Tag: jevian toledo

Laurel Park: Hello Beautiful Annihilates Safely Kept Rivals; Eres Tu, Dontletsweetfoolya Earn Fall Festival Wins

Already a multiple stakes winner against fellow Maryland-bred/sired horses, including an 11 ¼-length romp in the Maryland Million Distaff last month, Hello Beautiful handled open stakes company with aplomb to stay perfect at Laurel Park in Saturday's $100,000 Safely Kept.

The 30th running of the Safely Kept for 3-year-old fillies was the third of six stakes worth $600,000 in purses on a Fall Festival of Racing program that included $100,000 Thirty Eight Go Go going about 1 1/16 miles and $100,000 Primonetta at six furlongs, both for females 3 and up.

Madaket Stables, Albert Frassetto, Mark Parkinson, K-Mac Stables and Magic City Stables' Hello Beautiful ($3.40) three-length triumph was her second straight win and fourth in a stakes, and improved to 6-0 lifetime over her hometown track. The winning time was 1:22.26 for seven furlongs over a fast main track.

Hello Beautiful won the Maryland Million Lassie and Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship to close her 2-year-old campaign, and had tried open stakes twice this year. She lost all chance when shuffled back at the start of the Aug. 9 Audubon Oaks then was outrun when sixth in the Sept. 5 Prioress (G2). Among her competition that day was runner-up Reagan's Edge, who resurfaced in the Safely Kept.

“She's so special. It means so much,” winning trainer Brittany Russell said. “You always want to win races, but with a filly like this it's such a relief when she runs the way she did today.”

Russell's husband, Laurel fall meet-leading rider Sheldon Russell, allowed Hello Beautiful to settle off the right hip of 2020 Charles Town Oaks (G3) winner Fly On Angel through a quarter-mile in 22.69 seconds and a half in 45.08. Russell gave Hello Beautiful her cue midway around the turn and the Golden Lad filly eagerly responded to gain separation from her rivals led by Reagan's Edge, who had moved into contention at the top of the stretch but was no match for the winner.

“Sheldon and I discussed that [not having the early lead] could possibly happen so we were prepared for it,” Russell said. “To be fair, I wasn't concerned. I knew Sheldon would take care of it.”

Reagan's Edge was second, 5 ½ lengths ahead of Landing Zone, who had a four-race wins streak snapped but was able to edge previously undefeated Lady Rocket by a head for third.

The last sprint stakes for females on the 2020 calendar in Maryland is the $100,000 Willa On the Move for fillies and mares 3 and up going six furlongs Dec. 26.

“I don't know exactly what the plans are moving forward,” Russell said. “I think we'll keep her in training but I think we'll just enjoy today and make a plan from here.”

Eres Tu Becomes Stakes Winner in $100,000 Thirty Eight Go Go
Edward Seltzer and Beverly Anderson's Grade 2-placed Eres Tu, making just her second start in 20 months, sat a perfect stalking trip before taking over the lead on the turn and turning away a late bid from On the Town to win the 10th running of the $100,000 Thirty Eight Go Go.

Ridden by Trevor McCarthy for trainer Arnaud Delacour, 2019 Rachel Alexandra (G2) runner-up Eres Tu ($11.80) ran about 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.62 to register her first career stakes win in her eighth start.

Based with Delacour at Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md., Eres Tu returned to action with a 2 ¼-length allowance victory Oct. 14 at Keeneland – her first race since running fourth in the March 2019 Fair Grounds Oaks (G2).

“She came to us at the beginning of the summer and she looked really good. It seems to me that she was a sizeable filly. She's probably 17 hands so I guess she needed plenty of time to mature, and she did,” Delacour said. “She came in in great shape so we just had to train on and never look back. The last race was very good and I was pretty confident about this race because she looks like she moved forward a little bit, so it was a good test and she lived up to expectations.”

McCarthy kept Eres Tu in the clear two wide as Awe Emma posted splits of 23.83 and 47.42 seconds. Eres Tu, whose name means 'It's you,' in Spanish, met little resistance when taking over the top spot on the turn, going six furlongs in 1:11.92. Eres Tu straightened for home in command and won by 1 ½ lengths over Lucky Stride. On the Town was third and favorite Wicked Awesome was fourth, snapping a four-race win streak.

“It was perfect,” Delacour said of the trip. “She's a pretty big filly with a long stride so she needs to be relaxed and have things her way. She was in the clear and in my opinion that's how we need to ride her.”

Delacour said he would consider bringing Eres Tu back in the $150,000 Allaire du Pont (G3) for fillies and mares 3 and up going 1 1/18 miles Dec. 26.

Dontletsweetfoolya Sprints to Impressive $100,000 Primonetta Win
Five Hellions Farm's Dontletsweetfoolya extended her win streak to four races in her stakes debut with a front-running 5 ¼-length triumph in the 33rd running of the $100,000 Primonetta to kick off the Fall Festival of Racing's stakes action.

Breaking from the middle of a nine-horse field, Jevian Toledo sent Dontletsweetfoolya ($10.40) from the gate, outrunning multiple stakes winner Never Enough Time and Giggling to lead through a quarter-mile in 22.39 seconds. Dontletsweetfoolya remained in command after a half in 45.31 and opened up in the lane when challenged by Never Enough Time to win in 1:09.79 for six furlongs.

Dontletsweetfoolya, a 3-year-old daughter of Grade 1 winner Stay Thirsty trained by Lacey Gaudet, has steadily moved up in competition this year. She graduated in maiden special weight company July 24 and won an open entry-level allowance Sept. 5, both at Laurel, then emerged from an early duel to win a second-level optional claimer Oct. 1 at Pimlico – all over older horses – by 21 ¼ combined lengths.

Never Enough Time, winner of Laurel's Alma North and Pimlico's Skipat this fall, finished second, while fellow multiple stakes winner Needs Supervision – racing for the first time since mid-March, came flying late from far back for third.

The post Laurel Park: Hello Beautiful Annihilates Safely Kept Rivals; Eres Tu, Dontletsweetfoolya Earn Fall Festival Wins appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Fearsome Foursome: Top Maryland Jockeys Take Their Shots In 145th Preakness Stakes

A fearsome foursome of Maryland's top jockeys, who have combined to win 30 individual meet titles and seven of the state's last nine overall riding championships, are lined up to strut their stuff on the biggest stage of all.

Trevor McCarthy, Jevian Toledo, Sheldon Russell and Horacio Karamanos have all secured mounts in the 145th Preakness Stakes (G1) Saturday, Oct. 3, being presented this year as the final jewel in a refashioned Triple Crown and the first Triple Crown race to serve as a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).

The $1 million Preakness is among a spectacular weekend Oct. 1-3 featuring 16 stakes, nine graded, worth $3.35 million in purses including the 96th renewal of the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) and 50th edition of the $200,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3), each contested this year on the Preakness undercard.

“We've got a good shot to win, the local riders,” Karamanos said. “There's four of us. We have a good group. There are a lot of good riders in Maryland. It's good competition.”

Karamanos is the winningest rider among the group with 2,266 victories since arriving in the U.S. in 2000 from his native Argentina, where he won more than 1,500 races. He has the assignment on John Fanelli, Cash is King, LC Racing, Paul Braverman and Team Hanley's Ny Traffic.

The veteran Karamanos has won six meet titles in Maryland including three at Pimlico (2003, 2010, 2017) as well as the Laurel Park summer stand that ended Sept. 19. He is the only one of the four local riders to be making his Triple Crown race debut.

“This is my opportunity now. I feel really good, man,” Karamanos said. “This is my home, Maryland.”

Karamanos landed full-time in Maryland in 2002 and tied a Laurel Park record with seven winners on a single card that October. The winner of multiple riding titles at Colonial Downs in neighboring Virginia who has ex-rider Frank Douglas as his agent, he won the $100,000 Twixt Sept. 5 aboard Wicked Awesome. His mounts have earned more than $60 million in career purses.

In Ny Traffic, Karamanos will climb aboard a horse that raced close to the pace in the Kentucky Derby (G1) Sept. 5 before tiring to eighth behind Authentic, exiting the race with a cut on his left front ankle. Beaten a nose by Authentic in the Haskell (G1) July 18, Ny Traffic also finished second in the Louisiana Derby (G2) and Matt Winn (G3) this year.

“This is a nice horse. I watched his last two races. He ran good when he finished second at Monmouth,” Karamanos, 47, said. “In Kentucky the horse broke out a little bit and then sit second and third. He ran evenly to the wire, but the race was so fast. He's a good-trying horse. You never know. I think we have a good shot. He's a nice-looking horse, too.”

McCarthy, 26, will be aboard William H. Lawrence's Liveyourbeastlife, the Jim Dandy (G2) runner-up Sept. 5 at Saratoga for trainer Jorge Abreu. The Delaware native and Laurel resident will become the sixth different rider in nine starts on the sophomore son of Hall of Famer Ghostzapper.

The Preakness will be the first Triple Crown race for Liveyourbeastlife and second for McCarthy, who finished eighth behind 2015 Triple Crown winner with Bodhisattva on his 21st birthday. This year's Preakness comes four weeks after Authentic upset favored Tiz the Law in the Kentucky Derby (G1) Sept. 5.

“We have some really good horses, some fresh horses, my horse being a fresh horse,” McCarthy said. “Authentic really put up a super race last time and he beat a really good horse, so he's going to be pretty tough. I'm just looking forward to getting the opportunity and doing my best, and getting the best trip possible.”

Represented by agent Scotty Silver, McCarthy was Maryland's leading rider in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2019 and owns 12 individual meet titles including six of the last eight since moving his tack back to Maryland full-time in fall 2018 after a stint in New York. Overall, he owns 1,537 wins and nearly $51 million in purses earned with 18 graded-stakes victories.

“If my horse shows up and has a good trip, I'll be happy. I'll be happy with him, I'm pretty sure,” McCarthy said. “He should give me a great effort and I'm really looking forward to riding him. I think that last eighth [of a mile] is really going to suit him. I can't wait.”

Toledo, 24, will get a leg up on Grupo Seven C Stable's Jesus' Team, who became the first Preakness horse to arrive at Pimlico Sunday following the short van ride from trainer Jose D'Angelo's barn at Monmouth Park.

It will be Toledo's second time riding in a Triple Crown race, having finished ninth with Awesome Speed in the 2016 Preakness. Maryland's champion rider in 2015 and 2017, Toledo owns 1,027 career wins and more than $31 million in purse earnings since his first domestic victory at Pimlico in June 2013.

Toledo and Russell are both represented by agent Marty Leonard.

“I'm really excited. It's the second chance that I got to ride the Preakness and I feel really blessed,” Toledo said. “I have a lot of help lately in my career and my agent does a really, really good job. He hustled to have a mount in the Preakness and we got it done, so that's pretty cool.”

A native of Puerto Rico, where he won more than 30 races before coming to the U.S., Toledo has won five individual meet titles in Maryland and two career graded-stakes, the 2014 Charles Town Oaks (G3) with Miss Behaviour and 2018 Arlington Handicap (G3) with Divisidero.

Jesus' Team, named after the owner's son, will see familiar faces in the Preakness. He ran fourth to Authentic in the Haskell, second to Pneumatic in the Aug. 15 Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park and third in the Jim Dandy, less than a length behind runner-up Liveyourbeastlife.

“I never got to meet the trainer,” Toledo said. “He liked the way I ride. I watched all the replays of the horse and he's a nice horse. He tries every time. He always hits the board in these tough races. With luck, anything can happen. Hopefully we can get it done.”

Russell, a seven-time meet champion in Maryland who led the state in wins in 2011, has been named to ride Calumet Farm's Excession, one of three horses pointing to the Preakness trained by two-time winner and Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen.

“At first I was hearing little whispers about it, but as it progressed it started to get a bit louder,” Russell said. “I'm just trying to take it all in. I'm very grateful for the opportunity that Steve's giving me.”

Russell, 33, finished 10th on Concealed Identity in the 2011 Preakness. In his only other Triple Crown mount, he was 14th in the 2012 Derby aboard Done Talking, trained by Laurel Park-based Hamilton Smith.

“We've got a couple days before the race so I'll try to do the best homework I can on the horse. Then it's just trying to get a clean trip and try to get the horse to run for me on such a big day,” Russell said. “I'm excited. I'm over the moon. These are the opportunities you dream about.”

Eight shy of 1,400 career wins with more than $38 million in purses earned, Russell, like McCarthy, Toledo and Karamanos, is still in search of his first Grade 1 triumph. He has won four Grade 3 stakes, the last coming with Doctor J Dub in the 2016 Turf Monster at Parx.

Russell returned to riding on the Sept. 24 opening day program at Pimlico for the first time since breaking his wrist July 16 in a gate mishap at Delaware Park. He was leading Laurel's summer meet standings at the time of his injury.

“Coming off the layoff and everything, it was not something I was thinking about. I'm just very grateful,” he said. “I can understand it being one of the top three riders but from being on the shelf, I couldn't ask for a better thing. It makes me feel very good. It makes me feel very excited. I've got a couple days here up until that big one so we'll be ready next Saturday, put it that way.”

The post Fearsome Foursome: Top Maryland Jockeys Take Their Shots In 145th Preakness Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Karamanos Edges Toledo For Laurel Riding Title; Claudio Gonzalez Tops Among Trainers

Though he didn't wind up with a victory on the card, and had to hold off the late charge from a two-time state champion, jockey Horacio Karamanos left Saturday's closing day program a winner after clinching the summer meet riding title at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

Karamanos was blanked on four mounts Saturday, finishing second three times and ending the extended summer stand with a one-win edge over runner-up Jevian Toledo, 42-41, who won twice to close the gap. Karamanos earned his first title since sharing the 2017 Preakness Meet at Pimlico crown with Feargal Lynch and Kevin Gomez.

“I kept finishing second today, I couldn't win. Sometimes you win and sometimes you don't have the luck. That's what happened to me today,” Karamanos said. “But it's the game. You need some luck. I think I had beautiful luck because I didn't get hurt or anything like that. To me, when I finish my races in one piece it's my best win, and I think for everybody it's the same.”

It is the sixth Maryland meet title for Karamanos, who won Pimlico outright in 2003 and 2010 as well as finishing first during Laurel's 2002 summer and 2007 fall stands. He ranked second in purse earnings with more than $1.35 million, trailing only Toledo's $1.52 million.

Toledo, Maryland's leading overall rider in 2015 and 2017, won twice Saturday aboard Created Special ($3.60) in Race 3 and Quiet Company ($14.80) in Race 7 to get within one, but was second with favored Beacon Hill in Race 8 and sixth on Shezalemondropkid in Race 9. Karamanos' lone win over closing weekend came in Friday's fourth race with Successful Zip ($6.60).

Seventeen-year-old apprentice Charlie Marquez, riding his last day in Maryland before moving his tack to New York with Hall of Famer Angel Cordero Jr. as his agent, captured the ninth race finale on Gennie Highway ($18) and finished third with 34 wins.

“I feel so good. We had a beautiful meet and good competition with my friends. We had good luck this year,” Karamanos said. “I had nice horses to ride and good people to ride for like [trainers] Damon [Dilodovico], Jose Corrales, Ferris Allen. I'm so happy because this is my home. This is the place I want to live forever.”

Represented by agent and ex-rider Frank Douglas, Karamanos had five wins in his first 50 mounts to open the summer meet once live racing resumed in Maryland May 30 following a 2 1/2-month pause amid the coronavirus pandemic. When the calendar turned to July, Karamanos caught fire with 11 multi-win days including hat tricks July 4, July 25 and Aug. 14.

A native of Argentina, where he won more than 1,500 races before coming to the U.S. in 2000, Karamanos landed full-time in Maryland in 2002 and tied a Laurel Park record with seven winners on a single card that October. He also owns multiple riding titles at Colonial Downs in neighboring Virginia.

Laurel was the site of Karamanos' 2,000th career victory aboard Liquid Aloha on Father's Day, June 17, 2017. Over Labor Day weekend, he won the $100,000 Twixt Sept. 5 for trainer Ferris Allen on Wicked Awesome.

“I want to say thank you to my agent, my wife who supported me and my beautiful daughter. All my friends help me, all my trainers support me,” Karamanos said. “I try hard all the time with my people so I feel really confident in myself to ride.”

Claudio Gonzalez finished as leading trainer with 27 wins to earn his 13th career title and 10th in the last 11 meets in Maryland dating back to Laurel's 2017 spring stand. Damon Dilodovico was second with 16, while Jamie Ness and Jose Corrales tied for third at 15.

One of Gonzalez's main clients, Robert D. Bone, wound up as the meet's leading owner with 14 wins, five ahead of Ness' Jagger Inc.

Live racing moves to Baltimore for the six-day Preakness Meet at Pimlico which runs Sept. 24-28 and Oct. 1-3. The final three days will feature a blockbuster lineup of 16 stakes, nine graded, worth $3.35 million in purses highlighted by the 145th running of the Preakness Stakes (G1) Oct. 3.

Molto Bella Spoils Stablemate Las Setas' Return in Saturday Feature
Molto Bella, a stakes winner last winter for Ian Wilkes racing first time for trainer Katy Voss, scooted through an opening on the inside in mid-stretch and drew off to a 2 3/4-length win in Saturday's featured fourth race at Laurel Park.

Owned by the partnership of Randall Bloch, Six Column Stables, Voss, Fred Merritt and John Seiler, Molto Bella ($7) ran six furlongs in 1:10.12 over a fast main track in the third-level optional claiming allowance for fillies and mares 3 and up originally carded for the Fort Marcy turf course.

“I didn't have to do much with her. Ian sent her down ready,” Voss said. “We've had trouble finding a good spot for her this year. Ian thinks she likes the turf better but we're having a serious problem [having] turf [races] so I thought if she ran back to any of her dirt races from last year she'd be tough. I think the race set up for her.”

Angel at War and S W Briar Rose, both entered for main track only, were the main combatants through fractions of 23.02 and 46.10 seconds. Jockey Trevor McCarthy settled Molto Bella in fourth, bided his time and took advantage of an opening once straightened for home.

S W Briar Rose passed Angel at War late for second, with Molto Bella's stablemate Las Setas completing the order of finish. Named the Maryland-bred champion 3-year-old filly after stakes wins in the Wide Country, Beyond the Wire and Weber City Miss last spring, Las Setas was racing for just the second time since the 2019 Black-Eyed Susan (G2), where she ran seventh, and first since a fifth in the six-furlong Politely Stakes last Dec. 7 at Laurel.

Voss had also considered the $100,000 Skipat on the Preakness (G1) undercard Oct. 3 for Las Setas, but wanted more time before the Maryland Million Distaff Oct. 24.

“She wasn't really ready, but I knew she needed a race and the Pimlico race is too tough and too close. This was my only option,” Voss said. “The goal is Maryland Million, and we wanted to get a race into her before that.”

Notes: Jockey Trevor McCarthy posted a hat trick Saturday with Hot Choice ($9.20) in Race 2, Molto Bella ($7) in Race 4 and Pretty Lori ($4) in Race 6. Favored at even money for her career bow and trained by Ham Smith, 2-year-old filly Pretty Lori won in 1:04.65 for 5 ½ furlongs in the off-the-turf maiden special weight … Trainer Dale Capuano swept the late double with Dixie Drawl ($3.80) in Race 8 and Gennie Highway ($18) in Race 9 … Mandatory payouts returned $1,537.40 in the $1 Super Hi-5, $1,101.65 in the 50-cent Late Pick 5 for tickets with all five winners, and $633.94 in the 20-cent Pick 6 for tickets with all six winners.

The post Karamanos Edges Toledo For Laurel Riding Title; Claudio Gonzalez Tops Among Trainers appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Karamanos, Gonzalez, and Bone take Laurel Summer Meet Titles

The summer meet at Laurel Park wrapped up Saturday with jockey Horacio Karamanos just holding his lead over Jevian Toledo to win the riding title in spite of failing to reach the winner’s circle Saturday while Toledo won twice. Karamanos won 42-41 over Toledo. He ranked second in purse earnings with more than $1.35 million, while Toledo tallied $1.52 million.

“I kept finishing second today,” said Karamanos. “I couldn’t win. Sometimes you win and sometimes you don’t have the luck. That’s what happened to me today. But it’s the game. You need some luck. I think I had beautiful luck because I didn’t get hurt or anything like that. To me, when I finish my races in one piece, it’s my best win, and I think for everybody it’s the same.”

Karamanos has now won six titles in Maryland, including the Laurel fall meets in 2002 and 2007. The Argentine native won more than 1,500 races in Argentina before moving his tack to the U.S. in 2000.

Trainer Claudio Gonzalez was Laurel’s leading trainer for the summer meet with 27 wins. He earned his 13th career title and 10th in the last 11 meets in Maryland. Damon Dilodovico trailed in second with 16 wins.

Robert D. Bone, one of Gonzalez’s main clients, was the meet’s leading owner with 14 wins.

Live racing in Maryland will now move to Baltimore for the Preakness Meet at Pimlico, which is scheduled for Sept. 24-28 and Oct. 1-3. The 145th running of the GI Preakness S. will be held Oct. 3.

The post Karamanos, Gonzalez, and Bone take Laurel Summer Meet Titles appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights