John Velazquez | Horse Racing Free Tips

Mind Control Confirmed For Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile

Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stable's multiple Grade 1 winner Mind Control, a determined winner (104 Beyer) of the $200,000 PARX Dirt Mile at Parx in Bensalem, Penn., on September 25, will make his next start in the $1,000,000 Grade 1 Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile on Saturday, Nov. 6 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

Rick Sacco, Racing & Operations Manager for Red Oak Farm, made the announcement after the 5-year-old son of Stay Thirsty – Feel That Fire worked five furlongs on the training track at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher in 1:01.46 on Friday, October 15.

“Mind Control put in an excellent solo breeze and galloped out strongly,” noted Pletcher. “He finished out in 1:14.33, 1:27.09, and got the mile in 1:41.71. Mind Control will ship to California on October 31 to put in his final preparations for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.”

Sacco added that regular jockey and Hall of Fame inductee John Velazquez has been engaged to ride the Red Oak Stable homebred Mind Control in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

Velazquez was in the saddle for Mind Control's hard-fought PARX Dirt Mile victory over 2021 Grade 1 Met Mile winner Silver State.

Silver Slate collared Mind Control and briefly took the lead in the stretch, but Mind Control fought back on the inside to win by a head while covering the mile in 1:36.59.

“He didn't give up, I didn't give up! When I asked for more, he gave me more,” Velazquez said after winning the race.

Mind Control will enter the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile with a record of 9 wins from 23 lifetime starts and career earnings of $1,413,229. His two Grade 1 wins came at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., in the 2018 Hopeful and the 2019 H. Allen Jerkens, both run at seven furlongs.

Mind Control has made three starts at the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile distance, winning twice and finishing second once. The PARX Dirt Mile was around two turns as is the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar.

[Story Continues Below]

Sacco informed that Mind Control's graded stakes-placed two-year-old half-sister Goddess Of Fire will make her third lifetime start in the $150,000 Tempted Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y., on Friday, November 5.

The Red Oak Stable (Stephen Brunetti) homebred by Mineshaft – Feel That Fire broke her maiden at first asking under John Velazquez in August at Saratoga. The bay filly followed up that winning effort with a third-place finish in the $300,000 Grade 3 Pocahontas at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on September 18.'

Red Oak's mare Feel That Fire is currently in foal to Uncle Mo and has a Candy Ride yearling filly that is currently being broke at Red Oak Farm.

“Goddess Of Fire is an improving filly and she should handle the added-distance races down the road,” said Sacco. “If the filly runs well in the Tempted Stakes, we'll point her for the $250,000 Demoiselle Stakes (Grade 2) at Aqueduct on December 4.”

Goddess Of Fire breezed a half-mile on the Saratoga training track on Friday, October 15 in :49.08. “Todd has been pleased with the filly's progression and he's been given the green light to take his time and let her mature at her own pace,” added Sacco.

“These are exciting times for the Red Oak Farm team and we look forward to racing Goddess Of Fire in the Tempted at Aqueduct on November 5 and watching Mind Control on the racing industry's biggest stage in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile on November 6 at Del Mar,” Sacco concluded.

The post Mind Control Confirmed For Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Golden Pal Regains Winning Ways In Woodford Stakes Over Keeneland Turf

Prominent from the start, the Uncle Mo 3-year-old colt Golden Pal, proved too quick for his six rivals in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Woodford Stakes presented by TVG at Keeneland racecourse in Lexington, Ky.

Ridden by John Velazquez, the Wesley Ward runner went right to the front, fought off a challenge from Firecrow on the turn for home, then pulled away down the stretch under steady encouragement to win by 2 1/4 lengths. He covered 5 1/2 furlongs on good turf in 1:03.12 after fractions of :21.51, :44.53 and :56.67

“He was very game,” said Velazquez. “Before the race – I never rode him so I asked Julio (Garcia, an exercise rider and jockey for trainer Wesley Ward). He said, 'Just put your hands down and he'll run for you; even if he gets passed he'll run for you.' I left him alone and when the other horse (Firecrow) came to him and put the head in front, I was like, 'Hey, we got to come back and run.' I got after him, and he gradually got away from the other horse. It took me two or three jumps to engage him back into the race, and after that he was pretty good.”

Extravagant Kid, an 8-year-old turf veteran from the barn of Brendan Walsh, closed to be second, with County Final another half length back in third, Johnny Unleashed fourth, Inhalation fifth, Firecrow sixth and Charcoal seventh.

“We are delighted,” said Walsh. “We can never be disappointed with this horse. He ran great again. The winner is a very, very good horse. Extravagant Kid is a model of consistency.”

Owned by Mr. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Westerberg, Golden Pal was winning for the fourth time in seven career starts. He paid $3 to win as the 1-2 favorite. He was bred in Florida by Randall E. Lowe.

Golden Pal was coming off his worst performance, a seventh-place finish in the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York racecourse in England on Aug. 20. One of his other defeats came when narrowly beaten in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot in June 2020. Out of the crack sprinter Lady Shipman, by Midshipman (she finished second against males in the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland in 2015), Golden Pal ran off three consecutive victories following the Norfolk, including a victory at Keeneland in the G2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

The post Golden Pal Regains Winning Ways In Woodford Stakes Over Keeneland Turf appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Breeders’ Cup Winner Order Of Australia Returns Stateside For Keeneland Turf Mile

Defending FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) Presented by PDJF winner Order of Australia (IRE) returns to Keeneland Saturday as the headliner in a field of 13 in the 36th running of the $750,000 Keeneland Turf Mile (G1).

In addition to the Keeneland Turf Mile, which is a “Win and You're In” race for the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile Presented by PDJF at Del Mar on Nov. 6, Saturday's 11-race program will offer two other Grade 1 tests: the 108th running of the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity for 2-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the main track and the 24th running of the $400,000 First Lady Presented by UK HealthCare for fillies and mares going a mile on the turf.

The Keeneland Turf Mile will go as the 10th race Saturday with a 5:46 p.m. ET post time. First post is 1 p.m.

Owned by Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Anne Marie O'Brien, Order of Australia posted a 73-1 upset when he prevailed by a neck in the Breeders' Cup Mile here last November. Trained by Aidan O'Brien, Order of Australia arrived at Keeneland Tuesday afternoon after spending two days in quarantine at Churchill Downs.

Order of Australia has won one of five starts in 2021 and enters the Keeneland Turf Mile off a runner-up finish in the Prix du Moulin (G1) at Longchamp in September. John Velazquez has the mount Saturday and will exit post 10.

One of the horses chasing Order of Australia in last year's Breeders' Cup Mile was Ivar (BRZ), who will seek to become only the third horse to win the Turf Mile in consecutive years.

Trained by Paulo Lobo, Ivar finished fourth, 2 lengths behind Order of Australia, in the Breeders' Cup. In Ivar's lone 2021 start, he was sixth, beaten 2 lengths in the Turf Classic (G1) at Churchill in May.

Joe Talamo has the mount Saturday from post position six.

The field for the Keeneland Turf Mile, with riders from the inside, is: Front Run the Fed (Francisco Arrieta), Argentello (IRE) (Brian Hernandez Jr.), In Love (BRZ) (Alex Achard), Space Traveller (GB) (Danny Tudhope), Tell Your Daddy (Julien Leparoux), Ivar (BRZ) (Talamo), Pixelate (Tyler Gaffalione), Brown Storm (Hector Berrios), Monarchs Glen (GB) (Ricardo Santana Jr.), Order of Australia (IRE) (Velazquez), Diamond Oops (Florent Geroux), Field Pass (Flavien Prat), Somelikeithotbrown (Jose Ortiz). All starters will carry 126 pounds.

The post Breeders’ Cup Winner Order Of Australia Returns Stateside For Keeneland Turf Mile appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Velazquez Guides Medina Spirit To Front-Running Victory In Awesome Again

Bet down to 6-5 favoritism, Zedan Racing Stables Inc.'s Medina Spirit went to the front at the start, controlled the pace and romped to a daylight victory under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez in the Grade 1, $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

Stilleto Boy, at 50-1 the longest shot in the field of eight, finished second, followed by Express Train in third, Tripoli (5-2 second choice) in fourth and Tizamagician in fifth.

Medina Spirit and Stilleto Boy were the only two 3-year-olds in the race taking on older horses. Medina Spirit paid $4.60 for the win and combined with Stilleto Boy to pay $83.30 on a $1 exacta.

Medina Spirit covered the 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:49.67 after recording sectional times of :23.39, :47.72, 1:11.76 and 1:37.05.

The Awesome Again is a Win and You're In Challenge Series race for the Breeders' Cup Classic, to be contested at Del Mar on Nov. 6. The winner gets an automatic fees-paid berth in the Classic, but Medina Spirit's participation is uncertain because trainer Bob Baffert's participation in the Breeders' Cup World Championship is being reviewed by the organization's board of directors in the wake of five medication violations over a one-year period, culminating with a failed drug test by Medina Spirit after his first-place finish in the G1 Kentucky Derby on May 1.

Medina Spirit's post-race sample from the Derby tested positive for betamethasone, a corticosteroid that Baffert claims was administered to the horse via an ointment used to treat a rash after the Protonico colt's second-place finish in the G1 Santa Anita Derby on April 3. While the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has yet to conduct a hearing on the matter, Churchill Downs officials have notified Baffert that he is suspended from participating at any of their tracks through the end of the 2023 spring meeting. The New York Racing Association also has scheduled a hearing in an attempt to deny Baffert's participation at its tracks.

Medina Spirit, bred in Florida by Gail Rice, sold for just $1,000 as a yearling at the OBS Winter Mixed Sale, then brought $35,000 at the OBS July 2-year-old sale. The Awesome Again was his fifth career victory from nine starts (though he may be disqualified from his Kentucky Derby win), including the G3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita in January and the listed Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 29. He ran third behind Rombauer in the G1 Preakness.

The Awesome Again was inaugurated in 1982 as the Goodwood Handicap when the Oak Tree Racing Association conducted a fall meet at Santa Anita. It has been won by such older runners as Lord At War (twice), Ferdinand, Silver Charm, Plealsantly Perfect, Lava Man, Game On Dude (twice), Mucho Macho Man, California Chrome and Accelerate. Three-year-old winners include Shared Belief and Tiznow.

The post Velazquez Guides Medina Spirit To Front-Running Victory In Awesome Again appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post