Breeders' Cup | Horse Racing Free Tips

Max Player Scores Second BC Classic Spot With Gold Cup Victory

Max Player followed up his last-out neck victory in the Grade 2 Suburban with a dominating win over five others in the 1 1/4-mile Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Under jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr., the 4-year-old Honor Code colt earns a second berth in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

The field of six broke cleanly, with Forza Di Oro, seeking his first Grade 1 win, taking a short lead as Max Player and Santana stalked him on the outside. Around the first turn, Forza Di Oro stretched his lead out to a length, but, after fractions of :24.05 for the first quarter and :48.70 for the first half-mile, Max Player began to press the leader, shortening the margin between them to a neck. Into the far turn, Forza Di Oro was still neck to the good, with Max Player and Happy Saver poised to challenge on the outside.

In the stretch, Max Player pulled even with Forza Di Oro, but the former leader began to tire as Santana asked Max Player to go, easily taking over the lead in the race's final furlongs. The margin of victory was six lengths, Happy Saver passing Forza Di Oro in the final yards to take over second. Night Ops was fourth, with Chess Chief and Forewarned rounding out the field.

The final time for the 1 1/4 miles was 2:02.49 over a fast track. Find this race's chart here.

Max Player paid $9.60, $4.70, and $2.60. Happy Saver paid $3.80 and $2.20. Forza Di Oro paid $2.10 to show.

The G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, new to Saratoga for 2021, is part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series. The winner gets a fees-paid guaranteed spot in the starting gate for the corresponding race at the Breeders' Cup World Championships, to be held Nov. 6 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

“It was beautiful. Max, in the [Grade 1] Suburban [victory], ran that race under different circumstances on an off track. For him to do this on a fast track in the Jockey Club Gold Cup here at Saratoga, it is very satisfying. This is who he is, and I thought it was a dominating win,” trainer Steve Asmussen said after the race.

“I was happy with him,” Santana told the NYRA Press Office after the Gold Cup. “Today, he broke good, so I was really happy with it. The trainer is doing all the [work].”

Bred in Kentucky by K and G Stables, Max Player is out of the Not For Love mare Fools In Love, a black-type stakes winner. Owned by George Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbreds, the 4-year-old was a $150,000 RNA consigned by Lane's End at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup is Max Player's second win in four starts in 2021 for a lifetime record of four wins in 10 starts.

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Twenty-Three Nominated To ‘Win And You’re In’ Woodbine Mile

Woodbine Entertainment today released the list of nominated horses for the upcoming Grade 1 Ricoh Woodbine Mile, Grade 1 Pattison Canadian International, Grade 1 Natalma and Grade 1 Summer Stakes, all to be contested over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course between Saturday, Sept. 18 and Sunday, Sept. 19.

The Ricoh Woodbine Mile (Grade 1), Natalma (Grade 1) and Summer Stakes (Grade 1) are all part of the Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” Challenge Series.

A total of 23 horses have been nominated to the $1 million Ricoh Woodbine Mile (Grade 1).

Chad Brown leads all trainers with four horses nominated to the Ricoh Woodbine Mile (Grade 1), including multiple Grade 1 winner Raging Bull (FR) and graded stakes winner Blowout (GB), both for owner Peter Brant.

Mark Casse and Michael Maker each have three trainees nominated to the Ricoh Woodbine Mile (Grade 1).

Gary Barber's Olympic Runner captured the Grade 2 King Edward on Aug. 15 at Woodbine in dazzling fashion for trainer Casse. Live Oak Plantation's March to the Arch, who was second in last year's Ricoh Woodbine Mile (Grade 1), and multiple graded stakes winner Ride a Comet for owners John Oxley and My Meadowview Farm complete Casse's trio.

Maker's trio includes last year's Ontario Derby (Grade 3) winner Field Pass for Three Diamonds Farm and multiple graded stakes winner Somelikeithotbrown for Skychai Racing and Sand Dollar Stable.

Stronach Stables Silent Poet, the recent winner of the Grade 1 Highlander at Woodbine on Aug. 22, is nominated again to the Ricoh Woodbine Mile (Grade 1). The multiple graded stakes winner could deliver more magic for trainer Nick Gonzalez.

This season's Connaught Cup (Grade 2) winner Avie's Flatter for owner Ivan Dalos and trainer Josie Carroll is nominated. Carroll also has Nassau Stakes (Grade 2) winner Jolie Olimpica nominated for Fox Hill Farms.

The Ricoh Woodbine Mile (Grade 1) will be contested for a purse of $1 million on Saturday, Sept. 18.

After a year hiatus, the Pattison Canadian International (Grade 1) returns in 2021.

A total of 13 horses have been nominated to the legendary mile and a half turf contest. Michael Maker is the only trainer with multiple horses nominated (Dynadrive, Glynn County) out of the group of 13.

Queen's Plate runner-up Riptide Rock is notably nominated to the Pattison Canadian International (Grade 1) for Stronach Stables. The Sid Attard trainee rallied from well back to narrowly miss in the $1 million Queen's Plate on Aug. 22 and is the lone 3-year-old nominated to the International.

Josie Carroll trainee Belichick, who won last year's Breeders' Stakes winner at a mile and a half over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course, is nominated for NK Racing and LNJ Foxwoods.

Recent Singspiel Stakes (Grade 3) winner Corelli for Augustin Stable and trainer Jonathan Thomas is among the group of 13.

The $600,000 Pattison Canadian International (Grade 1) will also be contested on Saturday, Sept. 18.

The Grade 1 stakes action will continue Sunday, Sept. 19 with the $400,000 Summer Stakes (Grade 1) for 2-year-olds and the $400,000 Natalma (Grade 1) for 2-year-old fillies. Both races, part of the Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” Challenge Series, will be contested a mile on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course

The Summer Stakes (Grade 1) received 21 nominations, while the Natalma (Grade 1) received 23 nominations.

To full list of nominated horses for the Ricoh Woodbine Mile (Grade 1), Pattison Canadian International (Grade 1), Summer Stakes (Grade 1) and Natalma (Grade 1) can be viewed at the links below:

Ricoh Woodbine Mile
Pattison Canadian International
Summer Stakes
Natalma Stakes
To view the full list of nominated horses to all Woodbine stakes races, visit www.Woodbine.com/Horsepeople/.

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Breeders’ Cup Challenge: NBC Sports To Present Live Coverage From Saratoga On Saturday

The “Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In – presented by America's Best Racing” returns this Saturday, Sept. 4 on NBCSN from 6-7 p.m. ET from Saratoga Race Course with live coverage of the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) and the $600,000 Flower Bowl (G1).

Saturday's program marks the fifth telecast this year in the “Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In – presented by America's Best Racing” on NBC and NBCSN from some of North America's most iconic racetracks. The series leads to the 38th Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California, to be held Nov. 5-6 on NBC and NBCSN. The complete series TV schedule can be accessed here.

NBC Sports' coverage will feature commentary and discussion from its International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn., led by host Britney Eurton, and analysts Randy Moss and Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, who won 15 Breeders' Cup races including five victories in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). Reporter Laffit Pincay and handicapper Matt Bernier will be on-site at Saratoga.

The Jockey Club Gold Cup, which had been run at Belmont Park and Aqueduct Racetrack since 1919, and the Flower Bowl, which had been held at Belmont since 1978, will be run at historic Saratoga Race Course for the first time. The Jockey Club Gold Cup winner will gain an automatic berth into the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, and the winner of the Flower Bowl will earn a free berth into the $2 million Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf.

Run at 1 ¼ miles, the Jockey Club Gold Cup drew a six-horse field and is led by Wertheimer and Frere's Happy Saver, who won his first five races before finishing third in the Suburban Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park in his last start on July 3. The 4-year-old son of Super Saver concluded a 4-for-4 first season of racing when he won the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont last year for trainer Todd Pletcher, who opted to bypass the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland and point to a 2021 campaign.

George Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbred Corp.'s Max Player upset Happy Saver in the Suburban and received a free berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic. Trained by Steve Asmussen, the 4-year-old Max Player, who ended a six-race losing streak in the Suburban, is 3-for-10 lifetime.

Don Alberto Stable's Forza Di Oro, a winner four times in six starts, easily captured his lone start of the year in a local allowance optional claiming race on July 21 for trainer Bill Mott. A son of 2004 Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Speightstown, Forza Di Oro won Aqueduct's Discovery Stakes (G3) in November before going on an extended layoff. The Estate of James J. Coleman Jr.'s Chess Chief won the New Orleans Classic Stakes (G2) at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans in March for trainer Dallas Stewart.

The Flower Bowl, run at the Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf distance of 1 3/8 miles, is headlined by George Krikorian's War Like Goddess. The 4-year-old daughter of 2007 Breeders' Cup Turf winner English Channel has won two straight graded stakes at 1 ½ miles for trainer Bill Mott, and also won the Orchid Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park in March at 1 3/8 miles. War Like Goddess is 5-for-6 lifetime and enters off an easy win in the Aug. 7 Glens Falls Stakes (G2) at Saratoga, in which she unleashed a devastating turn of foot that saw her go from last-to-first while looping the field through the far turn.

Trainer Chad Brown has won the Flower Bowl six times and will look to add to that mark with Peter Brant's My Sister Nat (FR) and Alpha Delta Stables Great Island. My Sister Nat finished second, defeated by a head, in the Flower Bowl last year before running ninth in the Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Keeneland. Seeking her first win this year, My Sister Nat finished second in the Glens Falls. Great Island is two for three this year, winning the Grade 3 WinStar Matchmaker Stakes at Monmouth Park in her most recent start on July 17. Brant also has an international starter in the race with American Bridge (GB). Trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, American Bridge won the 1 1 /4-mile Premio del Giubileo (G3) by 2 ¼ lengths at Milan on June 27.

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Forewarned: Uriah St. Lewis Planning Another Jockey Club Gold Cup Upset

Owner-trainer Uriah St. Lewis, who sprung a 45-1 upset with Discreet Lover in the 2018 Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park, said he's back with another live longshot in Forewarned for Saturday's 103rd renewal of the 10-furlong test for 3-year-olds and up at Saratoga Race Course.

In the 2018 edition, Discreet Lover, with Manny Franco up, settled off a sharp pace set by that year's Grade 1 Whitney-winner Diversify before angling six-wide for the stretch run and powering past the pacesetter and Mendelssohn to best Thunder Snow by a neck.

St. Lewis said that both Discreet Lover and Forewarned had the advantage of being horses that want the classic distance.

“That day, I said if they run real, real fast then he has a chance to win – and they ran real fast in the beginning. Diversify and the next horse [Mendelssohn] hooked each other and that was good enough for me,” St. Lewis said. “This horse [Forewarned] can sit a little closer, but he can get the mile and a quarter. If he's within striking distance, he'll get the mile and a quarter. I hope we can win it again and enjoy it.”

Since joining the St. Lewis stable in December 2018, the Ohio-bred Forewarned has made four starts at 1 ¼-miles, posting a record of 2-1-1, including back-to-back scores in the Best of Ohio Endurance in 2019-20.

“This horse loves a mile and a quarter. Every time he runs a mile and a quarter, he's 1-2-3,” St. Lewis said. “The horse is doing fantastic right now. You have to make sure you have a good enough horse to compete with them. I think this horse is good enough. He can get the mile and a quarter and I don't think all of them in this race can get the distance.”

Forewarned ran a game second last out in the 10-furlong Ohio Governor's Cup, making a narrow lead late in the lane only to be turned back by resurgent pacesetter Magna Man, who prevailed by a head.

St. Lewis will charge returning rider Sonny Leon, a three-time winner aboard Forewarned, with keeping the 6-year-old Flat Out bay to task in the “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic in November at Del Mar.

“Last time he made the lead and stopped and finished short,” St. Lewis said. “In this trip, we know now when he makes the lead you have to keep going after him because when he gets to the front he thinks he's finished.”

Listed at 50-1 on the morning line, Forewarned is the longest shot in a field led by the improving Forza Di Oro [8-5] and last year's winner Happy Saver [9-5], but St. Lewis said he is prepared to swing for the fences.

“That's just opinion,” St. Lewis said of the morning-line assessment. “The horse can't read the odds board. I'm taking my chance. I think he can win. My jockey thinks he can win and this horse thinks he can win. That's a home run.”

Last Friday, St. Lewis sent out Informative to run seventh at odds of 63-1 in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Charles Town Classic won by Art Collector. That effort came two starts after Informative captured the Grade 3 Salvator Mile at 79-1 in June at Monmouth Park.

St. Lewis said Informative may have been confused in the three-turn race.

“He was picking them up on the backside and I thought he was going to win, but when he got up to within five lengths, he had to switch leads and he took a little break,” St. Lewis said.

St. Lewis said Informative could target the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward, a nine-furlong test for 3-year-olds and up, on October 2 at Belmont.

“That might suit him better. It's a one-turn race. It's on the radar,” St. Lewis said.

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