Tag: Breeders’ Cup

Peter Brant's Virginia Joy upset 1-5 favorite War Like Goddess with a front-running score in the $600,000 Flower Bowl (G2), an 11-furlong inner turf test for older fillies and mares, Saturday at Saratoga Race Course.

The victory provided Brant [5] and trainer Chad Brown [6] with record extending scores in the Flower Bowl, which offered a “Win and You're In” berth to the $2 million Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G2) going 1 3/16 miles on November 5 at Keeneland.

Piloted by the Spa's leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr., who notched his fourth Flower Bowl score, the 5-year-old Solider Hollow mare set fractions of :26.47, 53.29, 1:19.59, and 1:45.29 over the firm going under little pressure from the stalking Coastana as the Joel Rosario-piloted War Like Goddess saved ground in fifth position.

War Like Goddess advanced to the outside of Flanigan's Cove through the final of three turns and took dead aim at the pacesetter, but could not reel in a runaway Virginia Joy, who notched the neck victory in a final time of 2:19.51. It was a further 1 1/4-lengths back to Coastana in third with Temple City Terror, Flanigan's Cove and Marvelous Maude rounding out the order of finish. Capital Structure was scratched.

It was the German-bred bay's first score since a gate-to-wire 14 1/4-length romp under Ortiz in the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay over yielding ground in May at Belmont Park.

“That was our plan. There wasn't any speed in the race,” Brown said. “She had already won a nice race earlier in the season going wire-to-wire, so I told Irad, 'why don't you put her on the lead. Unless somebody goes crazy, just put her out there and just see how far she'll go.' She's been effective before doing it, so it worked out.”

Brown, who won this event previously with Stacelita [2011], Stephanie's Kitten [2014-15], Lady Eli [2016], Fourstar Crook [2018] and Sistercharlie [2019], said he knew the favored War Like Goddess would eventually come calling.

“I know there was a real bear behind her getting ready to come at her,” Brown said. “Fortunately for us, she had some traffic trouble, the favorite, and she started her run a little later than I'm sure she wished she could have and we were able to just beat her to the wire.”

Ortiz, who captured the Grade 3 Saranac earlier on the card aboard Annapolis, said the plan worked to perfection.

“It was a comfortable lead and that was the plan to make the lead and make it as slow as I can. It worked out good,” Ortiz, Jr. said. “She gave me a great kick from the quarter pole to the eighth pole. I worked on her and she stayed on and that was the only reason she held on.”

Virginia Joy entered from a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Glens Falls on August 6 at the Spa, defeated 1 3/4-lengths by the victorious War Like Goddess and a half-length back of runner-up and returning rival Temple City Terror.

War Like Goddess, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, overcame slow-paced setups in her previous two starts this year to notch successful title defenses in the Grade 3 Bewitch in April at Keeneland ahead of her Glens Falls coup.

Mott lamented the soft splits.

“You would even hope for a :51 or something like that, but :53 and 1:19 for the three-quarters is just impossible to overcome,” Mott said. “When they went into the first turn I thought the horses were going well enough and then of course, as they came by the stands for the first time they were slowing it down, slowing it down, slowing it down. By that time, he [Rosario] was getting a ground saving trip. He was stuck down on the rail.

“I'm not sure if he had an opportunity to maybe let her pick up horses and I think there was maybe one point where he did, but he opted not to do it,” Mott continued. “She came flying. She's a good horse. I don't know how fast she came home, but she was rolling. Pace makes the race and in this case, it wasn't meant for us.”

Brown said he will take time to consider a Breeders' Cup try for Virginia Joy, who added to Brant's past Flower Bowl winners of Just a Game [1980], Scoot [1986], River Memories [1989] and Sistercharlie.

“You know, I'm not sure. She certainly showed a lot today,” Brown said. “She had it her way though to be realistic about it. We'll see. The races get harder as you start to put the Grade 1s next to them. She's a quality horse and probably deserves consideration after today.”

Bred in Germany by Gestut Auenquelle, Virginia Joy banked $330,000 in victory while improving her record to 14-6-2-2. She returned $11.80 for a $2 win bet.

The post ‘She Was Rolling’: Virginia Joy Makes All The Pace In Flower Bowl, Holds On For Narrow Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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All year long, Olympiad had displayed capabilities as a force to be reckoned with in the older horse division with four graded stakes victories against quality company. On Saturday, the 4-year-old son of Speightstown made an even stronger case for himself, passing his first 10-furlong test with aplomb against six other graded stakes winners and capturing his first Grade 1 victory in the 104th renewal of the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott and owned by Grandview Equine, LNJ Foxwoods and Cheyenne Stables, Olympiad captured the Grade 3 Mineshaft on February 19 and Grade 2 New Orleans Classic on March 26 at Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots before securing triumphs in Churchill Downs' Grade 2 Alysheba on May 6 and Grade 2 Stephen Foster on July 2. The 4-year-old Speightstown colt entered the Jockey Club Gold Cup off his lone defeat this year when a distant fourth behind fellow older horse division stalwart Life Is Good in the Grade 1 Whitney on August 6 at the Spa.

“It's gratifying to see him come back,” said Mott, who captured previous runnings of the Jockey Club Gold Cup with Hall of Famer Cigar [1995], Flat Out [2012], and Ron the Greek [2013]. “The [performance] the other day was almost too bad to be true considering the form he had been in the previous five races. It was just good to see him bounce back. He's a Grade 1 winner, he's won six out of seven races this year and he's got a pretty good record for himself.”

In capturing the Jockey Club Gold Cup – a Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” event for 3-year-olds and upward – Olympiad earned an automatic entry into the $6-million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1)  November 5 at Keeneland. He added to his qualifying scores after capturing the Stephen Foster (G2), which also is a “Win And You're In” qualifying race, July 2 at Churchill Downs.

Olympiad, breaking from post 2 under Junior Alvarado, utilized the similar stalk-and-pounce technique that was used in his five previous wins this year and sat one length off an easy pace in second, while three-time graded stakes winner Tax established command into the first turn through an opening quarter-mile in :24.54over the fast main track.

Positions remained unchanged through a half-mile in :49.70, with Olympiad right off the flank of Tax and Americanrevolution in third. Alvarado began calling on Olympiad as Tax continued to lead through three-quarters in 1:13.47, and matched strides with the frontrunner around the far turn with Americanrevolution in pursuit to his outside.

At the top of the stretch, Olympiad was the one to catch with Americanrevolution still trying hard in second. But Olympiad had plenty in reserve to keep the reigning New York-Bred Horse of the Year at bay, crossing the finish line a two-length winner in a final time of 2:02.11. Americanrevolution finished another 1 3/4 lengths ahead of the late-charging dual graded stakes winner First Captain.

Completing the order of finish were Untreated, Keepmeinmind, Dynamic One, Chess Chief and Tax.

Alvarado, the pilot in all of Olympiad's seven starts this year, said he was pleased to see his charge make amends after the lackluster Whitney effort.

“We're still scratching our heads to be honest. He just didn't run his race last time. I would've been OK if he ran his race last time and just got beat as long as I knew he was running his race, but there was nothing from him last time,” Alvarado said. “I remember telling Billy, 'by the five-eighths pole, I wanted to jump off and reset the race.' I knew that wasn't him. I'm so happy today he redeemed himself. He showed up. He's the horse we always thought and we're going with a win into the Breeders' Cup.”

Mott noted the difference in Olympiad's demeanor in the paddock compared to his Whitney appearance.

“After we put the saddle on him, he was walking around on his toes. He was a little quiet the other day when it was so hot – he kind of had his head down a little bit and looked a little too quiet. I think everyone was moving a little slow,” Mott recalled. “But today, he looked like he had a little extra energy and like he had a little extra bounce in his step just before we put the jocks on. He looked good.”

Alvarado said the distance was never of concern.

“The only question was [the last race], because I was so confused why he ran like that last time without putting any effort when he always does,” Alvarado said. “Even when he got beat when he was a maiden and then the layoff, he always put in a good effort on this track. He ran today like I always thought he could and it was unbelievable. The race set up, he puts himself in a great spot all the time and makes your job very easy. That was great today.”

Olympiad, who returned $5.40 for a $2 win bet, was bred in Kentucky by Emory Hamilton and was bought for $700,000 by Solis-Litt Bloodstock at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where he was consigned by Gainesway. He is out of the graded stakes-placed Medaglia d'Oro mare Tokyo Time, a half sister to multiple graded stakes winner Hungry Island.

Banking $535,000 in victory, Olympiad brought his lifetime bankroll just past the $2 million mark and now brags a consistent 8-1-1 record from 12 starts having never finished worse than fourth.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher saddled four contenders in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, including runner-up Americanrevolution, who entered the race as the lone Grade 1-winner in the field, boasting a win in last year's Grade 1 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct.

The Hall of Fame conditioner expressed encouragement in Americanrevolution's first start going 10 furlongs.

“He got stuck out there three-wide all the way around there. Olympiad got a jump on him at the quarter pole and he was playing catch up from there,” Pletcher said. “He kept grinding away. I think he saw out the mile and a quarter no problem, he just couldn't quite close the gap that was created at the top of the stretch.”

Pletcher also sent out Untreated, Keepmeinmind, and Dynamic One, and said the latter two were compromised by a lack of pace.

“He [Keepmeinmind] had a pretty wide trip. For him and Dynamic One, they were last and next to last turning up the backside and they went 13 and change,” Pletcher said. “That was my biggest concern, not really much pace on paper, and it unfolded that way and created an advantage for the horses up close.”

As far as Breeders' Cup Classic aspirations are concerned, Pletcher said both Americanrevolution and Dynamic One could very well be legitimate contenders, pointing out the latter's 10-furlong win in the last out Grade 2 Suburban on July 9 at Belmont Park.

“We'll see what we do between now and then,” Pletcher said. “From what we saw in the Suburban, Dynamic One, in a different scenario, could fit. I think Americanrevolution showed today that a mile and a quarter is within his range.”

The post Olympiad Back To His Best In Jockey Club Gold Cup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The Estate of James J. Coleman Jr.'s graded stakes winning Chess Chief looks to light up the tote board in Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup, a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic in November at Keeneland.

Contested at the Classic 10-furlong distance on Saratoga Race Course's main track, Chess Chief will break from post 4 under jockey Manny Franco.

The 6-year-old son of Into Mischief was fifth in this event last year and most recently was third in the Alydar August 4 at the Spa. He closed out his 2021 campaign with a win in the Tenacious at Fair Grounds Race Course, where he has posted all five of his wins through 34 career starts and purse earnings of $894,369.

The hard-knocking Virginia-bred made the grade in March 2021 in the Grade 2 New Orleans Classic and finished sixth in his title defense this spring.

Despite being made the longest shot of 30-1 on the morning line, trainer Dallas Stewart said he is expecting his horse to run a big race.

“He's a real warrior. He ran in this race last year but was coming off a bad grass race,” said Stewart. “This year he's had a race over the track and a couple of real good works over the main track. He galloped as fresh as a 2-year-old this morning.”

Chess Chief's most recent work was at five-eighths on August 28 over the Spa main track, covering the ground in 1:01.25.

Stewart is no stranger to Grade 1 success at the Spa, including the 2017 Personal Ensign with Forever Unbridled and the 2015 Ballerina with her full-sister Unbridled Forever.

“We won a couple Grade 1s here before,” said Stewart. “We only bring a small amount of horses, but it's just like any other race. You've got to get in there and fight it out.”

It has been a long road back to top company for 2019 Grade 2 Jim Dandy winner Tax, who returned to the races from a 19-month layoff in July to score a wire-to-wire victory in the Battery Park at Delaware Park. The 6-year-old son of Arch will now try for a Grade 1 victory in Saturday's $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup going 10 furlongs for 3-year-olds and up at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained and co-owned by Danny Gargan with R.A. Hill Stable, Tax last faced Grade 1 company in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational in January 2021 at Gulfstream Park, his last race before an injury that forced his lengthy respite.

“Off that big a layoff, it was so rewarding,” Gargan said of the Battery Park effort. “And they made him the favorite when he hadn't run in 532 days. He's a really cool horse.”

Tax made a quick ascent to the graded ranks as a juvenile, graduating at second asking in a maiden claiming race at Keeneland where he was haltered by Gargan for $50,000. He followed with a third in the Grade 2 Remsen before making the grade in his sophomore debut with an off-the-pace score in the Grade 3 Withers, both at Aqueduct Racetrack. He punched his ticket to the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby with a runner-up finish to Tacitus in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial that April and subsequently finished 14th in the “Run for the Roses.”

Tax went on to have a prosperous second half of his 3-year-old season that included a close fourth in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes, his determined three-quarter-length score over Tacitus in the Jim Dandy and a runner-up finish to Performer in the Grade 3 Discovery at the Big A to close out the year. As a 4-year-old, he competed in his first Pegasus World Cup and won the Grade 3 Harlan's Holiday at Gulfstream Park.

Gargan said he is excited to have Tax back in Grade 1 company.

“We didn't know it would take this long, but it's pretty cool,” Gargan said. “It's a big step forward and he's going to have to run a big step forward, so it will be fun to see if he still has that desire to be in that kind of caliber. If he does, we'll keep doing it and if not, we'll go back and figure it out. I would love to see him hit the board.”

Tax will run 10 furlongs for the first time since an even fifth-place finish in the 2019 Travers at the Spa. Gargan said the dark bay gelding, who is 3-for-3 going 1 1/16 miles, may be at his distance limits in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, but that his class will carry him when he exits the inside post under Kendrick Carmouche.

“He'll be on the lead and hopefully he runs big. We'll break out of that one hole running,” said Gargan. “The only thing that worries me is that the mile and a quarter might not be his best distance. It's funny to say this, but he's undefeated at a mile and a sixteenth. But he ran good in the Belmont. There were a couple different options here, but we waited on this race and we'll see how it goes. He likes this track and he's a happy horse.”

The post JCGC Longshots: Chess Chief ‘A Real Warrior,’ Tax Will ‘Break Out Of That One Hole Running’ appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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You're a true horseman when every time you see a quality horse you wonder 'What would it be like to ride him.' The man to answer that question about Flightline, this Saturday's TVG Pacific Classic favorite, is Juan Leyva, assistant trainer to John Sadler and exercise rider for Flightline.

“He's not like any other horse,” Leyva says. “He does everything a lot easier than most horses do.”

Like the five furlongs “soft” work he put in last Saturday in :59.60.

“That's the great thing about him,” Leyva says. “He can go out there and run fast and not even exert himself.”

Flightline posted three consecutive bullet works in August as Sadler prepared him for the TVG Pacific Classic, each week progressing a little farther. From 5-furlongs in :59.00 on the sixth, to 6-furlongs in 1:12.40 on the 13^th and seven furlongs in 1:24 on the 20^th.

“This horse has a very special way of moving,” Leyva says. “Really effortlessly but yet, you feel all that power that's in there. And he's smooth.”

Leyva was a successful jockey before he landed as Sadler's assistant. He amassed earnings of nearly $23 million during a career that spanned 17 years, from 2001 to 2017. He won the Breeders' Cup Sprint with Musical Romance in 2011 and retired with 803 victories.

He got to work Accelerate, another standout from the Sadler barn, who won the Pacific Classic in 2018 and then the Breeders' Cup Classic later in the year. Accelerate would have been a shoe-in for Horse of the Year but there was this Triple Crown winner named Justify that year. Leyva says there's no comparison between Accelerate and Flightline.

“Accelerate was a really good horse but he didn't move the way this horse (Flightline) moves.”

Flightline is the 1-5 morning line favorite for the TVG Pacific Classic that goes off as Race 10 on the special 11-race card Saturday at Del Mar.

Here's the field from the rail with the jockeys and morning line odds: Extra Hope (Tyler Baze, 30-1); Country Grammer (John Velazquez, 4-1); Royal Ship (Mike Smith, 8-1); Express Train (Victor Espinoza, 12-1); Flightline (Flavien Prat) and Stilleto Boy (Juan Hernandez, 20-1)

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