Hal and Patti Earnhardt | Horse Racing Free Tips

Lookin At Lucky Accounts For Top Sellers On Penultimate Day at Keeneland September

Coolmore's Lookin At Lucky was responsible for the top-selling colt and priciest filly as the Keeneland September Sale reached its second-last day of trade Friday afternoon in Lexington.

Robert Clay's Grandview Equine signed for a pair of seven-figure yearlings–colts by Into Mischief and Curlin–during the select Book 1 and 2 sessions early last week, and the operation remained focused on the task at hand all the way through Book 6, going to $120,000 for hip 3910. The Apr. 27 foal was consigned to the sale by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, which acquired the stakes-winning Vast (Lea) for $210,000 with this colt in utero at the 2021 Keeneland November Sale. A half-sister to MSW & GSP Sower (Flatter), the chestnut colt hails from the family of stakes winners Cease (War Chant), Total (Forest Wildcat) and Mucho (Blame).

Hal and Patti Earnhardt, whose recognizable 'NO BULL' silks were carried aboard two-time Eclipse Award and five-time Grade I winner 'TDN Rising Star' Indian Blessing (Indian Charlie), purchased the session's top filly, hip 3831, for $85,000. The Apr. 5 foal is out of the winning Roadbug (Quality Road), whose granddam Diplomat Lady (Forestry) won the 2005 GI Hollywood Starlet S. Hip 3831 was prepared for the sale by Eaton Sales.

The auction house reported sales on 187 yearlings Friday for gross receipts of $3,060,600, good for an average of $16,367 and median price of $11,000. Those numbers were down by 5.7% and 26.7%, respectively, from last year's figures. With Saturday's 12th and final session remaining, 2,579 yearlings have sold for $391,710,300, down 2.8% from 2022. The cumulative average of $151,885 was essentially static when compared to last year, while the median declined by 6.3% to $75,000.

For full results, visit www.keeneland.com.

The post Lookin At Lucky Accounts For Top Sellers On Penultimate Day at Keeneland September appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Ax Man Wires Field Under Maldonado In Santana Mile At Santa Anita

A surprise to no one, Ax Man, ridden for the first time by Edwin Maldonado, sped to the front out of the gate and never looked back as he drilled five rivals, including his well-fancied stablemate Mastering, by 4 ½ lengths in Sunday's $75,000 Santana Mile at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Trained by Bob Baffert and owned and bred by longtime clients Hal and Patti Earnhardt, Ax Man got the distance in 1:36.56.

Breaking like a shot from his number five post position, Ax Man obviously relished his front-running trip and with a three-length advantage over Major Cabbie three sixteenths from home, the Santana Mile was never in question thereafter.

“I was very confident turning for home,” said Maldonado, who is regarded as one of the best “speed” riders on this circuit. “I gave him a couple reminders, but he knows what he's doing…Bob told me to put him on the lead and it's not like I don't like to be on the lead, right? The rest of it was very simple, put him on the lead and he did the rest.”

Fourth in the Grade 3 Palos Verdes Stakes going six furlongs on Jan. 23, Ax Man, who was unbeaten in two starts at a flat mile, was off as the third choice in the wagering at 3-1 and paid $8.80, $5.80 and $4.00.

“I'm happy for Hal Earnhardt and Patti, they have been with me since day one, since 1983, and it's been real quiet for them (lately),” said Baffert, who also notched his third win on the day and his 10th stakes victory of the meet, giving him 26 and 10 respectively, good for a dead heat in both categories with Phil D'Amato. “This was a perfect spot for him and I told Edwin, 'When this horse makes the lead, he gets really brave on the lead,' and that's what he did today.

“We'll give him a little time. He ran pretty hard today but we'll freshen him and pick our spots with him. He's been a lot of fun at the barn, he deserved one of these wins because he was hooking some monsters (in his earlier races).”

A 6-year-old gelding by Baffert's 2011 Santana Mile winner Misremembered, Ax Man is out of the Flying Chevron mare Shameful. A winner of a restricted stakes at Pimlico at age 3, Ax Man now has two stakes wins and an overall mark of 16-7-0-3. With the winner's share of $47,880, he increased his earnings to $357,797.

A multiple stakes winner but the longest shot in the field at 9-1, owner/trainer Val Brinkerhoff's Restrainedvengence was last early and made a good late run to finish second, 1 ½ lengths in front of Fashionably Fast. Ridden by Tyler Baze, Restrainedvengence paid $8.60 and $5.00.

Quick from the gate but no match early for the winner, California-bred Fashionably Fast was third throughout while never threatening the winner. The second choice at 3-1 with Tiago Pereira up, he paid $3.20 to show while finishing 1 ¼ lengths in front of Mastering.

Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Mastering, the 9-5 favorite, saved ground throughout and was fourth, about 2 ½ off the winner at the quarter pole but did not fire in a disappointing effort.

Fractions on the race were 23.11, 46.83, 1:11.65 and 1:23.95.

Racing will resume with an eight-race card on Friday, first post time is at 1 p.m. Beginning Friday, the General Public will be admitted, but fans must obtain reserved seating beginning Monday at 10 a.m. by visiting santaanita.com/open.

The post Ax Man Wires Field Under Maldonado In Santana Mile At Santa Anita appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Refreshed Ax Man Set For Sprint Return In Palos Verdes

REFRESHED AX MAN COMES BACK IN PALOS VERDES

Ax Man, who has not raced since last July when he was fourth of five behind stablemate Maximum Security in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at 1 1/16 miles, returns this Saturday in the G3 Palos Verdes Stakes for 4-year-olds and up at six furlongs at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

He also is nominated to next Sunday's $70,000 Clockers' Corner Stakes at six furlongs on turf. He was fourth in that race last year.

A 6-year-old gelded son of the Candy Ride stallion Misremembered, Ax Man has been firing bullets for his return, among them a five-furlong drill in 57.80 on Jan. 2 and another at that distance of 58.80 on Saturday.

Misremembered, trained by Bob Baffert for his wife, Jill, and George Jacobs, won the G1 Santa Anita Handicap in 2010.

“Ax Man lost interest, so I backed off and freshened him up,” Baffert said in explaining the absence of more than five months.

Owned by long-time Baffert clients Patti and Hal Earnhardt III, Ax Man, who was bred in Kentucky by Hal, has six wins from 14 career starts with earnings of $297,917.

The post Refreshed Ax Man Set For Sprint Return In Palos Verdes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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