Month: September 2023

Longshot Get Smokin Wires Kentucky Turf Cup

When they throw $1.7 million at a race that entitles the winner to a guaranteed, fees-paid berth in the field for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf, sometimes you cast all logic aside and roll the dice against all odds.

As the saying goes, 'you miss 100% of the shots you don't take,' and it was with that mindset that Get Smokin (Get Stormy)–a Grade II and Grade III winner, but unproven over the 12-furlong trip of the GII FanDuel Kentucky Cup Turf–was even entered in the first place. But given a perfect ride from the front by Fernando de la Cruz on a day the rail was where you wanted to be at Kentucky Downs, the chestnut, off at 19-1, forgot to stop and proved 1 3/4 lengths superior over Spooky Channel (English Channel) when all was said and done. Santin (Medaglia d'Oro) raced prominently throughout and settled for third.

“I have often told [Ironhorse Racing Managing Partner] Harlan [Malter] that he is the craziest owner I train for. But this was not a crazy idea,” winning trainer Mark Casse said in the immediate aftermath of the upset.

The hard-fought winner of a Gulfstream allowance first off a September layoff back in April, Get Smokin was sixth in a graded-stakes quality renewal of the Opening Verse S. at Churchill May 4, then was run down late and finished runner-up in the GIII Arlington S. June 3 and in the July 1 Wise Dan S. at Ellis. Tried over 10 furlongs for the first time in the Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Cup Aug. 6, Get Smokin made the running, but was reeled in late and settled for fourth.

Though he had a bit of early company in the form of Santin in the final event of Saturday's stakes-laden program, Get Smokin took the field into the first turn and opened up four or five lengths on his rivals as they hit the backstretch. Despite the loose lead, Get Smokin switched off beautifully on the engine, getting the half in :49.61 and the opening six panels in a comfortable 1:14.18.

Even though the next couple of furlongs were covered in a testing :23.81, Get Smokin was still full of run down the side of the track, daring some proven stayers to come and get him. But catch him they could not, as he switched his leads at the quarter pole, flopped back and forth in the final furlong, but remained clear to the wire.

Malter was full of praise for de la Cruz, who won back-to-back runnings of the GII Woodford S. aboard Ironhorse's Bucchero (Kantharos) before also partnering with the horse in consecutive renewals of the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.

“We looked at this race,” Malter said. “We wanted to test out at Ellis [in the 1 1/4-mile prep]. Even though we ran fourth, we were happy. He ran a similar figure to what he was running at a mile and a sixteenth. We were all systems go. We kind of came up with the idea to have Fernando. We made a very specific plan, and it's amazing how well Fernando executed it.”

Pedigree Notes:

By Get Stormy, winner of the GI Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at nine furlongs on the turf, Get Smokin is out of a mare by noted sprint sire Smoke Glacken. There is a bit of stamina as you go down the page, as second dam Doc's Leading Lady–the dam of MSW Spanish Pipedream (Scat Daddy)–was a full-sister to Phi Beta Doc, who set a Saratoga course record when winning the 1999 GIII Saranac S. over a mile and three-sixteenths before annexing that year's 10-furlong Virginia Derby, also in course-record time. Third dam Smart Queen was a half-sister to 1977 GII Arkansas Derby hero Clev Er Tell (Tell).

Hookah Lady is the dam of a 2-year-old colt by Vino Rosso who was a $32,000 RNA as a KEENOV weanling, then sold for $35,000 at KEESEP last fall before blossoming into a $550,000 OBS March breezer. Smoldering Ash, a yearling full-sister to Get Smokin, went for $102,000 at this year's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July Sale to NBS Stable's John Ballantyne, coincidentally the owner of Turf Cup runner-up Spooky Channel. The mare produced a Classic Empire colt this year and was bred back to Practical Joke.

Saturday, Kentucky Downs
FANDUEL KENTUCKY TURF CUP S.-GII, $1,675,429, Kentucky Downs, 9-9, 3yo/up, 1 1/2mT, 2:28.66, fm.
1–GET SMOKIN, 122, g, 6, by Get Stormy
                1st Dam: Hookah Lady, by Smoke Glacken
                2nd Dam: Doc's Leading Lady, by Doc's Leader
                3rd Dam: Smart Queen, by King Pellinore

($11,000 Ylg '18 FTKOCT). O-Ironhorse Racing Stable LLC, BlackRidge Stables LLC, T-N-T Equine Holdings, LLC and Saratoga Seven Racing Partners, LLC; B-Hurstland Farm, Inc. & James Greene Jr. (KY); T-Mark E. Casse; J-Fernando De La Cruz. $972,220. Lifetime Record: 27-6-7-2, $1,650,497. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Spooky Channel, 124, g, 8, English Channel–Spooky Kitten, by Kitten's Joy. ($10,000 Ylg '16 FTKOCT). O-NBS Stable; B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-Jason Barkley. $316,200.
3–Santin, 122, h, 5, Distorted Humor–Sentiero Italia, by Medaglia d'Oro. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh. $158,100.
Margins: 1 3/4, HD, NO. Odds: 19.57, 17.54, 4.29.
Also Ran: Red Knight, Verstappen, Kitodan, Me and Mr. C, Therapist, Never Explain, Foreign Relations, Another Mystery, Nautilus (Brz). Scratched: Cellist, Highest Honors, Red Run, Sy Dog.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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In Start Number Two, Quality Road’s Integration Upsets Virginia Derby

The least experienced of the nine 3-year-olds signed on for Saturday's GIII New Kent County Virginia Derby, with only a maiden victory–albeit a smashing one–to his success, West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing's Integration (c, 3, Quality Road–Harmonize, by Scat Daddy) grabbed heavily favored Program Trading (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) with less than a furlong to go and came away to an impressive victory in new course-record time.

Well-backed at 67-10 despite his overall lack of seasoning, the $700,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga purchase took up a position in the latter third of the field behind a decent early pace and was quietly ridden through the middle stages of the nine-furlong affair by Kendrick Carmouche. Asked to improve leaving the three-eighths pole, he snuck his way into contention, following the move of the last-out GI Saratoga Derby hero into the stretch. Pulled to the outside off the home corner, Integration managed to find extra entering the final furlong, drew alongside the chalk with about 100 yards to race and edged clear.

The word was out on Integration for his debut, which came two years and two days after West Point and Woodford Racing teamed to purchase the colt at Saratoga. Sent off at even money on Arlington Million day Aug. 12, the March foal raced reasonably handy to the pace, and when Tyler Gaffalione asked him to win his race, he did so with gusto, marching through the final furlong to graduate by 6 1/2 lengths. As patient a trainer as there is, Shug McGaughey was comfortable enough to give Integration a big-money shot Saturday and the colt proved more than equal to the task.

“Shug felt his debut here would be the best spot for his first race,” said Dawn Lenert, the Chief Marketing Officer and Director of Partner Relations for West Point Thoroughbreds. “Although it was unconventional, Shug felt a graded stake would be the right spot for his second race, and when a Hall of Fame trainer tells you you're going to come back in a graded stake, you do it. After the race Kendrick (jockey Carmouche) said to me Integration's potential is limitless.”

Pedigree Notes:

With the victory, Integration becomes the 75th worldwide stakes winner and 36th worldwide graded/group winner for his successful Lane's End-based sire.

The bay colt is the second produce for his dam, an $80,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by Larkin Armstrong who campaigned her to five victories, including the 2016 GI Del Mar Oaks. The Seitz family's Brookdale Sales agency consigned Integration to the Saratoga sale on behalf of their long-time client Armstrong. Harmonize's first foal, the 4-year-old gelding Vocalize (More Than Ready), was beaten a head into second in a 5 1/2-furlong allowance over the Colonial turf course Aug. 19 and Harmonize is also the dam of a 2-year-old Curlin colt who fetched $400,000 from Meridian International at KEESEP last year. The 10-year-old Harmonize is represented by a yearling Nyquist filly named Castanet, a colt by Gun Runner foaled Mar. 23 and was among the first book of mares covered by Horse of the Year Flightline.

Saturday, Colonial Downs
NEW KENT COUNTY VIRGINIA DERBY-GIII, $500,000, Colonial Downs, 9-9, 3yo, 1 1/8mT, 1:46.41, fm.
1–INTEGRATION, 119, c, 3, by Quality Road
         1st Dam: Harmonize (GISW, $827,860), by Scat Daddy
         2nd Dam: Mesa Fresca, by Sky Mesa
         3rd Dam: Mayan Maiden, by Lyphard
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($700,000 Ylg '21 FTSAUG). O-West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing, LLC; B-Larkin Armstrong (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III; J-Kendrick Carmouche. $300,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $336,000. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Program Trading (GB), 123, r, 3, Lope de Vega (Ire)–Dreamlike (GB), by Oasis Dream (GB). (250,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Fittocks Stud & Arrow Farm Stud (GB); T-Chad C. Brown. $100,000.
3–Runaway Storm, 118, g, 3, Midnight Storm–Runaway Betty, by Run Away and Hide. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O/B-Robert Joseph Hunt (KY); T-Ethan W. West. $55,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 2 1/4, HF. Odds: 6.70, 0.70, 34.30.
Also Ran: Mondego (GB), Dataman, Gigante, Activist Investing (GB), Salute the Stars, Ari Gold. Scratched: Freedom Trail, Laurel Valley.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPshttp://www.equineline.com/tdn/pedigree.cfm?tk=SAR&cy=USA&rd=09/07/2015&rn=9&de=D  &ref=9104432. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

 

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Gear Jockey Lands KY Downs’ Turf Sprint For Second Time In Thriller, Earns Breeders’ Cup Berth

Calumet Farm homebred Gear Jockey fought out a thrilling finish to spring a 23-1 surprise in the $1-million Ainsworth Turf Sprint (G2) at Kentucky Downs and earned his second victory in the race Saturday.

The 6-year-old son of Twirling Candy scored comfortably by 2 ½ lengths in the 2021 edition of the six-furlong contest but needed every inch of the stretch this year to win by head from favorite One Timer.

Ridden by Jose Lezcano for trainer Rusty Arnold, Gear Jockey returned $23.30 after finishing the trip in 1:10.59.

Pacesetter Bad Beat Brian finished third, a neck behind One Timer.

With the victory, Gear Jockey earned an automatic berth in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1) in November at Santa Anita via the Breeders' Cup Challenge 'Win and You're In' series.

With the $589,680 winner's share of the purse, Gear Jockey's lifetime earnings increased to $1,586,651. His overall record stands at 5-2-6 from 24 starts. His dam is the Tapit mare Switching Gears.

Ainsworth Turf Sprint Quotes

Trainer Rusty Arnold, 1st, Gear Jockey – “We're pretty happy. He's a favorite. I thought he had lost his edge. He's had his issues and we thought we had him in pretty good shape. He loves this course. Two times he's won on it, so obviously he does. Great ride. Very happy.”

How did you have the confidence to try him here? “We had this horse in at Ellis to get him ready We got him down there and were ready to go. It was a beautiful day, but the sprinklers had been left on all night so we couldn't run him.

Then we were scrambling and I don't think he got to Virginia (where he was sixth in the Van Clief Stakes July 22 in his first starts since Nov. 25) the right way. It was a disaster. Then we just pointed for here. He had three really, really good works.

“We thought we had him right, but there is a way of being fit and there is racing fit. Everybody else has been running and we've been on the shelf with one start in a year basically.”

“He's had his issues. You get him over here without his issues and you've got a different horse. Each time he ran one of those there was a reason for it. We tried to give him the winter off and get him right. The only one we kind of scratched our head on was the last race in Virginia because we thought we had him good enough to run a good race. We knew we were coming here. But he didn't run at all. We had shipped down the day before and nothing went right. Everything went right for this one.”

“He won kind of the same way two years ago. We wanted to run here last year. We missed it. It's nice to get him back.”

Jockey Jose Lezcano, 1st, Gear Jockey – “He broke very sharp. He gave me the same race he gave me two years ago when he won here (2021 Turf Sprint). To be honest with you, I knew it was going to be very close. At first, I thought the other horse (One Timer) got me. I thought he got me in the last bob and I was like (clenches his teeth). I really didn't know. Sometimes you know. The angle here is different so it's hard to know. I was very happy for the horse. He is a tough horse and he tries all the time. I am very happy for Rusty and his whole team. They work very hard.”

Trainer Larry Rivelli, 2nd, One Timer – “He likes this track. We'll see him next year. Same race. That's what we're going to do. We'll run him in the Breeders' Cup and give him some time off.

Were you compromised by not getting to the lead right away? “The other horse, Bad Beat Brian, caught a flyer. We've ran against him several times and we've been in front of him. There's nothing you can do. He just got us. Baird knows the horse well enough that he let him settle in.”

Jockey E. T. Baird, 2nd, One Timer – “I thought I got there. He ran good. They out footed me the first part so I just conceded and held him together. I didn't know at the wire. I knew it was going to be close. He ran hard.”

The post Gear Jockey Lands KY Downs’ Turf Sprint For Second Time In Thriller, Earns Breeders’ Cup Berth appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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No Nay Mets Continues Winning Ways In Colonial’s Exacta Systems Rosie’s S.

Undefeated on American soil, No Nay Mets showed promise on debut in taking Gulfstream's Royal Palm Juvenile S. May 13 to earn a spot in the gate for Royal Ascot's G2 Norfolk S. After selling for £800,000 at Goff's London Sale just before the Ascot meet, he was soundly beaten in the Norfolk. The Irish-bred then returned to the East Coast with a dominant win as the heavy favorite in Monmouth's Tyro S. last time out July 30.

Despite running over his fourth track in as many starts, No Nay Mets jumped as nearly a sure thing at 1-5 in the wagering and showed his customary early speed to set a pressured lead just ahead of King Kontie (Karakontie {Jpn}). Pushed through fractions of :21.45 and :44.06, he continued to find more and drew off readily when asked into the lane to sprint clear for the easy win.

Etoile, herself a group winner in Ireland, is a full-sister to last week's GIII Mint Millions S. winner Ancient Rome. This is also the extended family of GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) who RNA'd for $3.45-million at last year's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale. No Nay Mets is his dam's first and only reported foal. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

EXACTA SYSTEMS ROSIE'S S., $125,000, Colonial Downs, 9-9, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, 1:02.03, fm.
1–NO NAY METS (IRE), 122, c, 2, by No Nay Never
                1st Dam: Etoile (GSW-Ire), by War Front
                2nd Dam: Gagnoa (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
                3rd Dam: Gwynn (Ire), by Darshaan (GB)
(€180,000 Ylg '22 ARAUG; $335,000 RNA 2yo '23 OBSAPR;
£800,000 2yo '23 GOFLO). O-Bregman Family Racing LLC and
WWBD LLC; B-Coolmore (Ire); T-George Weaver; J-Paco Lopez.
$75,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0, $183,000.
2–Toupie, 117, f, 2, Uncle Mo–Amertume, by Tapit.
1ST BLACK TYPE. O/B-Wertheimer Et Frere (KY); T-H. Graham
Motion. $25,000.
3–Air Recruit, 120, c, 2, Air Force Blue–Werewolf, by Arch.
($105,000 Ylg '22 FTKJUL). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Mark B. Grier;
B-Springhouse Farm (KY); T-Arnaud Delacour. $13,750.
Margins: 3 1/4, 3 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 0.30, 6.60, 7.40.
Also Ran: Atmidnight, Ruddy Buddy, Sebastian Run, Woodcourt, A G Diamond, King Kontie, Mi Dinero, Gone Elvis.

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