Now that Firenze Fire has locked up a fourth straight trip to the Breeders’ Cup, trainer Kelly Breen and owner Ron Lombardi may be in need of an engineer.
Tag: Horse racing news
Improbable Romps In the Awesome Again
The lesser-fancied of the Bob Baffert-trained duo, ‘TDN Rising Star’ Improbable (City Zip) was uncustomarily taken well off a fast early pace, began to hit his best stride while wide on the second turn, inhaled the leading group in upper stretch and rolled home to defeat odds-on Maximum Security (New Year’s Day) by 4 1/2 lengths in the GI Awesome Again S. at Santa Anita.
Though he hadn’t been more than two lengths off the early pace in any of his last four races, Improbable was taken back to last by Drayden Van Dyke as Take the One O One (Acclamation) set a fast pace, clocking fractions of :23.33 and :46.36, with Maximum Security in hot pursuit. Improbable began to catch the eye midway on the final turn, rolled five wide under a full head of steam into the stretch and powered clear.
Maximum Security, with Luis Saez back in the saddle, won the battle for second while tasting defeat for the first time since the Pegasus S. last June. He was perfect in two prior attempts since joining the Bob Baffert barn, including a powerful score in the GI TVG Pacific Classic S. last time Aug. 22.
The Awesome Again was the second Breeders’ Cup Challenge race win for Improbable in 2020, who previously earned his way into the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic with his victory in the GI Whitney S. at Saratoga last month.
The beaten favorite in last term’s GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S. kicked off 2020 with a runner-up finish in the Oaklawn Mile S. Apr. 11, then broke through with a powerful performance in the GI Hollywood Gold Cup S. June 6 prior to his equally impressive win at the Spa.
Pedigree Notes:
City Zip died at age 19 three years ago, but he remains a top sire with 88 black-type winners covering all surfaces and multiple distances. His 33 graded winners have contributed mightily to his tally of over $105 million in progeny earnings, and Improbable is one of his sire’s 11 millionaires. City Zip is a half-brother to 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper, whose sire, Awesome Again, is the namesake of this latest Improbable win. Improbable’s dam, the A.P. Indy mare Rare Event, is out of a half-sister to GISW and leading sire Hard Spun (Danzig). Rare Event’s most recent produce is a yearling colt by Cross Traffic. She was bred to Curlin for 2021. Improbable is the most successful of three stakes winners by City Zip out of A.P. Indy mares, with the others being MSW Lipstick City and SW Marshall Eddy, both on the turf.
Saturday, Santa Anita
AWESOME AGAIN S.-GI, $300,000, Santa Anita, 9-26, 3yo/up,
1 1/8m, 1:49.01, ft.
1–IMPROBABLE, 126, c, 4, by City Zip
               1st Dam: Rare Event, by A.P. Indy
               2nd Dam: Our Rite of Spring, by Stravinsky
               3rd Dam: Turkish Tryst, by Turkoman
  ‘TDN Rising Star‘ ($110,000 Wlg ’16 KEENOV; $200,000 Ylg ’17
KEESEP). O-WinStar Farm LLC, China Horse Club International
Ltd. & SF Racing LLC; B-St. George Farm LLC & G. Watts
Humphrey Jr. (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Drayden Van Dyke.
$180,000. Lifetime Record: 14-7-3-0, $1,709,520. Werk Nick
  Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Maximum Security, 126, c, 4, New Year’s Day–Lil Indy, by
Anasheed. O-Gary & Mary West, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael
- Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Gary & Mary West Stables Inc.
(KY); T-Bob Baffert. $60,000.
3–Midcourt, 124, g, 5, Midnight Lute–Mayo On the Side, by
French Deputy. ($450,000 Ylg ’16 KEESEP). O-C R K Stable LLC;
B-Dixiana Farms LLC (KY); T-John A. Shirreffs. $36,000.
Margins: 4HF, HF, 3 3/4. Odds: 1.80, 0.50, 12.70.
Also Ran: Take the One O One, Sleepy Eyes Todd.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
The post Improbable Romps In the Awesome Again appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
Get Her Number Upsets American Pharoah Stakes In Dirt Debut
From turf to dirt, to victory in Saturday's Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., the Peter Miller-trained Get Her Number marched to a three-quarter length victory, thus assuring him a fees-paid berth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland on Nov. 6. Ridden by Flavien Prat, Get Her Number covered 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:44.92.
A restrained second, one length off of longshot Dyn O Mite around the first turn, Get Her Number settled into a fluid stride down the backside, took command three furlongs out and had a two-length edge on Rombauer three-sixteenth of a mile from home and was not threatened from there.
A first-out five-furlong maiden turf winner on Aug. 14, Get Her Number was most recently fourth, beaten one length in an ungraded one mile turf stakes on Sept. 7 at Del Mar. Off at 8-1 in his first main track try, Get Her Number paid $18.20, $8.20 and $3.40.
Owned by Gary Barber, Get Her Number, who was purchased for $45,000 out of the OBS April 2-year-olds in training sale, picked up $180,000 for the win, increasing his earnings to $219,000.
Sixth in the same race the winner exited on Sept. 7, Rombauer was also trying dirt for the first time and he responded with a big effort for trainer Michael McCarthy, finishing 4 3/4 lengths clear of favored Spielberg. Off at 11-1 with Mike Smith, Rombauer paid $9.60 and $4.40.
Third with no apparent excuses, Spielberg, who was off at even money with Luis Saez, paid $2.40 to show.
It's worth noting that the winner was very fractious in the saddling paddock, but had no apparent issues once the field came on the track.
Fractions on the race were 23.12, 47.07,1:12.46 and 1:37.97.
The American Pharoah is named for Bob Baffert-trained 2015 Triple Crown winner and is a Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” Challenge Race qualifier to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Nov. 6 at Keeneland.
The post Get Her Number Upsets American Pharoah Stakes In Dirt Debut appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
United Takes Flight In Wire-To-Wire John Henry Turf Championship Win
With little early speed in the seven-horse field, jockey Flavien Prat put LNJ Foxwoods' United in front at the start and the 5-year-old Giant's Causeway gelding was never seriously challenged en route to an easy victory as the 3-5 favorite in Saturday's Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.
Irish-bred Originaire finished second, followed by Another Mystery in third, French-bred Proud Pedro fourth and Irish-bred Oscar Dominguez fifth in the field of seven older horses. Kazan was scratched.
United, produced from the Pulling Punches mare Indy Punch, was bred in Kentucky by Rosemont Farm. He is trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella.
United paid $3.40 to win and covered 1 1/4 miles on firm turf in 1:59.17 after setting fractions of :24.57, :49.07, 1:1;3.20 and 1:36.46. The final time was just over one second faster than Mucho Unusual took to win the G1 Rodeo Drive Stakes for fillies and mares going the same distance.
Mandella indicated the Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland would be next for United, who has now won seven of 16 starts, with four seconds. One of those runner-up performances came in the 2019 Breeders' Cup Turf when second, beaten a head by eventual Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar.
United has won four of five starts in 2020, all of the wins coming in G2 races: the San Marcos in February, Charles Whittingham in May, Eddie Read in July and now the John Henry in September. His only defeat this year came in his most recent outing when second, beaten a head by Red King, in the G2 Del Mar Handicap on Aug. 22.
The post United Takes Flight In Wire-To-Wire John Henry Turf Championship Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
