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‘It’s Very Special’: West Saratoga Kicks Off ‘Road To Kentucky Derby’ With Iroquois Win

Harry L. Veruchi's West Saratoga is the early points leader on the 2024 'Road to the Kentucky Derby' after the Exaggerator colt won Saturday's 42nd running of the $300,000 Iroquois (G3) for 2-year-olds by 1¾ lengths over 6-5 favorite Risk It at Churchill Downs.

Liberal Arts was another neck back in third, and Seize the Grey was another neck back in fourth.

Sent to post at odds of 12-1, West Saratoga ran one mile in 1:37.28 under jockey Rafael Bejarano to give Keeneland-based trainer Larry Demeritte, who collected his first graded stakes win since Memorial Maniac won the 2010 Stars and Stripes Turf (G3) at Arlington Park.

West Saratoga banked the $180,315 first prize and 10 points on the 'Road to the Kentucky Derb' point system that will determine the field for next year's 150th Kentucky Derby (G1) on May 4, 2024 at Churchill Downs. The Iroquois is the first of 37 select races of the series and the top five finishing positions earned points on a sliding scale of 10-5-3-2-1, respectively.

“It's very special to get started on the Road to the Kentucky Derby,” Veruchi said. “We ran a couple times here in the spring and so we knew he'd like the track. After he broke his maiden last time at a mile we were confident he'd like stretching out in distance as he got more experienced. He's a very nice horse.”

Breaking from post position No. 2 in field of eight 2-year-olds, West Saratoga raced down the backstretch in the clear in fourth as Virginia invader Patriot Spirit set torrid fractions of :22.37, :44.63 and 1:10.14 under Jesus Castanon with Market Street in second and Risk It in third.

The strides of Patriot Spirit began to shorten at the top of the stretch and he maintained his lead until the final eighth mile until a grinding West Saratoga charged down the stretch with a four-wide move to grab the lead and inch clear of Risk It for the win.

“I just let him get comfortable after seeing a lot of speed in the race on paper and then the outside horse (Patriot Spirit) went really fast early,” Bejarano said. “I thought I'd just let my horse settle and start to get going around the turn. I could tell at the three-eighths pole I had a lot of horse beneath me and I was seeing the horses in front of me still going fast. I figured they would come back to me a little bit. I got a great trip into the stretch, and had a lot of horse still beneath me.”

West Saratoga paid $26.96 for the win.

Seize the Grey at odds of 9-2 was fourth and was followed by Edified, Patriot Spirit, Union Roll and Market Street. Gettysburg Address was scratched.

“It took him a little while to get settled off a fast pace,” trainer Steve Asmussen said of favorite Risk It.

This was the sixth career start for West Saratoga, who broke his maiden at Ellis Park in his fifth start on Aug 5. His career earnings now total $276,815 from a record of 2-3-0 in six starts.

“We've been just trying to let him progress naturally,” Demeritte said. “He went a mile last time and we were confident today going the same distance. We'll decide in the next day or so what's next. I'm based in Lexington and run at Keeneland a lot so that could be a good option (in the Grade I Breeders' Futurity).”

An $11,000 purchase from consignor Hidden Brook at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, the gray or roan West Saratoga was bred in Kentucky by Two Hearts Farm II LLC and is out of the Uncle Mo mare Mo Wicked.

The post ‘It’s Very Special’: West Saratoga Kicks Off ‘Road To Kentucky Derby’ With Iroquois Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Master Of The Sea Scores Commanding Woodbine Mile Victory, Earns Breeders’ Cup Berth

Last in the early going, favorite Master of The Sea dominated rivals in the stretch as he powered clear to capture the $1-million Ricoh Woodbine Mile (G1) Saturday at the Toronto-area oval.

Making an auspicious North American debut under William Buick, Godolphin's homebred son of Dubawi covered the turf contest in 1:33.79. He returned $2.80 for the win.

Shirl's Speight came on for second, Lucky Score was third.

Entering off a score in the one-mile Fred Cowley MBE Memorial Summer Mile Stakes (G2) on July 15 at Ascot, Master of The Sea won for the third time in five starts this year for trainer Charlie Appleby and improved his career line to 7-2-2 from 14 starts.

With the win, Master of The Sea earned an automatic, fees-paid berth in the $2-million Breeders Cup Mile (G1) Nov. 4 at Santa Anita.

Bred in Ireland, Master of The Sea is out of the Danehill mare Firth of Lorne.

The post Master Of The Sea Scores Commanding Woodbine Mile Victory, Earns Breeders’ Cup Berth appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Master of The Seas Another Godolphin Romper In the Woodbine Mile

Twelve months after Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) made light work of the race, Godolphin's Master of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) proved an equally decisive winner of the GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile for trainer Charlie Appleby and jockey William Buick. With the victory, the homebred has earned a fees-paid berth into the GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita in early November, a race won last year by Modern Games.

Drawn the inside gate in a field of just six horses, the 2-5 jolly wasn't the best away and settled at the tail of the field as My Sea Cottage (Ire) (Shalaa {Ire})–one of three starters to carry the hot pink colors of Gary Barber–speared through to take up the running after about a furlong. Master of the Seas raced against the rail early on, but came off the fence and into the clear as they hit the turn, and he had improved to fourth while building up a full head of steam as the field reached the long Woodbine straight. Accelerating nicely approaching the final furlong, Master of the Seas let down beautifully to take it by a convincing 3 3/4 lengths. 'TDN Rising Star' Shirl's Speight (Speightstown) just won a photo for second from longshot Lucky Score (Lookin At Lucky).

Narrowly beaten into second by Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) in the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas in 2021, Master of the Seas won the G3 Earl of Sefton S. in a single start at four, but has had a more complete season in 2023. The bay wintered in Dubai, winning the G2 Zabeel Mile Jan 20 and was a close third in the G1 Jebel Hatta S. Mar. 4 before finishing well down the field in the G1 Dubai Turf three weeks later. Given plenty of time to regroup, he was exiting a four-length success in the G2 Summer Mile at Ascot July 15.

“He usually breaks pretty fast, for one reason or another he didn't today,” noted Buick. “But there weren't many runners and the pace was even. It's a big, fair track and he's a horse with a turn of foot, so it was kind of my job to navigate a trouble-free passage. He is pretty high maintenance, but everyone at home has done a great job with him. I thought today he was much more the finished article. When he won at Ascot last time, you sort of sensed he was showing his best and getting back to his best form.”

Pedigree Notes:

Master of The Seas is the 56th worldwide Grade I/Group 1 winner for the legendary Dubawi and the 83 G1/GISW produced by a daughter of Danehill.

Master of The Seas is the latest Godolphin/Charlie Appleby success story at Woodbine and is not the first from this family to win on this program. His G3 UAE Oaks-winning half-sister Falls of Lora is not only the dam of Cascadian (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), a treble Group 1 winner in Australia for James Cummings, but also of Albahr (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), impressive winner of the 2021 Summer S.

Firth of Lorne's last listed produce is the 3-year-old filly Sithchean (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), the long odds-on winner of a novice over the Chelmsford all-weather on her lone racetrack appearance to date Mar. 2.

 

Saturday, Woodbine, Canada
RICOH WOODBINE MILE S.-GI, C$1,022,000, Woodbine, 9-16, 3yo/up, 1mT, 1:33.79, gd.
1–MASTER OF THE SEAS (IRE), 124, g, 5, by Dubawi (Ire)
                1st Dam: Firth of Lorne (Ire) (SW & G1SP-Fr, MGSP-USA, $163,189), by Danehill
                2nd Dam: Kerrera (Ire), by Diesis (GB)
                3rd Dam: Rimosa's Pet (GB), by Petingo (GB)
1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-Godolphin, LLC (IRE); T-Charles Appleby; J-William Buick. C$600,000. Lifetime Record: MGSW & G1SP-Eng, GSW & G1SP-UAE, 14-7-2-2, $984,457. *1/2 to Latharnach (Iffraaj {GB}), SW & G1SP-Eng, $217,472; Falls of Lora (Ire) (Street Cry {Ire}), GSW-UAE, SW-Eng, $246,417; and Etive (Elusive Quality), SW-Ger, MSP-Fr, $126,693. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free
Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Shirl's Speight, 124, h, 6, Speightstown–Perfect Shirl, by Perfect Soul (Ire). 'TDN Rising Star' O-Charles E. Fipke; B-Charles Fipke (KY); T-Roger L. Attfield. C$200,000.
3–Lucky Score, 124, g, 5, Lookin At Lucky–Miss Matzo, by Royal Academy. 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($50,000 RNA Ylg '19 KEESEP;
$35,000 2yo '20 OBSOPN). O-Pantofel Stable, LLC, Wachtel Stable and Barber, Gary; B-James Everatt, Janeane Everatt & Arika Everatt-Meeuse (ON); T-Mark E. Casse. C$132,000.
Margins: 3 3/4, NK, 4HF. Odds: 0.40, 4.15, 19.45.
Also Ran: War Bomber (Ire), Ice Chocolat (Brz), My Sea Cottage (Ire). Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuelTV.

 

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Godolphin’s Eternal Hope Completes Turf Triple European Invasion in JC Oaks

After then-Irish-based Aspen Grove (Ire) (Justify) took the GI Fasig-Tipton Belmont Oaks and French filly Elusive Princess won the GIII Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks, it was only fitting another European, Godolphin homebred Eternal Hope (Ire) (f, 3, Teofilo {Ire}–Voice of Truth {Ire}, by Dubawi {Ire}), should capture the GIII Fasig-Tipton Jockey Club Oaks Invitational S. Saturday for her first graded/group win. Last-out Parx stakes winner Neecie Marie (Cross Traffic) was second, while Leopardstown G3 winner Speirling Beag (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {(Ire}), sixth in the Belmont Oaks behind Aspen Grove, finished third.

Sporting that distinctive Godolphin blue, Eternal Hope dismissed her usual in-touch style and surprised with a trailing trip. She bided her time at the very back of the pack while Stephanie's Charm (Distorted Humor), intent on the lead, opened up by as many as 15 lengths through early fractions of :24.12 and :47.52. After the mile marker passed in 1:38.71, the field began reeling in the frontrunner, but it was Eternal Hope who caught the eye, kicking it into gear and sprouting wings down the center of the lane to gut out a last-strides win in the Belmont at the Big A feature. The winning margin may have been only a neck, but it didn't tell the whole tale with Eternal Hope's wide and fast charge from as many as 25 lengths back.

“It wasn't the plan to be that far back, but thankfully we have a world class jockey like Jamie [Spencer] on her and we were able to go to 'Plan B' or 'C' and ride a race from there,” said Chris Connett, assistant to trainer Charlie Appleby. “Ideally, we'd be in the box seat right off the pace and start making a run a little earlier. But she was a bit tardy and Jamie lost a bit of ground going wide, but he needed to get her rolling because it's quite sharp around here. When she straightened up and leveled out, she ran to the line so that was good.

“Very happy to get the win on the board. Jamie came back and said the ground is a bit on the quick side for her, so it was nice that she was able to put forth a performance on ground that's probably not ideal for her.”

Fresh off a third-place finish Aug. 20 in the G2 Sumbe Prix Alec Head at Deauville, Eternal Hope never got going in Soul Sister (Ire) (Frankel {GB})'s win in the GI Epsom Oaks. She had won two in a row on the synthetic earlier this year in England, including the Fitzdares Oaks Trial Fillies S. Connett said she is scheduled to travel back to Appleby's yard early in the week, with no plans regarding a next start yet set.

 

Pedigree Notes:

Kildangan Stud's Teofilo (Ire) may be one of several top-class Galileo (Ire) sire sons across the pond, but he is making a name for himself in America. In addition to Eternal Hope, he has also sired his share of U.S. winners, topped by 2022 GI Caesars Saratoga Derby and GIII Caesars Jockey Club Derby winner Nations Pride (Ire). Overall, Teofilo counts 50 graded/group winners among his 93 Northern Hemisphere-foaled black-type winners.

Eternal Hope is one of seven of Teofilo's stakes winners out of a Dubawi (Ire) mare. Dubawi, one of Europe's elite stallions, has 63 black-type winners out of his daughters. Interestingly, Teofilo also has one stakes winner out a mare by Dubawi's grandsire, Seeking the Gold, but none out of any Dubai Millennium (GB) mares. The latter's daughters are incredibly scant due to his tragic and abbreviated single season at stud.

Voice of Truth (Ire), the Jockey Club Oaks winner's dam, was a €35,000 purchase at the 2021 Goffs November sale while carrying a full-sister to Eternal Hope, who was a yearling at the time. Gary Mullins signed the ticket. The mare delivered an Australia (GB) colt for Mullins Feb. 24. Her 2-year-old filly, Word's Out (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), has not been sold publicly by Godolphin. Voice of Truth is a half to French G1SW Rio de la Plata (Rahy) and Argentinean G1SW El Expresivo (Arg) (Candy Stripes).

Saturday, Belmont The Big A
FASIG-TIPTON JOCKEY CLUB OAKS INVITATIONAL S.-GIII, $350,000, Belmont The Big A, 9-16, 3yo, f, 1 3/8mT, 2:16.47, fm.
1–ETERNAL HOPE (IRE), 122, f, 3, by Teofilo (Ire)
                1st Dam: Voice of Truth (Ire), by Dubawi (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Express Way (Arg), by Ahmad (Arg)
                3rd Dam: Escaline, by Hawk II (Brz)
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Charles
Appleby; J-Jamie P. Spencer. $192,500. Lifetime Record:
6-3-0-2, $248,183. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Neecie Marie, 122, f, 3, Cross Traffic–Lode Lady, by Posse.
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($25,000 Ylg '21 EASOCT).
O-Michael Milam; B-Jon A Marshall (PA); T-Robert E. Reid, Jr.
$70,000.
3–Speirling Beag (Ire), 122, f, 3, Mastercraftsman
(Ire)–Starscape (Ire), by Cape Cross (Ire). (€300,000 2yo '22
ARQDEC). O-Walmac Farm, Gainesway Stable (Antony Beck)
and Haras d'Etreham; B-Ennistown Stud (IRE); T-H. Graham
Motion. $42,000.
Margins: NK, 1, 1 3/4. Odds: 1.00, 14.70, 6.80.
Also Ran: Highland Grace, Quarrel, Stephanie's Charm, Last Call.

Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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