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Oaks Trail: Clairiere’s Half-Sister La Crete A Tepid Favorite In Silverbulletday

Off an easy win in her career debut at Churchill Downs on Nov. 20, Stonestreet Stables' La Crete has been installed as the 2-1 morning line against five rivals for Saturday's $150,000 Silverbulletday for 3-year-old fillies to be run over 1 mile 70 yards at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La. The top four finishers will earn Kentucky Oaks qualifying points (10-4-2-1).

By Medaglia d'Oro, La Crete is a half-sister to Clairiere. The winner of last year's Rachel Alexandra (G2) presented by Fasig-Tipton, she has banked over $1.2 million in her career.

“Different filly, out of the great Cavorting,” said trainer Steve Asmussen, who has won the Silverbulletday four times. “She is not as mature at the same age as Clairiere, mentally or physically.”

Unlike her more accomplished sibling who has done most of her work from off the pace, La Crete went straight to the lead in her November 20 maiden breaker at Churchill, and she was never menaced in that 2 ¼ length triumph.

“I was very impressed with her first race,” Asmussen said. “She would have benefitted from having a first-level allowance race, but due to lack of entries that option was not available to her. She's trained nicely at the Fair Grounds.”

From post two, La Crete will get the riding services of Joel Rosario.

Off a maiden win and a fourth in the Tempted Stakes at Belmont, Westerberg Limited, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith's Sweet as Pie invades from her home base at Palm Beach Downs in Florida to contest the Silverbulletday for trainer Todd Pletcher.

“We tried to get her into an allowance race at Gulfstream that didn't go,” Pletcher explained. “We were looking around for opportunities to stretch her out around two turns to continue her development. This race was kind of a short field, but there are some pretty high-quality fillies in there so we will get a gauge of where we are at.”

The daughter of Tapit will break from post four with Florent Geroux aboard as the 5-2 co-second choice.

“She's a little bit lazy in the mornings,” Pletcher said. “We thought she'd run decently first time out, but she actually ran a little better than we thought she would. The Tempted was an okay race for us, but horses who ran in there have turned out to do pretty well, including Nest, who won the Demoiselle. The two turns should serve us well. I do like that physically she's doing what you like to see this time of year. A little bigger and stronger. She seems to be taking her training well and we think she has another move forward in her.”

Columbine Stables' Fannie and Freddie swings back off a recent second behind the undefeated North County in the Untapable Stakes for trainer Al Stall, Jr. The daughter of Malibu Moon won her two-turn debut in the start prior, and she looked home free in the stretch of her stakes debut, only to be run down late.

“That was a really weird weekend for us,” Stall recalled. “We had a few horses turning for home who looked like they were just galloping along and they kind of got run over. We were scratching our head thinking maybe it was just a lack of experience. I don't go that fast with my 2-year-olds, so this time of year we are playing a little bit of catch-up.”

Seventh and ninth sprinting at Saratoga then Keeneland in the first two starts of her career, Fannie and Freddie has really stepped forward since being stretched out.

“She's always been a nice-looking filly, but she's been a little tough in the mental department.” Stall admitted. “She gives me a little trouble saddling. We've been schooling her and she'll go to the paddock again this week. She always breezed like she's somebody, and it seems like the two turns may have been the trick for her.”

With Colby Hernandez back aboard, Fanny and Freddie will break from the rail as the 5-2 co-second choice.

“She'll just come out of there and play it off the break until the quarter-pole, see where she is at from there,” Stall said when asked about the preferred trip. “She can be a little nimble about things, but we really like the way she's doing. Colby (jockey Hernandez) doesn't say a whole lot, but the most positive comment he gave me the whole weekend was after her breeze.”

Nelson McMakin and Aaron Kennedy's Bernabreezy makes her stakes debut in career start number three off an eye-popping local maiden win over 1 1/16 miles for trainer Matt Shirer.

“She's doing awesome,” Shirer said. “There's not a whole lot of pace in that race, so she may have to be a little closer, but I don't want to take anything away from the way she finishes. That last race, she finished really well down the lane. That's kind of how she trains in the mornings. She picks out a target in front of her and goes out and catches those other horses. I think she'll run a big race for us.

In both of her career starts, the daughter of Bernardini has spotted the field lengths with poor breaks.

“We've done a little bit of work with her at the gate,” Shirer said. “She will go stand in there a couple days before the race. She's come out quick from there in the mornings before, it just seems like for some reason in her two races she hesitated a little bit. I'm not too worried about it.”

For the 36-year-old Shirer, the winner of 112 career races (22 percent), Bernabreezy represents an opportunity to compete on the big stage with a young, promising horse that he has developed.

“It's exciting but we've got a lot of races to go before she puts herself in that conversation,” Shirer said. “It's exciting to see what she's capable of. I'm pretty high on her, and I'm usually pretty realistic about the horses I have in the barn and what they are capable of and this filly is as good as I've ever had. Even thinking back to some of the fillies I've worked with as an assistant to (Ken) McPeek, I can't think of a whole lot of them that gallop out the way she does in her breezes. As the races get a little bit longer, she should continue to improve.”

The remainder of the field with post position, jockey/trainer and morning line odds is as follows: Built Wright Stables' Miss Chamita (post three, John McKee/Norm Cash, 15-1 ML), a $50,000 claim who has one win from nine career starts and Don't' Tell My Wife Stables and Keith Desormeaux's supplementary entry Candy Raid (post six, Jose Riquelme/Keith Desormeaux, 15-1 ML). — Kristufek

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Calhoun Enjoying Big Meet At Fair Grounds; Oaks Hopeful Hidden Connection Points To Rachel Alexandra

When Martin Mueller, Richard Reid and Donald Ladd's Gentle Soul crossed the finish line in front in the 8th race on Thursday at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Bret Calhoun climbed all the up into a tie with four-time champion Brad Cox. Cox added two more to regain command on Saturday, but Calhoun figures to answer back in short order. From low-level Louisiana-bred runners to top level stakes horses, Calhoun has enjoyed success in all categories. This meet the trainer has thrived on turf, where the green-footed Gentle Soul joined Who took the Money and Excess Magic with two wins each on the lawn.

Thirteen wins is an impressive win total less than halfway through the meet, and since Dec. 11 he has sent out 11 winners from 39 starters( 28%). Never one to chase trainer titles, Calhoun, according to his own recollection, took the 2005 crown at Remington Park and added the 2012 title at Lone Star 2012. Nearing 30 years as a trainer, his numbers speak for themselves: 3,353 wins and nearing $100,000,000 in earnings (currently at $94,848,491).

“It's funny how this meet has gone,” Calhoun said. “I thought I had a few Louisiana-bred maidens that would have already won. I tried to have them ready to run at the first of the meet. As the best laid plans go, a couple of them got sick, a couple had minor injuries. So those are horses that are still out there and I think will win for us soon. Instead, we've won with some that you thought were going to run and had chances but you don't think they are can't-lose type horses. We've been fortunate to win with those. The other thing is we try not to have a lot of grass horses but we've won with a lot of grass horses. So it's been a pleasant surprise in some places.

“I don't get at this point in my life too worked up about titles,” Calhoun continued. “I just want to win as many races as we can and put them in the right places and win. It's always nice to be part of the thought process for that (title) but it's not something that drives me to maneuver horses here or there, to pull horses from other places just to win races. I just like to win the right races for the right money.”

One of Calhoun's most promising horses on the grounds is Hidden Brook Farm and Black Type Thoroughbreds' Hidden Connection, who has posted four local works, including 1:00 4/5 breeze on Saturday morning. The winner of her first two starts, including the Pocahontas (G3) at Churchill Downs with an 88 Bris speed figure, the filly by Connect concluded her freshman season finishing 4th after a stumbling start in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1).

“She's not quite ready yet,” Calhoun said. “There's no reason to force it. She's a smaller lighter filly. We're not going to pound a bunch of races into her too soon. She's coming along nicely. I think she is bulking up which is something we wanted to see, so we're really happy where she is in her training and her development. At the end of the day we sat down and talked about it (running in the Silverbulletday) and we are going to stay with our plan of waiting and going to the Rachel [Alexandra (G2) on Feb. 19].”

An early buzz horse for the Kentucky Oaks, Calhoun says he won't force it.

“Everybody has the hopes and dreams of the Oaks and all that but I don't want to do anything to set her back from a tremendous filly career. There are a lot of spots that could fit, including the Eight Belles (G2) (at seven furlongs), I don't know yet. We've had some nice 3-year-olds the last few years. We campaigned them smartly, and they've made one million or two million apiece and they've been worth a lot of money. I am going to take the same path with this filly.”

Meanwhile, Tejano Twist capped off a nine-race 2-year-old season finishing second in the $100,000 Gun Runner, awarding 10-4-2-1 Derby points. By Practical Joke, the game plan going forward looks to be at one-turn distances.

“I've shipped him over to Copper Crowne [training center],” Calhoun said. “He's walking the shed row for a few weeks. He's going to go back into training on Monday. You won't see him back to the races for a couple months. We just gave him a little breather. End of the day we didn't have Derby dreams [with Tejano Twist], but I do think he is a very good one-turn mile, shorter distance horse, so we are going to freshen him up for the spring.”

Some of the standout horses have been notching their wins on the turf include: Gentle Soul, Excess Magic, Lovely Ride, and Who took the Money.

A half-brother to By My Standards (also trained by Calhoun), Gentle Soul has flown through his first and second-level allowance conditions. Improving upon his first two-turn turf try, this son of Tapizar earned an 87 Bris, displaying a sobering turn of foot to flash a Bris late pace figure of 106.

“Obviously this horse has been slower to develop than By My Standards was,” Calhoun said. “This horse had some injuries along the way early in his career. He's always trained like a good horse even though he hasn't always run like one. I do think it is a 'light come on' type of situation. He's been a bit of a disappointment to us up until now. His mother was turf we were honestly searching and that's how we landed back on the turf and he has had two monster races.”

Third in this summer's Honorable Miss (G2) at Saratoga, Ain't No Elmers had a tough go in the recent $75,000 Menard Stakes at Fair Grounds.

“She came out of it great,” Calhoun said. “Trip-wise it was absolutely horrible. We lost all chances at multiple spots along the way there. At the end of the day the soft turf that day didn't do her any good. If she gets back to really good form we'll go on, if not we'll probably breed her after the next race.”

Thirty-one days down and 50 to go in the meet, the Calhoun barn will certainly hover near the top of the list throughout.

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Under The Stars Chasing Oaks Points In Saturday’s Santa Ynez Stakes

An impressive maiden winner in her most recent start, Bob Baffert's Under the Stars heads a field of six sophomore fillies going seven furlongs in Saturday's Grade one, $200,000 Santa Ynez Stakes at Santa Anita.

Reddam Racing's Awake At Midnyte, a close second in a one mile turf stakes on Nov. 27, rates a big look as does California-bred stakes winner Big Switch and recent turf maiden winner Miss Mattie B.

A respectable third, beaten three quarters of a length by the well regarded Tonito's in the 6 ½ furlong Desi Arnaz Stakes two starts back on Nov. 13, Under the Stars came back earn a Beyer Speed Figure of 80 when registering an impressive three length maiden win at Los Alamitos going six furlongs on Dec. 11.

Bet down to the 2-5 favorite in a field of 12, the Kentucky-bred daughter of Pioneerof the Nile, out of the Storm Cat mare Untouched Talent drew away from her competition like a filly of considerable promise for owners Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, in what was her third career start.

A $320,000 March 2-year-old in training sale purchase, Awake At Midnyte pressed the pace and came away a game neck first-out maiden winner going six furlongs on Oct. 31 here at Santa Anita and then stretched out to a mile on turf in the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante Stakes at Del Mar Nov. 27. A close second early, she wrested control a sixteenth of a mile out but lost a desperate photo by a nose in a huge effort. By Nyquist out of the Union Rags mare Midnight Union, Awake at Midnyte should be forwardly placed under regular rider Mario Gutierrez.

A California-bred by hot sire Mr. Big, John Sadler's Big Switch, a first-out maiden winner going six furlongs at Del Mar Aug. 20, followed that up with a 2 ¾ length win going seven furlongs in the Golden State Juvenile Fillies Nov. 5, earning an 80 Beyer Speed Figure. In what will be her first try in open company, she'll get the services of John Velazquez. Owned by her breeder, George Krikorian, Big Switch is out of the Malibu Moon mare Two Faced Moon.

Trained by Bob Hess, Jr., Miss Mattie B rallied from far back to break her maiden going one mile on turf Nov. 27 and will hope to have a similar late kick as she switched back to dirt and shortens up a furlong. Owned by Westlake Racing, Stable, Miss Mattie B, who will be ridden back by Mike Smith, is a Kentucky-bred daughter of Tonalist out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Traffic Blimp.

Trainer Jonathan Wong's speedy Mimajoon also rates a look, as she comes off a gate to wire score on synthetic Tapeta in the Golden Gate Debutante Stakes Nov. 26. A front-running maiden winner going five furlongs on turf Nov. 13, Mimajoon, a Florida-bred by Fed Biz, out of the Indian Charlie mare Sister Charlie, is owned by her breeder, Scott Herbertson and will be ridden for the first time by Kyle Frey.

THE GRADE 2 SANTA YNEZ STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 9 Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT

Under the Stars—Flavien Prat—120
Big Shamrock—Abel Cedillo—120
Big Switch—John Velazquez–122
Mimajoon—Kyle Frey—122
Awake At Midnyte—Mario Gutierrez–120
Miss Mattie B—Mike Smith—120

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m. Admission gates open at 10:30 a.m.

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Owner Hits Jackpot With First Horse

The sport is not supposed to be that easy, even if some people make it look that way sometimes.

Pat Kearney is 83, admits he doesn't know much about racing, has a fairly modest budget and had never owned a horse when he showed up last year at the OBS April 2-year-old sale. Fast forward some eight months later and Kearney is the owner of Kathleen O. (Upstart), one of the more promising 3-year-old fillies in racing right now. Making her second career start Saturday at Gulfstream, Kathleen O. won the Cash Run S. by 8 1/2 lengths in an impressive effort despite hesitating at the start. The victory came after she broke her maiden in her debut in November at Aqueduct.

“It has been an amazing, exciting, energizing experience,” said Kearney, who races under the name of Winngate Stables.

Prior to getting involved in ownership. Kearney was a casual racing fan who started going to the track at Arlington Park with his father as a child.

“I'm not a good handicapper,” he said. “I don't know much about breeding or pedigrees. What I did was take my $50, spend a day at the track and make some bets. It's good entertainment. I always really liked the horses.”

Kearney, who is retired after working in the securities industry in Chicago and as a lawyer, and Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey have known each other for about 20 years and often play golf together. Somewhat out of the blue, Kearney one day asked McGaughey what he thought about his buying some horses.

“I talked to Shug and I asked him if he would work with me and buy some horses,” Kearney said. “I asked him what to do and he said I should buy two horses, a filly and a colt, get them at auction and buy them at a 2-year-old sale. He explained the costs and explained that you don't get into this sport to make money but for the satisfaction and the fun of the game.

“I wanted to find something I was interested in that I could do and didn't have to make a huge commitment. Not so much financially, but more so time and effort. I didn't want to have a lot of obligations.”

Having gotten off to a successful start in the game, Kearney only wishes he started earlier.

“I don't know why I didn't do it earlier,” he said. “About a year ago I just decided I wanted to get involved in something new. Do I wish I did it 10 years earlier? Absolutely. It had just never come up. The one question I had was whether I was too old to get started in the business. Fortunately, I am in good health.”

Kearney bought Kathleen O. for $275,000. He named the filly after his wife, whose maiden name is Kathleen O'Boyle. His other purchase, Cloudy (Noble Mission {GB)}, was bought three days later at the same sale for $130,000. He is winless in two starts.

Buying horses at the sales is somewhat new territory for McGaughey, whose longtime main client, the Phipps family, races primarily homebreds.

“I enjoy going to the sales,” McGaughey said. “I worked the yearling sales pretty good last fall and we bought some nice yearlings. We also looked at some 2-year-olds last winter. It's been fun and interesting.”

It was apparent early on that McGaughey had picked out a filly with talent. Sent off at 3-1 in her first start in her debut, Kathleen O. was next to last and 6 1/2 lengths behind with a furlong remaining, but still found a way to get up in time to win by a head.

“I think we've got a lot to look forward to,” McGaughey said after the Cash Run. “I'm very pleased with the way she's come along and the way she ran today, and her maturity level. I was just saying to [my wife] Alison, think of what she's going to look like in a year from now. She's always been tall and she's still filling out.”

He may still be learning about the sport, but Kearney knows enough to know that the GI Kentucky Oaks could be part of the filly's future.

“I know that she's a very talented horse and I know there is a race called the Kentucky Oaks, but I have no idea if she will qualify for that or not,” Kearney said. “So far, it's been like hitting the lottery. I'm flabbergasted.”

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