Hilltop S. | Horse Racing Free Tips

Aspray (Quality Road) remained perfect after stepping up into stakes company for the first time as she collected the victory from off-the-pace in the Hilltop S. A debut maiden breaker in an off-the-turf affair by 2 1/2 lengths as the favorite at Tampa Bay Downs Jan. 14, she was able to try the grass there Mar. 22, serving as the chalk once again and defeating optional claimers by the same margin.

The bay filly, off at 4-1 here, was content to settle towards the rear of the field as 9-1 shot After Eight (Into Mischief) led the way. As the pace began to quicken around the far turn, the homebred went five wide into the lane, began to accelerate after a lead change past the eighth pole and got up in time over Breath Away (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}).

The winner is out of an Irish-bred who won four group races in her homeland and counts G1SW Dutch Art (GB) (Medicean {GB}) as a half-brother. She is also responsible for Monarch of Egypt (American Pharoah), who ran second in the G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. at The Curragh and a yearling filly named Star of Bombay (Medaglia d'Oro).

HILLTOP S. PRESENTED BY AEROVANTI, $100,000, Pimlico,
5-19, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:34.10, fm.
1–ASPRAY, 118, f, 3, by Quality Road
                1st Dam: Up (Ire) (MGSW-Ire, G1SP-Fr, $379,468), by
                                Galileo (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Halland Park Lass (Ire), by Spectrum (Ire)
                3rd Dam: Palacegate Episode (Ire), by Drumalis (Ire)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O/B-Ran Jan Racing, Inc. (KY); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Flavien Prat. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, $86,210. *1/2 to Monarch of Egypt (American Pharoah), G1SP-Ire, GSP-Eng, $213,941.
2–Breath Away (GB), 118, f, 3, Bated Breath (GB)–Darling Grace (GB), by Nayef. (92,000gns Wlg '20 TATFOA; 230,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Steven Rocco and Tango Uniform Racing LLC; B-Highgate Stud (GB); T-Christophe Clement. $20,000.
3–Hang the Moon, 118, f, 3, Uncle Mo–Moondance, by Malibu Moon. ($200,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-CJ Thoroughbreds; B-Repole Stable, Inc. (KY); T-Michael Stidham. $10,000.
Margins: HF, 2 1/4, 1HF. Odds: 4.30, 1.90, 20.40.
Also Ran: Up and Down, Thirty Thou Kelvin, Miss New York, After Eight, Well Into, Aunt Shirley, Ice Cube Baby, Lil Spinner.
Scratched: Majestic Creed.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Bobby Flay homebred Pizza Bianca, heroine of last term's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, punched her ticket to Royal Ascot in style here.

In an impressive 2021 campaign, Pizza Bianca broke her maiden over the Saratoga grass on debut July 22 at Saratoga and jumped right into Grade I company, finishing second behind Wild Beauty (Frankel {GB}) in Woodbine's GI Natalma S. Sept. 19. That set her up for a run in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar, where she posted a half-length victory at 9-1. Pizza Bianca returned from the bench to be second, beaten just three-quarters of a length, as the 4-5 favorite in the Memories of Silver S. at Aqueduct Apr. 24.

Confidently backed at 2-5 here, she raced in sixth behind pacesetter Murph (Malibu Moon) through an opening quarter in :23.31. Patiently handled and still with plenty to do heading into the far turn, she started to move along the inside, then switched back out as the field turned for home. She was let loose in the stretch and came rolling over the top to win going away.

“[Jockey] Jose [Ortiz] did exactly what we were hoping for,” Flay said. “She broke; he kind of put her to sleep around the track; asked her a little bit; and she performed very nice. Really, a sigh of relief, but also just a beautiful performance.”

The G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot will be next.

“I ran in that race in 2011 with More Than Real,” Flay said. “She didn't run that well, but it doesn't matter. It was an amazing experience. To me, this is what this is all about. These horses can take you on experiences of a lifetime.”

On behalf of Flay, bloodstock agent James Delahooke went to 1.25 million guineas ($2,122,050) for Pizza Bianca's dam White Hot at the 2014 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. Pizza Bianca is the first foal for her unraced dam. The half-sister to G1 Epsom Derby winner Pour Moi (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) is also represented by a yearling colt by Uncle Mo and birthed a colt by Not This Time in 2022.

Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

HILLTOP S., $100,000, Pimlico, 5-20, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:36.54, fm.
1–PIZZA BIANCA, 122, f, 3, by Fastnet Rock (Aus)-White Hot
(Ire), by Galileo (Ire). O-Bobby Flay; B-B. Flay Thoroughbreds
(KY); T-Christophe Clement; J-Jose L. Ortiz. $60,000. Lifetime
Record: GISW, 5-3-2-0, $717,635.
2–Diamond Hands, 118, f, 3, Frosted–Love Cove, by Not For
Love. ($25,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $425,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR).
1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Robert Masiello & Steven Rocco; B-Brant
Laue & Godolphin (KY); T-Christophe Clement. $20,000.
3–Vergara, 120, f, 3, Noble Mission (GB)–Figure of Beauty, by
Street Cry (Ire). ($130,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Gary Broad;
B-Neil Jones (KY); T-H. Graham Motion. $10,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, HD, NK. Odds: 0.40, 7.20, 4.70.
Also Ran: Lady Puchi, Determined Gold, Murph, Hail To, Determined Star.

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