August, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Stunning Breakdown Of Maple Leaf Mel Overshadows Test, Pretty Mischievous

Undefeated Maple Leaf Mel, who spurted to the lead out of the gate and opened up in the stretch, was strides away from victory in the Grade 1 Test Saturday at Saratoga Race Course but stumbled and fell just short of the finish line, and suffered a devastating fatal breakdown just past the wire.

Maple Leaf Mel's rider, Joel Rosario, sat up on the track for a few minutes after the fall, then stood up and walked off under his own power. He got a ride in the ambulance for evaluation. The Cross Traffic filly was euthanized after sustaining a catastrophic injury to her right front. The tragic accident overshadowed the performance by Godolphin homebred Pretty Mischievous, who went on to win the race for 3-year-old fillies.

Clearly Unhinged was second, and finished Munnys Gold third.

Maple Leaf Mel was owned by retired Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Parcells' August Dawn Farm and trained by Melanie Giddings. She was the first graded stakes winner for Giddings, who embarked on her own career earlier this year after serving as an assistant to Jeremiah Englehart.

The atmosphere at the Spa was somber following the Test, and celebrations for the winner were dampened.

Brendan Walsh, winning trainer of Pretty Mischievous ($5.70), said he didn't want to say a lot.

“I'd rather leave it. It's just cruel what happened. I just feel terrible for Melanie and that whole team. That must be gut-wrenching. My filly ran her race, but that's another story. I don't know what to think right now.”

Tyler Gaffalione, rider of Pretty Mischievous, said: “To be honest, I'm a bit lost for words right now. I feel so bad for the connections of Mel. It's hard to enjoy this one thinking about that. My condolences go out to their team. Hopefully they're able to get through this and God bless them.”

This story will be updated.

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Pretty Mischievous Wins Test; Maple Leaf Mel Breaks Down at the Wire, Is Euthanized

The unbeaten New York-bred filly Maple Leaf Mel (Cross Traffic–City Gift, by City Place), well on her way to a powerful, front-running win in Saturday's GI Test S. at Saratoga, tragically broke down in the shadow of the wire and had to be euthanized on the track.

The GI Kentucky Oaks winner and 9-5 favorite 'TDN Rising Star' Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief), racing one from last for most of the seven-furlong journey, crossed the wire first, a head in front of longshot Clearly Unhinged (Into Mischief). 'Rising Star' Munnys Gold (Munnings) was third.

The rail-drawn Pretty Mischievous, quickly guided off the fence by Tyler Gaffalione, raced in sixth through fractions of :22.28 and :44.58. The five-for-five GII Victory Ride S. winner kicked for home in complete control as Pretty Mischievous began to wind up while six wide leaving the quarter pole and began her rally down the center of the course.

Maple Leaf Mel led by 2 1/2 lengths at the stretch call and was well clear approaching the wire as Pretty Mischievous and Clearly Unhinged gave chase. Maple Leaf Mel took a bad step beneath Joel Rosario approaching the wire and went down.

Both Pretty Mischievous and Clearly Unhinged were steered clear of their ill-fated, fallen rival and hit the wire together, with the former narrowly in front.

Maple Leaf Mel was humanely euthanized on track with a catastrophic injury to her right front, per Dr. Luis Castro.

Rosario incurred a cut to his lower lip and will visit a Saratoga-area hospital by private vehicle for stitches, but was otherwise alert and in good order. He is off the remainder of his mounts.

Saturday, Saratoga
TEST S.-GI, $500,000, Saratoga, 8-5, 3yo, f, 7f, :00.00, ft.
1–PRETTY MISCHIEVOUS, 124, f, 3, by Into Mischief
                1st Dam: Pretty City Dancer (GISW, $286,344), by Tapit
                2nd Dam: Pretty City, by Carson City
                3rd Dam: Pretty Special, by Riverman
O/B-Godolphin, LLC (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh; J-Tyler
Gaffalione. $275,000. 'TDN Rising Star' Lifetime Record:
9-7-1-1, $1,756,560. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or
the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Clearly Unhinged, 118, f, 3, by Into Mischief
                1st Dam: Smart Win, by Smart Strike
                2nd Dam: Win McCool, by Giant's Causeway
                3rd Dam: Win Crafty Lady, by Crafty Prospector
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK
TYPE. O-Rock Brothers Racing; B-Rock Brothers Breeding
LLC (KY); T-Michael W. McCarthy. $100,000.
3–Munnys Gold, 118, f, 3, by Munnings
                1st Dam: Haraawa, by Medaglia d'Oro
                2nd Dam: Alseera, by Distorted Humor
                3rd Dam: Unbridled Idol, by Unbridled
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($92,000 Wlg '20 FTKNOV; $300,000
Ylg '21 FTKJUL). O-Lawana L. and Robert E. Low; B-Nicksar
Farms (FL); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $60,000.
Margins: HD, 1 3/4, 1. Odds: 1.85, 17.60, 4.40.
Also Ran: Dorth Vader, Jersey Pearl, Tappin Josie, Maple Leaf Mel. Scratched: Interpolate.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Sunday Insights: Daisy Devine Filly Debuts For Flaxman, Motion

1st-SAR, $136k, Msw, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:10 p.m. ET
The Niarchos Family's Flaxman Holdings went to $1.3 million for GI Jenny Wiley S. heroine Daisy Devine (Kafwain) at the 2013 Keeneland November Sale, and her daughter CARINA NEBULA (Into Mischief) gets her first taste of the races Sunday. The versatile dam, who also won the 2011 GII Fair Grounds Oaks, is a 100% producer from five to the races, and Carina Nebula makes the trip up from Fair Hill, where she most recently breezed five furlongs over the all-weather track in 1:01 (1/7) July 28. Sands of War (War Front) cost $550,000 at last year's Keeneland September Sale and is the latest to the races out of Egyptian Storm (Pioneerof the Nile), a $750,000 Fasig-Tipton November acquisition whose dam Stage Magic (Ghostzapper) produced Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year Justify (Scat Daddy). Speaking of the Coolmore stalwart–recently crowned champion first-season sire in Australia–he is represented here by Bruce Lunsford's Kingdom Come, a homebred half-sister to dual Grade I winner Art Collector (Bernardini) and GSP Classic Legacy (Into Mischief). TJCIS PPs

2nd-SAR, $136k, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:44 p.m.
BENTO (Tapit) was hammered down to D J Stable for $600,000 at last fall's Fasig-Tipton October Sale, the second-dearest price of that four-day auction. The April-foaled gray is out of dual graded winner Carolyn's Cat (Forestry), the dam of Bento's GIII Bayakoa S.-winning full-sister and 'TDN Rising Star' Mufajaah. The MGSP third dam Cassowary (Cormorant) produced 1994 GII Pennsylvania Derby winner Meadow Flight (Meadowlake). Ways and Means (Practical Joke) is by a sire who was campaigned by Klaravich and William H. Lawrence to win the 2017 GI H. Allen Jerkens S. here and is a full-brother to Highly Motivated, who just missed on debut here three summers ago and earned graded-stakes glory in last year's GIII Monmouth Cup. He is perhaps best remembered for his tooth-and-nails battle with champion Essential Quality (Tapit) in the 2021 GII Toyota Blue Grass S. The March foal is also a half-sister to Surge Capacity (Flintshire {GB}), winner of last month's GIII Lake George S. Shore War (Omaha Beach), $350,000 OBSAPR breezer, is out of a half-sister to SW Marion Ravenwood (A.P. Indy), the dam of champion and recent GII Shuvee S. winner Nest (Curlin) and GISW Idol (Curlin). TJCIS PPs

4th-GP, $55k, 2yo, f, (S), 5 1/2f, 2:16 p.m. ET
LAILA BELLA GIRL (Girvin) fetched $100,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton July Sale, but blossomed in the months leading up to this spring's OBS March Sale and was knocked down to Champion Equine for $500,000 after working a furlong in :10 flat over the synthetic surface. That price was the most expensive of 23 (30 ring) of her sire's second-crop runners to sell this season. Airdrie-bred top and bottom, the Feb. 8 foal is out of a mare by former Airdrie inmate Mark Valeski who is a half-sister to MSW & GSP Fuerteventura (Summer Front), SW Midnight Soiree (Include) and SW Ciguaraya (Latent Heat). TJCIS PPs

6th-SAR, $136k, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 4:00 p.m.
Godolphin sends out its homebred HOLIDAY ROAD (Into Mischief), whose dam Seventh Street (Street Cry {Ire}) took out the GI Go for Wand H. in these environs in 2009 and has since gone on to produce the Bill Mott-trained 2019 GII Demoiselle S. victress Lake Avenue (Tapit) and GISP 'TDN Rising Star' Marking (Bernardini). Helcia (Bernardini) was hammered down for a healthy $230,000 at KEESEP last fall, but improved into a $600,000 OBS March juvenile after breezing an eighth of a mile in a slick :10 (see Summer Breezes). Honors for the best-named horse of the day go to Before You Go Go (Mitole), a $67,000 KEENOV weanling turned $310,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic breezer (see Summer Breezes). Her dam Wake Me Up (Act of War) is a half-sister to champion Hansen (Tapit). TJCIS PPs

1st-DMR, $82k, Msw, 2yo, f, 5fT, 5:00 p.m. ET
ELLIE MOORE (IRE) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) was bet down to 5-1 for her five-furlong debut in heavy Curragh turf Apr. 16 and got home well to share second spot while finishing a neck behind Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio), subsequent winner of the G3 EBF Fillies' Sprint at Naas in May and the G3 Albany S. at Royal Ascot June 23. By a stallion whose progeny have succeeded all over the world, the bay is out of a half-sister to Same World (GB) (ex Tucuman {GB}) (Hawk Wing), a stakes winner in France and Hong Kong and runner-up in the 2012 Hong Kong Derby; and English Group 3 winner San Sicharia (Ire) (Daggers Drawn). TJCIS PPs

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‘He’s Got That ‘It’ Factor’: Jockey Fresu Making Good First Impression At Del Mar

Antonio Fresu is one of the new kids in the Del Mar jockey's room. He's also one of the most accomplished. He's only been in the United States for a short time and has already established himself as a reliable rider with good instincts.

He made his North American debut last September at Saratoga. Since then he's made quite an impression everywhere he rides, at Santa Anita, at Los Alamitos and now at Del Mar, where he won his first mount of the summer meet aboard Cal-bred Economical in a claiming race July 22.

“It's a beautiful place,” Fresu says of Del Mar. “The track is amazing and the facility is really good. I started really well, winning my first ride of the meet for Doug O'Neill. It was really nice to place in a couple of stakes and win with a nice 3-year-old colt.”

That 3-year-old is Raging Torrent, who won at first asking for O'Neill.

Fresu is good with horses because he's been around them all of his life. The 31-year-old native Italian was brought up in a family of horsemen.

“I'm the fourth generation of riders,” Fresu said. “My father was a jockey in Italy; so were my uncle, my granddad and my great grandfather. They actually didn't want me to be a jockey. They say it's a hard life and now after a few years I have to say they were right.”

Fresu went to the racing school in Italy in Pisa and admittedly says he started a little bit late.

“My first ride I was almost 20-years-old,” he noted. “After a few years in Italy I was doing really well and they suggested I go to England. So I went to the UK for a couple of years and that's when I started to go to Dubai.”

Fresu became one of the top riders at Meydan Racecourse in the United Emirates, home of the Dubai World Cup, winning the 2021 Dubai Golden Shaheen with Zenden.

“That's where I met Doug O'Neill,” Fresu said. “He was asking me to come to the U.S. last year but I didn't take the chance. But this year I did because he said he had a good friend, Tom Knust, who could be my agent. It was a good move.”

“He's just a tremendous horseman,” O'Neill said about Fresu. “Horses just run for him. He's got that 'It' factor. He's able to reserve a horse without fighting him and then down the lane he's very strong and horses are encouraged by him.

“Sometimes you get riders who are strong finishers but horses aren't in sync with them and they take their run away,” O'Neill continued. “But he's a strong finisher and horses really run for him.”

Fresu said he's still making the adjustment to life in America.

“I think the hardest part is the transition,” Fresu said. “My life, being in Europe and Dubai, being here is very different so you need to adapt yourself. Once you adapt yourself you're happy and you can go back to your work and do good things because I think if you don't live well, you're not going to work well.”

Things appear to be working very well for Fresu. Coming into Saturday, he is fourth in the Del Mar jockey standings with six wins, nine seconds and six thirds from 47 mounts and $522,330 in earnings.

“I have a passion for the horses,” Fresu said with a smile. “They are amazing animals.

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