Month: August 2023

Trainer Schultz, Whelen Springs Make Grade In Philip H. Iselin

Trainer Lindsay Schultz has had a five-week stretch that she is likely to remember for quite a while.

After winning her first stakes race on July 15 and her second on Aug. 13, the 35-year-old recorded the biggest win of her three-year career when Whelen Springs surged past Trademark at the sixteenths pole to score a half-length win in Saturday's $250,000 Philip H. Iselin Stakes (G3) at Monmouth Park.

The victory marked her first in a graded stakes as 1-2 favorite Zozos staggered home fourth

“I'm happy to get my first graded stakes win for these owners (breeder Shortleaf Stable) and with this horse because of the way he has improved so much,” said Schultz. “He's gained confidence and he's really done well since we brought him to Monmouth Park. He took a step up last race (finishing second to Proxy in the Monmouth Cup [G3]) and then he did it again today.

“This was a small field but a really good one, so I wasn't expecting too much. We thought he'd run well and he ran the way he has been training.”

Ridden by 59-year-old Jose Ferrer, Whelen Springs settled into a close-up fourth early in the five-horse field going 1 1/16 miles. Zozos set the early fractions as expected, going :24.26 for the opening quarter and :48.33 to the half, but never responded when Trademark took off after him entering the final turn.

Ferrer made his move with Whelen Springs right after that, with the two fighting down the lane for the lead before Whelen Springs, a 4-year-old Arkansas-bred Street Sense colt, nudged by.

The winning time was 1:44.35.

As part of the Breeders' Cup “Dirt Dozen” the connections of Whelen Springs receive a credit of $15,000 toward entry fees to the Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) in November at Santa Anita.

“I had a lot of faith in this horse going into this race. Lindsay has done a really nice job with him,” said Ferrer. “His last race was a tough race. He battled the whole way and lost to a really good horse. Today he broke the same way. I got the same trip on the back side. I was sitting there thinking `I've got a lot of horse. There's a lot left here.'

“I don't know what happened to Zozos, but I wanted to wait as long as I could to make a move and when Trademark went I followed him and I could see Zozos was struggling. Then it became a battle down the stretch. He just took off. I was so impressed with his race today.”

Steal Sunshine rallied late to edge out Zozos for third, but was 2½ lengths behind Trademark.

After racing in $50,000 optional for most of 2022 and until June of this year, Whelen Springs was sent from John Ortiz' barn to Schultz. He won a $50,000 optional claimer at Monmouth Park on June 17 in his first start for her, then was second in the Monmouth Cup.

“I'm hoping to get a little time to enjoy this but we want to keep doing well,” said Schultz, whose first graded stakes win came with the 178th starter of her career. “So you have to move on to the next one.

“Jose has figured out how to ride this horse. He seems to be able to keep his momentum going. He was wide in the first turn but he doesn't mind that. He really showed some heart.”

Whelen Springs, who was produced by the Pure Prize mare Holy Nova, paid $20.80 to win. He has a 5-2-2 record from 15 career starts and $547,767 in lifetime earnings.

The post Trainer Schultz, Whelen Springs Make Grade In Philip H. Iselin appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Aspray Back in Winner’s Circle in Lake Placid

Ran Jan Racing's immaculately bred Aspray (Quality Road), who tasted defeat for the first time in her career in the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. July 8, atoned for that effort in no uncertain terms with a powerful two-length victory over her previously unbeaten stablemate Surge Capacity (Flintshire {GB}) in Saturday's GII Lake Placid S. at Saratoga. Soviet Excess (Uncle Mo) charged home late to deny a Chad Brown 1-2-3 sweep, finishing just ahead of favored Tax Implications (GB) (Mehmas {Ire}).

Drawn beautifully in gate two, Aspray bounced away in good order and secured the ideal position in transit, riding the rails as Heavenly Sunset (Candy Ride {Arg}) led from Gloria's Princess (Cairo Prince) at an even gallop. Traveling sweetly beneath Flavien Prat for the run into the final half-mile, Aspray was waited with nearing the quarter pole, popped off the inside and into the three-wide line to deliver her challenge in upper stretch. The homebred quickly put the pacesetters to the sword with about a furlong and a half to race, pinched a winning break and was never in any sort of danger. Surge Capacity appeared to take an awkward stride or two in a bit tight down the backstretch, but had a clear shot at the winner in the stretch and just couldn't reel her in.

Victorious in an off-turf maiden on Tampa debut Jan. 14, Aspray followed up with a facile 2 1/2-length success trying the grass for the first time in Oldsmar Mar. 22. With Prat in the boot for the first time, the bay made up a double-digit deficit with a wide rally to take out the May 19 Hilltop S. at Pimlico and was wide on both turns last time in the 10-furlong Oaks, finishing 2 1/2 lengths behind European raider Aspen Grove (Ire) (Justify) in fourth.

“[Aspray relished the] cutback in distance and she really appreciated the ground today, too,” said Brown, winning his fifth Lake Placid in the last seven years and third straight. “She didn't mind a little cut in the ground. She worked out a beautiful trip from that inside post. Flavien [Prat] really took advantage of that.

“I trained her a little too far last time, but you had to try since it was such a prestigious race we were pointing towards. I thought she could do it. Flavien [Prat] knows the horse so well, he came back after the race and he was adamant about the race being a little too far for her and that we should cut her back in distance to 1 1/16 miles to 1 1/8 miles and we'll be fine. He was right.”

Brown indicated that Aspray would likely make her next start in the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland over nine panels in October, an event he won last year with Gina Romantica (Into Mischief).

Pedigree Notes:

Aspray is a 35th worldwide winner at the group/graded level for Lane's End's Quality Road and is bred on the exact same cross as Cairo (Ire), a Group 3 winner last season at two in Ireland and most recently runner-up to Paddington (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) in the G1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas in May. Aspray is the 164th GSW worldwide out of a daughter of the late Galileo.

Aspray's dam was raced by the Coolmore partners, finishing runner-up to Beauty Parlour (GB) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches in 2012 before returning to Ireland to win the G3 Dance Design S. and G2 Blandford S. Robert Naify and Jan Vandebos's Ran Jan Racing paid a sales-topping $2.2 million for Up, in foal to War Front, at the 2015 Keeneland January Sale.

The mare, a half-sister to Group 1-winning juvenile and Cheveley Park sire Dutch Art (GB) (Medicean {GB}), has proven a commercial success and her offspring have done their part at the races. Her foal of 2017, Monarch of Egypt, became the first winner and 'TDN Rising Star' for American Pharoah and went on to be second in the 2019 G1 Phoenix S. for the Coolmore partners. He was later sold to Hong Kong interests, was unplaced in the 2021 BMW Hong Kong Derby and is now conditioned by the Hayes brothers in Victoria, Australia, where he won in handicap company in May. Khartoum (Pioneerof the Nile), a $1-million KEESEP grad in 2019, was Group 3-placed for Coolmore in Ireland and was sold to continue his career in Saudi Arabia, where he was an 8 1/2-length winner in allowance company at King Khalid Racecourse in Ta'if Aug. 4.

Up's yearling Medaglia d'Oro filly is cataloged as hip 384 to the upcoming Keeneland September Sale. She was among the first book of mares bred to Flightline this season.

Saturday, Saratoga
LAKE PLACID S.-GII, $200,000, Saratoga, 8-19, 3yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:42.85, gd.
1–ASPRAY, 120, f, 3, by Quality Road
                1st Dam: Up (Ire) (MGSW-Ire, G1SP-Fr, $379,468),
                                by Galileo (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Halland Park Lass (Ire), by Spectrum (Ire)
                3rd Dam: Palacegate Episode (Ire), by Drumalis (Ire)
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Ran Jan Racing, Inc. (KY);
T-Chad C. Brown; J-Flavien Prat. $110,000. Lifetime Record:
5-4-0-0, $226,210. *1/2 to Monarch of Egypt (American
Pharoah), G1SP-Ire, GSP-Eng, $268,084. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Surge Capacity, 122, f, 3, Flintshire (GB)–Strong Incentive, by
Warrior's Reward. O/B-Klaravich Stables (KY); T-Chad C.
Brown. $40,000.
3–Soviet Excess, 118, f, 3, Uncle Mo–Westit (GB), by Tapit.
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O/B-Wertheimer Et Frere (KY);
T-Todd A. Pletcher. $24,000.
Margins: 2, HD, NK. Odds: 3.35, 4.20, 28.25.
Also Ran: Tax Implications (GB), Prerequisite, Gloria's Princess, Heavenly Sunday, Junipermarshmallow. Scratched: Leave No Trace, Undervalued Asset.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

The post Aspray Back in Winner’s Circle in Lake Placid appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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‘You Never Know’: Recuperating P. Val Helps Around Del Mar Barn, Return To Race Riding Uncertain

Stop by the barn of Antonio Saavedra on the backside at Del Mar these days and you may recognize one of his workers. On any given morning there is a man hot walking the horses and generally helping out around the stable.

Now, what if you were told that man has won more races (765) at Del Mar than every jockey currently riding at the seaside oval.

He is Patrick Valenzuela.

“I'm trying to do some live work and keep busy,” Valenzuela said. “And of course, I love being around horses. It's also nice to be out here around other horsemen I've known for years and years.”

Valenzuela also is rehabbing from the knee replacement surgery he had two months ago. While he has not officially announced his retirement from race ridding, Valenzuela is 60-years-old and has been out of racing for several years now. His association with Saavedra goes back to his riding days.

“I've known Tony for years,” Valenzuela said, “when he was working for Barry Abrams. Tony's been a good guy to me and very supportive. He said he would give me a job on the backside doing something, so he's got me helping him at the barn. It's pretty cool.”

It sort of reminds Valenzuela of the days when he first got into horse racing.

“As a kid I used to help my dad,” he said. “He had about 25 horses and me and my brother would help him. Groom them and gallop them and everything. I started out when I was 9-years-old, washing feed tubs, cleaning up around the barn and helping the grooms.”

When he turned 14 Valenzuela started working horses and by 16 he was racing them.

“I know everything there is in the barn,” Valenzuela notes. “It's all I've ever known. I don't know anything else, but I do know horses.”

Valenzuela's racing career spanned 39 years, some of it interrupted and marred by the demons of addiction. But much of it was filled with success. Of his 4,372 victories, two were Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness (G1) wins aboard Sunday Silence in 1989 and seven were Breeders' Cup wins. He had 68 stakes victories and 765 wins overall at Del Mar, fourth best all-time.

He's hoping to get back up in the saddle by September. As for any kind of comeback to racing, P Val will leave that up to fate.

“You never know, only God knows that,” he said. “The doctors will let me know if I'm good enough to do that. I'll just keep trying one day at a time and see what happens.”

The post ‘You Never Know’: Recuperating P. Val Helps Around Del Mar Barn, Return To Race Riding Uncertain appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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