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Daunt Goes For First Stakes Win In Friday’s Awad

Marc Keller's Kentucky homebred Daunt will look to make his stakes debut a winning one in Friday's $100,000 Awad, a 1 1/16-mile Widener turf test for juveniles at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The Awad is one of four stakes on Friday's packed card, including the $200,000 Ticonderoga, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for state-bred fillies and mares; the $150,000 Tempted, a one-turn mile for juvenile fillies; and the $100,000 Atlantic Beach, a six-furlong turf sprint for 2-year-olds.

Trained by Bobby Ribaudo, Daunt, a 2-year-old Nyquist colt, finished a close fifth in his August debut traveling 1 1/16-miles over the firm turf at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He overcame a bobbled start to graduate at second asking with a strong rallying effort traveling 1 1/16-miles over firm Belmont turf on September 23.

Ribaudo said Daunt has matured considerably.

“He was a playful colt and we were considering gelding him, but he's really turned around,” Ribaudo said. “His race in Saratoga was real good. We just wanted to see what he was all about in that spot. He came back here and broke his maiden and it was a troubled trip for a young horse, but he handled it well mentally.”

The well-related Daunt is out of the graded-stakes placed Artie Schiller mare Promotional, who is a half-sister to multiple Grade 1-winner and $2 million earner Marketing Mix.

Keller purchased Promotional for $275,000 in foal to Nyquist out of the 2019 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale. A Glen Hill Farm homebred, the turf-focused Promotional made all but two of her 18 career starts at 1 1/16-miles or beyond, including a runner-up effort in the 12-furlong 2017 Grade 3 Dowager at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.

“She was with Tom Proctor her whole career for Glen Hill, so she was in good hands racing wise. She's a homebred of theirs and we bought her in foal to Nyquist,” Ribaudo said. “This is her first foal and it turned out to be real nice. We have a Speightstown out of her but we're thinking about going back to Nyquist.

“The mare was all distance,” Ribaudo added. “She was placed going long in stakes and this horse [Daunt] shows the same kind of talent and he never gets tired.”

Ribaudo said if Daunt continues to improve, he would be a good fit for NYRA's Turf Triple Series.

“He's going to be a very nice horse next year,” Ribaudo said. “I'm hoping he stays around for those long races here next year for 3-year-olds.”

Daunt breezed a half-mile in :50.22 seconds October 24 over firm Belmont inner turf, which was softened somewhat by overnight rain. Ribaudo said he expects Daunt will be able to handle less-than-firm footing this weekend if needed.

“Since the race, he's really been training good. I worked him the other day on the turf and he did well,” Ribaudo said. “Soft turf is tiring for young horses but he never gets tired, so I don't think it will affect him as much it might the other horses.”

Manny Franco will have the call from post 3.

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Royal Spirit graduated on debut at 1 1/16-miles over firm Spa turf in August for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. By Into Mischief, the $450,000 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase purchase was bumped at the break before rallying to finish second last out in the one-mile Nownownow over good turf at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., on September 26.

Pletcher said he's hopeful of a good effort on Friday.

“I think he's proven he's a stakes quality horse,” Pletcher said.

Royal Spirit will emerge from post 6 under Paco Lopez.

General Ken, a recent private purchase for owner Louis Lazzinnaro, will make his stakes debut for four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown.

A Violence juvenile, General Ken earned a 74 Beyer for a front-running 7 1/4-length maiden score traveling a mile and 70 yards over good turf at Delaware Park in Wilmington, Del., on September 15.

General Ken has breezed five times at Belmont with his last two works coming over the inner turf, including a five-eighths effort Saturday in 1:01.40.

Dylan Davis will pilot General Ken from post 2.

Rounding out the field are maiden winners Geno [post 5, Jorge Vargas, Jr.], Artie's Angel [post 1, Wilmer Garcia], and Ohtwoohthreefive [post 4, Eric Cancel].

The Awad is slated as Race 7 on Friday's 10-race card. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

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.

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Giacosa Leads Field For Friday’s Ticonderoga Stakes

Bond Racing Stable's Giacosa will seek a second straight stakes triumph when facing eight other New York-bred fillies and mares in Friday's $200,000 Ticonderoga going 1 1/16 miles over the inner turf at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Originally scheduled as part of Empire Showcase Day on October 30, the Ticonderoga, as well as its male counterpart race, the $200,000 Mohawk, were rescheduled due to significant rainfall from a coastal storm that impacted the Nassau County area.

Giacosa, trained by Jimmy Bond, enters the Ticonderoga off her first stakes victory in the Yaddo Handicap on August 27 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The dark bay Tizway filly was ninth at the second point of call and made a devastating late move to win by three-quarters of a length. Giacosa displayed different tactics in her previous effort in an allowance optional claimer in July at Saratoga, when stalking the pace from second down the backstretch to secure a one-length victory over next-out winner Light in the Sky.

“She's an improving filly and hopefully we have good enough turf to run over this time around,” said Bond. “She made plenty of steps forward at Saratoga this summer. She's a mentally and physically stronger horse this year. Her daddy Tizway didn't really get going until he was five, so maybe she's a late bloomer like he was.”

Bond said training in company with stablemate Rinaldi, who is expected to be entered in Saturday's rescheduled $200,000 Mohawk, has been beneficial.

“She works with Rinaldi and he's not an easy horse to work with,” Bond said. “It seems to be making her a far better horse.”

Kendrick Carmouche will ride Giacosa from post 8.

Trainer Christophe Clement sends out Classic Lady, who seeks her second stakes coup. Owned by Michael Dubb and Michael J. Caruso and bred by Seth Gregory and Robert Barney, the daughter of Jimmy Creed captured last year's Dayatthespa at Saratoga ahead of the Yaddo last September. She emerged off the bench when fourth against open company in an allowance optional claimer Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., in July ahead of a third in the Yaddo.

Breaking from post 1, Classic Lady will be ridden by Paco Lopez.

Also from the Clement barn is Merrylegs Farm homebred Timeless Journey, who seeks her first triumph since an allowance optional claiming score last December at Aqueduct. The 4-year-old daughter of Verrazano arrives of a third-place finish in a seven furlong state-bred allowance optional claimer on September 26 at Belmont.

Timeless Journey will be piloted by Eric Cancel from post 3.

Completing the field are Silky Blue [post 2, Manny Franco], Cara's Dreamer [post 5, Dylan Davis], Barkin [post 6, Jose Lezcano], Dancingwthdaffodls [post 7, Hector Diaz, Jr.], and Two Cent Tootsie [post 9, Ruben Silvera]. Ice Princess has been entered for the main track only.

The Ticonderoga is carded as Race 8 on Friday's 10-race card, which also features the $150,000 Tempted for juvenile fillies going a one-turn mile on the main track, the $100,000 Atlantic Beach for juveniles going six furlongs on the turf, and the $100,000 Awad for juveniles going 1 1/16 miles over the turf. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

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Wondrwherecraigis Gets First Graded Stakes Win In Bold Ruler

If you want to know where you can find Wondrwherecraigis, try the winner's circle. After his DQ to second for interference in his last graded stakes try in the Grade 3 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel Park, the Munnings gelding stayed straight and true throughout to add graded stakes winner to his resume with his victory in the seven-furlong Grade 3 Bold Ruler Handicap at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

With jockey Luis Saez aboard, Wondrwherecraigis was fastest out of the gate, going immediately to the lead with Wendell Fong in second and favorite Plainsman third. Around the far turn, Plainsman had to check in traffic, shuffled back to fifth, as Wondrwherecraigis maintained his lead over Continuation and Wendell Fong.

Into the stretch, Wondrwherecraigis powered through the slop to draw away and win by 2 1/4 lengths, completing the seven furlongs in 1:23.31 over the wet Belmont track. Plainsman took third while Drafted was fourth. Find this race's chart here.

Wondrwherecraigis paid $6.40, $3.70, and $2.60. Continuation paid $6.00 and $3.30. Plainsman paid $2.20.

“The seven furlongs was a question, but it's nice to find out he can do it. Luis [Saez] did a beautiful job. He jumped out of there and slowed it down the best he could and didn't take anything away from the horse either. He's sat on him so he knows he can get that drift, but that's just him. I don't know that he's necessarily getting late – in some of his other races, he's just had to go faster early. It's the race on the day and how it sets up,” trainer Brittany Russell said after the Bold Ruler.

“I took him away from the pony and when he was in his stall, he broke pretty well. He controlled the pace and when we came to the top of the stretch, I felt like I had a lot of horse to finish with and he responded really well,” jockey Luis Saez told the NYRA Press Office after the race. “He was handling it pretty well. The plan was to try to slow the pace early so everything went according to plan.”

Bred in Kentucky by Fleur de Lis Stables, Wondrwherecraigis is out of the Giant's Causeway mare Social Assassin. The gelding is owned by Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group, Madaket Stables, and Michael J. Caruso. Wondrwherecraigis was a $210,000 RNA consigned by ELiTE at the 2020 Keeneland Horses of Racing Age Digital Sale. With his win in the G3 Bold Ruler, the 4-year-old gelding has four wins in six starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of 10-6-1-1 and career earnings of $347,640.

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Week in Review: Can Jack Christopher be Brown’s First Dirt Superstar?

When pre-entries for the Breeders' Cup were announced last week it was no surprise that Chad Brown's contingent was dominated by turf horses. He has 11 entered for grass races and just three for dirt races. Since he went out on his own in 2007, Brown has established himself as the sport's best grass trainer and grass racing has always been his focus. Entering Sunday's races, he had won 1,316 turf races for a winning rate of 25% and 63.5% of his career wins had come on the grass. Brown has trained nine grass horses who won Eclipse Awards and has won so many grass stakes that it's hard to keep count. He's won 15 Breeders' Cup races, 13 in grass events.

But his most talented Breeders' Cup starter may not be a turf horse. Jack Christopher (Munnings), pre-entered in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, has looked sensational in his two career starts, including a romp in the GI Champagne S. in which he earned a 102 Beyer figure.

“He was a horse that identified himself as early on as his first work,” Brown said after the Champagne. “I was on the phone with the connections saying, 'This is potentially a really good horse. I can't believe what I just saw.' He's just been brilliant in every work. There was some buzz around him before he ran, and he lived up to it.”

An awful lot can go wrong between now and the first week of May, but should he win Friday he will be a solid early favorite for the 2022 GI Kentucky Derby. This one looks to have the potential to go places where only special horses go, which, for Brown, could mean filling in what is maybe the only hole on his resume.

It's not that Brown can't train a dirt horse. He has 756 career dirt wins and his winning rate of 25% on the main track is identical to his percentage on the turf. He has won the GI Champagne S. three times and the GI Cigar Mile twice. He has also won, among others, the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, the GI Haskell S., the GI Cigar Mile H., the GI Acorn S., the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. In 2017, he snuck into Pimlico with the lightly regarded Cloud Computing (Maclean's Music) and won the GI Preakness S. at 13-1 for his lone win in a Triple Crown race. He had a nice run in 2016 with Connect (Curlin), who won the GII Pennsylvania Derby, the GI Cigar Mile H. and the GIII Westchester S.

But he's been quiet over the years in the Triple Crown preps and the Triple Crown races themselves. He's 0-for-6 in the Derby, 1-for-2 in the Preakness and 0-for-3 in the GI Belmont S.

Brown's best dirt horse to date has been Good Magic. After finishing second in the 2017 Champagne, he won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and later the GII Blue Grass S. He ran a winning race when second in the Derby, but just happened to run into a buzz saw in eventual Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy). After running fourth in the Preakness, he won the Haskell and was retired after a ninth-place finish in the GI Runhappy Travers S. Though unable to win a Triple Crown race, he proved that Brown could successfully navigate a good horse through the preps and the Triple Crown races.

He didn't fare quiet as well with his two other top prospects, 2018 Champagne winner Complexity (Maclean's Music) and 2016 winner Practical Joke (Into Mischief). Complexity finished 10th in his Breeders' Cup Juvenile and his biggest win thereafter came in the GII Kelso H. Practical Joke, now a well-regarded stallion standing at Coolmore, finished third in the Juvenile and fifth in the Derby. He later won the GI H. Allen Jerkens S. Brown has had five starters in the Juvenile overall.

Brown doesn't have anything to prove when it comes to dirt horses, but not everyone sees it that way. The Juvenile, next year's preps and the Derby itself will be seen as a test for him. He's just 42 and is arguably one of the best there's ever been. He's going to win the Kentucky Derby. Maybe as soon as next year.

What's Going On With Asmussen, Santana?

Steve Asmussen is not only the top trainer all time in wins, he is remarkably consistent. Since 1997, he's never had a year in which his stable won with less than 18% of its starters. All of which makes what went on at Keeneland so remarkable. Asmussen finished the meet Saturday with a record of 1-for-57. And it wasn't a matter of a lot of near misses. He had just seven seconds and seven thirds. Asmussen did win 14 races at other tracks during the Keeneland meet.

It was an even worse story for his go-to rider, Ricardo Santana, Jr. He was 0-for-81 with seven seconds and eight thirds. Including four races he lost at Belmont earlier in October, Santana entered Sunday's card at Churchill Downs having ridden 85 straight losers. On the year, he's won with 17% of his starters.

The last race Santana won was on Oct. 3 aboard Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) in the GI Frizette S. at Belmont.

Asmussen and Santana figure to bust out of their slumps any day now, but what if they don't? Both will be heavily involved in the Breeders' Cup races, including with Echo Zulu, who will be the solid favorite in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Should handicappers look elsewhere? It's something to consider.

Watch Out For Americanrevolution

Though he was competing in restricted company, in the Empire Classic H. for New York-breds, Americanrevolution (Constitution) served notice Saturday at Belmont that he is going to be a force going forward.

A bit of a late-developer, he ran a creditable race when third against open company in the GI Pennsylvania Derby, earning a career best 101 Beyer figure.

The odds-on favorite Saturday in his next start, he took command on the turn and took off from there to win by 11 3/4 lengths. He got a 108 Beyer for the race, which puts him among the upper echelon of 3-year-old colts. Numbers-wise, he has improved in each of his six career starts.

He'll be back in 2022, and it could be a big year for him.

It was also a big day for his sire, Constitution. Twenty six minutes after the completion of the Empire Classic, Independence Hall (Constitution) won the GII Hagyard Fayette S. at Keeneland in a romp, winning by 7 1/4 lengths. A horse who has had an up-and-down career, it was his first win of 2021 and, perhaps, a sign that he, too, will take his place among the top older dirt horses next year.

The Trend Continues: Record Handle at Keeneland

Total all-sources handle for the Keeneland fall meet was $181,009,626, an all-time record for the Lexington track. Last year's fall meet handled $160,207,916.

The “boutique” meets in racing continue to show no signs of slowing down. This year, Saratoga, Del Mar and Kentucky Downs also set new records for total handle.

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