Tag: fair grounds

Napravnik Returns to Fair Grounds for Fourth Annual New Vocations Day at The Races

Retired jockey and horse advocate Rosie Napravnik will be on site at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots to spearhead the fourth annual “New Vocations Day at the Races” Saturday.

A four-time local riding champion who was instrumental in the opening of the New Vocations facility in Covington, Louisiana, Napravnik will join host Joe Kristufek on the live feed during the racing day to help build awareness, promote success stories, and inspire donations for Thoroughbred aftercare.

“I am thrilled to be part of our fourth annual New Vocation's Day at the Fair Grounds!” Napravnik said. “The event has been a huge help in spreading awareness to our local horseman as to how New Vocations is aiding the Louisiana racing community. We hope to continue to raise funds and awareness so that we can help more horsemen and more horses!”

Recognizing the need for expanded Thoroughbred aftercare in Louisiana, Napravnik reached out to New Vocations, the largest racehorse adoption program in the country, in the fall of 2019. Held for the first time at Fair Grounds in 2021, the “New Vocations Day at the Races” has raised over $12,500 in unique donations from fans and people within the industry, including horsemen, horse owners, and jockeys.

“Moving into our fifth year, our Louisiana facility continues to thrive, and our team has done a wonderful job with each horse that has entered the program,” New Vocations Thoroughbred Program Director Anna Ford said. “The continued support from the Louisiana HBPA has played a huge role in the facility's success. We are also seeing more and more local owners, breeders and trainers reach out to utilize our services as well as support our efforts. We are grateful to have the Fair Grounds hosting another New Vocations Day at the Races. We hope the event will continue to raise awareness about our Louisiana facility and the services we provide to the racing community.”

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Making Waves: California Dreamin’ For Antifona

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This column is highlighted by the victory of Antifona at Santa Anita Park.

 

Recoletos Filly Lands Sweet Life Stakes

The runners by G1 Prix du Moulin/G1 Prix d'Ispahan winner and French-based stallion Recoletos (Fr) in the U.S. are extremely rare, and it was his 3-year-old filly Antifona (Fr) who became his first stakes winner there with a score in the Sweet Life S. at Santa Anita for Hronis Racing, LLC and trainer John Sadler (video).

Bred by SARL Darpat France, the filly was an €18,000 Arqana October Yearling Sale buy-back and won her debut at Le Mans for her breeder and trainer Carlos Laffon-Parias. Also fifth to Ramatuelle (Justify) in the G3 Prix du Bois at Chantilly, she ended her French career with a win at Le Lion d'Angers that September several starts later. Purchased by these connections, the filly was making her third start in the U.S. The fifth foal out of the stakes-placed Survived (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}), Antifona's latest sibling is a full-brother born in 2023. Third dam Dazzle (GB) (Gone West), a winner of the G2 Cherry Hinton S., was third in the G1 1000 Guineas.

Recoletos stands at Haras du Petit Tellier. Of his three American starters, Antifona is his first winner, but his Revalita (Fr) was second in the GII Edgewood S. and third in the GII Wonder Again S.

 

 

Kingman Colt Graduates At Tampa

Klaravich Stables' Going Concern (GB) (Kingman {GB}) rallied to a debut victory at Tampa Bay Downs on Valentine's Day for Chad Brown (video).

The grey gelding was bred by Monceaux/Lordship/Mc Alpin/Langlais and brought €120,000 as an Arqana October yearling. His dam, the winning Newton's Night (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), is a full-sister to GIII Orchid S. winner Dress Rehearsal (Ire) and a half to stakes winner Fairy Of the Night (Ire) (Danehill). Both of those mares are multiple stakes producers, with dual Group 2 winner Muthmir (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and G3 Weld Park S. heroine My Titania (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) out of the latter.

Progeny of Juddmonte's son of Invincible Spirit (Ire) thrive under American turf conditions, and Kingman has 37 winners from 62 runners (59%) so far. Eight of that cohort (13%) have won stakes, anchored by GI Manhattan S., GI Turf Classic S., and GI Hollywood Derby winner Domestic Spending (GB).

 

 

Repeat Winner

Spirit And Glory (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), who won the Listed Miss Liberty S. at Monmouth last May, added the Listed Albert M. Stall Memorial S. at the Fair Grounds on Saturday (video). She races in the colours of Michael Nentwig, Michael Dubb, Beast Mode Racing, LLC, John Rochfort and part-owner/trainer Robert Falcone, Jr.

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The Week in Review: From Out of New Orleans Gloaming, Sierra Leone Splashes into Derby Relevance

'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) checked off quite a few boxes on his GI Kentucky Derby development checklist with Saturday's half-length score in the GII Risen Star S. at Fair Grounds. In just his third career start, he handled shipping away from his home base, winning as the 5-2 favorite off an 11-week layoff, rating from mid-pack while equipped with blinkers for the first time, and racing under the lights on a sloppy, sealed and eerily shadowy track.

And yet, jockey Tyler Gaffalione still believes there's room for improvement–which is exactly what you want to hear if you fancy the chances of this $2.3-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale-topper on the first Saturday in May.

“He's a very special horse. We haven't even gotten close to the bottom of him,” Gaffalione told FanDuel TV's Caton Bredar post-win. “He's still learning. He's still green. You can see when he made the lead, he still wanted to lug in a little bit. But [he was] much more professional today. He honestly didn't hit his best stride until the gallop-out.”

After winning his one-turn-mile debut Nov. 4 at Aqueduct, trainer Chad Brown tried Sierra Leone in the Dec. 2 GII Remsen S., where the colt uncorked a sweeping, seven-wide move over a muddy surface that produced a heavily speed-slanted bias (five wire-to-wire and five on-the-pace winners). Sierra Leone sling-shotted to the lead, but bore in once it looked like he'd blow past Dornoch (Good Magic), who clawed back to the lead to win in the shadow of the wire.

It was an unfortunate loss-of-focus result for Sierra Leone, but Brown shrugged off the second-place finish and immediately suggested he'd equip the colt with blinkers to start his sophomore season.

The blinkers weren't intended to suddenly transform this deep closer into a speed freak. But on Saturday the equipment change did make a mid-pack trip easier to attain under the patient Gaffalione.

The second-favorite in the Risen Star, the 3-1 Track Phantom (Quality Road), was sent to the lead as expected, and Joel Rosario was able to milk a moderate tempo at the head of affairs, splashing through catch-me-if-you-can splits of :24.32, :25.35 and :25.07 for the first three quarter-miles of the nine-furlong race.

As a come-from-behinder, Sierra Leone might end up being one of those Derby hopefuls who is always going to be at the mercy of the pace and potential traffic. Three-eighths out, it became apparent that trying to reel in a relatively untaxed Track Phantom would be a good test of Sierra Leone's ability to overcome exactly that sort of adversity.

Going into the Risen Star, Track Phantom had won three straight two-turn races while controlling the cadence and then having to swat back legitimate stretch challenges, and he turned for home in the New Orleans gloaming still looking strong with the additional benefit of having taken no kickback at the front of the slop-spattered pack.

Sierra Leone takes a long while to unwind, but there was no panic in Gaffalione's tactics as he let his colt build momentum starting three-eighths out. Turning for home, Gaffalione was still content to be choosy about picking his path, spinning four-, six-, eight- and then nine wide for the drive, exchanging all that lost real estate for being able to get a clear shot at the hard-trying Track Phantom.

Sierra Leone was still four lengths in arrears at the eighth pole. But he sliced that margin in half a sixteenth from the finish while edging inward toward Catching Freedom (Constitution) and then Track Phantom despite left-handed urging from Gaffalione to stay straight.

With the line looming, Gaffalione knew he had Track Phantom zeroed in on his striking sights 50 yards from home, and Sierra Leone seemed to relish the task of inhaling that rival, striding out powerfully to stop the timer in 1:52.13.

Don't judge Sierra Leone's effort by that raw final clocking on a quagmire of a track that got more sluggish after sunset. By .66 seconds, it was the slowest Risen Star in six runnings (including split divisions in 2020) since the Risen Star got elongated to nine furlongs from 1 1/16 miles five years ago.

The winning Beyer Speed Figure came back as 90, which is more or less on par with the 91 Sierra Leone earned in the Remsen.

The timing to take note of out of the Risen Star is the fourth quarter clocked in :24.66.

For comparison, of the nine points-awarding Derby qualifying stakes run at 1 1/8 miles during the entire 2022-23 campaign, only one of those races (the GI Santa Anita Derby in early April) yielded a sub-25 seconds fourth quarter.

And the final furlong, during which Sierra Leone gained 2 1/2 lengths to win, was clocked in a respectable (given the course conditions) :12.73.

The Apr. 6 GI Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland will be next for Sierra Leone.

“What we had planned on win or lose–but assuming a good race–is to use the Blue Grass as our Kentucky Derby prep,” Brown said after the Feb. 17 win. “So things went well today and we'll stick to that, but having the points is a nice-to-have in case there's a rough trip or something doesn't go according to plan in the Blue Grass.”

History could be on Sierra Leone's side in the Blue Grass. The last six times Brown has started a horse in that stakes, the results have been two wins, three close seconds, and a third.

But another recent angle–winning the Kentucky Derby off of just two starts at age three–could pose a historical hurdle.

After that game plan produced eight Derby winners between 2007 and 2016, horses with only two sophomore starts prior to trying their luck in Louisville have been a collective 0-for-39 since 2017.

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Sierra Leone Chases Down Track Phantom To Steal Risen Star

Trainer Chad Brown has been down this road a time or two.

In 2013, Normandy Invasion (Tapit) made his 3-year-old debut in the GII Risen Star S., having dropped a nose decision in Aqueduct's GII Remsen S. three months previously. Sent off the 3-2 favorite, the Fox Hill runner ran on nicely to finish fifth. Just two years ago, Zandon (Upstart)–also beaten by the barest margin in the Remsen–shipped up from Florida and also came with a stretch rally to round out the trifecta as a 7-2 chance.

'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) is very much cut from the same cloth as those two–long-striding colts who save their best for last–and with that in mind, Brown opted to send the $2.3-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale-topper from 2022 up to the Big Easy from the Sunshine State.

The rationale? The nine-furlong distance of the Risen Star combined with a stretch run of over two furlongs would suit his charge better than the oft speed-favoring surface at Gulfstream Park, not to mention its comparatively short run home. Sierra Leone–who had last year's Remsen in the bag until he didn't–ensured that the plan came together swimmingly Saturday, virtually clinching a berth in the GI Kentucky Derby with a half-length defeat of Track Phantom (Quality Road), earning 50 points in the process.

To succeed, Sierra Leone would have to overcome not only an 11-week absence, but also the race-fit Track Phantom, who entered the Risen Star undefeated in three runs around two turns, including the Dec. 23 Gun Runner S. and GIII Lecomte S. Jan. 20. The 3-1 second choice behind the 27-10 and first-time-blinkered Sierra Leone, Track Phantom was sent immediately to the front by Joel Rosario and set a modest tempo over a strip that began the program listed as sloppy and never appeared to dry out. Sierra Leone, ridden for the first time by Tyler Gaffalione, settled about four from the rear and at a distinct tactical disadvantage, as Track Phantom lobbed them along through fractions of :24.32 and :49.67.

Sierra Leone was in a good rhythm, but still behind midfield past six furlongs in 1:14.74, but when he was asked to pick up the bridle in earnest, the response was near-instantaneous. Fanned out extremely wide into the lane, Sierra Leone was forced to take some evasive action around a wayward Catching Freedom (Constitution) outside the eighth pole, but he was able to sustain the long run he'd been asked to make and gathered up Track Phantom in the waning strides to take it by a half-length.

“Given the track conditions and slow pace and that he hasn't run since the Remsen, I thought he showed a lot to run down a pretty good horse who was in form and fit and didn't have to ship,” said Brown. “I wasn't sure if he'd reel him in–not because we're not good enough–but that was a tall order. So this proved a lot to me today.”

Added Gaffalione: “The blinkers really helped him focus today. He broke alertly and we hoped going into this race there would be more speed. He got a comfortable trip up the backside and relaxed for me. When he took the lead in the stretch, I could feel beneath me he is only going to want to go longer after this. You always keep dreaming of the big races like the Derby and horses like this help you keep the dream alive.”

Zandon moved on to the GI Toyota Blue Grass–in which he duly obliged–as his final Derby prep, and the plan will be the same for Sierra Leone, Brown indicated.

Pedigree Notes:

Sierra Leone is one of 27 stakes winners and 20 graded winners from the first three crops to the races for Three Chimneys' Gun Runner and the daughters of the late Malibu Moon are now responsible for 82 SWs, 26 at the graded or group level.

Heavenly Love, victorious in the 2017 GI Darley Alcibiades S., is a daughter of Darling My Darling, a $300,000 Keeneland September purchase by John Oxley in 1998 who won the Doubledogdare S. and Raven Run S. in Lexington while also placing in the GI Frizette S. and GI Matron S. Darling My Darling is also the dam of 2016 GII Santa Ynez S. winner Forever Darling (Congrats), whose son Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) is arguably  top 3-year-old dirt horse in Japan and is scheduled to run in next weekend's G3 Saudi Derby for trainer Yoshito Yahagi. Sierra Leone's Grade I-winning third dam also produced Japanese Horse of the Year Zenno Rob Roy (Jpn) (Sunday Silence).

Heavenly Love foaled a colt by Nyquist in 2022 and produced a full-sister to Sierra Leone Feb. 11.

Saturday, Fair Grounds
RISEN STAR S.-GII, $400,000, Fair Grounds, 2-17, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:52.13, sy.
1–SIERRA LEONE, 122, c, 3, by Gun Runner
1st Dam: Heavenly Love (GISW, $346,200), by Malibu Moon
2nd Dam: Darling My Darling, by Deputy Minister
3rd Dam: Roamin Rachel, by Mining
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. 'TDN Rising
Star'. ($2,300,000 Ylg '22 FTSAUG). O-Mrs. John Magnier,
Michael B. Tabor, Derrick  Smith, Westerberg, Brook T. Smith
and Peter M. Brant; B-Debby M. Oxley (KY); T-Chad C. Brown;
J-Tyler Gaffalione. $240,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0,
$336,750. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Track Phantom, 122, c, 3, Quality Road–Miss Sunset, by Into
Mischief. ($500,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-L and N Racing LLC,
Clark O. Brewster, Jerry Caroom and Breeze Easy, LLC;
B-Breeze Easy, LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $80,000.
3–Catching Freedom, 122, c, 3, Constitution–Catch My Drift, by
Pioneerof the Nile. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($575,000 Ylg
'22 KEESEP). O-Albaugh Family Stables LLC; B-WinStar Farm,
LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $40,000.
Margins: HF, 1 1/4, 1 3/4. Odds: 2.70, 3.00, 5.70.
Also Ran: Resilience, Honor Marie, Awesome Ruta, Hall of Fame, Real Men Violin, Moonlight, Tizzy Indy, Cardinale, Bee Dancer.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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