Tag: Gulfstream

Pegasus Turf: Hit The Road Ready To Fire His ‘A Game’ Off The Bench

While the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) has long been in the plans for Hit the Road, trainer Dan Blacker did not expect to run in the race off a nearly four-month layoff.

Ah, but odd things happen in life and sport and Blacker has no choice but to train the Grade 1 winner up to his first start at 1 1/8 miles in the $1 million race Jan. 29 at Gulfstream Park.

Hit the Road, owned by DK Racing, Radley Equine, Taste of Victory Stables, Rick Gold, Tony Maslowski and Dave Odmark, gave Blacker, 39, the first Grade 1 win of his career with his neck victory over Smooth Like Strait in the Frank Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita. Blacker purchased the now 5-year-old son of More Than Ready in 2018 as a yearling in a private sale after he failed to reach his reserve price at a public auction.

“After he won a Grade 1 in March last year we had the Breeders' Cup in mind throughout the year,” Blacker said. “We were prepping him, then he had a fever the week before the race and we had to scratch him. To prepare a horse for that amount of time and to have to withdraw at the last minute was really disappointing.”

After that setback and once Hit the Road resumed training, Blacker plotted a new course.

“We prepped him for the San Gabriel (G2), which is a mile and an eighth at Santa Anita [Dec. 26], with the Pegasus in mind because that race was at a mile and an eighth, as well,” he said. “And then that race came off the turf and we had to scratch out of that race. So, we're just coming in here. It's a bit of an unknown, but the horse is training really well.”

Hit the Road has a long series of breezes on his work tab, most recently going five furlongs in 58.40 seconds over the Santa Anita turf Jan. 16.

“Everything needs to go perfect, really,” Blacker said. “It's a lot of tests that he has to pass in order to make the trip. It's a long trip, it's very expensive and I don't want to take him unless he's ready to fire his absolute 'A' game. Hopefully we'll be able to do it. But it's up to the horse. We'll just have to see over the next two weeks. Right now, he's doing great and I'm really happy with him.”

Thanks to the unforeseen combo of the minor illness and then rain in December in Southern California, the Pegasus Turf will be Hit the Road's first start since he finished third by a half-length in a troubled trip in the City of Hope Mile (G2) Oct. 2 at Santa Anita. The City of Hope was his 11th consecutive race at one mile.

“He runs really well fresh, so I'm not worried about the fitness,” Blacker said. “I'm more concerned about the distance. You just never know. I think he will be able to run at a mile and an eighth, but the question is: Is he as good at a mile and eighth as at a mile? And when you're running in Grade 1s, you've got to bring your 'A' game.

“It's a lot of money, this race. We were fortunate to be invited and grateful to the Stronach Group for inviting us,” he added. “It just depends on the horse, how he works over the next two weeks. Hopefully everything runs smoothly [and] we can take a shot.”

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Gulfstream: Shamrocket Takes To Dirt In Sunshine Classic, Gatsby Breaks Through In Sprint

Donegal Racing's Shamrocket made a victorious debut on dirt Saturday at Gulfstream Park after 21 turf starts, rallying late to capture the $75,000 Sunshine Classic, a 1 1/8-mile race for older Florida-breds.

The Sunshine Classic co-headlined Saturday's program with the $75,000 Sunshine Sprint, a six-furlong race for older Florida-breds.

Shamrocket, a winner of one turf stakes with more than $400,000 in earnings, was sent to post as the 6-5 favorite in a field of seven.

“He's always trained well on it, and we were kind of looking for the right time to give it a try. I talked to [stable operator] Jerry Crawford and decided to go ahead and give it a try,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said. “It could open up some options for him. I think he's a horse that might even handle some of these longer dirt races, marathon-type dirt races, down the road. I'm happy for the horse and proud of him for getting the job done.

Shamrocket had to work hard to prevail by a half-length over gutsy Sir Ollie, who had come under pressure throughout the Sunshine Classic. The Pletcher trainee settled in fourth along the backstretch, where a headstrong Big Venezuela dragged jockey Luis Saez to a brief lead before early pacesetter Sir Ollie regained the lead on the turn under Junior Alvarado, only to be headed by a three-wide Nacho Papa on the turn into the stretch. Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano got Shamrocket rolling on the turn and swung the 5-year-old son of Tonalist four-wide for the stretch run. Sir Ollie kicked on in the stretch but fell just shy of holding off the steady stretch bid by the favorite.

“I had a perfect trip. I didn't want to be too far back because he's the one-run type of horse. I didn't want him to think too much and didn't want him to get too much dirt in his face or get bounced around in his first race on dirt,” Castellano said. “I put him and the game and took it from there. I give all the credit to Todd Pletcher.”

Shamrocket, who finished second in the 2021 Sunshine Turf, ran 1 1/8-miles in 1:52.26 after sitting off fractions of 24.81 and 49.71 seconds for the first half-mile.

“I was a little concerned. There wasn't much pace on, and he wants to come from off of it,” Pletcher said. “Javier did a good job of not taking him out of his running style but tried to keep him close enough to be in striking distance.”

Sir Ollie held second following a game performance, 1 ½ lengths ahead of Nacho Papa.

Gatsby broke through with his first stakes victory Saturday at Gulfstream Park, capturing the $75,000 Sunshine Sprint by 1 ¼ lengths following a race-long duel with favored Cool Quest.

The Arindel homebred pressed Cool Quest past fractions of 21.75 and 44.23 seconds for the first half-mile of the six-furlong sprint for older Florida-breds, before edging away in the stretch to complete the the distance in 1:09.11.

Gatsby, the 2-1 second betting choice, was well-respected by the bettors following a gritty second-place finish to Grade 1 winner Drain the Clock in a Dec. 10 Gulfstream allowance, in which he pressed the pace before falling a half-length short of victory.

“That was kind of a preparation for this race. Having Drain the Clock in that race was really tough,” trainer Carlos David said. “When he ran a fast race like that, we knew he'd be competitive in this race.”

Leading jockey Luis Saez rode Gatsby to victory. Cool Quest finished second under Julien Leparoux, 3 ¼ lengths ahead of Pudding and jockey Javier Castellano.

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First Foal a Colt for GISP Caracaro

The first foal by TDN Rising Star Caracaro (Uncle Mo–Peace Time, by War Front) was born at Dr. Gilberto Lopez Giraluna farm in Ocala, Florida Friday. The colt is out of unraced Real Ruffian (Ghostzapper), dam of stakes-placed First Illusion (Plan). The Ontario-bred mare is a half to Grade III winner Temporary Saint (Awesome Again).

Caracaro was given Rising Star billing in his second start when winning by six lengths going a mile at Gulfstream before finishing runner-up in the GIII Peter Pan S. at Saratoga. In his final career start, he finished second behind GI Belmont S. winner Tiz the Law in the GI Runhappy Travers S. He entered stud in 2021 at Crestwood Farm and is standing the 2022 season for $6,500 Live Foal (S&N).

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‘Every Bit As Good Or Better’: Life Is Good Breezes For Pegasus World Cup

WinStar Farm and CHC Inc.'s Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Life Is Good turned in another sharp work Saturday morning as he nears his next scheduled start in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 29 at Gulfstream Park.

The 4-year-old Into Mischief gelding breezed five furlongs in 1:00.36 at Palm Beach Downs for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, third-fastest of 14 horses. Pletcher continues to be impressed with the way he Life Is Good is heading into the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus.

“Just another super work this morning. Looked awesome, finished up really strong, galloped out great. Looks good here this afternoon. We're very, very happy with him,” Pletcher said. “I had him in a minute and two-fifths, had him shading 23 [seconds] the last quarter. He galloped out seven-eighths in 1:26 and two and just looked great doing it.”


Saturday was Life Is Good's sixth work since his front-running 5 ¾-length triumph in the Breeders' Cup Nov. 6, the last five coming in South Florida, where he has never raced and had never trained until mid-December.

Based in California at 2 and for the start of his 3-year-old year, winning the Sham (G3) and San Felipe (G2), Life Is Good joined Pletcher last summer and suffered his first career loss by a neck in the H. Allen Jerkens (G1). He beat older horses in each of his last two starts, prepping for the Breeders' Cup in the one-mile Kelso (G2).

The Sham, at 1 1/16 miles, is the longest race to date for Life Is Good.

“I love the way he's settled in here. He's been really training well, but also a little more relaxed,” Pletcher said. “I think he likes the environment at Palm Beach Downs. We kind of take him out when he's the only horse on the racetrack, so he's enjoying that.

“His works, he couldn't work any better but he's always been such an exceptional work horse that I guess anything other than exceptional would be concerning,” he added. “He seems to be every bit as good or better than he was going into the Breeders' Cup.”

Pletcher said Robert and Lawana Low's Colonel Liam emerged well from his five-furlong breeze in 1:00.23 Friday at Palm Beach Downs, the fastest of 11 horses, as he prepares to defend his title in the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1).

“Very pleased. It looks like he's coming up to it in good order,” he said. “One more breeze to go, but all systems go.”

Other Pletcher horses on the initial Pegasus Turf invite list were Repole Stable's Never Surprised and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Twin Creeks Racing Stables' Largent. Never Surprised, winner of Gulfstream's Dec. 26 Tropical Park Derby, remains on track following a Friday breeze in 51.40 seconds at Palm Beach Downs.

Largent ran fourth in the Tropical Turf (G3) Jan. 8 at Gulfstream, his first start since finishing second by a neck to Colonel Liam in last winter's Pegasus Turf.

“I have to talk to the connections. I don't know that we're going to be able to bounce back in three weeks,” Pletcher said. “I want to see how he does this week, but right now we're just kind of playing it day by day.”

The Pegasus World Cup program will feature seven graded-stakes worth $5.2 million in purses, including the inaugural $500,000 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf Invitational (G3) where Pletcher is planning to run the Lows' multiple graded-stakes winner Sweet Melania. Sweet Melania worked a half-mile in 50.43 seconds Friday at Palm Beach Downs.

Also on the work tab for Pletcher Saturday was Donegal Racing's Mo Donegal. The 3-year-old son of champion Uncle Mo, winner of the Dec. 4 Remsen (G2) at Aqueduct, went five furlongs in 1:01.26, fourth-fastest of 14 horses, and is being pointed to the $250,000 Holy Bull (G3) Feb. 5 as his season debut.

“Mo Donegal worked this morning, five-eighths, and went really well,” Pletcher said. “We're on target for the Holy Bull.”

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