Weston’s Best Pal Score Gives Trainer Hanson, Sire Hit It A Bomb First Graded Stakes Victories

Chris Drakos and Ryan Hanson's Weston got up in the final stride to triumph in the 50th running of the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes for 2-year-olds at Del Mar near San Diego, Calif., on Saturday.

The gelding became the first stakes winner for the freshman sire Hit It a Bomb, just getting the best of 32-1 longshot Girther, owned by Altamira Racing Stable. Finishing third via disqualification of the original third-place finisher Ambivalent

Chris Drakos and Ryan Hanson's Weston got up in the final stride to triumph in the 50th running of the Grade II Best Pal Stakes for 2-year-olds at Del Mar Saturday.

The gelded son of the young stallion Hit It a Bomb just got the best of 32-1 longshot Girther, owned by Altamira Racing Stable. Sonic Breeze was awarded third when the original third-place finisher, Ambivalent, was disqualified for interference and placed fourth.

The 1-2 race favorite, Breeze Easy's Roderick, who had shipping in from New York and was coming off an impressive victory there, failed to fire in the lane and finished last of the seven runners.

“Boy, I had to work hard for that one,” said Van Dyke. “But I'm glad I did. I was happy to win it for (trainer) Ryan Hanson. He's such a kind man and a good horse trainer. And this horse showed some class, too. Ryan told me he never got to paddock him (prior to the race), but he was just standing in there like an old pro. I knew I got there in the end and I'm real glad I did.”

Weston is trained by co-owner Hanson and the bay's score was the first graded stakes win in Thoroughbred racing for the conditioner, as well as his first stakes victory at Del Mar.

“He broke sharp, just like we wanted him to, but then it looked like he just sat there for a minute,” said Hanson. “I got a little nervous when he got shuffled back, but then he got back up there and fought on. The time was not very impressive, but that doesn't matter. I didn't think we were going to win it. I thought we'd be second to the Peter Miller horse, who had had a trip over the track. But I'm just really happy. We'll see how he looks tomorrow and let him tell us what to do (regarding the $250,000, Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity on closing day, September 7). ”

Weston paid $12.20, $6.80 and $4.60 across the board and picked up a check for $90,000 from the $151,000 purse.

Final time for the six furlongs was 1:12.72.

The winner was a $7,000 yearling purchase at the Keeneland September Sale in 2019. He captured his only previous start when he flashed speed and tallied by a length and a quarter in a four and a half furlong straight maiden race at Santa Anita on June 21.

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Blewitt, Nicoletti Analyze Gulfstream’s Rainbow 6 Mandatory Payout Card

Sunday's program at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., will feature a mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 pool that includes a carryover of more than $1.137 million.

The Rainbow 6 pool on is expected to swell to more than $4 million Sunday after the popular multi-race wager went unsolved for the 24th consecutive racing program Saturday.
Gulfstream analysts and hosts Ron Nicoletti and Jason Blewitt take a look at Sunday's Rainbow 6.

 

The Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot is usually only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day's pool usually goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool. However, on mandatory-payout days, the entire pool is paid out to the bettor or bettors with the most winners in the six-race sequence.

Sunday's Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 6-11, kicked off by a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight on turf that drew a full field of fillies and mares in Race 6.

The field includes two from the barn of trainer Patrick Biancone. Champagne Train, a $125,000 yearling, draws the three post after breaking from the 11 post in a mile turf event last time out. Lipslikecherries, a daughter of Dark Angel who brought $117,968 as a 2-year-old in France, will make her North American debut.

A full field of 12 was assembled for Race 7, a six-furlong sprint for $10,000 claimers that have not won two races lifetime.

A five-furlong optional claiming allowance for Florida-bred fillies and mares on turf drew 12 entries and two also-eligibles for Race 8. The race includes the return of Arindel's homebred Nacho Mama, who set a track record in her debut at 4 ½ furlongs in 2018. This will be the filly's first race since October.

The second half of the six-race Rainbow 6 sequence will start in Race 9 with a $10,000 claiming sprint for fillies and mares at 6 ½ furlongs.

The $60,000 Dayatthespa, a 1 1/16-mile turf overnight stakes for fillies and mares carded as Race 10, will be headlined by multiple-stakes winner Kelsey's Cross, who will seek to rebound from a disappointing effort last time out. The field also includes stakes winner Great Sister Dane, stakes placed Bienville Street, and Lagertha, a daughter of Scat Daddy making her first start outside South America for trainer Amador Sanchez.

An optional claiming allowance for fillies and mares at a mile on turf will close out the Rainbow 6 sequence in Race 11.

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Hit It a Bomb Gets First Stakes Winner with Weston in Best Pal

Weston became his sire (by War Front)’s first winner at Santa Anita in June, and the Spendthrift freshman’s first stakes and graded stakes winner Saturday, while also providing young trainer Ryan Hanson with his first graded trophy. The bay defied 21-1 odds to run away with a 4 1/2-furlong heat June 21 over the much pricier Ambivalent (Constitution), and was backed as the best local hope to defeat heavily favored Wesley Ward trainee Roderick (Into Mischief).

Bouncing out abruptly, Weston was shuffled back in the early scramble for position but moved back up to be part of the leading vanguard with Girther along the rail and the chalk three deep. Roderick backed out of it abruptly heading for home, and Weston and Girther battled it out at the top of the lane as Ambivalent appeared a major danger for the stretch drive. Ambivalent shifted in sharply and bumped with Sonic Brees, however, effectively leaving the top two to sort it out. Girther looked the winner until late, as Weston made one last lunge to notch the decision. Ambivalent was subsequently disqualified from third to fourth.

“Boy, I had to work hard for that one. But I’m glad I did,” said winning rider Drayden Van Dyke. “I was happy to win it for Ryan Hanson. He’s such a kind man and a good horse trainer. And this horse showed some class, too. Ryan told me he never got to paddock him [before the race], but he was just standing in there like an old pro. I knew I got there in the end and I’m real glad I did.”

Hanson added, “He broke sharp, just like we wanted him to, but then it looked like he just sat there for a minute. I got a little nervous when he got shuffled back, but then he got back up there and fought on. The time was not very impressive, but that doesn’t matter. I didn’t think we were going to win it. I thought we’d be second to the Peter Miller horse [Girther], who had had a trip over the track. But I’m just really happy. We’ll see how he looks tomorrow and let him tell us what to do [regarding the GI Mar Futurity Sept. 7]. ”

Saturday, Del Mar
BEST PAL S.-GII, $151,000, Del Mar, 8-8, 2yo, 6f, 1:12.72, ft.
1–WESTON, 120, g, 2, by Hit It a Bomb
                1st Dam: Elke (MSP, $122,970), by Dixie Union
                2nd Dam: Call to the Post, by Mt. Livermore
                3rd Dam: Trumpet’s Blare, by Vice Regent
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($7,000 Ylg
’19 KEEJAN; $7,000 Ylg ’19 KEESEP). O-Chris Drakos & Ryan
Hanson; B-EVADI Farm Team (KY); T-Ryan Hanson; J-Drayden
Van Dyke. $90,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $120,000.
Werk Nick Rating: F. 
   Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Girther, 120, c, 2, Brody’s Cause–Tea Dancer, by Afternoon
Deelites. ($2,500 Wlg ’18 KEENOV; $4,000 Ylg ’19 OBSOCT;
$20,000 2yo ’20 OBSMAR). O-Altamira Racing Stable; B-Farm
III Enterprises LLC (FL); T-Peter Miller. $30,000.
3–Sonic Brees, 118, r, 2, Maclean’s Music–Miss Hetty, by
Congrats. ($80,000 Ylg ’19 KEESEP). O-William Strauss, Kyle
Suarez & Darin Tsukashima; B-Springhouse Farm, Olin Gentry
& John F. Goldthorpe (KY); T-Doug F. O’Neill. $18,000.
Margins: NK, 1 1/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 5.10, 32.90, 22.00.
Also Ran: Ambivalent, Schnell, Herd Immunity, Roderick.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

Pedigree Notes:
A winner of both of his Irish starts at two for Aidan O’Brien and owner/breeder Evelyn Stockwell, Hit It a Bomb overcame the 14 hole to take the 2015 GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Keeneland. He was twice Group-placed back overseas as a sophomore, is a full-brother to Europe’s 2016 champion 2-year-old filly Brave Anna.

Weston is the 19th graded stakes winner out of a Dixie Union mare. Dam Elke was MSP as a juvenile, and was successful both dirt sprinting and turf routing. Third dam Trumpet’s Blare was a GISW juvenile. Weston has a yearling half-sister by Tapiture and a foal half-brother by Speightster.

Runner-up Girther’s sire Brody’s Cause also stands at Spendthrift and is represented by first 2-year-olds this year.

 

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Brisnet.com Triple Crown Throwdown: Runhappy Ellis Park Derby

Ed DeRosa of Brisnet.com takes on TDN’s Steve Sherack and Brian DiDonato as they handicap Triple Crown prep races plus the big three races themselves. The three will make $100 Win/Place bets in the preps and $200 Win/Place bets in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont. Highest bankroll at the end wins.

DeRosa – Bankroll: $5230 – GI Runhappy Travers S. ResultTiz the Law stamped himself as the Kentucky Derby favorite.

Runhappy Ellis Park Derby Art Collector has done everything right as a 3-year-old. He’s stretched out, he’s stalked, he’s pounced, he’s drawn off. This is an impressive horse to watch race. He doesn’t idle, he doesn’t wait on competition, he doesn’t get lazy. He’s all business and it’s led to devastating wins over good competition. There’s no reason to think that will not continue as his path to the Kentucky Derby winds through the Pea Patch. My hope for this weekend is that both Tiz the Law and Art Collector win as impressively as they have in their other starts this year to set up an incredible showdown beneath the TwinSpires in 27 days. Selection: #4 Art Collector (4-5).

Sherack – Bankroll: $3800 – GI Runhappy Travers S. Result -Now that was impressive. Tiz the Law is certainly the real deal.

Runhappy Ellis Park Derby – Art Collector isn’t supposed to lose this race, but I’m running out of time to find a longshot. I made my case for Sprawl in the GIII Ohio Derby, and while he didn’t run awful, he didn’t post the breakthrough performance I was looking for, either. I’ll try him one more time at what has to be a much bigger price than that 3-1 he was last time. Selection: #3 Sprawl (15-1). 

DiDonato – Bankroll: $5500 – GI Runhappy Travers S. Result – Wow—that was really something. Expected Tiz the Law to win, but didn’t imagine him winning like THAT.

Runhappy Ellis Park Derby – I might regret it, but I just couldn’t chalk out three times in a row. Art Collector’s the most likely winner, but this is very much a prep for him given where he stands on points. He’s worked out extremely good trips in all three wins since the trainer change, and it’s possible that he could get sucked into a solid early pace this time. If the pace does get hot, Shared Sense is the horse I want. He seems to be on the improve and clearly likes the distance. Admittedly, the post isn’t great for this configuration. Selection: #12 Shared Sense (12-1).

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