September, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Russell, Barbosa Repeat As Pimlico Fall Meet Leaders

In a repeat of last year, trainer Brittany Russell and jockey Jeiron Barbosa finished at the top of their respective standings as historic Pimlico Race Course wrapped up its boutique nine-day fall meet Sunday.

Russell had one winner from three starters Sunday, Michael Dubb and Michael Caruso's 2-year-old filly Low Society ($4) in Race 3, to give her seven for the meet, one more than runner-up Hugh McMahon, who captured the Race 10 finale with Dancinonthebeach ($20.40).

In earning her fifth career title Russell posted training doubles on Sept. 10, including the $75,000 Challedon with Swill, and Sept. 16, when she won the $100,000 Weather Vane with Apple Picker and $100,000 All Along with Full Count Felicia.

“It's awesome. I'll be honest, I don't feel like this was an easy meet for us,” Russell said. “But we had some quality horses show up and I think that's the most important thing. We had some nice horses, some stakes wins, good horses winning good races. That's really what we're here for.”

Low Society gave jockey Jevian Toledo his 1,500th career victory, making the day even more special for Russell and her daughter, Edy, who posed in the winner's circle with Toledo as he was presented with a sign from the Maryland Jockey Club. Low Society wound up being claimed for $30,000.

“That was so exciting. Edy thought it was great. It was a nice surprise on the day,” Russell said. “I knew he was coming close but with a maiden [$30,000} filly 2-year-old race, you weren't even thinking about it. Then he wins the race, and it was a lot of fun. I'm really happy for Toledo because, obviously, he is a huge part of our team.”

Earlier this year the recently turned 34-year-old Russell earned a second straight Preakness Meet at Pimlico title and also ranked second at Laurel winter and summer and fourth at Laurel spring while leading the standings in purse earnings each time.

Already, the Pennsylvania native has surpassed career highs across the board with 477 starters, 124 wins and more than $5.7 million in purse earnings. Leading all Maryland trainers with 81 wins at Laurel and Pimlico this year, she could become the first woman ever to finish as the state's winningest trainer.

Russell's other training titles have come at Laurel's 2022 spring and fall meets. In April she earned her second career graded-stakes victory and first in a Grade 1 with Doppleganger in the Carter Handicap at Aqueduct.

“It's great,” she said. “Obviously, we're delighted and thrilled to win.”

It is the fourth career riding title and first this year for Barbosa, 19, a finalist for the Eclipse Award as outstanding apprentice of 2022, when he captured Laurel Park's spring and fall stands in addition to Pimlico. He went winless Sunday but ended with a 12-7 advantage over Sheldon Russell and apprentice Axel Concepcion.

Barbosa registered five multi-win days during the fall meet that began Sept. 8, including hat tricks Sept. 9 and 22, and he scored an upset victory aboard Built Wright Stable's Double Crown in the $100,000 Polynesian Sept. 10.

Represented by agent Tom Stift, Barbosa ranks second overall in Maryland with 102 wins, trailing only Jaime Rodriguez (113). Barbosa finished second to Rodriguez at Laurel's winter meet with 49 wins and tied with Angel Cruz for second at Laurel's spring stand, one win behind Concepcion.

Barbosa's wins came for nine different trainers: Ray Ginter Jr. (3), Damon Dilodovico (2), Robert Mosco, Hamilton Smith, Milan Milosevic, Phil Capuano, Rudy Sanchez-Salomon, Michael Merryman and Kieron Magee.

“Starting off hot at a short meet is great, but he's been on a roll for a while,” Stift said. “He's just been hot for a couple months. He's riding in the zone. You see him making moves and it's like, 'Whoa.' ”

For the year, Barbosa has 129 wins and more than $4.8 million in purse earnings, ranking in the top 30 nationally in wins and top 35 in money won.

“He's done it quietly. It's pretty impressive,” Stift said. “He's riding aggressive, and people are really noticing now.”

A native of Puerto Rico, where he attended the Escuela Vocacional Hipica jockey school, Barbosa won on each of his first two domestic mounts, Heliacal Rising and Ludicrous Mode, last March 22 at Laurel. His spring title came made him just the third apprentice in the past decade, following Yomar Ortiz (2013) and Julio Correa (2020), to lead Laurel's rider standings.

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‘Fact-Finding Mission’: DWC Runner-Up Algiers To Get ‘American Dirt’ Test In Woodward

A strong run of form in Dubai this winter from Algiers has British-based conditioners Ed and Simon Crisford thinking that the multiple group stakes winner is worthy of a try in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) in November at Santa Anita Park. But should he make the journey to California, he'll first audition by way of New York when contesting Saturday's $400,000 Woodward (G2) going nine furlongs at Belmont at the Big A.

Owned by Rabbah Bloodstock, Algiers has not raced since finishing a game second in the Dubai World Cup (G1) in March at Meydan Racecourse, finishing 2 3/4 lengths behind Japanese invader Ushba Tesoro. The 6-year-old Shamardal gelding captured two of the three rounds of the Al Maktoum Challenge (G2) by open lengths. He took the one-mile Round 1 on January 6 by 6 1/2 lengths before stretching out to 1 3/16 miles for Round 2 on February 3, winning by six lengths.

“Obviously, he ran a super race in the Dubai World Cup, but there's nothing really for him here in England. We wanted to keep him on dirt because he seems so effective on it,” said Ed Crisford. “He had a hard campaign last winter. He started racing around this time last year and went all the way through to April, so we gave him a nice summer holiday and aimed him for the Breeders' Cup. He needs a prep run for the Breeders' Cup, so the Ack Ack at Churchill and the Woodward were what we were looking at. It's a good prep. If you go well in the Woodward, you have options basically.”

Crisford noted that Algiers will have to prove his Dubai success can translate stateside.

“It is a fact-finding mission. We want to see if he can handle the American dirt because it is different than Meydan. I do think the New York tracks are more similar to Meydan than some of the other tracks,” Crisford said. “We want to see what he can do against top American dirt horses. If he goes well, wins or runs very well, we can justify going to the Breeders' Cup. If not, we'll probably just take him back to Dubai. It all depends on what happens on the weekend.”

Algiers was initially campaigned by trainer Andre Fabre and transferred to the Crisfords following a three-year campaign in France, where he raced exclusively on grass and won three times. He made his main track debut in his first start for Crisford at Jebel Ali Racecourse last January, finishing second going 1 3/16 miles before capturing the 2022 Jebel Ali Mile (G3). He was subsequently a distant eighth in the Godolphin Mile (G2) in his lone off-the-board effort on dirt.

Following a summer freshening, Algiers was reintroduced to turf when capturing a 1 5/16-mile handicap event in October at York before finishing a distant sixth in the James Seymour going 10 furlongs three weeks later at Newmarket. He was then narrowly beaten in the Churchill over the all-weather surface at Lingfield to round out his 2022 campaign.

“We took him out to Dubai after he came to us from France, where he'd been running on turf. He started to go really well on the dirt, covering the ground super well,” Crisford said. “We ran him in a Group 3 at Jebel Ali and he won. So, we figured he took to the surface really well. We ran him on Dubai World Cup night and he ran OK. After that we brought him back to England, gelded him, gave him the summer off and got him on turf again.

“We ran him on the all-weather and he put up some good figures in that race,” Crisford continued. “When he went back to Meydan, he improved almost 10-15 pounds for running on that dirt, he was just a different animal. The year before training on the dirt, he really knew what he was doing. He's such a natural. He's got such a high cruising speed and he can quicken off the strong pace. That's what you need for dirt and he's a natural at it.”

While neither Crisford will make the trip to New York, Algiers, who was slated to arrive in New York Sunday, will be overseen and saddled by traveling assistant Les Reynolds.

Bred in Ireland by Godolphin, Algiers is out of the Platini mare Antara, a group winner in Germany and England who was also Group 1-placed in England, France, and Italy. Algiers has banked $3,026,934 through a record of 21-7-6-2.

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‘He Was The Fastest In The Race’: El Grande O Wires Bertram F. Bongard

Barry Schwartz's homebred El Grande O lived up to his 3-5 favoritism with a front-running score in Sunday's $125,000 Bertram F. Bongard, a seven-furlong main track sprint for New York-bred juveniles at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Linda Rice, El Grande O notched his first stakes victory on the heels of two runner-up efforts in stakes company this summer at Saratoga Race Course, including a head defeat to The Wine Steward last out in the Funny Cide on August 27.

Ridden to victory Sunday by Jose Ortiz, the dark bay son of Take Charge Indy brushed with a foe when breaking from post 3 while Detective Tom broke sharpest of all, but took back as El Grande O skipped to the front and clocked fractions of :22.76 and :46.03 over the sloppy and sealed main track.

Detective Tom stalked in second into the turn with Aggelos the Great in third before El Grande O began to draw clear of the former with Bonne Chance putting in his bid from fourth on the outside of Aggelos the Great. El Grande O held a six-length advantage at the top of the stretch and drew clear with ease over Aggelos the Great, who passed a tiring Detective Tom on the inside to give chase down the lane after three-quarters in 1:10.79.

El Grande O was never threatened and was wrapped up within the final sixteenth by Ortiz, crossing the wire 8 1/4 lengths in front and stopping the clock in a final time of 1:23.89. Aggelos the Great was a clear second two lengths ahead of Bonne Chance with Skyler's Starship rounding out the superfecta. Detective Tom and Ranger Blue completed the order of finish. Trust Fund was scratched.

Rice said she left the race tactics in the capable hands of Ortiz.

“I told Jose to just use his best judgement, and obviously he put him up on the front end and everything worked out well,” said Rice.

Ortiz said El Grande O was simply superior in a race where the other likely speed, Detective Tom, was making his dirt debut.

“He broke sharp. Obviously, he has speed. I went out there and he was the fastest in the race,” said Ortiz. “He proved that he was much the best today. I can't take any credit – he was the best horse.

“I rode the six horse [Detective Tom] first time out and I knew moving to dirt, especially on the slop, he wasn't going to have as much speed,” Ortiz added. “Plus, my horse can rate, so I had that option. But I broke so clean and so smoothly, I just went up there and took control of the race.”

Rice said El Grande O will now likely be pointed to the $200,000 Sleepy Hollow, a one-turn mile for state-bred juveniles, on October 29 at Belmont at the Big A.

“I think he can stretch out,” said Rice. “He certainly ran nicely today at seven [furlongs].”

El Grande O, a half-brother to graded stakes-placed Meal Ticket, is out of the stakes-placed Unbridled's Song mare Rainbow's Song. He banked $68,750 in victory, boosting his total purse earnings to $204,000 through a perfect in-the-money record of 6-2-3-1, returning $3.40 for a $2 win ticket.

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Storm Song, the Oldest Living Breeders’ Cup Winner

Celebrating 40 Years of the Breeders' Cup with Living Legends

Some moments last a lifetime. Breeders' Cup wins are like that. They affect everyone associated with the horse, from owners whose silks the horse sports in the race to breeders to consignors to grooms to farriers and so many others. They even touch those many years down the road, such as those who care for the winner more than a quarter century removed from that magical winner's circle and those signature purple and gold flowers. It is, without a doubt, a privilege to have any association at all with a Breeders' Cup winner.

Dr. Naoya Yoshida of Winchester Farm embraces that honor. He has charge of 1996 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Storm Song, believed to be the Breeders' Cup's oldest living winner. The 29-year-old mare has been at his Winchester Farm near Lexington since Dr. Aaron Sones purchased her in 2009.

“We were quite excited to welcome her to our farm,” said Yoshida.” Of course we feel pretty privileged to have these kind of mares.”

Yoshida is a veterinarian and fourth-generation horseman whose family ties to the Thoroughbred industry date back 125 years to his great-grandfather, who bred horses in the U.S. and Europe.

“It's amazing when we work in the Thoroughbred industry, we have this history. I remembered this mare when she was sold at Keeneland November as broodmare prospect [in 1997]. I was training at Hagyard and saw her and never thought I would take care of her in the future. After that I saw her name with a breeding to Dubai Millennium (GB). I used to work for Sheikh Mohammed and saw him try to buy those mares. And the next time I saw her name, she came here [to Winchester Farm]. I feel like it was destiny.”

Winchester's Dr. Naoya Yoshida with Storm Song | Sarah Andrew

Now pensioned after producing six foals during her tenure at Winchester, Storm Song was campaigned by pioneering racing syndicate Dogwood Stable. Dogwood's Cot Campbell, who was a master at finding horses that might have slipped just a little bit through the cracks, bought Storm Song from Lane's End's Book 1 consignment at Keeneland September for $100,000 in 1995. She turned out to be one of the brightest stars to carry the distinctive Dogwood Stable colors, behind her own sire, Dogwood's GI Preakness S. winner Summer Squall. Dogwood had Storm Song for just over two years, selling her as a broodmare prospect at the 1997 Keeneland November sale for $1.4 million to J. S. Carrion. Sandwiched between those two times the filly went through the ring were umpteen thrills for Dogwood partners.

“It was the greatest thrill you can imagine when she won that race [the Breeders' Cup],” said Anne Campbell, co-owner of Storm Song with her late husband, Dogwood founder Cot. “We were particularly thrilled because she was by our wonderful racehorse, Summer Squall, who of course won the Preakness in 1990, so it was just one of the thrills of our lifetime.

“Ironically, Cot woke up about three in the morning [of the race] with vertigo, just sick as a dog. I don't think he felt very well at all during the day, but he forgot about that [when she won]. I remember thinking the paddock in Toronto at Woodbine was so incredibly lovely and classy. The people, the demeanor, just the atmosphere of the whole place. It was a wonderful experience and we were overjoyed that she was clearly going to win before she got to the finish line.”

The year that Storm Song got her Breeders' Cup title was, perhaps, a simpler time. The Breeders' Cup was in only its 13th year in 1996, was being held at Woodbine–the first and only time it was hosted outside of U.S. borders–and was still in its original seven-race, one-day format. The Juvenile Fillies was the first Breeders' Cup race on the card that October day with the looming presence of Cigar's final career start in the Classic just under four hours away.

Yoshida with Storm Song | Sarah Andrew

The 8-5 Juvenile Fillies favorite off a four-length romp in the GI Frizette S. just 20 days prior, Storm Song waited midpack in the Juvenile Fillies, tipped out on the turn, and mowed down her Nick Zito stablemate Love That Jazz (Dixieland Band) to glide clear by 4 1/2 lengths with her ears pricked. Even the Equibase chart called it a “perfect trip.” Storm Song was a no-brainer to be named that year's Eclipse champion 2-year-old filly off the merits of her two Grade I wins, with an extra score in the GII Adirondack S. for good measure. Despite placings at three in both the GI Kentucky Oaks and GI Ashland S., Storm Song never won again and retired after finishing unplaced in the GI Acorn S. at the end of May in 1997. Less than six months later, she was purchased by Carrion.

“We were practical about selling horses when the time came for us to sell them because we weren't in the breeding business,” said Campbell. “It wasn't our thing. We never looked back, we were always glad and so grateful for those horses for what they did. It's a business, so you can't be too sentimental, but you can still love them.”

Storm Song's first foal, Another Storm (Gone West), fetched $1 million as a Keeneland September yearling and would go on to produce European champion Order of St George (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), as well as GSWs Angel Terrace (Ghostzapper) and Asperity (War Chant). As one of the mares selected for what would be the single and abbreviated book of the brilliant Dubai Millennium, Storm Song was eventually purchased privately by Darley and traveled a good deal during her broodmare career, making three separate trips to Great Britain and even a sojourn to Japan, where she produced her Dubai Millennium daughter before being sent back to Kentucky with a Sunday Silence filly in utero.

She sold again in 2009 to Sones at Keeneland November for $100,000, which is where Yoshida enters her story. Storm Song produced six foals for Sones, including 2016 GI Wood Memorial S. runner-up Trojan Nation (Street Cry {Ire}). Her last foal is the now-5-year-old My Favorite Uncle (Uncle Mo), whose most recent race was a second-place finish at Belterra Park Sept. 20 for Joshua Galindo and trainer Climaco Galindo-Torres. Yoshida raised each of those six.

“She produced good-looking foals,” said Yoshida. “She was a good teacher to me and the farm crew, to see what a good-quality horse is. She's also proven as a broodmare herself.

“She is easy to handle, however, she has kind of a strong personality. She has the dignity of a Grade I-level mare. She's not difficult, but uses her strong personality to show us what she wants to do.”

Storm Song flanked by My Trusty Cat to her left and Plaisir des Yeux to her right | Sarah Andrew

Yoshida keeps Storm Song turned out with 2005 GI Humana Distaff H. winner My Trusty Cat (Tale of the Cat) and 1997 G1 Prix Marcel Boussac-placed Plaisir des Yeux (Fr) (Funambule). The trio are enjoying pensioned life together.

“We keep them in a big field by a creek and forest to keep them calmed down. They gallop so hard, considering their age. We pay very good attention to their feet and change their feeding program if necessary because of cold or hot weather, but these mares are in very good shape. They really don't need special care.”

Yoshida was asked about the first words that come to his mind when he thinks of his Breeder's Cup-winning charge.

“Sophistication. She has a very beautiful eye and face and good conformation. Balance. Dr. Sones still keeps a few daughters of Storm Song, so the story of Storm Song is still going. Hopefully we can give more exciting news from this family.”

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