GI Fourstardave S. | Horse Racing Free Tips

Voodoo Song Retired

Sheryl and Barry Schwartz’s Voodoo Song (English Channel -Mystic Chant, by Unbridled’s Song) has been retired from racing. Bred by Stonewall Farm, the six-year-old stallion prospect, who recorded his most important career victory in Saratoga’s 2018 GI Fourstardave H., retires with eight career wins and lifetime earnings of $954,350.

“There’s been a lot of great horses who have raced at Saratoga over the years, but if he can win six races in a row up here in two years, I’ve never heard of anything like that, except for Native Dancer [a Hall of Famer who won four races there in 1952 and was 6-for-6 at the Spa from 1952-54],” said Barry Schwartz. “You breed a lot of horses, and with each crop you hope you have a good one. It’s not that you’re surprised to get a good one. You’re thrilled that he’s grown into the kind of horse you can get excited about.”

During his sophomore season, the New York-bred defeated eventual 2019 Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar in the GIII Saranac S. and was runner up in the GIII Commonwealth Derby at Laurel.

The post Voodoo Song Retired appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Fourstardave Possible for Uni

Reigning champion turf mare Uni (GB) (More Than Ready), who finished third in her seasonal debut in the June 27 GI Just A Game S., may make her next start against colts in the GI Fourstardave S. Aug. 22 at Saratoga Race Course. The Chad Brown trainee, who suffered her only loss of 2019 in last year’s Fourstardave, wrapped up her championship-earning season by taking the GI First Lady S. at Keeneland in course-record time and the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita.

“The only Grade I going a flat mile on the grass at Saratoga is against boys. Will we try it? Probably,” said Bradley Weisbord of BSW/Crow Bloodstock, who manages Uni on behalf of owners Michael Dubb, Head of Plains Partners, Robert LaPenta and Bethlehem Stables. “She was an unlucky loser last year to Got Stormy. We could take that route again this year and try to protect our title in the First Lady at Keeneland and the Breeders’ Cup Mile.”

Since joining Brown in 2017, Uni has placed in all but one of her 13 starts for the trainer, including eight stakes wins at six different tracks. In 2018, Uni won twice over soft and yielding turf in Saratoga’s De La Rose S. and the GIII Noble Damsel S. at Belmont. While the turf was listed as “firm” for the Just a Game, there were rain showers in the Elmont area earlier in the day.

“She’s won on soft turf before, but [jockey] Joel [Rosario] said she was struggling with the turf that day,” said Weisbord of the 6-year-old’s latest start. “She probably needed the race. She had a splint issue in April and breezed four or five times heading into the Just a Game, so she wasn’t super cherry heading into the race and you have to be cherry to beat a filly like Newspaperofrecord. Hats off to Chad for getting her back to Grade I form. She’ll be tough the rest of the year.”

Fellow Brown trainee Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), a close second in the GI Manhattan to stable mate Instilled Regard (Arch), could target the Sept. 5 GI Forester Turf Classic at Churchill Downs. The 4-year-old is campaigned by Madaket Stable, Michael Dubb, Wonder Stables, Michael Kisber and Bethlehem Stables.

“It’s hard to know what his best distance his, but a mile and an eighth should hit him right over the head,” Weisbord said. “We’ve gotten beat a lot in stakes, but what made that such a brutal beat [last time] was because he had the horses in front of him collared. I don’t think the horse or Johnny saw Instilled Regard coming.”

Rockemperor has placed in four of his five starts in the United States, including a third in last season’s GI Belmont Derby. He made his seasonal bow in the GII Muniz Memorial Classic at Fair Grounds Mar. 21 before being demoted to third in the May 23 GII Charles Whittingham at Santa Anita.

The post Fourstardave Possible for Uni appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

‘Stormy’ Outlook in the Poker

The only female in Belmont’s GIII Poker S. field Saturday, Gary Barber’s Got Stormy (Get Stormy) enters the eight-furlong test packing top credentials as one of only two Grade I winners in the field of nine. Victorious in last summer’s De La Rose S. against fillies at Saratoga, she returned a week later to score by 2 1/2 lengths over the boys in the GI Fourstardave H. Not ducking anyone when second in the GI Woodbine Mile and GI Breeders’ Cup Mile last fall, she came from off the pace to take the Dec. 1 GI Matriarch S. at Del Mar. Winless in three starts this season, Got Stormy’s best effort came when second by a neck in the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile Santa Anita Mar. 7. Last out, she ran fourth in the June 3 GIII Beaugay when chasing frontrunning Rushing Fall off a near three-month layoff at Belmont.

“The California race was very good,” said trainer Mark Casse. “Her last race was disappointing, but we took her out of her element. There was no speed in the race and we tried to keep her closer and that was to her demise. We won’t do that again, we’ll let her settle.”

Got Stormy scratched out of last Saturday’s GI Just a Game after persistent rainstorms soaked the Belmont green. Casse said he made the call after watching Monkeyseemonkeydo (Twirling Candy) win a seven-furlong turf maiden June 27 in 1:24.15.

“After watching them run seven-eighths in :24 and change, I said this turf is not for us,” explained Casse. “She didn’t get really good until last summer and her best races are on hard ground. I think the soft turf got her beat in the Woodbine Mile and she was just beat by a better horse at the Breeders’ Cup.”

“We’re just trying to find her top form and I believe it has to do with a harder turf course,” added Casse. “She won’t get it this weekend at Belmont, but she also likes the sharper turns at Saratoga and Santa Anita because she has a quick turn of foot when you ask her to go.”

Trainer Chad Brown is responsible for the only other Grade I winner in the Poker field, Valid Point (Scat Daddy), who will be accompanied by stablemate Value Proposition (GB) (Dansili {GB}) in the gate Saturday. Owned by eFive Racing Thoroughbreds and Michael J. Ryan, Valid Point won his first three career starts, including a one-length score in the GI Secretariat S. at Arlington last August. The colt completed his 3-year-old campaign with an off-the-board effort in October in the GI Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland. Klaravich Stables’ Value Proposition recorded a career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure last out when capturing an optional-claiming turf mile at Belmont June 3. Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will pilot Valid Point from post 2 while Value Proposition will exit post 9 under Irad Ortiz, Jr.

The post ‘Stormy’ Outlook in the Poker appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post