joel rosario | Horse Racing Free Tips

Idol Finishes Best of All To Take the Big ‘Cap

Calvin Nguyen's Idol (Curlin) seemed to relish the 10 furlongs of Saturday's GI Santa Anita H. as he turned the tables on Express Train (Union Rags) to post a mild 5-1 upset. Even-money invader Maxfield (Street Sense) could only manage third with no obvious excuse. Last seen finishing third as the favorite behind Express Train when trapped behind a slow pace in the Jan. 30

GII San Pasqual S., the bay was kept off the inside and unhurried as he sat second last. Last year's GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby hero King Guillermo (Uncle Mo) provided plenty of pace through splits of :22.82, :47.12 and 1:12.26. Joel Rosario began to shake the reins at Idol heading towards the three-eighths pole, as Express Train and Maxfield mounted their own bids. Express Train stuck the front leaving the home bend, and Maxfield needed to find more as both Independence Hall (Constitution) and Tizamagician (Tiznow) got in the mix. Idol, meanwhile, continued to plug away down the center, found his best stride in midstretch and bounded to the front with good-looking strides to notch a breakthrough victory.

“My horse loves this distance,” Rosario said. “I just wanted to keep him away from the rail and he handled it easily. He responded when it came time to run and he had some kick. I appreciate the opportunity Richard Baltas gave me for this ride. I had never been on him. I watched all his races and I could see he tries hard every time. What a strong finish today! He ran really big.”

Second in his six-furlong unveiling at Churchill Sept. 5, Idol graduated over an additional eighth three weeks later, good for a solid 94 Beyer Speed Figure. He dominated a 1 3/16-mile allowance under the Twin Spires Nov. 8, and finished up his late-starting sophomore campaign with a close second to re-opposing Kiss Today Goodbye (Cairo Prince) in the local

8 1/2-panel GII San Antonio S. Dec. 26. Tizamagician finished between Express Train and Idol in the San Pasqual after setting the pace.

“I know he was running really hard around the turn, he was wide, he was far back but Joel said he didn't want any of the kick back in his face, so we took the wide route,” said conditioner Richard Baltas. “He's got a big lovely long stride so that's why we were thinking a mile and a quarter for sure. We needed all of Joel Rosario's power in the stretch to get him home. It was a great win, it's a race you dream about winning.

“It's unbelievable, I've been coming here since I was 13 years old. Before I even got to be a horse trainer, I saw all the greats run here in the Big 'Cap and you never think that you're gonna be here but you keep working hard and God blessed you.

“[Owner] Calvin [Nguyen] came and claimed a horse with me named Freedom Crest, it was our first horse. I've had several different jobs back and forth, Calvin's always been a loyal guy and he wanted to come back. This was a blessing for both of us. Loyalty means a lot.”

Freedom Crest, claimed as a maiden for $32,000 in 1999, would go on to take the GII San Pasqual H. and GII Goodwood Breeders' Cup H. in 2001. He was 10th in the following year's Big 'Cap.

“It's been a wild ride,” said Nguyen. “Richie's put together a great team and I'm just very fortunate to be a part of it. He's just a great guy, I've known him for so long. He works hard, he's a horse lover, he's here every day… You can't dream about this, we are just very fortunate and you enjoy it while you can.”

Saturday, Santa Anita
SANTA ANITA H.-GI, $401,500, Santa Anita, 3-6, 4yo/up, 1 1/4m, 2:02.46, ft.
1–IDOL, 119, c, 4, by Curlin
1st Dam: Marion Ravenwood (SW, $112,598), by A.P. Indy
2nd Dam: Andujar, by Quiet American
3rd Dam: Nureyev's Best, by Nureyev
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
WIN. ($375,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-Calvin Nguyen; B-My
Meadowview LLC (KY); T-Richard Baltas; J-Joel Rosario.
$240,000. Lifetime Record: 6-3-2-1, $416,464. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++
*Triple Plus*.
2–Express Train, 123, c, 4, Union Rags–I'm a Flake, by
Mineshaft. ($500,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-C R K Stable LLC;
B-Dixiana Farms LLC (KY); T-John A. Shirreffs. $80,000.
3–Maxfield, 124, c, 4, Street Sense–Velvety, by Bernardini.
O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh. $48,000.
Margins: HF, 1HF, HF. Odds: 5.40, 5.00, 1.10.
Also Ran: Independence Hall, Tizamagician, Kiss Today Goodbye, Coastal Defense, King Guillermo. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

Pedigree Notes:

The lightly raced Idol became the 75th stakes winner for Curlin, who made the transition from two-time Horse of the Year to one of the country's leading sires. Standing at Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, Curlin has 37 graded winners, including additional 2021 GSW Clairiere, one of the early favorites for the GI Kentucky Oaks. The cross of Curlin over A.P. Indy is turning into a classic, with seven black-type winners bred on the identical cross as Idol, including GISW Global Campaign and GSW Malathaat. Super broodmare sire A.P. Indy also added to his ever-growing total of stakes winners out of his daughters, ending Saturday at 231 with Idol's initial Grade I score and Weyburn (Pioneerof the Nile)'s GIII Gotham S. Idol's dam, a listed winner, sold for $400,000 at Keeneland November when Idol was a weanling. Her 2019 filly, who hammered for $350,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale, is a full-sister to Idol. Marion Ravenwood also has a 2020 colt by Violence and was bred to City of Light for this term. Her fifth dam, Your Hostess, a full-sister to Kelso's sire Your Host, was granddam of 1969 Derby/Preakness winner Majestic Prince (Raise a Native) and great-great-granddam of 1998 Derby/Preakness winner Real Quiet (Quiet American).

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Mystic Guide Romps Over Sloppy Track In Razorback Handicap

Godolphin homebred Mystic Guide had never run on anything other than a fast track during his six-race career, but the Ghostzapper 4-year-old colt took to a very sloppy surface at Oaklawn on Saturday, winning the 62nd running of the Grade 3, $600,000 Razorback Handicap by six lengths under Luis Saez.

Silver Prospector finished second, with 7-5 favorite Owendale another 1 1/4 lengths back in third and Hunka Burning Love fourth in the field of seven older runners.

Mystic Guide covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.33 and paid $6.40 to win as the 2-1 second choice in the wagering. He carried 121 pounds as the high weight under the handicap conditions.

Heavy rain hit the Hot Springs, Ark., track on Saturday and the Razorback was delayed for a few minutes as the track crew worked on the sloppy surface. The race had been postponed twice because of the winter storm that hit the South earlier this month.

Hunka Burning Love went to the front, out-hustling Long Range Toddy and Mystic Guide to take the early lead and setting fractions of :23.69, :47.61, and 1:12.99 for the first six furlongs. Long Range Toddy sat second, with Silver Prospector along the rail in third, alongside Mailman Money in the run down the backstretch.

Mystic Guide commenced his rally approaching the far turn, and was out in the middle of the track when he took the lead at the top of the stretch. He passed the mile marker in 1:38.08 and continued to widen his advantage in the final furlong.

Silver Prospector saved ground but may have been on the deepest part of the track along the rail. Owendale was never a factor, racing far back in the early stages of the race and rallying late to get third.

The win was the third from seven starts for Mystic Guide, who was produced from the A.P. Indy mare Music Note. He was making his first start since finishing second last Oct. 10 in the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup to Happy Saver. Prior to that, Mystic Guide won the G2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga.

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Jackie’s Warrior, Former King of the Hill, Looks to Reclaim His Perch

In the world's current state of affairs, a lot can change in a few months' time. Racing is no different. One only has to go back to November to remember when Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) was the undisputed leader of his age group. But an odds-on loss on the sport's biggest stage took the bloom off of his rose for some, and these days, despite being a multiple Grade I winner, one could argue he is a forgotten colt as the GI Kentucky Derby trail kicks into high gear.

But opportunity knocks this Saturday, in the twice-delayed GIII Southwest S. at Oaklawn, where the brilliant $95,000 Keeneland September grad will make his 3-year-old debut and get his long-awaited rematch with the rival who snatched away his Eclipse statuette with a conquest of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Essential Quality (Tapit).

“Steve [Asmussen]'s extremely happy with the horse, I personally love the draw, number four in a seven-horse field and you get the favorite down on the rail, so I think we're good to go,” Robison said Wednesday of the Southwest, which was originally supposed to run Feb. 15 but got pushed back two times due to inclement weather in Hot Springs. “Steve never considered another race. From 6-8 weeks ago, he was always on track for this race and I think when they announced Essential Quality was probably going there too, it scared a few people off, but that's where we wanted to go from day one. No excuses.”

After dominating a trio of historic 2-year-old stakes last summer and fall–the GII Saratoga Special S., GI Runhappy Hopeful S. and GI Champagne S.–Jackie's Warrior was regarded highly enough to be hammered down to 9-10 favoritism in the Juvenile, one of the shortest prices of the entire Breeders' Cup weekend. But the speedball was caught too close to a scorching pace of :22.58 and :45.31, and just faded late after making the lead in mid-stretch under Joel Rosario, ending up fourth, beaten 3 3/4 lengths by tripped-out closer Essential Quality.

The nature of that first defeat raised doubts about Jackie's Warrior's ability to see out two-turn races, considering his running style and sprint-leaning pedigree.

“I think there's always been some question about whether he could get a mile and a sixteenth against top-flight horses,” Robison said. “He was not able to do it that day, but I'm very confident he can get it done Saturday. It's a different circumstance, smaller field, and I think Rosario and Steve probably learned a lot from what happened in the Juvenile, so let's see what happens.”

As for potentially trying to throttle the horse's speed down to increase his staying chances, Robison said, “He really is freaky fast, and I remember Steve telling me a long time ago about horses, 'Never take away what they do well.' So if you have a horse who outbreaks the field, don't take that advantage away from the horse, let him go on. He's just a natural speed horse and I think that's what his style will be. The question is going to always be, how far can he take that kind of speed? We'll find out.”

And, if Jackie's Warrior doesn't continue on the Derby trail after Saturday, that will be just fine with Robison, a veteran of the game who deeply appreciates the prestige of big races beyond the Run for the Roses.

“If he turns into a multiple Grade I winner around one turn, that's not the end of the world,” he said with a laugh. “I don't get up in the morning dreaming about a Derby horse. People at cocktail parties only want to hear about the Derby, but most of us in the industry know with these Grade I sprints and one-turn mile races, how important they are. I'm not going to presume what Steve's going to do after this race, but having said that, I think he'll run extremely well.”

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Doyle Makes History On Saudi Cup Day, Guiding True Self Past Channel Maker In Neom Turf Cup

Hollie Doyle has become one of British racing's shining stars with her exploits over the last few months and her talents were demonstrated on the global stage with a perfect late run on True Self (IRE) in the US $1,000,000 Neom Turf Cup Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Now an 8-year-old mare, the Willie Mullins-trained True Self has been a real globe-trotter for Ireland, her most notable overseas victories to date coming with consecutive scores in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes in Australia.

Knowing that her mount would have plenty of stamina for the 2100m event, Doyle allowed For The Top (ARG) to take the field along before the big United Stakes contender Channel Maker (CAN) and Joel Rosario made their move along the backstretch.

Doyle, whose prolific streak of victories and first Group 1 success in 2020 even put her on the podium in the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year Award, timed it to perfection, coming past Rosario with 50m left to run and a length and a quarter clear at the post to become the first female jockey to ride a winner on the Saudi Cup card.

Quotes:

Hollie Doyle, jockey, New York Central, 1st: “It has been an incredible year, so it's great to get the new year off in a prestigious race such as this. I thought she was my best winning chance of the day, I watched all her performances and a step back in trip was a very clever move by Mr Mullins. They set a generous gallop the whole way round, but I managed to track them and got the splits up the straight. Willie said she's got one burst of speed and that's what she had.”

Willie Mullins, trainer, True Self: “It was a fantastic ride by Hollie and the team have done a great job out there. We bought her originally as a mare to go hurdling with but she just has a huge amount of speed and all the jockeys who rode her said a mile and a quarter would suit her. It didn't always work out but it was great to come for a big prize like this. The two plans this year were here and Australia at the end of the year. I'll have to talk to the owners, OTI Racing, to decide what else we do.”

Joel Rosario, jockey, Channel Maker, 2nd: “I mean it was good. The plan was to go to the lead and then he ran his race. I thought for a second I was going to get there and then the horse came with a strong run. He ran a big race. I got into Riyadh at one in the morning, everything was fine. I'm glad I made it here.”

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