flavien prat | Horse Racing Free Tips

Prat, Friar’s Road Reunite For San Marcos Triumph At Santa Anita

It was conditions to order for trainer Michael McCarthy's Friar's Road in Sunday's Grade 2, $225,000 San Marcos Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. With a strong pace to run at, the 5-year-old horse by Quality Road did just that, as he wheeled three-deep turning for home and inhaled dueling leaders Bob and Jackie and Acclimate to register an emphatic 4 ¼-length win. Ridden by Flavien Prat, he got a mile and one quarter on turf in 1:58.67.

“I had been on him a few times in the morning and I was really happy with the way he was training,” said Prat, who hadn't ridden Friar's Road since finishing second on him in a maiden special weight on dirt at Oaklawn Park 10 starts back on May 2, 2020. “There was a strong pace today and he was there for me when it was time to make a move. The pace was key today. He's a big horse with a long stride and you don't want to take too much hold of him.”

Most recently second, beaten a nose in the Grade 3 San Gabriel Stakes which was switched to the dirt on Dec. 26, Friar's Road, who was twice graded stakes placed on turf last year, was off as the even money favorite in a field of five older horses and paid $4.20, $3.00 and $2.20.

“It was fantastic, a great way to end the weekend,” said McCarthy, who chalked up his third stakes win of the meeting.

Owned by Mr. and Mrs. W.K. Warren, Friar's Road, who is out of the Giant's Causeway mare My Sugar Bear, notched his first stakes win and improved his overall mark to 13-3-4-2. With the winner's share of $135,000, he increased his earnings to $346,500.

Ridden by Jose Valdivia, Jr., Bob and Jackie, who won the opening day San Gabriel in gate to wire fashion, was tasked with keeping speedy Acclimate honest on the early lead and tired to finish second, a head better than Say the Word. Off at 13-1, Bob and Jackie paid $9.80 and $4.40.

Say the Word, next to last after the first half mile, put in a mild bid to be third by a 1 ¼ lengths over Lincoln Hawk. Off at 2-1 with Umberto Rispoli, Say the Word paid $2.20 to show.

Fractions on the race were 22.69, 46.60, 1:11.09 and 1:34.98.

The post Prat, Friar’s Road Reunite For San Marcos Triumph At Santa Anita appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Neige Blanche Rallies For Astra Stakes Win As Trainer Powell Mourns Loss Of His Father

Bottled up at the rail as the 1-5 favorite, French-bred Neige Blanche and jockey Juan Hernandez had but one option – wait out the storm. And wait they did, as the 5-year-old mare was able to finally split horses two from the rail turning for home and then overcome a 2 ½-length deficit a furlong out to run down Flavien Prat and Disappearing Act by one length in Monday's Grade 3, $125,000 Astra Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

Trained by French native Leonard Powell, Neige Blanche (White Snow) got a marathon mile and one half on firm turf in 2:32.27.

With the Astra start transferred earlier in the day because of rain from the hillside course to a flat start on the backstretch, Frose bounded out to an early lead with Disappearing Act and Neige Blanche in close attendance. With nowhere to go with five sixteenths of a mile remaining, Neige Blanche had to bide her time while the back markers, Reiwa and Scherzo actually passed her approaching the quarter pole.

“The trip worked out pretty good for her because she likes to run like that,” said Hernandez, who has now ridden Neige Blanche in her last seven races, winning four of them. “Just put her behind horses and she was happy the whole race. I was just waiting for some space to come through and make her run, because as soon as she finds (room), you just put her in there and she just comes right through like she did today.

“I put a lot of trust in her and in Leonard to have her ready. I felt like I had a lot of horse. We were just waiting for something to open up. She's a nice filly, she was ready today.”

A winner of the G3 Red Carpet Handicap going 1 3/8 miles on turf at Del Mar Nov. 25, Neige Blanche, heavily favored in a field of five older mares, paid $2.60, $2.10 and $2.10.

Owned by Madaket Stables, LLC, Laura De Seroux, Marsha Naify and Mathilde Powell, Neige Blanche registered her third graded stakes win and fourth overall added money win, running her overall mark to 16-7-0-3. With the winner's share of $75,000, she increased her earnings to $390,280.

“I was cursing my country and (fellow Frenchman) Flavien a little bit to open the hole, but she was there when Juan asked her and she's a very game filly, she's all-out,” said Powell, who suffered the recent loss of his father, a prominent bloodstock agent in France. “In the first of the spring, we have races here (at Santa Anita) that are spaced apart four or five weeks, so we will do that and if she does well, maybe we will try to look at a Grade 1 somewhere down the road.

When asked by TVG's Joaquin Jaime about the death of his father, Powell responded, “My father has done a lot for racing in France, and me being here is part of him. And my daughter (Mathilde) being here, that's another part of him. My brothers and stepbrother back in France, we all live on with all that he told us. He was a great man to all and I hope we make him proud.”

The second choice with Prat at 3-1, Disappearing Act nearly pulled off the upset, finishing six lengths clear of English-bred Scherzo and paid $2.80 and $2.10.

Last early, Scherzo, who shipped in from Golden Gate Fields for trainer Manny Badilla, was off at 22-1 with Kyle Frey up and paid $3.60 to show while finishing 2 ¼ lengths in front of early pacesetter Frose.

Fractions on the race were 25.99, 51.35, 1:16.99, 1:42.70 and 2:08.06.

Live racing resumes with first post time for an eight-race card on Friday at 12:30 p.m.

The post Neige Blanche Rallies For Astra Stakes Win As Trainer Powell Mourns Loss Of His Father appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Aligato Steps Up For Glatt In Unusual Heat Turf Classic

In his first stakes assignment and first time around two turns, the Mark Glatt-conditioned Aligato wheeled four deep turning for home and unleashed an impressive turn of foot to take Saturday's $200,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic Presented by City National Bank at Santa Anita to win going away by 1 ¾ lengths. Ridden by Flavien Prat, the 5-year-old gelding by Kitten's Joy got a mile and one eighth on turf in 1:48.29.

Unhurried while fifth, about six lengths off dueling leaders Whooping Jay and Ferrariano in a field of seven leaving the half mile pole, Aligato began to close in three furlongs from home and had the leaders measured mid-way around the far turn.

“We always thought he would improve when we had a chance to go further with him,” said Glatt. “It wasn't the most ideal circumstances today, but I think that just shows you how good of a horse he is. He's just a very good horse, particularly for a Cal-bred. He's a natural two-turn horse, which helps when you're stretching one out.

“We kind of trained him up to it. We had a different plan getting here to the Unusual Heat Turf Classic, but unfortunately, the rain kind of dismissed that plan, so I called Double L (owners) and told them that we had to kind of train up to it or run him two weeks ago six furlongs. So, I said, 'Well at least it will be a good workout.' I'm very happy for the owners, they've given me a nice to train and we'll see that happens next time.”

Owned by Double L Racing and bred in California by Bob Liewald and Joe Mishak, Aligato, who is out of the Rock Hard Ten mare Pretty Hard, closed much ground to be second, beaten a nose in a six furlong turf allowance on Jan. 1 and was off as the second choice at 3-1, returning $8.40, $4.80 and $3.40.

“He broke okay, but I was expecting him to show a bit more speed early on which he didn't,” said Prat, who was aboard for the first time today. “Later on I was travelling well and when I got him to the outside, he kicked home well. I thought it was an impressive race because it is always hard to go from six furlongs to a mile and one eighth. It was a great race.”

Never worse than third in four prior turf sprints, Aligato improved his overall mark to 5-2-1-2 and with the winner's share of $110,000, he increased his earnings to $177,440.

Attentive to the early pace while third at the rail heading into the first turn, Golden Gate Fields-based Camino Del Paraiso rallied gamely for second money, finishing a nose in front of Ferrariano. Off at 8-1 with Ricky Gonzalez, Camino Del Paraiso paid $6.80 and $4.40.

Ridden by Abel Cedillo, Ferrariano was also off at 8-1 and paid $5.00 to show while finishing 2 ¼ lengths better than Luvluv.

Whooping Jay, the 2-1 favorite with Joe Bravo, tired through the drive to finish last by 5 ¼ lengths.

Fractions on the race were 23.81, 48.05, 1:12.32 and 1:36.64.

The Turf Classic, carded as race six, was the second of five stakes for California-bred or sired horses on a 10-race Cal Cup day program.

The post Aligato Steps Up For Glatt In Unusual Heat Turf Classic appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Spielberg Could Target Big ‘Cap After Comeback Allowance Win

With his well fancied stablemate Classier duking it out on the front end with second choice Vittorio, Bob Baffert's Spielberg, idle since well beaten in the Grade 1 Florida Derby March 27, was more than happy to pounce on the tiring duo a quarter mile from home and he promptly waltzed to a three length score in Friday's $72,000 allowance feature at Santa Anita.

Ridden by Flavien Prat, Spielberg, a 4-year-old colt by Union Rags, got a flat mile in 1:38.89 registering his third win from 10 lifetime starts.

“We gave him plenty of time and unfortunately the other horse didn't run well,” said Baffert. “I just told Flavien to sit back there and let him run his race. We gave him some time off, he's filled out and we'll stay here with him. Something like the Big 'Cap (Santa Anita Handicap, G1 on March 5) would be more like it. He won't be shipping anywhere, he'll stay here.”

A comfortable third, about six lengths off the leaders heading up the backside, Prat began asking Spielberg to close in at the 3 ½ furlong pole and turning for home he had a length on Vittorio as Classier dropped back readily.

A winner of the G2 Los Alamitos Futurity in his final start at age two on Dec. 19, 2020, Spielberg was winless in three starts at three and was off at 5-2 in a field of five older horses, returning $7.40, $4.80 and $4.00.

Owned by Golconda Stables, Madaket Stables, LLC, SF Racing, LLC, Siena Farm, LLC, Starlight Racing and Robert Masterson, Spielberg, who is out of the Smart Strike mare Miss Squeal, fetched $1 million as a Keenland September Yearling. With today's winner's share of $43,200, he increased his earnings to $463,700 and improved his overall mark to 10-3-3-1.

Ridden by Edwin Maldonado, Wicked Trick, a 7-year-old gelding, rallied from last to finish 2 ¾ lengths in front of longshot Surfing Star. Off at 10-1, Wicked Trick paid $8.20 and $4.40.

Next to last in the early going, Surfing Star was up to touch Vittorio for third money by three quarters of a length. Ridden by Jessica Pyfer, Surfing Star was off at 24-1 and paid $6.40 to show.

Classier, with John Velazquez up, was eased through the lane and finished a distant last as the 4-5 favorite.

Fractions on the race were 23.09, 46.85, 1:12.16 and 1:25.29.

Special early first post time for a 10-race California Cup Day card on Saturday is at 12 noon. There is also a mandatory payout in the 20 cent Single Ticket Rainbow Pick Six Jackpot, with the possibility of a $4 million total pool. Admission gates open at 10 a.m.

The post Spielberg Could Target Big ‘Cap After Comeback Allowance Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post