Gatsas Stables | Horse Racing Free Tips

B. Wayne Hughes' Spendthrift Farm has acquired the breeding rights to multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Vekoma. The 4-year-old son of leading sire Candy Ride captured the prestigious Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont on Saturday, staking his claim as one of North America's top racehorses in 2020.

“We are extremely excited about Vekoma and his future as a stallion. It's not often you see an elite racehorse that is by a Grade 1 winner and out of a Grade 1 winner,” said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift general manager. “Vekoma is a terrific blend of his sire Candy Ride and his Speightstown dam Mona de Momma, showing brilliance from six furlongs to a mile and an eighth and from ages two to four. There's sire power throughout the pedigree, with Vekoma's second dam being a sister to Mr. Greeley. You just will not find a better-bred son of Candy Ride. Vekoma proved he is one of the best horses in training with wins over good fields in the Carter and Met Mile, which have been two of the best performances we have seen this year. The combination of brilliance and pedigree is special.”

Trained by George Weaver for owners R. A. Hill Stable and Gatsas Stables, Vekoma has always been one of the top racehorses in his crop, capturing graded stakes wins at two, three and four. After breaking his maiden at first asking in 1:08 4/5 at Belmont, the talented chestnut stretched out to win the one-mile G3 Nashua at Aqueduct to complete an undefeated juvenile campaign. At three, Vekoma jumped onto the Triple Crown trail, finishing third to Code of Honor in the G2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream in his seasonal debut. He went on to score a dominant 3 1/2-length win in the 1 1/8-mile G2 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, earning a berth into the Kentucky Derby.

This year, Vekoma has been perfect in three starts at three different racetracks, kicking off his 4-year-old season with a 3 3/4-length victory in Gulfstream's Sir Shackleton Stakes in March. Vekoma earned his first Grade 1 triumph in the form of a dazzling 7 1/4-length win in the G1 Carter Handicap at Aqueduct, earning a career-high 110 Beyer Speed Figure. Last Saturday, he validated his Carter performance with a front-running win in the aforementioned Met Mile, defeating Grade 1 winners Code of Honor and McKinzie, among others, while stopping the clock in a crisp 1:32 4/5 – just .15 seconds off the stakes record for the 129-year-old fixture in New York.

“Vekoma has been an outstanding talent since the moment we got him. He's such a special horse,” said Weaver. “We will take our time to enjoy this win, but Saratoga is the likely next place for him to run. We would like to put the horse in a position to become a champion.”

An earner of $1,245,525 to date, Vekoma was bred in Kentucky by Alpha Delta Stables. He is out of the Speightstown mare Mona de Momma who scored her biggest win as a racehorse in the G1 Humana Distaff on the Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill. Vekoma's second dam, Society Gal, is a half-sister to successful sire Mr. Greeley.

Vekoma is the third Met Mile winner in the last four years that will take up stud duty at Spendthrift. Mor Spirit, the 2017 winner, and Mitole, the 2019 winner, both stand at the historic Lexington-based farm.

The post Spendthrift Farm Secures Breeding Rights To Met Mile Winner Vekoma appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Given a positive ride by Javier Castellano, R A Hill Stable and Gatsas Stable’s Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg}) dared them to catch him in Saturday’s GI Runhappy Metropolitan H. at Belmont, and catch him they could not, as the immaculately bred chestnut made every yard of the running to best perfect-trip Network Effect (Mark Valeski) by 1 1/4 lengths. Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) was forced to cover ground on the turn, but plugged on gamely to be third, while favored ‘TDN Rising Star’ McKinzie (Street Sense) had little stretch response and could do no better than fifth.

The second betting choice by roughly $15,000, Vekoma was kicked straight into a clear advantage and galloped along comfortably enough a bit off the inside through an opening quarter in :22.73 over a drying-out Belmont main track that was yielding fast times all afternoon. The outposted Warrior’s Charge (Warrior’s Reward) prompted from second, while McKinzie–who endured a luckless trip when runner-up to Mitole (Eskendereya) in this 12 months back–was kept in the clear and out of harm’s way by Mike Smith from close up in fourth.

Vekoma, who romped to a 7 1/4-length defeat of Network Effect in the GI Runhappy Carter H. June 6, was nursed along into the turn after a half that was posted in a very manageable :45.87, but they were beginning to close ranks. Endorsed (Medaglia d’Oro), second to Code of Honor in the GIII Westchester S. June 6, attacked three wide, McKinzie four deep and Code of Honor was waited with on the back of the latter nearing the stretch. Shaken up off the home corner, Vekoma fended off Warrior’s Charge at the furlong grounds, dug in doggedly and held sway, as Network Effect parlayed his golden trip into a runner-up effort. Code of Honor ran with credit to be third, while traveling 29 feet (about three lengths) more than the winner, per Trakus data.

“I was happy with our trip around the backside,” said trainer George Weaver, winning his fourth career Grade I and second in succession. “I knew we had natural speed, and no one really went with us, so I was happy with the fact that he was there. At the quarter pole, it seemed like all comers were coming and I thought, ‘Man, does he have anything left in the tank or not?’ When they got to the eighth pole and I saw him re-break and keep going, I got excited. It was fun.”

Winner of the GIII Nashua S. at two going a one-tun mile, Vekoma was the stalk-and-pounce winner of last year’s GII Toyota Blue Grass S. and was shelved after a 13th–placed 12th–in the GI Kentucky Derby. The chestnut won the seven-furlong Sir Shackleton S. at Gulfstream Mar. 28 ahead of his tour-de-force in the Carter over that specialist trip last time. Vekoma is the first to complete the Carter/Met double since Wild Rush in 1998.

Pedigree Notes:

Vekoma is one of 16 top-level winners for his hugely successful stallion and is one of two foals to race from his dam, who defeated champion Informed Decision (Monarchos) in the GI Humana Distaff H. in 2010. Vekoma’s now 6-year-old half-sister Bloody Point (War Front) won half of her six career starts and is the dam of a colt foal by Quality Road. His unraced 5-year-old half-sister L’Age d’Or (Medaglia d’Oro) foaled a War Front filly this year. Vekoma is Mona de Momma’s last listed produce.

Vekoma’s unplaced second dam was a half-sister to GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint runner-up Mr. Greeley (Gone West) and to the stakes-winning Majestic Legend (His Majesty), whose daughter Bedazzle (Dixieland Band) was responsible for champion, GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and GI Kentucky Derby- winning ‘TDN Rising Star’ Street Sense (Street Cry {Ire}). The female family also includes MGISW ‘Rising Star’ Paradise Woods (Union Rags).

Saturday, Belmont Park
RUNHAPPY METROPOLITAN H.-GI, $500,000, Belmont, 7-4, 3yo/up, 1m, 1:32.88, ft.
1–VEKOMA, 123, c, 4, by Candy Ride (Arg)
1st Dam: Mona de Momma (GISW, $384,399), by Speightstown
2nd Dam: Society Gal, by Linkage
3rd Dam: Long Legend, by Reviewer
($135,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP). O-R. A. Hill Stable & Gatsas Stables;
B-Alpha Delta Stables, LLC (KY); T-George Weaver; J-Javier
Castellano. $275,000. Lifetime Record: 8-6-0-1, $1,245,525.
Werk Nick Rating: B. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Network Effect, 120, c, 4, Mark Valeski–Sandy Key Gal, by
Put It Back. ($95,000 2yo ’18 OBSAPR). O-Klaravich Stables,
Inc.; B-Louis Jolin (FL); T-Chad C. Brown. $100,000.
3–Code of Honor, 124, c, 4, Noble Mission (GB)–Reunited, by
Dixie Union. ($70,000 RNA Ylg ’17 KEESEP). O/B-W. S. Farish
(KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III. $60,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, NK, HF. Odds: 1.95, 13.50, 3.60.
Also Ran: Warrior’s Charge, McKinzie, Mr Freeze, Endorsed, Hog Creek Hustle.
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 Candy Ride’s Vekoma All the Way in Runhappy Met Mile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post