last judgment | Horse Racing Free Tips

Knicks Go Dominates Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap

After two consecutive fourth-place finishes, Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go regained his winning ways on Friday night at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa, crushing his five rivals with a 10 1/4-length front-end score under Joel Rosario in the Grade 3, $300,000 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap.

Last Judgment, who tried to keep up with Knicks Go in the early stages of the race, held second, with 8-year-old veteran Rated R Superstar a half-length back in third. Tenfold finished fourth, Dinar fifth and Modernist trailed the field. Drifting West was scratched.

Sent off as the 3-5 favorite, Knicks Go paid $3.20 to win after running the 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:47.33. He set fractional times of :23.33, :47.02, 1:10.77 and 1:35.06. Knicks Go is trained by 2020 Eclipse Award winner Brad Cox. He was bred in Maryland by Angie Moore.

Under the handicap conditions of the Cornhusker, Knicks Go carried 126 pounds, conceding six pounds to the runner-up and 10 pounds to Rated R Superstar.

Rosario sat motionless on Knicks Go for most of the Cornhusker and the 5-year-old son of Payner was geared down even further approaching the wire.

A G1 winner of the Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland in 2018, Knicks Go went winless in his next 10 starts until returning to the winner's circle after a February 2020 allowance race at Oaklawn Park. That began a four-race win streak culminating in victories in the G1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in November and G1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational in January.

But Knicks Go tired to be fourth in the Group 1 Saudi Cup in Saudi Arabia, run less than a month after the Pegasus, then set the pace and wound up fourth again in the G1 Metropolitan Mile Handicap on June 5.

The Cornhusker was Knicks Go's seventh career win from 21 lifetime starts.

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Successful Claim Last Judgment Leads Every Step Of Pimlico Special

The run of successful claims by trainer Mike Maker continued on Friday at Pimlico Race Course when Last Judgment, picked up for $62,500 last October, led at every point of call to win the Grade 3 Pimlico Special.

The 5-year-old Congrats gelding was taken straight to the lead from the outside post by jockey Jose Ortiz, and he crossed the wire for the first time a length and a half ahead of closest challengers Modernist, Cordmaker, and Treasure Trove. Last Judgment took the field into the first turn through an unrushed and untested opening quarter in :23.83 seconds, while the challengers continued to wait their turn.

Longshots Cordmaker and Treasure Trove started to draw closer to the leader on the outside through the first turn, but they soon retreated as they entered the back straightaway through a half in :47.60 seconds.

Ortiz continued to stand calmly in the irons across the backstretch as he was tracked by Treasure Trove and Modernist, and Cordmaker started to weaken, replaced by favorite Fearless.

Ortiz looked behind him started to ask for a little more with his hands as he entered the final turn with Last Judgment after six furlongs in 1:11.54. Modernist and Fearless remained as the only viable challengers as the field turned for home, and Ortiz brought out the crop for some mild urging in the final eighth of a mile, but it was hardly a panicked maneuver.

Neither of the challengers were able to find enough momentum to approach Last Judgment, and the gelding kicked on under a hand ride to win by 1 3/4 lengths. Modernist carried on for second, a neck ahead of Fearless, while Cordmaker continued on to finish fourth, 4 1/4 lengths further back.

Last Judgment completed the 1 3/16-mile Pimlico Special in 1:54.37 over a fast main track, paying $11.80 to win.

Maker saddled Last Judgment for the partnership of Michael Dubb, Steve Hornstock, Bethlehem Stables, and Nice Guys Stables. The Pimlico Special was Last Judgment's fifth start for his new owners since being claimed last October at Belmont Park. Since then, he's tallied wins in the Sunshine Classic Stakes, and the G3 Challenger Stakes, while also finishing second in the G3 Ghostzapper stakes at Gulfstream Park prior to the Pimlico Special.

Friday's race improved Last Judgment's record to eight wins in 18 starts for earnings of $502,965.

Last Judgment was bred in Florida by Woodford Thoroughbreds, out of the Forestry mare Fantasy Forest.

To view the race chart, click here.

$250,000 Pimlico Special (G3) Quotes

Winning Trainer Mike Maker (Last Judgment): “Very classy horse. We like the way he's responded on that stretch out. Fabulous [claim] by these guys (co-owners Steve Hornstock and Steve Spielman).”

“He's run well for us going a mile and an eighth. I was glad to stretch him out and hoped to get a softer pace going longer.”

“I was a little concerned about the outside post, but he doesn't care for the dirt in his face, so he was going to be in the clear anyway. If someone was hell-bent on the lead, so be it.”

“To be honest, I've never really thought about anything further than today. But with a nice horse, you always have a lot of options.”

Winning Jockey Jose Ortiz (Last Judgment): “I thought I was going to get [to the lead], but I knew that if somebody else wanted to get there, I could sit off him, too. It was not like the last time, I cooked in front in 46 [seconds] and that cost me the race for sure. I had a good position. I knew that if he broke well from the gate I could get to the lead nicely. Or if he didn't break well I could sit second. But he broke really good.”

“It was a nice job by Mike [Maker]. He had him ready. The horse relaxed well. When I asked him he was there for me. That's all you can ask for.”

Jockey Junior Alvarado (Modernist; 2^nd): “I had a beautiful trip. The horse that won the race was the only one with the speed, and I was tracking behind him the whole way. Turning for home, I took my shot at it, but that horse in front just kept going. I was in a beautiful spot. If I had to do it 100 times, I would have picked the same spot I was in. I was traveling very beautifully. The horse in front got away with a nice pace and he kept going.”

Trainer Todd Pletcher (Fearless; 3^rd): “I thought he ran well. He got shuffled back a bit. He tried to move him outside into the clear, but it's tough when there's no pace to try to close much ground. I thought he put in a long sustained run. They just didn't come back.”

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. (Fearless; 3^rd): “On the backside, I knew the other horse [Last Judgment] was in control, so I started letting my horse pick it up. He made a long run. It was hard to get there. On the backside, he [Last Judgment] was running comfortable. I knew he was going to be hard to catch, so I started moving. It was a long run.”

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Ghostzapper Success A First In Graded Stakes For Eye Of A Jedi, Owner/Trainer Budhoo

Owner/trainer Steve Budhoo's Eye of a Jedi, who has beaten his share of graded-stakes winners, ran the race of his life in Saturday's $100,000 Ghostzapper (G3) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., to win the first graded stakes of his career.

The Ghostzapper. a 1 1/8-mile race for older horses, was one of 10 stakes on a 14-race program featuring 10 stakes and headlined by the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa.

Already graded stakes-placed twice during the Championship Meet, Eye of a Jedi ($10.40) defeated favored Last Judgment by 5 ½ lengths while running the 1 1/8-miles in 1:48.83 and rewarding Budhoo with his first graded-stakes success.

Ridden for the first time by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, the hard-knocking 6-year-old gelding was rated off a hotly contested pace set by Last Judgment and pressed by Superfecto during fractions of 23.60 and 46/43 seconds for the first half-mile. Castellano asked Eye of a Jedi for some run, and the son of Eye of a Leopard advanced steadily on the far turn to enter contention on the turn into the homestretch. Mike Maker-trained Last Judgement continued to show the way at the top of the stretch but proved no match for the fresher legs of Eye of a Jedi, who drew away to a comfortable victory.

Last Judgment, the 6-5 favorite ridden by Jose Ortiz, held second, 2 ¼ lengths ahead of third-place finisher Superfecto and jockey Tyler Gaffalione.

Eye of the Jedi, who finished second behind Tax in the Dec. 12 Harlan's Holiday (G3) and lost a photo in the Jan. 23 Fred W. Hooper (G3), was coming off a fourth-place finish in the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2).

Ghostzapper Quotes

Winning Owner/Trainer Steve Budhoo (Eye of a Jedi): “I love to train him for this track, because he loves this track. I had an invitation to go to Dubai for the [Godolphin] Mile, but because of the coronavirus, I said, 'I'll stay here.' I'm happy I did.”

“The good thing is sound. He's a very good horse.”

Winning Jockey Javier Castellano, Eye of a Jedi): “I'm really excited. Steve [Budhoo] is a great guy. He works hard. He's dedicated to every single one of his horses. It's nice to see good things happen for the little people. They make racing. I'm very lucky to ride this horse and win the race.”

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Maker Records Another Claiming Success With Last Judgment In Challenger

Trainer Michael Maker has a history of turning mid- to high-priced claiming acquisitions into graded stakes winners and Last Judgment is just the latest to join that roll of success stories. The 5-year-old gelding by Congrats, claimed for $62,500 last October at Belmont Park, registered a 2 3/4-length wire-to-wire victory in Saturday's Grade 3 Challenger Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, the first of four graded stakes at the Oldsmar, Fla., track culminating with the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby.

Ridden by Daniel Centeno, Last Judgment was never headed, setting fractions of :23.29, :47.41, 1:11.37 and 1:35.62 en route to a final clocking of 1:41.98 for 1 1/16 miles on a fast track.

Last Judgment paid $4.80 as the 7-5 co-favorite in the field of five older runners. Modernist finished second, with the other 7-5 co-favorite, War Stopper, 1 3/4 lengths behind in third. War Stopper was followed across the finish by Letmeno and Jungle Fighter.

“It looked like he should be forwardly placed and that's how the race was run,” said Maker. “He seemed to be well within himself the whole way. He got into a nice rhythm and kept it going. We tried to chase Knicks Go in the Pegasus. I'll try to spot him more appropriately the rest of the year.”

Last Judgment won one of three starts since Maker haltered him for Michael Dubb, Steve Hornstock, Bethlehem Stables and Nice Guys Stables but was coming off a 12 3/4-length drubbing at the hands of Knicks Go as a 41-1 outsider in the Pegasus. He raced second behind the frontrunning winner that day before tiring in the stretch.

“Mike's instructions were to take the lead and he broke really sharp and made an easy lead all the way to the wire,” said Centeno. “(Letmeno) got a little close to me past the half-mile pole, but my horse grabbed the bit again and I knew I had plenty of horse left. It looks like he can run all day. It's nice when you get a lead like that and the horse is enjoying being out there all by himself.”

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