Month: September 2023

Lord Nelson’s Alva Starr Powerful in the Prioress

Dale P. Ladner's Alva Starr (Lord Nelson), a smashing winner over older female sprinters while making her stakes debut in the Dashing Beauty S. at Delaware Park July 8, negotiated the hike into graded stakes company with aplomb, routing four rivals in Saturday's GII Prioress S. at Saratoga.

Sent off as the 7-2 third choice, with GIII Victory Ride S. runner-up Dazzling Blue (Into Mischief) the pari-mutuel princess at 3-5, the bay–bred by Ladner in partnership with trainer Brett Brinkman–attended a sharp early pace while three wide, turned back a challenge from the heavy favorite nearing the stretch and ran away with authority in the final furlong to romp by 8 3/4 lengths.

Jersey Pearl (Bee Jersey), a latest fifth in the GI Test S. Aug. 5, outfinished a disappointing Dazzling Blue for second.

“This filly had not missed a beat since the Delaware race and we just felt really good coming into the race,” Brinkman said.

“It doesn't put us into the winner's circle, but we felt good about it. A lot of times good horses make it look easy, but they are running fast and she's got a quick turn of foot from a high cruising speed and that's all I told Jose [Lezcano] when he worked her and when he got on her today. I said, 'Let her be who she wants to be, she is very manageable and use her assets.'”

A start in Keeneland's GII Raven Run S. Oct. 21 may be next for Alva Starr, who was narrowly defeated by the aforementioned Jersey Pearl by a neck in a Churchill optional claimer May 27.

Pedigree Notes:

Alva Starr, already one of five stakes winners for Lord Nelson, becomes the first graded winner for her late sire. Into Mischief is now the broodmare sire of four graded winners, including Saratoga's GI Whitney S. winner White Abarrio (Race Day).

The winner's dam Sittin At the Bar, just a $30,000 BSCYRL yearling purchase, won 11 of 19 career starts–led by nine stakes victories in Louisiana–for Ladner and Brinkman.

Sittin At the Bar has also produced the 2021 Prioress heroine Cilla (California Chrome) for these same connections and two other stakes winners. She is responsible for a Frosted filly of 2022 and a Gun Runner filly of 2023. She was bred back to Cyberknife.

 

Saturday, Saratoga
PRIORESS S.-GII, $242,500, Saratoga, 9-2, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:09.14, ft.
1–ALVA STARR, 120, f, 3, by Lord Nelson
          1st Dam: Sittin At the Bar (MSW & GSP, $705,896), by Into Mischief
          2nd Dam: Fast Laner, by Mutakddim
          3rd Dam: Lois Laner, by Cutlass Reality
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-P. Dale Ladner; B-Brett A. Brinkman & P. Dale Ladner (KY); T-Brett A. Brinkman; J-Jose Lezcano. $137,500. Lifetime Record: 5-3-2-0, $268,900. *1/2 to Cilla (California Chrome), GSW & GISP, $509,000; 1/2 to Jack the Umpire (Bodemeister), SW, $193,435; 1/2 to Club Car (Malibu Moon), SW & MGSP, $677,265. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Jersey Pearl, 120, f, 3, Bee Jersey–Jersey's Soul, by Perfect Soul (Ire). 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($12,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Silverton Hill LLC; B-Charles Fipke (KY); T-Darrin Miller. $50,000.
3–Dazzling Blue, 120, f, 3, Into Mischief–Blue Violet, by Curlin. ($500,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Juddmonte; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $30,000.
Margins: 8 3/4, 2HF, 7HF. Odds: 3.50, 3.05, 0.65.
Also Ran: Unsung Melody, Unified Alliance.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Zarak’s Parnac Lulls Them To Sleep in the Flower Bowl

West Point Thoroughbreds and Dream With Me Stable's Parnac (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) was sent to the front by Dylan Davis and never looked back against the three rivals in Saturday's 'Win and You're In' GII Flower Bowl S. at Saratoga.

The 8-1 shot took the initiative in the 1 3/8-mile journey, led through easy fractions of :25.19 and :51.33 over the firm going, kicked for home as the one to catch and kept on finding to score by 1 1/4 lengths over heavily favored McKulick (GB) (Frankel {GB}).

Two for two as a juvenile for trainer Andreas Wohler in Germany, Parnac won one of five starts–a first-level allowance over the Aqueduct lawn Oct. 29–on these shores last term.

A narrow optional claiming winner downstate June 11, she entered off a third-place finish in Delaware's GIII Robert G. Dick Memorial S. July 1.

After that race's winner Sopran Basilea (Night of Thunder {Ire}) and runner-up Ever Summer (Summer Front) suffered fatal injuries over the Saratoga turf in their subsequent starts, Parnac was a precautionary scratch by NYRA officials out of an optional claimer at the Spa Aug. 11.

“I guess I have to be thankful to [NYRA President & CEO] David O'Rourke because we had to scratch Parnac from the three-other-than a few weeks ago,” winning trainer Christophe Clement said.

“We decided to run here, and it was the right decision. Sometimes, you have to take a shot. I thought it was a fair race, I'm delighted. Some people might say she stole the race, maybe she did steal the race, but you know what? She stole it in a nice way. She won pretty easily in the end.”

Clement added, “[GI] E.P. Taylor [Oct. 8 at Woodbine], Breeders' Cup, Long Island [at Aqueduct Racetrack]; we have a quite a few choices. Let's enjoy this for a few days.”

Pedigree Notes:

Parnac is the first U.S. stakes winner for the Aga Khan's Studs- based Zarak, a son of Dubawi (Ire) and G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and Prix de Diane heroine Zarkava (Ire) (Zamindar).

She becomes the 10th graded/group winner worldwide for her sire. The winner's group-placed dam's most recent produce is the 2-year-old gelding Kingdom of Stars (Fr) (Cloth of Stars {Ire}), who is unraced in France.

 

Saturday, Saratoga
FLOWER BOWL S.-GII, $465,000, Saratoga, 9-2, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 3/8mT, 2:18.60, fm.
1–PARNAC (FR), 118, f, 4, by Zarak (Fr)
          1st Dam: Passing Burg (Fr) (GSP-Fr), by Sageburg (Ire)
          2nd Dam: Passing Lady (Fr), by Anabaa
          3rd Dam: Lune de Mai (GB), by Kenmare (Fr)
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-West Point Thoroughbreds and Dream With Me Stable; B-Jean-Pierre Dubois (FR); T-Christophe Clement; J-Dylan Davis. $275,000. Lifetime Record: 11-5-1-1, $467,517. Werk Nick Rating: D+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–McKulick (GB), 122, f, 4, Frankel (GB)–Astrelle (Ire), by Makfi (GB). (180,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Essafinaat UK Ltd (GB); T-Chad C. Brown. $100,000.
3–Amazing Grace (Ger), 120, m, 5, Protectionist (Ger)–Amabelle (Ger), by Danehill Dancer (Ire). (€850,000 4yo '22 ARQDEC). O-Moyglare Stud Farm, Ltd.; B-Chr. Berglar (GER); T-Christophe Clement. $60,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, NK, 1. Odds: 8.20, 0.40, 2.30.
Also Ran: Tamarama (GB).
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Kentucky Downs: Trainer Beckman Seeks Another Upset With Sabalenka In Dueling Grounds Oaks

For his next trick, trainer Whit Beckman will attempt to light up the tote board at the FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs. He has already done it once.

Beckman will saddle Dirico Racing and Breeding's Sabalenka in the $1-million Dueling Grounds Oaks for 3-year-old fillies on Sunday.

On Thursday, opening day at the seven-day meet, Beckman's Harlan Estate pulled down a huge upset in the FanDuel Tapit Stakes when the 5-year-old gelding won at odds of 37-1.

Sabalenka did not get any respect on the Dueling Grounds Oaks' morning line as she was dismissed at odds of 20-1 in the full field of 12. Beckman didn't flinch when he saw the number.

“At Kentucky Downs, you should not care what your odds are,” Beckman said by phone. “That turf course can be an equalizer.”

The 41-year-old Beckman has been training on his own since Sept. 11, 2021. The win with Harlan Estate was his first in a stakes. The former assistant to trainers Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown is anxious for another one.

“That's the plan,” said Beckman, who also had a stint training in Saudi Arabia. “We know (Sabalenka) has run well there before. She likes the long stretch and it looks like she is ready to go.”

Sabalenka, a Kentucky-bred Good Samaritan filly, is winless in four starts this year but is coming off her best effort, a third in the Christina Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on the turf at Delaware Park July 15.

“I thought it was a pretty solid effort on a soft turf course,” Beckman said. “Since then, we just freshened her up and gave her a few breezes (at the Churchill Downs Training Center. I think we are cycling at the right time. I am excited to bring her there.”

Sabalenka is no stranger to the Kentucky Downs course. She broke her maiden last Sept. 22, winning a $150,000 race by a nose. She has a win, two seconds, and two thirds in eight career starts, all of them on the grass.

Sunday's race will mark the first time Sabalenka has started at the 1 5/16 distance.

“She knows the place, she has experience over that turf course and the distance should really suit her running style,” Beckman said.

Although her second career win – an allowance race at Churchill Downs Nov. 22 – came in gate-to-wire fashion, that is not Sabalenka's preferred running style.

“She wants to come from off it,” Beckman said. “That day at Churchill, (jockey Ricardo) Santana did something, I don't know what, but he got her geared up early. The pace wasn't that fast but she was really comfortable in that spot. She is usually slow to begin, but she always has a pretty sustained run. We know if she is anywhere near it at the end, she will keep fighting.”

Sabalenka will be ridden by Declan Cannon for the first time. Cannon was also aboard Harlan Estate on Thursday for Beckman.

“Declan and I have a good thing going,” Beckman said. “We have won some races and he fit with a lot of the horses I train. We have a great back and forth and it seems to work.”

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Rispoli To Sit Out Pacific Classic Day; Apprentice Suspended 10 Days For Role In Spill

Jockey Umberto Rispoli, currently tied for third in the Del Mar jockey standings, took off his mounts on the seaside track's biggest day of the year on Saturday due to injuries sustained in a spill during the first race Aug. 31.

Rispoli was aboard Single Track Mind in the one-mile turf race and just behind the leaders when his mount was bumped from the inside at the top of the stretch by Tom and Jazzy, ridden by apprentice Armando Aguilar. Single Track Mind clipped heels and stumbled, throwing Rispoli, who appeared to be stepped on or kicked by a trailing horse. Single Track Mind kept running with his rider and did not appear to be injured when caught by an outrider.

Rispoli was placed on a backboard and taken to a local hospital for evaluation. X-rays and scans showed no broken bones or serious injuries, but the rider had significant scrapes and bruises from the incident that led him to take off mounts on both Friday and Saturday, Sept. 1-2.

Rispoli was named to ride in all 11 races on Del Mar's FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic day card, including Piroli for trainer Michael McCarthy in the Grade 1, $1-million Pacific Classic.

Agent Matt Naktani and Rispoli posted the following note on Twitter late Saturday morning:
“Umberto is at home resting up and taking it day by day. He is still feeling minor effects from his spill on Thursday. Our decision came down to a couple things. His health and safety is of utmost importance. We do not want to risk further injury. Also, Umberto felt it was in the best interest of the owner and trainers to not ride if he doesn't feel 100 percent. While it is an extreme disappointment to miss one of the biggest days of the year in California, our #1 priority right now is to make sure Umberto gets back to full health. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he makes his full recovery.

“With that being said, good luck to all the connections today! Happy Pacific Classic Day! Pray for a fantastic, safe day of racing!”

One day after the incident, stewards issued a 10-day suspension to Aguilar “for altering course without sufficient clearance, causing interference and an accident entering the stretch.” Tom and Jazzy finished second but was disqualified and placed last. The suspension runs 10 racing days: Sept. 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24 and 29.

Rispoli, who turned 35 years old on the day of the accident, has won 20 races from 101 mounts during the Del Mar summer, including three graded stakes. Juan Hernandez sits atop the jockey standings with 30 wins from 128 mounts. Rispoli had just returned from Japan where he participated in a jockey competition.

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