Half To Clairiere, La Crete Re-Rallies To Win Silverbulletday

The half-sister to Clairiere out of top racemare Cavorting, Stonestreet homebred La Crete proved her mettle on the track this Saturday afternoon. The 3-year-old daughter of Medaglia d'Oro set the pace in the $150,000 Silverbulletday Stakes at the Fair Grounds, but was passed in the stretch by Fannie and Freddie (3-1). Jockey Joel Rosario refused to give up aboard La Crete, driving her to the finish until she re-rallied in the shadow of the wire to score a one-length victory. The even-money favorite, La Crete completed a mile and 70 yards over the fast main track in 1:43.93 for trainer Steve Asmussen.

It was the third win on the card for Rosario and Asmussen. La Crete earned 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks with her victory.

La Crete was not the quickest out of the gate, but she picked up the pace heading into the clubhouse turn and took command before the first quarter mile. Rosario kept her pace measured through fractions of 24.50 and 48.79 seconds, leading Fannie and Freddie by two lengths up the backstretch.

Fannie and Freddie ranged up alongside La Crete around the far turn, and the two raced head-and-head at the top of the stretch. The pair drifted out to the center of the track as they battled toward the wire, and Fannie and Freddie got her neck in front nearing the eighth pole.

Rosario switched his stick from left-to-right for one reminder, then went right back to his left hand to encourage the royally-bred La Crete to dig in. La Crete responded willingly and burst away from her rival in the final strides, crossing the wire a length in front of Fannie and Freddie. It was several lengths back to Bernabreezy in third, and Candy Raid rounded out the superfecta.

Bred in Kentucky by her owner, La Crete is out of the three time Grade 1-winning Bernardini mare Cavorting, who earned over $2 million on the track for Stonestreet. La Crete's half-sister, Clairiere (Curlin) earned over $1.2 million with the G1 Cotillion her biggest score.

La Crete won on debut at Churchill Downs in November, and remains undefeated after her Silverbulletday victory. Her two-for-two record has compiled earnings of $159,460.

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Oaks Trail: Clairiere’s Half-Sister La Crete A Tepid Favorite In Silverbulletday

Off an easy win in her career debut at Churchill Downs on Nov. 20, Stonestreet Stables' La Crete has been installed as the 2-1 morning line against five rivals for Saturday's $150,000 Silverbulletday for 3-year-old fillies to be run over 1 mile 70 yards at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La. The top four finishers will earn Kentucky Oaks qualifying points (10-4-2-1).

By Medaglia d'Oro, La Crete is a half-sister to Clairiere. The winner of last year's Rachel Alexandra (G2) presented by Fasig-Tipton, she has banked over $1.2 million in her career.

“Different filly, out of the great Cavorting,” said trainer Steve Asmussen, who has won the Silverbulletday four times. “She is not as mature at the same age as Clairiere, mentally or physically.”

Unlike her more accomplished sibling who has done most of her work from off the pace, La Crete went straight to the lead in her November 20 maiden breaker at Churchill, and she was never menaced in that 2 ¼ length triumph.

“I was very impressed with her first race,” Asmussen said. “She would have benefitted from having a first-level allowance race, but due to lack of entries that option was not available to her. She's trained nicely at the Fair Grounds.”

From post two, La Crete will get the riding services of Joel Rosario.

Off a maiden win and a fourth in the Tempted Stakes at Belmont, Westerberg Limited, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith's Sweet as Pie invades from her home base at Palm Beach Downs in Florida to contest the Silverbulletday for trainer Todd Pletcher.

“We tried to get her into an allowance race at Gulfstream that didn't go,” Pletcher explained. “We were looking around for opportunities to stretch her out around two turns to continue her development. This race was kind of a short field, but there are some pretty high-quality fillies in there so we will get a gauge of where we are at.”

The daughter of Tapit will break from post four with Florent Geroux aboard as the 5-2 co-second choice.

“She's a little bit lazy in the mornings,” Pletcher said. “We thought she'd run decently first time out, but she actually ran a little better than we thought she would. The Tempted was an okay race for us, but horses who ran in there have turned out to do pretty well, including Nest, who won the Demoiselle. The two turns should serve us well. I do like that physically she's doing what you like to see this time of year. A little bigger and stronger. She seems to be taking her training well and we think she has another move forward in her.”

Columbine Stables' Fannie and Freddie swings back off a recent second behind the undefeated North County in the Untapable Stakes for trainer Al Stall, Jr. The daughter of Malibu Moon won her two-turn debut in the start prior, and she looked home free in the stretch of her stakes debut, only to be run down late.

“That was a really weird weekend for us,” Stall recalled. “We had a few horses turning for home who looked like they were just galloping along and they kind of got run over. We were scratching our head thinking maybe it was just a lack of experience. I don't go that fast with my 2-year-olds, so this time of year we are playing a little bit of catch-up.”

Seventh and ninth sprinting at Saratoga then Keeneland in the first two starts of her career, Fannie and Freddie has really stepped forward since being stretched out.

“She's always been a nice-looking filly, but she's been a little tough in the mental department.” Stall admitted. “She gives me a little trouble saddling. We've been schooling her and she'll go to the paddock again this week. She always breezed like she's somebody, and it seems like the two turns may have been the trick for her.”

With Colby Hernandez back aboard, Fanny and Freddie will break from the rail as the 5-2 co-second choice.

“She'll just come out of there and play it off the break until the quarter-pole, see where she is at from there,” Stall said when asked about the preferred trip. “She can be a little nimble about things, but we really like the way she's doing. Colby (jockey Hernandez) doesn't say a whole lot, but the most positive comment he gave me the whole weekend was after her breeze.”

Nelson McMakin and Aaron Kennedy's Bernabreezy makes her stakes debut in career start number three off an eye-popping local maiden win over 1 1/16 miles for trainer Matt Shirer.

“She's doing awesome,” Shirer said. “There's not a whole lot of pace in that race, so she may have to be a little closer, but I don't want to take anything away from the way she finishes. That last race, she finished really well down the lane. That's kind of how she trains in the mornings. She picks out a target in front of her and goes out and catches those other horses. I think she'll run a big race for us.

In both of her career starts, the daughter of Bernardini has spotted the field lengths with poor breaks.

“We've done a little bit of work with her at the gate,” Shirer said. “She will go stand in there a couple days before the race. She's come out quick from there in the mornings before, it just seems like for some reason in her two races she hesitated a little bit. I'm not too worried about it.”

For the 36-year-old Shirer, the winner of 112 career races (22 percent), Bernabreezy represents an opportunity to compete on the big stage with a young, promising horse that he has developed.

“It's exciting but we've got a lot of races to go before she puts herself in that conversation,” Shirer said. “It's exciting to see what she's capable of. I'm pretty high on her, and I'm usually pretty realistic about the horses I have in the barn and what they are capable of and this filly is as good as I've ever had. Even thinking back to some of the fillies I've worked with as an assistant to (Ken) McPeek, I can't think of a whole lot of them that gallop out the way she does in her breezes. As the races get a little bit longer, she should continue to improve.”

The remainder of the field with post position, jockey/trainer and morning line odds is as follows: Built Wright Stables' Miss Chamita (post three, John McKee/Norm Cash, 15-1 ML), a $50,000 claim who has one win from nine career starts and Don't' Tell My Wife Stables and Keith Desormeaux's supplementary entry Candy Raid (post six, Jose Riquelme/Keith Desormeaux, 15-1 ML). — Kristufek

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After Clairiere Comes La Crete: Cavorting’s Second Foal Nominated To Silverbulletday

Mapping out a talented horse's racing career can be difficult, but it helps to have a scout show the way. Clairiere's sensational 3-year-old surge for the Kentucky Oaks began with a win in the Rachel Alexandra (G2) at Fair Grounds, and now her half sister, Stonestreet Stable's La Crete who is nominated and expected to run in the Silverbulletday, looks to take a very similar path.

The nominations for the 30th running of the $150,000 Silverbulletday have been released, and 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Oaks points have helped entice 13 sophomore fillies for this 1 mile 70 yards main track contest. The Silverbulletday is one of six stakes on the “Road to the Derby Day” card at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, which takes place on Jan. 22. First post will be at 12:05 pm CT.

Unlike her sister who imposes her will in the late stages of a race, La Crete showed early interest winning a Nov. 20 maiden special weight at Churchill Downs when she held the lead through all points of call. The daughter of Medaglia d'Oro's forward style could prove a major advantage, given the success of early speed thus far at the Fair Grounds. Like her millionaire half-sister, La Crete is trained by Steve Asmussen.

However, if past tactics of other nominees holds up, La Crete will likely have early company. Nominated by Al Stall Jr., Columbine's Stables Fannie and Freddie has shown her pressing tactic,s most recently beaten a neck when earning 4 Oaks points in the Untapable on the locally contested “The Road to the Derby Kickoff Day” card on Dec. 26.

Todd Pletcher leads all trainers with three Silverbulletday nominees: Red Oak Stables' Goddess of Fire, Repole Stables' Gratitude, and Westerberg Limited, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B.Tabor, and Derrick Smith's Sweet as Pie.

All horses nominated for the 109th running of the $1 million Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) are also eligible for the $200,000 Lecomte Stakes (G3) with the top four finishers receiving Kentucky Derby points (10-4-2-1). Standouts include Epicenter, Pappacap, Tiz the Bomb, Smile Happy, Rattle N Roll, Cyberknife, Oviatt Class and Zandon.

Finishing third in the Clark (G1), Midnight Bourbon is prepped and ready for his consistent nemesis, Mandaloun, who makes his return in the $150,000 Louisiana Stakes (G3) at 1 mile 1/16. Having raced five times prior, Midnight Bourbon tallies three higher finishes of their five prior bouts.

Michelle Lovell and Griffon Farms' Just Might and Susan Moulton's Manny Wah have both been nominated by their respective trainers–Michelle Lovell and Wayne “Catman” Catalano–for the 69th running of the $100,000 Duncan F. Keener Stakes 5 1/2 furlong turf sprint. Just Might has won the last two, but Manny Wah had the upper hand winning last year's edition of the Kenner.

The 36th Running Of The $100,000 Colonel E.R. Bradley Stakes going 1 1/16 miles over the Stall Wilson Turf Course has taken 36 nominations. Among many standouts: Hugh Robertson nominates Mr. D (G1) winner, Wolfe Racing's Two Emmys; Steve Asmussen nominates the “Buddy” Diliberto winner, Winchell Thoroughbreds' Halo Again; Cherie Deveux nominates David Ingordo and Gmack Racing's last out 2nd-level allowance winner Own Agenda; and Michael Maker nominates Three Diamonds Farm's Field Pass, last seen winning the Seabiscuit (G2) at Del Mar.

Nominations for fillies looking to prove their prowess going 1 1/16 miles over the turf have closed for the 23rd running of the $100,000 Marie G. Krantz. Narola and Anderson Farms Ontarion's Summer in Saratoga won with last-second dramatics last out in the Blushing KD and is nominated by trainer Joe Sharp.

“The Road to the Derby Day” at Fair Grounds takes place on Jan. 22 with a first post of 12:05 pm CT. The post position draw will take place on Saturday, Jan. 15. For a complete list of the nominees for the six stakes races courtesy of Equibase, along with past performances, click here.

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Breeders’ Cup Distaff Notes: Pletcher Wants ‘Honest Pace,’ ‘Clean Trip’ For Malathaat

As Time Goes By/Private Mission – Private Mission, a winner of both career two-turn stakes starts, and As Time Goes By, who captured the Santa Anita's winter-spring meeting's distaff title, galloped for trainer Bob Baffert this morning while readying to compete in Saturday's $2 million Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1). As Time Goes By, who was on the track immediately after the renovation break, galloped twice around the oval, while Private Mission emerged from the barn with the stable's next set of horses to gallop a mile.

Blue Stripe (ARG) – Pozo de Luna's Blue Stripe (ARG) visited the paddock and then jogged 2 ½ times around the main track under exercise rider Alex Jimenez.

Blue Stripe will represent the fifth Breeders' Cup starter for trainer Marcelo Polanco and first since 2005 when Island Fashion finished 10th in her second try in the Distaff.

“It is exciting to be back (in the Breeders' Cup),” Polanco said. “The filly is doing real good. However, this is all about timing. Your horse has to be 100 percent. You can have the best horse, but if something goes wrong …”

Clairiere – Stonestreet Stable's Cotillion (G1) winner Clairiere had an easy gallop Thursday as she prepares to give her trainer Steve Asmussen his second Breeders' Cup Distaff victory with a 3-year-old filly. He also won the race in 2014 with Untapable, who secured champion sophomore filly honors after winning the Distaff and Kentucky Oaks.

Dunbar Road/Royal Flag – Both of trainer Chad Brown's Distaff contenders, W. S. Farish's Royal Flag and Peter Brant's Dunbar Road, galloped easy circuits of the Del Mar main track Thursday morning.

Dunbar Road, who was Brown's final of 12 gallopers on the morning, was out just past 9 o'clock, while Royal Flag went out about 20 minutes prior.

Grade 1 winner Dunbar Road will make her final start in the Distaff, while G2 winner Royal Flag's plans have not been decided, per Brown. Both are five years of age.

Horologist – Bill Mott reported that his Distaff contender Horologist galloped about a mile and a quarter of the Del Mar main track Thursday morning. Owned by There's a Chance Stable, Medallion Racing, Abbondanza Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Paradise Farms and David Staudacher, the Grade 2 winner is a 30-1 longshot in the Distaff.

“She's good,” Mott said.

Letruska – St. George Stable's 8-5 morning line favorite for the Distaff Letruska, continued her preparation for the $2 million race Thursday with a 1 ½-mile gallop under Roger Horgan at Del Mar.

Trainer Fausto Gutierrez, 54, discovered racing as small child in Spain, became a fan while growing up in Mexico, and moved toward a training career while in college. He spent about a decade working as a turf writer at a Mexico City newspaper before turning to training on full-time basis.

Gutierrez has developed the Kentucky-bred Letruska for St. George Stable LLC, owned by the Mexican billionaire German Larrea Mota-Velasco. She has won six of seven starts in 2021, four of them Grade 1, and is the leading contender to win the Eclipse Award as the older female dirt horse.

Gutierrez majored in communications in college and thought it would lead to a job in television or advertising. As a college freshman, one of his professors noticed that he had a sales catalogue with him. The professor, who had a horse in the sale, invited him to visit the backstretch with him and introduced him to a trainer. That meeting led to the start of his training career and a few years later into journalism

“I had a good friend who liked (soccer) and he started to work for the Periodico Reforma. It is one of the most important in Mexico,” he said. “When the newspaper started, he called me. We are very good friends from the university, we finished together, and he told me 'I'm looking for a person to write about the horses.' A special (contributor), or something like that. I thought, 'why not?'

Gutierrez balanced the unusual combination of training and journalism for several years and often had to write about his own horses. He spent 1998 and 1999 training horses in Texas for Mexican owners while the track in Mexico City was closed. Gutierrez's association with Larrea Mota-Velasco began in 2001 when the CEO of Mexico's largest mining company asked him to represent him at the Keeneland sales following the 9/11 attacks.

The owner-trainer partnership grew into a massive, powerful stable and Gutierrez was the leading trainer at the country's only track for 10 consecutive years. He twice won Mexico's Triple Crown.

Gutierrez found international success and U.S. exposure when the Clasico del Caribe series was relocated to Gulfstream Park in 2017. His victories included Jaguaryu (MEX) in the 2017 Lady Caribbean; Jala Jala (MEX) in the 2017 Caribbean Classic and 2018 Confraternity Caribbean Cup; Kukulkan (MEX) in the 2018 Caribbean Classic and 2019 Copa Confraternidad del Caribe and Letruska in the 2019 Copa Invitacional del Caribe, facing older males as a 3-year-old filly.

Larrea Mota-Velasco decided that he wanted a division in the U.S. and Gutierrez brought Letruska and some other runners to Florida early in 2020. Letruska is the leader of his current 15-horse stable and his first Breeders' Cup runner. He hopes to stay in the U.S. and keep building a bigger, but not too large, stable.

“Any trainer to continue to be competitive needs to have material, to have horses,” he said. “I want to have an operation that I can control very closely. Maybe I can have 30 to 40 horses that I can pay attention to. In Mexico before I trained nearly 200 horses at the same time. It's different. At this point, I prefer to be closer to the horses and make more decisions.”

Malathaat – In her first start since a victory in the Alabama on Aug. 28 at Saratoga, Malathaat could become the 12th 3-year-old filly to win the $2 million Distaff – being run for the 38th time – and the fourth Kentucky Oaks winner to complete the double with the Distaff in the same year.

Monomoy Girl (2018), Untapable (2014) and Ashado (2004) are the only fillies to win both races in the same season. All three won the Eclipse Award as the division champion.

Royal Delta (2011) is the only Alabama winner to double in the Distaff as a 3-year-old, which led to a division title.

Malathaat, owned by Shadwell Stable and trained by Todd Pletcher, has won six of her seven career starts. She will face older horses for the first time in an eagerly anticipated showdown with speedy Letruska, who has a five-race winning streak.

“We would benefit from a good, honest pace,” Pletcher said. “Letruska is a forwardly placed filly, although I think she's also had success when she's not on the lead, but she's usually going to be close. Hopefully we get a good, honest pace and a clean trip and we'll see. It's always a challenge running against older mares for the first time, but she's put together a pretty impressive resume herself. We're excited about it.”

Malathaat's lone loss, by a head to Maracuja, came at Saratoga Race Course in the Coaching Club American Oaks. Marcuja, who was 14-1, pressed the 1-5 Malathaat early, retreated for a while under jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. while Clariere presented the challenge, and rallied in the stretch.

“It was a tricky race,” Pletcher said. “There was a four-horse field. She drew the rail. There was no obvious speed on paper. And then they kind of ran relays at her. Santana made what turned out to be a smart decision and one that most of the time guys go to, to let their horse fall back in the middle part of the race and then come on again. It was one of those things that just nothing, nothing really went the way we wanted it to. She still ran courageously off the layoff and just couldn't get her head down on the wire, but certainly made amends in the Alabama.”

Thursday morning Malathaat galloped 1 ¼ miles.

Pletcher has a 2-1-4 record with 20 starters in the Distaff. His winners were Ashado (2004) and Stopchargingmaria (2015). Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez has the mount. Velazquez has a 2-0-3 record in 18 starts in the Distaff. His winners were Ashado (2004) and Forever Unbridled (2017).

Marche Lorraine (JPN) – U. Carrot Farm's Marche Lorraine (JPN) visited the starting gate and paddock Thursday morning and galloped on the main track.

Shedaresthedevil – Flurry Racing Stable, Qatar Racing Limited and Big Aut Farm's Shedaresthedevil had an easy gallop under Edvin Vargas and visited the starting gate Thursday morning in her second to last day of training before the Distaff.

The connections of the Daredevil filly have had the Distaff circled on their calendar since last October when they made the decision to bypass the 2020 edition following a third in the Spinster Stakes at Keeneland.

“We made a plan and it has worked out to T,” co-owner Staton Flurry said. “We mapped out our strategy and we stuck to it, including sending her here for the Clement Hirsch. It's exactly what we did last year as well leading into the Oaks. Once we knew the rescheduled date, we just worked backward. It's a testament to (trainer) Brad's (Cox) and his team with how well it's worked out.”

Shedaresthedevil is scheduled to be sold the Tuesday following the Breeders' Cup at the Fasig- Tipton sale and the Distaff could be her last race.

“In this business, you have to lead with your head and not your heart,” Staton said. “There's a lot of money on the table, so I think we're doing the right thing. But, it will be bittersweet.”

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