Month: May 2023

Repo Rocks rebounded from a last-out runner-up effort in the Grade 1 Carter Handicap presented by NYRA Bets to post a sharp 5 1/4-length victory in Friday's Grade 3, $175,000 Westchester, a one-mile main track test for older horses, at Belmont Park.

Trained by Jamie Ness and owned by Double B Racing Stables, Repo Rocks earned his fifth lifetime stakes conquest and boasts a 5-for-6 record since entering Ness' barn in November. He added to previous scores in the Let's Give Thanks and Blitzen at Parx Racing, and the Grade 3 Toboggan and Stymie at Aqueduct Racetrack. The 5-year-old son of Tapiture suffered his first loss for Ness last out in the April 8 Carter where he rallied from fourth and was defeated 2 1/2 lengths by Doppelganger.

Ness said Belmont's sweeping turns helped Repo Rocks return to the winner's circle.

“He wants to get out a little bit in the turns and he always has,” said Ness. “The Aqueduct turns are a little tight for him. I thought the bigger track would be better, and I think a mile is his distance. He's this big, long-striding horse.”

Away cleanly under Ruben Silvera from the outermost post 7, Repo Rocks and Expressman, who bobbled at the break, went head-to-head for the early lead before the latter took the advantage exiting the chute and posted an opening quarter-mile in :22.99 seconds over the fast main track. Repo Rocks remained in second to the outside of Expressman while the trio of Weyburn, Unbridled Bomber and Dr Ardito battled for third position just ahead of the stalking post-time favorite Zandon through a half-mile in :45.80.

Repo Rocks was given his cue by Silvera into the turn and easily passed his pacesetting rival at the three-quarters call as Zandon was asked for more from jockey Dylan Davis. Repo Rocks extended his margin to four lengths at the stretch call and was kept to task by Silvera, drawing off down the lane to post the victory in a final time of 1:34.96 over the late-running Zandon.

Weyburn completed the trifecta three-quarters of a length behind Zandon with Unbridled Bomber, Dr Ardito, Expressman and Bourbon Calling completing the order of finish. White Abarrio was scratched.

Ness said the pace-pressing trip went exactly to plan.

“This is the trip I wanted, and it was perfect on the outside with one horse to chase,” said Ness. “When I saw the outside post, I was ecstatic – being out there with a little more room is good for him. Ruben rode him great. He had a great start and he was properly prepared for this race today. He's a calm, cool horse.”

Silvera, who rode Repo Rocks to a December 2021 allowance victory at Aqueduct, said the gelding was full of run.

“I rode him before, so I felt comfortable with him,” said Silvera. “Last time, my horse ran seven furlongs, but today it was a mile and it was more easy for him. I tried to sit behind the speed and see what happens at the end. I know he's a good horse and he fires every time. I tried to give him every chance and stay close to the lead. In the end, I had a lot of horse.”

Ness had previously indicated that Repo Rocks responded well to a rigorous training regime this winter, but said he relished an easier schedule heading into the Westchester.

“He came into the race great and I thought after his last race that maybe I pushed him a little too hard,” Ness said. “So, I took him to my barn at Fair Hill, gave him a week off to let him be a horse, and backed down. I gave him one slow work up to this race and I think that's the way we need to approach our next start. I just put him back to where he's comfortable and he performed for us.”

Ness added that a logical next start for Repo Rocks could be in the Grade 1, $1 million Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 10 going the same distance over Big Sandy.

“This is kind of the prep for it and that would be a great goal,” said Ness. “The owner is from the area and he loves to come watch his horse run, so why not? You can't win if you're not in, and he looked like a horse who deserves a shot in that race. It's horse racing, so we take it race to race, but that's a great goal to go for.”

Bred in Kentucky by Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin, III, Repo Rocks earned $96,250 in victory and improved his lifetime record to 35-9-7-6. He returned $12 for a $2 win ticket.

Dylan Davis said he was pleased with the trip he engineered for Zandon, who won last year's Grade 1 Blue Grass and made his seasonal debut off a five-month respite for trainer Chad Brown.

“The horse on front ran well – Repo Rocks. I thought I was in great position mid-pack there and making his run,” Davis said. “I tried to get his run started a little earlier, but the other horse found more. He ran well, but he just couldn't close on him. The speed was probably tough today.”

Live racing resumes Saturday at Belmont with an 11-race card, featuring the $150,000 Elusive Quality in Race 8, the Grade 2, $200,000 Fort Marcy in Race 9 and the Grade 2, $200,000 Ruffian in Race 10. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern. Gates for the Kentucky Derby Day card will open at 10 a.m.

The post Repo Rocks Returns To Winning Ways For Ness In Grade 3 Westchester appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Trainer Brendan Walsh, jockey Tyler Gaffalione, and owner/breeder Godolphin all teamed up for their first wins in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on Friday, when Pretty Mischievous made the lead at the head of the lane and refused to give in all the way to the finish line. The homebred may have disappointed last out in the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks, finishing a well-beaten second to fellow Oaks rival Southlawn, but the addition of blinkers and a return to the site of her maiden-breaking victory changed that story.

For Walsh, the son of a dairy farmer from County Cork, Ireland, making it to racing's biggest stage has been like a dream come true. After falling in love with the racing industry as a teenager, Walsh worked for Godolphin galloping horses and traveling around the world; the global operation has now had a 25-year impact on Walsh's career.

“It's like something from a fairytale story,” Walsh said. “We've always thought she was a very good filly from day one, and if she'd have won the Fair Grounds Oaks she'd have been the 2-1 favorite, but she made up for it today. It's just an unbelievable feeling.”

Giving sire Into Mischief his second Grade 1 winner on the card, Pretty Mischievous ran nine furlongs over Churchill Downs' fast main track in 1:49.77. Gaffalione guided the 10-1 chance from the outermost post in the field of 14 to sit just off the early leaders, and executed a perfect stretch drive to hit the neck a wire in front of late-running Gambling Girl (13-1). The Alys Look (30-1) checked in third, while race favorite Wet Paint, also owned by Godolphin, checked in fourth at odds of 8-5.

Pretty Mischievous paid $22.74 as the winner.

“We had two really nice fillies coming into this race,” said Godolphin's Michael Banahan. “Wet Paint was undefeated and a deserving favorite, but I believed Pretty Mischievous was the equal of her… This is a great honor for our founder Sheikh Mohammed to win his first Oaks here in Kentucky.”

For Gaffalione, it was his fourth mount in the Run for the Lillies. The son of retired Florida-based jockey Steve Gaffalione (who won 800+ races during a 20-year career) has been a star on the rise since receiving the 2015 Eclipse Award trophy as the country's leading apprentice rider. Now a seven-time leading rider at Churchill Downs, Gaffalione was very grateful to have won his first Kentucky Oaks.

“I can't even put it into words,” Gaffalione said. “I can't thank Brendan and the Godolphin team enough, she's a tremendous filly and she showed it today.”

Bred in Kentucky by the Godolphin operation, Pretty Mischievous is out of the Tapit mare Pretty City Dancer. A $3.5 million broodmare purchase at Fasig-Tipton November in 2018, Pretty City Dancer is a half-sister to G1 winner Lear's Princess.

Pretty Mischievous won on debut at Churchill Downs, then won an allowance at the Louisville, Ky. track before finishing third in the G2 Golden Rod, also beneath the Twin Spires. Shifted to the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La., for the winter season, the filly won the Untapable Stakes and the G2 Rachel Alexandra before her runner-up finish to Southlawn in the G2 Fair Grounds Oaks.

Overall, Pretty Mischievous has now won five races for seven starts with earnings of $1,268,560.

In front of a reported crowd of 106,381, the largest attendance figure in the past five years, Pretty Mischievous broke from the far outside post in the field of 14. Gaffalione and the filly were able to clear the majority of the field and sit a perfect stalking trip, albeit 3-4 wide on both turns, while New Mexico hope Flying Connection made the early lead to set fractions of :23.07 and :46.96.

Defining Purpose and Dorth Vader were both up near the pacesetting Flying Connection, while Mimi Kakushi had a cozy spot on the rail and Gaffalione held Pretty Mischievous out of trouble in a joint fourth position down the backstretch. Staying four paths off the rail around the far turn, Gaffalione sent Pretty Mischievous up to challenge the leaders and was able to clear the field by a couple lengths in mid-stretch.

New York-bred Gambling Girl came rolling down the center of the track with a strong late run, but came up a neck short to finish second for trainer Todd Pletcher, jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., and owner Mike Repole, the same connections of tomorrow's Kentucky Derby favorite Forte.

“She ran great,” Ortiz said of the runner-up. “I had no excuses, we just missed. Two more jumps and we would have got it.”

The Alys Look also came from well of the pace to finish third for jockey Javier Castellano and trainer Brad Cox, while 5-2 favorite Wet Paint, also trained by Cox, finished fourth under jockey Flavien Prat. The third Cox-trained filly in the race, Botanical, finished thirteenth.

“It's always hard when you have a heavy favorite and you can't get the job done,” admitted Cox. “But, at least two of three ran well. I need to take a look at the replay. I don't really know what happened. Botanical didn't get away very well. The Alys Look stayed on and ran really well. She got a good trip up the backside and was relatively close. Looks like you want to be close on this racetrack. Two of the three ran well. I have to go back and watch the replay to see what happened to Botanical. Flavien (Prat) said Wet Paint was traveling fine. He said when he cut her loose she wasn't handling the track real well. She finished up off class and off heart. But, probably not her favorite surface. She was struggling with it. A very good filly won it. We had fillies finish third and fourth. They showed up to run.”

The remaining order of finish was as follows: Dorth Vader, Flying Connection, Defining Purpose, Mimi Kakushi, Wonder Wheel, Southlawn, Affirmative Lady, And Tell Me Nolies, Botanical and Promiseher America.

The post ‘Like Something From A Fairytale Story’: Pretty Mischievous Adds Blinkers To Prevail In Kentucky Oaks appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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