Category: Horse Racing News

Unbeaten Denim and Pearls and local stakes winner Valentine Candy are program favorites for the $200,000 Year's End Stakes and $150,000 Renaissance Stakes, respectively, Sunday at Oaklawn.

The one-mile Year's End for fillies and six-furlong Renaissance highlight a 10-race program exclusively for 2-year-olds, the second in Oaklawn history. Racing begins at 12:30 p.m. (CT), with probable post times for the Renaissance and Year's End, 3:18 p.m. and 4:14 p.m., respectively.

Both races drew seven entrants.

Denim and Pearls (2-1) will be making her first start around two turns for trainer Brad Cox after winning her Oct. 21 debut at Keeneland by a nose sprinting and stretching out to a mile in an entry-level allowance Nov. 25 at Churchill Downs. Denim and Pearls won that race by 3½ lengths.

“Physically, she looks like she can handle two turns,” Cox said. “She's been training at the Fair Grounds and doing well. I'm excited about her.”

Also entered in the Year's End are Floating Beauty; unbeaten Tapit Jenallie, the early 5-2 second choice; Asternia; Neom Beach; Ice Cold; and Pula.

Tapit Jenallie has won her two starts by a combined 13¼ lengths for trainer Eddie Milligan Jr. She exits a 5½-length score in the seven-furlong $100,000 My Trusty Cat Stakes Nov. 10 at Delta Downs.

Ice Cold (3-1) broke her maiden by 10 lengths against Indiana-breds in the one mile and 70-yard $100,000 Miss Indiana Stakes Oct. 4 at Horseshoe Indianapolis and was second behind Denim and Pearls last month. Ice Cold is a half-sister to Indiana-bred standout Corningstone, a multiple stakes winner of $400,948. Both horses are trained by Kenny McPeek, who won four races on Oaklawn's inaugural card for 2-year-olds in 2022, including the Year's End with future Grade 1 winner Defining Purpose.

“They're not alike,” McPeek said, comparing Ice Cold and Corningstone. “One's a Mitole (Ice Cold) and Corningstone's a Kantharos. They're definitely apples and oranges. But they both won that Indiana-bred route stake by (large margins).”

Valentine Candy (8-5) looks to become the first two-time stakes winner at the 2023-2024 Oaklawn meeting in the Renaissance. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Valentine Candy was a romping 6¾-length winner of the opening-day $150,000 Advent Stakes at 5 ½ furlongs Dec. 8. Asmussen is also scheduled to start Booth (3-1), a blowout debut winner sprinting Oct. 7 at Keeneland.

“Very fast horses,” Asmussen said. “Very fortunate to have them. Obviously, 3-year-old sprint races – Oaklawn gives us a nice opportunity to do it.”

The Renaissance also drew Googol Joke, Normandy Hero, General Shipman, and supplemental entrants Tejon Pass and Frost Free.

Normandy Hero (5-2) finished second, beaten a half-length, in the six-furlong Bowman Mill Stakes Oct. 28 at Keeneland for trainer Rodolphe Brisset. Valentine Candy was 3¼ lengths farther back in third. Normandy Hero, in his last start, finished third in the Ed Brown Stakes at 6½ furlongs Nov. 25 at Churchill Downs.

“We think he's a horse that can win a stakes down the line,” Brisset said. “I don't think he wants to go too far, so we'll see what happens.”

Tejon Pass exits a third in the seven-furlong  Bob Hope (G3) Nov 19 at Del Mar for trainer Peter Miller.

Both the Year's End and Renaissance are being run for the second time. The Year's End is a steppingstone to Oaklawn's 8 ½-furlong $250,000 Martha Washington Stakes for 3-year-old fillies Jan. 27.

The post Denim And Pearls, Valentine Candy Look To Shine In Stakes On Oaklawn’s Exclusive Card For Juveniles appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Rodney Lundock's homebred Maryquitecontrary rediscovered her winning form in a familiar spot, rallying for a popular one-length victory to defend her title in Saturday's $125,000 Rampart Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

The 45th running of the one-mile Rampart for fillies and mares was the first of five stakes, three graded, worth $725,000 in purses co-headlined by the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2), a prep for the $1-million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1), and $150,000 Harlan's Holiday (G3), a prep for the $3-million Pegasus World Cup, both Jan. 27.

Racing first time for trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. and with regular rider Luca Panici aboard, Maryquitecontrary ($4.60) completed the distance in 1:38.16 over a fast main track to become just the second horse to win the Rampart in back-to-back years, joining Awesome Maria (2011-12).

Breaking from Post 3, 6-5 favorite Maryquitecontrary raced on the inside ahead of one horse, Nostalgic, as 16-1 longshot Dreaming of Snow set fractions of :24.53 and :47.97 up front from the rail, pressed to her outside by Imonra.

Panici tipped Maryquitecontrary off the rail on the far turn and moved out to the middle of the track once straightened for home with sights set on Imonra, who had wrested a short lead. Panici and the 4-year-old First Dude filly came with a rush on the outside and surged past Imonra inside the eighth pole.

“The pace was pretty slow, especially the first quarter. She broke good and I decided to stay off the pace,” Panici said. “At the beginning of her career she was learning, but now she has developed the experience. She's very different and she feels very good.”

Imonra was second, three lengths ahead of Unifying, followed by Rosie's Halo, Dreaming of Snow and Nostalgic.

It was the fifth stakes win for Maryquitecontrary, all at Gulfstream, with four of the coming during a five-race win streak between last summer and late January, when she captured the seven-furlong Inside Information (G2). The Rampart is her only time racing as far as a mile.

“I have to thank the owner, he always lets me ride. Mr. Plesa did an excellent job, so I'm very delighted to keep riding this filly,” Panici said. “She showed more kick today than usual but I can't complain. She's special.”

Plesa took over the training of Maryquitecontrary after her runner-up finish for trainer David Fawkes in the Princess Rooney (G3) Oct. 7 at Gulfstream. He left the race strategy up to Panici, who has been aboard for all but one of her 12 starts, including 10 in a row.

“I told him, 'If you're on the outside fence the whole way I'm not going to be mad at you. You're on her, I'm not,'” Plesa said. “Needless to say, he was not on the outside. He rode her like a racehorse. He did a great job. She was the best horse today.”

Plesa was unsure whether Maryquitecontrary would be pointed to making a title defense in the $200,000 Inside Information Jan. 27.

“We'll get her back to the barn and go over things and have a conversation with the owner and the jock, and the horse, and see what she says,” Plesa said. “She's got the most important words to tell us.”

Maryquitecontrary was produced by the Major Moran mare Mary Kate 'n Kelly.

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