Luis Saez | Horse Racing Free Tips

Luis Saez Returns To Partner Maximum Security In Saturday’s Awesome Again

Luis Saez returns on Maximum Security in Saturday's Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita, Bob Baffert confirmed via text. The Awesome Again is a “Win and You're In” race for the Breeders' Cup Classic, to be held at Keeneland the first weekend of November.

Saez, a 28-year-old native of Panama City, has ridden the four-year-old son of New Year's Day in seven of his 12 career races, crossing the wire first six times and second in the Pegasus at Monmouth in June 2019.

Abel Cedillo had ridden Maximum Security in his last two races, winning both, the San Diego Handicap and the Grade I Pacific Classic.

Maximum Security was disqualified from victory two times with Saez aboard, first in the Saudi Cup Feb. 29 after which Saudi officials withheld distribution of $20 million in purse money pending investigation of his trainer at that time, Jason Servis, and others in the United States. The bay colt also was disqualified from first for a riding infraction at the top of the stretch in last year's Kentucky Derby.

Saez also will ride the maiden Spielberg in the American Pharoah Stakes for Baffert. Saez is fourth nationally in purse earnings this year with more than $10 million and second to Irad Ortiz Jr. in victories, 234 to 202.

The post Luis Saez Returns To Partner Maximum Security In Saturday’s Awesome Again appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Regal Glory Runs Down Mitchell Road In Ladies Turf Stakes At Kentucky Downs

For the first time in his future Hall of Fame career, trainer Chad Brown has made it a point to have a significant presence at the boutique Kentucky Downs meet in Franklin, Ky. As is often the case when the Mechanicville, N.Y., native shows up on the scene, he sent out one of his turf distaffers to claim some lucrative spoils as Regal Glory reeled in pacesetter Mitchell Road in deep stretch to take the Grade 3, $500,000 English Channel Ladies Turf Stakes by a neck on Saturday.

In giving her trainer his first graded-stakes triumph at the all-turf meet, Regal Glory also snapped a three-race losing and notched her third career graded victory. Owned and bred by Paul Pompa Jr. , the 4-year-old daughter of Animal Kingdom had been beaten by Grade 1-winning stablemates in each of her last three races heading into her trip to Kentucky Downs having run sixth behind Cambier Parc in the 2019 Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes, second to Newspaperofrecord in the Grade 3 Intercontinental Stakes at Belmont Park on June 6, and fourth behind that same barn mate in the Grade 1 Just a Game Stakes on June 27.

Without a wildly-accomplished, friendly rival in the gate with her this time around, Regal Glory was able to get herself back on the winning side of the equation. Under handling from jockey Jose Ortiz, the 7-5 race favorite tracked Mitchell Road in second around the European style turf course through fractions of :23.42 and :47.19 over yielding going.

“She handled the course really well. I knew she could handle the soft turf, since she's already won on it twice, so I was very confident going into the race,” Ortiz said of his mount. “Chad is doing fantastic here in his first year and his horses are doing fantastic too. I'm glad he came here. He's one of the best trainers in the nation, so why not be here. He's doing a tremendous job with (assistant) Whit (Beckman) and the team. She was much the best today and the only that could screw that up was me. I put her into a winning position and she responded well.”

Mitchell Road was still stubbornly holding onto her lead as she came off the turn into the lane, but Regal Glory was looming at her throat-latch in the final three-sixteenths of a mile before getting by late to hit the wire in 1:34.34 for the one-mile test over the rain-soaked course.

“That filly (Mitchell Road) on the front end gets tough. That was definitely a hard-fought stretch victory when it looked like our filly was poised to just take them easily,” said Whit Beckman, who oversees Brown's new Kentucky division based at Churchill Downs. “But you've got to give it to Mitchell Road. She ran a heck of a race.

“She was definitely getting a little class relief coming down here, but it's always an X factor with the set-up and everything. She ran a tremendous race. I mean she looked like the winner every step of the way to me.”

Mitchell Road held for second by 1 1/2 lengths over another Brown-trained runner, Tapit Today.

“She came out and ran and was right there,” said Luis Saez, jockey of Mitchell Road. “When we came to the stretch, I thought we were going to beat the winner, but she was too tough and we just got beat.”

Bred in Kentucky out of the More than Ready mare Mary's Follies, Regal Glory improved her record to six wins from 11 career starts with $773,884 in earnings. The chestnut mare previously annexed the Grade 3 Lake George and Grade 2 Lake Placid Stakes, both at Saratoga Race Course, last summer.

The post Regal Glory Runs Down Mitchell Road In Ladies Turf Stakes At Kentucky Downs appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Hough: Woodward Winner Global Campaign To Train Up To Breeders’ Cup Classic

Sagamore Farm and WinStar Farm's Global Campaign earned a 104 Beyer Speed Figure for his frontrunning score in Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward Handicap at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Trained by Stanley Hough and forwardly ridden by Luis Saez, Global Campaign was tracked throughout by Juddmonte Farms' regally-bred multiple graded-stakes winning millionaire Tacitus through splits of 24.65, 48.89 and 1:11.90 on the fast main track.

A busy Saez kept to task on Global Campaign late in the final turn and repelled the challenge from Tacitus to secure a 1 3/4-length win. He covered 10 furlongs in a final time of 2:01.40

“It was quite a performance. I'm so proud of him,” said Hough. “He came out of the race great and will be coming back to Churchill Downs later this morning.”

A six-time winner from nine starts with purse earnings of $781,080, Global Campaign made the grade in the 2019 Grade 3 Peter Pan at Belmont Park and entered the Woodward from a frontrunning score on July 18 over Math Wizard in the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup.

Hough said Global Campaign overcame some minor issues and is now living up to his early promise.

“He's had a lot of issues with nagging kinds of things, but at Monmouth I think he turned the corner,” said Hough. “He's been doing very well and his feet are better. We had a little problem with his feet after Monmouth with the shedding of a 'frog' [located on the underside of a horse's hoof], but that happens at some racetracks. For him, it's something that happens, but we were able to shoe him regularly for this race and he went into it fine.”

Hough said Global Campaign will now train up to the Grade 1, $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic on November 7 at Keeneland Race Course.

“We're hoping if everything stays good that we can take him to the Breeders' Cup,” said Hough. “We have 60 days, so the timing is good.”

By Curlin, Global Campaign is out of the late A.P. Indy mare Globe Trot, who passed away from complications giving birth to Global Campaign. Globe Trot produced three foals including multiple stakes winner and multiple graded-stakes placed Sonic Mule and multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Bolt d'Oro, who now stands at Spendthrift Farm.

Hough said Global Campaign has the credentials to be a successful stallion.

“I think Global Campaign is a really talented horse and with that pedigree, as far as being a stud goes, I don't think there's anybody more qualified than him,” said Hough.

Hough said a more mature Global Campaign will hopefully be a handful for his opponents, rather than himself, in the Breeders' Cup.

“He's been his own worst enemy in the past,” said Hough. “As a young horse he could be a little playful and some of the things that bothered him, he caused himself. But he's maturing, so I'm hoping he has at least one more good one in him.”

The post Hough: Woodward Winner Global Campaign To Train Up To Breeders’ Cup Classic appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Vequist Crushes Her Opposition To Earn Maiden Diploma In Spinaway

Second, beaten a nose at Parx Racing in her only previous start, Vequist ran away from her five rivals under Luis Saez to win Sunday's Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga race course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., by 9 1/2 lengths.

Esplanade finished second, with lady Lilly third and Irish Constitution fourth. Time for seven furlongs on a fast main track was 1:22.29.

Trained by Robert “Butch” Reid, Vequist was sent away at odds of 6-1. She tracked Esplanade in second from the outset through fractions of :22.41 and :44.87 for the opening half-mile, took command at the top of the stretch and drew away down the stretch as she pleased after a six-furlong split of 1:09.33.

Bred in Florida by Thomas McGrath's Swilcan Stables, Vequist is from the first crop by Nyquist – the 2015 champion 2-year-old male champion and 2016 Kentucky Derby winner. She's out of the Mineshaft mare, Vero Amore, a graded stakes-placed runner for Swilcan whose best stakes performance came when second to Stopchargingmaria in the G2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico in 2014.

Following her first start at Parx on July 29 when second to Niente, Wachtel Stables and Gary Barber each bought an interest from McGrath

The post Vequist Crushes Her Opposition To Earn Maiden Diploma In Spinaway appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post