Dinner Party S. | Horse Racing Free Tips

Street Sense’s Never Explain Proves Hungriest In Dinner Party

Hoping that the GIII Dinner Party S. might be a sampling of things to come later on the Preakness Day card, Never Explain came from off the pace to collect his first black-type victory for trainer Shug McGaughey. Handily away from gate 6, the dark bay settled back off the pace in fourth as GI Pegasus World Cup Turf winner Atone (Into Mischief), sent off at 5-2, strode to the front with MGSW Emmanuael and Rising Empire (Empire Maker) in hot pursuit rounding the first turn. With the top running order relatively unchanged following a half in :47.40, Never Explain continued to bide his time along the inside while working his way up to third as the leading two continued to exchange blows turning for home. Taking the final turn a bit wide, Never Explain nonetheless appeared to have the most momentum late, bearing down on the game but tiring leaders. With a gaggle of horses giving it their all late, including favored Hurricane Dream (Fr) who finally got going after lingering near the back early, it was the Courtlandt Farm runner with Flavien Prat that timed it best, winning by 1/2 length over the French bred. Emmanuel rounded out the trifecta.

“It looked like the pace was honest, and I tucked myself in,” said Prat. “I tipped him out turning for home and he really dug in and was game. On the form, it felt like anybody could win. Turning for home, I thought I had a chance. But I felt I wasn't the only one. It seemed like the horse coming outside of me helped me and pushed my horse. It was great. He was really great.”

The victory represented the fifth win for McGaughey in the Dinner Party. He previously won with Lure (1993), Parading (2009), Ironicus (2015) and Fire Away (2018).

Having recorded his sole 2022 victory at Pimlico exactly one year ago, Never Explain didn't show much when sixth going a mile at Gulfstream Jan. 1 but seemed to enjoy the change of venue when winning next time in a nine-panel Tampa allowance Jan. 18. Despite a tardy start in his latest while cutting back a furlong in Oldsmar Mar. 1, the 5-year-old came back to make it two straight under Sammy Camacho.

The win represented the third straight win for Never Explain after removing the blinkers.

“Even without the blinkers he wants to pull a little bit,” said McGaughey. “That was one of the good things about today. [Flavien] got him to relax really well, where he had horse at the finish.”

Pedigree Notes:
With the victory Never Explain becomes the 40th graded winner for Darley American sire Street Sense. A $87,000 KEENOV purchase by Hidden Brook Farm in 2014, the 13-year-old mare Black Oak produced Never Explain in a foal-sharing arrangement between Hidden Brook Farm and Godolphin. A $155,000 KEENOV weanling in 2018, he flourished into a $475,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by Courtlandt Farm.

Black Oak has an unraced juvenile filly by Palace Malice and a yearling colt McKinzie. This is the family Grade I sprinter Richter Scale.

Saturday, Pimlico
DINNER PARTY S. PRESENTED BY BULLEIT BOURBON-GIII,
$200,000, Pimlico, 5-20, 3yo/up, 1 1/8mT, 1:46.14, fm.
1–NEVER EXPLAIN, 120, h, 5, by Street Sense
                1st Dam: Black Oak (SP), by Forestry
                2nd Dam: More for Me, by More Than Ready
                3rd Dam: Velvet's Pie, by Native Prospector
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($155,000 Wlg '18 KEENOV; $475,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Courtlandt Farms (Donald Adam); B-Hidden Brook Farm & Godolphin (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III; J-Flavien Prat. $120,000. Lifetime Record: 15-5-1-2, $242,062. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Hurricane Dream (Fr), 120, g, 6, Hurricane Cat–Shalimara (Fr), by Siyouni (Fr). O-Team Valor, et al; B-Marie Laurence Oget & Andre Brakha (FR); T-H. Graham Motion. $40,000.
3–Emmanuel, 122, c, 4, More Than Ready–Hard Cloth, by Hard Spun. ($350,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Siena Farm LLC and WinStar Farm LLC; B-Helen K. Groves Revocable Trust (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $20,000.
Margins: HF, HD, NK. Odds: 15.20, 1.20, 3.40.
Also Ran: Speaking Scout, Atone, Easter (Fr), Rising Empire.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs.
VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Dinner Party Goes Through Cox, Maker

Between them, trainers Brad Cox and Mike Maker have won the two most recent runnings of the GII Dinner Party (ex Dixie S.) on the Preakness S. undercard and the accomplished conditioners look to have Saturday's renewal surrounded as well.

The reigning Eclipse Award winner Cox is represented by Juddmonte's Set Piece (GB) (Dansili {GB}), who was rerouted to this spot after scratching from a potential defense of his title in the May 5 Opening Verse S. at Churchill Downs. Winner of that track's GII Wise Dan S. last June, the homebred was runner-up in the GI Fourstardave H. at the Spa in August and most recently raced a bit freely when seventh first off a September layoff in the GI Maker's Mark Mile at Keeneland Apr. 15. Cox saddled Factor This (The Factor) to take the 2020 Dinner Party.

Maker sent out Somelikeithotbrown (Big Brown) to score last year and tightens the girth around Three Diamonds Farm's Atone (Into Mischief) here. Second in last year's GII Fort Lauderdale S. at Gulfstream Dec. 18, the bay gelding was beaten less than two lengths into fourth behind Colonel Liam (Liam's Map) in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Jan. 29 and fought on bravely to finish just a length off Shirl's Speight (Speightstown) when completing the super in the Maker's Mark.

Beacon Hill (Blame) looms an intriguing alternative to the top two choices off an Apr. 20 allowance effort at Keeneland in which he lagged back, came wide with what appeared to be a winning bid, but lugged in on multiple occasions and lost a bob. Joel Rosario sees fit to hop back aboard.

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‘Brown’ Can Spoil The ‘Party’ at Old Hilltop

Making the second start of his current form cycle and drawn perfectly to make best use of his primary asset, Somelikeithotbrown (Big Brown)–whose sire stormed home to win the 2008 GI Preakness S. by better than five lengths–can play the role of upsetter in Saturday's GII Dinner Party S. at Pimlico.

The New York-bred toyed with his rivals from the front to upset last year's GII Bernard Baruch S. at Saratoga, but was ridden from off the pace when this event was contested last October and settled for second. The coast-to-coast winner of the state-bred restricted Mohawk S. at Belmont three weeks later, he never attempted to lead in the GII Fort Lauderdale S. at Gulfstream Dec. 12 en route to beating just one rival home. In his lone start this term, he was narrowly in front in the GI Maker's Mark Mile after attending a sharp early tempo and weakened to finish seventh. Jose Ortiz should hit the gas early from gate one Saturday.

Chad Brown won his only Dinner Party in 2016 with Takeover Target (Harlan's Holiday), and will send out 7-5 morning-line choice Sacred Life (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) as well as the progressive Kuramata (Ire) (Australia {GB}). A Group 3 winner in France at two and runner-up to the mighty Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) at that level the following season, Sacred Life has two wins from eight starts in the U.S., his biggest success coming when overwhelming his rivals in last year's Oceanport S. at Monnmouth Aug. 9. A well-beaten fourth as the favorite in the GI Turf Classic at Churchill Sept. 5, he was suited by the strong pace of the Maker's Mark and ran on mildly from the back for third.

Kuramata, a homebred for Peter Brant, was third over the Kempton all-weather in a single European appearance in 2019, but broke his maiden by 3/4 of a length when making his stateside debut at Tampa Feb. 21 and was the smooth 2 1/2-length winner of an Apr. 2 first-level allowance over the Aqueduct turf to earn himself a crack at graded company.

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