Tag: Horse Racing

Cupid Filly Quickest At OBS Spring Sale’s Third Under Tack Session

Hip No. 576, a daughter of Cupid consigned by Q Bar J Thoroughbreds, sped a quarter in :20 2/5 to post the fastest work at the distance at the third session of the under tack show for Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's 2021 Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. The bay filly is out of Callipepla, by Yes It's True, from the family of graded stakes winner Annie Cake.

Three youngsters turned in quarters in :20 4/5.

  • Hip No. 429, consigned by Woodford Thoroughbreds, Agent, is a bay colt by Maclean's Music out of You Make Luvin Fun, by A. P. Indy, a half sister to graded stakes winner Classic Elegance.
  • Hip No. 479, a chestnut colt by Carpe Diem consigned by Parrish Farms, Agent, is a half brother to stakes placed Sixties Music out of Apple Strudel, by More Than Ready.
  • Hip No. 605, a dark bay or brown colt by Union Rags consigned by Top Line Sales LLC, Agent, is a half brother to stakes placed Champagne Humor out of Champagne Ice, by Roman Ruler, a full sister to grade one stakes winner Ruler On Ice.

Twenty-eight horses shared honors for the session's fastest eighth, clocked in :10 flat

  • Hip No. 423, a colt by Outwork out of Xtra Heat consigned by All Dreams Equine, Agent III
  • Hip No. 435, a filly by Practical Joke out of Zifena (GB) consigned by Eisaman Equine, Agent
  • Hip No. 446, a colt by Tapiture out of Afleet Lexi consigned by Grassroots Training & Sales LLC
  • Hip No. 463, a filly by Arrogate out of Amen Hallelujah consigned by Mayberry Farm, Agent XII
  • Hip No. 470, a filly by Klimt out of Anea consigned by Top Line Sales LLC, Agent III
  • Hip No. 477, a colt by Shaman Ghost out of Apology Accepted consigned by AVP Training and Sales
  • Hip No. 478, a colt by Wildcat Red out of Appealing Diva consigned by Coastal Equine LLC (Jesse Hoppel), Agent
  • Hip No. 486, a filly by Arrogate out of Artemis Agrotera consigned by Sequel Bloodstock, Agent for Chester & Mary Broman
  • Hip No. 487, a filly by Maclean's Music out of Artfully consigned by Dynasty Thoroughbreds
  • Hip No. 488, a filly by Secret Circle out of Arty'skentuckygirl consigned by Top Line Sales LLC, Agent XLII
  • Hip No. 490, a colt by Arrogate out of Ask the Question consigned by Wavertree Stables, Inc. (Ciaran Dunne), Agent III
  • Hip No. 496, a filly by Tapiture out of Aunt Glo consigned by Top Line Sales LLC, Agent LV
  • Hip No. 512, a filly by Maclean's Music out of Beautified consigned by Paul Sharp, Agent I
  • Hip No. 526, a colt by Connect out of Better Not Blink consigned by Eddie Woods, Agent XXII
  • Hip No. 530, a colt by Runhappy out of Bible Belt consigned by Wavertree Stables, Inc. (Ciaran Dunne), Agent XXVII
  • Hip No. 537, a filly by Cairo Prince out of Blakely's Smile consigned by Craig L. Wheeler, Agent
  • Hip No. 546, a colt by Gormley out of Blushandbashful consigned by GOP Racing Stable Corp.
  • Hip No. 549, a colt by Liam's Map out of Bode's Dream consigned by Scanlon Training & Sales, Agent XVI
  • Hip No. 550, a filly by Twirling Candy out of Boldy consigned by Old South Farm LLC, Agent
  • Hip No. 566, a filly by Nyquist out of Broadway Play consigned by Lucan Bloodstock (Karl Keegan), Agent VI
  • Hip No. 572, a colt by Klimt out of Cabo Time consigned by Centofanti Thoroughbreds, Agent I
  • Hip No. 575, a colt by Violence out of Calling Rhy Rhy consigned by S G V Thoroughbreds LLC (Steven Venosa), Agent
  • Hip No. 584, a colt by Street Boss out of Capitalism At Risk consigned by Coastal Equine LLC (Jesse Hoppel), Agent IX
  • Hip No. 591, a filly by Practical Joke out of Cashconsiderations consigned by Two Oaks Equine, Agent
  • Hip No. 593, a filly by Upstart out of Casual Cocktail consigned by Paul Sharp, Agent III
  • Hip No. 594, a filly by Curlin out of Catch the Flag consigned by Wavertree Stables, Inc. (Ciaran Dunne), Agent
  • Hip No. 601, a filly by Munnings out of Caymanbird consigned by Mayberry Farm, Agent X
  • Hip No. 608, a colt by Gormley out of Changing Vista consigned by Grassroots Training & Sales LLC

The Under Tack Show continues Thursday morning at 8:00 a.m. with Hip No.'s 609 – 811 scheduled to breeze.

To view the full results from Wednesday's under-tack show, click here.

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Caravaggio Colt Tops Second Day Of Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale

The Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale continued in robust fashion during the second and final session with a son of Caravaggio lighting up the sale ring when selling for 240,000 guineas. The clearance rate remained a feature of the sale, finishing on 88 percent, whilst the turnover of 10,408,500 guineas was the fourth highest for the sale since 2008.

SackvilleDonald's Alastair Donald secured the attractive colt by first-season sire Caravaggio for 240,000 guineas after seeing off the efforts of Irish trainer Michael O'Callaghan. The son of the Galileo mare Bright Sapphire is a half-brother to the group-placed colt Wall of Fire.

“He is for a new Hong Kong client, he will go out to Hong Kong at the end of the season,” revealed Donald. “He will be pre-trained in England, he is a lovely big horse and he has a nice pedigree. He breezed well for a big horse and looks the type to do well in Hong Kong.”

Donald added: “They don't race until they are 3-year-olds, so don't want a 'here and now' horse. The sire looks like he has got a very nice 2-year-old already and this is the first I have bought by the sire. I did like the yearlings – they are particularly good walkers, and this horse's movement is very good.”

The colt was sold by Yeomanstown Stud, who bought the colt at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale for 155,000 guineas. Yeomanstown Stud's David O'Callaghan commented;

“He is a beautiful colt, he breezed really well and has a great attitude. We're very pleased, he was always a lovely horse and he hasn't missed a day.”

Kuwaiti buyer Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah bought the second highest priced lot for the day when going to 185,000 guineas to secure the Union Rags colt out of Careless Jewel. Named Tattered Flag, the February born colt was bought last September by Tom Whitehead of Powerstown Stud for $115,000 and was part of a three-horse draft that included lot 90, a colt by the fellow U.S.-based sire Practical Joke. He made 140,000 guineas and was bought by trainer Michael O'Callaghan.

“I am very pleased,” said Whitehead. “They are two nice horses, and the Union Rags will be a lovely horse later in the year.”

Whitehead's 2020 buying mission took place during the real depths of the COVID pandemic with travel restrictions and problems, but he is now obviously delighted that he managed to make the journey stateside;

“It was touch and go whether we'd get to the U.S. last year. That has been a great start, but we are only halfway there – we've another seven or eight to sell”

At the conclusion of the 2021 Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony commented;

“We introduced the £250,000 Craven Royal Ascot/Group 1 Bonus this year, in addition to the lucrative £15,000 Craven Breeze Up Bonus and it is clear that owners have embraced these unprecedented bonuses. We have seen solid and diverse demand at all levels of the market from start to finish which has produced the best Craven Breeze Up clearance rate since 2000 and key indicators which have held up well, especially when taken in the context of the COVID – related challenges and restrictions which we are all still grappling with and which continue to hinder international travel.

“Nevertheless, to hear consistently positive feedback from owners, trainers, agents and consignors about the bonuses has been gratifying, and reinforces our commitment to exploring as many innovative ways as possible to reward owners who buy at Tattersalls with extra prize money. There is no doubt that we will see plenty of this crop of Craven Breeze Up graduates performing at a high level and it would be even more pleasing than usual if the Royal Ascot and Group 1 bonuses were won in the coming months.

“Despite the prolonged difficulties with international travel, overseas buyers have again demonstrated their appetite for high class Tattersalls breeze up 2-year-olds. Buyers from America, Bahrain, Dubai, France, Italy, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Singapore have all been active, many of them using the live internet bidding platform, and as well as paying tribute to the consignors who have as ever presented an outstanding collection of two year olds, we must again commend everyone for their patience with the regulations and determination to overcome the obstacles we continue to face. We are still having to conduct sales under strict guidelines, but as well as looking forward to the forthcoming Guineas Breeze Up and Horses in Training Sale, we are also looking forward to returning to more normality in the not too distant future.”

The next chance to buy a 'breezer' at Tattersalls is at the Guineas Breeze Up and Horses in Training Sale which takes place from April 28-30, with all lots breezing on the Rowley Mile at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, April 28 before the sale on Friday, April 30.

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Cuomo Announces Fans Can Return to New York Tracks April 23

In a surprising development, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that fans may return to the state's racetracks starting Apr. 23. Attendance will be capped at 20% capacity.

A few hours after Cuomo's announcement, NYRA officials were still considering their options and would not commit to allowing fans to attend as soon as Apr. 23.

“The New York Racing Association, Inc. looks forward to welcoming fans back to Belmont Park this spring and to Saratoga Race Course this summer,” NYRA President and CEO Dave O'Rourke. “We thank Governor Cuomo for the opportunity to host fans at our historic tracks for the first time since the start of the pandemic. We will announce ticketing options for fans once we further review the guidelines and protocols set forth for thoroughbred tracks in New York state.  NYRA has dearly missed the passion and excitement that fans bring to the sport of thoroughbred racing. Today's announcement by the Governor is one more indication that we are collectively moving toward a return to normalcy.”

Belmont is scheduled to open for its spring meet Apr. 22.

NYRA spokesman Pat McKenna said that it was premature to predict how many fans will be allowed to attend the GI Belmont S. card and the Saratoga races.

“As the rate of vaccination continues to increase across New York State, we are optimistic that capacity restrictions will continue to ease in the coming months in advance of the Belmont Stakes and the 2021 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course,” he said. “We miss our fans dearly, and look forward to seeing them soon back where they belong.”

NYRA has not been allowed to have on-track fans since March 2020, when the pandemic started to shut down the entire country.

It remains to be seen how many fans will be allowed at each facility under the 20% guideline. In 2015, NYRA decided to cap the attendance at cavernous Belmont Park for the Belmont Stakes at 90,000. That could mean that about 18,000 people will be allowed to attend the final leg of the Triple Crown. With vaccinations readily available in the state, the 20% guideline will no doubt change at some point with even more fans being allowed.

The numbers for record crowds at Saratoga are misleading because they include days when the attendance was artificially inflated due to “spinners” going through the turnstiles more than once to collect added giveaway items. The record crowd for the GI Travers day is 60,486. That could mean NYRA will be allowed to welcome about 12,000 fans a day to the popular upstate track.

Cuomo appeared at Belmont Wednesday to do a press briefing, but never mentioned the decision to allow fans back on track. He did take the opportunity to commend the New York racing community for its response to a barn fire Monday in which all but two horses were rescued.

“Due to really extraordinary effort by first responders, the fire department and the staff here at NYRA. Fifty-eight horses were saved,” he said. “Two horses perished, but they did a really outstanding job.”

The post Cuomo Announces Fans Can Return to New York Tracks April 23 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Mexican Champion Letruska Under The Radar In Apple Blossom Showdown

Clearly, the stars of the $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap (Grade 1) for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles Saturday at Oaklawn are Eclipse Award winners Monomoy Girl and Swiss Skydiver.

As for the small supporting cast, the most accomplished of the four other entrants is Letruska for trainer Fausto Gutierrez and breeder/owner St. George Stable LLC (German Larrea Mota-Velasco).

A champion in Mexico for her Mexican connections, the speedy Letruska has won 12 of 17 lifetime starts, including the $125,000 Shuvee (G3) Aug. 30 at Saratoga and the $300,000 Houston Ladies Classic (G3) Jan. 31 at Sam Houston. In her return to Oaklawn, Letruksa finished second, beaten a head by Shedaresthedevil, in the $350,000 Azeri Stakes (G2) March 13. The Azeri is the final major local prep for the Apple Blossom.

“I know it's a tough race, but this is the perfect spot to try,” Gutierrez said after Letruksa's half-mile bullet workout Sunday morning at Oaklawn. “We don't have anything to lose. Any of these horses have to run their best race to win. Of course, Letruska, but Swiss Skydiver needs her best effort and Monomoy, too.”

Letruksa won her first seven career starts, including six at Hipodromo De Las Americas in Mexico City. The streak was highlighted by blowouts in two legs of Mexico's Triple Crown for 3-year-old fillies in 2019 – Clasico Esmeralda (G1) and Clasico Diamante (G1) – when Letruksa was named the country's divisional champion.

“Why not three? Because one is just for Mexican-breds,” Gutierrez said.

Larrea Mota-Velasco, a copper mining mogul, bred Letruksa in Kentucky. The 5-year-old mare is by 2010 Kentucky Derby winner and Arkansas Derby runner-up Super Saver.

In addition to the Shuvee and Houston Ladies Classic, Letruksa's resume includes a front-running romp against males in her American debut, the restricted $85,000 Copa Invitacional del Caribe Stakes, in December 2019 at Gulfstream Park, an allowance victory last April at Oaklawn and a victory in the $100,000 Rampart Stakes (G3) Dec. 12 at Gulfstream Park. Letruska normally goes straight to the front in her races.

Letruska won her six starts in Mexico by a combined 40 ½ lengths and joined select company, Gutierrez said, with her American success.

Gutierrez said Mazatleca is the only other horse to begin its career in Mexico and win a graded stakes race in the United States. The Mexican-bred Mazatleca captured the $50,000 Red Bank Handicap (G3) in 1986 at Monmouth Park before going on to a distinguished broodmare career. Mazatleca is the dam of Grade 1 winner Wild Escapade and Grade 2 winner Mazel Trick.

But no horse that started its racing career in Mexico, Gutierrez said, has won a Grade 1 race in the United States. Letruksa, in her Grade 1 debut in the United States, finished fifth in the $300,000 Ballerina last August at Saratoga.

“This is the big gap,” Gutierrez said. “Maybe the horses that run in Mexico, in the Triple Crown, run here for a claiming price or for $12,000 (allowance purse). It's another planet. There's no comparison. It's absolutely another planet. It's not like Argentina or Brazil or maybe Chile – to the level it's very good.”

Letruksa nearly grabbed her signature American victory in the Azeri, falling just short of catching 2020 Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil after, unexpectedly, coming from off the pace in the 1 1/16 mile race.

“That was not the plan,” Gutierrez said.

Letruksa switches from Joel Rosario to three-time reigning Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. for the Apple Blossom. Letruksa is scheduled to break from post 3 Saturday. Swiss Skydiver drew post 2, Monomoy Girl post 6 in the projected six-horse field.

Instead of shipping back to her South Florida base, Letruksa remained at Oaklawn following the Azeri and recorded two works leading up the Apple Blossom. She covered a half-mile in :48.80 April 4 and zipped a half-mile in :47.20 last weekend, galloping out 5 furlongs in :59.40.

“She's a very sound filly,” Gutierrez said. “I think 5 years old is the perfect age for her.”

Letruska, a seven-time stakes winner, has career earnings of $557,319.

The Apple Blossom headlines Saturday's 12-race card, with probable post time 6:09 p.m. (Central). It is the 11th race. First post Saturday is 12:02 p.m.

The projected Apple Blossom field from the rail out: Another Broad, Ricardo Santana Jr. to ride, 115 pounds; Swiss Skydiver, Robby Albarado, 122; Letruska, Irad Ortiz Jr., 118; Chance to Shine, Ken Tohill, 114; Getridofwhatailesu, Francisco Arrieta, 117; and Monomoy Girl, Florent Geroux, 124.

The infield, weather permitting, will be open Saturday.

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