Soloshot An Impressive Saratoga Winner For Freshman Stallion Solomini

1st-Saratoga, $88,000, (S), Msw, 8-27, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f (off turf), 1:05.71, ft, 7 3/4 lengths.
SOLOSHOT (f, 2, Solomini–Sweet Queen {MSP}, by Twirling Candy) breezed in :10.1 and brought a final bid of $290,000 at this year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale. A main-track only entry who drew in as the race came off the turf, the 5-2 favorite led every step of the running, showing the way through early fractions of :22.95 and :46.64. Set down at the top of the stretch, she extended her margin at will and won easily by 7 3/4 lengths over fellow MTO entry Fast and Frisky (Solomini) to top an exacta for her freshman sire. Solomini's (by Curlin) third winner, Soloshot was produced by the first of four consecutive visits to the New York-based stallion. She has a yearling full-sister still to race while her dam returned to Solomini again for 2024.  Sales History: $30,000 Wlg '21 FTNMIX; $290,000 2yo '23 EASMAY. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $48,400. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Bregman Family Racing LLC, Jackpot Farm and Swinbank Stables; B-Rhapsody Farm LLC (NY); T-George Weaver.

The post Soloshot An Impressive Saratoga Winner For Freshman Stallion Solomini appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Contessa’s Becky’s Joker Upsets Schuylerville in Career Debut

Much of the pre-race speculation about Saratoga's GIII Schuylerville S. for 2-year-old fillies going six furlongs on the dirt seemed to focus on which Hall of Famer–D. Wayne Lukas or Todd Pletcher–would be the first to win the traditional opening-day feature for the record seventh time, unless another Hall of Famer–Steve Asmussen–got in the way. Instead, that trio had to settle for filling out the superfecta as it was another veteran conditioner, Gary Contessa, who notched his first Schuylerville win with Becky's Joker (Practical Joke–Becky's Best, by Elusive Quality), the only filly in the field without a start under her belt. It was also Contessa's first black-type win at Saratoga since the Skidmore S. in 2019 and his first graded win anywhere since the 2018 GI Spinaway S. He had since quit training and then returned.

“This is the way to come back,” said Contessa. “I've tried the real world, but this side of the fence is the happier place for me. I like the other side of the fence, but I love this side of the fence.”

When the Schuylerville gates flew, Pletcher's $600,000 Keeneland September buy and June 18 Belmont debut winner Wine On Tap (Tapit) flew with them. She was quickly joined by Robert Reid trainee and June 18 Parx romper Camelina (Maximus Mischief) and Lukas's June 23 Ellis scorer Saratoga Secret (Arrogate). Becky's Joker had broken last in the scratched-down field of seven, but charged up the rail as that initial quarter sped by in :22.45. The eventual winner loomed on the turn to take advantage of a generous gap and joined the party made by the top three at the :46.03 half, but didn't stick around, pulling clear down the stretch despite running greenly and drifting significantly in the lane. She was 21-1.

“When she broke a little slow, I wasn't surprised because she's so big,” said Contessa. “She's 16.3 [hands], so I expected her to break slow and I was hoping she would engage immediately and she did. She got right behind the leaders and I loved her position. I felt we had a big chance turning for home.”

Saratoga Secret held for second, with Asmussen's June 11 Astoria S. winner Closing Act (Munnings) edging out Wine On Tap for third. Each of Becky's Joker's rivals was previously undefeated, all having broken their maiden at first asking with Closing Act the lone two-time starter and two-time winner coming into the race.

“I knew that physically she was as good as anything in this race,” said Contessa of Becky's Joker. “She trained like a stakes horse, but you don't know what's going to happen once the gate opens.

“With [owner] Lee Pokoik, it's easy because he always wants to run in stakes races. I didn't have to do much convincing to the owner and I would have to just eat a little crow if I was wrong.”

A $130,000 weanling at Keeneland November, Becky's Joker was a $50,000 RNA in her return to the ring in last year's Keeneland September sale. All nine of her published works have been at Saratoga. She signaled her readiness for her Schuylerville debut with a bullet three furlongs in :34 4/5 (1/19) July 7. Contessa indicated Becky's Joker would target the GI Spinaway S. Sept. 3.

“I bought her as a weanling right after she was born and with Lee, we always try to sell them as yearlings,” said Contessa. “If they don't sell as yearlings, we sell them as a 2-year-old. When she went to the yearling sale, everyone said she was too big. Then we took her to the March 2-year-old sale in Ocala this year and everyone that looked at her said she was too big. I'm thinking in the back of my mind, 'This is good, I may get to keep this one.' That's exactly what happened, and the same thing happened with Sippican Harbor [Orb], who won the Spinaway a few years ago. Nobody wanted her at the yearling sale or the 2-year-old sale and we got to win a Grade I with her, so hopefully we get to win a Grade I with this one.”

Pedigree Notes:

Becky's Joker is one of eight graded winners for Coolmore America's Practical Joke, who is also the sire of 15 black-type winners from his three Northern Hemisphere crops to race. The Schuylerville winner is the only one of the Into Mischief son's stakes winners out of an Elusive Quality mare, but Practical Joke does have stakes winners out of other sons of Gone West, including Speightstown and Proud Citizen. Elusive Quality has 159 stakes winners out of his daughters.

The winner's unraced dam was a $20,000 Keeneland January purchase in 2020 by Jay Goodwin and produced Becky's Joker the next year. Becky's Best, a half-sister to MGSW Vertical Oak (Giant Oak), also has a yearling colt by Caravaggio, who hammered for $90,000 to Becky's Farm at Keeneland November, and produced a colt by Silver State on Mar. 1.

Thursday, Saratoga
SCHUYLERVILLE S.-GIII, $175,000, Saratoga, 7-13, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:12.52, ft.
1–BECKY'S JOKER, 118, f, 2, by Practical Joke
                1st Dam: Becky's Best, by Elusive Quality
                2nd Dam: Vertical Vision, by Pollard's Vision
                3rd Dam: Caney Creek, by Service Stripe
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($130,000
Wlg '21 KEENOV; $50,000 RNA Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Lee Pokoik;
B-Warran J Harang (KY); T-Gary C. Contessa; J-Javier
Castellano. $96,250. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $96,250.
Werk Nick Rating: B.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Saratoga Secret, 120, f, 2, Arrogate–Sister, by Fort Larned.
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($200,000 Ylg '22
FTSAUG). O-BC Stables, LLC; B-Mulholland Springs LLC & Roger
& Mary A. Pardieck (KY); T-D. Wayne Lukas. $35,000.
3–Closing Act, 122, f, 2, Munnings–Evening Show, by Master
Command. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O/B-Douglas Scharbauer
(TX); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $21,000.
Margins: 3 1/4, 3HF, HD. Odds: 21.20, 3.55, 5.00.
Also Ran: Wine On Tap, Carmelina, Sugar Treat, Kiss for Luck. Scratched: Dancing Diana, Mila Junes, Status Seeker, Union Suit.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

The post Contessa’s Becky’s Joker Upsets Schuylerville in Career Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Twirling Candy’s Sugar Hi Graduates In Style At Saratoga

2nd-Saratoga, $105,945, Msw, 7-13, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:05.14, ft, 6 lengths.
SUGAR HI (f, 2, Twirling Candy–Laughing Matters, by Medaglia d'Oro) tipped her hand for trainer Bill Mott early off a series of quick drills and was subsequently slammed down from her 8-1 morning line into the 2-1 favorite's role for the first 2-year-old maiden race of the 2023 Saratoga meet. Picked up for just $180,000 out of last year's Keeneland September Sale, the bay broke with intent from her outside draw and was up to press the pace outside of second-time starter Lady Moscato (Quality Road). Ridden to come alongside that rival off the turn, Sugar Hi stuck a head in front with a furlong to run and sprinted away with her ears pricked on the wire, defeating Lady Moscato by a geared-down six lengths.

“With the mare, we needed the characteristics that Twirling Candy gives us which is the opportunity to get a race horse,” said winning co-breeder Fred Hertrich. “The mare needed a little push to get something that would stand out. We own shares in him (Twirling Candy) and he's been very good to us about helping mares provide runners.”

From the extended female family of champion 2-year-old filly Dreaming of Anna (Rahy), GSW Dreamologist, and GISP Fast Anna (Medaglia d'Oro), Sugar Hi has a yearling More Than Ready half brother while her dam unfortunately aborted her 2023 Street Sense foal. Sales History: $180,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $57,750. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-CJ Thoroughbreds; B-Fred W. Hertrich lll & John D. Fielding (KY); T-William I. Mott.

The post Twirling Candy’s Sugar Hi Graduates In Style At Saratoga appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

An American Dream: The Return To Royal Ascot Launched By GBRI

An American Dream: The Return To Royal Ascot, the first installment of a video series in the lead up to Royal Ascot, was launched by Great British Racing International (GBRI) and Ascot Racecourse on Wednesday morning.

The series documents the journey of US-based syndicate operator Harlan Malter, as he tries to turn the dream of returning to Royal Ascot with a horse sired by his 2018 G1 King's Stand S. runner-turned-stallion Bucchero (Kantharos) into reality. In the first video installment, Malter reflects on his personal reasons for his ambitions, as well as his experience of watching the horse carry the Ironhorse Racing silks to place fifth at the Royal Meeting in 2018. He also explains his plans for purchasing an offspring of Bucchero that can be trained in the UK, as well as one day producing a homebred out of Improvise (Fr) (Iffraaj {GB}), a filly purchased from the dispersal of Queen Elizabeth II's horses at Tattersalls last November who is now racing for Ironhorse Racing in America.

Since this first episode was filmed, Malter has also secured a 2-year-old by Bucchero that he plans to aim at the Royal Palm Juvenile S. at Gulfstream Park on May 13, the winner of which will earn an automatic entry into one of Royal Ascot's six 2-year-old races. The colt, purchased for $70,000 at the OBS March Sale, will be trained by Joe Orseno.

Malter said, “Our first tangible step [of the plan] was to head over to Tattersalls this winter to try to acquire a quality European mare to eventually breed to Bucchero. After finding that in Improvise, I was thrilled when GBRI reached out to help me and follow along in this dream. The next step in the process was to find a ready to race 2-year-old Bucchero this year who hopefully we found in the colt we purchased last week.

“The last step will be to head over to Royal Ascot in June and firm up our plans with a UK trainer and together look for a yearling prospect in the fall to send right over to Newmarket to begin preparation for a 2-year-old campaign in the UK.

“In a game that is often dominated by a small group at the top, horse racing is one of the few sports that lets anyone take a shot at glory. The process, the challenge and the people we surround ourselves within this sport is why all of us wouldn't think of living a day without these amazing horses in our lives.”

The post An American Dream: The Return To Royal Ascot Launched By GBRI appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights