Lawrence Goichman | Horse Racing Free Tips

Star Devine Shines In Galway Stakes At Saratoga

Star Devine made a strong move from the outside and prevailed by a head in a blanket finish to capture Sunday's $120,000 Galway for 3-year-old fillies sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs on the Mellon turf at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Lawrence Goichman's Star Devine notched her first stakes victory, edging Illegal Smile to win for the second time in four career starts.

After a brief delay when Dr B broke through the gate and was re-loaded, Star Devine was sent away from the outermost post under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, stalking the pace in fifth position as Wink led the 10-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in :22.13 over firm going.

Out of the turn, Star Devine was kept four-wide with Wink, Mischiefful, and Illegal Smile to her inside with the half in :45.20. After briefly running eye-to-eye with Mischiefful, Star Devine pulled away and then gained on the pacesetter under Velazquez's right-handed encouragement.

Bye Bye made a strong bid up the rail and Illegal Smile, under jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., challenged to the wire, but Star Devine outkicked her rivals to complete the course in 1:02.37 for trainer Jorge Abreu.

“I had not much of a choice [but to go to the outside],” Velazquez said. “I tried to cover up behind Irad and he didn't go in there. Jorge said, 'I don't care where you are, I just don't want you on the lead.' We got a good post from the outside and I saved it for the end. That's the way it worked out.”

Star Devine was a debut winner in April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y., before running a competitive fourth in the Grade 3 Soaring Softly in May at Belmont Park. The Irish-bred ran third when stretched out to 1 1/16 miles on the Belmont turf on June 17 but was shortened up for the second running of the Galway while having Velazquez in the irons for the first time.

“I thought she was going to come from a little bit off the pace, but she broke so sharply and Johnny just took advantage of it,” Abreu said. “I knew she was going to run well. She was just looking for a little cut back. She's better going short than going long.

“I was a little concerned around the turn because I thought he was going to take her back and I thought, 'Don't do that', but then she kicked in again,” Abreu added. “He gave her a good ride.”

Off at 7-1, Star Devine paid $17 on a $2 win bet. The Fastnet Rock filly increased her career bankroll to $127,040 and will now target the 6 1/2-furlong $500,000 Music City on September 12 at Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Ky.

“We're going to go to Kentucky Downs,” Abreu said. “I've had some good luck there and I like going there. We'll see how she comes out of it and that's where we'll aim.”

Illegal Smile, one of two entrants for trainer Wesley Ward along with Wink, bested Bye Bye by a head. It was the fourth time in eight starts [1-4-1] Illegal Smile has finished the runner-up.

“That was so close,” Ortiz, Jr. said. “It was a good race. My filly ran hard and gave me everything she had.”

Mischiefful, Tuscan Queen, Alwayz Late, Wink, Goin' Good, Li'l Tootsie, and Dr B completed the order of finish. What a Trick and main-track-only entrant Summer Brew scratched.

Live racing resumes Wednesday at Saratoga with a 10-race card featuring two stakes, starting with steeplechase action via the $150,000 Grade 1 Jonathan Sheppard in the opener at 1:05 p.m. Eastern. The $120,000 Bolton Landing for 2-year-old fillies going 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf is carded as Race 9 at 5:39 p.m.

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Runaway Rumour Stays Undefeated With Wild Applause Win

Lawrence Goichman's New York homebred Runaway Rumour pulled an upset to stay undefeated while in the process defeating open company for the first time with a half-length win in Saturday's $100,000 Wild Applause for 3-year-old fillies. Runaway Rumour overtook five competitors from the outside in the stretch to capture the one-mile contest on the Widener turf course at Belmont Park in Elmont, Ny.

Runaway Rumour, bred in New York, saw jockey Luis Cardenas pick up the mount from Jose Lezcano, and the duo broke from the outermost post and tracked in seventh position as Bye Bye led the eight-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in :22.79, the half in :47.28, and three-quarters in 1:11.69 on the firm turf.

Out of the final turn, Runaway Rumour was in sixth position with plenty of daylight in front of her. The Flintshire filly utilized a strong turn-of-foot to pick off rivals and sustain that momentum to the wire, completing the course in 1:34.25 with 6-5 favorite Minaun in second.

The Jorge Abreu trainee was unraced as a juvenile but broke her maiden going six furlongs on May 9 on the Belmont turf. She won again when stretched out to the Wild Applause distance in her previous start on June 5 and improved to 3-for-3 after capturing her stakes debut, increasing her career earnings to $140,250.

“I was a little concerned about the jockey change because I had never rode Luis in that type of race before, but he gave me so much confidence when I was giving him instructions,” Abreu said. “He told me he was looking at the replays and I knew it going to be OK. I told him, whatever you do, do not go on the inside.

“He broke sharp and tucked her in behind horses and he kept her in the clear,” Abreu added. “She likes to run free on the outside. When I saw at the five-sixteenths pole that she was picking up momentum, I had a pretty good feeling about her.”

Off at 13-1, Runaway Rumour returned $29 on a $2 win wager. Abreu said she will now target the one-mile $150,000 Grade 3 Lake George Stakes on July 23 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, Ny.

“Depending on how she comes out of the race, we'll look at the Lake George at Saratoga,” Abreu said. “I'd say a mile to a mile and a sixteenth is good for her. I don't want to stretch her out to a mile and an eighth or a mile and quarter. Time will tell.”

Cardenas said the pre-race instructions played out as the connections hoped.

“[Abreu] worked out the plan with me and we both agreed to just let her run her race,” Cardenas said. “She likes to be able to run horses down and that's what she did. She loves doing that and I love her, too.

“We popped out of the gate and let the speed go,” Cardenas continued. “We had a beautiful trip behind horses and when we started to move by the five-sixteenths pole, she responded really well.”

The Irish-bred Minaun, a Group 3 winner in her native country, won her North American debut on April 30 for trainer Chad Brown at Belmont and earned black type in her first stakes appearance in the country, besting stablemate Nevisian Sunrise by a half length for second.

“I gave her a turf trip,” said Minaun jockey Manny Franco. “I was inside and trying to work my way out to the clear at some point, but the winner got the jump. When the winner was coming, I was still trying to find my way out.”

Brown, who also saddled the favorite to a second-place finish in the previous race with Always Carina in the Grade 2 Mother Goose, said Minaun did not have the best trip and Nevisian Sunrise was rank at times.

“She [Minaun] had some traffic trouble,” Brown said. “My other horse ran well but she was in a fight with the jockey [Irad Ortiz, Jr.] for most of the race. It's tough for a horse to re-break again after being in a tussle for most of the race. For both horses, it just didn't work out the way I had hoped.”

Sussex Garden, Alda, Bubbles On Ice, Bye Bye, and Lovestruck completed the order of finish. Alwayz Late scratched.

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Fastnet Filly Flies to ‘TDN Rising Star’-dom

Dispatched at debut odds of 9-1 in Thursday's fourth race from Aqueduct, Lawrence Goichman's Star Devine (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) gave her rivals a bit of a head start after hopping slightly at the break, but she was handled perfectly thereafter by Trevor McCarthy and stormed home down the center of the track to graduate in sharp time to become a new 'TDN Rising Star.'

Spotting the field a couple of lengths after that slow break, Star Devine–a 200,000gns purchase by Mike Ryan out of the 2019 Tattersalls October Sale–Book 1–was allowed to find her feet and settled last but one as the leaders went a good gallop up front. Tracking favored Dovima (Union Rags) through in about the three path on the turn, she was steered out decisively to the grandstand side as they hit the top of the lane and she covered her final two furlongs in a slick :22.53 (per Trakus data) to take it by 1 1/2 lengths.

Star Devine is the second foal for her dam, who was purchased by Mick Flanagan for 350,000gns in foal to Mastercraftsman (Ire) at the 2016 Tattersalls December Mares sale. Stars At Night is a half-sister to 2011 G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas and G1 Darley Yorshire Oaks winner Blue Bunting (Dynaformer) and a full-sister to MGSP Exemplar (Ire). Star Devine has a 2-year-old full-brother named Poker Face (Ire) and a yearling full-sister. Star Devine is bred on the exact same cross responsible for GI Man o' War S. heroine Zhukova (Ire), G1 Investec Oaks winner Qualify (Ire), G1 Moyglare Stud S. victress Intricately (Ire) and Australian Group 1 winners Personal (Aus), Age of Fire (Aus) and Magicool (Aus).

4th-Aqueduct, $80,000, Msw, 4-8, 3yo/up, f/m, 6fT, 1:07.83, fm, 1 1/2 lengths.
STAR DEVINE (IRE), f, 3, by Fastnet Rock (Aus)
1st Dam: Stars At Night (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Miarixa (Fr), by Linamix (Fr)
3rd Dam: Mrs Arkada (Fr), by Akarad (Fr)
Sales history: 200,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $44,000.
O-Lawrence Goichman; B-Rockhart Trading Ltd (IRE); T-Jorge R Abreu. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.

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