Tag: fluffy socks

Cox, Baffert, Pletcher Aiming For More Pegasus Glory

Trainers Brad Cox, Bob Baffert and Todd Pletcher all have victories to their credit in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. and each of the three champion trainers will have an opportunity to add to those numbers in this year's $3-million feature Saturday, Jan. 27 at Gulfstream Park.

Cox, who won the the 2021 renewal with Knicks Go (Paynter), looks set to be represented by a pair of entrants in the nine-furlong contest. Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming), front-running winner of the GI Pennsylvania Derby last September, will seek to become the second Saudi-owned winner of the Pegasus as he looks to bounce back from a 10th in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. Godolphin's 'TDN Rising Star' First Mission (Street Sense) is also among the 12 invitees and will have the chance to turn the tables on Trademark (Upstart), who beat him a nose when last seen in the GII Clark S. at Churchill Nov. 24.

National Treasure (Quality Road), whose sire accounted for 2019 Pegasus winner City of Light, can give Baffert a third Pegasus, joining inaugural winner Arrogate (Unbridled's Song) as well as Mucho Gusto (Mucho Macho Man). Winner of last year's GI Preakness S., the bay was just touched off by Cody's Wish (Curlin) when last seen in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

Pletcher is represented by Grand Aspen (Dialed In) in the main body of the race, who earned his ticket to the Pegasus with a narrow defeat at the hooves of O'Connor (Chi) (Boboman) in the GIII Harlan's Holiday S. at Gulfstream Dec. 30.

In addition to O'Connor, the Saffie Joseph, Jr. trainee might be joined by his stable companion Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator), the GII Charles Town Classic winner who was last seen finishing third in the Dirt Mile.

Also among the invitees are Hoist the Gold (Mineshaft), winner of the GII Cigar Mile H. trying to stretch out to nine furlongs; Newgrange (Violence), last-out winner of the GII San Antonio S.; Cigar Mile runner-up Senor Buscador (Mineshaft); GIII Smarty Jones S. hero Il Miracolo (Gun Runner); and multiple Argentinian Group 1 winner Subsanador (Arg) (Fortify), fourth in the San Antonio.

Defending champion Atone (Into Mischief) is among a dozen invitees to the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf, but looks to face a field much stronger on paper than 12 months ago. Chief amongst the opposition is Godolphin's Master of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who might make another trans-Atlantic trip having taken a photo in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile. Warm Heart (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has been kept busy by trainer Aidan O'Brien, as she proved an unlucky loser in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf in November ahead of a third in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase last time. Arguably the most intriguing among any of the Pegasus invitees is Integration (Quality Road), who was unbeaten in three smashing victories at three in 2023, including the GIII Virginia Derby and GII Hill Prince S. Webslinger (Constitution) won three of his nine starts last term, a season that might have been even more productive but for near misses in the GI Saratoga Derby Invitational S. and GI Hollywood Derby. Main Event (Bernardini) earned his spot in the field with an all-the-way success over Kingmax (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the GII Fort Lauderdale S. Dec. 30.

Chad Brown won the inaugural GIII Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf with Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) in 2022 and has two chances to double his tally in the form of GI Matriarch S. runner-up Fluffy Socks (Slumber {GB}) and MGSW Consumer Spending (More Than Ready). Queen Goddess (Empire Maker) is winless in four starts since defeating the Brown-trained Shantisara (Ire) (Coulsty {Ire}) in last year's renewal.

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More Matriarch Domination: Brown Runners 1-2-3-4 at Del Mar

Chad Brown sent four horses to the West Coast in search of his sixth victory in the GI Matriarch S. at Del Mar Sunday and the New York-based conditioner's quartet ran one-two-three-four with the aptly named Surge Capacity (Flintshire {GB}) getting free late to just edge stablemate Fluffy Socks (Slumber {GB}) on the wire. Beaute Cachee (Fr) (Literato {Fr}) was third and Whitebeam (GB) (Caravaggio {Ire}) was fourth. It was the first time that a trainer had swept the top four in a Grade I win Del Mar history.

“It's really my DNA from Bobby Frankel,” Brown, a former assistant to the late Hall of Famer, said of his Matriarch record. “This was one of his favorite races, everybody knows that. He always pointed fillies to this race every year and I worked in Southern California for him for some time and I remember him pointing certain horses to this race and winning.”

Brown continued, “I still use a lot of what he taught me to get horses to this race and I always think of him when I am designing a campaign for a horse to get to the Matriarch. It's just one of those races that I decided early on in my career, when I started getting better horses, that it was going to be part of my program to point horses to it. We've been very successful and I want to thank my team for really executing the things that I've taught them that he passed down to me.”

Making just the fifth start of her career, Surge Capacity was away a tad awkwardly before settling in midpack along the rail as stablemate and favorite Whitebeam tracked pacesetting longshot Gracelund Gray (Goldencents) through fractions of :22.80 and :45.89. Surge Capacity inched closer down the backstretch, but was mired in traffic into the far turn and was shuffled back approaching the stretch as Fluffy Socks was rallying in the clear on the outside.

Whitebeam had a short-lived advantage in upper stretch as Fluffy Socks produced a powerful rally down the center of the course to take the lead inside the final furlong. Surge Capacity finally found her way into the clear as the wire loomed and finished with a late flourish to just edge her stablemate in the dying strides.

Surge Capacity's completed the race in 1:33.95, the fastest mile grass race of the meeting.

“She's a fighter, you know, she likes to run,” said winning rider Joel Rosario. “She likes the competition. I kind of had no choice but to stay inside [in the stretch]. I was just trying to save the ground and then go from there. I was very lucky, with her kick. She is a very nice horse.”

Surge Capacity, a debut winner over the Monmouth lawn in June, quickly added a graded stakes victory to her resume in the July 21 GIII Lake George S. She suffered her lone defeat to date when second behind Aspray (Quality Road) in the Aug. 19 GII Lake Placid S., but rebounded to win the Oct. 27 GIII Valley View S. at Keeneland last time out.

“She has always trained like a really good horse,” Brown said of the winner. “She didn't run at two because she had some sore shins, but she is a beautiful horse. And a little bonus, she is by Flintshire, who I was lucky enough to train his last year in training and he was a champion turf horse. He was a really remarkable horse and this filly seems to be one of his best offspring. And I trained her mother and a lot of the siblings.”

Brown said he was impressed with all four of his Matriarch runners.

“Beaute Cachee had trouble around the eighth pole and then found her stride again and kicked on to be third which, watching the replay, was a really remarkable run by her,” he said. “And then when you look at Whitebeam, she was much closer to the pace then we had planned on being. For her to still hang on for fourth after being right on a very fast pace, I thought was a really good race. That was not the plan at all. Flavien [Prat] said afterwards that he didn't think they were going that fast and she was doing it comfortably, but it's really not the trip that she wants and the fact that she was able to hang on for a minor award showed that she ran a great race because she had every right to cave and fall back through the field as the wire came up, given how fast the pace was. All four horses ran terrific.”

Still the trainer admitted the photo finish between the winner and runner-up was a little bittersweet.

“It's always a difficult position when it's your two horses going for the wire in a Grade I race. I was pleased that it was my horses in the stretch, all four of them battling down there to try to win. But it was slightly bittersweet with Fluffy Socks being the 5-year-old of the two in the photo versus the 3-year-old. Not that I would pick between them, but once the result was up, I have to feel for Fluffy Socks a little bit because she is such a courageous, consistent horse who is in the later stages of her career. And it would have been nice to see her win a Grade I, but on the other hand, that's horse racing. And Surge Capacity really ran a terrific race.”

Pedigree Notes:

Surge Capacity is one of three graded winners for her sire Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}), Eclipse champion turf horse of 2016, and she is his first Grade I winner. The stallion's son Verbal won the GIII Cecil B DeMille on this same card in 2021.

Klaravich Stable purchased Surge Capacity's dam Strong Incentive for $200,000 at the 2014 OBS April sale. Racing for the partnership of Seth Klarman's Klaravich and William Lawrence, the bay won two of six starts, including the 2015 Jammed Lovely S.

Bloodstock agent Mike Ryan purchased the mare on behalf of Klaravich as part of the dissolution of the partnership for $40,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November sale. The mare's 2-year-old daughter Ways and Means (Practical Joke) was second in this year's GI Spinaway S. in the Klaravich colors. Put through the ring at Fasig-Tipton November last month, Strong Incentive sold in foal to Good Magic for $2.15 million to Alpha Delta Stables.

 

Sunday, Del Mar
MATRIARCH S.-GI, $303,500, Del Mar, 12-3, 3yo/up, f/m, 1mT, 1:33.95, fm.
1–SURGE CAPACITY, 120, f, 3, by Flintshire (GB)
                1st Dam: Strong Incentive (SW, $123,568),
                                by Warrior's Reward
                2nd Dam: G G's Dolly, by Comic Strip
                3rd Dam: Parfait, by Kingmambo
1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-Klaravich Stables (KY); T-Chad C.
Brown; J-Joel Rosario. $180,000. Lifetime Record: 5-4-1-0,
$518,975. *1/2 to Highly Motivated (Into Mischief), GSW,
$667,375; and Ways and Means (Practical Joke), GISP,
$117,750. Werk Nick Rating: B+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Fluffy Socks, 123, m, 5, by Slumber (GB)
                1st Dam: Breakfast Time, by Kitten's Joy
                2nd Dam: Costume Designer, by Capote
                3rd Dam: Ravnina, by Nureyev
O/B-Head Of Plains Partners (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $60,000.
3–Beaute Cachee (Fr), 123, f, 4, by Literato (Fr)
                1st Dam: Sign And Seal (Ire), by Hurricane Run (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Seraphine (Ger), by Dashing Blade (GB)
                3rd Dam: Sovereign Touch (Ire), by Pennine Walk (Ire)
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. (€1,500 Ylg
'20 ARQAU). O-Madaket Stables LLC, Michael Dubb and Louis
Lazzinnaro LLC; B-Gregor Vischer (FR); T-Chad C. Brown.
$36,000.
Margins: HD, 1HF, HD. Odds: 4.70, 6.10, 18.70.
Also Ran: Whitebeam (GB), Ruby Nell, Closing Remarks, Elm Drive, Gracelund Gray, Queen Goddess, Hamwood Flier (Ire), Wakanaka (Ire), Elounda Queen (Ire).
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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In ‘Closing’, Cal-Bred Mare Can Climb Grade I Hill in Matriarch

Stop us if you've heard this a time or a thousand. Horses trained by Chad Brown figure tough in the GI Matriarch S. on closing day of the Bing Crosby Meet at Del Mar. Undisputable though that is–he has, after all, sent out the winner all but once since 2017–Harris Farms homebred Closing Remarks (Vronsky) will look to have the final say Sunday afternoon.

The chestnut has yet to strike in three tries at the top level, though she was runner-up in the 2021 Del Mar Oaks while finishing just ahead of one of the Brown representatives she'll be facing here. Closing Remarks is, however, a three-time graded winner over the one-mile distance of the Matriarch and has recorded two of her four victories at the graded level over the Jimmy Durante turf course, including this year's GII Yellow Ribbon S. and GII John C. Mabee S. going slightly farther. Fourth in the GII Rodeo Drive S. over a 10-furlong journey that likely finds her out, she bounced back to defeat Queen Goddess (Empire Maker) and Hamwood Flier (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) in Santa Anita's one-mile GII Goldikiova S. Nov. 5. Juan Hernandez will need to work out a trip from the widest gate, but there is plenty of speed on paper and she should be coming at them late.

The Brown-trained Fluffy Socks (Slumber {GB}) was third in that aforementioned Del Mar Oaks, having won the local GIII Jimmy Durante S. at two. The Head of Plains homebred won the GII Distaff Turf Mile at Churchill on seasonal debut May 6, but has since dropped three straight, including a third in the Listed Athenia S. at Aqueduct Oct. 27.

Whitebeam (GB) (Caravaggio) is the likely Matriarch favorite after downing stablemate In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the GI Diana S. going nine furlongs July 15. The Juddmonte homebred has revenge on her mind, having finished an alibi-free fourth to stable companion Gina Romantica (Into Mischief) in the GI First Lady S. at Keeneland Oct. 7.

Sunday's co-featured GIII Cecil B. DeMille S. lacks a marquee horse, and its winner could also come from a high draw. Unplaced behind Mission Beach (Curlin) and Wine Me Up (Vino Rosso) in a pair of main-track sprints, Stay Hot (Summer Front) looked like a new horse when graduating first time turf and first time long at Santa Anita Oct. 7 and exits a 10th in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. Lord Bullingdon (Lord Nelson) maps to have a sweet run behind what should be a generous tempo as he looks to add to his victory in the Qatar Gold Mile Nov. 4, while D J Stable's Deadpan (Distorted Humor) looks to build on a neck maiden victory over the Keeneland turf course Oct. 28.

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Technical Analysis Takes Athenia In Likely Career Finale

In a race packed with quality fillies and mares, Technical Analysis (m, 5, Kingman {GB}–Sealife {Ire}, by Sea The Stars {Ire}) posted a frontrunning score in the Athenia S. ahead of two of her stablemates.

A known face in the Grade I circuits, the 8-5 favorite had last been seen finishing fifth in the GII Mohegan Sun Ballston Spa S. at Saratoga, but beaten barely two lengths in a blanket finish. She'd started her 2023 season with a runner-up effort in the Perfect Sting S. at Belmont over the summer and won the De La Rose S. two back.

Right to the front after the jump here, she showed the way in hand as :23.89, :49.74, and 1:14.26 sailed by on the clock. Called on as she swung into the lane, Beaute Cachee (Fr) (Literato {Fr}) was making a move for the front on the rail, but Jose Ortiz held his lane firm as quarters got tight for that eventual runner-up. Game as they come, she caught a second wind and held off the field by 1 1/4 lengths as Fluffy Socks (Slumber {GB}) closed well from the back to close the trifecta. Technical Analysis's career-closing victory was Jose's fourth on the card.

 

“It's nice to see her go out a winner. I'm so proud of her career,” said Chad Brown. “She's been such a durable horse since the day we bought her as a yearling until now. She's a very dependable horse, the type that any trainer really wants in the barn. I'll miss her.”

Technical Analysis is the flag bearer for dam Sealife, who has yet to produce another runner to make it to the races. She produced a yearling colt by Too Darn Hot (GB) as well as a 2023 filly by Kingman (GB), but has no cover for 2024 on record. Hailing from the family of several Group 1 winners like Australian champion stayer G1SW Rekindling (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}), Technical Analysis is catalogued to go through the 2023 Keeneland November Sale in Book One as HIP 145. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

ATHENIA S., $150,000, Belmont The Big A, 10-27, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8mT, 1:49.20, fm.
1–TECHNICAL ANALYSIS (IRE), 124, m, 5, Kingman (GB)–Sealife (Ire), by Sea The Stars (Ire). (200,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Limited (IRE); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Jose L. Ortiz. $82,500. Lifetime Record: MGSW & MGISP, 16-8-4-1, $1,059,043.
2–Beaute Cachee (Fr), 124, f, 4, Literato (Fr)–Sign And Seal (Ire), by Hurricane Run (Ire). (€1,500 Ylg '20 ARQAU). O-Madaket Stables LLC, Michael Dubb and Louis Lazzinnaro LLC; B-Gregor Vischer (FR); T-Chad C. Brown. $30,000.
3–Fluffy Socks, 126, m, 5, Slumber (GB)–Breakfast Time, by Kitten's Joy. O/B-Head Of Plains Partners (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $18,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, HF, NK. Odds: 1.70, 5.60, 2.65.
Also Ran: Sparkle Blue, Favor, Uncorked (Aus), Evidencias (Brz), Eight Danzas. Scratched: Miss Dracarys.

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