September, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

She Feels Pretty Takes ‘Win & You’re In’ Natalma By Comfortable Margin

Lael Stables' She Feels Pretty, closing down the middle of the track under rider John Velazquez, proved best by 4¼ lengths in Saturday's Johnnie Walker Natalma Stakes (G1) for 2-year-old fillies.

The Natalma, a $500,000 turf race contested over one mile of grass, is part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series and gives the winner a fees-paid berth in the $1-million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1), a one-mile event to be run Nov. 3 at Santa Anita.

“I was very confident, I got to say she was feeling very confident,” said Velazquez. “I made sure I put her in a good position behind Dylan Davis (rider of Ozara), a horse that could take me a little way down. When we turned for home, I moved her to the clear and her ears went up and I said, 'Wow, look at this.' I went after her and she instantly responded. The way she did it was very impressive.”

Simply in Front, the only nonwinner in the 13-filly field, was well-placed throughout and ended a solid second at odds of just under 30-1.

English invader Dazzling Star, the 7-5 favorite to give trainer Charlie Appleby an eighth straight Grade 1 success at Woodbine and a third win in the Natalma, broke slowly and while she made up ground was never able to enter serious contention. The Godolphin homebred finished 2½ lengths behind the runner-up.

Ozara, looking to give the Christophe Clement barn a sweep of the day's Grade 1 features for 2-year-olds, raced prominently and appeared to be in with a big chance turning for home only to flatten out slightly and finish fourth.

Golden Canary ended fifth after setting fractions of :22.86, :47.01, and 1:11.81 before weakening.

Ready to Jam, Rhapsody, Bolt Enoree, Dea Matrona (FR), She's Fire, Ms. Tart and Brocknardini rounded out the official order of finish.

Dancing Duchess had crossed the finish line in sixth place but was disqualified and placed 13th after the stewards found her guilty of causing interference to several rivals via a chain reaction at the eighth pole.

Go With Gusto and Airosa had been cross-entered in the Summer Stakes and opted to face males there.

She Feels Pretty paid $18 as the third choice after completing the mile in 1:35.34.

The Natalma was the first career Grade 1 win for trainer Cheri DeVaux and her first triumph at Woodbine in just two tries.

“I have been very confident with her, especially with her training at Saratoga,” said DeVaux. “Every single day that she has trained she physically matured, she mentally matured. She goes out there and you can't tell that she is a 2-year-old filly. She looks like she is one of the older fillies and more impressively just how she trains every single day she is happy to do it, it gave me the confidence going into this, especially taking this big step.”

She Feels Pretty, a daughter of Karakontie who was knocked down $240,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where she was offered by Stone Farm, was starting for just the second time after scoring by a neck in a 5½-furlong turf race at Ellis Park on July 16.

Bred in Kentucky by Payson Stud, She Feels Pretty is out of the More Than Ready mare Summer Sweet.

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‘She’s Won Impressively’: V V’s Dream Romps Clear For Pocahontas Win

V V's Dream sat just off pacesetters Hot Beach and Youalmosthadme in the early stages of the race before easily running past those foes down the stretch to win Saturday's 55th running of the $300,000 Pocahonatas (G3) for 2-year-old fillies by a widening 8¾ lengths over Youalmosthadme at Churchill Downs.

Owned by Michael J. Mackin's MJM Racing, V V's Dream ran one mile in 1:36.45 for jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. and trainer Kenny McPeek. This marked the second straight year that McPeek trained a Mackin-owned runner to win the Pocahontas after doing it in 2022 with Fun and Feisty.

Kentucky-bred V V's Dream is from the first crop of 2019 champion male sprinter Mitole, who stands at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, and is her sire's first stakes winner. She is out of the Tapit mare Quay and banked $183,105 for the win.

V V's Dream is the early points-leader on the “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” after collecting 10 points. The Pocahontas is the first of 32 qualifying races to the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) to be run next May, and points were awarded to the top five finishers on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale.

“She's still young but has shown a lot of talent already,” said Greg Geier, McPeek's assistant trainer. “She spent the summer in New York training for this race. It's been the plan to run here in the Pocahontas and then to the Breeders' Cup. I don't see why she wouldn't improve stretching out in distance after this.”

Breaking from post three in the field of six 2-year-old fillies, V V's Dream tugged her way into third after leaving the chute as Hot Beach and a tracking Youalmosthadme dictated the pace through fractions of :22.83, :45.55, and 1:10.24. At the top of the stretch, V V's Dream was full of run and cut loose with a powerful three-wide move to demolish her rivals.

“She sat in a perfect spot just behind the two pacesetters,” Hernandez said. “She got a little bit of a breather around the turn and really went by them own her own. She's won impressively in two starts here. I think stretching out around two turns shouldn't be a problem in the future.”

V V's Dream (3-2-1-0—$297,605) paid $4.40 tp win as the 6-5 betting choice.

Hot Beach finished three-quarters of a length back in third.

Courbe, Riperton and Regal Rumor completed the order of finish. Empire Island, Peignoir and Raining Sugar were scratched.

The winner was bred by Mark Stansell.

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Taiba, Zandon And Arabian Lion To Stand At Spendthrift In 2024

Grade I winners and 'TDN Rising Stars' Taiba (Gun Runner) and Arabian Lion (Justify) will join Zandon (Upstart) and stand at Spendthrift Farm for the 2024 breeding season. Spendthrift announced the news Saturday.

“We are really excited to be bringing in three new stallion prospects of the caliber of Taiba, Arabian Lion and Zandon for the 2024 breeding season,” said Spendthrift general manager Ned Toffey. “All three are superior physicals, and all three displayed immense talent in winning some of America's biggest 3-year-old races on dirt. Obviously, the Breeders' Cup is ahead and some of them will be looking to finish strong. These are the kind of stallion prospects we have looked to bring in and will continue to try to bring in at Spendthrift.”

Stud fees for all three horses will be announced at the end of their respective racing careers.

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‘It’s Very Special’: West Saratoga Kicks Off ‘Road To Kentucky Derby’ With Iroquois Win

Harry L. Veruchi's West Saratoga is the early points leader on the 2024 'Road to the Kentucky Derby' after the Exaggerator colt won Saturday's 42nd running of the $300,000 Iroquois (G3) for 2-year-olds by 1¾ lengths over 6-5 favorite Risk It at Churchill Downs.

Liberal Arts was another neck back in third, and Seize the Grey was another neck back in fourth.

Sent to post at odds of 12-1, West Saratoga ran one mile in 1:37.28 under jockey Rafael Bejarano to give Keeneland-based trainer Larry Demeritte, who collected his first graded stakes win since Memorial Maniac won the 2010 Stars and Stripes Turf (G3) at Arlington Park.

West Saratoga banked the $180,315 first prize and 10 points on the 'Road to the Kentucky Derb' point system that will determine the field for next year's 150th Kentucky Derby (G1) on May 4, 2024 at Churchill Downs. The Iroquois is the first of 37 select races of the series and the top five finishing positions earned points on a sliding scale of 10-5-3-2-1, respectively.

“It's very special to get started on the Road to the Kentucky Derby,” Veruchi said. “We ran a couple times here in the spring and so we knew he'd like the track. After he broke his maiden last time at a mile we were confident he'd like stretching out in distance as he got more experienced. He's a very nice horse.”

Breaking from post position No. 2 in field of eight 2-year-olds, West Saratoga raced down the backstretch in the clear in fourth as Virginia invader Patriot Spirit set torrid fractions of :22.37, :44.63 and 1:10.14 under Jesus Castanon with Market Street in second and Risk It in third.

The strides of Patriot Spirit began to shorten at the top of the stretch and he maintained his lead until the final eighth mile until a grinding West Saratoga charged down the stretch with a four-wide move to grab the lead and inch clear of Risk It for the win.

“I just let him get comfortable after seeing a lot of speed in the race on paper and then the outside horse (Patriot Spirit) went really fast early,” Bejarano said. “I thought I'd just let my horse settle and start to get going around the turn. I could tell at the three-eighths pole I had a lot of horse beneath me and I was seeing the horses in front of me still going fast. I figured they would come back to me a little bit. I got a great trip into the stretch, and had a lot of horse still beneath me.”

West Saratoga paid $26.96 for the win.

Seize the Grey at odds of 9-2 was fourth and was followed by Edified, Patriot Spirit, Union Roll and Market Street. Gettysburg Address was scratched.

“It took him a little while to get settled off a fast pace,” trainer Steve Asmussen said of favorite Risk It.

This was the sixth career start for West Saratoga, who broke his maiden at Ellis Park in his fifth start on Aug 5. His career earnings now total $276,815 from a record of 2-3-0 in six starts.

“We've been just trying to let him progress naturally,” Demeritte said. “He went a mile last time and we were confident today going the same distance. We'll decide in the next day or so what's next. I'm based in Lexington and run at Keeneland a lot so that could be a good option (in the Grade I Breeders' Futurity).”

An $11,000 purchase from consignor Hidden Brook at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, the gray or roan West Saratoga was bred in Kentucky by Two Hearts Farm II LLC and is out of the Uncle Mo mare Mo Wicked.

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