fair grounds | Horse Racing Free Tips

Second Chances: Quality Road Midlantic Topper ‘Could Be Real Deal’

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar.

After getting checked sharply in the early stages of his belated unveiling at Fair Grounds last weekend, $1.5-million Fasig-Tipton Midlantic topper Vinco (c, 3, Quality Road–Stormy Welcome, by Storm Cat) produced a serious rally from last to finish a strong second Jan. 22 (video).

Off at a well-supported 7-2 sporting a 13-strong worktab for the patient Dallas Stewart barn dating back to late October, the West Point Thoroughbreds and Gervais Racing, LLC colorbearer was away in good order from his rail draw, but after taking a bump from a rival approaching the five-eighths marker and subsequently steadying beneath Brian Hernandez, Jr., dropped back abruptly to caboose the field of nine through an opening quarter in :22.15.

Finally re-emerging in the picture while still trailing by plenty as they straightened, Vinco began to roll in the stretch, impressively threading his way through the pack to come home in a field-best :12.65 and finish 2 3/4 lengths adrift fellow firster Ferociously (Violence). Vinco earned a 59 Beyer Speed Figure in the six-furlong affair.

“It was a situation where I'm glad he didn't get hurt,” Stewart said. “One horse hit another horse and that horse hit us, and knocked us up against the rail and we had to check out of there. It's just one of them things, but he came back running. He ran a big race just like we thought he would. I think he would've won easy if it didn't happen, but that's neither here nor there.

Looking ahead, Stewart added, “We're gonna stretch out probably for his next start. If you watch the replay, he galloped out with the winner. We'll see how he trains first and see how it goes. If everything goes good, we'll come back on [GII] Risen Star day [Feb. 19]. If he needs more time, I'll give him more time. We took a lot of time with him coming out of the sale. We think he's a really nice horse. Like I was telling [West Point's] Terry Finley, let's make a career of it. He could be the real deal.”

Vinco topped last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale after breezing an eighth in a powerful :10 from the Eddie Woods consignment on behalf of breeder Jon Clay's Alpha Delta. His third dam is bluehen mare Weekend Surprise (Secretariat), who, of course, produced the breed-shaping sire and Horse of the Year A.P. Indy.

Alpha Delta purchased Vinco's dam Stormy Welcome (Storm Cat) for $600,000 at the 2015 KEENOV sale. The unraced daughter of Welcome Surprise (Seeking the Gold) was previously a $1.6 million KEESEP yearling.

The Quality Road over Storm Cat cross is also responsible for three-time graded winner and young sire Blofeld. Vinco is bred similarly to Quality Road's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner Hootenanny; MGSW & MGISP Dr Post; and GSW & GISP Great Stuff, who were all produced by daughters of Storm Cat's Hennessy.

Previous standouts featured in 'Second Chances' include: two-time Breeders' Cup winner Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby winner and Lane's End stallion Honor A. P. (Honor Code), MGISW and 'TDN Rising Star' Paradise Woods (Union Rags), GIII Las Virgenes S. heroine Moonlight d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro), GII Los Alamitos Futurity winner and MGISP Spielberg (Union Rags), GSW Backyard Heaven (Tizway), MSW and 'TDN Rising Star' Gidu (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), GI Frizette S. third-place finisher A Mo Reay (Uncle Mo) and Discovery S. runner-up Speaker's Corner (Street Sense).

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Knicks Go Sharp in Final Breeze Before Pegasus World Cup Defense

Knicks Go tuned up for a title defense in Saturday's $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., with a 'bullet' five-furlong workout Sunday morning at Fair Grounds Louisiana.

The Brad Cox trainee, who captured last year's Pegasus World Cup by 2 ¾ lengths, was timed in 1:00.40, the fastest of 57 workouts recorded at the distance at the New Orleans track. Exercise rider Edvin Vargas was aboard.

Sunday's breeze was the son of Paynter's second straight 'bullet' in a series of eight workouts (seven at Fair Grounds) since capturing the Breeders' Cup Classic by 2 ¾ lengths at Del Mar Nov. 6.

Knicks Go, widely expected to be named 2021 Horse of the Year next month, is scheduled to ship to Gulfstream Park by van Monday for his final career start in the Pegasus, in which he is slated to clash with Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Life Is Good.

“He breezed good and we're really happy with him. We'll check him in the morning (Monday) and if everything is good to go, he'll be on the van and head out at 8:30 a.m.,” Cox said. “We'd like to get him there as quickly as possible; I'm thinking it will take around 13 hours. I'm flying in Monday afternoon, so I'll meet him there and we'll be ready to go.”

Pegasus Post Position Draw Tuesday, 1:30 P.M.
Post positions for Saturday's $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) and the $500,000 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G3) will be drawn Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. ET.

The post position draw will be held in Sport of Kings at Gulfstream Park and can also be viewed on the Pegasus Facebook page and Pegasus website:

https://www.facebook.com/PegasusWorldCup

https://www.pegasusworldcup.com/live-stream/

Saturday's Pegasus World Cup 12-race program, which will also feature the $200,000 Inside Information (G2), the $200,000 William L. McKnight (G3), the $150,000 La Prevoyante (G3) and the $150,000 Fred W. Hooper (G3), will get under way with an 11:30 a.m. ET post time.

Saturday's Late Pick 5 (Races 8-12) and Late Pick 4 (Races 9-12) will both offer guaranteed gross pools of $750,000.

Advance wagering on the entire Pegasus World Cup program will be available on Friday.

The Pegasus World Cup will be nationally televised on NBC from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

The post Knicks Go Sharp in Final Breeze Before Pegasus World Cup Defense appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Call Me Midnight ‘Nose’ Way Home in Lecomte

Let go at 28-1 and apparently overmatched on paper, the well-tried Call Me Midnight (Midnight Lute) stormed down the center of the long Fair Grounds stretch to just nose out narrow second choice Epicenter (Not This Time) in Saturday's GIII Lecomte S., the first of three local preps on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

A maiden winner at fifth asking going Churchill's one-turn mile last Nov. 13, the $80,000 OBS March grad raced well back in the field as Surfer Dude (Curlin) and last-out Gun Runner S. hero Epicenter ding-donged it up front through taxing opening fractions of :23.40 and :47.01. Favored Pappacap (Gun Runner), a latest runner-up to 'TDN Rising Star' Corniche (Quality Road) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, sat a good inside trip and was there at the fence to challenge Epicenter in the stretch as Surfer Dude decided to call it a day and hang ten elsewhere. Trafalgar (Lord Nelson) loomed a brief threat inside, but Call Me Midnight, third last to make the straight, motored down the crown of the track and dropped his nose down on the line in the nick of time.

Trainer Keith Desormeaux was the architect of one of the bigger upsets on the NOLA road to Louisville, as he sent out Ive Struck a Nerve (Yankee Gentleman) to a 135-1 upset of the 2013 GII Risen Star S., the horse having finished a distant fourth in the Lecomte one start prior.

Well-beaten in his first two trips to the post over abbreviated trips, Call Me Midnight was an improved fourth, a nose behind future GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile placegetter Giant Game (Giant's Causeway) in a seven-furlong maiden in Louisville Sept. 18. Three lengths behind that rival when runner-up in a two-turn test at Keeneland Oct. 9, he was impressive in graduating over the mile Nov. 13, but could not overcome the widest gate in a field of 11 and checked in seventh in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. a couple of weeks later.

Pedigree Notes:

Call Me Midnight is the 37th stakes winner and 14th graded winner and also hails from a Juddmonte female family. The St. Patrick's Day foal's unraced dam is a daughter of SW & G1SP Jibe, whose daughter Silk Route (Empire Maker) is the dak of the aforementioned late MSW 'TDN Rising Star' Taraz (Into Mischief). His third dam is Slightly Dangerous, a Group 3 winner and second home in the 1982 G1 Epsom Oaks before embarking on a prolific career as a broodmare. Her notable produce include multiple champion and MG1SW Warning (GB) (Known Fact); MGSW & MG1SP Dushyantor (Sadler's Wells), third in the 1998 GI Breeders' Cup Turf; Yashmak (Danzig), winner at home of the G2 Ribblesdale S. at Royal Ascot and Group 1 placed at two and three and victorious in the GI Flower Bowl Invitational H. in this country. The latter's five winners include G1 Grand Criterium S. scorer Full Mast (Mizzen Mast).

Overseen missed to Honor Code for 2021 and was most recently covered by Frosted.

Saturday, Fair Grounds
LECOMTE S.-GIII, $200,000, Fair Grounds, 1-22, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:44.36, ft.
1–CALL ME MIDNIGHT, 122, c, 3, by Midnight Lute
               1st Dam: Overseen, by First Defence
               2nd Dam: Jibe, by Danzig
               3rd Dam: Slightly Dangerous, by Roberto
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($25,000
Wlg '19 KEENOV; $37,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP; $17,000 Ylg
'20 OBSOCT; $80,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR). O-Peter L. Cantrell;
B-Hartwell Farm, Inc (KY); T-J. Keith Desormeaux; J-James
Graham. $120,000. Lifetime Record: 7-2-1-0, $221,806.
Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report &
5-cross pedigree.
2–Epicenter, 122, c, 3, Not This Time–Silent Candy, by Candy
Ride (Arg). 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($260,000 Ylg '20
KEESEP). O-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC; B-Westwind Farms
(KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $40,000.
3–Pappacap, 122, c, 3, Gun Runner–Pappascat, by Scat
Daddy. O/B-Rustlewood Farm, Inc. (FL); T-Mark E. Casse.
$20,000.
Margins: HD, 3/4, 3HF. Odds: 28.50, 1.60, 1.50.
Also Ran: Trafalgar, Presidential, Cyberknife, Blue Kentucky, Unified Report, Surfer Dude.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Mandaloun Denies Midnight Bourbon In Louisiana Stakes

It was billed as a two-horse match race between millionaires Mandaloun and Midnight Bourbon, and that's exactly what the Grade 3, $150,000 Louisiana Stakes became on Saturday at the Fair Grounds. Turning for home in their sixth meeting on the track, Mandaloun (4-5) and Midnight Bourbon (6-5) drew even near the center of the course and remained locked in battle until the sixteenth pole. Jockeys Florent Geroux and Joel Rosario each gave their mounts their all, but it was Mandaloun and Geroux who prevailed by three-quarters of a length at the wire.

The Juddmonte homebred by Into Mischief, trained by Brad Cox and racing off a seven-month layoff, covered 1 1/16 miles over the fast main track in 1:42.52. It was Geroux's fourth win on the card.

Each millionaire received Lasix for the first time in Saturday's contest, and trainer Steve Asmussen added blinkers to the equipment of Midnight Bourbon.

Midnight Bourbon broke in a bit at the start, bumping Mandaloun slightly, then went straight to the lead under Rosario. Midnight Bourbon had a one-length advantage over Sprawl entering the backstretch, setting fractions of 24.39 and 48.25 seconds, then pulling away to a two-length lead nearing the half-mile pole.

Geroux sent Mandaloun up the rail into second approaching the far turn, then angled to the outside of Midnight Bourbon to mount his stretch challenge. Midnight Bourbon went wide into the lane, pushing Mandaloun out to the center of the track, and the two were head-and-head for the next eighth of a mile.

Battling fiercely, the two millionaires dug in gamely down the stretch. Mandaloun got his head in front at the sixteenth pole, and continued to inch away toward the wire. At the finish, it was Mandaloun by three-quarters of a length over Midnight Bourbon, denying Rosario and Asmussen a fourth win on Saturday's card in New Orleans. It was several lengths back to Warrant in third, also trained by Cox, and Spa City checked in fourth over Sprawl.

Bred in Kentucky by his owner, Mandaloun is out of the Group 2-winning Empire Maker mare Brooch. He impressed on debut at Keeneland in 2020, then won a first-level allowance before finishing third in the 2021 Lecomte (G3). Mandaloun returned to win the G2 Risen Star, but never showed up next out in the G2 Louisiana Derby. Still, he'd earned enough points to Run for the Roses, and Mandaloun ran a giant race to finish second behind Medina Spirit in the shadow of the Twin Spires.

Mandaloun won the listed Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth five weeks later, and was awarded the victory in the G1 Haskell when Hot Rod Charlie was disqualified in July. Unraced since that start on July 17, Mandaloun returned plenty fit to capture the Louisiana Stakes in what could be a prep for the world's richest horse race, the G1 Saudi Cup on Feb. 26. Overall, Mandaloun's record stands at six wins from nine starts for earnings of over $1.75 million.

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