gulfstream park | Horse Racing Free Tips

Largent Helps Pletcher Bag Fourth Win Of Day In Ft. Lauderdale

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Twin Creeks Racing Stables' Largent put an exclamation point on a four-win afternoon for trainer Todd Pletcher, punching his ticket to next month's $1-million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) with a come-from-behind victory in Saturday's $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The 64th running of the 1 1/8-mile Fort Lauderdale for 3-year-olds and up on the grass was the headliner on an 11-race program featuring five stakes, four graded, worth $575,000 in purses including the $100,000 Harlan's Holiday (G3), a prep for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) Jan. 23, won by Tax.

With Paco Lopez aboard for the first time, Largent ($35.80) swept to the lead on the far outside approaching the stretch and outran fellow longshots Breaking the Rules and Doswell late to win by two lengths in 1:46.16 over turf course rated good.

Since the Pegasus Turf was inaugurated in 2019, the Fort Lauderdale was moved from early January to mid-December to serve as the local stepping-stone to the Pegasus Day event. Eight of the 10 horses in Saturday's field were stakes winners, six of them in graded company led by millionaire favorite Factor This.

“Very salty field, indeed, and very fast fractions,” Pletcher said. “[Largent] is a horse that's generally laying up close. I just told Paco, 'It looks like there's a lot of pace, just try to sit in the pocket,' and he delivered a very good ride.”

“One thing is, he's always loved Gulfstream. He's always run very well here and we just felt like it was the right time to step up,” he added. “He'd been training great and it was the right time to see if he could step up into a big spot.”

It was the third career stakes win and first in graded company for Largent, who captured a pair of Virginia-bred stakes earlier this year at Colonial Downs and Laurel Park. The 4-year-old Into Mischief gelding has now won four of his five starts at Gulfstream, with one second.

“He's always run well here and he's a horse that has shown some talent. This was definitely his toughest task to date but he showed that he likes it here and delivered a big performance,” Pletcher said. “I think he certainly ran well enough today to earn a spot into the Pegasus, which we'd love to do.”

Lopez settled Largent in mid-pack as his Pletcher-trained stablemate, Grade 1 winner Halladay, and Factor This battled dueled on the front end through fractions of 23.22 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 46.34 for the half, going six furlongs in 1:09.62. Lopez tipped outside after saving ground early and powered through the stretch to cruise past the tiring leaders.

“[Pletcher] said, 'Paco, there's a lot of speed, four or five horses. Just go behind them and relax. Figure out where you are and ride your race,'” Lopez said. “He broke well, he came back and he was very comfortable. We came around horses at the top of the stretch and went on.”

Doswell, a winner of his previous two races, came up the rail to edge Breaking the Rules for second. They were followed by graded winners Spooky Channel and Channel Cat, Tide of the Sea, Halladay, Factor This, multiple graded-stakes winner Somelikeithotbrown and French Group 3 winner Delaware.

“There was a little bit of cut [in the ground] and they were certainly going fast enough. The key was that [Largent] was able to settle and relax early on and that allowed him to deliver a big closing kick,” Pletcher said. “Unfortunately for Halladay there was so much pace in today's race. We didn't want to take away his weapon, but at the same time he was probably doing a little too much early on.”

Pletcher was the trainer of Channel Cat when he ran 10th of 12 in the most recent edition of the Pegasus Turf, won in an upset by Zulu Alpha.

“With Largent, I think he certainly earned his way in and with Halladay, we'll assess how he comes out of it,” Pletcher said. “We'll get them home and evaluate both of them but we'll just kind of play it by ear with Halladay.”

The post Largent Helps Pletcher Bag Fourth Win Of Day In Ft. Lauderdale appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Tax Impressive in Potential Pegasus Tune-Up

Tax (Arch) likely punched his ticket to the $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park Jan. 23 with a sharp, front-running performance off the bench in Saturday’s GIII Harlan’s Holiday S.

The 2019 GII Jim Dandy S. and GIII Withers S. winner hit the gate running from his rail draw and Luis Saez was able to dictate very manageable fractions of :23.87 and :46.96. He began to give them the slip as they hit the top of the stretch and was home free from there, running up the score under confident handling, just missing Social Inclusion’s 2014 track record of 1:40.96 by less than a fifth of a second.

A distant ninth at a well-backed 4-1 after stumbling at the start in the 2020 Pegasus back in January, Tax only made one start since, finishing fifth in the GII Oaklawn H. May 2.

Claimed for $50,000 out of his maiden breaker at Keeneland in October 2018, Tax’s resume also includes runner-up finishes in Aqueduct’s 2019 GII Wood Memorial S. and GIII Discovery S. and a third-place finish in the 2018 GII Remsen S. He was also a respectable fourth in the GI Belmont S.

The Harlan’s Holiday was his first victory since capturing the Jim Dandy over Tacitus (Tapit) and Global Campaign (Curlin).

“We have really, really been high on him,” winning trainer Danny Gargan said. “We really thought he’d run big at Keeneland, but he got sick on us and caused him to miss the race. I got really depressed about it because I was waiting to run him. Today, he showed up. I think this will be his best year. He’s grown, developed. He’s sound. He’s bigger, stronger than he’s ever been. I couldn’t be happier with him today.”

Pedigree Notes:

Tax is the product of three generations bred by Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider out of Wild Applause (Northern Dancer), who Seth Hancock bought from Rokeby Stables for $1,025,000 at the 1992 Keeneland November sale. Wild Applause and her dam, the blue hen and Broodmare of the Year Glowing Tribute (Graustark), were both bred by another benchmark in the game: Paul Mellon and his Rokeby Stables. Mellon and Charles Englehard had purchased Glowing Tribute’s dam, Admiring (Hail to Reason), for $310,000 at Saratoga in 1966, setting the world record for the time for a Thoroughbred sold at public auction. Admiring’s third dam was the incomparable breed-shaper La Troienne (Teddy), making Tax a direct tail-female descendant of La Troienne. The top-class winners, champions, and sires hailing from this family are an embarrassment of riches, as evidenced by Tax’s dam herself being a half-sister to the dam of MGISW Elate (Medaglia d’Oro). Toll, who sold for just $50,000 at the 2018 KEENOV sale months prior to Tax’s breakout success, has a yearling Blame filly and has been bred to Bee Jersey for next term. Tax’s late sire, Arch, stood at Claiborne and sired 70 black-type winners, 42 of which are graded. Arch hails from another of the greatest female families in the stud book–his third dam is Broodmare of the Year Courtly Dee (Never Bend)–making Tax possibly the best-bred gelding in the history of Thoroughbred racing.

Saturday, Gulfstream Park
HARLAN’S HOLIDAY S.-GIII, $100,000, Gulfstream, 12-12, 3yo/up, 1 1/16m, 1:41.15, ft.
1–TAX, 121, g, 4, by Arch
1st Dam: Toll, by Giant’s Causeway
2nd Dam: Yell, by A.P. Indy
3rd Dam: Wild Applause, by Northern Dancer
O-R A Hill Stable, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing & Hugh Lynch;
B-Claiborne Farm & Adele B Dilschneider (KY); T-Danny
Gargan; J-Luis Saez. $60,760. Lifetime Record: 13-4-3-1,
$957,060. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Werk Nick Rating: A.
2–Eye of a Jedi, 123, g, 5, Eye of the Leopard–Sea Song’s Grace,
by Elusive Quality. ($1,500 Ylg ’16 KEESEP). O/T-Steve Budhoo;
B-Calumet Farm (KY). $19,600.
3–Phat Man, 123, g, 6, Munnings–Nicole’s Dream, by Northern
Trend. ($57,000 Ylg ’15 FTKJUL; $72,000 RNA 2yo ’16 OBSMAR;
$20,000 2yo ’16 EASMAY; $65,000 5yo ’19 FTKHRA).
O-Marianne Stribling, Force Five Racing LLC & Two Rivers
Racing Stable LLC; B-Kim & Rodney Nardelli (KY); T-J Kent
Sweezey. $9,800.
Margins: 4HF, HF, 1. Odds: 2.30, 10.60, 2.20.
Also Ran: Math Wizard, Identifier, Tatweej, Royal Urn.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

The post Tax Impressive in Potential Pegasus Tune-Up appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Tax Returns With a Vengeance In Harlan’s Holiday; Pegasus World Cup Next?

R.A. Hill Stable, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Hugh Lynch's Tax returned to winning form in Saturday's $100,000 Harlan's Holiday (G3), scoring a dominating 4 ½ -length victory while stamping himself as a prime candidate for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) on Jan. 23 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The Harlan's Holiday, a 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds and up, was one of five stakes on Saturday's program, which was headlined by the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2), a key prep for the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1).

Tax, a prominent player on the 2019 Road to the Triple Crown, had been winless since capturing the 2019 Jim Dandy (G2) at Saratoga until he broke through with a dazzling front-running score Saturday that threatened the track record for 1 1/16 miles.

“We have really, really been high on him. We really thought he'd run big at Keeneland but he got sick on us and caused him to miss the race. I got really depressed about it because I was waiting to run him. Today, he showed up,” Gargan said. “I think this will be his best year. He's grown, developed. He's sound. He's bigger, stronger than he's ever been. I couldn't be happier with him today.”

Unraced since finishing fifth in the May 2 Oaklawn Handicap – his only start since finishing off-the-board in last year's Pegasus World Cup – Tax went right to the front under jockey Luis Saez after breaking from the No. 1 post position and was never threatened thereafter. The 4-year-old gelded son of Arch completed 1 1/16-miles in 1:41.15 while being under wraps for the final sixteenth of a mile, missing Social Inclusion's 2014 track record of 1:40.96 by less than a fifth of a second.

“I could feel that he was doing great. He was ready. He was pretty focused in the gate and he broke so sharp. He took the lead and controlled the pace and at the five-eighths, I felt like I had a lot of horse,” Saez said. “When we came to the stretch and he changed leads, he took off. He was very comfortable the whole way. I knew I had a lot of horse. We were just saving him for the next time. I could feel that we were going fast, but he was so comfortable. He loves to run, and we let him run.”

Next time could quite likely come in the Pegasus World Cup, in which he stumbled at the start and wasn't able to recover last year.

“I'll have to talk to Dean [Reeves] and Randy [Hill] and Hugh Lynch,” Gargan said. “I'm blessed that they're been so patient. He's only run two times this year. We turned him out and had a couple of misfortunes that we didn't get to run. Having great owners like those guys really helps you develop a horse into a good horse.”

Eye of a Jedi closed from far back to finish second under Marcos Meneses, a half-length ahead of 2-1 favorite Phat Man, who stalked the early pace under Irad Ortiz Jr. but was unable to mount a serious challenge.

The post Tax Returns With a Vengeance In Harlan’s Holiday; Pegasus World Cup Next? appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Into Mischief’s Largent High-Steps It in Fort Lauderdale Upset

Sent off at odds of 16-1 as the lesser-fancied of a pair from trainer Todd Pletcher in Saturday’s GII Ft. Lauderdale S., Largent (Into Mischief) settled in the latter half of the field and took advantage of a fast pace up ahead of him to cause the upset and likely earn a spot in the field for the $1-million GI Pegasus World Cup Turf next month.

Largent landed behind midfield as Halladay (War Front) set a searching pace in advance of the fleet-footed Factor This (The Factor) with the equally quick Somelikeithotbrown (Big Brown) outfooted in third. Racing inside down the backstretch, Largent was full of run, but was patiently handled into the final three furlongs by Paco Lopez. Sensing a chance to get away from the fence when push came to shove, Largent was produced four or five wide into the lane and finished fastest of all for the victory.

Doswell (Giant’s Causeway) tagged Breaking the Rules (War Front) for second.

Largent, a two-time stakes winner in Virginia-bred company earlier this year in Colonial’s Edward P. Evans S. July 29 and Laurel’s Bert Allen S. (non black-type) last time Oct. 9, became the 35th graded winner for his all-conquering sire with the victory Saturday. He sandwiched a runner-up finish in Saratoga’s Lure S. Sept. 7 between those two aforementioned victories. Largent is now four-for-five over the Gulfstream lawn.

“One thing is, he’s always loved Gulfstream,” winning trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He’s always run very well here and we just felt like it was the right time to step up. He’d been training great and it was the right time to see if he could step up into a big spot.”

Pletcher continued, “He’s a horse that has shown some talent. This was definitely his toughest task to date but he showed that he likes it here and delivered a big performance. I think he certainly ran well enough today to earn a spot into the Pegasus, which we’d love to do.”

Pedigree Notes:

Another weekend, another stakes winner for Into Mischief. North America’s leading sire has 83 career black-type winners from nine crops, but the truly remarkable statistic is 29 of his runners are stakes winners of 2020. Among his 34 lifetime graded winners are this year’s GI Kentucky Derby and GI Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Authentic, GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner Gamine, and his newest graded winner, Largent. Largent is the last foal out of the late Life in Seattle, whose three stakes performers also included MSW & GSP Kona Blend (Dixieland Band) and MSP Edgewater (Lion Heart). Life in Seattle won half of her four career starts and was out of the $1.9-million KEENOV broodmare Life At the Top, a MGISW and graded stakes producer. Life At the Top’s dam was a half-sister to Eclipse champion and GI Kentucky Derby winner Bold Forbes (Irish Castle). Largent is bred on the identical cross as Into Mischief’s dual champion Covfefe, as both are out of Unbridled mares. Unbridled’s 87 stakes winners out of his daughters also include Canadian champion Spring in the Air (Spring At Last), Derby winner Orb (Malibu Moon), and GI Preakness winner Shackleford (Forestry). Unbridled’s sire son, Unbridled’s Song, accounts for the dams of three more of Into Mischief’s black-type winners. An additional two of Into Mischief’s stakes winners are by another Unbridled son, Empire Maker.

Saturday, Gulfstream Park
FORT LAUDERDALE S.-GII, $200,000, Gulfstream, 12-12, 3yo/up, 1 1/8mT, 1:46.16, gd.
1–LARGENT, 120, g, 4, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Life in Seattle, by Unbridled
2nd Dam: Life At the Top, by Seattle Slew
3rd Dam: See You At the Top, by Riva Ridge
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($460,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP). O-Twin Creeks Racing Stables LLC & Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners; B-Lazy Lane Farms LLC (VA); T-Todd A Pletcher; J-Paco Lopez. $117,800. Lifetime Record: 9-6-3-0, $314,470. *1/2 to Edgewater (Lion Heart), MSP, $250,142; and Kona Blend (Dixieland Band), MSW & GSP, $174,960. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Doswell, 120, g, 5, Giant’s Causeway–Ballet Pacifica, by Minardi. O/B-Joseph Allen LLC (KY); T-Barclay Tagg. $38,000.
3–Breaking the Rules, 120, h, 5, War Front–Protesting, by A.P. Indy. O/B-Phipps Stable (KY); T-Claude R McGaughey III. $19,000.
Margins: 2, NO, 1HF. Odds: 16.90, 15.60, 10.80.
Also Ran: Spooky Channel, Channel Cat, Tide of the Sea, Halladay, Factor This, Somelikeithotbrown, Delaware (GB).
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

The post Into Mischief’s Largent High-Steps It in Fort Lauderdale Upset appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post