Hill Prince S. | Horse Racing Free Tips

Uncle Mo’s Celestial City Shines in Hill Prince

Made the lukewarm 38-10 favorite for Saturday's GII Hill Prince S. at Aqueduct, Stuart Janney III's Celestial City (Uncle Mo) found his best stride entering the final eighth of a mile and outfinished Mackinnon (American Pharoah) for a maiden success at the stakes level.

Exiting a local allowance victory Sept. 24, having previously dead-heated for the place spot behind the GI Breeders' Cup Mile-bound 'TDN Rising Star' Annapolis (War Front) in a paceless renewal of Saratoga's GIII Saranac S. three weeks prior, Celestial City bobbled slightly at the start and dropped straight out the back, then was taken hold of by Jose Lezcano to sit second last out of the stretch. A touch keen as the speed dropped away through the middle stages, Celestial City nevertheless managed to save every inch of ground and had no stone in his path as he scraped paint around the second turn. Committed to that inside passage, Celestial City got a dream run through along the rail into the stretch, pressed away from the inside and into the three path at the furlong grounds and quickened up nicely for the victory. Grand Sonata (Medaglia d'Oro) closed well for third.

“I think he's learning now and I think we've learned a little something today with him not breaking well,” said winning trainer Shug McGaughey, remarkably winning his first Hill Prince. “He got farther back than I thought he would, but he made a pretty explosive run so maybe that's what he wants to do.”

A maiden winner at second asking this past March, the bay narrowly missed in the May 29 Jersey Derby and was a good third in the Aug. 5 GII Hall of Fame S. at the Spa. Adding blinkers for the Saranac, Celestial City finished 5 1/2 lengths behind the front-running Annapolis before returning to winning ways last time.

McGaughey said the winner would be considered for the GI Hollywood Derby at Del Mar Dec. 3.

“I'm not ready to stop as long as he's saying 'go,'” the Hall of Fame conditioner said.

Pedigree Notes:

Celestial City, who is out of a winning half-sister to GISW Hymn Book (Arch), becomes the 84th stakes winner and 46th graded winner for his versatile stallion. This is also the family of Janney III's GISW Data Link (War Front). The cross of Uncle Mo over A.P. Indy-line mares is responsible for the likes of Grade I winners Mo Donegal and Mo Town and additional graded winners Modernist and Mopotism. Lunar Evening is the dam of the yearling colt Waxing Moon (Candy Ride {Arg}) and a weanling colt by Mastery. She was most recently bred back to Uncle Mo.

HILL PRINCE S.-GII, $300,000, Belmont The Big A, 10-22, 3yo, 1 1/8mT, 1:50.27, fm.
1–CELESTIAL CITY, 118, c, 3, by Uncle Mo
                1st Dam: Lunar Evening, by Malibu Moon
                2nd Dam: Vespers, by Known Fact
                3rd Dam: Sunset Service, by Deputy Minister
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Stuart
Janney, III LLC (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III; J-Jose
Lezcano. $165,000. Lifetime Record: 9-3-2-2, $347,920.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Mackinnon, 118, c, 3, American Pharoah–Scat Means Go, by
Scat Daddy. ($200,000 Ylg '20 FTKOCT; $285,000 2yo '21
FTFMAR). O-ERJ Racing, LLC, Madaket Stables LLC & Dave
Kenney; B-International Equities Holding, Inc. (KY); T-Chad C.
Brown. $60,000.
3–Grand Sonata, 120, c, 3, Medaglia d'Oro–A. P. Sonata, by
A.P. Indy. ($125,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP). O/B-Whisper Hill
Farm, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $36,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, HD, NO. Odds: 3.80, 4.00, 5.00.
Also Ran: Wicked Fast, Constitutionlawyer, St Anthony, Nantasket Beach, Limited Liability, Be Better, Unanimous Consent (GB).
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Going ‘Public’ In the Hill Prince

It had been an almost-unheard-of five years since trainer Chad Brown unsaddled the winner of Belmont's GII Hill Prince S., but Klaravich Stables' Public Sector (GB) (Kingman {GB}) put pay to that 'streak', racing within shouting distance of a surprisingly moderate tempo, then finishing with a telling late turn of speed to run his graded stakes winning skein to three Saturday afternoon on Long Island.

A firming 33-10 chance after trading as high as 5-1 early in the wagering, the 170,000gns Tattersalls October yearling acquisition landed in third position and raced a touch keenly as a headstrong Never Surprised (Constitution) took them along through a quarter in :24.35 and a half in just :49.71 while chased by 45-1 It Can Be Done (Temple City). Racing in the two and three path on the turn while slowly gaining on the pace-advantaged leaders, Irad Ortiz, Jr. took a confident look behind and to his right aboard Public Sector with about 2 1/2 furlongs to travel, set his sights on Never Surprised entering the final eighth of a mile and reeled that stubborn rival in to add to his two most recent victories in the GII Hall of Fame S. and GIII Saranac S., both at Saratoga. Never Surprised held for second ahead of It Can Be Done.

Soldier Rising (GB) (Frankel {GB}), favored off runner-up efforts to Saturday's G1 Cox Plate hero State of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) in the GI Saratoga Derby Aug. 7 and to the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf-bound Yibir (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the Jockey Club Derby Sept. 1, was done no favors by the lack of tempo and could finish only fifth after racing near the tail of the field. His final three furlongs were clocked in :33.68, bettered only by the fourth-placed Hilliard (Temple City, :33.67).

“He has a great mind, this horse,” the winning jockey commented. “He switched off when I wanted him to and when I asked him to respond, he gave me a great turn of foot.”

Brown indicated that Public Sector would follow in the hoofprints of Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and make his next appearance in the GI Hollywood Derby at Del Mar Nov. 27.

Pedigree Notes:

Having purchased likes of Domestic Spending, Digital Age (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) at Tattersalls' flagship October Yearling Sale, Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables acquired no fewer than 11 yearlings during Book 1 of the 2019 auction through agent Mike Ryan at price points as lofty as 450,000gns and as low as 75,000gns.

Public Sector is one of 42 stakes winners and 22 group/graded winners for his wildly successful Banstead Manor-based stallion, whose progeny are flying his flag with distinction all across the globe. Kingman's five-time Group 1-winning son Palace Pier (GB) won the G1 Lockinge S., the G1 Queen Anne S. and repeated in the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois and was second to the unbeaten Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the G1 Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot earlier this month. He was recently retired to Darley's Dalham Hall Stud.

Domestic Spending has built on his Hollywood Derby victory this term, adding the GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic (dead heat) and the GI Manhattan S. ahead of a pace-compromised second in the GI Mister D. S. The 4-year-old makes his next start in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf. Kingman is also the sire of top Japanese miler Schnell Meister (Ger), winner of the age-restricted G1 NHK Mile Cup in May and who recently bested G1 Yasuda Kinen hero Danon Kingly (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in a thrilling renewal of the G2 Mainichi Okan.

The last listed produce for Parle Moi is a yearling colt by Golden Horn (GB) that was purchased by SackvilleDonald for 100,000gns at this year's Tattersalls October Book 1 sale.

Saturday, Belmont Park
HILL PRINCE S.-GII, $400,000, Belmont, 10-23, 3yo, 1 1/8mT, 1:48.68, fm.
1–PUBLIC SECTOR (GB), 122, c, 3, by Kingman (GB)
                1st Dam: Parle Moi (Ire), by Montjeu (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Di Moi Oui (GB), by Warning (GB)
                3rd Dam: Biosphere (GB), by Pharly (Fr)
(170,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-The
Kathryn Stud (GB); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr. $220,000.
Lifetime Record: 9-5-3-0, $598,600. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click
for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Never Surprised, 119, c, 3, Constitution–Tiz Dixie, by Tiznow.
($30,000 Wlg '18 KEENOV; $200,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Repole
Stable; B-Golden Pedigree LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.
$80,000.
3–It Can Be Done, 118, g, 3, Temple City–Gotham City Girl, by
Freud. O/B-Red Oak Stable (KY); T-Gregory D. Sacco. $48,000.
Margins: NK, 1 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 3.30, 7.50, 48.75.
Also Ran: Hilliard, Soldier Rising (GB), War Bomber (Ire), Sifting Sands (GB), Slicked Back, He'spuregold, Founder, Original. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Public Sector Leads Brown Hill Prince Trio

Trainer Chad Brown will saddle a trio of runners–led by 5-2 morning-line favorite Public Sector (GB) (Kingman {GB})–in Saturday's GII Hill Prince S. at Belmont.

Second behind subsequent GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf upsetter Fire At Will (Declaration of War) in Belmont's GII Pilgrim S. last fall, the Klaravich Stables runner enters riding a hot hand off consecutive graded wins in Saratoga's GII National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. Aug. 6 and a one-length score over the re-opposing Never Surprised (Constitution) in the GIII Saranac S. Sept. 4.

Brown will also tighten the girth on Saratoga last out Better Talk Now S. winner Sifting Sands (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Monmouth's Tale of the Cat S. winner and Saranac fifth Founder (Upstart).

Soldier Rising (GB) (Frankel {GB}), drawn widest of all in post 11, figures to vie for favoritism following second-place finishes going longer in his first two starts on these shores in the 1 3/16-miles GI Saratoga Derby Invitational S. Aug. 7 and 1 1/2-miles Jockey Club Derby Invitational S. at Belmont Sept. 18.

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NYRA Postpones Monday Graded Races

With the remnants of Hurricane Delta slated to dump a significant amount of rain in the region, officials at the New York Racing Association elected not to card the GII Hill Prince S. for sophomore turf horses and the GII Knickerbocker S. for older turf males for Monday’s Columbus Day program at Belmont Park.

The Hill Prince will be carded next Saturday, Oct. 17, while the Knickerbocker will take place the following afternoon. Each race carries purse money of $150,000.

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