bobby ribaudo | Horse Racing Free Tips

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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Marc Keller's Pulsate will stretch out in distance while taking on a loaded field for Friday's inaugural $100,000 Oyster Bay for 3-year-olds and upward going seven furlongs over the Widener turf at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Trained by Bobby Ribaudo, the 5-year-old Speightstown chestnut arrives of a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational on October 2, where he displayed stalking tactics and finished a length behind pacesetter Arrest Me Red.

In his previous start, Pulsate captured his first stakes victory when taking the restricted Lucky Coin on September 3 going 5 ½ furlongs at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He finished second in last year's Lucky Coin, 1 ¼ lengths behind Oyster Bay rival Battle Station.

The Oyster Bay will be a third overall start going seven furlongs on grass for Pulsate, who made his stakes debut with a close second in the seven-furlong Paradise Creek in May 2019.

Pulsate has consistently raced at the beginning of each month since finishing a close second in his seasonal debut going six furlongs over the inner turf in July at Belmont.

“Last time, there wasn't much pace and Wesley's [Ward] horse went wire-to-wire. He thinks highly of that horse, so it wasn't a bad race,” Ribaudo said. “My only question here is, he's run twice at Saratoga and the races are coming close together. But he seems to be doing well.”

Ribaudo added that the Oyster Bay could be a springboard to the $150,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship on November 27 at the Ozone Park, N.Y., racetrack.

“You never know if the weather will cooperate during that time of year. We'll take this one first and if the weather holds up, we'll run in the Aqueduct Turf Sprint,” Ribaudo said.

Pulsate boasts a consistent 18-4-5-2 record with his first two victories taking place on dirt in early 2019 at Aqueduct. Ribaudo said a 6-year-old campaign is in play.

“He had been knocking on the door ever since he was a 3-year-old, so it's always nice to get a stakes win,” Ribaudo said. “He's doing so well as a colt, and he's not difficult to handle at all, so I'd like to bring him back next year.”

Manny Franco has piloted Pulsate in 10-of-18 starts and will return to the irons from post 5.

Chad Brown will saddle a trio of contenders in Value Proposition, Flavius, and Emaraaty.

Klaravich Stables' Value Proposition, a 5-year-old Dansili ridgling, scored at stakes level for the first time with a last-out triumph in the Red Bank on September 4 at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. The consistent five-time winner has finished in the money in all five starts this season, including a late-closing second in the Grade 3 Forbidden Apple on July 14 at Saratoga.

Value Proposition will be ridden by Luis Saez from post 11.

Juddmonte's Flavius will attempt to make amends following a fifth as the beaten favorite in the Grade 3 Mint Million in September at Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Ky. Two starts back, the son of War Front was a wire-to-wire winner of the restricted Lure on August 7 at Saratoga.

Through a record of 13-4-3-1, Flavius brags the highest bankroll in the field with $719,651 in earnings.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez will ride from post 6.

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Emaraaty will seek two consecutive victories, arriving off a 1 ½-length optional claiming score on September 3 at Saratoga over next-out winner Voodoo Zip. The 6-year-old son of Dubawi, out of Group 1 winner Zee Zee Top, won his last effort emerging off a five-month layoff.

Leaving from post 4, Emaraaty will be piloted by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano.

Trainer John Terranova will saddle Gatsas Stables' Backtohisroots, who seeks his first stakes triumph since capturing an off-the-turf edition of the Atlantic Beach in 2018 at Aqueduct. The dark bay or brown son of Mark Valeski was a close second to Pulsate in the Lucky Coin off an 11-month hiatus ahead of a fourth in the Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint last out.

Backtohisroots will leave from post 8 under Jose Lezcano.

Completing the field are Ballydooley [post 1, Jorge Vargas, Jr.], Battle Station [post 2, Abner Adorno], Made You Look [post 3, Eric Cancel], Buy Land and See [blinkers off from post 7, Kendrick Carmouche], Maxwell Esquire [post 9, Dylan Davis], Guildsman [post 10, Hector Diaz, Jr.], and Fauci [post 12, Junior Alvarado].

Wendell Fong and Lil Commissioner are entered for the main track only.

The Oyster Bay is carded as Race 9 on Friday's 10-race program. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

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