Tag: LNJ Foxwoods

Olympiad Gets the Gold in Mineshaft

Bill Mott's patient handling paid off with the well-regarded Olympiad, who earned his graded stakes badge in the Mineshaft Saturday. Stalking Silver Prospector from second through early splits of :24.18 and :48.11, the even-money favorite turned up the heat on the backstretch run and jumped clear in the lane to win with ease. Silver Prospector held second and Miles D completed the trifecta.

Graduating at Saratoga in September of 2020, Olympiad checked in second behind GI Runhappy Malibu S. runner-up Baby Yoda (Prospective) in a Saratoga allowance exactly 364 days later. The $700,00 KEESEP buy captured a Keeneland allowance in October and was fourth next out to 'TDN Rising Star' Americanrevolution (Constitution) in Aqueduct's GI Cigar Mile H. Dec. 4. Olympiad ran away to a 7 1/4-length score in a two-turn optional claimer at Gulfstream Jan. 15, earning a gaudy 101 Beyer Speed Figure.

Pedigree Notes:
Olympiad is the 63rd graded winner and 128th black-type scorer for the timeless Speightstown. The winner is also the 18th graded winner and 52nd black-type victor out of a daughter of Medaglia d'Oro. The Speightstown/Medaglia d'Oro cross is also responsible for Grade I winners Rock Fall and Competitionofideas. Olympiad is the second foal out of GSP Tokyo Time, who is also the dam of the once-raced 3-year-old filly Friendship Road (Quality Road); a juvenile filly by War Front, who brought $450,000 from Larkin Armstrong at KEESEP; and a yearling colt by American Pharoah. The half-sister to MGSW & MGISP Hungry Island (More Than Ready) and MGSW Soaring Empire (Empire Maker) is currently expecting a foal by Quality Road. This is also the family of GISWs Preservationist (Arch), Harmonize (Scat Daddy) and Keen Ice (Curlin).

Saturday, Fair Grounds
MINESHAFT S.-GIII, $247,500, Fair Grounds, 2-19, 4yo/up,
1 1/16m, 1:42.01, ft.
1–OLYMPIAD, 118, c, 4, by Speightstown
1st Dam: Tokyo Time (GSP, $249,177), by Medaglia d'Oro
2nd Dam: Flying Passage, by A.P. Indy
3rd Dam: Chic Shirine, by Mr. Prospector
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($700,000
Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stable, LLC
and LNJ Foxwoods; B-Emory A. Hamilton (KY); T-William I.
Mott; J-Junior Alvarado. $150,000. Lifetime Record: 7-4-1-1,
$348,440.
2–Silver Prospector, 118, h, 5, Declaration of War–Tap Softly,
by Tapit. ($50,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP; $190,000 2yo '19 OBSAPR).
O-Ed and Susie Orr; B-Hargus Sexton, Sandra Sexton & Silver
Fern Farm, LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $50,000.
3–Miles D, 122, c, 4, Curlin–Sound the Trumpets, by Bernardini.
($470,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Peter M. Brant and Robert V.
LaPenta; B-River Bend Farm (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $25,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, 1, NK. Odds: 1.00, 9.70, 3.30.
Also Ran: O Besos, Happy American, Untreated, Sprawl, Midcourt. Scratched: Big Dreaming, Fort Peck, Title Ready.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Thursday’s Insights: Pricey Classic Empire Colt Debuts at Big A

Sponsored by Alex Nichols

4th-AQU, $80k, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 2:18 p.m.

Trainer Jimmy Jerkens sends out firster CAPONE (Classic Empire) for the partnership of Gainesway, LNJ Foxwoods and NK Racing. The dark bay sold for $400,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale following an adventurous work in :10 2/5, accomplished despite the saddle slipping under rider Susan Montanye. TJCIS PPs

 

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Baltas Hunting For Grade 1 After Luck’s Impressive Victory In Robert J. Frankel

Ridden confidently, LNJ Foxwoods' homebred Luck, whose dam is a half sister to the legendary Goldikova, rallied with ferocity leaving the quarter pole and easily took Santa Anita's Grade 3, $100,000 Robert J. Frankel Stakes on Saturday under Flavien Prat, winning in-hand by 3 ¼ lengths. Trained by Richard Baltas, Luck, a 5-year-old mare by Kitten's Joy, got 1 1/8 miles on turf listed as “good” in 1:48.26.

Next to last at the rail leaving the clubhouse turn, Luck was unhurried in the run up the backside but Prat stepped on the gas mid-way around the far turn and she wheeled five-deep at the top of the lane en route to easily gaining command a furlong out and providing Prat with his fourth win on New Year's Day. He would go on to win two more, completing his day with victories aboard As Time Goes By in the G3 La Canada and Riding With Dino in the final race of the day, an allowance/optional claiming event.

Second, beaten a pair of heads in the G3 Red Carpet Handicap and the G1 Rodeo Drive Stakes on Nov. 25 and Oct. 2, Luck, in her fourth stateside start for Baltas, was off as 4-5 favorite in a field of seven older fillies and mares and paid $3.80, $2.80 and $2.10 in what was her first graded stakes win. Out of the Caerleon mare Gold Round, Luck is now 8-4-3-0 and with the winner's share of $60,000, she has earnings of $208,470.

“She's a very special filly,” said Baltas. “She got beat the last time because of the slow fractions. They weren't going too fast today, but she ran liked we knew she was capable of running. We are thankful to have a filly this good and thank the ownership of Jaime Roth and LNJ Foxwoods for this great opportunity. … We have to start looking at a Grade 1 race sooner or later for her.”

English-bred Bodhicitta, who sat third early, outdueled multiple G1 winner Mucho Unusual by a nose for second and paid $6.20 and $3.20 with Kent Desormeaux up at 7-1.

Ridden by John Velazquez, Mucho Unusual made the lead very briefly at the furlong pole and just missed the place, while finishing 2 ¾ lengths in front of pacesetter Moraz. Off as the second choice at 3-1, Mucho Unusual paid $2.40 to show.

Fractions on the race were 24.38, 49.26, 1:12.50 and 1:36.71.

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Favorite Jack Christopher Scratched From Juvenile; Domestic Spending, United Out Of Turf, Hit The Road Out Of Mile

Grade 1 Champagne Stakes winner Jack Christopher, unbeaten in two starts, has been scratched from Friday's $2 million, Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile because of a reported shin problem. The 9-5 morning line favorite in the 1 1/16-mile contest, the Munnings colt is owned by Jim Bakke, Gerald Isbister, Coolmore Stud and Peter Brant and trained by Chad Brown.

This was the second devastating blow for Brown, who earlier on Thursday told Breeders' Cup officials that three-time G1 winner Domestic Spending would be unable to compete in the $4-million, G1 Turf because of inflammation in a foreleg.

News about Jack Christopher was first reported Thursday evening on Twitter by television racing analyst Michelle Yu and confirmed by Breeders' Cup. Brown did not respond to text messages after the news broke.

Bloodstock agent Bradley Weisbord, racing manager for Bakke, said in a Tweet Thursday evening that Jack Christopher, who earned a 102 Beyer Speed Figure while winning the Champagne by 2 3/4 lengths on Oct. 2, would return to the races as a 3-year-old.

Weisbord later told Thoroughbred Daily News Jack Christopher was scratched on the advice of veterinarians working for Breeders' Cup.

 Favoritism in the Juvenile now falls on Bob Baffert-trained Corniche, who like Jack Christopher is unbeaten in two starts. The son of Quality Road won the G1 American Pharoah last out under Mike Smith, earning an 85 Beyer Speed Figure. He was installed the 5-2 second choice behind Jack Christopher in the morning line after drawing the outside post position in what is now a field of 11 2-year-old colts.

Meanwhile, the field for Saturday's $4-million Breeders' Cup Turf took a significant turn on Thursday morning with the news that Domestic Spending, second choice on the morning line at 4-1, and 2019 Turf runner-up United were both scratched because of inflammation.

Klaravich Stable's Domestic Spending is out after trainer Chad Brown said the 4-year-old gelding by Kingman showed inflammation in his left foreleg. Brown told TVG's Christine Blacker the three-time Grade 1 winner did not go to the track Thursday morning and was resting comfortably in his stall. He will be sent to Kentucky for further diagnostics.

Domestic Spending was coming off a second-place finish to Two Emmys in the G1 Mr. D Stakes (formerly the Arlington Million) at Arlington Park on Aug. 14. That ended a four-race win streak dating back to the Saratoga Derby Invitational in August 2020. He followed that with three consecutive G1 wins in the Hollywood Derby at Del Mar last November and this year's Turf Classic at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day and the Manhattan Stakes at Belmont Park on Belmont Stakes Day.

Domestic Spending galloping at Del Mar on Wednesday

LNJ Foxwoods' United also had swelling in a leg that trainer Richard Mandella had been monitoring over the last several days

“United a few days had a little swelling over a suspensory ligament,” Mandella told TVG's Michelle Yu. “We scanned it and it was clean. We thought maybe he just hit it. We worked on it a few days and today it was looking good but I thought with the race coming up I'm not going to go in wondering if he's going to be alright or not. So I let him have a strong two-minute lick for a mile, and afterwards there was more swelling there than there had been. So that answered the question: we're not going to take a chance.  The good news is it scans clean so there's no real damage, but there's some kind of strain going on and we can't take a risk.”

United, a 6-year-old gelding by Giant's Causeway, was coming off a nose victory in the G2 John Henry Turf Championship at Santa Anita on Oct. 2, his 10th victory in 22 lifetime starts. This would have been United's third run in the Breeders' Cup Turf, having come up a head short of Bricks and Mortar when second in 2019 and eighth behind Tarnawa last year.

United, who was to be ridden by John Velazquez, was 20-1 on the morning line. Flavien Prat, who had been United's regular rider, opted instead to ride Domestic Spending.

The two defections put also-eligibles Bolshoi Ballet from the Aidan O'Brien stable and Bill Mott-trained Channel Maker in the starting field.

On Friday morning, trainer Dan Blacker tweeted the news that Hit The Road had spiked a fever and would be a scratch from the Breeders' Cup Mile.

“Unbelievably bad timing and bad luck,” wrote Blacker. “We will get him healthy, regroup and point for the next race.”

Hit The Road had a 15-1 morning line and was coming to the race after a third-place effort in the G2 City of Hope Mile. Earlier this year he won the G1 Kilroe and the G3 Thunder Road. John Velazquez had the mount.

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