luis mendez | Horse Racing Free Tips

Insight Outcomes: Mendez Upsets Well-Bet Ward Baby in Keeneland Debut

On an action-packed stakes weekend, insights were relatively light, featuring an upset of perennial 2-year-old powerhouse Wesley Ward in the Keeneland meet opener Friday and the unveiling of a $1.25-million purchase on the Aqueduct turf Saturday.

Friday's Insights: Laoban Full-Sister Debuts at Keeneland

1st-Keeneland, $60,904, Msw, 4-8, 2yo, 4 1/2f, :53.16, ft, 5 lengths.

The annual tradition of Wesley Ward dominating Keeneland's April 2-year-old races early and often was immediately interrupted by emerging California juvenile trainer Luis Mendez–starting his first-ever horse at Keeneland–and Flavien Prat thanks to five-length winner KING ADROCK (c, 2, Uncaptured–Gardening Leave, by Colonel John) in Friday's meet opener. The $25,000 Fasig-Tipton October buy prompted the pace, took over early in the stretch and kicked away smartly as the clear 51-10 second choice behind 2-5 Ward baby Dominicana (Uncle Mo). Favored as a filly facing males, the $300,000 Keeneland September buy wasn't away all that great and showed brief speed before retreating to finish sixth. Dominicana still possesses plenty of upside, as a full-sister to Laoban, who broke his maiden in his eighth start–at 27-1 in the GII Jim Dandy S. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Saturday's Insights: $1.25-Million American Pharoah Colt Debuts

3rd-Aqueduct, $80,000, Msw, 4-9, 3yo/up, 1mT, 1:39.96, gd, 1 length.
Speedway Stables' Colton Charlemagne (American Pharoah) brought intrigue to this Big A turf mile as a $1.25-million Fasig-Tipton Select Yearling buy and half-brother to MGSW/GISP Travel Column (Frosted), but the dark bay broke several lengths behind the field and never got involved as BAY STREET MONEY (g, 5, Street Sense–Collect the Cash, by Dynaformer) broke through in his ninth career start. One to watch coming out of this race is 16-1 runner-up Howe Street (Honor Code) for trainer Jorge Abreu. Breaking from the outside post in a 12-horse field, the John Gunther homebred was second-last out of the stalls, got carried wide into the clubhouse turn and bravely weaved through traffic in the stretch to finish a fast-closing second before blowing by the winner in the gallop-out. The dark bay earned an 81 Beyer for the effort. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Insight Outcomes: Mendez Upsets Well-Bet Ward Baby in Keeneland Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Baffert To Saddle Messier, Barossa In Search Of Eighth Straight Win In Los Alamitos Futurity

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will send out Messier and Barossa as he seeks his eighth consecutive victory in the Grade 2, $300,000 Los Alamitos Futurity Saturday.

The contest at 1 1/16 miles for 2-year-olds is the ninth of 10 races on the next-to-last day of the Winter Thoroughbred meet at Los Alamitos. Post time Saturday is 12 Noon. Scheduled post time for the Futurity is 3:58 p.m.

Baffert, who has won each of the Los Alamitos Futurities offered at Los Alamitos since daytime Thoroughbred racing returned in 2014, trains Messier for a partnership that includes Golconda Stable, Madaket Stables LLC, SF Racing LLC, Siena Farm LLC, Starlight Racing, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan, Robert Masterson and Jay Schoenfarber.

A son of Empire Maker and the Smart Strike mare Cherokee Past has won two of three and earned $105,600. After finishing second as the odds-on favorite in his debut June 27 at Los Alamitos, the Canadian bred has gone back-to-back, prevailing by a combined 10 lengths. In his most recent appearance, Messier won the Grade 3 Bob Hope by three lengths Nov. 14.

An Into Mischief colt out of the Flower Alley mare Bouquet Booth, Barossa, who has the same ownership group as Messier, finished ninth of 11 in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Nov. 5.

He's won once in four starts and earned $69,200. He broke his maiden at eight furlongs two starts back at Santa Anita.

Trainer Doug O'Neill, who was second in the 2020 Futurity with The Great One, will be represented by Durante and Slow Down Andy.

A son of Distorted Humor and the Pioneerof the Nile mare Seahawk Girl, Durante graduated as the 1-2 favorite in his most recent start at one mile Nov. 14. He's earned $54,700 in three outings for Roadrunner Racing and William Strauss.

A California bred son of Nyquist and the Square Eddie mare Edwina E, Slow Down Andy is 1-for-2 for owner-breeder J. Paul Reddam's Reddam Racing LLC. The chestnut colt won by nearly five lengths in his debut Oct. 9, then was second as the 11-10 favorite in the Golden State Juvenile four weeks later. He's banked $69,850.

Completing the field is Olympic Legend, a Street Boss colt out of the Mingun mare Brilliant Future.

Owned by breeders Lawrence Opas and Frank Sinatra and trained by Luis Mendez, Olympic Legend is the only member of the field with a win at Los Alamitos. He upset a field that included Messier when nearly 11-1 June 27. He's been idle since finishing a distant third in the Capote Stakes locally Sept. 18.

Olympic Legend is 1-for-4 with earnings of $38,500.

From inside out, the field for the Los Alamitos Futurity: Olympic Legend, Jose Valdivia, Jr. rides, 120 pounds; Durante, Umberto Rispoli, 120; Messier, Flavien Prat, 120; Barossa, Juan Hernandez, 120 and Slow Down Andy, Mario Gutierrez, 120.

The post Baffert To Saddle Messier, Barossa In Search Of Eighth Straight Win In Los Alamitos Futurity appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Mendez Celebrates Dr. Schivel, Prepares Two For CTBA Stakes

The eyes of Luis Mendez took on a little extra sparkle Sunday morning when the subject turned to Dr. Schivel's victory on Saturday in the Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

Mendez trained Dr. Schivel in his first four career starts as a 2-year-old in 2020, culminating in a victory in the $300,000 Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity. The colt was privately purchased after an impressive maiden victory a month earlier and the new ownership, Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal, kept him in Mendez's care through the Futurity pending transfer to the stable of Mark Glatt.

And even though Dr. Schivel is no longer on his shedrow, the horse's success understandably generates feelings of pride in Mendez.

“It was beautiful, lovely, the best possible feeling,” Mendez said. “I'm really happy for the owners and Mark Glatt, too. I'm glad that the horse keeps going up and up. We had a barbeque and watched the race. I got some texts from people saying congratulations. It makes you feel good inside.”

Getting Dr. Schivel to the point he did has had a positive effect on Mendez and his career.

“I'm more comfortable and confident,” Mendez said. “Trainers I respect are now asking me (for advice) sometimes and I take that as a compliment.”

There's a large wooden sign with his name on it that identifies the area where Mendez has 18 stalls in the Del Mar stable area. And he'll saddle a couple of prospects from those stalls when Week Four of the summer season starts Thursday.

Mendez has Ko Olina and Drizella entered in Thursday's featured $100,000 California Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (CTBA) Stakes for California-bred 2-year-old fillies.

Sagely, Mendez isn't about to favor one over the other. He just cites their individual characteristics and is glad that sorting out the jockey assignments for them worked out without excess stress on himself.

[Story Continues Below]

Edwin Maldonado, who had ridden them both in recent maiden wins, opted for Ko Olina, a daughter of Stanford owned by C T R Stables. That put Juan Hernadez, who had ridden Drizella in her first two starts, comfortably back in the irons of another daughter of Stanford owned by William R. Peeples.

“Ko Olina had me worried before she won here because she was really nervous and washed out before the race,” Mendez said. “Drizella had been very aggressive and kind of nervous going to the track to train before, but I like the way she has settled down and is acting now.”

The CTBA field from the rail with jockeys in parenthesis: Madiha (Umberto Rispoli); At the Spa (Tyler Baze); Lion's Lair (Tiago Pereira); Gianna's Wild Cat (Jessica Pyfer); Carmen Miranda (Giovanni Franco); Irish Wahine (Abel Cedillo); It's Simple (Mario Gutierrez); Ko Olina (Edwin Maldonado) and Drizella (Juan Hernandez).

The post Mendez Celebrates Dr. Schivel, Prepares Two For CTBA Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Upcoming Del Mar Stakes Feature Two-Year-Olds, Rock Your World

Four stakes that spotlight promising 2-year-olds, the second leg of the series for 3-year-olds, and the 69th running of the Yellow Ribbon for older fillies and mares on turf comprise a six-pack of added-money events for the fourth week of the meeting starting Thursday at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

The $100,000 California Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Stakes, at 5 ½ furlongs for California-bred 2-year-old fillies initiates things on Thursday. From a list of 12 nominations, a field of nine was entered Saturday with Jorge Periban-trained At the Spa significantly coming in off a victory in a $100,000 stakes at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., in June.

The post position draw was to be held later in the day. The field in alphabetical order with jockeys in parenthesis: At the Spa (Tyler Baze); Carmen Miranda (Giovanni Franco); Drizella (Juan Hernandez); Gianna's Wild Cat (Jessica Pyfer); Irish Wahine (Abel Cedillo); It's Simple (Mario Gutierrez); Ko Olina (Edwin Maldonado); Lion's Lair (Tiago Pereira) and Madiha (Umberto Rispoli).

Friday's feature is the $200,000 Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, often a stepping stone to the $300,000 Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante near the end of the meeting. Bob Baffert, a seven-time Sorrento-winning trainer, has three of the 22 nominees.

Saturday card features the $200,000 Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon and the $200,000 Best Pal. The Yellow Ribbon, at 1 1/16 miles on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course, drew a dozen nominees topped by Simon Callaghan-trained Maxim Rate, winner of the Grade I Gamely at Santa Anita in May.

The Best Pal, often an identifier of potential for the $300,000 Grade 1 Runhappy Del Mar Futurity on closing day of the meeting, has 16 nominations, six of whom have been training outside California.

The week concludes Sunday with the $150,000 Grade 3 La Jolla, the second leg of the series for 3-year-olds, and the $100,000 Graduation Stakes for California-bred 2-year-olds.

John Sadler-trained Santa Anita Derby winner Rock Your World is among 15 nominations for the La Jolla, a return to turf racing for the son of Candy Ride after unsuccessful Triple Crown trail runs in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.

Fourteen were nominated to the Graduation, among them Luis Mendez-trained Big City Lights, a winner of two starts by a combined 19 ¾ lengths.

The post Upcoming Del Mar Stakes Feature Two-Year-Olds, Rock Your World appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post