Month: September 2023

John Harris' Harris Farms' California-bred Closing Remarks won Saturday's $250,500 John C. Mabee Stakes at Del Mar, staying within range early, then firing down the middle of the track in the stretch to pull away to a 1 3/4 triumph in the Grade 2 turf race for fillies and mares, aged 3 and up.

The winner, a 5-year-old homebred mare by Vronsky, covered the 1 1/8 miles on firm turf in 1:48.23 and earned a check of $150,000. She paid $4.80 to win.

Closing Remarks was handled by Umberto Rispoli and is trained by Carla Gaines. She was capturing the sixth race of her career and increased her bankroll to $861,320.

Finishing second was Abbondanza Racing and Medallion Racing, and partners' Turnerloose, who was a neck better than Glen Hill Farm's Paris Peacock.

In the day's Race 5, the chestnut filly Flattery came running from dead last to zoom by seven rivals and come away a length winner in the 12th running of the $101,500 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf.

The daughter of Flatter, owned by an extended partnership headed by Exline-Border Racing, covered the mile on grass in 1:36.86 under leading rider Juan Hernandez to finish up in 1:36.86 and pick up a check for $60,000. She now has two victories in two starts and earnings of $109,200. She paid $8.60 for the win.

Finishing second in the stakes was Living the Dream, Medallion Racing or Fowler's race favorite Loterie, who had a length and a quarter on Great Friends Stables et al's Angiolleta.

The track's popular Pick Six bet was not hit Saturday meaning there will be a carryover of $211,245 into Sunday's closing card. Closing Day means a “mandatory payout” on the wager, which could run into the millions. First post will be 1:30 p.m.

The post Stretch Rally Propels Closing Remarks To Victory In John C. Mabee appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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SJB Stable's Thirty Thou Kelvin was headed in the stretch but dug deep to come back and win the $250,000 Woodford Reserve Virginia Oaks by a neck Saturday at Colonial Downs.

Covering 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.04 across a firm turf course, Thirty Thou Kelvin led every step except a few strides in the stretch when Alpha Bella poked a nose in front to her outside at the furlong marker.

Under two-time Colonial riding champion Trevor McCarthy, Thirty Thou Kelvin broke with alacrity and took command with seven sophomores behind her, most immediately being Alpha Bella who bided her time as the two fillies held their positions through both turns.

As the field began breathing down their necks, Alpha Bella got the first jump and seemed to put the leader away, but Thirty Thou Kelvin resiliently found more along the rail to come back to triumph, holding off Root Cause by a neck. It was another neck back to Alpha Bella.

With back-to-back stakes victories, the Bolt d'Oro filly, trained by John Terranova II, adds $150,000 to boost her bankroll to $387,640 while improving her record to 4-0-2 from 11 starts.

“I was really shocked to be on the lead,” McCarthy said. “When the five (Broadway Girls) acted up to my inside in the gate, I thought I'd make sure to get a good break. This filly jumped right out of there, and John and Tanya (Terranova) said just be confident with her and don't take away anything that comes easy. After she broke in front, she turned off in the first turn and had her ears pricked down the backside. I tried to get away from them at the five-sixteenths pole, but it wasn't until she had company that she said, 'It's game time, let's fight.' I'm super happy for the connections. I love it here at Colonial Downs. It's the best turf course in the country.”

Sent off at odds of more than 11-1, Thirty Thou Kelvin returned $25.80.

Bred in Kentucky by Horseshoe Racing LLC, Thirty Thou Kelvin is out of the Midshipman mare Wealthy Shipman. She sold to Stephen J. Barberino Accumulation Trust at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale, where Brookdale Sales consigned her.

The post Thirty Thou Kelvin Shows Resilience For Virginia Oaks Score appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Gritty Bay Storm withstood non-stop pace pressure and the late charge from Wakanaka on Saturday to win the $1-million AGS Ladies Turf Sprint (G2) by a neck at Kentucky Downs.

Trained by Jonathan Thomas, who was winning his second $1-million race on the card following Regal Realm's victory in the Castle Hill Gaming Ladies Turf (G3), Bay Storm emphatically made amends for her runner-up finish in last year's edition of the race.

Getting to the lead was an important element as was past success over the Kentucky Downs course. A year ago, the daughter of Kantharos owned by Bridlewood Farm, was not in front at any of the calls and finished a nose behind Campanelle.

Though she had company throughout the 6½-furlong race on Saturday, once she gained the advantage, none of the other six horses in the field was able to get in front of her and Florent Geroux, who also piloted Regal Realm for Thomas.

Most of the time, Tony Ann and jockey Tyler Gaffalione were on her right flank as she set fraction of :22.63, :45.80, and 10:10.41. Wakanaka came with a strong run from the back of the field, pulled alongside the leading pair at the sixteenth pole but could not get past them.

“She broke in the air,” Geroux said. “She recovered and came back on the inside of Tyler and made the lead. She ran great here last year on this track. It was a big advantage. She is a fighter. It's very simple here: They either like it or they don't. She fought today.”

Bay Storm completed 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:17.06 and paid $7.72. Wakanaka, a slim 5-2 favorite over Bay Storm, edged Tony Ann by a head for second.

Thomas said the victory took some of the sting out of last year's loss.

“Without a doubt,” he said. “She really deserves this. She's got a crazy-good resume. I think that's her (17th) lifetime start and she's only been off the board twice. It's a real credit to her, a graded stakes winner. George Isaacs and the Bridlewood team have been really patient with her. It's kind of like a bow on a present. It feels good to have gotten her that win.”

Bay Storm was the fourth winner Saturday that had either won before or run very well over the distinctive Kentucky Downs course.

“Some horses have an affinity (for the course),” Thomas said. “She's certainly taken to this track real well. The common thread is all the winners we've had, they'll run on anything. I don't know if they just like the track or they're just tough. Everything we've won with, they're tough hardy front-end type of horses.”

Thomas said that with Wakanaka charging the contact with Tony Ann in the stretch probably was a positive.

“There were a couple of dodgy moments,” he said. “Honestly, the filly on the outside bumping her a couple of times probably fired her up. That probably helped us get to the wire the way we did, kind of made her dig down a little deeper. But that's what we expect from her.”

Thomas has two other wins in $1-million races on his resume courtesy of Catholic Boy in the 2018 Travers (G1) and Belmont Derby (G1). Saturday's wins by Bay Storm and Regal Realm marked his first daily double in $1-million dollar tests.

“I was actually thinking that earlier, being here and winning two races, basically the monetary equivalent of the Travers, is a pretty big deal,” he said.

“My family and I recently moved to Kentucky. This is home. So we've had a good kind of homecoming here.”

Thomas said he relocated to Kentucky in search of more opportunities. Right now he is based at Turfway Park.

Wakanaka, co-owned by Team Valor and Gary Barber, has been a consistent performer and has finished in the top three in 16 of her 20 career starts.

“She came running,” said jockey Joel Rosario. “It looked for a second that we might win the race. It was a good run.

Bred in Kentucky by Candy Meadows LLC, Bay Storm was produced by the Midshipman mare Stormy Regatta, a multiple stakes winner who was graded-placed.

The post Bay Storm Caps Million-Dollar Double For Trainer In Ladies Turf Sprint appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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