Jonathan Thomas | Horse Racing Free Tips

Jonathan Thomas Seeking Firm Turf For Corelli In Monmouth Stakes

Five starts after getting Corelli, trainer Jonathan Thomas believes he has finally found the key to success for the 6-year-old gelding. At least he hopes he has.

A winner in his 2021 comeback race on April 24 at Pimlico Race Course, Corelli will step up to graded stakes company again when the grass specialist goes in the Grade 3 Monmouth Stakes, the headliner on Saturday's 12-race card at Monmouth Park.

The 13th running of the $150,000 Monmouth Stakes, scheduled for 1 and 1/8th miles on the grass, has attracted a field of 10 plus two alternates.

“We're really pleased with his comeback race,” said Thomas. “We think we've figured him out. We were probably running him too long last year.

“We've tried to kind of re-invent him and encourage him to show a little more turn of foot while also relaxing early on in races.”

After racing in England for his first 10 career starts, Corelli came into Thomas' care last year. Though winless in four starts in 2020, the son of Point of Entry-Vignette by Diesis did manage to get third in the Grade 1 United Nations at Monmouth Park at a mile and three-eighths. But that was the extent of his success, with two of his races last year at a mile and three-eighths and one at a mile and a half in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer. All were on the turf.

“I thought he ran well in the United Nations,” said Thomas. “He looked like he was running a winning race and then at the eighth pole he was kind of coming up for air a little bit.

“That's not to say we won't run him back in the United Nations at that distance but I get the feeling he is best suited for a mile and an eighth.”

Cut back to a mile and a sixteenth for his first start this year, Corelli rallied to win by a nose in the $100,000 Henry Clark over a firm turf course.

Thomas also found out something else about the Augustin Stable-owned Corelli from the Sword Dancer: He wants nothing to do with a soft turf course. In his last start in England over a soft grass course Corelli finished 15th. In the Sword Dancer he was fifth in the seven-horse field, beaten 18 lengths.

“The turf was very soft for the Sword Dancer that day,” said Thomas. “We learned with this horse that he is not a soft turf horse. He's a big horse. He does not like the soft ground.”

It's something Thomas will keep in mind for today and tomorrow, since rain is in the forecast for both days, though Saturday's is expected to be sunny with temperatures in the 80s.

“We're keeping he weather in the front of our minds,” Thomas said. “We'll have a much better idea on Friday as to what we're doing.”

The field of 10 for the Monmouth Stakes features three horses trained by Chad Brown (Devamani, Serve the King and Tribhuvan) as well as the Todd Pletcher-trainer Winters Back.

First race post time on Saturday is 12:15 p.m. Full card simulcasting of the Belmont Stakes day program will also be available.

The post Jonathan Thomas Seeking Firm Turf For Corelli In Monmouth Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Hard Love Stretches Out In Saturday’s Pennine Ridge

Hard Love proved stakes capabilities in his 2021 debut and will attempt to display his talent once more against eight others in Saturday's eighth running of the Grade 2, $200,000 Pennine Ridge, a nine-furlong test for 3-year-olds over the inner turf at Belmont Park.

Owned by Robert V. LaPenta and George Strawbridge, Jr.'s Augustin Stable, Hard Love utilized tactical speed last out in the Woodhaven on April 17 at Aqueduct, where he tracked a half-length behind pacesetter Original along the rail before drawing off in the stretch to a 1 ¼-length victory.

Following a two-length first out debut win over the Widener turf course on October 10, the Kitten's Joy ridgling finished second to Never Surprised in the Central Park on November 28 at Aqueduct.

Hard Love will stretch out slightly in the nine-furlong Pennine Ridge, with all three of his starts having taken place going 1 1/16 miles. Trainer Jonathan Thomas, who saddled Catholic Boy to a Pennine Ridge triumph in 2018 for LaPenta, said the horse will relish any added distance that comes his way.

“My guess is that the further the races get, the closer to the pace he'll be,” Thomas said. “He seems to have pretty good tactical speed. I would imagine the further the run, the better he's going to get. His strength is his stamina.”

The Pennine Ridge is a local prep for the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby Invitational on July 10, which is the first leg of NYRA's Turf Triple series.

Thomas has the 10-furlong event in mind for Hard Love with a strong effort on Saturday.

“Each race is a test and a stepping stone to the next,” Thomas said. “We're trying to get to the Belmont Derby but the Pennine Ridge is no slouch of a race either. He's going to have to show up and run really well. Obviously, we have our dirt classics, but NYRA bringing this series to the forefront is great. There are some really good grass races and some really, really good turf horses. Each task gets taller as it goes on.”

Hard Love put the final touches on his Pennine Ridge preparations with a sharp half-mile work over the inner turf on Sunday morning in tandem with Burning Bright. The pair completed the four furlongs in 47.60 seconds.

“Overall, I thought the work was pretty good,” Thomas said. “I thought his last two five-eighths works were very good as well. From a preparation standpoint, he's dead fit and it will be a matter of trip and everything else.”

Hard Love will be reunited with Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano from post 4.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who won the inaugural Pennine Ridge with Gala Award in 2014, will seek his second win in the race when he saddles graded stakes-placed Sainthood and maiden special weight winner Shaftesbury.

Owned by WinStar Farm and China Horse Club, Sainthood will make his turf debut after an 11th-place finish in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby.

A son of second crop sire Mshawish, a Grade 1- winner on dirt and turf also trained by Pletcher, Sainthood won at second asking in his two-turn debut at Fair Grounds Race Course, where he led at every point of call. He followed up with a late-closing second to Like the King in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks on March 27 over the all-weather surface at Turfway Park.

Since the Kentucky Derby, Sainthood has worked twice over the inner turf at Belmont Park. Pletcher said Sainthood has the potential to succeed on turf given his pedigree, being out of the turf stakes-placed Lemon Drop Kid mare Lemon Hero.

“He and Mshawish have similar physiques and like Mshawish, this one seems pretty versatile,” Pletcher said. “We've had turf in the back of our minds with this one all along. With him being out of a Lemon Drop Kid mare and being by Mshawish, his breeding suggested that. I thought his two works on the turf here were really good.”

Sainthood will break from post 5 under jockey Joel Rosario.

While Sainthood brings stakes experience to his next engagement, Shaftesbury will dive into deeper waters after making his fifth start a winning one travelling 1 1/16-miles on April 24 at Belmont Park.

Owned by Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable and Coolmore partners Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier and Derrick Smith, the bay son of Uncle Mo broke his maiden by 2 ¾ lengths after finishing behind solid runners such as dual stakes-winner Annex at second asking.

“He's held good company,” Pletcher said. “His last race was a good race and hopefully was a breakthrough race to lead us into some better things.”

Breaking from post 3, Shaftesbury will be ridden by jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Trainer Chad Brown will seek a record extending third Pennine Ridge triumph with Klaravich Stables' Public Sector.

The bay son of European champion Kingman earned black type when finishing second to Fire At Will in the Grade 2 Pilgrim on October 3 at Belmont Park, which came after defeating eventual graded stakes winner Scarlett Sky by two lengths on debut at Saratoga.

After a distant 12th in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, Public Sector received a freshening and came back on May 2 to finish second beaten 2 ½ lengths to fellow Pennine Ridge rival Safe Conduct [post 8, Jose Lezcano].

Jockey Jose Ortiz has the mount from post 7.

Completing the field are Shawdyshawdyshawdy [post 1, John Velazquez], Step Dancer [post 2, Manny Franco], Minuteman [post 6, Luis Saez], and The Reds [post 9, Kendrick Carmouche].

The Pennine Ridge is carded as Race 9 on Saturday's 10-race program at Belmont Park. First post is 1:00 p.m.

The post Hard Love Stretches Out In Saturday’s Pennine Ridge appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Corelli Flies Late in Henry S. Clark; Xanthique, Completed Pass Victorious

Augustin Stable's Grade 1-placed Corelli, cutting back to the shortest distance of his North American career in his first race since mid-October, came flying down the center of the track to catch Grade 2-winning favorite Pixelate approaching the wire and get his nose down at the wire of Saturday's $100,000 Henry S. Clark at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

The 21^st running of the Clark for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/16 miles was the second of three turf stakes on an 11-race Spring Stakes Spectacular program featuring six stakes worth $650,000 in purses. Headlining the card were the $125,000 Federico Tesio, a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated 3-year-olds to the 146^th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 15, and the $125,000 Weber City Miss, a 'Win and In' event for 3-year-old fillies to the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) May 14.

The $100,000 Dahlia for fillies and mares 3 and up, also at 1 1/16 miles, kicked off both the stakes action as well as the 2021 turf season in Maryland. The $100,000 King T. Leatherbury for 3-year-olds and up sprinting five furlongs on the grass closed the card.

Ridden by Jevian Toledo for trainer Jonathan Thomas, Corelli ($12) hadn't raced since finishing seventh in a 1 1/8-mile allowance Oct. 17 at Keeneland. Prior to that he was fifth in the 1 ½-mile Sword Dancer (G1), third in the United Nations (G1) and fourth in the Tiller – the latter two at 1 3/8 miles – after arriving in the U.S. from England.

“I thought this year we'd just kind of reinvent him and let him fall off the pace and hope for a little bit of a stronger run race so he could finish up,” Thomas said. “I put blinkers on him last year and probably ran him too long, and he was just kind of idling at the end.

“We just thought we'd try something different. Honestly I thought he was going to come late and we were going to have to stretch him off of this, but he showed us a different dimension,” he added. “Really proud of how he ran.”

Ballagh Rocks was eager for the lead, breaking from outside all but one rival in the nine-horse field, going the opening quarter-mile in 23.73 seconds. Papal Law, sent off at 50-1, pressed the early pace before taking over after a half in 47.76, with 9-5 favorite Pixelate in fourth after moving off the rail for a clear run midway down the backstretch.

Pixelate forged a short lead once straightened for home but Corelli came with a steady run on the far outside after being set down for a drive by jockey Victor Carrasco. The two leaders matched strides inside the sixteenth pole before Corelli surged late, with Dreams of Tomorrow making a bold move to get up for third, 1 ¼ lengths back.

Unraced at 2, Corelli spent 2018 and 2019 racing in England for trainer John Gosden, winning once in six starts – none of them shorter than 1 ½ miles – and finishing second three times by a total of three-quarters of a length. Augustin's George Strawbridge moved the colt to Thomas last year.

“He was trained by arguably the greatest trainer on the planet so we just took over a really sound, nice horse,” Thomas said. “Really the credit goes to Mr. Strawbridge. Sharing a horse like this with us is a great credit and we're very fortunate to have him. I'm glad he got rewarded today.”

Xanthique Breaks Through with Stakes Win in $100,000 Dahlia
Thwarted by traffic and unlucky trips in her previous stakes attempts, VinLaur Racing Stables' Xanthique got an ideal ride from jockey Feargal Lynch and nabbed Grade 3-placed favorite Crystal Cliffs on the wire for a nose victory in Saturday's $100,000 Dahlia.

Shipped to Pimlico by Belmont Park-based trainer Tom Morley, on hand for the race, Xanthique ($14.20) ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.92 over a firm course in a thrilling opener to the 2021 turf season in Maryland.

“There was no unlucky in that trip,” Morley said. “It was as good a ride as you'll see around there. It was phenomenal.”

Making her sixth consecutive stakes start, Xanthique settled in mid-pack as 104-1 long shot Elegant de Domino outran Lagom for the early lead and they dueled through splits of 23.25 and 47.57 seconds with Vigilantes Way in the clear three wide in third and Crystal Cliffs saving ground inside in fourth.

Sheldon Russell and Crystal Cliffs was able to find a seam to take over the top spot at the top of the lane and Lynch followed on Xanthique, using the length of the stretch to wear down the favorite, racing for the first time since being beaten a head in the Regret (G3) last June. It was 2 ¼ lengths back to Vigilantes Way in third.

“She's a nice filly. Tom's done a great job. I followed Sheldon the whole way. She was the horse to beat. He got through and I followed him through and kept it simple,” Lynch said. “The turf course is beautiful. The guys have done a great job. The ground staff, they're working hard here and Laurel and doing everything they can.”

Xanthique, by Into Mischief, now owns five wins from 18 career starts and nearly $300,000 in purse earnings. Her best stakes previous stakes finishes were fourths in the Marie Krantz Memorial Jan. 16 at Fair Grounds and One Dreamer last September at Kentucky Downs.

“We were a little concerned there might be a lack of pace in the race, but we were delighted to see those two fillies go on in front of us. Feargal just stalked the favorite the whole way around there and turning in made a brave run up the rail but she's as game as a tiger, this horse. I never had any doubt that she put her head in the hole,” Morley said. “Huge credit to my team at Belmont. She's been a real project filly, so to claim her three years ago and now turn her into a stakes winner is very special indeed.”

Completed Pass Wins $100,000 King T. Leatherbury
Robert Bone's Completed Pass made his 7-year-old debut a memorable one when he gamely held off the 7-5 favorite and pacesetter Francatelli down the stretch to win the King T. Leatherbury, covering a firm five-furlong turf course in :56.52.

Saddled by leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez and ridden by Angel Cruz, Completed Pass, second in the Leatherbury in 2019 and a winner of the Laurel Dash last year, has won nine of 21 starts and more than $400,000. Cruz rated Completed Pass behind a :22.09 opening quarter set by Francatelli before drawing alongside him around the turn and putting a head in front entering the stretch. Despite a game performance by Francatelli, Completed Pass was never headed again.

For Cruz, the victory was a bit of redemption after being disqualified from first to second in the Tesio aboard Excellorator for bothering The Reds.

“I was a little upset because I didn't think I bothered him enough, but the stewards so I did,” Cruz said. “So to come back and win this stake makes me feel better, makes me happy.”

The post Corelli Flies Late in Henry S. Clark; Xanthique, Completed Pass Victorious appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Gander Winner Nicky The Vest Sidelined After Surgery To Remove Chip

Trainer Jonathan Thomas said Robert V. LaPenta's Nicky the Vest had surgery to remove a chip in the lower joint of his right knee. He reported that the New York-bred son of Runhappy could return to his barn on June 1.

A winner of both career starts, Nicky the Vest was last seen winning the Gander on February 15 at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y., against his Empire State-bred counterparts. The 11 ¾-length romp in the one-turn mile promoted Thomas to consider the Grade 2 Wood Memorial, but ultimately stopped on the horse following his most recent work.

“In the grand scheme of things, it's hopefully inconsequential but it was enough to bother the horse,” Thomas said of the operation. “Dr. [John] Madison did it at Ocala Equine on Monday. He cleaned up nicely, the prognosis is good and fingers crossed he's back with us June 1.”

Bred in New York by Highclere, Nicky the Vest was purchased for $110,000 at the 2019 OBS October Yearling Sale. He is the sixth progeny out of the Cat Thief mare Tazarine, whose other five progeny are all winners.

While Nicky the Vest will be on the shelf for the time being, Hard Love will make his sophomore debut for Thomas in Saturday's $100,000 Woodhaven going 1 1/16 miles for 3-year-olds.

Owned by LaPenta in partnership with George Strawbridge, Jr.'s Augustin Stable, the son of Kitten's Joy was victorious on debut at 11-1 odds going 1 1/16 miles over the outer turf at Belmont Park. He stalked a moderate pace, established command in upper stretch and battled with runner-up Big Everest to a two-length win.

Hard Love saw similar tactics in his next-out stakes debut, where he stalked gate-to-wire winner Never Surprised throughout the 1 1/16-mile journey.

“He's going to be a little bit short, but he still has enough foundation for a spot like the Woodhaven,” Thomas said. “He's trained well and we're hopeful that this can lead him into longer races into the year. We're happy with him and we're a go for the Woodhaven.”

Thomas picked Hard Love for $200,000 out of last year's OBS April Sale, where he was consigned by Eddie Woods.

Other probable starters for Saturday's Woodhaven include Sifting Sands, Original, Shawdyshawdyshawdy and Extrasexybigdaddee.

The post Gander Winner Nicky The Vest Sidelined After Surgery To Remove Chip appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post