breeders' cup juvenile turf | Horse Racing Free Tips

Miller Thinking Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf After Ebeko’s Zuma Beach Score

Irish-bred Ebeko rallied through the lane for a hard fought nose victory in Sunday's $100,000 Zuma Beach Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., as leading trainer Peter Miller continued to hold a red-hot hand. Ridden by Ricardo Gonzalez, Ebeko, in his second stateside start, got one mile on turf in 1:36.55.

Breaking from post position four in a field of seven juveniles, Ebeko was much closer to the pace today than he had been in his one mile turf U.S. debut at Del Mar on Sept. 7. Fourth, about two lengths off of dueling leaders a quarter mile out, he swept four-wide turning for home and was just up as he narrowly outdueled Bob Baffert's Tarantino to the wire.

“This is a very nice colt…He gives you his all,” said Gonzalez. “The first time, we were in the 10-hole, so we just kind of made one run and he had just come from Europe. It's different now that he's been here. He puts himself in the race and finished really strong.”

A fast finishing second, beaten one length by today's race favorite Big Fish, Ebeko was off as the third betting choice at 3-1 and paid $8.80, $4.80 and $3.40.

Owned by Altamira Racing Stable, CYBT, Marc Lantzman and Michael Nentwig, Ebeko, who was one for three in his native Ireland, provided Miller with his meet leading fifth stakes win and his eighth win overall. With the winner's share of $60,000, he increased his earnings to $106,430 and improved his overall mark to 5-2-2-0.

“We've been on an incredible run,” said Miller by phone from his home in Cardiff. “We've won with our last four, just everything is falling into place right now. I thought Ricky rode an incredible race. We knew this horse was doing well and Ricky saw that the pace was pretty slow, so he had him closer today.

“To be honest, there's no doubt in my mind that he could've won much easier today if we didn't have the new rules…I'm just being honest…We're definitely going to look at the Breeders' Cup (Juvenile Turf on Nov. 6 at Keeneland) with this horse. He deserves it and we're looking forward to going.”

Ridden by Tiago Pereira, Tarantino laid second throughout and lost a heartbreaker while finishing three quarters of a length in front of Cotopaxi. The actual second choice at 3-1, Tarantino paid $4.80 and $4.00.

Ridden by Abel Cedillo, Cotopaxi made the lead a furlong out, but had to settle for third money, a neck in front of Caisson. Off at 6-1, Cotopaxi paid $4.20 to show.

Big Fish, the 2-1 post favorite with Victor Espinoza, appeared poised to make a run at the top of the stretch, but flattened out through the drive to finish fifth.

Fractions on the race were 23.66, 48.42, 1:13.10 and 1:24.92.

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Mutasaabeq Leads 1-2 Finish For Leading Sire Into Mischief In Bourbon Stakes

Shadwell Stable's Mutasaabeq, last at the top of the stretch in the field of 11, rocketed to the front at the sixteenth pole and cruised to a 21/4-length victory in the 30th running of the $200,000 Bourbon (G2) for 2-year-olds at Keeneland and earn a spot in the $1-million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) to be run at a mile at the Lexington, Ky., track on Nov. 6.

Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Luis Saez, Mutasaabeq covered the 1 1/16 miles on a firm turf course in 1:43.13 in his grass debut. It is the fifth victory in the Bourbon for Pletcher, whose other winners are Twilight Meteor (2006), Bittel Road (2008), Interactif (2009) and Current (2018).

Into the Sunrise emerged with the lead in the run to the first turn and set fractions of :22.62, :47.09 and 1:12.24 while Saez waited at the back.

Mutasaabeq shifted to the outside on the far turn, entered the stretch eight wide and quickly picked off rivals before overtaking Into the Sunrise inside the sixteenth pole and drawing off.

“We broke a little slow,” said Saez. “Last time he did the same thing, but I knew I had a lot of horse. The distance was great for him. He was working so good on the turf. We knew what we had. When we came to the half-mile I was trying to (decide) where we were going to go – inside or out – but inside we had so many horses. I felt like I had the horse to go out and let him roll. When he came to the straight, he just took off. He did it easy.”

“He didn't break well and that has historically been him,” said Pletcher. “He's a horse that has speed and he has a tremendous turn of foot as you saw today, but he's notoriously not been great the first jump or two away from the gate. So I wasn't surprised when he didn't get away well and then he kind of got shuffled back and then a horse kind of came over and he had to steady a bit.

“The first 100 yards didn't go very well, but he was able to save a little bit of ground around the first turn and it looked like Luis (Saez) was biding his time and trying to figure out whether he should find a seam to go through or ultimately he just decided to circle the field and kind of sling-shotted them. He delivered an explosive turn of foot. Great to see and great for the Shadwell team.

“His maiden win was very impressive and his gate work prior to his maiden win was as good as any 2-year-old we've had at Saratoga ever. We felt that the Hopeful (G1), they kind of ran away from him and he couldn't really close the way we hoped he would. Kind of looking into his pedigree, the Into Mischief's run on anything.”

A Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale graduate, Mutasaabeq is a Kentucky-bred son of Into Mischief out of the Scat Daddy mare Downside Scenario. The victory was worth $120,000 and increased his earnings to $189,600 with a record of 3-2-0-1.

Sent off as the favorite, Mutasaabeq paid $6, $3.80 and $3.60. Abarta, also by the Spendthrift Farm stallion Into Mischief, rallied for second under Umberto Rispoli to return $10.60 and $7.60. Nathan Detroit finished another three-quarters of a length back in third under Julien Leparoux and paid $7.60 to show.

It was another head back to Into the Sunrise, who was followed in order by Arrest Me Red, Private Island, Spyglass, Barrister Tom, Blame the Booze, Indy Tourist and Really Slow.

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First Stakes Winner for Awtaad Comes in California

Ebeko, who was second in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf in his Stateside debut Sept. 7, went one better and came out on top of a tight one to become the first black-type winner for his Derrinstown Stud-based freshman sire (by Cape Cross {Ire}). A third-up winner for trainer Paddy Twomey at Leopardstown July 16, the bay was acquired privately thereafter and brought to Del Mar, where he showed a completely different running style than he had in Europe to rally from last. Showing a bit more early zip this time to sit perched in third, the bay mounted a four-wide rally into the lane and was one of five who appeared in with a chance at that point. The top three emerged from the pack late, and Ebeko made the last and winning move get up in the final jump.

“We’ve been on an incredible run,” said trainer Peter Miller, whose wins on Saturday included an impressive victory with Mo Forza (Uncle Mo) in the GII City of Hope Mile. “We’ve won with our last four, just everything is falling into place right now. I thought Ricky [Gonzalez] rode an incredible race. We knew this horse was doing well and Ricky saw that the pace was pretty slow, so he had him closer today.

Miller added, “To be honest, there’s no doubt in my mind that he could’ve won much easier today if we didn’t have the new [whip] rules… I’m just being honest… We’re definitely going to look at the [Nov. 6 GI] Breeders’ Cup [Juvenile Turf] with this horse. He deserves it and we’re looking forward to going.”

The winner is out of a half-sister to French Group 2 winner Canticum (GB) (Cacique {Ire}) and hails from the female family of highest-level winners Distant Music, African Rose and Vanlandingham. He has a yearling half-brother by Gleneagles (Ire). Awtaad took the 2016 G1 Irish 2000 Guineas for Shadwell.

ZUMA BEACH S., $101,000, Santa Anita, 10-4, 2yo, 1mT, 1:36.55, fm.
1–EBEKO (IRE), 118, c, 2, by Awtaad (Ire)
                1st Dam: Allegrezza (GB), by Sir Percy (GB)
                2nd Dam: Allegro Viva, by Distant View
                3rd Dam: Musicanti, by Nijinsky II
(20,000gns RNA Ylg ’19 TATOCT). 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN.
O-Altamira Racing Stable, CYBT, Marc Lantzman & Michael
Nentwig; B-Roundhill Stud & J. S. Investments (IRE); T-Peter
Miller; J-Ricardo Gonzalez. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 5-2-2-0,
$106,430. *First black-type winner for freshman sire (by Cape
Cross {Ire}).
2–Tarantino, 120, c, 2, Pioneerof the Nile–Without Delay, by
Seeking the Gold. ($610,000 Ylg ’19 KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC,
Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC,
Golconda Stables, Siena Farm LLC & Robert E. Masterson;
B-Fred W. Hertrich III & John D. Fielding (KY); T-Bob Baffert.
$20,000.
3–Cotopaxi (Ire), 118, c, 2, Sir Prancealot (Ire)–Beth (GB), by
Deportivo (GB). (£22,000 Ylg ’19 GOFFPR). O-Red Baron’s Barn
LLC & Rancho Temescal LLC; B-Tally Ho Stud (IRE); T-Jeff
Mullins. $12,000.
Margins: NO, 3/4, NK. Odds: 3.40, 3.30, 6.10.
Also Ran: Caisson, Big Fish, Ingest, Dennis Celery.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Juvenile Turf Next Goal For Nyquist’s Son Gretzky The Great Following Summer Stakes Score

Gretzky the Great netted his second added-money trophy in taking Sunday's Grade 1, $250,000 Summer Stakes, a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” Challenge Series race, at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.

Trained by Mark Casse for owners Gary Barber and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, the son of Nyquist bred by Anderson Farms Ontario survived an inquiry after coming in during mid-stretch against pacesetter and runner-up Ready to Repeat in the one-mile grass engagement for 2-year-olds.

It was Ready to Repeat, under Luis Contreras, who broke on top after briefly acting up in the starting gate. Trained by Gail Cox, who co-owns the Kentucky-bred gelding with John Menary, Michael Ambler and Windways Farm, the Victoria Stakes champ led his six rivals through an opening quarter-mile in :24.10 over an E.P. Taylor Turf Course listed as “firm.”

Gretzky the Great, with Kazushi Kimura in the irons, sat second, while Secret Potion was third, and American Monarch positioned in fourth.

Ready to Repeat was still comfortably in front by two lengths after a half in :47.82, as Kimura kept the leader in his sights. Secret Potion and American Monarch continued their tussle behind the front duo, as Dolder Grand began to close ground from sixth.

As the field rounded the turn for home, Kimura roused Gretzky the Great to engage Ready to Repeat, and the bay colt responded with an impressive outside surge, striking front and looking to put away a determined foe.

A half-length on top at the stretch call, Gretzky the Great went on to notch a 3 1/4-length win in a time of 1:34.53. Ready to Repeat finished one length in front of Dolder Grand for second, with American Monarch finishing fourth.

Heat of the Night, Secret Potion and Download rounded out the order of finish.

“He is such an amazing horse,” said Kimura, who recorded his first Grade 1 win. “When I came to the final turn then come through the final stretch, he had a tremendous explosion. He sometimes was a little bit lugging in, but he's just still a baby.”

The Summer represented the third consecutive winner's circle trip for Gretzky the Great.

After a second in his first career start on July 12, Gretzky the Great broke his maiden courtesy of a 4 1/4-length win on August 2. That was followed up by a neck nod in the Soaring Free Stakes, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course on August 23.

“First time out it was only five furlongs on the (Woodbine Inner) turf, then when he won the first time I was like, 'Oh, that will be a stakes horse for the future,'” offered Kimura. “And then winning a stakes and now got a Grade 1, he's such a nice horse.”

The next goal on Gretzky the Great's stat sheet could be a date in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Keeneland on November 6.

“He's a so easy horse – I mean to control,” said Kimura. “If I want to do something, I can do anything.”

Gretzky the Great paid $6.80, $3.30 and $3. The 4-3 exactor with Ready to Repeat ($5, $4) returned $22.60. Dolder Grand ($4.10) finished off a 4-3-7 triactor worth $115.70, with American Monarch completing a $1 superfecta worth $220.70.

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