John Velazquez | Horse Racing Free Tips

Road To The Kentucky Oaks: Streaking Malathaat Headlines Aqueduct’s Demoiselle

Shadwell Stable's Malathaat, undefeated in two starts for trainer Todd Pletcher, will look to make the grade in Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 Demoiselle, a nine-furlong test for juvenile fillies on the main track at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Demoiselle, which offers 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to the top-four finishers, is part of a lucrative card headlined by the 32nd renewal of the Grade 1, $250,000 Cigar Mile for 3-year-olds and up and also includes the Grade 2, $150,000 Remsen at nine furlongs for juveniles and the Grade 3, $100,000 Go for Wand Handicap for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at one mile on the main track.

Live coverage of Cigar Mile Day will be available with America's Day at the Races on FS2 from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Eastern and on MSG+ from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Free Equibase-provided past performances will be available for races that are part of the America's Day at the Races broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

By Curlin and out of the Pletcher-trained Dreaming of Julia, who captured the 2012 Grade 1 Frizette at Belmont Park, Malathaat boasts a golden pedigree that saw the filly purchased for $1.05 million at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

The precocious bay, bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, drew off to a 1 3/4-length score when sprinting seven furlongs in her Oct. 9 debut at Belmont Park and followed last out with a 7 3/4-length win in the Tempted at one-mile on the Big A main track.

Pletcher said the added distance on Saturday shouldn't hamper Malathaat.

“You would think with her pedigree and the way she won going a mile that a stretch out should not be an issue,” said Pletcher. “She's always trained like a quality filly that wants two turns, so we're excited about stretching her out. This filly has been a star from day one basically.”

Hall of Famer John Velazquez, aboard for the debut score which secured the rider his 2,000th win at Belmont, has the call from the inside post.

Pletcher will also send out Repole Stable's Traffic Lane, who graduated last out in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight on Nov. 15 on the Big A turf. Kendrick Carmouche will guide the Outwork filly from post 2.

Juddmonte Farms' homebred Millefeuille, by Curlin and out of the War Front mare Bandana, just missed at first asking, running second on Sept. 26 in a one-turn mile at Belmont. The second time out worked a treat for the talented bay, when she posted a four-length win at the same distance on Oct. 23 on Big Sandy.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said nine furlongs will suit his improving filly.

“She's doing good. It seems like a good distance for her,” said Mott.

The Kentucky-bred is a direct descendant of prolific Juddmonte broodmare Toussaud, who produced 2003 Belmont Stakes winner and champion producing stallion Empire Maker, as well as Grade 1 winners Chester House, Chiselling and Honest Lady, who is the granddam of Millefeuille.

Joel Rosario retains the mount from post 3.

Allen Stable's Cafe Society, an Ontario-bred daughter of Empire Maker, was purchased for $475,000 at the OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training. She won by 3 1/2-lengths in her Oct. 18 debut when sprinting six furlongs at Belmont for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey.

Last out, Cafe Society chased the pace in the Tempted en route to a third-place effort, 10 1/4-lengths in arrears of Malathaat.

Cafe Society worked a half-mile in 49.03 seconds Sunday on the Belmont main track. McGaughey said he is expecting an improved effort.

“I was disappointed in her last race, but she's come back and trained well,” said McGaughey. “She had a really good breeze and galloped out well, so hopefully we'll see a little better performance than we did the last time. I couldn't have asked for any more.”

Jose Ortiz, aboard for the debut win, will guide Cafe Society from post 6.

Richard Greeley's Caramocha, bred in New York by Chester and Mary Broman, graduated by 4 1/4-lengths on debut in a six-furlong sprint against fellow state-breds on Nov. 7 at the Big A when sent to post at odds of 99-1.

Trained by Mitchell Friedman, Caramocha was a $100,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Select Yearling Sale. Her second dam, Indy Glory, produced the multiple Grade 1-winning New York-bred Artemis Agrotera.

Caramocha will make her stakes debut from post 7 under Dylan Davis.

Rounding out the field are Woodslane Farm's Malibu Curl [post 4, Junior Alvarado], Brereton C. Jones homebred Dollar Mountain [post 5, Jose Lezcano] and Designated Hitters Racing's Celestial Cheetah [post 8, Manny Franco].

The Demoiselle is slated as Race 9 on Saturday's 10-race card, which will feature a mandatory payout of the Empire 6. First post is 11:30 a.m. Eastern.

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‘Like Coming Home’: Rosario Looking To Make Most Of Turf Festival Opportunities In Return To Del Mar

The 2013 racing schedule afforded jockey Joel Rosario time to ride the opening day card at Del Mar on Wednesday then move on for the start of Saratoga two days later.

Rosario, the Del Mar jockey champion from 2009-2011 before moving his summer base to New York, rode four winners from nine mounts on the shore oval's 10-race card.

The following morning, a track official making backstretch rounds ran into a couple of permanent party members of the Del Mar jockey colony and mentioned Rosario's performance. “I gave him a ride to the airport,” one said with a smile. “Wanted to make sure he made it out of town OK.”

Don't look now but, as occasionally happens, heee's baaack!

The 35-year-old from the Dominican Republic will ride all four days of the “Turf Festival” from November 26-29 that closes Del Mar's 15-day Bing Crosby season. There are seven graded stakes during the period that will provide Rosario opportunities to add to the 28 he has recorded locally starting in 2008. There are two Grade 1, $300,000 events: the Hollywood Derby on Saturday, November 28, which he won in 2018 aboard Raging Bull for trainer Chad Brown; and the Matriarch on Sunday, November 29, which Rosario won in 2014 on La Tia for Armando De la Cerda, 2016 on Miss Temple City for H. Graham Motion and 2018 aboard Uni for Brown.

“I'm very excited, Del Mar is like coming home for me,” Rosario said recently by phone from New York. “When I first started a lot of people there had respect for me and gave me some great opportunities. So it's very special. And I love San Diego.”

Rosario's Del Mar riding titles came with win totals of 56 in 2009, 57 in 2010 and 49 in 2011. The 2010 tally is the most in the last 14 years and only Victor Espinoza, with 64 in 2006, has topped it in the last 27 seasons.

As anyone who was around Del Mar from 2009-2011 would have predicted, the move to New York has been a very successful one. His annual purse earnings have consistently been above the $15-million range of his final California years and he has topped the $20-million mark four times with a high of more than $24.9 million last year.

The Turf Festival will feature the top two riders in the country for money won in 2020. Irad Ortiz, Jr., also on assignment from New York for the duration of the event, is No. 1 with 269 wins from 1,150 mounts and purse earnings of $19,761,036. Rosario is No. 2 with 181 wins from 973 mounts and earnings of $17,041,821.

Rosario's “homecomings” to Del Mar since 2011 have produced nine stakes victories – seven of them in Grades Is — and created wonderful memories for local trainers.

In 2017, when Del Mar hosted the Breeders' Cup for the first time, Encinitas resident Peter Miller, one of several original Rosario supporters, enlisted him to ride Stormy Liberal in the $1-million Turf Sprint.

The resultant victory, by a head in the final jump at odds of 30-1, was the first Breeders' Cup win for Miller and the first of two on the day.

“I do remember the Stormy Liberal ride,” Miller said recently. “He saved every inch of ground, sat in the pocket, tipped him out when they straightened away and finished strong. Couldn't have ridden him any better.

“As Chick Hearn used to say, 'He's got icewater in his veins.' Pressure doesn't get to him and he's probably the best finisher in the game.”

In 2018 trainer John Sadler, another early supporter, called upon Rosario to ride Accelerate in the Pacific Classic after Victor Espinoza, inducted into the Hall of Fame a year earlier, suffered fractured vertebrae in a spill. Rosario guided Accelerate to a Classic record 12 ½-length victory.

Ten weeks later, Rosario was aboard him again in a dominating win in the $6-million Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs a victory that, were it not for Justify's Triple Crown sweep, would have made Accelerate the Horse of the Year.

“He was just an amazing horse,” Rosario said. “John gave me a lot of opportunities early in my career and I was really happy to win for him even though it was unfortunate what happened to Victor.”

Rosario used the word “opportunity” several times in a brief interview. He's happy to have the opportunity to ride Grade 1 winner Decorated Invader for Christophe Clement in the Hollywood Derby and Grade 3 victor Viadera for super trainer Chad Brown in the Matriarch.

And it's that humility, in addition to elite level riding skills, that sets Rosario apart, said his agent. Over 40 years, Ron Anderson has booked mounts for Fernando Toro and Hall of Famers Gary Stevens, Jerry Bailey, Chris Antley and John Velazquez among others. He has represented both Rosario and Velazquez since last February.

“Joel is a great rider, but he's also one of the nicest people I've ever met, bar none,” said Anderson. “You can't help but like and root for him. You don't root for everybody you meet, but if you meet Joel you're going to like him and root for him.

“He's just naturally kind and considerate to everyone. He respects everyone – grooms, hot walkers, trainers, people who hold the ropes on the path to the track – and he's respected by everybody.”

Anderson said he has seen Rosario get angry twice in the eight years they've been a team. Both times Rosario addressed the offender in unmistakably clear terms and the heat was off in a very short time.

The frustrations, hassles and bothers that are a part of life in 2020 – Anderson estimates Rosario and Velazquez have undergone COVID-19 testing 35 times since the pandemic started – haven't affected Rosario's overall outlook.

“It's been difficult for everyone in the industry, difficult for everyone everywhere,” Rosario said. “We just keep doing the best we can and hope things get better.”

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Churchill Downs: Overflow Field For Clark To Match Code Of Honor, By My Standards, Mr Freeze, Owendale

W.S. Farish's multiple Grade 1 winner Code of Honor will take on 13 rivals including graded stakes winners By My Standards, Mr Freeze and Owendale in Friday's 146^th renewal of the $500,000 Clark presented by Norton Healthcare (G1) – the marquee race of the Fall Meet at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

The 1 1/8-mile Clark will go as Race 10 of 11 with a post time of 5:27 p.m. (all times Eastern). First post is 1 p.m.

Code of Honor, a 4-year-old son of Noble Mission (GB), achieved Grade 1 glory in last year's $1.25 million Travers and $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). Trainer Shug McGaughey III had his sights set on a strong 2020 campaign but when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, he was forced to alter the colt's plans.

“He's just been a victim of circumstances with the COVID situation,” McGaughey said. “I would've liked him to run him in the Westchester which would've been the start of the Belmont Meet in the spring. I would've spaced the races out that way. That didn't' work out so we couldn't run until June 6 in the Westchester. He won that and I really had in my mind I wasn't going to run him back until the Whitney. He's run a lot better with his races spaced.”

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez will ride Code of Honor from post position No. 3.

“Johnny told me after the Met that this horse definitely wants two turns,” McGaughey said. “His race in the Kelso against Complexity, who was the favorite in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, was a really good race. We had to change riders on him that day. Javier (Castellano) is obviously a great rider but may not have known him as well as Johnny did. All in all, it was sort of just a messed up year. Now he's gotten his space and he's run good over this Churchill track.”

Code of Honor was one of the top 3-year-old prospects in 2019 following his victory in the $400,000 Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park. He placed second in the $3 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) prior to his Travers and Jockey Club Gold Cup victories.

Among the other top older horses that entered the race is Allied Racing Stable's $400,000 Alysheba (G2) winner By My Standards. Trained by Bret Calhoun and ridden by Gabriel Saez, By My Standards finished eighth in this year's Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), his only off the board finish through seven starts in 2020.

“He loves this track at Churchill Downs so I think he'll do a lot better getting back here,” Saez said. “We didn't get the best of trips in the Breeders' Cup and he didn't like the surface that day. He worked really well (on Friday). He just has such a big stride and covers a lot of ground.”

By My Standards sports a stout overall record of 13-6-4-1 with earnings of $1,824,430. He drew post 12 for Friday's Clark.

Also entered is Rupp Racing's three-time Grade 3 winner Owendale. Trained by Brad Cox, Owendale finished second behind By My Standards in the Alysheba. The 4-year-old son of Into Mischief began his 2020 campaign with a victory at Churchill Downs in the $100,000 Blame Stakes. Owendale enters the Clark following a fifth-place effort in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Keeneland.

“In the Alysheba there was no pace,” Cox said. “He doesn't really like kickback so we have to make sure he gets out in the clear. I think his efforts this year have put him in contention with some of the older horses in this handicap division.”

Owendale was the runner-up finisher behind Tom's d'Etat in last year's Clark. Florent Geroux has the call on Owendale from post 9.

Another top older horse that entered the Clark is Jim Bakke and Gerald Isbister's four-time graded stakes winner Mr Freeze. Trained by Dale Romans, Mr Freeze scored a narrow victory in last month's $200,000 Fayette (G2) at Keeneland. The six-time winner finished third in last year's Clark under jockey Robby Albarado. Following that race he finished second in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1), beaten 4 ½ lengths by Mucho Gusto.

Jockey David Cohen will ride Mr Freeze in the Clark from post 7.

Finishing just a neck behind Mr Freeze in the Fayette was Stonestreet Stables, George Bolton and Peter Leidel's Aurelius Maximus. The 4-year-old colt was transferred from trainer Chad Brown to Steve Asmussen at the end of 2019 and immediately found success reeling off consecutive allowance victories.

Aurelius Maximus is one of two horses entered in the Clark for Asmussen. The other is Ed and Susie Orr's four-time winner Silver Prospector. The 3-year-old son of Declaration of War rallied to win a 1 1/8-mile allowance event on Oct. 30 at Churchill Downs. Earlier in his career, the gray colt was on the Kentucky Derby trail with victories in the $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) and $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3).

Ricardo Santana Jr. has the call on Aurelius Maximus from post 5 while Gerardo Corrales picks up the call on Silver Prospector from post 14.

Invading from South Florida for the Clark is Top Racing, Global Thoroughbred and GDS Stable's multiple graded stakes placed Bodexpress. The 14^th place finisher in the 2019 Kentucky Derby arrived at Churchill Downs on Friday with trainer Gustavo Delgado's son Gustavo Jr. The 4-year-old son of Bodemeister enters the Clark following a dominating 11 ¼-length allowance score at Gulfstream Park West in mid-October.

Rafael Bejarano has the mount on Bodexpress and will break from post 8.

Rounding out the Clark field is Bourbon Lane Stable's stakes winner Bourbon Calling; Albaugh Family Stable and Helen K Groves Revocable Trust's improving 4-year-old colt Coastal Defense; Lucky Seven Stable's five-time winner Crafty Daddy; Wachtel Stable, George Kerr, and Gary Barber's Grade 3 winner Multiplier; Susan and Jim Hill's recent allowance winner Phantom Currency; Imperial Racing's $2.5 million UAE Derby (G2) winner Plus Que Parfait; and Charles Fipke's Fayette third-place finisher Title Ready.Bonne Chance Farm and Stud R D I's recent turf allowance winner In Love (BRZ) is on the also-eligible list with the lowest earnings in the field.

In total, the Clark field has accumulated 58 wins with earnings of more than $12.4 million.

The complete field from the rail out (with jockey and trainer): Crafty Daddy (Brian Hernandez Jr., Kenny McPeek); Title Ready (Corey Lanerie, Dallas Stewart); Code of Honor (Velazquez, McGaughey); Multiplier (Tyler Gaffalione, Peter Miller); Aurelius Maximus (Santana, Asmussen); Plus Que Parfait (Robby Albarado, Brendan Walsh); Mr Freeze (Cohen, Romans); Bodexpress (Bejarano, Delgado); Owendale (Geroux, Cox); Bourbon Calling (Julien Leparoux, Ian Wilkes); Coastal Defense (Joe Talamo, Romans); By My Standards (Saez, Calhoun); Phantom Currency (Declan Cannon, Brian Lynch); and Silver Prospector (Corrales, Asmussen). Also-Eligible: In Love (Albarado, Paulo Lobo).

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Delahoussaye Decries New Whip Rules: ‘Gamblers Are Going To Leave, And We Won’t Have Racing’

The new whip rules in California and New Jersey have drawn criticism from jockeys across the country, including retired Hall of Fame rider Eddie Delahoussaye. This week, he told The Orange County Register that the stricter regulations will cause gamblers to step away from horse racing altogether.

“Those gamblers, if they see you're not trying, they'll just quit the game. They won't bet,” Delahoussaye said. “Those gamblers are going to leave, and we won't have racing.”

Like other jockeys, Delahoussaye said the whip restrictions are causing legitimate safety concerns. He wishes commissions would have gotten more input from active jockeys before enacting the new rules.

“They should have got the top riders, experienced riders like Mike Smith and John Velazquez, and have a meeting and let them dictate how it should be done,” said Delahoussaye. “You don't let people who never rode a horse dictate how it's done. That's like telling a vet how to do his job. Or tell a doctor how to do his job. Or tell a policeman, and you've never done it. I just don't get it.”

Read more at the Orange County Register.

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