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American-Bred Trio Features In Saudi Cup Prep

King Abdulaziz Racetrack in the Saudi capital of Riyadh plays host to the $266,667 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup (King's Cup) Saturday afternoon, a 10-furlong affair that will produce a handful of runners for the second running of the $20-million Saudi Cup in three weeks' time.

Scars Are Cool (Malibu Moon) won three of his 13 starts in the colors of Sagamore Farm and fetched $175,000 from Saudi Arabian interests during the Horses of Racing Age section of the Fasig-Tipton July Sale last summer. The Florida-bred was well-beaten behind the re-opposing Making Miracles (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) in the Crown Prince Cup over 2400 meters Dec. 26, but dropped back in trip and registered a 3/4-length victory in allowance company going a mile Jan. 15 (see below). Scars Are Cool has gate 16 in a field of 18.

The Khalid Mishrif Bin Shanan-owned Gronkowski (Lonhro {Aus}) and Axelrod (Warrior's Reward) also landed double-digit posts in 11 and 14, respectively, as they attempt to earn their way into the Saudi Cup. Runner-up to Justify (Scat Daddy) in the 2018 GI Belmont S., Gronkowski ran Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) to a nose in the 2019 G1 Dubai World Cup and finished a distant 10th to Maximum Security (New Year's Day) in last year's Saudi Cup. He is unraced since. Axelrod, winner of the 2018 GIII Indiana Derby and GIII Smarty Jones S., was ninth in the 2019 World Cup and was last seen finishing runner-up in the G3 Burj Nahaar S. at Meydan last March.

Hallaaf (KSA) (Friends Lake) looks the best of the horses bred locally and exits a defeat of the commonly owned Persian Moon (Ire) (Makfi {GB}) in the King Saud Bin Abdulaziz Cup over course and distance Jan. 16.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup has a scheduled post time of 11 a.m. ET. Click here for live streaming.

WATCH: Scars Are Cool wins a Jan. 15 allowance in Riyadh

The post American-Bred Trio Features In Saudi Cup Prep appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Weekend Lineup: Derby Points On The Line In Holy Bull, Bob Lewis

Throughout the year, the NTRA will provide a guide to the best stakes races in North America and beyond. Races are listed in chronological order (all times Eastern). Full previews when available can be found through the link for each race.

A pair of Kentucky Derby qualifying races are on tap this weekend. The 1 1/16-miles, Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes will headline a 12-race program at Gulfstream Park with five graded stakes worth $600,000 in purses while Santa Anita Park hosts the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes. Both preps offer qualifying points for the 147th Derby on May 1 to the top four finishers on a 10-4-2-1 scale.

The Holy Bull and the Robert B. Lewis will both be televised on TVG as part of their usual coast-to-coast coverage. In addition to racing from Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita, TVG will be featuring racing from Oaklawn Park, Fair Grounds, Aqueduct and more. Fans can tune in on TVG, TVG2 and the Watch TVG app which is available on Amazon Fire, Roku and connected Apple TV devices.

The NYRA-produced “America's Day at the Races” program is back in full swing, slated to broadcast races from Aqueduct, Oaklawn Park, and other tracks. Presented by America's Best Racing and Claiborne Farm, the show will run on FS1 and FS2 Jan. 30 and Jan. 31.

Saturday, Jan. 30

1:10 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Kitten's Joy Stakes at Gulfstream Park on TVG

Turf stakes winners Kentucky Pharoah, unbeaten since being moved to the grass last month, and Never Surprised, undefeated in his only two starts last fall, will provide an intriguing matchup when they square off in Saturday's $100,000 Kitten's Joy. Calumet Farm homebred Kentucky Pharoah made his first two starts on dirt in Kentucky, finishing off the board in a pair of maiden special weights behind Mandaloun, a next-out winner that ran third in the Grade 3 Lecomte on Jan. 16, and Caddo River, winner of the Smarty Jones Jan. 22. Never Surprised hasn't raced since opening his career with back-to-back starts 20 days apart in November on the Aqueduct turf. After winning a six-furlong maiden special weight in 1:09.19, he came back with a front-running 1 ¾-length score in the Central Park.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/GP013021USA4-EQB.html

1:50 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 3 Toboggan Stakes at Aqueduct on FS2

Graded stakes action kicks off at Aqueduct Racetrack for 2021 with a field of five assembling for Saturday's 128th running of the Toboggan for 4-year-olds and upward going seven furlongs over the main track. Trained by Rudy Rodriguez for owner Michael Dubb, the 8-year-old Pete's Play Call was claimed for $62,500 out of a winning effort in an optional-claiming sprint on Nov. 27 at the Big A. He made first start for new connections a winning one when capturing the 6 1/2-furlong Gravesend last out on Jan. 2 at Aqueduct.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/AQU013021USA4-EQB.html

2:10 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Swale Stakes at Gulfstream Park on TVG

Slam Dunk Racing's Drain the Clock will make his graded-stakes debut in the Swale Stakes for connections who are hoping to keep things short and sweet. Although also nominated to the Holy Bull, the 1 1/16-miles Florida Derby prep, Drain the Clock will seek to remain undefeated in South Florida in the seven-furlong undercard feature for 3-year-olds. Drain the Clock captured his Sept. 12 debut in a five-furlong off-the-turn maiden special weight race at Gulfstream before winning a first-level optional claiming allowance at six furlongs at Gulfstream Park West Oct. 28.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/GP013021USA6-EQB.html

3:46 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Forward Gal Stakes at Gulfstream Park on TVG

John Minchello's Competitive Speed, a bargain $5,000 juvenile purchase turned stakes winner in less than a year, will put her three-race win streak on the line when she tries graded company for the first time in Saturday's $100,000 Forward Gal. Competitive Speed debuted in the slop at Gulfstream Park West in October, finishing sixth in a six-furlong maiden special weight, but hasn't lost since. She graduated by 1 ½ lengths in a 6 ½-furlong maiden claimer at Gulfstream West less than two weeks after her unveiling and made her Gulfstream debut Dec. 6, coming from off the pace to take a starter optional claimer by 4 ½ lengths before stepping up to stakes company in the 6 ½-furlong Glitter Woman Jan. 2.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/GP013021USA9-EQB.html

4:18 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Sweetest Chant Stakes at Gulfstream Park on TVG

Con Lima, who stepped up and stretched out to become a stakes winner last month, goes after a third straight victory in Saturday's $100,000 Sweetest Chant. Con Lima comes from the barn of Todd Pletcher, who also trained her sire, 2014 Florida Derby winner Constitution. Already, Con Lima has six races under her belt with three wins and three seconds. Her first four starts came on dirt, including a pair of runner-up finishes in the P.G. Johnson at Saratoga and Our Dear Peggy at Gulfstream in September, both of which were rained off the grass.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/GP013021USA10-EQB.html

4:50 p.m.—$200,000 Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park on TVG

WinStar Farm LLC and CHC Inc.'s Prime Factor and Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Amount are scheduled to bring a combined total of two races of experience into Saturday's $200,000 Holy Bull Stakes. Jumping from maiden special weight company into a graded-stakes may be a lot to ask of lightly raced 3-year-olds, but their trainer, Todd Pletcher, has a history of success with late-developing colts during the winter months at Gulfstream. Prime Factor debuted at Gulfstream Dec. 12 with a stunning 8 ¼-length victory, running six furlongs in 1:10.38 while drawing away powerfully after closely stalking the early pace. Amount overcame bumping at the starts of his Dec. 26 debut, rallying from off the pace to score by 5 ¾ lengths, completing seven furlongs in 1:24.68.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/GP013021USA11-EQB.html

5:33 p.m.—$200,000 Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita Park on TVG

The Richard Baltas-trained Idol, Richard Mandella's Tizamagician and Florida invader King Guillermo head a compact field of five older horses in Saturday's San Pasqual Stakes. Idol was attentive to the pace en route to a close second place finish in the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes on Dec. 26 and will once again get the services of eastern-based Gabriel Saez on Saturday. With an overall mark of 13-3-5-0, Tizamagician comes off an outstanding second condition allowance win on Jan. 2, a race in which he led throughout and took by a half length. Although he'll be facing a graded stakes winner in King Guillermo, Tizamagician has the advantage of a sharp recent win over the track as he once again runs out of his own stall for Mandella.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA013021USA5-EQB.html

6:37 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita Park on TVG

Although Bob Baffert will be packing a heavy one-two punch with Spielberg and Medina Spirit, Saturday's Robert B. Lewis Stakes has attracted a very competitive field of eight sophomores, with no clear-cut standout. Spielberg comes off a gutty nose victory at the same distance in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 19, which was his sixth career start. The win no doubt took on added luster when the runner-up, Doug O'Neill's The Great One, came back to demolish a field of maidens by 14 lengths this past Saturday.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA013021USA7-EQB.html

Sunday, Jan. 31

6:32 p.m.—$300,000 Grade 3 Houston Ladies Classic at Sam Houston Race Park on TVG

Defending race winner Lady Apple headlines the ninth running of the Ladies Classic, contested at 1 1/16-miles on the main track. The 5-year-old daughter of Curlin is trained by Hall of Fame conditioner Steve Asmussen and has won six of her 18 starts with earnings of $1,045,984. One year ago, Lady Apple closed gamely to defeating a contentious field which included 2019 Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress and Street Band. Her third place finish in last month's Spanky Broussard at Fair Grounds served as a solid prep for her return to Sam Houston Race Park, where she will break from post position four.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/HOU013121USA8-EQB.html

7:07 p.m.—$200,000 Grade 3 John B. Connally Turf Cup Stakes at Sam Houston Race Park on TVG

Trainer Mike Maker has won seven of the past nine editions of the John B. Connally Turf Cup and has three turf specialists set to compete in Sunday's test. One of his prospects this year, Three Diamonds Farm's Marzo, ran third in last year's edition of the race before running in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer at Saratoga. Sired by Medaglia D' Oro, Marzo has won four races and $310,000 to date. He will break from post six with Albin Jimenez in the saddle.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/HOU013121USA9-EQB.html

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Frank’s Rockette ‘Blossomed A Little Bit Quicker This Year,’ Favored In Oaklawn’s American Beauty

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said he has no long-term 2021 goals for multiple Grade 2 winner Frank's Rockette, adding it's simply one step at a time.

That first step begins with the $150,000 American Beauty Stakes for older female sprinters Saturday at Oaklawn. The 6-furlong race marks a homecoming of sorts for Frank's Rockette, a homebred for prominent North Little Rock, Ark., businessman Frank Fletcher who finished second in the $100,000 Purple Martin Stakes for 3-year-old filly sprinters last April at Oaklawn.

Frank's Rockette, based with Mott in south Florida, was again vanned to Hot Springs. She arrived at 4 a.m. (Central) Tuesday and jogged Wednesday morning, Mott said, in advance of her 2021 debut. She is the 2-1 program favorite for the American Beauty.

“I always look at the Oaklawn schedule because Mr. Fletcher lives there,” Mott said. “If it's six of one, half a dozen of the other and it looks like that there might be a race that suits us over there, I'm sure he would enjoy seeing them run at Oaklawn. That's the reason we're there. I'm sure we could have found a race somewhere else. This one seems to fit the way she was doing, timewise, and, of course, the distance helped.”

Frank's Rockette emerged as one of the country's top female sprinters last year. After finishing second to Kimari in the Purple Martin, Frank's Rockette won her next four starts, including the $100,000 Victory Ride Stakes (G3) July 4 at Belmont Park, $200,000 Prioress Stakes (G2) Sept. 5 at Saratoga and the $150,000 Gallant Bloom Handicap (G2) Oct. 3 at Belmont Park. Citing 6 furlongs as a major hook, Mott opted to challenge males in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) Nov. 7 at Keeneland, where Frank's Rockette concluded her 2020 campaign with an 11th-place finish. She was beaten 8 ¼ lengths by Whitmore, a seven-time Oaklawn stakes winner and Eclipse Awards finalist for champion male sprinter of 2020.

“She showed up every time, except maybe the last race,” Mott said. “It was a tough race. Naturally, it was a step into deep water. But with that being said, she really didn't seem to run her 'A' race in there, either. Hopefully, that's behind us and we're going to come back into good form.”

Frank's Rockette received what Mott termed a “working vacation” following the Breeders' Cup and remained in “very light training.” She has five published workouts since Dec. 24 at Payson Park Training Center, the last a 3-furlong move in :35.80 Sunday morning.

“She's actually seemed to have blossomed a little bit quicker this year,” Mott said. “Last year, she stayed a little light in the early part of the winter and really didn't start looking good until like midsummer. But she seems like she's carrying good flesh and doing quite well right at the moment.”

Oaklawn's stakes series for older female sprinters continues with the $200,000 Spring Fever Feb. 27 and the $250,000 Carousel April 10. Mott said he has no specific targets in mind for Frank's Rockette following the American Beauty or any long-range objectives like securing a first Grade 1 victory or returning to the Breeders' Cup.

“We'll play that card when it confronts us,” Mott said. “I'm going to say it's just one at a time. It seems like every time she runs, we look the schedule over and discuss the next one.”

A daughter of super sire Into Mischief, Frank's Rockette has a 6-4-0 record from 11 career starts and earnings of $606,103.

Mott was Oaklawn's leading trainer in 1986 and has 18 career stakes victories in Hot Springs, the last coming in 2014 with Close Hatches in the $600,000 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) for older fillies and mares. Close Hatches was voted the country's champion older dirt female that year.

Mott won the $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap (G1) for older horses in 1995 with Cigar, who was crowned Horse of the Year in 1995 and 1996.

Mott won three races at the 2020 Oaklawn meeting.

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Stormborne Stallions Opens New Florida Facility

Danielle Dougherty has recently opened up for business at her new stallion breeding and mare care facility in Citra, Fla.

Located on 65 lush acres in Marion County, Stormborne Stallions is home to Backtalk, Finale, Rogueish, Matanzas Inlet, and Young Brian.

“I am very excited about our new location and opening up the stallion shed in 2021,” Dougherty said. “Our facilities are ideal for the upcoming season with a 24-stall barn for the stallions and a separate wing set up for foaling and mare care.”

Dougherty, who has spent her career working with racehorses and stallions, also offers the services of mare care, sales prep, and foaling at her new facilities.

Backtalk (Smarty Jones – Apasionata Sonata, by Affirmed) is one of the five stallions standing at Stormborne Stallions. A $250,000 yearling, the precocious Backtalk was a multiple graded stakes winner that was on the board board in 12 of 15 starts. He broke his maiden in his first race at Churchill Downs, and less than a month later, he won the $110,500 Grade 3 Bashford Manor Stakes. Two weeks later, he won the $150,000 G2 Sanford Stakes in Saratoga. His dam, Apasionata Sonata won the Kentucky Cup Ladies Turf Stakes. Her progeny has earned $1,211,675, including two graded stakes and black type winners – Backtalk and Bsharpsonata (Pulpit). Backtalk stands for $2,500 in 2021.

Also standing at Stormborne Stallions is graded stakes and black type winner, Finale (Scat Daddy – Twinkle, by Lively One) – a $175,000 weanling at Keeneland that went on to win the black type Continental Mile Stakes and the $250,000 G3 Summer Stakes at Woodbine. He also placed second in the listed Dania Beach Stakes where he beat graded stakes winner and Grade 1-placed Excaper and multiple graded stakes winner Csaba. Finale's dam, Twinkle (Lively One – Twinkling Star, by J.O. Tobin) won a maiden special weight in her first race. As a broodmare, her progeny earnings are $1,213,396 with five winners out of six starters – two of which are graded stakes winners – Finale and Bright One. Finale stands for $2,500 in 2021.

Rogueish (Into Mischief – Verdana Bold, by Rahy) entered stud in 2020 at Stormborne Stallions. He is the son of champion sire Into Mischief (Harlan's Holiday – Leslie's Lady, by Tricky Creek) and is brother to stakes winner and Grade 2-placed Lucrezia. Into Mischief made history in 2020 with $22,506,085 in progeny earnings – establishing the all-time single season record for a sire in North America – ultimately shattering Tapit's previous mark of $19,907,973 from 2016. Into Miscief was also the only sire of five seven-figure yearlings in 2020. The dam of Rogueish, Verdana Bold (Rahy – True Legacy, by A.P. Indy) was a graded stakes winner of $331,297. She has produced $732,975 in progeny earnings with five winners out of eight starters that include two black type winners and one black type placed runner. Rogueish stands for $2,500 in 2021.

The newest addition to the stallion barn is Matanzas Inlet (Kitalpha – She's Stacked, by Stack). Kitalpha was a son of Mr. Prospector and a full brother to Kingmambo. Imported from Zimbabwe, the unraced chestnut – out of the champion mare Miesque – had sired six crops before returning to the U.S. Miesque (Nureyev – Pasadoble, by Prove Out) had career earnings of $2,070,163, 12 firsts, three seconds, and one third out 16 starts. She won the Eclipse Award for champion grass mare of 1987 and 1988, she was named to the Hall of Fame in 1999, and she was the winner of the Breeders' Cup Mile twice. Matanzas Inlet stands for $2,500 in 2021.

Also standing at Stormborne Stallions is Young Brian (Hard Spun – Glacier Peak, by Pulpit). He was a $500,000 2-year-old who broke his maiden in his first race at Del Mar – beating future Grade 3 winner Toews On Ice. Young Brian is by Hard Spun (Danzig – Turkish Tryst, by Turkoman) – who was on the board 11 out of 13 starts with career earnings of $2,673,470. Young Brian has five winners out of eight runners in 2020. Young Brian stands for $2,500 in 2021.

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