Tag: Horse racing news

Gamine, Improbable, Storm the Court Tune Up at Del Mar

‘TDN Rising Stars’ Gamine (Into Mischief) and Improbable (City Zip), each victorious in Grade I company at Saratoga in their most recent appearances, tuned up for their next engagements at Del Mar Saturday morning.

Michael Lund Petersen’s Gamine, towering winner of the GI Longines Test S. Aug. 8, worked five furlongs in 1:00.80 (XBTV video) in the company of her stakes-winning stablemate and fellow ‘Rising Star’ Quality Response (Quality Road). With Juan Ochoa in the saddle, the $220,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $1.8-million Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-old sales topper was timed in fractions of :25.40 and :37.80 before galloping out six furlongs in 1:13.20 and seven-eighths in 1:27.20, according to clocker Toby Turrell. Improbable, who wired the field in the GI Whitney S. Aug. 1, worked by his lonesome, stopping the timer in 1:00.40. The opening three furlongs went in :36.20.

“Very nice works,” trainer Bob Baffert told the Del Mar notes team via text. “Still looking strong.”

Eclipse Award winner Storm the Court (Court Vision) worked a bullet five furlongs in :59 flat (1/73) (XBTV video) and could make his next start in the GI Kentucky Derby Sept. 5. He was most recently second trying the turf for the first time in the GII La Jolla H. Aug. 9, also opening the door for a start in the GII Del Mar Derby Sept. 6.

“It was a bit fast, the rider didn’t realize they were going as fast as they were, but that’s better than the alternative,” trainer Peter Eurton told the notes team.

Should he make the trip to Kentucky, Julien Leparoux has the mount.

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Warrior’s Charge Wins Iselin Via Disqualification

Trainer Brad Cox knows full well how tough graded stakes victories are to come by, so he will take the one by Warrior's Charge via disqualification in Saturday's Grade 3 $200,000 Philip H. Iselin Stakes at Monmouth Park and move on.

With the stewards ruling that first-place finisher Pirate's Punch came in and intimidated Warrior's Charge late in the race at the Oceanport, N.J., track, Cox's horse earned the second graded stakes victory of his career after being placed first.

The 1 1/16-mile Iselin, reduced to a four-horse field after scratches, was essentially a two-horse race with Pirate's Punch, ridden by Jorge Vargas, Jr., and Warrior's Charge, handled by Paco Lopez, running neck and neck around the racetrack.

Pirate's Punch took a slight advantage in mid-stretch before starting to come over inside the sixteenth pole, with Warrior's Charge battling along the rail.

With 30 yards to go, Lopez stood straight up in the irons and effectively stopped riding, finishing 1 1/2 lengths behind the Grant Forster-trained Pirate's Punch. It was another three-quarters of a length back to Bal Harbour.

Final time for the mile and a sixteenth was 1:43.37.

“He (Pirate's Punch) came in on me pretty good,” said Lopez. “I had to steady because of him. I had to completely stand up and stop riding. He came over. I think the stewards did the right thing. I had to completely stop riding my horse. I think my horse was still trying hard.

“I think if had a little room he would have come back to win because he's a fighter. You can see on the head-on how it bothered us and why I had to stop riding. That hole was there and then it closed very quickly when that horse came over on us.”

Gulliver Racing's Phil Bongiovanni, co-owner of Pirate's Punch, saw it differently.

Warrior's Charge, who started his 4-year-old campaign by winning the Grade 3 Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn Park, earned his fifth victory in 11 career starts. The son of Munnings-Battling Brook by Broken Vow is owned by Ten Strike Racing and Madaket Stables LLC.

“Paco had the horse where he needed to be, up close or on the lead,” said Cox. “Pirate's Punch took off after us and I thought we were able to battle back and get in front of him but I'm not sure he ever did, even though he hung in there with him. Maybe we were going to come back. Obviously the stewards thought we were. We were fortunate to come out on the front end of this. The horse that crossed the wire first ran a tremendous race. I honestly thought he was a horse to contend with and he obviously was.

“It's strange, because a couple of more jumps and we're probably third. It was an unfortunate way to win a race, I guess you could say. But we'll take. Now we'll see how he comes out of it.”

Cox said his ultimate goal with Warrior's Charge is the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland on Nov. 7. He hopes to find one more race before then.

“He will ship back to Kentucky tomorrow and we'll see how he is,” he said. “I think we'll look at one more race (before the Breeders' Cup Mile) but we'll see how he comes out of this first.”

Warrior's Charge paid $3 to win as the 1-2 favorite, dueling with Pirate's Punch through fractions of :24.10 for the opening quarter, :47.46 for the half, 1:11.17 for three quarters of a mile and 1:36.61 for the mile. They were never separated by more than a half-length until the incident in deep stretch.

The post Warrior’s Charge Wins Iselin Via Disqualification appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Caracaro Breezes In Saratoga Slop For Self-Described ‘Derby Dreamers’

While Grade 1 Travers and Belmont Stakes-winner Tiz the Law pushed his work back a day due to sloppy conditions over the Saratoga main track, Travers runner-up Caracaro went back to work on an overcast Saturday morning, recording an easy five-furlong breeze for trainer Gustavo Delgado.

Heavy thunderstorms hit the Capital Region around 8:00 a.m. ET, resulting in sloppy conditions over the main track, but the show went on for the bay son of Uncle Mo, who went the first quarter in 25.60 seconds before finishing off his work in 1:01.02 under exercise rider J.J Delgado.

“We wanted something easy. In his first work after the Travers, we just want to see where we're at,” said Delgado's son and assistant Gustavo Delgado, Jr. “Ideally, we'll have [Hall of Fame jockey] Javier [Castellano] aboard next Saturday. We'll see during the week how he comes back from this work and where his energy level is at, but so far, he's doing well.”

Delgado said Caracaro is familiar with breezing over a wet track, having worked twice over a “wet fast” track in June at his home base of Gulfstream Park West.

“He kind of likes it. He does well over it,” Delgado, Jr. said.

Owned by Global Thoroughbred and Top Racing, Caracaro earned a 92 Beyer Speed Figure in his second-out graduation in January at Gulfstream Park ahead of a strong runner-up effort to Country Grammer in the Grade 3 Peter Pan on July 16 at the Spa.

Last out, Caracaro garnered a career-best 101 Beyer when runner-up to likely Kentucky Derby favorite Tiz the Law in the Travers finishing 5 ¼ lengths behind the four-time Grade 1 winner.

Caracaro will be Delgado's third Kentucky Derby starter after Majesto [18th, 2016] and Bodexpress [13th, 2019], both of whom arrived at the “Run for the Roses” off runner-up efforts in the Grade 1 Florida Derby.

“We've always been Derby dreamers,” Delgado, Jr. said. “With Majesto and Bode, we were really trying to qualify for the big race. Bode was a maiden when he ran, and he was in the 21 post. We only needed one scratch and it was [morning line favorite] Omaha Beach. This one has shown so much talent since we got him. His speed figures are improving.”

Caracaro will put the finishing touches on his serious Kentucky Derby preparation next Saturday and is scheduled to fly out to Louisville the following day. He will be joined by Bodexpress, who worked five furlongs in 1:01.88 on Saturday, and will likely target an allowance event on Churchill Downs' Kentucky Derby undercard.

Bred in Kentucky by SF Racing, Caracaro was purchased as a weanling for $95,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November Sale, where he was consigned by Buckland Sales.

The post Caracaro Breezes In Saratoga Slop For Self-Described ‘Derby Dreamers’ appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Kentucky Derby Notes: King Guillermo’s Fast Work, Tiz The Law’s One-Day Delay, Arrival Plans

On the first day of Churchill Downs' exclusive training period for contenders preparing for the $3-million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade 1) and $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1), Victoria's Ranch's King Guillermo posted a flashy five-furlong move Saturday in :58.20 – the fastest of 40 horses at the distance.

Trained by Juan Avila, King Guillermo was one of two Kentucky Derby contenders on the track from 7:30-7:45 a.m. (all times Eastern). The $600,000 Arkansas Derby (G1) runner-up rolled through splits of :11.40, :23, :34.80 and :46.60 with a strong six-furlong gallop out in 1:10.80 under jockey Miguel Mena. Florida-based rider Samy Camacho will ride on the first Saturday in September.

“You can sometimes get a little bit worried when horses work that fast but he did it so effortlessly,” Mena said. “He has an unbelievable stride and is pretty tough in the bridle. When I broke off from the pony, he really wanted to go. He continued out really well around the turn and onto the backside.”

The main track was listed as “muddy” to start training on Saturday but was upgraded to “good” following the 7 a.m. renovation break. Saturday also was the first morning of updated training hours which were adjusted 15 minutes earlier to 5:15-10 a.m.

Raymond Daniels and Wayne Scherr's former $100,000 claim Necker Island also was on the track during the exclusive training window. The chestnut colt galloped about 1 1/2 miles under Hillary Hartman, the wife of his trainer Chris Hartman.

The next expected local workout for the Kentucky Derby will be Enforceable at 5:15 a.m. on Sunday. Sackatoga Stable's Kentucky Derby favorite Tiz the Law had his scheduled Saturday work delayed until Sunday due to inclement weather at Saratoga in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.. … Trainer Tommy Drury reported Friday following Blue Grass Stakes (G2) winner Art Collector's half-mile move in :49.10 at Skylight that the colt would likely ship from his Goshen, Ky. base to Louisville early next week

Other Derby contenders based at Churchill Downs are Attachment Rate, Major Fed, Max Player and Winning Impression.

ARRIVAL INFORMATION – Several Kentucky Derby contenders have yet to converge on Churchill Downs but are scheduled to arrive in the upcoming week. The following is the latest arrival information, according to senior director of the stable area Steve Hargrave:

  • Monday or Tuesday via van from Skylight Training Center to Churchill Downs: Art Collector(trainer Tommy Drury)
  • Tuesday via flight from San Diego to Louisville: Rushie (Michael McCarthy)
  • Aug. 30 via flight from New York to Louisville: Caracaro (Gustavo Delgado) and Ny Traffic (Saffie Joseph)
  • Aug. 30 via van from Florida to Louisville: Sole Volante (Patrick Biancone)
  • Aug. 31 via flight from San Diego to Louisville: Authentic (Bob Baffert), Honor A. P. (John Shirreffs), Storm the Court (Peter Eurton); and Thousand Words (Baffert)
  • Aug. 31 via flight from New York: Dr Post (Todd Pletcher) and Tiz the Law (Barclay Tagg)

Details on the arrivals of Finnick the Fierce (Rey Hernandez) and Shirl's Speight (Roger Attfield) have not been finalized. On the Longines Kentucky Oaks front, $600,000 Alabama (GI) winner Swiss Skydiver is expected to arrive at Churchill Downs on Tuesday via plane from New York. Swiss Skydiver's main rival in the Oaks, multiple Grade I winner Gamine, is scheduled to arrive with the other Baffert trainees on Sunday, Aug. 31.

KENTUCKY DERBY FIELD RUNDOWN: The possible field, in order of preference, for the 146th running of the $3 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (GI) (with jockey): Tiz the Law (Manny Franco); Authentic (John Velazquez); Art Collector (Brian Hernandez Jr.); Honor A.P. (Mike Smith); Ny Traffic (Paco Lopez); King Guillermo (Samy Camacho); Thousand Words (Florent Geroux); Dr Post (TBA); Max Player (Ricardo Santana Jr.); Caracaro (Javier Castellano); Enforceable (Adam Beschizza); Rushie (TBA); Major Fed (James Graham); Storm the Court (Julien Leparoux); Attachment Rate (Joe Talamo); Sole Volante (Luca Panici); Finnick the Fierce (Martin Garcia); Winning Impression (Joe Rocco Jr.); Necker Island (Miguel Mena); and Shirl's Speight (Corey Lanerie).

KENTUCKY DERBY, OAKS WORKOUTS TO BE STREAMED LIVE MONDAY – Churchill Downs Racetrack will provide live online streaming of Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks contenders' workouts when the exclusive 7:30-7:45 a.m. (all times Eastern) training window starting on Monday.

The live stream presented by TwinSpires.com will be available at multiple sources including on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/kentuckyderby; on Twitter via @KentuckyDerby and www.twitter.com/kentuckyderby; on YouTube atwww.youtube.com/kentuckyderby; and www.kentuckyderby.com/workouts

The live video will include graphics to identify each horse and commentary from an array of industry experts including: Churchill Downs Host and Racing Analyst Joe Kristufek along with TwinSpires.com Racing Experts Scott Shapiro, Ed DeRosa, Brandon Stauble and Chantal Sutherland.

The post Kentucky Derby Notes: King Guillermo’s Fast Work, Tiz The Law’s One-Day Delay, Arrival Plans appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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