Curlin | Horse Racing Free Tips

Old Homestead Continues to ‘Appreciate’ with Lafayette Victory

Old Homestead continues his perfect, albeit young, career with a commanding victory in the Lafayette S. on Keeneland's opening day of the spring meet. The Florida-bred began his career with an 11 1/2 length blow out Jan. 28 at Delta Downs, finding no competitor against an open field of maidens at five furlongs. Staying sprinting on the main track at the venue, it was a similarly devastating performance against an allowance field as Old Homestead coasted home by 5 3/4 uncontested lengths.

Stepping into stakes company, the Brett Brinkman trainee was sent off at 8-1 odds and it was second verse, same as the first: the colt broke on top, commanded the early pace, and pulled away from competition in the stretch under steady urging to win by 3 3/4 lengths despite not changing leads until the final sixteenth. Surfer Dude tracked from second all the way around and held his spot in the lane.

The winner is his dam's first foal and stakes winner. He has a 2-year-old half-sister by Astern (Aus) named Cora Pearl and the mare delivered a 2022 filly by Practical Joke. This is the family of Italian Group 1-placed runner Without Connexion (Ire), Grade I Frizette S. winner Yellow Agate (Gemologist), and six other group or graded runners. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

LAFAYETTE S., $342,175, Keeneland, 4-8, 3yo, 7f, 1:22.98, wf.
1–OLD HOMESTEAD, 118, c, 3, by Overanalyze
                1st Dam: Pearl de Vere, by Songandaprayer
                2nd Dam: The Dove, by Hawk Wing
                3rd Dam: Flabbergasted (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O/B-Marablue Farm LLC and Pegasus Stud LLC; T-Brett A. Brinkman; J-Thomas L. Pompell. $169,725. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, $212,325.
2–Surfer Dude, 118, c, 3, Curlin–Tiz Miz Sue, by Tiznow. ($190,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Mark H. and Nancy W. Stanley; B-CresRan LLC (KY); T-Dallas Stewart. $73,000.
3–Osbourne, 118, g, 3, Tapiture–Planet Rock, by Rock Hard Ten. ($9,500 RNA Ylg '20 WANJUL). O-Southern Springs Stables (Ron Moquett), The Estate of Floyd Sagely, Mark Tauber, Keith Johnston and Robert V. LaPenta; B-Amy Boulton (KY); T-Ron Moquett. $36,500.
Margins: 3 3/4, 1, 1. Odds: 9.90, 14.20, 25.60.
Also Ran: My Prankster, Money Supply, American Xperiment, Magnolia Midnight, All in Sync, Ignitis, Unified Report, Tejano Twist, Barossa.

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Pletcher Seeks Second Straight Ashland Win

Todd Pletcher captured last year's GI Central Bank Ashland S. with the blue-blooded Malathaat (Curlin), who went on to take the GI Kentucky Oaks in her next start. The Hall of Famer looks to repeat in Friday's renewal with another daughter of Curlin named Nest. A dominant debut winner going two turns at Belmont in September, the $350,000 KEESEP buy checked in third in the Tempted S. there next out Nov. 5. Besting next-out Busher S. winner and Saturday's GII Gazelle S. contender Venti Valentine (Firing Line) by a neck in the Dec. 4 GII Demoiselle S. at Aqueduct, the bay romped by six lengths in her seasonal bow in Tampa's Suncoast S. Feb. 12. Top rider Irad Ortiz, who rode Nest to all three of her wins, will be at the controls Friday.

Brad Cox also saddled an Ashland winner turned Oaks winner when sending out Monmoy Girl (Tapizar) in the 2018 renewal. He has a strong contender this year in Flurry Racing Stables' Interstatedaydream (Classic Empire). That ownership group also campaigned Cox's 2020 Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil). A narrow winner of her career bow sprinting at Belmont June 25, the bay filly checked in second in Saratoga's 6 1/2-panel GII Adirondack S. Aug. 8 and was subsequently shelved for the season. Returning to action Mar. 13 at Oaklawn, Interstatedaydream put on a show in her first try around two turns, charging home to an 8 1/4-length score and earning an 89 Beyer Speed Figure.

Keeneland stalwart Wesley Ward also sends out a live shot in Happy Soul (Runhappy). Second when unveiled in the slop at Keeneland in April of last year, the bay earned her diploma by 11 3/4 lengths next out over a fast track at Belmont in May. Wiring Belmont's Astoria S. by an equally large margin June 3, she was sent to the sidelines for the rest of her juvenile year and returned with a decisive win in Oaklawn's Dixie Belle S. Feb. 19. The $50,000 KEESEP acquisition tries two turns for the first time in this event with regular rider John Velazquez in the irons.

Doug O'Neill ships one in for this event in Reddam Racing's Awake at Midnyte (Nyquist). Opening her account in Arcadia Oct. 31, she missed by a nose when trying grass in the GIII Jimmy Durante S. a month later. A close second when getting back on dirt in the GII Santa Ynez S. Jan. 8, good for a 90 Beyer, the chestnut checked in fourth last time when extending to 1 1/16 miles in the GII Rachel Alexandra S. Feb. 19.

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Saturday Insights: Karen With an I Flies Beholder’s Colors on Debut

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

8th-SA, $67k, Msw, 3yo/up, f, 6f, 8:00 p.m. ET
Four-time Eclipse Award winner Beholder (Henny Hughes) will be represented by another firster at the races, this time via Karin With an I (Curlin). The daughter of the supermare debuts a few days after her 4-year-old half-brother Q B One (Uncle Mo)'s third-place effort at second asking here Mar. 27 for their shared connections of Spendthrift Farm and trainer Richard Mandella. Karin With an I worked the day before that race, posting a six-furlong move over the main track in 1:14.20 (4/7). My Kentucky Girl (American Pharoah), a $475,000 Keeneland September grad, also takes to the track for the first time for Tommy Town Thoroughbreds and Jonathan Wong. She is a half-sister to $700,000 KEESEP '19 grad Big City Momma (Quality Road) and stakes-placed Life On the Road (Street Sense). TJCIS PPs

8th-GP, $60k, Msw, 3yo, f, 7f, 3:01 p.m. ET
Gainesway Stable homebred Easy to Love (Empire Maker) debuts on a packed Saturday undercard at Gulfstream, and the half to Grade I winner Lukes Alley (Flower Alley) will be facing a field made up of mostly fellow firsters. Given half-siblings' successes on both surfaces–'TDN Rising Star' Arrifana (Curlin) was GSP and a stakes winner on dirt; Lukes Alley had graded wins on both turf and all-weather–plus a swift series of morning drills, the dirt shouldn't be a hindering factor. Todd Pletcher sends out $390,000 KEESEP buy Inventing (Union Rags) for the partnership of Repole Stables and Woodford Racing. She hails from the female family of good two-turn dirt females in GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Secret Status (A.P. Indy), GISW and last year's GI Breeders' Cup Distaff runner-up Dunbar Road (Quality Road), and Private Mission (Into Mischief), who took last year's GIII Torrey Pines S. and GII Zenyatta S. Wish You Well (American Freedom) will try to justify her connection's $550,000 FTFMAR (:10) faith in her at first asking. The half to GSW Chanteline (Majesticperfection) and SW Kell Paso (Divine Park) goes to post for George Weaver. TJCIS PPs

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TDN Snippets: Week of Mar. 21 – Mar. 27

Triple Crown season might be heating up but the well-bred handicap divisions are keen on having a say in how the big stage shapes up. Here's who's been shouting the loudest this week.

Stonestreet Gold Again a Rising Star…
The famous silks have done it once more, this time with Marsalis (Curlin) adding another 'TDN Rising Star' accolade to GISW Hot Dixie Chick's already impressive tally as a broodmare. Full-brother and New York's Leading Second Crop sire Union Jackson also claimed Rising Stardom in his racing days; while half-sister Pauline's Pearl (Tapit) added a victory in the GIII Houston Ladies Classic S. and a second in the GII Azeri S. to her million-dollar resume. Considering the dam also earned the TDN seal of approval, this female family really seems to enamor us in all the best ways and what's better than a Rising Star producing more Rising Stars?

A Titan Among Us…
With freaky-fast Olympiad (Speightstown) either breaking track-records or just missing them two races in a row en route to graded stakes victories, LNJ Foxwood's 'breeding stars' momentum doesn't look to be going away any time soon. The brilliant colt is one of his sire's 63 graded winners, and 128 black-type earners. The $700,000 KEESEP grad is bred on the same cross as MGISW Rock Fall (Speightstown), who tore through five victories in a row in 2015 including the GI Vosburgh and Alfred G. Vanderbilt S. in the Empire State.

It's Not This Time all the time…
The 2022 racing season is still young, but Not This Time has already begun to stake his claim as one of the most exciting young sires in the States. Counting GII Louisiana Derby winner Epicenter, Melody of Colors S. winner Last Leaf, and Midnight Stroll waltzing home in the Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies S. this past weekend, the stallion has 18 black-type winners. Taking into account his 144 lifetime starters as of calculation Mar. 28, he's hitting 17.36% stakes horses (25), 12.5% stakes winners (18), and 4.17% graded winners (6).

Where does the time go?
American Pharoah is about to enter a new stage of his breeding career…being a broodmare sire. And so, the ever elusive construct thus continues to move ever forward. With the retirements of As Time Goes By and Merneith, the ranks of blue-blooded broodmare prospects with him in the pedigree grow: the former in particular bred for success being out of Broodmare of the Year Take Charge Lady (Dehere) and a half to sires Will Take Charge (Unbridled's Song) and Take Charge Indy (A. P. Indy). As Time Goes By is expected to visit Into Mischief. Merneith ends her career Grade I placed and a multiple graded-stakes winner with no immediate stallion plans announced.

Japan takes over the world one race at a time…
Anyone who has tracked November auctions the past several years was not surprised when Japanese horses either won or hit the board in five of six open stakes on the Saudi Cup card bar one…the main event. We were even less surprised when they parlayed those incredible results into an even bigger Dubai World Cup night: winning, dead-heating, or placing in every single race minus the G1 Al Quoz Sprint and the Dubai Kahayla Classic, the latter they had no entries. Japanese connections have been scooping up quality American bloodlines for decades including, perhaps most famously, Sunday Silence, who went on to be 10-time Champion Sire in the country. Now the Land of the Rising Sun could set their eyes once again on the GI Kentucky Derby with Crown Pride (Jpn) (Reach the Crown {Jpn}), a great-grandson of the aforementioned legend through his sire. His trainer already willing after his G2 UAE Derby victory secured a spot in the gate, should the ownership group agree, a Japanese-bred descendant of Seattle Slew and Kingmambo will be in the starting gate on the first Saturday in May. As an added note on the American influence here, Crown Pride's dam was recently bred to Nadal (Blame).

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