George Hall | Horse Racing Free Tips

Honor Code’s Max Player Upends Suburban

The betting public had Saturday's GII Suburban S. down to a battle between a pair of 'TDN Rising Stars': in one corner, Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper), whose victory in the G1 Dubai World Cup made him favored at 85 cents on the dollar, and in the other, Happy Saver (Super Saver), who got the better of Mystic Guide when first they eyeballed one another in last year's GI Jockey Club Gold Cup and the clear second choice at 8-5. Max Player (Honor Code) had yet to beat a horse of the quality of either of those and was duly sent off a distant fourth choice at what some would deem underlaid odds of 11-1. He was clearly overmatched on paper, but as the old saying goes, they don't run races on paper, and the persevering 4-year-old outslugged the odds-on choice to cause the upset in the 'Win and You're In' qualifier for this year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic. Happy Saver was no real menace in third.

Drawn five of six, with Mystic Guide to his inside and Happy Saver to his outer, Max Player wasn't the quickest out of the stalls but was soon clicked up by Ricardo Santana, Jr. and improved to be the pace-chaser as Moretti (Medaglia d'Oro)–a stakes winner at 11 and 14 furlongs–called the shots up front. Santana was content to lie second and wait for Moretti to play his hand, but Mystic Guide–perhaps a touch eager in his first start in 98 days–tugged for his head beneath Luis Saez, and Happy Saver was committed to an overland journey by Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Racing one off the fence, Moretti took the Suburban field into the final four furlongs, but Saez immediately seized upon the opening at the inside and allowed Mystic Guide to advance into what appeared to be a pretty tight spot, causing him a moment's hesitation that may have briefly stopped any momentum he'd built up. Max Player kept pace three wide, but Mystic Guide looked to be doing the better work has he struck to the front right at the quarter pole. Shaken up at the three-sixteenths, Mystic Guide looked to have the race at his mercy, but he was tardy in switching his leads, drifted to his right despite right-handed urging and could not resist the persistent rally of Max Player in the run to the wire. Happy Saver, four wide off the home corner, stayed on at one pace while never a danger to the top two and just lasted for third over Moretti.

“He was training really well,” said the winning jockey. “He always runs well on this track. He always tries hard. Today, he broke well and put me right there. I took the spot and no one wanted to go. As soon as he felt [Mystic Guide] inside, he kept on fighting until the end.”

Mike Stidham, trainer of the beaten favorite, was not unduly dismayed, and said: “It's not that surprising that a horse coming off three months might get tired off this kind of a racetrack. Certainly no disgrace in defeat. He ran hard and ran well. We're going onward and rolling toward the Breeders' Cup. We'll see how he comes out of it and then start talking about what's next.”

Winner of the GIII Withers S. while under the care of Linda Rice last February, Max Player was caught up in the uncertainty surrounding the numerous COVID-19 cancellations and ended up–less than ideally–racing first off a 4 1/2-month absence in the GI Belmont S. in June. A creditable third to Tiz the Law (Constitution), he repeated the effort in the GI Runhappy Travers S. in early August, but when Rice expressed some doubt about a possible run in the Sept. 5 GI Kentucky Derby, was moved to the Steve Asmussen barn. Fifth in the Run for the Roses and again in the GI Preakness S. a month later, Max Player had been soundly defeated in his two starts this term–an 11th-place effort in the Saudi Cup in February and a distant sixth in the GIII Pimlico Special S. when last seen May 15.

Pedigree Notes:

Kelly Breen signed the ticket on Fools In Love, going to $80,000 on behalf of K&G Stables at the 2007 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic yearling sale. A debut winner and multiple stakes placed at two, Fools In Love won her only black-type race in the 2009 Orleans S. at Delta Downs a few races before Hall's Truth and Justice (Yes It's True) was unfortunately pulled up when favored in the GIII Delta Princess S.

Fools In Love has gone on to be an integral part of Hall's broodmare operation and has bred five winners from five to race, including GSW & G1SP Seahenge (Scat Daddy), GSP Urban Bourbon (City Zip) and SP Frank's Folly (Mineshaft) prior to Max Player. The half-sister to MGSW International Star (Fusaichi Pegasus) was sold to Cheveley Park Stud for an even $1 million (offered not pregnant to Speightstown) at Keeneland November in 2017. Her first foal for that operation, the 2-year-old colt Homeric (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}), fetched €175,000 from Jamie Railton Sales Agency as a foal at Goffs in 2019 and she has since produced a filly by Frankel (GB) and another Ulysses colt.

Saturday, Belmont
SUBURBAN S.-GII, $400,000, Belmont, 7-3, 4yo/up, 1 1/4m, 2:01.95, sy.
1–MAX PLAYER, 120, c, 4, by Honor Code
                1st Dam: Fools in Love (SW, $240,746), by Not For Love
                2nd Dam: Parlez, by French Deputy
                3rd Dam: Speak Halory, by Verbatim
($150,000 RNA Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-George E Hall & SportBLX
Thoroughbreds Corp; B-K & G Stables (KY); T-Steven M.
Asmussen; J-Ricardo Santana Jr. $220,000. Lifetime Record:
MGISP, 10-3-1-2, $717,500. *1/2 to Seahenge (Scat Daddy),
GSW & G1SP-Eng, SP-Ire, $228,295; and to Urban Bourbon
(City Zip), GSP, $113,381. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Mystic Guide, 124, c, 4, Ghostzapper–Music Note, by A.P.
Indy. 'TDN Rising Star'. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Michael
Stidham. $80,000.
3–Happy Saver, 124, c, 4, Super Saver–Happy Week, by
Distorted Humor. 'TDN Rising Star'. O/B-Wertheimer Et Frere
(KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $48,000.
Margins: NK, 2HF, NK. Odds: 11.80, 0.85, 1.60.
Also Ran: Moretti, Informative, Prioritize. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Honor Code’s Max Player Upends Suburban appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Max Player to Preakness

George Hall and SportsBLX Thoroughbreds Corp.’s Max Player (Honor Code) will contest the Oct. 3 GI Preakness S. at Pimlico.

“I’m very excited because I haven’t been in the Preakness yet,” said Hall, who won the 2011 Belmont with 24-1 shot Ruler On Ice. “After the Kentucky Derby, he looked like he wanted to keep running. Steve watched him closely, and he was in great shape. He’s galloped well. He’s breezed well. We felt the horse was at the peak of his game and is ready to run.”

Winner of the GIII Withers S. for Linda Rice in February, Max Player finished third in the June 20 GI Belmont S before filling the same position in the GI Travers S. Aug. 8. Transferred to Steve Asmussen, he was fifth in his latest start in the Sept. 5 GI Kentucky Derby. Asmussen previously won the Preakness with Curlin (Smart Strike) in 2007 and again in 2009 with the filly Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d’Oro).

“I really feel like we will be competitive,” said Hall. “If you look at the Belmont S., where we were third, he didn’t have such a great trip. We got really caught behind a lot of horses and had to move around a lot and still wound up being third because he came on so strong at the end. In the Travers, he again came on strong to be third. It’s no shame to lose to Tiz the Law, as everybody knows. We feel like he’s a really good horse. When we started to look at the Preakness, I think the view is that he’s in perfectly good health. He’s in good shape, and he needs to develop. Reviewing the Kentucky Derby, he really came out of the gate slow [from post 1] and was far behind in the first jump. If we can get a little better trip out of the gate, maybe get a better post position and not fall so far behind and give him so much work to do at the end, we think that we can be competitive.”

According to Hall, jockey Paco Lopez will partner the colt for the first time in the Preakness.

“Obviously, we want to stay in the race, but we have to be careful because he is going to be a closer, no matter what,” said Hall. “I’m sure Steve will give Paco the correct instructions.”

Looking farther down the road, Hall added, “He had a long layoff before the Belmont, but then he’s had a robust campaign since,” Hall said. “What’s most important to us is that he stays healthy and has a good 4-year-old and, hopefully, 5-year-old career. We didn’t really think there was negative toward running in the Preakness that would affect his long-term prospects as a 4-year-old. We’re pretty excited about what he’s going to do be doing in the future, too.”

Hall bred Max Player through his K & G Stables, named for his children Katherine and George, with the colt raised on his Annestes Farm in Versailles, Ky. Hall owns 86% of Max Player, with SportBLX Thoroughbreds owning the other 14%. Co-founded by Hall and Joe De Perio, SportBLX Thoroughbreds offers micro-shares in racehorses. More micro-shares in Max Player, which will come out of his majority interest, likely will be available for purchase next week, Hall said.

Asmussen will also run Monmouth Park’s Pegasus S. winner Pneumatic (Uncle Mo) in the Preakness. Joe Bravo will have the mount.

The post Max Player to Preakness appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

‘We Can Be Competitive’: Max Player Heading To Preakness Stakes

Max Player is headed to the Preakness Stakes (G1), which as it currently stands will stamp him as the only horse to compete in all three legs of the Triple Crown — plus Saratoga's Travers Stakes (G1).

Owned by George Hall and the SportBLX Thoroughbreds company he co-founded, Max Player finished third in the Belmont Stakes (G1), third in the Travers and most recently fifth in the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby (G1). Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, winner of the 2007 Preakness with Curlin and the 2009 edition with the filly Rachel Alexandra, ran Max Player for the first time in the Derby, with New York-based Linda Rice previously training the Honor Code colt.

Hall won the 2011 Belmont Stakes with 24-1 shot Ruler On Ice. Max Player was his best finish out of four starters in the Kentucky Derby and his first to run in the Churchill Downs classic since Louisiana Derby (G2) winner Pants On Fire came in ninth in 2011.

“I'm very excited because I haven't been in the Preakness yet,” Hall said by phone. “Steve and I stay in close contact. He shares a lot of information with me, and we discuss things. So it's been great. We both agreed we'd take a lot of things into consideration before there was a decision.

“First, and most importantly, how was the horse feeling and was the horse up for it? Because we don't want to do anything that is not in the interest of the horse. After the Kentucky Derby, he looked like he wanted to keep running. Steve watched him closely, and he was in great shape. He's galloped well. He's breezed well. We felt the horse was at the peak of his game and is ready to run.

“The next thing is, are we going to be competitive? I really feel like we will be competitive. If you look at the Belmont Stakes, where we were third, he didn't have such a great trip. We got really caught behind a lot of horses and had to move around a lot and still wound up being third because he came on so strong at the end. In the Travers, he again came on strong to be third. It's no shame to lose to Tiz the Law, as everybody knows. We feel like he's a really good horse.

“When we started to look at the Preakness, I think the view is that he's in perfectly good health. He's in good shape, and he needs to develop. Reviewing the Kentucky Derby, he really came out of the gate slow (from post 1) and was far behind in the first jump. If we can get a little better trip out of the gate, maybe get a better post position and not fall so far behind and give him so much work to do at the end, we think that we can be competitive.”

Paco Lopez, known for getting horses into a race, has the Preakness mount on Max Player, Hall said. “That's what Paco is known for. Obviously, we want to stay in the race, but we have to be careful because he is going to be a closer, no matter what. I'm sure Steve will give Paco the correct instructions.”

Max Player won Aqueduct's 1 1/8-mile Withers Stakes (G3) on Feb. 1 after winning a maiden race at Parx on his second attempt. He did not run again until the June 20 Belmont, which this year also was 1 1/8 miles instead of the traditional 1 1/2-miles because of the COVID-forced changes to the 2020 Triple Crown.

“He had a long layoff before the Belmont, but then he's had a robust campaign since,” Hall said. “What's most important to us is that he stays healthy and has a good 4-year-old and hopefully 5-year-old career. We didn't really think there was negative toward running in the Preakness that would affect his long-term prospects as a 4-year-old. We're pretty excited about what he's going to do be doing in the future, too.”

Hall bred Max Player through his K & G Stables, named for his children Katherine and George, with the colt raised on his Annestes Farm in Versailles, Ky. Hall owns 86 percent of Max Player, with SportBLX Thoroughbreds owning the other 14 percent. Co-founded by Hall with Joe De Perio, SportBLX Thoroughbreds allows people to buy micro-shares in racehorses, similar in basic premise to Myracehorse, a minority owner in Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness favorite Authentic.

More micro-shares in Max Player, which will come out of his majority interest, likely will be available for purchase next week, Hall said.

Asmussen also is running Monmouth Park's Pegasus winner Pneumatic in the Preakness, with Joe Bravo to ride.

The post ‘We Can Be Competitive’: Max Player Heading To Preakness Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Max Player Works and Mr. Big News Added to Derby Line Up

George Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbred Corp.’s Max Player (Honor Code) put in his final work ahead of Saturday’s GI Kentucky Derby with an easy half-mile in :49.80 (26/50) Monday morning at Churchill Downs. The colt put up splits of :12.40 and :24.40 and galloped out in 1:02.80.

“He’s continuing to do well,” Steve Asmussen, who has taken over training duties from Linda Rice, said. “I’m extremely excited about how he’s going to run in the Kentucky Derby. I love how he looks going over the racetrack. His attitude is really good. He came in with a really good attitude and was moving really well. That has stayed the same.”

Max Player won the GIII Withers S. for the New York-based Rice in February and is coming off third-place efforts in the June 20 GI Belmont S. and Aug. 8 GI Travers S. He will be making his first start for Asmussen in the Derby.

“The reason he is here is to give him time to acclimate to the track and the surroundings to hopefully make up the difference,” Asmussen said. “He’s been third to Tiz the Law in his last two races. That horse is the deserving favorite and a tall task. You only have one chance to run in the Derby and we just wanted to do everything we could to give him his best chance.”

Allied Racing Stable’s Mr. Big News (Giant’s Causeway) has been added to the field of Derby contenders. Fifth in the Feb. 15 GII Risen Star S., he won the Apr. 11 Oaklawn S. and is coming off a sixth-place effort in the July 11 GII Toyota Blue Grass S.

“I know we don’t have some of the numbers like Tiz the Law, Art Collector and Honor A. P., but this horse is improving,” said owner Chester Thomas. “I think he is absolutely going to love the distance and will make a big run late.”

Trained by Bret Calhoun, Mr. Big News will be ridden by Gabriel Saez in the Derby. He worked five furlongs in 1:04.40 (2/2) at Churchill Downs Sunday.

The post Max Player Works and Mr. Big News Added to Derby Line Up appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post