West Virginia-bred Coastal Mission ventures to New York for the first time and brings a six-race win streak into next Saturday's $500,000 Cigar Mile Handicap (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by Jeff Runco, who bred and campaigns the gray/roan gelding with his wife, Susan, in the name of Coleswood Farm Inc., the 4-year-old Great Notion gelding has won 11 of 16 career starts, including a trio of stakes wins at his Charles Town base, led by an open-company score two starts back in the two-turn seven-furlong Russell Road on Aug. 25 and the state-bred Sam Huff West Virginia Breeders' Classic going 1 1/8 miles last time out on Oct. 14.
Coastal Mission stalked and pounced to victory in the Russell Road, scoring by 2 3/4-lengths over graded stakes-placed Mish with graded stakes-placed Sir Alfred James in third and stakes-placed Payne in fourth.
“He's doing great and ready to go. He ran against some pretty good horses in the Russell Road and done well. He brings his game whenever he comes over,” Runco said.
Coastal Mission's current win streak has been accomplished exclusively at Charles Town and dates back to an open-company allowance win in April and includes a state-bred score in the Confucius Say. The win-friendly gray, who has won at distances ranging from 4 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/8 miles, shipped to Laurel Park in February 2022 to win an optional-claiming sprint.
Runco said the versatile Coastal Mission should appreciate the one-turn mile configuration at Aqueduct.
“I think a mile will be great for him. He just ran a mile and an eighth for the first time last out. But he runs seven-eighths really good and I think a mile out of the chute over there will be a good distance for him,” Runco said. “He ran a 98 Beyer in the Russell Road and he got a 95 Beyer last time and he did that easily – they were pulling him up in that race. His numbers are getting better and that's why we're giving him a shot at this race.”
Coastal Mission will mark Runco's ninth starter at the Big A having previously found success in the 2008 Queens County with the graded stakes-winning millionaire Researcher, also a West Virginia-bred .
“That horse won stakes everywhere. He won all over the Mid-Atlantic and made over a million,” Runco said.
Coastal Mission, a full brother to multiple graded stakes-placed Lewisfield, is out of the Crowd Pleaser mare Smart Crowd, who is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Duckhorn. He has banked $566,653 through a record of 16-11-3-1.
The post West Virginia-Bred Standout Coastal Mission To Try First Graded Win In Cigar Mile appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Joe Lee, former assistant to trainer-turned-jockey agent Kieran McLaughlin as well as Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas to name just two, notched his first stakes win as head trainer when Works for Me collared pacesetter Detective Tom in the final strides of last Saturday's $100,000 Notebook at Aqueduct.
“I only realized it after the fact myself,” Lee said of his first stakes score. “I've always been associated with Godolphin or before that working for Wayne Lukas or LeRoy Jolley or David Whiteley. I've always been around some nice horses. But being with Godolphin, I traveled around and saddled Grade 1 winners in England and Japan and elsewhere. It was a team effort with Godolphin and a really great workplace.”
The Brooklyn-born Lee went out on his own in early 1990s and won three races before moving to Dubai in 1993 for seven years with McLaughlin. He then spent more than a decade in Japan working for his father-in-law and now retired trainer Takemi Kaga, a former jockey who was leading rider there for five consecutive years from 1962-'66.
“It was great to travel overseas. It seems commonplace now, but back then it was all just starting out and nobody really knew about Dubai,” Lee said. “I initially went over in October of 1993 with Kiaran McLaughlin and in the spring of 1994 Sheikh Mohammed brought out some horses to winter in Dubai and ship them all over the world to run in the top races.
“One of my favorite horses was Heart Lake,” continued Lee. “In 1995, I took him to Japan for the Yasuda Kinen and at that time it was the third richest race in the world. It still is one of the best races in Japan for milers.”
Heart Lake's score topped a memorable day for Godolphin, who sent out Group 1 winners in Italy with Flagbird [Capannelle in Italy] and Vettori [2000 Guineas] in France.
“That same year I saddled Classic Cliche to win the St. Leger (G1) at Doncaster and that was actually Frankie Dettori's 1,000th win. That was a big day,” recalled Lee.
Lee met his wife, Susie, while in Japan and his current training operation is aided by his oldest son, Joe, and second oldest son, Anthony. His younger children Domenic and Stephanie are currently attending Lee's alma mater at the University of Kentucky.
The veteran horseman returned to America from Japan after the earthquake and tsunami of 2011. He admitted it's strange to think he traveled all over the world only to saddle his first official stakes winner in his home state.
“I was born here in Brooklyn and grew up in Queens. I went to Valley Stream North High School on Long Island here in Franklin Square,” Lee said. “So, it's interesting to have won a stakes race now with a New York-bred.”
Works for Me, a Daddy Long Legs chestnut patiently handled by Irad Ortiz Jr., tracked to the outside from second position in the six-furlong sprint over the main track for state-bred juveniles as Detective Tom raced through splits of 23.28 seconds and 47.04.
Ortiz, Jr. gave Works for Me his cue through the turn and loomed large as a ground-saving Aggelos the Great waited for racing room from third. Detective Tom held a one-length advantage at the stretch call and dug in gamely in the drive for the wire as Aggelos the Great bid in tight along the fence, but Works for Me would not be denied the head score in a final time of 1:12.06. The winning effort garnered a 68 Beyer Speed Figure.
“He won well. This race was back in two weeks, so it's not an easy time frame,” Lee said. “He came out of it really well. Now we'll have to see what the owners want to do with him. His legs look good, his attitude is good and he's been eating up. I think he's a better grass horse. I don't go by the Beyers too much, I generally go by my eye.”
Works for Me overcame a stumbled start to graduate at second asking in June at Belmont Park. He made his two starts prior to the Notebook travelling six furlongs against open company at the Big A, finishing a pacesetting second to Book'em Danno in the off-the-turf Futurity ahead of his Atlantic Beach effort.
Lee said he's still learning about the talented chestnut, who has demonstrated a frustrating habit of troubled breaks from the gate.
“He seems to stumble out of the gate and even this last race he took a couple of steps sideways and grabbed his quarter and cut it a little bit,” Lee said. “When he broke his maiden here, he grabbed his shoe and turned it sideways. Fortunately, he turned it to the outside otherwise he would have torn his leg up. He won with it hanging off and sprung, so I give him a lot of credit to continue to run with a shoe like that.”
Works for Me, out of the Soldat mare Bella's Game, banked $55,000 in victory while improving his record to 6-2-1-2. Lee trains the homebred colt for KatieRich Stables, Christopher Connors, and Lawrence Appel.
The post ‘I Only Realized It After The Fact’: Trainer Lee Posts First Stakes Win In Aqueduct’s Notebook appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Bold Journey delivered a winning last-to-first performance in Friday's $200,000 Fall Highweight Handicap (G3), a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by Bill Mott for Wachtel Stable, Gary Barber and Pantofel Stable and receiving a well-timed ride from Jose Ortiz, New York-bred Bold Journey collected his first stakes victory with a wide late bid down the stretch to collar post-time favorite and 134-pound highweight Durante just in time and post the one-length score.
Ortiz said the ambitious trip was nothing new for Bold Journey, who entered from a narrow score in an open-company optional claimer going the same distance on October 12.
“He likes to do that, especially when there's a little bit of pace to help him,” Ortiz said of the winner, who toted 128 pounds. “The last couple times we've been sitting at the back and making one run and it worked out for me both times. The horse is doing very good. Mr. Mott has him in great form and I'm happy to win today.”
The 4-year-old Hard Spun colt was away slowly from the inside and trailed the field while the Manny Franco-piloted Durante broke sharply to his outside from post 4. Durante established command through an opening quarter-mile in :22.68 over the fast main track with Win for Gold in second ahead of a slow-starting Rotknee and Cowan in a tight bunch.
Durante continued to dictate terms into the turn with Win for Gold applying pressure to his outside, with the race seemingly between those two as Bold Journey continued to trail while angling outside after the half-mile in :46.06. Durante, who tossed his head slightly as Win for Gold matched his stride, dug in determinedly to hold a narrow advantage over his foe at the eighth pole, but Bold Journey was finding his best stride and flew down the middle of the track under left-handed encouragement from Ortiz.
Ortiz switched to his right hand just past the sixteenth marker and wrapped up with confidence as Bold Journey swept past Durante with ease to complete the trip in 1:10.91. Durante held second by 1 1/2 lengths over third-place Rotknee and fourth-place Cowan, who dueled with each other strongly down the stretch and passed a tiring Win for Gold late. Sir Alfred James was scratched.
Ortiz said the slow break from the Dylan Davis-piloted Rotknee, who steadied slightly down the backstretch, helped lead to Durante being the lone target to catch.
“I was anticipating that and Rotknee didn't break that well otherwise the pace would have been more aggressive,” Ortiz said. “Everything should have unfolded a bit easier for me, but Manny was able to clear him and unfortunately Dylan had to take a hold and that horse doesn't like that, he likes to run free. I was a little nervous when I saw Dylan had to take a hold because I figured the pace wasn't going to be as fast as I thought it could be. Approaching the quarter pole, I was approaching the field nice and easy and when I asked him to go he responded very well.”
Franco, who guided Durante to a strong win last time out in the Grade 3 Bold Ruler (G3) Oct. 27 at Aqueduct, said the high weight was a tough challenge for the David Jacobson trainee.
“He's a little uncomfortable [turning his head in the stretch run], but that's the way he runs, just got to get used to it,” said Franco. “He carried a lot of weight — the winner carried 128 pounds and I had 134, six pounds is a lot.
“There was a lot of speed in the race, but my horse is fast and I didn't want to take anything away from him,” Franco added. “He broke good and I put him where he likes — we were just second best.”
Bred by Fred W. Hertrich, III and John D. Fielding, Bold Journey is the second graded stakes winner out of the winning Super Saver mare Polly Freeze, who also produced Grade 1-winning New York-bred millionaire Americanrevolution, by Constitution. McMahon & Hill Bloodstock, agent, went to $80,000 to buy Bold Journey at the 2021 OBS Spring Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, where he was offered by McKathan Bros. Sales.
Bold Journey made just his fourth start in stakes company in 19 starts, his previous best finish coming with a second in the one-mile Gander against fellow state-breds last February. He banked $110,000 in victory, boosting his total purse earnings to $486,243 through a record of 19-6-6-0 while returning $6.20 for a $2 win wager.
The post Bold Journey Comes From Last For Fall Highweight Score appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
