Bold Ruler Handicap | Horse Racing Free Tips

Wondrwherecraigis Works In Preparation For Gravesend

Trainer Brittany Russell worked Grade 3-winning sprinter Wondrwherecraigis Saturday in his final drill for next Sunday's $100,000 Gravesend, a six-furlong handicap for 3-year-olds and up at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

The gelded son of Munnings posted a four-furlong breeze in :50 flat over the main track at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

“He is training along really well and as long as he comes out of that work well, all systems are go for the Gravesend,” Russell said. “He's really straightforward and we try and keep him happy. It's more or less just maintenance and he's ready to go.”

Hoping to extend his career-best form to Aqueduct when he runs at the Big A for the first time next weekend, Wondrwherecraigis was a driving winner of the Grade 3 Bold Ruler Handicap at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., last out on October 31.

The Bold Ruler was the first graded victory for the Michael Dubb and Elkstone Group-owned gelding, who crossed the finish line first in the G3 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md., in September, but was disqualified and placed behind runner-up Jalen Journey for interference in the stretch.

Russell said Wondrwherecraigis' performance in the Bold Ruler showed his professionalism.

“He knows his job and we know he's fast,” said Russell. “We just hold him together and keep him happy. He does his thing in the morning and he's a smart horse. In the afternoon he does tend to do a little drifting, but hopefully, all that is behind us now.”

His latest work is his second at Pimlico after moving from Laurel Park as the dirt surface there undergoes renovation. Russell says the move has not bothered the dark bay.

“I have stalls at Pimlico so he joined us over there and hasn't missed a beat. I think he actually liked the change of scenery,” Russell said with a laugh.

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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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Plainsman, Wondrwherecraigis Square Off In Sunday’s Bold Ruler

Shortleaf Stable's two-time graded stakes winner Plainsman will make the trek back to the Empire State when taking on a field of eight assembled for Sunday's 45th running of the Grade 3, $200,000 Bold Ruler Handicap for 3-year-olds and upward going seven furlongs at Belmont Park.

The Bold Ruler headlines Sunday's card, which will also include two divisions of the $100,000 Pumpkin Pie at seven furlongs over Big Sandy for fillies and mares.

Due to significant rainfall from a coastal storm that impacted Long Island Tuesday and Wednesday, a trio of turf stakes initially slated for Sunday – the $150,000 Zagora, a 12-furlong test for fillies and mares; the $100,000 Chelsey Flower at 1 1/16-miles for juvenile fillies; and the $100,000 Awad at 1 1/16-miles for juveniles – have been re-scheduled for the following weekend.

The Awad will be brought back on Friday, November 5 for a stakes-laden card that will also feature the $100,000 Atlantic Beach at six-furlongs on turf for juveniles; the $150,000 Tempted at one-mile over Big Sandy for juvenile fillies; and the $200,000 Ticonderoga, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for state-bred fillies and mares which was re-scheduled from Saturday's Empire Showcase Day card.

The Chelsey Flower will be brought back on Saturday, November 6 for a bumper card that includes the Grade 3, $150,000 Turnback the Alarm Handicap at nine furlongs for fillies and mares; the $100,000 Stewart Manor at six furlongs on turf for juvenile fillies; and the $200,000 Mohawk, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for state-breds 3-years-old and up initially slated for Empire Showcase Day.

The Zagora will return for the Sunday, November 7 card – Closing Day of the Belmont fall meet – joining the Grade 3, $150,000 Nashua at one mile for juveniles.

Plainsman, trained by Brad Cox, captured the Grade 3 Discovery at Aqueduct during his sophomore campaign in 2018 over graded stakes winner Title Ready and Belmont Stakes runner-up Gronkowski. The 6-year-old Flatter bay arrives at the Bold Ruler off a sharp one length triumph in the Grade 3 Ack Ack on October 2 at Churchill Downs, recording a career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure.

Sporting an accomplished ledger of 25-8-6-3 with a field-best bankroll of $729,207, Plainsman has won four of his last five starts all over different ovals. Following an allowance optional claiming score on April 15 at Oaklawn, he upped his game to stakes level with victories in the Jim Rasmussen on June 4 at Prairie Meadows and the Michael G. Schaefer Memorial five weeks later at Indiana Grand Race Course.

Plainsman boasts a record of 3-1-0-1 over Big Sandy, including an allowance score in September 2018.

“He's been doing great after the Ack Ack. He seems to like the track up at Belmont, so it made sense to ship him up for this spot that's a little easier,” Cox said. “We're taking things one race at a time, but he's been in great form this year and has always proven to be versatile.”

Carrying 123 pounds as the field high weight, Plainsman will break from post 3 under Joel Rosario.

Trainer Brittany Russell will saddle graded-stakes placed Wondrwherecraigis, who captured the restricted Tale of the Cat in August at Saratoga two starts back.

Owned by Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group, Madaket Stables and Bethlehem Stables, Wondrwherecraigis crossed the wire first last out in the Grade 3 Frank J. DeFrancis Memorial Dash on September 18 at Pimlico, but was disqualified to second-place for drifting out into Jalen Journey at the sixteenth-pole.

In addition to his Saratoga stakes victory, Wondrwherecraigis was a two-time allowance optional claiming winner this year at Pimlico.

“He's had a good year, especially winning at Saratoga,” Russell said. “Many of us could argue that he deserved to stay up in his last race. It was a bummer because the horse deserved a graded stakes win. Hopefully, this time around, he can show that he belongs in a graded stakes.”

Luis Saez, who piloted the 4-year-old Munnings gelding to victory in the Tale of the Cat, will be back aboard from post 7. He will carry 120 pounds.

Gold Square's Wendell Fong [118 pounds] arrives off a nearly seven-month respite while making his debut for trainer Chad Summers. The 5-year-old son of Flat Out was second in the Grade 3 Tom Fool on March 6 at Aqueduct where he made up considerable ground in the stretch to finish 3 ½ lengths behind winner Chateau. Wendell Fong was victorious in his 2021 commencement, capturing the Fire Plug on January 16 at Laurel Park.

Breaking from post 5, Wendell Fong will be ridden by Jose Lezcano.

Red Oak Stable homebred Bal Harbour [118 pounds] will attempt to overcome a 17-race losing streak for trainer Gregg Sacco. Although winless since capturing the Gio Ponti in November 2018 at Aqueduct, Bal Harbour has consistently made good showings at a high level the past few years, adding nine graded stakes placings since his last coup.

Manny Franco will ride Bal Harbour from post 2.

Completing the field are Lil Commissioner [post 1, Kendrick Carmouche, 117], Drafted [post 4, Dylan Davis, 116], Continuation [post 6, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 116], and Amatteroftime [post 8, Paco Lopez, 116].

The Bold Ruler honors the 1957 Horse of the Year and Champion 3-Year-Old, who captured 11 of his 16 starts that season, including the Wood Memorial, Flamingo, and Preakness Stakes. Bold Ruler built a larger legacy as a stallion and is still regarded as one of the most prolific sires of the modern North American thoroughbred. In addition to siring 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat, Bold Ruler went on to become a prolific sire-of-sires. American Classic winners such as Seattle Slew, Foolish Pleasure, Dust Commander, Cannonade, Spectacular Bid, Swale, Risen Star, A.P. Indy, Bernardini, Rags to Riches, Orb and Tonalist are all direct paternal descendants of Bold Ruler.

The Bold Ruler is slated as Race 7 on Sunday's nine-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.

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Equibase Analysis: Majestic Dunhill Vs. Phat Man In Bold Ruler

A strong field of six sprinters takes to the track in the Grade 3, $100,000 Bold Ruler Handicap at Belmont Park on Saturday, Oct. 31.

Majestic Dunhill and Phat Man lead the field in terms of top efforts in these types of races. Majestic Dunhill won the City of Laurel Stakes earlier in his career before a runner-up effort in the G3 General George and most recently missed by a head at the distance at Belmont in preparation for this race. Phat Man, who returns from an eight month rest, leads the field in earnings, having banked more than a half-million, and won the G3 Fred W. Hooper Stakes in January.

Arch Cat has won 13 career races, the most in the field, and was competitive at the level last fall when second in the Dave's Friend Stakes. Share the Ride won the Mr. Prospector Stakes last month and appears to fit nicely with these. Mihos won the Mucho Macho Man Stakes in January 2019 but his only win since then came in April, and he was beaten nearly two lengths last month when third behind Majestic Dunhill. Wendell Fong won three of his first four races including the Gold Fever Stakes in May, 2019, but is winless in six races since then.

Majestic Dunhill gets preference over Phat Man as the one to beat in this year's Bold Ruler Handicap because he has won once at this seven furlong trip and been in the top three five times while Phat Man is trying the distance for the first time. Majestic Dunhill made his 2020 debut in April and finished third, then was entered in the G1 Carter Handicap in June but was scratched in favor of the First Defence Stakes the following day. Rallying strongly from sixth in a 13 horse field, Majestic Dunhill nearly posted the 11 to 1 upset in that race, earning a career-best 110 Equibase Speed Figure in the process, before two poorer efforts. However, Majestic Dunhill returned to strong competitive form last month when leading late and beaten a neck on the wire in a race at this distance at Belmont which appears to set him up for a top effort in the Bold Ruler.

Phat Man hasn't been seen since February but has run well of layoffs, as when second in December of last year and second last August. Since adding blinkers in the summer of 2019, Phat Man has won or placed in four of five races. The last two before the layoff were the best of his career, first winning the Fred W. Hooper Stakes then when second in the Gulfstream Park Mile. Both efforts earned the same 110 figures Majestic Dunhill earned in his best effort. With a series of strong workouts in the morning for his return to the races, Phat Man could easily pick up where he left off in the winter and be a force to reckon with in this race.

Arch Cat won three of four races this year but was disqualified from one of them. He won six of 15 last year and in seven of his last eight races earned figures from 101 to 108 so it appears he could be competitive with the main contenders here. His win in August was at this seven furlong distance and trainer Velazquez doesn't ship often from his base in Delaware but has won two of three at Belmont this year. Jockey Kendrick Carmouche rode Arch Cat to victory the last three times he was in the saddle and given the right scenario, Arch Cat could be capable of posting the mild upset in the Bold Ruler.

The rest of the field, with their best Equibase Speed Figures, is Mihos (102), Share the Ride (108) and Wendell Fong (108).

Win Contenders:
Majestic Dunhill
Phat Man
Arch Cat

Bold Ruler Handicap – Grade 3
Race 9 at Belmont Park
Saturday, October 31 – Post Time 4:57 PM E.T.
Seven Furlongs
Three Year Olds and Upward
Purse: $100,000

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