Month: July 2023

Live Oak Plantation's Florida homebred Our Flash Drive brings a three-race win streak into Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 Caress, a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for older fillies and mares, at Saratoga Race Course.

The 5-year-old Ghostzapper mare made 10 consecutive starts at a distance of one mile or more before Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse entered the talented bay in the Grade 2 Bessarabian, a seven-furlong Tapeta sprint in November at Woodbine Racetrack.

Our Flash Drive responded with a powerful performance, sweeping past her rivals to romp by 5 3/4-lengths. She followed with two more wins at the Etobicoke, Ontario oval, taking the Grade 3 Whimsical in May traveling six furlongs over Tapeta and the Grade 2 Royal North last out on June 3 at 6 1/2-furlongs over turf.

“I made the decision toward the latter part of last year to sprint her and she ran really well,” Casse said. “She's won her last three in graded stakes sprinting. I'm a little concerned the Caress is a tad short for her, but we'll see.”

Our Flash Drive has won 7-of-16 starts, including a one-length score in last year's restricted one mile De La Rose over firm Spa turf.

Dylan Davis has the call from the inside post.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott will be represented by a pair of graded-stakes winners in Poppy Flower [post 4, Jose Ortiz] and Wakanaka [post 5, Junior Alvarado].

Arnmore Thoroughbreds' Poppy Flower made the grade last out with a rallying nose score over returning rival Bubble Rock in the six-furlong Grade 3 Intercontinental on June 9 at Belmont Park.

The 4-year-old Lea chestnut exited the inside post under Jose Ortiz and settled in sixth position as Bubble Rock dictated terms. A patient Ortiz tipped Poppy Flower out for the stretch run, found a seam, and arrived in the final strides to secure the win and garner a career-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure.

Poppy Flower sports a ledger of 3-1-2-0 sprinting 5 1/2-furlongs over the Spa turf led by a win in last year's Galway.

“She's doing well,” Mott said. “She's going to have to get going a little sooner this time.”

Team Valor International and Gary Barber's Wakanaka made the grade in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Dance Smartly last July at Woodbine and followed two starts later with a three-quarter length win in the one-mile Fall Harvest in November at Keeneland.

The 5-year-old Power mare has kept good company in three starts this season, finishing a troubled fifth in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational in January at Gulfstream Park ahead of a fourth in the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile in May at Churchill and a third in the one-mile Grade 1 Just a Game on June 9 at Belmont.

Mott said the ownership wanted to try something different with Wakanaka, who did win four turf sprints in Italy for her former conditioner Diego Dettori.

“She's coming off a lot of mile races, but we hope she'll do well,” Mott said.

Shortleaf Stable's dual graded-stakes winning Kentucky homebred Bubble Rock [post 2, Flavien Prat] has proven to be a versatile athlete for trainer Brad Cox.

The 4-year-old More Than Ready dark bay captured the 2021 Grade 3 Matron sprinting six furlongs over the Belmont green and was a gate-to-wire winner of the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Mrs. Revere in November at Churchill Downs to close out her sophomore season.

Bubble Rock was a game second in her seasonal debut in April at Keeneland when a pacesetting second in a one-mile allowance, finishing a neck back of multiple graded-stakes winner Gam's Mission. She followed with a rallying score in the six-furlong License Fee in May at Belmont before doing the hard yards on the front-end last out in the Intercontinental.

Bubble Rock has breezed back three times at Belmont, including a bullet half-mile in 47.72 over the inner turf on July 7.

“It was a good run. Unfortunately, she didn't get there,” said Cox of the Intercontinental effort. “We keep her down at Belmont and she does really good there.

“If she gets a good setup, she'll be tough,” Cox added. “I think she's better around one turn than two. She's been successful around two, but based on how she's performed, she likes the cutback.”

Bubble Rock is out of the Giant's Causeway mare Reef Point, who is a half-sister to the millionaire Blue Chipper – a Group 1-winner in Korea, who finished third in the 2019 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita.

Rounding out a competitive field is the Christophe Clement-trained stakes-winner Roses for Debra [post 3, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], who has won 5-of-7 starts led by a score last July in the Malvern Rose, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for Pennsylvania-breds over the Presque Isle Downs synthetic.

Bank On Anna is entered for the main-track only.

The Caress is slated as Race 6 on Saturday's 11-race card which also features the Grade 1, $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks in Race 9. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

Saratoga Live will present live coverage and analysis of the Saratoga Race Course summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.

The post Our Flash Drive Chasing More Spa Memories In Saturday’s Caress appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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After hitting the board in 3-of-6 graded starts, Irvin S. Naylor's Belfast Banter broke through at the highest level with a smart score in Wednesday's Grade 1, $150,000 A.P. Smithwick Memorial, a 2 1/16-mile hurdle test for older horses, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Cyril Murphy and expertly piloted to victory by Barry Foley, the 8-year-old son of Jeremy entered from third-place efforts in the Grade 2 David Semmes Memorial Handicap in May at Great Meadow and the Grade 2 Temple Gwathmey Handicap in April at Middleburg. He made his fourth start at the Grade 1 level after finishing off-the-board in a trio of prestigious events last year and visited the winner's circle for the first time since taking the 2021 Betway Top Novices at Aintree.

“In his overseas races, he was most successful when he had a strong, true-run race to sit behind and arrive there late,” said Murphy. “He's one of those horses that flatters to deceive. As long as he's traveling against you, you're getting something. When you drop his head and let him off, he's come to the end of his run. It was perfect just weaving between and keeping him covered and riding him like he was the best, and today he was.”

Belfast Banter was unhurried by Foley after the start and was brought to an inside path from post 9 to track near the rear of the nine-horse field as West Newton rushed up to take command into the first turn. Gordon's Jet sat just off the pace as Historic Heart raced comfortably in third position ahead of a headstrong Welshman down the backstretch for the first time with the order remaining unchanged throughout the first time around the good inner turf course.

Passing the stands a second time, West Newton widened his margin before veering inward over the seventh fence and losing a touch of ground to a progressing Gordon's Jet, who matched stride with his pacesetting rival entering the final turn. Meanwhile, a rail-skimming Belfast Banter showed an impressive turn of foot under a patient Foley, who kept a firm hold of his charge as he waited for room to tip three-wide into the stretch and unleash his run at the lead.

A loaded Belfast Banter had plenty left in the tank and glided past the frontrunners with ease in mid-stretch, drawing off under a celebrating Foley to claim the victory by 6 1/2 lengths in a final time of 3:53.69.

Historic Heart overtook the tiring front duo for second with Freddy Flintshire picking up show honors over the high-weighted Noah and The Ark. West Newton, Redicean, Gordon's Jet, Salvino and Welshman completed the order of finish.

Belfast Banter had finished third to his returning Jack Fisher-trained rivals Welshman and Gordon's Jet last out in the David Semmes when carrying six pounds more than the former and 10 more than the latter. Murphy said a more even weight assignment to that of his familiar rivals helped lead him to victory in their rematch.

“I believe coming here, we would win, but I didn't think he would do it like that,” said Murphy. “It gives you something to think about moving forward, but today was to be his day from my perspective.”

Foley, who won the first Grade 1 of his 18-year riding career, said a weight advantage helped his mount produce a better result at Saratoga than last year when he finished fourth in the Grade 1 Jonathan Sheppard.

“Everything went according to plan. They ran a nice gallop and we traveled very, very true to rails. Jumped brilliantly and he made my life easy,” said Foley. “He's had a couple of better runs in recent starts and he got a break at the weights today. He had a fourteen-pound spring for the two horses that were in front of him at the last, and I thought if he turns up, even halfway fair, he should be good enough to win.”

Murphy said it is possible Belfast Banter could give the 2 1/2-mile Jonathan Sheppard another try on August 16, but will wait and see how his newly-minted Grade 1-winner exits this race with the 2 3/8-mile Grade 1 Lonesome Glory on September 14 at Belmont at the Big A as another potential target.

“He ran here last year in the Sheppard and went to Aqueduct for the Lonesome Glory,” said Murphy. “I think he's a horse that's better with a bit of spacing. Is three weeks enough time? I'm not sure. But I do think 2 3/8 would suit him better than 2 1/2 the Lonesome Glory. We've got lots to think about, but we have time to think about it.”

Bred in Ireland by Seamus Cooney, Belfast Banter banked $90,000 in victory, boosting his total purse earnings to $324,103 and improving his lifetime record to 29-5-7-5. He returned $35.60 for a $2 win ticket.

Danny Mullins, who traveled from Ireland to ride the Keri Brion-trained Historic Heart, said the son of Fracas was simply second best.

“He was solid. I ended up a little closer to the pace than I initially thought I would be, but we weren't going that hard so I was happy there,” said Mullins. “He jumped well down the back and picked up off the bend. He ran a good race to be second. That's probably the first time Belfast Banter has ran to the form he showed at Aintree. So, a very solid run from my lad and hopefully we can find a race for him to win very soon.”

Live racing resumes Thursday at Saratoga with a 10-race card, featuring the $150,000 NYSSS Cab Calloway in Race 10. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

Saratoga Live will present live coverage and analysis of the Saratoga Race Course summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.

The post ‘I Didn’t Think He Would Do It Like That’: Belfast Banter Skips Home An Easy Winner Of Grade 1 Smithwick appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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