Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘Older, Wiser And Hopefully A Little Better’: Desormeaux, Hess Back Together For Breeders’ Cup

In 1991, Robert B. Hess, Jr., won the first of back-to-back Del Mar training titles. In 1992, Hess' championship cohort was jockey Kent Desormeaux, who would score his first of back-to-back riding titles and rack up 135 wins in the two-year span.

A lot has happened in the 30 years since.

Desormeaux, 51, has notched victories in three Kentucky Derbies, three Preakness and a Belmont Stakes. He has six Breeders' Cup wins, three Eclipse Awards and has held membership in racing's Hall of Fame since 2004. With two wins Sunday at Santa Anita, Equibase statistics show him with 6,101 career victories from 32,413 mounts in a 35-year career.

Hess, 56, has gone nationwide with strings in Kentucky and Florida. But the native of Chula Vista has remained headquartered in Southern California and unabashedly citing Del Mar as holding a special place in his heart.

“Del Mar is my paradise,” Hess said Sunday. It is, after all, the place that provided him with his first winner (Palapiano, July 31, 1987), first training title in 1991 and first graded stakes winner (River Special, 1992 Del Mar Futurity).

And as they have over the years, Desormeaux and Hess are hoping to make headlines again when they team up with Cairo Memories in the Juvenile Fillies Turf and Chaos Theory in the Turf Sprint during Breeders' Cup weekend.

“I've got gray hair and he's got a couple of wrinkles, but hopefully we're older, wiser and hopefully a little better,” Hess said. “But we have the A-team back together and we're looking forward to it.”

Cairo Memories, a daughter of Cairo Prince, was pre-entered in the Juvenile Fillies and Juvenile Fillies Turf and will go in the $1 million, one mile grass event. She is 2-for-2 in a career begun at Del Mar on Sept. 5 and comes in off a win in the Surfer Girl Stakes at Santa Anita on Oct. 3.

“Cairo is splendid, a wonderful, gifted filly and just a pleasure to be around,” Hess said. “Unless the jock screws it up (with a wink toward Desormeaux), I think we'll get the money.”

Chaos Theory, like Cairo Memories owned by David Bernsen and partners, is a 6-year-old gelded son of Curlin. He has six wins in 18 starts with earnings of $359,454. Chaos Theory is 0-for-5 in 2021 but won both his career starts at Del Mar – the Green Flash in August and an optional claimer in November of 2020. Desormeaux was aboard for the first time in a third-place finish in the Eddie D Stakes at Santa Anita on Oct. 1.

Chaos Theory is one of 19 pre-entered in the $1 million, five-furlong event.

“Chaos, if he gets in, will run fantastic,” Hess said. “I've tweaked a few things, Kent knows him even better and it will be at his favorite distance on his favorite turf course.”

Desormeaux has one other Breeders' Cup mount lined up, Oviatt Class in the $2 million TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile for his trainer/brother Keith.

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Flurry Of Breeders’ Cup Potentials Work At Keeneland Saturday

Seven horses with aspirations to compete in the Nov. 5-6 Breeders' Cup World Championships – including four stakes winners during Keeneland's Fall Stars Weekend on the opening weekend of the Fall Meet – worked over a turf course labeled good Saturday morning at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.

Peter Brant's Blowout (GB), winner of the Grade 1 First Lady Presented by UK HealthCare and a candidate for the $2 million Grade 1 Maker's Mark Filly and Mare Turf on Nov. 6, worked a half-mile on her own in :50.80 for trainer Chad Brown.

Phoenix Thoroughbred III's Tiz the Bomb, winner of the Grade 2 Castle & Key Bourbon and a candidate for the $1 million Grade 1 Juvenile Turf on Nov. 5, worked five furlongs on his own in 1:01.80 for trainer Kenny McPeek.

Also working for McPeek was Arriba Arequipa's Reina de Mollendo (ARG) who covered five furlongs in 1:06.40 on her own in preparation for a possible Filly and Mare Turf start.

Trainer Wesley Ward worked a trio of runners headed by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and Westerberg's Golden Pal, winner of the Grade 2 Woodford Presented by TVG.

Winner of last fall's Grade 2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and a candidate for this year's $1 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, Golden Pal drilled five furlongs in 1:00.80 with splits of :24.20, :37.20, :49, and 1:00.80. (Click here for a video of the work.)

Other Ward workers were Hat Creek Racing's Averly Jane, winner of the Indian Summer Presented by Keeneland Select, and Gregory Kaufman's Kaufymaker, second in the Indian Summer. Working together for possible starts in the $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint, the undefeated Averly Jane covered five furlongs in 1:03.40 and Kaufymaker went the distance in 1:03.80.

Calumet Farm's Channel Cat, prepping for a possible second start in the $4 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf, worked five furlongs on his own in 1:02.20 with splits of :25.20, :38.60, :50.40 and 1:02.20 for trainer Jack Sisterson.

Three other possible Breeders' Cup runners posted works on the fast main track.

Also working for Calumet and Sisterson was Lexitonian, who covered 5 furlongs in 1:00.60. Winner of the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt two starts back, Lexitonian is a candidate for the $2 million Grade 1 Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint.

Peter Brant's Dunbar Road, runner-up to Letruska in the Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster, worked a half-mile in :49 for trainer Chad Brown in preparation for a likely third start in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1).

Dare To Dream Stable's American Sanctuary, fourth in the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, worked a half-mile in :48.40 for trainer Chris Davis. He is possible for the $2 million TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.

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Golden Pal Bounces Back in Woodford

Looking to rebound off a disappointing and well-backed seventh in the G1 Coolmore Nunthorpe S. at York Aug. 20, Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) was made to work for it up front, but he found an extra gear in the final furlong and came away to a relatively easy victory in Saturday's GII Woodford S. at Keeneland.

The 1-2 chalk bounced well from his low gate, but was closely followed by Firecrow (Maclean's Music), who forced the pace through an opening quarter in :21.51. The latter looked poised to strike and was in with every conceivable chance in upper stretch, as too was globetrotting G1 Al Quoz Sprint hero Extravagant Kid (Kiss the Kid), but Golden Pal responded to John Velazquez's right-handed urgings and had something left, drawing away to win by 2 1/4 lengths. Extravagant Kid held for second ahead of County Final (Oxbow) in third.

“He was very game,” Velazquez said. “Before the race–I never rode him so I asked Julio [Garcia, an exercise rider and jockey for trainer Wesley Ward]. He said, 'Just put your hands down and he'll run for you; even if he gets passed he'll run for you.' I left him alone and when [Firecrow] came to him and put the head in front, I was like, 'Hey, we got to come back and run.' I got after him, and he gradually got away from the other horse. It took me two or three jumps to engage him back into the race, and after that he was pretty good.”

A painful second in last term's G2 Norfolk S. at Royal Ascot, the bay earned his diploma in style in Saratoga's Skidmore S., then flaunted his speed with a front-running, tour-de-force victory from post 13 in the GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint over this same Keeneland turf course Nov. 6. He kicked off his sophmore campaign, sporting the Coolmore silks for the first time, with an easy win in Saratoga's Quick Call S. prior to his aforementioned trip across the pond.

Pedigree Notes:

Golden Pal is one of 40 graded winners for his top sire, but is the only one out of a Midshipman mare-two are out of mares by Midshipman's sire Unbridled's Song. He is the lone graded winner from a small number of mares so far for Midshipman.

'TDN Rising Star' Lady Shipman, perhaps among the most talented runners in recent memory to have never won a Grade I-she missed by a neck in the 2015 GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint-was also bred by Randy Lowe and he still owns her. She produced an Omaha Beach colt Mar. 24 and is back in foal to Uncle Mo. A Violence half-brother to Lady Shipman RNA'd for $170,000 at Fasig-Tipton July.

For more on Lowe and Golden Pal, click here for a Second Chances column.

Saturday, Keeneland
WOODFORD S. PRESENTED BY TVG-GII, $200,000, Keeneland, 10-9, 3yo/up, 5 1/2fT, 1:03.12, gd.
1–GOLDEN PAL, 118, c, 3, by Uncle Mo
1st Dam: Lady Shipman (GSW-Can, MSW & GISP-US, $902,387), by Midshipman
2nd Dam: Sumthingtotalkabt, by Mutakddim
3rd Dam: Nannetta, by Falstaff
($325,000 RNA Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Mrs John Magnier, Michael B Tabor, Derrick Smith & Westerberg; B-Randall E Lowe (FL); T-Wesley A Ward; J-John R Velazquez. $120,000. Lifetime Record: GSP-Eng, 7-4-2-0, $779,056. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Extravagant Kid, 124, g, 8, Kiss the Kid–Pretty Extravagant, by With Distinction. O-DARRS Inc; B-Vicino Racing Stable (FL); T-Brendan P Walsh. $40,000.
3–County Final, 118, g, 3, Oxbow–Tapajo, by Tapit. ($9,500 Ylg '19 KEESEP; $475,000 2yo '20 FTKHRA). O-West Point Thoroughbreds, William Sandbrook & Anna Marie Shannon; B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-Steven M Asmussen. $20,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, HF, HD. Odds: 0.50, 3.30, 12.10.
Also Ran: Johnny Unleashed, Inhalation (GB), Firecrow, Charcoal.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Golden Pal Bounces Back in Woodford appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Midnight Worker Shifts To Turf For ‘Win And You’re In’ Futurity

Repole Stable's Midnight Worker will take his talents to the turf for the first time in Sunday's Grade 3, $150,000 Futurity, a six-furlong inner turf sprint for juveniles at Belmont Park.

The Futurity offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the Grade 2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint on November 5 at Del Mar.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Midnight Worker posted a game debut win sprinting six furlongs on the main track on July 24 at Saratoga Race Course. He followed with a prominent third in the one-mile Sapling on September 5 on the Monmouth Park main track.

By the Pletcher-trained Outwork and out of the stakes-placed Speightstown mare Spice Lady [who was also conditioned by Pletcher], Midnight Worker was scratched from Sunday's Grade 2 Pilgrim here, a 1 1/16-mile turf test won by stablemate Annapolis.

Midnight Worker has breezed twice over the Belmont inner turf, including a sharp half-mile in 48.44 seconds on September 26.

“I worked him a couple of times on the grass and he seemed to breeze pretty well over it, so hopefully he can step up,” Pletcher said. “It seems like the Outworks are pretty versatile. He's had some winners on both dirt and turf which gives you some options.”

Manny Franco has the call from post 2.

Jump Sucker Stable's Slipstream, by More Than Ready, graduated at third asking by 5 1/2-lengths sprinting seven furlongs on the Belmont turf on September 18.

Trained by Christophe Clement, Slipstream, out of the Stormy Atlantic mare Cake Baby, was purchased for $170,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Slipstream will exit post 4 under Joel Rosario.

Trainer Wesley Ward entered a pair of fillies in Castleton Lyons' Chi Town Lady and Arnmore Thoroughbreds' Poppy Flower, who are both cross-entered here in Saturday's Grade 3 Matron where they drew posts 8 and 1, respectively, in a field of 12 juvenile fillies.

Chi Town Lady, by Verrazano, graduated at first asking sprinting 4 1/2-furlongs in April on the main track at Keeneland and followed last out with an impressive 1 3/4-length score over Poppy Flower in the 5 1/2-furlong Bolton Landing, overcoming a stumbled start and yielding turf on August 18 at the Spa.

Poppy Flower, a Lea chestnut, graduated at third asking sprinting six furlongs on the Belmont turf in June ahead of her pacesetting effort in the Bolton Landing. She enters from a prominent third in the 6 1/2-furlong Ainsworth on September 12 at Kentucky Downs.

Ward won the 2019 Futurity with Four Wheel Drive, who went on to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez is named on Chi Town Lady from post 5, while Jose Ortiz has the call aboard Poppy Flower from post 8.

Rounding out the field are Rick Violette-stakes winner Run Curtis Run [post 1, Eric Cancel]; Live Oak Plantation homebred maiden winner Biz Biz Buzz [post 3, Javier Castellano]; and a pair for trainer Jim Chapman in Ready to March [post 7, Charles Roberts] and Kavod [post 6, Paco Lopez].

The Futurity is slated as Race 5 on Sunday's 9-race which also features the Grade 2, $250,000 Beldame at nine furlongs for fillies and mares; and the Grade 3, $150,000 Knickerbocker, a nine-furlong turf test for 3-year-olds and up.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

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