arnaud delacour | Horse Racing Free Tips

Group 1-Placed Magic Attitude Will Make North American Debut In Saturday’s Belmont Oaks

Lael Stables' Magic Attitude, a Group 3 winner in France, will make her North American debut in Saturday's Grade 1, $250,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational, a 10-furlong inner turf test for sophomore fillies at Belmont Park.

The Belmont Oaks Invitational is the first of seven Grade 1 events during the 27-day Belmont Park fall meet, which kicks off on Friday and runs through Sunday, November 1.

In addition to 22 graded stakes, the lucrative meet will also include seven Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” qualifiers to the two-day Breeders' Cup 2020 World Championships to be held November 6-7 at Keeneland Race Course.

Following opening weekend at Belmont, live racing will be conducted Thursday through Sunday with the exception of Columbus Day weekend, when live racing will be offered on Monday, October 12 and will resume on Friday, October 16.

By Galileo and out of the Group 1-winner Margot Did, Magic Attitude was bred in Great Britain by Katsumi Yoshida and is a full-sister to 2018 Group 2 Prix de Sandringham winner Mission Impassible, who is also multiple Grade/Group 1-placed.

Magic Attitude presents an impressive ledger that includes a victory in the Group 3 Prix Vanteaux in May when racing off a nearly eight-month layoff for former conditioner Fabrice Chappet.

She followed in June with a second in the 10-furlong Group 1 Prix Saint Alary at Chantilly in a race won by the undefeated Tawkeel, who exited that effort to win the Group 2 Prix de la Nonette at Deauville.

Last out, in the Group 1 Prix de Diane at Chantilly, Magic Attitude finished a strong fifth, defeated three lengths to Fancy Blue, in a loaded edition of the 1 5/16-miles test known as the French Oaks.

New trainer Arnaud Delacour said Magic Attitude has matched strides with some of the top sophomore fillies in Europe in her brief career.

“She's right there with them. When she ran in the Prix de Diane all the form was very solid,” said Delacour. “It was a very good edition of the French Oaks this year and the fillies that finished in front and around her have come back and won graded stakes, so the form is excellent.”

Fancy Blue, victorious in the Prix de Diane, came back to win the Group 1 Nassau at Goodwood ahead of a third in the Group 1 Matron at Leopardstown. The fourth [Raabihah] and sixth-placed [Ebaiyra] finishers exited the Prix de Diane to win a Group 3 and Group 2 respectively.

Magic Attitude was transferred to the care of Delacour in the summer where she has trained at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland.

“She arrived here in late July. We liked her right away,” said Delacour. “She's not very big, but she's very athletic. She moves very well on the grass.”

The talented bay has breezed four times at Fair Hill, including a half-mile work in 50 flat on September 11 over the dirt.

“She's training very well,” said Delacour. “We've gotten to know her a little bit. It looks like she needs to be covered up, so we put her behind a pacesetter to let her relax and then gallop out strong.”

While Magic Attitude demonstrated ability to run well off the layoff in her Group 3 score, Delacour said Saturday's test, to be contested off a two-month layoff, will be a different experience.

“That win was coming off the winter with a trainer that knew her,” started Delacour, regarding the Prix Vanteaux. “When she came to us she was ready to run. We just had to maintain her, so I don't think that the time off should be a problem.”

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will guide Magic Attitude from post 2.

Madaket Stables, Laura De Seroux, and Marsha Naify's Neige Blanche will make her second start in North America for trainer Leonard Powell.

The French-bred daughter of Anodin graduated in November on the synthetic surface at Marseille-PV when traveling 10 furlongs and followed in December with an allowance score at the same track and surface.

In June, when making just her second start on turf, Neige Blanche captured the 11-furlong Group 3 Prix Cleopatre over soft going at Lyon-Parilly. She was subsequently transferred to the care of Powell in California where she ran a closing fourth last out on debut in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks on August 22 over nine furlongs of firm turf.

Powell said he hopes the added distance on Saturday will benefit.

“It was her first race stateside and although the pace wasn't very strong, she was a little outpaced the first part of the race but it was still a promising debut and she finished very well,” said Powell. “I'm hoping the mile and a quarter on the big track at Belmont Park will be to her liking. Hopefully, she will not be too far back as it's going to be a small field.”

Neige Blanche will exit post 4 under Jose Lezcano.

Godolphin's versatile Hard Spun bay Antoinette will remain on turf after capturing the 1 3/16-mile Saratoga Oaks last out on August 16 over firm footing.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Antoinette captured the off-the-turf Tepin in December at the Big A ahead of third-place efforts on the dirt in the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks in March and the Gardenia in May at Oaklawn Park.

Following a third in the Grade 3 Wonder Again in June on the Belmont turf, Antoinette returned to dirt and finished a good third in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks on July 18 preceding her Saratoga Oaks effort.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez retains the mount from post 5 as Antoinette looks to improve on a record of 8-3-0-4 that includes purse earnings of $483,750.

Rounding out the field are Arindel's Key Biscayne [post 3, Manny Franco], who was third last out in the Saratoga Oaks for trainer Juan Alvarado; and Paul Pompa, Jr.'s Setting the Mood [post 1, Luis Saez], winner of an off-the-turf maiden in May at Gulfstream Park for trainer Todd Pletcher.

The Belmont Oaks Invitational is slated as Race 5 on Saturday's 10-race program, which offers a first post of 1:00 p.m. Eastern. America's Day at the Races will present daily television coverage of the 27-day fall meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete America's Day at the Races broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the 27-day fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, NYRA Bets is currently offering a $200 new member bonus in addition to a host of special weekly offers. The NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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Laurel Park: First Win On ‘The Flat’ For Trainer Madison Meyers

Gordon C Keys' Maryland homebred Grateful Bred, reluctant to first load in the starting gate, took an early lead and put his rivals away for good at the head of the stretch in a stylish front-running maiden special weight triumph Saturday at Laurel Park.

The 3 ½-length victory by 4-year-old Grateful Bred ($43.20) marked the first win at a recognized flat track for trainer Madison Meyers. According to Equibase statistics, Meyers had two previous career victories – a 2016 amateur event at Great Meadow in Virginia and a hurdle race last fall in Aiken, S.C.

“It's great. We've worked hard with this horse, so it feels really good,” Meyers said. “If we can work on the antics a little bit, I think we've got a pretty nice horse.”

It was the second maiden special weight win in as many days over Laurel's world-class turf course for leading Maryland stallion Great Notion, who was represented by Kendama's victory Friday for trainer Arnaud Delacour.

Grateful Bred, making his second career start after rallying to be fourth in a similar turf sprint last October at Laurel, initially balked when approaching the gate and had to be loaded without seven-pound apprentice Charlie Marquez.

Once the doors opened Grateful Bred broke a bit slowly but was intent on the lead and quickly took command, setting fractions of 22.03 and 45.01 seconds. Grafeful Bred turned for home with a commanding six-length lead and sailed to the wire in 1:02.76 for 5 ½ furlongs over the firm All Along layout.

First Law closed to be second by a neck over Josef is Real. It was another half-length back to Our Destiny in fourth.

“The pre-race antics are a little bit worrying at times, and I was hoping for a few more weeks to kind of work with him, but this race came up and he really was telling us that he was ready to run,” Meyers said. “So, we decided just to go for it and it paid off.”

Grateful Bred had three timed works since late May for his seasonal debut, two this month, the most recent a three-furlong move in 38 seconds at the Middletown Training Center in Delaware. He was only beaten 4 ½ lengths in his debut despite a poor break under Laurel's current summer meet-leading jockey Sheldon Russell.

“When he ran here the first time last fall, he was great and went right in [the gate],” Meyers said. “I don't know if he broke so hard that he stumbled or what he did, but he stumbled and Sheldon did a great job just to steady him and he ended up getting up for fourth. We were really impressed with his turn of foot and everything.”

Howling Pigeons Farm's first-time starter First Law is a gelded 3-year-old son of Constitution, the leading second-crop sire of 2020 whose current star is Florida Derby (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Tiz the Law.

Seventh as the narrow 5-2 favorite in his turf debut was The Cairo Kid, trained and co-owned by Annette Eubanks. The 4-year-old gelding, unraced at 2 and 3, is a son of Cairo Prince, the No. 1-ranked third-crop sire by stakes winners and graded-stakes winners including recent Ohio Derby (G3) upset victor Dean Martini.

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Talented Sprinter Come Dancing On Her Toes Ahead Of Saturday’s Vagrancy

Blue Devil Racing Stable's Grade 1-winner Come Dancing headlines Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Vagrancy, a 6 ½-furlong sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at Belmont Park.

The Vagrancy is one of four graded stakes on a loaded 11-race card, highlighted by the Grade 1, $250,000 Just a Game for fillies and mares going one mile on the Widener turf and also featuring the Grade 2, $150,000 True North, for 4-year-olds and up going 6 ½ furlongs; and the Grade 2, $250,000 New York at 1 ¼ miles on Belmont Park's inner turf.

Trained by Carlos Martin, the 6-year-old Malibu Moon mare will look to rebound after a rare off-the-board performance last out in an ambitious spot going two turns in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 1 Apple Blossom on April 18 at Oaklawn Park.

Come Dancing now returns to sprinting, where she excelled in 2019, highlighted by a dramatic come-from-behind win in the Grade 1 Ballerina in August at Saratoga Race Course. At the Spa, she was left at the break but rallied under Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, posting a 3 ½-length score in the seven-furlong sprint.

That was part of a stellar season for the millionaire Come Dancing, who won 4-of-6 starts in 2019 for Martin, including Grade 2 wins in the Ruffian and Gallant Bloom, both at Belmont Park; and the Grade 3 Distaff at Aqueduct.

Come Dancing was prepared for her Apple Blossom effort by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, after which Martin said the talented dark bay was given some time to recuperate before returning to Belmont Park in May.

Castellano, who also rode Come Dancing to victory in the 6 1/2-furlong Gallant Bloom last September at Belmont Park in an off-the-board finish in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint in November at Santa Anita Park, gets the call on Come Dancing again on Saturday, breaking from post 5.

“Javier is one of top jockeys in the world and brings in a lot of experience, that's for sure,” Martin said. “There are certain riders like Javier who are just winners. There are great riders all over the country, but in New York, we have the best in the world.”

Come Dancing enters Saturday with a month of solid work, fortified by two recent bullet workouts on the main track at Belmont: on June 15, going five furlongs in 57.94 seconds and on June 8, going a half-mile in 47 flat.

“We wanted to just keep her fresh,” Martin said. “It didn't look like she was out of a canter. She was just so smooth. It's just one of those things where the track is extremely fast and she came out of it great.”

Lael Stables' 6-year-old Chalon, a winner of seven of 18 career starts, will make her 2020 debut. In her last start, going six furlongs in October at Keeneland, the Dialed In mare finished off the board. Trained by Arnaud Delacour, she will leave from post 3 with Jose Ortiz aboard.

Also looking for redemption is Gainesway Stable's Mother Mother, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who last out on June 5 at Belmont Park finished a disappointing fourth in a 6 ½ furlong sprint. One of the youngsters in the field, the 4-year-old has three victories in 13 career starts. The Pioneer of the Nile filly will be ridden by Joel Rosario from post 2.

Looking for redemption in the Vagrancy will be First Row Partners and Parkland Thoroughbreds' Royal Charlotte, who finished three-quarters of a length back to Honey I'm Good in a runner-up effort in the six-furlong Harmony Lodge on June 5 at Belmont Park in her seasonal bow.

“I wish I had a little more time,” said trainer Chad Brown. “I felt she could've won if she would've gone more to the outside on that wet track. It was a good prep for her.”

Royal Charlotte has five wins in eight career starts, including four consecutively in 2019 when she dominated races from 6-to-6 ½ furlongs, capped last July 4 by a convincing four-length win in the 6 ½-furlong Grade Victory Ride on the July 5 Stars and Stripes Day card at Belmont.

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will be aboard Royal Charlotte Saturday, drawing the inside post.

Rounding out the seven-horse field are Jakarta [post 4; Luis Saez], Victim of Love [post 6; Jose Lezcano] and Pacific Gale [post 7; Junior Alvarado].

The Vagrancy is named for the bay mare out of Valkyr by Man o' War, who in 1942 was Champion 3-Year-Old Filly and also the Champion Handicap Mare. Bred and owned by Belair Stud and trained for most of her career by the legendary “Sunny” Jim Fitzsimmons, Vagrancy enjoyed a season for the ages in 1942, winning nine stakes races that included the Coaching Club American Oaks, the Pimlico Oaks, the Delaware Oaks, the Alabama, Gazelle and Test against other 3-year-olds, and the Beldame Handicap and Ladies Handicap against older fillies and mares. Vagrancy raced 42 times in her career, hitting the board in 31 of her starts.

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Spectators Permitted As Delaware Park Opens With Obeah Stakes On Wednesday

The 83rd season of live racing at Delaware Park is set to open this Wednesday with spectators and enhanced safety protocols, including enforced social distancing. More information on the safety protocols will be released at www.delawarepark.com on Monday.

The $100,000 Obeah Stakes highlights the ten race card.

Mark P. Grier's Gotham Gala will be seeking a repeat victory in the race when she faces 11 rivals in the local prep for the filly and mare summer classic – the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap slated for Saturday, July 11.

Gotham Gala will be making her 2020 debut in the race named in honor of the two-time Delaware Handicap winner in 1969 and 1970 and the dam of the Hall of Fame filly Go for Wand who was locally owned by Jane and Harry duPont's Christiana Stable.

“She is doing really well,” said trainer Arnaud Delacour. “Last year, she needed a race to really get going, but she really looks good and I think she is ready, so I am expecting a big effort from her.”

Last year, Gotham Gala posted a 3 ¼-length victory in the Obeah Stakes before finishing fourth in the Delaware Handicap. The 5-year-old daughter of Smart Strike followed with a one mile allowance victory at Keeneland before closing her 2019 campaign with a fourth in the G3 Turnback the Alarm Stakes at Aqueduct on November 2. The Kentucky-bred has a career record of four wins, a second and two thirds from 12 starts with earnings of $262,290.

Delacour has also entered Denlea Park and Mark Spellman's Fashion Faux Pas. In her only outing this year, the 4-year-old daughter of Flatter was unplaced in a mile allowance at Churchill Downs over a sloppy course on May 16. Last year, the Kentucky-bred won the Light Hearted Stakes by 14 ½-lengths at Delaware Park and then followed with a second in the G3 Delaware Oaks. She closed her 2019 campaign with a pair of unplaced efforts in stakes. Her career record is three wins, two seconds and a third from 11 starts with earnings of $177,817.

“She is doing great,” said Delacour. “I am very happy with her. She had a really good breeze on Friday. She is ready and she likes the course at Delaware Park. I know her recent form has been so-so, but I think she is ready to redeem herself. I am expecting strong efforts from both of my girls on Wednesday.”

The filly to beat is Phoenix Thoroughbred and KatieRich Stables' Lady Apple. In her most recent, the 4-year-old daughter of Curlin finished eighth in the G1 Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park on April 18. Previously, the Kentucky-bred trained by Steve Asmussen finished fifth in the G2 Azeri at Oaklawn on March 14. In her only other outing this year, she won the G3 Houston Lady Classic at Sam Houston on January 26. Last year, she won three G3 stakes – the Remington Oaks, the Iowa Oaks, and the Fantasy Stakes – and finished third in the G1 Kentucky Oaks. She has a career record of six wins, two seconds, and a third from 14 starts with earnings of $1,001,984.

Since the Obeah Stakes was inaugurated in 1996, only the 2006 older female champion Fleet Indian and I'm a Chatterbox, who won the race in 2016, have won the race and followed with a victory in the Delaware Handicap. Two fillies have finished second in the Obeah and won the Delaware Handicap. They were Unbridled Belle in 2007 and Power Play in 1997. Three winners of the Obeah Stakes have followed by running second in the Delaware Handicap. They were 2011 Horse of the Year Havre de Grace, Your Out in 2002 and Under the Rug in 2001.

Live racing will be conducted through October 17th. Racing is scheduled three days a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Thursdays will be added July 16th and continue through October 1st. First race daily post time is set for 1:15 p.m.

$100,000 Obeah Stakes

For fillies and mares at a mile and sixteenth

PP	HORSE	OWNER	TRAINER	JOCKEY	Wg	OD
1	Bronx Beauty	2WStables	Anthony Margotta Jr	Isacc Castillo	120	15-1
2	Wicked Awesome	Warwick Stable	A Ferris Allen	Frankie Pennington	120	12-1
3	Trolley Ride	James Eshleman	T. Bernard Houghton	Inoel Beato	120	15-1
4	Lady Apple	Phoenix Thoroughbred	Steven Asmussen	Ricardo Santana Jr	124	7/2
5	Gotham Gala	Mark P Grier	Arnaud Delacour	Trevor McCarthy	120	5-1
6	Ujjayi	TL Wise	Erin McClellan	Tyler Conner	120	15-1
7	Vault	Kueber Racing	Brad Cox	Florent Geroux	120	6-1
8	Fashion Faux Pas	Denlea Park	Arnaud Delacour	Daniel Centeno	120	8-1
9	Afleet Destiny	Trin-Brook Stables	Uriah St Lewis	Anthony Salgado	120	20-1
10	Lucky Move	Ten Strike Stable	Juan Carlos Guerrero	Roberto Rosado	120	8-1
11	Motion Emotion	Abbondanza Racing	Richard Bilas	Carol Cedeno	120	5-1
12	Trace of Grace	WMT Stable	T. Bernard Houghton	TBD	120	20-1

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