Louis Lazzinnaro | Horse Racing Free Tips

Marc Keller's Kentucky homebred Daunt will look to make his stakes debut a winning one in Friday's $100,000 Awad, a 1 1/16-mile Widener turf test for juveniles at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The Awad is one of four stakes on Friday's packed card, including the $200,000 Ticonderoga, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for state-bred fillies and mares; the $150,000 Tempted, a one-turn mile for juvenile fillies; and the $100,000 Atlantic Beach, a six-furlong turf sprint for 2-year-olds.

Trained by Bobby Ribaudo, Daunt, a 2-year-old Nyquist colt, finished a close fifth in his August debut traveling 1 1/16-miles over the firm turf at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He overcame a bobbled start to graduate at second asking with a strong rallying effort traveling 1 1/16-miles over firm Belmont turf on September 23.

Ribaudo said Daunt has matured considerably.

“He was a playful colt and we were considering gelding him, but he's really turned around,” Ribaudo said. “His race in Saratoga was real good. We just wanted to see what he was all about in that spot. He came back here and broke his maiden and it was a troubled trip for a young horse, but he handled it well mentally.”

The well-related Daunt is out of the graded-stakes placed Artie Schiller mare Promotional, who is a half-sister to multiple Grade 1-winner and $2 million earner Marketing Mix.

Keller purchased Promotional for $275,000 in foal to Nyquist out of the 2019 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale. A Glen Hill Farm homebred, the turf-focused Promotional made all but two of her 18 career starts at 1 1/16-miles or beyond, including a runner-up effort in the 12-furlong 2017 Grade 3 Dowager at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.

“She was with Tom Proctor her whole career for Glen Hill, so she was in good hands racing wise. She's a homebred of theirs and we bought her in foal to Nyquist,” Ribaudo said. “This is her first foal and it turned out to be real nice. We have a Speightstown out of her but we're thinking about going back to Nyquist.

“The mare was all distance,” Ribaudo added. “She was placed going long in stakes and this horse [Daunt] shows the same kind of talent and he never gets tired.”

Ribaudo said if Daunt continues to improve, he would be a good fit for NYRA's Turf Triple Series.

“He's going to be a very nice horse next year,” Ribaudo said. “I'm hoping he stays around for those long races here next year for 3-year-olds.”

Daunt breezed a half-mile in :50.22 seconds October 24 over firm Belmont inner turf, which was softened somewhat by overnight rain. Ribaudo said he expects Daunt will be able to handle less-than-firm footing this weekend if needed.

“Since the race, he's really been training good. I worked him the other day on the turf and he did well,” Ribaudo said. “Soft turf is tiring for young horses but he never gets tired, so I don't think it will affect him as much it might the other horses.”

Manny Franco will have the call from post 3.

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Royal Spirit graduated on debut at 1 1/16-miles over firm Spa turf in August for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. By Into Mischief, the $450,000 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase purchase was bumped at the break before rallying to finish second last out in the one-mile Nownownow over good turf at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., on September 26.

Pletcher said he's hopeful of a good effort on Friday.

“I think he's proven he's a stakes quality horse,” Pletcher said.

Royal Spirit will emerge from post 6 under Paco Lopez.

General Ken, a recent private purchase for owner Louis Lazzinnaro, will make his stakes debut for four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown.

A Violence juvenile, General Ken earned a 74 Beyer for a front-running 7 1/4-length maiden score traveling a mile and 70 yards over good turf at Delaware Park in Wilmington, Del., on September 15.

General Ken has breezed five times at Belmont with his last two works coming over the inner turf, including a five-eighths effort Saturday in 1:01.40.

Dylan Davis will pilot General Ken from post 2.

Rounding out the field are maiden winners Geno [post 5, Jorge Vargas, Jr.], Artie's Angel [post 1, Wilmer Garcia], and Ohtwoohthreefive [post 4, Eric Cancel].

The Awad is slated as Race 7 on Friday's 10-race card. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

The post Daunt Goes For First Stakes Win In Friday’s Awad appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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There were some anxious moments throughout the running of Sunday's $100,000 Busanda for The Grass Is Blue, but the daughter of Broken Vow proved superior in the nine-furlong event for sophomore fillies at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Owned by Louis Lazzinnaro and trained by Chad Brown, The Grass Is Blue received a well-timed ride by jockey Manny Franco, who piloted the filly to a one-length triumph in her second start around two turns and first with blinkers.

The Grass Is Blue garnered ten points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks when taking the Busanda – a 10-4-2-1 qualifier for the prestigious event. The Grass Is Blue arrived at the Busanda off a close third as the favorite in Laurel Park's Anne Arundel County on December 26.

Breaking from the outside post in the five-horse field, Franco angled The Grass Is Blue to the inside approaching the first turn while Traffic Lane assumed command with fellow Todd Pletcher-trained Repole Stable color bearer Coffee Bar close behind in second through an opening quarter-mile in 24.44 seconds. Franco had a tight hold on The Grass Is Blue, who was rank as the field approached the backstretch.

With the half in 49.73, Traffic Lane was maintained command as The Grass Is Blue was still in search of racing room along the fence with Wonderwall and Diamond Ore inching closer to the front.

As Coffee Bar inched her way to even terms with her stable mate at the top of the stretch, Franco weaved The Grass Is Blue two paths to the outside and in the clear and gave the filly her cue at the three-sixteenths. Coffee Bar proved to be a tough customer and battled gamely to the inside, but the 8-5 favorite proved best, completing the 1 1/8 miles in a final time of 1:54.90 on the fast main track.

The New York-bred Coffee Bar, a Repole Stable homebred, finished another five lengths ahead of Diamond Ore, who rounded out the trifecta. Traffic Lane and Wonderwall completed the order of finish.

Franco expressed confidence in his filly and said the equipment change made a big difference.

“I knew I had a lot of horse under me the whole way around,” said Franco, who piloted Always Shopping to a win in the 2019 Busanda.“The blinkers helped a lot. I was just waiting for the right moment to make my move and at the quarter pole, she just accelerated. With the blinkers first time, I knew she was going to take me there. I just wanted to give her a breather at some point during the race and that's why I stayed inside. When the time came, I tipped out and she just accelerated. She got the distance really well.”

Lazzinnaro was full of praise for Franco for a confident and patient ride aboard his filly.

“I think Manny gave the horse a perfect trip,” Lazzinnaro said. “It looked like she liked the track a lot so we'll probably keep her here during the winter and let Chad figure out what to do and how to go about winning another race with her. Chad took his time with her and got her going good. The distance was good for her today.”

The Grass Is Blue returned $5.20 as the favorite and banked $55,000 in victory pushing her lifetime earnings past the six-figure mark to $121,978 through a career of 5-3-0-1.

Bred in Kentucky by Phillips Racing Partnership, The Grass Is Blue is out of the Aldebaran mare Shine Softly, whose mother Soaring Softly won the 1999 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf and was named Champion Turf Mare that same year.

Live racing resumes Thursday at Aqueduct with an eight-race card. First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

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