John Velazquez | Horse Racing Free Tips

American Pharoah’s Maven Wires Keeneland Allowance

7th-Keeneland, $78,525, Alw, 4-15, (C), 4yo/up, 5 1/2fT, 1:02.60, gd, 2 1/4 lengths.
MAVEN (g, 4, American Pharoah–Richies Party Girl {MSW, $357,085}, by Any Given Saturday) became the first North American winner for his sire on debut over the Aqueduct main track just shy of two years ago and was the last of 22 lots to go through the ring for the boutique Goffs London Sale, but was retained by owner Richard Ravin on a bid of £725,000 (about $912,000) that would otherwise have topped the event. The chestnut rewarded that confidence with a victory in the G3 Prix du Bois at Chantilly, but he was only 10th in the G3 Molecomb S. the next month and was returned stateside. The front-running winner of a course-and-distance allowance first off a 342-day absence last July, Maven was a disappointing sixth in Saratoga's Mahony S. Aug. 27 and was 11th of 12 in the GIII Franklin Stamps S. at Kentucky Downs Sept. 16 before going missing. Returning here as a first-time gelding, Maven shot out of the stalls beneath John Velazquez while chased by 'TDN Rising Star' Boldor (Munnings). Maven looked vulnerable passing the eighth pole, but he finally switched his leads and he kept on well thereafter to secure a 2 1/4-length success as the 5-2 favorite. Maven is the only foal from a treble stakes-winning daughter of GSW Very Special Lite (Majestic Light), also the dam of GSW Strategic Partner (Kris S.), GSP Victory Light (Victory Gallop) and the dam of SW/GISP Light the City (Street Sense). Sales history: £725,000 RNA 2yo '19 GOFLON. Lifetime Record: GSW-Fr, 7-4-0-0, $200,338. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Richard Ravin; B/T-Wesley Ward (KY).

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Champion Gamine Cruises To Easy Victory In Seasonal Debut In Las Flores

The champ is back. Idle since winning the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Keeneland on Nov. 7, Bob Baffert-trained Gamine, in what amounted to a paid workout, broke alertly from her rail post and made every pole a winning one in taking Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Las Flores Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. With regular rider John Velazquez up, she got six furlongs while well within herself in 1:09.52 and drawing off by five lengths.

“She came back so good,” said Velazquez, who rode Gamine in her final four starts of 2020. “She felt as good as last year. Bob thinks she's not ready yet, that's what he told me. She does everything so effortlessly, it's just everything she does, makes my job a lot easier. I just steer where I want to go and that's it. That's the biggest point of her strength, I believe.”

With no place or show wagering, Gamine, who has now finished first across the wire in six of her seven career starts by a combined 38 ¼ lengths, was off at 1-20 and paid $2.10 to win, with no place and show wagering.

“I told Johnny before, 'With the one hole, make sure you don't let her make the gap (as the horses come out of the seven furlong chute onto the main track oval),” said Baffert. “Ride her like she's 10-1.' I'm happy for my owners and everybody involved. They are excited, it's Easter Sunday, so it's a big win…

“They (the fans) saw one of the greatest fillies I've ever trained going one turn. Hopefully, we'll stretch her out.”

Purchased for $1.8 million out of the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in Training Sale, Gamine, a 4-year-old filly by Into Mischief out of the Kafwain mare Peggy Jane, is owned by Michael Lund Petersen. With the Las Flores purse of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $893,000. With four graded stakes wins, three of them Grade I's, her official resume now reads five wins from seven starts, as she was disqualified from purse money earned in a first condition allowance win at Oaklawn Park on May 2, 2020.

Baffert's Qahira, who sat a joint second, about one length off the winner with Hang a Star and Biddy Duke leaving the half mile pole, proved second best under Flavien Prat as she finished 2 ¾ lengths in front of Biddy Duke.

Fractions on the race were 22.74, 45.77 and 57.54.

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Out Of The Weeds: Rock Your World Wins Santa Anita Derby In Main Track Debut

Although he was two for two on grass, Rock Your World had one big question to answer on Saturday at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.: Would he run as well on dirt? Question answered, as he dominated nine rivals en route to a rousing 4 ¼-length win in the 84th running of the Grade 1, $750,000 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby. Ridden by Umberto Rispoli and trained by John Sadler, the 3-year-old colt by Candy Ride, who was bred by Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally and his wife Debbie, got a mile and one eighth in 1:49.17.

With longshot Parnelli and favored Medina Spirit gunning for the early lead as expected, Rispoli appeared to take his measure of the competition heading into the clubhouse turn, allowing his mount to get into stride, which he did, taking command into the turn and from there, dictating terms throughout.

With a three-quarter-length advantage on both Parnelli and Medina Spirit at the half mile pole, Rock Your World got stronger as the race progressed, chugging through splits of :22.42, :46.11, 1:10.64 and 1:36.27. Although both Parnelli and Medina Spirit were “all-in” a quarter mile out, the Derby was essentially over as none of the others could make up any ground through the lane.

“We have been laying in the weeds,” said Sadler, who bagged his second Runhappy Santa Anita Derby. “I thought it would be good to start this horse off on the turf, much like Omaha Beach, and develop. The plan was to run him a couple of times on the turf and now it was time to get the points. We gotta get the points to get to Kentucky.

“…The post (position) dictated our strategy. I saw Umberto in the paddock this morning at 8 a.m. and I told him 'Go big or go home.' We had to get out of there with the scratch inside (of number one Roman Centurian) of us. It worked out great and I'm very excited.”

A handy winner of the ungraded Pasadena Stakes going a mile on turf Feb. 27, Rock Your World was off at 5-1 and paid $12.40, $4.60 and $3.40.

Owned by Hronis Racing, LLC or Talla Racing, LLC, Rock Your World is out of the McAnally's Empire Maker mare Charm the Maker. With the winner's share of $450,000, Rock Your World increased his earnings to $546,600 and is now unbeaten in three starts.

Favored at 4-5, Medina Spirit appeared to have a perfect trip while second-best, finishing 2 ¼ lengths in front of Medina Spirit. Ridden by John Velazquez, Medina Spirit paid $2.80 and $2.20.

“The horse ran well, but the winner took the lead on a fast track and kept running,” said Velazquez. “My horse kept coming and kept coming but couldn't catch up. He did have some left in the tank at the end and he kept coming, but the other horse got away pretty well and opened up again. It was too hard to catch up.”

Ridden by Flavien Prat, Dream Shake was forwardly placed throughout, but never threatened for the win. Off at 9-2, he paid $2.80 to show.

“We had a good trip and it was a bit, you know, drawing gate side was not the best spot but the horse was travelling well and the race went well,” said Prat.

With 170 Kentucky Derby qualifying points at stake, Rock Your World will receive 100, with 40, 20 and 10 points awarded to the second, third and fourth place finishers.

Updated Kentucky Derby leaderboard.

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‘Let’s Go’: Early Move By Prat Helps Soothsay Capture Santa Anita Oaks

Flavien Prat, Santa Anita's runaway leading rider, seized the initiative aboard lightly raced Soothsay three furlongs from home and went on to a stellar half-length score over heavily favored Beautiful Gift in Saturday's Grade 2, $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Trained by Richard Mandella, Soothsay, in her second career start, got a mile and one sixteenth in 1:44.35.

“It (the pace) was pretty slow, so I thought twice and said 'Let's go, we better go now'” said Prat in reference to his bold move heading into the far turn. “I asked her at the three furlong pole and she went so easy. She responded really well.”

A 1 ½ length maiden winner going six furlongs on Feb. 26, Soothsay was off at 4-1 in a field of four sophomore fillies and paid $10.40 and $3.60 with no show wagering.

“We expected a lot of her from the first start and from that start until now, she just grew up,” said Mandella, who notched his fourth career win in the Oaks. “You kind of see it happening. Otherwise, we wouldn't do something like this. If you watched her last workout, you could see how serious she was. We'll see about the (Kentucky) Oaks (Grade I, April 30 at Churchill Downs). We asked a lot of her to do this, so we'll make sure we pare back whatever we need.”

Owned by Claiborne Farm, Perry Bass, II, Ramona Bass and Adele Dilschneider, Soothsay is a Kentucky-bred filly by Distorted Humor out of the Bernardini mare Spellbound. With the winner's share of $240,000, she sent her earnings to the $276,600 mark.

Although Beautiful Gift was sitting a seemingly perfect second, a half length off of pacesetter Moraz with three and a half furlongs to run, Moraz drifted out a bit, enabling the winner to scoot through at the rail and from the three furlong pole, Beautiful Gift was unable to wrest control, finishing second, 5 ¼ lengths in front of Moraz.

Ridden by John Velazquez and off as the 4-5 favorite, Beautiful Gift paid $2.60 to place.

“The other horse cut the corner at the top of the stretch and I had to go pretty wide, so that was the difference between winning and losing the race right there,” said Velazquez. “The trip worked out just the way I planned it, except for the other horse getting through on the inside.”

With 170 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points at stake, Soothsay will receive 100, with 40, 20 and 10 points going to the second, third and fourth place (Javanica) finishers.

Fractions on the race were 24.34, 49.04, 1:13.18 and 1:38.08.

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