America’s Best Racing has put together a slideshow of the 3-year-olds expected to compete in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve on Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs.
Author: News
Mo Forza Makes Sparkling Return In Del Mar Mile Handicap
Bardy Farm and OG Boss' Mo Forza, making his first start in seven months, looked like he'd never been away as he powered past a good field of turfers in capturing the $152,000 Del Mar Mile Sunday at Del Mar near San Diego, Calif.
The 4-year-old colt by top stallion Uncle Mo out of the Unusual Heat mare Inflamed, scored by 4 1/4 lengths under Flavien Prat in the good time of 1:33.27 for the mile and, as the 6-5 favorite, paid $4.40, $3.00 and $2.40 across the board. He is trained by Peter Miller.
This was the 34th running of the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile and it rewarded its winner with a purse of $90,000, pushing his bankroll to $614,460. The bay has now won five of his 11 starts, four of those victories coming in stakes races, including the Hollywood Derby last fall at Del Mar.
“Peter (trainer Miller) and I talked before the race and we noted that there looked like a lot of speed in the race,” said Prat. “That turned out true. He told me he took his blinkers off and he was hoping for the best. I had a good trip; my horse was relaxed. Then, when I say 'Go,' he had a really strong response.”
“That gave me goose pimples,” said Miller. “I was just hoping I had him tight enough and ready to perform. These were a good group of horses, but he's exceptional. To see this horse back in the winner's circle is really exciting. He had a tendency to get rank in his races last year and wanted to run over horses, so we thought we didn't want that problem this year so we took the blinkers off. He's been working without them and I thought that if it doesn't work out I'm going to look like an idiot, but thank goodness it worked out. We think the Breeders' Cup will definitely be the end of the year with one race in between.”
Bardy Farm is the nom du course for former trainer and breeder Barry Abrams, who raced horses for many years with great success on the Southern California circuit. He is home battling cancer these days but this horse – who Abrams also bred – had to pick his head up for sure. His partner in the colt is Onofrio Pecoraro of San Diego.
Finishing second in the feature was Kelly Brinkerhoff and Bog Grayson, Jr.'s Restrainedvengence and third was Fox Hill Farms and Siena Farm's Royal Ship.
The riding and training stars of the day were Prat and Miller, who combined to win three races on the 11-race card. Besides Mo Forza they also clicked with Querelle ($4.60) in the 2nd Race and Worthy Turk ($8.20) in the 7th. Prat is now second-leading rider at the meet with 34 wins after 19 days of racing. Miller leads the trainers' list with 18 firsts. Prat has been Del Mar's top rider on three different occasions, while Miller has been the leading conditioner seven times.
The stakes win was the 10th of the meet for rider Prat, but his first in the Del Mar Mile. He now has 54 stakes wins at Del Mar.
The stakes win was the third of the meet for trainer Miller, but his first in the Del Mar Mile. He now has 32 stakes wins at Del Mar.
Nobody could solve the Pick Six mystery on Sunday resulting in a $89,465 carryover and a $19,171 Jackpot carryover when racing resumes Friday at Del Mar starting at 2 p.m.
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Needless to Say Another Debut Winner for Not This Time
8th-Del Mar, $57,500, (S), Msw, 8-23, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:04.91, ft.
NEEDLESS TO SAY (f, 2, Not This Time–Camille C {MSW & GSP, $400,205}, by Roman Dancer), favored at 3-2, gave her freshman sire (by Giant’s Causeway) his ninth winner, his second of the day, and his second impressive debut victress of the weekend at Del Mar. The dark bay filly was away sharply and was soon at the head of affairs, setting fractions of :21.93 and :45.90. She extended her advantage down the lane without being asked and finished geared down and 3 1/4 lengths to the good of Ensley’s Dream (Smiling Tiger). Harris Farms purchased Camille C, with Needless to Say in utero, for $25,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November sale. The mare, who was third in the 2010 GII Hollywood Oaks, produced a colt by Clubhouse Ride in 2019 and a filly by Mr. Big in 2020. She was bred back to Smiling Tiger this year. Not This Time’s daughter Princess Noor was tabbed a ‘TDN Rising Star’ after her sparkling debut at Del Mar Saturday. The Taylor Made stallion was represented by his eighth winner when Time Goes On won the five race at Prairie Meadows just shortly before Needless to Say’s victory Sunday. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $33,000.
O-Harris Farms, Inc. & Per Antonsen; B-Harris Farms (CA); T-Dean Pederson.
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Gretzky The Great, Alda Score In Juvenile Turf Stakes At Woodbine
Two-year-olds Gretzky the Great and Alda shared the spotlight on Sunday as Woodbine hosted the $100,000 Soaring Free Stakes and filly companion Catch a Glimpse.
The 6 1/2-furlong sprints contested on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course at the Toronto, Ontario, racetrack, both ended in exciting finishes. They are local preps for the upcoming Grade 1 Summer and Natalma, a pair of Breeders' Cup Challenge Series “Win And You're In” one-mile turf stakes set for September 20.
Gretzky the Great was all class, just like his legendary namesake, in winning his first stakes assignment with Kazushi Kimura aboard for trainer Mark Casse and owners Gary Barber and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners.
In the Soaring Free, Gretzky the Great settled behind the front-striding Into the Sunrise through fractions of :23.16 and :45.51 before kicking into action down the lane. Gaining with every stride as the wire approached, the talented Casse trainee collared Into the Sunrise for the victory in 1:13.83.
Gretzky the Great paid $6.70 to win. He was sent postward as the 2-1 second choice to Victoria Stakes champion Ready to Repeat, who finished 1 1/4 lengths behind the top pair in third. Gospel Way and Exceed completed the order of finish.
The Ontario-bred youngster was a runner-up to Ready to Repeat in his career debut on July 12 and has now won back-to-back starts. The lion's share of the purse more than doubled his bankroll, which reached six-figures.
“I was so satisfied the last time and today that was the best performance of his life,” said Kimura.
Bred by Anderson Farms, the Nyquist colt is out of the multiple stakes placed Bernardini mare Pearl Turn.
Alda winning the Catch a Glimpse
Woodbine newcomer Alda later defeated 4-5 favorite Dreaming of Drew by a head bob in the Catch a Glimpse for trainer Graham Motion and owner/breeder Wertheimer et Frere.
With Steven Bahen aboard, Alda trailed the field of six fillies early on while Illegal Smile was pressed by Road to Romance on the front through a quarter in :22.20 and half-mile in :44.74. Meanwhile, 4-5 favorite Dreaming of Drew was biding her time in third behind the top pair.
While the rail appeared to open up down the stretch for Dreaming of Drew, she went outside of Illegal Smile to take over command with a sixteenth to go, but Bahen timed his own bid just right with the late-charging Alda, who edged out the favorite by a nose in a photo finish. The final time was 1:14 flat.
Sent postward as the 5-2 second choice following a maiden-breaking victory on July 9 at Belmont Park, Alda returned $7.30 to win. Illegal Smile settled for third 1-1/4 lengths back, while Emmeline, Road to Romance and Purrsuade Me completed the order of finish. Ostracize was a late scratch.
While the finish was too close to call for Bahen, he expected the big stretch run from the promising filly.
“I had talked to [Graham Motion] this morning and I watched her races yesterday,” said Bahen. “She's got a real big kick and we discussed that we should just be off the pack, three or four off would be nice. I ended up being a little further back than I wanted to, and she gave me that run she has.
“It was my first time on her, and she was pretty classy,” added the veteran reinsman.
Bred in Kentucky, the Munnings–Soldata filly now has two wins from three career starts with earnings climbing over the $100,000 mark.
Live Thoroughbred racing continues at Woodbine on Thursday with post time for the first of eight races set for 3:20 p.m. Racing Night Live begins at 6 p.m. on TSN with the two-hour broadcast covering action from Woodbine Racetrack and Woodbine Mohawk Park.
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