Keeneland | Horse Racing Free Tips

California Chrome Filly Flies Home To Upset Jessamine

When trainer George Leonard III began training horses in 1991, his stable was represented by two winners that earned a grand total of just over $5,000 combined. The conditioner's 15th winner of 2021, California Angel (California Chrome), earned a check better than 20 times that amount in Wednesday's GII JP Morgan Chase Jessamine S. at Keeneland, coming with a strong finishing kick over the top of rivals to give Leonard III his first stakes victory of any variety while securing a fees-paid berth into the field for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf Nov. 5 at Del Mar.

Void of any early speed as heavily favored Turnerloose (Nyquist) tried to build on her victory in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies Sept. 6, California Angel settled one from the tail and three wide down the backstretch and into the second turn. Ridden along by Rafael Bejarano five-sixteenths of a mile from home, the chestnut was produced on the grandstand side in upper stretch, some eight off the inside, and raced on her incorrect lead for most of the final two furlongs, but was up in the nick of time to cause the upset. Diamond Wow (Lookin At Lucky) sat a wide trip, mostly without cover, from a high draw and battled on bravely through the lane, only to be pipped late while covering 17 feet more than the winner, per Trakus. Turnerloose had no visible excuse in third.

California Angel was no better than a 28-1 gamble for her Sept. 8 unveiling going the mile at Kentucky Downs, and she was off to an inauspicious and awkward start before settling in a detached last of nine. Ridden without panic by Bejarano, she was steered into the three path at the half-mile point, made eyecatching outside progress in the false straight and kicked home powerfully down the center to score by 2 3/4 highly impressive lengths. She wasn't off to the most promising of beginnings when last seen in a six-furlong allowance over the Churchill main track Sept. 30, but she gained steadily to round out the trifecta.

“I thought I had a special filly from the beginning, but I never dreamed of being here,” Leonard said from the winners' celebration on the Keeneland turf course. “After she won [her debut], I heard all this talk and we decided to try this. It's just been a dream come true. Everything's worked well, got an excellent rider in [Rafael Bejarano]. He gets along with her good. She made a perfect run. I couldn't ask for anything more. We're looking forward to California.”

Pedigree Notes:

California Angel is the second graded winner and second black-type winner for her expatriated sire, joining GII Prioress S. upsetter Cilla. One of 47 North American winners from her sire's two crops to race (78 winners including the Southern Hemisphere), California Angel was acquired by the BBA (Ireland) for $60,000 in utero at Keeneland January in 2019 and fetched $5,000 as a KEENOV weanling 10 months later. Leonard signed the ticket on California Angel after she worked an eighth of a mile in an extremely green :10 3/5 at this year's OBS June Sale.

The Feb. 10 foal is out of a stakes-placed half-sister to SW Let Em Shine (Songandaprayer) and Puerto Rican SW Golden Diamond (Gemologist) and is a half-sister to a yearling Distorted Humor filly that sold to Niall Brennan for €72,000 at this year's Goffs Orby sale. Sea Mona is the dam of a weanling filly by Irish National Stud's outstanding Invincible Spirit (Ire).

Wednesday, Keeneland
JPMORGAN CHASE JESSAMINE S.-GII, $200,000, Keeneland, 10-13, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:44.30, gd.
1–CALIFORNIA ANGEL, 118, f, 2, by California Chrome
                1st Dam: Sea Mona (SP), by Tiz Wonderful
                2nd Dam: Justaspell, by Johannesburg
                3rd Dam: Lovethespell, by Capote
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($5,000 Wlg
'19 KEENOV; $5,500 2yo '21 OBSOPN). O-Chris Walsh; B-Irish
National Stud (KY); T-George Leonard, III; J-Rafael Bejarano.
$120,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-1, $213,700. Werk Nick
Rating: B+. Click for eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Diamond Wow, 118, f, 2, Lookin At Lucky–Patriotic Diamond,
by Hat Trick (Jpn). O-Diamond 100 Racing Club, LLC, Amy
Dunne & Patrick L. Biancone LLC; B-Patrick Biacone Diamond
100 Racing C (KY); T-Patrick L. Biancone. $40,000.
3–Turnerloose, 120, f, 2, Nyquist–Goaltending, by A.P. Indy.
($32,000 RNA Wlg '19 KEENOV; $50,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP).
O-Ike & Dawn Thrash; B-William Humphries & Altair Farms LLC
(KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $20,000.
Margins: HD, NK, 1. Odds: 17.80, 9.90, 0.80.
Also Ran: Dressed, Opalina, Roughly a Diamond, Misthaven (Ire), Kneesnhips, Bhoma, Queen Judith, Rigby, Boxing Day, Ontheonesandtwos. Scratched: Blissful, Decree of Love, Haughty. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post California Chrome Filly Flies Home To Upset Jessamine appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Chad Brown Duo Tops Field Of 10 For Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup

Klaravich Stables' two-time graded stakes winner Technical Analysis (IRE) and Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Robert LaPenta's Shantisara (IRE) headline a field of 10 3-year-old fillies entered Wednesday for Saturday's 38th running of the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) Presented by Dixiana at Keeneland.

The 1 1/8-mile grass test will go as the eighth race on Saturday's 10-race program with a 4:44 p.m. ET post time. First post Saturday is 1 p.m.

Chad Brown, who has saddled three winners of this race to match the feat of Jimmy Toner and John Veitch, trains both Technical Analysis and Shantisara.

A winner of four of six career starts, Technical Analysis enters Saturday's race off victories in the Lake Placid (G2) and Lake George (G3) at Saratoga. Technical Analysis will leave from post two and be ridden by Jose Ortiz.

Shantisara has won two of three starts since coming to North America, recording victories in the Pucker Up (G3) at Arlington and the Jockey Club Oaks Invitational at Belmont Park. Flavien Prat has the mount on Shantisara, who will exit post three.

Headlining the European contingent Saturday is Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith's Empress Josephine (IRE) for trainer Aidan O'Brien.

Empress Josephine is following in a trail blazed 10 years ago by Together (IRE) for the same connections. Together ran second in the First Lady (G1) and a week later closed her career with a victory in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup.

Empress Josephine finished third in Saturday's First Lady under John Velazquez, who retains the mount and will break from post position four.

Velazquez has won the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup a record five times beginning in 1995 with Perfect Arc. His other winners are Alwajeeha (2008), Crown Queen (2014), Time and Motion (2016) and Cambier Parc (2019).

Also coming from Europe is James Wigan's Cloudy Dawn (IRE), winner of the Prix de Lieurey (G3) at Deauville, and Katsumi Yoshida's Nicest (IRE), most recently third in the Juddmonte Irish Oaks (G1). Brian Hernandez Jr. rides Cloudy Dawn from post nine. Julien Leparoux will be aboard Nicest from post five.

The field for the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup, with riders from the inside, is:

Burning Ambition (Florent Geroux)
Technical Analysis (IRE) (Ortiz)
Shantisara (IRE) (Prat)
Empress Josephine (IRE) (Velazquez)
Nicest (IRE) (Leparoux)
Queen Goddess (Tyler Gaffalione)
Lady Speightspeare (Emma-Jayne Wilson)
Flippant (Rafael Bejarano)
Cloudy Dawn (IRE) (Hernandez Jr.)
Closing Remarks (Umberto Rispoli).

All starters will carry 121 pounds.

The post Chad Brown Duo Tops Field Of 10 For Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Flippant In Top Form For Saturday’s QEII Challenge Cup

In three months, G. Watts Humphrey Jr.'s homebred Flippant has gone from a maiden winner to a two-time stakes winner to a contender in this Saturday's 38th running of the $500,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) Presented by Dixiana at Keeneland. The race is for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/8 miles on the turf.

“She is doing very well,” trainer Vicki Oliver said. “This is a race I have always wanted to win, and I hope she is the one.”

A daughter of Tapit out of the two-time Grade 2-winning mare Frivolous, Flippant began her career on dirt at Churchill Downs. She started her 3-year-old campaign on the dirt at Tampa Bay Downs.

“Being a Tapit, we thought dirt for her,” Oliver said. “It was almost by default that she wound up on the grass here in April, and she ran so good on it (a runner-up finish) that we left her there.”

Flippant notched her first victory July 4 at Ellis Park and followed that with a victory Aug. 7 in the Kentucky Downs TVG Preview Dueling Grounds Oaks at Ellis. In her most recent start, Flippant won the Woodford Reserve Virginia Oaks (L) at Colonial Downs on Aug. 31.

“Going to Virginia (with Flippant) gave me an extra week for the Queen Elizabeth,” said Oliver, who trained Flippant's dam and grandam Sixty Rocketts.

Oliver said there was no one moment when the light went on for Flippant's recent success.

“Never Forget (Frivolous' first foal) is like that,” Oliver said. “Frivolous didn't really get good until she was 4. The whole family is like that.”

Oliver has a half-brother to Flippant getting ready to debut named Levity. She plans to start the son of Candy Ride (ARG) on the dirt “at the end of the meet or early during the Churchill meet.”

The post Flippant In Top Form For Saturday’s QEII Challenge Cup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

NBC Sports To Present Final Breeders’ Cup Challenge Race From Keeneland Wednesday

Led by unbeaten Turnerloose, an overflow field of 14, including two also-eligibles, has been entered for Wednesday's $200,000 Jessamine Stakes (G2) at Keeneland Race Course with the final automatic starting position in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) up for grabs. The 1 1/16-mile race for 2-year-old fillies will be televised live on NBCSN at 4 p.m. ET as a part of the “Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In – presented by America's Best Racing.”

Wednesday program marks the 13th and final show in this year's “Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In – presented by America's Best Racing” on NBC and NBCSN from some of North America's most iconic racetracks. The series leads to the 38th Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California, on Nov. 5-6, which will be shown live on NBC and NBCSN. The Breeders' Cup World Championships television schedule appears here.

NBC Sports' coverage will feature commentary and discussion from its International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn., led by host Ahmed Fareed, analyst Randy Moss, and handicapper Matt Bernier. Reporters Britney Eurton and Nick Luck will be on-site at Keeneland.

Dawn and Ike Thrash's Turnerloose has started her career with two wins. Trained by Brad Cox, the daughter of 2015 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) and 2016 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Nyquist broke her maiden at 1 mile at Ellis Park on July 16 and then captured the 1-mile Aristocrat Juvenile Fillies Stakes at Kentucky Downs by five lengths on Sept. 6. Florent Geroux rides from post three.

Another runner coming off a big effort at Kentucky Downs is Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Dressed, who has won two of her three starts. After breaking her maiden in her second try at Arlington Park, Dressed, trained by Wayne Catalano, came from off the pace to win a 6 ½-furlong allowance optional claiming race at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 12 by 3 ¼ lengths. Dressed will be ridden by Flavien Prat from post 12.

Making a five-wide sweeping move, SF Racing's Misthaven (IRE) won on debut in a 6 ½-furlong maiden special weight by 1 ¾ lengths on Sept 5 at Kentucky Downs. Breaking from post 10, Misthaven, trained by Joe Sharp, will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione. Starting just to the outside of Misthaven in post 11 is Teneri Farm and J Stable's Opalina. Trained by Roderick Rodriguez, Opalina is up from Gulfstream Park in Florida, where she broke her maiden at 1 mile on Sept. 17. Opalina will be ridden by Edgard Zayas.

The post NBC Sports To Present Final Breeders’ Cup Challenge Race From Keeneland Wednesday appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post