Frank Fletcher Racing | Horse Racing Free Tips

5th-SAR, $136K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 3:27 p.m.
MUNNY ROCKETTE (Munnings) sold to Champion Equine for $450,000 as a yearling at last year's Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Select Yearling Sale and went for $1-million when Donato Lanni signed the ticket for Frank Fletcher Racing Operations on the final day of this year's OBS March Sale. Trained by Bill Mott and with Junior Alvarado in the irons, the bay filly's second dam is a half sister to GI Test S. and GI Ballerina H. winner Chaposa Springs (Baldski) and GI Met Mile champ You and I (Kris S.)

Also looking to make her mark first time out, Catherine Wheel (Into Mischief) is an OBS April alum who fetched $725,000. She hails from an extended female family which includes GI Belmont S. winners Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy) and Arcangelo (Arrogate). Joining this pair is Ella Elizabeth (Take Charge Indy), who sold to Gus King for $510,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Old Sale. A full sister to GSW and MGSP Take Charge Paula, the Chad Brown trainee gets the services of Joel Rosario. TJCIS PPS

5th-ELP, $70K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 4:37 p.m.
Heading to the Pea Patch, $675,000 OBS April grad Blitz (Uncle Mo) debuts for Gary Barber and DJ Stable. The dark bay filly, out of GSW Customer Base (Lemon Drop Kid), is trained by Mark Casse and will be ridden by Cristian Torres. She drilled :48.00 Aug. 5 at Ellis (4f, 7/49) in preparation for this start.

Also entered is Movin' On Up (Accelerate), who is a well-connected Harvey Clarke Racing Stables homebred. Trained by Brendan Walsh and ridden by Martin Garcia, the gray filly is the first offspring out of Stifle Yourself (Cairo Prince). Second dam Gloria S. (Tapit) produced GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup winner Harvey's Lil Goil (American Pharoah) and she counts GI Kentucky Derby victor I'll Have Another (Flower Alley) and MGSW Golden Award (Medaglia d'Oro) as half siblings. TJCIS PPS

The post Sunday’s Racing Insights: Pricey Munnings Filly Spa Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Last-out winner of a division of the Pumpkin Pie Stakes at Belmont, Lady Rocket built on that performance with an overwhelming victory in the Grade 3 Go For Wand Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y. Challenged early by Miss Marissa, the favorite put that competitor away and never looked back, finishing nine lengths ahead of Bella Vita at the wire.

In a field of six older fillies and mares, Lady Rocket entered the gate as the favorite and showed why with her run in the G3 stakes. Fastest at the break, Lady Rocket held a half-length lead early, as Miss Marissa pressed the pace on the backstretch. The favorite was able to maintain her lead into the far turn, Bella Vita making a run at the favorite entering the stretch.

Down the Aqueduct straight, Lady Rocket accelerated, pulling away from Bella Vita easily and striding out to a widening lead as the field approached the wire. Bella Vita was second, with Truth Hurts and last year's G3 Go For Wand winner Sharp Starr fourth.

The final time for the one-mile stakes was 1:36.52. Find this race's chart here.

Lady Rocket paid $4.40, $2.80, and $2.50. Bella Vita paid $3.90 and $3.30. Truth Hurts paid $4.30.

“She was very comfortable down the backstretch and Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] said he was full of horse the entire way around. We were kind of worried about the break and wanted to focus on her standing there. Her very first start at Saratoga, she stumbled. She has this tendency to want to break too fast. We make sure she stands right and gets a good start. They did a great job getting her out of the gate today. We were expecting a big performance but she exceeded our expectations with that one,” Dustin Dugas, assistant trainer for Brad Cox, said after the race.

“She was nice today. She's always tries hard. The mile was a question mark, but she handled it really well. I was waiting, biding my time. I just took it easy and tried to get her to relax up front and she relaxed. She waited for my call and that was the key. This was one of her best performances in her whole career,” jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. told the NYRA Press Office after the Go For Wand.

Bred in Kentucky by La Ciega LLC and Tale of the Cat Syndicate, Lady Rocket is out of the Eskendereya mare Allons Danser. She is owned by Frank Fletcher Racing Operations and Ten Strike Racing and trained by Brad Cox. She was consigned by De Meric Sales and purchased by B S W Bloodstock for $420,000 at the April 2019 Ocala Breeders' Sale Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds In Training. With her win in the G3 Go For Wand, the 4-year-old filly has four wins in eight starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of 11-6-3-1 and career earnings of $530,508.

The post Lady Rocket Runs Away With Go For Wand, Wins First Graded Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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