Arch | Horse Racing Free Tips

Miss Marissa Upsets Favored Bonny South In Black-Eyed Susan

Sent to the post at odds of 10-1 after two straight allowance victories, Alfonso Cammarota's Miss Marissa was able to fend off the furious late charge of 4-5 favorite Bonny South by a neck to win Saturday's Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico. Piloted by Daniel Centeno on behalf of trainer James Ryerson, the 3-year-old daughter of He's Had Enough ran nine furlongs over the fast main track in 1:48.08. It was the first stakes victory for Miss Marissa, earned in her 12th lifetime start.

Miss Marissa was keen early alongside of Mizzen Beau, the pair a length ahead of the rest of the field through early fractions of :23.10 and :46.61. Meanwhile, the favored Bonny South was last of the 10-filly field after being squeezed back a bit at the start (the G1 Alabama runner-up has a late-running style anyway, so it may not have compromised her chances).

Rounding the far turn, Miss Marissa took command from Mizzen Beau and grabbed a two-length lead into the lane. Bonny South weaved in and out of horses to be about six lengths off Miss Marissa at the head of the stretch, but it took her about a sixteenth of a mile to find her best stride.

Bonny South really started to close in the final sixteenth, and Miss Marissa briefly looked in trouble before Centeno asked his filly for just a bit more. Bonny South was able to cut the distance to a neck in the shadow of the wire, but had to settle for second as Miss Marissa got her first stakes victory.

Hopeful Growth closed to finish third ahead of frontrunning Mizzen Beau in fourth.

Bred in Kentucky by Woodford Thoroughbreds, Miss Marissa is out of the winning Arch mare Ardara. She was an $11,000 yearling at the OBS October sale, and required four starts to break her maiden as a 2-year-old. She finished off the board in two graded stakes efforts last year, but returned as a 3-year-old to be third in the listed Ruthless Stakes in January. Recently, the filly won two straight allowance races, one at Monmouth and another at Saratoga, prior to stepping back into graded company.

Overall, Miss Marissa has four wins from 12 starts for earnings of over $320,000.

Winning Trainer James Ryerson (Miss Marissa) – “She's fairly fast. The fractions are going to be fast with her up near the lead, so I wasn't too concerned [with the early fractions]. She ran great.”

“Last year, I thought she wanted two turns and she made a liar out of me. It was ugly. But [this year] ever since we got a two-turn race at Monmouth she just moved forward in the race we got in at Saratoga. It was a small field but there were some nice horses in there. She ran fast, and then you look for a tougher spot. She answered today.”

Winning Owner Alfonso Cammarota (Miss Marissa): “This is my biggest win, but I have won other races with other horses.”

“I knew she was going to win. I do a lot of background on the horses when I buy them. I buy the horses personally. I do a lot of background on the siblings. Her mother won a race at a mile and a quarter and I knew she was going to be good. She proved it today. My research paid off.”

Winning Jockey Daniel Centeno (Miss Marissa): “The plan was to try to break sharp, get a good position and try to go easily from there. If someone tried to go to the lead we wanted to make sure that we were very close and make sure that she was really comfortable. She broke really sharp, I saw the inside horse go and I let her go. She sat off her practically all the way around. When I asked her she responded very well to the end.”

Jockey Florent Geroux (Bonny South, 2nd): “Horses that are deep closers sometimes you need some luck. She ran a great race. She finished the fastest. Today, we couldn't catch the winner.”

The post Miss Marissa Upsets Favored Bonny South In Black-Eyed Susan appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Blinkers, Soft Ground Help Arklow Turn Tables On Zulu Alpha In Kentucky Turf Cup

They have been two of the more durable members of the turf male ranks for the last five seasons and on Saturday at Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Ky., the latest chapter in the rivalry between Grade 1 winner Arklow and Zulu Alpha geared up for yet another run – this time at the venue where each had previously enjoyed success.

Where Zulu Alpha had gotten the best of his rival in last year's edition of the Grade 3, $1-million Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes, trading blows had been the name of the game for the two warriors in their nine meetings prior to Saturday. So after losing Kentucky Downs bragging rights with a second in 2019, Arklow fittingly turned the tables on his old foe when he captured the 1 1/2-mile Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths over Red Knight, with Zulu Alpha a late-running third.

Trained by Brad Cox for Donegal Racing, Joseph Bulger, and Peter Coneway, Arklow previously annexed the Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes in 2018 and has been a stalwart in his division -– placing in the top three eight times since that triumph, including a runner-up effort in this race last year. Things haven't been as smooth for the 6-year-old son of Arch since winning the 2019 Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes, however, as he had lost his last five starts coming into Saturday's test.

Zulu Alpha, by contrast, had won three of four starts in 2020 including a victory in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational on January 25. That momentum would be blunted over the soft ground on Saturday though as Arklow — wearing blinkers for the first time in a race — got a perfect trip sitting in the first flight just off the leaders before making his winning bid down the lane under jockey Florent Geroux.

“He was pretty sharp coming into this race,” Cox said of Arklow. “It's easy to say it now, but we had a lot of confidence that he would move forward with the blinkers. He likes it down here and obviously when it started raining it gave us even more confidence. He definitely likes a little juice in the ground, and he responded well.

“Florent did a good job getting him involved. That has a lot to do with this horse, how he runs, his involvement early on in a race.”

While Arklow was rated fifth, then fourth, as Changi took the field through the opening half mile in :50.27, Zulu Alpha was well back and had just one foe beat in 10-horse field. Longshot Eons grabbed the lead heading down the hill but Arklow was perched three wide at that point, waiting for the signal from Geroux to do more.

“It was a great trip for him. He was closer to the lead than he's used too,” Geroux said. “First time with blinkers, at 6 years old, helped him and the ground also helped. From there I just nursed him around and he waited for my signal down the stretch. He was able to hold off those horses pretty easily.”

Arklow paid $13.60 as the third choice in the field of 10 older horses. He became only the third two-time winner of the stakes, joining back-to-back winners Rochester (2002-2003) and Da Big Hoss (2015-16).

“Donegal Racing is very appreciative of Mr. (Brad) Kelley and Calumet Farm for sponsoring this race,” said Donegal president Jerry Crawford. “Donegal has won it two of the last three years and finished second the third time. We're grateful for Kentucky Downs and for the Calumet folks. Obviously, Arklow loves it there. He loves going that far. I think the addition of blinkers made a huge difference. He was able to lay closer to the pace and nobody is going to get past him once he has the lead in the stretch. We're very excited.”

At the top the stretch, Arklow took command for himself and turned back a threat from eventual runner-up Red Knight. Beaten favorite Zulu Alpha could only get up for show money, a length behind Red Knight.

“Everything worked out. We had a nice clean trip,” said Tyler Gaffalione, jockey Zulu Alpha. “The only thing I would say is that maybe the ground was getting away from him down the stretch. He was really digging in, trying to go get that horse, but it was just breaking away from him. Might be a little soft out there for him. It was a great performance. He tried hard the whole way. He's all class and hopefully we'll rebound in the Breeders' Cup (Turf).”

The final time for the distance over a course rated soft was 2:28.66.

In addition to improving his record to seven wins from 29 starts with earnings of $2,466,116, Arklow continued a hot streak for Cox and Geroux as the two paired up to capture the Kentucky Oaks on September 4 with Shedaresthedevil at Churchill Downs after winning the Grade 1 La Troienne Stakes on the undercard with champion Monomoy Girl.

“Honestly I really trained on him pretty strong for this race, zeroed in on this race,” Cox said of Arklow. “He had a fantastic work a couple of weeks back at Churchill on the turf. He had a huge gallop out that day. He'd been touting himself a lot going into this.

“It's great. It's been a busy week and a half,” Cox added. “Just trying to build off it, get bigger and better horses all the time. Looking to pick off races like this is what it's all about.”

The post Blinkers, Soft Ground Help Arklow Turn Tables On Zulu Alpha In Kentucky Turf Cup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Cheri Manning Enjoys a Decorated Start to Ownership

For red hot trainer Christophe Clement, there’s much to look forward to as his blossoming turf star Decorated Invader (Declaration of War) progresses through his sophomore season. But for owner Cheri Manning, the talented colt has already given her the ride of a lifetime.

In partnership with West Point Thoroughbreds, William Freeman and William Sandbrook, Manning has watched her horse cross the wire first in a juvenile maiden race at Saratoga, then the GI Summer S., the Cuter Bay S., the GII Pennine Ridge S. and most recently, the GII National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S.

Even with such a lengthy collection of victories, the Virginia resident still has yet to join her colt in the winner’s circle.

“I almost don’t even want to say this out loud, but I’ve never seen him win in person,” Manning said. “The only races I’ve been to were his first start [a close second at Saratoga] and the Breeders’ Cup [Juvenile Turf, where he finished fourth after a troubled trip]. So now I’m a little nervous to go see him run.”

Although she’s just getting started in her journey as an owner, Manning has been a fan of the sport since childhood.

“Even as a little kid, I enjoyed horse racing,” she recounted. “I was lucky enough to grow up in the ’70s, so Secretariat, Affirmed and Alydar are the first horses I remember. My dad was into horse racing, so we would watch on TV. I was your typical horse-crazy kid.”

It wasn’t until a few years ago that her interest in racing became something more.

“When I went to college, I stopped riding and horses kind of slipped out of my life,” she said. “But I always continued to follow racing. Then I started to get closer to the age of 50. And when that happened, I started thinking, ‘Alright, I’m going to do something for myself.'”

Manning bought in on two 2-year-olds through West Point Thoroughbreds in 2016 and as she notes, “away we went.”

“Ownership was way more than I expected going in,” she said. “That first summer, coming up to Saratoga for the first time was quite the experience- being a total newbie on the backstretch and watching one of my horses run there. I felt like everyone in the industry was so welcoming. Even if you don’t know what the heck you’re talking about, everyone wants to help give you the information you need without making you feel stupid.”

That same year, a third juvenile on the West Point roster named Arch of the Diver (Arch) caught her eye.

“He was a bit more on the expensive side, so I tried to be practical and buy into two horses for the price of one,” Manning said. “But I couldn’t stop thinking about him, so I ended up buying into him.”

Arch of the Diver showed promise early on, but endured several injury-induced setbacks. It wasn’t until he was a 4-year-old that he broke his maiden at Saratoga by almost 10 lengths.

“I cried so hard,” Manning said with a laugh.

The gelding later won at Delaware Park, scoring a 93 Beyer Figure, but soon after an injury forced the West Point team to retire him. They turned to Manning to ask if ‘Archie’ could find a new home with his biggest fan.

“They knew I loved him and that he would be going to a really good home,” Manning said. “So when they asked me I said, ‘Yes. We will figure it out. We will make it happen.'”

While Archie has yet to start a new career under saddle, he is thriving at his new home in Virginia.

“This horse is the biggest klutz. It’s a miracle he raced at all, let alone won two races,” Manning joked. “The hope is to eventually get him under saddle and see what he wants to do, even if it’s just hack around and be a trail horse. But if he ends up being a pasture pet, that’s great too.”

Even though Manning has only been involved in racing for five years, she’s already giving back to the sport through her dedication to aftercare and has big plans to do more.

“Eventually I could see myself having the Northern Virginia Home for Wayward Thoroughbreds, or something like that,” she said.

At around the same time of Arch of the Diver’s retirement, a yearling with Arch as a broodmare sire became available.

“I really like turf horses, and the fact that he was out of an Arch mare really sold him for me,” Manning recalled.

Soon after, she was in on Decorated Invader’s ownership.

Decorated Invader claims the GII National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. | Coglianese

“If you could line up Northern Dancer, Danzig, War Front, and Decorated Invader, the similarities would be so striking. It’s quite a lineage,” she said.

Her ownership on Decorated Invader has quickly become a family affair.

“When we were in Saratoga last summer, my sister Cathy fell in love with him,” Manning said. “She was going on and on about how amazing he was after his first race when he ran second. I had an odd percentage on him, so I said, ‘happy birthday’ and gave her a small percentage. She says it was the best birthday present ever. She always liked horses and enjoyed going to the track with me, but with Decorated Invader, she knew he was The Horse, and now she’s gotten the bug.”

Manning has also introduced her 13-year-old niece Vivienne to horse racing.

“From day one, Vivienne has been my silent partner,” she said. “She unofficially owns half the horses I partner in. She’s your typical horse-crazy girl. What did we do for her Christmas break? We went to Florida to visit Payson Park and she was thrilled.”

For years, Vivienne and Manning also had their own riding horse that they owned together.

“Unfortunately he passed away in February of cancer,” Manning said. “So this year has really sucked, but Decorated Invader has sort of made up for a lot of not-so-great things.”

Manning remembers the Cutler Bay S. in March at Gulfstream as her favorite race of the season.

“Midway through the race he was totally out of it,” she said. “And you’re like, ‘Oh that’s fine, it’s his first race this year.’ And then all of a sudden, he turns on an extra gear and wows us all. The way he won that day was amazing. That’s when we knew it was going to be a fun year.”

Of course, having one of the hottest trainers on the Saratoga backstretch in Christophe Clement is a definite asset.

“I can’t believe that barn,” Manning said. “They so deserve it. One of the deciding factors for me in buying a horse through West Point is if it’s going to Clement.”

Manning shared that while Clement’s assistant trainer and son Miguel says Decorated Invader acts studish whenever he’s working with the colt, Manning finds that the bay is nothing less than a gentleman when she comes to the barn with carrots in hand.

“He’s a very nice horse,” she said. “He’s so smart, you get that vibe from him right away. He’s got that intelligent eye. I’m so thankful to Terry Finley, Bill Freeman, Bill Sandbrook, as well as the West Point buying team and David Ingordo for finding Decorated Invader and letting me join the party. He’s definitely special, and he knows he’s special..”

West Point’s COO Tom Bellhouse said that Decorated Invader has an equally-special owner.

“Cheri is a dream partner,” he said. “She’s a great person. She takes the good news with the bad, and is always so supportive. She’s a big believer in the animal and for caring for the animal. Any time you spend with Cheri, it will put a smile on your face.”

The post Cheri Manning Enjoys a Decorated Start to Ownership appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

He’ll Take Manhattan: Instilled Regard Gives Brown Sixth Win In Grade 1 Turf Fixture

As is quickly becoming custom, the Grade 1, $400,000 Manhattan was dominated by four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, who saddled Instilled Regard and Rockemperor to a one-two finish in the prestigious 1 1/4-mile turf race on Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The win was Brown's sixth Manhattan victory in nine years. He first won the race in 2012 with Desert Blanc and in 2019 saw his barn complete the trifecta, with champion Bricks and Mortar taking home the top prize.

Mirroring the tight finish on the track, OXO Equine's Instilled Regard and Rockemperor were practically inseparable in the betting as both went off at 2-1 in Brown's quest to win back-to-back editions of the Manhattan for a third time, with Rockemperor the slight favorite as they each sought their first Grade 1 victory.

When the gates opened, Rockemperor gained a distinct advantage over his stablemate heading into the clubhouse turn as Hall of Famer John Velazquez piloted the 4-year-old colt into the garden spot, just off the pace while hugging the fence. Instilled Regard was forced to settle in midpack with the meet's leading rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard as Cross Border led the eight-horse field through modest splits of 24.56 seconds for the opening quarter-mile, 50.46 for the half, and 1:15.93 for three-quarters on Belmont's firm inner turf course.

From the back of the pack, Sadler's Joy uncorked a menacing rally on the outside, while Rockemperor's fortuitous run continued as he tipped out from behind horses into the stretch and a chasm opened up in front of him. But Ortiz, Jr. deftly navigated Instilled Regard through traffic, making a decisive move to split the pair at the sixteenth pole and then charging home to a neck victory over his stablemate, hitting the wire in 2:02.59.

“They both got really good trips,” said Brown. “Both jockeys did a great job and both horses responded super. It's unfortunate one of them had to lose. In the end, Instilled Regard just made the last move of the chess match. I'm so proud of the horse. He keeps getting better.”

Brown credited his staff for the success in the Manhattan.

“It's a testament to my team,” Brown said after the race. “Through the years a lot of different horses have passed through our hands but much of my same team is intact and they've been working with all these horses. All the credit goes to them.”

The Manhattan marked the second win of the year for Instilled Regard, a son of Arch who also finished third in the Grade 1 Pegasus Turf Invitational in his 2020 debut. After he started on dirt, running a late-closing fourth-place finish in the 2018 Kentucky Derby while in the barn of Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, Instilled Regard has only once finished outside the trifecta on the surface. The Manhattan score bumped his earnings to $983,240, just shy of the million-dollar mark, and he returned $6.30 on a $2 win wager.

“His mind is getting better and better every time he runs on the grass,” said Ortiz. “With this horse, he does everything you want. I like that. I can use it to get in position and he comes back to me so well. He saved all the energy until the end. When I asked him for it, he gave it. I had to work so hard but when I tipped him out, he responded so well. I knew I had a chance to get there, and he got there on time.”

Hard-knocking veteran Sadler's Joy came up just short yet again on the Belmont turf, finishing a half-length behind Rockemperor in third.

“Unfortunately for him, he was at a disadvantage going a mile and a quarter with no pace,” said Javier Castellano, rider of Sadler's Joy. “He was closing very well. I was not disappointed at all in the horse. He always tries and one day, we're going to catch up.”

Channel Maker, Cross Border, Spooky Channel, Devamani and Dot Matrix completed the order of finish.

Live racing resumes Sunday with a 10-race card First post is 1:15 p.m. Eastern.

The post He’ll Take Manhattan: Instilled Regard Gives Brown Sixth Win In Grade 1 Turf Fixture appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post