Brian Hernandez Jr. | Horse Racing Free Tips

Unified Reports Stays Undefeated With Win In Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile

On Monday, trainer Dallas Stewart welcomed his first grandchild into the world, and just a few short days later, Henry Lane Stewart and family watched from afar as Valene Farms' Unified Report would score yet another Louisiana Champions Day win for grandpa.

Sent off as the .70-1 favorite in the $100,000 Juvenile, the sophomore son of Unified, tracked the pace set by the embattled Grunt and Charco through contested fractions of :21.76 and :45.63. Four-wide on the turn for home, he battled briefly with eventual third place finisher Charco mid-stretch before putting that rival away. Unified Report led into the deep stretch, and held safe of the late closing 1.80-1 second choice, the maiden Bron and Brow, stopping the timer in 1:10.55.

“Truly it all goes back to thanking Mr. Murray (owner Valene),” Hernandez said. “Year after year, he just keeps finding these really good Louisiana-breds. I think this is like the third or fourth year in a row we've won one of these 2-year-old (stakes) races. He (Unified Report) looked like he was the best horse in the race and I just did my job, give him the cleanest trip we could. He's a young horse, but he was two for two (coming in) so he's got a little experience behind him. There were for of them in front, so I just let him find his rhythm, I got him in the clear and off he went. What really impressed me today was the way he galloped out. He hit the wire and kind of stepped away from those horses again, so he kind of shows you that he wants to stretch out and go to two turns.”

With the win, Unified Report remained perfect from three starts, increasing his bankroll to $154,720 in the process.

Bron and Brow, who finished third at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., in his career debut, added blinkers for the Juvenile, and after a difficult trip with some traffic trouble, he too stamped himself as a youngster to watch.

“It was a little troubled trip for me,” jockey Deshawn Parker admitted. “He was trying to run and had nowhere to go for a while. So once I came out of the turn, I tried to dig him out. But it was real trouble. Trouble. He's a maiden but he won't be a maiden much longer.”

“We had a horrible trip,” assistant trainer David Carroll added. “He was loaded the whole way, had to check hard off heels, then had to wait for room. He closed fast. To me, he was much the best horse in the race. He's a talented colt and we look forward to running him back. That's racing.”

A longtime supporter of Louisiana racing, Murray Valene was thrilled with his colt's performance.

“We had an undefeated filly (Big Time) win for us on this day last year, and this year it was the colt (Unified Report),” Valene said. “I want to thank Dallas Stewart and his team for doing such a great job. This colt looks like he wants to go longer and he might have the talent to do it successfully.”

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Gaffalione, Asmussen Continue Churchill Dominance, Clinch Leading Jockey, Trainer Titles

With 12 races remaining in 2021 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., jockey Tyler Gaffalione has already clinched his sixth-straight Churchill Downs meet riding title. The Florida-native entered Sunday's closing day program with an insurmountable 30-18 win lead at the Fall Meet over Brian Hernandez Jr.

Gaffalione dominated throughout the year at Churchill Downs with 92 victories and more than $6.6 million in purse earnings. The next highest win total, as of Sunday, was Hernandez with 57 wins.

This was Gaffalione's seventh overall riding title at Churchill Downs. He won the 2018 Fall Meet with 21 wins. The 27-year-old's 2021 Fall Meet was highlighted by a six-win day on Nov. 12 and a five-win day on Nov. 25.

Rafael Bejarano's 17 wins was third in the standings followed by Joel Rosario (16 wins), Mitchell Murrill (15), James Graham, (11), Corey Lanerie (11), Florent Geroux (10), Joe Talamo (9), and Martin Garcia (8).

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen secured his record-extending 25th title with 20 wins entering Sunday. He was 10 in front of Brad Cox and Kenny McPeek. Asmussen had seven entries on closing day.

Overall in 2021, Asmussen lead Cox by 11 wins with 46 victories from 263 starts. His runners earned more than $4.4 million.

The Fall Meet leading owner title will be decided Sunday as M and M Racing had a 4-3 win lead over BBN Racing, Lothenbach Stables, and Ten Strike Racing. Lothenbach Stables and Ten Strike racing had no entries while BBN Racing had one entry in Race 8.

Lynn and Lola Cash's Built Wright Stables, who had three victories at the meet, could surpass M and M Racing with four entries Sunday in Races 2, 3, 5, and 9. The husband and wife duo changed their ownership name to Built Wright Stables halfway through the meet.

Calumet Farm could also surpass M and M Racing with runners in Races 3, 9, and 10 while Rigney Racing could tie M and M Racing with entries in Races 7 and 12.

A winner's circle ceremony to honor the top jockey and trainer will be held after Race 7. The owners' presentation is pending.

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Envoutante Upsets Bonny South Again In Falls City

It was déjà vu all over again for Three Chimneys Farm and Walking L Thoroughbreds' Envoutante as the 4-year-old filly upset favored Bonny South by six lengths in Thursday's $500,000 Falls City (Grade 2), the traditional Thanksgiving Day fixture for fillies and mares at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., for the second year in a row.

Trained by Kenny McPeek and ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., Envoutante ran 1 1/8 miles over a sloppy track in 1:51.52 – the slowest since Dundalk Dust's 1:53.37 under similar conditions in 2011 – to become the first back-to-back Falls City winner since Screen Prospect in 1990-91.

Last year, Envoutante also beat 4-5 favorite Bonny South by six lengths in the Falls City but it was over a fast track in 1:49.11, which was the fastest Falls City since Silent Eskimo's stakes record of 1:48.85 in 1999.

Breaking from post three in the field of six fillies and mares, Envoutante saved ground and raced along the rail throughout the two-turn race. Black-Eyed Susan (G2) and Iowa Oaks (G3) winner Army Wife had a narrow advantage over Envoutante through the first half-mile of the race (:24.82 and :49.20) but the defending race champion took over with a five furlongs to run.

Around the final turn and six furlongs in 1:13.55, Army Wife continued to chase leader Envoutante as Audrey's Time and multiple graded stakes winner Bonny South loomed boldly with wide rallies. Audrey's Time drew even with Envoutante at the top of the stretch and Bonny's South came within a length, but Envoutante had plenty of energy left and quickly opened up in the stretch for the comfortable win in the 106^th running of the Falls City.

“Even though we were battling on the front end, down the backside she was still traveling very comfortably,” Hernandez Jr. said. “I knew going into the far turn and at the quarter pole my filly would have enough kick left in her for the stretch. She ran a great effort and repeated her race from last year's Falls City.”

Envoutante was the 5-2 third betting choice and paid $7.40, $3.80 and $2.80. Bonny South, the 8-5 favorite ridden by Florent Geroux, returned $2.80 and $2.40. Audrey's Time was another 3 ½ lengths back in third at odds of 21-1 under Corey Lanerie and paid $4.20.

Army Wife, High Regard and Crystal Ball completed the order of finish. Cheetara (CHI) was scratched.

Prior to Thursday's triumph, Envoutante finished fifth in the $500,000 Spinster (G1) at Keeneland. In May, she won the $150,000 Shawnee at Churchill Downs. Overall, she's won four of seven starts at the Louisville oval.

“She definitely likes Churchill,” McPeek said. “Brian did a fantastic job with her on the front end. When I looked up at the half-mile and saw (:49.20), I knew we were in a good spot. I'm sure her owners are celebrating at home with their families for Thanksgiving, so a special congratulations goes to them. We'll have to see what happens next for her. She had a date with Gun Runner if things didn't go well today but showed today she's still got it in her.”

With the Falls City win, Envoutante improved her record to 6-2-4 in 16 starts. Thursday's lofty $305,520 first prize jumped her earnings to $931,658.

Envoutante is a dark bay or brown daughter of Uncle Mo out of the Bluegrass Cat mare Enchante. She was bred in Kentucky by Jumping Jack Racing LLC.

Racing at Churchill Downs continues Friday with the popular day-after Thanksgiving card highlighted by the 147^th running of the $750,000 Clark presented by Norton Healthcare (G1) for older horses. The Clark goes as Race 11 of 12 at approximately 5:56 p.m. (all times Eastern). The first race is 1 p.m. There is a $195,484 jackpot carryover in the 20-cent Derby City 6, which covers Races 7-12.

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Tiz The Bomb Made 3-1 Morning Line Favorite For Kentucky Jockey Club

Phoenix Thoroughbreds' $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (Grade 1) runner-up Tiz the Bomb was tabbed as the 3-1 morning line favorite in Saturday's 95th running of the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club, the featured event on Saturday's “Stars of Tomorrow II” program at Churchill Downs.

Trained by two-time Kentucky Jockey Club-winning conditioner Kenny McPeek, Tiz the Bomb finished second by 1 ½ lengths to Modern Games in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf when he rallied from more than seven lengths off the early pace.

“We've always thought highly of him from the start,” jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. said. “Before the (Juvenile Turf) he handled things professionally when we were waiting behind the gate during the scratch situation. He ran a really good effort to finish second after we got back a little bit farther than we planned at the start.”

Bettors were rewarded with Tiz the Bomb's 7-1 mutuel price in the Juvenile Turf after Modern Games was mistakenly scratched from the tote system but allowed to run for purse money only.

Saturday's 1 1/16-mile Kentucky Jockey Club will award points to the Top 4 finishers on a 10-4-2-1 scale toward a spot in the starting gate in the Derby. McPeek has made six starts in the Kentucky Derby and finished second in 1995 with Tejano Run.

“We've been on the Road to the Kentucky Derby before and it's always exciting,” McPeek said. “We have three really nice horses so far this year in Rattle N Roll along with Tiz the Bomb and Smile Happy, who are in the Jockey Club.”

McPeek won the 2018 edition of the Kentucky Jockey Club with Signalman and in 2001 with Repent.

The Kentucky Jockey Club will go as Race 11 of 12 with a post time of 5:56 p.m. (all times Eastern). First post is 1 p.m.

Here's the complete field for the Kentucky Jockey Club from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): Classic Causeway (Joel Rosario, Brian Lynch, 7-2); Guntown (Tyler Gaffalione, Steve Asmussen, 15-1); Rich Strike (Rafael Bejarano, Eric Reed, 50-1); Texas Red Hot (Julien Leparoux, Randy Morse, 12-1); Howling Time (Joe Talamo, Dale Romans, 7-2); Tiz the Bomb (Hernandez, McPeek, 3-1); Vivar (Florent Geroux, Brad Cox, 12-1); Smile Happy (Corey Lanerie, McPeek, 12-1); Red Knobs (Ricardo Santana Jr., Romans, 15-1); White Abarrio (Edgard Zayas, Saffie Joseph, 8-1); Ready Pursuit (Martin Garcia, Jerry Antonuik, 50-1); Ben Diesel (Jon Court, Dallas Stewart, 15-1); Mannix (IRE) (Edwin Gonzalez, Mark Casse, 20-1); and Call Me Midnight (Chris Landeros, Keith Desormeaux, 15-1).

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