Tag: breeders’ cup juvenile turf sprint

Irish Trainer Loughnane ‘Couldn’t Be Happier’ With First Breeders’ Cup Runners Go Bears Go, Hello You

David Loughnane is excited about next year for Go Bears Go and Hello You after they ended their juvenile campaigns with excellent performances at the Breeders' Cup.

Go Bears Go was a fast-finishing half-length runner-up to Twilight Gleaming in the Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar, while Hello You just faded in the last half-furlong when fifth to Pizza Bianca in the Juvenile Fillies' Turf.

Both horses were Group Two winners in 2021 with Go Bears Go taking the Railway Stakes at the Curragh and Hello You the Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket.

“It was a great experience and both ran great races. I couldn't be happier with them,” said the Shropshire handler.

As for next year, Loughnane plans to aim Go Bears Go at the Commonwealth Cup and Hello You will begin in a Classic trial.

“I thought going into it five might be a bit sharp for him over there. He missed the break by a millisecond which he's never done before,” he said.

“I don't know whether it was the stalls are wider over there or having a stalls handler in the gate with him that just took his mind off the job for half a second.

“Had he jumped, he'd have won. In four more strides he'd have won, but I couldn't be any prouder of the horse. He ran an absolute belter of a race and it capped off a fantastic year for him.

“Five to six furlongs will be his trip over here next year. I suppose the most logical option would be something along the lines of the Commonwealth Cup.

“We'll see how it goes. He thrived off the whole travelling. There are loads of options, including Dubai at the end of February. He'll go for a nice holiday now and then we'll take it one step at a time. We'll see how he is come January and then we'll make a plan from there.”

Loughnane felt the long trip to California took its toll on Hello You, but has no concerns about her staying a mile next season.

“The journey over there probably took a bit more out of her. She jumped, she travelled, she got a lovely run through the race,” he went on.

“She travelled like a dream and turning for home, I thought how far does she win, then when Johnny (Velazquez) asked her she just didn't go though with it completely. She pulled up a tired horse. It took a lot out of her. She was only beaten a length and a half in a Grade One over there when she wasn't at her best.

“I have no doubt on her day she was probably the best horse in the race. She'll go for a holiday as well now and we'll come back and try for a Guineas trial with her.

“I have no concerns about her getting the mile. I said whatever she did this year was only going to be a bonus to what she does next year.”

The post Irish Trainer Loughnane ‘Couldn’t Be Happier’ With First Breeders’ Cup Runners Go Bears Go, Hello You appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Jockey Baird Fined $5,000 For Whip Use In Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint

Stewards in California issued a ruling on Nov. 6 against jockey E.T. Baird for violation of the state's rules regarding whip use. The ruling states that Baird used his whip more than six times during the sixth race on Nov. 5, which was the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

Baird was aboard One Timer in that race, where he sat off early leader and eventual winner Twilight Gleaming before being overcome by closers in the stretch.

The offense is the first for Baird under California rules in the past 60 days, according to the stewards' ruling.

Baird is not typically based in California and has spent most of this racing season in Illinois. According to Equibase, he has been riding since 1985 and has amassed 2,482 wins from 18,761 starts.

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Twilight Gleaming Completes Ward, Ortiz Hat Trick In Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint

Stonestreet Stables' Twilight Gleaming was the quickest 2-year-old out of the starting gate in Friday's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, then never relinquished her lead to give both conditioner Wesley Ward and jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. their third straight win in the Grade 2 event. The Irish-bred daughter of National Defense beat the 12-strong field with a gate-to-wire performance timed in 56.24 seconds over Del Mar's firm turf course.

“She surprised me a little bit the way she broke today,” said Ortiz. “She was ready to win today.”

“You could just tell she was figuring it out,” said Stonestreet's Barbara Banke, who was recently elected as the first female chairperson of the Breeders' Cup.

A 5-1 chance at the start, Twilight Gleaming held off the late run of the David Loughnane-trained Go Bears Go (12-1) by a half-length on the wire. Ward trainee Kaufymaker (24-1) completed the trifecta, with Derrynane (10-1) finishing fourth. The 8-5 favorite, Ward-trained Averly Jane, checked in fifth.

“I was really confident in this filly,” Ward said. “I feel bad for the other two owners because we are all trying to win, but this filly, she had good spacing from her win in France and every work at Keeneland just kept getting better and better. She was coming into it just fresh and fit and ready to go and she did it.

“And, I'm not just saying this because she's Barbara Banke, but Barbara has been a loyal supporter of ours and she really got the itch to go over to England. We got some good horses and Ben McElroy got this filly for her and we bought some others for next year to go to Ascot with and I'm excited to see those. She's just such a great lady and she loves the sport. We are really excited.”

Twilight Gleaming out-broke the field by nearly a length, and Ortiz simply went on with the filly. One Timer came up on her outside to press the first quarter in 21.61 seconds, hanging with the leader all the way through the turn. Twilight Jet and Averly Jane made up the next pair, while Run Curtis Run and Kaufymaker were also prominent early.

One Timer dropped away nearing the straight, and Ortiz took that opportunity to ask Twilight Gleaming to sneak away from the field. She got away by nearly two lengths at the three-sixteenths pole, before the rush of closers began to make their moves. Go Bears Go was moving best of all late under John Velazquez, but came up just a half-length short at the wire. It was another half-length back to Kaufymaker in third, with Derrynane a head behind in fourth, and Averly Jane a nose back in fifth.

The remaining order of finish was: Hierarchy, Vertiginious, Armor, One Timer, Twilight Jet, Time To Party, and Run Curtis Run.

Bred in Ireland by Pier House Stud, Twilight Gleaming is out of the Dansili mare Thames Pageant. She was a $96,931 yearling purchase at Goffs, and ran second on the dirt in her Keeneland debut in April 2021. Switched to the turf at Belmont Park in May, Twilight Gleaming graduated by 7 1/2 lengths. Ward was impressed enough to run her in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot, in which she ran second to the highly-regarded Queen Suzy.

Twilight Gleaming returned overseas in August to run in a listed stakes race, which she won by a neck in convincing fashion. The long break before the Breeders' Cup was by designed, Ward explained, and the filly responded with her first graded stakes win.

Her record stands at three wins and two seconds from five starts, with earnings of $637,251. Ward and Ortiz combined to win this race in 2019 with Four Wheel Drive and 2020 with Golden Pal. It is the fifth Breeders' Cup victory for Ward and the 12th for Ortiz.

Quotes from other connections:

Trainer Dave Loughnane (second with Go Bears Go) – “I'm a bit emotional really, he's a superstar. He's been life changing for us. He just sat in the gates for half a stride which might have cost him the race but I can't be disappointed. I'm very proud of the horse and all the team at home. Johnny (Velazquez) gave him a super ride and on another day he might have won. It's a massive day for my career.”

Jockey John Velazquez (second with Go Bears Go) – “He ran a great race. A little better break and we would have won it. I thought for one second we were going to get it. I wanted to be a bit closer earlier which has cost him but he's run very well.”

Jockey Jose Ortiz (third with Kaufymaker) – “She ran very good. I made the wrong choice at the top of the lane and I decided to go outside and follow Tyler (Gaffalione). I probably should have stayed inside. It was tight on the inside though. In the end, I was happy and she responded well.”

Jockey Tyler Gaffalione (fifth with favorite Averly Jane) – “She broke sharp but she just didn't really get it going. I looked to my inside and outside and I was already getting outrun. She wasn't grabbing the bit on me so I dropped my hands to see if she will take me a little bit. She did but she just didn't have it today.”

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Breeders’ Cup First-Timer O’Callaghan Has ‘Monster’ Twilight Jet Ready For Juvenile Turf Sprint

Most of the time when Michael O'Callaghan sees a horse he selected at the sales go on to top-level success, it's been with another trainer's name on the racing program. This year, the 33-year-old Irishman has found himself along for the ride as Twilight Jet headed overseas to contest the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. 

“Ever since I got into horse racing at about 15, which is what, 18 years ago, the Breeders' Cup has always been up here,” O'Callaghan said Thursday morning. “It's above everything. It just kind of grabbed my imagination early on, so just to be here with a horse that deserves to be here, no matter what he does on Friday, will be a bonus.”

The colt impressed onlookers with a quick jump-out from the Del Mar gates on Nov. 2, showing off his impressive strides down the stretch.


Twilight Jet will be the first starter at the World Championships for O'Callaghan, whose resume includes the selection of classic-placed horses like Blue De Vega and Now or Never, who each also won Group races, Group 2 winner Bodhicitta, as well as the more recent G3 winner Steel Bull. 

O'Callaghan and his partners' business model is to select horses primarily at the 2-year-old sales, then to develop those at his base at The Curragh. The goal is then to sell those young horses to an international market, either at public horses-of-racing-age sales or privately. 

Twilight Jet, a colt sired by the two-time Group 1 winner Twilight Son, was a $292,503 purchase at the Goffs UK Breeze Up Sale earlier this year. The most expensive juvenile O'Callaghan and his partners have ever purchased, the colt has paid dividends on that risk. Through 10 starts this season, including a last-out victory in the G3 Cornwallis Stakes at Newmarket, Twilight Jet has compiled a record of two wins and three thirds while regularly finishing well against top company.

“He's danced every dance,” said O'Callaghan. “Every time he's come out of his race, I've been thinking of giving him a little bit of a break, and he's just like, 'No, I gotta go again!' It's not just his attitude, it's everything physically. He puts on weight after the runs, gets stronger, moves better. He's just a monster.”

A Tweet O'Callaghan posted shortly after the Cornwallis win, indicating the Breeders' Cup was the colt's next target, saw owner Michael Iavarone reach out to purchase a 50 percent share. Twilight Jet will run in Iavarone's colors this Friday at Del Mar, then will remain in O'Callaghan's care for the 2022 season.

“By all accounts, we're going to have one hell of a party Friday night, win, lose, or draw,” O'Callaghan said. “So we're looking forward to that! To be here is a bonus after the season we've had with this guy.”

Though this is his first Breeders' Cup starter, O'Callaghan has long been planning how he'd prepare a horse to run on American soil.

“I always had in my head that if I ever had one running out here, I'd want to get them used to the bell because the first time they hear the bell, if that's gonna be on race day they might just pause,” he explained. “The majority of the time, the European horses aren't as quick as the American horses here out of the gates, but he's got a lot of natural speed early. He's very quick out of the gate; he's very switched on. We've done plenty of practice at home with the bell, so he knows the bell means to go.”

It's a clever method for the horseman who grew up well outside the sphere of horse racing. O'Callaghan only became interested in the sport through his grandfather's weekend wagers, and eventually started to push to learn more.

“I've no direct connection with horse racing, through family background,” said O'Callaghan. “I didn't have any intention of going to a traditional college, so I had to put my own sort of college together.”

O'Callaghan amassed great experience in the industry working for the likes of Tom Cooper, Coolmore, and Castlehyde Stud. He is also an award-winning graduate of the Irish National Stud Course.

That education has helped O'Callaghan to slowly build his own training resume each season, and 2021 is his best year yet in terms of prize money earned. The trip to Del Mar with Twilight Jet is hopefully the beginning of his new presence at the top of the European racing scene, as O'Callaghan hopes to target a Group 1 with the colt in 2022.

“He's making our life easy, training well, improving every day,” the trainer said. “You could arguably say he's better now than he was on Monday. 

“I'm trying not to get too excited, but I'm looking forward to Friday.”

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