Frank's Rockette | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘Rising Stars’ Square off Again in Prioress Showdown

After a second straight year of rounding out the exacta at the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting, ‘TDN Rising Star’ Kimari (Munnings) returns from across the pond as the 2-1 morning-line choice in Saturday’s GII Prioress S. at Saratoga.

The 2019 G2 Queen Mary S. runner-up and 2020 G1 Commonwealth Cup second-place finisher has won her two prior attempts on dirt-airing on debut at Keeneland last spring and defeating the re-opposing ‘TDN Rising Star’ Frank’s Rockette (Into Mischief) in a sloppy renewal of Oaklawn’s Purple Martin S. Apr. 4.

Kimari has been firing bullets at trainer Wesley Ward’s Keeneland base for this, headed by a five-furlong spin in :58 4/5 (1/5) Aug. 30.

The speedy Frank’s Rockette, meanwhile, runner-up in last summer’s GI Spinaway S. at the Spa, has followed that aforementioned defeat in Hot Springs with a pair of wins, including a head decision over Reagan’s Edge (Competitive Edge) in Belmont’s GIII Victory Ride S. going 6 1/2 furlongs July 4. It was another 3/4 of a length back to Center Aisle (Into Mischief) in third that day.

The post ‘Rising Stars’ Square off Again in Prioress Showdown appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Mott: Maturity, Blinkers Contribute To Improvement By Suburban Winner Tacitus

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott enjoyed a successful Saturday afternoon in taking two of the five graded stakes carded for Runhappy Met Mile Day at Belmont Park.

Mott sent out Frank's Rockette and now three-time graded stakes winning multimillionaire Tacitus to respective victories in the Grade 3 Victory Ride and Grade 2 Suburban. He reported that both of his graded stakes heroes exited their triumphs in good order.

“They both ran really well and really hard, but the good thing is they look great this morning,” Mott said.

Owned by Juddmonte Farms, Tacitus registered a 100 Beyer Speed Figure for the 8 3/4-length victory under Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez, which ended a seven-race slump for the 4-year-old Tapit gray. During his sophomore campaign last year, Tacitus won the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs and Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct en route to placings in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and Grade 1 Belmont Stakes.

Mott made an equipment change with Tacitus for the Suburban, adding blinkers.

“It seemed to help quite a bit. The maturity and the blinkers all kind of seemed to come together,” Mott said.

Mott said Tacitus would target “one or the other” between the Grade 1, $750,000 Whitney at nine furlongs on August 1 or the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward at ten furlongs at Saratoga on Sept. 5.

Named after an ancient Roman senator, the Kentucky homebred Tacitus is out of 2014 Champion Older Filly Close Hatches and is a direct descendant of 1982 Broodmare of the Year Best In Show.

Mott reported that the Grade 1, $300,000 Longines Test on August 8 at Saratoga is an option for Frank's Rockette.

“We had talked about that as a plan, it will be based on how she comes out of this. It will take two or three days,” said owner Frank Fletcher. “She had been training really well and was at the top of her game and that's always the Test. She'll face some of these same horses again and more.”

Fletcher knew that Saturday's race would be no easy task for his Into Mischief filly.

“I have a lot of respect for the other horses in the race. I knew it was going to be tough, but she had to fight,” Fletcher said. “She came out of the gate a little slow for her, and she was not on the lead, had to fight to get her head in front and it appeared to be that she was in constant pressure the whole way. That's what I was scared of and worried about. There was never a chance for her or the other horses to catch a breath. She was running her heart out from the time she stepped out of the gate.”

Fletcher watched the Victory Ride from his home in Little Rock, Ark., alongside his family as well as his 5-year-old longhaired German Shepherd Rocket, who is the namesake behind all of Fletcher's horses.

“He was in there with us when we were watching. He goes crazy when we all go crazy. He was barking a lot,” Fletcher said. “We were like 5-year-old children running around hugging each other. We had a steak dinner to celebrate. We wish we could have been there.”

Frank's Rockette, a Kentucky homebred, is out of the graded stakes winning Indian Charlie broodmare Rocket Twentyone, who won the Grade 3 Arlington-Washington Lassie in 2011.

The post Mott: Maturity, Blinkers Contribute To Improvement By Suburban Winner Tacitus appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Frank’s Rockette Just Misses Track Record In Victory Ride

Frank's Rockette fended off longshot Reagan's Edge by a head in an exhilarating stretch-drive finish in the Grade 3, $100,000 Victory Ride to start the stakes action on a packed Runhappy Met Mile Day at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The 18th running of the Victory Ride, contested at 6 1/2 furlongs on a fast main track for 3-year-old fillies, was carded as Race 3 on the Independence Day card.

Frank Fletcher Racing's Frank's Rockette, last year's runner-up in the Grade 1 Frizette over this track, went off as the 2-5 favorite by virtue of some strong sprint performances early in her sophomore year. Ridden again by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, who was aboard her for the Frizette and her winning 2020 debut at Gulfstream Park, the daughter of Into Mischief broke well from the rail and allowed Reagan's Edge to set the tempo in the very early stages of the race.

Reagan's Edge, whose only wins came in a maiden race at Indiana Grand and an off-the-turf affair at Churchill Downs in her most recent outing, proved to be a stubborn foe at 13-1. She broke the sharpest of all under Jose Lezcano, and after briefly controlling the early lead ceded it to Frank's Rockette, who moved up the inside to gain control.

Trainer Chad Brown's Center Aisle, meanwhile, assumed a stalking position just to the outside of the top two, and the three fillies proceeded to run in carousel fashion around the racetrack. After a leisurely opening quarter-mile in 23.11 seconds, the pace picked up considerably with Frank's Rockette posting a half in 45.52, as the top trio continued to roll along around the turn.

In the stretch, Frank's Rockette's maintained the edge to the inside, with Center Aisle to the outside, and Reagan's Edge battling on between horses. In the final sixteenth, an intransigent Reagan's Edge was all out, but Frank's Rockette hit the wire in 1:14.47, just a hundredth of a second off the track record recorded by Bear Fan in June 2004.

Reagan's Edge bested Center Aisle by three-quarters of a length for second. Up in Smoke and Miss Peppina completed the order of finish.

“She broke well enough, but not as quick as I thought she would,” Velazquez said. “Little by little, she got into the battle and I let her do what she wanted to do. At the end, she put in a really good fight. At the wire, I thought I had it. But right before the wire, I wasn't sure we were going to hold on.”

With the victory, Frank's Rockette improved her lifetime record to 4-4-0 from eight starts and increased her earnings to $413,603. She returned $2.90 on a $2 win wager.

“When you looked at the race on paper, it looked like we'd be the clear speed and probably be a length or two in front on the backside,” said Frank Rockette's Hall of Fame trainer, Bill Mott. “There was a horse hanging right with her. She didn't break quite as sharp as I've seen her in the past, but she was able to open up a bit when she turned for home and had enough courage to hold them off. She had to work at it a little bit. It was not an easy win.”

While Mott added another graded stakes tally to his illustrious resume, he denied Cherie DeVaux, trainer of Reagan's Edge, her first. Despite the near miss, DeVaux was very pleased with the effort of her tenacious filly.

“She's just got a lot of fight in her. It's so nice to have a horse like this in the barn that goes out and just tries every time we ask her,” DeVaux said. “She just played the break. In her maiden, she broke on top and went with it. Jose [Lezcano] did the right thing. He didn't take it away from her, he didn't try to get her to do something else. I'm happy with him, he made a really good decision.”

Mott said he could target the Grade 1, $300,000 Longines Test on August 8 at Saratoga Race Course as Frank's Rockette looks to break through at racing's highest level. In 2019, Frank's Rockette finished second in the Grade 1 Spinaway at Saratoga before playing bridesmaid again in the Frizette.

“That's what I've had my eyes on,” Mott said of the Test. “It's a big challenge. The Test is a great race. We've won it a couple of times and it's a very important race for 3-year-old fillies. If she's doing well, I'd like to give her a try in there.”

Live racing resumes Sunday at Belmont Park with a 10-race card. First post is 1:15 p.m. Eastern.

The post Frank’s Rockette Just Misses Track Record In Victory Ride appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Into Mischief Filly Finally Makes the Grade in Quickly Run Victory Ride

TDN Rising Star Frank’s Rockette (Into Mischief) wasn’t given the easiest of tasks in the early going of Saturday’s GIII Victory Ride S., but she showed her grit and class late with a hard-fought head score over the well-meant Reagan’s Edge (Competitive Edge).

Off a hair slow, the Bill Mott trainee raced out to take an early advantage from her inside draw and was closely attended by Reagan’s Edge, an allowance winner at Churchill in May, and Center Aisle (Into Mischief), a $1.5-million Fasig-Tipton Florida sale graduate who scored first out at Gulfstream in March before finishing fifth in a Churchill allowance May 22.

Pursued by those rivals through initial fractions of :23.11 and a half in :45.52, Frank’s Rockette maintained a comfortable edge turning for home, and while her two rivals gave it their best shot, the 2-5 favorite held on to post the narrow victory over Reagan’s Edge, with Center Aisle 3/4 of a length third. The final time of 1:14.47 was 0.01 off the track record for 6 1/2 furlongs.

“When you looked at the race on paper, it looked like we’d be the clear speed and probably be a length or two in front on the backside,” said trainer Bill Mott. “There was a horse hanging right with her. She didn’t break quite as sharp as I’ve seen her in the past, but she was able to open up a bit when she turned for home and had enough courage to hold them off. She had to work at it a little bit. It was not an easy win.”

Mott indicated the Aug. 8 GI Longines Test S. at Saratoga might be next.

“”That’s what I’ve had my eyes on,” Mott said of the Test. “It’s a big challenge. The Test is a great race. We’ve won it a couple of times and it’s a very important race for 3-year-old fillies. If she’s doing well, I’d like to give her a try in there.”

A runaway first-out winner at Churchill Downs last term, Frank’s Rockette recorded a pair of runner-up finishes at Saratoga behind Perfect Alibi (Sky Mesa) in the GII Adirondack S. in August and the GI Spinaway S. the following month before playing the bridesmaid once again, this time to Wicked Whisper (Liam’s Map), in the GI Frizette S. in October. An easy front-running seven-length winner in her sophomore debut in Gulfstream’s Any Limit S. Feb. 22, she was second to Kimari (Munnings) in Oaklawn’s Apr. 4 Purple Martin S. before returning to the winner’s circle following a May 25 optional claimer in Louisville.

Pedigree Notes:

With the win in the Victory Ride, Frank’s Rockette becomes the 30th graded stakes winner for Spendthrift marquee sire Into Mischief. Rocket Twentyone, a $300,000 OBS March purchase who evolved into the winner of the GIII Arlington-Washington Lassie S., is also responsible for the stakes-placed duo of Firewater Rocket (Macho Rocket) and Rocknroll Rocket (Curlin). This represents the family of 2-year-old champion filly and champion female sprinter Indian Blessing (Indian Charlie).

A half-sister to graded-placed Bear’s Conductor (Congaree), the 11-year-old mare hasn’t produced a foal of record over the past two seasons and was bred to American Pharoah earlier this spring.

Saturday, Belmont Park
VICTORY RIDE S.-GIII, $97,000, Belmont, 7-4, 3yo, f, 6 1/2f, 1:14.47, ft.
1–FRANK’S ROCKETTE, 120, f, 3, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Rocket Twentyone (GSW, $136,149), by Indian Charlie
2nd Dam: Symphonic Lady, by Blare of Trumpets
3rd Dam: Wavering Lady, by Wavering Monarch
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. TDN Rising Star O-Frank Fletcher Racing Operations, Inc.; B-Frank Fletcher (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-John R. Velazquez. $55,000. Lifetime Record: 8-4-4-0, $413,603. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Reagan’s Edge, 120, f, 3, Competitive Edge–Dayienu, by Sunday Break (Jpn). ($45,000 Wlg ’17 FTKNOV; $30,000 Ylg ’18 FTKJUL; $77,000 2yo ’19 OBSAPR). O-David Ingordo; B-Mauk One Farm (KY); T-Cherie DeVaux. $20,000.
3–Center Aisle, 120, f, 3, Into Mischief–Specification, by Empire Maker. ($165,000 Wlg ’17 KEENOV; $450,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP; $1,500,000 2yo ’19 FTFMAR). O-OXO Equine LLC; B-Breffni Farm (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $12,000.
Margins: HD, 3/4, 4 1/4. Odds: 0.45, 13.10, 4.10.
Also Ran: Up in Smoke, Miss Peppina.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

The post Into Mischief Filly Finally Makes the Grade in Quickly Run Victory Ride appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post