bill mott | Horse Racing Free Tips

Speaker’s Corner Seeks First Grade I in Deep Carter

Speaker's Corner (Street Sense), a perfect two-for-two to start the year, led by a dominating victory with a 106 Beyer over next-out GIII Ghostzapper S. winner Fearless (Ghostzapper) in the GII WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile S. Mar. 5, headlines Saturday's GI Carter H. at the Big A.

Always held in high regard by his connections, the Godolphin homebred has found his calling around one turn this year after concluding his sophomore season with a drifting second in the 1 1/8-mile Discovery S. here Nov. 27. Drawn widest of all in post eight, the 8-5 Carter morning-line favorite is conditioned by Hall of Famer Bill Mott.

“He showed plenty last year. We tried stretching him out, but it wasn't really what he wanted to do,” said Godolphin bloodstock director Michael Banahan. “We got him back out to one-turn miles and he was impressive in both of those. That's [one-turn contests] what it looks like he wants to do.”

Green Light Go (Hard Spun) is just a head short of a three-race winning streak since re-joining the Jimmy Jerkens barn. The narrow 2021 GIII Fall Highweight H. runner-up delivered a front-running tally in the local Stymie S. last time Feb. 26.

The MGISW 6-year-old Mind Control (Stay Thirsty), second in this race last year, posted head victories in the GII John A. Nerud S. July 4 and Parx Dirt Mile S. last out Sept. 25. He was forced to sit out the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile after spiking a fever.

Rail-drawn 'TDN Rising Star' Reinvestment Risk (Upstart), runner-up in both the GI Runhappy Hopeful S. and GI Champagne S. at two, finished third in his lone start at three. He returned off a subsequent seven-month layoff with a sharp win with a career-best 103 Beyer in an optional claimer at Gulfstream Feb. 26.

Fellow 'Rising Star' First Captain (Curlin), winner of last summer's GIII Dwyer S. and third-place finisher in the Curlin S., also returned from the bench with a well-timed optional claiming victory in Hallandale Feb. 27.

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Sunday’s Insights: Hall of Famer-Trained Maidens in at Gulfstream

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

7th-GP, $60K, Msw, 3yo, 7f, 4:07 p.m. ET
A trio of Hall of Fame barns send out five of the eight entrants in this elongated sprint. Todd Pletcher saddles Repole Stable and St Elias Stable's $560,000 KEESEP buy Gate Runner (Arrogate). Out of stakes-placed turf router Nerfertiti (Speightstown), he's half to MGSW dirt sprinter Engage (Into Mischief). Second dam Clearly a Queen (Lucky North) was a hard-knocking MGSW on the lawn. Pletcher will also be represented by Days of Yore (Street Sense), who appears to have been purchased privately from breeder Shadwell Farm by Waterford Stable.

Seventh timer Logico (Violence) hails for a different barn, but could provide further insight into another runner of Pletcher, Repole and Viola's–he was second with a career-best Beyer figure last out behind good-looking debut scorer Bright Future (Curlin).

Bill Mott's two-pronged attack includes newcomer Broken Spur (American Pharoah). The Mike Rutherford homebred ($275,000 KEESEP RNA) is the first foal out of SW/GSP Stageplay (Curlin), who took her own debut going 6 1/2 panels at two. Stakes-winning second dam Stage Stop (Valid Expectations) also produced a GSW juvenile and 2013 GI Preakness S. third Mylute (Midnight Lute).

Mott's other runner is OXO Equine's $675,000 KEESEP buy Mendenhall (Pioneerof the Nile), who missed the break and checked in seventh over track and trip Mar. 5. He has fired two bullets in the interim, including one from the gate. The dark bay is out of 2012 GII Fantasy S. winner and $1.2-million FTKNOV seller Mamma Kimbo (Discreet Cat), whose previous foals include SWs Balandeen (Bernardini) and Matwakel (California Chrome).

Shug McGaughey gets in on the action with Stuart Janney III homebred Breakwater (Flatter). The bay, who has alternated between dirt works and ones on the grass–which might ultimately proof his preferred surface–is out of he connections' 2009 GIII Violet S. winner Quiet Harbor (Silver Deputy), who is a half to GSWs Ironicus (Distorted Humor), On Leave (War Front), Norumbega (Tiznow) and Hunting (Coronado's Quest). TJCIS PPs

9th-GP, $43K, MOC ($50K), 3yo, 7 1/2fT, 5:10 p.m. ET
Live Oak Plantation and conditioner Mark Casse take advantage of Great Uncle (Uncle Mo)'s Florida-bred status as he takes on a softer bunch on debut without being risked for the tag. The rail-drawn bay is out Zo Impressive (Hard Spun), who won her first two starts over the local main track before finishing second in the 2012 GII Gulfstream Park Oaks. She reached the highest level in the GI Mother Goose S. at Belmont two starts later and has already produced MGSW Souper Tapit (Tapit). Zo Impressive is a daughter of GISW Zoftig (Cozzene) and half to big-figure earning GI Acorn S. heroine Zaftig (Gone West), who in turn has produced SW/MGSP Spinoff (Hard Spun) and SP Rugbyman (Tapit). Live Oak purchased Zoftig, while she was carrying Zo Impressive, for $1.5 million at the 2008 Fasig-Tipton November sale. She was later sold for $1.1 million back in foal to Hard Spun at KEENOV '13.

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Olympiad Stays Hot in NOLA Classic

Olympiad added to his 2022 hot streak with his third straight win Saturday in the GII New Orleans Classic at Fair Grounds. The heavy favorite stalked from second as Promise Keeper put up early splits of :23.69 and :47.25. Seizing command in early stretch, Olympiad rolled clear in the lane for a facile score over Proxy. Promise Keeper held third. Olympiad's final time of 1:47.74 just missed the track record for nine furlongs of 1:47.64.

Olympiad won a Keeneland allowance in October, for which he earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure and a chance at graded company next out. Stepped up in class big time for the GI Cigar Mile Dec. 4 at the Big A, the bay checked in fourth to Americanrevolution (Constitution). Kicking off this term with a 7 1/4-length tour de force at Gulfstream Jan. 15, he was a decisive winner of this venue's GIII Mineshaft S. last out Feb. 19, breaking the track record in the process.

Pedigree Notes:
Olympiad is one of 128 black-type scorers and 63 graded winners for his timeless sire Speightstown. The $700,000 KEESEP buy is bred on the same Speightstown/Medaglia d'Oro cross as MGISW Rock Fall. Olympiad is out of GSP Tokyo Time, who is a half to MGSW Hungry Island and GSW Soaring Empire. This is also the family of GISW Preservationist (Arch). Tokyo Time is also responsible for a juvenile filly by War Front, who brought $450,000 at KEESEP, and a yearling colt by American Pharoah. She was bred back to Quality Road.

Saturday, Fair Grounds
NEW ORLEANS CLASSIC S.-GII, $485,000, Fair Grounds, 3-26, 4yo/up, 1 1/8m, 1:47.74, ft.
1–OLYMPIAD, 122, c, 4, by Speightstown
1st Dam: Tokyo Time (GSP, $249,177), by Medaglia    d'Oro
                2nd Dam: Flying Passage, by A.P. Indy
                3rd Dam: Chic Shirine, by Mr. Prospector
($700,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Grandview Equine, Cheyenne
Stable, LLC and LNJ Foxwoods; B-Emory A. Hamilton (KY);
T-William I. Mott; J-Junior Alvarado. $300,000. Lifetime
Record: GSW, 8-5-1-1, $648,440. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click
   for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Proxy, 118, c, 4, Tapit–Panty Raid, by Include.
O/B-Godolphin, LLC; T-Michael Stidham. $100,000.
3–Promise Keeper, 118, c, 4, Constitution–Mira Alta, by Curlin.
($160,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Woodford Thoroughbreds LLC,
WinStar Farm LLC and Rock Ridge Racing LLC; B-Rock Ridge
Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $50,000.
Margins: 2, 2 3/4, 1HF. Odds: 0.60, 3.80, 3.90.
Also Ran: Super Stock, Happy American, Chess Chief. 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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Carter Field Takes Shape

Godolphin's Speaker's Corner (Street Sense) and First Captain (Curlin), owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, Siena Farm, Woodford Racing and celebrity chef Bobby Flay, appear on course for a tilt at the seven-furlong GI Carter H. Apr. 9 at Aqueduct. This term, the former, trained by Bill Mott, has posted a pair of one-turn victories at Gulfstream Park–the GIII Fred Hooper S. Jan. 29 followed by the Mar. 5 GII Gulfstream Park Mile. Last year, he won three starts in New York, including a 6 3/4-length triumph in a Belmont optional claimer in October before finishing runner up in the nine-furlong Discovery S. He also finished a well-beaten sixth in the GI Pennsylvania Derby in September.

“He showed plenty last year,” said Godolphin bloodstock director Michael Banahan. “We tried stretching him out, but it wasn't really what he wanted to do. We got him back out to one-turn miles and he was impressive in both of those. That's what it looks like he wants to do.”

Speaker's Corner breezed four furlongs in :50.80 at Payson Mar. 18. The Godolphin homebred is out of Tyburn Brook (Bernardini), a daughter of 2006 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Round Pond.

“He's a bigger and stronger version of himself,” said Banahan. “Even as a foal and as a yearling, we always liked him on the farm. He's out of an unraced mare but has a very good pedigree. Once he went to Florida to get pre-trained, he showed plenty of talent. When he was sent to Bill, he said the same, so we were always hopeful of him.”

Also gearing up in next month's Carter, First Captain will aim to garner his first win at the top level. Bred by Bobby Flay Thoroughbreds, First Captain made a winning seasonal debut for Shug McGaughey in a seven-furlong allowance sprint at Gulfstream Feb. 27. Last season, he reeled off three-straight wins at Belmont, including a 1 3/4-length score in the GIII Dwyer going a one-turn mile at Belmont in July before finishing third in the July 30 nine-furlong Curlin S. at Saratoga.

“He's got that one-turn grinding type of style which, generally, is a tough style to win with at Gulfstream, so we were happy that he ran well,” said West Point Thoroughbreds spokesman Jason Blewitt. “The fact that he got up to win, not that it was a surprise, really felt great. We were proud of him to find the finish with such a closing kick. He bounced out if it in really good shape for Shug.”

Exceptional at the one-turn mile, the Carter will serve as a litmus test of sort to see whether he can win going two turns.

“I'm not totally convinced he doesn't want to go two turns,” said Blewitt. “Although the Curlin was disappointing out of him, it maybe was a case of a bad trip and he did have a minor ankle issue after that,” Blewitt said. “There's no denying that his races at Belmont last spring and summer were mighty impressive as well as the seven-eighths win at Gulfstream. It looks pretty black and white on paper that he's 4-for-4 around one turn, so I'm anxious to see how he'll stack up in the Carter. It's a race that has a very rich history.”

A strong performance from First Captain in the Carter could pave the way to the GI Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan H. June 11 at Belmont. Vekoma is the most recent horse to capture the Carter-Met Mile double in 2020.

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