Luis Saez | Horse Racing Free Tips

Center Aisle Much The Best In Sugar Swirl, Earns First Stakes Victory

Center Aisle stalked a quick pace over six furlongs at Gulfstream Park and dueled with Frank's Rockette down the stretch to take the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl by a length. After two in-the-money finishes in other graded stakes races, the daughter of Into Mischief breaks through to win her first graded stakes.

Loriloupies was quickest out of the gate at the Hallandale Beach, Fla., track, setting early fractions of :21.72 for the quarter mile and :44.18 for a half mile. She was part of a four-across quartet of Frank's Rockette, Center Aisle, and Quinoa Tifah down the backstretch and into the race's only turn. As they straightened for home, Center Aisle and Frank's Rockette began to separate themselves from the field, dueling down the Gulfstream straight.

The two fillies were head to head throughout the stretch run, but Center Aisle was able to pull away from Frank's Rockette to win by a length. Bronx Beauty was third.

The final time was 1:09.54. Find this race's chart here.

Center Aisle paid $6.20, $2.80, and $2.60. Frank's Rockette paid $2.60 and $2.20. Bronx Beauty paid $2.80.

Bred in Kentucky by Breffni Farm, Center Aisle is by Into Mischief out of the Empire Maker mare Specification. She is owned by OXO Equine LLC and trained by Paulo Lobo. The filly was consigned by Tom McCrocklin and purchased by her owners for $1.5 million at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Florida Select Two-Year-Olds In Training Sale. With her win in the G3 Sugar Swirl, the 4-year-old filly has three wins in three starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of four wins in eight starts and career earnings of

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Red-Hot Luis Saez Records Second Straight Four-Win Day At Gulfstream Park

Fresh off a four-win day Wednesday, jockey Luis Saez added another four trips to the Gulfstream Park winner's circle Thursday to take over the top spot in the Championship Meet standings.

The 29-year-old native of Panama, who won back-to-back Championship Meet titles in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, entered the day tied with idle Paco Lopez with 12 wins apiece before scoring aboard Whiskeyonhislips ($3.40) in Race 2, Current Situation ($8) in Race 3, Bird Wildcat ($5.20) in Race 6 and Avow ($4.20) in Race 10.

“I love to ride at Gulfstream Park; it's so familiar; it's where I first came to from Panama,” Saez said. “The horses are running good for us, and my agent is doing a wonderful job. I'm very grateful.”

Kiaran McLaughlin teamed with Saez following his retirement from training last year.

“I'm blessed to be with him. He's very classy,” Saez said. “I'm doing good and very happy.”

Saez is used to winning races in bunches at Gulfstream, where he rode a record-equaling seven winners on a card Jan. 24, 2018 and March 29, 2018.

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 gross jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $150,000 for Friday's program at Gulfstream Park, four racing days after a jackpot of $407,067.66 was taken down by one lucky bettor last Saturday.

Friday's Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 4-9.

The Rainbow 6 jackpot is paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day's pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Who's Hot: Jockey Tyler Gaffalione doubled aboard Dominant Joy ($2.40) in Race 1 and Seizing the Dream ($7) in Race 8.

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Canadian Champion Mighty Heart Faces Pletcher-Trained Fearless In Harlan’s Holiday

Repole Stable's Fearless will make a bid to return to graded stakes-winning form while making his second start off a six-month layoff in Saturday's $150,000 Harlan's Holiday (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

The Harlan's Holiday, a 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds and up, and the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2), a 1 1/8-mile turf event for 3-year-olds and up, will co-headline Saturday's program, on which the $100,000 Sugar Swirl (G3), a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares, the $100,000 Suwannee River (G3), a mile turf stakes for fillies and mares, and the $100,000 Rampart, a mile event for fillies and mares, will be renewed.

The Harlan's Holiday and Fort Lauderdale are preps for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) and the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1), respectively, Jan. 29 at Gulfstream. The Suwannee River is a prep for the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G3) on the same program.

Fearless is coming off a second-place finish in the Nov. 21 Miami Gardens overnight handicap, in which he lost for the first time in fourth starts at Gulfstream. The 5-year-old Ghostzapper gelding was the even-money favorite in his first start since finishing third in the May 14 Pimlico Special (G3).

“He likes the track and he ran a good race off the layoff, so we're thinking that should set him up good for the Harlan's Holiday,” trainer Todd Pletcher said.

Prior to coming up a length short of beating Girolamo's Attack, Fearless had gone 3-for-3 at Gulfstream, including a victory in the Feb. 27 Gulfstream Park Mile (G2).

Due to his large size, Fearless didn't make his career debut until the very tail end of his 3-year-old season, capturing a six-furlong maiden special weight race at Gulfstream. He came right back to win a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance at the Hallandale Beach track.

“I remember him as a yearling, and the one concern was – how big he was,” Pletcher said. “Fortunately, he hasn't grown a lot. He was big enough to begin with. He was a horse that the guys at WinStar said was a difficult horse to break and get ready.

“He's been gelded and since then, his behavior has been good and he's been consistent. He added.

Luis Saez is scheduled to ride Fearless for the first time since guiding the Pletcher trainee to victory in his debut.

Multiple graded-stakes winner Mighty Heart looms as a formidable opponent for Fearless in the Harlan's Holiday. The Lawrence Cordes homebred is coming off a front-running victory in the Autumn (G2) at Woodbine after finishing fourth in the Durham Cup (G3).

“In his prior race, he blew a shoe and didn't show up. We figured something went wrong. Coming back, we were expecting him to run well,” trainer Josie Carroll said.

The 4-year-old son of Dramedy won the 2020 Queen's Plate over Woodbine's Tapeta surface before capturing the Prince of Wales on dirt at Fort Erie. The Ontario-bred colt won the Blame Stakes at Churchill Downs, finished second in the West Virginia Governor's Cup (G3) at Mountaineer, and finished third in an optional claiming allowance at Keeneland in his other starts on dirt.

“He's obviously run well on synthetic, but he's also run really well on dirt. He won the Prince of Wales on dirt. When he ran great at Churchill Downs when he won the Blame. His race at Keeneland was also very good.” Carroll said.

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez is scheduled to ride Mighty Heart for the first time in the Harlan's Holiday.

Owner/trainer Steve Budhoo's Eye of a Jedi, who finished second in last year's Harlan's Holiday, will seek to improve on a trio of recent starts at a mile around one turn.

“The mile has been killing him. He needs two turns,” Budhoo said.

The 6-year-old gelding won the 1 1/8-mile Ghostzapper (G3) around two turns with Javier Castellano aboard last year. The Hall of Fame rider will return aboard Eye of a Jedi Saturday.

James Woodruff's Blue Steel, winner of the Claiming Crown Iron Horse Kent Sterling Memorial; Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable, Peter Deutsch and Pantofel Stable LLC's South Bend, an optional claiming allowance winner at Churchill Downs; and Calumet Farm's Twenty Twice round out the field.

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Officiating Graduates To Graded Stakes Winner In Mr. Prospector

Over a fast track at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., Officiating stalked the pace set by Wind of Change, went three-wide into the stretch, and took the lead in the last furlong to win the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector over Endorsed and Dennis' Moment.

At the break in the seven-furlong G3 stakes, Wind of Change showed his head in front first, taking a one-length lead inside the first furlong. Into the first turn, Wind of Change maintained that advantage over Doc Amster and Officiating, setting fractions of :22.18 for the first quarter and :44.75 for the half mile. Into the far turn, Officiating went three-wide, going to the outside of Wind of Change and Doc Amster as they hit the top of the stretch.

In the Gulfstream straight, Officiating and Doc Amster passed Wind of Change, with Dennis' Moment and Endorsed on the outside challenging. Officiating pulled clear with a furlong to go and held off a late surging Endorsed to win the Mr. Prospector by three-quarters of a length. Endorsed was second, with Dennis' Moment holding on for third. Doc Amster, Wind of Change, Flap Jack, and Poppy's Pride rounded out the order of finish.

The final time for the seven furlongs was 1:22.28. Find this race's chart here.

Officiating paid $16.80, $6.00, and $3.60. Endorsed paid $3.20 and $2.40. Dennis' Moment paid $2.60.

Bred in Florida by owner Vegso Racing Stable, Officiating is by Blame out of the Dixie Union mare Come a Callin. He is trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. The 3-year-old colt was a $100,000 RNA consigned by Eaton Sales at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. With his win in the G3 Mr. Prospector, Officiating has three wins in 10 starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of 14-3-4-2 and career earnings of $206,547.

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