Tag: gear jockey

Twirling Candy’s Gear Jockey Doubles Up in Ainsworth Turf Sprint

In a mad scramble for the wire in Saturday's $1-million GII Ainsworth Turf Sprint S. at Kentucky Downs, 23-1 Calumet homebred Gear Jockey (6, h, Twirling Candy–Switching Gears, by Tapit) got a desperate head down in front of 3-2 choice One Timer (Trappe Shot) and 11-1 Bad Beat Brian (Jack Milton). It was a repeat of his success in this same race two years ago when it was a Grade III, albeit by a far slimmer margin.

Final time for the six furlongs was 1:10.59. The Turf Sprint is a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” race, giving Gear Jockey an automatic berth into the Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita.

The winner was prominent throughout, stalking the :21.77 and :45.08 early fractions set by Bad Beat Brian. Gear Jockey didn't give the leader a comfortable time of it while pressuring from the outside. The duo remained one-two until late stretch with Bad Beat Brian digging in gamely, but Gear Jockey determinedly stuck his head in front as One Timer–who won the GII Franklin-Simpson S. over this course last year–closed down the middle and entered the scene from the outside. The largest margin between the first seven horses across the wire was a neck.

“He broke very sharp. He gave me the same race he gave me two years ago when he won here,” said winning rider Jose Lezcano. “To be honest with you, I knew it was going to be very close… I was very happy for the horse. He is a tough horse and he tries all the time. I am very happy for [trainer] Rusty [Arnold] and his whole team. They work very hard.”

Gear Jockey brings his best to Kentucky Downs, as he won this race in 2021 with a 105 Beyer Speed Figure, his top to date, but had neglected to find the winner's circle since until Saturday and makes it two-for-two over the Kentucky Downs lawn. He was coming off a sixth-place finish in the July 22 Van Clief S. at Colonial Downs–his first start since last November–behind Front Run the Fed (Fed Biz), who finished sixth in Saturday's Turf Sprint. While he hasn't shied away from top competition and has just the two Kentucky Downs graded stakes on his CV, Gear Jockey has faced and finished just behind some of the best grass sprinters of the last few years. His five graded placings include the 2019 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and the 2022 GII Shakertown S.

“We're pretty happy,” said trainer Rusty Arnold. “He's a favorite. I thought he had lost his edge. He's had his issues and we thought we had him in pretty good shape. He loves this course. Two times he's won on it, so obviously he does. Great ride. Very happy.”

 

Pedigree Notes:

Thanks to the healthy purses at Kentucky Downs, Gear Jockey is the richest of Twirling Candy's 43 black-type winners, although the stallion's 18 graded winners also include GISWs Concrete Rose, Pinehurst, Gift Box, and Rombauer, as well as four additional Grade I winners. The son of Candy Ride (Arg) stands alongside his sire at Lane's End. Gear Jockey is also one of 90 stakes winners out of daughters of Tapit, whose 2023 successes as a broodmare sire have catapulted him into the leading damsire of the year. Gear Jockey joins luminaries such as Cody's Wish, Pretty Mischievous, and Arcangelo on the Gainesway sire's 'best-of' list as broodmare sire for 2023.

Calumet bought Switching Gears for $20,000 at the 2017 Keeneland January sale with Gear Jockey in utero. The mare is out of a half-sister to GISW and sire Stroll (Pulpit). Her most recent foal is a yearling colt by Bravazo. She was bred to Mandaloun for next term.

Saturday, Kentucky Downs
AINSWORTH TURF SPRINT S.-GII, $998,667, Kentucky Downs, 9-9, 3yo/up, 6fT, 1:10.59, fm.
1–GEAR JOCKEY, 121, h, 6, by Twirling Candy
                1st Dam: Switching Gears, by Tapit
                2nd Dam: Pace, by Indian Ridge (Ire)
                3rd Dam: Maid for Walking (GB), by Prince Sabo (GB)
O/B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-George R. Arnold, II; J-Jose Lezcano. $589,680. Lifetime Record: GISP, 24-5-2-6, $1,586,651. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–One Timer, 121, g, 4, Trappe Shot–Spanish Star, by Blame. ($21,000 Ylg '20 FTKOCT). O-Patricia's Hope LLC and Richard Ravin; B-St. Simon Place LLC (KY); T-Larry Rivelli. $192,800.
3–Bad Beat Brian, 121, g, 6, Jack Milton–Ultimate Class, by During. ($22,000 RNA Wlg '17 KEENOV; $16,000 RNA Ylg '18 KEESEP; $115,000 2yo '19 EASMAY). O-Marsico Brothers Racing LLC; B-Pope McLean, Pope McLean Jr., Marc McLean & Phil Hager (KY); T-Brittany A. Vanden Berg. $96,400.
Margins: HD, NK, NK. Odds: 23.30, 1.50, 11.84.
Also Ran: Olympic Runner, Cogburn, Front Run the Fed, Eamonn, Dr Zempf (GB), Dream Shake, Counterstrike, Noble Reflection. Scratched: Anaconda, Nobals.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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‘We’ve Found His Game’: Gear Jockey Comes Into Turf Sprint Off Career Best

It took a few races — OK, 12 — to figure out what Calumet Farm's 4-year-old colt Gear Jockey really wanted to do. But the wait and perseverance paid off this summer and fall, with Kentucky Downs' $1 million FanDuel Turf Sprint winner a leading contender for Saturday's $1 million, Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar.

A year ago, when the Breeders' Cup was at trainer Rusty Arnold's hometown track of Keeneland, Gear Jockey was awaiting his first victory. That didn't come until this past January in the colt's first start as a 4-year-old.

Even though he started off 0 for 8, Gear Jockey has uncorked only two truly bad races, the first being his debut at six furlongs on dirt at Saratoga by almost 23 lengths. Stretched out to a mile on grass, the winless colt still ran very well, including finishing a close third at 67-1 odds in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita in 2019.

In fact, his tantalizing talent was such that Gear Jockey made a fleeting appearance on last year's Kentucky Derby trail. That ended in his second poor race in Gulfstream Park's Grade 2 Fountain of Youth, his last race on dirt. He subsequently was sidelined for six months with a repairable leg fracture.

Back on grass, Gear Jockey won maiden and allowance races and came very close to winning a graded turf stakes. Still, Arnold thought there was more the horse could do.

“We sat down and said, 'Let's sprint the horse. He's just not finishing off, and he shows a lot of talent,'” Arnold said. “We've sprinted him three times on turf, and I think we've found his game.”

Gear Jockey earned a second-level allowance victory, was a rallying third after breaking slowly in Saratoga's Grade 3 Troy and then captured the Grade 3, six-furlong FanDuel Turf Sprint. That victory not only proved worth $576,600 to Calumet Farm but with the added perk of giving Gear Jockey a fees-paid berth in the five-furlong Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint as part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series' Win And You're In program.

Gear Jockey needed to win the FanDuel Turf Sprint to even make the Breeders' Cup. That was no small feat as Gear Jockey was the last horse to get into the overflow Kentucky Downs' race. If he lucked into the race, he made his own luck coming out with an authoritative 2 1/2-length victory over the well-regarded Diamond Oops.

“It was by far his best race,” Arnold said. “He did everything right…. (But) if one more horse had entered, we'd have been out. I can't tell you how big it was.”

The five-furlong Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint also includes third-place Bombard and Fast Boat, who beat Gear Jockey in the Troy Stakes. Sixth-place Got Stormy, who won the 2020 Ladies Sprint at Kentucky Downs, is going in the $2 million Mile on turf.

“I don't think the Breeders' Cup can be much tougher than that race,” Arnold said. “… I'm confident my horse is going to show up. It's a little shorter than I'd like, but we're hoping we've got him sharp enough.”

The Kentucky Downs victory provided a special thrill for Calumet Farm owner Brad Kelley, who grew up in Bowling Green and Franklin, Ky., started his path to billionaire status back in Bowling Green and now lives in Franklin, Tenn. Kelley also is a previous owner of Kentucky Downs, and Gear Jockey won with Calumet Farm the racing card's day sponsor.

“It was nice to win a big race for him close to his home,” Arnold said.

A third-generation horseman, Arnold is tied for No. 2 with Bill Mott in all-time victories at Keeneland at 288, trailing only D. Wayne Lukas' 296.

Arnold also is one of the most successful trainers to never have won a Breeders' Cup race. Kelley won the short-lived Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint in 2012 with Hightail racing the name of Kelley's old Bluegrass Hall. But Calumet Farm has never won a Breeders' Cup race.

“Disappointing is the wrong word,” Arnold said of himself being 0 for 14 in the Breeders' Cup. “But it's on your bucket list. You don't want to be one of the guys who has won the most graded races without winning the Breeders' Cup.

“I'd like to win for any of my owners. I want to win one for Calumet; I'd like to win one for myself. I'm a little bit jealous on that.”

Calumet also has its homebred Lexitonian in the $2 million Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint. The 5-year-old horse, trained by the farm's private trainer Jack Sisterson, won Saratoga's Grade 1 Vanderbilt. Detroit City is on the also-eligible for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and needs two scratches to run.

“If he shows up on his best effort, he'll be right there,” Sisterson said of Lexitonian, who finished second by a nose in last year's Grade 1 Bing Crosby at Del Mar. “It's great the support and the passion that Mr. Kelley has for this sport. Although he doesn't come, he watches every race. People don't know how emotional he gets after a big win.”

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Breeders’ Cup Notes: International Squad, Turfers Stretch Their Legs

A busy morning on the Del Mar main track with all international horses training except Quick Suzy (IRE) who was not entered Monday for her intended run in the Juvenile Turf Sprint because of a spike in temperature.

Teona (IRE) (Turf) was the first European horse out on track who did some light exercise. She looked in very good form. The next group out were Audarya (FR) (Filly & Mare Turf) and Cachet (IRE) (Juvenile Fillies Turf) who both have taken the eye since landing in Del Mar.

The six Charlie Appleby-trained horses were on the track for the first time since clearing quarantine and exercised under the watchful eye of Appleby.

All horses looked in tremendous condition and reports from the Godolphin team have been very positive on all horses since touching down in California.

Kevin Ryan landed Monday night and was on track to watch both of his Turf Sprint contenders. Glass Slippers (GB) will be bidding to follow up her win in the race last year. She was ridden this morning by race day jockey Tom Eaves.

Eaves said, “It's great to be at the Breeders' Cup again. I sat on Glass Slippers for a light canter and she felt great. I just tracked Emaraaty Ana (GB) for a circuit and it went well. She's a superb filly and I'm really looking forward to the race on Saturday.”

Andrea Atzeni who takes the ride on Emaraaty Ana (GB) on Saturday was trackside to watch him exercise and said, “I'm going to ride Emaraaty Ana (GB) on the track tomorrow. It was great to see him exercise and he looked in great form. I've got a lovely draw on Saturday in gate two so hopefully we get a bit of luck in running and he runs a big race.”

Oisin Murphy, who was recently crowned champion jockey in the UK for the third consecutive year, rode exercise on Marche Lorraine (JPN) (Distaff) just before 7 a.m. They did a strong canter and exercise looked to go well.

Murphy said, “She's a nice horse and felt good. I'm very much looking forward to taking the ride. It's great to be in Del Mar and I've a few nice rides over the weekend. I will ride Hierarchy (IRE) (Juvenile Turf Sprint) tomorrow morning and I'm hoping to have a spin on Mise En Scene (GB) (Juvenile Fillies Turf) at some point before Friday as well.”

Tuesday was the first sighting of the Ballydoyle horses on track having completed their quarantine requirements. Aidan O'Brien has a team of seven horses who went out on track together led by Broome (IRE) (Turf) ridden by Dean Gallagher. The string was accompanied by a pony ridden by Rachel Richardson. They had a trot for a circuit of the track followed by a light canter. Bolshoi Ballet (IRE) (Turf) who sat third in the string looked in particularly good form having some playful bucks during his canter down the backstretch.

Michael Bell was another British trainer to be trackside to watch Great Max (IRE) (Juvenile Turf) have a canter in the hands of regular work rider Joe Bradnam. Great Max (IRE) had a good look around his surroundings during exercise but seemed in good order.

Bell said, “It's tremendous to be back over for the Breeders' Cup. It is an amazing race meeting and I'm delighted to be part of it with Great Max. Joe Bradnam seems happy with him so it's all systems go.”

Connections of Rougir (FR) (Filly & Mare Turf) were trackside having made the trip over from France. The same connections recently won the Champion's Stakes at Ascot and will be hoping for more Grade 1 glory on Saturday. Trainer Cedric Rossi reported his filly to be “in great form.”

Irish trainer Paddy Twomey was overseeing the training of his filly Pearls Galore (FR) (Mile).

Twomey said, “Pearls Galore traveled over well, she's settled into the routine here lovely and enjoying the training. She's cantered on the track the last two days, everything has gone well, we're looking forward to Saturday. Del Mar is a lovely track, the turf will be quick and it'll suit her. She's nibble, neat and tidy and I think she'll deal with the demands of the track very well on the day.”

Matera Sky (Sprint) and Jasper Great (Juvenile) were two of the final international horses to go out for exercise. They had a canter and returned to the quarantine barn via the paddock. They took everything in their stride and looked very relaxed.

TURF

Gufo – Otter Bend Stables has made it to the Turf with its first and only runner, Gufo, a homebred son of Declaration of War colt who never has been worse than third in 13 career starts.

For owner and co-breeder Stephen Cainelli, it is something of a “how do you top this?” situation. Winning the $4 million Turf certainly would elevate the already engaging story to another level and give veteran trainer Christophe Clement his first Breeders' Cup victory.

Gufo earned his berth in the Turf with a victory by a neck over Japan in the Sword Dancer a “Win and You're In” race on Aug. 28 at Saratoga Race Course. In his most recent start, he was third in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on Oct. 9 at Belmont Park. He shipped from New York to Del Mar Sunday with his three Clement stablemates headed to Breeders' Cup races.

“He had a very good day of training this morning,” said Christophe Lorieul, Clement's assistant for 27 years. “He galloped an easy mile. He was very willing, very forward but within himself. I really liked the way he went this morning.”

Gufo and regular rider Joel Rosario drew post 11 in the 14-horse Turf and is 8-1 on the morning line.

“It's not great, but it's a mile and a half and he's got time to try to tuck him and try to save some ground,” Lorieul said. “Obviously, on the turf going a mile and a half that's what you want. It's not ideal, but that's why Joel Rosario gets paid the big bucks.”

MILE

Mo Forza — Bardy Farm and OG Boss's seven-time graded stakes winner Mo Forza is on a mission to make up for lost opportunities in this year's Breeders' Cup Mile. Last year, on the back of two strong victories in the Del Mar Mile and City of Hope Mile, the son of Uncle Mo was one of the favorites for the Mile before injury derailed the Peter Miller trainee's preparation. This season, the 5yo winner of the 2019 Hollywood Derby returns to the same Del Mar surface as that triumph for his redemption attempt.

“He's training really great,” Miller said. “Today we gave him about a mile and a half jog and schooled him in the gate and then schooled him in the paddock.”

Mo Forza, who eclipsed $1 million in prize money by winning the same two preps this season, drew post six in the 14-horse field and could be making his final career start.

“I like the post,” Miller said. “I think there's plenty of pace and it should string everyone out. We should be sitting midpack, but there's no real strategy other than to hope for a good trip. Del Mar takes a certain kind of horse who can handle the turns, the short stretch and the firm going — and if you have that horse, you're in good shape here.”

Flavien Prat, who has piloted Mo Forza through the four-race win streak he carries into the Mile, returns to the saddle Saturday.

TURF SPRINT

Gear Jockey – Calumet Farm's homebred Gear Jockey, the 5-1 co-second choice for the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, jogged once around under exercise rider Lyndsay Delello for trainer Rusty Arnold.

“He shipped well with no issues,” Arnold said of Gear Jockey, who arrived at Del Mar late Monday night from Kentucky.

Third as a maiden in the Juvenile Turf at the 2019 Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita, Gear Jockey will break from post 10 under Jose Lezcano in Saturday's race.

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Gear Jockey Ridden to Perfection in Turf Sprint

Gear Jockey (Twirling Candy), third at 67-1 as a maiden in the 2019 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita, delivered a career high while punching his ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.

The Calumet Farm homebred sat just off the pacesetting Bombard (War Front) in second, took over under confident handling as they hit the quarter pole and took care of business from there to win for fun.

Longshot Diamond Oops (Lookin At Lucky) nosed out Bombard for second.

Gear Jockey, a maiden winner at ninth asking at Gulfstream Jan. 21, was a close third in the GIII Canadian Turf S. going 1 1/16 miles Feb. 27. A Keeneland allowance winner going a mile this spring, he cut back to a pair of 5 1/2-furlong turf sprints in his last two, scoring in an optional claimer at Saratoga July 17, then rallying for third in the GIII Troy S. Aug. 6.

Trainer Rusty Arnold has also enjoyed success with Twirling Candy's GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. heroine Concrete Rose and MGSW Morticia.

“He's been working good,” winning jockey Jose Lezcano said. “He felt very good. He broke right on top and I let him follow [Bombard] and when I asked him at the three-sixteenths, he took off again. At the quarter [pole] he had already taken me there, but at three-sixteenths, I had to ask him because no one was coming and he might hang and fool around. The whole way he gave me the feeling that I had so much horse. When I asked, him he really kicked on.”

Favored two-time GI Fourstardave H. heroine Got Stormy (Get Stormy) was a disappointing sixth.

“You've always heard me say that she likes hard ground,” trainer Mark Casse said. “I think when she's sprinting she probably would actually like it a little softer. Today they were just a little too fast for her. But she's fine. We knew this was a tall task, but this will get us ready for the Breeders' Cup.”

Pedigree Notes:

Gear Jockey, whose granddam is a half-sister to GISW Stroll (Pulpit), has effectively salvaged the last two generations of his female family from a scarcity of black-type. Gear Jockey's dam spent her early producing years delivering foals by obscure stallion Calimonco until being purchased for $20,000 by Calumet with the Turf Sprint winner in utero at the 2017 Keeneland January sale. Her most recent foals–2-year-old colt Double Clutch (Optimizer) and yearling colt Keen to Go (Keen Ice)–are by resident Calumet stallions. She has been bred back to Calumet's Bravazo for next term. Gear Jockey became the 50th black-type winner out of a Tapit mare with the Kentucky Downs score and the second by Twirling Candy out of a Tapit mare, joining Venezuelan MSW Believe (Ven). Twirling Candy is having a fabulous year, with Gear Jockey his eighth black-type winner of 2021 and joining the ranks of GI Preakness S. winner Rombauer, as well as last week's GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity winner Pinehurst. Gear Jockey marks Twirling Candy's 12th graded winner and 31st stakes winner in seven crops.

Saturday, Kentucky Downs
FANDUEL TURF SPRINT S.-GIII, $995,500, Kentucky Downs, 9-11, 3yo/up, 6fT, 1:07.90 (NCR), fm.
1–GEAR JOCKEY, 121, c, 4, by Twirling Candy
                1st Dam: Switching Gears, by Tapit
                2nd Dam: Pace, by Indian Ridge (Ire)
                3rd Dam: Maid for Walking (GB), by Prince Sabo (GB)
   1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN.
O/B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-George R. Arnold, II; J-Jose Lezcano.
$576,600. Lifetime Record: GISP, 15-4-2-5, $902,875. Click for
   eNicks report & 5-cross catalogue-style pedigree. Werk Nick
   Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*.
2–Diamond Oops, 121, g, 6, Lookin At Lucky–Patriotic Viva, by
Whywhywhy. ($42,000 RNA Wlg '15 KEENOV). O-Diamond 100
Racing Club, LLC, Amy Dunne, D P Racing LLC & Patrick L.
Biancone Racing LLC; B-Kin Hui Racing Stables LLC (KY);
T-Patrick L. Biancone. $186,000.
3–Bombard, 125, g, 8, War Front–Witty, by Distorted Humor.
O/B-Raydelz Stable (KY); T-Richard E. Mandella. $93,000.
Margins: 2HF, NO, HD. Odds: 5.70, 21.90, 6.30.
Also Ran: Fast Boat, Casa Creed, Got Stormy, Front Run the Fed, Chewing Gum, Stubbins, Imprimis, Siem Riep, Born Great. Scratched: Johnny Unleashed. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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