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Gamine Draws Five, Made the Even-Money Choice for the Longines Kentucky Oaks

‘TDN Rising Star‘ Gamine (Into Mischief), the ultra-impressive winner of the one-mile GI Longines Acorn S. and seven-furlong GI Longines Test S. in her two most recent appearances, drew gate five and was installed as the even-money favorite on Mike Battaglia’s morning line for Friday’s GI Longines Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs.

Owned by Michael Lund Petersen, the $220,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $1.8-million Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training topper is likely to be hard sent by John Velazquez in what will be her second go around two turns. She defeated Speech (Mr Speaker) in a first-level Oaklawn allowance, only to be disqualified for a lidocaine positive. Bob Baffert is a three-time winner of the Oaks.

Ken McPeek saddles 8-5 second choice Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil), who has drawn the rail with Tyler Gaffalione at the controls. Runner-up to Derby second pick Art Collector (Bernardini) in the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. July 12, she walloped her rivals last time out in the GI Alabama S. over 10 furlongs. McPeek isn’t the slightest bit concerned about the inside post.

“Not at all,” he told Churchill’s Ed DeRosa after the draw. “Fortunately they don’t let me ride her. I like the inside, it’s the shortest trip. I don’t see us taking back. She ran on the front end at Santa Anita and Keeneland. We’ll leave it up to Tyler mostly.”

Speech (Mr Speaker), the GI Ashland S. victress, should sit a stalking trip not far from the leaders and is pegged at an attractive 5-1 early quote. Javier Castellano takes the call from Mike McCarthy from one slot to the inside of Gamine in stall four.

“I’m fine with that,” said McCarthy. “Probably makes things pretty clear for us. We have speed right outside of us and speed inside. We should be able to tuck in with a nice trip.”

The Longines Kentucky Oaks goes as race 12 on a 13-race card Friday afternoon.

Friday, Churchill Downs

LONGINES KENTUCKY OAKS-GI, $1,250,000, 3yo, f, 1 1/8m

1 Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil), Gaffalione, McPeek, 8-5

2 Tempers Rising (Bayern), Leparoux, Stewart, 50-1

3 Donna Veloce (Uncle Mo), Santana Jr, Callaghan, 15-1

4 Speech (Mr Speaker), Castellano, McCarthy, 5-1

5 Gamine (Into Mischief), Velazquez, Baffert, Even

6 Bayerness (Bayern), Bejarano, DeVaux, 50-1

7 Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil), Geroux, Cox, 20-1

8 Hopeful Growth (Tapiture), Franco, Margotta, 30-1

9 Dream Marie (Graydar), Talamo, Willams, 50-1

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C Z Rocket Secures BC Dirt Mile Berth in Pat O’Brien

The late money proved to be the right money, as C Z ROCKET (g, 6, City Zip–Successful Sarah, by Successful Appeal) sat three wide off the pace, loomed up outside of his chief market rival Flagstaff (Speightstown) at the quarter pole, dueled heads apart into deep stretch and inched away late to win Saturday’s GII Pat O’Brien S. at Del Mar and with it, a berth in the starting gate for the GI Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland Nov. 7. Claimed for $40,000 out of a fifth-place effort for Frank Fletcher and trainer Al Stall, Jr. at Oaklawn Park Apr. 30, the bay added victories at Churchill Downs in May and June and was exiting a 3/4-length allowance success at Keeneland July 12. O-Tom Kagele; B-Farm III Enterprises LLC (FL); T-Peter Miller.

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Ghostzapper Colt Easily Makes Amends at Del Mar

6th-Del Mar, $55,500, Msw, 8-29, 2yo, 6f, 1:11.10, ft.
VITTORIO (c, 2, Ghostzapper–Roberta Turner, by Smart Strike) was away slowly from a wide stall in his Aug. 1 debut, then traveled very awkwardly, covered ground on the turn and could do no better than fifth to the impressive odds-on favorite Freedom Fighter (Violence). But the betting public did not lose faith in the colt and made him the 11-10 favorite to make the requisite improvement at second asking. Much more smoothly away from gate six with Mike Smith back at the controls, the scopey bay colt moved better and sat just off of longshot pacesetter Belmont Bill (Oxbow) through an opening quarter in :22.46. Ridden quietly on the turn just awaiting his cue, Vittorio was allowed to stride into the lead three-sixteenths from home and was never in serious danger from there. He had 3 1/4 lengths on Belmont Bill at the wire. A $250,000 Keeneland September purchase last fall, Vittorio was knocked to Ben McElroy, agent for Kaleem Shah, for $750,000 at this year’s OBS June sale after breezing an eighth of a mile in :9 4/5. The winner’s dam is also responsible for Vittorio’s year-older half-brother Seiche (Super Saver), who was third in an Aug. 15 Del Mar maiden; a yearling Hard Spun filly and a filly foal by Union Rags. Roberta Turner is a half-sister to MSW & MGSP Foxy Danseur (Mr. Greeley), the dam of GSW Ever So Clever (Medaglia d’Oro), an additional pair of stakes horses and the 2-year-old filly Willful Woman (Nyquist), who cost $400,000 as an FTSAUG yearling last summer and is now in training at Churchill Downs. Roberta Turner was most recently bred to Street Sense. Sales history: $250,000 Ylg ’19 KEESEP; $750,000 2yo ’20 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $34,100. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
O-Kaleem Shah Inc; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Simon Callaghan.

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Channel Maker Coast To Coast in Soggy Sword Dancer

Channel Maker (English Channel) is now a Grade I winner at ages four, five and six after wiring the GI Sword Dancer S. over a soggy Saratoga turf course Saturday. The victory also earned him a spot in the starting gate for the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland in November.

Gliding up to dictate terms, the 8-1 shot was under a tight hold by Manny Franco through measured splits of :25.10, :51.14, 1:17.27 and 1:42. with Marzo (Medaglia d’Oro) on his tail. That rival called it quits on the backstretch and his stablemate Aquaphobia (Giant’s Causeway) took his place with Corelli (Point of Entry) alongside him. Turning for home in front, Channel Maker still had plenty left in the tank and readily responded when asked for more by Franco, cruising clear to a decisive victory.

“He was strong throughout the stretch,” said winning trainer Bill Mott. “He ran a powerful race. He loves the going. He likes it here. He’s tough when he turns for home on the lead. We thought Marzo could be on the lead and we might be laying second, but opportunity presented itself for him to be on the lead and the jockey accepted the opportunity and it worked out very well. Sometimes, you make the right decision and it worked out well today.”

“He’s not an easy horse to ride,” said Franco. “We try to go to the lead but sometimes he doesn’t break good. But today, we were able to make it and he was traveling the whole way fine and handled the soft ground really well.”

“Early on, I thought Manny had him in a great position,” said co-owner Dean Reeves. “He broke well and said that afterwards he had a lot of horse. So, he just took his time and got him in position and he got going early into the turn and just left everybody. It was a spectacular ride and the horse did the job.”

Winner of this venue’s GII Bowling Green S. back in 2018 on soft turf, Channel Maker was second in that year’s renewal of this event before scoring his first top-level success in the 2018 GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic S., also run over a soft course. His next victory at the highest level came in the 2019 GI Man o’ War S. and he was fourth in that season’s Sword Dancer and a close second when attempting a title defense in the Joe Hirsch.

A well-beaten 12th behind Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar (Giant’s Causeway) in last November’s BC Turf, the gelding was fourth in the GII Mac Diarmida S. at Gulfstream Feb. 29 and could only manage eighth next out in the GII Mervin Muniz Memorial Cup S. at Fair Grounds Mar. 21. Filling the same spot in Belmont’s Tiller S. June 4, the Ontario-bred completed the superfecta in the GI Manhattan S. July 4 and crossed the line fourth last time in the Aug. 1 Bowling Green, but was promoted to third after Sadler’s Joy (Kitten’s Joy) was disqualified for interfering with Channel Maker in the stretch.

Pedigree Notes:

Channel Maker is one of nine Grade I winners, 28 graded stakes victors and 52 black-type scorers for Calumet stalwart English Channel. The winner’s full-brother is Sovereign Award winner Johnny Bear, who captured consecutive renewals of Woodbine’s GI Northern Dancer Turf S. Their stakes-winning half-sister Court Return (Court Vision) is the final foal out of their stakes-winning dam In Return and both of them set new course records with their black-type scores. Channel Maker hails from the family of Grade I winner Auntie Mame (Theatrical {Ire}).

Saturday, Saratoga
SWORD DANCER S.-GI, $500,000, Saratoga, 8-29, 4yo/up, 1 1/2mT, 2:34.86, sf.
1–CHANNEL MAKER, 122, g, 6, by English Channel
1st Dam: In Return (Outstanding Broodmare-Can, SW), by Horse Chestnut (SAf)
2nd Dam: Bartered Bride, by Shadeed
3rd Dam: Lady Vixen, by Sir Ivor
($57,000 RNA Ylg ’15 KEESEP). O-Wachtel Stable, Gary Barber, R. A. Hill Stable & Reeves Thoroughbred Racing; B-Tall Oaks Farm (ON); T-William I Mott; J-Manuel Franco. $275,000. Lifetime Record: 35-6-5-4, $2,494,051. *1/2 to Court Return (Court Vision), SW, $116,342; full to Johnny Bear, Ch. Turf Male-Can, MGISW, $702,706. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Cross Border, 120, r, 6, English Channel–Empress Josephine, by Empire Maker. ($180,000 Ylg ’15 KEESEP; $10,000 2yo ’16 OBSOPN; $100,000 4yo ’18 FTKHRA). O-Three Diamonds Farm; B-Berkshire Stud & B D Gibbs (NY); T-Michael J Maker. $100,000.
3–Aquaphobia, 124, h, 7, Giant’s Causeway–Pussycat Doll, by Real Quiet. O-Paradise Farms Corp, David Staudacher, Hooties Racing LLC & Skychai Racing LLC; B-M Roy Jackson (KY); T-Michael J Maker. $60,000.
Margins: 5 3/4, 3HF, 4. Odds: 8.00, 3.15, 4.80.
Also Ran: Sadler’s Joy, Corelli, Pedro Cara (Fr), Marzo. Scratched: Highland Sky.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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