cipriano contreras | Horse Racing Free Tips

Inthemidstofbiz Will Line Up For Title Defense In ‘Win And You’re In’ Thoroughbred Club Of America Stakes

Trainer Cipriano Contreras and Andrew Knapczyk's Inthemidstofbiz will face five other fillies and mares as she goes for a repeat victory in the 41st running of the $250,000 Thoroughbred Club of America (G2) Saturday afternoon at Keeneland.

Run at 6 furlongs on the main track, the Thoroughbred Club of America is a Breeders' Cup Challenge race with the winner earning a fees-paid berth to the $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) to be held Nov. 6 at Del Mar.

The Thoroughbred Club of America is scheduled as the seventh race on Saturday's 11-race program with a 4:12 p.m. ET post time. First post Saturday is 1 p.m.

Inthemidstofbiz, who has won one of two starts in 2021, comes into Saturday's race off a fourth-place finish in the Satin and Lace (L) at Presque Isle Downs, the same race she used as a prep for her TCA victory last year. Emmanuel Esquivel has the mount and will exit post position three.

Only Excitable Lady in 1982 and 1983 has posted victories in the TCA in consecutive years.

Favoritism figures to be divided among multiple graded stakes winners Bell's the One, Frank's Rockette and Estilo Talentoso. Estilo Talentoso was runner-up in the Madison (G1) here in the spring.

Lothenbach Stables' Bell's the One has won two of five starts in 2021 highlighted by a triumph in the Honorable Miss (G2) at Saratoga in July. Trained by Neil Pessin, Bell's the One finished second in the Open Mind at Churchill Downs in her most recent start.

Regular rider Corey Lanerie has the call Saturday and will exit post position six.

Frank Fletcher Racing Operations' Frank's Rockette is a three-time graded stakes winner whose lone off-the-board finish in her 16-race career came against the males in last fall's Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) at Keeneland.

Trained by Bill Mott, Frank's Rockette enters Saturday's race off a third-place finish in the Seeking the Pearl Stakes at Colonial Downs on Aug. 23. Junior Alvarado has the mount from post position one.

Estilo Talentoso, owned by the partnership of Medallion Racing, Barry Fowler, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Little Red Feather Racing and BlackRidge Stables and trained by Juan Arriagada, also has been off the board only once in her 16-race career. That came in her most recent start against champion Gamine in the Ballerina (G1).

Jose Ortiz, who was aboard for the first time in the Ballerina, has the mount Saturday and will leave post position four.

The field for the Thoroughbred Club of America, with riders and weights from the inside, is:

Frank's Rockette (Alvarado, 120 pounds)
Club Car (Tyler Gaffalione, 120)
Inthemidstofbiz (Esquivel, 120)
Estlio Talentoso (Ortiz, 122)
Miss Mosaic (Colby Hernandez, 120)
Bell's the One (Lanerie, 123).

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Piedi Bianchi Doubles Up In Frances Slocum Stakes

Piedi Bianchi has been brilliant most of her career, tackling Graded Stakes company beginning in her 2-year-old season with a fifth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in 2017. Now, the 5-year-old grey Indiana bred mare is a two-time winner of the $100,000 Frances Slocum Stakes, scoring a convincing win Wednesday, Nov. 18. It was the 24th running of the event going 1 1/16 miles at Indiana Grand.

Piedi Bianchi, who was kicking her heels up in the post parade, was ready to race when the gates opened. She burst out of post nine in the 12-horse lineup and was quickly among the top group heading to the lead. Copper Nickel and Jermaine Bridgmohan crossed over to the lead and were tracked closely by Unbridled Class and Rodney Prescott in the early stages. Horses were three and four wide around the first turn to stay close to the pace setters.

Down the backstretch, some began to retreat, allowing Piedi Bianchi to advance up slowly on the outside. In the final turn, she began to stretch out even more and was neck and neck with Magical Peapod and Rocco Bowen and Copper Nickel. In the stretch, Fernando De La Cruz gave a command to advance and she blasted to the lead, drawing away by seven and one-half lengths at the finish line for the win. Fireball Baby and Marcelino Pedroza closed gamely for second, just a head in front of Expect Indy and Emmanuel Esquivel to make it a first and third finish for trainer Cipriano Contreras.

“I was a little worried about the post position,” admitted De La Cruz. “We were four-wide, but we were able to sit down and wait. I knew at the half-mile we had a good shot to win because I was sitting on a lot of horse. At the quarter pole, I asked her for more and she did it all by herself.”

Piedi Bianchi now has six career wins in 19 career starts for owners Jay Oringer, Jack Bick and Madaket Stables. An $80,000 purchase at two from the Ocala sales in 2017, Piedi Bianchi now possesses in excess of $578,000 in purse earnings and moves into eighth place on the list of all-time leading Indiana bred money earners. Among females, she is ranked third behind Lady Fog Horn ($824,273) and Dreamin Big ($602,350).

“This is a nice mare that has been running in Graded Stakes competition,” said Contreras. “She has been training really good up to this race and I think she is a little bit better going a little longer. The main thing today is to stay out of trouble and the race worked out perfectly. When you are a big favorite like that, the worst thing to happen is to get caught in behind horses, so being wide wasn't a concern. Fernando (De La Cruz) did a good job. He waited and was patient.”

The abbreviated 2020 racing season comes to a close Thursday, Nov. 19 with a mandatory payout in the Straight Fire 6. The carryover heading into closing day is in excess of $140,000 and will begin in Race 5 to capture the final six Thoroughbred races of the season. Racing dates for 2021 will be approved and announced by the Indiana Horse Racing Commission in December.

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Inthemidstofbiz Upsets Thoroughbred Club Of America Stakes, Clinches Breeders’ Cup Filly And Mare Sprint Berth

Inthemidstofbiz made her graded stakes debut a winning one on Saturday at Keeneland Race Course, with a 13-1 upset of the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes. The victory also ensured her next graded stakes start, earning a “Win and You're In” berth for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

The 4-year-old Fed Biz filly was part of a large, tight group of runners to vie for the lead out of the gate, with outside-breaking runner Lady's Island assuming command over Palace Avenger, with Inthemidstofbiz tracking in third. Lady's Island set the opening quarter in :22.12 seconds, while keeping her two closest trackers at bay. However, jockey Martin Garcia started to ask Inthemidstofbiz for some run on the outside, and the filly caught the leader in the turn and ran past her.

A spent Lady's Island gave way in the middle of an emerging battle between Inthemidstofbiz and Palace Avenger, following a half in :45.17 seconds. The challenger was game for about a sixteenth of a mile, but ultimately relented to Inthemidstofbiz with plenty of stretch to go, and the winner drew off to prevail by three lengths.

A late move from post time favorite Sneaking Out earned her a runner-up finish, a half-length ahead Palace Avenger.

Inthemidstofbiz won the six-furlong race in 1:09.84 over a fast main track, and she paid $28.20 to win. She was trained by Cipriano Contreras, who earned his second career graded stakes victory in the Thoroughbred Club of America. His first came in the G3 Hanshin Cup Stakes in 2018 with Matrooh. The winning owners were Contreras Stable and Andrew Knapczyk.

Inthemidstofbiz was bred in Kentucky by J D Stuart and Mueller Farms, Inc., out of the stakes-winning Closing Argument mare Midst.

To view the race's chart, click here.

Quotes from the $200,000 Thoroughbred Club of America, courtesy of the Keeneland notes team

Cipriano Contreras (winning trainer of Inthemidstofbiz)

“We got lucky today. She's getting better and better. We claimed this filly (for $20,000 at Keeneland during the 2019 Fall Meet) and ran her for (a $16,000 claiming price) at Oaklawn. She started running better, and we took a shot. It worked out.”

Martin Garcia (winning rider)

“She's a great filly. I had a really good position. When I asked her to go, she made it really easy.”

Umberto Rispoli (rider of runner-up and beaten favorite Sneaking Out.

“My trip was OK. She is the kind of filly who can have the lead if there is no one faster, but that was not the case today. I believe if she had drawn an outside (post position), the race definitely would have changed. She finished off pretty strong and I am pretty sure if I had been on the outside, the race (outcome) would be different. Post 1 is always a gamble. Outside she could dominate the other horses. Inside she was not happy.”

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