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Naas Looking for Lockdown Heroes for Ballyhane S.

A total of 20 lockdown heroes, nominated by their peers for good deeds done in the midst the coronavirus pandemic, are required for the Irish EBF Ballyhane S. on Aug. 23 at Naas, Horse Racing Ireland announced on Thursday. Each hero will be assigned a horse in the €320,000 race, with the winner earning the use of a luxury car from Colm Quinn BMW for a week, a four-night luxury break for two adults and two children at the Heritage, Killenard in County Laois and €2,000 in spending money. To nominate your local lockdown hero, please go to www.naasracecourse.com and provide a brief description of their heroic actions and any other relevant information. Entries are due prior to noon on Aug. 19.

The post Naas Looking for Lockdown Heroes for Ballyhane S. appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Uncle Mo Firster Live From Rail in Sorrento

When signing for a $340,000 Uncle Mo filly at this year’s OBS March Sale, Dennis O’Neill, noted bloodstock advisor and brother of trainer Doug O’Neill, told the TDN’s Steve Sherack that he “kept telling [owner] Paul [Reddam] that she was my female Nyquist.” The April foal, now named Get On the Bus, looks a live chance on debut as she breaks from the rail in Friday’s GII Sorrento S. at Del Mar.

The April foal, produced by a winning half-sister to G1 Dubai World Cup hero African Story (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), was a $150,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling and was hammered down to O’Neill after working an eighth of a mile in :10 1/5 over the SafeTrack surface at OBS.

“She’s real racey and athletic looking,” O’Neill continued. I just loved her breeze and she galloped out really good. She’s a very classy filly. We’re very excited to get her in the barn.”

Erich Brehm homebred My Girl Red (Texas Red) became the first winner for her freshman sire (by Afleet Alex) with a pacesetting, 4 1/4-length victory going 4 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita June 14. Flavien Prat elects to stick with My Girl Red for her graded-stakes debut.

The hot-riding Abel Cedillo replaces the Frenchman atop morning-line favorite September Secret (Grazen). A debut ninth against Cal-bred maiden allowance company at Los Alamitos July 2, the gray filly was dangled for a $50,000 tag when facing state-breds at this venue July 24 and made light work of nine rivals, scampering clear to graduate by 7 3/4 lengths.

Trainer Jim Chapman sends out three of the Sorrento’s seven runners, the most promising of which looks to be Scaterra (Verrazano), a seven-length winner over the Arlington Poly July 25. Umberto Rispoli sees fit to take the call.

The post Uncle Mo Firster Live From Rail in Sorrento appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Beau Recall Back To Defend Her Title In Del Mar’s Yellow Ribbon Handicap

Slam Dunk Racing or Medallion Racing's Beau Recall, who was up by a whisker to win last year's Yellow Ribbon Handicap, has come back to Del Mar to try to make it two-for-two in the Grade II, $150,000 headliner for fillies and mares that will be run this Saturday.

The now 6-year-old mare by the Irish stallion Sir Prancealot brings a record of seven wins and eight seconds from 27 starts to the mile and one-sixteenth grass test, as well as a bankroll that reads $1,101,512. Trainer Brad Cox has shipped his well-traveled charge in from New York to defend her title and has assigned Umberto Rispoli to ride.

In all, eight runners have been entered for the 68th edition of the Yellow Ribbon, but one of them – Fox Hill Farms' Jolie Olimpica – won't make the fray. Trainer Richard Mandella told racing officials that he'll wait for another day to bring out his stakes winning filly.

In any event, here's the entered lineup for the 68th edition of the Yellow Ribbon from the rail out with riders, weights and morning line odds:

Glen Hill Farm's Summering (Drayden Van Dyke, 118, 12-1); Calvin Nguyen's Bodhicitta (Flavien Prat, 120, 6-1); DRJ Racing, Kenney or Strauss' Tonahutu (Victor Espinoza, 15-1); Iavarone, McClanahan or Arntz, et al's Lady Prancealot (Juan Hernandez, 121, 5-1); Agave Racing Stable's Harmless (Ricky Gonzalez, 118, 15-1); Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' Keeper Of the Stars (Abel Cedillo, 123, 7/2); Beau Recall (123, 3-1), and Jolie Olimpica (Mike Smith, 122, 5/2).

Keeper Ofthe Stars, a gray 4-year-old by Midnight Lute, has won seven of her 16 starts, including a smart score this past May 25 in the Grade I Gamely Stakes at Santa Anita. The Jonathan Wong trainee has won more than half a million dollars and has done well with rider Cedillo, her partner Saturday. They've rung up three stakes victories together, including that Gamely tally.

Lady Prancealot has chased home Keeper Of the Stars in her last two outings, but was a double stakes winner in her two starts before that. The Irish-bred filly runs out of the barn of trainer Richard Baltas and can brag of $565,841 in winnings so far. Like most in this field, she's shown a real affinity for the turf.

Bodhicitta rallied to take second in the aforementioned Gamely behind Keeper Ofthe Stars in her best effort to date. The rising 4-year-old by the British stallion Showcasing also comes out of the Baltas barn. She has put in a series of good works at Del Mar for her go in the distaff feature.

The Yellow Ribbon will be Race 9 on the 11-race Saturday program. Also on the card will be the Grade II, $150,000 Best Pal Stakes for 2-year-olds. First post on the afternoon will be 2 p.m.

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‘Ornery’ Shivaree Will Be Tested Over Travers’ Mile And A Quarter

Jacks or Better Farm has made far more than its fair share of noise on the Florida circuit over the past 20 years, but on Saturday the Ocala-based operation seeks its first graded stakes triumph at Saratoga when Shivaree competes in the Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers.

Trained by Ralph Nicks, Shivaree is the most seasoned horse in the “Mid-Summer Derby” field with a dozen starts under his belt, including a runner-up finish behind Runhappy Travers favorite Tiz the Law in the Grade 1 Florida Derby in March. The son of Awesome of Course has maintained consistent form throughout his 12 starts with a 3-3-2 record, but arrives at the Runhappy Travers a distant 11th in the Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland.

Fred Brei, proprietor of Jacks or Better Farm, said the Blue Grass effort was puzzling and he is hoping for a return to form with Shivaree charting a course toward the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby.

“We have no idea what happened in his last race. That was the first time he hadn't shown up for us in a long time,” said Brei. “At this point, he'll let us know whether he likes a mile and a quarter. That's one of the reasons we're here.”

Shivaree was foaled and raised at Jacks or Better Farm, and Brei said Shivaree was a bit of a handful as a 2-year-old.

“As a yearling he was rather normal for a colt. No more energetic and no less energetic than the others,” Brei said. “But as a 2-year-old he was ornery. He did whatever he pleased, whether you liked it or not. It wasn't until our fifth start before he broke his maiden. Not because he didn't have the ability, he just wouldn't center his brain on running was all. That's just the way he was for basically most of his 2-year-old year.”

Shivaree graduated by besting fellow Florida-breds by 9 ½ lengths at Gulfstream Park West. His full brother Garter and Tie, who ran ninth in last year's Grade 2 Amsterdam at the Spa, didn't break his maiden until his fourth start but subsequently became a three-time stakes winner. Both are out of two-time stakes winner Garter Belt.

“I would say they're all hardheaded,” Brei said of the family which includes three other six-digit earners. “Garter Belt was the same way. The mare gives you those horses that have to get racing in their brain, and you get it there from running not from training. Shivaree just took a fairly long time. We race 2-year-olds and we have for 20 years. For us to have a 2-year-old take four times to show you they can win a race is uncommon.”

With 40 qualifying points from a runner-up effort in the Florida Derby, Shivaree is 14th on the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard. His upcoming effort in the Runhappy Travers, which offers 100-40-20-10 qualifying points to the top four finishers, will be telling for his connections.

A win in the Travers would be a first Grade 1 victory for the farm since Awesome Feather won the 2010 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Churchill Downs.

“The Travers would be a fantastic race for us to win,” Brei said. “It would show us that we belong in the Derby. Also, it would be the first big race winner since Feather.”

Shivaree has had some time to get acclimated to the Saratoga main track, having breezed five furlongs in 1:03.20 on August 1.

“He's been up there for a week and he seems to be taking to it well. Ralph sent me pictures Wednesday morning and Shivaree seems to be enjoying himself,” Brei said.

Shivaree is from the same family as many of Jacks or Better's most notable runners including millionaire Jackson Bend, who was third in the 2010 Preakness, and multiple graded stakes winner Fort Loudon.

The post ‘Ornery’ Shivaree Will Be Tested Over Travers’ Mile And A Quarter appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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