Friar's Road | 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

Bob And Jackie Digs In, Edges Friar’s Road In Off-Turf San Gabriel

One of six grass races that were moved to the main track on Santa Anita's opening day on Sunday, the $200,000 San Gabriel Stakes went to an ultra game Bob and Jackie, who kept to his task on the lead and prevailed by a nose over heavily favored Friar's Road.

Ridden by Jose Valdivia, Jr., Bob and Jackie, in his first ever try on dirt, was off at 5-1 and paid $12.00 and $4.20 with no show wagering. Contested at 1 1/8 miles, Bob and Jackie got the distance in 1:53.51.

“We were the speed of the race,” said Valdivia. “He broke well, but I had to use him quite a bit to make him take the lead. Once he did take the lead, he settled beautifully. His ears came up and he was just waiting for company. When I asked him, he was there for me. We worked our way up and then held on.

“He was kind of waiting around a little bit, but when the horses came to him, he dug in and tried to fight some more. But hat's off to Ritchie (trainer Baltas) and Calvin (co-owner Nguyen) for just taking a shot. It was already a short field and it was going to be even shorter so why not.”

Trained by Richard Baltas for owners Calvin Nguyen and Joey Tran, Bob and Jackie, a 5-year-old horse by Twirling Candy out of the Eskendereya mare Fateer, picked up his fourth stakes win. Depending upon how the American Stakes Committee rules in the coming days, he could also have notched his first graded stakes win in a race that was originally designated at Grade 2 on grass but will be reviewed by the committee after it was moved to the main track following rain on Saturday.

With an overall mark of 16-5-5-1, Bob and Jackie picked up $120,000 for the win, increasing his earnings to $484,631.

“Now I have to decide if I keep him on the dirt,” said Baltas. “He's been a grass horse the whole time. With the key scratches, we thought we would give it a try and see if things would go our way. We will see how he comes back and we'll go from there in deciding if we keep him on the dirt or go back to the turf.”

Off at 3-5 with Jose Ortiz, Friar's Road, who was last in a compact field of four early, rallied, but came up just short, while paying $2.40 to place.

Fractions on the race were 23.75, 49.29, 1:13.82 and 1:40.05.

The post Bob And Jackie Digs In, Edges Friar’s Road In Off-Turf San Gabriel appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Hit The Road Gets An Extra Eighth In Sunday’s San Gabriel Stakes

Trainer Dan Blacker's Grade 1-winning Hit the Road figures prominently in Sunday's G2, $200,000 San Gabriel Stakes as a field of seven 3-year-olds and up go a mile and one eighth on turf. The San Gabriel, one of six graded stakes on an 11-race Opening Day card, will be run for the 74th time. Special early first post time on Sunday is at 11 a.m., with admission gates opening at 9 a.m.

A winner of Santa Anita's G1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile four starts back on March 6, Hit the Road, a 4-year-old colt by More Than Ready, has been winless since, but he comes off a pair of close third place finishes in graded stakes competition, most recently the G2 City of Hope Mile (turf) here on Oct. 2, in which he was beaten a half length.

Owned by D K Racing, LLC and Radley Equine, Inc., Taste of Victory Stables, Rick Gold, Tony Maslowski and Dave Odmark, Hit the Road, a four-time stakes winner, has run in 11 consecutive one mile turf races and will be trying a mile and one eighth for the first time.

Ridden by midwestern-based Florent Geroux in his last four starts, Hit the Road will be reunited with Umberto Rispoli, who is a perfect three for three with him. With an overall mark of 12-6-0-2, Hit the Road has earnings of $563,751.

Trainer Michael McCarthy's Friar's Road will also be trying a mile and one eighth on turf for the first time, but he'll be shortening up from a solid third place finish going a mile and one half in the G2 Hollywood Turf Cup at Del Mar Nov. 26. Third, beaten a head two starts back going a mile and one quarter in Santa Anita's G2 John Henry Turf Championship Oct. 2, this 4-year-old colt by Quality Road will be seeking his first stakes victory on Sunday.

Originally based at Golden Gate Fields with trainer Quinn Howey, California-bred Indian Peak closed much ground to finish third, beaten three quarters of a length going a mile and one sixteenth on grass in the G2 Seabiscuit Handicap at Del Mar Nov. 27 and should appreciate the added distance of the San Gabriel.

A winner versus statebreds going a mile and one eighth over the course in the Snow Chief Stakes 12 starts back on June 20, 2020, this 4-year-old Comic Strip gelding has proven to be versatile and appears to be at the top of his game. Trained by Peter Miller in his last four starts, he'll be saddled by Ruben Alvarado on Sunday and be ridden back by Juan Hernandez.

THE GRADE 2 SAN GABRIEL WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 5 of 11 Approximate post time 1 p.m. PT

Indian Peak—Juan Hernandez—121
Friar's Road—Jose Ortiz—121
Bob and Jackie—Jose Valdivia, Jr.—121
Hit the Road—Umberto Rispoli—123
Majestic Eagle—John Velazquez—121
Red Storm Risen—Flavien Prat—121
Ready Soul—Kent Desormeaux–121

First post time for an 11-race card on Opening Day is at 11 a.m. and admission gates will open at 9 a.m.

The post Hit The Road Gets An Extra Eighth In Sunday’s San Gabriel Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Acclimate, Rockemperor Among Seven Entered For Friday’s Hollywood Turf Cup

Phil D'Amato-trained Acclimate, John Shirreff's Astronaut, and Chad Brown-conditioned Rockemperor, last seen at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., in the $4 million Grade 1 Longines Breeders' Cup Turf, are among seven entered today for Friday's $250,000 G2 Hollywood Turf Cup.

A victory, or high placing, for Acclimate, Astronaut, or Rockemperor, would salve the sting of ill-starred efforts in the Breeders' Cup, in the case of Astronaut and Rockemperor after gaining entry through “Win and You're In” victories.

Astronaut rallied in the stretch for a half-length victory in the Del Mar Handicap at odds of 24-1 on Pacific Classic Day in August. Hall of Fame jockey Victor Espinoza found no clear path in the BC Turf, however, had to check hard before the quarter pole and finished 12th of 14. Rockemperor won the Turf Classic at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., in October but was in tight quarters throughout in the BC Turf and finished eighth.

Acclimate, with one win and three narrow losses in graded events leading up to the BC Turf, was close to the pace early before fading to last.

The post position draw was scheduled this afternoon. The entrants, in alphabetical order: Acclimate (Ricky Gonzalez); Astronaut (Espinoza); Award Winner (Juan Hernandez); Cupid's Claws (Abel Cedillo); Friar's Road (Umberto Rispoli), Rockemperor (Flavien Prat), and Say The Word (Kent Desormeaux).

The post Acclimate, Rockemperor Among Seven Entered For Friday’s Hollywood Turf Cup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post