Keith Desormeaux | Horse Racing Free Tips

Weekly Rulings: Oct. 10-16

News — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 16:45:30 +0000

Every week, the TDN publishes a round-up of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky.

The TDN also posts a round-up of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from the same week. These include decisions from around the country.

NEW HISA/HIWU STEWARDS RULINGS

The following rulings were reported on HISA's “rulings” portal and through the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit's “pending” and “resolved” cases portals.

RESOLVED ADMC VIOLATIONS

Original date: 09/16/2023
Licensee: Keith Desormeaux, trainer
Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility, beginning on October 17, 2023; a fine of $1,000; imposition of 2 penalty points.Admission of ECM Rule Violation and Acceptance of Consequences
Explainer: For the presence of Acepromazine—Controlled Medications (Class B)—in a sample taken from Auto Dial. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312—Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List).

Original date: 08/27/2023
Licensee: Mark Hibdon, trainer
Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final Decision by HIWU
Explainer: For the presence of Flunixin—Controlled Medication (Class C)—in a sample taken from D'wild Muffin, who won at Arapahoe on 8/27/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312—Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List Workout).

Original date: 08/05/2023
Licensee: Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon, trainer
Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission of ECM Rule Violation and Acceptance of Consequences
Explainer: For the presence of Flunixin—Controlled Medication (Class C)—in a sample taken from Matty Bo, who won at Laurel Park on 8/5/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312—Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List Workout).

Original date: 08/03/2023
Licensee: Jose Puentes, trainer
Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission of ECM Rule Violation and Acceptance of Consequences

Explainer: For the presence of Dantrolene—Controlled Medications (Class C)—in a sample taken from Pour on the Cole, who won at Santa Rosa on 8/3/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312—Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers.

Original date: 06/20/2023
Licensee: Joseph Taylor, trainer
Penalty: 36-month period of Ineligibility (18 months per violation) for Covered Person, beginning on July 18, 2023; 14-month period of Ineligibility for Covered Horse, beginning on June 20, 2023; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $25,000 ($12,500 per violation). Admission of EAD Rule Violation and Acceptance of Consequences
Explainer: For the presence of Methylphenidate and Clenbuterol—both banned substances—in a sample taken from Classy American, who finished second at Parx Racing on 6/20/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3212—Presence of a Banned Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers.

Original date: 06/18/2023
Licensee: Joseph Taylor, trainer
Penalty: 36-month period of Ineligibility (18 months per violation) for Covered Person, beginning on July 18, 2026; 14-month period of Ineligibility for Covered Horse, beginning on June 18, 2023; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results obtained on 6/18/23 and 7/12/23, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $25,000 ($12,500 per violation). Admission of EAD Rule Violation and Acceptance of Consequences
Explainer: For the presence of Methylphenidate and Clenbuterol—both banned substances—in a sample taken from Cajun Cousin, who finished second at Parx Racing on 6/18/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3212—Presence of a Banned Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers.

Saturday’s Racing Insights: $1.25M Constitution Colt Set For Juvenile Debut At Del Mar

News — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 18:25:11 +0000

3rd-DMR, $82K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 5:30 p.m.
As the summer winds down, there is still more than enough time for juvenile first timers to make their debut. At Del Mar, $1.25-million Fasig-Tipton Yearling Sale buy MC VAY (Constitution) is set for his inaugural trip. Out of Dothraki Sea (Union Rags), who counts both GISW Dixie Chatter (Dixie Union) and GSW Rumor (Indian Charlie) as half-siblings, the dark bay colt is trained by John Shirreffs and will be ridden by Mike Smith.

Also entered is $250,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale grad and $675,000 OBS April Sale purchase Arthur (Uncle Mo). Second dam SW Star of Goshen (Lord At War), who is a half-sister to MGSW Powis Castle (Rare Brick), is responsible for GI Santa Anita Derby champ and runner-up in the GI Kentucky Derby Pioneerof the Nile (Empire Maker). Trained by Keith Desormeaux, Arthur will be guided by Kent Desormeux. TJCIS PPS

6th-SAR, $136K, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 3:26 p.m.
Shifting to the Saratoga grass, Zverev (Oscar Performance) makes his first start after bringing $170,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale before fetching $330,000 at this year's OBS April Sale. The Cherie DeVaux trainee with Ricardo Santana up, is out of MGISW Balance (Thunder Gulch), who is a half-sister to Horse of the Year Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}) and SW Where's Bailey (Aljabr)–dam to two-time GIII Yellow Ribbon H. heroine She's Not Here (Street Cry {Ire}) and her son, GSP Talk of the Nation (Quality Road).

Trained by Chad Brown and with Manny Franco in the irons, another interesting entrant here is $220,000 Keeneland September Sale graduate Walley World (More Than Ready). His dam Forced Family Fun (Uncle Mo), a half-sister to MGSP Cat Burglar (Unbridled's Song), were both produced by Be My Prospect (Forest Wildcat)–half-sister to MGSP Away (Dixieland Band), the dam of MGSW Eight Belles (Unbridled's Song). TJCIS PPS

7th-SAR, $136K, Msw, 2yo, 7f, 4:00 p.m.
Over on the Spa main, Justifiably So (Justify), a $375,000 Fasig-Tipton Yearling Sale purchase, is related to race six's Walley World in that he is out of that runner's second dam, Be My Prospect. The juvenile debuts for Nick Zito with Ricardo Santana at the controls.

Trainer Bill Mott and Junior Alvarado team with Godolphin's well-bred Jefferson Street (Street Sense). Out of an extended female family which includes first-crop sire MGISP Solomini (Curlin), the dark bay colt's dam Apiary (Bernardini) is a full-sister to GIII Go For Wand S. hero Indulgent and a half-sister to MGISW Frosted (Tapit). All are out of MGSW Fast Cookie (Deputy Minister), who is a half to Champion 2-year-old colt Midshipman (Unbridled's Song). TJCIS PPS

The post Saturday’s Racing Insights: $1.25M Constitution Colt Set For Juvenile Debut At Del Mar appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The post Saturday’s Racing Insights: $1.25M Constitution Colt Set For Juvenile Debut At Del Mar first appeared on Horse Racing Free Tips.

Confidence Game Out, Coffeewithchris In Preakness

News — Sat, 13 May 2023 19:43:59 +0000

Changes to the entries box for next week's GI Preakness S. continue, as GII Rebel S. winner Confidence Game (Candy Ride {Arg}) is out of the second leg of the Triple Crown and local runner Coffeewithchris (Ride On Curlin) set to run.

“He trained all right this morning,” said Confidence Game's trainer, Keith Desormeaux.

The colt was last seen finishing 10th in the GI Kentucky Derby.

“He's just not 100%. He's got something aggravating him in the right front shoulder area. We're going to send him to Dr. [Larry] Bramlage [at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital] and let him do full diagnostics and let him advise us on how to proceed. He's good, but he's not Preakness perfect.”

After he was scratched from Saturday's Long Branch S. at Monmouth, Coffeewithchris's connections alerted Pimlico officials Saturday morning that the Maryland bred is being pointed toward a Preakness start. Jaime Rodriguez, who has been aboard for the gelding's last five starts including a win in Laurel's Heft S., will have the mount in the second jewel in the Triple Crown.

“Our plan was to run in the Preakness,” said trainer John Salzman Jr. “We were hoping to win the [Federico] Tesio [5th last time out Apr. 15]. The biggest thing is coming up with the money sometimes. I'm a poor working guy. Thirty thousand is a lot of money. I looked at the Long Branch. It wasn't an easy spot. If it was an easy spot, I might have gone on to the Long Branch. I worked it out to come up with the funds to take a chance. I don't get to take a chance very often.”

The post Confidence Game Out, Coffeewithchris In Preakness appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The post Confidence Game Out, Coffeewithchris In Preakness first appeared on Horse Racing Free Tips.

$2.2-Million Gun Runner Colt Powers Day Three as OBS Spring Sale Stays the Course

News — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 22:27:27 +0000

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis

OCALA, FL – For the third straight day, the team of Bob Baffert and Donato Lanni, acting on behalf of Saudi businessman Amr Zedan, made the highest bid of the session, this time going to $2.2 million–top price of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training sale so far–to acquire a colt by Gun Runner from the de Meric Sales consignment as the Spring sale continued to produce figures largely in line with its record-setting 2022 renewal.

Through three of four sessions, OBS has sold 519 juveniles for a total of $67,661,000. The cumulative average of $130,368 is down 3.7% from the corresponding end-of-day figure from 2022 and is down just 1.8% from the average of $132,821, which includes post-sale transactions from a year ago. The median of $65,000 is down 7.1% from a year ago.

“We were very pleased with the March sale and it seems like that momentum has carried on through April,” said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. “We set records last year and here we are bumping up against those records this year. It feels good and it is a testament to the strength in the marketplace.”

Zedan topped the sale's opening session with a $1.45-million son of Arrogate and added a $900,000 son of Frosted Wednesday.

“He's come with a big budget and that's helpful to the consignors,” Wojciechowski said of Zedan. “It probably pushes horses that he gets and hopefully, it moves buyers to other horses and they look for other top prospects that they can settle on as well.”

With 128 juveniles reported not sold after the final horse went through the ring Thursday, the buy-back rate was 19.8%. it was 16.5% at the same point a year ago.

While the figures remained stronger, consignors continued to see a polarization in the marketplace.

“I had so many people on that horse who just had to have him,” Jesse Hoppel of Coastal Equine said after selling a colt by Blame for $700,000. “But if you don't have the flavor of the week, they don't want to have anything to do with you.”

Hoppel said the absence of a select sale like the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale has buyers scrambling to make sense of the new sales landscape.

“I think the buyers are confused,” he said. “They don't know where to go. The 2-year-old sales market now lacks a select sale. It doesn't give you direction–where are these middle market horses going to be, where are the expensive horses going to be. Right now, they are scattered. The public doesn't have an idea of where to go for the right horses.”

Still buyers found plenty of competition for the top lots.

“People are saying it's a little bit spotty, but at the same time anything we followed up seemed like it's made plenty of money,” said Hunter Valley's Fergus Galvin after signing for a $575,000 daughter of Into Mischief. “I don't think it's overly strong.”

Donato Lanni | Photos by Z

Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni, who has made the highest bid of each of the sale's first three days, said, “It's really strong for the top, top horses. The middle market looks like it is holding pretty strong. Everyone is here, so it's very strong for the top-end horses. The market was very strong here last year and we're seeing that again this year. Hopefully it continues that way.”

The OBS Spring sale concludes with a final session Friday. Bidding begins at 10:30 a.m.

Guns Blazing at OBS Day 3

The storms that barreled through the Ocala area Wednesday night seemed like a mere breeze compared to the gale force that swept through the OBS sale's ring midway through Thursday's session. In the moments leading up to the entrance of Hip 782 into the ring, several of racing's biggest names lined up to duke it out for a juvenile colt by Horse of the Year Gun Runner. With several separate interests clashing, including agent Donato Lanni–accompanied by trainer Bob Baffert in their customary perch in the media box–and fellow Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, who trained Gun Runner during his illustrious campaign, it was Amr Zedan's potent team that outlasted the rest to land the colt for a cool $2.2 million.

Hip 782 | Photos by Z

“That was 'wow',” said Lanni. “Amr Zedan absolutely loved him and he really wanted the horse. He was not going to go home without that horse…Bob really loved him too. The whole team did.”

Outlining some of the factors that led to the team extending to the sale-topping price through three sessions, Lanni offered, “He performed very well and had a great gallop out. He was really fast for a such a large-sized horse. He looks like he wants to go a Classic distance and has gears.”

“It's nice to see a horse with that much size by Gun Runner who looks like a two-turn horse but also has the speed. He showed it here.”

The Mar. 20 foal is out of Perfect Wife (Majesticperfection), the dam of the colt's full-sibling GSP Runaway Wife.

“Every day when you have one like that in the barn, you're kind of sweating bullets and you're worried you'll walk into the barn and find him with his legs up in the air or colicking,” said Nick de Meric. “But he's been a wonderful horse for us. Tristan and Val [de Meric] take the credit for producing him like they have.”

Bred by Fern Circle Stables, the bay brought $430,000 at Fasig-Tipton last July. Consigned by de Meric sales at OBS, the colt breezed in :10.1 last week.

“It was a ton of pressure,” continued de Meric. “Frankly, that [yearling price] was out of our comfort zone. We just all felt so strongly about him and we had a couple of partners on him, so we didn't have to shoulder the whole load.

“He affected all of us [when we first saw him] and we thought he could be something special.”

Tristan de Meric was equally enthused with the colt.

“The way this horse moved, his balance and the way he just kept it up all day long [stood out],” he said. “He always did everything right. He's a horse with a great mind and did everything right from the get-go.”

Reflecting on the colt's purchase last term, he continued,

“We definitely stretched well beyond our comfort zone, but when we were signing the ticket on him, it felt right. I am happy it all worked out. We were just lucky to have him.”

In regard to the colt's illustrious sire, who led all second-crop sires and ranked sixth on the General Sires list in 2022, the junior de Meric explained, “We started out just trying to find some nice Gun Runners because we believed in him and he had a nice run with his first crop. It was amazing what he did with his first crop.”

With the relief evident after hitting it out of the park following months of intense preparation, the elder de Meric could breath a sigh of relief now that the colt was going to get every chance under the care of the Hall of Fame trainer.

“All of us in this business know it doesn't work out like that every time. You need one of those every once in a while and that was outstanding. We couldn't be happier.”–@CBossTDN

Hoppel Plays the Blame Game

When Jacob West signed the ticket at $700,000 to obtain a colt by Blame (hip 786) on behalf of Repole Stable Thursday at OBS, it marked an impressive pinhooking score for consignor Jesse Hoppel, who purchased the youngster for $70,000 at last year's OBS October sale.

Hip 786 | Photos by Z

“He was a very sleek horse that looked like he needed to grow up a lot,” Hoppel said of his early impressions of the colt. “I still think he has growing up to do. There is no telling how good he will be when he is finally there because he's not there yet. He's going to keep coming.”

The colt is out of the unraced Petunia Face (Congrats) and is a half to graded winner Jalen Journey (With Distinction). He worked a quarter-mile last week in :21 flat.

Of the colt's final price Thursday, Hoppel said, “I was thinking in the $400,000 to $500,000 range, but this market is really polarized. I had so many people on that horse who just had to have him. If you don't have the flavor of the week, they don't want to have anything to do with you.” @JessMartiniTDN

Uncle Mo Draws Fire Early at OBS

After a filly by Uncle Mo brought a $675,000 final bid during the first day of selling at the OBS Spring sale, a colt by the Coolmore sire (Hip 682) realized the same amount Thursday afternoon. Consigned by agent Gene Recio, trainer Keith Desormeaux signed the ticket on behalf of Dallas, Texas-based Benjamin Gase, founder and CEO of the shipping technology company R2 Logistics.

“He didn't have as much as a quick cadence as most of these eighth-of-a-mile breezers but his movement was fluid, and he still went in :10.1,” said Desormeaux. “That's what we're looking for, a horse with speed but most importantly the distance.

“I hate to use the same old cliche but he ticks every box.”

Echoing the sentiment, Recio added, “He showed himself well and just has a lot of class. He didn't turn a hair the whole time. He did all the right things.”

The colt was offered at Keeneland last September, bringing $250,000 from Lynnwood Stable. The Apr. 26 colt was offered by a partnership that included the breeder, Breed First.

Gene Recio | Photos by Z

“I fell in love with him when I saw him at the yearling sales,” explained Recio. “I didn't really think I was going to be able to buy him, I thought he was going to bring more than that.”

The juvenile is out of the unraced Bodemeister mare Mezinka, a half-sister to dual Grade I-winning Pioneerof the Nile, who also finished runner-up in the GI Kentucky Derby.

“The breeder is a good friend of mine, so I am happy for them. They stayed in for a piece. I'm happy when it all works out like that.”

The Desormeaux and Gase axis has already produced results, highlighted by a win in this winter's GII Rebel S. with Confidence Game (Candy Ride {Arg}), who was unearthed for a mere $25,000 at Keeneland last September. Confidence Game currently stands 12th on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 57 points.

Clearly looking to mine another Classic-bred jewel with a long-term view on next season, Desormeaux enthusiastically outlined the colt's list of attributes.

“The horse has Classic pedigree, great lines, awesome conformation and a good foot,” he said. “He was as good as you get from head to toe.”

He continued, “One of the added values is that he has great sire value, being by Uncle Mo and with Pioneerof the Nile [under the second dam]. We know he's got speed and Classic distance on the bottom.”

With the Classics still a year away, Desormeaux's ambitions in the shorter term appeared to be no less lofty.

“He's going to go to California and prepare for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile.”–@CBossTDN

Into Mischief Filly to Qatar Racing

Sheikh Fahad's Qatar Racing, which enjoyed top-level success along with partners with Caravel (Mizzen Mast) in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, continued to build its U.S.-based string with the purchase of a filly by Into Mischief (hip 777) at OBS Thursday. Fergus Galvin of Hunter Valley Farm made the winning bid to acquire the filly for $575,000 from the Wavertree Stables consignment.

Hip 777 | Photos by Z

“We actually haven't come up with a trainer for her yet, to be honest,” Galvin said. “She will definitely stay in the U.S. She is a lovely, big filly. Ciaran [Dunne of Wavertree] recommended her well and we are very happy to get her.”

The bay filly is out of the unraced Pearl River (Quality Road) and from the family of champion Sweet Catomine and multiple Grade I winner Life Is Sweet. She was bred by Pam and Martin Wygod.

Marc Tacher purchased the 7-year-old Pearl River, in foal to Nyquist, for $50,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale.

In addition to Caravel, Qatar Racing was also partners on Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil), who was purchased for $5 million at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton November and whose 2022 campaign included a win in the GII Fleur de Lis S. The partners returned the mare to the sales ring at Fasig-Tipton last November where she sold again for $5 million.

Caravel has already started 2023 a winner, recently winning the GIII Shakertown S. at Keeneland.

“We just have to keep our run going,” Galvin said. “Sheikh Fahad is keen to establish a string here in the U.S. We've had a lot of success with turf horses and now we are trying to aim a little bit more on the dirt side.” @JessMartiniTDN

The post $2.2-Million Gun Runner Colt Powers Day Three as OBS Spring Sale Stays the Course appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The post $2.2-Million Gun Runner Colt Powers Day Three as OBS Spring Sale Stays the Course first appeared on Horse Racing Free Tips.

Confidence Game Works, Rich Strike Preps For Return

News — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 17:21:13 +0000

With three weeks until the GI Kentucky Derby, trainer Keith Desormeaux has accelerated Confidence Game (Candy Ride {Arg})'s work pattern, as the dark bay colt put in a mile breeze in 1:38.20 from the starting gate on Friday morning at Churchill Downs.

Jockey James Graham began his mount's training session by breaking inside of an unraced 3-year-old workmate. Around the far-turn, after the Derby hopeful completed five furlongs in 1:00.20, fellow stablemate Giant Awakening (Mor Spirit) was waiting for him around the 5 1/2 furlong pole. Running in concert, Confidence Game finished his work around the sixteenth pole and galloped out an extra quarter mile.

“At first when I looked at the final time, I was a little disappointed,” Desormeaux said. “Then I got back to the barn and went through the splits and I had a renewed sense of confidence–for a lack of a better term. He really started to pick it up late in the work even when he went fast early during the work. The gate works at Churchill are timed when the doors open so if you take into account that during a race there is a little bit of a run-up before the timer starts, he worked really well. I was definitely looking to get a lot of out of the work and I think we accomplished that. He needed it.”

Owned by Don't Tell My Wife Stables and Ocean Reef Racing, the GII Rebel S. victor completed splits of :24.60, :36, :47.80, 1:00.20, 1:13 and 1:25.60, with a gallop out of 1 1/4 lengths in 2:05.80. Desormeaux opted to bypass Saturday's GIII Lexington S. at Keeneland to train up for the Derby and said the colt would likely work back next Saturday.

Confidence Game with a serious one-mile move in 1:38.20 from the gate. #KyDerby pic.twitter.com/QSCpkBTQne

— Kevin Kerstein (@HorseRacingKK) April 14, 2023

Rich Strike Looks To Return Soon

RED TR-Racing's Rich Strike (Keen Ice) continued to prepare for his 2023 debut by working five furlongs in :59.80 early Friday morning over a fast track at Keeneland for trainer Eric Reed.

With Gabriel Lagunes aboard, the 2022 GI Kentucky Derby champ posted fractions of :23.80, :47.80, :59.80 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.40.

“Gabe said he was perfect this morning and worked the way he did before the Derby,” Reed said of Rich Strike, who is nominated to the 92nd running of Keeneland's GIII Ben Ali S. on Apr. 22. “I want to get him as tight as I can before his first time out against horses that have been running. If all goes well, that will point him for the GI Stephen Foster.”

Reed said the Ben Ali is in the mix for the 2023 debut along with next Saturday's GII Oaklawn H. and GII Alysheba S. at Churchill on May 5.

“I'll talk it over with [owner] Rick [Dawson] the next couple of days,” Reed said. “The Alysheba is probably the most likely spot. He would work again in nine or 10 days, and it would be at Churchill Downs.”

The post Confidence Game Works, Rich Strike Preps For Return appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The post Confidence Game Works, Rich Strike Preps For Return first appeared on Horse Racing Free Tips.

Ocean Reef Racing Buys into Derby-Bound Confidence Game

News — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 18:34:02 +0000

Ocean Reef Racing, a Key Largo, Florida-based syndicate made up of nine partners, has bought an interest in GII Rebel S. winner Confidence Game (Candy Ride {Arg}) from the colt's owner, Don't Tell My Wife Stable. Confidence Game is expected to make his next start in the GI Kentucky Derby for trainer Keith Desormeaux.

William “Billy” Paytner, who heads the Ocean Reef syndicate, would not disclose the percentage that was purchased, but said that it was less than 50% and that Don't Tell My Wife will remain the principal owner.

“Although I split my time between Versailles and Key Largo, I'm a Louisville native, so I'm over the moon,” Paynter said. “Our stable has only been in racing for about three years and never in a million years did I think we could have a horse in the Derby in our first three years. I can't even imagine what might happen. I'm going to be a nervous wreck until they come out of the starting gate on Derby day. It's very exciting for myself, my family and all my partners. It gives me goose bumps just thinking about it.”

“We are thrilled that Billy and his partners at Ocean Reef Racing have joined us on this amazing ride with Confidence Game, and look forward to going on this exciting journey with them,” said Don't Tell My Wife's Kirk Godby. “It was just five years ago that we had My Boy Jack run in the Derby and it's truly incredible to be back again. All the credit goes to trainer Keith Desormeaux, though, who continues to prove his elite horsemanship in buying young horses and getting them to this level. I can't thank him enough.”

When it comes to the Derby, Confidence Game was flying under the radar until he pulled off the upset in the Rebel at 18-1. With James Graham aboard, he won by a length. The Ocean Reef team noticed the effort and was soon in touch with Godby.

“I knew Kirk from Fort Worth through some business connections when I went to SMU business school,” Paynter said. “We liked the Candy Ride side of his pedigree and that he's out of a Bernardini mare, Eblouissante. Eblouissante is a half-sister to Zenyatta. But it wasn't even a thought until the Rebel. That race weighed heavily on our decision. There were the wet conditions and how he won and galloped out. That was very impressive. They have a pretty good track record. This is their second Derby horse and they were in the Oaks last year [with Candy Raid]. I haven't gotten to know Keith Desormeaux yet, but I am looking forward to racing with him. He obviously has a good track record.”

Paynter said the stable has been trying to focus on buying more expensive horses, but having a horse in the Derby was not necessarily a goal.

“At the level we've been buying at, we thought getting to the Derby was a possibility, but it never crosses your mind until it actually happens,” he said. “To be honest, we didn't expect to have a Derby horse. This is one of those pinch yourself moments.”

The post Ocean Reef Racing Buys into Derby-Bound Confidence Game appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The post Ocean Reef Racing Buys into Derby-Bound Confidence Game first appeared on Horse Racing Free Tips.

TDN Derby Top 12: The Real Running Starts Now

News — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 20:08:03 +0000

We've taken the plunge into the deeper end of the prep pool for the GI Kentucky Derby. Five nine-furlong stakes each awarding 100 qualifying points are scheduled over the next two Saturdays, after which this list will expand to the Top 20.

1) FORTE (c, Violence–Queen Caroline, by Blame) 'TDN Rising
Star'. O-Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable; B-South Gate Farm (KY); T-Todd Pletcher. Sales history: $80,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV; $110,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Colt, MGISW, 6-5-0-0, $1,833,230. Last start: 1st GII Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Mar. 4. Kentucky Derby Points: 90.

The further 'TDN Rising Star' and 2-year-old champ Forte goes in his sophomore campaign, the more favorably he compares to Nyquist, who was the last winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile (and only the second Juvenile winner ever) to score in the Kentucky Derby. Each was put on a two-prep path at age three, consisting of an early March stakes victory followed by a try in the GI Florida Derby.

Where they differ, though, is in the level of difficulty of their respective Florida Derbies. In 2016, the connections of Nyquist took a gamble by shipping their colt cross-country from his California base to chase a $1-million Florida sales-grad bonus offered by Fasig-Tipton. Despite being the undefeated 2-year-old champ, the 6-5 Nyquist wasn't even favored in the Florida Derby (Mohaymen was at 4-5). But Nyquist wired the field commandingly, cementing favoritism in Louisville.

Forte, by contrast, will race over a Gulfstream surface over which he's already won emphatically, and he will be getting a considerable break in terms of competition. The draw for Saturday's Florida Derby landed him in post 11, but none of the 11 horses entered against him have ever been ranked in TDN's Top 12, and only one has ever won a stakes.

Beyond the obstacle of an outer post in a large field, the race, on paper at least, gives off a “damned if he does, damned if he doesn't” vibe that the champ will be up against.

If Forte trounces the field, it'll be reasoned he was supposed to beat up on such an overmatched crew based on his established gravitas as the divisional kingpin. The tall, lanky stalker has pasted nearly all comers over a six-race career that dates to last May 27 and includes only one forgivable loss in a Saratoga sprint stakes. None of the visual takeaways of his stretch runs offer evidence that he won't be able to handle pressure while negotiating longer distances.

If Forte runs well but narrowly loses, the result will likely elicit a positive-leaning connotation, along the lines that he wasn't fully cranked for the effort with his main goal being four weeks out.

But if Forte finishes off the board with no excuse? Yikes. He'll suddenly be perceived as vulnerable for the first time and the proverbial barn door will be knocked off its hinges by the crush of contenders rushing in to fill the Derby void.

2) PRACTICAL MOVE (c, Practical Joke–Ack Naughty, by Afleet Alex) O-Leslie & Pierre Jean Amestoy & Roger Beasley; B-Chad Brown & Head of Plains Partners (KY); T-Tim Yakteen. Sales history: $90,000 RNA yrl '21 KEESEP; $230,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: MGSW, 6-3-1-2, $434,200. Last Start: 1st GII San Felipe S. at Santa Anita Mar. 4. Kentucky Derby Points: 60.

They don't drape a blanket of roses atop your shoulders on the first Saturday in May for looking like the most improved colt on the Derby contenders list at the end of March. But if they did, Practical Move would be this year's ideal fit.

This son of Practical Joke's progression toward the Apr. 8 GI Santa Anita Derby gives the impression of an ocean wave that did not at first appear menacing when in the distance, but now that it's nearing a crest, look out.

This Tim Yakteen trainee started five times in a four-month span at age two and his form in those races might have been shaded by running into some fairly accomplished foes while encountering repeated trip trouble.

A 10-1 upset in the GII Los Alamitos Futurity closed out this robust-framed colt's juvenile campaign. But Practical Move opened eyes with a 12-point Beyer jump when winning the GII San Felipe S. Mar. 4, uncorking a professional inside run despite enduring early bumping, a rank horse on the clubhouse turn, and a momentum stall on the far bend while jockey Ramon Vazquez patiently waited for an opening.

If you want a Derby horse who rates as “flashy,” look elsewhere. But if you lean toward a level-headed prospect who is quick enough to prowl behind strong fractions while having enough stamina to stick around late, Practical Move just might be your type.

3) TAPIT TRICE (c, Tapit–Danzatrice, by Dunkirk) 'TDN Rising Star' O-Whisper Hill Farm LLC and Gainesway Stable (Antony Beck); B-Gainesway Thoroughbreds Ltd. (KY); T-Todd Pletcher. Sales history: $1,300,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW,4-3-0-1, $100,150. Last start: 1st GIII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs Mar. 11. KY Derby Points: 50.

This gray son of Tapit who hammered for $1.3 million at KEESEP was back on the Palm Beach Downs work tab Friday, breezing a half-mile in :49.82 (11/31) nearly two weeks after closing with a desperate rush to win the GIII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (88 Beyer).

From several perspectives–his dawdling break, the questionable quality of the competition, the four-point Beyer regression off his previous win–the Tampa excursion was not an artistic triumph for Tapit Trice.

Yet considering that this colt overcame self-inflicted trip adversity and closed capably through a final sixteenth clocked in an impressive :6.14, Tapit Trice remains poised to put forth a more polished version of the athletic prowess he displayed in his first three career races. That chance will come in his final Derby tune-up, the Apr. 8 GI Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland.

Only one horse has ever parlayed wins in both the Tampa and Kentucky Derbies–Street Sense in 2007. Street Sense, like Tapit Trice is being pointed to do, also attempted the Blue Grass S. in the interim. He was second, losing by a nose in a four-horse photo.

With Instant Coffee (Bolt d'Oro) never firing when sixth as the beaten 3-2 favorite in this past Saturday's GII Louisiana Derby, it appears that Tapit Trice is now the best Kentucky Derby shot for jockey Luis Saez.

4) GEAUX ROCKET RIDE (c, Candy Ride {Arg}–Beyond Grace, by Uncle Mo) O-Pin Oak Stud LLC; B-OXO Equine LLC (KY); T-Richard Mandella. Sales history: $350,000 yrl '21 FTKJUL. Lifetime Record: GSP, 2-1-1-0, $120,200. Last Start: 2nd GII San Felipe S. at Santa Anita Mar. 4. Kentucky Derby Points: 20.

The GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby is shaping up as a showdown between the Nos. 2 and 4 headliners on this list. While Practical Move brings experience, this son of Candy Ride looms as a speed-centric threat who could have a decided advantage in a short field if the race comes up light on entries.

Geaux Rocket Ride was narrowly favored in the betting for the GII San Felipe S. and he gamely forced the issue on the front end of a high-tempo pace yet still managed to stay on determinedly in the final furlong to hold second even when it was clear that Practical Move had him beat.

In just two lifetime starts, Geaux Rocket Ride has paired 92 and 96 Beyers, and his transition out of a MSW sprint wiring to an off-Lasix stakes route was about as smooth as his connections could have hoped for. Note that the second- and fourth-place runners out of his Jan. 29 victory both came back to win their next starts, lending credibility to that sizzling debut.

Geaux Rocket Ride worked six furlongs in 1:13 flat Sunday at Santa Anita (2/6), after which his Hall-of-Fame trainer, Richard Mandella, quipped, “The rockets are ready to fire.”

5) DISARM (c, Gun Runner–Easy Tap, by Tapit) 'TDN Rising Star' O/B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (Ky); T-Steve Asmussen. Lifetime Record: GSP, 4-1-2-1, $290,350. Last Start: 2nd GII Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds Mar. 25. Kentucky Derby Points: 40.

'TDN Rising Star' Disarm returns to the Top 12 off his runner-up try in the Louisiana Derby and I'm taking an ambitious gamble by leapfrogging him all the way up to No. 5 considering this colt hasn't won a race in nearly nine months.

Last summer, trainer Steve Asmussen said he had “high expectations” for Disarm, adding that in a June 19 third-place debut at Churchill, the colt “didn't do much correctly first time out, just because he's a big boy.”

But Asmussen expressed faith that this son of Gun Runner (out of a Tapit mare) would “stretch out beautifully” over time. Unfortunately, that didn't happen during his juvenile season, because after a blowout MSW win at the Spa over seven furlongs, Disarm was shelved in September for undisclosed reasons. After a second-place effort going a mile in an Oaklawn allowance Feb. 19 for his 2023 debut, he resurfaced at Fair Grounds Saturday.

Trying to chase a lone-speed pacemaker getting away with soft splits, Disarm was at a tactical disadvantage. His trip was further compromised by being caught behind the heels of a stablemate for most of his inside journey, and his stride stalled at several points during the race. Yet he still closed with purpose and earned a 90 Beyer for the effort.

Being up against the grain of a speed-favoring track also hurt his chances in the Louisiana Derby. There were 11 dirt races on the Mar. 25 card at Fair Grounds. Four were won in wire-to-wire fashion, six were won by pace-pressers who raced just off the lead, and one was won by a mid-pack stalker. Closers like Disarm got completely shut out. He'll be a live sleeper at well over 20-1 in Louisville.

6) REINCARNATE (c, Good Magic–Allanah, by Scat Daddy) O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC & Catherine Donovan; B-Woods Edge Farm (Ky); Tim Yakteen. Sales history: $775,000 yrl '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 6-2-3-1, $231,900. Last Start: 3rd in the
GII Rebel S. at Oaklawn Feb. 25. Kentucky Derby Points: 15.

Reincarnate, a $775,000 KEESEP colt by Good Magic, will bear the burden of favoritism in Saturday's GI Arkansas Derby, and deservedly so.

He's the controlling speed on paper and is exiting a difficult trip in the Feb. 25 GII Rebel S., in which he got bounced around at the break, advanced into contention, then had to check late. Still, he managed third (90 Beyer). Jockey John Velazquez rides back.

A big horse with a long stride, Reincarnate started his career with two turf tries (both seconds). He was then second in his dirt debut, and finally broke through in try number four at Del Mar Nov. 25, after which he took the Jan. 8 GIII Sham S., dueling all the way on the inside and earning a 95 Beyer at somewhat surprising 16-1 odds.

Reincarnate has never been off the board from six starts, all at a mile or longer, so the stamina base is there. The Arkansas Derby will offer a sharper picture of where this colt stands in terms of honing his chief tactical weapon, which is front-end force.

7) TWO PHIL'S (c, Hard Spun-Mia Torri, by General Quarters) O-Patricia's Hope LLC and Phillip Sagan; B-Phillip Sagan; T-Larry Rivelli. Sales History: $150,000 RNA Ylg '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: MGSW, 8-4-1-1, $683,450. Last start: 1st GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Mar. 25. Kentucky Derby Points: 123.

Figuring out whether or not nine-furlong Tapeta form will translate to 10-furlong dirt success is a bit like trying to understand voodoo. But the 101-Beyer win by Two Phil's in Saturday's GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks stamps him as an intriguing mid-tier threat on the Derby totem pole, and he has growing appeal as a 4-for-8 closer/stalker whose strengths are versatility and adaptability.

This son of Hard Spun has taken a somewhat unconventional path to Derby relevancy, having started as a 2-year-old at Colonial and Canterbury before breaking through with a 5 1/4-length win at 7-1 odds in the GIII Street Sense S. at Churchill, which came over a sealed and sloppy track.

After running second in the GII Lecomte S. and third in the GII Risen Star S., trainer Larry Rivelli took a risk by opting for a start over Tapeta at Turfway, over which Two Phil's had never raced.

Off as the 2.8-1 second choice in the Jeff Ruby, jockey Jareth Loveberry rated this colt three wide into the first turn, patiently kept him parked outside while sixth down the backstretch, then let Two Phil's unwind four deep through the far bend, always shadowing the move of the 1.7-1 fave Major Dude (Bolt d'Oro) before reeling in that rival without much of a fight in upper stretch.

True, no one else was firing down the lane to offer a fresh challenge. But Two Phil's finished up respectably under his own power, leaving the impression that he wasn't entirely sapped by the effort.

Two Phil's will train at Rivelli's Hawthorne-based stable, where he will remain under the radar until Derby day gets closer.

8) KINGSBARNS (c, Uncle Mo–Lady Tapit, by Tapit) O-Spendthrift Farm; B-Parks Investment Group (Ky); Todd Pletcher. Sales history: $250,000 yrl '21 FTSAR; $800,000 2yo '22 FTMAR. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, $657,300. Last Start: 1st GII Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds Mar. 25. Kentucky Derby Points: 100.

With the calendar on the cusp of flipping into April, Todd Pletcher has emerged as the deepest-stocked Derby trainer, with three colts ranked within the top eight on this list.

The 3-for-3 Kingsbarns is evolving into a no-nonsense frontrunner who knows his job and gets into gear without drama, having now handled the footing of three very different dirt surfaces (Gulfstream, Tampa, Fair Grounds) and shipping to each track from Pletcher's winter training base at Palm Beach Downs without apparent difficulty.

This Uncle Mo colt was assigned a 95 Beyer for his Louisiana Derby wiring. The win represents a nice progression through only 10 weeks of racing experience. But peering more closely at his 1:57.33 clocking for 1 3/16 miles does raise legitimate questions.

That final time is the slowest in four years since the Louisiana Derby got elongated from nine furlongs, and it's nearly a full second off the previous slowest clocking of 1:56.47. Granted, that's only a small sample. But also consider that Kingsbarns was virtually unchallenged through a tepid pace, and the speed-favoring track at Fair Grounds Mar. 25 definitely played to his running style. Both the pace pressure and the tempo will be ratcheted up considerably in the Kentucky Derby.

The Apr. 8 GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby will have an indirect impact on Kingsbarns. Flavien Part, who rode this colt for the first time in New Orleans, has a competing call aboard Geaux Rocket Ride in that Santa Anita stakes, meaning he might have to choose between mounts at some point.

9) ROCKET CAN (c, Into Mischief–Tension, by Tapit) O-Frank Fletcher Racing Operations Inc.; B-Woodford Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Bill Mott. Sales history: $245,000 RNA Ylg '21 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-0, $249,738. Last Start: 2nd GII Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Mar. 4. KY Derby Points: 40.

The presence of No. 1-ranked Forte isn't what re-routed Rocket Can from the Florida prep path to Saturday's Arkansas Derby. This Into Mischief gray is owned by North Little Rock's Frank Fletcher, who is seeking his first victory in Oaklawn's premier stakes, a win he covets dearly because of the local connection to his home-state track.

Trainer Bill Mott has no problem accommodating an Oaklawn try by shipping Rocket Can to Hot Springs, and in the grand scheme of things, evading the formidable Forte in the same-day Florida Derby does look like a wise move.

Since stretching out to two turns back on Oct. 30, Rocket Can has finished 1-2-1-2 in four consecutive 1 1/16-miles races, the latter two being Gulfstream stakes.

His route-race Beyers look a little light (78, 82, 82, 91) compared to other Derby aspirants, but this gray has resonated as a “better than what you see on paper” type of prospect, earning style points for reliably pouncing off the far turn and throwing himself headlong into deep-stretch showdowns with an underdog flair.

Mott acknowledged after Rocket Can's second-place try behind Forte in the Mar. 4 GII Fountain of Youth S. that this colt got a little too wound up pre-race and was overly keen in the early stages of that race. Seeing how he acts in the post parade and during warmups will be crucial in assessing his chances Saturday.

10) RED ROUTE ONE (c, Gun Runner–Red House, by Tapit) O/B-Winchell Thoroughbreds, LLC (Ky); T-Steve Asmussen. Lifetime Record: GISP, 7-1-2-1, $492,575. Last Start: 2nd in
Feb. 25 GII Rebel S. Kentucky Derby Points: 33.

Red Route One has never won on dirt, hasn't hit the winner's circle in more than six months, and has never been fancied as the favorite in any of his seven lifetime races.

Yet here he is, one prep race from the Derby and pegged at a comparatively lofty No. 10 within the Top 12 while commanding a qualifying spot at No. 16 in the points standings for Derby eligibility. He closed at a respectable 24-1 in the latest version of the Derby Future Wager back on Mar. 12, which might end up representing lower odds than he'll be in the Derby itself on May 6.

The chief reason this Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred is so well-regarded this deep into the season has everything to do with his potential upside at longer distances. By Gun Runner out of a Tapit mare and with a come-from-behind running style, Red Route One has twice splashed home second at Oaklawn this winter in graded stakes, and in all five of his 1 1/16-miles dirt races since October he's given the appearance that he's just starting to get uncoiled when the finish line is looming.

Red Route One has drawn post 10 for Saturday's Arkansas Derby.

11) SLIP MAHONEY (c, Arrogate–Got Lucky, by A.P. Indy) O-Gold Square LLC; B-Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings & Philip Steinberg (Ky); T-Brad Cox. Sales history: $150,000 yrl '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSP, 4-1-2-0, $126,100. Last Start: 2nd in GIII Gotham S. at Aqueduct Mar 4. Kentucky Derby Points: 20.

Slip Mahoney's stout Arrogate-over-A.P. Indy pedigree is likely to serve him well when this Brad Cox trainee stretches out to nine furlongs in the Apr. 8 GII Wood Memorial.

This $150,000 KEESEP colt was slow from the gate and second best with a big late rush from 13th behind a 7 1/2-length runaway winner in the muddy GIII Gotham S. back on Mar. 4.

That one-turn mile was Slip Mahoney's first go outside of the maiden ranks and he likely got more out of the experience than it looks on paper.

He breezed a half mile in :48.40 (2/89) Saturday over the Belmont training track with assistant trainer Dustin Dugas up, working in company with a stakes-placed filly.

“The work was great,” said Dugas. “Slip Mahoney was on the inside and it was a really good move from the both of them. They broke off well and galloped out in 1:01, so it was a good gallop out. I was happy with it and both came back really well. He didn't really require much encouraging.”

12) CONFIDENCE GAME (c, Candy Ride {Arg}–Eblouissante, by Bernardini) O-Don't Tell My Wife Stables; B-Summer Wind Equine, LLC (Ky); T-J K Desormeaux. Sales history: $25,000 yrl '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 7-3-1-2, $785,525. Last Start: Won Feb. 25 GII Rebel S. at OP. Kentucky Derby Points: 57.

Confidence Game's next start remains up in the air as trainer Keith Desormeaux mulls options that include the Apr. 8 Blue Grass S. at nine furlongs, the GIII Lexington S. at 1 1/16 miles one week later, or simply training up to the Kentucky Derby.

This $25,000 KEESEP Candy Ride colt earned a 94 Beyer when winning the Rebel S. back on Feb. 25, benefitting from a comfortable, mid-pack trip behind two long-shot speedsters and two favorites who never fired.

Confidence Game, an efficient strider who responds to rousing from his rider, got third run at the tiring leaders off the final turn in the Rebel, then largely avoided a crush of inside traffic with a wide stretch bid that included some outward wandering late.

Although he has seven races of experience (five of them routes), this is a colt I'd like to see in action at nine furlongs before more emphatically getting behind his chances in the Derby.

If he goes straight to Louisville after having been idle for 10 weeks and having never raced beyond 1 1/16 miles, it would be a huge ask, especially considering that Desormeaux acknowledged Confidence Game “sort of lost his mind in the paddock” prior to his Rebel score.

The post TDN Derby Top 12: The Real Running Starts Now appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The post TDN Derby Top 12: The Real Running Starts Now first appeared on Horse Racing Free Tips.

The Week in Review: Keith Desormeaux Has Another Bargain Basement Star

News — Sun, 26 Feb 2023 20:31:20 +0000

Had he done this once, maybe twice, the easy conclusion would be that trainer Keith Desormeaux is just lucky. Anyone can stumble onto a good horse that slipped through the cracks at the sales and was bought for a song. But with Desormeaux there's obviously a lot more to it than that. He keeps finding these good horses that most everyone else overlooks, the latest example being Confidence Game (Candy Ride {Arg}), the $25,000 buy at Keeneland September who won Saturday's $1-million GII Rebel S. at Oaklawn, securing a spot in the starting gate for the GI Kentucky Derby.

You can add him to a list that includes Exaggerator (Curlin), the $110,000 purchase who won the GI Preakness S. in 2016, and Texas Red (Afleet Alex), a $17,000 buy as a yearling at Keeneland September who won the 2014 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Then there's My Boy Jack (Creative Cause), a $20,000 purchase who won the GIII Southwest S. and earned $776,887, and Grade III winner Dalmore (Colonel John), who cost $47,000. Desormeaux bought Swipe (Birdstone) for $5,000. He earned $622,630.

How does he do it?

“The easiest way to explain it is that these horses have conformational flaws or maybe some issues on the X-rays that I can live with as a horseman but commercial sales people can't,” Desormeaux said. “All I know is that I am buying athletes. Pedigree comes second to me. Conformational issues are secondary to me. I am buying balanced, athletic horses who are conformationally correct according to my standards. I look for innate things that make me think the horse is an athlete, things that I associate with class. Those are things that are hard to explain. I know that sounds more complicated than it should, but there you go.”

The first thing Desormeaux noticed about Confidence Game was that the yearling was selling later on in the sale, listed as hip number 1462, despite a strong pedigree. Not only is he by Candy Ride, but the dam is Eblouissante (Bernadini), who is a half-sister to Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}). Desormeaux figured there had to be a flaw somewhere, but he preferred not to know what it was because he didn't want anything to interfere with his gut instincts that told him this was a horse worth buying.

“I do not know what the issue was,” he said. “The horse was late in the sale. I knew that, with his pedigree, he didn't belong that late in the sale. I assumed there was something on the X-rays. I judged him on his athleticism. It didn't matter to me what the X-rays said. I knew I had a nice horse. I did not even look at his X-rays. I did not call a vet. I did not call anyone. I bought him because I knew I was buying an athlete.”

It's a different approach, but it's working, and Desormeaux admits he gets a great deal of satisfaction in winning with horses that the deep-pocketed owners and their trainers didn't want.

“I'm basically doing this with horses other people believe didn't belong in their first string,” he said. “I know it's a strong word, but they are castoffs. I take a lot of pride in using horsemanship and developing the horses. It's not all me. We send them to April Mayberry in Florida and I have a hell of a crew at the track that does the grunt work. It all comes together to reach this goal. I take a lot of pride in it and that's mainly because we are buying horses off the radar.”

Having had so much success with bargain buys, what could Desormeaux do if an owner ever sent him to the sales and let him buy expensive horses? After so many years when no one would give him that chance, Desormeaux has found an owner in Ben Gase who is willing to spend good money. At last year's OBS Spring Sale, Gase and Desormeaux bought a Cairo Prince colt for $90,000, a Twirling Candy filly for $400,000 and a Bolt d'Oro filly for $650,000. They were back at it at the OBS June sale, buying a Munnings colt for $300,000. Gase is the founder and CEO of the shipping technology company R2 Logisticis.

“Has it been frustrating? No. But maybe if I was a little bit better at marketing myself or was more of a people person, I'd have those kinds of owners,” Desormeaux said. “But I do have a new guy, Ben Gase. He's letting me spend in that higher realm. I respect him for giving me a chance. I think we will see big things happening with this guy very soon. I've had to change my m.o. I wouldn't pay that kind of money for a horse without looking at the X-rays. I have too much sense for that.”

As for Confidence Game, he took a while to reward Desormeaux. He broke his maiden in his second career start, but followed that up with a fifth-place finish in the GIII Iroquois S. in which he never threatened. He turned a corner two starts later when winning a Churchill allowance and then ran third in the GIII Lecomte S. In the Rebel, he put it all together to win by a length at 18-1.

The GI Arkansas Derby could be next for him, but Desormeaux said he will also consider the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. and the GII Louisiana Derby. If he makes the Derby, he will be Desormeaux's fourth starter in the race. If there, he will meet horses from the biggest stables in the sport, horses that cost in the high six figures or, in the case of possible Derby favorite Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo), $2.3 million. But you can count on Confidence Game being up to the task. Desormeaux's horses, no matter what they cost, usually are.

Will Asmussen's Records Ever Be Broken?

Steve Asmussen entered Sunday's races with 10,006 career winners, a remarkable number that will only grow for some time to come. At age 57, Asmussen is a long way away from the end of his career and could eventually make it to win 15,000. That would take him staying active as a trainer until he is 72 while averaging 333 wins a year. Considering that he has averaged 419 wins a year since 2020, he might even soar well past 15,000.

Jerry Hollendorfer, who had only 47 wins last year, has the second most wins among active trainers with 7,759. He's not going to catch him and neither will anyone else training today. Even in the era of the super trainers, there's no one that operates the way Asmussen does. He wins at the highest levels of the sport yet still maintains strings at tracks like Sam Houston and Remington Park. Eighty-five of Asmussen's 382 wins last year came in claiming races.

In 2022, Asmussen made 2,155 starts, 358 more than Karl Broberg, who was second in the category. By way of comparison, Asmussen sent out more than twice as many starters in 2022 as did Todd Pletcher, who had only 10 wins during the year in claiming races.

There's no one else like Asmussen and that may always be the case. It's hard to imagine anyone new coming around who has his appetite for winning and will operate at five or six tracks at once, with stakes horses and with claimers.

But that's not what makes Asmussen virtually unpassable when it comes, not just to most career wins, but also to wins in a single year. With 650 wins in 2009, he also holds that record. For a large chunk of his career, Asmussen operated before foal crop numbers plummeted and so many tracks were forced to go to three and four-day weeks. In 2000, the first year in which Asmussen surpassed 200 wins on the year, there were 55,846 races run in the U.S. In 2009, his record year, there were 49,368. In 2021, the most recent years for which numbers are available, there were 33,567 races, a decline of nearly 40% since 2000.

Even Asmussen can't keep up with his numbers from the early 2000s. In the record year of 2009, he made 2,944 starts. With 2,155 in 2022, that's a drop off 26.8%.

They say records are meant to broken, a lesson reinforced recently in the NBA when Lebron James went past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the leading scorer in the history of the league. But in racing there is no Lebron coming after Asmussen. When it comes to winning races there's Asmussen and no one else. His place in racing history seems secure.

The post The Week in Review: Keith Desormeaux Has Another Bargain Basement Star appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The post The Week in Review: Keith Desormeaux Has Another Bargain Basement Star first appeared on Horse Racing Free Tips.

Arkansas Derby Could be Next for Confidence Game

News — Sun, 26 Feb 2023 20:15:49 +0000

Don't Tell My Wife Stables' Confidence Game (Candy Ride {Arg}) exited his upset win in Saturday's GII Rebel S. in fine shape, according to trainer Keith Desormeaux.

“He's happy,” Desormeaux said Sunday. “He looks a lot more calm and happy than he was in that damn [indoor] paddock.”

The Rebel victory propelled Confidence Game to the top of the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 57 points.

Confidence Game shipped back to Desormeaux's Fair Grounds base Sunday afternoon, but could return to Oaklawn Park for the GI Arkansas Derby Apr. 1.

“For sure, TBA–depending on how he returns and it will give us a couple of weeks to let him rest and see how he bounces back, but all options are open,” Desormeaux said of the colt's next start. “It could be in Arkansas, Louisiana, maybe even the Blue Grass, I don't know. Obviously, with our success here and the way we were treated, our first option is going to be the Arkansas Derby.”

A maiden winner at Churchill Downs last August, Confidence Game entered the Rebel off a third-place effort in the Jan. 21 GIII Lecomte S.

Sent off at 18-1 in the Rebel, he was fifth through a demanding :46.17 half-mile before launching a four-wide move to the lead turning for home. Confidence Game opened a 1 1/2-length advantage in midstretch and held late-running Red Route One (Gun Runner) safe in the final 100 yards.

“Everything worked in his favor,” Desormeaux said. “I was telling the ownership group last night that pace, I've watched races there for two days, and that pace was about two seconds faster than anything I had seen. So, it set up great for him. I don't know how many people buy into this, but as far as the pedigree was concerned, as far as propensity for the off track, he had the highest number. The off track probably helped us. Perfect trip. Here we are.”

Trainer Brad Cox was looking for his fifth win in the Rebel, but instead watched 3-2 favorite Verifying (Justify) and 2-1 second choice Giant Mischief (Into Mischief) finish fourth and sixth, respectively, after chasing the fast pace.

“I was hoping to learn a good bit from yesterday's race,” Cox said Sunday morning. “I'm not sure I learned as much as I was looking or hoping to. That would be the best way to sum that up. That's the honest to God way I looked at the race. I really thought I was going to find out something yesterday and I don't know what I found out.”

Verifying was making his first start since a powerful Jan. 14 one-mile allowance victory at Oaklawn, while the Rebel marked the 3-year-old debut of Giant Mischief, who concluded 2022 with a runner-up finish in the Remington Park Springboard Mile Dec. 17.

Verifying was bottled up turning for home under Florent Geroux in the Rebel and was beaten 5 1/4 lengths by Confidence Game. Giant Mischief was beaten 6 1/2 lengths.

“Verifying lost a lot of position from the quarter pole to the eighth pole,” Cox said. “He went from basically being fourth to eighth or ninth. You can't do that in these type of races with these good horses. In my eyes he remains on the Derby trail and is a contender. Giant Mischief was in contention turning for home. He hadn't raced in a while. He may have needed the race. I wouldn't say he's off the trail at all. We'll regroup with the team and come up with a plan here in the near future.”

Cox has six of the top 17 horses on the latest Kentucky Derby leaderboard released by Churchill Downs.

“We're going to be there,” Cox said. “I don't know with who.”

The post Arkansas Derby Could be Next for Confidence Game appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The post Arkansas Derby Could be Next for Confidence Game first appeared on Horse Racing Free Tips.

Candy Ride’s Confidence Game Splashes Home In Rebel

News — Sat, 25 Feb 2023 23:53:24 +0000

Confidence Game (Candy Ride {Arg}), despite being, as his trainer Keith Desormeaux said, “the complete opposite of his name” in the paddock, rewarded his backers Saturday at 18-1 with a win in the GII Rebel S. and 50 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Breaking from the same gate as Wet Paint (Blame) won from one race prior in the GIII Honeybee S., Confidence Game raced two-wide past the stands and settled a path off the rail as the field sorted themselves out into the first turn. Powerful (Nyquist) and Frosted Departure (Frosted) did their best to separate themselves from the group, duking it out on the front end just ahead of stablemates Verifying (Justify) and Giant Mischief (Into Mischief). The first quarter, up in :22.75, had the field strung out up the backstretch with Red Route One (Gun Runner) looking hopelessly beaten in the back. Confidence Game hung back just off those top four, shifting out a path as a rival came along inside for an outside move past the group of leg-weary leaders. Widest of the field past the quarter pole, he rallied with momentum down the lane despite hanging on his left lead. Red Route One came roaring up from the back of the pack inside the final sixteenth but ran out of time as Confidence Game hit the wire in front.

“He sort of lost his mind in the paddock, so I was worried until he got on the track,” said Desormeaux. “James [Graham] got him to settle down out there. He's really come into his own. He started off pretty immature, but as the races went on, he has improved things mentally, and physically.”

Winning rider Graham added: “I was able to settle him down when we were warming up so he got back in the things mentally. I was really happy with where I was early in the race. He wasn't doing too much too soon. He had a ton left down the lane. I'm just so happy for everyone involved and especially this horse. He keeps maturing and doing things the right way. I think the sky is the limit for him.”

Pedigree Notes:

A bargain buy at just $25,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September, Confidence Game is out of a half-sister to Horse of the Year Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}) and MGISW Balance (Thunder Gulch). Second dam Vertigineux was named 2008's Broodmare of the Year, while Eblouissante has twice brought big dollars at sales, first from St. George Farm at the 2013 KEENOV sale for $2.1 million and finally from Summer Wind Farm at Tattersalls in 2016 for 1,100,000gns.

Confidence Game is followed by juvenile and yearling half-brothers by More Than Ready and Speightstown, respectively, while Eblouissante was bred to Maclean's Music for this spring. Confidence Game is the 52nd graded-stakes winner for Candy Ride (Arg).

Saturday, Oaklawn Park
REBEL S.-GII, $1,000,000, Oaklawn, 2-25, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:44.21, sy.
1–CONFIDENCE GAME, 119, c, 3, by Candy Ride (Arg)
               1st Dam: Eblouissante, by Bernardini
               2nd Dam: Vertigineux, by Kris S.
               3rd Dam: For the Flag, by Forli
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($25,000 Ylg
'21 KEESEP). O-Don't Tell My Wife Stables; B-Summer Wind
Equine LLC (KY); T-J. Keith Desormeaux; J-James Graham.
$581,750. Lifetime Record: 7-3-1-2, $785,525. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Red Route One, 117, c, 3, Gun Runner–Red House, by Tapit.
O/B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.
$179,000.
3–Reincarnate, 122, c, 3, Good Magic–Allanah, by Scat Daddy.
($775,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing,
Madaket Stables LLC, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables
LLC, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC and
Catherine Donovan; B-Woods Edge Farm, LLC (KY); T-Tim
Yakteen. $89,500.
Margins: 1, 1HF, 2 3/4. Odds: 18.50, 9.90, 4.80.
Also Ran: Verifying, Bourbon Bash, Giant Mischief, Gun Pilot, Frosted Departure, Powerful, Event Detail, Talladega.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Candy Ride’s Confidence Game Splashes Home In Rebel appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The post Candy Ride’s Confidence Game Splashes Home In Rebel first appeared on Horse Racing Free Tips.