Tag: Breeders’ Cup

After owning Thoroughbreds for nearly two decades, Lee Einsidler of LRE Racing secured what he considers to be his best victory to date with Casa Creed in Fourstardave (G1) Saturday at Saratoga Race Course, a “Win And You're In” qualifier for the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) at Keeneland.

Casa Creed squared off against multiple Grade 1-winning mare Regal Glory, who was unbeaten in her last four starts, three at Grade 1 level, and was made the 1-2 favorite at post time. But the day belonged to Casa Creed, who settled at the rear of the five-horse field, made a wide sweeping move approaching the quarter pole and found his best stride in deep stretch, drawing away to a 1 1/2-length victory. He garnered a 103 Beyer Speed Figure for the win, which is his second highest figure.

Additionally, Casa Creed provided Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott with a record-extending fifth victory in the Fourstardave. He previously won the Fourstardave with Hap [2000], Silver Tree [2007], Seek Again [2014] and Tourist [2016], the latter of whom won that year's Breeders' Cup Mile.

“All wins are special at all levels. For a lot of reasons, I think for me, yesterday was the best win we've ever had,” Einsidler said. “The thing is before the race, everyone wanted to give the trophy to Regal Glory. I've learned betting on horses for 50 years and owning them for 20, whenever you're ready to award the trophy before they run the race, it never works out. It was very gratifying.”

Einsidler, who owns the multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire in partnership with Mike Francesa's JEH Racing Stable, said the Kentucky-bred son of Spendthrift Farm sire Jimmy Creed appears to be at his best at the ripe age of 6.

“Bill Mott and I were in his stall a few weeks ago and he said 'Lee, he's better today than he's ever been in his entire career.' He's just been flourishing,” Einsidler recalled. “They say a lot of horses are at their best at five. Yesterday was the best performance of his career and he's a 6-year-old. He's just amazing. I'd say right now, he's at the total top of his game.”

A veteran of 27 lifetime starts, including victories in the last two runnings of the Jaipur (G1) at Belmont Park, Casa Creed was also third in the previous two runnings of the Fourstardave. Showing versatility in both one-turn turf sprints and two-turn route races, Casa Creed earned his first career graded stakes victory during his sophomore campaign in Saratoga's National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (G1) in August 2019.

Following a productive 5-year-old season, which saw victories in the Elusive Quality and Jaipur at Belmont, Casa Creed made his 2022 debut in the Group 3 1351 Turf Sprint Cup on February 26 at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Saudi Arabia. He was a hard fought second beaten a neck under Luis Saez, who has piloted the horse in all four of his starts this year.

“He went up here at a mile as a 3-year-old, so I never thought a mile was a problem for him. What we have learned the past couple of years is the jock has to be very patient,” Einsidler said. “You learn as you go, and the rider learns as you go. But if we could run some of the races over again, we would probably have taken him back a little more and been a little more patient to let him put in that amazing late kick that he has. We learned that when we sprinted him.

Luis Saez was very confident yesterday that if he took him back and waited when the filly made her move, we'd make our move,” Einsidler added. “We all felt that his kick in the Jaipur showed us that they would have a hard time holding him off yesterday and that's what happened.”

With victories in both this year's Fourstardave and Jaipur, Casa Creed received an automatic entry into both the Mile as well as the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. Einsidler said Casa Creed will focus in on the Mile, a race he finished a respective 12th and eighth in the past two years.

“[The Turf Sprint] is only 5 1/2 [furlongs] sprinting at Keeneland, which is a little short for him,” Einsidler said. “From what we saw yesterday, if all goes according to plan, I'm sure we'll show up in the Mile as long as he's training great and feels great.”

A start between the Fourstardave and the Breeders' Cup has not been ruled out for Casa Creed. Should he race once in between, Einsidler said it would likely take place in the Coolmore Turf Mile (G1) on October 8 at Keeneland. Casa Creed was a pacesetting fourth in the 2020 edition of that race.

“If he's telling us he has to run, we'll run him there which is fine because you got four weeks to the Breeders' Cup and a trip over the course,” Einsidler said. “He's run there before, but now he's much better today than he was then. So, I think the idea of running him over there makes all the sense in the world, but if Mott wants to wait and train him up to the Breeders' Cup, that's why he's in the Hall of Fame. He makes those decisions.”

Einsidler also welcomed the possibility of Casa Creed staying in training for a 2023 campaign.

“If he stays sound and he's doing great, we'll run him next year,” said Einsidler. “There's a stallion career somewhere for him, but I'm all about racing so that's what we're going to do.”

The post ‘Yesterday Was The Best Win We’ve Ever Had’: Casa Creed Provides Connections With Meaningful Victory In Fourstardave appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Cheveley Park Stud homberd Inspiral banished the memories of her shock defeat last time out at Newmarket to claim a third career Group 1 win when she took the Prix du Haras de Fresnay-Le-Buffard Jacques Le Marois (G1) Sunday at Deauville.

The victory secured Inspiral, a 3-year-old Frankel filly ridden by Frankie Dettoriee, a guaranteed starting position in the $2 million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In.

Inspiral, trained by John and Thady Gosden, was held up in midfield in the early stages of the race as the Japanese challenger Bathrat Leon made the early running.

As the race developed within the final two furlongs, Dettori made his move aboard Inspiral, who quickened up smartly and struck the front. She was not to be passed and bravely held off the late challenge from the France-based Light Infantry to win by a neck. Erevann was another neck behind the front pair in third place. Order of Australia, the 2020 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) winner, finished fourth, followed by 8-5 favorite Coroebus in fifth.

After completing the mile in 1:34.07 over a course listed as soft, Inspiral was cut to 8-1 with Bet365 for the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile November 5 at Keeneland.

A daughter of Frankel, Inspiral had won her first five races before finishing second at odds-on in the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes (G1) at Newmarket on July 8.

John Gosden speaking after the race, said: “There was a strong pace today and they went hard up-front. Then she switched off and relaxed and when she wanted to go Frankie said go and she hit the front a little soon to say the least.

“She's a 3-year-old filly taking on older horses and she gets a little weight for that which makes a difference no doubt, but I think she's showing her versatility. The key with her is to get her to relax early. She's very generous and wants to give but sometimes with that she can be a little overenthusiastic, but she's done it well today and showed a lot of courage in the closing stages.”

Gosden indicated that Inspiral would now be freshened up ahead of a tilt at the one-mile QIPCO Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on QIPCO British Champions Day October 15 at Ascot.

Dettori and John Gosden combined to win the 2020 Prix Jacques Le Marois with Palace Pier. John and Thady Gosden trained Palace Pier to victory in last year's race, also with Dettori in the saddle. Dettori also becomes the leading rider in the history of the race with seven wins after Sunday's triumph.

Dettori added: “She showed today that she's a true champion and I'm made up for the Thompson family and really pleased that she's back to her best.

“We went extremely fast throughout. She's a filly you need to know, and at the 500-meter mark she took me there and she wanted to go. She's the kind of filly that doesn't want to disappoint and I hit the front with plenty of time left. John (Gosden) thinks she could get a bit further, so I wasn't afraid about whether I would get to the line, and she galloped right to the end.”

Inspiral is out of the Selkirk mare Starscope, who second in the One Thousand Guineas and the Coronation Stakes. Her second dam, Moon Goddess, is a sister to the exceptional sire and champion miler Medicean.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 82 stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which is scheduled to be held at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington on November 4-5.

In addition to Inspiral, six other runners have also earned automatic berths into the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile thus far in 2022: Casa Creed, winner of the Fourstardave (G1) at Saratoga on Saturday; Baaeed, who won the Qatar Sussex Stakes (G1) in England; Jet Dark, winner of the L'Ormarins Queen's Plate (G1) in South Africa; Viejos Tiempos, who captured the Gran Premio Club Hipico Falabella (G1) in Chile; Count Again, who took the Shoemaker Mile (G1) at Santa Anita Park, and Songline, winner of the Yasuda Kinen (G1) in Japan.

As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for Inspiral to start in the Breeders' Cup Mile. Breeders' Cup will also provide a travel allowance for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the Championships' pre-entry deadline of October 24 to receive the rewards.

The post ‘She’s The Kind Of Filly That Doesn’t Want To Disappoint’: Inspiral Prevails In Jacques Le Marois, Earns Breeders’ Cup Mile Berth appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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At six years old, Casa Creed isn't slowing down. Under Luis Saez, the veteran turf horse took the win in the Grade 1 Fourstardave at Saratoga Race Course on Aug. 13.

Saez and Casa Creed hung back out of the gate in the one-mile race, letting Get Smokin set the pace followed closely by Masen (GB). Favored mare Regal Glory was tucked in behind the early leaders and made a move going into the final turn. Casa Creed continued to bide his time, tracking the mare and unwinding through the stretch, catching the leaders inside the sixteenth pole.

The final time for the mile was 1:34.20, with fractions of :24.01, :47.94, and 1:11.24. Regal Glory held on for second, one and a half lengths behind Casa Creed. Masen finished third, followed by Get Smokin. Front Run the Fed was the last of the five-horse field.

Bill Mott trains Casa Creed for owners LRE Racing and JEH Racing. The race is the third Grade 1 for Casa Creed, who came to this race off a repeat win in the G1 Jaipur. He has twice been third in the Fourstardave, and earlier this year was second in the G3 1351 Turf Sprint Cup in Saudi Arabia. He also has past wins in the Kitten's Joy Stakes, the G2 Hall of Fame, and Elusive Quality Stakes to his credit.

Casa Creed was a $15,000 yearling at the 2017 OBS Winter Mixed Sale, where he was consigned by Janie Roper and purchased by Amalio Ruiz-Lozano. He was then a $105,000 yearling at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale later that year, where he was consigned by Kelli Mitchell and bought by LRE Racing.

Casa Creed went off at odds of 4-1 and paid $10.40, $3.30, and $2.30. See the full chart here.

The Fourstardave is a Win And You're In race for this year's Breeders' Cup Mile, meaning that Casa Creed will automatically be granted entry to that race.

G1 Fourstardave Quotes

Bill Mott, winning trainer of Casa Creed (No. 1, $10.40): “He's in great form and won two Grade 1s since coming back [from Dubai], so scrap that theory that they can't travel and do good. We've always felt he was capable of going a mile and I think it's a matter of getting his run timed properly and having the right trip, and he did it today. He's run good races at a mile before and got very good speed figures, and today he got his picture taken.

“I always wait and let the horse do the talking. You can be excited and feel good about him, but they've got to run the race. We kind of thought he'd be a little [closer], but he looked like he was where he wanted to be. He [Luis Saez] let him break and the horse found his own spot. I don't think he put him there, I think that's the rhythm the horse wanted to be in and he gradually picked up the back as he went down the backside and got within striking range by the time he hit the half-mile pole. He waited very patiently – he didn't tip him out way wide. He waited until he got around the turn and then tipped him out so he didn't lose all the ground.”

On if this was his best race: “I wouldn't be surprised. He's run two pretty good Jaipurs and incredible races, but he's put several races back-to-back. He's put four races back-to-back this year. He's traveled and come back and still run well.”

On having a berth to both the Breeders' Cup Mile and Sprint: “We'll talk about that. We're already hashing that over, but we'll see. I think 6-to-7 [furlongs] is probably his best – he's somewhere in between. But he was drawing away going a mile today. I guess it depends on the trip and how he's doing on the day.”

Luis Saez, winning jockey aboard Casa Creed (No. 1): “It was a pretty good trip. That was the plan. We tried to break and settle down right there and have one move with him. He did it pretty great. He made a big move at the top of the stretch and came away with a victory.”

On coming back from Dubai in good form: “It's a big thing. It's a good feeling and spot right now and we're grateful and thankful [that] we're doing great.”

Chad Brown, trainer of runner-up Regal Glory (No. 3) and third-place finisher Masen (No. 4): “She [No. 3, Regal Glory] just looked like she was second-best today. It was a bit of a wide trip but, you know, that's what it is, that's the way she likes to run clear though. Today, she just didn't have what it took to win. She ran really well in defeat. She did run second.”

On Masen: “Not really sure yet. We'll just have to re-evaluate afterwards. I was disappointed he didn't kick on a little better. He ran credibly but I just thought he would have a little more punch in the lane.”

Jose Ortiz, jockey aboard runner-up Regal Glory (No. 3): “It was a good trip. The pace was a little slow the first part but then it started developing and I was in a good position and that horse [No. 1, Casa Creed] beat me down the lane.”

The post Mott’s Casa Creed Comes From Last To Take Grade 1 Fourstardave appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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