Both Echo Zulu and Bolshoi Ballet turned in impressive performances that secured paid berths in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup World Championships on a Travers Stakes undercard that was marred by the loss of New York Thunder to a catastrophic breakdown in the Grade 1
Month: August 2023
Too Darn Hot’s Darnation Too Good In The Prestige
Newtown Anner Stud's homebred Darnation (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}–Monday Monday {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) improved off a debut third at Haydock to post an impressive 10-length tally over the same seven-furlong distance at Thirsk last month and made a smooth transition upped to pattern-race level with a game tally in Saturday's G3 William Hill Prestige Fillies' S. at Goodwood.
Positioned in a stalking second after a smart getaway, the 5-2 favourite fanned wide with the field off the home turn and kept on relentlessly under a drive inside the final quarter-mile to prevail by an ultimately comfortable two lengths from 11-4 market rival Carla's Way (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}). Flight Plan (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) held every chance entering the final furlong and was outbobbed by a head for second.
Pedigree Notes
Darnation, half-sister to a yearling filly by Fastnet Rock (Aus), is the first of two foals produced by an unraced full-sister to dual Group-placed G2 Beresford S. third Exemplar (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). The April-foaled homebred bay's dam is also a half-sister to G1 1000 Guineas, G1 Irish Oaks and G1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine Blue Bunting (Dynaformer). Descendants of her second dam Miarixa (Fr) (Linamix {Fr}), herself out of stakes-winning G1 Prix Saint-Alary third Mrs Arkada (Fr) (Akarad {Fr}), include dual stakes-winning GIII Intercontinental S. and GIII Franklin S. placegetter Star Devine (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and G3 Earl of Sefton S. runner-up Poker Face (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}).
Darnation, the 5/2 favourite, stays on stoutly under Sam James to land the Group 3 @WillHillRacing Prestige Fillies' Stakes for @karl_burke pic.twitter.com/3HFb7grHB7
— Goodwood Racecourse (@Goodwood_Races) August 26, 2023
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Road Warrior Skippylongstocking Leads Throughout In Charles Town Classic
Competing at his 11th track in 19 career starts, Daniel Alonso's 4-year-old Exaggerator colt Skippylongstocking broke on top and was never threatened en route to a five-length victory on Friday night in the $1-million, Grade 2 Charles Town Classic at Charles Town Races in West Virginia.
Ridden by Tyler Gaffalione for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., Skippylongstocking raced the nine-furlongs on a fast track in 1:51.37 after setting fractional times of :24.82, :48.88, 1:14.17, and 1:38.75. He paid $4.80 to win as the 7-5 favorite.
Joseph also saddled the runner-up, Chilean-bred O'Connor, with Dash Attack third and Muad'dib fourth in the field of 10 older runners. The order of finish was completed by Call Me Fast, Giant Game, Double Crown, Doppelganger, and Perfect Flight. Eastern Bay was pulled up early in the race and did not finish, though he walked off under his own power.
The victory was the sixth in 19 starts for Skippylongstocking, who was produced from the War Chant mare, Twinkling. He was bred in Kentucky by Brushy Hill and purchased by Alonso from the Top Line Sales consignment for $37,000 at the 2021 OBS Spring Sale of 2-year-olds in training.
A maiden winner at 2, Skippylongstocking was third in the G1 Belmont Stakes at 3 before winning the G3 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park. He concluded his 3-year-old campaign with a victory in the G3 Harlan's Holiday at Gulfstream Park and won one of four starts this year prior to the Charles Town Classic, that win coming in the G3 Challenger Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in March. He's raced at Gulfstream Park, Aqueduct, Pimlico, Belmont Park, Mountaineer Park, Parx Racing, Tampa Bay Downs, Keeneland, and Prairie Meadows before his win at Charles Town.
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Vahva Earns First Stakes Victory In Charles Town Oaks
Vahva, chasing some of the best 3-year-old fillies in the country in her previous starts this year, earned her initial stakes victory on Friday night at Charles Town in West Virginia, coming from just off the pace under John Velazquez to score a popular 1 1/4-length victory in the $750,000, Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks.
Trained by Cherie DeVaux for the partnership of Belladonna Racing, Edward J. Hudson, Jr., West Point Thoroughbreds, LBD Stable, Nice Guys Stables, Manganaro Bloodstock, Runnels Racing, Steve Hornstock, and Twin Brook Stables, the 3-year-old filly by Gun Runner covered the seven furlongs in 1:25.01. She paid $4.80 as the favorite in the field of 10.
Undervalued Asset, ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, finished second, nosing out 96-1 long shot Late Frost and jockey Jeiron Barbosa. Metaphysical, Lily Poo, Imonra, Interpolate, Hoosier Philly, Opus Forty Two, and Chismosa completed the order of finish.
Late Frost set all the fractions in the two-turn sprint on the Charles Town “bull ring”: :23.37, :46.82, and 1:11.61.
Breaking from the rail post, Velazquez used Vahva's speed to maintain her position on the inside behind Late Frost, who broke from post two, and Undervalued Asset, who started from the outside post position.
When the field rounded the far turn, after Undervalued Asset was sent up to engage Late Frost, Velazquez swung his filly off the rail and took on the top pair, wearing them down in the final furlong to win going away.
It was the third win from nine starts for Vahva, who was produced from the stakes-winning Harlan's Holiday mare, Holiday Soiree. Bred in Kentucky by Woodford Thoroughbreds, Vahva was purchased for $280,000 by BDR IV and West Point from the Woodford Thoroughbreds consignment at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
After breaking her maiden at Churchill Downs last November, Vahva chased eventual G1 Kentucky Oaks winner Pretty Mischievous in the Untapable Stakes and G2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes at Fair Grounds last winter, won a Churchill Downs allowance race, then finished third behind ill-fated Maple Leaf Mel in the G3 Victory Ride at Belmont Park on July 8.
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