Doug O'Neill | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘Spirit’-less PA Derby Weekend’s Main Event

The decision to withdraw GI Kentucky Derby first-past-the-post Medina Spirit (Protonico) from Saturday's $1-million GI Pennsylvania Derby is certainly a disappointing development, but eight of the nine remaining entrants already have at least one stakes win to their credit, six of those at the graded-stakes level, with a couple of new shooters that have earned their chance to contest a race of this magnitude.

Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) is a deserving favorite based on his body of work, one that could look dramatically more sparkling with a few different bounces of the ball. The wire-to-wire winner of the GII Louisiana Derby in March, the half-brother to champion Mitole (Eskendereya) made a run from slightly off the pace and may have hung late when third across the line in the Derby, beaten a length for all of it. Ridden for speed in the GI Belmont S., Hot Rod Charlie cut out an otherwise suicidal early pace and held well deep into the final eighth of a mile, only to be outfinished by Essential Quality (Tapit). His heart was on full display yet again in the GI TVG.com Haskell S. July 17, but he drifted in with a furlong to race, causing Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) to stumble, and was placed last. Connections passed on the GI TVG.com Pacific Classic at home and a trip back this way for the GI Runhappy Travers S. in favor of this spot, won by the Doug O'Neill (Leandro Mora)-trained Handsome Mike (Scat Daddy) in 2012.

“Selfishly, I want it for the whole team, but also for him as an individual,” said O'Neill. “It would be a pretty awesome result for Charlie to get a Grade I win, that's for sure.”

Midnight Bourbon will jump as the second favorite and is likely to be bet well down from his morning line. Able to control a moderate pace in wiring the GIII Lecomte S. over the winter, the strapping bay was runner-up in the Louisiana Derby and ran with credit to be sixth in the Derby after being farther back than connections had hoped. Second to Rombauer (Twirling Candy) in the GI Preakness S. after racing more prominently, he showed tremendous athleticism to pop right up from the incident at Monmouth and gave Essential Quality all he could handle in the Travers last time, going down to a neck defeat while earning a career-best 107 Beyer.

“Hopefully, Saturday is his turn,” said David Fiske, racing manager to Winchell Thoroughbreds. “It's been a peculiar year. Most years, the field for the Kentucky Derby evaporates the day after the Derby. This year we've had Essential Quality, Midnight Bourbon, Hot Rod Charlie, Medina Spirit–even though he scratched–he's still going. There are a lot of them out there and they're all quality colts.”

Fulsome (Into Mischief) pinch-hits here for Derby second and 'TDN Rising Star' Mandaloun (Into Mischief) and capped a three-race winning streak with a convincing victory in the GIII Matt Winn S. at Churchill May 29. A money-burning third to the progressive Mr. Wireless (Dialed In) in the GIII Indiana Derby July 7, he bounced back in this track's GIII Smarty Jones S. Aug. 24, but will have to run significantly faster to factor here.

Speaker's Corner (Street Sense) bested next-out 'Rising Star' Caddo River (Hard Spun), future MGSW Greatest Honour (Tapit), GSW Bourbonic (Bernardini) and GISP Miles D (Curlin) to graduate at Belmont Oct. 11 and went missing for 10 months before returning to take a first-level Saratoga allowance by 5 1/4 lengths Aug. 14, for which he earned a 101 Beyer. Trainer Bill Mott is a two-time winner of the race, including To Honor and Serve (Bernardini) a decade ago.

Americanrevolution (Constitution) won the state-bred restricted New York Derby at Finger Lakes by 7 1/4 lengths July 19 and added a five-length success in the Aug. 27 Albany S. for Todd Pletcher, whose lone win in this race came courtesy of Harlan's Holiday in 2002.

The post ‘Spirit’-less PA Derby Weekend’s Main Event appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Hot Rod Charlie: ‘Blue-Collar’ Horse Goes From 94-1 Shot To Pennsylvania Derby Favorite

No one gave Roadrunner Racing, William Strauss, Boat Racing and Gainesway Stables' Hot Rod Charlie a second look when he ran in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last November. The speedy son of Oxbow was given two chances to win that prize: none and none.

Hot Rod Charlie was dismissed at odds of 94-1 that day and ended up finishing second, three quarters of a length behind Essential Quality.

It was a sign of things to come.

“That was pretty incredible,” trainer Doug O'Neill said about the Juvenile. “It sounds pretty obvious, but that is the thing that sent us on our way. It really set the tone for what has happened this year.”

With the sudden defection of Medina Spirit from the Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby, Hot Rod Charlie is the new morning-line favorite at odds of 8-5.

Saturday will be his first race since the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell at Monmouth Park on July 17. In that race, Hot Rod Charlie was the first horse across the finish line but was disqualified and placed last after Midnight Bourbon clipped heels with him in the stretch.

Before that, Hot Rod Charlie and jockey Flavien Prat ran a courageous race in the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont, finishing second behind Essential Quality.

In five starts this year, Hot Rod Charlie has one win — the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby — to go along with a third in the Grade 1, $3 million Kentucky Derby.

“He has shown up in every big race we have had him in,” O'Neill said. “He has been very honest and, gosh, I just feel so lucky and blessed to be connected with him, He is just a real cool, blue-collar, solid horse.”

After the Haskell, Hot Rod Charlie went back to O'Neill's base in California and the trainer decided he would let the horse tell him when he was ready to go again.

“He needed a couple of weeks after the Haskell,” O'Neill said. “He had to get his bearings about him and get his energy back to where we wanted it to be. As I started breezing him, I just let him go easy, and the last couple of works we have asked him for a little bit of run. He has responded in normal Charlie fashion.”

Hot Rod Charlie arrived at Parx along with the popular Hall of Famer Lava Man, who serves as the colt's pony, last Saturday.

“He seems to be coming into the Pennsylvania Derby in good shape,” O'Neill said. “I am a big fan of Bensalem and I'm pumped to be going into their signature race with a live chance.”

The post Hot Rod Charlie: ‘Blue-Collar’ Horse Goes From 94-1 Shot To Pennsylvania Derby Favorite appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Trio Of ‘Heavyweights’ Among 10-Strong Lineup For Saturday’s Pennsylvania Derby

Three of the top contenders in Saturday's $1 million, Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing will be able to keep an eye on each other.

Hot Rod Charlie, Midnight Bourbon and Medina Spirit will line up side-by-side-by-side when the gates open for the 1 1/8 mile race, the centerpiece of the 13-race card.

Road Runner Racing, William Strauss, Boat Racing and Gainesway Stables' Hot Rod Charlie was assigned post position seven at the Monday afternoon draw, which attracted 10 3-year-olds. Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon is right next door in post position eight and Zedan Racing Stables' Medina Spirit drew the nine.

Those are the top three choices on the Pennsylvania Derby morning line. Medina Spirit, who is trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert and will be ridden by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, is the 2-1 morning line favorite and is coming off a win in the $100,000 Shared Belief at Del Mar on Aug. 29. Earlier this year, the son of Protonico won the Kentucky Derby and was third in the Preakness.

“They have all the heavyweights right next to each other,” Baffert said. “Once they draw, we don't worry about it. The break is important no matter what post they have.”

Hot Rod Charlie, the 5-2 second choice on the morning line, crossed the finish line first in the Grade I, $1 million Haskell at Monmouth in his last start on July 17, but was disqualified and placed last after Midnight Bourbon clipped heels with him.

“It's a lucky number. I like seven,” Hot Rod Charlie's trainer Doug O'Neill said about his post. “With a mile and an eighth race on a mile track like that, there is probably not real bad post. No matter where we are, everyone just wants to get in those doors and get a good, clean break.”

Midnight Bourbon is third on the morning line at 5-1. He is trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen and will be ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr. When last seen Midnight Bourbon finished second in the Grade I, $1 million Travers at Saratoga, beaten by a neck by Essential Quality, the leader of the 3-year-old division

Keepmeinmind, owned by Cypress Creek Equine, Arnold Bennewith and Spendthrift Farm LLC, will be coming to Parx after running against Essential Quality twice at Saratoga. He was second to him in the Grade II, $600,000 Jim Dandy on July 31 and fourth in the Travers. Trained by Robertino Diodoro and ridden by Joel Rosario, Keepmeinmind will be looking for his second career win in his 12th start. He is 8-1 on the morning line.

Four horses are coming into the race with morning line odds of 12-1: Calumet Farm's Bourbonic, third in the Grade III, $500,000 West Virginia Derby in his last start, Juddmonte Farm's Fulsome, winner of the Grade III Smarty Jones at Parx on Aug. 24, Godolphin LLC's Speaker's Corner, an allowance winner at Saratoga in his first start of 2021 at Saratoga on Aug. 14 and Chiefswood Stables Limited's Weyburn, fourth in the Jim Dandy when last seen.

The other two horses in the field are WinStar Farms and China Horse Club Inc's Americanrevolution, winner of three straight races against New York-breds, including the $250,000 Albany Stakes on Saratoga on Aug. 27 and the locally based I Am Redeemed, owned by Lawrence A. Rebbecchi Jr. He has won three of four career starts at Parx.

Here is the Pennsylvania Derby field, in post-position order, with trainer, jockey and morning line odds: 1. Fulsome, Brad Cox, Florent Geroux, 12-1; 2. Keepmeinmind, Robertino Diodoro, Joel Rosario, 8-1; 3. Speaker's Corner, Bill Mott, Jose Ortiz, 12-1; 4. Weyburn, Jimmy Jerkens, Paco Lopez, 12-1; 5. I Am Redeemed, Penny Pearce, Abner Adorno, 20-1; 6. Bourbonic, Todd Pletcher, Kendrick Carmouche, 12-1; 7. Hot Rod Charlie, Doug O'Neill, Flavien Prat, 5-2; 8. Midnight Bourbon, Steve Asmussen, Ricardo Santana Jr., 5-1; 9. Medina Spirit, Bob Baffert, John Velazquez, 2-1; 10. Americanrevolution, Todd Pletcher, Luis Saez, 15-1.

The post Trio Of ‘Heavyweights’ Among 10-Strong Lineup For Saturday’s Pennsylvania Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

O’Neill Confirms Team Merchants For Oklahoma Derby At Remington Park

West Coast-based trainer Doug O'Neill has confirmed he will enter Team Merchants in the $400,000 Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Okla., on Sunday, Sept. 26, stakes coordinator Don Thompson has announced.

O'Neill said Team Merchants should arrive in Oklahoma City via a FedEx jet from California on Sept. 22. O'Neill, trained two horses to Kentucky Derby wins – Nyquist in 2015 and I'll Have Another in 2012. Team Merchants is a Kentucky-bred son of Nyquist, out of the Square Eddie mare Edwina E. The colt, bred and owned by Reddam Racing, is lightly raced with five starts, two wins, and $88,940 earned. His regular rider is Mario Gutierrez, who rode both of O'Neill's Kentucky Derby winners in their run for the roses. Team Merchants has yet to win a stakes race in his career.

Keepmeinmind, a 3-year-old that lost by a neck to Essential Quality in the $600,000 Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., this summer, has been nominated to the Oklahoma Derby, scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 26 at Remington Park. Keepmeinmind is trained by Robertino Diodoro and owned by Cypress Creek Equine, Arnold Bennewith, and Spendthrift Farm.

Others already announcing earlier their expectation to run in the Oklahoma Derby include Arkansas and Ellis Park Derby winner Super Stock out of Steve Asmussen's barn. Asmussen is the all-time winningest trainer in racing history.

Fulsome, a colt by the top sire in the country, Into Mischief, out of the Distorted Humor mare Flourish, could be sent to the Derby by Brad Cox for Juddmonte Farms. Cox is the second-leading trainer in the country behind Asmussen in earnings this year. Fulsome has won four of his last five starts, including the $300,000 Grade 3 Smarty Jones Stakes at Parx in Philadelphia. He also won the $150,000 Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

Mr. Wireless, a gelding by Dialed In, out of the Arch mare Voussoir, is from trainer Bret Calhoun's barn and runs for owner JIL Stable. He has won four of his last five starts, including two Grade 3 races – the $500,000 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park and the $300,000 Indiana Derby at Indiana Grand.

King Fury, a colt by Curlin, out of the Flatter mare Taris, resides in trainer Kenny McPeek's barn. He is owned by Three Chimneys Farm and Fern Circle Stables and has a win in the $200,000 Grade 3 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., in April, before running second in the $500,000 Grade 3 Ohio Derby at Thistledown in North Randall, Ohio in June.

Remington Park racing concludes this week with a nine-race card Saturday, Sept. 18, the first post is 7:07 p.m. Central.

The post O’Neill Confirms Team Merchants For Oklahoma Derby At Remington Park appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post