grazen | Horse Racing Free Tips

Off The Turf No Problem For Alice Marble In Irish O’Brien

The picture of consistency, Alice Marble's only off-the-board finish in her career came on debut in Oct. 2020 when she found the synthetic at Golden Gate not to her liking. Never worse than third over both dirt and turf in California since, the 6-year-old has contested two straight stakes races at Santa Anita–finishing third to Big Summer (Mr. Big) in the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint S. Jan. 7 and winning the Spring Fever S. On the dirt Feb. 19.

Happy whether this race stayed on the turf on not, the heavy 2-5 wagering choice was away in good order and checked in second of four at the first point of call. Paced up front by Feeling Grazeful (Grazen), the field remained tightly bunched up the backstretch through a half in :45.56. Up alongside the leader as Rose Maddox had the door slammed on her inside, Alice Marble took over between rivals past the quarter pole and was able to gain just a bit of separation. Rose Maddox made a gallant effort to re-rally down the outside but Alice Marble had the first jump and was home clear to top a Grazen-sired exacta.

“I was actually focused on 'Rose' and she had to take up pretty seriously, I think it spoke well for her,” said Nick Alexander, the owner and breeder of the top two finishers. “I think she (Rose Maddox) has a bright future. It is just a relief that we beat (Taming the Tigress), I didn't want to run three Grazens behind her (trainer Anthony Saavedra's Feeling Grazful included)…That worked out well.”

With a pair of stakes winners by the leading California sire already, Unsung Heroine has returned to Grazen in each of her last four seasons but has not produced a foal since 3-year-old filly Dusty Springfield. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

IRISH O'BRIEN S., $98,000, Santa Anita, 3-17, (S), 4yo/up, f/m, 6 1/2f (off turf), 1:16.95, ft.
1–ALICE MARBLE, 124, m, 6, Grazen–Unsung Heroine,
by More Than Ready. O/B-Nick Alexander (CA); T-Philip
D'Amato; J-Flavien Prat. $60,000. Lifetime Record: GSP,
15-7-2-3, $470,880. *Full to Enola Gray, GSW & GISP,
$585,100.
2–Rose Maddox, 124, f, 4, Grazen–Heat the Rocks,
by Unusual Heat. O/B-Nick Alexander (CA); T-Steven Miyadi.
$20,000.
3–Taming the Tigress, 122, m, 5, Smiling
Tiger–Joeandbetty'sbaby, by Yes It's True. ($21,000 2yo '20
CTBAJA). O-Mia Familia Racing Stable and Moon S. Han;
B-Highlander Racing Stable, LLC (CA); T-Librado Barocio.
$12,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 2 1/4, 5 1/4. Odds: 0.40, 4.80, 3.20.
Also Ran: Feeling Grazeful. Scratched: Big Summer, Shocking Grey.

The post Off The Turf No Problem For Alice Marble In Irish O’Brien appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Fun to Dream Crowned CTBA Horse of the Year

Grade I winner Fun to Dream (Arrogate) was crowned California-bred Horse of the Year at the CTBA Awards dinner held Monday night. The 4-year-old filly, who is out of the Maria's Mon mare Lutess, was bred by Connie Pageler and trainer Bob Baffert and is owned by Paegler and Natalie J. Baffert. The gray filly was also named Cal-bred champion 3-year-old filly and sprinter, and her dam was named Cal-bred broodmare of the year.

“I did this, it was a crazy thing, I called Garrett O'Rourke at Juddmonte and I told him I'm going to do something really crazy, I'm sending you a mare that I claimed for $8,000,” Bob Baffert, who was voted Trainer of the Year, said. “I told Connie, we're going to breed her to Arrogate, one of the greatest horses I ever trained. And we got lucky. We talked about what to name her and it's fun to dream, that's why we're all in this business. And that's how she got her name.

“Connie sold the mare and I'm going to get crazy again and do a foal share with Justify. So, hopefully, I'll be up here in a couple of years and maybe we can catch lightning in a bottle twice.”In 2022, Fun to Dream had five wins in six starts, including the GI La Brea S., and earned $426,590. Overall, she has six wins in seven starts and earnings of $546,590.

Other 2022 Cal-bred champions:
Champion California-bred 2-Year-Old Male: Giver Not a Taker (Danzing Candy)
Champion California-bred 2-Year-Old Female: Sell The Dream (Munnings)
Champion California-bred 3-Year-Old: Slow Down Andy (Nyquist)
Champion California-bred 3-Year-Old Female: Fun to Dream
Champion California-bred Older Male: The Chosen Vron (Vronsky).
Champion California-bred Older Female: Becca Taylor (Old Topper)
Champion California-bred Sprinter: Fun to Dream
Champion California-bred Turf Horse: The Chosen Vron
Champion Sire of California Conceived Foals by Earnings: Grazen (Benchmark)
Champion Sire of California Conceived Foals by Number of Winners: Grazen
Champion Sire of California Conceived Foals by Turf Earnings: Grazen
Champion Sire of California Conceived 2-Year-Olds by Earnings: Stay Thirsty (Bernardini)
Trainer of the Year: Bob Baffert
Broodmare of the Year: Lutess (Maria's Mon)
Champion Breeder of California Foaled Thoroughbreds by Earnings: Nick Alexander
Scoop Vessels Award: The Derby Room
CTBA Hall of Fame: Joe Harper, Nashoba's Key (Silver Hawk)

The post Fun to Dream Crowned CTBA Horse of the Year appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Lieutenant Dan Cruises In Eddie D. As Racing Returns To Santa Anita Hillside Course

Celebrated by racing fans nationwide, racing returned to Santa Anita's Camino Real hillside turf course in Arcadia, Calif., on Friday as California-bred Lieutenant Dan pressed the pace and took control turning for home en route to a half-length victory in the Grade 2, $200,000 Eddie D. Stakes. Ridden by Geovanni Franco, “Dan” got the “about” distance of 6 ½ furlongs down the hill on firm turf in 1:11.74.

Owned and bred by Nick Alexander, Lieutenant Dan sat a close third early to pacesetter Charmaine's Mia, who was pressed to her immediate outside by Law Abidin Citizen. Hand-ridden over the dirt crossing at the top of the stretch, Lieutenant Dan cruised to the lead and was never seriously challenged through the lane.

Off as the 5-2 favorite in a field of nine 3-year-olds and up, Lieutenant Dan, who notched his third consecutive victory today, paid $7.00, $3.80 and $3.20. The 5-year-old gelding by Alexander's stallion Grazen has now won eight of 16 career starts.

“It was so unexpected,” said Alexander of the horse's growing resume. “I think he was the seventh or eighth foal out of the mare (Excusabull), and the first seven did nothing so, we had very low expectations for this horse and he just continues to exceed them. He just loves to win.

“I love that turf course,” Alexander added. “We have always excelled on it and Grazen babies just seem to love that distance and that downhill. It is so beautiful.”

“He's a pretty fast horse and he's very versatile,” said Franco. “He broke sharp like he always does and put me in a nice spot where if they were going too slow, I could have gone and if they were going too fast, I could have sat back.

“All in all, he was the one taking me through the trip. At the end of the race he kept on going. I heard some noises of people coming but he never slowed down or waited for anybody.

“It was a great feeling to ride the hill again, it is definitely different than any other race or surface,” added Franco. “You have a lot of fun out there, especially when you have a horse like this one.”

[Story Continues Below]

Highly accomplished Snapper Sinclair, who shipped in from Churchill Downs for Steve Asmussen, kept to his task from off the pace and finished second in a solid effort, finishing a neck in front of the Bob Hess, Jr. Chaos Theory. Off as the 7-2 second choice, he paid $4.40 and $3.20.

Ridden by Kent Desormeaux, Chaos Theory was off at 36-1 and paid $10.80 to show while finishing a half length better than a late closing Gregorian Chant.

Fractions on the race were 21.61, 42.95 and 1:05.66.

The Eddie D is named for legendary retired Hall of Fame jockey Eddie Delahoussaye.

The post Lieutenant Dan Cruises In Eddie D. As Racing Returns To Santa Anita Hillside Course appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Lieutenant Dan Registers Front-Running Score In Green Flash

Nick Alexander's homebred Lieutenant Dan was just too fast for seven rivals in Sunday's $101,500 Green Flash Handicap at Del Mar, running five furlongs on turf in :55.98.

The 5-year-old gelding by Alexander's prime stallion, Grazen, shook off pressure early, then cleared late to finish 2 1/4 lengths best in the dash for 3-year-olds and up. He picked up a check for $60,000 for the win and pushed his bankroll to $543,740.

Geovanni Franco rode the winner for trainer Steve Miyadi.

Finishing second was Hogan or Hogan's Give Me the Lute, a neck in front of Slam Dunk Racing, Old Bones Racing Stable and Nentwig's Gregorian Chant.

Lieutenant Dan paid $6.00, $3.40 and $2.60. Give Me the Lure returned $7.40 and $4.80 and Gregorian Chant paid $3.60 to show.

Post-race quotes:

GEOVANNI FRANCO (Lieutenant Dan, winner) – “No special instructions for me; I know this horse well. Since he's come back from his layoff (was away from June 2020 to July 2021), he's more puffed up. He's acting like a bully. He's doing good now. When I made the lead in the straight, I wasn't worried about the others behind me coming to get us. But I wasn't going to wait for them either.”

STEVE MIYADI (Lieutenant Dan, winner) – “In this day and age you're always worried about the bounce. I didn't train him particularly hard for (a win here July 23), because I was thinking about this race and I was pleasantly surprised at how well he ran. That's when you worry about the bounce. He overcame my training.”

FRACTIONS: :22.16 :44.52 :55.98

The stakes win was the first of the meet for rider Franco and his first in the Green Flash. He now has four stakes wins at Del Mar.

The stakes win was the first of the meet for trainer Miyadi and his first in the Green Flash. He now has four stakes wins at Del Mar.

The winning owner and breeders is Nick Alexander of Santa Ynez and Del Mar, Calif.

The post Lieutenant Dan Registers Front-Running Score In Green Flash appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post