brickyard ride | Horse Racing Free Tips

Elector Gets Class Test in Triple Bend

West Point Thoroughbreds, Edwin Barker and William Sandbrook's Elector (Constitution), two-for-three in his young career, will take his first shot in stakes company against five rivals in the GII Triple Bend S. Sunday at Santa Anita.

Making just one start as a 3-year-old, on Dec. 26, the $65,000 Keeneland September buy stumbled early and raced greenly en route to a last-place run. Coming back at this seven-furlong trip Feb. 22, the bay was away much better and ran away to a 4 3/4-length graduation, earning a gaudy 97 Beyer. The John Sadler trainee backed that up with a wire-to-wire allowance/optional claiming success here Apr. 16.

Easily the most accomplished horse in the field is California-bred speedball Brickyard Ride (Clubhouse Ride). A three-time stakes winner last season as a 4-year-old, including a convincing four-length score in the track-and-trip GII San Carlos S., and is undefeated in four starts thus far as a 5-year-old, racking up frontrunning victories in the California-bred California Cup Sprint S., Tiznow S. and Sensational Star S. and open GIII Kona Gold S. last out here Apr. 30.

Gary Barber's Get Her Number (Dialed In), a Grade I winner over this track, will look to find himself getting back on dirt. Capturing the GI American Pharoah S. here as a juvenile, the $45,000 OBS April pickup failed to make a dent in four starts as a 3-year-old before scoring in a local allowance/optional claimer sprinting on the turf Mar. 12. He was unable to build on that when finishing 13th of 14 last out in the GIII San Francisco Mile S. on the Golden Gate lawn Apr. 30.

The post Elector Gets Class Test in Triple Bend appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Juan Hernandez Voted Jockey Of The Week After Santa Anita Stakes Double

Two stakes victories at Santa Anita including the only graded stakes of the week nationally earned the honor of Jockey of the Week for Juan Hernandez. The honor, which is voted on by a panel of racing experts, is for jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 1050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys in the United States.

On Saturday, Juan Hernandez had the mount on Brickyard Ride for trainer Craig Lewis in the Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint for 4-year-olds and up, one of five Cal-bred stakes on Cal Cup Day. With Hernandez putting Brickyard Ride's speed to good use from post position three in the field of eight, they showed the way up the backstretch and drew away in upper stretch to a 1 3/4-length win in 1:09.54 for six furlongs. It was Hernandez's second win of the day. Off as the favorite, Brickyard Ride paid $5.40, $3.80 and $2.60.

“Craig told me to just let him run,” said Hernandez speaking to the Santa Anita publicity team. “He broke really sharp and he was ready today. Once I was on the lead that was it, I just let him run. I felt the pace was a little fast, but that is fine for a horse like him.”

Monday's holiday card featured the Grade 3 Astra Stakes with Hernandez riding the French-bred Neige Blanche for trainer Leonard Powell. The race was transferred from the hillside turf course to a flat start on the backstretch. Sent off as the heavy favorite in the field of five, Neige Blanche found herself bottled up on the rail with her four rivals in front of her. Hernandez called on Neige Blanche once a seam opened up turning for home and overtook Disappearing Act with Flavien Prat in the stretch to win the one and one-half mile marathon in 2:32.27. She paid $2.60 to win.

“The trip worked out pretty good for her because she likes to run like that,” said Hernandez, who has now ridden Neige Blanche in her last seven races, winning four of them. “I put a lot of trust in her and in Leonard to have her ready. I felt like I had a lot of horse. We were waiting for something to open up. She's a nice filly, she was ready today.”

Weekly statistics for Hernandez were 17-5-2-3 and total purse earnings of $338,560. He currently is in third place in the Santa Anita jockey standings with 13 win and just over $1 million in purse earnings.

Hernandez outpolled fellow riders Armando Ayuso with a 40 percent win rate, Arnaldo Bocachica also with a 40 percent win rate, Flavien Prat who was leading jockey with total and stakes purse earnings, and Luis Saez with a stakes win at Gulfstream Park.

The post Juan Hernandez Voted Jockey Of The Week After Santa Anita Stakes Double appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Brickyard Ride Returns A Winner In Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint

Perhaps the fastest horse on the grounds, the Alfred Pais-homebred Brickyard Ride blasted off from his number three post position and never looked back as he marched to a 1 ¾ length score in Saturday's $150,000 Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint at Santa Anita. Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Brickyard Ride, idle since well beaten going seven furlongs in the Grade 2 Pat O'Brien Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 28, got six furlongs in 1:09.54 while successfully defending his Cal Cup Sprint title.

Although a well-meant Letsgetlucky applied serious pressure into and around the far turn, Brickyard Ride got the separation he needed leaving the quarter pole and he enjoyed a three length advantage a furlong from home in a dominant performance.

“Craig told me to just let him run,” said Hernandez, who picked up his second win on the day. “He broke really sharp and he was ready today. I could tell he came to run because at the (break) he was trying to get the lead. Once I was on the lead that was it, I just let him run. I felt the pace was a little fast, but that is fine for a horse like him.”

The defending champ in the Cal Cup Sprint, Brickyard Ride, a 5-year-old chestnut horse by Clubhouse Ride, notched his fourth stakes victory and ninth overall from 19 starts. Off as the 8-5 favorite in a field of eight older horses bred or sired in California, Brickyard Ride paid $5.40, $3.80 and $2.60.

“I thought he ran great off the layoff,” said Lewis. “He's an extremely talented horse. He's very fast and I'm very happy with the result. We hope we're on to bigger and better things…Clubhouse Ride is really making a name for himself as a stud in California and we just hope there's some more coming. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of some Clubhouse Ride 2-year-olds. This may be a lot to ask for, but we hope there's another Brickyard Ride in there.”

Out of the Southern Image mare Brickyard Helen, Brickyard Ride banked $90,000 on the day, increasing his earnings to $560,977.

Mid-pack early, Positivity finished well to be second, 1 ¾ lengths better than Letsgetlucky. Off at 4-1 with Flavien Prat, Positivity paid $4.40 and $3.00.

The second choice at 5-2 with Drayden Van Dyke, Letsgetlucky, in a big effort, finished third by three quarters of length over Principe Carlo and paid $2.80 to show.

Fractions on the race were 21.71, 44.15 and 56.58.

The Don Valpredo Cal Cup Sprint was carded as race nine and was the fourth of five stakes for California-bred of sired horses on a 10-race Cal Cup day program.

The post Brickyard Ride Returns A Winner In Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Ginobli Win In Pat O’Brien A Slam Dank For Ownership Group

The colt by Munnings was a $35,000 purchase at the Keeneland September sale in 2018, a find that Richard Baltas first offered for purchase to the Slam Dunk Racing partnership headed by former jockey agent and basketball aficionado Nick Cosato.

“I loved him because even as an early 2-year-old he looked like a 3-year-old,” Cosato said this morning of the horse that produced a 1 ¾-length victory in Saturday's $200,000 Grade 2 Pat O'Brien Stakes at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif. “So we were in right away, and some other partners eventually came in as well.”

Cosato did the naming honors, coming up with the surname of Manu Ginobili, the native of Argentina who was a four-time NBA champion while starring with the San Antonio Spurs.

Unlike his namesake, Ginobili the horse wasn't a consistent winner. He came into the Pat O'Brien with two wins from 12 lifetime starts, a maiden score here in August of 2019 and a mile allowance tally on July 17, the second day of the current meeting, by an impressive 9 ¾ lengths.

“The Munnings line is kind of curious,” Cosato said. “He throws a variety (of runners); they tend to be good on the turf but that's not true for all of them.”

So finding the right surface and distance took some doing. But input from jockey Joe Bravo following a fourth-place finish in a 6 ½-furlong race at Santa Anita on June 19 led to a 9¾-length victory in a mile event here on July 17 that generated thoughts of bigger things.

“Did the mile wake him up? Possibly, but I think adding blinkers and a couple other things contributed too,” Cosato said.

Following the July 17 race, the partnership was ready for a step up to stakes, but not unified on just which one and where. The TVG Pacific Classic, the Charles Town Classic, and the Pat O'Brien were discussed before settling on the latter, a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the $1 million Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar on November 6.

With Bravo committed to riding Flagstaff for trainer John Sadler, jockey Drayden Van Dyke got the call on Ginobili and executed a best-case scenario, positioning outside front-runner Brickyard Ride for the first half-mile, opening up 3 ½-lengths at the top of the stretch and holding on nicely from there.

Craig Lewis, trainer of Brickyard Ride, was disappointed that the stall gate, which should have been shut, was left open and his horse bolted through before the start. Brickyard Ride was reined in and deemed still worthy to race, but the premature exertion probably contributed to his tiring after a half-mile and finishing last.

“These are things we don't have any control over and you wish wouldn't happen,” Lewis said.

Ginobili reportedly came out of the race in fine fettle as did runner-up and 2-1 favorite C Z Rocket and third-place Flagstaff.

“The horse ran great, I have no fault with the horse or the rider,” said Peter Miller, trainer of C Z Rocket. “Hats off to the winner.

“But I'd like to have seen what they could have done on a (different) racetrack. Hopefully, we get that for the Sprint Championship (Stakes) at Santa Anita and for the Breeders' Cup. More importantly for the Breeders' Cup.”

Sadler on Flagstaff: “We thought he ran a good race. He didn't win but he ran a good race. Props to the winner, who ran a great race. (Flagstaff) might run again at Santa Anita and then come back for the Breeders' Cup Sprint.”

The post Ginobli Win In Pat O’Brien A Slam Dank For Ownership Group appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post