Junior Alvarado | Horse Racing Free Tips

Sail By Upsets Miss Grillo With Stalking Trip

Sail By and Junior Alvarado bided their time in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo Stakes at Belmont Park on Oct. 2, stalking an early pacesetter to score the filly's first graded stakes victory. Sail By gave chase to Charlee O out of the gate, with the pair opening several lengths on the rest of the field before Sail By settled back behind her rival. Charlee O proved a stubborn foe, maintaining her early lead through the final turn of the 1 1/16 miles and digging in when Sail By came up to challenge. Sail By dug in and passed to the outside of Charlee O with a furlong to go and held off late kicks from Kinchen (IRE) and McKulick (GB), who finished second and third.

McKulick was the favorite at 2-5.

The final time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:43.21. Fractional times were :23.59, :49.40, and 1:14.46.

Leah Gyarmati trains Sail By for owner/breeder Jeff Treadway. The filly came to the race off a third-place finish and front-running effort in the P.G. Johnson Stakes on Sept. 2 and a second in the Colleen Stakes before that.

Sail By is by Astern (AUS) and out of the Johar mare Fly By. She was bred in Kentucky.

Sail By paid $23.60, $8.70, and $3.00.

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Spanish Loveaffair Scores Upset In Pebbles Stakes At Belmont

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Michael Hernon, and Gary Barber's Spanish Loveaffair posted her first victory in more than a year, besting a stacked field that included eight stakes winners in Sunday's $150,000 Pebbles for 3-year-old fillies going one mile over firm Widener turf at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Spanish Loveaffair, trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, entered the Pebbles off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Lake Placid on August 21 over a yielding turf at Saratoga, where she hit the gate at the start, stalked the pace from second, and came up empty in the stretch. On Saturday, the now three-time winner regained her triumphant form.

Breaking from post 10 under Junior Alvarado, Spanish Loveaffair rated a close third to the outside of Jordan's Leo, while Spirit of Bermuda commanded the field down the backstretch. Nearing the far turn, through a half-mile in :49.25, Spanish Loveaffair inched her way into second and leveled up to even terms with the pacesetter a few strides outside the quarter-pole.

Spirit of Bermuda dug in gamely in upper stretch, but ultimately gave way as Spanish Loveaffair drew off to a 2 ¼-length score in a final time of 1:35.82. Jordan's Leo finished second, one length ahead of Runaway Rumour in third.

Spanish Loveaffair earned her second career stakes victory after capturing the Sharp Susan in August 2020 on firm going at Gulfstream Park. She crossed the wire first in her seasonal bow in the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride on February 27 over firm footing at the South Florida oval, but was disqualified to fourth. She earned graded stakes black-type when finishing second in the Grade 2 Jessamine in October 2020 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., and the Grade 3 Regret on May 29 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

Off at 30-1, Spanish Loveaffair rewarded her backers in $2 win payouts of $63.

The Pebbles was the first time Spanish Loveaffair had run over firm going since the Herecomesthebride.

“I thought with it being dry that she'd run well,” said Casse assistant Shane Tripp. “She's got enough speed to put herself in the race and Junior did a great job riding her. She's a miler through and through. I'm really proud of her.”

Alvarado said he was confident Spanish Loveaffair could outrun her odds.

“I couldn't believe the price,” Alvarado said. “I was talking with Shane and I thought we looked sneaky good in here. We weren't the favorite – I knew that for sure – but on paper she didn't look like a 30-1 shot.

“She ran great on firm turf at Gulfstream and today she got firm ground and ran very well,” Alvarado continued. “I was trying to hustle out of there because I didn't have a good post, so I had to try and get some position in the first part of the race. I followed in second and we were going pretty slow, so I wasn't in a rush at that point. I was taking my time to make sure I had enough horse to finish the race and she responded very well.”

Alvarado said the cutback in distance suited Spanish Loveaffair.

“A little turn back helped her for sure,” Alvarado said. “She's been running with tough company and she had a couple races where she didn't run that well, but it was soft turf. I had to hope with a little firmer turf she was going to run much better.”

Rounding out the order of finish were Our Flash Drive, Plum Ali, Spirit of Bermuda, Nazuna, Minaun, Third Draft, Keeper of Time, and Lovestruck.

Spanish Loveaffair enhanced her lifetime earnings to $236,590 after banking $55,000 in victory. The Karakontie bay's record now stands at 10-3-2-0. Bred in Kentucky by Gainesway Thoroughbreds, Spanish Loveaffair is out of the Unusual Heat mare Spanish Bunny, making her a half-sister to Grade 1-winner Spanish Queen. She was bought for $35,000 from the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where she was consigned by her breeder.

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Live racing resumes on Thursday with a nine-race card. First post is 2:05 p.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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Coinage Carries ‘High Cruising Speed’ To Victory In With Anticipation

D.J. Stable and Chester and Mary Broman's Coinage made his turf, open-company and two-turn debut a winning one in Wednesday's Grade 3, $150,000 With Anticipation, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for juveniles at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Bred in New York by the Bromans, the Tapit chestnut is out of the Grade 1-winning Medaglia d'Oro mare Bar of Gold, who captured the 2017 Yaddo on the Saratoga turf ahead of a victory in that year's Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on the Del Mar main track.

Chester Broman said he was surprised by the ease of the gate-to-wire score, despite jockey Junior Alvarado relaying their strategy pre-race.

“When we were in the paddock, [Alvarado] said he was going to put him on the lead and said, 'They'll have to catch me,'” Broman said. “That's easy to say, but they couldn't catch him. Those were pretty good horses, too.”

Trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, Coinage broke sharp from the outermost post 6 under Alvarado and set splits of 25.66 seconds, 50.65 and 1:15.59 on the firm going with Gooch Go Bragh in second and a keen Portfolio Company on the rail in third.

Coinage led the field into the final turn with Portfolio Company, piloted by Irad Ortiz, Jr., advancing up the rail and angling into the two path for the stretch run with Limited Liability, the 4-5 post-time favorite under Jose Ortiz, following his run.

Portfolio Company tried in vain to reel in the pacesetter but the regally-bred chestnut would not be denied a two-length victory in a final time of 1:43.69.

Coinage, a maiden winner at second asking on June 17 at Belmont, followed up with an even third in the Rick Violette at six furlongs on July 21 at the Spa. Casse breezed the chestnut twice on the Oklahoma training turf last month in preparation for his turf debut.

“I told my wife Tina this morning, 'We'll see if they can catch him.' I seldom say this, but I told Junior to take no prisoners and go,” Casse said. “He's a good horse. He has a high cruising speed. We breezed him over the turf a couple of times as we like to do. Training horses is like putting a puzzle together. You have to keep trying the pieces until figuring out where they fit. We figured it out today.

“[I liked] his works, and his pedigree, and two of their wonderful owners bred him and gave us the privilege of training him,” Casse added. “He's a serious horse.”

The victory marked the second stakes score of the meet for Casse following Got Stormy's Grade 1 Fourstardave coup last month.

Alvarado, whose previous Spa stakes wins this summer include the Grade 2 Saratoga Special with High Oak and the Summer Colony with Horologist, said he felt confident throughout.

“Mark told me he's been sharp and to get out of there running. I was only worried a little about the 2 [Silipo] because I thought he might try to go to the lead and get something out of it,” Alvarado said. “But [Coinage] broke out of there that sharp and was so comfortable on the turf the first time; he took it all the way.

“Turning for home, I asked him and he started moving very quick and I said, 'there's no way anybody can go by me,'” he added. “Going for home from the quarter-pole to the wire, I was pretty confident with what I had at that point.”

Portfolio Company, an impressive maiden winner for leading trainer Chad Brown, completed the exacta by 3 1/2-lengths over Limited Liability. Gooch Go Bragh, Kavod, and Silipo rounded out the order of finish. Ready to March was scratched.

Coinage, a $450,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, banked $82,500 in victory while improving his record 4-2-0-2. He returned $15.80 for a $2 win ticket.

Live racing resumes Thursday at Saratoga with a 10-race card featuring the $120,000 P. G. Johnson for juvenile fillies going 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

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Horologist Goes Wire to Wire In Summer Colony At Saratoga

There's A Chance Stable, Medallion Racing, Abbondanza Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher's Horologist made every pole a winning one in Sunday's $120,000 Summer Colony, at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

A multiple graded-stakes winner – and the 2020 New Jersey-bred Horse of the Year – Horologist broke sharply under Junior Alvarado and never relinquished in the nine-furlong event for older fillies and mares that have not won a graded race in 2021.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Horologist set splits of :23.66, :47.34, and 1:11.77 with Gibberish tracking her early foot in second position over a good and sealed main track. The pacesetter took the field into the final turn with stalkers So Darn Hot and Gold Spirit inching closer with Gibberish failing to pester.

Out of the turn, Horologist widened her advantage to seven lengths and stayed on strong to the wire for an authoritative 8 1/2-length score in a final time of 1:51.57. Gold Spirit completed the exacta by 3 3/4-lengths over So Darn Hot with Gibberish and Thankful, who stumbled at the start, completing the order of finish. Dunbar Road was scratched.

Mott said he wasn't concerned about the off going.

“She hadn't had any previous form on an off track, but she seemed to me that she would be a horse who would handle it fine. I wasn't concerned about that,” Mott said.

Horologist entered from a hard-fought second to Royal Flag after setting the pace from the inside post in the Grade 3 Shuvee on July 25 at the Spa. Two starts back, Horologist was boxed in after exiting the inside post in the Lady Jacqueline on June 26 at Thistledown in North Randall, Ohio.

“She was inside and stuck down in there the last two races,” Mott said. “We let her bounce out of there [today] and do her thing without getting in her way. I think we've kept her from winning on a couple of occasions. A win does everyone some good.”

Alvarado said he rode the even-money favorite with confidence.

“It was simple. I rode her like the best horse and she showed it out there,” Alvarado said. “Once she put herself on the lead, she took me all the way around. She's very quick and is a good gate filly. If she wanted, she could go faster without using much.”

A three-time graded stakes winner, the New Jersey-bred daughter of Gemologist captured the 2019 Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks and last year added the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., and Grade 2 Beldame at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., to her ledger in her award-winning season.

Mott said he will again point Horologist to the nine-furlong $250,000 Grade 2 Beldame, which is slated for October 10 at Belmont.

Horologist banked $66,000 in victory while improving her record to 25-9-3-4. She returned $4.20 for a $2 win ticket.

Live racing resumes Wednesday at Saratoga with a 10-race card featuring the $120,000 John's Call, a 1 5/8-mile stamina test on the Mellon turf course for 4-year-olds and up who have not won a graded stakes this year. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

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