Fair Grounds Oaks | Horse Racing Free Tips

Road to the Kentucky Derby Heats Up with Saturday’s Louisiana Derby and Jeff Ruby Steaks

The road to the GI Kentucky Derby kicks into high gear with Saturday's GII TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds and GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park.

Over the next three weekends, there will be eight “Championship Series” races that will award Derby points to the top five finishers on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale.

Drawn widest of all in post 12, GIII Lecomte S. Jan. 20 winner and GII Risen Star S. Feb. 17 runner-up Track Phantom (Quality Road) looks like the one to catch in the Louisiana Derby. Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen will also saddle $1.4-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga graduate and 'TDN Rising Star' Hall of Fame (Gun Runner), who disappointed in seventh over the sloppy going in the Risen Star.

“I generally believe for 3-year-olds, your last race is not good enough for your next one to be,” Asmussen said. “That's the way it ought to be. (Track Phantom) is a wonderful horse. I'm very fortunate to have him here at Fair Grounds for the 3-year-old series. He has run extremely well in the three prior races here at Fair Grounds. Hopefully, we can get him in the winner's circle again Saturday.”

'TDN Rising Star' Agate Road (Quality Road), winner of last term's grassy GII Pilgrim S. and a rallying second in the GIII Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa Bay Feb. 10, opts for this spot over the Jeff Ruby Steaks. Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher will also be represented by Antiquarian (Preservationist), a local maiden winner at second asking over promising next-out winner Cornishman (Curlin) Feb. 17.

The field for the Louisiana Derby also includes: the Brad Cox-trained Smarty Jones S. Jan. 1 winner and Risen Star third Catching Freedom (Constitution); longshot GII Rebel S. Feb. 24 runner-up Common Defense (Karakontie {Jpn}); and 'TDN Rising Star' Tuscan Gold (Medaglia d'Oro), a runaway maiden winner for Chad Brown at second asking at Gulfstream Jan. 31.

Endlessly (Oscar Performance), the 5-2 morning-line favorite and horse to beat in the Jeff Ruby Steaks, was a good-looking winner of the El Camino Real Derby over the Golden Gate all-weather Feb. 10. A two-time graded winner on grass in Southern California last year, Endlessly was eighth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita Nov. 3.

“We tried to give him a short break after the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, but he's a feel-good type of horse,” trainer Michael McCarthy said. “He likes to train and we were able to get him back slowly after that race to the El Camino Real Derby.”

The loaded 12-race Louisiana Derby card also includes: the GII Fair Grounds Oaks, headed by GII Rachel Alexandra S. Feb. 17 one-two 'TDN Rising Star' Tarifa (Bernardini) and Intricate (Gun Runner) and the two-for-two Our Pretty Woman (Medaglia d'Oro); and the GII New Orleans Classic S. and GII Muniz Memorial Classic S.

Saturday's graded action is rounded out by the GIII Essex H. at Oaklawn Park, the GIII TwinSpires Kentucky Cup Classic S. at Turfway and the GIII San Luis Rey S. at Santa Anita.

The post Road to the Kentucky Derby Heats Up with Saturday’s Louisiana Derby and Jeff Ruby Steaks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Southlawn Upsets Fair Grounds Oaks

Southlawn (f, 3, Pioneerof the Nile–Mo d'Amour, by Uncle Mo), a runaway, eight-length optional claiming winner at Fair Grounds with first-time Lasix in her sophomore debut Feb. 17, ran back to that effort in a big way to upset Saturday's GII Fair Grounds Oaks.

Drawn on the fence, the 7-1 chance trailed the field of five heading into the clubhouse turn. Southlawn traveled nicely in an inside fourth down the backstretch and set her sights on the top two as they straightened.

Last out GII Rachel Alexandra S. heroine and 'TDN Rising Star' Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) took over from favored Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief) and looked well on her way as they straightened, but Southlawn was just winding up. Tipped out into the clear, Southlawn came rolling over the top to win going away by 3 1/4 lengths. Pretty Mischievous was second; The Alys Look (Connect) was third.

Southlawn, fifth as the favorite behind champion Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) going 5 1/2 furlongs on debut at Churchill June 3, was a five-length maiden winner going a mile at second asking with blinkers added in an Ellis off-the-turfer July 31. Thrown right into the deep end, she was a well-beaten seventh in the GIII Pocahontas S. at Churchill Sept. 17. Switched to grass facing allowance company in her next two, she was off the board on both occasions, finishing ninth at Keeneland Oct. 28 and fifth in her juvenile finale at Churchill Nov. 20.

Pedigree Notes:

Southlawn, a $290,000 KEESEP yearling, becomes the 25th graded/48th stakes winner for the late Pioneerof the Nile. Broodmare sire Uncle Mo is now responsible for four graded winners and 11 stakes winners. SW & MGSP Mo d'Amour, a half-sister to MGSP Colonial Creed (Jimmy Creed), is also represented by a Quality Road colt of 2021 ($300,000 KEESEP yearling) and a Constitution colt of this year. Mo d'Amour, a $22,000 KEESEP yearling and $75,000 OBSMAR juvenile, outran her 37-1 odds to finish fifth in the 2016 GI Kentucky Oaks. She carried the colors of WinStar for her 4-year-old campaign after being purchased privately from King of Prussia Stable.

Saturday, Fair Grounds
FAIR GROUNDS OAKS PRESENTED BY FASIG-TIPTON-GII, $376,000, Fair Grounds, 3-25, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:44.38, ft.
1–SOUTHLAWN, 122, f, 3, by Pioneerof the Nile
1st Dam: Mo d'Amour (SW & MGSP, $311,360), by Uncle Mo
2nd Dam: Neverthesame, by Scat Daddy
3rd Dam: Salut d'Amour (Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($290,000
Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Robert E. Masterson; B-WinStar Farm, LLC
(KY); T-Norm W. Casse; J-Reylu Gutierrez. $240,000. Lifetime
Record: 7-3-0-0, $318,369. Werk Nick Rating: A+++.
*Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Pretty Mischievous, 122, f, 3, Into Mischief–Pretty City
Dancer, by Tapit. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh.
$80,000. 'TDN Rising Star'.
3–The Alys Look, 122, f, 3, Connect–Foul Play,
by Harlan's Holiday. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($60,000 Ylg
'21 KEESEP). O-Ike and Dawn Thrash; B-G. Watts Humphrey
(KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $40,000.
Margins: 3 1/4, 3 3/4, 8 1/4. Odds: 7.70, 1.30, 4.40.
Also Ran: Hoosier Philly, Christian d'Oro.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Southlawn Upsets Fair Grounds Oaks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Louisiana Derby Caps Prep Season At Fair Grounds

While the first Saturday in May is still six weeks away, the trail to the GI Kentucky Derby reaches its boiling point in New Orleans Saturday with the conclusion of the Fair Grounds prep series–the GII Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby. One of a pair of Derby points races happening within 20 minutes of one another Saturday, the Louisiana Derby offers 100-40-30-20-10 points and all but guarantees the winner a slot in the gate at Churchill Downs May 6.

Currently 10th on the leaderboard–the highest of the runners in the field–Instant Coffee (Bolt d'Oro) took the win in the second local prep race of the season–the GIII Lecomte S. Jan. 21–after ending his juvenile campaign with a victory under the Twinspires in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. for trainer Brad Cox.

Cox has swept the Fair Grounds prep races thus far with Jace's Road (Quality Road), winner of the Gun Runner S. Dec. 26. The Louisiana Derby will the his first start since a fifth in the GIII Southwest S. at Oaklawn Jan. 28.

Making just his second start since being named a 'TDN Rising Star' at Saratoga last fall, Disarm (Gun Runner) makes his stakes debut Saturday off a second against allowance/optional claiming company at Oaklawn Feb. 19.

“He needed that race and he needs this,” said trainer Steve Asmussen. “He's a talented horse playing catch up. From where we were at, I only felt we could get two runs in him (before a possible start in the Kentucky Derby), and the mile-and-three-sixteenths distance will move him forward. He's a horse who will stay on nicely but he needs some racing. He has a high talent level and deserves this chance.”

Undefeated in a pair of starts, Spendthrift Farm color-bearer Kingsbarns (Uncle Mo) also makes his stakes debut for trainer Todd Pletcher.

Turfway Serves Up 'Well Done' Derby Prep

Bolt d'Oro has another potential leading contender on the trail in Turfway's GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks S. with GIII Kitten's Joy S. heroine Major Dude also flying the Spendthrift Farm colors. Having contested his last four races on the turf, including another graded-stakes win last fall in Belmont's GII Pilgrim S., the colt tries the tapeta for the first time for a chance at the 100-40-30-20-10 points on offer.

An experienced dirt horse, Two Phils (Hard Spun) leaves Fair Grounds for Turfway after contesting the last two preps in New Orleans-coming in second to Instant Coffee in the GIII Lecomte S. Jan. 21 and third when last spotted behind Angel of Empire (Classic Empire) in the GII Risen S. Feb. 18.

“At one point the horse did a two-minute lick for me one time over a synthetic surface and it was almost an eye-opening move,” said trainer Larry Rivelli of Two Phil's. “I've been trying to think of the easiest spot for the money and I think this will be the spot. If he absolutely hates the surface, that's on me. I'm sort of putting myself out there saying that I think he will run well over it. Working a half-mile or five-eighths is a lot different than running a race. That's when you find out if a horse doesn't like a surface. I'm pretty confident he will like it but like anything else in racing there could be a chance he doesn't like it. I didn't think he'd like the mud at Churchill (in the Street Sense) until he did.”

One contender who has experience over the surface is Congruent (Tapit), who faded to sixth behind Major Dude in the Kitten's Joy but rebounded with a win over the tapeta in the local prep, the John Battaglia Memorial S.

Art Collector Looks To Stay On Top

The newly-crowned GI Pegasus World Cup winner, Art Collector (Bernardini) looks to keep rolling into New Orleans in the GII New Orleans Classic S.

He'll face another son of the late Darley great in Gary and Mary West's West Will Power, entered off a pair of runner-up efforts in the GI Clark S. and the GII Razorback H.

The field also includes GSW Pioneer of Medina (Pioneerof the Nile) and GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity winner Rattle N Roll (Connect).

Hoosier Philly Right Back At It

Already sitting in eighth place on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, Tom Amoss's Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief) cares more about redemption than points in Saturday's GII Fair Grounds Oaks.

“I still think she's the best horse I have ever had in my barn,” Amoss said after his filly was a well-beaten third last time out in the GII Rachel Alexandra S. Feb. 18.

She'll be challenged by a formidable pair in the Rachel Alexandra winner, 'TDN Rising Star' Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief), and Silverbulletday S. victor The Alys Look (Connect), who defeated GISP Chop Chop (City of Light).

While all three fillies are in the top 10 in points standings, the Fair Grounds Oaks does award a further 100-40-30-20-10 points towards the GI Kentucky Oaks.

The post Louisiana Derby Caps Prep Season At Fair Grounds appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Amoss Remains High on Hoosier Philly

At odds of 2-5 and so highly regarded that she was the only filly included in Round 4 of the Derby Future Wager, Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief) was a well-beaten third in the GII Rachel Alexandra S. at the Fair Grounds Feb. 18. It was the last thing trainer Tom Amoss expected from a filly he had called the best horse he ever trained and who was 3-for-3 going in.

But as Hoosier Philly prepares for a start in the Mar. 25 GII Fair Grounds Oaks, Amoss said everything he has seen tells him that his filly is about to show everyone what all the hype was about.

Has he lost any confidence in the horse? “Zero,” he replied. “I still think she's the best horse I have ever had in my barn.”

Amoss spoke shortly after Hoosier Philly worked five furlongs at the Fair Grounds Thursday morning in 1:00. It was her third work since the Rachel Alexandra.

“I've had her since June of her 2-year-old year,” said Amoss, who confirmed that Edgar Morales has retained the mount. “I know her personality. The way she has trained and the way she has worked out since her last race gives me a lot of confidence going into this next race.”

Yet, he was saying pretty much the same thing before the Rachel Alexandra and he knows that Hoosier Philly did not back up his high expectations. So what happened? Amoss believes that she was compromised by a less than perfect trip.

“You have to be honest with yourself. It was not a good race,” Amoss said. “Then you have to figure out why it was not a good race. What was behind it? Nine times out of 10 when a horse has a bad trip in a race it starts right out of the gate. That's exactly what happened. She left the gate fine. She almost broke a little too hard. Then she stumbled and lost her balance a bit and found herself in a bad spot. The way to race ride, especially when there is a big favorite in the race, is to take advantage of something like that. The riders riding against her very alertly made her trip a very difficult one. The next thing you know she's last. She's eager and wanting to go. The pace wasn't very fast and there's no place for her to go. The pace was not only slow but look at chart of the race. Nobody changed positions except for her. Those things hurt in a race. She found herself in a position she wasn't used to being in.”

At the top of the stretch and very much within striking position, Morales wheeled Hoosier Philly to the outside and she had a clear run. She didn't respond, losing even more ground on the leaders in the stretch, losing by 8 1/2 lengths.

“I thought even after tough trip, turning for home she would show some punch and she did not,” Amoss admitted. “That was a concern.”

It was a major blow not just for those who bet Hoosier Philly in the Rachel Alexandra but for anyone who wagered on her in the Derby Future Wager. She went off at 11-1, third choice behind the “all others” option and Forte (Violence). A total of $16,956 was bet on her. Amoss has ruled out a start in the Derby and wishes she had not been included in the wager in the first place. Along with Julia Shining (Curlin), Hoosier Philly was one of only two fillies nominated to the Triple Crown.

“I'm not the guy who decided to put her in the future pool,” he said. “Nobody ever came to me and said we want to put her in the Derby Future pool, are you good with that? I don't know what determines what goes into that. I can't worry about that. I'm just trying to do right by my horse. I never wanted the public to be led in the wrong direction. Had they asked me, I wouldn't have been comfortable putting her in the Derby Future Pool. I don't think it was fair to have people betting on something that may not occur.”

Hoosier Philly went off at 7-1 in the one round of the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager, which closed last Sunday. Should she win the Fair Grounds Oaks impressively that will look like a bargain. But will she? There are too many unknowns this time for her to be a heavy favorite. Amoss knows that and knows that this is the most important race thus far in her career. Was the Rachel Alexandra for, whatever reason, a race that you can throw out? Or did Hoosier Philly not make the all important transition from two to three? Or maybe she just isn't as good as everyone thought. Every one of those questions should be answered in her next start.

“I'll be nervous when she goes to the gate,” Amoss said. “Leading into the race I'm just trying to concentrate on the things I can control and I think we've done a good job taking care of those things. I would love to think that last race was a one off. There is enough evidence to suggest it will be. This race coming up will determine whether that's true or not. I know that.”

The post Amoss Remains High on Hoosier Philly appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post