Silent Poet Wins Connaught Cup Pace Battle With Admiralty Pier

Stronach Stable's homebred gelding Silent Poet persevered over Admiralty Pier in a Grade 2 Connaught Cup clash Saturday on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course today at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.

The Nick Gonzalez trainee defeated his main opponent in the seven-furlong feature contested on the outer turf, which was listed as soft as a result of recent rainy weather in the Toronto area.

With regular rider Gary Boulanger sidelined due to a training injury, Justin Stein picked up the mount and was impressed with the 5-year-old gelding he had confronted in the past.

“I was really excited to ride him. He definitely showed me his stuff,” said Stein. “When I rode against him, I was on Cooler Mike, and we rolled right up to him like we were going to drive on by and Silent Poet looked at us and laughed, kind of like what he did today.”

Stein said the eight-time winner had the same attitude here, testing Admiralty Pier all the way. “Just so much heart, unbelievable.” 

Silent Poet battled on top with Admiralty Pier through panels of :23.07 and :45.70, with City Boy and Gray's Fable stalking the dueling leaders all the way into the stretch. The top pair pulled ahead, and the slugfest continued down the lane, with Silent Poet ultimately persevering by half a length in 1:23.62.

Blind Ambition finished 4-3/4 lengths behind Admiralty Pier, just edging out Olympic Runner for the show prize, while City Boy and Gray's Fable rounded out the order. The field was reduced to six with the scratches of White Flag and Regally Irish.

“With a speedy horse like [Silent Poet] and another speed horse on the outside – we got the one-hole – you're committed to a very forward position,” said Stein of his front-running strategy. “It depends on how bad the other horses wanted it, but I talked to Nick and he told me the horse was really easy to ride, according to Gary Boulanger, and that gave me the confidence I needed. I saw the horse run a bunch of times and he's a pro.”

Winner of the Grade 2 Play the King Stakes last year, Silent Poet was sent postward as the 7-5 favourite and returned $4.90 to win. After wintering at Palm Meadows, he entered the Connaught Cup fresh off a victory in a 7-1/2-furlong prep on the inner turf when making his June 11 season's debut.

The consistent son of Silent Name out of Cara Bella has missed the board just twice in his 15-race career. Today's victory boosted his bankroll over the $550,000 mark. 

Stein also won the Connaught Cup in 2014 with Ian Black trainee Excaper.

Live Thoroughbred racing continues, without spectators, on Sunday at Woodbine Racetrack with post time for the first of 11 races set for 1 p.m.

 

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Maximum Security Breezes For San Diego Handicap; Baffert Shops For Rider

In his final work before next Saturday's $150,000 Grade 2 San Diego Handicap, Eclipse Award winner and presumptive race favorite Maximum Security went five furlongs in :59.60 Saturday morning at Del Mar for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert and owners Gary and Mary West of Rancho Santa Fe.

It was the second-fastest of 86 works officially timed at the distance. United, nominated to and the likely favorite for next Sunday's $200,000 Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes, went five furlongs in :58.80 for Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella and owners LNJ Foxwoods.

Arriving at the north San Diego County track for the 6:30 a.m. session, with exercise rider Juan Ochoa in the irons, Maximum Security spotted workmate Dark Prince several lengths at the start and made up the difference efficiently, finishing just before a fog bank settled to obscure visibility for a while.

“He worked very nice,” Baffert said. “He looks great and I'm very happy with him. He's such a class horse. Now I have to find a jockey because my guy tested positive. That's the next deal.”

Baffert, and the rest of the racing world, learned Friday that jockey Luis Saez, aboard for the son of New Year's Day's last seven starts, had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Saez was informed of the result after riding the second race at Keeneland. Saez, Martin Garcia and Victor Espinoza had been in close proximity at Los Alamitos and now have all tested positive. Espinoza took off three scheduled mounts here on the opening day card Friday.

Also working Saturday morning for Baffert was Kentucky Derby candidate Authentic. With Ochoa aboard, the son of Into Mischief owned by Spendthrift Farm and Starlight Racing went five furlongs in :59.80, third fastest at the distance, in preparation for shipping to Monmouth Park in New Jersey for next Saturday's $1 million TVG.com Haskell Stakes.

“He worked well, looks very strong,” Baffert said of the colt who's only blemish in four career starts was a runner-up to Honor A.P. in the Santa Anita Derby. “I am set (for Saturday on two coasts),” Baffert said.

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Dunbar Road Outclasses ‘Em in Del ‘Cap

On a day when Chad Brown secured his 100th and 101st Grade I victories, Dunbar Road–already a Grade I winner herself–added to the haul in an event that was downgraded from highest-level status a couple years ago. Saving all the ground tucked just behind the speed early, the prohibitive favorite split rivals under confident handling heading for home. Saracosa tried to shadow that one’s move, but Dunbar Road simply outclassed her competition to win geared down by as much as she pleased.

An eight-length debut winner at Gulfstream last March, Dunbar Road was a close second in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks 27 days later. Excluded from the GI Kentucky Oaks, she cleared her ‘1x’ at Belmont at the end of May and was a shoe-in winner of that track’s GII Mother Goose S. a month later. She had a similarly easy time of it in the GI Alabama S. over 10 furlongs in the Saratoga slop in August, but settled for third behind Blue Prize (Arg) (Pure Prize) and Elate (Medaglia d’Oro) first time against her elders in the GI Juddmonte Spinster S. at Keeneland Oct. 6. She was fifth behind Blue Prize in the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff Nov. 2, and returned with an easy victory in Churchill’s Shawnee S. May 23.

Saturday, Delaware Park
DELAWARE H.-GII, $400,000, Delaware, 7-11, 3yo/up, f/m,
1 1/8m, 1:49.02, ft.
1–DUNBAR ROAD, 123, f, 4, by Quality Road
                1st Dam: Gift List, by Bernardini
                2nd Dam: Private Gift, by Unbridled
                3rd Dam: Private Status, by Alydar
($350,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP). O-Peter M. Brant; B-Jeffery J.
Drown (KY); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr. $240,000.
Lifetime Record: GISW, 9-6-1-1, $998,040.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++ Triple Plus*.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Saracosa, 116, m, 5, Bernardini–Homeschooling, by Medaglia
d’Oro. ($85,000 RNA Ylg ’16 KEESEP). O-Chad Schumer
B-Meritage Ventures, Inc. (KY); T-Cipriano Contreras. $80,000.
3–Bellera, 118, f, 4, Bernardini–Habiboo, by Unbridled’s Song.
($90,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP). O-Mathis Stable LLC, Madake
Stables LLC & Doheny Racing Stable; B-Hardacre Farm (FL);
T-Todd A. Pletcher. $40,000.
Margins: 3, 1, HD. Odds: 0.20, 6.30, 6.00.
Also Ran: Over Thinking, Wicked Awesome, Lucky Move. Scratched: Always Shopping, Vexatious. 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:

Dunbar Road is one of a number of recent graded performers to stamp Bernardini as one of the most coveted broodmares sires of the moment, and she was followed home Saturday by two daughters of that Darley stalwart. She is the granddaughter of SW Private Gift, a half-sister to MGISW Secret Status, by Bernardini’s sire A.P. Indy. Gift List’s last reported foal is the unraced 3-year-old filly On the Good List (Speightstown), who sold to Repole Stable for $230,000 at KEENOV ’19.

 

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Gulfstream Park Hangs $500,000 Guarantee On Sunday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot

Sunday's 20-cent Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot will be guaranteed at $500,000 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The popular multi-race wager went unsolved for the sixth consecutive racing day Saturday, when multiple tickets with six winners were each worth $603.68.

The carryover jackpot is 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 goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Sunday's Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 6-11, including the $60,000 Portofino Bay, a 1 1/16-mile overnight stakes for 3-year-old fillies on turf, in Race 8. Patrick Biancone-trained Yesterdayoncemore, the 2-1 morning-line favorite, will seek her first victory since winning her U.S. debut in the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf last September. The Irish-bred daughter of No Nay Never most recently finished a troubled second in an optional claiming allowance.  Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Sound Machine, who won the Glitter Woman during the Championship Meet, is the 6-5 morning-line main-track-only favorite.

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