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Giacosa Leads Field For Friday’s Ticonderoga Stakes

Bond Racing Stable's Giacosa will seek a second straight stakes triumph when facing eight other New York-bred fillies and mares in Friday's $200,000 Ticonderoga going 1 1/16 miles over the inner turf at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Originally scheduled as part of Empire Showcase Day on October 30, the Ticonderoga, as well as its male counterpart race, the $200,000 Mohawk, were rescheduled due to significant rainfall from a coastal storm that impacted the Nassau County area.

Giacosa, trained by Jimmy Bond, enters the Ticonderoga off her first stakes victory in the Yaddo Handicap on August 27 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The dark bay Tizway filly was ninth at the second point of call and made a devastating late move to win by three-quarters of a length. Giacosa displayed different tactics in her previous effort in an allowance optional claimer in July at Saratoga, when stalking the pace from second down the backstretch to secure a one-length victory over next-out winner Light in the Sky.

“She's an improving filly and hopefully we have good enough turf to run over this time around,” said Bond. “She made plenty of steps forward at Saratoga this summer. She's a mentally and physically stronger horse this year. Her daddy Tizway didn't really get going until he was five, so maybe she's a late bloomer like he was.”

Bond said training in company with stablemate Rinaldi, who is expected to be entered in Saturday's rescheduled $200,000 Mohawk, has been beneficial.

“She works with Rinaldi and he's not an easy horse to work with,” Bond said. “It seems to be making her a far better horse.”

Kendrick Carmouche will ride Giacosa from post 8.

Trainer Christophe Clement sends out Classic Lady, who seeks her second stakes coup. Owned by Michael Dubb and Michael J. Caruso and bred by Seth Gregory and Robert Barney, the daughter of Jimmy Creed captured last year's Dayatthespa at Saratoga ahead of the Yaddo last September. She emerged off the bench when fourth against open company in an allowance optional claimer Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., in July ahead of a third in the Yaddo.

Breaking from post 1, Classic Lady will be ridden by Paco Lopez.

Also from the Clement barn is Merrylegs Farm homebred Timeless Journey, who seeks her first triumph since an allowance optional claiming score last December at Aqueduct. The 4-year-old daughter of Verrazano arrives of a third-place finish in a seven furlong state-bred allowance optional claimer on September 26 at Belmont.

Timeless Journey will be piloted by Eric Cancel from post 3.

Completing the field are Silky Blue [post 2, Manny Franco], Cara's Dreamer [post 5, Dylan Davis], Barkin [post 6, Jose Lezcano], Dancingwthdaffodls [post 7, Hector Diaz, Jr.], and Two Cent Tootsie [post 9, Ruben Silvera]. Ice Princess has been entered for the main track only.

The Ticonderoga is carded as Race 8 on Friday's 10-race card, which also features the $150,000 Tempted for juvenile fillies going a one-turn mile on the main track, the $100,000 Atlantic Beach for juveniles going six furlongs on the turf, and the $100,000 Awad for juveniles going 1 1/16 miles over the turf. 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.

The post Giacosa Leads Field For Friday’s Ticonderoga Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Value Proposition Headlines Field Of Ten For Forbidden Apple At Saratoga

Klaravich Stables' Value Proposition, one of three entrants for trainer Chad Brown, leads a talented field of 10 assembled for Friday's seventh running of the $150,000 Grade 3 Forbidden Apple at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

In addition to Value Proposition, the four-time Eclipse Award-winning conditioner will saddle Sacred Life and Delaware in search of a first win in the one-mile inner turf test for older horses.

Value Proposition matched a career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure last out, winning a one-mile optional-claiming event on the Belmont turf. That effort followed a close third in his seasonal debut in the seven-furlong Elusive Quality on April 24 at Belmont.

The 5-year-old Dansili ridgling made two attempts in graded company last year, finishing third in the Grade 3 Poker in July at Belmont and eighth in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile in September.

Brown said he is expecting a strong effort from Value Proposition.

“He's had a few breaks in his form, but I feel that he's really matured mentally,” said Brown. “Early on, he was a bit difficult to get to focus on his job. He now appears to be much more focused and confident in his works and in his last race.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will pilot Value Proposition from post 3.

Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, and Bethlehem Stables' Sacred Life [post 9, Joel Rosario] enters from a rallying fourth as the beaten favorite in the Grade 2 Dinner Party on May 15 at Pimlico.

The 6-year-old French-bred son of Siyouni made a pair of starts in 2019 at Saratoga, completing the exacta in both the Lure and Grade 2 Bernard Baruch. The talented bay captured the 2017 Group 3 Prix Thomas Bryon at Saint-Cloud.

Delaware [post 7, Jose Ortiz], owned by Dubb, Nice Guys Stables, and Michael Caruso, will make his Saratoga debut in his 20th career start. The 5-year-old Frankel bay, a Group 3 winner in France, captured the Danger's Hour in April at Aqueduct ahead of a fourth last out in the Seek Again on May 22 at Belmont.

Augustin Stable's Grade 1-placed Corelli enters from a closing third in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Monmouth, contested over good going on June 5.

The 6-year-old Point of Entry gelding ran third in last year's 11-furlong Grade 1 United Nations at Monmouth ahead of a distant fifth in the 12-furlong Grade 1 Sword Dancer over soft going at Saratoga.

A winner of the 1 1/16-mile Henry S. Clark at Pimlico in April in his seasonal debut, Corelli will turn back to one mile for the first time in his 16-race career.

“I thought his best race on paper was the mile and a sixteenth race because he had some pace to run into,” said Thomas. “I don't know that he's a real mile and three-eighths horse. He may, ideally, be a mile and an eighth horse. He does seem to like to come with a run. so what we're hoping for is to get a real pace to close into.”

Thomas said he will continue to seek out opportunities up to nine furlongs for the bay gelding.

“He ran well going a mile and three-eighths last year, but he was getting weaker as the race went on, not stronger,” said Thomas. “So, the turnback seems to suit him a little bit.”

Corelli will exit post 2 under Manny Franco.

Bond Racing Stable's New York-bred Rinaldi has proven to be a horse-for-course at Saratoga with three wins from four attempts, including scores in the NYSSS Spectacular Bid and NYSSS Cab Calloway in 2019 and the West Point for state-breds in September. His lone losing effort came with a strong fourth in the Grade 3 Saranac in August.

The 5-year-old Posse gelding, bred in the Empire State by Barry Ostrager, was a pace-setting second in the one-mile Danger's Hour in his seasonal debut in April at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Luis Saez will have the call from the inside post.

Calumet Farm's well-bred Flying Scotsman, a 5-year-old English Channel chestnut, will look to get back to winning ways after off-the-board efforts in his last three starts for trainer Jack Sisterson.

Out of the French Deputy mare Padmore, Flying Scotsman is a half-brother to multiple graded stakes winner Leigh Court and 11-time winning stablemate Bon Raison. A four-time winner from 14 starts, Flying Scotsman finished sixth last out, defeated just 2 1/4-lengths, in the Grade 2 Dinner Party at Pimlico.

Flying Scotsman captured the 2018 Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille for Hall of Fame conditioner Jerry Hollendorfer and won the 2019 Woodchopper at Fair Grounds in his third start for Sisterson.

Ricardo Santana, Jr. will pilot Flying Scotsman from post 6.

Rounding out the field are graded-stakes placed New York-bred Therapist [post 4, Javier Castellano]; multiple graded stakes winner Made You Look [post 5, Tyler Gaffalione]; allowance winner Sanctuary City [post 8, Dylan Davis]; and multiple graded stakes placed Logical Myth [post 10, John Velazquez].

The Forbidden Apple is slated as Race 9 on Friday's 10-race card. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the 40-day summer 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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James Bond: ‘We Got Through It As A Family And As A Team’

Just one live race day – the New Year's Eve card on Thursday at Aqueduct Racetrack – remains in 2020 to complete a remarkable year of racing action on the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) circuit. The NYRA Press Office checked in with a selection of New York-based racing personalities to get their reflections on the memorable year.

H. James Bond is a multiple Grade 1-winning trainer and a fixture on the NYRA circuit. Born in Rochester, New York, Bond began galloping horses at age 11 before taking out his trainer's license at 16. The veteran conditioner heads the family-run Bond Racing Stable with his wife, Tina, and their sons Kevin and Ryan. In addition to the racing stable, Jim and Tina own a 100-acre farm named Song Hill Thoroughbreds in Stillwater, New York.

Bond's numerous G1 winners include Behrens, Val's Prince, Tizway, L'Carriere and 1996 Travers winner Will's Way. Bond has been named New York Trainer of the Year five times and is on the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. (NYTB) board of directors.

What was your favorite winning moment of 2020?

Bond: Winning the West Point with Rinaldi was huge. He was a household horse for us and the partners. I was just proud of all the horses. They all showed up and ran well. I was happy for our clients, they didn't bat an eye during COVID. We got through it as a family and as a team and I didn't lay anyone off. I was proud that we kept the whole team together. We have a pretty big payroll between the farm and the track.

Our Saratoga meet in general was just awesome. The horses ran great. It was sad a lot of owners couldn't attend being out of state. More than anything, it was hard not seeing the fans who love to come to Saratoga. But we were very fortunate as a stable.

Was there a horse that you thought exceeded expectations this year?

Bond: Prioritize is a horse that I've always liked. We picked him out at the sale ourselves and didn't pay a lot. He was always a solid, training horse who always did what you wanted. I had him on the turf at first and he was getting close-but-no-cigar in those stake races. He always worked well on the dirt in the morning so finally we took a shot on the dirt and the rest is history. After the Woodward [where Prioritize finished third], we decided to give him one shot in the Gold Cup [fourth] and give him a rest. I'm excited for him for next year; he's in top physical condition.

What was the best ride on a horse of yours this year?

Bond: Every horse Luis Saez rode for us at Saratoga was memorable for me. He had it tough. He had a positive COVID test and he had to serve days [at first]. His Saratoga meet was probably one of the best Saratoga meets for a rider when you go back and look at it. He wasn't riding Chad [Brown's] 2-1 shots, he was riding [Jimmy] Bond's 10-1 shots.

He was playing catch up in a sense and [agent] Kiaran [McLaughlin] did a great job stepping in and taking his book after Richard DePass retired. I think it's a great story. He gives you a confident smile when he gets on a horse saying, 'We're good boss, we're good'. He's such a nice person and that smile of his is contagious. I think New York racing is lucky to have a rider of his talent.

How much do you enjoy racing on the New York circuit?

Bond: I'm on the NYTB board and my wife is on the NYTHA board, so we believe in New York. I have a $4 million barn and a private racing barn at Saratoga, so I'm all in. I came from humble beginnings and was lucky to have a lot of nice owners who gave me a chance. I want everyone in New York to have that same dream. You have to have a couple people who believe in you along the way. When you come into Belmont Park or Saratoga, you better bring a racehorse. A few weekends back, the New York-breds won a lot of the big races across the country and New York-breds are really showing what they can do on a major scale. We had the [Grade 1] Starlet winner [Varda] here at the farm for six months and we still have her mother, She'll Be Right, here at the farm too. She's in foal to Maclean's Music.

New York-breds are serious horses, like Tiz the Law and so many others. It's remarkable how great we really are. The purse structure is what brings horses. I was so happy NYRA realized that when you increase purses, people come. It's hard to do, because you're sort of speculating on whether or not they do come. We have a lot of history here with some of the greatest races of all time and they're exciting to win. Whether it's the Bold Ruler or the Ruffian, when you walk into Belmont Park and look at all of those pictures on the walls you get goosebumps. I want the next generation to get that chance.

I'm very optimistic. We're getting phone calls from all over North America of people who want to invest 10 or 20 thousand dollars because they think it's fun. That's our job, to make it fun. I think sometimes the racing industry forgets that it's an entertainment business and we have to try hard and take pride in what we do.

As both an owner and a trainer, what was the most challenging part of this year given the COVID-19 pandemic. How did you overcome it?

Bond: We were pretty nervous during COVID in terms of how things would rebound. We were very lucky. Most of the owners stayed with us, supported us and made it through. I'm just proud that the horses and help really jumped in. It was really a team effort. The guys held the barn together. I didn't go back to New York City a lot, but I have a great team of people, including Kevin and Ryan who both do a great job. My wife comes from a financial background and she was very keen. We sat down and planned it out. We had 11 yearlings we were going to sell, but the Fasig-Tipton New York sale was cancelled, and we didn't want to just take them to Kentucky and have them possibly not race in New York, where we could get breeders awards.

We watched what NYRA was doing on FOX Sports and we decided to be bullish. It's what NYRA did in November; they got bullish. They raised the purses and the horses stayed as a result. The advertising for our ownership group on the television show helped immensely. We've already signed up for next year. We were lucky to have had the inventory. We had a lot of 2-year-olds ready to go. We breed a wholesome horse and we buy some, too.

Many of your better horses this year are ones that also are owned by you. Talk about Bond Racing Stables and what the ownership group is about.

Bond: It's a lot of fun. We have people from all over the country that were sitting home and tired of watching replays of golf and football during the pandemic. They tuned into America's Day at the Races. We keep 50 percent of everything and we sell each share for 10 percent. There are no maintenance fees. It's just like owning 10 percent of a sports team. They share in the rewards and the headaches. A lot of them are homebreds.

It's so satisfying. Of course there's a risk factor for ourselves, but 50 percent is not so bad and it gets a lot of new people in the game to see if they like it, but it's a team mentality that I really like. It teaches people about our game without getting hurt. We make sure that the horses get placed, my wife Tina is very strong on aftercare and retirement making sure they get to the next safe spot and we have so many great stories about some of our old horses. [Multiple stakes winner] Our Way found a home in Massachusetts and he was a very good racehorse. It's nice to see horses like him go to the next level.

What NYRA race would you most like to win?

Bond: I haven't won the Jockey Club Gold Cup yet. I love distance horses, so that race is something that I can hopefully put on my resume someday.

The 2020-21 winter meet at Aqueduct returns to action on Thursday, December 31 and continues through Sunday, March 28.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

For additional information, and the complete winter meet stakes schedule, please visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/stakes-schedule.

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