Ce Ce | Horse Racing Free Tips

Ce Ce On Track For BC Filly & Mare Sprint, Rombauer Scheduled To Return To Santa Anita

Bo Hirsch's multiple Grade I winner Ce Ce, dominating winner of the Grade 3 Chillingworth Stakes Oct. 3 under a textbook ride by regular pilot Victor Espinoza, remains on course for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, trainer Michael McCarthy reports.

“She's doing well and Victor fits her and knows her well,” McCarthy said of the 5-year-old mare by Elusive Quality out the Grade I stakes-winning Miss Houdini. “They've been successful together.”

Espinoza has ridden Ce Ce in 12 of her 14 career races, winning six.

McCarthy also informs that his Preakness-winning Rombauer, idle since running third in the Belmont, recently enjoyed some R&R and is scheduled to return to Santa Anita “in about 10 days.”

The post Ce Ce On Track For BC Filly & Mare Sprint, Rombauer Scheduled To Return To Santa Anita appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Ce Ce Effortless In Chillingworth Stakes At Santa Anita

Ce Ce entered Sunday's G3 Chillingworth Stakes at Santa Anita Park as an imposing favorite, and she ran to the billing with an effortless scaling back in distance.

The 5-year-old Quality Road mare settled into third, as Eyes Open and Argentine-bred Scotish Star set a hot pace up front. The lead duo dueled to an opening quarter in :21.99 seconds, four lengths ahead of Ce Ce, who sat a path off the rail under jockey Victor Espinoza.

Ce Ce began to reel in the leaders as they entered the turn after a half-mile in :45.15, and Espinoza took the mare three-wide as they entered the stretch; first passing Eyes Open before drawing even with Scotish Star and going past her without Espinoza needing his crop. Ce Ce breezed through the final furlong, and crossed under the wire five lengths ahead of late-closing 31-1 longshot On Deck, who beat out Scotish Star in the photo for second.

Ce Ce completed the 6 1/2-furlong race in 1:16 flat over a fast main track at Santa Anita. She paid $2.40 to win as the overwhelming post time favorite.

It was the first time Ce Ce had run at 6 1/2 furlongs since March 2020, when she won an optional claiming race at Santa Anita. She has spent most of her 2021 campaign competing at seven furlongs, highlighted by a win in the G2 Princess Rooney Stakes at Gulfstream Park in July.

Sunday's Chillingworth victory was Ce Ce's seventh victory in 15 career starts, and it improved her lifetime earnings to $1,233,100. She races as a homebred for Bo Hirsch, and she is trained by Michael McCarthy.

View the Equibase chart here.

The post Ce Ce Effortless In Chillingworth Stakes At Santa Anita appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Grade 1 Winner Ce Ce May Hold Class Edge In Chillingworth Stakes

Two-time Grade 1 winner Ce Ce returns to Santa Anita and heads Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Chillingworth Stakes as a field of six fillies and mares three and up go 6 ½ furlongs. The Chllingworth is named for the late Sherwood C. Chillingworth, a highly respected longtime director and Executive Vice President of the Oak Tree Racing Association, which conducted a fall meeting at Santa Anita from 1969 through 2009.

Owned and bred by Bo Hirsch, Ce Ce is trained by Michael McCarthy and comes off a third place finish behind superstar Gamine in the Grade 1, seven furlong Ballerina Handicap at Saratoga on Aug. 28. A 5-year-old mare by Elusive Quality out of the Grade 1 winning Miss Houdini, Cee Ce drew off to a 3 ¼ length win going seven furlongs two starts back in the Grade 2 Princess Ray Stakes at Gulfstream Park July 3.

A winner of four of seven starts at Santa Anita, including a Grade 1 tally in last year's Beholder Mile, Ce Ce, who will again be ridden by Victor Espinoza, should appreciate a return to the home front and softer company. With six wins from 14 overall starts, she has earnings of $1,173,100.

Second, beaten one length in the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Handicap going 6 ½ furlongs on Aug. 20 at Del Mar, Peter Miller's Proud Emma appears well spotted in what will be her third consecutive sprint. Owned Gem Inc. and Tom Kagele, this 5-year-old mare by Include seeks her second graded stakes victory.

Kaleem Shah's California-bred Bella Vita, who earned a career-best 96 Beyer Speed Figure in taking a 6 ½ furlong allowance in open company by 4 ½ lengths on Aug. 29, draws the far outside with Juan Hernandez up and rates a big look for trainer Simon Callaghan.

GRADE III CHILLINGWORTH STAKES
WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 5 of 10 Approximate post time 3 p.m. PT

Proud Emma—Mike Smith—126
Scotish Star—Flavien Prat—126
Eyes Open—Geovanni Franco—122
On Deck—Ricardo Gonzalez—124
Ce Ce—Victor Espinoza—126
Bella Vita—Juan Hernandez–124

The Chillingworth is one of five stakes on a 10-race card with first post time at 1 p.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

The post Grade 1 Winner Ce Ce May Hold Class Edge In Chillingworth Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Gamine Easy Victor In Ballerina, Earns Spot In BC Filly & Mare Sprint

In the Grade 1 Ballerina at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Gamine sprinted to her fifth G1 victory, taking the lead early in the seven-furlong stakes and holding off late challenges from Ce Ce and Lake Avenue to earn a spot in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

A last-out winner in the Grade 2 Great Lady M Stakes at Los Alamitos, the Bob Baffert-trained 4-year-old filly came into the Ballerina as the prohibitive favorite off of four consecutive victories dating back to her win in the 2020 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. in early November. Breaking from post one, the daughter of leading North American sire Into Mischief went to the lead as expected, with Estilo Talentoso in second. After a first quarter in :23.20 and a half-mile in :45.60, Gamine and John Velazquez held a three-length lead into the far turn, with Estilo Talentoso still in second and Lake Avenue third.

Into the stretch, with Lake Avenue on the rail and Ce Ce to her outside, Gamine maintained her front-running status, holding off the two closers by a length and three-quarters at the wire. The time for the seven-furlong Ballerina was 1:21.61. Lake Avenue was second, Ce Ce third, with Sconsin, Estilo Talentoso, Truth Hurts, and Casual round out the order of finish.

Find this race's chart here.

The G1 Ballerina is a Win and You're In event for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint Nov. 6 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif. The winner of Win and You're In events earn a fees-paid guaranteed spot in the starting gate for the corresponding Breeders' Cup race.

Gamine paid $2.70, $2.30, and $2.10. Lake Avenue paid $7.10 and $3.70. Ce Ce paid $2.80.

“We were down in the one-hole, so you have to break and go from there. She handled the gate well, broke well and Johnny [Velazquez] put her in the race,” Baffert assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes said after the race. “The 23 [second quarter-mile] felt pretty comfortable, 45 was pretty comfortable. [They were gaining on her] slightly, but once Johnny got her to switch leads, I wasn't really concerned. They were moving but we were still running.”

“She just kind of waited and then by the quarter pole, I asked her for what she needed to do, and she got it done,” Velazquez told the NYRA Press office. “I didn't think there was much speed in the race. She's a nice horse to relax. If they went fast, she was going to go fast. If they went slow, she was going to go slow, so that's what I like about her. When she's in the lead, she's in control of herself.”

Bred by Grace Thoroughbred Holdings, Gamine is out of the Kafwain mare Peggy Jane. Consigned by Bobby Dodd, she was purchased by owner Michael Lund Peterson at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Midatlantic Two-Year-Olds InTraining Sale for $1.8 million. Her win in the G1 Ballerina is her fourth victory in four starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of nine wins in 10 starts and $1,681,500 in career earnings.

The post Gamine Easy Victor In Ballerina, Earns Spot In BC Filly & Mare Sprint appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post