Gulfstream | Horse Racing Free Tips

Four Claiming Crown Wins Net Paco Lopez Jockey Of The Week Title

Paco Lopez started the 2021-2022 Gulfstream Park Championship Meet in style with a five-win day on Saturday including four stakes races in the Claiming Crown Series. Lopez's achievements earned Jockey of the Week for Nov. 29 through Dec. 5. The honor, which is voted on by a panel of racing experts, is for jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 1050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys in the United States.

For the 10th consecutive year, Gulfstream Park hosted the Claiming Crown, a series of nine starter stakes races celebrating the blue-collar horses that are the back-bone of racetracks around the country.

Lopez was aboard Blue Steel for trainer Jeff Hiles in the Claiming Crown Iron Horse Kent Sterling Memorial to start the series. The pair took over the lead around the turn and kicked clear to win the race by a half-length in 1:44.61 for 1 1/16 miles.

Lopez also won the next race, his third on the card, the Claiming Crown Distaff Dash for trainer Jane Cibelli aboard Payntdembluesaway. Off as the favorite in the field of 12, Payntdembluesaway scored a four-length victory in :55.31 for the five furlong turf test.

Trainer Eddie Plesa, Jr. gave a leg up to Lopez on Miles Ahead in the Claiming Crown Rapid Transit, a seven furlong race on the dirt. Off as the favorite in the field of 10, Miles Ahead tracked the leaders outside and up the backstretch wearing down his rivals to pull clear by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:21.99.

The Claiming Crown Emerald was the last of the starter series. Riding for trainer Luis Carvajal, Jr., Lopez took Mid Day Image straight to the lead from the inside post, maintained a clear lead at the top of the stretch and went on to post a 1 1/4-length win in 1:39.82 for 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

“Not too bad a day,” said Lopez to the Gulfstream Park Publicity team. “We had five wins and a couple of seconds. My horses ran very well today.”

A multiple graded stakes winner and the 2008 Eclipse Award winner as leading apprentice, Lopez shares the Gulfstream Park track record with seven wins on a single day.

Lopez's weekly statistics were 35-8-6-3 and total purse earnings of $371,525.

Other nominees for Jockey of the Week were Arnaldo Bocachica with 10 wins, Juan J. Hernandez who won the G1 Starlet, Sonny Leon also with 10 wins and Luis Saez who won the G1 Cigar Mile.

The post Four Claiming Crown Wins Net Paco Lopez Jockey Of The Week Title appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Jose Ortiz To Winter At Aqueduct; Javier Castellano Headed To Gulfstream After Holidays

A pair of New York-based jockeys have made their winter plans known to the Daily Racing Form this week.

Though he has traveled to South Florida for the past five years, jockey Jose Ortiz plans to stay at Aqueduct this winter. One reason for the change is that his oldest child is approaching the age for kindergarten, Ortiz explained, and another is the opportunity to contend for the leading rider title.

“When you go to Florida, you follow the good horses, but the everyday business is not there,” Ortiz told DRF. “I like to win, and that's one of the reasons I'm staying. I think I'll win more, and the purses are bigger and I can always fly to ride the good horses.”

Meanwhile, Javier Castellano had planned to stay in New York for the winter, but picked up new business and changed his mind. He will now head to Gulfstream after the Aqueduct meet goes on break on Dec. 19.

Dec. 5 Insights

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency
WELL-BRED FILLIES DEBUT IN FLORIDA
3rd-GP, $60K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1mT, 12:58 p.m.
Stonestreet Stables' BLYTHE SPIRIT (Ghostzapper) makes her career bow in this event. The $550,000 KEENOV purchase is a half to SW & GSP Telekinesis (Ghostzapper). Their second dam is MGSW Gold Mover (Gold Fever), who produced SW Giant Mover (Giant's Causeway), dam of MGSW & GISP Family Tree (Smart Strike) and GSW & GISP Liora (Candy Ride {Arg}). Glen Hill Farm homebred Influencing (Tapit) also debuts here. She is the latest foal out of dual Grade I winner and multi-millionaire Marketing Mix (Medaglia d'Oro), who is also responsible for SP Global Brand (War Front). TJCIS PPs

ASMUSSEN UNVEILS PRICEY CONNECT
7th-AQU, $70K, Msw, 2yo, (S), 6 1/2f, 2:43 p.m.
Steve Asmussen saddles an expensive first timer for Stonestreet Stables in RELATE (Connect). A $100,000 FTNMIX weanling buy, he RNA'd for $70,000 as an FTKSEL yearling, but summoned $685,000 from Stonestreet at OBS April after breezing in :20 3/5.The dark bay's dam is unraced, but his second dam is SW Unbridled Danz (Unbridled's Song). TJCIS PPs

The post Dec. 5 Insights appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Knicks Go Gets Back to Work

Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go (Paynter), seeking to become the first repeat winner of Gulfstream Park's $3- million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational, recorded his first workout since capturing the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic a month ago.

The dark gray worked what was clocked as a three-eighths of a mile breeze in :36.20 (2/2) under exercise rider Edvin Vargas early Saturday morning at Churchill Downs. Trainer Brad Cox said he timed Knicks Go galloping out a half-mile in :48 1/5.

“Well in hand, and I think he was out the five-eighths in 1:01 and 3,” Cox said. “He definitely hasn't regressed since the Breeders' Cup. He's been training extremely well, galloping great. Wanting to do more. You could definitely tell that the last week, 10 days, he was wanting to do more. He was very strong throughout this morning, around both turns and even up the backside [afterward]. The outrider collected him around the half-mile pole, so he seems to be the same Knicks Go that we saw before the Classic.”

Knicks Go is the prohibitive favorite to be voted Horse of the Year and champion older male champion.

Cox, who is seeking to repeat as the Eclipse Award recipient as North America's outstanding trainer, said Knicks Go will ship in a few days to the trainer's New Orleans division at the Fair Grounds.

The post Knicks Go Gets Back to Work appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post