jose ortiz | Horse Racing Free Tips

Last Judgment Stretches Out To Capture Sunshine Classic

Michael Dubb, Steven Hornstock and Bethlehem Stables LLC and Nice Guys Stable's Last Judgment registered his first career stakes victory Saturday at Gulfstream Park, scoring a front-running 6 ½-length victory in the $75,000 Sunshine Classic at the Hallandale Beach, Fla., track.

The Sunshine Classic, a 1 1/8-mile stakes for 4-year-olds and up, was featured among three other stakes for Florida-bred horses, including the Sunshine Sprint, the Sunshine Turf and the Sunshine Filly & Mare Turf. All four stakes offered a $25,000 win-only bonus for starters that are nominated to the Florida Sire Stakes program.

Michael Maker-trained Last Judgment, in his prior start Dec. 19, finished eighth in the seven-furlong Mr. Prospector (G3) – the 5-year-old gelded son of Congrats' first start after being claimed $62,500 at Belmont Park.

“We knew he was a class horse. I followed this horse from the beginning of his career. When he was in for a tag in New York, I had two races in mind. I had this race and the Ocala races, which unfortunately were cancelled due to COVID, so at least we got this,” Dubb said. “He had previous form at Gulfstream, seemed like he liked the track, seemed versatile enough where anywhere from seven furlongs to a mile and an eighth would be in his wheelhouse. Mike Maker is excellent at stretching horses out, so it's nice when it all goes according to plan.”

Last Judgment ($7.80) was hustled to the lead by jockey Jose Ortiz after an alert break from the gate and assumed pacesetting duties around the first turn and along the backstretch, closely stalked by Red Crescent and Kaufy Bean past fractions of 23.84 and 47.57 seconds for the first half mile. While defending champion and 8-5 favorite Noble Drama trailed the field, Last Judgment continued to show the way entering the turn into the homestretch. Noble Drama launched an outside move on the far turn under Emisael Jaramillo to enter contention at the top of the stretch, but Last Judgment kicked away to a comfortable victory.

“He was coming off sprints when he's not able to be on the lead or near it. If he jumped well, I thought he could be near the lead because he's been sprinting,” Ortiz said. “After that he got the lead, he relaxed well. Mike had him prepared.”

Noble Drama held off Roman Empire by a neck to finish second.

Last Judgment ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.76.

“The horse was doing fabulous. We were expecting a better run than he had in the Mr. Prospector. He was stepping up in class, ran into trouble and had a strong gallop-out,” Maker said. “I was under the impression that he would appreciate more distance.”

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Brown, Jose Ortiz, Klaravich Earn Year-End Titles At NYRA Tracks

Chad Brown won his sixth consecutive New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) year-end training title with 91 wins while Jose Ortiz compiled his second riding crown with 142 victories as racing in 2020 was capped with the conclusion of the card on December 31.

Klaravich Stables was the runaway winner as top owner, racking up 48 wins, 14 more than the next-closest competitor, Repole Stable, to finish as the leading owner for the second straight year at NYRA tracks, which encompasses Belmont Park, Saratoga Race Course and Aqueduct Racetrack.

Ortiz posted a record of 142-139-95 in 707 mounts to win his first year-end title since 2016. His 2020 saw him win his 2,000th career race while posting $9.62 million in earnings with a 20.08 winning percentage on the NYRA circuit.

“I'm pretty happy about it and I'm very proud of the work we put into it,” said Ortiz, who earned Eclipse Award honors as the nation's Outstanding Jockey in 2017. “This is why you work this hard. It was a tough year. We couldn't work horses in the morning like we normally could, but we made it through and I'm just happy we're all healthy coming out of this.”

The 27-year-old enjoyed a year of both quality and quantity, including a stellar Belmont fall campaign that saw him pace all riders with 40 wins. During that meet, Ortiz won three graded stakes in a single weekend, starting with the Grade 2, $150,000 Kelso Handicap with Complexity [trained by Brown] and piloting Plum Ali to victory in the Grade 2, $150,000 Miss Grillo and Wet Your Whistle in the Grade 3, $150,000 Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational on October 4.

Cross Border highlighted Ortiz's successful Saratoga meet, winning the Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green, while Mystic Guide took the Grade 2, $150,000 Jim Dandy. Ortiz continued his success at the Big A fall meet posting graded wins with Share the Ride in the Grade 3 Fall Highweight Handicap and Sharp Starr in the Grade 3 Go for Wand Handicap.

“It's extra special to have a great year in New York because it's so competitive,” Ortiz said. “I think it's the best riding colony in the country and to have success here, it's great. I just have to keep competing with these guys. We had a pretty consistent year and we'll just try to carry the momentum into 2021 and work towards my goal of contending for the Eclipse Award every year.”

Jose Lezcano was second with 137 wins while Manny Franco won 129 races.

Luis Cardenas was the leading apprentice on the NYRA circuit with 41 wins in 2020. Romero Ramsay Maragh, who became a journeyman in July, finished second with 18 wins as an apprentice, while Charlie Marquez landed third with eight wins.

Brown compiled a 91-81-83 record with 411 starters to become the first NYRA trainer to record six straight training titles since Gasper Moschera from 1993-98. He won two individual meets, leading the Belmont spring/summer with 23 wins and the Belmont fall with 22 victories. He ended 2020 ahead of Todd Pletcher, whose 81 wins were the second-most among conditioners.

The four-time reigning Eclipse Award Champion trainer racked up earnings of more than $7.4 million while winning more than 22 percent of the time. Brown's starters finished on the board at a 62.04 percent clip.

The 42-year-old Brown has paced NYRA trainers on every NYRA year-end standings list since 2015. Among his highlights was winning a pair of $500,000 races during the Saratoga summer meet, including with Rushing Fall in the Grade 1 Diana and Domestic Spending in the Saratoga Derby Invitational. That success built on another fruitful Belmont spring/summer edition, with Instilled Regard taking the Grade 1 Manhattan and Newspaperofrecord winning the Grade 1 Longines Just a Game.

“He's a great trainer and has very good support as well,” Ortiz said. “He's very smart and places the horses where they are supposed to go. He always gives them the time they need and he's just one of the best. This year was challenging for everybody but I think next year, he'll have a big year again.”

Headed by Seth Klarman, Klaravich Stables won at least a share of four of the five individual NYRA individual meets in 2020. Klaravich won the Belmont fall and spring/summer outright, as well as Saratoga, while tying Repole Stable for the recently concluded Aqueduct fall meet.

Klaravich teamed with the year's leading trainer and jockey with Complexity to win the Kelso. The stable also partnered with Brown to capture the Saratoga Derby Invitational with Domestic Spending, the Longines Just a Game and Grade 3 Intercontinental with the recently retired Newspaperofrecord and the Grade 3 Lake George with Selflessly.

In total, Klaravich sent out 171 starters, going 48-30-39, winning at a 28.07 percent clip, while racking up earnings of $3.23 million in the process. Repole Stable's stellar 34 wins was second-most on the circuit.

Live racing resumes New Year's Day Friday at the Big A with a nine-race card highlighted by the $150,000 Jerome, a one-mile contest for newly minted 3-year-olds offering 10-4-2-1 qualifying points to the top-four finishers towards the Kentucky Derby. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

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Brown, Ortiz Register Year-End NYRA Titles

“I’m pretty happy about it and I’m very proud of the work we put into it,” Ortiz said. “This is why you work this hard. It was a tough year. We couldn’t work horses in the morning like we normally could, but we made it through and I’m just happy we’re all healthy coming out of this.”

The four-time reigning Eclipse Award Champion trainer racked up earnings of more than $7.4 million while winning more than 22% of the time. Brown’s starters finished on the board at a 62.04% clip.

In total, Klaravich sent out 171 starters, going 48-30-39, winning at a 28.07% clip, while racking up earnings of $3.23 million in the process. Repole Stable’s stellar 34 wins was second-most on the circuit.

The post Brown, Ortiz Register Year-End NYRA Titles appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Another NY-Bred ‘Starrs’ at Aqueduct in Go For Wand

Sharp Starr (Munnings) became the second New York-bred to defeat open company in a graded event at Aqueduct Saturday, defeating her elders in the GIII Go for Wand H. Co-favored at 6-5, the Barry Schwartz homebred pressed from second, glued to the outside hip of leader Portal Creek (Shanghai Bobby) through opening splits of :23.26 and :46.72. Scrubbed on by Jose Ortiz turning for home, the bay was the only one chasing after Portal Creek in the stretch as they pulled well clear of the others. Sharp Starr dug deep to collar the pacesetter late for a neck success. It was the first graded victory for her trainer Horacio DePaz.

“She definitely likes the track, but I think she likes the one-turn mile a little bit better,” said DePaz. “It set up for her. I was happy she could repeat that last effort. Even in her two-turn races, she wants to put herself there, but she has those bad starts and afterwards she can’t get up there. She’s breaking so much better and getting herself into the race. The way she breaks and gets herself close, she’s able to finish up nicely.”

“They were running her two turns and she was breaking a little slow,” said winning pilot Jose Ortiz. “Last time, when we brought her back to a one-turn mile, she broke well and that suited her better. They stuck with that racing style today. She broke sharp. She was there for me every time I asked her.”

Breaking her maiden at fourth asking in a state-bred event at Belmont July 2, Sharp Starr was second in an NY-bred allowance at Saratoga 20 days later and was third next out in the Empire-bred Fleet Indian S. at the Spa Sept. 4. Seventh in the GII Black-Eyed Susan S. at Pimlico Oct. 3, she demolished a New York-bred allowance over track and trip Nov. 7, winning by 15 3/4 lengths.

Pedigree Notes:

Sharp Starr is the 43rd black-type winner and 18th graded stakes winner for her sire Munnings. The victor is a half-sibling to MSP Papa Shot (Distorted Humor). Their dam Mindy Gold–a half-sister to GISP Noble Causeway (Giant’s Causeway)–is also responsible for the 2-year-old colt V Pattern (Street Sense); a yearling filly by Twirling Candy; and a weanling colt by Cairo Prince. The 13-year-old mare was bred back to Cairo Prince this spring. Sharp Starr’s third dam is MGISW Classy Cathy (Private Account). This is also the family of Grade I-winning New York-bred Audible (Into Mischief).

Saturday, Aqueduct
GO FOR WAND H.-GIII, $100,000, Aqueduct, 12-5, 3yo/up, f/m, 1m, 1:36.75, sy.
1–SHARP STARR, 117, f, 3, by Munnings
                1st Dam: Mindy Gold, by A.P. Indy
                2nd Dam: Mimi’s Golden Girl, by Seeking the Gold
                3rd Dam: Classy Cathy, by Private Account
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-Barry K.
Schwartz; B-Stonewall Farm (NY); T-Horacio DePaz; J-Jose L.
Ortiz. $55,000. Lifetime Record: 9-3-2-2, $174,015. *1/2 to
Papa Shot (Distorted Humor), MSP, $510,668. Werk Nick
Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Portal Creek, 119, f, 4, Shanghai Bobby–Silent Stream, by
Tricky Creek. ($22,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP). O-Ten Strike Racing;
B-White Fox Farm (KY); T-Juan Carlos Guerrero. $20,000.
3–Nonna Madeline, 123, f, 4, Candy Ride (Arg)–Cool Storm, by
Storm Cat. ($130,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP). O-Teresa Viola Racing
Stables & St. Elias Stable; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Todd A.
Pletcher. $12,000.
Margins: NK, 12, HF. Odds: 1.25, 7.60, 1.25.
Also Ran: Stand for the Flag, Graceful Princess, Overheated.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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