Reylu Gutierrez Scores With Hat Trick Of Stakes Mounts On Monday At Fair Grounds

We could Chattalot about the Lovely Ride jockey Reylu Gutierrez has been on in 2021, but during the post-Christmas stakes extravaganza at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, the 24-year-old native of Rochester, New York, conjured up a little Excess Magic in the Big Easy.

Gutierrez won with seven of his 17 mounts the past two days at Fair Grounds, five of them stakes. His winning mounts returned a total of $209.20 for a $12.30 return on investment. On Sunday he guided Gentle Soul ($35.00), Chess Chief ($22.20) and Halo Again ($30.80) to the Fair Grounds' winner's circle, and on Monday he followed up with victories aboard Hooperdrivesthboat ($83.80), Excess Magic ($6.60), Lovely Ride ($20.80) and Chattalot ($10.00).

“Feels great,” Gutierrez said after winning the final stakes of the day aboard Chattalot. “It's a credit to (jockey agent) Jose Santos, Jr. No matter where he's put me, we've been successful. We are calling Fair Grounds home, and we are doing very well. He does his due diligence. He does an excellent job with all of his riders. He puts me on these horses, and it's for everybody, so I'm just thankful for Jose.”

For the year, Gutierrez has won 132 races while banking $4.8 million, both career highs, while taking on new racetracks and challenges seemingly every month. Entering Thursday's card, he's sits second in the Fair Grounds jockey standings with 17 wins from just 73 mounts (23%), three behind meet leader Colby Hernandez.

Two of Gutierrez's Monday stakes scores came for trainer Bret Calhoun, whom he also credits for helping to jump start his career.

“When I ride for the Calhoun train it is really special,” Gutierrez said. “He's one of the reasons I am here today.”

Excess Magic Gets the Bacon in Woodchopper

In the $75,000 Woodchopper, Gutierrez placed the William T. Reed homebred Excess Magic (2.30-1 favorite) in the perfect pressing position on the outside of the pacesetting 18.10-1 longshot Rightandjust through early fractions of 24.43 and 49.76. He put that rival away off the turn for home and then held safe of close second choice Point Me By (2.50-1) to win by 1 ½ lengths in a final time of 1:38.08 for the mile on turf.

“His other horse (Who Took the Money) was the one I was most afraid of, so I guess he did me a favor by scratching him from the race,” Gutierrez said. “Both tracks (turf and dirt) are playing the way I like to ride. He (Excess Magic) was coming from a sprint to a route so I let him be a horse, get out there, and get in good position. On the backside I could feel everyone on top of us, so I could tell we were going pretty slow. He was ready to go and when I turned for home, I said 'let's go get some bacon'. He was hungry. I was hungry. Calhoun does a great job with his horses.”

The Woodchopper was the fourth win overall and first in a stake for Excess Magic (8-4-2-1), and it boosted his career bankroll to $164,171.

“He's been a pretty consistent horse for us,” Calhoun said. He had a little injury last year and we had to back off. Being able to run in a sprint prepping for this (win on Nov. 26), it worked out great. The mile is ideal for him. He's got tremendous turn of foot. Early on I was thinking we were a little (too) close (to the front), but that why I pay Reylu to ride him. He was right. The fractions were pretty slow and he had him right where he needed to be.”

Lovely Ride Works Out a Trip in Pago Hop

First career turf start is a stakes winning one for daughter of Candy Ride

Already a stakes winner on dirt, Allied Racing Stables Lovely Ride proved her versatility by winning her first ever start on turf, taking the $75,000 Pago Hop in what was a hard-fought battle down to the wire. It was the second stakes victory on the card for the team of trainer Bret Calhoun and jockey Reylu Gutierrez.

Away alertly from an outside post, Lovely Ride sat fourth while in the clear, two-wide down the backstretch while chasing moderate early fractions of 24.17 and 49.30 set by the longshot (25.60-1) Touch of Class. With the front-runner wandering about, she ducked inside of her mid-stretch, took the lead, and held safe of the resurgent 3.10-1 favorite Amiche and the late closing Princess Theorem (6.90-1) to score by a game ¾ of a length in a final time of 1:38.56 for one mile on turf. Only 3 ¼ lengths separated the top seven finishers.

“I had a delightful trip,” Gutierrez said. “She has enough tactical speed. I was able to break and come over (from the outside post). That was the whole game plan, we wanted to save ground. She took to it well. I have to credit Mr. (Bret) Calhoun and his brain because he has been brainstorming around with a couple of his horses and switching things up and he took the risk (of running on turf) given her pedigree. A lot of trainers don't have the opportunity to do that, but he took his chance. His chess playing is paying off and he is making me look good and his horses look good, so credit to Mr. Calhoun.”

The winner of the Catherine Sophia on August 24 at Parx, Lovely Ride has looked dominant at times on dirt, but she's been somewhat plagued by inconsistency.

“We thought pedigree-wise (by Candy Ride out of a Tiznow mare) she had a big chance to perform well on turf,” Calhoun explained. “Obviously this is the last 3-year old (restricted) race of the year. We were kind of out of options and so we thought we'd take a chance. We really thought she would handle the turf. It looks like she handled it well, and I look forward to her being even better on it next time. She looked like she was a little bit lost on it early on. By the time she figured out where she was going and what she was on, she finished up big and galloped out huge. It is great to have multiple options. We're just going to have to sit back and look at the condition books and see what race suits us best.”

With the win, Lovely Ride bolstered her resume to 9-5-1-1 with earnings of $284,160.

Chattalot Lets His Speed Do the Talking in Sugar Bowl

With three stakes wins the past two days, trainer Steve Asmussen breaks out of his Fair Grounds “slump” in a big way

Entering Sunday's action, trainer Steve Asmussen had zero wins to show from 21 starters to open the 2021-22 racing season at Fair Grounds. On the other side of Monday, he now has four wins with three of them coming in stakes. So much for that “slump”.

On the heels of a Sunday training triple, including stakes wins with Halo Again in the Buddy Diliberto Memorial and Epicenter in the inaugural running of the Gun Runner, Asmussen added a little icing to his holiday cake by winning Monday's Sugar Bowl with the front-running Chattalot for Bloom Racing and David Bersen. It was the third stakes win on the card, and fifth in the last two days, for jockey Reylu Gutierrez.

Away alertly from the rail, Chattalot (4.00-1) maintained his inside position while neck in neck with the 1.60-1 favorite Higher Standard through contested fractions of 22.05 and 45.35. He put that rival away on the turn for home, and the fended off a stretch challenge from Underhill's Tab (5.90-1) to win by a game, half-length in a final time of 1:10.03 for the six furlong on the main track. It was another 1 ¾ lengths back to Blue Kentucky in third. Higher Standards was 5 ½ lengths back in sixth.

“Today I just let him break and get his feet under him,” Gutierrez said. “I saw that no other horses were really getting away from him or going, so I just kind of took it to them. The rail has been good to me this weekend, so why not take it. When I saw (the favorite) Higher Standard just kind of pumping at the half mile pole, I was very confident.”

The winner of the first two starts of his career, the 2-year-old son of Midnight Lute was most recently seen finishing a tired fourth in the Lively Shively Stakes at Churchill Downs on November 27. With the win, he now boasts a record of 5-3-0-1 with earnings of $199,095.

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Girl With a Dream was Filly With the Lead for a Brad Cox Letellier Exacta

Maybe it was more experience, maybe it was the break, maybe it was simply a matter that the most talented 2-year old filly won, but either way, the Brad Cox barn was front and center at Fair Grounds, sending out the Letellier Memorial Stakes $75,000 exacta with Girl With a Dream wiring the field and Com'On Sweet luv running second.

“She broke sharp,” jockey Florent Geroux said of the winner. “I thought she was the best in the field. We didn't know what to expect [in terms of running style]. We know she can be forwardly placed, but last time she came from the back at Churchill. I just felt I had the best horse in the race and she broke sharp so I took it from there. If someone wanted to go faster than me I would have let them go but that's not how the race unfolded, how everything played out.”

In a dirt sprint race where it was unclear how the front end would unfold, jockey Florent Geroux capitalized on a sharp break from his mount. By Practical Joke and owned by Jim Bakke and Gerry Isbister, Girl With a Dream was last seen closing inot hot fractions in a first-level allowance on November 13 at Churchill Downs. In the Letellier she set the fractions of 22.49, 46.42 as the .70-1 favorite. 31.90-1 Runnin Happy kept within a length at the first call. The bettor's choice of the two Steve Margolis horses, 4.50-1 Implosion, stalked and chased but never threatened for the lead. The other Margolis, 17.70-1 Mystique Saboteur, got away slow and passed tiring rivals for third. Despite coming away last from the gate, by the second call Marcelino Pedroz Jr. had guided Com' On Sweet Luv through traffic, up within one length, then as close as the leader's throatlatch. As they both got into their fillies, it was Girl With a Dream who proved best, synching the deal late in 1:10.84 for six furlongs.

“When [Come On' Sweet Luv] came close to me at the eighth pole it seemed like she had plenty left,” Geroux said. “But we were able to fight her off in the last eighth of the mile.”

All three rides for Com' On Sweet Luv have come under Marcelion Pedroza, Jr. The second place filly by Jimmy Creed broke her maiden out front last out at Fair Grounds on November 27, finishing strong after setting slow fractions.

“She got left at the gate a little bit,” Pedroza said. “She's not the type of filly to break sharp in the first jump. By the third jump she is right up in the race. I don't think it cost me the race. The other filly was better. We just got beat. On top of the stretch I felt like I had a shot. I grabbed a hold but he did too, so I was like let's see who is the better filly right here. He had more horse than me, that's it.”

The two-year old question du jour as we turn the calendar year: what's next for the winner and will she stretch out?

“Maybe, but if so, probably still around one turn,” Brad Cox said. “I wouldn't get super super crazy. Comparing her with other horses in our barn I am thinking she might be one to keep around one turn for the time being. She's had five runs now at 2 so we'll take a deep breath, regroup with her. It takes a little pressure off you going forward, now being a stakes winner.”

With the win, Girl with a Dream is 5-3-1-0 earning $170,720 in her brief and promising career.

Add Dirt to The Top of the List: Versatile Audrey's Time Keeps Getting Better

Lothenbach Stables' patient approach with Audrey's Time paid off on Monday, as the soon to be 5-year-old mare won the $75,000 “Spanky” Broussard Memorial Stakes at Fair Grounds. Making her 16th start over three racing campaigns, the daughter of Uncle Mo has raced 8 times with one win on turf, 1 win in her lone synth try, and in her 7th dirt start, she gets the trophy for trainer Neil Pessin and regular rider Corey Lanerie.

“She was just doing okay on the turf,” Pessin said. “I knew she had always worked well [on dirt], and we'd run her on the dirt before, but she was just maturing with every time out. I think that helped as much as anything, the time off we gave her and bringing her back slow.”

Run at 1 mile 70 yards, there was nothing slow about the front end. Ignacio Correas' .90-1 favorite Cheetara set fast opening fractions of 23.74 and 47.07–the quickening through the second call was largely due to being aggressively chased by 7.30-1 Powder River, who vied for the lead through the turn. Cheetera has proven not to like company and Powder River's jockey Adam Beschizza seemed to know it. The early leader faded and as Powder Room passed her on the inside, Audrey's Time made her winning move on the outside and didn't stop edging away to the wire.

“My horse got off a little slow,” Corey Lanerie said. “The leader was going easy by herself, but I kept my filly in the clear and she pulled up to her on the turn. From that point on I knew I had something left in the tank. I called on her and she took it from there.”

Make it $268,226 in the bank and a career record of 16-4-1-3 for Audrey's Time as connections contemplate the next move.

“I don't know if we belong with the ones we ran against last time [Envoutante and Bonny South in the Falls City (G2)],” Pessin said. “I don't think we are quite there yet. We might look at Sam Houston. I don't know what they're going to have in the older filly division as far as veteran mares being ready to run.”

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Nakatomi Wins Bowman Mill On Keeneland’s Closing Day

Marc Detampel, Qatar Racing and Bottle Rocket Stable's Nakatomi and jockey Tyler Gaffalione stormed down the center of the main track to win the $150,000 Bowman Mill Stakes at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.

Trained by Wesley Ward, he covered 6 furlongs in 1:10.33.

Nakatomi was relegated to fifth in the early stages of the Bowman Mill while Chattalot and Hope in Him battled on the early lead through an opening quarter-mile fraction of :21.92. Around the far turn, Hope in Him began to fade while Freelancer and My Prankster moved in tandem in their attempt to catch Chattalot on the lead.

Meanwhile, Nakatomi began his charge around horses at the top of the lane, following a half-mile time of :45.29. Nakatomi surged past My Prankster inside the final eighth-mile for a three-quarter-length win.

Nakatomi paid $6.20, $3.20, and $2.40. My Prankster, the slight post-time favorite with John Velazquez in the saddle, paid $3.40 and $2.60. Chattalot, with Brian Hernandez Jr. in the irons, held third to return $2.60.

Freelancer faded to fourth and was followed by Lucky Shot, Hungry Henry, and Hope in Him.

A Keeneland November Sale graduate, Nakatomi is a 2-year-old gelding by Firing Line out of the Flatter mare Applelicious. His Bowman Mill victory was worth $90,000, which increased his bankroll to $175,400 with a record of 5-2-1-1.

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Asmussen, Cox Horses Lead List Of Nominations For Clever Trevor At Remington

The nation's leading trainer, Steve Asmussen, has nominated six 2-year-olds for the $100,000 Clever Trevor Stakes, a seven-furlong sprint to be contested at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Okla., on Friday, Oct. 29.

The Clever Trevor serves as the last local prep event for the $400,000 Springboard Mile, run on the final night of the season, Dec. 17.

Asmussen's horses have earned in excess of $25 million this year. His $25,667,467 is tops in the country with Brad Cox second at $24,149,520. Cox has nominated two juveniles to the Clever Trevor.

There were 34 total nominations to the Clever Trevor with Asmussen leading the way. Other trainers with multiple noms include Dallas Stewart with five; Austin Gustafson, three, and Scott Young, Terry Eoff, Michael Biehler, Bret Calhoun, and Ronnie Cravens III with two each.

Asmussen's six nominees are Kip Deville Stakes winner Concept, Chattalot, Hern, Royal Tap, Down Cold, and Briar. Concept and Chattalot appear to be Asmussen's top two nominated here.

Concept, a 2-year-old Gun Runner colt out of the Cindago mare Majestic Jewel, broke his maiden while winning the Kip Deville at Remington Park on Sept. 26, on the undercard of Oklahoma Derby Day. He had previously finished third in a maiden race at Lone Star Park on July 2 in Grand Prairie, Texas, and fifth in the Prairie Gold Juvenile Stakes at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa, on Aug. 14. He is owned by Tony Holmes and Winchell Thoroughbreds (Ron Winchell). Concept took them wire to wire in the Kip Deville at 9-5 odds.

Gun Runner is the top sire in the country for 2-year-old runners this year. Asmussen campaigned Gun Runner, the 2017 Horse of the Year and Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic winner. Gun Runner's top 2-year-old in training is Echo Zulu, who has won the Frizette Stakes and Spinaway Stakes, both Grade 1 events. She will likely be the favorite in the upcoming Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies race and is owned by L&N Racing of Tulsa, Okla.

Chattalot is an undefeated colt by Midnight Lute, out of the Kingmambo mare Mamboalot. He has won both of his career races, one at Saratoga in upstate New York and the other at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Neither of those races came against stakes company.

Hern is another 2-year-old Gun Runner colt, this one out of a Distorted Humor mare, Sweet Opportunity. He has raced only three times, breaking his maiden at Remington Park on Sept. 8, his last race. Five of Asmussen's six noms are Kentucky-breds. The only one that is not is Royal Tap, who was bred in Texas.

These horses figure to be strong contenders to win the Clever Trevor if they are entered (trainers in parenthesis) – Rowdy Rascal (Boyd “Jobe” Caster), Chrome Baby (Calhoun), Feel the Fear (Gustafson), Kaely's Brother (Cox), Keep Your Promise (Donnie Von Hemel), Stan's Miracle Man (Gustafson), Tejano Twist (Calhoun), and Unified Report (Stewart).

Rowdy Rascal, a gelding by Den's Legacy, out of the Affirmatif mare Dancing Diva, just won the Oklahoma Classics Juvenile at Remington Park on Oct. 15 after breaking his maiden here on Sept. 18. He is owned by JT Stables (Theresa Moore) and was bred in Oklahoma.

Chrome Baby, a Kentucky-bred by 2014 Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome, showed major improvement in his second start, winning by 5 1/4 lengths in open maiden company. He is lightly raced with only those two starts for owners Levings Racing (Brian Levings) of Edmond, Okla.

Feel the Fear, a Kentucky-bred Honor Code colt out of the Kitten Joy's mare Fresh Feline, won the Prairie Gold Juvenile on Aug. 14 at Prairie Meadows. He is owned by Forge Ahead Stables (Kevin Kuta).

Kaely's Brother is a colt by Twirling Candy, out of the Yes It's True mare Policy of Truth, that races for Cox. The Kentucky-bred broke his maiden at Keeneland on Oct. 9 as the 3-2 favorite.

Keep Your Promise is a filly who broke her maiden by five lengths on Sept. 3 from trainer Donnie Von Hemel's barn here at Remington Park. She is a Kentucky-bred by Broken Vow, out of the Geri mare Bedanken. She is owned by Pin Oak Stud.

Stan's Miracle Man is on a three-race win streak out of Gustafson's barn, but none of the three wins was against stakes horses. The Texas-bred son of Run Away and Hide, out of the Mineshaft mare Platinum Blue, is owned by Michael and Linda Mazoch of Sulphur Springs, Texas.

Tejano Twist ran second to Concept in the Kip Deville as the even-money favorite. Calhoun trains this Kentucky-bred gelding by Practical Joke. He has been the runner-up in stakes events in his last two starts. He also ran second at Colonial Downs near Richmond, Va., in the $100,000 Rosie's Stakes. He is owned by Tom Durant of Grapevine, Texas.

Unified Report, a Louisiana-bred by Unified, out of the Closing Argument mare Closing Report, won his only start by one length in a maiden race at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

Remington Park racing continues next week with a Wednesday-Saturday, Oct. 20-23, schedule. First post time is 7:07 p.m. each night.

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Midnight Lute Colt Goes Two for Two at Churchill

6th-Churchill Downs, $127,000, Alw (NW2L)/Opt. Clm ($80,000), 10-1, 2yo, 6f, 1:09.04, ft, 3/4 length.
CHATTALOT (c, 2, Midnight Lute–Mamboalot {SP}, by Kingmambo) ran to 9-5 favoritism to score narrowly first out at Saratoga on opening Saturday July 17, but was let go at 6-1 facing a few formidable foes here. Finding a foothold at the rail while drafting behind the leaders in the garden spot early, the bay was bottled up a bit through a :45.09 half. He muscled his way out into the clear as GII Saratoga Special S. third finisher Nakatomi (Firing Line) took over, and reeled in that foe with a sixteenth to race to remain unbeaten. Co-favored Freelancer (Medaglia d'Oro) was an unlucky third after missing the break and finding some traffic trouble. The winner, who worked in :10 flat at OBS April, is half to Alydarla (Henny Hughes), GSP, $150,650; and A Red Tie Day (Indygo Shiner), SW & GSP, $336,577. His second dam is GSW Investalot (Vice Regent). Sales history: $4,500 RNA Ylg '20 FTKOCT; $110,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $128,420. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Bloom Racing Stable LLC (Jeffrey Bloom) & David A. Bernsen, LLC; B-Gryphon Investments, LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.

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