cathkin peak | Horse Racing Free Tips

Beyond Brilliant Goes Gate To Wire In Hollywood Derby

Jockey Kent Desormeaux followed up victories in the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup and the Cary Grant Stakes with a gate-to-wire winning ride on Beyond Brilliant in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

In a full field of 14, Desormeaux put Beyond Brilliant on the lead right out of the gate, setting early fractions of :23.96 and :49.23 as he strode out to a length and a half lead. On the far turn, Team Merchants challenged, shrinking Beyond Brilliant's lead to a half-length as the field hit the top of the stretch. The son of Twirling Candy repelled the challenge, increasing his lead to a length as Desormeaux set his mount down for the stretch drive.

Beyond Brilliant was clear of the field until the last sixteenth of the mile when Subconscious and then Santin came on with their final rallies for the lead, Santin shrinking Beyond Brilliant's lead down to a neck at the wire. Cathkin Peak (IRE) was third and Public Sector fourth.

The final time for the 1 1/8 miles over the firm turf was 1:48.84. Find this race's chart here.

Beyond Brilliant paid $23.80, $11.80, and $7.40. Santin paid $15.80 and $8.20. Cathkin Peak paid $4.60.

“All credit for this win goes to the barn. They've done wonders with this horse over the past month. When I rode him last time (October 31 at Santa Anita), he was a handful to control. Today he was easy. He was dry as a bone in the paddock and he was happy out on the racetrack. His mind was right. And he showed he can sprint that last part,” jockey Kent Desormeaux said after the race.

“This horse likes to be on the lead or close to the lead and obviously with a big field that's a good place to be. And Kent Desormeaux is riding great right now, isn't he? I'm gonna put Kent on more horses he's riding so well. I'm thankful for him doing it for us today,” trained John Shirreffs told the Del Mar Press Office after the Hollywood Derby.

Bred in Kentucky by Fred W. Hertrich III, John D. Fielding, and Robert L. Tribbett, Beyond Brilliant is out of the First Defence mare Summer On the Lawn. The 3-year-old colt is owned by C R K Stable LLC. Consigned by Kings Equine, the son of Twirling Candy was purchased by Mayberry Farm for $200,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Mid-Atlantic Two-Year-Olds In Training Sale. With his win in the G1 Hollywood Derby, Beyond Brilliant has three wins in nine starts in 2021 for career earnings of $381,280.

The post Beyond Brilliant Goes Gate To Wire In Hollywood Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

D’Amato Looking For Another Good Effort From Cathkin Peak In Twilight Derby

Phil D'Amato expects another solid performance from Cathkin Peak in next Sunday's closing-day feature, the Grade 2 Twilight Derby for three-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.

Another in the trainer's imported “Irish Army,” Cathkin Peak is a gelded son of Alhebayeb that was an eventful fourth last out in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby, closing resolutely despite lacking room in deep stretch, beaten just a length and a quarter by California-bred None Above the Law, who will be a favorite in the Twilight Derby trained by Peter Miller.

“He had traffic problems, nowhere to go (in the Del Mar Derby),” D'Amato said. “Hopefully, we'll regroup. He's ready for the test even though this will be an even tougher race.”

Jose Valdivia Jr., who was aboard in the Del Mar Derby, retains the mount.

The post D’Amato Looking For Another Good Effort From Cathkin Peak In Twilight Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

D’Amato Readies Two For Yellow Ribbon, Cathkin Peak For La Jolla

Trainer Phil D'Amato reported Saturday morning that 2-year-old filly Elm Drive came out of her victory in Friday's $200,000 Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes “really good” physically.

And if the Kentucky-bred daughter of Mohaymen, a $165,000 purchase at the Ocala sale in March who carries the colors of Little Red Feather Racing stays that way, she'll next be seen in the $300,000 Grade 1 TVG Del Mar Debutante on September 5.

“Yup, absolutely,” was D'Amato's response when the Debutante was mentioned in the winner's circle after she prevailed by a head over Baoma Corp's Eda in a stretch-long duel while covering six furlongs in 1:10.64.

“She broke on top then Juan (Hernandez) got her to rate, make a move and fight off a rival to her outside the length of the stretch. I just thought that's the epitome of class. Very professional, and I think she's the type of filly that the longer (the races) the better.”

Having chalked up one stakes victory for the weekend, D'Amato will send out Raymundos Secret (6-1) and Charmaine's Mia (4-1) in Saturday's $200,000 Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon and narrowly favored (2-1) Cathkin Peak in Sunday's $150,000 Grade 3 La Jolla Stakes as a possible closer to three consecutive big days.

Irish-bred Cathkin Peak made his U.S. debut at Del Mar in late November a winning one and followed that with a December victory in the $80,000 Eddie Logan Stakes at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. Kicking off his 3-year-old campaign this year, Cathkin Peak was second to soon-to-be Santa Anita Derby winner Rock Your World in the $100,000 Pasadena Stakes in February and has gone unraced since.

“He had a couple of little things we needed to deal with, but he never left the barn and he has come back to train really well,” D'Amato said. Cathkin Peak will go 1 1/16 miles, the longest assignment of his career, in the La Jolla – second leg in the grass stakes series for 3-year-olds during the Del Mar summer. His previous starts were all at a mile.

“He's really tactical,” D'Amato said. “If there's not a lot of pace, he can be up close; if there is, he can sit back and make a late move. Juan can play the break and try to have him in the right spot.”

The field for the La Jolla from the rail with jockeys and morning line odds in parenthesis: Stilleto Boy (Kent Desormeaux, 6-1); Wyfire (Kyle Frey, 12-1); Hudson Ridge (Abel Cedillo, 5-2); Cathkin Peak (Juan Hernandez, 2-1); Zoffarelli (Drayden Van Dyke, 3-1), and Sword Zorro (Umberto Rispoli, 4-1).

The post D’Amato Readies Two For Yellow Ribbon, Cathkin Peak For La Jolla appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

La Jolla, Graduation Stakes Headline Sunday Card At Del Mar

Stakes horses will once again double up for a Del Mar crowd, this time on Sunday with the presentation of the 81st La Jolla Stakes and the 70th edition of the Graduation Stakes. The races will go as the 6th and 9th races, respectively, on the shore track's 10-race program.

The La Jolla, a Grade 3 affair that carries a purse of $150,000, has drawn a half-dozen 3-year-olds for a mile and one-sixteenth jaunt on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course at Del Mar Thorughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif. The Graduation also has drawn six California-bred 2-year-old starters for its five and one-half furlong spin on the main track. It offers a purse of $100,000.

The Irish horse Cathkin Peak, owned by Sterling Stables, Nentwig, and CYBT, is a candidate to be the favorite in the La Jolla. A bay son of the Irish stallion Alhebayeb, Cathkin Peak raced once in his native land as a 2-year-old, then was purchased privately and shipped to California where he won a pair of races, including the overnight Eddie Logan at Santa Anita Park last December. He subsequently chased home the blossoming star Rock Your World in February's Pasadena Stakes, also at Santa Anita, then went on the shelf. This will be his first start in nearly six months, but trainer Phil D'Amato has put a series of steady works into him for this comeback.

Double L Stable and Natalie Baffert's Hudson Ridge hails from the powerful Bob Baffert barn and is a son of one of Baffert's Triple Crown winners, American Pharoah. The colt broke his maiden with a dead-head score in a straight maiden race at Santa Anita on May 1 and came back to win a pair of races after that, including the Cinema Stakes.

Two of the other La Jolla runners — Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal's Zoffarelli and Yuesheng Zhang's Sword Zorro also first saw light of day in Ireland. The former will be making his U.S. debut in the La Jolla, while the latter owns a victory in the Singletary Stakes at Santa Anita on grass April 25.

The Graduation – like many 2-year-old races at this time of year – is a tough one to sort out with only minimal past performances to work with. Morning line maker Jon White could barely separate two of the runners, hanging Lovingier, London, and Zondlo's Rock N Rye as an 8/5 favorite, just a tick better than Lovingier, Beckerle, and Carrillo's Thirsty Always at 9/5.

Rock N Rye is a homebred by Always Thirsty who was a handy winner of a straight maiden race in his second start at Santa Anita on May 30 in his most recent outing. He's been training steadily for this return date at both San Luis Rey Downs and Del Mar.

Thirsty Always, also by Stay Thirsty, scored in his first start at Santa Anita on May 16, then shipped up to Pleasanton and captured the Nevin Stakes there on July 10.

Trainer Walther Solis conditions both juveniles.

[Story Continues Below]

Here's the lineup for the La Jolla from the rail out with riders and morning line odds: Steve Moger's Stilleto Boy (Kent Desormeaux, 6-1); Gary Barber's Wyfire (Kyle Frey, 12-1); Hudson Ridge (Abel Cedillo, 5/2); Cathkin Peak (Juan Hernandez, 2-1); Zoffarelli (Drayden Van Dyke, 3-1), and Sword Zorro (Umberto Rispoli, 4-1).

The field for the Graduation lays out like this: Lovingier or Templeton Horses' Mr. T's Thirsty (Tyler Baze, 2-1); McMahon or Rudy's Trip to Spain (Frey, 2-1); Thirsty Always (apprentice Cesar Ortega); Rock N Rye (Rispoli); Moger, Burke or Estrada, et al's Northvale Road (Tiago Periera, 6-1), and Branch or Hill's Fowler Blue (Edwin Maldonado, 12-1).

First post for Sunday's card is 2 p.m.

The post La Jolla, Graduation Stakes Headline Sunday Card At Del Mar appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post