joel rosario | Horse Racing Free Tips

Shadwell’s Zaajel Surprises Always Carina, Upsets Mother Goose Stakes At Belmont

Shadwell Stable's Zaajel provided Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher a graded stakes win on his birthday, overtaking 4-5 favorite Always Carina in the final furlong and prevailing by 1 1/4 lengths as the longest shot on the board at 18-1 to win Saturday's $250,000 Grade 2 Mother Goose Stakes for 3-year-old fillies going a one-turn, 1 1/16 miles at Belmont Park in Elmont, Ny.

Pletcher, who turned 54 and recorded his sixth career win in the Mother Goose, moved Zaajel back to the main track after she ran seventh in her turf debut last out in the Grade 2 Edgewood Stakes in April at Churchill Downs. The Street Sense filly was forwardly placed by jockey Joel Rosario in her Belmont debut, staying in second position as Always Carina led the five-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in :24.03 and the half in :48.03 on the fast track.

Zaajel stayed close to Always Carina out of the turn and moved up from the outside when straightened for home, running stride-for-stride with her rival before pulling ahead. After an aggressive hand ride, Rosario used a quick burst of left-handed encouragement as Zaajel surged home a winner in a 1:42.83 final time.

“She ran really big today. She was very comfortable and happy,” Rosario said. “I knew the horse on the lead was the horse to beat and she did it. She ran a big race today. She was moving very well for me.”

Zaajel, who captured the Grade 3 Forward Gal Stakes in her 3-year-old bow in January at Gulfstream Park, became a two-time graded stakes winner, improving her overall ledger to three wins in five starts. The Kentucky homebred returned $38.80 on a $2 win wager and upped her career bankroll to $228,640.

“She had been training well and got back to one turn,” said Pletcher assistant Byron Hughes. “We knew it was going to be a short field, and she ran well.

“We thought she would be forwardly placed. We had Chad's filly [Brown, Always Carina] on her inside and she sat right on her hip,” he added. “Joel did a great job of keeping her right there and she responded well and got the win.”

Pletcher added to his rich history in this race, where he also saddled victorious Off the Tracks [2016], Buster's Ready [2011], Devil May Care [2010], Octave [2007], and Jersey Girl [1998].

Three Chimneys Farm's Always Carina, who entered her stakes debut 2-for-2 for trainer Chad Brown, held off a surging Clairiere by a nose for second.

“She certainly didn't run up to her capabilities today,” Brown said. “Maybe switching her off and going a little too slow during the race – which she's not really used to – in hindsight, might have put her to sleep a bit. We'll have to see how she comes out of the race and see if there's any other reason. But my first thought is that maybe we should have just let her roll on the front. She fought on bravely for second but that wasn't how she had run her first two starts, that's for sure.”

Always Carina, a homebred Malibu Moon filly, was stretching out to 1 1/16 miles for the first time after graduating at six furlongs and winning last out by 9 3/4 lengths going one mile on Big Sandy.

“My horse was traveling well and she accelerated nicely,” said Always Carina jockey Flavien Prat. “She just got beat by a filly who had more experience. I didn't have any issues. She dug in well.”

Make Mischief and Illiogami completed the order of finish.

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Mother-To-Be Oleksandra Beats The Boys In Poker Stakes

On Father's Day, it was the mother-to-be who brought home the victory for Team Valor International. Oleksandra (AUS), the lone mare in the field of nine, won the one-mile Grade 3 Poker Stakes by a neck over favored Raging Bull in Sunday's feature on the turf at Belmont Park, Elmont, Ny.

In her fourth start of 2021, Oleksandra, who is currently in foal to Into Mischief, broke a step slow from the gate, bumping into favorite Raging Bull, and was last for the first six furlongs of the one-mile Poker. Jockey Joel Rosario did not panic, though, content to let his mount run at the back of the pack and allow the race to develop in front of them. Get Smokin, winner of the Seek Again Stakes in his previous start, took the lead within the first furlong, with Raased and Tell Your Daddy running close behind, and he held onto that advantage until the final turn.

Favorite Raging Bull found himself boxed in for much of the race, but, as the field entered the stretch, he made his move on the rail, just to the inside of Get Smokin. At the back of the field on that last turn, Rosario took Oleksandra to the outside, moving down the center of the course as Raging Bull began to overtake Get Smokin. Raging Bull got to the lead in that last furlong, but Oleksandra moved past him, taking over first place and determinedly holding off Raging Bull to win the G3 Poker by a head. The final time for the mile was 1:32.11.

Behind Oleksandra and Raging Bull came Front Run the Fed, Sanctuary City, Get Smokin, Penalty, Tell Your Daddy, Raased, and Veronesi.

Oleksandra paid $36.80, $7.30, and $5.40. Raging Bull paid $2.60 and $2.10. Front Run the Fed paid $3.00 to show.

Trainer Neil Drysdale was pleased with Oleksandra's career finale. “Things haven't gone exactly smooth this year for her. We ran in Kentucky and realized she doesn't like the soft going. So, then we decided not to run here [in the Jaipur] because it was raining a lot here too at the time. Since she's more relaxed this year, we decided to try her at a mile hoping she could get the distance, and she did. She's pregnant [in foal to Into Mischief], so this was her swan song. She'll go out on a high note.”

Joel Rosario was not deterred by that slow start. “She always comes out of there like that [slow] but then she can be a little aggressive after. She relaxed very nicely. Neil Drysdale is a tremendous trainer.”

Foaled in Australia, Oleksandra is a daughter of 2011 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom out of the Caesour mare Alexandra Rose. Bred by her owner Team Valor, this 6-year-old mare was a $1.45 million RNA at the November 2020 Keeneland Breeding Stock sale. This victory in the G3 Poker Stakes is her first win of 2021 and her eighth career victory in 20 starts for career winnings of $705,748.

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Pricey Bernardini Debutante Romps in Belmont Graduation

3rd-Belmont, $78,300, Msw, 6-10, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:06.47, ft,
9 3/4 lengths.
VELVET SISTER (f, 2, Bernardini–Backslash, by Sharp Humor), bought for $500,000 after breezing a :10 1/5 furlong at Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream, debuted a sharp maiden winner Thursday at Belmont for Stonestreet Stables and Steve Asmussen. Showing a quartet of half-mile works at Keeneland, highlighted by a :47 2/5 (5/99) spin from the gate May 8, and a pair of maintenance spins over the local training track, the New York-bred was made a distant 12-5 second choice in a three-horse field behind 1-2 Chad Brown firster Gerrymander (Into Mischief). Out-breaking that rival as remaining foe Amazing Dream (First Samurai) stumbled, the bay dictated terms narrowly while pressed by the favorite through a :22.72 quarter. Gerrymander began to come under more urging nearing the stretch as Joel Rosario sat chilly on the frontrunner, and Velvet Sister shook away outside the furlong grounds, driving clear from there to win wrapped up late by 9 3/4 lengths. Gerrymander, who swapped leads several times in the stretch, was second; Amazing Dream never got involved. The winner is a half-sister to My Boy Tate (Boys At Tosconova), MSW, $584,988. Her dam is responsible for a yearling Frosted filly and foaled a filly by Congrats Apr. 9. Sales History: $165,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL; $500,000 2yo '21 FTFMAR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $49,500. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Michelle Nevin & Godolphin (NY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.

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Sainthood Finds Sloppy Going To His Liking In Pennine Ridge

Grade 1 Kentucky Derby-participant Sainthood was expected to make his turf debut on Saturday, but instead the Mshawish colt capitalized on a race moved to the main track. Sainthood earned his first stakes win by besting The Reds in a stretch duel for a one-length score in the Grade 3, $200,000 Pennine Ridge at 1 1/8 miles for sophomores at Belmont Park.

The seventh running of the Pennine Ridge, originally slated for two turns on the inner turf course, was moved to a one-turn dirt contest due to heavy rain earlier in the day. It was automatically downgraded to Grade 3 because of the surface switch, although the American Graded Stakes Committee will review this year's running to consider reinstatement of its original grade.

Winstar Farm and CHC's Sainthood, making his first start since running 11th in the “Run for the Roses” for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, broke sharp under jockey Joel Rosario, leading the pared-down five-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in 24.75 seconds on the sloppy and sealed track.

Shawdyshawdyshawdy, who tracked in second position, challenged the pacesetter under Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez from the rail and earned the lead, posting a half-mile in 48.56.

Rosario urged Sainthood up approaching the far turn, overtaking Shawdyshawdyshawdy from the outside. But The Reds, under Kendrick Carmouche, kept pressing from the outside, with the duo linking up at the top of the stretch and challenging eye-to-eye into the last furlong. Sainthood responded to Rosario's left-handed encouragement, gaining separation near the final sixteenth and repelling The Reds' re-rally attempt to complete the course in 1:50.57.

“He handled it [the slop] well. He broke on top and I was just looking to follow somebody,” Rosario said. “He was moving really well and I know the other horse [The Reds] had the jump on me, but I kept riding and I was hoping he would fight back and he did.

“I thought maybe he got me, but I knew I hadn't asked him for everything he got, so I knew he'd have a little more in the end,” he added.

Sainthood, who broke his maiden at second asking in February on dirt at Fair Grounds before running second in the G3 Jack Ruby Steaks on Tapeta in March at Turfway Park in his Derby prep, improved to 2-2-0 in five starts and more than doubled his bankroll to $201,900.

“I think he's a versatile colt, much like his sire Mshawish, who we trained and won graded stakes on dirt and turf for us,” Pletcher said. “This horse has run well on dirt and synthetic and slop today. I thought he actually ran a solid race in the Derby. He didn't disgrace himself by any means for a colt as lightly raced as he was. His two works here on the turf I thought were pretty impressive. We came into today hoping to get him on the turf, but it's also great to have one as versatile as he is who can run on just about anything.”

Sainthood, the 4-5 favorite, returned $3.80 on a $2 win wager. Pletcher said the effort could facilitate a start in the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby going 1 1/4 miles on turf in the opener of the Turf Triple series for sophomores on Saturday, July 10 at Belmont.

“We got a good prep for it if we decide to go that way,” Pletcher said. “It's good to have a horse with this many options. We'll talk to the team and come up with a plan, but that will be towards the top of the list.”

Flanagan Racing's The Reds traveled wide throughout after exiting from the outermost post 5. Trained by John Kimmel, The Reds finished five lengths clear of Shawdyshawdyshawdy in his first start since being elevated from second to first in the Federico Tesio in April at Pimlico Race Course after Excellorator's disqualification.

“The post didn't cost him, the best horse won the race,” Carmouche said. “Just no pace. My horse ran well, if we had a little more pace it would have been better for him.”

Safe Conduct and Minuteman completed the order of finish.

Step Dancer, Shaftesbury, Hard Love and Public Sector all scratched.

Live racing continues Sunday with a nine-race card and a 1 p.m. Eastern first post. The $100,000 Paradise Creek for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs on the Widener turf course is slated for Race 8 at 4:40 p.m.

Starting on May 1, Belmont Park re-opened to a limited number of spectators. All admission must be purchased in advance at nyra.com/belmont/tickets/.

For comprehensive information on health and safety protocols in effect for the Belmont Park spring/summer meet, please visit: https://www.nyra.com/belmont/visit/plan-your-visit.

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