Kevin Attard | Horse Racing Free Tips

Attard Hoping To ‘Savor The Moment’ With Rags-To-Riches Breeders’ Cup Contender Starship Jubilee

It didn't take long for trainer Kevin Attard to understand that some folks at Keeneland appreciate Starship Jubilee, his 7-year-old mare with the rags-to-riches story, who will run in Saturday's Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf.

Twice claimed early in her career, the Florida-bred has developed into a star with Attard. Twelve of her 19 career wins in 38 starts have come in stakes. Two of those victories were in Grade 1 races, including the most recent, the Woodbine Mile against males Sept. 19.

“As soon as she hit the track there were a couple of people out there and they said, 'Hey Starship Jubilee. I'm rooting for you,' “Attard said. “It's nice to hear and you really kind of savor that moment and realize that the following and the backing that she has generated over the years.”

Attard and his partner Soli Mehta claimed Starship Jubilee for $16,000 in February 2017 at Gulfstream. Attard's father, Tino, was the trainer of record when she reeled off three straight wins at Gulfstream in March and April. Moved to Woodbine in suburban Toronto and officially in the care of Kevin Attard, Starship Jubilee promptly won two Grade 2 races, the Nassau and the Dance Smartly. The one-time mediocre turf sprinter thrived in routes on grass.

In 29 races – never at less than a mile – she has compiled a 16-4-3 record in 29 starts and earned $2,052,519. She has won three Sovereign Awards as the top Canadian turf female and is Canada's reigning Horse of the Year.

In November 2018, Attard and Mehta offered the then-5-year-old mare for sale at auction at Keeneland. When bidding stopped at $425,000, below her reserve price, the owners decided to continue racing her. Within a day, though, they completed a sale with Bonnie Baskin's Blue Heaven Farm, a Versailles, Kentucky, commercial breeding farm managed by her son Adam Corndorf.

Attard suggested that Blue Heaven run the mare a few more times before being bred to Medaglia d'Oro in 2019. That mating ended up being put on hold for two seasons as she has won eight of 13 starts and earned more than $1.5 million. This year, Starship Jubilee has won five of six starts, including the Ballston Spa at Saratoga, a race that included champion Sistercharlie. After running fourth in the Diana — her first time off the board since December 2018 — at Saratoga on Aug. 23, she rebounded with the 1-length victory in the Woodbine Mile.

“Huge win, beating the boys in the Woodbine Mile,” Attard said. “It was a pretty gutsy performance on her part. She ran really well. She came out of the race in good shape. She's training great.

“It was a decision to either run against the males here in the Breeders' Cup Mile or in the Filly and Mare Turf at a mile and three-sixteenths against fillies. We elected to take the filly route. The mile and three-sixteenths should be up in her wheel house. She's been going a mile and a quarter. No race is easy, that's for sure.”

The post Attard Hoping To ‘Savor The Moment’ With Rags-To-Riches Breeders’ Cup Contender Starship Jubilee appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Constitution Colt Stephen Wins Coronation Futurity At Woodbine

Al and Bill Ulwelling's 2-year-old colt Stephen tracked down the front-runners for a breakthrough victory in the 117th edition of the $250,000 Coronation Futurity on Sunday at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.

Justin Stein earned star of the card honors as he notched his fifth win of the day aboard the Kevin Attard trainee, who defeated Tio Magico by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:52.46 to break his maiden in the featured 11/8-mile stakes race for Canadian-foaled 2-year-olds.

Tio Magico led the field of eight through fractions of :24.87, :49.20 and 1:13.15, with the favored Cup and Saucer Stakes winner Master Spy pressing the pace.

Meanwhile, Stephen, who followed second-to-last early on after an awkward start, was hustled into fifth-place on the final turn and tipped off the rail to run down Tio Magico in the stretch.

“He broke a little bit funny,” noted Stein, chalking the start up to the blustery weather conditions or the colt's inexperience, “but we recovered quick and I was happy with the trip we were getting and he just ran a good race.

“I had to make sure that he knew what was going on. I had to make him run a little more. He put his mind to the task when he got some daylight and took aim at the horse in front of him, he ran by him professionally.”

Giant Waters finished 2 1/2 lengths behind Tio Magico in third, with Master Spy, British Royalty, One Flint, Threefiftyseven and Flex completing the order of finish.

Stephen returned $6.30 to win as the 2-1 second choice in this third career start.

Attard said his trainee had always shown signs of talent and took a shot in the $250,000 restricted Simcoe Stakes for his August 30 debut over 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track. Although running eighth there, he gained valuable racing experience.

The bay colt entered the Coronation Futurity off a strong second-place effort, finishing just a half-length behind the Sam-Son Farm homebred Tio Magico in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight on October 4.

“Obviously, in the second race, I thought he ran great,” said Attard. “He showed a tremendous turn of foot, was coming to the winner and just ran out of real estate. He's trained well in the interim and he was coming into this race in great shape, so we were pretty high on our chances.”

Bred in Ontario by Trackwest Racing Inc., the colt by Constitution (named for former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper) was a $170,000 purchase from the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's 2-year-olds in training spring sale.

With a gifted youngster taking what is considered a significant 2-year-old race on the road to next year's Queen's Plate, Attard dismissed the myths of the “Coronation Futurity curse” with a laugh. (The last horse to complete the Coronation Futurity-Queen's Plate double was Norcliffe, who won this race in 1975).

“Streaks are made to be broken,” said Attard, hoping stars will align in the 162nd running of the Plate. “I was born in 1975 so the plan is to break this curse next year.”

Speaking of young talent, the Ulwellings' homebred 2-year-old Haddassah debuted a winner in the race prior for the same connections.

Live Thoroughbred racing resumes at Woodbine Racetrack on Thursday with an eight-race program set to kick off at 2:15 p.m. Please note that the upcoming Friday and Saturday cards will have special post times of 4:45 p.m. and 12:25 p.m., respectively.

The post Constitution Colt Stephen Wins Coronation Futurity At Woodbine appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

‘A Good Problem To Have’: Attard Debating Between Two Breeders’ Cup Races For Starship Jubilee

Winner of five of her six starts in 2020, Starship Jubilee is preparing to make the trip south from her Woodbine base to Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The 7-year-old daughter of Indy Wind won the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile over males in her most recent start, and she won the Grade 1 E. P. Taylor Stakes over 1 1/4 miles in 2019, so there are several options for her on Nov. 7.

Her trainer, Kevin Attard, is still waiting to decide whether he'll enter Starship Jubilee in the Breeders' Cup Mile or the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, according to the Toronto Sun.

“Obviously we want to give her the best shot of performing her best and (the decision) is going to come down to trying to see who's running where,” Attard told the Sun. “We've got a decent enough idea, but when we watch the pre-entries come out it's going to be a little more clear in that sense. The good thing about my filly is, she's very versatile. She's obviously shown that she can run a mile, she's shown she can run a mile and a quarter and we're lucky enough that the Filly& Mile Turf is 1 3/16ths. And that's within her wheelhouse – a little shorter than the 1 1/4 distance, which I like. But at the same token, she ran such a big race in the Woodbine Ricoh Mile, then you have to consider running her against the boys again one more time. It's a good problem to have.”

Named the Canadian Horse of the Year in 2019, Starship Jubilee was a $16,000 claim three years ago. She has since won a dozen stakes races, including two Grade 1 races, and earned over $2 million. Her record ahead of the Breeders' Cup stands at 19-5-3 from 38 starts, and she's showing no signs of slowing down.

“You don't really expect them to be around at seven (years old),” Attard told the Sun. “It's not really the normal that we see here in racing. But the fact is, she's arguably at her best now. She enjoys what she's doing… Every time you think the chapter's done and the book might be ready to close, she's on to the next chapter. So I'm enjoying the ride and I'm going to keep going with it.”

Hard-Luck Merveilleux Finally Gets The Money In Wonder Where Stakes

Al and Bill Ulwelling's hard-luck filly Merveilleux was simply marvelous on Sunday afternoon winning the $250,000 Wonder Where Stakes, third leg of the Triple Tiara, at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.

Jockey Rafael Hernandez worked out the winning trip aboard the Kevin Attard trainee, who was rated mid-pack along the rail early in the 1 1/4-mile turf test for 3-year-old fillies foaled in Canada.

Leaving from the inside post on the turn of the E.P. Taylor Turf Course, She's a Dream assumed command with Justleaveitalone just to her outside before crossing in front as the field moved down the backstretch.

Justleaveitalone clocked an opening quarter in :24.99, half-mile in :50.89 and three-quarters in 1:16.60 with She's a Dream pressing the pace in second and Merveilleux, racing without blinkers here, behind the leaders and poised to make a move on the final turn.

Hernandez tipped Merveilleux outside coming into the stretch approaching the one-mile mark in 1:41:16, and the Paynter–Breech Inlet filly took off to score by three lengths. The winning time was 2:05.34 over a firm course.

Closing from the backfield, Gun Society finished second and the Josie Carroll-trained Curlin's Voyage, who was the 2-1 favorite after winning the Woodbine Oaks and finishing fifth in the Queen's Plate, was third. She's a Dream edged out Justleaveitalone for fourth by a half-length.

Sansa's Vow, the Attard-trained 3-1 second choice Afleet Katherine, Forty Zip, Ballrooms of Mars and Beyond Mybudget completed the order of finish.

“We've been having a rough meet with this one,” noted Hernandez. “I was impressed with the performance and we had a clean trip today.”

Hernandez said his filly was relaxed in the first turn and all the way down the backside.

“Turning for home, you switch and I said, 'Come on baby, keep it up, we have to do it!'”

Sent postward as the 5-1 third choice on the toteboard, Merveilleux paid $13.80 to win.

Bred in Ontario by Mike Carroll, Merveilleux showed her potential as a youngster finishing a close second in both the Princess Elizabeth Stakes and Ontario Lassie to complete her 2-year-old campaign in 2019.

She won her June 21 sophomore debut before contesting a trio of stakes events, including the Woodbine Oaks Presented by Budweiser, where she finished a game third despite traffic trouble, and ending up sixth in the Queen's Plate.

“She's been hard luck,” said Attard. “We've always liked her a lot. We thought heading into the Oaks we had the right kind of horse and even heading into the Plate with her we were really excited. Unfortunately, things haven't gone her way. It's been a tough season for the Ulwellings to boot, so it's just kind of the way the cards stack up and everything lined up our way today and she just had a good trip and ran to our expectations.”

Despite Merveilleux being pulled up in her only other grass race, when making her first career start in July 2019, Attard wasn't concerned about the surface change attributing the initial result to hot weather and noting the filly skimmed over the turf last weekend in her latest work.

Merveilleux now sports a career record reading 3-3-1 from 10 starts with earnings climbing over $550,000.

The post Hard-Luck Merveilleux Finally Gets The Money In Wonder Where Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post