Lynch Earns 1000th Training Victory

Midlantic-based trainer Cal Lynch celebrated the 1000th victory of his training career when Mosler Time took out the Saturday finale at Laurel Park.

The 4-year-old gelding covered six furlongs on the main track in 1:12.25 in the claiming event for 3-, 4- and 5-year-old maidens and comes one day after Forest Boyce marked 1000 wins in the saddle at Laurel.

“I'm delighted for everybody that's helped get to this point. It's all about the team,” he said. “A thousand winners, a lot of people helped get there. A lot of owners and horses in 30-odd years of doing this. It's my name on there but it's because everybody did their part. We're delighted.”

Lynch, 49, came to the U.S. in 1996 from Northern Ireland at the age of 19 after gaining experience training off his father's farm. His younger brother, former English apprentice champion Feargal, rides on the Maryland circuit.

According to Equibase statistics, Lynch's first training win came with Aneissa Chocolate Apr. 11, 1997, at old Garden State Park in New Jersey, winning his first stakes with Holiest Punch in the 2001 Bold Josh Handicap at The Meadowlands. He spent 12 years based at Parx before relocating to Maryland in 2016.

Lynch has won the first of his three graded-stakes with Javerre (Outflanker) in the 2013 GIII General George S. at Laurel. The other two came in the 2017 GIII Jerome S. and GIII Withers S. with El Areeb, who missed the Triple Crown series after suffering a knee fracture after running third in the Gotham.

“We're not done yet,” Lynch added. “I'll [look back] that when we're sitting on a beach in Florida in like 20 more years. Right now, we'll enjoy today. I just got back from the barn doing the feed. We'll be back out there tomorrow morning and the day I don't want to do that, that's the day I'll start looking back. We have a lot of really nice young horses coming in and a good barn full of horses here. I'm very, very lucky to be able to do this every day.”

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Captain Bombastic Best In Polynesian Stakes At Laurel

Team Hanley's Captain Bombastic, a New York-bred son of Forty Tales trained by Steve Asmussen and ridden by Feargal Lynch, pulled away from Grade 1 winner Roadster down the stretch to win the $100,000 Polynesian Saturday at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

A 10-1 longshot, Captain Bombastic's victory was his first under the shedrow of Hall of Famer Asmussen. The colt was previously trained by Chad Brown and Jeremiah Englehart. Captain Bombastic covered the mile in 1:36.11, winning by a length over Cordmaker, who was disqualified from second and placed sixth for interference down the stretch. Phat Man, who finished third, was placed second.

The Polynesian victory capped a big day for Asmussen and Lynch. Just 30 minutes earlier, Jalen Journey, trained by Asmussen and ridden by Lynch, was placed first in the $200,000 Grade 3 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash after winning favorite Wondrwherecraigis was disqualified from first for interfering with Jalen Journey down the stretch.

“It was a great day,” Lynch said. “Getting put up is never ideal. You don't want to win that way. But sometimes you're the windscreen and sometimes you're the bug.”

Toby Sheets, assistant trainer to Asmussen, said of Captain Bombastic: “He had been training well. We gave him a bit of a break and lightened up on him and he came right back around. [Lynch] saw a hole and probably thought he should go for it after the last race.”

Captain Bombastic, whose last victory came in August of 2020 in the New York Stallion Stakes, was fourth in last year's Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and sixth in the Grade 3 Chick Lang at Pimlico. On Saturday, in his second start for Asmussen, the 4-year-old raced third down the backstretch behind a :23.68 opening quarter set by Roadster and Hall of Fame rider Mike Smith, riding at Laurel for the first time since 2007. Approaching the turn, Lynch saw an opening along the rail and guided Captain Bombastic to the front. Roadster stayed outside Captain Bombastic past a :47.05 half mile and poked his nose in front again around the turn. But Lynch took the lead back entering the stretch and Roadster couldn't keep up.

“With Steve's horses, you don't get in their way and you just get good position,” Lynch said. “When Mike left the rail open, it was either go in there or take back. But Steve's horses…they're warriors. It's so hard to describe. You look at their ears, they're flat back and they want to win more than anybody.”

Roadster, a $525,000 yearling in 2017, was a highly regarded juvenile and later a Kentucky Derby contender after winning the 2019 Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby for trainer Bob Baffert. But that victory has remained his last trip to the winner's circle. He came into the Polynesian off a fourth-place finish in April in the Grade 2 Alysheba at Churchill Downs.

The post Captain Bombastic Best In Polynesian Stakes At Laurel appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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DQ Elevates Jalen Journey to De Francis Dash Winner At Laurel

Wondrwherecraigis crossed the wire first, but it was Jalen Journey who had his picture taken in the winner's circle for the Grade 3 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md. The 6-year-old ridgling scored the win via disqualification after interference from Wondrwherecraigis compromised Jalen Journey in the stretch.

Kalu darted out to the lead in the first yards of the De Francis Dash, with Wondwherecraigis stalking on his outside, laying close throughout the first part of the race with Jalen Journey in third. Into the turn, Wondrwherecraigis closed in on Kalu and took over the lead as they entered the stretch. Jalen Journey moved out from behind the new leader into the center of the track to find running room as Wondrwherecraigis lugged out from the rail, causing Jalen Journey to check for an instant. The move was enough to keep Jalen Journey from catching Wondrwherecraigis in the race's final yards, the favorite holding on to win the G3 De Francis Dash by three-quarters of a length.

After the race, Feargal Lynch on Jalen Journey lodged a claim of foul against Jevian Toledo on Wondrwherecraigis. Laurel stewards disqualified Wondrwherecraigis to second for interference in the stretch, elevating Jalen Journey to winner of the G3 stakes.

The final time for the six furlongs was 1:09.52. Find this race's chart here. 

Jalen Journey paid $4.60, $2.60, and $2.20. Wondrwherecraigis paid $2.20 and $2.20. Kalu paid $2.80.

Bred in Florida by Edward Pendray and Dennis Foster, Jalen Journey is by With Distinction out of the Congrats mare Petunia Face. He is owned by Rockingham Ranch and David A. Bernsen and trained by Steve Asmussen. The win brings Jalen Journey to a lifetime record of eight wins in 16 starts and career earnings of $503,674.

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Tasting The Stars Headlines Van Clief Stakes At Colonial Downs

Virginia-bred Tasting The Stars, an impressive 5-for-7 in her career, headlines Monday's $100,000 Van Clief Stakes for Virginia-restricted horses at Colonial Downs in New Kent, Va. The field of nine includes Todd Pletcher's Apurate, the second early choice.

The restricted stakes, open to those that are Virginia-bred, sired, or certified, is 1 1/16th miles on grass and is the eighth of nine races scheduled.

Newtown Anner Stud Farm's Tasting the Stars is fresh off turf stakes wins in the Nellie Mae Cox at Colonial July 19 and in the Brookmeade at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md., last October. The 5-year-old Bodemeister mare prevailed three times in 2019 — in the Just Jenda Stakes at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., and in allowance and maiden special weight races at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La. The Van Clief headliner finished sixth in the 2019 Virginia Oaks as the betting favorite. She has bankrolled $204,600 and is 3-for-4 on turf. The 9-5 early choice is trained by John Kimmel and will be ridden by Feargal Lynch.

A1A Racing's Apurate is the second choice and was runner-up most recently in a Monmouth turf allowance. The 4-year-old Summer Front filly broke her maiden October 20 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., and has earned $129,360 from 13 starts including a win and five runner-up finishes. David Cohen will ride the Kentucky-bred.

Larry Johnson and RDM Racing Stable's No Mo Lady is third early choice at 6-1. The 5-year-old Uncle Mo mare finished third in the Grade 3 Gallorette Stakes last October at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., and previously, had back-to-back seconds in the All Along Stakes and Indiana General Assembly Distaff Stakes. The Michael Trombetta trainee will be ridden by Julian Pimentel.

Also in the field is Inside The Box, Unruly Julie, Fionnbharr, Sweet Sandy, Princess Theorem, and Dare to Promise.

First post at Colonial Monday is 1:45 PM. The Van Clief is scheduled at 5:01 PM. The summer racing season in New Kent will continue on a Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday basis through September 1. The $250,000 New Kent County Virginia Derby (Gr. 3) is Tuesday, August 31.

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