Showdown in Belmont's Dwyer

One of two graded stakes on Saturday in Elmont is the GIII Dwyer S. Going a mile, the race pits Fort Bragg (Tapit), who was forced to scratch from the GI Woody Stephens S. by trainer Bob Baffert when the 3-year-old colt came down with a fever, against the undefeated Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming), who is making his stakes debut for Brad Cox.

“This gives us options. We can see how we do here,” said Tom Ryan, managing partner of SF Racing. “There will be opportunities to stretch him out down the road if we feel that's the right thing. A race like the Allen Jerkens could be on the radar for him later in the summer if we felt like he needs a cutback.”

The other half of the co-feature is the GII John A. Nerud S. for older horses at seven furlongs, which includes Candy Man Rocket (Candy Ride {Arg}) the winner of the GIII Runhappy S. at Belmont May 13 for Bill Mott. “He's run some good races and if he gets a good trip, he usually runs pretty well,” the Hall of Fame trainer said. “I think he's fine on the lead or fine with a target. It just depends how the race sets up.”

Promiseher America Looks to Rebound

Trainer Ray Handal scooped up the first graded race of his career when 3-year-old Promiseher America (American Pharoah) won the GIII Gazelle S. at Aqueduct in early April. With a tough trip in the GI Kentucky Oaks, the chestnut filly will look to rebound in Saturday's GIII Delaware Oaks. She will face a pair of challengers in Juddmonte homebred Fireline (Arrogate) from the barn of Chad Brown and Siena and WinStar Farm's Miracle (Mendelssohn) trained by Todd Pletcher. Also part of this card is the GIII Robert G. Dick Memorial S. over the grass, which includes Ian Wilkes trainee Miss Yearwood (Will Take Charge)–winner last out of the Keertana S. at Churchill Downs.

Five at Woodbine

Canada Day on Saturday fits in well as Woodbine Entertainment hosts its own fireworks when it cards five graded races. The GIII Marine S. includes Chad Brown invader Turf King (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) whose main rival will be King's Plate hopeful Twin City (Klimt), while the GIII Selene S. witnesses the return of reigning Eclipse Award-winning juvenile filly Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief).

Wonder Wheel | Coady Photography

Not seen since she was ninth in the GI Kentucky Oaks, the Mark Casse trainee makes her first start at her trainer's home base. “I was really disappointed with her effort in the Ashland,” Casse said from his Ocala base. “And the Oaks was kind of a weird-run race. Then I wanted to get her up there and train her on the Tapeta. I just find that horses thrive at Woodbine, more than anywhere. I just kind of felt like we needed to get her back to square one, try to get her some confidence.”

Switching to the turf, trainer Larry Rivelli sends sprinter One Timer (Trappe Shot) north of the border for the GII Highlander S. as his 4-year-old gelding meets George Weaver shipper Outlaw Kid (Violence). Also on the grass, the GII Nassau S. includes Todd Pletcher trainee Scotish Star (Arg) (Key Deputy) who will look to upend current Canadian Horse of the Year Moira (Ghostzapper). Back on the Tapeta, the top three finishers from the June 4 running of the GII Eclipse S. at Woodbine–Treason (Constitution), Carrothers (Mshawish) and Tyson (Tapit)–will once again face one another in the GIII Dominion Day S.

Antonucci After More Graded Glory

Trainer Jena Antonucci made history when she won the GI Belmont S. last month and now she is looking for more graded hardware, this time at her southern digs in South Florida. Doc Amster (Midshipman) will compete in Gulfstream Park's GIII Smile Sprint Invitational S., but the 6-year-old will have to face down potential favorites in Dean Delivers (Cajun Breeze) for trainer Michael Yates and Todo Fino (Chi) (Verrazano) for Amador Sanchez.

The post Graded Stakes Fireworks Set For Saturday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

A wire-to-wire winner of the Go for Wand, Lady Rocket set quick fractions with Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard, coasting through an opening quarter in :23.22 and a half-mile in :46.54. Geared down in the final sixteenth, Lady Rocket crossed the wire nine lengths the better of Bella Vita in second, stopping the clock in 1:36.52. She earned a 106 Beyer Speed Figure for her impressive effort.

Racing at a mile for the first time in the Go for Wand, going longer was a question for the 4-year-old filly, who had to dig down and fend off a late bid from Glass Ceiling to win her division of the seven-furlong Pumpkin Pie at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., by a neck in her last start.

With her hard-earned Pumpkin Pie victory in mind, Fletcher, who co-owns the daughter of Tale of the Cat with Ten Strike Racing, said he watched the Go for Wand with bated breath.

“I was really nervous because of the mile,” Fletcher said. “Her best distance was seven furlongs coming into this race and that was a really close race. We were scared to death of the mile. When she won as well as she did, we were shocked and surprised. I'm very pleased with how she ran. We watched it on the TV dumbfounded.”

With her first graded stakes victory now on her resume, Lady Rocket will be given time off to prepare for her 2022 campaign. Both Fletcher and trainer Brad Cox hope her performance Saturday is the start of a successful journey to Grade 1 glory.

“She'll be at Belmont for a bit before getting some time off,” Fletcher said. “Brad [Cox] said he thinks she needs a little break; she's been racing once a month for a while. She'll be on the farm for two or three months and then we'll point her to a Grade 1. She's becoming a lot stronger and is finding a new gear. I think she could even go beyond a mile now seeing how well she handled it.”

Along with Lady Rocket, Fletcher also owns multiple graded stakes winner Frank's Rockette and G3 winner Candy Man Rocket, who are both stabled with Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

Frank's Rockette, who finished third in the listed Dream Supreme at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., in her last start on November 13, has now joined Mott's Florida string of horses after spending the fall in Kentucky.

“She was training at Churchill and is in Florida right now,” Fletcher said of the Into Mischief mare. “We'll point her to a nice race there. She came out of her last race well.”

Candy Man Rocket made an appearance on the road to the Kentucky Derby this spring when he won the G3 Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs in Tampa, Fla., and finished off the board in the G2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino at Aqueduct.

Away from the races since a runner-up effort in the six-furlong Gold Fever at Belmont in May, the 3-year-old son of Candy Ride is working his way back to a campaign that will see him sprinting going forward.

“He's down at Payson Park (in Indiantown, Fla.) right now working on getting his feet a little better,” Fletcher said. “We found out in his last race that he didn't want to go long. He ran a great race at six furlongs and got caught at the wire. We think he'll be hard to beat at the sprint distance. He'll come back in a race down in Florida; we aren't sure where yet.”

As for next year's Kentucky Derby hopefuls, Fletcher shared his excitement for recent maiden special weight winner Rocket Dawg, who was a debut winner going seven furlongs at Churchill on November 19 by 5 ½ lengths. After flashing his talent in his debut, a step up to graded stakes company could be in the Classic Empire colt's future.

“He was very impressive in that debut. He's got a ton of potential and we're excited about him,” Fletcher said. “We'll run him back in an allowance and if he can hold the form from his maiden win in allowance company, we'll point him to the Southwest at Oaklawn. We think he'll do well.”

Rocket One, another impressive maiden winner for Fletcher this fall, will be returning to turf after giving the dirt a try with a pair of sixth-place finishes in the G2 Castle and Key Bourbon at Churchill on October 10 and an optional claimer in his most recent start on November 27.

A 1 ½ length winner of a maiden special weight at Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Ky., in his third career start, Fletcher said switching back to the turf makes the most sense for the 2-year-old Into Mischief colt.

“He's down at Payson Park right now and we'll get him back on the grass at Gulfstream Park this winter,” Fletcher said. “He showed us his potential and talent in that turf maiden and we know that's where he wants to be. I would like to have dirt horses since I prefer to run at Oaklawn, but I also want to win. So we'll get him where he needs to be to win.”

J L's Rockette, who finished seventh in the G2 Adirondack at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and ninth in the Ainsworth at Kentucky Downs in her last start on September 12, will be turned out and freshened for a few months before making her return to the races.

The post Lady Rocket Gets Freshening After Go For Wand Win Saturday appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The eighth running of the Gold Fever saw Beren earn his first career stakes win in dramatic fashion, running down graded stakes-winner Candy Man Rocket under coaxing from jockey Manny Franco in the feature for the nine-race card.

Beren broke sharp from the inside post, remaining unscathed as Roderick stumbled and unseated rider Joel Rosario coming out of the gate from post 3. Both horse and rider were uninjured, with the outrider picking up Roderick in the gallop out.

American Gentleman led what became a five-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in 22.79 seconds on the fast main track, with Beren tracking in fourth position. Candy Man Rocket, under Junior Alvarado, overtook American Gentleman at the front with the half going in 46.07, and maintained the edge into the stretch.

But Beren rallied when straightened for home, as Franco gave strong left-handed encouragement. The Weigelia colt had plenty in reserve and closed the deficit in the final sixteenth before getting up in time to win the head bob in a final time of 1:11.25.

Beren, fourth last out after stumbling at the start in the seven-furlong Grade 3 Bay Shore on April 3 at Aqueduct Racetrack, notched his third win in his last four starts.

“The class relief helped. He ran with some tough horses in the Bay Shore,” Franco said. “I knew the horse belonged here. I just wanted to make sure he broke better than he did last time. Today, he broke a step slow again, but I put him in the clear and he was comfortable after that.

“He can go seven [furlongs], but I think the six furlongs made the difference today,” he added.

The Pennsylvania homebred made his first six starts in his native Quaker State before moving up to graded stakes competition last month by trainer Butch Reid.

“It was nerve-wracking, but Manny did a great job,” Reid said. “He got him straightened out and got him to switch leads and he finished really well.

“I've found with these Weigelias that they don't need to be on the lead and they really like a little bit of moisture in the racetrack,” he added. “I've had a lot of them to train and they are all game horses and have done very well for us.”

Beren, off at 3-1, returned $8.60 on a $2 win bet and improved his career earnings to $160,420.

“I love getting that New York money,” Reid said. “There's nothing quite like it. You know when you come here, you've beaten the best. It's a special treat to come up here and win a race.”

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott shortened Candy Man Rocket up for his first sprint since being placed on the Triple Crown trail. After winning the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Sam F. Davis in February at Tampa Bay Downs and finishing out of the money in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby and the Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino, the Candy Ride colt finished 6 1/2 lengths clear of Doubleoseven for second, earning a placing in his Belmont debut.

“I had a great trip, really no excuses,” Alvarado said. “When we got to the wire I thought we held on, but I guess we didn't. He ran great. I think he'll get better with experience. He'll probably do his better running going shorter distances.”

The Wolfman and American Gentleman completed the order of finish.

Starting on May 1, Belmont Park re-opened to a limited number of spectators. All admission must be purchased in advance at nyra.com/belmont/tickets/.

For comprehensive information on health and safety protocols in effect for the Belmont Park spring/summer meet, please visit: https://www.nyra.com/belmont/visit/plan-your-visit.

The post Pennsylvania-Bred Beren Catches Candy Man Rocket At The Wire In Gold Fever appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

With Junior Alvarado up for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, Modernist tracked in second position and shook clear at the head of the lane en route to a convincing win over the late-closing Haikal.

The 4-year-old Uncle Mo colt graduated last January at the Big A ahead of a win in the Grade 2 Risen Star and a third in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, both at Fair Grounds. He was given a freshening after off-the-board efforts in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes and Grade 3 Peter Pan at Saratoga.

“He's doing good this morning,” said Mott's New York-based assistant Leana Willaford. “The last couple races last year, he was looking like he was ready for a break and he got one. It obviously helped him. He came back to me here much more mature physically and mentally. I thought he looked great going into the race.”

Willaford said the prominent trip was a good one for the long-running colt, especially after the scratch of 4-5 morning line favorite Mr. Buff.

“He's run well that way. He was on the lead when he broke his maiden and vying for it when he won the Risen Star,” said Willaford. “With Mr. Buff out, you figured you better be up there and they didn't go very fast early. Distance will not be a limitation for this horse. He can go all day.”

A possible target for Modernist would be the 12-furlong Grade 2, $400,000 Brooklyn on June 5 at Belmont.

WinStar Stablemates Racing's Paris Lights garnered an 85 Beyer for her half-length score over pacesetter Portal Creek in the Grade 3 Distaff on Friday at the Big A.

“She ran great,” said Willaford. “She was sitting a little closer than I imagined she would, but it was good that she did because that filly got away with some slow fractions, too.”

Paris Lights is likely to target the Grade 1, $500,000 La Troienne on April 30 at Churchill Downs.

Frank Fletcher Racing Operations' Candy Man Rocket faded to ninth in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial after an early stalking trip under Alvarado.

“The track was a little deep for him. He sat close easily and Junior said he asked him a little at the three-eighths pole and he gave him a run to the quarter pole,” said Willaford. “He came out of it fine this morning. I think we just need to shorten him up. He looks like more of a one-turn type of horse.”

There's A Chance Stable, Medallion Racing, Abbondanza Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Paradise Farms Corp., and David Staudacher's Horologist is set to make her seasonal debut in Saturday's $100,000 Top Flight Invitational at nine furlongs on the main track.

The 5-year-old New Jersey-bred daughter of Gemologist won the Grade 2 Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park and Grade 2 Beldame at Belmont last year. She completed a lucrative campaign with an off-the-board effort in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff in November at Keeneland.

“She's doing good,” said Willaford. “She was here last year before the Beldame for quite a while and she looks as good or better as she did in the late summer and fall.”

The post Modernist Could Target Brooklyn Following Excelsior Score appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

After many years of staying in New York for the Big A winter meet, Alvarado, 34, instead took his tack to Gulfstream Park for their championship meet where he finished sixth in the jockey standings with 53 wins, including seven stakes scores.

“For a long time, I've waited for this opportunity and it felt like the right time, so I took advantage of it and I thought it went better than expected,” Alvarado said. “The first couple of weeks were a little slow, but that was a lot of people getting to know me and trying to figure out the track and knowing when and where to make your move. Things began picking up after that.”

Much of Alvarado's success this winter came on the turf for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. He guided Annex, a sophomore Constitution colt, to stakes scores in the Palm Beach and Cutler Bay as well as capturing the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant with White Frost, a 3-year-old Candy Ride filly.

Both Mott trainees could be contenders this summer in NYRA's lucrative Turf Triple series, implemented in 2019 as the turf equivalent of the Triple Crown, with all legs contested at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course.

Alvarado also picked up Gulfstream stakes wins with Venezuelan Hug in the Grade 3 Canadian Turf for trainer Danny Gargan; Gray's Fable for Hall of Fame trainer Roger Attfield in the Grade 3 Kitten's Joy; and Pacific Gale in the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie for John Kimmel.

Alvarado's mounts banked more than $2.3 million in earnings at the Gulfstream meet, where he boasted a record of 377-53-75-48 while finishing in the money at a 47 percent clip.

“This is the first year where I've started things off with this much success,” Alvarado said. “Coming back to New York, I've been riding a lot of good horses that I picked up down in Florida. Coming into the spring, I don't know that I've ever had this many good horses lined up, so I am very confident moving forward. It gives me a lot of confidence in the decisions I make in riding.”

Alvarado departed for Florida after a strong fall campaign in New York, notching five stakes wins during the Big A fall meet and six stakes victories during the Belmont fall meet, including Grade 1 scores aboard Dayoutoftheoffice in the Frizette and Gufo in the Belmont Derby Invitational.

On Saturday, Alvarado will have the chance to parlay his South Florida prosperity to the Empire State, with mounts in four of the five graded stakes on a lucrative card.

In the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino, Alvarado will pilot Frank Fletcher Racing Operations' Candy Man Rocket, who will try to make amends after an off-the-board effort as the beaten favorite in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby on March 6.

The Mott-trained son of Candy Ride tasted sweet victory in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs on February 6 but did not get the most favorable of runs into the first turn of the Tampa Bay Derby, where he broke awkwardly and was shuffled to mid pack in between horses.

Alvarado, in search of his first Wood Memorial win, will guide Candy Man Rocket from post 7 in a field of 9. He said the outside post in Saturday's nine-furlong event will be beneficial.

“Things just didn't go our way that day,” Alvarado said of the Tampa Bay Derby effort. “There was some bumping going into the first turn and we had to start over and go to the outside. I would draw a line through that race. We have a good post to the outside on Saturday. Hopefully, he breaks well and gets a race similar to what he did in the Sam Davis, when he was in the clear on the outside.”

The Wood Memorial offers 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers and a good result on Saturday would propel Candy Man Rocket, currently 32nd on the leaderboard with 10 points, into the starting gate on the first Saturday in May.

Alvarado's previous Derby mounts include Mohaymen [4th, 2016], Enticed [14th, 2018] and Tax [14th, 2019].

Alvarado's stakes lineup on Saturday incudes mounts aboard multiple Grade 1-winner Mind Control in the Grade 1, $300,000 Carter [Race 6]; Modernist in the Grade 3, $150,000 Excelsior [Race 8]; and Mia Martina in the Grade 3, $250,000 Gazelle [Race 9], which offers 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points. He will also partner Lady Sansa in her North American debut in a turf allowance in Race 7 for trainer Christophe Clement.

Alvarado formally returns to action on Thursday at the Big A, and is named to ride Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks winner Paris Lights in the Grade 3, $150,000 Distaff [Race 7]. He also is scheduled aboard Olympique [Race 1], Runabout [Race 2], and Box N Score [Race 6].

The post Junior Alvarado Bringing South Florida Momentum To New York Jockey Colony appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

“Obviously, it has not been fun or easy,” Kintz said earlier this week of the added difficulties of building a new business in the middle of the covid pandemic. “I was just talking to [fellow consignor] Tristan de Meric and we were going back and forth about all the things that were happening at this time last year–first there were the indictments, and then the pandemic. Every single day when we were at the sale, you hear all the rumors that things are going to start shutting down. At the last day of the breeze show, things were really heating up. Every big city's shutting down, and we're wondering if we're even going to make it through this. Then you're showing horses to people and they're on their phones and you see them talking to people and saying things like, 'Louisville just shut down all their restaurants' or 'Lexington just shut down everything.' Every day it was just another kick in the shins. I commend OBS for doing what they did–we were there, the horses were there and they did everything they could do. I think they did really well by us as consignors to keep the show going.”

Kintz hails from a family of horse people. Both his grandfather and father were trainers, and his brother Matt is a multiple graded stakes-winning conditioner himself. Scott Kintz started his own training career as an assistant for Bill Helmbrecht before training on his own throughout the first half of the 90s at tracks like River Downs, Turfway and Thistledown.

“I got married and my wife got pregnant,” Kintz said of what made him eventually change his career path. “It's a tough way to make a living, and tough on a family, so I called Frank Taylor [at Taylor Made]. Frank gave me a job, and I worked my way up to farm manager there.”

After 10 years at Taylor Made, Kintz spent another five as general manager at Woodford Thoroughbreds in Florida. His wife Kim remains Woodford's office manager.

“Once I got down to Florida, and got to be around the training horses and this and that, it was inevitable that l fell back in to training horses,” he said.

After a stint managing Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm, Kintz took the plunge and opened up his own operation in the summer of 2019. Six K's is based at the Ocala Jockey Club.

Kintz called on his past relationships, particularly those forged at Taylor Made, to help him navigate treacherous waters early on.

“Mark Taylor called me and he said, 'Just survive. If you can survive, you're going to be better off when it's all over. Just do what you've got to do survive this.' And that's all we did–we just worked harder to make it work,” said Kintz, whose team includes his son Nick and his aforementioned brother. “This year things are better, and we've got the opportunity to start climbing out of it now. For me, being the new guy, it wasn't easy, but it might have been a little easier on me because I didn't have the infrastructure that the bigger guys have. We were able to just tighten down our belts. We were broke going into it, so we were broke coming out of it.”

Kintz got a major boost that first year when prominent owner/breeder Robert “Shel” Evans sent him a group of horses.

“We had all of Mr. Evans's mares at Taylor Made when I was there,” Kintz noted. “Shared Interest, who was [Evans-bred GISW and sire] Forestry's mother, had some real problems when I was there, and needed extra care. Because of who she was, being Forestry's mother and [GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner] Cash Run's mother, she always got a little extra. Mr. Evans, I think, really appreciated that, so he and I got to be pretty close. When I went on my own, I ran into him at Saratoga and I said I'd love the opportunity to train some for him, so that's how it happened… I can't thank him enough.”

Among the group of youngsters Kintz got from Evans was a Candy Ride (Arg) colt out of a mare by none other than Forestry. Bought back for $190,000 as a KEENOV weanling and $70,000 as a KEESEP yearling, the dark bay breezed in :21 flat at the pushed-back OBS Spring sale.

Acquired by Frank Fletcher Racing Operations for $250,000, he was named Candy Man Rocket and turned over to Bill Mott. After a 9 1/4-length second-out romp at Gulfstream Jan. 9, the colt annexed the Feb. 6 GIII Sam F. Davis S.

“I loved that horse. I know it's easy to say now, but he was the best horse I had last year by a lot,” Kintz said. “The pandemic probably helped him. He was in the April sale, so pushing things back to June for him, as a Candy Ride and a big, strong horse, he needed that little bit of extra time. The first time we breezed him, he galloped out in :35, and I told the rider when he came back to never do that again. And the rider said, 'I didn't expect to do it then. I smooched to him one time and he was gone.' He was a superstar from the start, and real laid-back, easy to get along with horse at the barn… But when you asked him, he was there.”

Candy Man Rocket was 11th as the favorite in the Mar. 6 GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby.

“I was obviously a little disappointed with the way he ran the other day, but I know he's in the right hands–there's no better person to have him than Bill Mott, and he'll figure out what happened and he'll come back to be the horse we thought he was a month ago,” Kintz said.

Evans had never before targeted the 2-year-old sales with his produce, and won't again this year–Kintz said last year was a function of a number of Evans's horses being bought back as yearlings. At the 2020 yearling sales, Evans was able to get most if not all of his horses sold.

Six K's 2020 crop of juveniles also included Broadway (Quality Road), a $500,000 Fasig Saratoga buy by Evans who RNA'd last March for $485,000. Now with trainer Christophe Clement, the well-bred colt broke his maiden in January at Tampa Bay Downs.

In addition to quality first graduates like Candy Man Rocket, perhaps an even bigger endorsement for the Six K's program is how many from last year's sales have made it to the races. Kintz consigned a total of 15 head at last year's OBS auctions, and no fewer than 12 have already made the races by March of their sophomore season.

“We're very hands-on,” Kintz said when asked about his training approach. “I see and touch every horse every day. My brother and my son are very good at being hands-on as well. We have a great crew, and we just take our time. There's no pushing them through things… That's my biggest thing. Obviously, I want to sell and I want to be profitable selling, but if I push every horse through a sale and get them all sold, but they don't become racehorses and they don't become decent racehorses, eventually I'm not going to sell them for long anyway. So I'd rather take my time, and maybe not get the absolute last dime I can get out of them. Then they'll be good for me down the road. They're going to go on and be good, sound horses who make it to the races and become as good as they can become, and then those buyers come back and see me again.”

While Six K's current crop may not possess the pedigree power that last year's did, Kintz believes this group makes up for it and then some on raw talent and physicality.

“I think this is a better crop than the one I had last year,” he said. “I don't think I have the pedigree that I had last year, but I think my horses physically and talent wise are better. The four I have here in March are very solid, sound horses. I think they're going to go right on and be fine. Last year, I had Candy Rides and Into Mischiefs and Quality Roads, and they were superior pedigrees, and pretty good physicals and pretty good talent wise. But the ones I have this year have half the pedigree, but I think they're twice as talented, I really do.”

When asked to single out members of his March consignment, Kintz said, “I think my Summer Front colt (hip 215) of Dr. Hansen's is a standout–he's really fast and very precocious. The one who I think may turn out to be the best racehorse of the bunch is the First Samurai filly (hip 278). At every sale you go to, there's a horse who gets better as you get to the sale, and she's that one. Every day she's here she's a better horse. Some horses just thrive on the action and starting to crank things up a bit and that's her. I'm really looking forward to her. She doesn't have a ton of pedigree, but she's got a ton of talent.”

Hip 215 is out of a mare by Dr. Kendall Hansen's champion juvenile Hansen. His dam is a half to MSW/GSP Thirtyfirststreet (Good Journey). The Feb. 23 foal went in :10 flat during the under-tack preview.

Hip 278 was an $18,000 KEENOV weanling and $19,000 KEESEP RNA. Her third dam produced 2012 Canadian champion 2-year-old filly Spring in the Air as well as the stakes-placed dam of GISW juvenile Sweet Loretta. She breezed in :10.3.

While there's still plenty of uncertainty surrounding the market heading into another sales season, Kintz remains optimistic.

“I sure feel like racing is going to help us,” he said. “Oaklawn just bumped their purses up huge; Belmont's going to have record purses; Churchill and Keeneland's purses, with getting the historical horse racing back, those purses are going to get crazy. All that has to help us; it can't be hurting us. The one thing hurting us some still is the uncertainty of the pandemic. Even though it's kind of winding down, I just feel like owners aren't as emotionally attached when there's uncertainty about whether or not they'll be able to go to Saratoga this summer or be able to go watch their horses run. I think that's going to hold us back a little bit, but to me, racing seems to me to be thriving through the pandemic. It's almost been a shot in the arm we've kind of needed to make people realize that we're here. We're always here, and we're never going away, so hopefully that's what helps us.”

The post Six K’s Standing Strong Heading into Second Sales Season appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Trained by Mark Casse and ridden by Jose Ferrer, Helium ran 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:43.55 and paid $32.80 as a 15-1 longshot. Hidden Stash, who ranged up to challenge the winner in mid-stretch, finished second as the 3-1 second choice, with another longshot, 34-1 Moonlite Strike third, Unbridled Honor finished fourth, with King of Dreams fifth. Candy Man Rocket, the  8-5 favorite coming off a victory in the G3 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, was never a factor.

The Tampa Bay Derby offered 85 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby with 50-20-10-5 to the top four finishers.

From the first crop of Ironicus, a top-class turf performer by Distorted Humor, Helium won his first two starts on the Tapeta synthetic surface at Woodbine, including a 4 1/4-length victory in the Display Stakes in his most recent start on Oct. 18.

Boca Boy reprised his role from the Sam F. Davis, setting the pace through fractions of :23.23, :47.06 and 1:11.38 for the first six furlongs. King of Dreams and Moonlite Strike were in closest pursuit, with Helium kept to the far outside in the run down the backstretch, with Hidden Stash just behind him.

Approaching the far turn, Ferrer put Helium in a four-wide drive and had the lead entering the stretch. Hidden Stash rallied alongside Helium, possibly putting his nose in front just inside the eighth pole, but Helium fought back and gradually edged clear approaching the wire.

“I'm just so happy to ride my first Tampa Bay Derby,” said Ferrer. “I always wanted to ride this race. Mark Casse gave me a great opportunity to go out there and do my job and do my thing. On the backside, I had all kind of horse under me, and I could see who had more horse and when I set him down at the three-eighths pole, I could see I had a chance. I just had so much horse and he flew down the lane. Then I think he got by himself and kind of got bored and he thought, game over. But I still had plemty of horse and be re-broke again.”

“He trained well enough that we thought he deserved a chance,” Casse said. “Again, I have to give so much credit to Nick Tomlinson who had him down at Palm Meadows for us. We had thought about running in the Gotham and thought, if we're going to try the dirt, let's run him close to home. It worked well for us.

“This horse is something because he got away a little slow today and we had planned on him being closer,” Casse added. “He made that big wide run, he made the lead but (after Hidden Stash rallied) I was going to be happy with second. I thought, we can build on this, because this is only his third start and there is a lot of room for improvement. What was amazing is that he wasn't overly exhausted after the race. He's a beautiful horse, he's bred to run all day long and he looks like a Derby horse, so it's exciting.”

The post Helium Remains Unbeaten With Tampa Bay Derby Surprise appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Leading the field is Candy Man Rocket, winner of the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs last month, with third place finisher Hidden Stash hoping to improve and potentially turn the tables on Candy Man Rocket this time around.

Among the rest, four others have won stakes races but those wins came last year. Sittin On Go won the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes last summer but has not finished better than sixth in three stakes tries since then including when beaten 17 lengths in the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes in January. Helium easily won the Display Stakes when last seen in October, but that race was run at seven furlongs and on an all-weather track so he has many questions to answer (distance, surface and layoff) in this situation. Boca Boy won the In Reality Stakes in September. Then, in his comeback in the Sam F. Davis last month, Boca Boy tired to fourth after setting the early pace and could have an even harder time holding the early lead today with the speedy Promise Keeper (coming in off a maiden win) in the field. Super Strong is a Kentucky bred colt who won his only start at Camarero Race Course in Puerto Rico when victorious in the seven furlong Group 1 Classico Agustin Mercado Revron Stakes in December.

Among the rest, King of Dreams led from start to finish at the distance of the Tampa Bay Derby last month on turf and may run as well on dirt. Unbridled Honor also won his most recent start, at Tampa Bay Downs, and like King of Dreams hopes to make a big step from maiden winner into the stakes ranks. Similarly, My Liberty just won over the track to break his maiden and will be attempting to step up in class as he races around two turns for the first time. Awesome Gerry finished second in the Jean Lafitte Stakes last November but was seventh and beaten 17 lengths in the Holy Bull in his most recent race. Moonlite Strike won races in November and December but was fourth and beaten more than 15 lengths in the Smarty Jones Stakes in his most recent race.

Similar to the analysis of the Fountain of Youth Stakes last week in which the winner of the most recent prep race over the track, Greatest Honour, appeared to be the one to beat, Candy Man Rocket is the horse the other 11 will have to defeat to win.

Candy Man Rocket proved his nine length victory in January was no fluke when winning by a shorter margin, just one length, in the Sam F. Davis Stakes last month. Although earning a 90 Equibase Speed Figure in the Sam F. Davis as compared to a 94 when winning a sprint before that, Candy Man Rocket did so very professionally when stalking pace setter Boca Boy from the start then taking over while three paths wide on the turn and holding off Nova Rags and Hidden Stash, who is running back in this race as well. It is likely Boca Boy will want the lead from the start as he's done in his last two races on dirt, and it is also likely Promise Keeper will have to go fast from the 11 post to get good position from the start, Candy Man Rocket will have a great stalking position under jockey Junior Alvarado from the ground saving three post. Although there are a couple of horses which have earned higher figures in their most recent starts, one of those (King of Dreams – 96) was on turf and the other (Helium – 93) was around one turn and more than four months ago, potentially giving Candy Man Rocket an edge with which he can win his second stakes race in a row.

That said, King of Dreams has an upset chance if he can transfer his turf form to dirt. The 96 figure he earned winning at this distance on turf at the end of January is the best figure earned by any horse in this field, period. He did lead from start to finish in that race but given he does not wear blinkers I do not believe he is a need-the-lead type similar to Boca Boy or Promise Keeper, and so he too could take up a stalking position in the early stages. Getting the services of Tampa Bay Downs leading jockey Samy Camacho is a good sign, as is the fact trainer that Juan Avila just saddled the 50-1 upset winner in the Davona Dale Stakes last weekend as well as the 49-1 upset winner in the 2020 Tampa Bay Derby, King Guillermo. Considering the dam is a daughter of A.P. Indy who has produced three dirt route winners from seven other foals, I have little doubt King of Dreams can transition successfully from turf to dirt and run a competitive race.

Hidden Stash was far back in eighth in the early stages of the Sam F. Davis last month, which is much farther back than he had been in his previous two route races last fall, both of which he won, earning 87 and 89 figures. Following two months off, Hidden Stash returned in the Sam F. Davis and the early pace was much faster than he experienced previously, which helps to explain why he was farther back than usual. Nevertheless, with three-sixteenths of a mile to go, Hidden Stash swung to the four path and commenced a rally from eighth to third, just a neck from the runner-up. Watching the replay, I note Hidden Stash was ridden out after the wire giving him a bit of an education in passing the top two finishers even though the race was over. Being a son of hot sire Constitution, whose son Tiz the Law won 2020 Florida Derby, I have little doubt Hidden Stash fits at this level. With veteran jockey Rafael Bejarano coming in from Kentucky to ride and with logical improvement in his second start off the layoff, Hidden Stash must be given a lot of respect as a contender to win the Tampa Bay Derby.

In spite of the potential to get into a hot early pace battle with Boca Boy, Promise Keeper is intriguing enough to consider as having a chance in this race. Also a son of Constitution, Promise Keeper stretched out to a mile for the first time last month in his second career start and dominated by five lengths in a field of 11, earning a 90 figure. His dam, the Curlin mare Mira Alta, produced stakes winner Wicked Awesome so there's a lot of quality in his pedigree. Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden again by Luis Saez, if Promise Keeper can get the early lead over Boca Boy from his outside post and not expend too much energy he has potential to get confident and possibly hold off the challenges of Candy Man Rocket, King of Dreams and Hidden Stash.

The rest of the field, all who have the ability to compete effectively in this race, with their best Equibase Speed Figures, is Awesome Gerry (86), Boca Boy (84), Helium (93), Moonlite Strike (93), My Liberty (87), Sittin on Go (91), Super Strong (82) and Unbridled Honor (85).

Win Contenders, in probability order:
Candy Man Rocket
King of Dreams
Hidden Stash

Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby – Grade 2
Race 11 at Tampa Bay Downs
Saturday, March 6 – Post Time 5:25 PM E.T.
One and One Sixteenth Miles
Three Year Olds
Purse: $400,000

The post Equibase Analysis: King Of Dreams Best Chance To Upset Candy Man Rocket In Tampa appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The Frank Fletcher colorbearer previously romped by 9 1/4 lengths at second asking going six furlongs at Gulfstream Park Jan. 9. He received 85 Beyer Speed Figures in both efforts.

The Sam Davis was Candy Man Rocket's first start around two turns. The fifth-place finisher that day Known Agenda (Curlin) returned with a daylight optional claiming tally at Gulfstream Feb. 26.

Candy Man Rocket, the 2-1 morning-line favorite for the Tampa Bay Derby, worked a bullet four furlongs in :48 3/5 (1/36) at Payson Park Feb. 28. He is drawn in post three with Junior Alvarado aboard.

“The [Tampa Bay Derby] has been on our minds since he won the Sam F. Davis,” Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said. “Any time you get a horse that runs well over that racetrack, you have to give it consideration.”

He continued, “It seems like he is doing equally as well now as he was before the Davis. He's got good natural speed away from the gate, which can always be an advantage for any horse, position-wise. The chances of getting a good trip might be better than they would for a deep closer, especially in a big field.”

After completing his juvenile campaign with two straight route wins in Kentucky, Hidden Stash (Constitution) rallied smartly from eighth after a ground-saving trip to finish third–beaten just 1 1/4 lengths–while making his stakes debut in the Sam Davis. The addition of more speed types in this full field should certainly play in his favor.

Helium (Ironicus) tries dirt for the first time in his sophomore debut. He was perfect from two tries for Mark Casse going seven furlongs over the Woodbine synthetic last term, most recently dominating six rivals in the Display S. Oct. 18.

Promise Keeper (Constitution), a well-beaten fourth behind Candy Man Rocket sprinting on debut, stretched to a mile with a sharp, front-running maiden victory for Todd Pletcher in the Gulfstream slop Feb. 6. He will have to work out a trip in his two-turn debut from post 11. Pletcher has won the Tampa Bay Derby a record five times and will also tighten the girth on Unbridled Honor (Honor Code), who took a big step forward to annex a local two-turn maiden special weight at third asking Feb. 6.

After saddling King Guillermo (Uncle Mo) to a shocking 49-1 victory in last year's Tampa Bay Derby following a third-place finish in the grassy Pulpit S., trainer Juan C. Avila will go turf-to-dirt once again with Jan. 30 wire-to-wire Gulfstream maiden winner King of Dreams (Air Force Blue).

Super Strong (Super Saver), winner of the Classico Agustin Mercado Revron S. first out in Puerto Rico Dec. 19, shows up in this ambitious spot for his U.S. debut. He worked a bullet five furlongs for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. in :59 3/5 (1/30) at Palm Meadows Feb. 13.

“He has trained well enough to give it a shot,” said Joseph, who will also saddle longshots Awesome Gerry (Liam's Map) and Moonlite Strike (Liam's Map). “It's hard to judge his form in Puerto Rico, but he acts like the distance will be no problem. We aren't giving up much experience to most of the other horses in the race. We definitely would like him to have another race in him, but we have to play the hand we're dealt.”

The post Candy Man Rocket to Beat in Tampa Bay Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

“Except for Bill Mott's horse (Candy Man Rocket, who won the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes here on Feb. 6), everyone is searching to see if they belong as a contender or are just a pretender,” said Saffie Joseph, Jr., who will send out three horses in the 41st annual Tampa Bay Downs showcase: Moonlite Strike, Super Strong and Awesome Gerry.

“Candy Man Rocket is a deserving favorite. A lot of the others have shown glimpses of ability, but I think they would have to run their best race ever to win,” Joseph said. “It seems like there are a lot of horses in there with two or three starts, so it looks like it is wide-open.”

The mile-and-a-sixteenth Lambbholm South Tampa Bay Derby, scheduled on the main dirt track as the 11th race on a 12-race card, is one of five Festival Day 41 Presented by Lambholm South stakes worth a combined $1-million in purse money. The race is also a “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points affair, with 50, 20, 10 and 5 points awarded to the first four finishers toward securing a spot in the starting gate at Churchill Downs.

The other stakes on the card include the Grade 2, $225,000 Hillsborough Stakes for older fillies and mares at a mile-and-an-eighth on the turf, scheduled as the ninth race; the Grade 3, $200,000 Florida Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the grass, scheduled as the 10th race; the Grade 3, $100,000 Michelob Ultra Challenger Stakes for horses 4-years-old-and-upward at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the dirt, slated as the fifth race; and the $75,000 Columbia Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile on the turf, scheduled as the seventh.

Post time for the first of Saturday's 12 races is 12:17 p.m.

Here is the full field for the Grade II, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby in post position order, with trainer, jockey and morning-line odds:

1. My Liberty, Maria Ines Mejia, Tomas Mejia, 30-1; 2. Super Strong, Saffie Joseph, Jr., Antonio Gallardo, 8-1; 3. Candy Man Rocket, Bill Mott, Junior Alvarado, 2-1; 4. King of Dreams, Juan Carlos Avila, Samy Camacho, 20-1; 5. Boca Boy, Cheryl Winebaugh, Angel Arroyo, 15-1; 6. Awesome Gerry, Saffie Joseph, Jr., Hector Diaz, Jr., 15-1; 7. Moonlite Strike, Saffie Joseph, Jr., Daniel Centeno, 20-1; 8. Hidden Stash, Victoria Oliver, Rafael Bejarano, 4-1; 9. Unbridled Honor, Todd Pletcher, Julien Leparoux, 20-1; 10. Helium, Mark Casse, Jose Ferrer, 6-1; 11. Promise Keeper, Todd Pletcher, Luis Saez, 8-1; 12. Sittin On Go, Dale Romans, Roberto Alvarado, Jr., 20-1.

On Sunday, Mott said Candy Man Rocket “looked as smooth as silk” while breezing 4 furlongs at Payson Park Training Center in Indiantown in preparation for the race. Neither that assessment nor his 2-for-3 record, which includes a 9 ¼-length maiden victory on Jan. 9 at Gulfstream, deterred the connections of 11 others from competing.

Candy Man Rocket will break from the No. 3 post while again being ridden by Junior Alvarado.

Joseph has secured the services of three of the top four jockeys in the Tampa Bay Downs standings for his entrants. Daniel Centeno, who has won the Tampa Bay Derby twice, will ride Moonlite Strike from the No. 7 post, while Super Strong will break from the No. 2 post under Antonio Gallardo. Hector Diaz, Jr., will ride Awesome Gerry from the No. 6 post.

Super Strong, in some ways, is the most intriguing of the three. He is a son of Super Saver, who finished third in the 2010 Tampa Bay Derby, then went on to win the Kentucky Derby. Super Strong's only career start, on Dec. 19, resulted in an impressive come-from-behind victory in the Grade 1, 7-furlong Classico Agustin Mercado Revron Stakes on a sloppy track at Camarero in Puerto Rico.

Both Super Strong and Moonlite Strike are owned by Marc Tacher's Sonata Stable. Tacher transferred Super Strong to Joseph's Palm Meadows Training Center Beach in Boynton Beach in mid-January.

“He has trained well enough to give it a shot,” Joseph said. “It's hard to judge his form in Puerto Rico, but he acts like the distance will be no problem. We aren't giving up much experience to most of the other horses in the race. We definitely would like him to have another race in him, but we have to play the hand we're dealt.”

Joining Candy Man Rocket and Super Strong as a graded-stakes winner in the race is trainer Dale Romans's Sittin On Go, who will break from the outside No. 12 post with Roberto Alvarado, Jr., in the irons. Sittin On Go won the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes Presented by Ford on Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs, then was a non-threatening ninth in the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance on Nov. 6 at Keeneland.

A pair of subsequent off-the-board finishes against top-level competition finds Sittin On Go with more questions than answers as Saturday nears.

Todd Pletcher, who has sent out a record five winners of the Tampa Bay Derby, has two colts in this year's renewal. Promise Keeper, who will break from the No. 11 post under Luis Saez, broke his maiden in his second start on Feb. 6 at Gulfstream, drawing away to a 5-length victory in a 1-mile maiden special weight contest on a sloppy track.

Pletcher's other entrant is Unbridled Honor, who will break from the No. 9 post under Julien Leparoux. Unbridled Honor is 1-for-3, breaking his maiden at Tampa Bay Downs in a mile-and-40-yard maiden special weight race on Feb. 6.

The conditioner knows about winning the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby with lightly raced colts. His 2013 winner, Verrazano, was making his third career start; 2015 winner Carpe Diem was making his fourth start; and Pletcher's 2016 and 2017 winners, Destin and Tapwrit, their fifth starts.

Two horses that seem certain to take a fair share of wagering dollars are the third and fourth-place finishers in the Sam F. Davis, Hidden Stash and Boca Boy. Hidden Stash, who is trained by Victoria Oliver, will be reunited with jockey Rafael Bejarano, who rode him to his two career victories last fall at Keeneland and Churchill Downs. They break from the No. 8 post.

Boca Boy, the Sam F. Davis pace-setter, is the only Florida-bred and the only gelding in the race. The son of Prospective is trained by Cheryl Winebaugh and will be ridden by Angel Arroyo.

Ken Winebaugh, the assistant to wife Cheryl, said today that Boca Boy rebounded in fine fettle from his Sam F. Davis effort and that he expects another good performance. Arroyo, who rode Boca Boy in his first three starts, last rode him when he finished second in August in the Proud Man Stakes on the turf at Gulfstream.

“I think he got a little tired in the Sam F. Davis, but he didn't quit. This horse has plenty of heart,” Ken Winebaugh said. “I don't think he has to be in front. He laid off the pace in the Proud Man and went to the lead (before getting caught by Hot Blooded).”

While agreeing with the consensus that Candy Man Rocket is the horse to beat, Winebaugh thinks the Sam F. Davis form could hold up. “I think those three horses from the Sam F. Davis will be the toughest. I don't see any newcomers who scare me too much,” he said.

Like any Florida-bred worth his salt, Boca Boy could benefit from rain that is forecast for Saturday. He has won twice on a sloppy track at Gulfstream, including a victory on Sept. 26 in the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association Florida Sire In Reality Stakes.

As a state-bred, Boca Boy is eligible for the race's $50,000 FTBOA money for registered Florida-breds. The last Florida-bred to win the Tampa Bay Derby was Watch Me Go in 2011.

Saturday's race appears similar to last year's Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby from the standpoint of the favorite being the Sam F. Davis winner – in 2020, Sole Volante. While the gelding ran well for a second-place finish, he could not catch 49-1 shot King Guillermo and Samy Camacho, who turned it on through the stretch for a 4 ¾-length victory.

King Guillermo's connections – Camacho, owner Victor Martinez's Victoria's Ranch and trainer Juan Carlos Avila – are back for another try with King of Dreams, who broke his maiden in his second start on Jan. 30 in a mile-and-a-sixteenth turf race at Gulfstream. King Guillermo had finished third in the Pulpit Stakes on the grass at Gulfstream in his previous start.

King of Dreams and Camacho will break from the No. 4 post. King Guillermo, who finished second in a division of last year's Grade I Arkansas Derby but has not won since the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, is entered in Saturday's Grade I Santa Anita Handicap.

Did you know that the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby field contains two unbeaten horses? Beside Super Strong, there is Helium, who won both of his starts last fall racing 7 furlongs on the synthetic Tapeta surface at Woodbine. Mark Casse, who won the 2012 Tampa Bay Derby with Prospective, is the trainer.

Off since his Display Stakes victory in October, Helium will break from the No. 10 post under Jose Ferrer.

In a Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby that seems as wide-open as any in the race's history, one shouldn't overlook My Liberty, assigned 30-1 morning-line odds. He is trained by Maria Ines Mejia and will break from the No. 1 post under jockey Tomas Mejia (no relation).

My Liberty broke his maiden sprinting 7 furlongs here on Feb. 12 and has the potential to set all his backers free by pulling the upset.

The post Candy Man Rocket ‘Deserving Favorite’ Of Full Field In Tampa Bay Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post