breeders' cup juvenile turf | Horse Racing Free Tips

Gretzky Looks to Become Next GISW for Nyquist in Summer

Gretzky the Great (Nyquist) will be favored to become his freshman sire’s second top-level scorer Sunday in Woodbine’s GI Summer S., which grants the winner a spot in the gate for the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Second behind subsequent Victoria S. winner Ready to Repeat (More Than Ready) in his grass debut here July 12, he graduated at second asking in an off-the-turf sprint here Aug. 2. The Mark Casse pupil captured the Soaring Free S. going 6 1/2 panels on the local lawn next out Aug. 23, giving Nyquist his first black-type victor. Casse also saddles D J Stable’s $800,000 OBSAPR purchase Dolder Grand (Candy Ride {Arg}), who rallied to be third on debut behind Download (Society’s Chairman) in a seven-panel turf test over this course Aug. 23.

A pair of first-out winners take a big step up in class here in American Monarch (American Pharoah) and Heat of the Night (Summer Front). Trained by Bill Mott, the former rallied to victory in a two-turn turf event at Saratoga Aug. 8, overtaking the Chad Brown-trained Secret Potion (Into Mischief) late. Tim Hamm saddles Heat of the Night, who broke his maiden in a one-mile event on the Gulfstream lawn Sept. 3.

The post Gretzky Looks to Become Next GISW for Nyquist in Summer appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Casse Pair Headlines ‘Win And You’re In’ Summer Stakes At Woodbine

Seven first-year stars take their talents to the E.P. Taylor Turf Course in Sunday's Grade 1 $250,000 Summer Stakes, part of a sensational stakes-stacked weekend at Woodbine.

The one-mile Summer Stakes is a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, “Win and You're In” event. Up for grabs is a fees-paid date in the one-mile Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (accompanied by a $1 million purse), to be run on November 6 at Keeneland.

Mark Casse will send out a pair of hopefuls, Dolder Grand and Gretzky the Great, in the Summer, a race he has won on three occasions. The Hall of Fame conditioner netted the natural hat trick from 2013-15, starting with My Conquestadory, followed by Conquest Typhoon and Conquest Daddyo.

Dolder Grand, a Kentucky-bred son of Candy Ride, finished third in his career bow on August 23 at Woodbine. With Patrick Husbands in the irons, the D J Stable silk-bearer was bumped in the stretch, but rallied to secure the show spot in the seven-furlong race run over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

“He reminds me a bit of War of Will,” said Casse, in referencing his Ricoh Woodbine Mile starter and Preakness champ. “They paid a lot of money [$800,000] for him – D J Stable – and he's trained very well. I was a little disappointed in his first start, but I can remember War of Will doing the exact same thing. When I ran War of Will first time out, I didn't think he'd get beat and he finished third, beaten like five lengths.”

Casse liked the effort shown by the dark bay, bred by Dell Ridge Farm.

“This horse ran well in that he never gave up. I think he's going to improve big time off his maiden race. He's also trained extremely well. I expect him to be a factor in the Summer.”

After a runner-up effort in his first career start on July 12, Gretzky the Great could net a natural hat trick of his own with a win on Saturday.

Owned by Gary Barber and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, the son of Nyquist, bred by Anderson Farms Ontario, broke his maiden via a 4 ¼-length victory on August 2. The bay colt followed it up with a gutsy neck score in the Soaring Free Stakes, traveling 6 ½ panels on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course on August 23.

Casse's hoping for another great one this weekend.

“He's been great so far. He's come to play each time and he's run hard. He's also training well.”

American Monarch, a two-year-old son of American Pharoah, will look to build off a sharp debut on August 8 at Saratoga. The Bill Mott trainee, bred and owned by Mike Rutherford, posted a half-length win in a 1 1/16 mile turf engagement contested over “firm” going.

Mott is seeking his third Summer score after taking the 2007 running with Prussian and the 2016 edition with Good Samaritan.

A dark bay son of Society's Chairman, Download uploaded a win to his stat sheet after a maiden-breaking score on August 23. In his third career start, the Ontario-bred colt pulled off the 14-1 upset at seven panels over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course. Trainer Michael De Paulo co-owns with Zilli Racing Stables, Le Amici Racing Stable and Samotowka Stables.

Heat of the Night, a gelded son of Summer Front, delivered an 11-1 win in his career bow on September 3 at Gulfstream. Trained by Timothy Hamm, the Kentucky-bred, owned by Blazing Meadows Farms and Fred Hertich, took the one-mile turf race by one length. The Summer marks the Canadian debut for Heat of the Night.

Victoria Stakes champ Ready to Repeat is 2-1-1 from four starts. Trained by Gail Cox, who co-owns the Kentucky-bred gelding with John Menary, Michael Ambler and Windways Farm, the bay was third in his most recent test, the Soaring Free Stakes on August 23 at Woodbine. Ready to Repeat finished second in his career bow on June 14 before going on to win his next two starts.

Secret Potion just missed in his debut, losing by a half-length in the 1 1/16-mile turf race at Saratoga on August 8. Owned by Peter Brant, Robert LaPenta and Woodford Racing, the son of Into Mischief was bred in Kentucky by Dixiana Farms.

Last year, Decorated Invader, under Irad Ortiz Jr., won the Summer in a time of 1:36.34.

The Summer (Race 7) and Natalma Stakes (Race 9) will be broadcast live on TSN2 from 4-6 p.m. ET.

First race post time on Sunday is set for 1:10 p.m. Fans can wager on all the action via HPIbet.com.

FIELD FOR THE SUMMER STAKES

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Download – Daisuke Fukumoto – Michael De Paulo

2 – Secret Potion – Rafael Hernandez – Chad Brown

3 – Ready to Repeat – Luis Contreras – Gail Cox

4 – Gretzky the Great – Kazushi Kimura – Mark Casse

5 – American Monarch – Justin Stein – Bill Mott

6 – Heat of the Night – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Timothy Hamm

7 – Dolder Grand – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse

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Trainer Orseno Hoping For ‘Another Miracle’ In Wednesday’s Franklin-Simpson Stakes

Four days after winning the $700,000 RUNHAPPY Turf Sprint with Imprimis, trainer Joe Orseno will try to win another Grade 3 sprint stakes with 15-1 shot Another Miracle in Wednesday's closing-day $500,000 Franklin-Simpson for 3-year-olds.

This will be Another Miracle's third start for Orseno, who received the colt from longtime clients Leonard and Jon Green upon the retirement of Gary Contessa. Another Miracle won a stakes at Saratoga as a 2-year-old and was third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

“Believe it or not, I got Another Miracle because of Imprimis,” Orseno said. “They were talking about where the horses should go. Jon said to his dad, 'Listen, Joe knows what to do. He campaigned Imprimis flawlessly. He knows horses like this.' I think I can campaign any horse, but that was nice and I got him because of that, and I'm OK with that.”

Orseno only had Another Miracle 12 days when he ran in Gulfstream Park's March 21 Texas Glitter Stakes, when Another Miracle missed the break, then hit the gate and generally had a bad trip the rest of the way in finishing seventh.

“It was just a throwout race,” he said. “I told Jon, 'I think I just need to regroup with this horse and get to know him.' We dropped back and gelded the horse, which he needed tremendously.”

Back in July 12 at Monmouth Park, Another Miracle won the $80,000 My Frenchman Stakes.

“He's a different horse,” Orseno said of the son of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. “He's very happy now. Listen, he was third in the Breeders' Cup last year so he doesn't have to get too much better to have a good campaign. I'm expecting a big race from him. He loves where he's at at Kentucky Downs. He's a horse who is really thriving.

“He's 15-1 for a reason. There are some quality horses in there. But they're all 3-year-olds. This is the time of the year where some get better. I like to think my horse will get better off one race for me.”

With jockey Paco Lopez serving a suspension, Gerardo Corrales has picked up the mount on Another Miracle. Corrales, in his first year riding at Kentucky Downs, has won four of 13 starts.

Meanwhile, Orseno said he's delighted with how Imprimis came out of his victory. The 6-year-old gelding earned a fees-paid spot in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland with his neck victory over Bombard and Front Run the Fed, who dead-heated for second. Imprimis won last year's Grade 2 Shakertown and was third in last fall's Grade 2 Woodford at Keeneland. He came in sixth in the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita.

Imprimis had surgery for correct a breathing obstruction and didn't start his 2020 season until Saratoga's Grade 3 Troy Stakes, in which he was disqualified from first to third. The RUNHAPPY Turf Sprint was his second start of the year.

“He looks fantastic,” Orseno said. “Everything says we're leaning and pushing toward the Breeders' Cup. So we'll start to get him ready. He likes Keeneland, and if it's a little soft, it doesn't bother him. And it could be soft on Nov. 7.

“Last year his first race in the Silks Run (at Gulfstream) was just phenomenal, and he came back and won the Shakertown at Keeneland,” Orseno said. “It looked like he was on his way. We got a little sidetracked, took him to Royal Ascot. In retrospect, it probably wasn't the best thing for the horse, but we wanted to try it. It just didn't work. Getting him back off of that was the tough part. So it's really gratifying, especially knowing some of the work we did to him and bringing him back. You never know when you do all that with a horse. You hope and pray he's the same horse. But a lot of them come back and they're not.”

Orseno thinks Imprimis is a better horse this year “all the way around.

“His coat and his weight he's carrying, he's very happy,” he said. “I think it all goes with the time off, what we did and the horse was not getting all his air — and now he's getting all his air and he's very happy.”

Orseno said he'll go into the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint with a good measure of confidence.

“I knew I won the race, but I didn't realize the trip he got until I watched the replay a bunch of times,” he said of the RUNHAPPY Turf Sprint. “For him at the top of the stretch to be where he was and to swing out seven-wide — I know it's a long stretch and you still have a quarter-mile to go — but I think he overcame a lot in that race in running them down. I was really pleased with that.”

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Breeders’ Cup Winner Structor Sidelined For Remainder Of 2020

Injured in a workout on June 20, last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner Structor will be out for the remainder of the year, reports the Daily Racing Form.

“He got hurt, he needs more time off,” trainer Chad Brown told drf.com.

The 3-year-old son of Palace Malice, owned by Jeff Drown and Don Rachel, won all three of his starts in 2019. Prior to the Breeders' Cup, Structor won the G3 Pilgrim Stakes at Belmont Park. Connections had considered giving the colt a shot on dirt this year, but throat surgery earlier in the season delayed that idea.