Month: November 2023

Favorite in the morning line and bet like it by the public, Miles Ahead was much the best in the 99th running of the $200,000 Thanksgiving Classic at Fair Grounds. Thursday's dominant win going six furlongs put Jay Em Ess Stable's 6-year-old Competitive Edge gelding within striking distance of the millionaire milestone.

After breaking last of seven, Miles Ahead would have to work hard early to get into position and not lose touch with the speedster Super Ocho, who shot out to the lead. At the top of the stretch, Miles Ahead switched leads and powered past the distance-challenged Super Ocho to win by 4 1/2 lengths. Super Ocho hung on for second, followed by Kavod, who was a length back in third.

Corroborated by the final time of 1:08.49, Paul McGee trainee's effort in the Thanksgiving Classic had the look of a horse running in peak form. The six-furlong track record is 1:08.03, set by Mountain General in the 2002 edition of the race, then known as the Thanksgiving Handicap.

Jefferson Parish's own Joe Talamo was in town from Kentucky to ride Miles Ahead. He made his riding debut in June 2006 at Louisiana Downs and went on to become the first apprentice jockey to win Fair Grounds' leading jockey title, accomplished at the 2006-'07 meet.

“He's a real nice horse to ride,” Talamo said of Miles Ahead. “He's definitely one who can get a little lazy early on, especially with that outside post. I had to ride him for a quarter mile to keep him in contention. When he switched leads at the top of the stretch, he exploded. I couldn't believe that final time. He was really running. He's one of those consistent horses, he's always second or third, not getting beat too far. Today he really put it all together. A testament to Paul McGee's training. I know he was coming back quickly, but he and his team did a great job with this horse.”

Thursday's win put Miles Ahead within striking distance of the millionaire status. Sitting at $932,313 in purse earnings, he boasts a 32-13-7-3 career record. On Thursday, he halted a six-race winless skid dating from his victory in the Louisville Thoroughbred Society Stakes Sept. 22 at Churchill Downs. His record includes a victory in the 2021 Smile Sprint Invitational (G3) at Gulfstream Park as well as a runner-up finish in the Whitmore (G3) in March at Oaklawn Park.

Chasing Time, Gilcrease, and Machine Gun Man rounded out the finishing order.

Miles Ahead was bred in Kentucky by Nicholas M. Lotz and Betsy Kelley. Produced by the Awesome Again mare Jennie R., he was a $175,000 purchase by Ellman, Melin, Plesa at the 2019 OBS March Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, where Top Line Sales consigned him.

The post ‘Couldn’t Believe That Final Time’: Miles Ahead Speeds To Thanksgiving Classic Triumph appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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In racing parlance, it was a case of “walking the dog.”

Rider Tiago Pereira put his filly Linda's Gift on the lead out of the gate in the 1 3/8-mile Red Carpet (G3), then stayed there all the way around  en route to a three-quarter length victory in the Thanksgiving Day feature at Del Mar.

The 4-year-old daughter of Arrogate set slow fractions of :26.00 :51.62 1:17.30 1:41.97 2:05.98 and finished the distance in 2:17.80 on turf rated as good.

“They left me alone out there,” Pereira said of his filly controlling the pace. “That was fine with me. She was a runner all the way.”

Trained Richard Mandella for  an extended ownership group headed by John Cronin, Anthony DiMarco, and Michael Mandara, Linda's Gift picked up a first prize of $60,000 from the $101,000 purse and returned $7.80 to her backers as the second choice in the field of seven fillies and mares.

“I liked the looks of it all the way,” Mandella said of Linda's Gift's front-running win. “I didn't think they (the early fractions) were real. It's hard to gallop her that slow. She looked like she was comfortable. I always thought she was good enough and she rose to the occasion.”

Finishing second was Musical Rhapsody, who had three-quarters of a length on third-place finisher Sister Otoole.

Linda's Gift increased her bankroll to $194,936 with her third victory from her 11th start and earned her first stakes win while making her graded stakes debut. She entered off a fourth in the Kathryn Crosby while trying stakes company for the first time Nov. 11 at the seaside track.

Bred in Kentucky by Calumet Farm, Linda's Gift was produced by the winning Tapit mare Americana. She sold to George Weaver's agency for $50,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Two-Year-olds in Training Sale, where she was consigned by SGV Thoroughbreds.

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Star Fortress (IRE) dominated Thursday's 48th running of the $267,500 Cardinal (G3) on Thanksgiving Day at Churchill Downs with a 10-length last-to-first romp over favored Saffron Moon.

Star Fortress, a 4-year-old Sea The Star filly owned by John D. Gunther and his daughter Tanya Gunther's Eurowest Bloodstock Services, ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:51:10 on turf rated as good to collect the first stakes win of her career in her first United States start.

Luis Saez rode the winner for trainer Cherie DeVaux.

Breaking from post  2 in the field of six fillies and mares, Star Fortress settled in last during the early stages as Walkathon set fractions of :23.35, :48.61 and 1:13.90. Full of run while leaving the final turn, Saez tipped Star Fortress out to the center of the track and the filly displayed an explosive late kick to collar Saffron Moon and a tiring Walkathon with a furlong to run. Her winning margin only widened inside the final stages of the race.

“The plan worked out how we drew it up,” Saez said. “We let the speed go and saved ground. Around the turn we swung out and just really exploded down the stretch.”

The triumph was worth $153,450 and increased her earnings to $175,775. Star Fortress boasts a record of 2-1-2 from eight starts.

Star Fortress returned $14.68 for the win as the 6-1 fifth betting choice.

Saffron Moon, the 9-5 favorite, outfinished Lovely Princess by a neck for second.

The order of finish was completed by Juncture (GB), Walkathon and Joyful Applause. Take a Stand was scratched.

Prior to the Cardinal, Star Fortress finished third in a weight-for-age event going 1½ miles at Newmarket in July. Her lone win from seven starts in England came in her second outing over Chelmsford City's all-weather track at 1¼ miles on July, 3 2022.

“She was training very well coming into this race and she won very impressively today,” DeVaux said. “We're not sure where we'll go next with her. Our plan was to get her to this race and focused on that.”

Gray filly Star Fortress is out of the El Prado (IRE) mare Lady Aquitaine and was bred in Ireland by Sahara Group/Eurowest/Sunderland Hldgs. Tanya Gunther bought her as a weanling for $176,234 at the 2019 Tattersalls December Foal Sale, where Newsells Park Stud consigned her.

The post Star Power: Star Fortress Rallies From Last For Authoritative Cardinal Win In U.S. Debut appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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