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Prepping For July 3 Suburban, Mystic Guide Retains Top Spot In NTRA Poll

Godolphin's 4-year-old Mystic Guide, approaching his first start since winning the Group 1 Dubai World Cup on March 27, retained the No. 1 ranking in the latest NTRA National Thoroughbred Poll with no changes in the top 10 from last week. Mystic Guide, a 4-year-old son of Ghostzapper, trained by Mike Stidham, received 25 first-place votes and 313 points. On Saturday, Mystic Guide breezed 6 furlongs in 1:13.20 at Fair Hill in Maryland in preparation for an expected return in Belmont Park's Grade 2 Suburban on July 3.

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing's 4-year-old Silver State is in second place. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Silver State has won all four of his starts this year, including the June 5 Grade 1 Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont. Silver State has one first-place vote and 241 points.

St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska is one of three females in the top 10. Trained by Fausto Gutierrez, Letruska, winner of Belmont's Grade 1 Ogden Phipps, picked up one first-place vote this week and has a total of 231 points. A daughter of Super Saver, Letruska is slated to start in Saturday's Grade 2 Fleur de Lis at Churchill Downs, a “Win and You're In” for the Grade 1 Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff.

Klaravich Stables' 4-year-old gelding Domestic Spending, trained by Chad Brown, is in fourth place. A bay son of Kingman (GB), Domestic Spending, who won the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes at Belmont, has five first-place votes and 217 points.

Godolphin's 3-year-old Essential Quality, winner of the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, is in fifth place. Trained by Brad Cox, Essential Quality has two first-place votes and 189 points.

SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Frederick Hertrich III, John Fielding and Golconda Stables' 4-year-old Charlatan (135 points), who finished second in the Group 1 Saudi Cup for trainer Bob Baffert, is in sixth place.

The 4-year-old Maxfield, trained by Brendan Walsh, is in seventh place with one first-place vote and 132 points. Owned by Godolphin, Maxfield is expected to start in Saturday's Grade 2 Stephen Foster at Churchill, which is a “Win and You're In” for the Grade 1 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic. A dark bay son of Street Sense, Maxfield, who breezed 4 furlongs in 48.80 on Saturday at Churchill, won the Grade 2 Alysheba Stakes presented by Sentient Jet at Churchill on April 30.

The 4-year-old Gamine (109 points), last year's champion female sprinter, also trained by Baffert, is in eighth place. My Racehorse, Spendthrift Farm LLC and Madaket Stables' 6-year-old Monomoy Girl, the 2020 older dirt female Eclipse Award winner, is in ninth place with 96 points.

Korea Racing Stable's Knicks Go (34 points), winner of the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational, remains in 10th place.

The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport's most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through Nov. 6.

The full results for the NTRA Thoroughbred Polls can be found on the NTRA website at: https://www.ntra.com/ntra-top-thoroughbred-poll-june-21-2021/

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Tacitus Nearing Return To Training, Could Be Ready To Race By August

Multiple graded stakes-winner and blue-blooded Juddmonte homebred Tacitus has not been seen since finishing seventh in the $20 million Saudi Cup in February, having reportedly injured himself in his stall ahead of a planned run in the Dubai World Cup in March. According to TVG's Horse Racing Insider, the 5-year-old son of champion sire Tapit and five-time Grade 1 winner Close Hatches is nearing a return to training.

“We brought him back to the farm and…we've been back swimming him and riding him and he'll probably go back to (trainer) Bill (Mott) in the next week,” Juddmonte's general manager Garrett O'Rourke told TVG. “He looks magnificent. He hasn't turned a hair. He's put on a few pounds which, I'm sure, (trainer) Bill (Mott) will take off him quickly. If he could have about eight weeks to get him race fit, that would put him on target to be back at the races hopefully by August.”

A three-time Grade 2 winner, Tacitus has an overall record of 4-4-3 from 16 starts with earnings of $3,747,500. He has placed in Grade 1 company a total of six times, including an elevation to third in the 2019 Kentucky Derby.

Read more at TVG's Horse Racing Insider.

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Mystic Guide Targets Summer Campaign

Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper), who kick-started his career as a second-out 'TDN Rising Star' and most recently won the $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup at the end of March, is preparing for a late summer and fall campaign. After having spent the last few weeks at trainer Michael Stidham's Keeneland barn, he will ship to Maryland's Fair Hill Training Center this week to resume serious training.

“Since he's been back, I've been shocked and amazed with how well he's handled that whole experience, from all the traveling to the stress of the race,” said Stidham. “Maybe he lightened up a little bit, visibly, but we got back to the track and back in his regular routine, he fell right back into his old self. He thrived over there in Dubai and the whole thing didn't really affect him. I almost worked him this week, but there's really nothing for him race-wise until July, so we'll ship him back to Fair Hill and then put him back into a work pattern.”

Stidham indicated the Godolphin homebred may target Belmont's July 3 GII Suburban H. as a return engagement, but several other spots are under consideration as well. The major end-of-season goal is the Nov. 6 GI Breeders' Cup Classic.

“We're working backwards from the Breeders' Cup at this point and while the races leading up are important, the most important is the Classic,” continued Stidham. “That's where they crown the champion and that's our goal.”

In addition to the Dubai World Cup, Mystic Guide won the GIII Razorback H. in his 2021 debut. His sophomore campaign last year included a win in the GII Peter Pan S. and placings in both the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup and the GIII Peter Pan S. The lightly raced colt has never been off the board, with four wins from eight starts. The Dubai World Cup marked Stidham's first start outside the U.S.

“Personally, the biggest thing for me was how many people were truly and honestly happy for [assistant trainer] Hilary [Pridham] and I,” he said. “When you have so many peers who've watched you all along your career who truly wanted you to win such a big race–that just really made me feel good about the whole thing. Obviously, as I said when I was over there, finally getting my chance on the world stage and winning was just amazing.”

The post Mystic Guide Targets Summer Campaign appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Sleepy Eyes Todd Returns From Dubai, Heads To Fonner Park For Saturday’s Bosselman Stakes

Sleepy Eyes Todd is back in Grand Island, Nebraska for the 46th running of the $75,000 Bosselman Pump-Pantry/Gus Fonner Stakes on Saturday, April 24 at Fonner Park.

Sleepy Eyes Todd, who drew the ninth post position Thursday morning, is one of a full field of 10 horses entered in the 1 1/16th mile race.
The defending champion cruised to a 6 1/2 length win in last year's Bosselman. That was just the beginning of a big run for Sleepy Eyes Todd. He went on from there to win stake races at Charles Town, Keeneland and Gulfstream before taking his act overseas.

Sleepy Eyes Todd, a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Paddy O'Prado and Pledge Mom, finished fifth in the $20 million Saudi Cup Feb. 20 at King Abdulaziz Racecourse and then was 10th in the $12 million Dubai World Cup on March 27.

“It's always special when the defending champion returns, but it's next to unthinkable that the same horse, Sleepy Eyes Todd, returns having run against arguably some of the best horses in the world in his last three races,” Fonner Park CEO Chris Kotulak said.

Since winning the Bosselman, Sleepy Eyes Todd has gone on to earn over $1.5 million. He now has eight wins in 18 career starts and has earned a total of $1,889,825 for trainer Miguel Silva and owner Thumbs Up Racing.

Kotulak said Having Sleepy Eyes Todd back at Fonner will draw even more attention to Fonner Park.

“This is quite a treat for our fans to come see, but our off-track mutuel handle has quadrupled since all of the world watched Fonner Park last year,” Kotulak said. “But you can bet that thousands of eyes across the nation will be watching and wagering on Sleepy Eyes Todd again this Saturday.”

Sleepy Eyes Todd, who will be ridden by six-time Fonner Park champion jockey Jake Olesiak, has been installed as a 1-1 morning-line favorite, but he will be challenged by nine others who also have their eyes on winning the Bosselman. That field includes shippers Box Seat (5-1), Downtowner (5-1) Mo Mosa (5-1) and Minecraft Maniac (10-1)

Shades of Victory, the winner of the Dowd Mile at Fonner Park on April 10, is 15-1. Poderoso Equis, who was second in the Dowd, is 25-1.

Trainer Marissa Black has her duo of Blue Harbor and Mr. Tickle entered for the second straight year. Blue Harbor, second in the Bosselman last year is 12-1 and Mr. Tickle, third a year ago, is 25-1. Most Amusing, trained by Nebraska Hall of Fame trainer David C. Anderson, is also 25-1.

The giant Saturday also features a mandatory payout in the Dinsdale Auto Late Pick 5 Jackpot wager. There is a carryover into the Friday, April 23rd racing of over $110,000. First post Saturday is 1:30 p.m. CT. The Late Pick 5 Jackpot involves the final five races on the card.

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