Month: September 2023

Gold Standard Racing Stable's Hoosier Philly settled into her temporary home on Parx Racing's backside Wednesday with the hope of a clean trip and her first Grade 1 victory in Saturday's $1 million Cotillion Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

The Tom Amoss-trainee will make her ninth start and enters off a disappointing eighth in the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks August 26. The winner of four starts was expected make her first Grade 1 start in the Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga Race Course July 22, but a foot abscess found the morning of the race kept her sidelined that afternoon.

“She's coming off a poor performance, but it's a race where she really got beat up out of the gate,” Amoss said. “I knew from the gate when we didn't get into good position that we were in trouble. To me, that race is a throw out. She's trained well since.

“I've been watching the forecasters and there's a lot of rain expected, but it's going to be the same for everybody. It won't hurt her. I think she'll be fine as she goes.”

The seven-furlong Charles Town Oaks was the shortest distance the daughter of Into Mischief has tried since winning her debut at 5 1/2 furlongs at Churchill Downs. That victory launched a perfect 2-year-old campaign at her Kentucky base where she added a 7 1/2-length win in the Rags to Riches Stakes before adding the Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes to her resume.

The Kentucky-bred returned fresh for her sophomore season and faced foes in three straight Grade 2 stakes before a third in the Rachel Alexandra at Fair Grounds then a fourth in the Fair Grounds Oaks before finishing as the runner-up in the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico. It was the first time in her career that she failed to be sent to the gate as the post-time favorite.

Amoss used the 2019 Cotillion as a prep for his multiple Grade 1-winning filly Serengeti Empress, who finished a disappointing sixth in the race before shipping to Santa Anita to finish third in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff.

The Cotillion is a race that Amoss and his team are happy to point to before looking to a possible start in this year's Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita.

“We're looking forward to the challenge,” said Amoss. “It's a great race. It's a one-of-a-kind race. A $1-million race for 3-year-old fillies where, if you think you have a really good horse, it's a can't miss. You'd have to take your shot.”

Hoosier Philly, the 6-1 co-fourth choice in the morning-line will have Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez in the saddle for the first time replacing regular rider Edgar Morales.

The post Hoosier Philly’s Last Race A ‘Throw Out,’ Amoss Confident Heading Into Cotillion appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Reincarnate, the 3-1 morning-line favorite for Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million betPARX Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing, has a nickname.

“We call him Moby Dick,” Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said by phone from California, referring to the giant whale from the classic Herman Melville novel. “He is a big, strong white horse … he has the same coloring as Moby Dick.”

Baffert hopes that Reincarnate is no fish tale in the Pennsylvania Derby. Owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan, the son of Good Magic hasn't raced since winning the Los Alamitos Derby in front-running fashion July 8.

Baffert said he has no concerns with the long layoff. He likes the way the colt has worked this summer at Del Mar and, most recently, at Santa Anita Park.

His final pre-Pennsylvania Derby work was Saturday at Santa Anita when he went 6 furlongs in 1:12.40.

Reincarnate, who will be ridden by Juan Hernandez, has three wins, three seconds and two thirds in nine career starts. He has one win and three seconds in four starts this year. Reincarnate's two prior starts before the Los Alamitos race were Grade 1s – 13th in the May 6 Kentucky Derby and third in the April 11 Arkansas Derby.

“I have always been very high on the horse,” Baffert said. “We have always liked him. He is the kind of horse that will run up near the lead and be forwardly placed.”

One thing that Reincarnate and Hernandez will have to overcome is the post position. They drew No. 11 in the 11-horse field.

“It will be a little bit tough being way out there,” Baffert said. “Hopefully, he doesn't get hung out too wide. You can't do anything about the post position. If you train long enough, you are going to draw bad post positions. I have drawn bad and won and I have drawn really well and got beat.”

Reincarnate arrived from California Tuesday. Jimmy Barnes, Baffert's longtime assistant, accompanied the colt and will handle saddling Saturday.

On the opposite end of the tote board, trainer Saffie Joseph is hoping for another surprise when he saddles West Coast Cowboy in the Pennsylvania Derby.

West Coast Cowboy is 12-1 on the morning line. When Math Wizard pulled off his upset in 2019, he was a whopping 31-1 when he went to the starting gate for the 1 1/8-mile race.

As Joseph prepares West Coast Cowboy, a son of 2017 champion 3-year-old male West Coast, for this year's Derby, his mind, naturally, drifts back to Sept. 21, 2019.

“Most definitely,” Joseph said by phone from Kentucky, where he's attending the Keeneland September yearling sale. “That was my first graded stakes race win – ever – and it was a Grade 1. It was a good race. We beat a Preakness winner (War of Will) and we beat Improbable (who won the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga in 2020). That race definitely brought a lot of joy and it's one of the highs of my career. It will last forever.”

West Coast Cowboy is owned by Gentry Farms and will be ridden Saturday by Tyler Conner. Conner first rode the chestnut when he finished second in the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby behind Red Route One.

West Coast Cowboy has two wins in seven starts. He also ran in the Grade 3 Fountain of Youth (third) Feb. 4 and the Grade 1 Florida Derby (seventh) April 1, both at Gulfstream Park.

“He is a big, strong horse that seems to be improving,” Joseph said “He is not at the top level yet, but he seems to get better and better every time he runs. Sometimes you just have to take chances. Sometimes it works out, but most of the time it doesn't. You can't be afraid to run them in the race.”

Joseph's trip to Parx for the 2019 Pennsylvania Derby certainly proved that theory.

“For sure,” he said. “It's rare when you have a special moment like that. It never goes away.”

The post Pennsylvania Derby: Baffert Relishing Favorite’s Role With ‘Moby Dick,’ Joseph Hoping For Another Surprise With West Coast Cowboy appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Antonio Sano saddled his 949th winner in the United States Sept. 9 at Gulfstream Park, passing the late South Florida trainer Manny Azpurua to become the all-time leading Venezuelan trainer in America.

The 60-year-old trainer is hardly ready to rest on his many laurels, however. He has too much to look forward to.

“Manny Azpurua was an excellent trainer here and in Venezuela,” said Sano, who ventured to South Florida in 2009 after saddling more than 3,000 winners in Venezuela. “It's a new record for me, but I'm trying to continue to win more races.”

Sano has returned to South Florida this week from Lexington, Ky., where he purchased six yearlings at the Keeneland September sale, hoping to add to his reputation as a horseman with a keen eye for a bargain. The 60-ytear-old trainer most notably purchased a son of Dialed In for $16,000 at the 2015 Keeneland September sale, and multiple graded-stakes winner Gunnevera went on to earn more than $5.5 million in 2016-2019.

While it remains to be seen how his new yearling purchases will turn out, Sano is staying busy while setting sights on achieving more immediate goals with Il Miracolo and Dancing Groom.

Eduardo Soto's Il Miracolo is scheduled to meet 10 other 3-year-olds in Saturday's $1 million Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at Parx. The son of Gun Runner prepped for the Pennsylvania Derby with a three-length victory at Parx in the Aug. 22 Smarty Jones (G3).

“He's training very well for this race. It's a difference race with different horses but my horse is a confident horse,” said Sano, who saddled Il Miracolo, a $70,000 purchase at the 2022 OBS Open sale, to a second-place finish behind Scotland in the Curlin at Saratoga. “He is getting better and better.”

Il Miracolo is rated at 8-1 on the morning line in a field headlined by Bob Baffert-trained Reincarnate, the 3-1 morning-line favorite. Bill Mott-trained Scotland is rated at 5-2.

Soto's Dancing Groom, an impressive maiden special weight winner at Saratoga last time out, is being pointed toward the Oct. 7 Champagne (G1) at Aqueduct. The son of Vino Rosso, who was purchased for $60,000 at the OBS March sale, debuted with a sixth-place finish in a six-furlong maiden special weight race July 22 at Saratoga before graduating in his next start in a mile maiden special weight race taken off the turf. Dancing Groom rated off the pace before making a four-wide sweep to the lead heading into the stretch and drawing off to a five-length score.

“I saw the horse for long distance. I started him at six furlongs the first time. His second race at a mile, the horse won very easy,” Sano said. “His next race will be the Champagne.”

While branching out, Sano continues to make his presence felt at Gulfstream Park, where he saddled Magic Stable's Papeete, a 2-year-old son of Not This Time purchased for $30,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September sale, for a promising 2 ¾-length victory last month.

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