Month: August 2023

Lindsay Schultz didn't have to wait nearly as long for her second stakes victory as she did her first.

One month after the 35-year-old Schultz notched her first stakes win as a trainer she added a second one when Highestdistinction came from off the pace to score a 1½-length victory in Sunday's $108,000 Oceanport Stakes at Monmouth Park.

This one happened almost out of necessity, too.

“He worked phenomenal last week and we nominated him because we were having trouble finding a spot for him,” said Schultz, whose first career stakes win came with Alex Joon on July 15 in the Edward P. Evans Stakes at Colonial Downs. “Rather than wait around we thought we'd put him in this spot, especially after he worked so well last week. He beat a nice group of horses today.”

Earlier on the card, trainer Joe Orseno notched career win No. 1,999 when Eamonn rallied under Paco Lopez for a half-length victory over Yes and Yes in the $102,000 Select Stakes at 5½ furlongs on the grass. Orseno then reached the 2,000-win milestone when Lord Eddard Stark won the ninth race at Gulfstream Park later in the day.

Eamonn's winning time was 1:02.96.

The 5-year-old son of Pioneerof the Nile managed to overcome being steadied during the turn to record his seventh win in 21 turf starts for owner Robert Cotran. He paid $13 to win.

“It's a big accomplishment for me, my barn and my staff,” Orseno said of his milestone victory. “It shows all the hard work that everyone has put in has paid off. We've been grinding for years so it's nice to add this to the list of achievements.”

Highestdistinction, meanwhile, was kept within early striking range of front-running race favorite Big Everest by jockey Jairo Rendon before sweeping three wide coming out of the turn in the mile and a sixteenth grass feature for 3-year-olds and up. Highestdistinction assumed command in midstretch, easily holding off the late charge of There Are No Words, who was another 1½ lengths ahead of He'spuregold in third.

The winning time over a firm grass course was 1:43.05.

Schultz, a graduate of the University Louisville's Equine Industry Program, took over training of Highestdistincton three races ago. He was second to Cat Nip in a turf race at Monmouth Park on May 27, then won a $50,000 allowance at Delaware Park on July 14.

The gelded son of Point of Entry, owned by Willow Lane Stable, became a first-time stakes winner at the age of 6. He was 0-for-6 last year.

“He seems like he is improving with age, though he showed a lot of promise as a 3-year-old,” said Schultz, who has 25 horses at Monmouth Park. She started training on her own full-time in January of 2022. “Since his break he has done really well.”

Highestdistinction returned $23.20 to win.

“The other time I rode him two races ago he was a good second to Cat Nip, who I think is a very good horse,” said Rendon. “That horse beat us that day but I got my horse in trouble on the turn. But my horse still ran good. That's why I liked him a lot today. He ran big again for me. I knew the favorite (Big Everest) is a speed horse and you get worried sometimes that they will get away on the lead. I didn't want to be too far from him when I made my move.

“The horse helped me a lot because he was ready to go when I asked him. I tried to keep my position because I thought going in that Big Everest was the best horse in the race. I didn't want to be too far away from him.”

The post Highestdistinction Takes Oceanport; Eamonn Wins Select As Prelude To Orseno’s Milestone 2,000th Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Most folks at Del Mar on Sunday thought trainer Bob Baffert had a real live one for the Best Pal Stakes (G3) in the expensive colt Muth. Well, Muth ran a good race, as predicted, but it wasn't good enough as another Baffert runner, Prince of Monaco, stormed through the lane to take the $200,000 race by a handy 4 1/4 lengths over his highly touted stablemate.

Flavien Prat, a seven-time seaside riding champion who has been plying his trade of late on the East Coast, flew in for the assignment on the winning son of 2004 champion sprinter Speightstown and handled his charge perfectly, letting a pair of speedsters go fast early, then taking over at the head of the lane and finishing strongly.

Prince of Monaco's final time – 1:09.19 – was the fastest six furlongs of the meet. It bested the previous mark of 1:09.24, set by win machine The Chosen Vron in capturing the Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) on July 29.

Prince of Monaco, who cost “only” $950,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale (stablemate Muth cost $2-million earlier this year at the OBS March Two-Year-Olds In Training Sale) is owned by an extended partnership consisting of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Robert Masterson, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan, and Tom Ryan.

Muth, who races in the silks of Zedan Racing Stables, was second, 4 1/2 lengths ahead of Raging Torrent.

Prince of Monaco, the 9-5 second choice in the wagering (Muth went favored at 1-2), returned $5.60 to win.

The winner's share of the purse was $120,000 and increased Prince of Monaco's bankroll to $147,000. He won his only other start, a straight maiden race at Los Alamitos on July 9 where he was an eight-length winner.

The score in the Best Pal was Baffert's record 10th in the race. It was Prat's second.

Best Pal Quotes

JOCKEY FLAVIEN PRAT (Prince of Monaco, winner) – “Mr. Baffert called me and asked me to come out and ride a horse for him. And so here I am. He was very comfortable out there; felt good all the way. I saw the pace was hot and I just waited my turn. He's a nice colt. And yes, I think he can run farther.”

TRAINER BOB BAFFERT (Prince of Monaco, winner) – “He (Prat) rode that filly (in Race 3) really fast and I said 'That's OK, just don't do that on this one.' We knew the other horse was really quick and I was hoping Muth would lay off the pace but he just engaged early. Prat saw what was going on and he took back and I like the way the horse responded and he had a good post for it. You put good riders on good horses, but it was really key that he rode that filly for me in the third race.” (That filly was favored Elegant, who showed speed, but fell back and finished fifth.)

FRACTIONS: :21.76 :44.76 :56.90 1:09.19

The post Baffert-Trained Prince Of Monaco Upstages Favored Stablemate In Best Pal appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Trainer and co-owner Adam Rice continued a torrid run of form at Saratoga Race Course by earning his sixth win from just nine Spa starters when 19-1 shot Closethegame Sugar upset Sunday's $150,000 Mahony, a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for sophomores.

The 32-year-old conditioner, who previously captured the 2020 Fitz Dixon Jr. Memorial with Like a Saltshaker at his Presque Isle Downs base, was overcome with emotion in the winner's circle.

“It's only my second career stakes win and to have it be here is something special,” Rice said of the special Spa score engineered by Jose Lezcano. “You're reaching coming up here some days coming out of Presque Isle – [but] the horses are nice, and if they're nice, they tell you what they want to do, and he's one of my favorite horses to ride every day. I can't talk and I might be tearing up a little bit.”

Rice, who saddled Dancing Spirit [No. 10, $18] for a victory in Race 2 earlier on the card, won with his first Saratoga starter when Don't Be So Salty posted a maiden special weight score at 9-1 odds in August 2015. The Tiz Wonderful gelding followed up two weeks later with a third-place finish in front of stablemate Montauk Cove in the Spa's Schenectady.

His other Spa winners include Monster Bea [MSW, 2015], Shekky Shebaz [CLM, 2019] and the now two-time local hero Closethegame Sugar, who won a restricted maiden special weight over good turf here last summer with Jose Ortiz up, besting next-out winner Webslinger, who is now a graded stakes-winning millionaire.

Closethegame Sugar, co-owned by Rice and Sugar Diaz, was put away after his maiden score and returned on June 5 to finish a close second in the six-furlong Tom Ridge over the Presque Isle Downs synthetic.

“I tell you what, there's so much fight in this horse it's not even funny. He gives every bit you ask of him,” Rice said. “His first [time] out, he was a little bit short I think and that horse [Webslinger] gave it to him, and he still gave it. Jose [Ortiz] was excited when he got off of him. Jose couldn't ride him today, but Jose Lezcano brought it home.”

Dual stakes winner Uncashed, a front-running victor of 5-of-6 starts, was hustled out of the gate by the Spa's leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr. to set splits of :21.49 and :44.64 over the firm footing under pressure from stakes-placed Harry Time with stakes-winning mutuel favorite No Nay Hudson in third.

Closethegame Sugar, who raced with hind shoes on, settled into fifth position, racing to the inside of Private Creed as the front-end battled raged on through the turn. No Nay Hudson took over as the field straightened away and his Wesley Ward-trained stablemate, the New York-bred Eye Witness, loomed large with a menacing move. A patient Lezcano stayed near the rail before tipping out late in the turn and diving through an opening between a tiring Uncashed and putting a head in front of the surging No Nay Hudson.

Private Creed, with Joel Rosario up, found his best stride in deep stretch, bumping with the Jose Ortiz-piloted Eye Witness to his inside as No Nay Hudson tried in vain to stay with Closethegame Sugar. But there was no denying a game and determined Closethegame Sugar, who staved off a cavalry charge of rivals to secure a half-length win over Private Creed in a final time of 1:02.54. It was a half-length back to Eye Witness in third, who was a neck better than No Nay Hudson.

“He broke sharp and he was right there,” Lezcano said. “The horses up on the front end of the pace went fast early on. I had plenty left in the tank. When I asked him, my horse gave a good kick and went on and won the race. He kept running, finished very strong and galloped out very well.”

Son of a Birch, Gaslight Dancer, Drew's Gold, Uncashed and Harry Time rounded out the order of finish. Crispy Cat, who finished fifth earlier today in the Select at Monmouth Park, was scratched. A claim of foul by Ortiz, aboard Eye Witness, against Rosario and Private Creed for interference late in the lane was denied.

Rosario said he was focused on his mount as the battle heated up in deep stretch with Eye Witness.

“There was a little room for him to go in there but I don't know how much room there was. I just kept riding my horse where I was,” Rosario explained. “My horse had a good trip, it looked like for a second my horse was going to get there but the horse on the inside [Closethegame Sugar] got his inside trip. It was a good run for my horse.”

Rice said that while he would like to try Closethegame Sugar on dirt, he has yet to consider a next start for the Girvin gelding, who was purchased for $10,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

“Man, I'm still trying to get through today. I've got to go back to Presque Isle and train horses in the morning,” said Rice, with a laugh.

Bred in Kentucky by Brereton C. Jones, who stands Girvin at his Airdrie Stud in Midway, Ky.,  Closethegame Sugar is out of the Magna Graduate mare Casual Cocktail, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-placed Rum Go. He banked $82,500 in victory while improving his record to 3-2-1-0 and returned $41 for a $2 win bet.

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