Javier Castellano | Horse Racing Free Tips

Gift List Shows Stretch Wallop To Win Edgewood Stakes; Aunt Pearl Fifth At 1-5 Odds

Making her second start in the U.S. for trainer Brian Lynch, Amerman Racing Stables LLC's Gift List trounced previously unbeaten Aunt Pearl by 4 1/4 lengths in Friday's Grade 2 Edgewood Stakes at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., accelerating past the 1-5 favorite with an explosive turn of foot to win going away under Javier Castellano.

Barista finished second by 2 1/2 lengths, with Line Dancing edging Queen of the Green in a photo finish for third. Aunt Pearl, whose three victories culminated with a front-running score last Nov. 6 in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, checked in fifth in the field of seven 3-year-old fillies after setting the fractions.

Gift List, a Bated Breath filly bred in England by James Ortega Bloodstock Ltd., covered 1 1/16 miles on a good turf course in 1:41.94. She paid $10.80 as the second choice in the wagering off a second-place finish April 3 in the Grade 2 Appalachian Stakes at Keeneland.

Aunt Pearl went to the front as expected under Florent Geroux (she won all three of her races as a juvenile going wire to wire), but the Todd Pletcher-trained Zaajel,a Street Sense filly making her fourth career start and first on turf, put some pressure on the Irish-bred Lope de Vega filly from the outset. Aunt Pearl went the opening quarter mile in :24.32 and the half in :49.03, but the third quarter was run in a shade under 24 seconds for a six-furlong split of 1:13.00.

Rounding the far turn, jockey Luis Saez stepped up the pressure with Zaajel, while Castellano sat chilly just behind the two front-runners. saving ground throughout their journey.

When the field tipped into the stretch, Aunt Pearl still clung to the lead, but Castellano swung Gift List to the front-runners outside and quickly accelerated past that one, passing the mile marker in 1:36.61 and was under light encouragement to the wire.

Castellano said he learned some things about Gift List in the Appalachian. “She needs to be covered up a little bit,” the Hall of Fame jockey said, a reference to keeping her behind other horses. “And we saved all the ground.

“I didn't have any special instructions today; just play the break and go from there,” Castellano added. “She broke fine and I got a very good spot. Then when I asked her she gave me some amazing acceleration. She was a special winner today.”

Lynch said the pressure that Zaajel put on Aunt Pearl approaching the stretch played to his filly's advantage. “It looked like a bit of a tussle at the three-sixteenths pole (between Zaajel and Aunt Pearl) and she put herself in the race,” Lynch said of Gift List. “She looks like she'll run on … like she'll get a mile and a quarter and beyond. I'm very fortunate to have her in the barn. It looks like she's got a very bright future.”

“Off the last race, in her first U.S. debut, she gave a great run that day Appalachian Stakes), in a race that had no pace,” Lynch said. “She's really trained so well from her last start to this, even though we had to work her on the dirt, which was a new thing to her. She was very comfortable getting over it, and was getting plenty out of her works. I had a good feeling going into this race, that if Aunt Pearl were to stub her toe, we'd have a good shot. She (Aunt Pearl) was a big obstacle, no doubt. Undefeated filly. Breeders' Cup winner. But we all know, and I've run into it myself with Oscar Performance, some of them take to this course and some just don't. It had a little bit of give in it today, and my filly had some good races on soft and heavy turf. Maybe that had something to do with it.”

Trained in the UK by Karl Richard Burke as a 2-year-old, Gift List won two of five starts, with three seconds, none of the races longer than seven furlongs.

As for the beaten favorite, Geroux said of Aunt Pearl: “She was traveling great, going to the back side, she was relaxing, I just had no horse down the lane. She's a very small filly. In my opinion, she did not move forward as much as some of those other horses.”

Trainer Brian Lynch congratulates Javier Castellano after Gift List's Edgewood Stakes win

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Bubbles On Ice Makes Impressive U.S. Debut In Memories Of Silver

Glen Hill Farm, Madaket Stables and Cheyenne Stables' Bubbles On Ice was victorious in her U.S. debut, edging Fluffy Socks by a head in Sunday's $100,000 Memories of Silver, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for sophomore fillies at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Trained by Christophe Clement and expertly piloted by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, the Irish-bred Starspangledbanner chestnut was exiting back-to-back Group 1 sprints at the Curragh where she finished sixth in the Phoenix in August and fourth in the Moyglare Stud in September.

Kendrick Carmouche sent 21-1 Frost Me to the lead through an opening quarter-mile in 25.17 seconds under moderate pressure from 59-1 Bravo Regina as Castellano angled Bubbles On Ice to the rail from the outermost post 7, saving ground from last on the heels of rail-riding 2-1 favorite Fluffy Socks.

Frost Me continued to lead the parade down the backstretch with Bravo Regina to her outside in second. Ingrassia and Sleek Lynx tracked in tandem behind the longshot leaders, while Castellano waited patiently at the back of the pack aboard Bubbles On Ice as the half-mile was clocked in 51.09.

Oyster Box rallied outside of Bravo Regina into the final turn as Bubbles On Ice followed suit with an outside move to get the jump on Fluffy Socks, who was still saving ground on the rail through three-quarters in 1:15.33.

Bubbles On Ice quickly picked off her rivals to emerge with the lead at the stretch call, but a game Fluffy Socks was angled to the center of the course by Irad Ortiz, Jr. and loomed a serious threat. Bubbles On Ice and Fluffy Socks, with very little between them, battled gamely through the final strides with Bubbles On Ice prevailing in a final time of 1:45.14 over the firm course.

It was three lengths back to Sleek Lynx in third, who won a show photo by a nose over Oyster Box. Ingrassia, Bravo Regina and Frost Me rounded out the order of finish. Main-track only entrant Song of Innocence was scratched.

Clement, who won the 2019 edition with Feel Glorious, said a ground-saving trip was key.

“The first time out, I thought it was better that she was covered up,” said Clement. “She got a great ride and saved ground. She had a great-turn-of-foot. There was a small question mark on the distance, but she showed her form this afternoon.”

Bubbles On Ice prepared for her U.S. debut at Payson Park in Florida where she recorded nine works dating back to January 4.

“When she first came here, I didn't think she was handling the turns very well in her breezes,” said Clement. “Her past two works were good at Payson Park, so I was happy with that. She answered the question about the distance this afternoon. I'm delighted.”

Castellano captured the $100,000 Woodhaven with Hard Love on Saturday's Big A card and completed a sweep of the weekend turf stakes with a masterful ride.

The Hall of Fame rider said he was impressed with how Bubbles On Ice negotiated the tighter turns of the Aqueduct inner turf.

“What really impressed me the most was the way she did it off a slow pace and tight corners,” said Castellano. “She should stretch out pretty well. It's hard for horses to come off the pace when they go as slow as they did up front, and she did it well. I really like this filly. I think she has a bright future ahead of her.”

Bred in Ireland by Michael Begley, Bubbles On Ice banked $55,000 in victory while improving her record to two wins from five starts. She returned $9.80 for a $2 win ticket.

Live racing shifts to Belmont Park for the 48-day spring/summer meet which begins Thursday, April 22 and runs through Sunday, July 11. First post on Thursday's eight-race Opening Day card is 1 p.m.

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Rosario, Saez Feasting On Stakes Diet At Keeneland

On Saturday's second day of the Keeneland Spring Meet in Lexington, Ky., jockeys Joel Rosario and Luis Saez combined to win nine races on the 11-race program and continue their domination of the young season. The two riders accounted for all nine stakes.

After two days of the Spring Meet, Rosario leads jockeys with seven wins, and Saez is second with six victories.

Rosario rode five winners Saturday, including four consecutive stakes: the Commonwealth (G3) on Flagstaff, Shakertown (G2) on Bound for Nowhere, Central Bank Ashland (G1) on Malathaat and Madison (G1) on Kimari. On Friday, he captured two stakes: the Palisades Turf Sprint with Chasing Artie and the Kentucky Utilities Transylvania (G3) on Scarlett Sky.

“Thank you to everyone: Wesley Ward, Todd Pletcher, everyone else who gave me an opportunity,” said Rosario about his performance Saturday in which he rode in nine races. “It was an amazing day. I thought I had some chances to win but you never know, so it's just great to have the opportunities and be able to win.”

Rosario joins Jerry Bailey (1999) and Javier Castellano (2016) as riders with a record six stakes victories during a Spring Meet. If he wins one of the 10 stakes remaining this season, Rosario will take sole possession of the Spring Meet record.

During the 2013 Spring Meet when he won a season record 38 races, Rosario also had two five-win days. He shares the five-win mark in the Spring Meet with five other jockeys.

The Spring Meet record for wins on one day is six, an achievement for three jockeys: Craig Perret (1990), Randy Romero (1990) and Julien Leparoux (2012).

On Friday, Saez rode Twenty Carat to win the Beaumont (G3) Presented by Keeneland Select. On Saturday, he won four races topped by the Toyota Blue Grass (G2) on Essential Quality and the Appalachian (G2) Presented by Japan Racing Association on Jouster.

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Essential Quality Guts It Out in the Blue Grass

Godolphin homebred Essential Quality (Tapit) gave his connections a few anxious moments in the stretch, but, in the end, he proved why he is a champion with a gutsy score in Keeneland's GII Toyota Blue Grass S. Saturday evening.

Hustling up to contest the early pace, the 1-2 favorite allowed Highly Motivated (Into Mischief) to take control, settling on his outside hip through a :23.83 first quarter and :48.21 half-mile. The top two continued to duke it out as three-quarters went in 1:12.08 with the rest of the field watching from a few lengths back. Essential Quality glided up alongside his foe, looking him in the eye as they entered the far turn. Highly Motivated regained a narrow lead at the top of the stretch, but Essential Quality stuck right with him. Both colts proved all class as they battled down the lane, each refusing to yield as they pulled away from their competition. But, in the end, the relentless Essential Quality muscled past his determined foe to win by a neck. It was 5 1/2 lengths back to Rombauer (Twirling Candy) in third.

“It's a tremendous feeling,” said winning trainer Brad Cox. “He had to dig in today. It was probably what he needed. It was good for him to get a good test today. He did everything easy enough in his last race. I was proud of what he was able to overcome today. Big effort.”

He continued, “I was happy where we were [turning for home]. I could tell the horse on the inside [Highly Motivated], Javier [Castellano] had horse, and we really had to work to get by him. [Highly Motivated] ran a huge race. Both of them really duked it out the whole way. It set up for both of them, and they both responded well. That was a good race four weeks out [from the GI Kentucky Derby]. Four weeks from today. Hopefully we're ready.”

“That other horse was fighting, and I thought we weren't going to get him,” said winning rider Luis Saez. “But I always had faith in Essential Quality. He's a nice horse. No matter how fast or slow the pace, he always wants to be first at the wire.”

Tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' off an impressive four-length score in his six-panel career bow at Churchill Downs Sept. 5, Essential Quality scored a decisive victory when extended to two turns in Keeneland's GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity S. Oct. 3. He rallied from off the pace to capture the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile in Lexington Nov. 6, clinching the Eclipse award for top 2-year-old male. Making his seasonal bow in a sloppy renewal of Oaklawn's GIII Southwest S. Feb. 27, the homebred proved he was only getting better as he matured, charging home a 4 1/4-length winner.

Pedigree Notes:

Essential Quality is one of 27 Grade I winners for Gainesway kingpin Tapit, and is one of 142 black-type winners overall (88 graded) for the leading sire. The Eclipse winner joins Frosted as a three-time Grade I winner for their sire, sitting only behind Tonalist, Tapit's most accomplished Grade I-winning son with four victories at the highest level. The late Darley sire Elusive Quality's daughters have been churning out stakes winners for some time, with Essential Quality being one of their 126 black-type winners (54 graded). Third in the GIII Bed o' Roses H., Delightful Quality is a half-sister to champion juvenile filly Folklore (Tiznow), a winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, as well as stakes winner and GIII Tempted S. runner-up Divided Attention (A.P. Indy). She has a 2-year-old filly by Uncle Mo; was barren to that sire for 2020; and was covered by the Coolmore stallion's GI Kentucky Derby-winning son Nyquist last spring. Folklore is the granddam of 2020 Japanese Triple Crown hero Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who returns in the G1 Osaka Hai Sunday.

Saturday, Keeneland
TOYOTA BLUE GRASS S.-GII, $800,000, Keeneland, 4-3, 3yo,
1 1/8m, 1:48.50, ft.
1–ESSENTIAL QUALITY, 123, c, 3, by Tapit
                1st Dam: Delightful Quality (GSP, $253,900),
                                by Elusive Quality
                2nd Dam: Contrive, by Storm Cat
                3rd Dam: Jeano, by Fappiano
'TDN Rising Star'. O/B-Godolphin, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox;
J-Luis Saez. $480,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Colt-US,
5-5-0-0, $2,265,144. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Highly Motivated, 123, c, 3, Into Mischief–Strong Incentive,
by Warrior's Reward. ($240,000 Wlg '18 KEENOV). O-Klaravich
Stables, Inc.; B-Klaravich Stables (KY); T-Chad C. Brown.
$160,000.
3–Rombauer, 123, c, 3, Twirling Candy–Cashmere, by Cowboy
Cal. O-Fradkin, John and Fradkin, Diane; B-John Fradkin &
Diane Fradkin (KY); T-Michael W. McCarthy. $80,000.
Margins: NK, 5HF, 4 1/4. Odds: 0.50, 3.60, 24.00.
Also Ran: Hidden Stash, Keepmeinmind, Sittin On Go, Hush of a Storm, Untreated, Leblon.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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