Tag: Breeders’ Cup

Multiple Grade 1 winner Life Is Good greeted the Saratoga sunrise on Friday, heading to the main track at 5:45 a.m. for a five-furlong move in 1:02.05 for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

Piloted by exercise rider Amelia Green, NYRA clockers caught the talented Into Mischief bay through a three-eighths split in :38 flat before an authoritative gallop out in 1:14.80 for three quarters, 1:27.60 for seven-eighths and 1:40.80 for one mile.

Pletcher said he was more than pleased with the work from Life Is Good, who registered a career-best 112 Beyer Speed Figure in the Grade 2 John A. Nerud on July 2 at Belmont last out.

“It's what we've come to expect from him every breeze,” Pletcher said. “It looks like he's going effortlessly, keeps going on the gallop out. She had to reach up and grab him at the half-mile pole galloping out just to get him pulled up. He's a super mover, efficient and on cruise control.”

Owned by WinStar Farm and CHC Inc., Life Is Good captured last year's Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar en route to a victory in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup in January at Gulfstream Park. Through a record of 9-7-1-0 and earnings in excess of $3.5 million, Life Is Good has garnered seven triple digit speed figures.

Life Is Good is targeting the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes on Aug. 6, a “Win And You're In” race for the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Pletcher breezed a handful of horses on the Oklahoma turf training course Friday for possible next out stakes outings, including multiple graded stakes winner Wit, who blitzed through a bullet half-mile in 47.95 seconds.

Wit, who went in company with Argentinian Group 1-winner Scotish Star, won his sophomore debut in the Grade 3 Bay Shore in April at Aqueduct before finishing a distant fourth in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun on Belmont Stakes Day.

The son of second crop sire Practical Joke, out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Numero d'Oro, has yet to race on turf, but Pletcher said the strong breeze could propel Wit to the Grade 2, $200,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame on August 5 at Saratoga.

“I thought it was awfully good. We'll have to consider some options,” Pletcher said. “Every once in a while, you put one on the grass and see a big move forward and I think that's what we saw today.”

“The Medaglia d'Oro bottom side kind of made you think about [turf], it was mainly just about giving him a try on it,” Pletcher said. “There was enough pedigree that suggested it could work. It certainly looked like he took it all in and enjoyed himself out there.”

Bass Racing's homebred Annapolis went five furlongs in 1:01.11 in company with blue blooded first-out maiden winner Capensis, a sophomore son of Tapit.
Annapolis won the Manila last out on July 4 after finishing second as the favorite in his seasonal debut in the Grade 2 Penn Mile contested over soft going on June 3.

Pletcher said Friday's breeze should have Annapolis on target for the 1 3/16-mile Grade 1, $1 million Caesars Saratoga Derby Invitational on August 6.

“I thought both horses went really well,” Pletcher said. “We were unfortunate off the layoff to catch the Penn Mile on a bottomless ground and I thought he was courageous to run as well as he did on ground that was awfully hard to accelerate on. It seemed to move him forward and now with two races under his belt, I think we can stretch him out.”

Capensis, owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Robert V. LaPenta, Gainesway Stable, Winchell Thoroughbred and Stonestreet Stables, romped to a five-length debut score against older company traveling 1 1/16-miles on July 2 over the Belmont turf.

Pletcher said Capensis could target either an allowance or the Grade 2, National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame.

“We've got a couple of options,” Pletcher said. “I think he showed graded stakes ability in his debut. The question is if we want a little more seasoning before jumping into a stake or just go right at it.”

Capensis was purchased for $2 million from the Eaton Sales consignment at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. By Tapit, he is out of the Grade 1-winning Unbridled's Song broodmare Tara's Tango.

The post Life Is Good Moves ‘Effortlessly’ In Latest Work Toward Whitney appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Juddmonte's Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (G1) winner Westover (GB) is slated to battle the John and Thady Gosden-trained duo of Emily Upjohn (GB) and Mishriff (IRE), headlining Saturday's 1 ½-mile King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes (G1) at Ascot. The race winner will earn an automatic berth into this year's US$4 million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In.

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 will be held at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, on Nov. 4-5.

The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes will be televised live on TVG at 10:35 a.m. ET.

Westover, trained by Ralph Beckett, has won three of his six starts. A 3-year-old son of Frankel (GB) out of the Lear Fan mare Mirabilis, Westover took command inside the final 2 furlongs of the 1 ½-mile Irish Derby on June 2 at The Curragh and rolled to a 7-length victory, registering his first Group 1 score. The Irish Derby win contrasted with the troubled trip he encountered in the 1 ½-mile Cazoo Derby (G1) at Epsom three weeks earlier. Trapped along the rail in the stretch, Westover finally found room inside the final furlong to close strongly for a third-place finish. Westover opened 2022 with a win in the 1 ¼-mlle Bet 365 Classic Trial (G3) at Sandown on April 22.

The Gosden-trained runners should pose a formidable challenge to Westover. Lloyd Webber, Tactful Finance, and Stuart Roden's 3-year-old filly Emily Upjohn incurred her first career defeat in her fourth start when she finished second by a short head to Tuesday (IRE) in the 1 ½-mile Cazoo Oaks (G1) at Epsom on June 3 as the 3-2 favorite. A daughter of Sea the Stars (IRE), Emily Upjohn missed the break in the Oaks but recovered from last place and mounted a furious stretch drive on the extreme outside, and just missed catching the winner at the wire. Prior to the Oaks, Emily Upjohn won the 1 5/16-mile Tattersalls Musidora Stakes (G3) on May 11 at York by 5 ½ lengths.

Prince A. A. Faisal's 5-year-old Mishriff is a three-time Group 1 winner, having captured some of the world's most prestigious races on both turf and dirt. As a 3-year-old, Mishriff, a son of Make Believe (GB) out of Contradict (GB) by 2008 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Raven's Pass, won the Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) (G1). At 4, he won the inaugural Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz, the Dubai World Cup (G1) and the Juddmonte International Stakes (G1) at York. This year, after trailing the field in his Saudi Cup (G1) defense in January, Mishriff returned to the races on July 2 in the Coral-Eclipse Stakes (G1) at Sandown. After a slow start, Mishriff battled out of trouble in the stretch and chased French Derby winner Vadeni (FR) to the wire, losing by a neck.

John Gosden has won the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes five times, including three times with the brilliant Enable (GB), who in 2018 captured this race and gained an automatic berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1), which she later won at Churchill Downs.

One of the biggest shocks in the racing world last year was Gestut Aunquelle's Torquator Tasso (GER) winning the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) at 72-1 for Germany. Trained by Marcel Weiss, Torquator Tasso fought to the front over heavy ground to edge 2020 Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) winner Tarnawa (IRE) by three-quarters of a length. It was the second Group 1 win last year for the son of Alderflug (GER), who captured the Wettstar Grosser Preis von Baden at Baden-Baden on Sept. 5. Now in his 5-year-old season, Torquator Tasso comes into Saturday's race off a 3 ½-length victory in the 1 ½-mile wettstar.de Grosser Hansa-Preis (G2) at Hamburg on July 2. A winner of 6 races in 13 starts, Torquator Tasso was the 2020 German Horse of the Year.

Masaaki Matsushima, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith's 6-year-old Broome (IRE) powered to the front by 2 lengths into the final furlong of last year's Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) at Del Mar before being overtaken by Yibir (GB) at the finish. Trained by Aidan O'Brien, Broome, a son of Australia (GB), has won eight races, including his most recent triumph in the 1 ½-mile Hardwicke Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot on June 18, leading throughout to a 3 ¼-length victory.

O'Brien is seeking his fifth win in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes. His last one came in 2016 with Highland Reel (IRE), who gained a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series berth and went on to win the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) at Santa Anita Park.

La Pyle Partnership's 5-year-old Pyledriver (GB) is seeking his seventh win. Trained by William Muir and Chris Grassick, Pyledriver finished second in the 1 ½-mile Dahlbury Coronation Cup (G1) at Epsom on June 3, after winning the race in 2021. A son of Harbour Watch (IRE), Pyledriver finished a length behind Glory Vase (JPN) in last year's Hong Kong Vase (G1) at Sha Tin. He opened 2022 with an 11th place finish in the Neom Turf Cup (G3) in Saudi Arabia, and was fourth in the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) at Meydan in March.

As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes winner to start in the $4 million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1), which will be run at 1 ½ miles at Keeneland. 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 Oct. 24 to receive the rewards.

The post ‘Win And You’re In’ At Ascot: Irish Derby Winner Westover Favored Over Gosden Duo, Arc Winner appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post