Breeders' Cup Distaff | Horse Racing Free Tips

McPeek Says Classic Distance a Better Fit for Swiss Skydiver

While putting off a final decision regarding which Breeders’ Cup race GI Preakness S. winner Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) will run in, trainer Ken McPeek said Sunday morning that he prefers running his filly at a mile-and-a-quarter, the distance of the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic. His other option is the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff, which is run at a mile-and-an-eighth.

“It’s a little early and we don’t have to make a decision right now but I do like her at the mile-and-a-quarter,” he said. “The further, the better. She gets to settle in a nice rhythm and that distance, I really like it better.”

McPeek said he would consider other factors, including the likely competition in each of the two Breeders’ Cup races.

“I don’t have to decide now,” he said. “We’ll look at the sheets and the past performances on the probables as we get closer. We will figure it out. Like I said, I like her at a mile-and-a-quarter better. I still would like to look at who is expected, how she holds up on paper and then we will decide how she is doing and where we needs to land.”

McPeek said his filly came out of the Preakness win in perfect shape.

“Last night she finished her feed early,” he said. “That’s not something you can train. They have to have that constitution and she’s got it.”

At age 5, Zenyatta won the Classic in 2009. She is the only filly or mare to have won the race.

The post McPeek Says Classic Distance a Better Fit for Swiss Skydiver appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Oaks Winner Shedaresthedevil Takes On Older Rivals In Sunday’s Spinster

Qatar Racing, Flurry Racing Stables and Big Aut Farms' Shedaresthedevil will take on older horses for the first time Sunday when she heads a field of six fillies and mares in the 65th running of the $400,000 Juddmonte Spinster (G1) going 1 1/8 miles on the main track.

Slated as the ninth race on Sunday's 10-race program at Keeneland, the Juddmonte Spinster is a “Win and You're In” race for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) to be run here Nov. 7. First post Sunday is 1:05 p.m. ET with the Juddmonte Spinster going at 5:45 p.m.

Trained by Brad Cox, Shedaresthedevil brings a three-race win streak into the Juddmonte Spinster highlighted by her 15-1 upset in the Kentucky Oaks. Prior to that race, she won the Indiana Oaks (G3) by 5 lengths to mark her second Grade 3 victory of 2020.

Florent Geroux, who has been aboard for Shedaresthedevil's past three starts, has the call Sunday and will break from post position three. Geroux won the 2016 Juddmonte Spinster on I'm a Chatterbox.

Emollient in 2013 is the most recent 3-year-old to win the Juddmonte Spinster.

Chief among Shedaresthedevil's challengers is Karen Eggert and Paul Eggert's Ollie's Candy, who has raced exclusively in Grade 1 company in 2020.

Trained by John Sadler, the 5-year-old Ollie's Candy enters the Juddmonte Spinster off a runner-up effort in the Clement L. Hirsch (G1) at Del Mar, a race she won in 2019. Sunday's race will mark her third venture outside California this year, having posted a runner-up finish in the Apple Blossom (G1) at Oaklawn Park in April and a third, beaten a neck, in the Ogden Phipps (G1) at Belmont in June.

Joel Rosario has the mount and will break from post position two.

The field for the Juddmonte Spinster, from the rail out with riders and weights, is: Saracosa (Martin Garcia, 124 pounds), Ollie's Candy (Rosario, 124), Shedaresthedevil (Geroux, 121), Our Super Freak (Brian Hernandez Jr., 124), Valiance (Luis Saez, 124) and Lady Kate (Tyler Gaffalione, 124).

The post Oaks Winner Shedaresthedevil Takes On Older Rivals In Sunday’s Spinster appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Uncle Mo Filly Gets Better of Her Elders in ‘Win and You’re In’ Zenyatta

Alice Bamford and Michael Tabor’s Harvest Moon (Uncle Mo), the only 3-year-old in the four-horse field, put away favored Fighting Mad (New Year’s Day) at midstretch and then held off Hard Not To Love (Hard Spun) in the dying strides to win the GII Zenyatta S. at Santa Anita Sunday and earn an automatic berth in the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

“I’m absolutely thrilled today, completely over the moon for Harvest Moon,” said Bamford. “She’s a homebred and she’s just so deep in my heart and in my family’s heart. It was so good to see her so well ridden today, showing off her beautiful stride. We lost her mother this year, Qaraaba, who was a stunning, stunning filly and each time I tell her, ‘Harvest Moon, go and do it for your Mama.’ And she has.”

Sent off at 7-2 and making her first start beyond a mile, the lightly raced Harvest Moon tracked pacesetting Fighting Mad through fractions of :23.37 and :46.51. She rolled up to engage the favorite entering the homestretch and, while Fighting Mad attempted to claw her way back, Harvest Moon was always going the better of the two and inched away to the wire for her fourth straight victory. Hard Not To Love closed for second, while Fighting Mad, who was coming off a wire-to-wire victory in the GI Clement L. Hirsch S., stayed on for third.

“We thought Fighting Mad would go to the lead and we wanted to keep pressure on her,” said winning jockey Flavien Prat. “My filly had never been a mile and a sixteenth, but Fighting Mad was carrying 126 pounds. You never know with a 3-year-old against older, but we got eight pounds, so that was good. It turned out this was a good distance for my filly and she really ran well.”

Harvest Moon was making just her fifth career start in the Zenyatta. The bay filly opened her career over the turf, finishing third in a one-mile maiden special weight at Santa Anita June 12. She graduated second time out when moved to the main track at Los Alamitos July 3 and added an optional claimer at the oceanside oval July 27 before making the jump to the graded stakes ranks with a 1 1/4-length victory in the Aug. 22 GIII Torrey Pines S. last time out.

“We have been really patient with her early on and that’s a credit to Alice and Michael Tabor,” said winning trainer Simon Callaghan. “It was said that this filly has a lot of talent and they were so patient throughout the whole process. She took her time to come to hand, but she’s come a long way in a short period of time.”

Pedigree Notes:

Qaraaba, who died earlier this year, produced a colt by Air Force Blue last year. The mare’s third dam is G1 Irish Derby winner Salsabil (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells).

Harvest Moon’s sire Uncle Mo doubled up on graded victories just 20 minutes after the Zenyatta when Envoutante glided to victory in the GIII Remington Oaks.

Sunday, Santa Anita
ZENYATTA S.-GII, $196,000, Santa Anita, 9-27, 3yo/up, f/m,
1 1/16m, 1:43.03, ft.
1–HARVEST MOON, 118, f, 3, by Uncle Mo
1st Dam: Qaraaba (GB) (GSW, $171,119), by Shamardal
2nd Dam: Mokaraba (GB), by Unfuwain
3rd Dam: Muhaba, by Mr. Prospector
O-Alice Bamford & Michael B. Tabor; B-Alice Bamford (KY);
T-Simon Callaghan; J-Flavien Prat. $120,000. Lifetime Record:
5-4-0-1, $240,720. *1/2 to Californiagoldrush (Cape Blanco
{Ire}), GSW & GISP, $322,345.
2–Hard Not to Love, 122, f, 4, Hard Spun–Loving Vindication, by
Vindication. ‘TDN Rising Star’ ($400,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP).
O-Mercedes Stables LLC, West Point Thoroughbreds, Scott
Dilworth, Dorothy & David Ingordo & F. Steve Mooney;
B-Anderson Farms Ont. Inc. (ON); T-John A. Shirreffs. $40,000.
3–Fighting Mad, 126, f, 4, New Year’s Day–Smokey’s Love, by
Forestry. O/B-Gary & Mary West Stables (KY); T-Bob Baffert.
$24,000.
Margins: 3/4, 3/4, 7 1/4. Odds: 3.90, 3.30, 0.40.
Also Ran: Proud Emma. Scratched: Hang a Star. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

The post Uncle Mo Filly Gets Better of Her Elders in ‘Win and You’re In’ Zenyatta appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Fighting Mad Looks to Extend Hot Streak in Zenyatta

Fighting Mad (New Year’s Day) looks to score her third straight victory and stamp her ticket to the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff in Sunday’s GII Zenyatta S. at Santa Anita. Placed on the shelf after winning the GIII Torrey Pines S. in August of 2019, the West homebred crossed the line third, but was disqualified and placed fourth when making her return in the GIII Desert Stormer S. in May. A decisive winner of the GII Santa Maria S. two weeks later, the bay wired the GI Clement L. Hirsch S. at Del Mar Aug. 2.

The 3-year-old Harvest Moon (Uncle Mo) also enters this test on a hot streak and takes on her elders for the first time. Graduating at second asking when switched to the main track July 3, the bay captured an optional claimer next out at Del Mar July 27 and won the GIII Torrey Pines S. Aug. 22.

Closing out her sophomore season with a win in the GI La Brea S. last December, Hard Not to Love (Hard Spun) captured the GII Santa Monica S. Feb. 15 and was second in the GI Beholder Mile Mar. 14. Completing the exacta in the Santa Maria, the ‘TDN Rising Star’ was sixth in the Clement Hirsch.

The post Fighting Mad Looks to Extend Hot Streak in Zenyatta appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post