Tag: bill mott

Kelso Winner Casa Creed Back Home at the Spa

He came, he saw, he conquered. Thursday's TDN featured a story on Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, who brought a barn littered with high-class stakes winners to Saratoga this year. CASA CREED (h, 7, Jimmy Creed–Achalaya, by Bellamy Road) certainly did his part as both Mott's first stakes entrant of the meet and first stakes winner of the meet, taking the GIII Kelso S.–formerly the Forbidden Apple–with ease in his first visit to the winner's circle since last year's GI Fourstardave S. over course and distance.

“It's very rewarding,” said Mott after the Kelso. “Ordinarily, you don't get any more than two seasons out of a horse running at the top level. To have a horse that can run at two, three, and maybe four seasons to run at the very highest level is very good. You don't find those kind.”

Casa Creed is most assuredly one of “those kind.” Although he hasn't won since last August, he was coming off a third in the GI Jaipur S. June 10 at Belmont in his first start of the year after taking that race in both 2021 and 2022. He hasn't shirked any competition, has traveled to Dubai and Saudi Arabia, and has now won seven black-type events, including five graded races and three at the highest level. This is his sixth consecutive season running at the Spa, where he made his first career visit to the winner's circle in an off-the-turf main track maiden in 2018.

#8 Casa Creed takes the G3 Kelso S. at Saratoga under @luissaezpty for trainer Bill Mott! 🏆

“He's a fun horse,” said Mott. “We love to see him run and we try to give him enough time to make sure he's ready to go but at this point in time it doesn't have to be a Grade I. The Fourstardave is and that's a big goal, but to be able to see him and have him compete is great fun.” In addition to winning the Fourstardave last year, Casa Creed was third in the race in both 2020 and 2021. This year's Fourstardave is set for Aug. 12.

A $105,000 Keeneland September yearling who has earned more than 20 times that amount, Casa Creed broke from the outside in the Kelso and settled comfortably a few spots wide as streaking consecutive four-race winner Big Everest (GB) (The Gurkha {Ire}) led the way through a :23.35 first quarter. 'TDN Rising Star' and last year's GI Turf Mile S. winner at Keeneland, Annapolis (War Front), raced in tandem to the inside of Casa Creed, the two several lengths behind Big Everest after a half in :47.07. As the field bunched up going into the far turn, Luis Saez let Casa Creed out a notch and he mowed down the horses in front of him while wide, collared and went by Big Everest with no fuss, then pulled clear all while on his wrong lead. It wasn't until the last few strides that he swapped to his correct lead, but it didn't matter as he had a length on the field as Annapolis chased him home. GSW English Bee (English Channel) finished third.

“He's special,” said Lee Einsidler of co-owner LRE Racing. “He's taken us around the world and he's made a huge difference in our lives, really. When you get into this game, they become part of your family. Life is all about building memories and this is another great one.”

Pedigree Notes:

Three-time GISW Casa Creed is one of five graded winners for Spendthrift Farm's Jimmy Creed, who also has 21 black-type winners. Interestingly, two of the stakes winners by the son of Distorted Humor are out of Bellamy Road mares. The latter has 11 stakes winners out of his daughters, including last year's MGISW Cave Rock (Arrogate).

Unraced Achalaya has been through the sales ring six times, most recently in 2021 at Keeneland November when selling in foal to Authentic. Out of MGSW Wild Heart Dancing (Farma Way) and a half to GISW Man From Wicklow (Turkoman), she brought $725,000 from Thirty Year Farm. That was a far cry from her 2018 trip through the OBS Winter Mixed ring, when she brought $15,000 from Trackside Farm while in foal to Jess's Dream. At the 2018 sale, she was carrying eventual MGSW Chess's Dream in utero while Casa Creed had just turned two and had yet to race. Achalaya has since produced a 2021 colt named Bold Landing (Omaha Beach), who hammered for $775,000 from White Birch Farm at Keeneland September, and a yearling filly by Authentic, who was a $390,000 RNA as a Fasig-Tipton November weanling. She most recently produced a filly by Curlin, born Apr. 30.

Saturday, Saratoga
KELSO S.-GIII, $175,000, Saratoga, 7-15, 4yo/up, 1mT, 1:35.51, fm.
1–CASA CREED, 124, h, 7, by Jimmy Creed
           1st Dam: Achalaya, by Bellamy Road
           2nd Dam: Wild Heart Dancing, by Farma Way
           3rd Dam: Star of Wicklow, by Fast Play
($15,000 Ylg '17 OBSWIN; $105,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP). O-LRE Racing LLC and JEH Racing Stable LLC; B-Silver Springs Stud, LLC (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Luis Saez. $96,250. Lifetime Record: MGISW, 32-8-5-5, $2,185,308. *1/2 to Chess's Dream (Jess's Dream), GSW, $237,418. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Annapolis, 124, c, 4, War Front–My Miss Sophia, by Unbridled's Song. 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Bass Racing, LLC; B-Bass Stables, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $35,000.
3–English Bee, 118, g, 7, English Channel–Evil Kitten, by Kitten's Joy. O/B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-H. Graham Motion. $21,000.
Margins: 1, 1 1/4, HD. Odds: 2.25, 0.95, 31.75.
Also Ran: Ice Chocolat (Brz), Big Everest (GB), Filo Di Arianna (Brz), Anaconda. Scratched: Gun It, Mid Day Image.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Cody’s Wish Breezes for Whitney

Cody's Wish (Curlin) worked five furlongs in 1:00 (1/15) Saturday over the Oklahoma training track in preparation for the $1-million GI Whitney Aug. 5.

The Godolphin homebred is currently on a six-race winning streak topped by a powerful 3 1/4-length score last out in the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. June 10 at Belmont Park.

“He was very good. He went five eighths and went well and appeared to be well within himself,” Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said. “We're uncertain about the nine furlongs (in the Whitney), but we're going to remain optimistic. Until they do it, you never know. Maybe now that he's more mature than he was early on, maybe he'll do it. He's more seasoned.”

His stablemate and last year's GI Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Elite Power (Curlin) worked a bullet five eighths in :59.60 (1/13) Friday over the Oklahoma training track and could make two starts at the Spa for Mott this summer in the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. July 29 and the GI Forego S. Aug. 26.

“His work was very good,” Mott said. “He'll go to the Vanderbilt and then possibly the Forego.”

Cox Barn Loaded for the Spa…

Last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Caravel (Mizzen Mast) worked a half-mile in :48.88 (6/20) Saturday over the Oklahoma training turf as she prepares to take on the boys in the GIII Troy S., a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for older horses Aug. 5.

“Really good. She's an outstanding workhorse,” trainer Brad Cox said of the last out GI Jaipur S. winner. “It's her first move up here on the turf. She breezed last weekend at Churchill. It's just a maintenance move and she's doing great. She's pointing to the Troy right now.”

He continued, “Physically, she looks amazing. She's happy. I don't know if we need her to get any better, she just has to continue to be as good as she's been the first half of the year. If we can duplicate that in the second half, we'll be in great shape.”

The stretch-running Wet Paint (Blame), fourth as the favorite in the GI Kentucky Oaks and second in the Monomoy Girl S. June 17, worked five furlongs in 1:00.60 (6/15) Saturday over the Oklahoma training track in preparation for next Saturday's GI Coaching Club American Oaks.

“Really good move this morning. She went five-eighths from the half in 1:00.60 and out in 1:13.60,” Cox said. “She's not the flashiest workhorse, but this morning she was on it and she was wanting to do it. I loved what I saw from her. She's set up for a big run next week.”

West Will Power (Bernardini), winner of the GI Stephen Foster S. July 1, worked a half mile in :51.40 (88/95) at Churchill Downs Saturday in preparation for a possible start in the GI Whitney Aug. 5.

“It was just a really easy half mile and if all is well he make the trip up this week,” Cox said.

Angel of Empire (Classic Empire) and Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg), who dead-heated for fourth last out in the GI Belmont S., worked five eighths in company in 1:00.90 (5/13) Friday over the Oklahoma training track.

“Very good move. I'm very happy with them,” Cox said.

Both horses will point to the nine-furlong GII Jim Dandy S. July 29 with an eye towards the 10-furlong GI Travers S. Aug. 26.

“I don't know if any of these horses want to run a mile and a half, but they ran big races in the Belmont and got really good figures,” Cox said. “They've had time to recover and had some really good moves down at Churchill.”

Tapit Trice Haskell Bound… 

'TDN Rising Star' Tapit Trice (Tapit), a close third in the GI Belmont S., breezed a half mile in :49.15 (27/84) over the Belmont Park main track on Saturday in preparation for the GI Haskell Invitational on July 22 at Monmouth Park.

“He just did what he normally does which is work well and gallop out strongly,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He was moving great. It was everything we wanted to see.”

Luis Saez will ride Tapit Trice in the Haskell.

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Spot Plays at the Spa: Saturday, July 15

TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack reveals a pair of selections for the first Saturday of the Saratoga meeting.

Race 1, Msw, $136k, 2yo, 5 1/2f, post time: 1:10 p.m. ET

There's every chance that National Treasure (Quality Road)'s half-brother and rail-drawn 4-5 morning-line favorite Pirate (Omaha Beach) turns out to be a complete monster, but I'll be taking a shot against him with fellow firster Special Element (Copper Bullet).

There's plenty of precocity in Special Element's pedigree. His freshman sire Copper Bullet, winner of the 2017 GII Saratoga Special S., is off and running with three winners and his dam It's High Time (Gone Astray) was a runaway 2-year-old spring winner at Gulfstream (and subsequent stakes winner) and her first foal Fourteeneightyfour (Straight Fire) also romped at first asking at two at Delaware.

Special Element brought $260,000 from Pin Oak Stud after a powerful-looking :10 breeze at OBS April. Hall of Famer Bill Mott's debuting 2-year-olds have come out firing so far at this meet with the very impressive debut winner Sugar Hi (Twirling Candy) on opening day and runner-up Book of Wisdom (Solomini) on Friday. Selection: #4 Special Element (7-2).

Race 3, Msw, $136k, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16mT, 2:16 p.m. ET

Vanished (Speightstown) has run well enough to win in both of her prior efforts as the beaten favorite, including a debut second over the Churchill lawn May 13, and will be awfully tough to catch as the controlling speed in this big field beneath Luis Saez over the inner turf course. Her multiple stakes winning dam Elusive Pearl (Medaglia d'Oro) won the Riskaverse S. over the Saratoga lawn in 2011. Selection: #5 Vanished (3-1).

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Twirling Candy’s Sugar Hi Graduates In Style At Saratoga

2nd-Saratoga, $105,945, Msw, 7-13, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:05.14, ft, 6 lengths.
SUGAR HI (f, 2, Twirling Candy–Laughing Matters, by Medaglia d'Oro) tipped her hand for trainer Bill Mott early off a series of quick drills and was subsequently slammed down from her 8-1 morning line into the 2-1 favorite's role for the first 2-year-old maiden race of the 2023 Saratoga meet. Picked up for just $180,000 out of last year's Keeneland September Sale, the bay broke with intent from her outside draw and was up to press the pace outside of second-time starter Lady Moscato (Quality Road). Ridden to come alongside that rival off the turn, Sugar Hi stuck a head in front with a furlong to run and sprinted away with her ears pricked on the wire, defeating Lady Moscato by a geared-down six lengths.

“With the mare, we needed the characteristics that Twirling Candy gives us which is the opportunity to get a race horse,” said winning co-breeder Fred Hertrich. “The mare needed a little push to get something that would stand out. We own shares in him (Twirling Candy) and he's been very good to us about helping mares provide runners.”

From the extended female family of champion 2-year-old filly Dreaming of Anna (Rahy), GSW Dreamologist, and GISP Fast Anna (Medaglia d'Oro), Sugar Hi has a yearling More Than Ready half brother while her dam unfortunately aborted her 2023 Street Sense foal. Sales History: $180,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $57,750. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-CJ Thoroughbreds; B-Fred W. Hertrich lll & John D. Fielding (KY); T-William I. Mott.

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