green flash handicap | Horse Racing Free Tips

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

Glatt Calls Audible With Collusion Illusion, Tries Dirt Sprinter Collusion Illusion On Turf In Green Flash

Mark Glatt-trained Collusion Illusion, voted the top sprinter of the 2020 Del Mar Thoroughbred Club meeting in Del Mar, Calif., off a victory in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes, will make his 2021 racing debut in Sunday's G3 Green Flash Handicap. It's sprinting all right – five furlongs. But it's also on turf, which will be a first for the 4-year-old son of Twirling Candy.

A minor hoof injury incurred on the eve of the race prevented Collusion Illusion from a title defense in the Bing Crosby on July 31.

“He got a little off schedule when he was supposed to run in the Bing Crosby, and we had talked about running him on turf at some point,” Glatt said. “Given his level of fitness and what races were available to us in the near future here, the Green Flash was the only one that made sense.

“It's time to try him on the turf and see how he does. If it works out, this could open up a whole new avenue (of racing) for us to consider.”

The field for the Green Flash from the rail out with jockeys and morning line odds in parentheses: Kneedeepinsnow (Drayden Van Dyke, 20-1); Texas Wedge (Umberto Rispoli, 6-1); Lieutenant Dan (Giovanni Franco, 7-2); Collusion Illusion (Flavien Prat, 7-2); Chasin Munny (Jose Valdivia, Jr., 10-1); Little Juanito (Ricky Gonzalez, 6-1); Give Me the Lute (Kent Desormeaux, 6-1), and Gregorian Chant (Juan Hernandez, 5-2).

The post Glatt Calls Audible With Collusion Illusion, Tries Dirt Sprinter Collusion Illusion On Turf In Green Flash appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Chaos Theory Proves Sharp Claim For Sadler, Winning Green Flash Handicap

Hronis Racing's Chaos Theory, claimed for $62,500 last out by trainer John Sadler for his main owners – Pete and Kosta Hronis — made good on his first trip over the grass in California with a come-from-behind, one-length tally in Saturday's $101,000 Green Flash Handicap at Del Mar near San Diego, Calif.

The 5-year-old gelding, who was last seen in action at Churchill Downs in Kentucky on June 14, was handled by Umberto Rispoli, the newcomer to Del Mar this season who has shown a special affinity for its grass course. The Green Flash score was his sixth stakes victory of the meet with five of them coming on the turf. He's now won 23 turf races in 69 tries, a remarkable 33% clip on the green.

“It was beautiful.,” said Rispoli. “He surprised me because he broke so sharply. I figured we'd be a little farther back, but it put us in a great spot just behind the speed. At this distance you can't get too far back. I had a lot of horse turning for home. I thought we'd get there.”

Chaos Theory, by Curlin, paid $5.60, $3.40 and $2.80 across the board as the race favorite. He picked up $60,000 for the score bringing his bankroll to $260,554.

Finishing second was Maryanski and Schneider's Baja Sur and running third was W. C. Racing's Torosay.

Chaos Theory covered the five furlong distance in :56.22.

“We've got a great grass sprint program in California and Santa Anita is actually adding a turf chute,” said Sadler. “So we have a variety of distances on the grass and this horse is kind of a specialist — 5, 5 ½ furlongs so I thought he would be a great fit in California, that's why we brought him out. He's a good horse. We were pleased with his race today.”

The stakes win was the second of the meet and second in the Green Flash (2008, Get Funky) for trainer Sadler. He now has 78 stakes wins at Del Mar, moving him ahead of Ron McAnally and into second place on Del Mar's all-time trainers' list.

The post Chaos Theory Proves Sharp Claim For Sadler, Winning Green Flash Handicap appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post