Campanelle | Horse Racing Free Tips

Trainer Wesley Ward ‘Getting Excited’ About Royal Ascot Contingent

Richard Ravin's Maven, a Group 3 winner in France in 2019 who captured his 2021 debut in April at Keeneland, joined a group of 2-year-olds who turned in half-mile works on the firm Keeneland turf course Friday for trainer Wesley Ward in preparation for possible trips to England to compete at Royal Ascot in June. Since 2009, when he became the first American trainer to win a race at Royal Ascot, Ward has 11 victories at the prestigious meet.

The Royal Ascot meet will be held June 15-19.

“We had some really nice works,” Ward said about today's performances. “(The Keeneland turf course) is a true grass course. It's similar to the courses in England.”

Keeneland clockers caught Maven, working in company with Madison (G1) winner Kimari, in :47.80. A 4-year-old gelding by American Pharoah, Maven is intended for the 5-furlong King's Stand (G1) on June 15 at Royal Ascot, while Kimari is being pointed to Saratoga for her next start in the July 28 Honorable Miss (G2).

Ward's juvenile turf workers all won their career debuts in April:

· Marc Detampel's Nakatomi (June 17 Norfolk-G2) was clocked in :50.40 in company with Hat Creek Racing and Cheyenne Stable's Tea Olive (:52)

· Two horses owned by Stonestreet Stable worked in company – Ruthin (GB) (June 16 Queen Mary-G2) in :48.60 and Napa Spirit (IRE) (Norfolk) in :48.80.

· Hat Creek Racing and Cheyenne Stable's Golden Bell (June 18 Albany-G3) was timed in :48.20 in company with her faster workmate, Gregory Kaufman's Kaufymaker (:47.80).

Ward said Kaufymaker earned consideration with today's work to compete at Royal Ascot.

Set to return to Royal Ascot for Ward is Stonestreet's 3-year-old filly Campanelle (IRE), who last year captured the Queen Mary before taking the Darley Prix Morny (G1) at Deauville in France. Campanelle is based at Keeneland but has been working Sundays on the turf course at Churchill Downs in a schedule based on the availability of the Keeneland course.

Ward has Campanelle scheduled to make her 2021 debut in the June 18 Commonwealth Cup (G1) at 6 furlongs against males. With a win at Royal Ascot two years in a row, Campanelle would equal the feat of Stonestreet's Lady Aurelia, who Ward trained to win the 2016 Queen Mary and 2017 King's Stand.

The trainer's other possible 2-year-old starters at Royal Ascot this year include Peter Leidel's Overbore (June 15 Coventry-G2); Andrew Farm, For the People Racing Stable and Windmill Manor Farm's Lucci (Norfolk) and Stonestreet's Twilight Gleaming (IRE) (June 16 Windsor Castle-L).

Ward said the horses would depart June 1 on a flight from Indianapolis and be based at the English National Stud. He plans to fly to England following Bound for Nowhere's start in the Jackpot Jaipur (G1) on June 5 at Belmont Park and oversee the final works by his contingent before their Royal Ascot races.

“I'm getting excited,” he said.

Another Royal Ascot hopeful stabled at Keeneland is DARRS Inc.'s Extravagant Kid, who won the $1 million Al Quoz Sprint (G1) Sponsored by Azizi Developments during the March 27 Dubai World Cup card. Trained by Brendan Walsh, Extravagant Kid is being considered for two races at the meet: the 5-furlong King's Stand (G1) on June 15 and the 6-furlong Diamond Jubilee (G1) on June 19.

Extravagant Kid has recorded half-mile breezes at Keeneland on dirt on May 4 (:50.20) and May 13 (:48.20). Walsh said he is scheduled to work again Saturday at 7:30 a.m.

“Flying out on the first or second (of June),” Walsh said via text about travel plans for Extravagant Kid. “I'm not sure if I'm going yet. Depends on the quarantine restrictions.”

The post Trainer Wesley Ward ‘Getting Excited’ About Royal Ascot Contingent appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

St Mark’s Basilica Tops European 2YO Rankings

For the eleventh time, Aidan O'Brien was responsible for the European Champion 2-year-old, with St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) having topped the official classifications for 2020 on a mark of 120.

The colt, a half-brother to 2000 Guineas winner and young Coolmore stallion Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), is the seventh consecutive winner of the G1 Darley Dewhurst S. to be named as the top-rated juvenile in Europe.

St Mark's Basilica's stable-mate Wembley (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who was runner-up in both the Dewhurst and the G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S., was joint-second in the rankings along with Supremacy (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), who is trained by Clive Cox and won the G1 Juddmonte Middle Park S. to be the top-rated British-based colt on 118.

“St Mark's Basilica is the latest in a long line of European 2-year-old champions, dating back to Fasliyev in 1999, to emerge from the Aidan O'Brien academy,” said IHRB Handicapper Mark Bird. “We rated his effort in landing the Darley Dewhurst Stakes as marginally the best form shown by a European 2-year-old in 2020 and just ahead of that shown by the 12 other Group 1-winning 2-year-olds in Europe this year.”

He added, “At this stage of his career, he rates higher than his half-brother Magna Grecia, who won the QIPCO 2000 Guineas, and he appears to hold every chance of emulating his sibling in winning that event in 2021, with normal progression as a 3-year-old.”

The BHA's Handicapper Graeme Smith noted, “Supremacy became the latest in a long line of Group 1-winning sprinters to emerge from Clive Cox's stable over the last decade and achieved a rating of 118 when defeating the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes winner Lucky Vega in a deep looking Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes. Very well bought for £65,000, he was the standout British-trained juvenile from Goodwood onwards and went into winter quarters as the highest-rated 2-year-old his prolific trainer has ever handled.”

The top-rated juvenile in France in 2020 was Sealiway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}), the impressive winner of the G1 Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere for Frederic Rossi and owners Haras de la Gousserie and Guy Pariente, for which he was awarded a mark of 116.

There was a three-way tie to be the best juvenile filly of 2020 between Pretty Gorgeous (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}), Shale (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), all of whom were rated 113.

Pretty Gorgeous and Shale, trained respectively by Joseph and Donnacha O'Brien, clashed in their last four starts, with the former winning both the G2 ARM Holding Debutante S. and G1 bet365 Fillies' Mile, while Shale triumphed in the G3 Frank Conroy Silver Flash S. and G1 Moyglare Stud S., with Pretty Gorgeous in second on both occasions.

Campanelle, trained in America by Wesley Ward for Stonestreet Stables, built on her success in the G2 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot to win the G1 Darley Prix Morny.

The highest-rated filly in Britain, on 112, was Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never), winner of the G1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park S. for Andrew Balding and Jeff Smith. Two French-trained fillies were given the equal mark of 110: the G1 Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac winner Tiger Tanaka (Ire) and Plainchant (Fr), winner of the G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte. The fillies are respectively by the Rathasker Stud father-and-son team of Clodovil (Ire) and Gregorian (Ire).

Eleven of the top 25 juveniles in Europe are trained In Ireland, with five of those being from Aidan O'Brien's stable. Ten are trained in Britain, while three are in France and one in America.

In 2019, European champion 2-year-old Pinatubo (Ire) (Shamardal) was awarded a rating of 128, the second-highest since Celtic Swing (GB) (Damister) was rated 130 in 1994. Noting the difficulty of the 2020 Flat season, with the coronavirus pandemic delaying its start by two months, Mark Bird added, “In summary, 2020 could not be said to have been a vintage year for 2-year-olds. While numerically, the 44 horses that made the Classifications are in line with recent averages, the truncated nature of the season and the slightly muddled nature of some of the form lines mean that the Champion juveniles of the year rank at the lower end of the historical scale.”

The post St Mark’s Basilica Tops European 2YO Rankings appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Aunt Pearl Runs Juvenile Fillies Turf Rivals Off Their Feet

Jockey Florent Geroux hustled Aunt Pearl out of the gate to secure the early lead, then cruised to an easy 2 1/2-length victory in Saturday's $1-million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland, covering one mile on good turf in 1:35.71 and paying $7.20 as the betting favorite.

The Juvenile Fillies Turf was the fourth of five Future Stars Friday races for 2-year-olds that kicked off the two-day Breeders' Cup world championships at the Lexington, Ky., track.

Aidan O'Brien-trained Mother Earth finished second, with another European-based runner, Miss Amulet, third. She was followed by Campanelle, the Wesley Ward-trained filly who won the Group 2 Queen Mary at Ascot and Group 1 Prix Morny in Deauville.

Aunt Pearl, trained by Brad Cox, is a 2-year-old Irish-bred filly by Lope de Vega out of Matauri Pearl, by Hurricane Run. She was bred by Ecurie Des Charmes and Ballylinch Stud and races for the partnership of Michal Dubb, Madaket Stables, Peter Deutsch, Michael Kisber, The Elkstone Group and Bethlehem Stable.

Geroux, one of the best front-end jockeys in the sport, was intent on putting Aunt Pearl on the lead, and the opening quarter mile in :22.55 suggested he might be asking the filly to go too fast too early. But he managed to slow things down, getting the second quarter mile in :24.75 for a half-mile time of :47.30. The third quarter was slower still – :24.91 – for an opening six furlong time in 1:12.21.

Despite those progressively slower fractions, no one was gaining on Aunt Pearl, who cruised past the furlong pole in 1:23.84 en route to her final time of 1:35.71 Her final quarter mile was :23.50.

Aunt Pearl debuted at Churchill Downs on Sept. 1, winning a mile maiden race by five lengths, then came back five weeks later to win the G2 Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland by 2 1/2 lengths in similar front-running fashion.

The Juvenile Fillies Turf was the fourth Breeders' Cup winner for Cox, a 40-year-old native of Louisville, Ky. For Geroux, it was the sixth Breeders' Cup win for Geroux, a native of France who won the Juvenile Fillies Turf with Catch a Glimpse in 2015.

The post Aunt Pearl Runs Juvenile Fillies Turf Rivals Off Their Feet appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Higher Power Breezes Seven Furlongs In Breeze For Classic; Jackie’s Warrior Preps For Juvenile

Hronis Racing's Higher Power, third in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) last year at Santa Anita, worked seven furlongs in company in 1:25.40 over a fast track Sunday morning at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., which will host the 2020 World Championships Nov. 6-7.

“This was his big work before the Breeders' Cup (Classic),” said Juan Levya, who was aboard Higher Power. “I am very satisfied with it. He galloped out strong … I had him in 1:39 for the mile.”

Leyva, who has been overseeing trainer John Sadler's string of horses at Keeneland, also worked Hronis Racing's Chaos Theory five furlongs over a turf course rated as good in 1:02.80. Fourth in the Woodford (G2) Presented by Keeneland Select, Chaos Theory is under consideration for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1).

Other grass workers under Breeders' Cup consideration Sunday morning were Red King (Turf) going five furlongs in 1:05 for trainer Phil D'Amato and the Wesley Ward-trained duo of Outadore (:53) and Campanelle (IRE) (:53.40) in company for a half-mile for a 2-year-old turf race.

Pre-entries for the 37th World Championships close Monday at noon ET.

Highlighting other dirt works was the first local breeze from probable TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) favorite Jackie's Warrior, who worked five furlongs in company with Calibrate in 1:00.20.

Owned by J. Kirk and Judy Robison and trained by Steve Asmussen, Jackie's Warrior is undefeated in four starts with Grade 1 victories coming in the Hopeful at Saratoga and Champagne at Belmont.

Jackie's Warrior following his Sunday morning workout at Keeneland

Also working for Asmussen were Breeders Cup Sprint hopefuls Yaupon, who worked five furlongs in company with Little Menace in :59.60 (best of 41 works at the distance), and Echo Town, who worked a half-mile in :47.60 with Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2) possible runner Cowan.

Trainer Chad Brown opted to work FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) hopefuls Raging Bull (FR) and Flavius together a half-mile on the main track in :49.40. Also going on the dirt for Brown was Front Run the Fed (Turf Sprint-G1), who covered a half-mile in :49.

Sleepy Eyes Todd, under consideration for the Dirt Mile (G1), worked a half-mile in :48.40 under Robby Albarado. The Miguel Silva trainee galloped out 5 furlongs in 1:00.40 and 6 furlongs in 1:14.40.

The post Higher Power Breezes Seven Furlongs In Breeze For Classic; Jackie’s Warrior Preps For Juvenile appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post