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FTBOA Names 2019 Florida-bred Champions

The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association has announced its Florida-bred champions for 2019.

For the 16th time in FTBOA history, Charlotte Weber was honored with a Florida-bred champion that was bred by her Live Oak Stud and owned by her Live Oak Plantation as Global Access (Giant’s Causeway) was named the Florida-bred champion 3-year-old colt or gelding. Live Oak Stud was also named the Florida Breeder of the Year for the third time and the Leading Owner by Florida-bred earnings for the fourth time.

Global Access won the 2019 GIII Saranac S., GIII Marine S. and GIII Ontario Derby, and was also named champion 3-year-old colt in Canada.

Blue Heaven Farm’s Starship Jubilee (Indy Wind), heroine of last year’s GI E. P. Taylor S., was named champion older female and champion female turf horse. Bred by William P. Sorren, the 7-year-old mare received Sovereign Awards as Canada’s Horse of the Year and champion female turf horse in 2019.

Shooting Star Thoroughbreds’ Chance It (Currency Swap) garnered the champion 2-year-old colt or gelding title after winning the FTBOA Florida Sire S. Dr. Fager and the FTBOA Florida Sire S. In Reality. He was bred by Bett Usher.

K P Dreamin (Union Rags) was named the Florida-bred champion 2-year-old filly. She was third in both the GI Chandelier S. at Santa Anita and the GI Starlet S. at Los Alamitos. Owned by Karl Pergola, K P Dreamin was bred in Florida by Peter Vegso’s Vegso Racing Stable.

William Stiritz’s Wildwood’s Beauty (Kantharos) used the Florida Sire S. program for older horses and Florida-bred stakes to catapult herself to the title as the Florida-bred champion 3-year-old filly and champion female sprinter. She was bred by Philip and Karen Matthews.

In the stallion categories, Journeyman Stud’s Khozan was Florida’s leading juvenile sire and leading freshman sire, while Ocala Stud resident Adios Charlie was Florida’s stallion of the year.

Kathleen O’Connell and Saffie Joseph, Jr., tied with 58 Florida-bred wins at Florida tracks while O’Connell was also the leading Florida trainer of Florida-breds by black-type stakes wins with six, and Joseph was the leading Florida trainer by Florida-bred earnings with $1,977,046.

The Joe O’Farrell Memorial Award presented by Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company went to William A.T. and Lyn Rainbow’s The Acorn as the original consignor of Starship Jubilee, the year’s top Florida-bred graduate of OBS.

Sally J. Andersen was presented the Needles Award as Florida’s small breeder of the year. Andersen bred multiple stakes winner Anyportinastorm (City Zip).

The post FTBOA Names 2019 Florida-bred Champions appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Souper Escape Drops Back To Six Furlongs For Friday’s License Fee Stakes

Multiple stakes-winner Souper Escape will look to build on a runner-up effort against allowance company last out, cutting back in distance in Friday's $80,000 License Fee for fillies and mares 4 years old and up going six furlongs on the inner turf at Belmont Park.

Owned by Live Oak Plantation, Souper Escape returned off a six-month layoff to run second in her 2020 bow on June 6 at Woodbine. The Medaglia d'Oro filly won the Christiana and the La Lorgnette at Delaware Park and Woodbine, respectively, as a sophomore in 2019 and will be returning to stakes company for the first time as a 4-year-old.

Trainer Michael Trombetta said he was curious to see her in the short sprint after she capped her 3-year-old campaign with a 10th-place finish in the 1 1/16-mile Tropical Park Oaks in December at Gulfstream Park. Both of the Florida homebred's stakes wins came at distances of at least one mile, with the License Fee marking her shortest race on turf.

“She's doing good. She's one of those horses where anything outside a mile, it might be a bit much,” Trombetta said. “I'll take a look at this and see how she fits with this group. Last out, it was a good race back off the layoff, so it gives me good reason to take a look at this.”

Manny Franco will pick up the mount, drawing post 5.

“I think she can run any way,” Trombetta said. “What I don't think she wants are those mile and an eighth races, things like that.”

Trombetta will also saddle A Great Time, who came off a 10-month layoff when she ran third in an allowance contest on May 30 at Laurel Park. The effort marked the Street Magician mare's first start since a second-place effort in the Jameela in July at Laurel.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez will ride from post 2.

Bal Mar Equine's Dalika started her career in her native Germany before arriving in the United States for her 3-year-old year in 2019. Under trainer Al Stall Jr., the daughter of Pastorius twice ran second in stakes, including a game effort in the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere in November at Churchill Downs when just a half-length back to winner Nay Lady Nay in the 1 1/16-mile route.

Dalika's only previous experience shipping into New York resulted in a strong runner-up effort in the Riskaverse last August at Saratoga Race Course. After running all of her first seven North American races between one mile and 1 1/8 miles, Stall entered her in a sprint last out, where she made her first start in nearly five months and posted a two-length win in a 5 1/2-furlong optional claimer at Churchill under jockey Joel Rosario.

“We just want a race with a fast pace,” Stall said. “When she has that it in front of her, it helps. Her last race was visually very impressive. Joel just jogged her past the wire. One turn with a solid pace is what she needs. She runs a better race when you don't grab her and it turns into a wrestling match.”

Rosario will have the return call, breaking from the outermost post 8.

Getmotherarose, the winner of the Grade 3 Honey Fox in February at Gulfstream Park, will try her hand again on the Belmont grass after running ninth on a yielding Widener turf in the Grade 3 Intercontinental on June 6.

Trained by Thomas Bush, Getmotherarose won two turf sprints at Belmont last year. Jose Lezcano will be in the irons from post 3.

Jonathan Thomas will saddle a pair of entrants in Bridlewood Cat and Escapade.

The lightly raced Bridlewood Cat broke her maiden at second asking in October at Belmont and capped her sophomore year with another win against allowance company. The $750,000 purchase at the 2017 Keeneland September Sale, Bridlewood Cat made her first stakes start, finishing fourth in the Correction on March 14 at Aqueduct Racetrack. Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride from the inside post.

Her stablemate, Escapade, ran fifth in her first start of the year in the Lightning City in February at Tampa Bay. She will return to Belmont for the first time since her career debut in June 2017, drawing post 6 and picking up the services of Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano.

Rounding out the field is I'llhandalthecash, making just her second stakes start for trainer Ray Handal [post 4, Jose Ortiz]; and Miss Auramet, making her stakes debut in her 12th career start, for conditioner Jorge Duarte, Jr. [post 7, Luis Saez].

The seventh running of the License Fee, slated as Race 9 at 5:36 p.m. will feature on America's Day at the Races, produced by NYRA in partnership with FOX Sports, and airing live on FOX Sports and MSG+.

The post Souper Escape Drops Back To Six Furlongs For Friday’s License Fee Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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March To The Arch Out To Defend His Wise Dan Effort This Saturday At Churchill

Live Oak Plantation's 2019 Wise Dan (Grade II) winner March to the Arch will attempt a repeat victory in Saturday's 1 1/16-mile turf event but needs to rebound from a puzzling 10th-place effort in last month's Grade I Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita.

“I've only been around him for a little while but you'd have to assume he just didn't like it in California,” trainer Mark Casse's locally based assistant David Carroll said. “It was just such a puzzling effort where he didn't show much run at all. The thing of it is, his form in all of his previous races was very good. He's run some very nice efforts over the last year that if you draw a line through that race, he fits right in with this field. We know what he did in last year's race and hopefully he can run right back to that effort once again.”

Saturday's $200,000 Wise Dan presented by Ford (GII) is the featured event on the 11-race program and will go as Race 9 at 5:01 p.m. (all times Eastern) The race will share the stakes spotlight with the inaugural running of the $100,000 Audubon presented by TwinSpires.com at 1 1/8 miles on turf for 3-year-olds. The Audubon is carded as Race 6 at 3:25 p.m.

March to the Arch is the 5-1 third choice on the morning line behind multiple graded stakes winner Factor This (8-5) and stakes winner Parlor (9-2). March to the Arch is not a stranger to pulling off an upset; he won last year's Wise Dan at odds of 10-1 when he surged to the front past 2-1 favorite Admission Office. March to the Arch, a now 5-year-old son of Arch, finished a half-length in front of Parlor in last year's event.

Following his Wise Dan victory last June, March to the Arch was winless until he defeated Florida-breds on Jan. 18 in the $150,000 Sunshine Millions Turf at Gulfstream Park. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione was aboard March to the Arch for 10 of his 21-career starts but he opted to ride Parlor in Saturday's race leaving the six-time winner in the hands of Florent Geroux.

The complete field for the Wise Dan from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): Just Howard (Rafael Bejarano, Graham Motion, 10-1); English Bee (James Graham, Motion, 10-1); Factor This (Shaun Bridgmohan, Brad Cox, 8-5); Eons (Adam Beschizza, Arnaud Delacour, 50-1); Aquaphobia (Corey Lanerie, Mike Maker, 6-1); Ritzy A.P. (Declan Cannon, Jack Sisterson, 20-1); March to the Arch (Florent Geroux, Mark Casse, 5-1); Emmaus (IRE) (Brian Hernandez, Connor Murphy, 15-1); Casa Creed (Martin Garcia, Bill Mott, 15-1); Hembree (Gerardo Corrales, Maker, 12-1); and Parlor (Tyler Gaffalione, Maker, 9-2).

The post March To The Arch Out To Defend His Wise Dan Effort This Saturday At Churchill appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Tap It to Win Living Up to Casse’s Expectations

Even back when Tap It to Win (Tapit) lost the GI Clairborne Breeders’ Futurity by 43 1/2 lengths and the Street Sense S. by 21 1/4 lengths, Mark Casse was telling owner Charlotte Weber and anyone else who would listen that the horse was special. On Saturday, the trainer could be proven right. After some twists and turns in his 2-year-old year, Tap It to Win has won his only two starts this year and doesn’t look to be in over his head in Saturday’s GI Belmont S., this year’s first leg of the Triple Crown.

“We have a legitimate chance,” said Casse, who is seeking his third straight win in the Triple Crown series.

Tap It to Win broke his maiden last year at Saratoga in his second career start and Casse started thinking GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. The problem was that he didn’t have a lot of time to work with and Casse feared that might catch up to him. He wasn’t ready for what he faced in the Breeders’ Futurity.

“It was just too much for him to handle,” Casse said. “He misbehaved coming away from the gate. He ran off. He just did everything wrong. And so I just knew it was too bad to be true.”

The Street Sense was another misadventure. Tap It to Win hit himself on the ankle coming out of the gate, which led to an injury called a sequestrum, which required surgery to remove a piece of dead bone.

“He could hardly walk for a couple of weeks,” Casse said.

That was in the fall of last year and Casse had no designs on making the Triple Crown events. Tap It to Win still isn’t nominated for the Triple Crown and had to be supplemented into the Belmont at a cost of $15,000.

The colt’s rehab went as well as could be expected and Casse had him ready for a May 9 allowance race against fellow Florida breds at Gulfstream.

“When we sent him to run at Gulfstream, I called Tyler (Gaffalione) and told him you are going to ride a different horse today,” Casse said. “I told him that I’d be surprised if this horse gets beat.”

Tap it to Win won that day by 1 1/2 lengths and resurfaced at Belmont for a June 4 allowance. With John Velazquez aboard, he ran the best race of his career, leading every step of the way on his way to a five-length win. His 97 Beyer figures makes him very competitive in the Belmont.

“That was an extremely tough allowance race the other day,” Casse said. “I was amazed and Johnny was amazed that he could run as fast as he did and keep going. Johnny said after the race that he galloped out very strong. That John has so much confidence in him gives me even more confidence.”

After the allowance race, Casse’s first thought was that he would go next in the GI Woody Stephens S. at seven furlongs. But the Belmont lost a couple of top contenders due to injury and with his horse thriving, the trainer decided to give the horse a shot in the Grade I, $1-million event. Casse doesn’t know if he will win or not, but he’s certain that Tap It to Win will be the one to catch. He drew the one post and showed exceptional early speed in his last start.

“It didn’t matter what post position he was in, he was going to come out of there running,” Casse said. “He showed the other day he can run fast and keep running, so we are not going to change any tactics with him.”

Win or lose Saturday, the development of Tap It to Win has been something Casse isn’t taking for granted. He went from a horse that the trainer thought could win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile to one who looked to be in way over his head in stakes company and wasn’t even nominated to the Triple Crown. Now, he is 6-1 on the morning line in a Triple Crown race.

“It’s been very gratifying,” he said. “Mrs. Weber means the world to me and she bred this horse. I’ve always told her he was special. It’s crazy how things work out sometimes. If it wasn’t for what’s going on in the world there’s no way he’d be in the position he is. We never would have made the Kentucky Derby and if the Belmont weren’t at a mile and an eighth instead of a mile and a half we never would have run in it. Everything worked out for him.”

They also worked out for Casse, who is in a unique position. He won last year’s GI Preakness S. with War of Will (War Front), which was his first win in the Triple Crown series. Three weeks later, he struck again, winning the Belmont with Sir Winston (Awesome Again). In this most unusual year for the Triple Crown, he’s back with another contender and a chance to win three in a row.

“I hadn’t even really thought about that until recently,” he said. “A couple of people have brought it up. Yes, it’s special. Any time you can win a classic it is special. I am very proud to have won two of them. To win three would be almost unthinkable. I think we have a legitimate chance to do that.”

Casse will find out Saturday just how good this horse is. If he turns out to be everything his trainer always thought he could be, he just might end up in the winner’s circle.

The post Tap It to Win Living Up to Casse’s Expectations appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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