aqueduct | Horse Racing Free Tips

Not This Time Colt Runs Away With Runyon

Excellent Timing rewarded his new connections with a dominant front-running score in the Damon Runyon S. for New York-breds Sunday. Second on debut at Belmont as the chalk Oct. 18, the dark bay ran up the score to 7 1/4 lengths and earned an 81 Beyer Speed Figure going a sixteenth shorter here Dec. 10 for Happy Face Racing Stable and Charlton Baker. He subsequently changed hands privately, and was heavily favored to handle the next test.

Right to the front, Excellent Timing doled out soft splits of :24.49 and :49.19 while always seeming to be in complete control. Already far in front as he straightened for home, the colt cruised to the wire unchallenged and was geared down late to become the fifth black-type winner for his well-regarded now second-crop sire (by Giant's Causeway).

“The horse ran huge,” said Dan Stupp, assistant to trainer Chad Brown. “The team down at Payson [Park in Florida] did a good job preparing him this winter. He came up in great shape; he put on some weight and his coat looks great. Manny [Franco] did a great job allowing him to show his natural cruising speed and getting him to relax and settle. The horse did the rest from there.

“Off the layoff, you aren't 100% percent sure what to expect. He had put in some good works down in Florida. We worked him a nice half-mile here at Belmont last week (:48 3/5 over the training track Mar. 7) and it went great. We knew he would run well, but you never know off the bench. The track is a little deep and tiring, but we're happy with the performance.”

Co-owner Michael Dubb said, “We had open company on our mind, but this time of year, everyone throws 3-year-olds to the wolves. This horse could have a nice and long career, so we wanted to develop the horse the right way and not get him where he loses interest. We want to get him used to winning. Hopefully, once we do that, we can go to open company. It's the right thing to do with the horse.

“The fact that it's a Not This Time [colt] gave us the idea that he could stretch out and we do expect the horse will stretch out. We'll go from there.”

The winner has a 2-year-old half-sister by Union Jackson and a yearling half-sister by Unified. His dam, a half to GSW Inexplicable (Miswaki) from an old and deep Tartan Farms family, most recently visited Maximus Mischief.

DAMON RUNYON S., $100,000, Aqueduct, 3-14, (S), 3yo, 7f, 1:28.02, ft.
1–EXCELLENT TIMING, 118, c, 3, by Not This Time
                1st Dam: Explicable, by Pioneerof the Nile
                2nd Dam: Mythomania, by Nureyev
                3rd Dam: Mythographer, by Secretariat
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O-Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables LLC
& Wonder Stables; B-Sequel Stallions New York, LLC & Lakland
Farm (NY); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Manuel Franco. $55,000.
Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $107,500.
2–Perfect Munnings, 122, c, 3, Munnings–Our Perfect Ten, by
Medaglia d'Oro. ($50,000 Ylg '19 SARAUG). O-JP Racing Stable;
B-Tammy & Robert Klimasewski (NY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.
$20,000.
3–It's Gravy, 118, g, 3, Freud–It's Macaroni, by City Zip. O/B-Mr.
Amore Stables, LLC (NY); T-Kelly J. Breen. $12,000.
Margins: 6 3/4, 5, 1 1/4. Odds: 0.65, 3.00, 13.60.
Also Ran: It's a Gamble, A Longlongtimeago, Echoes of Destiny, Reggae Music Man, The King Cheek. Scratched: Eagle Orb. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

The post Not This Time Colt Runs Away With Runyon appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Brooklyn Strong Works for Wood

Mark Schwartz's Brooklyn Strong (Wicked Strong), off since winning the GII Remsen S. last December, tuned up for a start in the Apr. 3 GII Wood Memorial with a five-furlong work in 1:01.13 (3/13) at Parx Saturday.

“He went by himself from the pole. Hopefully, we can hit one work a week up to the Wood,” said trainer Daniel Velazquez, who wasn't on hand for the drill after being hospitalized with a lacerated liver and torn bicep suffered during a training accident earlier Saturday morning.

Velazquez had hoped to start Brooklyn Strong in last Saturday's GIII Gotham S., but missed the race after a minor illness and lack of works due to inclement weather.

His win in the nine-furlong Remsen last year earned Brooklyn Strong 10 qualifying points to the GI Kentucky Derby and the Wood Memorial offers an additional 100-40-20-10 qualifying points.

“We know he can get the nine furlongs, I just want to make sure that he's ready,” said Velazquez. “We have another three weeks before the Wood and if we can get all the works in without interruption, I know we'll be ready.”

The post Brooklyn Strong Works for Wood appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Prevalence on Target for Derby Prep

Godolphin's Prevalence (Medaglia d'Oro), who followed a 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy debut going seven furlongs at Gulfstream Jan. 23 with a one-mile allowance tally in Hallandale last Thursday, could make his next start in a GI Kentucky Derby prep, with the Apr. 3 GII Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, GII Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland the same day, and the Apr. 10 GI Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park all in play.

“His maiden win told us something, his allowance win told us even more and his next race will decide where we go from there. Each race is its own entity,” Jimmy Bell, President of Godolphin's North American division, told the NYRA notes team. “We'll all be curious to see what his best distance is. He showed a nice step up from seven-eighths to a mile.”

Of the colt's possible next start, Bell added, “It becomes a question of where his energy level is and it comes down to a timing thing. His past races gave him some good experiences and when asked, he responded professionally.”

Godolphin's Lake Avenue (Tapit), winner of last week's Heavenly Prize S., could return to Aqueduct for the Apr. 2 GIII Distaff S., according to Bell. The 4-year-old filly won the 2019 GII Demoiselle S., but was winless in four starts last season. She is now two-for-two in 2021 and has impressed connections with a new ability to settle off the pace.

“In her last two races she showed different dimensions where she can break, settle and monitor the situation from off the pace. She got in a good position in both races and when the jockey said, 'Go,' she responded,” Bell said. “Her last two races really gave us a lot of confidence moving forward. We were a little uncertain with her, but she just gave us two really good performances.”

The post Prevalence on Target for Derby Prep appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Pletcher Targeting Wood Memorial With Maiden Winner Dynamic One, Withers Runner-Up Overtook

Trainer Todd Pletcher shipped Dynamic One to New York from his winter division at Palm Beach Downs hoping for a performance worthy of pointing for the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on April 3, and the Union Rags colt delivered with a 5 ¼-length maiden score going 1 1/8 miles on Sunday at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The nine-furlong Wood Memorial is the final local prep for the Grade 1, $3 million Kentucky Derby on May 1 at Churchill Downs, offering 100-40-20-10 points to the top-four finishers.

Owned by Repole Stable, Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable, Dynamic One tracked a leisurely pace from second, assumed command outside the quarter-pole and powered home a decisive winner while registering a 79 Beyer Speed Figure in his fourth-out graduation.

Dynamic One has kept quality company, having finishing behind subsequent Grade 3 Gotham winner Weyburn in his November debut at the Big A, where he was a distant ninth as the beaten favorite. He shipped to Gulfstream for his following two starts at 1 1/16-miles, which included a runner-up effort to eventual dual graded stakes-winner Greatest Honour on December 26.

“We were hoping for that type of effort,” Pletcher said. “He ran a good second at Gulfstream to Greatest Honour. We were unfortunate to draw the nine and eleven post in his last couple of starts at Gulfstream and it can be hard going a mile and a sixteenth from there. The intention was to see if he could earn his way into the Wood, and that's what he did.”

Bred in Kentucky by co-owner Phipps Stable, Dynamic One is out of the Smart Strike mare Beat the Drums. His respective second and fourth dam are champions Storm Flag Flying and Personal Ensign. Dynamic One was a $725,000 purchase from the Claiborne Farm consignment at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Pletcher will also be represented in the Wood Memorial by Grade 3 Withers runner-up Overtook, who is also being prepared at Palm Beach Downs.

Owned by Repole, and St. Elias Stable with Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, Overtook finished behind eventual graded stakes-placed Nova Rags and stablemate Known Agenda in his first two starts before rallying from 10 lengths off the pace to graduate at third asking going a one-turn mile at Aqueduct on December 20.

“He's on target for the Wood also,” Pletcher said. “There's a lot of options for a horse like him this time of year and we'll play everything by ear, but right now the goal is the Wood. He's trained excellent since the Withers.”

Also purchased form the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Overtook was a $1 million acquisition from the Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency consignment and is by multiple champion producer Curlin out of the Grade 1-winning A.P. Indy mare Got Lucky. He is a direct descendant of prestigious broodmares Numbered Account and La Troienne.

Pletcher seeks a sixth Wood victory having sent out Vino Rosso [2018], Outwork [2016], Verrazanno [2013], Gemologist [2012] and Eskendereya [2010] to wins in the prestigious race.

Pletcher also added that St. Elias Stable's Known Agenda is on target for the Grade 1, $750,000 Florida Derby on March 27 at Gulfstream Park and will breeze at Palm Beach Downs on Saturday in preparation for the event.

Known Agenda, third in the Grade 2 Remsen in December at the Big A, finished fifth as the favorite in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis in February at Tampa Bay Downs. The chestnut added blinkers when stretching out to nine furlongs in an optional-claiming event at Gulfstream on February 26 and romped to an 11-length score.

“He'll breeze tomorrow morning with the Florida Derby in mind,” Pletcher said. “We added blinkers to him last time and that really seems to get his mind into the game.”

A Kentucky homebred, Known Agenda also is by Curlin and out of Grade 1-winner Byrama.

Shadwell Stable's unbeaten graded stakes-winner Malathaat is nearing her return to action. She was last seen winning the Grade 2 Demoiselle on December 5 over a sloppy main track at the Big A.

Pletcher said that the Curlin bay filly out of Grade 1-winner Dreaming of Julia could return in either the Grade 2, $200,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks on March 27 or the Grade 1, $400,000 Ashland on April 3 at Keeneland.

“It will depend on how she breezes these next couple of weeks,” said Pletcher.

After giving Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez his 2,000th Belmont Park victory in her October 9 debut, Malathaat was an easy winner of the one-mile Tempted on November 6 at Aqueduct en route to the Demoiselle. Her last work was a five-furlong move at Palm Beach Downs on March 6, completed in 1:01.89.

The post Pletcher Targeting Wood Memorial With Maiden Winner Dynamic One, Withers Runner-Up Overtook appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post