Tag: Leonard Powell

Maltese Falcon Spies Graded Prize In La Jolla Win

A six-start maiden, Maltese Falcon (Ire) (Caravaggio) was nevertheless dispatched as the public's choice for Sunday's GIII La Jolla H. and duly obliged with a perfect-trip graduation.

Neatly drawn in stall three in a field of eight in this final prep for the GII Del Mar Derby, the 105,000gns Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training purchase found a good spot at the fence right on the back of a sedate tempo set jointly by Agency (Bolt d'Oro) and Justin's Legacy (Justify). Juan Hernandez was content to allow Maltese Falcon to bide his time on the leaders' tails and opted to ride his mount for luck, hoping that a rails run would materialize. That roll of the dice ultimately paid off, as Maltese Falcon slipped through underneath the pace-advantaged Agency at midstretch and went on to prevail. Former Jessica Harrington trainee Panic Alarm (Ire) (Kuroshio {Aus}) was conversely done no favors by the lack of speed and kicked hard to be second in a solid U.S. debut for the Hronis Racing team.

Maltese Falcon was second in a Redcar novice over seven furlongs last Oct. 1 for trainer Rebecca Menzies and found himself at Tattersalls three weeks hence for the Autumn Horses In Training Sale, where he was the least costly of three purchases by Jed Cohen's Red Baron's Barn and son Tim Cohen's Rancho Temescal. The team also paid a sales-topping 850,000gns for I'm A Gambler (Ire) (No Nay Never)–a close third in the Wickerr S. at Del Mar July 23–and 260,000gns for Bellstreet Bridie (GB) (Sir Percy {GB}), who won last year's GIII Red Carpet H. straight off the plane last fall.

Things hadn't gone as swimmingly with Maltese Falcon, who sandwiched a third between a pair of fourth-place efforts at Santa Anita last winter before getting a freshen-up. A troubled third in a May 29 maiden, he backed up on short rest to finish runner-up in the June 11 Cinema S. going a mile and a quarter, an effort good enough to be the pari-mutuel darling Sunday afternoon.

“[Trainer] Leonard Powell told me this horse has a really good kick at the end,” the winning jockey commented. “I was really patient with him. My horse he wanted to run around the three-eighths, but I didn't have space to come through, so I decided to stay the longest I can. Finally around the eighth pole I got lucky because the rail opened for me. He was really brave today.”

Pedigree Notes:

Maltese Falcon is the 14th worldwide stakes winner and 10th group/graded winner for Caravaggio, who last year was sold to continue his stud career at Shizunai Stallion Station in Japan. Produced by a stakes-placed full-sister to Group 3-placed Pandora (Ire) and the multiple listed-placed Allegio (Ire), Maltese Falcon has a 2-year-old full-brother, a yearling half-sister by Mastercraftsman (Ire) and a weanling half-brother by Lope de Vega (Ire).

Sunday, Del Mar
LA JOLLA H.-GIII, $151,500, Del Mar, 8-6, 3yo, 1 1/16mT, 1:44.20, fm.
1–MALTESE FALCON (IRE), 118, g, 3, by Caravaggio
                1st Dam: Isabella (Ire) (SP-Eng), by Galileo (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Song of My Heart (Ire), by Footstepsinthesand (GB)
                3rd Dam: Catch The Moon (Ire), by Peintre Celebre
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. (105,000gns 2yo '22 TATAHI). O-Red Baron's Barn LLC and Rancho Temescal LLC; B-Sir Robert Ogden (IRE); T-Leonard Powell; J-Juan J. Hernandez. $90,000. Lifetime Record: 7-1-2-2, $135,948. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Panic Alarm (Ire), 120, g, 3, Kuroshio (Aus)–Thraya Queen (GB), by Shamardal. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. (12,000gns Wlg '20 TATFOA; £18,000 Ylg '21 TATIRY). O-Hronis Racing LLC; B-McCracken Farms (IRE); T-John W. Sadler. $30,000.
3–Agency, 120, c, 3, Bolt d'Oro–Queen of May, by Bernardini. ($100,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $400,000 2yo '22 OBSMAR). O-Muir Hut Stables, LLC; B-Twin Creeks Farm (KY); T-Mark Glatt. $18,000.
Margins: 1, NO, HD. Odds: 3.20, 6.40, 7.50.
Also Ran: Justin's Legacy, Kid Azteca, Henry Q, Smart Mo, Zalamo (Fr).
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Letter To the Editor: Dirt, Synthetic and Sprints

It is with a lot interest that I read the two Op/Eds from Earl Mack and Bill Finley published this week about the dirt vs. synthetic surfaces, and, although the numbers speak for themselves, I think we should look at another factor.

A lot more sprints are being run on dirt than either turf or synthetic. The composition of the dirt surface makes speed the best asset for horses who compete and it is common to see fractions of sub-22 seconds for a first 1/4 of a mile, and over 24 or 25 seconds on the final portion of a race. Those fractions are even more polarized in dirt route races where lower-caliber horses would sometimes finish their last 1/4 of a mile in 27 or 28 seconds, merely faster than a two-minute pace.

On either turf or synthetic, Jockeys have (usually) enough common sense to rate their mounts early and save something for the end. The kindness of the courses makes it that horses can close late and still prevail if best.

Unfortunately, speed hurts horses, be during training or racing. This is the nature of the beast with dirt racing and I believe that one of the major factors that numbers of fatalities are so much higher on that surface, has a lot to do with the pace that races are run at. Horses finish tired, experience a lack of oxygen in their metabolism and that hypoxia generates injuries, and sometimes fatalities.

The table tells us that rate of fatalities is higher in sprints than two turn races, which could validate the argument that early speed more than distance is a vector to injuries.

Another interesting fact in The Jockey Club numbers is that, for both turf and synthetic surfaces, the rate of fatalities has been steadily decreasing by between 15 and 30% every year for the last four years, mostly due to increased veterinary oversight. But on dirt, the numbers seem to have reached a plateau since it has steadily stayed the same during the same period, despite all the scrutiny it has been under.

–Leonard Powell

Editor's Note:

Southern California trainer Leonard Powell is referring to statistics from the Equine Injury Database which show that since 2009, the fatal injury rate has been 1.93 per thousand starts on races under six furlongs, 1.66 in races from six to eight furlongs, and 1.54 in races over a mile.

The complete table may be seen here. 

 

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Neige Blanche Rallies For Astra Stakes Win As Trainer Powell Mourns Loss Of His Father

Bottled up at the rail as the 1-5 favorite, French-bred Neige Blanche and jockey Juan Hernandez had but one option – wait out the storm.  And wait they did, as the 5-year-old mare was able to finally split horses two from the rail turning for home and then overcome a 2 ½-length deficit a furlong out to run down Flavien Prat and Disappearing Act by one length in Monday's Grade 3, $125,000 Astra Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

Trained by French native Leonard Powell, Neige Blanche (White Snow) got a marathon mile and one half on firm turf in 2:32.27.

With the Astra start transferred earlier in the day because of rain from the hillside course to a flat start on the backstretch, Frose bounded out to an early lead with Disappearing Act and Neige Blanche in close attendance.  With nowhere to go with five sixteenths of a mile remaining, Neige Blanche had to bide her time while the back markers, Reiwa and Scherzo actually passed her approaching the quarter pole.

“The trip worked out pretty good for her because she likes to run like that,” said Hernandez, who has now ridden Neige Blanche in her last seven races, winning four of them.  “Just put her behind horses and she was happy the whole race.  I was just waiting for some space to come through and make her run, because as soon as she finds (room), you just put her in there and she just comes right through like she did today.

“I put a lot of trust in her and in Leonard to have her ready.  I felt like I had a lot of horse.  We were just waiting for something to open up.  She's a nice filly, she was ready today.”

A winner of the G3 Red Carpet Handicap going 1 3/8 miles on turf at Del Mar Nov. 25, Neige Blanche, heavily favored in a field of five older mares, paid $2.60, $2.10 and $2.10.

Owned by Madaket Stables, LLC, Laura De Seroux, Marsha Naify and Mathilde Powell, Neige Blanche registered her third graded stakes win and fourth overall added money win, running her overall mark to 16-7-0-3.  With the winner's share of $75,000, she increased her earnings to $390,280.

“I was cursing my country and (fellow Frenchman) Flavien a little bit to open the hole, but she was there when Juan asked her and she's a very game filly, she's all-out,” said Powell, who suffered the recent loss of his father, a prominent bloodstock agent in France. “In the first of the spring, we have races here (at Santa Anita) that are spaced apart four or five weeks, so we will do that and if she does well, maybe we will try to look at a Grade 1 somewhere down the road.

When asked by TVG's Joaquin Jaime about the death of his father, Powell responded, “My father has done a lot for racing in France, and me being here is part of him. And my daughter (Mathilde) being here, that's another part of him. My brothers and stepbrother back in France, we all live on with all that he told us. He was a great man to all and I hope we make him proud.”

The second choice with Prat at 3-1, Disappearing Act nearly pulled off the upset, finishing six lengths clear of English-bred Scherzo and paid $2.80 and $2.10.

Last early, Scherzo, who shipped in from Golden Gate Fields for trainer Manny Badilla, was off at 22-1 with Kyle Frey up and paid $3.60 to show while finishing 2 ¼ lengths in front of early pacesetter Frose.

Fractions on the race were 25.99, 51.35, 1:16.99, 1:42.70 and 2:08.06.

Live racing resumes with first post time for an eight-race card on Friday at 12:30 p.m.

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Neige Blanche Set For Marathon Trip In Monday’s Astra Stakes

Trainer Leonard Powell, him self a French native, will send out like favorite Neige Blanche (white snow) a 5-year-old French-bred mare, in Monday's Grade 3, $125,000 Astra Stakes at Santa Anita. For older fillies and mares with a hillside start at a marathon 1 1/2 miles on turf, the Astra has attracted a field of five.

A winner of the G3 Santa Barbara Stakes going the same distance five starts back on May, 2021, Neige Blanche has maintained a consistent form, winning an ungraded stakes at 1 3/8 miles on turf three starts back on Aug. 14 at Del Mar, and winning her most recent assignment, the G3 Red Carpet Handicap at a mile and three eighths on turf Nov. 25.

A winner of three of her six starts in her native France, Neige Blanche has won three of her nine stateside starts with Powell, including winning three out of six last year and a career-best $204,168. Owned by Madaket Stables, LLC, Laura DeSeroux, Marsh Naify and Mathilde Powell, Neige Blanche took the Red Carpet in gate to wire fashion but has also proven effective stalking the pace in marathon scenarios. With an overall mark of 15-6-0-3, she's the leading money earner in the field with $315,280 and will be ridden for the seventh consecutive time by Juan Hernandez.

California-bred Reiwa, a winner of two consecutive allowance races on Oct. 30 and Nov. 20 at Golden Gate Fields, comes off a fourth place finish in the ungraded Miss America Stakes going a mile and one sixteenth on Dec. 12. Trained by Jonathan Wong, Reiwa, a 5-year-old mare by the El Prado stallion James Street, is 18-4-5-0 overall and will be looking for her first stakes win with Umberto Rispoli up.

THE GRADE 3 ASTRA WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 7 of 9 Approximate post time 3:30 p.m. PT

  1. Neige Blanche—Juan Hernandez—124
  2. Disappearing Act—Flavien Prat—120
  3. Frose—Mario Gutierrez—120
  4. Reiwa—Umberto Rispoli—120
  5. Scherzo—Kyle Frey–120

First post time on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday is at 12:30 p.m. In addition to holiday racing, there will be one dollar beers, sodas and two dollar hot dogs offered through the afternoon. Admission gates will open at 10:30 a.m.

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