This year, America’s Best Racing and the Retired Racehorse Project will be sharing diaries from several trainers preparing for the 2023 Thoroughbred Makeover competition, scheduled for Oct. 11-14 at the Kentucky Horse Park. Meet adult amateur rider Julianne Pangal and her RRP hopeful, Funnee, as they gear up for their maiden voyage to the Thoroughbred Makeover.
Month: May 2023
Belmont Winner Rags to Riches in League of Her Own
Todd Pletcher has won more than 5,500 races in his extraordinary training career. One stands out above the rest. That would be the 2007 Belmont Stakes, when big-hearted Rags to Riches became only the third filly to win the famed “Test of the Champion” and the first since Tanya in 1905.
Conclude Nips Favorite First Peace In Desert Code Thriller
Racing as a team the final quarter of a mile, Juan Hernandez, aboard Conclude, kept even money favorite First Peace and Mike Smith at bay by a scant nose in Sunday's $100,000 Desert Code Stakes for 3-year-olds at about 6½ furlongs down Santa Anita's hillside turf course.
Trained by Phil D'Amato, Conclude got the trip in 1:11.25.
Beaten 5½ lengths by First Peace as the 3-5 favorite down the hill in the ungraded John Shear Stakes April 9, Conclude broke like a shot and went immediately to the front with First Peace in close attendance, one length back five-sixteenths of a mile from home, and although he got on terms with the winner, First Peace could never quite gain the advantage in a thrilling finish.
“Today, Phil brought this horse ready to win this race,” said Hernandez, who was aboard the winner for the first time today. “In the post parade, this horse was feeling really good. I had a really good break out of the gate, so I went to the lead.
“After the clean break, I had a clean trip too and we got the win at the wire. I felt the outside horse (First Peace) when he came to me, he wanted to pass me but when I asked my horse, he responded and was fighting all the way down the stretch. He didn't want to get beat today.”
A 5½-furlong maiden turf winner two starts back, Conclude, who is owned by Little Red Feather Racing, Madaket Stables LLC and his breeder, Brereton C. Jones, was off at 8-5 in a field of six sophomores and paid $5.40 for the win.
“Hat's off to Billy Koch and Gary Fenton (of Little Red Feather Racing), they have been really good supporters of mine,” said D'Amato. “It was good to have a nice weekend with them, especially getting this horse back on track. We had high expectations for him when he broke his maiden and he had a legitimate excuse last time, but you still never know until they (prove it). I thought he (came with) a top effort today.
“We will see, maybe a mile with this horse. I've got to get him to relax a little bit more. Like Juan said, he's just a little rambunctious in the gate. I think if we can get him to relax and settle down, a mile is within his scope and we'll see from there.”
Bred in Kentucky, Conclude is by Collected out of Jones' homebred Proud Citizen mare Believe You Can, winner of the 2012 Kentucky Oaks (G1). With the win, the colt picked up $60,000, increasing his earnings to $119,600 while getting his second win from four overall starts.
(D'Amato also teamed with Little Red Feather Racing and Madaket Stables on Saturday at Pimlico Racecourse with their Beer Can Man, who took the $100,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint).
Trained by Mark Glatt, First Peace did everything but win in a big effort and 1 ½ lengths in front of Ransomware.
Also trained by D'Amato and ridden by Ramon Vazquez, Ransomware, the longest shot in the field of 17-1, was last at the half mile pole and finished well to be third by 2 ¼ lengths over British-bred Mas Rapido.
Fractions on the Desert Code were :21.25, :42.50 and 1:05.07.
The post Conclude Nips Favorite First Peace In Desert Code Thriller appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Mistical Curlin Wows In Maiden-Breaking Romp After Connections Note Late Trend
Mistical Curlin splashed to an eye-catching 19-length maiden score to close out Saturday's rain-soaked 11-race card at Belmont Park.
Trained and co-owned by Gustavo Rodriguez with Andrew Gurdon and Anil Poyah, the 4-year-old Curlin colt broke alertly under Jose Lezcano and was hustled to the lead in the one-turn mile for 3-year-olds and upward.
The chestnut marked off splits of :22.68 and :45.90 over the sloppy and sealed main track while racing wide down the backstretch before angling in through the turn and opening up by 5 1/2-lengths after three-quarters in 1:10.84. Mistical Curlin enjoyed a 12-length advantage at the stretch call and was kept to task by Lezcano as he graduated in his 12th career start in a final time of 1:35.90. He registered a 106 Beyer Speed Figure.
“He was training very good. He ended up running good and he was loving the slop, too,” said Rodriguez, who is the older brother of fellow Belmont-based trainer Rudy Rodriguez.
Mistical Curlin, the second longest shot on the board at 11-1, returned $25.40 for a $2 win bet and triggered a Pick 6 carryover as the only uncovered combatant in the six-horse field.
Rodriguez said he noted a potential trend late in Saturday's card which saw five wire-to-wire winners in the final seven races.
“We were watching all the races yesterday and if you broke on top and stay there, they win,” Rodriguez said. “So, I said to Lezcano, 'Let's try to break good and if you get the lead and get comfortable then stay there. If someone tries to hook you, then stay back.' But he broke like a rocket. He ran beautiful.”
The $375,000 purchase by Ken McPeek's agency at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Selected Yearlings Showcase, Mistical Curlin is out of the multiple graded-stakes winning Game Plan mare Mistical Plan, who won the 2008 Grade 1 Princess Rooney at Calder Race Course. Mistical Plan posted a record of 18-5-1-2 for purse earnings of $816,790, racing exclusively in stakes company following her debut maiden score in August 2006 at Santa Rosa. She also captured the 2007 Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks en route to a prominent fifth-place finish in that year's Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks – her lone start over an off track – won by Rags to Riches.
Mistical Curlin was haltered for $20,000 at sixth asking out of a runner-up effort in a nine-furlong maiden tilt at Saratoga Race Course. He has hit the board in two other starts since while Rodriguez developed the colt, who he said has overcome bleeding issues.
“We always look for horses to claim and one of my owners, Anil Poyah, asked me to look at the horse,” said Rodriguez, who oversees a stable that fluctuates between 15-20 horses. “We took a look and ended up dropping on him and we got lucky – it was a four-way shake.”
Rodriguez said Mistical Curlin exited his memorable maiden win in good order and will target a starter allowance event next.
“He can run a mile to a mile and an eighth with no problem,” Rodriguez said. “He's a big, beautiful horse. He ran big, so we're going to give him at least four or five weeks.”
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