manny franco | Horse Racing Free Tips

Forewarned: Uriah St. Lewis Planning Another Jockey Club Gold Cup Upset

Owner-trainer Uriah St. Lewis, who sprung a 45-1 upset with Discreet Lover in the 2018 Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park, said he's back with another live longshot in Forewarned for Saturday's 103rd renewal of the 10-furlong test for 3-year-olds and up at Saratoga Race Course.

In the 2018 edition, Discreet Lover, with Manny Franco up, settled off a sharp pace set by that year's Grade 1 Whitney-winner Diversify before angling six-wide for the stretch run and powering past the pacesetter and Mendelssohn to best Thunder Snow by a neck.

St. Lewis said that both Discreet Lover and Forewarned had the advantage of being horses that want the classic distance.

“That day, I said if they run real, real fast then he has a chance to win – and they ran real fast in the beginning. Diversify and the next horse [Mendelssohn] hooked each other and that was good enough for me,” St. Lewis said. “This horse [Forewarned] can sit a little closer, but he can get the mile and a quarter. If he's within striking distance, he'll get the mile and a quarter. I hope we can win it again and enjoy it.”

Since joining the St. Lewis stable in December 2018, the Ohio-bred Forewarned has made four starts at 1 ¼-miles, posting a record of 2-1-1, including back-to-back scores in the Best of Ohio Endurance in 2019-20.

“This horse loves a mile and a quarter. Every time he runs a mile and a quarter, he's 1-2-3,” St. Lewis said. “The horse is doing fantastic right now. You have to make sure you have a good enough horse to compete with them. I think this horse is good enough. He can get the mile and a quarter and I don't think all of them in this race can get the distance.”

Forewarned ran a game second last out in the 10-furlong Ohio Governor's Cup, making a narrow lead late in the lane only to be turned back by resurgent pacesetter Magna Man, who prevailed by a head.

St. Lewis will charge returning rider Sonny Leon, a three-time winner aboard Forewarned, with keeping the 6-year-old Flat Out bay to task in the “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic in November at Del Mar.

“Last time he made the lead and stopped and finished short,” St. Lewis said. “In this trip, we know now when he makes the lead you have to keep going after him because when he gets to the front he thinks he's finished.”

Listed at 50-1 on the morning line, Forewarned is the longest shot in a field led by the improving Forza Di Oro [8-5] and last year's winner Happy Saver [9-5], but St. Lewis said he is prepared to swing for the fences.

“That's just opinion,” St. Lewis said of the morning-line assessment. “The horse can't read the odds board. I'm taking my chance. I think he can win. My jockey thinks he can win and this horse thinks he can win. That's a home run.”

Last Friday, St. Lewis sent out Informative to run seventh at odds of 63-1 in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Charles Town Classic won by Art Collector. That effort came two starts after Informative captured the Grade 3 Salvator Mile at 79-1 in June at Monmouth Park.

St. Lewis said Informative may have been confused in the three-turn race.

“He was picking them up on the backside and I thought he was going to win, but when he got up to within five lengths, he had to switch leads and he took a little break,” St. Lewis said.

St. Lewis said Informative could target the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward, a nine-furlong test for 3-year-olds and up, on October 2 at Belmont.

“That might suit him better. It's a one-turn race. It's on the radar,” St. Lewis said.

The post Forewarned: Uriah St. Lewis Planning Another Jockey Club Gold Cup Upset appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Sifting Sands Rallies Late To Win Better Talk Now At Saratoga

Peter Brant's Sifting Sands ran down pacesetter Dreamer's Disease in deep stretch from the outside and got up in the final jumps to post a victory by a head in Sunday's $120,000 Better Talk Now for 3-year-olds contesting at one mile over the inner turf at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The seventh edition of the Better Talk Now, restricted to sophomores who have not won a stakes at a mile or over, saw Sifting Sands win his first career stakes and improve to 2-for-2 this year at Saratoga while extending trainer Chad Brown's meet-leading win total to 34 with six racing days remaining.

Sifting Sands broke well from the outermost post under jockey Manny Franco, tracking in third position as Dreamer's Disease led the eight-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in :23.79 and the half in :47.14 over firm going.

Jockey David Cohen kept Dreamer's Disease tucked inside out of the final turn and maintained the edge into the stretch, with three-quarters of a mile going in 1:10.96. Sifting Sands, who Franco put in the three-path when straightened for home, capitalized on running room by displaying an impressive late turn-of-foot, overtaking Wolfie's Dynaghost to his inside before collaring Dreamer's Disease in the final sixteenth, completing the course in a final time of 1:35.12.

“We learned not to get in his way too early. You can't grab him right away,” Franco said. “You have to give him his head and then when you get your position, just leave him comfortable. He seems like he likes it like that.”

The British-bred Sifting Sands won for the third time in five starts and for the second consecutive race after also getting his picture taken when besting allowance company on July 24 at Saratoga. The Dubawi colt, off at 8-1, returned $18.80 on a $2 win wager. He improved his career earnings to $139,190.

Brown said Sifting Sands has turned the corner after running a disappointing seventh in the 1 1/16-mile Woodhaven, his stakes debut in April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y., where he failed to make an impact after a wide trip with Franco aboard for the first time. The conditioner gave Franco the return call next out, with the move paying immediate dividends.

“I really have to compliment Manny. In his last two rides, they really worked as a team,” Brown said. “He had a disastrous race down at Aqueduct but we stuck with Manny because we thought we learned something with him and I learned a lot as well. He's really executed these last two races perfect by just letting him run. He can be a headstrong horse. He let him run into the first turn freely and get into position in his last two starts and that has made the difference.”

Sifting Sands raced just once as a juvenile, running sixth in his debut in September 2020 at Saratoga before being given a six-month freshening.

“Last summer here, [among] my male turf horses, he would have been in my top three I was looking forward to running. It just didn't work out in his 2-year-old year,” Brown said.

Brown said he could eventually stretch Siftings Sands out even further as he targets the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar.

“We'll see where he goes from here,” Brown said. “I think by the end of this year I could get this horse out to a mile and an eighth in the Hollywood Derby. We'll see between now and then what we do.”

Cypress Creek Equine and Arnold Bennewith's Dreamer's Disease lost on a bad beat for a second consecutive time, having been bested by a neck last out when Step Dancer got up in the shadow of the wire in the New York Stallion Stakes Series Cab Calloway on July 28.

The Laoban gelding, who finished sixth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile last year at Keeneland for trainer Robertino Diodoro, still bested Wolfie's Dynaghost by two lengths for runner-up honors, earning stakes black type for a second time.

“He's a horse who can throw out some pretty rapid clips,” Cohen said. “You can see throughout his career for him a 23 and change and 47 is so much in his comfort zone and doing it easily; I was happy with those. Last time, we got away with a little slower times. We got run down by a good horse today. Congrats to the winner, but our horse dug in. I'm happy with his performance and he showed a lot of heart.”

Danzigwiththestars finished fourth, with Dr Jack, Ranger Fox, In Effect, and 3-1 favorite Straw Into Gold completing the order of finish.

Live racing resumes Wednesday with a 10-race card highlighted by the $150,000 Grade 3 With Anticipation for 2-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the Mellon turf in Race 9. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the 40-day summer meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

The post Sifting Sands Rallies Late To Win Better Talk Now At Saratoga appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Sunday Pick 6 At Saratoga Goes Unsolved, Carryover Of $145,196 For Wednesday

The Pick 6 on Wednesday will be bolstered by a $145,196 carryover as the multi-race wager went unsolved Sunday at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The $1 Pick 6 returned $2,104 to bettors who selected 5-of-6 winners correctly.

Sunday's sequence kicked off in Race 5 with Gimmick [No. 3, $26.60] graduating at third asking in a six-furlong maiden special weight for juvenile fillies. Tyler Gaffalione engineered the winning trip for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

Write This Down [No. 1, $6.40], the 2-1 mutuel favorite piloted by Manny Franco for trainer Rob Atras, prevailed in Race 6, a 5 ½-furlong Mellon turf sprint for New York-bred maiden claiming fillies 3-years-old and up.

In Race 7, yet another lukewarm favorite, Mira Mission [No. 5, $8.30], got the job done at odds of 3-1 under Jose Lezcano from trainer Tom Bush in a 1 1/16-mile optional-claiming event for sophomores on the inner turf.

Customerexperience [No. 1, 19.40] upset Race 8 under Dylan Davis for trainer Mike Miceli in a seven-furlong claiming sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, ahead of a thrilling finish in the featured $120,000 Galway won by Star Devine [No. 10, $17] in a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for sophomore fillies.

With only Sengekontacket [No. 10] covered in the Pick 6 finale in Race 10, Mirabell Mei [No. 5, $10.40] prevailed over Alpha Babe [No. 2] in a 1 1/16-mile claiming event on the inner turf for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up. Jose Lezcano piloted the winner for trainer John Terranova.

Wednesday's Pick 6 kicks off in Race 5 at 3:21 p.m. Eastern and includes the $120,000 Bolton Landing in Race 9. First post on the 10-race card is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

The post Sunday Pick 6 At Saratoga Goes Unsolved, Carryover Of $145,196 For Wednesday appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Awesome Debate, Sadie Lady Head Field For Union Avenue At Saratoga

Van Vranken Racing and NRB Racing Stable's Awesome Debate will look to make amends in her second start for trainer Bruce Brown in Thursday's $100,000 Union Avenue, a 6 1/2-furlong handicap on the main track for New York-bred fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Claimed for $45,000 out of a winning effort on July 18 at Saratoga, the 5-year-old Honorable Dillon grey went to post as the odds-on favorite last out in an optional-claiming sprint on August 9 at Finger Lakes. After being fractious in the gate, Awesome Debate broke in the air, stumbled, and trailed the field of five throughout.

“That wasn't how it was written up,” said Brown, with a laugh. “She was supposed to win by 10 in a gallop and then I was going to run her back in this race, but it didn't quite work out that way.

“It's just one of those things. Bad racing luck,” he continued. “She came out of it great. Coming back out of that race was going to be running her back pretty close, but she didn't really do a whole lot of running that day. It was a public workout more than anything.”

Brown said Awesome Debate was very professional when schooling at the gate Saturday at Saratoga.

“She didn't turn a hair….which figures,” Brown said.

Bred in New York by Charlton Baker, who trained her through her first 13 starts, Awesome Debate has posted a record of 15-7-3-1 with purse earnings of $267,577. She was claimed for $45,000 out of a runner-up effort in May at Belmont by Danny Gargan and returned July 18 with a stylish score in a six-furlong state-bred optional-claiming sprint contested on a sloppy and sealed main track.

Brown said he appreciated the mare's nose for the wire.

“She's been very consistent lately. I've always liked that group of higher-priced New York-bred claiming fillies and older mares,” Brown said. “If you can have a decent one of those that's usually a pretty good thing.”

With the speedy Sadie Lady likely to dictate terms Thursday, Brown said the often-prominent Awesome Debate may utilize different tactics while trying to win beyond six furlongs for the first time.

“She's very tactical,” Brown said. “When I claimed her, I thought she had the look of a pure speed horse, but that day she sat off it and then went on with it. I don't think six and a half [furlongs] will be a problem for her.”

Awesome Debate, assigned 119 pounds, will emerge from post 5 under Luis Saez.

Dennis Narlinger's graded stakes-placed Sadie Lady has won three of her last four starts dating back to a 2 1/2-length optional claiming win in December, sprinting six furlongs at Aqueduct Race Track in Ozone Park, N.Y.

The Rob Atras trainee, bred by JMJ Racing Stables, followed with a head score in the six-furlong Correction Stakes in March at the Big A against open company ahead of a game second in the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 3 Vagrancy in May at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Last out, the 5-year-old daughter of Freud made every call a winning one in the six-furlong Dancin Renee against fellow state-breds at Belmont.

Jose Ortiz retains the mount from the inside post as Sadie Lady, an eight-time winner from 20 starts, makes her Saratoga debut while carrying a field-high 124 pounds.

TLC Thoroughbreds homebred Hannah Dances is undefeated in four starts this campaign, all in sprint races at Finger Lakes, for trainer M. Anthony Ferraro.

The 4-year-old Shakin It Up grey, who will make her stakes debut while racing beyond six furlongs for the first time, boasts a record of 11-7-1-0 with purse earnings of $107,890.

Hannah Dances, carrying 118 pounds, will exit post 4 under Luis Perez.

[Story Continues Below]

Trainer Ray Handal will saddle a formidable pair in stakes-placed Irish Constitution [post 3, Joel Rosario, 115 pounds] and eight-time winner Diva Banker [post 6, Dylan Davis, 116 pounds].

Perrine Time Thoroughbreds and West Paces Racing's Irish Constitution graduated on debut last July at Saratoga and followed with a distant fourth in the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes. She completed her juvenile campaign with a runner-up effort in the Joseph A. Gimma in October at Belmont.

An optional-claiming winner in March at the Big A, the 3-year-old Constitution chestnut, bred by SF Bloodstock, was last seen finishing third – 5 1/2-lengths back of runner-up Awesome Debate – in a state-bred optional-claiming sprint on May 14.

The Handal-owned Diva Banker, a 5-year-old Central Banker mare bred by Jonath Meadean Inc., was claimed for $5,000 in January at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., and two starts later captured an open claiming sprint in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. She followed with an off-the-pace state-bred allowance score in June at Belmont, but failed to fire last out in a state-bred optional claimer on August 11 at the Spa.

Rounding out the field is Joseph G. McMahon, Anne McMahon and Albert Lewis' Lot of Honey, a 3-year-old daughter of Central Banker who graduated in an off-the-turf state-bred maiden special weight sprint in June at Belmont.

Trained by James Ferraro and bred by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, Lot of Honey, assigned 114 pounds, will exit post 2 under Manny Franco.

The Union Avenue is slated as Race 9 on Thursday's 10-race card. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

The post Awesome Debate, Sadie Lady Head Field For Union Avenue At Saratoga appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post