Breeders' Cup Challenge | Horse Racing Free Tips

Undefeated Thoughtfully Chasing Breeders’ Cup Berth In Friday’s Alcibiades

Heider Family Stables' undefeated Thoughtfully headlines a field of seven 2-year-old fillies entered Tuesday for Friday's 69th running of the $350,000 Darley Alcibiades (G1) going 1 1/16 miles on the main track at Keeneland.

The Darley Alcibiades is one of 10 Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races in the coming days at Keeneland that will award the winners fees-paid berths into their respective World Championship races. The Darley Alcibiades winner gets a free pass into the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) to be run here Nov. 6.

The Darley Alcibiades will go as the ninth race on Friday's 10-race opening day program for the Fall Meet that runs 17 days through Oct. 24. First post time is 1:05 p.m. ET with the Darley Alcibiades going at 5:40 p.m.

Trained by Steve Asmussen, Thoughtfully debuted June 11 at Churchill Downs and romped to an 8 ¾-length score going 5 ½ furlongs. A month later at Saratoga, the Tapit filly scored a 5-length victory in the Adirondack (G2) going 6½ furlongs.

Ricardo Santana Jr., who has been aboard for both victories, has the call Friday and will break from post position one.

Likely to vie for favoritism with Thoughtfully is Phoenix Thoroughbred's Crazy Beautiful.

Trained by four-time Darley Alcibiades winner Kenny McPeek, Crazy Beautiful won the Aug. 9 Runhappy Debutante at Ellis Park before running a troubled second as the favorite in the Sept. 3 Pocahontas (G3) at Churchill Downs. Brian Hernandez Jr. has the mount and will break from post position four.

McPeek will have two other starters in the race: Susan Moulton's Oliviaofthedesert and Harold Lerner, Magdalena Racing and Nehoc Stables' Simply Ravishing.

Oliviaofthedesert has three starts won her lone race on dirt by 5½ lengths at Ellis in August. She will be ridden Friday by Corey Lanerie and break from post position three. Simply Ravishing is perfect in two starts and enters Friday's race off a daylight victory in the off-the-turf P.G. Johnson at Saratoga Sept. 3. Luis Saez has the mount and will exit post position seven.

The field for the Darley Alcibiades, with riders from the rail out, is: Thoughtfully (Santana Jr.), Travel Column (Florent Geroux), Oliviaofthedesert (Lanerie), Crazy Beautiful (Hernandez Jr.), Xtrema (James Graham), Gramercy (Joel Rosario) and Simply Ravishing (Saez). All starters will carry 122 pounds.

The post Undefeated Thoughtfully Chasing Breeders’ Cup Berth In Friday’s Alcibiades appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Frontrunning Fighting Mad Tops ‘Win And You’re In’ Zenyatta Stakes

An impressive gate to wire winner of her last two starts, the Gary and Mary West homebred Fighting Mad looms a standout in Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita. The Zenyatta, to be contested at a mile and one sixteenth, has attracted a field of five fillies and mares aged three and up.

Trainer Simon Callaghan's Harvest Moon, a 3-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo, has won her last three starts and is an up and comer that will attract considerable pari-mutuel attention. Hard Not to Love, a Grade 1 winner and well accomplished, comes off a dull sixth behind Fighting Mad in the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch at Del Mar and will hope to rebound for trainer John Shirreffs.

Named for the legendary winner of the 2009 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita who then became Horse of the Year in 2010 for owners Jerry and Ann Moss and trainer John Shirreffs, the Zenyatta is a Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” Challenge Race qualifier to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland on Nov. 7.

FIGHTING MAD

Owner: Gary & Mary West

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Ridden aggressively on the lead going a mile and one sixteenth in her last two starts by Abel Cedillo, she took the Grade 2 Santa Maria Stakes by 3 ¼ lengths on May 31 and prevailed by a half length in the Grade 1 Hirsch on Aug. 2. A winner of five out her eight starts, this 4-year-old daughter of New Year's Day is at the top of her game and looms strictly the horse to beat in the Zenyatta.

HARVEST MOON

Owner: Alice Bamford & Michael B. Tabor

Trainer: Simon Callaghan

A one mile maiden winner in her second start on July 20 at Los Alamitos, she then rallied to win a first condition allowance at the same distance by 4 ¼ lengths on July 27 at Del Mar. Off again as the 3-2 favorite, she responded with a solid 1 ¼ length score in the Grade 3, one mile Torrey Pines Stakes Aug. 22 and looms a very legitimate danger on Sunday. With Flavien Prat set to ride for the fourth consecutive time, Harvest, who has won three out of her four races, looms a legitimate threat.

HARD NOT TO LOVE

Owner: Mercedes Stables LLC, West Point Thoroughbreds, Scott Dilworth, Dorothy & David Ingordo, Steve Mooney

Trainer: John Shirreffs

Often quirky in the paddock and on the racetrack due to the fact she only has the use of one eye, Hard Not to Love will try to bounce back from a 13 ¼ length drubbing at the hands of Fighting Mad in the Aug. 2 Clement Hirsch. Second, beaten 3 ¼ lengths by Fighting Mad two starts back in the Grade 2 Santa Maria, Hard Not to Love, a 4-year-old Ontario, Canadian-bred filly by Hard Spun is winless in three two turn starts since taking the Grade 2, seven furlong Santa Monica Stakes on Feb. 15.

THE GRADE 2 ZENYATTA STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 4 of 11 Approximate post time 2 p.m. PT

Fighting Mad—Luis Saez—126
Proud Emma—Ricardo Gonzalez—122
Harvest Moon—Flavien Prat—118
Hang a Star—Tyler Baze—122
Hard Not to Love—Mike Smith—122

First post time for an 11-race card on Sunday is at 12:30 p.m. Although there is no public admittance, Santa Anita's races can be viewed free of charge via the track's livestream video at santaanita.com

The post Frontrunning Fighting Mad Tops ‘Win And You’re In’ Zenyatta Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf Berth On The Line In Friday’s Shadwell Rockfel Stakes

Ms. Susan Lynas' Santosha (IRE) will bid to get her season back on track in Friday's Shadwell Rockfel Stakes (G2) at Newmarket. She is one of five 2-year-old fillies in the 7-furlong contest, which offers a guaranteed fees-paid berth into the US$1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) as part of the ”Win and You're In” international Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge is a series of stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into corresponding races of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which is scheduled to be held at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, on Nov. 6-7.

Santosha provided young trainer David Loughnane with the biggest win of his career when landing the Princess Margaret Stakes (G3) at Ascot in July and Loughnane believes her latest run, an eighth-place finish in the Sky Bet Lowther Stakes (G2) on Aug. 20, can be ignored.

Loughnane said: “The Lowther was just one race too many for her. She got very wound up in the paddock before and then fell asleep a bit in the stalls and missed the kick. She has had a nice break since York. We feel that she has every right to be here and hopefully we can get her season back on track.”

When asked whether Santosha could head to Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, Loughnane said: “Every race is on the table for her but we'll take it one race at a time. We certainly wouldn't turn our noses up at the Breeders' Cup if it was the right option for her.”

Aidan O'Brien has won the Shadwell Rockfel Stakes three times in his career, most recently with Just Wonderful, who won the 2018 renewal before going on to finish fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Churchill Downs. He relies on Ballylynch Stud/Irish EBF Ingabelle Stakes listed winner Monday, bred in Kentucky by Chelston, Orpendale & Wynatt, in Friday's contest. Monday is the first foal out of Group 1-winning juvenile Ballydoyle (IRE). She will be ridden by Ryan Moore.

Isabella Giles (IRE), a 7-length winner of the Ladbrokes Prestige Stakes (G3) at Goodwood last time, has won three of her four career starts, with her only defeat coming at the hands of Santosha in the Princess Margaret Stakes. She is trained by Clive Cox and will be ridden by Adam Kirby.

Last year's Rockfel winner, Daahyeh (GB), went on to finish second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita. Her trainer Roger Varian, saddles Nazuna (IRE), a Kodiac (GB) filly who was second on her latest start at Doncaster.

The field is completed by Alba Rose (GB), a decisive winner of a novice stakes race over 7-furlongs at Thirsk. Mark Johnston trains the daughter of Muhaarar (GB), who will once again be ridden by Joe Fanning.

As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, the Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the winner of the Shadwell Rockfel Stakes to start in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, which will be run at 1-mile over the Keeneland turf course. Breeders' Cup also will provide a travel allowance of $40,000 for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must already be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the Championships' pre-entry deadline of Oct. 26 to receive the rewards.

The post Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf Berth On The Line In Friday’s Shadwell Rockfel Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Start Date Delayed By Bobcat Fire, Santa Anita Announces Revised Autumn Stakes Schedule

With its original start date delayed due to air quality concerns related to the Bobcat Fire, Santa Anita Park has announced a revised Autumn Meet Stakes Schedule, which will begin on Friday, Sept. 25 and will offer fans and horsemen a total of 12 stakes, 11 of them graded, over its three-day opening weekend. Prominent among these stakes offerings are a total of seven Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” Challenge Race qualifiers, which will be run Saturday and Sunday.

With first post time set for 12:30 p.m. on Friday, the Grade II, $200,000 Eddie D Stakes, for 3-year-olds and up at 5 ½ furlongs on turf and the Grade III, $100,000 Chillingworth Stakes, for fillies and mares three and up at 6 ½ furlongs on the main track, will highlight the opening day card.

On Saturday, Sept. 26, a total of seven stakes, five of them Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” qualifiers, will be offered on what promises to be a blockbuster Breeders' Cup prep afternoon.

The Grade I, $300,000 Awesome Again, for 3-year-olds and up at a mile and one eighth (which promises to attract superstar Maximum Security), the $300,000 Rodeo Drive, for fillies and mares at a mile and one quarter on turf, the Grade I, $300,000 American Pharoah, for 2-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles, the Grade II, $200,000 Chandelier, for 2-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles and the $100,000 Speakeasy Stakes, for 2-year-olds at 5 ½ furlongs on turf, are all Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” stakes that will provide the winners of each race a fees-paid berth into their respective Breeders' Cup races at Keeneland Nov. 6 & 7.

In addition to these five Breeders' Cup Challenge Races on Saturday, Santa Anita will also present the Grade II, $200,000 John Henry Turf Championship for 3-year-olds and up at a mile and one quarter on turf and the $75,000 Unzip Me Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 5 ½ furlongs on turf.

On Sunday, two additional Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” Challenge Races will be offered, the Grade II, $200,000 Zenyatta Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles and the Grade II, $200,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship, for 3-year-olds and up at six furlongs. The Grade III, $100,000 Tokyo City Cup, to be run at the marathon distance of a mile and one half, will also share top Sunday billing.

Although Santa Anita remains closed to the general public due to the Covid-19 pandemic, fans are encouraged follow Santa Anita's live racing free of charge via santaanita.com. Those wishing to watch and wager may do so via XpressBet.com or 1stBet.com. Santa Anita's complete Autumn Meet Stakes Schedule is available at www.santaanita.com/stakes-schedule/.

For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

The post Start Date Delayed By Bobcat Fire, Santa Anita Announces Revised Autumn Stakes Schedule appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post