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Tacitus Overpowers The Competition In Belmont’s Suburban

Juddmonte Farms' Tacitus rewarded the patience of Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott with a smashing return to the winner's circle in the 134th running of Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Suburban for older horses over the Belmont Park main track.

The 1 1/4-mile event rounded out an action-packed program of five graded stakes on Runhappy Met Mile Day at beautiful Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., which was spearheaded by a wire-to-wire triumph from Vekoma in the Grade 1 Runhappy Met Mile.

Tacitus, a gray or roan son of multiple champion-producing stallion Tapit, arrived at the Suburban off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap on May 2, where he chased a leisurely pace over a speed-favoring track and made a four-wide move at the top of the stretch, closing enough ground to get fourth. Guided by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, who piloted E Dubai to a 2002 Suburban score, Tacitus broke sharply from his inside post and took back off a tepid pace set by 57-1 longshot Parsimony, who produced an opening quarter-mile in 24.68 seconds with eight-time stakes winner Mr. Buff just to his outside in second over the fast main track.

Parsimony and Mr. Buff raced alongside one another and extended their advantage to two lengths through a half-mile in 48.36 seconds with Tacitus in fourth just to the inside of Moretti. Around the far turn, Tacitus began making up ground under no urging from Velazquez and made a three-wide move through three-quarters in 1:10.82.

At the quarter-pole, Mr. Buff gave way while Parsimony was under an all-out drive by jockey Kendrick Carmouche. Velazquez remained cool, calm and collected aboard Tacitus who effortlessly went by the pacesetter around the three-sixteenths pole and glided home to a 8 ¾-length score in a final time of 1:59.51. Moretti closed to get second, a neck to the better of Parsimony in third.

Just Whistle, Mr. Buff and 2019 Belmont Stakes winner Sir Winston completed the order of finish. Forewarned was a late scratch in the post parade.

“He was going comfortable the whole way,” said Velazquez, who notched a fifth stakes victory this meet aboard Tacitus. “We had a little pressure in the first part of the race and little by little we kept reaching back and reaching back. I just wanted to be a little further back. Once we passed the five-eighths pole, I put my hands down and he got into a great rhythm. From there on, I knew he was comfortable, and in a position to win.”

The Suburban was a first trip to the winner's circle for Tacitus since taking the Grade 2 Wood Memorial in April 2019 at Aqueduct. He followed that victory with five straight placings against graded stakes company, including a third in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and runner-up finishes in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes, Grade 2 Jim Dandy and Grade 1 Runhappy Travers. Tacitus also owns a graded stakes triumph in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby last March at Tampa Bay Downs.

In his 4-year-old debut, Tacitus ran fifth in the inaugural edition of the Group 1 Saudi Cup on February 29 at King Abdulaziz Racecourse.

“We've put a lot into this horse,” said Mott, who previously won the Suburban with Wekiva Springs (1996) and Flat Out (2013). “We took him to some big races, and he's run some good races. We took him halfway around the world earlier this year looking for something like that [winning effort] in Saudi and in Dubai before they canceled the race [Dubai World Cup].”

Perhaps it was a change of equipment that made a difference for Tacitus, who raced with blinkers on for Saturday's race.

“It seems to make him level off a little more and stay in the bridle a little more,” Mott said.

The win marked a second stakes triumph on Runhappy Met Mile Day for Mott and Velazquez, who teamed up earlier on the card with Frank's Rockette to a victory in the Grade 3 Victory Ride.

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano had no complaints regarding his trip aboard runner-up Moretti.

“Beautiful trip. That's just where we wanted to be; behind the two speeds. The race set up beautifully. We were just second-best today. Tacitus is a great horse,” Castellano said.

Returning $4.20 for a $2 win bet, Tacitus banked $110,000 in victory while enhancing his lifetime earnings to $2,817,500.

Named after an ancient Roman senator, the Kentucky homebred Tacitus is out of 2014 Champion Older Filly Close Hatches and is a direct descendant of 1982 Broodmare of the Year Best In Show.

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

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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.

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Social Paranoia Regains Winning Ways In Poker

The Elkstone Group's Social Paranoia closed from out of the clouds to capture Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000 Poker, a one-mile turf test for older horses on Runhappy Met Mile Day at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, the 4-year-old Street Boss colt was turning back in distance following an off-the-board effort in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Fort Marcy on June 6 at Belmont.

Jockey Jose Ortiz guided Social Paranoia to victory in the Grade 3 Appleton on March 28 at Gulfstream Park in his seasonal debut and was reunited with the versatile dark bay on Saturday as Dream Friend set swift splits of 24.50 seconds and 49.28 on the firm Widener turf.

Multiple Grade 1-winning mare Got Stormy, with Hall of Famer John Velazquez up, tracked from second position with Valid Point to his inside. Got Stormy took aim at the pacesetter into the turn with Seismic Wave and Value Proposition, the 5-2 mutuel favorite under Irad Ortiz, Jr., launching their bids.

Social Paranoia, distanced in seventh through three-quarters, was tipped out wide for the stretch run by Ortiz and quickly circled the pack with Hawkish, piloted by Manny Franco, trying an inside charge at the leaders.

Ortiz and Social Paranoia soon took command while Hawkish, full of run, failed to find a hole outside a fading Got Stormy and inside a lugging in Value Proposition. Social Paranoia, in the clear, found the wire first by one length in a final time of 1:36.30.

Seismic Wave completed the exacta by 1 ¾-lengths over Value Proposition, who was a half-length in front of Got Stormy. Rounding out the order of finish were Dream Friend and Hawkish, who dead-heated for fifth, Eons and Valid Point. Main-track only entrant Its All Relevant was scratched.

A stewards inquiry and jockey's objection by Franco against Ortiz, Jr. into the incident just inside the sixteenth pole was denied.

Pletcher said the turnback in distance suited Social Paranoia despite being further back than desired in the early running.

“I thought we were a tick further back than I thought we would be and they were going a tick slower than I had hoped,” said Pletcher, who captured the 2014 Poker with Jack Milton. “I thought we made a mistake last time in trying to use him a little bit early on to get into position from the outside post going a mile-and-an-eighth. He showed us in his first start back at Gulfstream that he just wants to settle and make one run. Jose executed the plan very well and it was a good performance.”

Ortiz said he felt comfortable throughout and that he played his hand perfectly.

“It was a good trip. I knew they were going slow but he was very relaxed. When we made our move, I had to go wide because they were going so slow,” said Ortiz, who previously won the Poker with King Kreesa [2015] and Oscar Performance [2018.]. “I knew everyone was going to have a really good run to the end but when I passed the eighth pole, he was going really nice. He put his head down and rolled home.”

Social Paranoia finished second in the 2019 Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational over 1 ¼ miles on the Widener turf to kick off the Turf Triple series and was an even fourth in the Saratoga Derby Invitational, second leg of the Turf Triple, before winning the Dueling Grounds Derby at 1 5/16-miles at Kentucky Downs in a productive sophomore campaign.

He made the grade in his seasonal debut with a rousing last-to-first charge in the Grade 3 Appleton, and was third in the Sunshine Forever at the Hallandale oval ahead of the Fort Marcy.

A $75,000 purchase at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Select Kentucky Yearling Sale, Social Paranoia is out of the Deputy Minister mare Shutterbug.

Bred in Kentucky by Mineola Farm II & Silent Grove Farm, Social Paranoia banked $55,000 in victory while improving his record to 14-4-4-5. He paid $11.80 for a $2 win ticket.

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

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Arch’s Instilled Regard Gets Up In Time in Manhattan

On an afternoon when Joey Chestnut was devouring a record-setting 75 hot dogs not far away at Coney Island, trainer Chad Brown was making some history of his own at Belmont Park. OXO Equine LLC’s Instilled Regard (Arch) came with a sudden burst of late energy to pip stablemate Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) in Saturday’s GI Manhattan S., giving the conditioner his record-equaling sixth victory in the 10-furlong grass feature, all since Desert Blanc (GB) (Desert Style {Ire}) provided him with his first in 2012. It was the second time in that stretch that Brown had accounted for the exacta and came one year after Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar (Giant’s Causeway) led home a top-three sweep.

“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.”

Instilled Regard was the first to break the line from his low draw, but Cross Border (English Channel) kicked on and showed the way into the turn, with Channel Maker (English Channel) lapped on his outside. Rockemperor was taken back to land in the box seat from third, while Instilled Regard settled three back on the rails. Cross Border lobbed along on an easy pace-the first half-mile was posted in a methodical :50.46–but all riders were happy enough with their position, with no significant change in the plot entering the final three furlongs. The pacesetters still had the race between them turning for home, but Rockemperor peeled away from the inside into the three path and was able to grind his way to the front with less than a sixteenth of a mile to travel. Instilled Regard, who appeared hopelessly defeated in upper stretch, found his second wind, split Rockemperor and Sadler’s Joy (Kitten’s Joy) in the dying strides and was shoved across the wire first.

“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.”

Third in the 2018 GI Hollywood Derby when making his first turf start for the Brown barn, Instilled Regard broke through with a half-length score in last December’s GIII Fort Lauderdale S. at Gulfstream. A creditable third in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Jan. 25, the dark bay was an even sixth as the favorite in the GII Muniz Memorial S. at the Fair Grounds Mar. 21 and bounced back with a neck defeat of an unlucky stablemate Devamani (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the GII Fort Marcy S. June 6.

Pedigree Notes:

Instilled Regard was bought back on a bid of $110,000 out of the 2016 Keeneland September Sale, but validated that decision in spades when fetching the fourth-highest bid at the 2017 OBS March Sale (:20 4/5). One of 42 group/graded and 13 Grade I winners for his late sire–and one of five from Storm Cat-line mares–he counts champion and eight-time Grade I winner Heavenly Prize (Seeking the Gold) as his second dam. The latter was responsible for the likes of Grade I winner Good Reward (Storm Cat); the successful dual-hemisphere stallion Pure Prize (Storm Cat); the stakes-winning Cosmic (El Prado {Ire}); the stakes-placed Distinctively (Awesome Again), the dam of SW & MGISP Faithfully (Smart Strike); and Just Reward (Deputy Minister), dam of GISW Persistently (Smoke Glacken). Instilled Regard’s third dam includes Heavenly Prize’s Grade I-winning sister Oh What a Windfall and GISW Dancing Forever (Rahy). Enhancing is the dam of the 3-year-old colt Grandexaltedruler (American Pharoah) and a yearling filly by Medaglia d’Oro. She most recently produced a Quality Road filly this past Mar. 18. Instilled Regard is the fifth top-level scorer out of a daughter of Forestry (Nyquist, Rushing Fall, Turbulent Descent, Bobby’s Kitten).

Saturday, Belmont Park
MANHATTAN S.-GI, $400,000, Belmont, 7-4, 4yo/up, 1 1/4mT, 2:02.59, fm.
1–INSTILLED REGARD, 120, h, 5, by Arch
1st Dam: Enhancing, by Forestry
2nd Dam: Heavenly Prize, by Seeking the Gold
3rd Dam: Oh What a Dance, by Nijinsky II
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($110,000 RNA Ylg ’16 KEESEP; $1,050,000
2yo ’17 OBSMAR). O-OXO Equine LLC; B-KatieRich Farms (KY);
T-Chad C. Brown; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr. $220,000. Lifetime Record:
18-5-3-4, $983,240. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Rockemperor (Ire), 120, c, 4, Holy Roman Emperor (Ire)—
Motivation (Fr), by Muhtathir (GB). (€50,000 Ylg ’17 ARAUG;
€12,000 2yo ’18 ARQMAY). O-Madaket Stables LLC, Michael
Dubb, Wonder Stables, Michael E. Kisber & Bethlehem Stables
LLC; B-Haras du Mezeray (IRE); T-Chad C. Brown. $80,000.
3–Sadler’s Joy, 120, h, 7, Kitten’s Joy–Dynaire, by Dynaformer.
O/B-Woodslane Farm (KY); T-Thomas Albertrani. $48,000.
Margins: NK, HF, NK. Odds: 2.15, 2.05, 7.80.
Also Ran: Channel Maker, Cross Border, Spooky Channel, Devamani (Fr), Dot Matrix.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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