Awake at Midnyte | Horse Racing Free Tips

Hidden Connection Must Overcome Draw in Rachel Alexandra

No fewer than three fillies (Untapable, 2014; Monomoy Girl, 2018; and Serengeti Empress, 2019) have used a victory in the GII Rachel Alexandra S. Presented by Fasig-Tipton as a springboard to success in the GI Kentucky Oaks, won so impressively by Rachel Alexandra in 2009. A field of 11 sophomore females will face the starter in Saturday's renewal looking to continue on the road to Louisville on the first Friday in May.

Hidden Connection (Connect) has been made the 3-1 morning-line favorite, a starting price likely inflated by her draw nearest the stands. Not that she hasn't dealt with that type of adversity before–she overcame the eight hole in a field of eight to graduate by 7 1/2 lengths on her 5 1/2-furlong debut at Colonial Aug. 17 and validated that performance with a 9 1/4-length thrashing of her rivals in the GIII Pocahotas S. Sept. 18 at Churchill, where she had gate nine of 10. While she left there running those first two starts, she bobbled at the break of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and never reached contention, finishing a distant fourth. The dark bay will look to give trainer Bret Calhoun a fourth winner of the race and first since Summer Applause (Harlan's Holiday) scored in 2012.

Trainer Doug O'Neill is always to be taken seriously when shipping horses into the Big Easy and is represented here by Reddam Racing's Awake At Midnyte (Nyquist). A debut winner sprinting at Santa Anita on Halloween, the $320,000 Fasig-Tipton Florida grad missed by a nose in the GIII Jimmy Durante S. going a grassy mile at Del Mar Nov. 27, but atoned with a sharp runner-up effort in the seven-furlong GII Santa Ynez S. Jan. 8. Mario Gutierrez is likely to ask for some speed from the 7-2 morning-line second pick.

Divine Huntress (Divining Rod) easily accounted for a field of Parx maidens going seven panels Dec. 13 following which Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners bought into the Maryland-bred filly. Prohibitively favored for a first-level allowance going an extended mile at the Bensalem oval Jan. 19, she took over at will with about 2 1/2 furlongs to race and shot away to score by nearly 13 lengths while never being asked to run. Jose Ortiz sees fit to take the call for trainer Graham Motion.

North County (Not This Time) is perfect in three starts to date, including a neck success in the Dec. 26 Untapable S., while the rail-drawn La Crete (Medaglia d'Oro–Cavorting) looks to add to her latest score in the Jan. 22 Silverbulletday S.

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Tezzaray Gets The Bob In Jimmy Durante Stakes At Del Mar

After a flurry of challengers overtook a front running Liam's Dove in the stretch, it was Tezzaray (GB) who got her nose down on the wire in the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif. Stalking the pace early, the daughter of Bated Breath (GB) took to the outside to find racing room in the Del Mar straight and beat Awake at Midnyte and Toeris in the race's final strides.

Liam's Dove took the lead out of the gate, setting early fractions of :23.41, 48.52, and 1.13.32 as Awake at Midnyte, Half Past Twelve, and Tezzaray stalked the pace around the first turn and down the backstretch. On the far turn, Liam's Dove still held a tenuous lead, as Tezzaray under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. angled out from the rail and went two-wide into the stretch.

The race was wide open as Liam's Dove's lead began to shrink in the face of stretch challenges from first Awake at Midnyte and then Tezzaray and Toeris. Those three came down to the wire together, with Tezzaray getting up in the final strides to win by a nose. Awake at Midnyte was second, with Toeris third and the favorite Helen's Well fourth.

The final time for the one-mile Jimmy Durante was 1:37.56. Find this race's chart here.

Tezzaray paid $8.20, $5.00, and $3.60. Awake at Midnyte paid $8.80 and $7.00. Toeris paid $13.80.

“I had a good trip. I was in a little tight at the three-eighth pole, but that wasn't anything big. She's a very European filly; she likes to run covered up. When it came time to run – boom – she went,” jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said after the race.

“I had confidence in her. She's one of those fillies that are very classy and does everything right. I thought we won, then I thought we didn't, but luckily we got the head bob. I thought all three of my fillies ran very well and all got great rides. Irad (Ortiz, Jr.) had a really clean trip and once he got her in the clear she really kicked home,” trainer Peter Miller told the Del Mar Press Office after the Jimmy Durante.

Bred in England by Lady Richard Wellesley, Tezzaray is out of the Cadeaux Genereaux (GB) mare Amber Queen (IRE). She is owned by Slam Dunk Racing and Roger H. Newman and trained by Peter Miller. The 2-year-old filly was consigned by Ballinvana House Stud and sold to Karl Burke for $29,408 at the 2020 Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale. With her win in the G3 stakes, her lifetime record is two wins in four starts for career earnings of $104,997.

The post Tezzaray Gets The Bob In Jimmy Durante Stakes At Del Mar appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Tenacious Tezzaray Takes Jimmy Durante

Tezzaray (GB) turned an eventful trip into a nose win in Del Mar's GIII Jimmy Durante S., staying undefeated in two U.S. starts since moving stateside this fall. Promptly bumped leaving the gate, the tidy chestnut was undeterred, angling over to the rail to sit midpack. Comfortable stalking in fourth through early fractions of :23.41 and :48.52, she was third going into the turn before suddenly checking off the heels of Awake At Midnyte. Tezzaray took back, angled out and around that rival, then split horses and commenced a tenacious drive to the wire, wearing down Awake At Midnyte to win the bob by a scant nose.

“I had a good trip,” said winning rider Irad Ortiz, Jr., who also won the Jimmy Durante last year on Fluffy Socks (Slumber {GB}). “I was in a little tight at the three-eighths pole, but that wasn't anything big. She's a very European filly; she likes to run covered up. When it came time to run–boom–she went.”

Trainer Peter Miller, who was taking his first Jimmy Durante, said, “I had confidence in her. She's one of those fillies that are very classy and does everything right. I thought we won, then I thought we didn't, but luckily we got the head bob.”

Tezzaray (GB) debuted with a pair of thirds in maiden races in her native England for Karl Burke in August before shipping stateside to Miller's barn. Her inaugural race on U.S. soil was the Thursday before Breeders' Cup over this course and distance, where she was bumped at the start but settled kindly before angling out and mowing down the competition from midpack.

Pedigree Notes:

The 20th black-type winner for Bated Breath (GB), who stands at Banstead Manor Stud in England, Tezzaray also marks her sire's 14th graded winner. She is the third of his offspring to shine over Del Mar's course as his Viadera (GB) won the 2020 GI Matriarch S. and Jasikan (Ire) was a 2019 SW & GSP over the La Jolla lawn.

Tezzaray is the first black-type winner for her dam, Amber Queen (Ire), whose most recent foal is a yearling filly by Hot Streak (Ire) that sold at the 2020 Tattersalls December sale to G. & E. Arrowsmith for 2,000gns. Amber Queen is a half to G1SW Spinning Queen (GB) (Spinning World). Her sire, English champion Cadeaux Genereux (GB), has 69 stakes winners out of his daughters with Tezzaray's win.

Saturday, Del Mar
JIMMY DURANTE S.-GIII, $103,000, Del Mar, 11-27, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:37.56, fm.
1–TEZZARAY (GB), 120, f, 2, by Bated Breath (GB)
1st Dam: Amber Queen (Ire), by Cadeaux Genereux (GB)
2nd Dam: Our Queen of Kings (GB), by Arazi
3rd Dam: Lady Blackfoot (Ire), by Prince Tenderfoot
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. (17,000gns
Wlg '19 TATFOA; £22,000 Ylg '20 GOFFUK). O-Slam Dunk
Racing & Roger H. Newman; B-Lady Richard Wellesley (GB);
T-Peter Miller; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr. $60,000. Lifetime Record:
4-2-0-2, $104,997. Werk Nick Rating: B.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Awake At Midnyte, 120, f, 2, Nyquist–Midnight Union, by
Union Rags. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
($85,000 RNA Wlg '19 KEENOV; $190,000 Ylg '20 FTKOCT;
$320,000 2yo '21 FTFMAR). O-Reddam Racing LLC; B-Forty
Oaks (KY); T-Doug F. O'Neill. $20,000.
3–Toeris, 120, f, 2, Tourist–Sutil (Brz), by Redattore (Brz).
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O/B-Team Valor
International & Gary Barber (KY); T-Dan Blacker. $12,000.
Margins: NO, HF, HD. Odds: 3.10, 7.80, 45.70.
Also Ran: Helens Well (Ire), Liam's Dove, Travel Smart, Virulente (Fr), Miss Bellatrix, Half Past Twelve, Sparkle Blue, Reem Zabeel (Ire).
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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