Tag: churchill

Smile Happy To Whitney; Rattle N Roll To Wait For JCGC Or Pacific Classic

Trainer Kenny McPeek confirmed Lucky Seven Stable's Smile Happy (Runhappy) for next Saturday's GI Whitney S. at Saratoga Race Course, but his stablemate for the same owner, Rattle N Roll (Connect), will take his show on the road.

Both horses last raced in the GI Stephen Foster S. July 1 at Ellis Park. McPeek said Rattle N Roll will target either the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga or the GI Pacific Classic at Del Mar. Both races are run at 10 furlongs September 2 and are “Win and You're In” qualifiers for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic.

Smile Happy, who captured the GII Alysheba S. May 5 at Churchill Downs, got his first glimpse of the Oklahoma training track Friday.

“He galloped really well this morning over the Oklahoma track,” McPeek said. “This was his first day here. We stood him in the gate, backed him out and gave him some gate schooling. He did well.”

Smile Happy last breezed July 22 at Churchill Downs, completing a half-mile move in 49 seconds.

“We've had plenty of work into him at Churchill. He had a work days ago with a long, strong gallop and I don't know that we'll breeze him at all,” McPeek said.

McPeek described the 4-year-old as a quirky horse that likes doing things his own way.

“He's a bit of an alpha. He wants to run the show, but the talent is unquestioned,” McPeek said.

McPeek said Smile Happy will be ridden by jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr.

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Fozzy Stack: ‘Aspen Grove Has Nothing To Lose In Belmont Oaks’

Fozzy Stack says that Aspen Grove (Ire) is something of a forgotten horse heading into the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. and revealed that there were genuine excuses for her below-par effort in the Irish 1,000 Guineas when the Justify filly was found to be in season. 

Aspen Grove carried Craig Bernick's distinctive silks to victory in a Group 3 contest at the Curragh last term and, with that valuable black-type success already secured, Stack felt connections could afford to be brave in travelling her over for Saturday's Grade I assignment. 

Stack said of the filly who is co-owned by Mrs. John Magnier, “She was in season when she ran in the Irish 1,000 Guineas so there was very much a plausible excuse for that effort. There's only one Guineas, she couldn't run in it next year, so that's why we took our chance. 

“Listen, she's travelled over well and she seems to have settled in nicely. Mark Enright is over here with her and he is happy with her so we'll see what happens.”

He added, “She has good form. She ran very well on her reappearance at Leopardstown when third in a Group 3 despite being caught wide the whole way round. 

“You could run around in Group 3s at home in Ireland for forty grand or you can come over here for a lot of money. She's already a Group 3 winner so she's nothing to lose and it all to gain.”

Aspen Grove is a general 8-1 chance with most firms for the Belmont Oaks and will have the assistance of Oisin Murphy in the saddle. 

Murphy's primary reason for jetting out Stateside is to ride Andrew Balding's The Foxes (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) in the Belmont Derby and Stack said that it would have been “silly” not to snap up a rider of his quality for Aspen Grove. 

He said, “It made a lot of sense to get Oisin to ride the filly. He's coming over to ride The Foxes for Andrew Balding anyway so it would have been silly not to use him while he's here.”

Stack has enjoyed a good start to his domestic campaign in Ireland and is operating at a 17 per cent strike-rate with 11 winners under his belt. 

Indeed, he has already tasted big-race success on American soil when Yesterdayoncemore (Ire) (No Nay Never) won a Grade II at Del Mar in 2019.

Like Yesterdayoncemore, Stack says that Aspen Grove could well continue her career in America for Bernick, who he describes as an important supporter of his famous County Tipperary stable.

Stack said, “We'll get this over with first, but we will probably run her at Saratoga or at Del Mar after this. I'm very lucky to have Craig as an owner. He's a very nice guy and has a great interest in the game. He actually bred Aspen Grove.”

On the race itself, he added, “Graham Motion's filly [Mission Of Joy (Kitten's Joy)] sets a good standard and Chad Brown has a couple of nice fillies [Aspray (Quality Road) and Prerequisite (Upstart)] in there as well. 

“There are no easy Group 1 races wherever you go but they are usually not as difficult to win on the grass in America than they are in Europe so hopefully she can go close.”

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Churchill Downs Reinstates Saffie Joseph, Jr.

After suspending trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. indefinitely just two days prior to the GI Kentucky Derby and ordering scratched his trainee Lord Miles (Curlin) from the Derby itself, Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) has reinstated Joseph and will allow him to enter horses again at all CDI-affiliated tracks.

Two of Joseph's horses, Parents Pride (Maclean's Music) and Chasing Artie (We Miss Artie)–both owned by Ken Ramsey–had died at Churchill during Derby week from sudden-death events. A total of 12 horses had passed away over a five-week span at Churchill, prompting the Louisville track to move the remainder of the meet to Ellis Park less than a month after the Derby.

The statement from CDI appears below in full:

“Churchill Downs Incorporated (“CDI”) announced today that trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. will be permitted to enter horses in races and may apply for stall occupancy at all CDI-owned racetracks effective immediately. The decision follows the completion of an investigation by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (“KHRC”) and the release of necropsy reports of two of Joseph's horses that died suddenly in races at Churchill Downs.”

“We remain deeply concerned about the condition of Parents Pride and Chasing Artie that led to their sudden death,” said Bill Mudd, President and Chief Operating Officer of CDI. “However, given the details available to us as a result of the KHRC investigation, there is no basis to continue Joseph's suspension.”

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Nassau Mission Handed To Superstar French Filly Blue Rose Cen

Blue Rose Cen (Ire), one of the most exciting horses in France, is set to make her British bow in the Qatar Nassau S. at Goodwood on August 3.

Christopher Head's star completed a rare treble at Chantilly when strolling to victory in the Prix de Diane earlier this month, adding to victories in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and last year's Marcel Boussac-a feat previously achieved by the likes of Zarkava (Ire) (Zamindar), Divine Proportions (Kingmambo) and Allez France (Sea Bird {Fr}).

Blue Rose Cen, who has won seven of her nine outings, was stepping up to an extended 10 furlongs for the first time at Chantilly and Head is eager to stick at that trip as the Churchill (Ire) filly takes on older rivals for the first time at Goodwood.

He told the Nick Luck Daily Podcast, “The main idea is to still keep up with the challenges. The owner has always been bold and daring in racing challenges and we have been talking about the next stage for Blue Rose Cen and he wants to go to the Nassau to do the same as Nashwa did with the Prix de Diane and Nassau double and we really have great faith in her with that programme.

“I don't think we have got to the limit of that filly yet. I still want to encounter the older fillies without getting into a new distance, so we'll keep with the distance we know she is best at right now and try to encounter a new panel of fillies to be able to know if she is capable of getting into the Vermeille and then we will pretty much know if she is an Arc or an Opera (horse).

“Even if she is not in the race, it is a possibility she can still be supplemented into the Arc. Leopoldo Fernández Pujals of Yeguada Centurion is a really a bold and daring individual, embracing challenges, so we're trying to do our best to get the horses to those kind of challenges, and that's why we're happy to go to the Nassau.”

Head also trains Big Rock (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) for the same owner, but he failed in his Classic mission when beaten three-and-a-half lengths by Ace Impact (Ire) (Cracksman {GB}) in the Prix du Jockey Club.

That was his first attempt over further than nine furlongs and Head feels his future now lies over a mile.

He added: “He's pretty much a mile horse or a 1800-metre horse and we learned that in the Jockey Club. We will put him onto another path which is the Jacques Le Marois and probably the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes too.”

 

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