October, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Hong Kong Harry Resumes Winning Ways In City Of Hope Mile

Idle since May 29, diminutive Irish-bred gelding Hong Kong Harry was sharp early and in control late as he attended the pace and rallied for a deceptively easy neck score in Saturday's Grade 3 City of Hope Mile Stakes at Santa Anita. Contested over a course softened some by early rain, Hong Kong Harry, who is trained by Phil D'Amato, got the distance in 1:33.77 with Juan Hernandez aboard for the first time.

A joint fourth, about three lengths off Astronomer heading into the first turn, Hong Kong Harry was into the bridle in the run up the backside as he closed on the leader and War At Sea leaving the three-furlong pole. Approaching the quarter pole, Hernandez hugged the rail and when War At Sea tired at the top of the lane, Hong Kong Harry angled outside Astronomer and went on to win with his ears pricked in a thoroughly professional performance.

Third, beaten 1 ½ lengths as the 8-5 favorite in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile on turf at Santa Anita May 29, Hong Kong Harry won as the even money favorite among a field of nine and paid $4.20, $3.40 and $2.40.

A 6-year-old gelding who is now a two-time graded stakes winner over the Santa Anita turf, “Harry” has now won six of his 10 starts since coming to D'Amato's barn in 2022, four of them coming in graded stakes.

Barely 15 hands tall, Hong Kong Harry is owned by Scott Anastasi, Jimmy Ukegawa and Tony Valazza. With an overall race record dating back to a first-out win at age 4 in Ireland of 17-10-2-2, he picked up $120,000, boosting his earnings to $775,097.

Off at 8-1 with Antonio Fresu, Astronomer stayed gamely, finishing one length in front of French-bred Twist and returned $8.00 and $4.20.

Twist, covered up in the run to the first turn, had two horses beat early and rallied well over a course that appeared to be speed favoring. With Hector Berrios up, Twist, who was the second choice at 3-1, paid $2.60 to show while finishing a half length in front of Hit the Road.

Fractions on the race were 23.51, 47.67, 1:10.91 and 1:22.49.

JOCKEY QUOTES

JUAN HERNANDEZ, HONG KONG HARRY, WINNER: “He had a really nice trip, this horse was sharp today. Out of the gate he was pulling, pulling. This is the kind of horse that he always relaxes and comes with one run, but today I am guessing that he was feeling really good because he was really aggressive at the beginning. He was in a good mood and was just trying to run. I was trailing really well behind the pace and was saving ground. I was hoping for a rail opening but the horse in front of me, he never came off the rail but the other horse (War At Sea) dropped back around the turn I had the opportunity to come out and start making my run. As soon as he switched leads, he picked it up really well and he hit the wire first. He's a professional. He does everything himself. I just had to push him a little bit today, but he made it.”

TRAINER QUOTES

PHIL D'AMATO, HONG KONG HARRY, WINNER: “He had his ears pricked ready to go and Juan just did a masterful job. Angled out just like you like to see a turf horse do and motor home. I loved seeing that because he's kind of more of a docile type horse in the stall, but when he had his heels kicking up the other day it gave me a good indication that he was ready to go. This is a total team effort, the groom Octavio, my assistants, Julie, Rudy and Odolfo, it is just a total team effort with this horse and also to win for the owners it is just awesome.

“He is just one of the barn favorite, he is just kind of one of those horses in the morning he does what he needs to do so you never know exactly how cranked he is but he knows when it is showtime.”

OWNER QUOTES
TONY VALAZZA, PART-OWNER, HONG KONG HARRY, WINNER: “It's an unbelievable thrill, we've been wanting to run him at Del Mar and things didn't work out. We are so excited that he is back and he's back in a big way. We have to think about it, for us it is a big feat to be in the Breeders' Cup if he is not nominated.”

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Lane Way Takes Eddie D Stakes For Hall Of Famers Mandella, Smith

Call 'em the Sunshine Boys. Hall of Famers Richard Mandella, 71, and Mike Smith, 58, combined more than 90 years of racing experience as they teamed for victory in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Eddie D Stakes at Santa Anita, as veteran 6-year-old gelding Lane Way attended the pace and kept grinding his way to a half-length score, getting 6 ½ furlongs out of the turf chute in 1:14.47.

Named for the legendary Hall of Fame jockey Eddie Delahoussaye, the Eddie D was moved from the hillside turf course to the turf chute earlier in the day due to approximately two-fifths of an inch of rain.

Breaking sharply, Lane Way was a joint third, about 2 ½ lengths off longshot Noble Reflection, as the field crossed the main track shortly after the break. Smith was then able to work his way closer at the rail in the run to the far turn and was a length off the leader to his outside turning for home. From there, he kept to his task, gaining the ascendancy a sixteenth out.

Away five months prior to finishing fifth in Del Mar's Grade 3 Green Flash Handicap at five furlongs Sept. 2, Lane Way was off as 9-5 favorite in a field of 11 and returned $5.60, $3.00 and $2.60.

A Kentucky-bred by Into Mischief, Lane Way is owned by MyRacehorse, which had about 150 people in the Winner's Circle. In garnering his first graded stakes win, Lane Way earned $120,000 and improved his overall race record to 19-5-6-5.

French-bred Bran, about two lengths off the lead at the top of the lane, finished well, prevailing by a nose over Noble Reflection for second money. Off at 7-2 with Juan Hernandez, Bran paid $4.00 and $2.60.

Off at 15-1 with Mario Gutierrez, Noble Reflection paid $6.80 to show while finishing a half length better than Irish-bred I'm A Gambler.

Fractions on the Eddie D, run over at turf listed as good, were 23.39, 45.86 and 1:08.49.

JOCKEY QUOTES
MIKE SMITH, LANE WAY, WINNER: “It is just an honor to win the Eddie D Stakes I look up to him and still do. I tried to ride him like he would so I come in and nail them at the last part. Just going from the five to the six, six and a half it is just much better for him. He was just coming off a layoff last time, he made a nice late run but he got a little tired in the end. He got so much out of that, and he should get so much out of this, it should put us right where we need to be come Breeders' Cup time.

“Mr. Mandella and his crew they did all the work.”

TRAINER QUOTES
RICHARD MANDELLA, LANE WAY, WINNER: “He is just a really nice horse. We gave him a good rest. Kind of planned to get him at his best at this time of year and it worked. It doesn't always, but it worked this time.”

(ON SWITCHING THE RACE TO THE CHUTE ON THE TURF): “No. I was just hoping for some good luck because he's kind of plagued with bad luck in some of his races. Today went perfect.”

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Slow Down Andy Earns First Grade 1, BC Classic Slot With Wire-To-Wire Awesome Again Victory

Breaking like a shot on wet-fast track, Reddam Racing's homebred Slow Down Andy never did, taking eight rivals on a merry chase en route to a smashing 2 ¼-length victory in Santa Anita's Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes, final steppingstone to the Grade 1, $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic.

Trained by Doug O'Neill and ridden by Mario Gutierrez, the 4-year-old California-bred colt by 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist got 1 1/8 miles in 1:47.62.

A Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” Challenge Race qualifier, Slow Down Andy now has a fees-paid berth into the Classic, which will be run for the 40th time Nov. 4 at Santa Anita.

On what turned out to be a spectacular afternoon, Slow Down Andy cut a striking figure as he kept both Defunded and National Treasure at bay to his outside around the far turn and he proved much the best late in an effort that suggested he'll be plenty tough at 1 1/4 miles.

Most recently a close third in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic Sept. 2, Slow Down Andy was the 2-1 favorite in a field of nine 3-year-olds and up and paid $6.00, $3.60 and $2.80.

Out of Reddam Racing's Square Eddie mare Edwina E, Slow Down Andy notched his first Grade 1 win and his third graded score from an overall mark of 14-5-4-3. With the winner's share of $180,000, he increased his earnings to $1,276,600.

Off at 7-2 with Edwin Maldonado up, Defunded kept to his task gamely and finished one length in front of stretch-running Senor Buscador, returning $4.60 and $3.40.

With Geovanni Franco up, Senor Buscador was off at 8-1 and paid $4.40 while finishing 1 ½ lengths in front of National Treasure.

Fractions, all set by the winner, were 22.97, 46.91, 1:10.59 and 1:34.92.

Slow Down Andy's owner-breeder Paul Reddam

JOCKEY QUOTES
MARIO GUTIERREZ, SLOW DOWN ANDY, WINNER: “He's always a good breaker. I think we took advantage of the good, clean break. He relaxed. I tried not to fight him, sometimes I fight him and he gives me his head, so my goal today was to let him run comfortable and it paid off.

“He's becoming better with age. You can see it on his record. His last few races he's just given us his all. Right now, he's fit, he's ready to run in the Breeders' Cup.”

TRAINER QUOTES
DOUG O'NEILL, SLOW DOWN ANDY, WINNER: “First of all he is a super easy horse to train and I have to thank the people at OBR. Zillah does a lot of work along with Ocean Breeze, Carlos and Casey they do such a wonderful job. If they are all like him, it is about as easy as a job as you can get. He just goes out there and gives 100 percent every morning exercising. Tony Romero gets on him, he used to get on the great Lava Man and he says this horse is very special. Just to get a Grade 1 for Paul, Zillah, and for Andy and OBR it is really special.”

OWNER QUOTES
PAUL REDDAM, SLOW DOWN ANDY, WINNER: “I was kind of surprised, I thought everyone would try to go. The track has been pretty speed favoring all day and he just broke so smoothly that he was on top in three jumps and that worked out.

“We are in for the Breeders' Cup Classic.”

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Dr. Schivel Lands Santa Anita Sprint Championship For Second Time, To Aim For Breeders’ Cup

Dr. Schivel battled Speed Boat Beach through the final furlong and dug in to narrowly prevail in the $200,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2) Saturday.

Ridden by Juan Hernandez for trainer Mark Glatt, the 5-year-old son of Violence won the race for the second time in three years—he landed the 2021 edition by a comfortable 3¼ lengths in wire-to-wire fashion but had to call upon all his reserves to win by a head Saturday.

Dr. Schivel returned $6.80 for the win after completing the six furlongs in 1:08.49 on a track rated as wet fast and stamped himself as a horse to watch for the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) Nov. 4 at the Arcadia, Calif. track. He came tantalizingly close to winning the 2021 edition of the Sprint, run at Del Mar, when finishing second by a nose to Aloha West after taking that year's Sprint Championship.

Speed Boat Beach, who pressed early pacesetter Sir Atticus through a half mile in Saturday's race, led by a head in early stretch but the winner, who chased from third early, came calling to his inside and ultimately proved too strong.

Fort Bragg finished third, 1 1/4 lengths behind Speed Boat Beach.

Owned by Red Baron's Barn LLC, Rancho Temescal, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, and breeder William A. Branch, Dr. Schivel was off for nearly all of 2022. He was a 4¼-length classified allowance winner going six furlongs May 23 in his seasonal2023 debut three starts back at Santa Anita, then was a well-beaten fifth behind Cody's Wish in the Metropolitan (G1) June 10 at Belmont Park, and was most recently third, beaten a neck, by The Chosen Vron in the Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) May 13 at Del Mar.

With Saturday's win, Dr. Schivel improved his overall record to 7-2-3 from 14 starts. The $120,000 winner's share of the Santa Anita Sprint Championship purse boosted his lifetime bankroll to $1,327,100.

Bred in Kentucky by Branch and Arnold R. Hill, Dr. Schivel was produced by the Mining for Money mare Lil Nugget.

Santa Anita Sprint Championship Quotes

JOCKEY JUAN HERNANDEZ, DR. SCHIVEL, WINNER: “He broke a step slow but, after the first sixteenth, he got me there. He recovered really well, I was tracking the leaders and that was the plan because this track today, it's pretty fast so you don't want to be too far back. Plan A came out perfect, I just was waiting for something to come through. Around the turn, I saw a little bit of space inside on the rail, so I asked him to get into that position. He was really game today. He was fighting.

“He was really brave. He's a really professional horse. Mark Glatt brought him ready today. When I asked him to pick it up and to open up, he did.
“I was watching the horse on the outside because I was trying to get him. I knew he was there the whole time. We made it.”

TRAINER MARK GLATT, DR. SCHIVEL, WINNER: “The whole plan was to take the same path we did in 2021 and it worked really well that year. It was within an inch of working terrific, but you know I think these sprinters want to run a little fresh and at the same time I like the four weeks out from the Breeders' Cup. Four or five weeks. He got a good race under his belt.

“The ownership group is wonderful to train for they always allow me to do what is good for the horse, he's had his vacations and we've had to be patient. In some cases at times we had to be double patient and that's why he is around still because he wasn't pushed once he gave us the warning light. Hopefully he has one more good one in him and then he gets to go on to his second career.”

CO-OWNER TIM COHEN (Red Baron's Barn LLC, Rancho Temescal LLC), DR. SCHIVEL, WINNER: “I think Juan rode him pretty much the whole way. I don't think her really enjoyed the ground but he just preserved and kept going.”

BREEDERS' CUP?: “But of course!”

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