Long Island S. | Horse Racing Free Tips

Fresh off a breakthrough victory at the graded level and subsequent $600,000 purchase by Town & Country Farms at the recently concluded Keeneland November Sale, Temple City Terror (Temple City) gave those that backed her into 65 cents on the dollar scarcely a nervous moment as she ran out a hands-and-heels winner of Friday's GIII Long Island S. at Aqeuduct.

Content to take up her customary position at the back of the field, the 6-year-old switched off nicely for Jose Ortiz as a somewhat hard-to-handle Big Time Lady (Big Brown) took them along at an even clip. Last, but always within easy striking distance down the backstretch, Temple City Terror was given her cue with about three furlongs to go, aided by a wayward Big Time Lady, who bothered Capital Structure (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) badly and cost that one any chance. Rocky Sky (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) inherited the lead and kicked into a clear lead in upper stretch, but possessed of one of the strongest finishing kicks when she is on song, Temple City Terror gathered up Rocky Sky and pulled away under minimal encouragement.

Reasonably lightly raced for a horse soon to be seven, Temple City Terror successfully defended her title in Churchill's Keertana S. May 28, but she caught an unsuitably soft Delaware turf course and could not get through the ground when seventh as the choice in the GIII R. G. Dick Memorial S. July 9. The dark bay completed the exacta behind future GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf third War Like Goddess (English Channel) in Saratoga's GII Glens Falls S. Aug. 6 and was a pace-compromised fourth in the GII Flower Bowl S. Sept. 3 ahead of her facile success in the GIII Rood & Riddle Dowager S. in what became her final appearance for Pocket Aces Racing and Somewhere Stable Kentucky and trainer Brendan Walsh.

And it appears there is more to come.

“As long as she continues to tell us that she wants to keep doing this, that's what we are going to let her do,” Shannon Potter, CEO of Town and Country, told the TDN while on his way out of Aqueduct Friday. “She's very sound and Brendan's team has done an awesome job with her. She was great today and there's no reason not go go on.”

Added Walsh: “She ran great and we were delighted with her. You couldn't ask for much more than that. These guys, to be fair, they came to me and asked if they should keep going on and I said, 'Absolutely.' I think she's only just gotten good now.”

Town and Country has previously bought successfully at breeding stock sales, with an eye on keeping those purchases in training. Stopchargingmaria (Tale of the Cat_ won the 2014 GI CCA Oaks and GI Alabama S. for Repole Stable and was led out unsold of that year's Fasig-Tipton November Sale on a bid of $3.15 million. Town and Country took over ownership in 2015 and the filly rewarded them with a victory in that year's GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland. Stopchargingmaria was subsequently sold on for $2.8 million at FTKNOV in 2016.

Temple City Terror will winter at Palm Meadows, Potter said.

Pedigree Notes:

Temple City Terror is the latest of 13 graded winners for her sire, the only active son of Dynaformer in Kentucky, and is one of four winners from as many to race from her dam, whose 5-year-old daughter R Calli Kim (Revolutionary) was trained by Walsh to a third-place effort in an 11-furlong allowance over the Belmont turf when last seen July 3. She is also the dam of the 4-year-old maiden-winning colt Silent Steve (Dominus).

Friday, Aqueduct
LONG ISLAND S.-GIII, $300,000, Aqueduct, 11-25, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 3/8mT, 2:15.56, fm.
1–TEMPLE CITY TERROR, 125, m, 6, by Temple City
                1st Dam: It Takes Two, by More Than Ready
                2nd Dam: Chastity Belle, by Gilded Time
                3rd Dam: Exquisite Mistress, by Nasty and Bold
($22,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP; $600,000 6yo '22 KEENOV). O-Town and Country Racing, LLC; B-Upson Downs Farm (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh; J-Jose L. Ortiz. $165,000. Lifetime Record: 29-7-5-5, $861,218. Werk Nick Rating: A Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Rocky Sky (Ire), 125, f, 4, Rock of Gibraltar (Ire)–Road Tosky (Ire), by Elusive City. O-Peter M. Brant; B-Eadling Farm Ltd (IRE); T-Chad C. Brown. $60,000.
3–Kalifornia Queen (Ger), 121, m, 5, Lope de Vega (Ire)– Kaldera (Ger), by Sinndar (Ire). (€70,000 Ylg '18 BBAGO; €260,000 3yo '20 ARARC). O-Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables LLC, First Row Partners & Michael J. Caruso; B-Stall Torjager (GER); T-Chad C. Brown. $36,000.
Margins: 1HF, 6 3/4, 1. Odds: 0.65, 4.30, 6.70.
Also Ran: Capital Structure (GB), Tic Tic Tic Boom, Big Time Lady.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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GI Kentucky Derby upsetter Rich Strike (Keen Ice) hopes to strengthen his case for a year-end championship title as he takes on his elders in the GI Clark H. Friday at Churchill Downs.

Right now, the 3-year-old male divisional title could go any way. Taiba (Gun Runner) and Cyberknife (Gun Runner) each have a pair of Grade Is to their credit and Epicenter (Not This Time) won the GI Runhappy Travers S. In addition to finishing second in the first two legs of the Triple Crown.

Rich Strike only has one top-level score to his name, but it's a big one, taking home the roses at a whopping 80-1. Skipping the GI Preakness S., he failed to fire in the GI Belmont S. in June, but showed improvement when fourth in the Travers. The chestnut missed by just a head to the gutsy Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) in the GII Lukas Classic at this venue Oct. 1 and was fourth last out, behind third-place Taiba, in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic Nov. 5 at Keeneland. Rich Strike clearly loves Churchill Downs, having broken his maiden by 17 1/4 lengths in his other start at this venue, and could put himself in the dual Grade I winner category just in time.

The Derby winner won't have it easy, however. He faces a host of talented challengers, including GII Hagyard Fayette S. romper West Will Power (Bernardini). Runner-up Fulsome (Into Mischief), a four-time Grade III winner, and third-place Last Samurai (Malibu Moon) also return here. Also worth strong consideration is Godolphin homebred Proxy (Tapit), last seen closing to be third behind Classic runner-up Olympiad (Speightstown) in the GII Stephen Foster S. at this oval July 2.

Churchill's post-Thanksgiving card also features the GII Mrs. Revere S. for 3-year-old turf fillies. GII Rubicon Valley View S. runner-up California Angel (California Chrome) tops the field, but should the Bubble Rock (More Than Ready) who won the GIII Matron S. show up this time, she could be in trouble.

Aqueduct plays host to a pair of graded events, the GIII Long Island S. for female turf routers and the GIII Comely S. for sophomore fillies on the main track. The latter features the return of dual graded winner Kathleen O. (Upstart). Opening her account with a quartet of victories, including the GII Davona Dale S. and GII Gulfstream Park Oaks, the dark bay suffered her first career defeat when rallying for fifth in the GI Kentucky Oaks and has not been seen since.

Godolphin homebred Nostalgic (Medaglia d'Oro) won a graded event at this oval in the spring, the GIII Gazelle S., and missed by a neck last out here in the GIII Turnback the Alarm H. Nov. 4.

GI Cotillion S. runner-up Morning Matcha (Central Banker) and Seneca Overnight S. one-two Sixtythreecaliber (Gun Runner) and Falconet (Uncle Mo) also return in this competitive field.

Rounding out Friday's graded action is the GII Hollywood Turf Cup S. at Del Mar.

The post Rich Strike Looks to Bolster Resume in Clark appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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