Lead Guitar | Horse Racing Free Tips

Piedi Bianchi Gets First Career Turf Win In Smart N Fancy At Saratoga

Jay Oringer, Jack Bick, Al Bianchi Racing, Adam Bayroff, and Mike Maturo's Piedi Bianchi notched her first career turf win in Saturday's $120,000 Smart N Fancy, a 5 ½-furlong Mellon turf sprint for older fillies and mares at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Trained by Carlos Martin, the 6-year-old Overanalzye mare, making just her fifth appearance on turf in 26 starts, demonstrated a strong turn-of-foot under Tyler Gaffalione down the lane to overtake pacesetter Robin Sparkles and post a 2 1/4-length score.

Robin Sparkles, with Jose Ortiz up, surged to the lead with Piedi Bianchi tracking in second position as Lead Guitar saved ground under Luis Saez in third through a quarter-mile in :23.09 seconds on the yielding turf.

Piedi Bianchi edged closer to the pacesetter late in the turn as Lead Guitar waited patiently for racing room along the hedge through a half-mile in :46.93. Robin Sparkles, the 4-5 mutuel favorite, attempted to open up on her rivals once straightened for home but was soon overtaken by Piedi Bianchi, who powered home in a final time of 1:04.95.

Lead Guitar squeezed up the rail to complete the exacta by 2 1/4-lengths over Robin Sparkles with Hydra, who leaped at the start and trailed throughout, completing the field. Pacific Gale was scratched.

Piedi Bianchi made a pair of starts on turf last year, including a fourth-place finish in the My Charmer in December at Gulfstream Park. She finished a prominent second in the Grade 3 Intercontinental sprinting seven furlongs over the Belmont grass in June.

Martin credited his owners for persisting with turf ambitions in Piedi Bianchi's 2021 campaign.

“I give the owners credit. When she went to Florida last year, I asked 'Do you really want to run this mare on the turf? She's so good on the dirt',” Martin said. “We got back together and we ran her on the turf and she ran a big second in the Intercontinental. Today, she just loved the going. It made a big difference. The other horses are great horses. I'm not taking anything away from our victory, but it worked out perfectly for us today.”

Gaffalione secured his fifth stakes score of the meet, adding to a ledger that includes wins in the Coronation Cup [Goin' Good], Grade 3 Troy [Fast Boat], Grade 1 Fourstardave [Got Stormy], and Skidmore [Averly Jane].

“Out of the gate, I took a nice hold and was getting over the ground well,” Gaffalione said. “Coming into the stretch, when I asked her, she gave me everything she had. She really relished the course today.

“It was a nice tempo in front of us,” he added. “It gave us a nice target, and when I asked, she finished up well.”

The victory marked the fourth career stakes win for the Indiana-bred, who previously captured the 2018 and 2020 editions of the Frances Slocum at Indiana Grand and last year's Correction at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Out of the Tactical Cat mare Adore You, Piedi Bianchi is a half-sibling to 3-year-old colt Outadore, by Outwork, who is a stakes winner on turf and synthetic and finished third in last year's Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Keeneland.

Piedi Bianchi banked $66,000 in victory while improving her record to 26-7-6-5. She returned $11.80 for a $2 win ticket.

Live racing resumes Sunday at Saratoga with a 10-race card featuring the $120,000 Summer Colony, a nine-furlong main track event for older fillies and mares who have not won a graded stakes race in 2021. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

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Tiz The Law Named 2020 New York-Bred Horse Of The Year

Tiz the Law took home the biggest prize of the evening during Monday's New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc. 2020 Awards, snagging Horse of the Year honors for a second straight season.

The son of Constitution was also named champion 3-year-old male during the online ceremony.

Tiz the Law won four of six starts during his 2020 campaign and earned $2,388,300 for owner Sackatoga Stables. He started his season at Gulfstream Park with victories in the Grade 2 Holy Bull Stakes and G1 Florida Derby, establishing himself as one of the biggest threats on the originally scheduled Kentucky Derby trail before the race was postponed due to the emerging pandemic.

Instead, Tiz the Law reemerged in the summer to win the Belmont Stakes, suddenly positioned as the first leg of the Triple Crown after a re-shuffled racing calendar. He then continued to claim his home state's top prizes for 3-year-old males with a 5 1/2-length drubbing of the G1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga.

The colt's fall campaign saw a narrow runner-up finish in the Kentucky Derby in early September, then he ran sixth in his final start, the Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland. He began his stallion career earlier this year at Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky.

Tiz the Law's award-winning campaign also had a ripple effect in other divisions of the NYTB Awards, as well. His trainer, Barclay Tagg, was named Trainer of the Year, while regular rider Manny Franco was named Jockey of the Year. Twin Creeks Farm, which bred Tiz the Law, was named Breeder of the Year, and Tizfiz, the colt's dam, earned Broodmare of the Year honors.

This is the second New York Horse of the Year title for Tiz the Law, who earned the award last year with a season highlighted by a win in the G1 Champagne Stakes. His 2019 season also helped earn Jockey of the Year honors for Franco and Broodmare of the Year honors for Tizfiz.

A full list of the year-end award winners can be found below.

Horse of the Year and 3-Year-Old Male – Tiz the Law
Breeder: Twin Creeks Farm
Owner: Sackatoga Stable
Trainer: Barclay Tagg

2-Year-Old Filly – Simply Ravishing
Breeder: Meg Levy
Owners: Harold Lerner, Magdalena Racing, Nehoc Stables
Trainer: Kenny McPeek

2-Year-Old Male – Brooklyn Strong
Breeders: Cheryl Prudhomme and Dr. Michael Gallivan
Owner: Mark Schwartz
Trainer: Danny Velazquez.

3-Year-Old Filly – Sharp Starr
Breeder: Stonewall Farm
Owner: Barry Schwartz
Trainer: Horacio DePaz

Older Dirt Female – Lucky Move
Breeders: Maltese Cross Stables and Stonegate Stables
Owners: Ten Strike Racing
Trainer: Juan C. Guerrero

Older Dirt Male – Mr. Buff
Breeders/Owners: Chester and Mary Broman
Trainer: John Kimmel

Female Turf Horse and Female Sprinter – Lead Guitar
Breeder: Windylea Farm
Owners: Jim and Susan Hill
Trainers: George Weaver, Eddie Kenneally

Male Turf Horse – Somelikeithotbrown
Breeders: Hot Pink Stable & Sand Dollar Stable
Owners: Skychai Racing & Sand Dollar Stable
Trainer: Mike Maker

Male Sprinter – Funny Guy
Breeder: Hibiscus Stable
Owners: Gatsas Stable, R.A. Hill Stable, Swick Stable
Trainer: John Terranova

Broodmare of the Year: Tizfiz
Breeder of the Year: Twin Creeks Farm
Jockey of the Year: Manny Franco
Trainer of the Year: Barclay Tagg
Lifetime Achievement Award: Ellen Bongard; Frank and Patricia Generazio
Special Award: Jeffrey Cannizzo.

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‘A Fun Horse To Have’: Weaver Weighing Options For Majestic Dunhill

Trainer George Weaver said R.A. Hill Stable's Majestic Dunhill, who made the grade last out in the Grade 3 Bold Ruler Handicap at Belmont Park, will make his next start at Aqueduct in Ozone Park, N.Y., in either the six-furlong Grade 3 Fall Highweight Handicap or the Grade 1 Cigar Mile.

The 5-year-old Majesticperfection gelding was game to the wire to win the seven-furlong Bold Ruler by a head over Share the Ride on a muddy Belmont main track. Weaver said he will take a close look at how both the Fall Highweight and Cigar Mile fields shape up before deciding.

“We'll see how both races come up. I'm sure the Cigar Mile will have some heavyweights in there,” said Weaver. “Majestic Dunhill is a gelding, so we're not looking to establish stud value with him. We're trying to make as much money as possible and spot him as best we can. The way the two fields stack up will factor heavily in our decision. He's a fun horse to have.”

Majestic Dunhill, who earned a career-best 100 Beyer winning the Bold Ruler, boasts a record of 21-5-4-4 with purse earnings of $373,214.

Weaver said he may also have a contender for the Cigar Mile undercard with Brereton C. Jones' Dollar Mountain in the Grade 2, $150,000 Demoiselle at nine furlongs on the main track.

The dark bay daughter of Upstart garnered a 64 Beyer Speed Figure when graduating by 5 1/2-lengths at second asking on Oct. 16 in an off-the-turf 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight contested on a sloppy and sealed Belmont strip.

“Dollar Mountain broke her maiden nicely and she could be in consideration for the Demoiselle,” said Weaver.

Jim and Susan Hill's Lead Guitar, a 4-year-old daughter of Maclean's Music bred in New York by Windylea Farm, will look to run her win streak to four in the $100,000 Autumn Days, an open six-furlong turf sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up slated for Nov. 29 at the Big A.

The talented bay launched her career in June 2019 under Weaver's care, including a third-out graduation on the Saratoga turf under Luis Saez.

After making the first four starts of her 4-year-old campaign for trainer Eddie Kenneally, including a restricted Aug. 20 optional-claiming sprint score on the Saratoga turf, Lead Guitar returned to Weaver's care and captured an open optional-claiming turf sprint on the front end on Sept. 20 at Belmont ahead of a rallying score in the open Floral Park on Oct. 17 over six furlongs of soft turf at Belmont.

Weaver said the filly, who sports a record of 10-5-2-1 with purse earnings of $235,678, likes to win races.

“She's a New York-bred and she has a lot of talent and that helps her knock out some wins,” said Weaver. “She's consistent in open company races too and she's developed into a really nice turf sprinter.”

R.A. Hill Stable and Gatsas Stables' Vekoma was retired from racing and will stand stud at Spendthrift Farm in 2021. The Candy Ride chestnut spiked a temperature in the build-up to what was to be his final career start in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint at Keeneland.

“He was training great. We had some feet trouble with him over the summer and we got him going right and he ended up developing a fever when it was time to go over there and run,” said Weaver. “It was disappointing, but we're so proud of the horse and he's going on to his second career. We're all really happy for him.”

A six-time winner from eight starts with more than $1.2 million in purse earnings, Vekoma graduated on debut in September 2018 at Belmont Park and followed with a score in the 2018 Grade 3 Nashua at the Big A.

The popular chestnut added the 2019 Grade 2 Blue Grass to his ledger at Keeneland ahead of finishing 12th in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby. Vekoma was perfect in three starts this season, including Grade 1 wins at Belmont in the Runhappy Carter Handicap in June and the Runhappy Met Mile in July.

“He provided us with many memories. The Blue Grass win was special but to come back and win the Carter and Met Mile, those are big races, too,” said Weaver.

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Belmont To Keeneland Cross-Country Pick 5 Pays $6,202

The Cross-Country Pick 5, featuring action from Belmont Park and Keeneland Race Course, returned a handsome $6,202.75 for selecting all five winners for Saturday's 50-cent wager, with a total pool of $145,967.

Thinking commenced the sequence with a 1 1/2-length victory in Keeneland's Race 7 for 2-year-old maiden fillies going seven furlongs on the main track. Trained by Graham Motion, the daughter of Nyquist closed strongly coming off the pace, besting Three Tipsy Chix to complete the course in 1:29.66. Ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, Thinking returned $10 on a $2 win wager.

Belmont took its turn when Lead Guitar strummed along for a three-quarters of a length victory in the $80,000 Floral Park for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going six furlongs on the inner turf in Race 9. The George Weaver trainee rewarded her favoritism by drawing away from Bohemian Bourbon, completing the course on the soft turf in 1:11.45 under jockey Luis Saez. Lead Guitar, off at 2-1, paid $6.40.

Alternating back to Keeneland, Sugoi was the sequence's longest shot, pulling off the upset at 23-1 to win the 1 1/8-mile turf test for 3-year-olds and up in Race 8. Conditioned by Michael Tomlinson, Sugoi took command by the half-mile mark and never relinquished the lead, registering a final time of 1:49.06 under Joseph Rocco, Jr. Sugoi returned $48.60.

The finale of the Belmont card made up the Cross Country Pick 5's fourth leg, with Good Credence a runaway 6 1/4-length winner as the favorite in Race 10 for New York-bred fillies and mares 3-years-old and up. Good Credence, trained by Anthony Margotta, Jr. and ridden by Junior Alvarado, paid $5.60 as the favorite going 1:22.53 in the seven-furlong sprint over Big Sandy.

The sequence's lone graded stakes race closed out the wager, with the favorite Venetian Harbor capturing the Grade 2, $200,000 Raven Run for sophomore fillies going seven furlongs on the dirt in Keeneland's Race 9. Trained by Richard Baltas, Venetian Harbor [$5.20] went gate-to-wire under rider Manny Franco, completing the course in 1:23.03.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on track, on ADW platforms, and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool.

The Cross Country Pick 5 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.

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