Always Shopping | Horse Racing Free Tips

Always Shopping Shows Her Versatility With Via Borghese Triumph

Repole Stable's Always Shopping, a graded-stakes winner on dirt last spring, continued her success story since being moved to the turf this summer by rolling to a second straight grass stakes victory in Saturday's $100,000 Via Borghese at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The fifth running of the 1 3/16-mile Via Borghese for fillies and mares 3 and up served as a supporting stakes to the $100,000 Mr. Prospector (G3), where Sleepy Eyes Todd bested a field that included Grade 1 winners Firenze Fire and Mind Control and defending champion Diamond Oops.

Always Shopping ($7.40) was the third win of the day for jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. and first in the Via Borghese for both Ortiz and trainer Todd Pletcher. The winning time was 1:54.34 over a firm turf course.

Ortiz settled Always Shopping in third as Traipsing broke sharply and took the field through moderate fractions of 24.31 and 50.11 seconds, tracked by 99-1 long shot Lady Panda. Always Shopping tipped to the outside on the turn and took over the lead once straightened for home, powering through the stretch to win by three lengths.

“It worked out perfect,” Ortiz said. “I thought I was going to sit second but [Traipsing] broke sharp and I didn't want to use my horse to get position. So I stayed third. She was comfortable. I waited for the time to go and when I asked her she responded very well.”

Pletcher was impressed with the way Always Shopping finished up to earn her fourth career win and third in a stakes. She won the 1 1/8-mile Gazelle (G2) last April on dirt and the 1 1/16-mile Monroe Sept. 7 at Gulfstream in her second career try on turf.

“We anticipated [Traipsing] would be on the lead. I thought we might be laying second but Irad was in a comfortable spot and he said she was taking him wherever he wanted her to go throughout the race,” Pletcher said. “She really jumped in at the top of the stretch and kicked on hard. They weren't going very fast early, but they were late.”

Great Island outran Always Shopping's stablemate, Cap de Creus, to be second, but was disqualified for bearing out in the stretch and placed third behind Cap de Creus, ridden by Hall of Famer John Velazquez.

“I was delighted to get her stakes-placed. We've knocked on the door a few times, so that was big,” Pletcher said. “It looked like Johnny had to steady her pretty hard at one point but it was a good effort.”

Always Shopping, a daughter of Awesome Again out of multiple stakes winner Stopshoppingmaria, by More Than Ready, was bred by Repole. She now owns two wins from three tries over the Gulfstream turf and pushed her career bankroll over $400,000.

“She seems to like the course here,” Pletcher said. “There's a great program of stakes here so we'll look to keep her going in those.”

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‘Right Opportunity’: Distance Should Suit Always Shopping In Saturday’s Via Borghese

Always Shopping, a stakes winner on turf and dirt, and stablemate Cap de Creus, seeking her first career stakes victory, will line up together for the first time in Saturday's $100,000 Via Borghese at Gulfstream Park.

The 3 1/6-mile Via Borghese for fillies and mares 3 and up on the grass will be the fourth stakes try for Gainesway Stable's Cap de Creus, exiting a fifth in the 1 ½-mile Zagora Oct. 31 over a yielding course at Belmont Park.

A 4-year-old daughter of Tapit, Cap de Creus ran four times during last winter's Championship Meet, running second in a pair of allowances by a half-length combined and finishing eighth in the The Very One (G3) and fourth in the Orchid (G3).

Overall, Cap de Creus has finished third or better in 10 of 18 starts. Hall of Famer John Velazquez will ride from Post 4 in a field of nine.

“Cap de Creus has consistently run well and we're trying to get some black type by her name. She's certainly run well enough to deserve it, she just hasn't quite done it,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “Always Shopping is coming off a couple of really good efforts and the distance should suit her. I'm happy with both of them.”

Winner of the 2019 Gazelle (G2) last April over Aqueduct's main track, Repole Stable's 4-year-old Always Shopping made her grass debut running fourth in the 1 1/8-mile Treasure Coast June 7 and won the 1 1/16-mile Monroe Sept. 7, both over the Gulfstream turf. She was beaten a head when second in the 1 ½-mile Dowager (G3) last out Oct. 18 at Keeneland.

“We always kind of had [turf] in the back of our mind; we were just kind of looking for the right opportunity,” Pletcher said. “She's a filly that wants a lot of distance and, obviously, there's more opportunities for those types on the turf.”

Irad Ortiz Jr. rides Always Shopping from Post 8.

In a loaded edition of the $100,000 Mr. Prospector (G3) featuring Grade 1 winners Firenze Fire and Mind Control and defending champion Diamond Oops, Pletcher will send out Shadwell Stable homebred Haikal.

The seven-furlong Mr. Prospector will be the first start for Haikal since running fifth in the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) Feb. 29 for previous trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. Haikal joined Pletcher after McLaughlin retired to become jockey agent for Luis Saez, and the 4-year-old colt has been training steadily at Palm Beach Downs for his return.

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Always Shopping, Sailing Solo Score In Gulfstream Stakes

Repole Stable's Always Shopping made a triumphant return to Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., on Monday, capturing the $75,000 Monroe Stakes. A graded-stakes winner on dirt, the Todd Pletcher-trained 4-year-old daughter of Awesome Again earned her first stakes success on turf in the 1 1/16-mile event for fillies and mares.

The Monroe and the $75,000 Mr. Steele, a 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds and up, co-headlined Monday's program, wrapping up a seven-stakes Labor Day Weekend schedule that included Cool Arrow's victory in Saturday's $100,000 Smile Sprint (G3).

Always Shopping ($9.40), unplaced on dirt in the Ruffian (G2) at Belmont Park and the Summer Colony at Saratoga in her two most recent starts, was making her second start on turf and first start with blinkers Monday. Prior to shipping north, she finished fourth in her turf debut at Gulfstream in the June 7 Treasure Coast, in which she became involved in an early speed duel before fading late.

Ridden by the Spring/Summer Meet's leading rider Edgard Zayas, Always Shopping offered a much more professional performance, stalking the pace on the outside before kicking in through the stretch to win by a neck over Bienville Street, who saved ground behind pacesetter Crown and Sugar before taking over the lead heading into the stretch.

“The blinkers helped her get into the race and relax at the same time. It completely changed her,” said Zayas, who was aboard the Pletcher trainee in the Treasure Coast. “The last time I rode her, I got an inside position and got her running out of there and kind of got stuck in a speed duel. Today, I wanted to get her in position to stalk the pace. When it was time to ask her, she came running in the end.”

Always Shopping, who captured the Gazelle (G2) over Aqueduct's main track last year, ran 1 1/16-miles over a 'good' turf in 1:43.36. Bienville Street finished second, 2 ¼ lengths clear of late-running Kelsey's Cross.

Always Shopping is out of Stopshoppingmaria, who was graded-stakes placed on turf and dirt and won the 2013 Ladies Turf Sprint Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

In the Mr. Steele, trainer Louie Roussel III's Sailing Solo had things his own way Monday at Gulfstream Park while collecting his third win in a row under Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Prado. The 5-year-old son of Smart Strike was allowed to set a leisurely uncontested pace while preserving sufficient energy to turn back all challengers in the stretch on the way to a 1 ½-length victory.

Sailing Solo, who had won three of 11 starts the Midwest before joining Roussel's string in South Florida, captured a June 26 optional claiming allowance and the July 25 Mecke Stakes over the Gulfstream turf course prior to Monday's front-running score.

“It seems like we get along pretty good,” Prado said. “I watched his races in Louisiana for different riders, and I learned something from that. I learned more when I got on him the first time. He seemed like he wanted to do things his way, nice and relaxed. That's what he's been doing the last three times. He goes right to the front, relaxes and waits for me to ask him.”

Sailing Solo ran 1 1/16 miles on a 'good' turf in 1:42.44. Louder Than Bombs saved ground behind the victorious pacesetter and finished second, 2 ½ lengths ahead of David Fawkes stablemate Galleon Mast, who finished third after a wide trip throughout the running of the Mr. Steele.

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