Maclean's Music | Horse Racing Free Tips

Nocturnal Will Clash With Grade 1 Winner Drain The Clock In Gulfstream Allowance

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Cheyenne Stables' Nocturnal is scheduled to return from a nine-month layoff at Gulfstream Park in Friday's Race 7 feature, in which his talent and fitness figure to be sternly tested while clashing with Slam Dunk Racing and Madaket Stables LLC's Drain the Clock.

The Todd Pletcher-trained Nocturnal, who hasn't raced since capturing a Feb. 27 optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Park, has always been highly regarded as a horse with stakes potential.

“We always felt he had that kind of potential. Unfortunately, he's had some minor setbacks along the way, and it's been hard to keep him on a consistent schedule,” Pletcher said. “Hopefully, this time around, we can accomplish that.”

Nocturnal debuted at Gulfstream in a March 2020 in a seven-furlong maiden special weight race, finishing second after setting the pace behind Pletcher-trained Dr Post, who went on to finish second behind Florida Derby (G1) winner Tiz the Law in the 2020 Belmont Stakes (G1).

The son of Palace Malice went to the sidelines for seven months but came back to graduate at Gulfstream in January with a front-running 3 ¾-length romp at a mile. Five weeks later, the 4-year-old Kentucky-bred came right back to win an entry-level optional claiming allowance by 1 ¼ lengths before going back to the sidelines.

Nocturnal, who will be ridden by Luis Saez, has been gelded since his most recent race.

“He's trained really well, as he always has. We had originally entered him in a mile race that didn't fill, so he kind of landed in a race that I'm concerned might be a little too short for him,” Pletcher said. “We're hoping for a good hot pace, and hopefully, he can close into that.”

Nocturnal drew the rail post position, four stalls inside Drain the Clock in the starting gate.

“It's not ideal, but I do think with the other speed in the race, he'll be able to work out a good trip,” Pletcher said. “We anticipate they'll run away from him early on and hope Luis can work him to the outside.”

Drain the Clock, the 8-5 morning-line favorite, will face older horses for the first time Friday after establishing himself as one of the country's leading 3-year-old sprinters.

The son of Maclean's Music will return from a well-deserved freshening since finishing fourth in the Aug. 28 H. Allen Jerkens (G1) at Saratoga. After winning three races and finishing second after setting the pace in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth (G2), Drain the Clock went on the road to win the Bay Shore (G3) at Aqueduct and the Woody Stephens (G1) at Saratoga, beating Jackie's Warrior. He finished second behind Jackie's Warrior in the Amsterdam (G2) at Saratoga before his subpar run in the Jerkens.

“We're happy to have him back on Friday. Hopefully, he can come back with a bang,” Joseph said.

Dare to Dream Stable LLC's Quick Tempo, a stakes-winning son of Tapizar, enters Friday's feature off a close-up third in a Keeneland allowance on turf. Junior Alvarado has the call aboard the Christopher Davis-trained 3-year-old.

Sagamore Mischief, Flap Jack, Where Paradise Lay and Gatsby are also entered.

The post Nocturnal Will Clash With Grade 1 Winner Drain The Clock In Gulfstream Allowance appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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‘Rising Star’ Beau Liam to Airdrie

Stonestreet Stables LLC's `TDN Rising Star' Beau Liam (Liam's Map–Belle of Perintown, by Dehere) has been retired from racing and will stand the upcoming breeding season at Brereton and Elizabeth Jones's Airdrie Stud as a partnership between Stonestreet, Spendthrift Farm and Airdrie. Trained by Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, Beau Liam won his first three starts this season. Beau Liam will stand his first season for a fee of $6,000 stands and nurses.

Named a TDN Rising Star following his 7 1/2-length debut at Churchill Downs, Beau Liam's six-furlong time of 1:08 3/5 represented the fastest recorded clocking of any maiden at the distance in the history of the racetrack, earning a Ragozin Sheet number of 5 3/4. In his second start, he earned a 106 Beyer Speed Figure when taking a seven-furlong allowance at Saratoga. His Beyer trailed only multiple Grade I winner Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music)'s 107 and equaled the 106 figure earned by Grade I scorer Life is Good (Into Mischief), listed among the fastest 3-year-olds of the year at seven furlongs. In his third start, a dominant six-length victory at Saratoga, Beau Liam stopped the clock for 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15 flat, earning a career high 107 Beyer Speed Figure.

Bet down to 2-5 favoritism while taking on his elders in the GIII Ack Ack S. at Churchill Downs, Beau Liam finished second, beaten by a length to the multiple graded stakes winner Plainsman (Flatter). The final time for the mile fixture was 1:33 4/5. Beau Liam was being pointed to the GI Cigar Mile at the time of a training injury that led to his retirement. He retires with three wins and a second from four lifetime starts and earnings of $229,000.

Bred in Kentucky by Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Farm, the son of Liam's Map was retained to race in the farm colors after not meeting his $385,000 reserve as a yearling at the Keeneland September Sale. From the second crop of his sire, the final hammer price was higher than the most expensive Liam's Map yearling of the 2019 sales season. His dam, the Dehere mare Belle of Perintown, was the winner of the GII Silverbulletday S. as a 3-year-old after a juvenile stakes victory in the Pocahontas S. at Churchill. In addition to Beau Liam, she is the dam of no fewer than three other black-type performers, including the graded-winning Strike it Rich (Unbridled's Song) and graded stakes-producing Sumptuous (Hennessy). Belle of Perintown is a granddaughter and great granddaughter, respectively, of the talented race fillies Jeanne Jones (Nijinsky II) and Beautiful Glass (Pass the Glass).

“Beau Liam is a brilliantly fast horse by one of the most exciting young stallions in the industry,” said Airdrie's Bret Jones. “He is gorgeous, and from a top-class family. There is no shortage of important stallions with a similar race record to this horse and their unifying characteristic has almost always been brilliant ability. We believe running the fastest maiden sprint in Churchill Downs history on debut and then following with 106 and 107 Beyers absolutely merits that distinction. We have been given a tremendous opportunity by Barbara Banke and the great team at Spendthrift Farm to stand this horse and we will be supporting him heavily to ensure he has the opportunity we all believe he deserves.”

“This horse was an absolute freak,” said Stonestreet Farm bloodstock advisor John Moynihan. “Everyone saw what he did as a 3-year-old, but he showed us that talent at two as well. I would have the same belief in Beau Liam's stallion potential as when we retired Maclean's Music. He's that kind of special. He will get a great chance at Airdrie Stud.”

“He's just a freakishly fast horse,” added Asmussen. “I wish we'd had the opportunity to get a Grade I next to his name, but anyone who saw him run knows he was of that talent level.”

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Drain The Clock Breezes Ahead Of Return To Races Friday

Grade 1 winner Drain the Clock breezed a half-mile in :45.48 Sunday morning at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., producing the fastest of 53 workouts timed at the distance in preparation for a return to action Friday.

The 3-year-old son of Maclean's Music, who captured the G1 Woody Stephens on the June 5 Belmont Stakes undercard, has been on the sidelines since finishing fourth in the G1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes August 28 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Sunday's breeze was the latest in a series of five workouts in preparation for his return in a six-furlong optional claiming allowance in Friday's Race 7 feature.

“He's had good preparation. We'll get him started in the allowance, and after that, we'll come up with a plan for where we'll go to next,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said.

Tyler Gaffalione has the mount on Drain the Clock, who will take on six rivals, including Todd Pletcher-trained Nocturnal, who has been idle since breaking his maiden and winning an optional claiming allowance back-to-back during last season's Championship Meet.

Drain the Clock has won three races in four starts at Gulfstream, including last season's G3 Swale. His only loss at Gulfstream came in a second-place finish in the two-turn G2 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes.

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Uncle Chuck Retired to Journeyman

Uncle Chuck (Uncle Mo–Forest Music, by Unbridled's Song), romping winner of last year's GIII Los Alamitos Derby, has been retired to Brent and Crystal Fernung's Journeyman Stud near Ocala, FL and will stand the 2022 season there for $6,500, LFSN.

Campaigned by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman and trainer by Bob Baffert, the $250,000 KEESEP yearling is out of MGSW/MGISP Forest Music (Unbridled's Song), making him a half to successful Kentucky-based sire Maclean's Music (Distorted Humor) and GSWs Kentuckian (Tiznow) and Electric Forest (Curlin).

“I've seen Uncle Chuck referred to as brilliant by his connections, he was certainly that,” said Brent Fergnung. “Uncle Chuck is royally bred, an exceptional physical, and had unlimited potential as a racehorse. He is everything I look for in a stallion prospect. His abbreviated racing career, shortened by injury, is the only reason he isn't in Kentucky commanding a much larger fee.”

The handsome dark bay won his debut at Santa Anita by seven lengths. He has last seen finishing sixth as the second choice in the 2020 GI Runhappy Travers S.

“Uncle Chuck was special from day one,” Baffert said. “Assistant trainer Mike Marlow, who is a very good judge of talent, spoke about Uncle Chuck in the same terms as he did [Triple Crown winners] American Pharoah and Justify. Uncle Chuck had great athleticism and showed his sire's brilliance on the track. His potential was unlimited.”

Uncle Chuck is currently being syndicated by Journeyman and Taylor Made Farm.

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