fair grounds | Horse Racing Free Tips

Pricey KEEJAN Purchase Belgrade Up in Time at Tampa

1st-Tampa Bay Downs, $28,600, Alw (NW1X)/Opt. Clm ($75,000), 2-19, 3yo, 7f, 1:24.10, ft, head.
BELGRADE (c, 3, Hard Spun–Miss Prytania, by Eskendereya), a $700,000 KEEJAN purchase earlier this year off the heels of a six-length debut graduation for owner Randy Bradshaw and trainer Brendan Walsh in a maiden special weight reserved for horses that sold or RNA'd for $45,000 or less at auction at Fair Grounds Dec. 18, delivered as the 1-2 favorite after some anxious moments in his first start for his new connections at Tampa Saturday. Off to a stumbling beginning from his rail draw, Belgrade trailed the field of six in the early stages. Racing in some traffic while under a snug hold following a :23.29 opening quarter, he rolled up into the clear four deep to challenge for command on the far turn, and kept on coming in the stretch with a sustained rally to wear down Morgan Point (Jess's Dream) by a head. The winner's dam, a half-sister to GI Belmont S. third Medal Count (Dynaformer), has a Practical Joke filly of 2020 ($150,000 KEENOV purchase by OXO Equine) and Accelerate colt of 2021 in the pipeline. She was bred to Army Mule for 2022. Sales history: $45,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL; $700,000 3yo '22 KEEJAN. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $35,400. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Carl F. & Yurie Pascarella; B-J. R. Ward Stables LLC (KY); T-H. Graham Motion.

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Bombdiggity Becomes 30th Rising Star for Into Mischief

Stonestreet Stables' Bombdiggity became the 30th 'TDN Rising Stars' for her super sire Into Mischief with an impressive score at Fair Grounds. Bumped at the start of her unveiling at Churchill Downs Nov. 6, the $600,000 KEESEP purchase faded to be sixth after setting the early pace. Receiving Lasix for the first time in this sophomore bow, Bombdiggity broke much better this time around, jumping up to take immediate control. Coasting through a :22.66 first quarter, the bay was well within herself as she turned for home in front after a half in :46.28. Opening up with ease in the lane, Bombdiggity sailed home to a dominant 6 3/4-length graduation. Ride the Plan (Candy Ride {Arg}) filled the place spot.

The winner is a half to 'TDN Rising Star' Carribean Caper (Speightstown), GSW, $345,595. Their stakes-placed dam Checkupfromzneckup summoned $825,000 from WinStar at the 2017 Keeneland November Sale. She aborted her first foal, making Carribean Caper her first live produce, followed by Bombdiggity. Her 2020 filly, now named Dixie Tap (Tapit), brought $990,000 from West Point, Scarlet Oak Racing and NBS Stable at last term's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. The 11-year-old mare had a Quality Road colt Apr. 27 of last year and is back in foal to that stallion

7th-Fair Grounds, $52,000, Msw, 2-18, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:10.02, ft, 6 3/4 lengths.
BOMBDIGGITY, f, 3, Into Mischief
1st Dam: Checkupfromzneckup (SP, $187,470), by Dixie Union
2nd Dam: Unbridled Lassie, by Unbridled
3rd Dam: Lassie Connection, by Seattle Slew
Sales history: $600,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $32,379. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree, or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. O-Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.

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Hidden Connection Must Overcome Draw in Rachel Alexandra

No fewer than three fillies (Untapable, 2014; Monomoy Girl, 2018; and Serengeti Empress, 2019) have used a victory in the GII Rachel Alexandra S. Presented by Fasig-Tipton as a springboard to success in the GI Kentucky Oaks, won so impressively by Rachel Alexandra in 2009. A field of 11 sophomore females will face the starter in Saturday's renewal looking to continue on the road to Louisville on the first Friday in May.

Hidden Connection (Connect) has been made the 3-1 morning-line favorite, a starting price likely inflated by her draw nearest the stands. Not that she hasn't dealt with that type of adversity before–she overcame the eight hole in a field of eight to graduate by 7 1/2 lengths on her 5 1/2-furlong debut at Colonial Aug. 17 and validated that performance with a 9 1/4-length thrashing of her rivals in the GIII Pocahotas S. Sept. 18 at Churchill, where she had gate nine of 10. While she left there running those first two starts, she bobbled at the break of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and never reached contention, finishing a distant fourth. The dark bay will look to give trainer Bret Calhoun a fourth winner of the race and first since Summer Applause (Harlan's Holiday) scored in 2012.

Trainer Doug O'Neill is always to be taken seriously when shipping horses into the Big Easy and is represented here by Reddam Racing's Awake At Midnyte (Nyquist). A debut winner sprinting at Santa Anita on Halloween, the $320,000 Fasig-Tipton Florida grad missed by a nose in the GIII Jimmy Durante S. going a grassy mile at Del Mar Nov. 27, but atoned with a sharp runner-up effort in the seven-furlong GII Santa Ynez S. Jan. 8. Mario Gutierrez is likely to ask for some speed from the 7-2 morning-line second pick.

Divine Huntress (Divining Rod) easily accounted for a field of Parx maidens going seven panels Dec. 13 following which Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners bought into the Maryland-bred filly. Prohibitively favored for a first-level allowance going an extended mile at the Bensalem oval Jan. 19, she took over at will with about 2 1/2 furlongs to race and shot away to score by nearly 13 lengths while never being asked to run. Jose Ortiz sees fit to take the call for trainer Graham Motion.

North County (Not This Time) is perfect in three starts to date, including a neck success in the Dec. 26 Untapable S., while the rail-drawn La Crete (Medaglia d'Oro–Cavorting) looks to add to her latest score in the Jan. 22 Silverbulletday S.

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Smile Happy, Zandon Square Off in Risen Star

'TDN Rising Star' Smile Happy (Runhappy) and Zandon (Upstart), one a graded winner in their second trip to the races and the other unlucky not to achieve the same, meet for their respective sophomore debuts in Saturday's GII Risen Star S. at the Fair Grounds. The Risen Star is the first of 16 races that comprise the 'Kentucky Derby Championship Series' and offers Kentucky Derby points on a 50-20-10-5 scale.

A $185,000 purchase out of the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase, Smile Happy was the recipient of an inside-out ride from Brian Hernandez, Jr. going two turns at Keeneland Oct. 29 and powered away to graduate by 5 1/2 lengths. No better than the third favorite in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. a month later, the bay was once again consigned to a wide run around the bend, but he surged past recent GIII Sam F. Davis S. hero Classic Causeway (Giant's Causeway) and finished with good energy to take it by 3 1/4 lengths. The form of the Jockey Club has also been further franked by the third-placed White Abarrio (Race Day), who won the GIII Holy Bull S. with a 97 Beyer; and Call Me Midnight (Midnight Lute), a wide seventh in the Jockey Club who upset this year's GIII Lecomte S.

“I think this is a good first step for Smile Happy,” said trainer Ken McPeek. “He's doing super. He's done everything right. He's a very low-maintenance horse who makes our job easy. We're trying to keep him and [GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity winner] Rattle N Roll (Connect) separated, with Rattle N Roll pointing for the [Mar. 5 GII Fasig-Tipton] Fountain of Youth[S.]”

Zandon brushed the inside of the stall, but overcame that bit of trouble to break his maiden by 1 1/2 lengths Oct. 9 at Belmont and was the 1.35-1 favorite for the GII Remsen S. Dec. 4. Three wide the trip, he was confronted by Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) in upper stretch and had every reason to call it a day, but battled bravely inside and missed by just a nose after arguably being impeded by the eventual winner. He covered 46 more feet (about five lengths) in the process. The $170,000 Keeneland September acquisition ships in from South Florida, where he fired a bullet half-mile in :48 2/5 (1/41) Feb. 12 at Payson Park.

“He's got to get over the shipping, but the horse couldn't be training any better,” trainer Chad Brown said. “He's a very exciting prospect and I don't see any reason why he won't get up to a mile and quarter.”

Epicenter (Not This Time) set reasonable fractions in the Lecomte, but could not resist the center-track rally of Call Me Midnight and dropped a head decision. He was three-parts of a length clear of GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile runner-up Pappacap (Gun Runner), who was unable to take advantage of another ideal trip and settled for third.

Bodock (Street Boss) was a debut winner at Indiana Grand Nov. 10 and will try two turns off a 1 1/4-length defeat of $825,000 KEENOV purchase Strava (Into Mischief) in a sloppy six-furlong allowance Jan. 15.

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