Month: October 2023

Can Group Storms From Last To Win Bourbon In 27-1 Surprise, Earns Breeders’ Cup Berth

Last of 12 2-year-olds heading into the final turn, Can Group unleashed a furious outside rally down the stretch to prevail by the slimmest of margins in a 27-1 upset in the $350,000 Castle & Key Bourbon Stakes (G2) Sunday at Keeneland.

With Francisco Arrieta riding for trainer Mark Casse, the Good Samaritan colt pipped Noted by a nose 1 1/16-mile turf contest. He returned $56.34 for the win.

Vote No finished third, a length behind Noted, while favorite First World War was another half-length back in fourth.

“He was (last going into the final turn),” said Arrieta, who who not only picked up his first Keeneland stakes victory but his first Grade 2 victory.. “When I moved and he saw the leaders, he just took off and, wow, it was amazing. I felt like I crossed the wire in front. He was rolling. I won with him at Kentucky Downs (maiden special weight Sept. 2) and he came from off the pace very nice, slow, so today I planned the same. Relax, give him time, and make one move, and he showed up.”

The Bourbon is a Breeders' Cup Challenge “Win and You're In” qualifier for the $1-million Prevagen Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1), and Can Group earned a free berth in the 1 1/16-mile race Nov. 3 at Santa Anita.

Can Group's victory marked the fifth win in the race for Casse, who previously won with Airoforce (2015), Keep Quiet (FR) (2016), Flameaway (2017), and Peace Achieved (2019).

Fortune Seller led the field early while being tracked by Double Your Money with Noted and favored First World War heading up the second flight. The top two positions did not change going into the far turn, but things changed quickly in the upper stretch when the pack closed in.

Vote No emerged with the lead passing the eighth pole, while behind him Noted was being shuffled back and Can Group began his clear run between horses. Noted found racing room about 50 yards from the wire to hit the front only to be caught in the final jump by Can Group.

D.J. Stable LLC and Cash Is King campaign Can Group, who has won half his four starts. The $98,013 winner's share of the Bourbon purse increased his lifetime purse earnings to $307,013.

Bred in Kentucky by Wynnstay Inc. and H. Allen Poindexter, Can Group is out of the Street Sense mare Blue Gallina. D J Stable paid $100,000 for him at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale, where Wynnstay Sales consigned him.

The post Can Group Storms From Last To Win Bourbon In 27-1 Surprise, Earns Breeders’ Cup Berth appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Oscar Performance Colt Stays Perfect in Zuma Beach

Amerman homebred Endlessly (Oscar Performance) upped his perfect record to three-for-three as he made 4-5 odds look like a gift in Sunday's GIII Zuma Beach S. at Santa Anita. The bay donned cap and gown over a mile at Del Mar July 30, and returned over the same course and distance Sept. 10 to annex the GIII Del Mar Juvenile Turf S. by another daylight margin. Getting a spin around the same trip as the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Nov. 3 this time, Endlessly settled into a midpack spot as his stablemates Ngannou (Mendelssohn) and Formidable Man (City of Light) sat first and second through a half in :46.27. The favorite began to creep closer approaching the quarter pole with Florida invader Grand Mo the First (Uncle Mo) revving up to his outside, made his move up the fence as that foe swung wide and then tipped one off the rail to overtake Ngannou while bumping with the tiring Formidable Man. Once able to fully level out, he asserted his superiority and ran up the score. Ngannou held second from Grand Mo the First.

“I had a really nice trip,” said winning rider Juan Hernandez. “My horse broke sharp today and he always puts himself in a good spot. I was tracking the pace, there were a couple of horses in front of me and I was saving ground the first turn. Around the 3/8 when I was ready to start making my move I was a little surprised because he is the kind of horse when you ask him he picks it up right away, but today it took him a couple of jumps to figure out that he had to start making his move. I wanted to go outside, but then I saw the rail open for me and saw the opportunity to come through and make up more ground, so I decided to come between horses. My horse is really professional–he came through the horses really well and after that he just passed everybody like the last couple of races. He's improving with every race.”

Pedigree Notes:

Endlessly is one of three graded winners and five stakes winners for his young sire. He is one of 80 worldwide stakes winners (20 group or graded) out of Langfuhr mares. Out of French import and SoCal SW/GSP Society Dream, dam Dream Fuhrever is a half to the dam of the Amermans' GISW Coffee Clique (Medaglia d'Oro) and MGSW Admission Office (Point of Entry). Another half-sister is responsible for this year's Hawthorne Derby winner Act a Fool (Oscar Performance). Dream Fuhrever produced a full-brother to Endlessly in March and was bred back to Oscar Performance for the fifth-straight year.

Sunday, Santa Anita Park
ZUMA BEACH S.-GIII, $201,500, Santa Anita, 10-8, 2yo, 1mT, 1:34.52, fm.
1–ENDLESSLY, 124, c, 2, by Oscar Performance
                1st Dam: Dream Fuhrever, by Langfuhr
                2nd Dam: Society Dream (Fr), by Akarad (Fr)
                3rd Dam: Society Bride, by Blushing Groom (Fr)
O-Amerman Racing LLC; B-Jerry Amerman (KY); T-Michael W. McCarthy; J-Juan J. Hernandez. $120,000. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, $229,200. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Ngannou, 118, c, 2, Mendelssohn–Fancy Kitten, by Kitten's Joy. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($120,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Wells Watson; B-Machmer Hall (KY); T-Michael McCarthy. $40,000.
3–Grand Mo the First, 120, c, 2, Uncle Mo–Lilies So Fair, by Giant's Causeway. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($125,000 RNA Ylg '22 KEESEP; $135,000 Ylg '22 FTKOCT; $335,000 RNA 2yo '23 OBSMAR). O-Granpollo Stables LLC; B-John D. Gunther (KY); T-Victor Barboza, Jr.. $24,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, 1 1/4, HF. Odds: 0.80, 7.20, 7.50.
Also Ran: Ace of Clubs, Mici's Express, Formidable Man, Boltage, Pour Dompter (Fr). Scratched: Rothschild.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

The post Oscar Performance Colt Stays Perfect in Zuma Beach appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Nations Pride Overhauls Pacesetter Royal Champion Late To Win Canadian International

Godolphin homebred Nations Pride (IRE) stalked pacesetter Royal Champion (IRE) from second before wearing down that rival at the sixteenths pole, then shaking free for a clear in in the $750,000 Canadian International (G1) Sunday at Woodbine.

Sent off the favorite under William Buick, Nations Pride was winning his third race at the highest level as he cruised across the finish line 2 1/4 lengths to the good of gallant runner-up Royal Champion.

Adhamo (IRE) finished third.

A 4-year-old son of Teofilo, globetrotting Nations Pride has five stakes wins in five nations: Canada, Dubai, the U.S., England, and France. He scored previous top-level wins the 2022 Saratoga Derby and in the Grosser Dallmayr-Preis (G1) July 30 in his previous start.

Trained by Charlie Appleby, Nations Pride returned $2.80 after covering the 1 1/4 miles in 2:03.65.

Royal Champion took charge soon after the start and opened a comfortable lead as Nations Pride tracked through an opening quarter in :25.42, a half in :50.07, and six furlongs in 1:14.80.

Royal Champion appeared poised to for a front-running win under James Doyle as he entered the stretch with a one-length lead ,but Nations Pride wore him down with a sustained rally to score.

Nations Pride, who has a 10-2-1 record from 15 career starts, was produced by the Oasis Dream (GB) mare Important Time (IRE).

The post Nations Pride Overhauls Pacesetter Royal Champion Late To Win Canadian International appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Pharoah Filly Cruises in Rained-Off Matron

Jody's Pride, a 10 1/2-length debut winner in an off-turf event upstate Aug. 9, enjoyed the same surface switch here and the result was similar. Off towards the back of the pack, the dark bay quickly picked off rivals down the backside and uncorked a three-deep move around the bend to take command under her own power before a half posted in :45.93. She found no challengers from there on in, and cruised under the line a dominant victoress from last-out New York-bred stakes fourth finisher Tricky Temper. A Primera Vista, second in the Minnesota-bred Northern Lights Debutante S. at Canterbury last out, was third.

“I broke a step slow and I asked her to get herself into the race from there,” said winning pilot Flavien Prat. “Once I hit the turn, she just swapped leads and naturally on her own took me there. I didn't want to take anything away that came easy.”

Trainer Jorge Abreu said, “The main thing I like about her is that she relaxed a little bit today. That was my worry. When she ran the first time [going] 5 1/2 [furlongs], you know how they can be mentally, especially the fillies–they want to be a little keyed up and stuff like that. The first day we galloped her after the race, she looked like she was going to go the other way, but then she's got a pretty good, level head, that filly.”

As far as what could be next, the conditioner said, “My goal is to make it to the Breeders' Cup with her. I think she's that kind of horse. [Which race] is something we have to sit down and see. We'll see how she comes out in the morning and take it from there. I would rather go a mile. A mile on the turf. My first preference is turf.”

Pedigree Notes:

Jody's Pride is her sire's 35th Northern Hemisphere black-type winner, and would be his 19th grade/group winner should the original grade of this race be reinstated after review. She is the 27th Northern Hemisphere stakes winner out of a Scat Daddy mare. Mackinnon, the multiple stakes-winning juvenile who was third in the 2021 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, is bred on this same American Pharoah–Scat Daddy cross.

Steve Weston's Parkland Thoroughbreds and trainer Jorge Abreu also campaigned the winner's dam, who was a $250,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling and won both of her starts in turf sprints against fellow New York-breds. Jody's Song's prior foal Empathy (Uncle Mo) broke her maiden going seven furlongs on the Belmont grass in July. A half-brother to MGSW/GISP Make Mischief (Into Mischief), Jody's Song has yearling and foal full-brothers to Jody's Pride. She most recently visited Epicenter.

Sunday, Aqueduct
MATRON S.*, $150,000, Belmont The Big A, 10-8, 2yo, f, 6f (off turf), 1:10.77, ft.
1–JODY'S PRIDE, 120, f, 2, by American Pharoah
               1st Dam: Jody's Song, by Scat Daddy
               2nd Dam: Speightful Lady, by Speightstown
               3rd Dam: England's Rose, by Nureyev
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Parkland Thoroughbreds and
Sportsmen Stable; B-Mr. Steve Weston (KY); T-Jorge R. Abreu;
J-Flavien Prat. $82,500. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $140,250.
Click for the free Equineline catalogue-style pedigree. 
2–Tricky Temper, 120, f, 2, Into Mischief–Winter Book, by Any
Given Saturday. ($97,000 RNA Ylg '22 FTKOCT; $230,000 2yo
'23 OBSAPR). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Mark H. Stanley; B-Sequel
Thoroughbreds, LLC & Lakland Farm (NY); T-Jeremiah C.
Englehart. $30,000.
3–A Primera Vista, 120, f, 2, Competitive Edge–
Dazzlingsweetheart, by Dazzling Falls. ($70,000 Ylg '22
MNSAUG). O/T-Kerri Raven; B-Mary & Eric VonSeggern (MN).
$18,000.
Margins: 3 1/4, 4 3/4, 4. Odds: 1.25, 16.30, 31.75.
Also Ran: Sugar Hi, Leslie's Loot, Love to Eat, Devil At Midnight. Scratched: Amidst Waves, Ever So Sweet (Ire), Independenceavenue, Marco T., Star of Mystery (GB). *Automatically downgraded when taken off the turf.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

 

The post Pharoah Filly Cruises in Rained-Off Matron appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights