Azul Coast Bounces Back From Poor Showing In Awesome Again To Take Native Diver

Seventh last-out in the Grade 1 Awesome Again, Azul Coast bounced back from that lackluster performance to earn his first graded stakes victory in the Grade 3 Native Diver at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

Under jockey Flavien Prat, Azul Coast bumped Bal Harbour out of the gate and then settled back last of six early in the 1 1/18-mile stakes as fellow Baffert trainees Ax Man and Eight Rings ran on the lead around the first turn and in the backstretch. As the field approached the far turn, Azul Coast moved up on the outside, improving his position from last to fourth.

Azul Coast went four-wide into the far turn, entering the stretch with Ax Man and Eight Rings on his inside. Ax Man tired and faded out of contention while Eight Rings and Azul Coast were head-to-head down the first half of the stretch, the latter eventually gaining a narrow lead as Kiss Today Goodbye mounted his bid to the outside. At the wire, Azul Coast was able to hold on by a neck over Kiss Today Goodbye, with Eight Rings third.

The final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:50.55. Find this race's chart here.

Azul Coast paid $8.40, $4.60, and $2.60. Kiss Today Goodbye paid $5.20 and $2.80. Eight Rings paid $2.20.

“'Azul' runs his best races down here. He likes this track and he ran really impressive. When I ran him in the Awesome Again, he just laid an egg, he was up there close and I was really disappointed, but he was chasing Medina Spirit. I had no idea how it would set up, they were all on their own. I told the jockeys (he had three horses in the race) you guys ride your own races and hopefully we'll run 1-2-3. I'm happy for the connections, the well has been a little dry lately. Main thing is that we got the 'w'…” trainer Bob Baffert said after the race.

“We were in a good spot for the whole trip. I could tell the pace was only moderate, so I moved him up closer near the three-eighths (pole). Then when we went we were in good position and he was ready. A good win,” jockey Flavien Prat told the Del Mar Press Office after the Native Diver.

Bred in Kentucky by SF Bloodstock LLC, the 4-year-old colt is by Super Saver out of the Sky Mesa mare Sky Treasure. He is owned by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman. Consigned by Woods Edge Farm, Azul Coast was purchased by Three Amigos for $320,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. With this win in the G3 Native Diver, Azul Coast has two wins in four starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of four wins in 10 starts and career earnings of $221,280.

The post Azul Coast Bounces Back From Poor Showing In Awesome Again To Take Native Diver appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: ‘I Guess I’m One Of Those Dreamers’

From his teenage years mucking stalls at Ascot Park in Ohio to preparing to watch his silks line up in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 23, owner John Sondereker is enjoying the fruits of cultivating a lifelong passion for Thoroughbred racing.

When recent G2 San Antonio winner Kiss Today Goodbye enters that 12-horse starting gate at Gulfstream Park, Sondereker worries his emotions might overwhelm him. The newly-turned 4-year-old son of Cairo Prince is the owner's first graded stakes winner, and Sondereker himself selected the horse as a short yearling at the 2018 Keeneland January sale. 

“It's a big thing for me, of course; I've only been in a couple other Grade 1s, and I think I finished last in both of those,” Sondereker said, laughing genially. “He's just a colt that's really improving, and loves distance. This is a mile and an eighth, and there's a lot of speed in the race, so who knows? You get the right day for the right jockey, anything can happen.”

This sport has proven that adage many times over, launching the biggest dreams of small owners and trainers into the stratosphere.

That racing dream didn't really take hold of Sondereker until 1961. He'd been attending races at Waterford Park (now Mountaineer) with his father and uncle since the 1950's, and when the family moved to Cuyahoga Falls in Ohio, he was able to get a job cleaning stalls at the now-defunct Ascot Park for a dollar an hour.

After a couple years working there, the trainer employing Sondereker took him on a trip to the 1961 running of the Kentucky Derby. There was a horse running with an Ohio connection: Carry Back. His owner and trainer, Katherine and Jack Price, respectively, often ran horses at Ascot Park and Thistledown, so Sondereker had a natural rooting interest.

Carry Back won the Run for the Roses that day with a devastating come-from-behind late kick, and Sondereker has been hooked ever since.

“It was a small stable and they happened to win,” Sondereker said. “Here I was down there standing around with like Bill Hartack, and it was like, 'Wow, look at this.' There were all these impressive people, the kind I'd never been exposed to, and I had no clue it could be like that. 

“It just had a major impact on me. I said then, 'I hope someday I can own a horse like that.' I guess I'm one of those dreamers.”

John Sondereker with his purchase ticket for Kiss Today Goodbye at the 2018 Keeneland January sale

Sondereker worked for Wells Fargo in Des Moines, Ia. for 40 years, during which time he owned “a few cheap claimers” at nearby Prairie Meadows Racetrack. Since his retirement in the early 2000s, Sondereker has stepped up his ownership interests. 

He began with a few different partnership groups, learning the basics of what goes on behind the scenes.

“It was fine, but I just wanted more out of the game, more participation,” said Sondereker. “I knew there was more for me, and I found it with (trainer) Eric (Kruljac) and going to the sales. It takes a lot of practice, and even when you know what you're doing, you probably don't! I've got to where I'm confident, I know what I'm trying to do and how I want to do it. I just enjoy the whole process.”

By 2015 Sondereker was ready to try picking out a few horses on his own.

“It's hard buying any horse,” Sondereker admitted. “I'm not good at this, but I love to do it. Going out and doing it on my own, and seeing if I can accomplish something, that's the big thing to me. I thought I could learn, and Eric has really taught me a lot over the last 8 to 10 years.

“I'm having a ball, 78 years old and I'm still learning. That's the real secret to retirement, to be able to do something that you realize you're not the best in the world at. There's something you can always learn about the horse business. Eric probably has taught me 10 percent of what he knows, but that's a lot to me. It's given me a good foundation, and I've picked up a lot along the way. It's great when you're learning. That's the secret.”

Kiss Today Goodbye has easily been Sondereker's most successful purchase thus far, and is named for the opening line in the owner's favorite song, “What I Did For Love,” from the Broadway musical Chorus Line.

He'd considered the colt a turf horse when he bid up to $150,000 at the 2018 January sale. Kiss Today Goodbye is out of the Heatseeker mare Savvy Hester, who won or placed in multiple listed turf stakes at Woodbine.

The colt made his first two starts on the turf, then took three more starts over the dirt to break his maiden. Kiss Today Goodbye ran competitively in the listed Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar in August of 2020, beaten just 1 ¼ lengths by Thousand Words, then went back to the turf for a pair of graded stakes efforts.

He finished fifth in the G2 Del Mar Derby and fourth in the G2 Twilight Derby at Santa Anita, then in mid-November came back to win a one-mile allowance race over the main track at Del Mar. Sondereker saw the G2 San Antonio coming up in the stakes schedule, and urged his trainer to consider entering Kiss Today Goodbye.

“His dam had accomplished quite a bit on the grass, but he just had trouble grabbing it for some reason,” said Sondereker. “I said to myself, 'His Thoro-graph numbers are competitive with most of the 3-year-olds in the country, so let's just try this Grade 2. He's definitely a distance horse, he has the numbers, there's no reason not to try it.'

Kiss Today Goodbye rallied from last under Mike Smith to win the G2 San Antonio

“Eric is more conservative than I am! I just thought we should go for it, and every once in a while you're right.”

Though he couldn't attend the race in person due to COVID-19 restrictions, the San Antonio victory was deeply satisfying for Sondereker. 

“There's a lot of skill involved, but there's also a lot of luck,” he said. “I probably wouldn't have gone over $200,000 for Kiss Today Goodbye, but that's not a tremendous amount of money at a sale when you have a stakes-winning mare and a good physical. But it was Cairo Prince's first crop, so that's how I ended up with him for sure.”

Whether it was skill, luck, or something in between, Sondereker is thrilled at the prospect of attending his colt's Grade 1 debut in the Pegasus World Cup. He hasn't been able to hang out with the horses on the backside nearly as much this year, of course, so he cherishes every opportunity to see the horses in person just a little bit more.

“There's going to be a lot of changes in the next 2 ½ weeks,” said Sondereker. “My wife is an RN and really involved in the COVID world, but Florida's held out and been pretty flexible, so they may still allow us to go.”

There are other things to look forward to, as well. 

Sondereker purchased an exciting daughter of War Front at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearling Showcase, spending his entire yearling budget in one fell swoop when the hammer fell at $625,000.

“When you start out, you wanna buy four or five or six in your budget, and I get why that's good for the industry,” Sondereker said. “You don't want to bid on anything you can't afford, but I'm the opposite. I'm the underbidder on a lot of really nice horses.

“For me, less is more; I currently have 18 Thoroughbreds.”

Additionally, the Breeders' Cup will return to Del Mar in 2021, where Sondereker has a vacation home. 

“Del Mar is the best place in the world,” he said. “Hopefully they'll get the vaccine stuff figured out this year, and I'll be able to get my box for the Breeders' Cup.”

Sondereker might even get the chance to wear a purple owners' cap all his own. It's horse racing, and anything is possible.

The post Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: ‘I Guess I’m One Of Those Dreamers’ appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Mucho Gusto, Charlatan Top Pegasus World Cup Invitation List

Bob Baffert-trained Mucho Gusto and Charlatan are among a dozen Grade 1 and Grade 2 winners on a list of 16 horses invited Sunday to the $3-million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The fifth running of the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus, won previously by Longines World's Best Racehorse Arrogate (2017), Horse of the Year Gun Runner (2018), Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) winner City of Light and Mucho Gusto (2020), will be run Saturday, Jan. 23, along with the $1-million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1).

Limited seating is available and tickets can be purchased at Pegasusworldcup.com.

Fans can watch and wager on the Pegasus World Cup at 1stbet.com and xpressbet.com.

The Pegasus World Cup and Pegasus World Cup Turf will be part of an extraordinary program featuring seven graded stakes, four contested on the turf. Stakes on Pegasus Day will also include the $200,000 Inside Information (G2), $125,000 William L. McKnight (G3), $125,000 Marshua's River (G3), $125,000 La Prevoyante (G3) and $125,000 Fred Hooper (G3).

The 12 horses given first preference for the Pegasus World Cup were (in alphabetical order):

  • Charlatan – Owned by SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Frederick Hertrich III, John Fielding, Golconda Stables. Trained by Bob Baffert
  • Code of Honor – Owned by W.S. Farish. Trained by Shug McGaughey
  • Harper's First Ride – Owned by MCA Racing Stable LLC. Trained by Claudio Gonzalez
  • Jesus' Team – Owned by Grupo 7C Racing Stable. Trained by Jose D'Angelo
  • Kiss Today Goodbye – Owned by John Sondereker. Trained by J. Eric Kruljac
  • Knicks Go – Owned by Korea Racing Authority. Trained by Brad Cox
  • Mr Freeze – Owned by Jim Bakke, Gerald Isbister. Trained by Dale Romans
  • Mucho Gusto – Owned by HRH Prince Faisal Bin Khaled. Trained by Bob Baffert
  • Sharp Samurai – Owned by Red Baron's Barn LLC, Rancho Temescal LLC, Mark Glatt. Trained by Mark Glatt
  • Sleepy Eyes Todd – Owned by Thumbs Up Racing, LLC. Trained by Miguel Angel Silva
  • Tax – Owned by R.A. Hill Stable, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Hugh Lynch. Trained by Danny Gargan
  • True Timber – Owned by Calumet Farm. Trained by Jack Sisterson.

The also eligibles are (in order of preference)

  • Anothertwistafate – Owned by Peter Redekop B.C., Ltd. Trained by Peter Miller
  • Math Wizard – Owned by John Fanelli, Khalid Mishref, Cash is King LLC, LC Racing LLC, Collarmele Vitelli Stables LLC, Ioannis, Zouas, Bassett Stables. Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr.
  • King Guillermo – Owned by Victoria's Ranch. Trained by Juan Carlos Avila
  • Idol – Owned by Calvin Nguyen. Trained by Richard Baltas

Baffert, who won the Pegasus last year with Mucho Gusto and the inaugural running with Arrogate, has two chances for a hat trick with his defending champion and Charlatan.

After his victory in the Pegasus last year Mucho Gusto finished fourth Feb. 29 in the Saudi Cup before Baffert gave the 5-year-old son of Mucho Macho Man time off. He returned Dec. 26 to finish fourth of six in the San Antonio (G2).

Charlatan was regarded as one of the country's top 3-year-olds after his performance in the May 2 Arkansas Derby (G1) but he was sidelined with an ankle injury before returning off a seven-month layoff to win the Dec. 26 Malibu Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita.

Multiple Grade 1 winner Knicks Go enters the Pegasus off three consecutive victories since being moved to the stable of Brad Cox.  The 5-year-old Maryland-bred son of Paynter was an impressive winner last time out of the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1).

Jesus' Team, second in the Breeders' Cup Mile and beaten less than a length by Knicks Go, sold for $30,000 as a yearling and has earned $508,940. The Jose D'Angelo-trained 4-year-old finished third in the Preakness (G1) and Jim Dandy (G2) last year.

Sharp Samurai was beaten a nose by Jesus' Team for the place in the Breeders' Cup Mile. The 7-year-old gelding, based at Santa Anita with trainer Mark Glatt, was second last year in the Pacific Classic (G1), Eddie Read (G2) and City of Hope (G2). His last victory was the 2018 City of Hope. Sharp Samurai is also on the invitation list for the Pegasus Turf.

W.S. Farish's homebred Code of Honor will be making his 13th consecutive start in a graded race, his ninth in a Grade 1 event. Trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, Code of Honor was placed second in the 2019 Kentucky Derby (G1) and went on to win the Travers (G1) and Jockey Club (G1). Code of Honor's 4-year-old season included a victory in the Westchester (G3) and second-place finishes in the Clark (G1) and Kelso (G2).

Tax, claimed for $50,000 out of his second career start by trainer Danny Gargan for co-owner Hugh Lynch, will run in his second consecutive Pegasus. The 5-year-old, an impressive winner of the Harlan's Holiday (G3) at Gulfstream Dec. 12 off a seven-month layoff, was fourth in the 2019 Belmont (G1) and won that year's Jim Dandy (G2). The son of Arch finished ninth in last year's Pegasus after stumbling at the start.

Mr Freeze finished second in last year's Pegasus World Cup, 4 ½ lengths behind winner Mucho Gusto. Trained by Dale Romans, Mr Freeze went on to win the Fayette Stakes (G2) before wide trips resulted in a sixth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Mile and fifth-place finish in the Clark last time out.

Calumet Farm is hoping the third time is the charm for True Timber. Seventh in the 2019 edition of the Pegasus and eighth last year, the 7-year-old enters this year's $3 million edition off a popular victory in the Cigar Mile (G1) Dec. 5 at Aqueduct. It was his first win in 13 starts, since September of 2018.

Sleepy Eyes Todd won the Mr. Prospector Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park Dec. 19. The 5-year-old son of Paddy O'Prado, who won the Charles Town Classic (G2) in August, has been a model of consistency, winning eight of 15 races while racing at 11 different tracks for trainer Miguel Angel Silva.

John Sondereker's Kiss Today Goodbye, a lightly-raced 4-year-old, upset Mucho Gusto and four others Dec. 26 in the Malibu when he closed from last. Trained by J. Eric Kruljak, Kiss Today Goodbye had finished fifth in the Del Mar Derby (G2) and fourth in the Twilight Derby (G2) earlier in the year.

Harper's First Ride, a 5-year-old Maryland-bred, enters the Pegasus having won four of his last five starts including a victory in the Pimlico Special (G3). Maryland's perennial leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez will saddle the son of Paynter.

Anothertwistafate, winner of the Jan. 2 San Gabriel (G2) at Santa Anita and Sept. 10 Longacres Mile (G3), is No. 1 on the also eligible list. The son of Scat Daddy is also on the invitation list for the Pegasus Turf. Locally-based Math Wizard, a Grade 1 winner who finished second last summer to Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) show finisher Global Campaign in the Monmouth Cup, is second on the AE list while King Guillermo, owned by former Major League Baseball all-star Victor Martinez, and Idol, second in the San Antonio, round out the list.

The post Mucho Gusto, Charlatan Top Pegasus World Cup Invitation List appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Kiss Today Goodbye Surprises San Antonio Foes With Last-To-First Run

On a blissfully sunny opening day in Arcadia, Calif., Kiss Today Goodbye, a 15-1 longshot trained by Eric Kruljac, came rolling from dead last to take Santa Anita's Grade 2, $200,000 San Antonio Stakes by a half length under Hall of Famer Mike Smith.

Breaking from post position two, Smith had his mount in-hand going into the first turn and he saved every inch of ground at the rail until the top of the stretch, where he angled to the four-path and rallied to out-finish the Richard Baltas-trained Idol late.

Unplaced on turf in both the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby on Sept. 6 and the Twilight Derby at Santa Anita two starts back on Oct. 18, Kiss Today Goodbye exited a solid first condition allowance win over the Del Mar main track on Nov. 14 but was trying graded stakes competition on dirt for the first time today.

Ridden for the first time by Smith, he paid $33.60, $10.60 and $6.60 in a field of six 3-year-olds and up.

“I was impressed with his last race and I wasn't even riding him.  He ran by me in that last race,” said Smith. “I thank Eric Kruljac for the opportunity of riding him and for his great training job.  The race was shaping up for him with the speed up front and when it came time to run, he took off.  I just guided him around the track.”

Owned by John Sondereker, Kiss Today Goodbye, a 3-year-old Kentucky-bred colt by Cairo Prince out of the Heatseeker mare Savvy Hester, collected his first stakes win while improving his overall mark to 10-3-0-3.  With the winner's share of $120,000, he increased his earnings to $230,802.

Ridden by Gabriel Saez, Idol was taken off the pace and sat fourth into the first turn, was a joint second inside favored Mucho Gusto heading to the three furlong pole and kept to his task at the rail late while finishing as though he'll appreciate added distance.

The second choice at 4-1, Idol finished three quarters of a length better than Take the One O One and paid $5.20 and $5.20.

The early pacesetter under Jose Valdivia, Jr., Take the One O One was off at 29-1 and paid $14.40 to show while finishing a length and one quarter in front of 1-2 favorite Mucho Unusual.

Fractions on the race were 23.83, 47.81, 1:11.42 and 1:36.83.

“He was always very immature early on,” Krujak said of Kiss Today Goodbye. “It just took him longer to get to where he is and I think he is really just beginning to mature.

“About four races back he got absolutely sandblasted and was basically eased in the race. I basically told (Mike), 'he's better with the kickback but it was a factor that day.' As you can see when Mike came back, he ate the dirt, the colt has put it all together and Mike gave him an absolutely perfect ride. The pace gods were on our side.

“This was absolutely an owner's decision. This is a really nice condition race that we are no longer eligible for in about three days. John (Sondereker) uses Thorograph and says his numbers looked great but he thought he would move way forward. John said his sheet numbers were going up and up, and he is a numbers guy. The horse is trained like that but as a trainer I look at the older horses and see what they have already done, I go, 'Oh my God what are we doing.' But he was right! It sure set up well, and the two scratches helped.”

The post Kiss Today Goodbye Surprises San Antonio Foes With Last-To-First Run appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights