Churchill Downs | Horse Racing Free Tips

Derby Day 147 Is Here!

LOUISVILLE, KY – Beautiful spring weather, enthusiastic racing fans dressed to impress and the GI Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May.

This, of course, wasn't the case last year, far from it, as the COVID-19 pandemic turned the world upside down and forced both the GI Kentucky Oaks and Derby to be held spectator-free over Labor Day weekend.

Masks, temperature checks and social distancing are more of the norm these days as limited crowds of between 40,000-50,000 (40-50% reserved seating, 60% premium dining areas and 25-30% infield) have been welcomed back beneath the Twin Spires.

Last year's Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox will look to become the first native of Louisville to saddle a Derby winner.

He has unbeaten 2-year-old champion and 2-1 morning-line favorite Essential Quality (Tapit) as well as Mandaloun (Into Mischief). The latter, despite a no-show in his final prep in the GII Louisiana Derby, has become a bit of a talking horse on the Churchill backstretch leading up to the main event.

Redemption for jockey Luis Saez? Disqualified from first for causing interference aboard Maximum Security in 2019, Saez has the call aboard Essential Quality.

Chad Brown has been in good form as he prepares the very live GII Blue Grass S. runner-up Highly Motivated (Into Mischief), beaten just a neck by Essential Quality. Looking for his first win in the Derby, Brown asked to sit next to Hall of Famer Bob Baffert at the Kentucky Derby Trainers' Dinner for some advice.

“I've been working him over there all night and I finally cracked him,” Brown said at the event. “He leaned over to me and said, 'If you want to win the Derby, you're best chance is, you got to sneak into Churchill Friday night and put grass seed all over the main track.' He actually didn't say that, but it's something he would say!”

Baffert, currently tied with Ben Jones for the most Kentucky Derby victories with six, will be represented by the overachieving GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby runner-up Medina Spirit (Protonico). The GIII Robert B. Lewis S. winner, just a $1,000 OBSWIN yearling, brought a mere $35,000 as an OBSOPN juvenile.

The unbeaten Santa Anita Derby winner Rock Your World (Candy Ride {Arg}), meanwhile, figures to go off as the race's second choice. He will look to emulate unbeaten Derby winners Big Brown and Barbaro, who also kicked off their careers on grass.

Two-time Kentucky Derby winning-trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle four–GI Curlin Florida Derby winner Known Agenda (Curlin); GII Wood Memorial S. one-two Bourbonic (Bernardini) and Dynamic One (Union Rags); and GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks second Sainthood (Mshawish). There's been plenty of talk about Known Agenda drawing the rail, but we'll see how much of factor it is with the new 20-horse starting gate, which debuted in 2020.

Who's made the best physical appearance during training hours? Mandaloun, as previously noted, the stunning gray Soup and Sandwich (Into Mischief) and Rock Your World are certainly right at the top of the list.

As far as getting over the surface, Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow), Known Agenda and Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) were all traveling very nicely during their morning preparations.

In case you missed it, the aforementioned GII Louisiana Derby winner Hot Rod Charlie has been sporting a special blanket honoring the late Jake Panus, who passed away at 16 last August when he was a passenger in a car involved in a DUI accident. The blanket features a University of South Carolina logo to help spread awareness for The Jake Panus Walk-on Football Endowed Scholarship. Donations to the scholarship fund can be made here: https://donate.sc.edu/JakePanusScholarship.

The supporting cast on the Kentucky Derby undercard includes: the GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic, GI Churchill Downs S., GI Derby City Distaff S. and three other graded races.

Saturday's Kentucky Derby coverage begins at 12:00 p.m. ET on NBCSN. The action shifts to NBC Sports at 2:30 p.m. ET for a live five-hour telecast. Post time for the Derby is 6:57 p.m. ET.

Happy Derby!

The post Derby Day 147 Is Here! appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Shedaresthedevil Refuses To Lose In La Troienne Stakes Triumph

The last time Shedaresthedevil entered the starting gate at Churchill Downs, she was a longshot who was forwardly placed and fought doggedly to win the Kentucky Oaks. Seven months later in the Grade 1 La Troienne Stakes, Shedaresthedevil was now the giant to slay, but everything else remained the same.

The 4-year-old daughter of Daredevil was put on the lead coming out of the gate by jockey Florent Geroux on Friday afternoon, followed closely on the rail by Envoutante, and on the outside by Bajan Girl. Shedaresthedevil held a one-length advantage over her closest rivals through the first turn, and went through the opening quarter-mile in :23.99 seconds.

Bajan Girl, an 18-1 longshot, remained on the outside hip of the favorite across the backstretch, while jockey Brian Hernandez Jr., settled Envoutante a bit on the rail through the straightaway, another length behind the first two. Under a restrained trip by Geroux, Shedaresthedevil entered the final turn after a half-mile in :47.94 seconds.

Geroux started to give his mount a little more rein through the turn, as others moved up to challenge, including Envoutante on the inside and Dunbar Road and Bajan Girl in the middle of the track. After going six furlongs in 1:11.71, it appeared as though the momentum belonged to any number of challengers to the leader, particularly Envoutante moving through the rail path.

Envoutante drew about even with Shedaresthedevil with about a furlong to go, but the pacesetter never let the challenger pass her as they separated from the rest of the field. Under aggressive riding and a left-handed crop from Geroux, Shedaresthedevil dug in to snuff the bid attempt from Envoutante, and draw off to win by a length.

Finite looped around the also-rans to finish a distant third, about a half-length ahead of Bajan Girl.

Shedaresthedevil completed the 1 1/16-mile race in 1:42.69, and she paid $5.40 to win as the 8-5 favorite.

This is the second consecutive year that Geroux has teamed up with trainer Brad Cox to win the La Troienne, after booting home champion Monomoy Girl for the Eclipse Award-winning trainer in 2020. Geroux also won the La Troienne in 2017 aboard Tom Amoss trainee Big World.

Shedaresthedevil is owned by the partnership of Flurry Racing Stables, Qatar Racing Ltd. and Big Aut Farms. She was bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, out of the Congrats mare Sharship Warpspeed.

Friday's victory improves Shedaresthedevil's record to seven wins in 13 starts for earnings of $1,807,318. The La Troienne was her fifth career graded stakes victory, and her second against Grade 1 competition.

The filly is now a perfect three-for-three at Churchill Downs. In addition to her triumph in last year's rescheduled Kentucky Oaks, she won her debut start at the Louisville track as a juvenile in June 2019.

To view the Equibase chart, click here.

Shedaresthedevil triumphs in the G1 La Troienne Stakes at Churchill Downs.

Florent Geroux (Jockey, Shedaresthedevil, winner) – “She loves to race at Churchill; she showed it again today. They made me work hard for this. When we turned for home, she kept her head up and I could tell she was digging in. Those other fillies came to her but she showed a lot of heart and a lot of grit and I knew she wasn't going to let them by.”

Brad Cox (Trainer, Shedaresthedevil, winner) – “This is huge. She has been training really well coming up to this. We freshened her up after the Spinster last year. We didn't want to try and chase the Breeders' Cup Distaff. It was obviously the right move. She's moved forward at four. She's shown that in her two starts. She has a lot of fight and determination down the lane. She showed that again today down the lane. She's now a Grade 1 winner at 4. We'll target the Breeders' Cup Distaff and work our way back from that. There are some obvious races in New York and one at Del Mar we are thinking about.”

Brian Hernandez Jr. (Jockey, Envoutante, runner-up) – “She ran hard. Turning for home when it opened up, I thought 'Oh good, I'm going to get through and win.' She spurted for me but the other filly just had more. On paper it looked like there would be a little more speed than they showed. I thought for sure somebody was going to press her, but the one filly that tried just wasn't good enough. She went for a half but that was it. The winner is a fighter and she got a breather out there and that made it tough.”

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Shedaresthedevil an Oaks Day Victress Once Again

You can't keep the Brad Cox barn down for long. One race after previously unbeaten heavy favorite Aunt Pearl (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) finished a head-scratching fifth in the GII Edgewood S., the Eclipse-winning conditioner sent out last year's GI Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil to a convincing victory as the chalk.

Three-for-three under the Twin Spires already, Shedaresthedevil was hard ridden to make the lead and was able to slow it down from there to post comfortable splits of :23.99, :47.94 and 1:11.74. They stacked up behind the leader heading for home, and Shedaresthedevil briefly looked like she might get beat–most likely by rail-skimming Envoutante–but she dug deep and found more in midstretch to pull clear again under the line.

“She loves to race at Churchill; she showed it again today,” rider Florent Geroux said. “They made me work hard for this. When we turned for home, she kept her head up and I could tell she was digging in. Those other fillies came to her but she showed a lot of heart and a lot of grit and I knew she wasn't going to let them by.”

Acquired by Flurry Racing Stables for $280,000 out of the 2019 Keeneland November sale off a pair of stakes placings at two, the bay was transferred from Simon Callaghan to Cox with previous co-owner Qatar Racing staying in for a piece. She was second to eventual MGSW stablemate Bonny South (Munnings) in an Oaklawn allowance last February, and annexed that venue's GIII Honeybee S. that March. A well-beaten third behind future champion 3-year-old filly Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) in the GIII Fantasy S. May 1, she was a six-length optional claiming winner under the Twin Spires the following month before dominating the GIII Indiana Oaks in July.

Let go at 15-1 for the Sept. 4 GI Kentucky Oaks, she proved best on the day while beating both Swiss Skydiver and odds-on Gamine (Into Mischief), who would go on to earn an Eclipse herself as champion female sprinter. Given the rest of the season off after a third in Keeneland's GI Juddmonte Spinster S. Oct. 4, Shedaresthedevil bested Letruska (Super Saver) by a head in Oaklawn's Mar. 13 GII Azeri S. That performance was flattered significantly when Letruska returned to down Shedaresthedevil's superstar stablemate Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) in the GI Apple Blossom H. Apr. 17.

“This is huge,” said Cox. “She has been training really well coming up to this. We freshened her up after the Spinster last year. We didn't want to try and chase the [GI] Breeders' Cup Distaff. It was obviously the right move. She's moved forward at four. She's shown that in her two starts. She has a lot of fight and determination down the lane. She showed that again today down the lane. She's now a Grade I winner at four. We'll target the Breeders' Cup Distaff and work our way back from that. There some obvious races in New York and one at Del Mar we are thinking about.”

Friday, Churchill Downs
LA TROIENNE S. PRESENTED BY TWINSPIRES.COM-GI, $500,000, Churchill Downs, 4-30, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16m, 1:42.69, ft.
1–SHEDARESTHEDEVIL, 123, f, 4, by Daredevil
                1st Dam: Starship Warpspeed, by Congrats
                2nd Dam: Andria's Forest, by Forestry
                3rd Dam: Andriana B., by Far North
($100,000 Wlg '17 KEENOV; $20,000 RNA Ylg '18 KEESEP;
$280,000 2yo '19 KEENOV). O-Flurry Racing Stables LLC, Qatar
Racing Limited and Big Aut Farms; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY);
T-Brad H. Cox; J-Florent Geroux. $303,800. Lifetime Record:
13-7-2-3, $1,807,318. *1/2 to Mojovation (Quality Road), GSP,
$196,388. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Werk Nick Rating: B.
2–Envoutante, 118, f, 4, by Uncle Mo
1st Dam: Enchante (MSP, $153,172), by Bluegrass Cat
2nd Dam: Wear, by Arch
3rd Dam: Abrade, by Mr. Prospector
($250,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-Walking L Thoroughbreds, LLC
and Three Chimneys Farm; B-Jumping Jack Racing LLC (KY);
T-Kenneth G. McPeek. $98,000.
3–Finite, 118, f, 4, by Munnings
1st Dam: Remit (MSW, $257,556), by Tapit
2nd Dam: Free Spin, by Olympio
3rd Dam: Spin n Win, by Private Account
($200,000 2yo '19 EASMAY). O-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC,
Reiman, Thomas J., Dickson, William and Easter, Deborah A.;
B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.
$49,000.
Margins: 1, 2, HF. Odds: 1.70, 3.70, 10.60.
Also Ran: Bajan Girl, Dunbar Road, Paris Lights, Sanenus (Chi).
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Pedigree Notes:

Shedaresthedevil is one of two Grade I/graded winners for her sire Daredevil with the other being Swiss Skydiver. She is also one of five stakes winners for the young stallion, who was repatriated from Turkey by Lane's End to stand the 2021 seasson. The 4-year-old filly is one of three graded victors and nine black-type scorers out of a daughter of Congrats. She is bred on the same More Then Ready/A.P. Indy Cross as MGSW Hungry Island. The winner's dam Starship Warpspeed is also responsible for a juvenile filly named Blackheartedgypsy (Speightster), purchased for $50,000 at KEESEP by Flurry Racing Stables; a yearling filly by Exaggerator; and an Uncle Mo colt foaled Mar. 26. Shedaresthedevil hails from the family of GSW & MGISP Crafty C.T. (Crafty Prospector).

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Gift List Shows Stretch Wallop To Win Edgewood Stakes; Aunt Pearl Fifth At 1-5 Odds

Making her second start in the U.S. for trainer Brian Lynch, Amerman Racing Stables LLC's Gift List trounced previously unbeaten Aunt Pearl by 4 1/4 lengths in Friday's Grade 2 Edgewood Stakes at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., accelerating past the 1-5 favorite with an explosive turn of foot to win going away under Javier Castellano.

Barista finished second by 2 1/2 lengths, with Line Dancing edging Queen of the Green in a photo finish for third. Aunt Pearl, whose three victories culminated with a front-running score last Nov. 6 in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, checked in fifth in the field of seven 3-year-old fillies after setting the fractions.

Gift List, a Bated Breath filly bred in England by James Ortega Bloodstock Ltd., covered 1 1/16 miles on a good turf course in 1:41.94. She paid $10.80 as the second choice in the wagering off a second-place finish April 3 in the Grade 2 Appalachian Stakes at Keeneland.

Aunt Pearl went to the front as expected under Florent Geroux (she won all three of her races as a juvenile going wire to wire), but the Todd Pletcher-trained Zaajel,a Street Sense filly making her fourth career start and first on turf, put some pressure on the Irish-bred Lope de Vega filly from the outset. Aunt Pearl went the opening quarter mile in :24.32 and the half in :49.03, but the third quarter was run in a shade under 24 seconds for a six-furlong split of 1:13.00.

Rounding the far turn, jockey Luis Saez stepped up the pressure with Zaajel, while Castellano sat chilly just behind the two front-runners. saving ground throughout their journey.

When the field tipped into the stretch, Aunt Pearl still clung to the lead, but Castellano swung Gift List to the front-runners outside and quickly accelerated past that one, passing the mile marker in 1:36.61 and was under light encouragement to the wire.

Castellano said he learned some things about Gift List in the Appalachian. “She needs to be covered up a little bit,” the Hall of Fame jockey said, a reference to keeping her behind other horses. “And we saved all the ground.

“I didn't have any special instructions today; just play the break and go from there,” Castellano added. “She broke fine and I got a very good spot. Then when I asked her she gave me some amazing acceleration. She was a special winner today.”

Lynch said the pressure that Zaajel put on Aunt Pearl approaching the stretch played to his filly's advantage. “It looked like a bit of a tussle at the three-sixteenths pole (between Zaajel and Aunt Pearl) and she put herself in the race,” Lynch said of Gift List. “She looks like she'll run on … like she'll get a mile and a quarter and beyond. I'm very fortunate to have her in the barn. It looks like she's got a very bright future.”

“Off the last race, in her first U.S. debut, she gave a great run that day Appalachian Stakes), in a race that had no pace,” Lynch said. “She's really trained so well from her last start to this, even though we had to work her on the dirt, which was a new thing to her. She was very comfortable getting over it, and was getting plenty out of her works. I had a good feeling going into this race, that if Aunt Pearl were to stub her toe, we'd have a good shot. She (Aunt Pearl) was a big obstacle, no doubt. Undefeated filly. Breeders' Cup winner. But we all know, and I've run into it myself with Oscar Performance, some of them take to this course and some just don't. It had a little bit of give in it today, and my filly had some good races on soft and heavy turf. Maybe that had something to do with it.”

Trained in the UK by Karl Richard Burke as a 2-year-old, Gift List won two of five starts, with three seconds, none of the races longer than seven furlongs.

As for the beaten favorite, Geroux said of Aunt Pearl: “She was traveling great, going to the back side, she was relaxing, I just had no horse down the lane. She's a very small filly. In my opinion, she did not move forward as much as some of those other horses.”

Trainer Brian Lynch congratulates Javier Castellano after Gift List's Edgewood Stakes win

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