arnold bennewith | Horse Racing Free Tips

Keepmeinmind Gets 99 Beyer Speed Figure For Fourth In Travers, Dream Lith, Lone Rock Breeze

Cypress Creek Equine, Arnold Bennewith, and Spendthrift Farm's Keepmeinmind posted a career-best 99 Beyer in finishing fourth in Saturday's Grade 1 Runhappy Travers at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Trained by Robertino Diodoro and piloted by Joel Rosario, the Laoban bay was off a step slow from post 3 and raced behind horses as Midnight Bourbon set a moderate pace before being overtaken by Essential Quality, who prevailed by a neck.

“Nothing really went our way from the break. It was a very slow pace and we got trapped and never really got a clear run until it was way too late,” Diodoro said. “He ate dirt for a long ways and when things did open up at the top of the lane, you couldn't expect him to sprint home against those two horses after they went ;24, ;49 and 1:14. There was no pace to run at, at all.

“I think that's why Essential Quality had such a tough time getting by Midnight Bourbon down the lane; he walked everyone to sleep,” Diodoro added. “I thought we had him ready to go, but you need racing luck. He cooled out good last night. We'll let the horse tell us how he is and come up with a plan.”

Cypress Creek Equine and Arnold Bennewith's maiden-winner Dream Lith worked a half-mile in :48.25 in company with 2-year-old gelding Paynt Your Wagon, who Diodoro claimed for $40,000 out of an off-the-board effort in his August 15 debut at the Spa.

“They were rolling right along,” Diodoro said. “We gave her something to run at and made sure she was in front at the wire. I thought she worked really well. She galloped out strong.”

Dream Lith, by Medaglia d'Oro, is pointed to the $300,000 Grade 1 Spinaway on September 5 at the Spa.

Flying P Stable's Lone Rock breezed a half-mile in :50.85 Saturday on the Oklahoma dirt training track.

The 6-year-old Majestic Warrior gelding has won seven of his last eight starts, including wins in the Grade 2 Brooklyn presented by Northwell Health in June at Belmont and the Birdstone last out on August 5 at the Spa.

Lone Rock is pointed to the 1 5/8-mile $300,000 Grand Prix American Jockey Club Invitational on September 18 at Belmont.

“Lone Rock is doing great. He'll ship down to Belmont next week and be ready for the 18th. He breezed great,” Diodoro said.

Diodoro boasts a record of 30-5-6-6 at the Spa summer meet heading into Sunday's card and will look to close strong with a number of stakes runners, including Dreamer's Disease who is entered in today's Better Talk Now.

“We'd like to pick off another win or two for sure, but it has been a good meet,” Diodoro said.

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Sunday Carryover Boosts Wednesday Pick 6 At Saratoga

The Pick 6 on Wednesday will be bolstered by a $187,640 carryover as the multi-race wager went unsolved Sunday at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The $1 Pick 6 returned $1,787 to bettors who selected 5-of-6 winners correctly. Sunday's sequence commenced when Masked Marauder [No. 10] was victorious in Race 5, taking the 5 1/2-furlong maiden claiming contest for New York-breds 3-years-old and up over the Mellon turf course, returning $12.40 on a $2 win wager. River Card Stable's Masked Marauder was ridden by Eric Cancel for trainer Wayne Potts.

In Race 6, 36-1 longshot Dream Lith [No. 8, $75] won the 6 1/2-furlong maiden sprint. David Cohen guided the Medaglia d'Oro filly – owned by Cypress Creek Equine and Arnold Bennewith – to victory for trainer Robertino Diodoro.

Peter Brant's Regal Glory [No. 7, $5.20] kicked off the stakes action at the Spa with a win in the $120,000 Fasig-Tipton De La Rose in Race 7, besting Hendy Woods to win the one-mile inner turf contest for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up who had not won a graded stakes in 2021. Trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Jose Ortiz, Regal Glory won for the third time in four starts.

Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred Wicked Halo [No. 7, $11.40] posted a front-running score in the $200,000 Grade 2 Adirondack for juvenile fillies sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs in Race 8. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Wicked Halo outkicked Interstatedaydream as Ortiz won his second consecutive stakes.

In the ninth race, Con Lima [No. 5, $8.10] won the $700,000 Grade 3 Saratoga Oaks Invitational to win the second leg of NYRA's Turf Triple series for owners Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Joseph F. Graffeo, Eric Nikolaus Del Toro, and Troy Johnson. Ridden by Flavien Prat and trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Con Lima built on her runner-up effort in the first leg of the Turf Triple series in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational to win going 1 3/16 miles over the Mellon turf course.

Michael Imperio's Danzigwiththestars [No. 2, $23.80] triggered the carryover with his win in the 10th-race finale, winning the one-mile inner turf allowance contest under jockey Luis Saez for trainer Domenick Schettino.

Wednesday's Pick 6 kicks off in Race 5 at 3:21 p.m. Eastern and includes the $120,000 Mahony for 3-year-olds in Race 9. First post on the 10-race card is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the 40-day summer meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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Harpers First Ride Repeats In Deputed Testamony At Pimlico

GMP Stables, Arnold Bennewith, and Cypress Creek Equine's Grade 3 winner Harpers First Ride coasted to an easy lead early and then dug in under a late challenge from favored Magic Michael to defend his title by 1 ½ lengths in Saturday's $100,000 Deputed Testamony at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

The 25th edition of the 1 1/8-mile Deputed Testamony for 3-year-olds and up was the second of three $100,000 stakes on the final program of July, preceded by the Alma North for fillies and mares 3 years old and up and followed by the Challedon for 3-year-olds and up, both sprinting six furlongs. All three races are part of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series.

Ridden by Angel Cruz for Maryland's leading trainer, Claudio Gonzalez, Harpers First Ride ($7.20) completed the distance in 1:49.52 over a fast main track. Having also been contested at one and 1 1/16 miles, it was the third-fastest time in 15 runnings of the Deputed Testamony at nine furlongs.

Harpers First Ride now has won two straight since rejoining Gonzalez's barn in mid-May after being sold over the winter, and 11 together for horse and trainer. Cruz has been up for seven of those wins, including all five of the 5-year-old gelding's stakes victories.

“I'm happy the owners thought of me. They said, 'Do you want to ride him back' and I said, 'Yeah, that's my big horse.' I love that horse,” Cruz said. “He's a special horse. This horse always tries. Claudio Does a great job with him.”

Breaking from the far outside following the scratch of Bourbon Calling, Cruz and Harpers First Ride strolled to the front and led the way around the first turn and into the backstretch through a quarter-mile in :25.38 flanked by Cordmaker. Harpers First Ride conceded the lead to his fellow multiple stakes winner after a half in :49.34, but quickly erased the half-length deficit while on the rail and went six furlongs in 1:12.73 to put a head in front.

“We talked about that before the race. There was no speed in the race, so it was his call,” Gonzalez said. “If somebody inside goes, he can sit second or third. But he broke too good and he made the decision to go. Nobody wanted to go, and he did a good job because they went in :25 and :49, really slow for these horses.”

Harpers First Ride put away Cordmaker and began to draw away but Magic Michael, who had a three-race win streak snapped in the July 10 Battery Park at Delaware in his stakes debut, came with a run on the outside to make a late bid but was unable to close the gap.

“When we broke, nobody wanted to take the lead so I took advantage of that. Then they pressured me because we were going so slow, and I didn't mind that because we were going an easy pace,” Cruz said. “When I asked him, he kicked for me.”

Cordmaker finished third, 2 ¼ lengths behind Magic Michael. It was another three-quarters of a length back to Mischief Afoot in fourth, followed by Forewarned and Two Thirty Five.

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Harpers First Ride won seven of 11 starts and nearly $500,000 in purse earnings in 2020, including stakes wins in the historic Grade 3 Pimlico Special, Native Dancer, Richard W. Small, and Deputed Testamony. He was sold privately prior to an off-the-board finish in the $3 million Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Jan. 23 at Gulfstream Park and went winless in three races this year with trainer Robertino Diodoro, running 10th in defense of his Pimlico Special title May 14.

“This horse, you have to ride him for him to give you everything,” Gonzalez said. “It's a good feeling. I believe he is going the right way.”

Gonzalez said he would consider the next MATCH Series race in the 3-year-old up, long dirt division – the $100,000 Victory Gallop going 1 3/16 miles Aug. 23 at Colonial Downs – for Harpers First Ride.

“Maybe we'll point for the next race,” he said. “It all depends on how he's doing.”

The Deputed Testamony returned to the Maryland stakes calendar last year after not having been run since 2008. It pays homage to the last Maryland-bred winner of the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes, who upset Grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner Sunny's Halo in 1983. Bred and raced by Bonita Farm and Francis P. Sears and trained by Bill Boniface, Deputed Testamony also won the 1983 Grade 1 Haskell and Federico Tesio.

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Spendthrift Farm Acquires Half Interest In Kentucky Jockey Club Winner Keepmeinmind

B. Wayne Hughes' Spendthrift Farm has acquired 50% ownership interest in the 3-year-old colt Keepmeinmind, winner of the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) last fall at Churchill Downs and currently second on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 18 points.

“We are delighted to be a part of such an exciting young racehorse as Keepmeinmind, and thankful to Cypress Creek and Arnold Bennewith for the opportunity to join the team,” said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift general manager. “We believe Keepmeinmind is poised for a big 3-year-old year. He demonstrated tremendous talent as a 2-year-old, placing twice in Grade Ones including the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and finishing up the year in style with a convincing win in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill.”

Campaigned by Cypress Creek LLC and Arnold Bennewith, Keepmeinmind will either make his seasonal debut in the $400,000 Risen Star Stakes (G2) next Saturday at Fair Grounds – where he is entered in post 12 with jockey David Cohen – or the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park two days later on Presidents' Day.

Trained by Robertino Diodoro, the bay colt by Laoban most recently breezed a bullet five furlongs in :59 flat on Feb. 2 at Oaklawn. Autrey Bloodstock brokered the deal for Spendthrift to join the current ownership group.

As a 2-year-old, Keepmeinmind finished runner-up to champion Essential Quality in the Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland in just his second start. He was also a fast-closing third to that colt in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile a month later, before breaking his maiden against stakes company in the Kentucky Jockey Club to close out a successful juvenile campaign.

An earner of $394,320 to date, Keepmeinmind is out of the Victory Gallop mare Inclination. He was bred in Kentucky by Southern Equine Stables.

Keepmeinmind's final workout for his 3-year-old debut is scheduled for Monday at Oaklawn.

“There's a couple of variables,” Diodoro said concerning whether the colt goes in the Risen Star or Southwest. “I think we're going to wait and see the next 72 hours.”

Diodoro said the potential of bad weather and a compact Southwest field make the Risen Star an option for Keepmeinmind, who has been based at Oaklawn since late December.

“The short field here is a little bit of a concern with his running style,” said Diodoro, Oaklawn's leading trainer in 2020. “If you've got a speed horse, like a couple of guys do in the race, perfect having five, six horses. But when you have a come from behinder, that's not the most ideal thing.”

Diodoro said he plans to breeze Keepmeinmind at 10 a.m. (Central), following Monday's second surface renovation break. Keepmeinmind has had five published works this season at Oaklawn, including a five-furlong bullet move (:59) after the second break last Tuesday under regular rider David Cohen.

“Just a little quieter out there,” Diodoro said, referring to the late time.

Unbeaten Eclipse Award winner Essential Quality is scheduled to make his 3-year-old debut in the Southwest, trainer Brad Cox said. Essential Quality (3 for 3) was the country's champion 2-year-old male after winning the Breeders' Futurity and Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Essential Quality has been based this winter at Fair Grounds.

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