Carter | Horse Racing Free Tips

Speaker’s Corner Seeks First Grade I in Deep Carter

Speaker's Corner (Street Sense), a perfect two-for-two to start the year, led by a dominating victory with a 106 Beyer over next-out GIII Ghostzapper S. winner Fearless (Ghostzapper) in the GII WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile S. Mar. 5, headlines Saturday's GI Carter H. at the Big A.

Always held in high regard by his connections, the Godolphin homebred has found his calling around one turn this year after concluding his sophomore season with a drifting second in the 1 1/8-mile Discovery S. here Nov. 27. Drawn widest of all in post eight, the 8-5 Carter morning-line favorite is conditioned by Hall of Famer Bill Mott.

“He showed plenty last year. We tried stretching him out, but it wasn't really what he wanted to do,” said Godolphin bloodstock director Michael Banahan. “We got him back out to one-turn miles and he was impressive in both of those. That's [one-turn contests] what it looks like he wants to do.”

Green Light Go (Hard Spun) is just a head short of a three-race winning streak since re-joining the Jimmy Jerkens barn. The narrow 2021 GIII Fall Highweight H. runner-up delivered a front-running tally in the local Stymie S. last time Feb. 26.

The MGISW 6-year-old Mind Control (Stay Thirsty), second in this race last year, posted head victories in the GII John A. Nerud S. July 4 and Parx Dirt Mile S. last out Sept. 25. He was forced to sit out the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile after spiking a fever.

Rail-drawn 'TDN Rising Star' Reinvestment Risk (Upstart), runner-up in both the GI Runhappy Hopeful S. and GI Champagne S. at two, finished third in his lone start at three. He returned off a subsequent seven-month layoff with a sharp win with a career-best 103 Beyer in an optional claimer at Gulfstream Feb. 26.

Fellow 'Rising Star' First Captain (Curlin), winner of last summer's GIII Dwyer S. and third-place finisher in the Curlin S., also returned from the bench with a well-timed optional claiming victory in Hallandale Feb. 27.

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‘Nice Shoulder And Hip, Good Bone’: Vekoma’s First Foal A Filly At Crowning Point Farm

The first reported foal by Spendthrift Farm's Vekoma, the Met Mile (G1) and Carter Handicap (G1) winner by Candy Ride, is a filly that was born early Saturday at Crowning Point Farm in Paris.

“She's a nice filly, we thought she was a colt because of how big she was from a maiden mare. She has a nice shoulder and hip, good bone and appears to be correct. We are very happy,” said Julie Rini of Crowning Point.

Bred by Loren Nichols, the bay filly is the first foal out of the Bellamy Road mare Bella Alicita, who was stakes placed as a juvenile and is from the immediate family of graded stakes winner Blazing Fury.

Campaigned by trainer George Weaver for R. A. Hill Stable and Gatsas Stables, Vekoma was an undefeated graded stakes winner at two and four and captured a major Kentucky Derby prep race at three.

After winning on debut in 1:08 4/5, the fast son of Candy Ride earned his first graded win in the Nashua (G3) at Aqueduct to close out his juvenile season. Vekoma scored a decisive win in Keeneland's Blue Grass (G2) at three, and he proved to be one of the best horses in North America as a four-year-old, winning a pair of Grade One races in New York in 2020. Vekoma dominated the Carter (G1) before taking the prestigious Met Mile (G1), and he also captured the Sir Shackleford S. at Gulfstream. His –½ Ragozin number earned from his Carter performance remains the only negative number run on Ragozin this decade.

Vekoma retired to Spendthrift with earnings of $1,245,525 and proved popular among breeders, covering 222 mares in his first book in 2021. The 6-year-old chestnut is set to stand his second season at stud for a fee of $17,500 S&N.

For more information about Vekoma, please contact Des, Mark, or Brian at 859-294-0030, or visit SpendthriftFarm.com.

The post ‘Nice Shoulder And Hip, Good Bone’: Vekoma’s First Foal A Filly At Crowning Point Farm appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Mischevious Alex Returns to Grade I Company in Carter

Last winter, Cash is King and LC Racing's Mischevious Alex (Into Mischief) created a buzz with back-to-back graded stakes victories, but was unable to sustain that momentum while making just two more starts in his 3-year-old season. The buzz is back for him after two more good-looking triumphs to start 2021, and he'll get another chance to prove his mettle in Saturday's GI Carter H. at Aqueduct, the first Grade I race in New York this year.

Romping by seven lengths in last February's GIII Swale S., Mischevious Alex successfully stretched out to a mile when annexing the GIII Gotham S. here a month later, but was taken off the GI Kentucky Derby trail before running fourth in the GI Woody Stephens S. and sixth in the GI H. Allen Jerkens S. Transferred from the John Servis barn to Saffie Joseph after that, he came back with a facile allowance/optional claiming success Jan. 10 at Gulfstream, a race that earned him a 103 Beyer and featured next-out wins from the second, fourth and sixth finishers. Back in graded company in the GIII Gulfstream Park Sprint S. Feb. 13, he notched a similarly easy score, and the bay has lit up the track in the mornings since, most notably drilling five furlongs in an eye-popping :58 2/5 (1/21) Mar. 14.

Multiple Grade I winner Mind Control (Stay Thirsty) returns to his favorite racetrack in his 5-year-old debut. Hero of the GI Hopeful S. and H. Allen Jerkens at two and three, respectively, he started his 2020 campaign with scores in the local GIII Toboggan S. and GIII Tom Fool H., but failed to find the winner's circle in his next six tries, most recently running third in the GIII Mr. Prospector S. Dec. 19 at Gulfstream. The Greg Sacco trainee has a record of four wins and one second from five starts at Aqueduct.

Shoplifted (Into Mishief) rates an upset chance, particularly if the pace gets hot. Third in both the Woody Stephens and H. Allen Jerkens last year, he flew home from last to just miss when second by a neck making his seasonal debut Feb. 6 at Oaklawn. Rounding out the quintet are last-out Tom Fool winner Chateau (Flat Out) and Souper Stonehenge (Speightstown), who was a close runner-up to ill-fated G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen upsetter Zenden (Fed Biz) in the Pelican S. Feb. 13 at Tampa.

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America’s Day At The Races To Showcase Stacked Wood Memorial Card

America's Day at the Races, the acclaimed national telecast produced by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) in partnership with FOX Sports, will air six hours coverage on Saturday, with action at Aqueduct Racetrack and Oaklawn Park.

Presented by America's Best Racing and Claiborne Farm, America's Day at the Races will broadcast Saturday from 1-7 p.m. Eastern on FS2.

Saturday is one of Aqueduct's signature days, with five stakes on the offering, highlighted by the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino. The Grade 2 Kentucky Derby prep will see nine 3-year-olds compete in the nine-furlong contest with 100-40-20-10 qualifying points available to the top-four finishers.

The 96th running of the Wood Memorial will air on NBSCN as part of a live national broadcast beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET and scheduled to include the Grade 2, $800,000 Toyota Blue Grass from Keeneland and the Grade 1, $750,000 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby from Santa Anita Park.

Prior to the NBCSN broadcast, national television coverage of the Wood Memorial Day card on FS2 will showcase exciting stakes action, including the first Grade 1 of 2021 on the New York circuit with the $300,000 Carter Handicap for 4-year-olds and up going seven furlongs in Race 6 at 3:25 p.m.

The five-horse Carter will see 4-year-old Mischevious Alex try to go 3-for-3 for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. Other contenders include Mind Control, Souper Stonehenge, Shoplifted and Chateau.

The Grade 3, $250,000 Gazelle for sophomore fillies going nine furlongs in Race 9 at 5:09 p.m. will see an eight-horse field compete in a 100-40-20-10-point qualifier to the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on April 30.

Brown will saddle stakes winners Search Results and The Grass Is Blue, while the Graham Motion-trained Mia Martina tries dirt for the first time after closing from deep to finish fourth last out in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks.

A stacked undercard will also include the Grade 3, $200,000 Bay Shore for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs in Race 3 at 1:51 p.m., while 4-year-olds and up will contest at nine furlongs in the $150,000 Excelsior in Race 8 at 4:31 p.m.

Saturday will also see America's Day at the Races showcase action from Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Arkansas, which includes the $200,000 Purple Martin for 3-year-old fillies in Race 6 at 4:09 p.m.

Oaklawn's 12-race card will be highlighted by the Grade 3, $600,000 Fantasy for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/16 miles in Race 11 at 6:54 p.m. Like the Gazelle, the Fantasy is also a 100-40-20-10-point qualifier to the Kentucky Oaks, and the road to Churchill Downs will see the respective second, third and fifth-place finishers in last month's Grade 3 Honeybee matchup again in Pauline's Pearl, Sun Path and Coach. Pauline's Pearl, trained by Hall of Famer Steve

America's Day at the Races is also broadcast on NYRA's YouTube channel which boasts more than 65,000 subscribers. Fans can subscribe to NYRA's channel and set a reminder to watch the show on YouTube Live. NYRA's YouTube channel also hosts a plethora of race replays, special features, America's Day at the Races replays and more.

Free Equibase-provided past performances are available for races that are part of the America's Day at the Races broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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