belmont park | Horse Racing Free Tips

Rockefeller Rockets To Graded Stakes Victory In Nashua

In his third career start, Rockefeller improved on his last-out fourth-place finish behind Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Corniche in the American Pharoah Stakes and won the G3 Nashua Stakes on the closing day card at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. The son of Medaglia d'Oro withstood early pressure from Speaking and pulled away in the stretch to win by 2 3/4 lengths.

Breaking from post one, Rockefeller and Luis Saez went straight to the lead, with Speaking pressing to his outside, a half-length off the lead. Around the far turn, Rockefeller extended his lead to a length, as Speaking began to tire and the field attempted to catch up with the leader.

In the stretch, Cooke Creek and Judge Davis put in their closing bids, but the Baffert-trained Rockefeller easily pulled away from the field, stretching his lead out in the race's final furlong. The final time for the one-mile G3 Nashua Stakes was 1:36.66. Cooke Creek and Judge Davis were second and third. Midnight Worker, Cairama, and Speaking rounded out the field.

Find this race's chart here.

Rockefeller paid $3.60, $3.30, and $2.40. Cooke Creek paid $5.50 and $3.60. Judge Davis paid $2.70.

Bred in Kentucky by Colts Neck Stables, Rockefeller is out of the Speightstown mare Dance to Bristol, a multiple graded stakes winner. He is owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, and Robert E. Masterson. The 2-year-old colt was consigned by Mill Ridge Sales and sold to SF/Starlight/Madaket for $750,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. With his win in the Nashua, Rockefeller has two wins in three starts for career earnings of $142,500.

The post Rockefeller Rockets To Graded Stakes Victory In Nashua appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Rockefeller Wires the Nashua

Rockefeller went wire-to-wire to win the GIII Nashua S. at Belmont Park Sunday. The bay colt, sent off at 4-5, sprinted out to the early lead and was pressed by Speaking (Mr Speaker) through a quarter in :23.02 and a half in :46.75. Cooke Creek rolled up four wide to challenge entering the lane, but the favorite shrugged off that foe in upper stretch and scampered clear to an authoritative victory.

“I knew the other horses would break from there running, but we have a lot of speed, so Bob [Baffert] told me to break from there and send him and see if they can keep with us,” said winning jockey Luis Saez, who was riding Rockefeller for the first time. “That was the plan, to break from there running. He kept at it. He's a very talented horse. He's still learning but he has a lot of talent. I think he's going to be a nice horse. It was great to get the mount.”

A front-running debut winner sprinting six furlongs at Del Mar Aug. 28, Rockefeller was coming off a fourth-place effort behind Friday's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Corniche (Quality Road) in the Oct. 1 GI American Pharoah S.

Pedigree Notes:

Rockefeller is a son of 2013 GI Ballerina S. winner Dance to Bristol. The mare has a yearling colt by Candy Ride (Arg)–who sold for $400,000 to Mike Ryan at this year's Keeneland September sale–and a weanling filly by Into Mischief.

The juvenile is the 84th graded winner for Medaglia d'Oro and the 39th graded winner out of a Speightstown mare.

Sunday, Belmont Park
NASHUA S.-GIII, $150,000, Belmont, 11-7, 2yo, 1m, 1:36.66, ft.
1–ROCKEFELLER, 118, c, 2, by Medaglia d'Oro
1st Dam: Dance to Bristol (GISW, $980,880),
                                by Speightstown
                2nd Dam: Dance to Dawn, by Louis Quatorze
                3rd Dam: Expressive Dance, by Riva Ridge
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($750,000
Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket
Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC and Robert E. Masterson;
B-Colts Neck Stables LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Luis Saez.
$82,500. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $142,500. Werk Nick
   Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Cooke Creek, 120, c, 2, Uncle Mo–Genre, by Bernardini.
O-Cheyenne Stable LLC; B-Candy Meadows LLC (KY);
T-Jeremiah O'Dwyer. $30,000.
3–Judge Davis, 118, c, 2, Distorted Humor–Mylitta, by Sky
Mesa. ($280,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL). O-Courtlandt Farms (Donald
& Donna Adam); B-Edward A. Seltzer (KY); T-Claude R.
McGaughey III. $18,000.
Margins: 2 3/4, 2 3/4, 2 3/4. Odds: 0.80, 9.20, 3.80.
Also Ran: Midnight Worker, Cairama, Speaking.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Rockefeller Wires the Nashua appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Orglandes Catches Beautiful Lover, Candy Flower Late To Take Zagora

Candy Flower held the lead from the race's opening strides, but did not have enough left to hold off a late-stretch bid from favorite Orglandes (FR) in the Zagora Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Mike Maker trainee Candy Flower was on the lead first time under the wire in the 1 1/2-mile Zagora, with Always Shopping and Orglandes taking up second and third. Maintaining a three-length advantage throughout, Candy Flower set a steady pace, logging fractions of :24.92 for the first quarter, :49.63 for the half-mile, and 1:15.10 for six furlongs. She looked poised to take the field gate to wire into the far turn, where her lead shrunk to a length as the field entered the stretch.

Irad Ortiz Jr. took Orglandes to the outside on the far turn, as Beautiful Lover pulled even with Candy Flower in the Belmont straightaway. Candy Flower battled back, even with Beautiful Lover, but Ortiz Jr. had Orglandes set down for a drive. She caught the two frontrunners in the race's final strides, getting up to win by a neck. Beautiful Lover was second, while Candy Flower held on for third. Hungry Kitten, Lovely Lucky, Always Shopping, and Go Big Blue Nation rounded out the order of finish.

The final time for the 1 1/2 miles was 2.29.28. Find this race's chart here.

Orglandes paid $3.50, $2.90, and $2.40. Beautiful Lover paid $5.00 and $3.40. Candy Flower paid $6.70.

Bred in France by SA Franklin Finance and Elisabeth Vidal, Orglandes is by Le Havre (IRE) out of the Dansili (GB) mare Influence (FR). Trained by Chad Brown, she is owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, and Michael J. Caruso. Orglandes was consigned by Coulonces Sales and sold to Sylvain Vidal for $88,245 at the 2017 Arqana Deauville October Yearlings Sale. Her win in the Zagora is the 5-year-old mare's first victory of 2021, for a lifetime record of five wins in 14 starts and career earnings of $307,022.

The post Orglandes Catches Beautiful Lover, Candy Flower Late To Take Zagora appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Mystic Eyes Earns Black Type With Stewart Manor Victory

MeB Racing Stables and Vincent Esopi's Mystic Eyes earned black type in her first two stakes starts, setting the pace before finishing second in the Ainsworth in September at Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Ky., and a competitive third in the Grade 3 Matron on October 9 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. The daughter of Maclean's Music broke through on Saturday, going gate-to-wire and fending off Hot Fudge's last charge to post a victory by a neck in the $100,000 Stewart Manor for juvenile fillies going six furlongs on Belmont's inner turf course.

The fourth running of the Stewart Manor, which marked the last of four stakes on the 10-race card on the penultimate day of the Belmont fall meet, saw Mystic Eyes break sharp from post 3. Under jockey Manny Franco, the Kentucky bred led the 10-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in :21.75 and the half in :44.75 over firm going, with Benbang in close pursuit.

Hot Fudge, who tracked the pace from the inside under jockey Eric Cancel, gained ground in the final furlong, pressing Mystic Eyes to the wire before the pacesetter completed the course in a 1:09.97 final time to secure her second win in four career starts.

Mystic Eyes, a debut winner by 4 1/2 lengths on August 5 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., before her pair of stakes placings, has never finished off the board for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

“She's fast. You just have to control her speed a little because she's a type of horse who just wants to go,” Franco said. “I tried at some point in the race to give her a breather and save something for the end, and that's what we did. She was ready for today's race. I'm just happy to be on her.”

Mystic Eyes, the 8-5 favorite bred by Pursuit of Success, returned $5.20 on a $2 win wager. She improved her career earnings to $164,000.

“I thought she broke well. She has a lot of speed and used that today,” said Byron Hughes, assistant to Pletcher. “She got into a nice rhythm and did a great job on the front end without using too much. And she was able to hold off the competition. It was a nice win. We'll see what comes out of it. I imagine we'll head south pretty soon.”

Hot Fudge, trained by Linda Rice, bested Gal in a Rush by a half length for second in her first start since running seventh in the Grade 1 Frizette on October 3 at Belmont.

Benbang, Rigby, Flip My Id, Charlee O, The Club, Still My Babe, and Stand Up Comic completed the order of finish.

Live racing resumes Sunday with Closing Day of the Belmont fall meet. The 10-race card, which features an 11:50 a.m. first post, will feature a pair of stakes in the $150,000 Zagora for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going 1 1/2 miles on the turf in Race 4 at 1:18 p.m. and the $150,000 Grade 3 Nashua for 2-year-olds in a one-turn mile on the main track in Race 9 at 3:43 p.m.

[Story Continues Below]

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, 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 fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

The post Mystic Eyes Earns Black Type With Stewart Manor Victory appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post