Bob Baffert | Horse Racing Free Tips

Into Mischief’s Doppelganger Upsets Carter

'TDN Rising Star' Doppelganger (c, 4, Into Mischief–Twice the Lady, by Quiet American) finished up full of run down the stretch to upset Saturday's GI Carter H. at the Big A.

The longest shot on the board at odds of 17-1, he caboosed the field of six early and was up a spot into fifth through an opening quarter in :22.40. Under a ride on the far turn, the bay had his work cut out for him a quarter of a mile from home. Steered out and into the clear by Jevian Toledo on the outside in deep stretch, he came rolling over the top to get the money by 1 1/4 lengths. Heavily favored Repo Rocks (Tapiture) was second; Expressman (Liam's Map) was third.

Doppelganger–previously campaigned by Bob Baffert and Tim Yakteen in Southern California–won his first two starts this term for trainer Brittany Russell at Laurel, a two-turn allowance Jan. 27 and a one-turn mile optional claimer last time Feb. 24. He earned a co-career high Beyer Speed Figure of 89 in his latest. Doppelganger was second in last year's GII San Felipe S. and third in the GIII Affirmed S. He concluded his sophomore campaign with a well-beaten fourth in the Los Alamitos Derby July 9.

“It's huge,” Russell said after recording her first Grade I victory as a trainer. “Especially this horse. This is the first horse that the group sent me last year. We opted to give him some time and let him develop, and it's nice to see that it pays off. It's a job well done to the whole team and rewarding to see the patience pay off.”

She continued, “The fact that were able to run him in the 'a other than' and then he comes back in the 'two other than'–this horse thinks he's on top of the world. He doesn't know what races he won in when he won at Laurel. He's just had a lot of confidence and trained well. I've been getting feedback in the morning from everyone that he's getting better and today it showed.”

The GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. on June 10 at Belmont Park could be a potential target for Doppelganger going forward.

Pedigree Notes:

Doppelganger becomes the 15th Grade I winner and 64th graded winner for his all-conquering sire Into Mischief. Quiet American is now the broodmare sire of 18 Grade I winners. Doppelganger's SW & MGSP dam Twice the Lady, a $105,000 purchase by Offset Bloodstock at the 2022 Keeneland November sale, produced a colt by Improbable this year. She was previously a $350,000 purchase by Doppelganger's breeder WinStar Farm at the 2013 FTKNOV sale.

Saturday, Aqueduct
CARTER H. PRESENTED BY NYRA BETS-GI, $300,000, Aqueduct, 4-8, 4yo/up, 7f, 1:23.25, ft.
1–DOPPELGANGER, 118, c, 4, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Twice the Lady (SW & MGSP, $312,204), by Quiet American
2nd Dam: Catherine's Crown, by Chief's Crown
3rd Dam: Catherine's Bet, by Grey Dawn II
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. 'TDN Rising Star'. ($570,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Robert E. Masterson, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC, Catherine M. Donovan, Golconda Stable, Siena Farm LLC; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Brittany T. Russell; J-Jevian Toledo. $165,000. Lifetime Record: 10-4-1-1, $442,400. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Repo Rocks, 122, g, 5, Tapiture–Hawaiian Love, by Not For Love. 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($35,000 Wlg '18 KEENOV; $70,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Double B Racing Stables; B-Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin (VA); T-Jamie Ness. $60,000.
3–Expressman, 117, c, 4, Liam's Map–Spangled Banner, by Tiz Wonderful. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($145,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV; $140,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP; $325,000 2yo '21 EASMAY). O-St. Elias Stable; B-Gainesway Thoroughbreds LTD & Bridlewood Farm, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $36,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, NO, HF. Odds: 17.90, 0.80, 7.90.
Also Ran: Today's Flavor, Bold Journey, Little Vic. Scratched: White Abarrio.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Corona Bolt Turns Away Hejazi in Keeneland’s Lafayette

It was a determined battle in the lane with Stonestreet's Triple Crown-nominated Corona Bolt (c, 3, Bolt d'Oro–Stormbeforethecalm, by Quiet American) turning away Zedan Racing's Triple Crown-nominated Hejazi (Bernardini) to secure his second lifetime stakes victory in Keeneland's Lafayette S. The 66-1 longshot Freezing Point (Frosted) picked up third with a sizeable gap back to fourth. The final time was 1:23.21.

($225,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV) O-Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Summerfield Sales Agency, Inc. & Etarip Stables; T-Brad Cox.

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All Eyes on Final Round of Major Derby Preps

A week after champion and 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence) solidified his status as the horse to beat on the first Saturday in May, the final round of major GI Kentucky Derby preps offering 100 points to the winner will share the spotlight on an absolutely stacked Saturday afternoon of racing.

Forte's Todd Pletcher-trained stablemate and fellow 'Rising Star' Tapit Trice (Tapit), an impossible come-from-behind winner in the GIII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby Mar. 11, will exit from the rail in a deep renewal of the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland. Luis Saez has the mount aboard the Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable colorbearer, who has been tabbed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite.

“Not exactly the draw we wanted, but he did win the allowance race at Gulfstream Park from post one [going a mile Feb. 4],” Pletcher said.

The Blue Grass field of 11 also includes: runaway GIII Gotham S. winner Raise Cain (Violence); last term's GI Champagne S. one-two 'Rising Star' Blazing Sevens (Good Magic) and Verifying (Justify); and GII Risen Star S. runner-up Sun Thunder (Into Mischief).

Blazing Sevens adds blinkers following a head-scratching eighth in the GII Fountain of Youth S. Mar. 4. Verifying was fourth as the favorite in a sloppy renewal of the GII Rebel S. Feb. 25. Sun Thunder closed into slow fractions to finish fifth in the GII Louisiana Derby Mar. 25.

Practical Move (Practical Joke), ranked in the second spot behind Forte on TDN's Derby Top 12 brought to you by Fasig-Tipton, will shoot for his third straight victory for Tim Yakteen in the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby. Last term's GII Los Alamitos Futurity S. winner kicked off his sophomore campaign with an impressive victory over the re-opposing duo of Geaux Rocket Ride (Candy Ride {Arg}) and Skinner (Curlin) good for a field-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure in the GII San Felipe S. Practical Move is the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the field of nine.

Yakteen will also tighten the girth on former Bob Baffert runner and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile third-place finisher National Treasure (Quality Road). The last-out GIII Sham S. Jan. 8 third-place finisher was a late scratch from the San Felipe due to a bruised foot.

Yakteen saddled Taiba (Gun Runner) and Messier (Empire Maker) to a one-two finish in last year's Santa Anita Derby. Both were previously trained by Yakteen's aforementioned former boss.

“When you run horses, they are all your horses,” Yakteen said. “It gives you the same feeling.”

A field of 13, led by the Brad Cox-trained impressive GIII Withers S. winner and 5-2 morning-line favorite Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}), will look to punch their ticket to Louisville via the Big Apple in the GII Wood Memorial S. at Aqueduct. The Gary and Mary West homebred is drawn widest of all in post 13.

“I think he's a horse that does like a mile and an eighth and beyond,” Cox said. “Since he's already shown success in New York, we decided that would be the best spot for him.”

Cox also trains distant GIII Gotham S. runner-up Slip Mahoney (Arrogate), who makes his two-turn debut in the Wood.

Pletcher and the late Hall of Famer “Sunny” Jim Fitzsimmons currently share the record of seven Wood Memorial victories.

Pletcher will have three chances to capture the standalone record via last out Gulfstream optional claimer winner Classic Catch (Classic Empire) and highly regarded maidens Dreamlike (Gun Runner) and Crupi (Curlin). The rail-drawn Dreamlike adds blinkers following a pair of runner-up finishes in South Florida. Crupi was seventh while making his sixth career start in the GII Risen Star S. Feb. 18.

“It's an interesting trio,” Pletcher said. “One thing we feel good about is all three horses will appreciate the mile and an eighth.”

Breeders' Cup Winners Return at Keeneland…

A pair of Breeders' Cup winners will return to Lexington to kick off their 2023 campaigns on the Blue Grass undercard.

Champion female sprinter Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper), last seen putting an exclamation point on a brilliant campaign in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Keeneland Nov. 5, will take on four rivals, including GI Cotillion S. heroine Society (Gun Runner), in the GI Madison S. The 2022 GI Ballerina H. winner is the 2-5 morning-line favorite.

Last term's 42-1 GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint upsetter Caravel (Mizzen Mast), meanwhile, will face males once again a race later in the 5 1/2-furlong GII Shakertown S.

Keeneland's 11-race card also includes the GII Appalachian S. and GIII Commonwealth S., respectively.

Pair of Kentucky Oaks Preps on Tap…

Who will be favored in this year's wide-open GI Kentucky Oaks?

We'll have our answer following Saturday's GII Santa Anita Oaks and GIII Gazelle S. at Aqueduct.

A field of six, topped by the imposing Chad Brown-trained duo of unbeaten Busher S. heroine Shidabhuti (Practical Joke) and Busanda S. winner Occult (Into Mischief), could vie for favoritism in South Ozone Park. Brown won the 2021 renewal with Search Results (Flatter), who followed with a painful second in the Kentucky Oaks.

Unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Faiza (Girvin), winner of Santa Anita's GIII Las Virgenes S. Jan. 28 and GIII Santa Ysabel S. Mar. 5, is the headliner in the Santa Anita Oaks, but remains ineligible for the Kentucky Oaks. Last term's GI Starlet S. heroine is a perfect four-for-four for Baffert, who is currently banned from competition at Churchill Downs.

The Santa Anita Oaks field of nine also includes last term's GI TVG Del Mar Debutante S. winner and Santa Ysabel second-place finisher And Tell Me Nolies (Arrogate); and impressive Santa Anita maiden winners Clearly Unhinged (Into Mischief) and Window Shopping (American Pharoah).

Saturday's graded stakes action is rounded out by Aqueduct's GI Carter H. and GIII Bay Shore S. and Santa Anita's GII Charles Whittingham S. and GIII Monrovia S.

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Wide Draw and All, Forte an Overwhelming Presence in Florida Derby

Big Brown (Boundary) took no prisoners from post 12 with a powerful, wire-to-wire performance in the GI Curlin Florida Derby before capturing the first two legs of the Triple Crown in 2008.

It's champion Forte (Violence)'s turn now.

Last term's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner, an eye-catching winner while kicking off his sophomore campaign in the GII Fountain of Youth S. Mar. 4, towers over his 11 rivals on paper in Saturday's Florida Derby. But with a well-documented short run to the first turn going 1 1/8 miles at Gulfstream Park, Forte must overcome a disadvantageous wide draw in post 11. He is the 4-5 morning-line favorite.

Regular rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. remains as confident as ever no matter the post.

“He does everything I ask him,” Ortiz said of the Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable colorbearer. “He's always there for me. He can stay all day on his stride. He has a turn of foot but he stays. He stays with that speed–that's good on dirt. I know what he wants to do and how he likes to run. I have a lot of confidence in him.”

Trainer Todd Pletcher added, “The Fountain of Youth couldn't have gone any better for us. As impressively as he's won a couple of these races, he's kind of come to the wire with his ears up taking everything in. Obviously, as these races get a little more difficult, he'll need to stay focused.”

The Florida Derby field also includes: last term's GII Remsen S. winner and disappointing GIII Sam F. Davis S. eighth-place finisher Dubyuhnell (Good Magic); last out GII San Felipe S. fifth-place finisher Fort Bragg (Tapit); and Fountain of Youth third Cyclone Mischief (Into Mischief).

Gulfstream's absolutely stacked 14-race program features 10 stakes races, including the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks; GII Pan American S.; GIII Orchid S.; and GIII Ghostzapper S.

Wide-Open Arkansas Derby…

While the 11-deep GI Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn may lack a standout or star power like its Gulfstream counterpart, it should nonetheless present some fantastic wagering opportunities.

Red Route One (Gun Runner) and Reincarnate (Good Magic), a rallying second and third in a sloppy renewal of the local prep in the GII Rebel S. Feb. 25, could vie for favoritism. The former adds blinkers for Steve Asmussen. Reincarnate, a game winner of the GIII Sham S. Jan. 8 for previous trainer Bob Baffert, looks like the one to beat after an eventful trip in his first try for Tim Yakteen in the Rebel. He is the 5-2 morning-line favorite.

“We didn't have the best of luck last time,” Yakteen said. “Hopefully, we'll get a clean break away from there and Johnny [Velazquez] will play the break and put himself where he feels the horse is going to be most comfortable. Obviously, we'd like to be closer to the pace than necessarily be completely out of it like we were the last time.”

Angel of Empire (Classic Empire) will be out for respect after upsetting the GII Risen Star S. at 13-1 for Brad Cox while GIII Holy Bull S. winner Rocket Can (Into Mischief) won't have to worry about facing Forte again just yet after finishing a solid second behind the current GI Kentucky Derby favorite in the Fountain of Youth.

The Arkansas Derby program also includes GI Kentucky Oaks prep GIII Fantasy S., featuring the highly regarded Godolphin homebred Wet Paint (Blame), and the GIII Oaklawn Mile S.

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