breeders' cup sprint | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘Give It A Try’: Anyportinastorm Gets His Grade 1 Shot In Bing Crosby

In keeping with the tradition of the racing family into which he was born, Blaine Wright has been a successful trainer for more than 20 years based in Northern California and Washington state.

Wright, who celebrated his 46th birthday on Saturday, is among a group of Northern California conditioners who've sent strings south to Del Mar in recent years, boosting the horse population and adding another factor for handicappers to ponder in races at every level.

Next Saturday, Wright has representatives entered in two of the three stakes on the card: Anyportinastorm in the Grade I, 6-furlong, $250,000 Bing Crosby, a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint in November at Keeneland, and Anneau d'Or in the $100,000, 1 1/16-mile Shared Belief Stakes, which offers points toward qualification for a spot in the Kentucky Derby.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has three of the six 3-year-olds entered in the Shared Belief, no surprise considering his annual deep bench of Derby contenders. But it was a surprise Sunday when Baffert entered multi-stakes winning McKinzie in the Crosby.

Wright's reaction: “I'm the kind of guy that those things don't bother me,” he said by telephone Monday. “(Baffert's) got a heck of a stable and obviously he manages it well. I just worry about my own horses and doing what's best for them.”

Anyportinastorm is a 6-year-old owned by Peter Redekop. The son of City Zip has eight wins in 16 career starts, half of them in the last eight months and accomplished in Northern California or Washington, compiling total earnings of $313,025.

“He's been kind of a touchy horse in the past, but he's sound and doing good right now,” Wright said. “When Southern California shippers have come up to Golden Gate Fields or Emerald Downs he's fared well against them. We think it's time to try him against them down there. He's 6 years old and there aren't too many chances in a Grade I for him, so we thought we'd give it a try.”

Wright is inclined to take the “discretion is the better part of valor” approach with Anneau d'Or. The Medaglia d'Or colt, also owned by Redekop and a $480,000 auction purchase in April of last year, raised Kentucky Derby hopes when runner-up to Storm the Court in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last November. But he has been off the board in three 2020 starts, all of them Grade I or II stakes.

“I'm 95 percent sure we're going to scratch and go to the Ellis Park Derby,” Wright said of the Shared Belief. “We were supposed to run in the Los Alamitos Derby (July 4), but he came down with something for about 36 hours that had him kind of blah, off his feed and with a small temperature.

“He was fine in a day or so and he had a really good workout (5 furlongs, 1:00.40, 12th of 96 at the distance, July 19). But we're planning on shipping to Kentucky and then staying there up to the Derby.”

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Equibase Analysis: Volatile Poised To Dominate Talented Vanderbilt Field

The Grade 1, $250,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap is a showcase for some of the best horses in the Breeders' Cup Sprint division each summer and this year's edition is no exception. Three millionaires are among the quintet who entered the race – Whitmore ($3.1 million), Firenze Fire ($1.9 million) and Mind Control ($1 million).

In spite of this, young upstart Volatile is the one to beat. Lexitonian rounds out the field and can't be totally counted out either based on his best prior efforts.

In somewhat similar fashion to the COVID-19 delayed 3-year-old division in the run-up to the Kentucky Derby, some horses' 2020 campaigns were delayed this winter and spring as tracks around the country were closed. The same thing has happened in other divisions, such as the sprint division, in which Volatile, who was off from November to near the end of April, returned to put in two powerhouse performances worthy of top billing in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap. Volatile debuted as a 3-year-old last July and won at first asking before finishing second then winning again, all at six furlongs.

Those efforts were nothing compared to his 2020 debut in April at Oaklawn when he dueled with another horse on sizzling early fractions (21.6, 44.8) then, in a field of 11, he still drew off by seven and one-half lengths to earn a stakes quality 119 Equibase Speed Figure. To put that in perspective, the best figure Whitmore has ever earned throughout his stellar career is 121 and the best figure Firenze Fire has ever earned is 119. After the decisive win, Volatile returned the first week of June and this time exploded to win by eight lengths with a 118 figure. Since then he's come back to work well, including three workouts at Saratoga, so we know he's holding his form. Making only his third start of the year and with improving to do as a 4-year-old, Volatile could put on a display of speed today which is on par for the kind of superb performances the Saratoga meeting has to offer every year.

Whitmore finished second in February in his 2020 debut and has won both starts since, in March and April. His trainer was planning to run him in an allowance race at Keeneland on July 12 as a prep for this race but decided to just train him up to it, and that's fine as Whitmore has won off short layoffs before. In his only previous foray to Saratoga, Whitmore won the Forego Stakes in 2018 and this six furlong trip is his forte, evidenced by a record of 12 wins in 21 starts. However, this year his three efforts yielded 111, 113 and 114 figures, which arguably are shy of what Volatile has earned in his last two races.

Firenze Fire won a stakes race as a two year old at Saratoga back in 2017, and he's won a lot of races in between in amassing a record of 11 victories from 26 starts. Last month at Belmont, Firenze Fire won the True North Stakes rather easily with a 111 figure which may seem low but being as it was only his second start after four months off, there is potential to improve back to the level when he won the Fabulous Strike Stakes last fall with a 119 figure, or when second in the 2019 Vanderbilt with a 117 figure.

Mind Control is another classy horse, with a seven for 13 career record including two wins at Saratoga in two tries. One of those came in the Hopeful Stakes in only the third start of his career in 2018. The other came last August in the H. Allen Jerkins Stakes. After five months off, Mind Control returned to win his first two races of 2020, with a career- best 113 figure effort in the Tom Fool Handicap at this distance in March. Returning on a sloppy track in June, Mind Control was no factor in the Carter Handicap and I have no issue drawing a line through that race. Like Volatile, Mind Control is a 4-year-old who can improve and contend in this race.

Lexitonian won the Concern Stakes last July and the Chick Lang Stakes on Preakness weekend last May but has only won one time in five races since. That win came at the end of May and although he beat Hog Creek Hustle, who had finished second to Mind Control in last year's Jerkins Stakes at Saratoga, the figure was just 101. As such, I think it's asking a bit too much of Lexitonian to beat any of the other four top sprinters in this race.

Win Contender:
Volatile

Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap – Grade 1
Race 10 at Saratoga
Saturday, July 25 – Post Time 6:16 PM E.T.
Six Furlongs
Three Years Olds and Upward
Purse: $250,000

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Frank Alexander, 82, Trainer Of Champion Cherokee Run, Passes

Frank A. Alexander, whose training career spanned five decades, died on Friday in South Florida at the age of 82.

Mr. Alexander won 997 races from 1970 until his retirement in 2012, the biggest coming in the 1994 Breeders' Cup Sprint with Cherokee Run, who would be voted an Eclipse Award as the year's outstanding sprinter. Cherokee Run, who won five other stakes and finished second to Prairie Bayou in the 1993 Preakness, went on to a highly successful stud career at Darley at Jonabell in Lexington, Ky.

He trained 73 other stakes winners during his career, including Grade 1 winners K.J.'s Appeal, Wallenda, Nonsuch Bay and Lucky Roberto. Mr. Alexander enjoyed a longstanding relationship with the late Cot Campbell of Dogwood Stable, for whom he trained Wallenda, winner of the 1993 G1 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs. Other prominent owners Mr. Alexander trained for included Barry Schwartz, J. Mack Robinson and David Reynolds.

Born Oct. 18, 1937, in Glen Cove, Long Island, N.Y., Mr. Alexander was based in New York for most of his career, wintering in South Florida. He retired to Hollywood Beach, Fla., in 2012, telling Daily Racing Form's David Grening “I don't have any stock. It's getting harder and harder to get clients. You feel like a mom and pop operation between Lowe's and Home Depot.”

Mr. Alexander is survived by his wife, Linda. Additional information, including funeral arrangements, will be added to this article when it becomes available.

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Two-Time Champion Sprinter Roy H Retired

Roy H (More Than Ready), champion sprinter of 2017 and 2018, has been retired at age eight, trainer Peter Miller said in a statement Thursday.

“It is with some sadness but also great joy that we announce the retirement of Roy H from racing,” Miller said. “What can you say about a horse like this who has given us so many thrilling moments? He is the embodiment of class and we will definitely miss seeing him compete. Fortunately, we will not have to miss him for long as he will be retired as a barn pony and remain a very important part of our team. He is a ‘favorite son’ among our staff and the feeling seems to be mutual as Roy H loves to be around the other horses and loves to train.”

Bought for $310,000 at the 2014 Keeneland April 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, Roy H campaigned for Rockingham Ranch and David Bernsen. He picked up his first stakes win in the 2017 GII True North S. and followed with victories in the GI Santa Anita Sprint Championship S. and GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint. He repeated in both of those events in 2018 and last raced when capturing the GII Palos Verdes S. last January.

“He gave Rockingham Ranch and me a tremendous ride,” Miller added. “It was both an honor and a pleasure to train such a magnificent animal. He is sound and healthy and this seemed like the right time to make this change in his career. We’ve had him since he was a 2-year-old, so watching him grow and mature into a world champion has been a great gift.”

Roy H retires with a record of 23/10-5-2 and earnings of $3,139,765.

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