Robin Goodfellow’s racing tips: Best bets for Saturday, April 6
Mail Sport's racing expert Robin Goodfellow delivers his tips for Saturday's meetings at Kempton, Chelmsford City and Uttoxeter.
Author: News
Saturday Insights: ‘Rising Star’ Pirate Returns After Break To Raid Keeneland
2nd-KEE, $110K, OC/N1X, 3yo, 6f, 1:32 p.m. ET.
PIRATE (Omaha Beach) begins his 3-year-old campaign after he broke his maiden at first asking and secured 'TDN Rising Star' honors last July at Saratoga. The dark bay then ran third to Nutella Fella (Runhappy) and fellow 'Rising Star' Timberlake in the GI Hopeful S. just before the meet upstate closed for the summer.
A $350,000 purchase by Starlight Racing and Harrell Ventures at the Keeneland September Sale, the Todd Pletcher trainee is a half-brother to GI Preakness S. and GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. hero National Treasure (Quality Road) and SW Ultimate (Speightstown). Pirate's dam is a half-sister to MSW Inspired (Unbridled's Song), who produced GSP Carmel Road (Quality Road). TJCIS PPS
3rd-KEE, $100K, Msw, 3yo, 7f, 2:04 p.m. ET.
TIMEOUT (Curlin) has posted some sharp recent works for trainer Bill Mott at Payson Park in preparation for this debut. The hombred for Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider, out of MGSW Lull (War Front), has an extended female family which includes Horse of the Year winners Saint Liam (Sant Ballado) and Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}.
Under the colors of Charles Fipke, another homebred set for his first start is D'oro Unbridled (Medaglia d'Oro). The Ignacio Correas trainee's dam GISW Unbridled Forever (Unbridled's Song) counts as a full-sister Forever Unbridled. Both are out of GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Lemons Forever (Lemon Drop Kid).
Finally, Counter Attack (Gun Runner) makes the races for an ownership group which includes his breeder Three Chimneys Farm. Trained by Steve Asmussen, the colt was an $825,000 Keeneland September buy for M.V. Magnier and Breeze Easy. Counter Attack's third dam is responsible for GISW Midnight Storm (Pioneerof the Nile). TJCIS PPS
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Aintree officials join forces with police to beef up security for the Grand National despite animal rights protestors saying they have no plans to disrupt the race
MARCUS TOWNEND: The 2023 Grand National was delayed for 15 minutes as Animal Rising supporters scaled perimeter fencing and attempted to glue themselves to the fences.
Handicapping the Kentucky Derby Preps: Blue Grass, Santa Anita Derby & Wood Memorial
TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack provides analysis for Saturday's trio of GI Kentucky Derby prep races.
GI Toyota Blue Grass S. – In a race billed as a showdown between the re-opposing GII Remsen S. one-two Dornoch (Good Magic) and Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), don't look past likely third choice Just a Touch (Justify). The highly regarded bay ran to the hype with a powerful debut score for trainer Brad Cox over the promising $1.7-million KEESEP graduate Gun Party (Curlin) (he returned with another very good second-place finish Mar. 16) on debut sprinting in the Fair Grounds slop Jan. 27. He was well-backed at the windows again for his second career start and lost little in defeat finishing second as the favorite over another saturated surface in a deep renewal of the GIII Gotham S. Mar. 2. Just a Touch will finally get a chance to showcase his ability on a fast surface and has every right to take another step forward stretching out to two turns for the first time as well. He should be able to sit a perfect trip just off Dornoch and have the jump on the stretch-running Sierra Leone, who is the horse to beat off his impressive come-from-behind win in the GII Risen Star S. Feb. 17. Selection: #6 Just a Touch (7-2).
GII Wood Memorial S. – No knocks on the 7-5 morning-line favorite and impressive Gotham winner Deterministic (Liam's Map), but I prefer the fellow unbeaten Tuscan Sky (Vino Rosso) here. Like the aforementioned Just a Touch, Tuscan Sky has raced only on wet, sealed tracks in his first two starts. The gray finished up like a real good thing after a bit of an interesting journey (led early, dropped back to third on the far turn and leveled off beautifully in stretch to win going away) sprinting on debut at the Big A Jan. 13. He backed up that effort with another fantastic performance–albeit in a three-horse field–with a two-length decision over sharp next-out Hot Springs S. winner Nash (Medaglia d'Oro) (good for a 95 Beyer) while making his two-turn debut on the Risen Star undercard. Tuscan Sky tuned up for this with a four-furlong bullet in :48 3/5 (1/20) for seven-time Wood Memorial-winning trainer Todd Pletcher at Palm Beach Downs Mar. 30. Tuscan Sky's young sire Vino Rosso won this same race in 2018. Selection: #9 Tuscan Sky (4-1).
GI Santa Anita Derby – It's difficult to make a case against Imagination (Into Mischief), who will be the much-deserved Santa Anita Derby favorite. The $1.05-million KEESEP yearling has run well in all five of his career starts and has taken a nice step forward in his last two. He gave highly regarded Bob Baffert-trained stablemate Maymun (Frosted) all he could handle while finishing second in an optional claimer Feb. 11, then dug in gamely to secure a career high in the GII San Felipe S. Mar. 3. Should be well-spotted beneath Frankie Dettori either on or just off the lead. Selection: #4 Imagination (8-5).
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