Javier Castellano | Horse Racing Free Tips

Blue Devil Racing Stable's Grade 1-winner Come Dancing headlines Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Vagrancy, a 6 ½-furlong sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at Belmont Park.

The Vagrancy is one of four graded stakes on a loaded 11-race card, highlighted by the Grade 1, $250,000 Just a Game for fillies and mares going one mile on the Widener turf and also featuring the Grade 2, $150,000 True North, for 4-year-olds and up going 6 ½ furlongs; and the Grade 2, $250,000 New York at 1 ¼ miles on Belmont Park's inner turf.

Trained by Carlos Martin, the 6-year-old Malibu Moon mare will look to rebound after a rare off-the-board performance last out in an ambitious spot going two turns in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 1 Apple Blossom on April 18 at Oaklawn Park.

Come Dancing now returns to sprinting, where she excelled in 2019, highlighted by a dramatic come-from-behind win in the Grade 1 Ballerina in August at Saratoga Race Course. At the Spa, she was left at the break but rallied under Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, posting a 3 ½-length score in the seven-furlong sprint.

That was part of a stellar season for the millionaire Come Dancing, who won 4-of-6 starts in 2019 for Martin, including Grade 2 wins in the Ruffian and Gallant Bloom, both at Belmont Park; and the Grade 3 Distaff at Aqueduct.

Come Dancing was prepared for her Apple Blossom effort by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, after which Martin said the talented dark bay was given some time to recuperate before returning to Belmont Park in May.

Castellano, who also rode Come Dancing to victory in the 6 1/2-furlong Gallant Bloom last September at Belmont Park in an off-the-board finish in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint in November at Santa Anita Park, gets the call on Come Dancing again on Saturday, breaking from post 5.

“Javier is one of top jockeys in the world and brings in a lot of experience, that's for sure,” Martin said. “There are certain riders like Javier who are just winners. There are great riders all over the country, but in New York, we have the best in the world.”

Come Dancing enters Saturday with a month of solid work, fortified by two recent bullet workouts on the main track at Belmont: on June 15, going five furlongs in 57.94 seconds and on June 8, going a half-mile in 47 flat.

“We wanted to just keep her fresh,” Martin said. “It didn't look like she was out of a canter. She was just so smooth. It's just one of those things where the track is extremely fast and she came out of it great.”

Lael Stables' 6-year-old Chalon, a winner of seven of 18 career starts, will make her 2020 debut. In her last start, going six furlongs in October at Keeneland, the Dialed In mare finished off the board. Trained by Arnaud Delacour, she will leave from post 3 with Jose Ortiz aboard.

Also looking for redemption is Gainesway Stable's Mother Mother, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who last out on June 5 at Belmont Park finished a disappointing fourth in a 6 ½ furlong sprint. One of the youngsters in the field, the 4-year-old has three victories in 13 career starts. The Pioneer of the Nile filly will be ridden by Joel Rosario from post 2.

Looking for redemption in the Vagrancy will be First Row Partners and Parkland Thoroughbreds' Royal Charlotte, who finished three-quarters of a length back to Honey I'm Good in a runner-up effort in the six-furlong Harmony Lodge on June 5 at Belmont Park in her seasonal bow.

“I wish I had a little more time,” said trainer Chad Brown. “I felt she could've won if she would've gone more to the outside on that wet track. It was a good prep for her.”

Royal Charlotte has five wins in eight career starts, including four consecutively in 2019 when she dominated races from 6-to-6 ½ furlongs, capped last July 4 by a convincing four-length win in the 6 ½-furlong Grade Victory Ride on the July 5 Stars and Stripes Day card at Belmont.

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will be aboard Royal Charlotte Saturday, drawing the inside post.

Rounding out the seven-horse field are Jakarta [post 4; Luis Saez], Victim of Love [post 6; Jose Lezcano] and Pacific Gale [post 7; Junior Alvarado].

The Vagrancy is named for the bay mare out of Valkyr by Man o' War, who in 1942 was Champion 3-Year-Old Filly and also the Champion Handicap Mare. Bred and owned by Belair Stud and trained for most of her career by the legendary “Sunny” Jim Fitzsimmons, Vagrancy enjoyed a season for the ages in 1942, winning nine stakes races that included the Coaching Club American Oaks, the Pimlico Oaks, the Delaware Oaks, the Alabama, Gazelle and Test against other 3-year-olds, and the Beldame Handicap and Ladies Handicap against older fillies and mares. Vagrancy raced 42 times in her career, hitting the board in 31 of her starts.

The post Talented Sprinter Come Dancing On Her Toes Ahead Of Saturday’s Vagrancy appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

She's a Julie added a second Grade 1 victory to her ledger, when displaying a powerful kick at the top of the stretch before running down Ollie's Candy to the inside of Point of Honor to win the 52nd running of the Grade 1, $300,000 Ogden Phipps by a nose Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Trained by Hall of Fame conditioner Steve Asmussen, the 5-year-old daughter of Elusive Quality earned a “Win and You're In” berth into the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff on November 7 at Keeneland through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

She's a Julie made amends after a poor result in the last out Shawnee at Churchill Downs, where she hopped in the air at the start, got out of position and was beaten 13 ¼ lengths.

Guided by jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. from post 3 in the six-horse field, She's a Julie laid fourth, one length off of pacesetter Blamed, who recorded an opening quarter mile in 22.84 seconds with Ollie's Candy and stablemate Golden Award to her outside second and third, respectively.

With the half-mile in 45.98 seconds, Blamed extended her advantage to a length but began tailing off as the field came around the far turn as She's a Julie, under a hard drive by Santana, Jr., made a three-wide move.

As Blamed dropped out of contention, Ollie's Candy found herself 2 ½ lengths in front with She's a Julie gaining ground in tandem with Point of Honor. The duo battled to a head-bobbing finish, with She's a Julie stopping the clock in 1:40.27.

Point of Honor was a neck to the better of Ollie's Candy and it was another 8 ¼-lengths to Blamed, followed by Pink Sands and Golden Award.

The victory was a second Grade 1 triumph for She's a Julie, who won the Grade 1 La Troienne at Churchill Downs in May 2019. The victory was a fifth graded stakes win for She's a Julie, all of which took place at different racetracks.

“Everybody put a lot of effort into this filly. Steve [Asmussen] said he wanted me to go to New York,” said Santana, Jr., who has piloted She's a Julie in her last 14 starts. “She's doing well. I worked her and we were really happy with her. Steve knows what he's doing and I always listen to him. Today, she was feeling good. We got a great break. I sat in the spot I wanted. I knew she was going to give it to me, and she kicked it in. She gave me a nice kick.”

The win marked a ninth Grade 1 triumph for the jockey-trainer combo of Santana, Jr. and Asmussen.

Asmussen also won last year's edition of the Ogden Phipps with subsequent 2019 Champion Older Filly Midnight Bisou.

She's a Julie was saddled by Asmussen's assistant Toby Sheets, who oversees his New York division, and he admitted that he wasn't sure his mare won the photo finish.

“I had to watch it one more time to be sure [she had won.] It was very close,” Sheets said. “I said to Ricardo before the race that there was a lot of pace in there, and that's how the race unfolded. It was a very patient ride and the pace upfront helped. She ran super.”

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, aboard runner-up Point of Honor, admitted that the defeat was tough, but nevertheless was proud of his filly's effort.

“It was a tough beat. I'm not disappointed at all,” Castellano said. “She ran her race. I expected a hot pace and she did everything she could. It was a 'bob' and these are all competitive horses.

“I let the speed go and sat behind the horses,” he continued. “I popped her out and I thought I was going to go by. At the quarter pole, I was a little concerned. I was asking her and she didn't take off and I thought I was going to be third, but she kept running and ran a good race. You can't ask for anything more than that.”

She's a Julie returned $31.40 on a $2 win bet and banked $165,000 in victory while enhancing her lifetime earnings to $1,187,880. Her record now stands at 19-7-2-4 and includes wins in the Grade 3 Iowa Oaks at Prairie Meadows and Grade 3 Remington Park Oaks during her 3-year-old campaign as well as a triumph in the following year's Grade 3 Bayakoa at Oaklawn Park.

She is owned by Bradley Thoroughbreds, Tim Cambron, Anna Cambron, Denali Stud, Rigney Racing and Madaket Stables.

Bred in Kentucky by Godolphin, She's a Julie is out of the Dubai Millennium broodmare Kydd Gloves and comes from the same family as Grade 1-winner Bodemeister. She was purchased for $160,000 from the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where she was consigned by Blandford Stud.

Live racing resumes Sunday with a 10-race card highlighted by the $100,000 Mike Lee for New York-bred 3-year-olds going one mile on the main track in Race 9 at 5:36 p.m. Eastern. First post is 1:15 p.m.

The post She’s A Julie Holds Off Point Of Honor To Win Ogden Phipps, Earn Breeders’ Cup Distaff Berth appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post