John Velazquez | Horse Racing Free Tips

Sweet Melania Regains Graded Stakes Winning Form In Suwannee River

The last time Sweet Melania had her picture taken was nearly 18 months ago at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. In the intervening months since then, the daughter of American Pharoah has had four in-the-money finishes, but no wins. In the Grade 3 Suwannee River Stakes, Sweet Melania stalked Shifty She throughout the first six furlongs and rallied in the stretch to get her first victory of 2021.

In a capacity field of 12, Sweet Melania broke well, with jockey John Velazquez putting her in second behind the favorite Shifty She, who took the lead from the break. Through early fractions of :25.91 for the first quarter and :48.4 for the half-mile, Shifty She had a comfortable three-length lead over Sweet Melania and In a Hurry down the backstretch. Velazquez moved his filly into contention as they entered the far turn, pulling within striking distance of Shifty She entering the stretch.

Down the Gulfstream straight, the two fillies dueled down the first half of the stretch, but Sweet Melania was able to get a head in front within the last furlong to hit the wire a half-length in front. Shifty She held off a rallying In a Hurry to finish second.

The final time for the one-mile G3 stakes was 1:36.40. Find this race's chart here.

Sweet Melania paid $15.60, $7.00, and $4.80. Shifty She paid $4.40 and $3.00. In a Hurry paid $4.20.

“She was super sharp coming into it. I loved the way she was training and she got a beautiful ride from Johnny. It was a good setup, and I thought she ran a good race. I felt like she had been rounding back into form and had some good performances and just didn't quite get there. She did seem super sharp, and we were hoping for an improved performance,” trainer Todd Pletcher said after the race.

“The first time I rode her she broke well and I was trying to get her back. She was kind of keen and the other horse next to me was pushing the whole way, and she never really got to relax. Last time she relaxed a little bit behind a couple horses in front, so I thought maybe she wants to do that and have a better finish. Although she just got beat last time out, she ran a really good race,” jockey John Velazquez said after the G3 Suwannee River.

“Today I was just trying to do the same thing, if I could get behind somebody. It was perfect. When I let her go, she responded right away. Obviously, the horse in front is a very tough horse to beat, but I didn't want to let it be too easy. I got to her at the three-eighths pole and I knew I probably had her but on the other hand, I don't want to let her go too easy and get caught by somebody else from behind. It feels good to win a race like this.”

Bred in Kentucky by St. Elias Stables, Sweet Melania is a 4-year-old filly out of the Discreet Cat mare Sweet N Discreet. She is owned by Robert and Lawana Low. Sweet Melania was consigned by Gainesway and purchased by West Bloodstock and her owners for $600,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. With her win in the G3 Suwannee River, the filly has one win in six starts in 2021 for a lifetime record of four wins in 15 starts and career earnings of $571,210.

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Velazquez, Smith Re-Elected to Jockeys’ Guild

Hall of Fame riders John Velazquez and Mike Smith were re-elected as co-chairmen at the Jockeys' Guild's annual meeting, which was held virtually Dec. 7. The riders in attendance also re-elected Javier Castellano and Julien Leparoux, along with newly elected Quarter Horse jockey James Flores, as vice-chairs; Joel Campbell as treasurer; and Rodney Prescott as secretary. In addition, Alex Birzer, Joe Bravo, and Drayden Van Dyke were re-elected to the board of directors.

The members reviewed 2021 financials and the 2022 budget and had a variety of speakers including Senator Damon Thayer (KY-R); Dr. David Lambert B.V.Sc. (Hons.), M.R.C.V.S, president and founder of Equine Analysis; Ann McGovern, director of Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA)'s Racetrack Safety standing committee; and Nancy LaSala, Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF) president, as well as PDJF board member Paul Braverman.

The Jockeys' Guild Senate members voted to adopt a new policy, whereby winning Jockeys' Guild members of races with purses over $70,000 will contribute 0.005% of their earnings, capped at $200, to the PDJF Riders Up initiative. This would be a separate program from the “one dollar program” that is already in place and would continue to be offered at the tracks that do not offer purses of $70,000 or more.

For more information, visit the Guild's website.

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Owner of Remsen Runner-up Protesting Non-DQ of Winner

The owner of the runner-up in last Saturday's GII Remsen S. at Aqueduct has lodged a protest with the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) over the stewards' non-disqualification of the winner by a nose in that race after both an inquiry and a jockey's foul claim regarding the stretch run.

Dave Grening of Daily Racing Form first reported the news on Thursday. He quoted Jeff Drown, the owner of second-place finisher Zandon (Upstart), who said that the actions of victor Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) and that colt's jockey, Irad Ortiz Jr., cost him the win.

“Certainly, the outcome was affected by how the race was ridden,” Drown told DRF.

Mo Donegal skimmed across the heels of the four frontrunners to escape traffic at the top of the lane and was poised to pounce in upper stretch with a bid to the outside of Zandon and jockey John Velazquez.

The two colts crested the eighth pole in lockstep, then Mo Donegal tightened the lateral gap between them under right-handed stick work from Ortiz. But being put into tighter quarters seemed to embolden Zandon, who fought back gamely as the two bumped and brushed approaching the wire.

The Equibase chart caller described how Irad Ortiz Jr. threw “repeated exaggerated crosses with the left-hand rein near the face of the runner-up” in an “attempt to intimidate” Zandon.

“We were down the lane fighting in a big race,” Ortiz said right after that Dec. 4 win. “[Velazquez] was riding his horse and I was riding mine. It was a good race and we got together a little before the wire, but it was a beautiful race.”

Velazquez said Mo Donegal “got on top of me and I just missed. He laid on top of me right before the wire and just beat me by very little.”

Drew Mollica, a New York-based attorney who specializes in racing-related cases and is representing Drown, told TDN that the very tight margin of victory is part of what merits a review.

“My client's position is there's no question it was a foul. The facts speak for themselves. If Mo Donegal had won by eight lengths, you could say [the actions of the winner and his jockey] didn't affect the outcome of the race. But Zandon was beaten an inch,” Mollica said.

Two other factors could come into play if the NYSGC opts for a review.

The first is that the day after the Remsen, Ortiz was suspended 30 days by the Aqueduct stewards for careless riding, primarily for his role in unseating another jockey in a Dec. 3 race. But state steward Braulio Baeza Jr. told DRF on Sunday that part of that penalty also had to do with Ortiz's stretch ride in the Remsen, “even though the official ruling of Ortiz's suspension does not reference the Remsen,” Grening wrote.

The second factor has to do with there being two substitute stewards on the job at Aqueduct on the day of the Remsen.

DRF reported that state steward Baeza and Jockey Club steward Jennifer Durenberger were both not officiating the races on Saturday. “Stephen Pagano, a steward at Monmouth Park, filled in for Durenberger. Carmine Donofrio, a longtime commission steward at New York Racing Association tracks who retired nearly eight years ago from that position, filled in for Baeza,” Grening wrote.

When asked if the substitute stewards would factor into his client's planned appeal, Mollica said, “In New York, as you know, the final arbiter of anything is the state steward. But the issue at hand is the horse was beaten an inch.”

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Mo Donegal Wins Narrow Victory Over Zandon In Remsen

With 2022 Kentucky Derby points on the line, Mo Donegal and Zandon battled down the stretch in the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes, with Mo Donegal getting a nose victory over the Chad Brown trainee in a close photo finish at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

A winner at 1 1/16 miles last out, Mo Donegal sat toward mid-pack in the field of eight throughout the first part of the 1 1/8-mile Remsen, with Zandon sitting third behind leader Fromanothamutha, who set early fractions of :25.18 and :51.47 around the first turn and down the backstretch. On the far turn, Midnight Chrome and Mr Jefferson moved past Fromanothamutha, taking over 1-2 briefly as Zandon split them and took the lead into the stretch.

In traffic on the far turn, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. took Mo Donegal to the outside, going five-wide into the stretch. As the field straightened out for home, Zandon was second behind Fromanothamutha, who tired as Mo Donegal, running down the center of the track, took the lead. Zandon hooked up with Mo Donegal midstretch, with Mo Donegal holding a short lead as they came together. Zandon was not done, battling back and trying to pull even with Mo Donegal as they approached the wire. At the finish, Mo Donegal was a nose in front. The close contact between the two down the stretch and a bump as they ran together in the last sixteenth led John Velazquez to claim foul again Ortiz. The inquiry went to the stewards, who upheld the results.

The final time was 1:53.61. Find this race's chart here.

Mo Donegal paid $4.90, $2.70, and $2.30. Zandon paid $3.00 and $2.70. Midnight Chrome paid $7.10.

“We were watching the inquiry upstairs and they put it into four screens so it was hard to see, obviously they came close together right at the finish. I'd have to watch it again. I couldn't see from up there if they touched or not, but Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] did say it was right at the wire,” trainer Todd Pletcher said after the Remsen. “I thought he ran great. He was getting a good, ground-saving trip and put himself in a good spot. He kind of had to angle out a little bit and lost some ground there but it looked like when he got there he is still trying to figure out how to polish it off. The other horse battled back.”

“We were down the lane fighting in a big race. He [Velazquez] was riding his horse and I was riding mine. It was a good race and we got together a little before the wire, but it was a beautiful race. He [Mo Donegal] tried his hardest and I did my best. We got lucky with the head bob and got there,” jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. told the NYRA Press Office after the race. “I was looking for some room [at the turn for home] and there were four horses in front of me. So, I had to wait a few jumps and go around. It probably cost me a length and a half. He idled a little bit. He's a young horse and I tried to meet the other horse and keep going. As soon as he got to the other horse, he fought back. He was ready.”

Bred in Kentucky by Ashview Farm and Colts Neck Stables, Mo Donegal is by Uncle Mo out of the Pulpit mare Callingmissbrown. Trained by Todd Pletcher, the 2-year-old colt is owned by Donegal Racing who purchase the colt from Ashview Farm for $250,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. With his victory in the G2 Remsen, Mo Donegal has two wins in three starts for career earnings of $197,800. He also earns 10 points toward the 2022 Kentucky Derby. Zandon earns four points, Midnight Chrome two points, and Mr Jefferson one point.

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