jazil stakes | Horse Racing Free Tips

Mr. Buff Wins His Third Consecutive Jazil Stakes In A Laugher

Chester and Mary Broman homebred Mr. Buff improved to 3-for-3 all-time in the $100,000 Jazil, defending his crown by drawing away to an impressive seven-length victory in Saturday's 1 1/8-mile contest for 4-year-olds and up at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

The veteran Mr. Buff ended his 2020 campaign with a strong stakes showing, running second in the Alex M. Robb against fellow New York breds on December 12. Returning to open company for his 7-year-old bow, the Friend Or Foe gelding broke well from post 4 under Aqueduct meet-leading rider Kendrick Carmouche, pressuring pacesetter Musical Heart through the opening quarter-mile in 23.96 seconds and the half in 48.95 on the fast main track.

Mr. Buff took command out of the turn and Carmouche sustained the push through the stretch, outkicking a rallying Tenderfoot to complete the course in 1:53.47 and match his margin-of-victory to his age for trainer John Kimmel.

“That was perfect. I told Kendrick that he doesn't have to be on the lead,” Kimmel said. “The race was perfect. He looked terrific. He just looks good and is just an amazing animal.”

Competing without Lasix, Mr. Buff still showed the form that saw him close 2020 with three consecutive efforts that garnered Beyer Speed Figures of 90 or better.

Mr. Buff improved to 16-8-4 in 43 career starts. He has never won the Jazil by less than five lengths, with his combined margin for the three-peat 17 ¼ lengths. He has won at least one race every year since 2016.

“I think he's the winningest horse I've ever had,” Kimmel said. “He's settled more and more. He's just a very good and sound horse. He's stayed very healthy all through the years. That's the key with these horses; to keep them sound and healthy.”

Off as the 2-1 second choice, Mr. Buff returned $6.10 on a $2 win wager. The millionaire improved his career earnings to $1,295,786.

“He broke really good,” Carmouche said. “Mr. Kimmel said to do what I think is best in the race. If they don't break, go. If they want to go, you can sit. I just sat on him all the way around there. He does it all on his own. You just have to stay out of his way and let him get into his stride.”

Tenderfoot, a 4-year-old making his stakes debut in his eighth career start, held off Musical Heart by 1 3/4 lengths for second for trainer Charlton Baker.

“He's improved a lot,” said Tenderfoot jockey Eric Cancel. “Today, he was facing a much tougher field and he came with his A game. He tried hard against Mr. Buff. He is a really, really good horse and he still gave his run. He ran a huge race and I think he'll definitely keep on improving.

“Charlie [Baker] always gave me the confidence just to try to do everything right with him and take my time,” he added. “I gave him his time and was patient with him. Once I felt he was ready to go, he went for it.”

Backsideofthemoon, who broke slowly as the 9-5 favorite, and Fame to Famous completed the order of finish.

Live racing resumes Sunday at Aqueduct with a nine-race card, highlighted by the $100,000 Busanda for sophomore fillies going 1 1/8 miles in Race 8. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

The post Mr. Buff Wins His Third Consecutive Jazil Stakes In A Laugher appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Backsideofthemoon Could Thwart Mr. Buff’s Three-Peat In Saturday’s Jazil Stakes

Fresh off his first career triple-digit Beyer Speed Figure, Repole Stable's Backsideofthemoon will look to build on an impressive stakes score last month when he makes his 9-year-old debut in Saturday's $100,000 Jazil going 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Backsideofthemoon reached a milestone in his 46th career start last out, earning a 106 number for his six-length gate-to-wire score in the Queens County on December 19 at the Big A. The gelded son of Malibu Moon is 2-for-2 since Rudy Rodriguez again took over his training duties. Rodriguez had conditioned Backsideofthemoon in 2019 before he was claimed and sent to Robert Klesaris.

After being claimed again for $62,500 out of a second-place effort on September 24 at Belmont, Backsideofthemoon edged Musical Heart by a neck in a race moved off the turf on November 13 before registering a career-best effort in his next race.

“He's continued to train very good and we're looking forward to running,” Rodriguez said. “He's very consistent and he loves Aqueduct. The last race, he was training so good leading into it and he broke so sharp. I'm just looking forward to seeing him run here again.”

Backsideofthemoon has posted six of his eight career wins at Aqueduct, including his maiden-breaking victory at third asking back in 2015 as well as a triumph in the 2018 Jazil. Jose Lezcano, aboard for the Queens County, will have the return call from the outermost post 5.

Chester and Mary Broman's popular New York homebred Mr. Buff has won the last two Jazil editions and will look for a three-peat in the seventh running. Trained by John Kimmel, the 7-year-old Friend Or Foe chestnut utilized a frontrunning style to win the Jazil by 5 1/4-lengths in 2019 over Sunny Ridge and by five lengths last year over returning-rival Backsideofthemoon.

Mr. Buff posted a record of three wins and two seconds from eight starts last season, which included a 20-length romp in the Haynesfield at the Big A in February and the Empire Classic at Belmont Park by 3 1/4-lengths.

The sizable gelding concluded his 2020 campaign by racing in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile Handicap and restricted Alex M. Robb just one week apart. After fading to fifth in the Cigar Mile on December 5, Mr. Buff was in tight out of the gate in the Alex M. Robb on December 12, where he tracked the early pace, but was no match for the surging Bankit, who scored by 4 3/4-lengths.

Kimmel said Mr. Buff will appreciate the time off between starts.

“The horse is doing great,” Kimmel said. “He won't be running back in a week this time. He's pretty happy right now and doing well. He's an older horse running without Lasix for the first time in a long time, so we'll see if it has really had any effect or not.”

Kendrick Carmouche, the Aqueduct winter meet-leading rider, will be in the irons from post 4.

Michael Dubb's Musical Heart will have a chance to turn the tables on Backsideofthemoon after running second to him twice in a row, starting in an optional claimer on November 13 and followed by the Queens County. The oft-claimed son of Maclean's Music will make his 6-year-old bow after finishing first or second in his last five starts, including a 4 ¾-length victory going the Jazil distance on August 8 at Saratoga Race Course.

The Queens County effort marked Musical Heart's first start for Rob Atras, who took over the training duties after being claimed for $62,500 out of that November tilt.

Manny Franco will pick up the mount, breaking from the inside post.
Tenderfoot, owned by trainer Charlton Baker and Francis Paolangeli, enters off a three-race winning streak. Tenderfoot will also be stepping up to stakes company for the first time in eight starts. He is 2-for-2 at the Big A, including a victory on December 3 going one mile, followed by a six-length victory at the same distance on New Year's Day in his 4-year-old debut.

Eric Cancel will have the return engagement, drawing post 3.

Fame to Famous, 10th last out in the Grade 3 Red Smith on November 21 at Aqueduct for owner and trainer John McAllen, will be seeking his second overall win and first victory since 2019, drawing post 2 with Mike Luzzi aboard.
The Jazil is carded as Race 3 on Aqueduct's nine-race program, which offers a first post of 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

The post Backsideofthemoon Could Thwart Mr. Buff’s Three-Peat In Saturday’s Jazil Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Stakes Warriors Mr. Buff, Sunny Ridge Gearing Up For Kimmel At Big A

Trainer John Kimmel said Chester and Mary Broman's popular New York-homebred Mr. Buff could make his next start in the open nine-furlong Jazil on January 23.

Mr. Buff finished second to Bankit last out in the nine-furlong Alex M. Robb on December 12 at the Big A.

The 7-year-old Friend Or Foe gelding posted a record of 8-3-2-0 in 2020, including scores in the Jazil and Haynesfield at Aqueduct and the Empire Classic at Belmont. He entered the Alex M. Robb, a race he won by 7 ½-lengths in 2019, off of one week's rest from a fifth in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile Handicap.

Kimmel said he may have been ambitious in the quick turnaround to the Alex M. Robb with the Queens Country, won by Backsideofthemoon on December 19, also an option for the sizable chestnut.

“He was tired after that last race,” said Kimmel. “I walked him for a week and jogged him for a week since. I probably would have been better off waiting for the Queens County. But he's doing fine.”

Kimmel said Dennis Drazin's 8-year-old New Jersey-homebred Sunny Ridge, a $1.4 million earning son of Holy Bull, is close to a return.

The multiple graded stakes winner last raced in January 2020 when third in the Grade 3 Toboggan at the Big A. He returned to the work tab in November and has breezed five times on the Belmont dirt training track, including a half-mile in 50.04 on December 28.

“He's probably three weeks away from running,” said Kimmel. “He's doing OK. I'd like to find an allowance race for him in the next book.”

Sunny Ridge won the 2016 Grade 3 Withers at Aqueduct and a year later took the Jazil and Stymie on the Ozone Park oval. He became a multiple graded-stakes winner in 2019 with a score in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile at Monmouth Park.

Tobey L. Morton's Mandatory, a 4-year-old American Pharoah chestnut purchased for $400,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-year-olds in Training Sale, stretches out to nine furlongs in Sunday's third race for maidens 4-years-old and up at Aqueduct when returning from more than a year layoff.

“I couldn't get a sprint race to go. It would have been preferable to run him in a shorter race off a year layoff,” said Kimmel.

Out of the multiple stakes winning Lost Soldier mare Chit Chatter, Mandatory is a half-brother to multiple Grade 1-winner I'm a Chatterbox. The chestnut colt, with blinkers on, breezed a sharp half-mile from the gate in 47.64 on December 27 on the dirt training track. Mandatory will be first-time blinkers in Sunday's return with Dylan Davis at the helm.

“He's performed very well in the mornings with blinkers on and has been very sharp,” said Kimmel. “He's a very well-bred horse and I've always liked him, it's just taken awhile to get him to the point where I've been happy with him.

“He's had a chronic hind end issue,” continued Kimmel. “I gave him time off and started him back but it showed up again, so I gave him all of Saratoga off and knock wood he's not had any issues since then. He's been breezing right along and breezing well.”

Mandatory made his first two starts at Belmont in 2019, finishing third in his September 28 debut at six furlongs and fifth last out on October 26 when stretched out to 1 1/16-miles.

“I don't think he has distance limitations,” said Kimmel. “His first race was pretty impressive considering he got left and then made a good late run going six furlongs. He ran flat the first time I stretched him out to a mile, so I'd say something was starting to bug him at that point as he didn't come out of that race all that great. He never did have surgery, he just had time off.”

Kimmel said he is hopeful of a good showing from Mandatory.

“We think he's a damn nice horse and he's super well bred. He's a half-brother to a really good filly,” said Kimmel.

The post Stakes Warriors Mr. Buff, Sunny Ridge Gearing Up For Kimmel At Big A appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post