Tag: David Carroll

Unified Reports Stays Undefeated With Win In Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile

On Monday, trainer Dallas Stewart welcomed his first grandchild into the world, and just a few short days later, Henry Lane Stewart and family watched from afar as Valene Farms' Unified Report would score yet another Louisiana Champions Day win for grandpa.

Sent off as the .70-1 favorite in the $100,000 Juvenile, the sophomore son of Unified, tracked the pace set by the embattled Grunt and Charco through contested fractions of :21.76 and :45.63. Four-wide on the turn for home, he battled briefly with eventual third place finisher Charco mid-stretch before putting that rival away. Unified Report led into the deep stretch, and held safe of the late closing 1.80-1 second choice, the maiden Bron and Brow, stopping the timer in 1:10.55.

“Truly it all goes back to thanking Mr. Murray (owner Valene),” Hernandez said. “Year after year, he just keeps finding these really good Louisiana-breds. I think this is like the third or fourth year in a row we've won one of these 2-year-old (stakes) races. He (Unified Report) looked like he was the best horse in the race and I just did my job, give him the cleanest trip we could. He's a young horse, but he was two for two (coming in) so he's got a little experience behind him. There were for of them in front, so I just let him find his rhythm, I got him in the clear and off he went. What really impressed me today was the way he galloped out. He hit the wire and kind of stepped away from those horses again, so he kind of shows you that he wants to stretch out and go to two turns.”

With the win, Unified Report remained perfect from three starts, increasing his bankroll to $154,720 in the process.

Bron and Brow, who finished third at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., in his career debut, added blinkers for the Juvenile, and after a difficult trip with some traffic trouble, he too stamped himself as a youngster to watch.

“It was a little troubled trip for me,” jockey Deshawn Parker admitted. “He was trying to run and had nowhere to go for a while. So once I came out of the turn, I tried to dig him out. But it was real trouble. Trouble. He's a maiden but he won't be a maiden much longer.”

“We had a horrible trip,” assistant trainer David Carroll added. “He was loaded the whole way, had to check hard off heels, then had to wait for room. He closed fast. To me, he was much the best horse in the race. He's a talented colt and we look forward to running him back. That's racing.”

A longtime supporter of Louisiana racing, Murray Valene was thrilled with his colt's performance.

“We had an undefeated filly (Big Time) win for us on this day last year, and this year it was the colt (Unified Report),” Valene said. “I want to thank Dallas Stewart and his team for doing such a great job. This colt looks like he wants to go longer and he might have the talent to do it successfully.”

The post Unified Reports Stays Undefeated With Win In Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Casse-Trained Helium Should ‘Sit A Better Trip’ In Saturday’s Matt Winn Stakes

Trainer Mark Casse's stakes quartet of Helium, Palazzi, Spanish Loveaffair and Tap It to Win are poised to return to form on Saturday's Stephen Foster Preview Day at Churchill Downs.

“I think all four of our horses are very live in those races,” Casse's assistant trainer David Carroll said. “Each one of them fit very well in their respective fields and I think we are setting up for a solid day of racing.”

D J Stable's Kentucky Derby (GI) 10th-place finisher Helium was installed as the co-second choice at 5-2 in the $150,000 Matt Winn (G3). Juddmonte's $300,000 Oaklawn Stakes winner Fulsome also is 5-2. The 2-1 morning line favorite is Bernard Racing, Tagg Team Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds and Terry Stephens' Kentucky Derby fifth-place finisher O Besos.

“He ran a solid effort in the Derby,” Carroll said of Helium. “I think he will be able to sit a better trip in the Matt Winn from just off the pace and I think he matches up with this field better.”

The 1 1/16-mile Matt Winn, carded as Race 9 at 4:55 p.m. (all times Eastern), shares the Saturday spotlight with the $150,000 Audubon (Race 5), $150,000 Blame (Race 6), $150,000 Shawnee (Race 7), $150,000 Regret (G3) (Race 8), $150,000 Aristides (Listed) (Race 10), and $110,000 Douglas Park Overnight Stakes (Race 11). The stellar program gets underway at 12:45 p.m.

The complete field for the Matt Winn (from the rail out with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): Ready to Pounce (Brian Hernandez Jr., Neil Pessin, 15-1); Helium (Julien Leparoux, Casse, 5-2); O Besos (Marcelino Pedroza, Greg Foley, 2-1); Southern Passage (Corey Lanerie, Dale Romans, 20-1); Fulsome (Florent Geroux, Brad Cox, 5-2); Hello Hot Rod (Francisco Arrieta, Caio Caramori, 20-1); Sittin On Go (Joe Talamo, Romans, 8-1); and Game Day Play (David Cohen, Robertino Diodoro, 8-1).

One race after the Matt Winn, Live Oak Plantation's four-time winner Tap It to Win will hope to avenge his 11th-place finish in the $500,000 Churchill Downs (G1) as the 3-1 morning line favorite in the six-furlong Aristides.

“We've been working mentally with him a lot following that race,” Carroll said. “I think we've got him to a good place after the Churchill Downs. He got stuck in a speed duel that day and it wasn't the best of trips. I think drawing to the outside of this field should help him sit a better trip.”

The complete field for the Aristides from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): Haunt (Gerardo Corrales, Reeve McGaughey, 10-1); Tough Love (Corey Lanerie, Brian Williamson, 10-1); Bango (Marcelino Pedroza, Greg Foley, 4-1); Edgemont Road (Ricardo Santana Jr., Eddie Kenneally, 12-1); Empire of Gold (David Cabrera, Terry Eoff, 7-2); Long Range Toddy (Jon Court, Dallas Stewart, 15-1); Royal Daaher (Drayden Van Dyke, Jimmy DiVito, 10-1); Mojo Man (Francisco Arrieta, DiVito, 10-1); Sir Alfred James (Colby Hernandez, Al Stall Jr., 8-1); and Tap It to Win (Tyler Gaffalione, Casse, 3-1).

Earlier in the card, John Oxley's two-time winner Palazzi will have to overcome the rail draw in the 1 1/8-mile Audubon Stakes run over the Matt Winn Turf Course.

“We are supposed to get some rain Friday so we'll have to wait and see what the turf condition is like,” Carroll said. “He likes to be to the outside of horses and got into a tough trip in the American Turf (G2). He'll have to find a trip breaking from the rail but I think can bounce back from that race fairly well. He's been a very consistent horse since running on the grass.”

The only start Palazzi missed the board on the turf was in the $500,000 American Turf (G2). Arguably his best effort came at the end of January when he got up to win the $200,000 Texas Turf Mile at Sam Houston by a nose under Carroll's son Declan.

The full field for the Audubon from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): Palazzi (Tyler Gaffalione, Mark Casse, 7-2); Like the King (Chris Landeros, Wesley Ward, 7-2); Cave Hill (Declan Cannon, Brendan Walsh, 10-1); Hidden Enemy (IRE) (Ricardo Santana Jr., Steve Asmussen, 4-1); Haddassah (Mitchell Murrill, Kevin Attard, 15-1); Cellist (Julien Leparoux, Rusty Arnold II, 8-1); Holy Vow (David Cabrera, John Ortiz, 10-1); and Royal Prince (Florent Geroux, Brad Cox, 3-1).

Michael Hernon, Gary Barber and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Spanish Loveaffair will be in search of her first graded stakes glory in the Regret (G3). Run at 1 1/8 miles on the turf, Spanish Loveaffair was made the 5-2 morning line favorite.

“She took a little longer to come out of the (April 3) Appalachian (G2) but we got her back to Churchill and she's picked things up nicely the last few weeks,” Carroll said. “She's really flourished the last couple of weeks and I think will be ready for a top effort in this spot.”

The complete field for the Regret from the inside out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): Oyster Box (Chris Landeros, Graham Motion, 6-1); Munnyfor Ro (Drayden Van Dyke, Brian Lynch, 12-1); Line Dancing (Julien Leparoux, Michael Matz, 12-1); Spanish Loveaffair (Tyler Gaffalione, Mark Casse, 5-1); Barista (James Graham, Jimmy Baker, 5-1); Postnup (Brian Hernandez Jr., Cherie DeVaux, 12-1); Gam's Mission (Adam Beschizza, Cherie DeVaux, 5-1); Flown (Ricardo Santana Jr., Brendan Walsh, 9-2); and Saranya (Forent Geroux, Brad Cox, 5-1).

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‘Maybe It’s A Good Thing’: Derby Trainers Unconcerned About This Year’s Lasix Rules

The general consensus around the Churchill Downs backstretch this week has been that requiring hopefuls on the Road to the Kentucky Derby to race without Lasix has not been a major hindrance for the year's 3-year-old crop. 

Precisely half of this year's Kentucky Derby field has never raced on Lasix, while all 20 entrants completed their final prep without the diuretic medication, which aids in preventing exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) in racehorses. 

“This may not be a popular opinion,” warned David Carroll, assistant to dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse. “I was pro-Lasix, but having seen that now, you know what, maybe it's a good thing. Maybe no race-day medication is a good thing. I think a lot of things we do, we're creatures of habit, and we have a tendency to do things because that's the way we've always done it, not the way it's meant to be, and not what's best for the horse.”

“I would say it's an individual thing,” said two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Doug O'Neill. “And in an ideal world, if the horse doesn't have any kind of tendency to have any kind of nosebleed, running without Lasix, they do seem to come out of the races with more energy, and they get back to their normal exercise energy quicker. So they recover quicker, I think, without Lasix.”

Many trainers spoke out against the restriction of Lasix use for years before a ban was implemented for 2-year-old runners in many jurisdictions last year. Now, both the Triple Crown series and the Breeders' Cup Challenge series, as well as the World Championship races themselves, are all scheduled to be conducted without race-day Lasix. In several jurisdictions, all graded stakes races will be held Lasix-free.

“It's something, I think, we all in this sport kind of knew it was coming,” O'Neill said. “Just – if you look around the world, most of the big races around the world are run Lasix-free. So as much as I was apprehensive, like I think a lot of horsemen were and are, I think the longer we've done it, the more able to – I've been able to adjust.”

Some trainers have altered their pre-race and pre-workout regimens, while others say they have not.

“Obviously last year we started with the 2-year-olds not being on Lasix, so we really didn't do anything particularly different with them at all,” said Carroll. “From a personal perspective, we had a few that showed some traces (of EIPH), but no bad cases.”

“We have a little bit different diet leading up to works and races,” O'Neill said. “Just, we're more thoughtful of not having much in their stomach for exercise, which probably, we should have been thinking of that. Anyways, so just try to have them a little bit more light going into their works and races. It's definitely been something that we've been more conscientious of with no Lasix.”

While the majority of this year's Kentucky Derby trainers agreed that the Lasix ban wasn't harmful to the current 3-year-old crop, they remain concerned about requiring older horses, those who are used to running with Lasix, to now race without it.

“I think with this particular crop, for my cohort, it's not been an issue,” said Hall of Fame nominee Todd Pletcher. “I can't speak for everyone else, but I think some of the bigger concerns are around older horses that maybe have been running on Lasix for three, four, five years and then have to come off with it. But bleeding can be an issue for horses, with or without Lasix.”

“You have some horses that struggle with that,” echoed John Sadler. “I've had some older horses, and I have to say no more stakes for them. They've got to run in the easier races. They weren't capable of running without Lasix.”

“I do feel bad for the horses who have been racing on it for years, and now have to stop,” Carroll concluded. “For older horses now that have been racing on it for the last three to four years, I think that's really hard. I wish they'd made it more of a progression.”

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Jockey Gaffalione, Entire Casse Team Has Been High On Soup And Sandwich Since The Beginning

Though he'll be riding Live Oak Plantation's Soup and Sandwich for the first time in the Kentucky Derby on May 1, jockey Tyler Gaffalione has been following the 3-year-old's races since the very beginning.

“I've been following this horse since his first race,” Gaffalione said in an interview with Jennie Rees for the Kentucky HBPA. “He just, his stride looks effortless. He covers a lot of ground, he was still green that day, he swapped leads a couple times, but he kind of reminded me of a Gun Runner early in his 3-year-old year. He had a lot of raw talent but hadn't really figured it out yet.”

The son of Into Mischief won on debut Jan. 28 at Gulfstream Park, dominating by 7 1/4 lengths for trainer Mark Casse.

“I texted Mark after the race that day, and said, 'If it ever comes up, I'd love the chance to ride this horse,'” said Gaffalione. “We weren't able to hook up until now, but I mean, this is the one you want! Everything's just kind of falling into place.”

In his second career start, on Feb. 24 at Tampa Bay Downs, Soup and Sandwich bested a three-horse field in his first start around two turns. From there, Casse was confident enough to send the colt into the Grade 1 Florida Derby, where he ran a big second behind Known Agenda despite not switching leads in the stretch.

“I've got to give a lot of credit to Nick Tomlinson at Palm Meadows,” said Casse's assistant, David Carroll. “Nick loved this horse before he ever ran, even though he said he was very immature. He showed that in his first race and even his second race, so he's learning on the job, so to speak… You have to think that having run just three races, there's a lot more upside to him. His race in the Florida Derby was very, very good, but he didn't switch leads, showed true greenness, and had every chance to give it up, but he didn't.”

Gaffalione got a chance to ride Soup and Sandwich in the morning for the first time on Saturday, breezing five furlongs at Churchill in :59 4/5.

“I loved every bit of it,” the jockey said. “He's got a beautiful stride, he just covers a lot of ground and just keeps finding more.

“There's just an aura about him. (Nice horses) have a different, I guess you would say 'class,' about them. They know they're a nice horse and they have a lot of confidence in themselves, and you can really feel that.”

Out of the winning Tapit mare Souper Scoop, Soup and Sandwich is a second-generation homebred for Charlotte Weber's Live Oak Stud. His name is a play on her heritage, since her grandfather is the Campbell Soup founder John T. Dorrance and she serves as a board trustee of Campbell Soup Company.

Soup and Sandwich is one of two likely Kentucky Derby starters for Mark Casse in 2021. The second is Helium, undefeated winner of the G2 Tampa Bay Derby, who will be partnered by Julien Leparoux.

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