBC's Nick Luck after Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Up to the Mark scored a 3 3/4-length victory under Irad Ortiz Jr. in Saturday's Grade 1, $1-million Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on Saturday.

The Turf Classic, inaugurated in 1987 after Churchill Downs installed its infield turf, immediately preceded the 149th running of the G1 Kentucky Derby. The Repole-St. Elias ownership tandem, Pletcher, and Ortiz would have been represented in the Derby by pre-race favorite Forte, but the son of Violence was scratched on the morning of the race with a foot bruise.

Winning his first stakes and fourth race overall from nine starts, Up to the Mark completed nine furlongs on firm turf in 1:47.31. The Kentucky-bred son of Not This Time out of Belle's Finale, by Ghostzapper, paid $7.26 to win as the favorite in the field of eight older runners that included just one prior G1 winner, Santin.

Hong Kong Harry rallied for second under Flavien Prat, with Spooky Channel and Joel Rosario 1 1/4 lengths back in third. Ocean Antique, under Juan Hernandez, was fourth, with Santin and Tyler Gaffalione fifth, Wolfie's Dynaghost sixth, Earls Rock seventh, and Bye Bye Melvin eighth. Master Piece and Steady On were scratched.

Ortiz allowed Up to the Mark to settle into sixth position in the early going as Manny Franco urged Bye Bye Melvin to the lead from the outside post. Bye Bye Melvin set fractions of :23.91, :48.03, and 1:11.65 through the opening six furlongs, with Santin in closest pursuit.

Gaffalione, aboard Santin, turned up the pressure on the front-runner entering the far turn and smoothly moved to the lead. Ortiz, with a ton of horse under him, swung Up to the Mark four wide into the stretch and quickly pounced on Santin, putting his head in front at the furlong pole, with the opening mile clocked in 1:35.44.

Irish-bred Hong Kong Harry, shipping to Kentucky from California for trainer Phil D'Amato, had just one horse beat in the run down the backstretch, Spooky Channel, and those two closed to get the minor awards.

Bred by Ramspring Farm, Up to the Mark was purchased for $450,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale from Taylor Made Sales Agency. He didn't debut until July of his 3-year-old season, winning a Saratoga maiden race on a sloppy track but lost his next four starts.

Switched to the turf in January, the bay colt ran off two consecutive allowance/optional claiming wins at Gulfstream Park, then finished third behind Chez Pierre and 2022 male turf champion Modern Games in the G1 Makers Mark Mile at Keeneland April 14.

This was Pletcher's third Turf Classic victory, following wins by English Channel in 2006 and Colonel Liam in a dead-heat with Domestic Spending in 2021.

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Three Diamonds Farm's Anaconda secured his first career stakes win, rallying stoutly down the lane to capture Saturday's $150,000 Elusive Quality, a seven-furlong Widener turf sprint for older horses, at Belmont Park.

Trained by Joe Sharp and piloted from the inside post by Kendrick Carmouche, the 6-year-old Pioneerof the Nile horse overcame traffic trouble down the backstretch when steadied behind rivals along the rail. A patient Carmouche maintained his ground-saving position through the turn before angling off the rail at the top of the lane and wearning down his rivals for a narrow nose win as the 8-5 favorite.

“I was wanting to get out from behind Surprise Boss because I didn't think he would finish the race like I wanted him to [from the inside],” Carmouche said. “I wanted to get him out early, but that didn't happen, so I just had to stay in there and sit. Even at the quarter pole, I was in a little bit of trouble. I tried to get out and I motivated him from there. I knew I could get up in the last couple of jumps.”

Despite the narrow margin of victory, Carmouche said he felt confident once he had Anaconda in the clear.

“The horse just kept running and running. I always think I'll get there,” said Carmouche, with a laugh.

Heaven Street set splits of :23 flat and :46.58 over the firm footing as the Jose Gomez-piloted Yes and Yes tracked from second position with Surprise Boss in third to the inside of High Oak.

Yes and Yes had the measure of Heaven Street as the field straightened away, but there was no turning back the onrushing Anaconda, who stopped the clock in 1:21.94. Yes and Yes finished 1 3/4-lengths in front of third-place Heaven Street with Thin White Duke, Surprise Boss, Lucky Curlin, Voodoo Zip, High Oak and Ocala Dream rounding out the order of finish.

Anaconda joined the Sharp barn last summer at Saratoga and has since hit the board in 6-of-9 starts, including a narrow nose defeat last out to Big Everest in the one-mile Danger's Hour on April 15 over firm going at Aqueduct Racetrack. The $150,000 purchase at the 2018 Keeneland September yearling sale had previously finished a close second in November in the Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship.

Sharp assistant Lorita Lindemann said Anaconda arrived at the Elusive Quality in good order.

“He's been training like he does all the time – like a good horse,” Lindemann said. “It's a blessing to win; it's very good and the team needed it right now. We got him last year and had some issues, but he overcame them.”

The David Donk-trained Yes and Yes, a five-time winner over the Belmont turf, was making his second start off the layoff from a fourth-place finish in an optional-claiming sprint on April 13 over the Big A grass.

Gomez said he had no excuses following the game effort from the 7-year-old Sidney's Candy gelding, whose half-brother, the fellow Donk-trainee Thin White Duke, finished fourth.

“He ran great and that's just how it goes. I had a great trip and he loves Belmont,” Gomez said. “He was [running] nice on the outside and when I asked him to run, he responded well.”

Bred in Kentucky by Hargus Sexton, Sandra Sexton, Silver Fern Farm and WinStar Farm, Anaconda was produced by the Medaglia d'Oro mare Lawn Party. He banked $82,500 in victory while improving his record to 16-5-2-2. He returned $5.50 for a $2 win bet.

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