Calumet Farm | Horse Racing Free Tips

King Of Positivity Kendrick Carmouche Hopeful For Big Late Kicks From Bourbonic, Maracuja

Jockey Kendrick Carmouche could be a walking, talking advertisement for optimism.

Here's the proof. The other day, Carmouche was asked what's his best finish he has ever had in the Pennsylvania Derby? The 37-year-old rider smiled – he's always smiling – and snapped back.

“Saturday,” he said. “It will be on Saturday.”

For the record, Carmouche's best finish in the signature race at Parx Racing came in 2017 when he checked in fourth aboard Game Over. That was his sixth career mount in the Derby.

Saturday, he'll be aboard Calumet Farms' Bourbonic in the Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby, a horse he rode to a stunning victory in the Wood Memorial in April at odds of 72-1.

“I will need some pace,” Carmouche said about his partner, who is 12-1 on the Derby morning line. “Hopefully, he will have the same kick that he had in the Wood and we can run them down.”

Being back in the saddle are soothing words for the native of Louisiana, who had a bummer of a summer.

Two races after riding Bourbonic to a fifth-place finish in the Belmont Stakes on June 5, Carmouche broke his right ankle when his mount Kentucky Pharoah leapt in the air and unseated the rider. The horse landed on his ankle, breaking it. Goodbye, summer.

Now he's back. And loving every second of it.

“I am ready. I am hungry,” Carmouche said. “I just want to succeed.”

Carmouche returned to the saddle on Sept. 5 and started his comeback at Parx, a place he has had plenty of success at.

He owns seven riding titles at Parx, including four straight from 2008-11.

In his second start back from the injury, he won. In 56 starts since his injury, Carmouche has seven wins, four seconds and six thirds.

Saturday, he'll have nine rides on the 13-race Parx card. Besides Bourbonic, he is also being reunited with Beach Haven Thoroughbreds LLC, Medallion Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds and Barry Fowler's Maracuja in the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion.

Carmouche rode Maracuja three times earlier this year before getting hurt. He missed the mount when Maracuja won the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga on July 24.

“I am happy to have Kendrick back on her,” Rob Atras, Maracuja's trainer, said. “He knows the filly. Obviously, he knows Parx. I know that definitely can't hurt.”

Carmouche's upbeat nature didn't sour when he watched Ricardo Santana Jr. win the Coaching Club American Oaks. It's not his way.

“I am always looking forward,” he said. “Life goes on, man. It's part of the game. Nobody wants to get hurt, but it happens. I just kept on pushing, kept on fighting. I am always in a good mood, you can never get me down. It's just the way I've always been.”

The post King Of Positivity Kendrick Carmouche Hopeful For Big Late Kicks From Bourbonic, Maracuja appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Jockey Club Derby: Tango Tango Tango Should ‘Switch Off’ Without Blinkers

Following a second-place finish in the Grade 1 Bruce D on August 14 at Arlington Park, trainer Jack Sisterson will make an equipment change with Calumet Farm's Tango Tango Tango, who will race with blinkers off in Saturday's $1 million Jockey Club Derby Invitational at Belmont.

The 12-furlong test for sophomores on the Widener turf, which offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the Grade 1, $4 million Longines Turf in November at Del Mar, is the final leg of NYRA's Turf Triple series for males that commenced with the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby [won by Bolshoi Ballet] in July and continued with the Grade 1, $1 million Saratoga Derby [won by State of Rest] in August at historic Saratoga Race Course.

The Jockey Club Derby is slated as Race 10 on Saturday's lucrative 11-race card which will also feature the 1 3/8-mile $700,000 Jockey Club Oaks, the concluding leg of the Turf Triple series for 3-year-old fillies, in Race 9; and the 1 5/8-mile $300,000 Grand Prix American Jockey Club Invitational in Race 4.

The Tourist bay broke his maiden at fourth asking against stakes company in the 1 1/16-mile American Derby on July 17 at Arlington Park when racing with blinkers for the first time. He sported blinkers once more in the last-out Bruce D, where he was a close second down the backstretch before taking command at the quarter-pole. Unable to hold off a mid-stretch confrontation from Point Me By, Tango Tango Tango fended off a game Ginsburned to complete the exacta.

“We pulled the blinkers off to see if we can get him relaxed and get him the distance, and we have a big positive with having Flavien Prat aboard,” Sisterson said. “We'd like to see him switch off a touch more. The removal of the blinkers will get him to switch off. I'd be shocked if he's not on the lead tomorrow, especially drawing the rail. Not sure what Ryan [Moore aboard Bolshoi Ballet] will do on his horse, but I think we'll get an easy lead and hopefully take them all the way.”

Sisterson added that Tango Tango Tango has matured since his American Derby coup.

“He's got that natural speed about him,” Sisterson said. “We put the blinkers on him just to get that maiden win. He's a horse that trains forwardly and doesn't need them. It was just something he needed at the time, but he finally figured out how to put his head in front.”

Tango Tango Tango will make his first start past 1 1/16 miles on Saturday and Sisterson said that the added distance should be no problem for the horse, who scratched out of the Franklin-Simpson on September 11 at Kentucky Downs.

“Looking at his form, he always acted like a two-turn type,” Sisterson said. “The farther the better. When he got invited to this race tomorrow, it was a no brainer for us to scratch out of Kentucky Downs. I don't see the distance being an issue. In his works, he gallops out strong and he puts a lot of energy into his gallops.”

Tango Tango Tango is the fourth offspring out of the Deputy Commander mare First Consul, whose three other progeny are all winners.

Sisterson also added that Grade 1 A.G. Vanderbilt winner Lexitonian and Grade 1 Man o' War victor Channel Cat are likely to train up to their respective Breeders' Cup aspirations. Lexitonian, a son of Speightstown, is on target for the Breeders' Cup Sprint while English Channel progeny Channel Cat will point for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf.

The post Jockey Club Derby: Tango Tango Tango Should ‘Switch Off’ Without Blinkers appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Gear Jockey Ridden to Perfection in Turf Sprint

Gear Jockey (Twirling Candy), third at 67-1 as a maiden in the 2019 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita, delivered a career high while punching his ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.

The Calumet Farm homebred sat just off the pacesetting Bombard (War Front) in second, took over under confident handling as they hit the quarter pole and took care of business from there to win for fun.

Longshot Diamond Oops (Lookin At Lucky) nosed out Bombard for second.

Gear Jockey, a maiden winner at ninth asking at Gulfstream Jan. 21, was a close third in the GIII Canadian Turf S. going 1 1/16 miles Feb. 27. A Keeneland allowance winner going a mile this spring, he cut back to a pair of 5 1/2-furlong turf sprints in his last two, scoring in an optional claimer at Saratoga July 17, then rallying for third in the GIII Troy S. Aug. 6.

Trainer Rusty Arnold has also enjoyed success with Twirling Candy's GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. heroine Concrete Rose and MGSW Morticia.

“He's been working good,” winning jockey Jose Lezcano said. “He felt very good. He broke right on top and I let him follow [Bombard] and when I asked him at the three-sixteenths, he took off again. At the quarter [pole] he had already taken me there, but at three-sixteenths, I had to ask him because no one was coming and he might hang and fool around. The whole way he gave me the feeling that I had so much horse. When I asked, him he really kicked on.”

Favored two-time GI Fourstardave H. heroine Got Stormy (Get Stormy) was a disappointing sixth.

“You've always heard me say that she likes hard ground,” trainer Mark Casse said. “I think when she's sprinting she probably would actually like it a little softer. Today they were just a little too fast for her. But she's fine. We knew this was a tall task, but this will get us ready for the Breeders' Cup.”

Pedigree Notes:

Gear Jockey, whose granddam is a half-sister to GISW Stroll (Pulpit), has effectively salvaged the last two generations of his female family from a scarcity of black-type. Gear Jockey's dam spent her early producing years delivering foals by obscure stallion Calimonco until being purchased for $20,000 by Calumet with the Turf Sprint winner in utero at the 2017 Keeneland January sale. Her most recent foals–2-year-old colt Double Clutch (Optimizer) and yearling colt Keen to Go (Keen Ice)–are by resident Calumet stallions. She has been bred back to Calumet's Bravazo for next term. Gear Jockey became the 50th black-type winner out of a Tapit mare with the Kentucky Downs score and the second by Twirling Candy out of a Tapit mare, joining Venezuelan MSW Believe (Ven). Twirling Candy is having a fabulous year, with Gear Jockey his eighth black-type winner of 2021 and joining the ranks of GI Preakness S. winner Rombauer, as well as last week's GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity winner Pinehurst. Gear Jockey marks Twirling Candy's 12th graded winner and 31st stakes winner in seven crops.

Saturday, Kentucky Downs
FANDUEL TURF SPRINT S.-GIII, $995,500, Kentucky Downs, 9-11, 3yo/up, 6fT, 1:07.90 (NCR), fm.
1–GEAR JOCKEY, 121, c, 4, by Twirling Candy
                1st Dam: Switching Gears, by Tapit
                2nd Dam: Pace, by Indian Ridge (Ire)
                3rd Dam: Maid for Walking (GB), by Prince Sabo (GB)
   1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN.
O/B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-George R. Arnold, II; J-Jose Lezcano.
$576,600. Lifetime Record: GISP, 15-4-2-5, $902,875. Click for
   eNicks report & 5-cross catalogue-style pedigree. Werk Nick
   Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*.
2–Diamond Oops, 121, g, 6, Lookin At Lucky–Patriotic Viva, by
Whywhywhy. ($42,000 RNA Wlg '15 KEENOV). O-Diamond 100
Racing Club, LLC, Amy Dunne, D P Racing LLC & Patrick L.
Biancone Racing LLC; B-Kin Hui Racing Stables LLC (KY);
T-Patrick L. Biancone. $186,000.
3–Bombard, 125, g, 8, War Front–Witty, by Distorted Humor.
O/B-Raydelz Stable (KY); T-Richard E. Mandella. $93,000.
Margins: 2HF, NO, HD. Odds: 5.70, 21.90, 6.30.
Also Ran: Fast Boat, Casa Creed, Got Stormy, Front Run the Fed, Chewing Gum, Stubbins, Imprimis, Siem Riep, Born Great. Scratched: Johnny Unleashed. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Gear Jockey Ridden to Perfection in Turf Sprint appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

War Like Goddess Earns Breeders’ Cup Berth With Flower Bowl Win

In a longtime turf stakes race run at a new distance and a new venue, War Like Goddess got a new title: Grade 1 winner. The daughter of English Channel bided her time behind the front-running La Signare, waited for the final turn to make her move, and sprinted away to victory over Great Island and My Sister Nat in the 1 3/8-mile Flower Bowl at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Breaking from the third post, War Like Goddess got a clean start, settling in third behind La Signare and Great Island early. On the backstretch, Lovely Lucky took over third, leaving War Like Goddess six lengths behind the front-running La Signare, who set early fractions of :24.71 for the first quarter, :48.83 for the half-mile, and 1:13.66 for six furlongs. Entering the final turn, the lead was down to two lengths as Great Island started to challenge La Signare's lead going into the Saratoga straight. Julien Leparoux angled War Like Goddess out from the hedge on the turn, seeking a clear running lane in the race's final furlongs.

In the stretch, Great Island made the lead as War Like Goddess sprinted down the center of the track, passing Great Island to take the lead and win by two lengths. Great Island held off a surging My Sister Nat to finish second.

The final time for the 1 3/8-mile G1 Flower Bowl was 2:13.07 over a firm turf course.

The Flower Bowl is part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series. As a Win and You're In race for the Filly and Mare Turf, the winner earns a feed-paid guaranteed spot in the starting gate for the corresponding race at the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

Bred in Kentucky by Calumet Farm, War Like Goddess is a 4-year-old filly out of the North Light mare Misty North. Owned by George Krikorian, the filly is trained by Bill Mott. With her win in the Flower Bowl, the filly has four wins in five starts, for a lifetime record of six wins in seven starts. Consigned by Hemingway Racing and Training Stables, War Like Goddess was purchased by H N D Bloodstock for $30,000 at the 2020 Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June Two-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age sale.

The post War Like Goddess Earns Breeders’ Cup Berth With Flower Bowl Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post