Turf 2-Year-Olds Make a Splash in Bourbon

A field of 14 juveniles look to sort themselves out in Sunday's GII Castle & Key Bourbon S. at Keeneland, a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. Tiz the Bomb (Hit It a Bomb) is one of two stakes-winning juveniles in the field, following up a spectacular 14 1/4-length off-the-turf maiden special weight at Ellis Park July 2 with a hard-fought score in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile S. Sept. 6. As a $330,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky yearling, he remains the highest-priced yearling–by nearly $200,000–by his sire and was picked out of the sale by that astute judge of horseflesh, Kenny McPeek. Tiz the Bomb owns the highest Beyer (76) among these young runners and has bulleted in two of his last three works, one bullet each on turf and dirt.

As the only other black-type winner among these nascent runners, Red Danger (Orb) also has a two-race win streak. He overcame bumping and steadying to break his maiden at the Spa, then also came back at Kentucky Downs to edge to a win in the Sept. 9 Global Tote Juvenile Sprint S. Both his victories are on the lawn, but he hasn't gone farther than 6 1/2 furlongs for trainer Brian Lynch.

If Tiz the Bomb falters, McPeek also sends Lucky Boss (Street Boss), who won a July 17 off-the-turf Ellis maiden, then was runner-up Aug. 15 at the same track in the Runhappy Ellis Park Juvenile S. The Bourbon will mark his first start on the grass. Rocket One (Into Mischief) kicked off his career in the deep end, losing on the dirt to eventual GISW Gunite (Gun Runner), then lost to re-opposing Play Action Pass (Cairo Prince) on the turf before winning handily while closing late in a Sept. 6 Kentucky Downs maiden special weight. Play Action Pass was in that same Gunite maiden, beat Rocket One when moving to the lawn, and grudgingly yielded the lead and the win to Tiz the Bomb in the Juvenile Mile S. Heaven Street (Street Sense) has the most starts under his belt with five, and has won two of his last three, all on the grass, with a placing in Woodbine's Soaring Free S.

The post Turf 2-Year-Olds Make a Splash in Bourbon appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Mutasaabeq Makes Successful Dirt Return in Mucho Macho Man

TDN Rising Star‘ Mutasaabeq (Into Mischief), already a graded winner on turf of the GII Bourbon S. at Keeneland last season, returned to the main track and asserted his authority late to take Saturday’s Mucho Macho Man S. at Gulfstream Park. Away in good order, the $425,000 Keeneland November weanling fell into a good stalking trip as Awesome Gerry took them along at a solid tempo down the backstretch. The 11-10 chalk appeared to be making hard work of it as they hit the three-furlong marker and Luis Saez was all over his mount, but Mutasaabeq responded to the busy ride to claim the lead with a furlong and a half to race and bounded home a clear-cut winner.

A 4 1/2-length debut winner at Saratoga at first asking Aug. 8, earning the ‘Rising Star’ designation in the process, Mutasaabeq was a distant third to Jackie’s Warrior (Maclean’s Music) in the GI Runhappy Hopeful S. Sept. 7, then overcame a tardy dispatch to win the Bourbon with a furious stretch rally. An 11-2 chance in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, the bay raced wide on both turns and was beaten better than 10 lengths in 10th behind Fire At Will (Declaration of War).

Mutasaabeq is out of a half-sister to MGSW Cool Cowboy (Kodiak Kowboy) who was acquired with this foal in utero for $180,000 at the 2018 Keeneland January sale. Her progeny in the pipeline include: a California Chrome filly of 2019 and an Uncle Mo colt of 2020. She was bred to Audible for 2021.

“We’ve been targeting this,” winning trainer Todd Pletcher said. “I thought he ran great. We wanted to make sure he got away from the gate cleanly–that hasn’t always been his best first step. I thought he broke pretty well today and put himself in a good spot. Luis had to get after him a little bit on the turn and kept responding and finding more. I thought it was a big effort. We’ll look to try another one on dirt. I’ll talk to the team at Shadwell and come up with a plan. I think today he showed his versatility. He’s now a stakes winner on both surfaces. It’s exciting to have one like that.”

MUCHO MACHO MAN S., $100,000, Gulfstream, 1-2, 3yo, 1m, 1:35.98, ft.
1–MUTASAABEQ, 122, c, 3, by Into Mischief
                1st Dam: Downside Scenario, by Scat Daddy
                2nd Dam: Grand Breeze, by Grand Slam
                3rd Dam: Breeze Lass, by It’s Freezing
($425,000 Wlg ’18 KEENOV). O-Shadwell Stable; B-BlackRidge
Stables LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Luis Saez. $59,520.
Lifetime Record: GSW & GISP, 5-3-0-1, $259,120.
‘TDN Rising Star’
2–Papetu, 120, c, 3, Dialed In–Lady Malkin, by Sharp Humor.
($80,000 Ylg ’19 KEESEP). O-Magic Stables LLC; B-Almar Farm,
LLC (KY); T-Antonio Sano. $19,200.
3–Awesome Gerry, 120, c, 3, Liam’s Map–Star of Munster, by
Tribal Rule. ($45,000 RNA Wlg ’18 KEENOV; $37,000 RNA Ylg
’19 KEESEP; $50,000 RNA 2yo ’20 OBSMAR). O-John Fanelli,
Cash is King LLC, LC Racing LLC, Paul Braverman & Timothy
Pinch; B-John Liviakis (KY); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.. $9,600.
Margins: 1HF, 1 1/4, 8HF. Odds: 1.10, 20.30, 5.10.
Also Ran: Pickin’ Time, Ultimate Badger, Big Thorn, Raison d’Air, Easy Time, Kiger. Scratched: Jirafales.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

The post Mutasaabeq Makes Successful Dirt Return in Mucho Macho Man appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights