Brendan Walsh | Horse Racing Free Tips

Essential Quality Closing The Gap On Knicks Go In Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings

Godolphin's Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) winner Essential Quality closed to within seven votes of stablemate Knicks Go after 10 weeks of the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, a weekly poll of the top 10 horses in contention for the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). This year's Longines Breeders' Cup Classic will be run at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California, on Nov. 6 as the final race of the 38^th Breeders' Cup World Championships.

The 5-year-old Knicks Go, owned by Korea Racing Authority and trained by Brad Cox, received 315 votes, and retained the No. 1 position for the fourth consecutive week. Godolphin's 3-year-old Essential Quality, also trained by Cox, received 308 votes following Saturday's Travers Stakes victory by a neck over Winchell Thoroughbreds Midnight Bourbon. The Travers was Essential Quality's third straight win, having captured the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) at Saratoga and the Belmont Stakes (G1) in his two previous starts.

Godolphin's Maxfield remained in third place with 253 votes. Trained by Brendan Walsh, the 4-year-old Maxfield has won three races this year, including the Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs in June, in which he earned an automatic berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic.

Hot Rod Charlie, owned by Boat Racing, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing, and William Strauss, is in fourth place with 206 votes. Trained by Doug O'Neill, Hot Rod Charlie finished third in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and second in the Belmont Stakes. He crossed the wire first in the TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1) on July 17 but was disqualified for interference in the stretch and was placed seventh.

Hronis Racing's 4-year-old Tripoli stayed in fifth place with 119 votes. Trained by John Sadler, Tripoli won the TVG Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar on Aug. 21 and gained a “Win and You're In” berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic.

St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska captured last Saturday's Personal Ensign Stakes (G1) at Saratoga for her fifth win of the year and her third Grade 1 stakes victory of 2021. Trained by Fausto Gutierrez, Letruska has 112 votes.

Midnight Bourbon joins the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings for the first time in seventh place, as many voters were impressed with his hard-fought second-place finish in the Travers. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Midnight Bourbon has 94 votes.

Prince A A Faisal's 4-year-old Mishriff (IRE), who earned an automatic starting position into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic when he won the Juddmonte International (G1) on turf at York Racecourse, drops one spot to eighth place. Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Mishriff has 81 votes.

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing's 4-year-old Silver State slipped one spot to ninth place with 66 votes. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Silver State won his first four races of 2021 before finishing third in the Whitney.

Also new to the top 10 this week is Zedan Racing Stable's Medina Spirit, who captured the listed Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar on Sunday in his first start since finishing third in the Preakness Stakes (G1). Medina Spirit is in 10^th place with 59 votes.

Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings – Sept 1, 2021*

Rank	Horse	Votes	First-Place Votes	Previous Week
1	Knicks Go	315	17	1
2	Essential Quality	308	11	2
3	Maxfield	253	4	3
4	Hot Rod Charlie	206	0	4
5	Tripoli	119	0	5
6	Letruska	112	0	5
7	Midnight Bourbon	94	0	Unranked
8	Mishriff (IRE)	81	2	7
9	Silver State	66	0	8
10	Medina Spirit	59	0	16

*Note – The Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings have no bearing on qualification or selection into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic.

The 2021 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, which will be run at 1 ¼ miles on the main track, is limited to 14 starters. The race will be broadcast live on NBC.

The Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings are determined by a panel of leading Thoroughbred racing media, horseplayers, and members of the Breeders' Cup Racing Directors/Secretaries Panel. Rankings will be announced each week through Oct. 11. A list of voting members can be found here.

In the Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, each voter rates horses on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system in descending order.

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Brown Trainees Headline Riskaverse At Saratoga

Trainer Chad Brown will send out three fillies against an evenly matched field built for Thursday's 12th running of the $120,000 Riskaverse, a one-mile event over the Saratoga Race Course inner turf for sophomore fillies who have not won a stakes at one mile or over. Saratoga Race Course is located in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The Riskaverse pays homage to Fox Ridge Farm's multiple Grade 1-winning mare, trained by Patrick Kelly, who became the first horse to score back-to-back triumphs in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl [2004-05]. The talented daughter of prominent turf stallion Dynaformer retired with earnings in excess of $2 million and a significant resume which also included triumphs in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., and the Grade 2 Sands Point at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., both in 2002.

Brown captured the Riskaverse with subsequent Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner Dayatthespa [2012] and Catch a Bid [2019].

Peter Brant's Rastafara will look to defeat winners for the first time. After two on-the-board efforts, the daughter of Shamardal graduated at third asking against impressive next-out winner Baby Blythe on July 24 going the Riskaverse distance over Saratoga's inner turf.

“She ran really well and finally broke though and got her maiden broken last time,” Brown said. “We've always thought a lot of her. She'll have to step it up again but it seems like the right spot for her.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will seek a fourth Riskaverse conquest when piloting Rastafara from post 7.

Minaun and Amy C will attempt to make amends after finishing a respective fifth and sixth in the Grade 3 Lake George on July 23 at the Spa, which was won by the Brown-trained Technical Analysis.

Owned by Bradley Thoroughbreds, Iris Smith Stable, and Rigney Racing, Minaun was four lengths back in upper stretch racing three-wide, but finished 3 ½ lengths behind the winner last out. A winner of the Group 3 Marble Hill last July at The Curragh, the Irish-bred daughter of Zoffany won her first start for Brown off a nine-month respite going one mile over the Widener turf course at Belmont Park on April 30 ahead of a close second in the Wild Applause on June 26 at Belmont.

Jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. picks up the mount from post 11.

Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Robert V. LaPenta's Amy C, a British-bred daughter of Charming Thought, won her North American debut on June 25 at Belmont Park before finishing sixth as the second choice in the Grade 3 Lake George.

Jockey Manny Franco will ride from post 9.

Chiefswood Stables' Third Draft makes her stakes debut off a sharp triumph in an allowance optional claiming tilt over the inner turf for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey.

The gray or roan daughter of multiple champion-producing sire Curlin, out of Ontario-bred stakes-winning Malibu Moon mare Original Script, defeated a group of winners last out that included graded stakes placed Magisterium and Amalfi Princess. She trailed the eight-horse field down the backstretch and made a sweeping wide move in upper stretch to get her nose on the wire in the final jumps.

After finishing behind subsequent stakes winners Technical Analysis and Munnyfor Ro at maiden level, fifth time was the charm for Third Draft in a 1 1/16-mile maiden event on May 8 over the Widener turf at Belmont Park.

“She's been pretty consistent, and I've liked her races,” said McGaughey, who won the 2016 Riskaverse with On Leave. “Her last two have been really good and I'm looking forward to running her in the Riskaverse. She wants to run farther than a mile, so hopefully this can set her up for something later on.”

Jockey Jose Ortiz retains the mount from post 4.

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Hoolie Racing Stable and Madaket Stable's Hit the Woah will try to regain winning form for trainer Christophe Clement. The black type earning daughter of Vancouver was a 1 ¼-length winner of an off-the-turf maiden tilt on November 13 at Aqueduct, where she defeated next-out winners Amalfi Princess and Into Vanishing.

Although winless in two starts on grass, Hit the Woah made good showings both times when third in the Sanibel Island on March 27 at Gulfstream Park and seventh beaten 1 ¾ lengths to stablemate Bye Bye in the Grade 3 Soaring Softly on May 15 at Belmont.

She enters from an off-the-board effort in a main-track allowance at Parx in Bensalem, Penn., on June 30.

“She's in very good form and training forwardly,” Clement said. “Last time, we tried the dirt and that didn't work. At the moment this is the right spot for her.”

Jockey Joel Rosario will ride from post 8.

Trainer Brendan Walsh will send out Keeper of Time for her North American debut. The Bradley Thoroughbreds-owned daughter of Mehmas was a last out 80-1 upset winner of the Group 3 1000 Guineas Trial on April 11 at Leopardstown.

Jockey Tyler Gaffalione will ride Keeper of Time from post 2.

Completing the field are Magisterium [post 1, Dylan Davis], Stand By You [post 3, Javier Castellano], Triple Digit [post 5, Jose Lezcano], Designer Ready [post 6, Junior Alvarado] and Love and Money [post 10, Luis Saez].

The Riskaverse is carded as Race 9 on Thursday's 10-race program. First post is 1:05 p.m. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the summer meet on FOX Sports. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Princess Theorem Kicks Clear Late In Monday’s Van Clief Stakes

Dewberry Thoroughbred, LLC's Princess Theorem met Larry Johnson and RDM Racing Stable's No Mo Lady at the top of the stretch, battled momentarily then pulled away in the final eighth of a mile to win the $100,000 Van Clief Stakes for Virginia-restricted horses Monday at Colonial Downs.

In two previous turf starts, the 3-year-old Nyquist filly had respective third and fifth-place finishes at Churchill and Fair Grounds but on Monday, the Brendan Walsh trainee completed a comeback at 1 1/16th miles on grass. Racing sixth at the quarter and at the half in a nine-horse field, jockey Joe Rocco Jr. assumed he would be closer to the lead at that point, so he had to switch strategies on the fly.

“They went pretty fast early,” he said. “I rode my horse away from the gate and thought I'd be stalking Pletcher's horse (Apurate). I thought he'd be in front and I'd get a comfortable spot there, but they just went too fast. So I took a little hold and tried to tuck her in. They were pretty bunched up going into the turn and two of the horses to beat were to my inside and right in front of me so I saw that as an opportunity to make an early move, pass a couple dead horses and then be able to go in and tighten it up on the horses to beat. I think that's what was able to get us to first.”

Tasting the Stars, who was 5-for-7 entering the stakes, was the horse next to Rocco's and No Mo Lady, with a $233,000 bankroll, was next to him. “Those were two of the three to beat,” he added. “I saw the opportunity to get better position on them before the turn so we didn't have to go too wide. Brendan gave me a lot of filly to ride. She's very nice.”

With a 1 3/4 length win, Princess Theorem earned her second victory in six starts overall and pushed her bankroll to $125,382. Ther Brendan Walsh trainee is out of the Street Cry mare, Princess Haya. No Mo Lady finished second and Susan Cooney's Fionnbharr took third.

Colonial Downs continues its season on Tuesday with a nine-race card beginning at 1:45 PM. The meet continues until September 1 with racing every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 1:45 PM. New Kent County Virginia Derby Day is Tuesday August 31.

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Medaglia d’Oro Colt Another Promising Firster for Godolphin on Ellis Card

5th-Ellis, $51,085, Msw, 8-8, 2yo, 6f, 1:09.79, ft, 2 3/4 lengths.
FREELANCER (c, 2, Medaglia d'Oro–Libreta {SW, $128,660}, by Girolamo) joined Baladi (Pioneerof the Nile) as the second juvenile Godolphin homebred unveiled on Ellis Park's card Sunday by Brendan Walsh to graduate at first asking. Sent at 16-1 from the outside gate, Freelancer rushed up to duel with Blue Kentucky (Include) for the lead with the two exchanging head decisions at the :22.41 quarter mark and the :45.36 half-mile mark. The bay took over for good with two furlongs to go and sailed home on top, drawing away to finish 2 3/4 lengths in front of a chasing Gunoe (Into Mischief), a $1-million Keeneland yearling last year. Freelancer got the six panels in a sharp 1:09.79, more than a second faster than stablemate Baladi earlier on the card. He had tuned up for his debut with a half-mile bullet in :48 3/5 (1/14) over the surface Aug. 3. The winner's dam died in 2019, leaving only Freelancer and an unraced sophomore filly named Dazzle Her (Street Sense). Her granddam is GSW Sahara Gold (Seeking the Gold), dam of MGISW Better Lucky (Ghostzapper) and herself out of 1995 GI Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Desert Stormer (Storm Cat). Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $30,600. Click for the Equibase.com chart.
O/B-Godolphin, LLC (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh.

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