Medaglia d'Oro | Horse Racing Free Tips

After Missing Fountain Of Youth Due To Cough, Prevalence In Gulfstream Allowance Thursday

Godolphin LLC's Prevalence, a brilliant 8 ½-length debut winner, is scheduled to make a highly anticipated return to the races Thursday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The Brendan Walsh trainee will headline a field of six 3-year-olds in an entry-level optional claiming allowance, a one-turn mile event carded as Race 8.

Prevalence debuted on the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) undercard at Gulfstream Jan. 23, brushing with a rival shortly after the start before asserting himself on the backstretch and drawing away under wraps to complete seven furlongs in 1:23.

The Feb. 27 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream had been a goal for the homebred son of Medaglia d'Oro before missing a key workout by a brief illness.

“It was minor, a cough, but that put him out of any consideration for the Fountain of Youth,” Walsh said. “He's worked back since and has worked really well. He worked really good Friday, so we're happy with him. It will be a nice progression tomorrow going a mile from seven-eighths.”

A Kentucky Derby (G1) prep is a next-start possibility, depending on his return to the races Thursday.

“If we do, depending on tomorrow, it would be one of the very last ones, like the Arkansas Derby, the Wood or the Blue Grass,” Walsh said. “But I hate to look any further ahead than tomorrow.”

Tyler Gaffalione has the return mount aboard Prevalence.

David Fawkes-trained Caxambas Candy, who won by 4 ¾ lengths in his Feb. 17 debut in a mile off-the-turf maiden special weight race; and Gail Cox-trained Tio Magico, a son of Uncle Mo who finished second in the Nov. 1 Coronation Futurity at Woodbine last time out; are among Prevalence's rivals.

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Mar. 11 Insights: Prevalence Returns at Gulfstream

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

PREVALENCE FACES WINNERS AT GULFSTREAM

8th-GP, $52K, Opt. Clm. ($75K), 3yo, 1m, 4:44p.m.

'TDN Rising Star' PREVALENCE (Medaglia d'Oro) looks to make good on his ultra-impressive debut as he takes on winners for the first time Thursday. The Godolphin homebred romped by 8 1/2 lengths against a strong field in his seven-panel unveiling here Jan. 23, earning an 89 Beyer Speed Figure. A half to GSW Estihdaaf (Arch) and SW Libreta (Girolamo), the bay is out of a full-sister to MGISW Better Lucky (Ghostzapper), who is a daughter of GSW Sahara Gold (Seeking the Gold). TJCIS PPs

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Flashback: Pleasantly Perfect Denies Medaglia D’Oro In 2004 Dubai World Cup

The Dubai World Cup meeting celebrates its historic 25th anniversary on March 27, with six Group 1 races and three Group 2s, including one of the world's premier races, the $12 million Dubai World Cup, sponsored by Emirates Airline.

Over the next three weeks, the Dubai Racing Club will pay tribute to each of the previous Dubai World Cup winners. Today, we rewind to 2004 when Pleasantly Perfect won the Dubai World Cup in thrilling fashion.

Such was the reputation that arrived with Pleasantly Perfect and Medaglia D'Oro that not even the previous year's UAE Derby winner and Al Maktoum Challenge champion Victory Moon, nor the Japan Cup Dirt winner Fleetstreet Dancer or Japan's finest dirt runner, Admire Don, could garner much support when opinions were sought as to the likely winner of the Dubai World Cup.

Pleasantly Perfect and fierce rival Medaglia D'Oro were different, and many were expecting them to repeat their battle of four months previously in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita, some going further and predicting that the former would emulate inaugural winner Cigar and follow his Breeders' Cup win with a Dubai World Cup success.

Pre-event predictions of match races and classic encounters hardly ever come to fruition, however this would be different. As strong a field as was assembled for this Dubai World Cup, Victory Moon, Fleetstreet Dancer, Admire Don and seven others would be relegated to just bit players as Pleasantly Perfect and Medaglia D'Oro made Nad Al Sheba the venue for some scores to be settled from Santa Anita.

Jerry Bailey, rider of Medaglia D'Oro, decided to make his move shortly after turning into the long Nad Al Sheba straight and for a few strides it appeared the horse could carry him to Dubai World Cup success number four. Bailey, however, didn't need to glance over his right shoulder to discover who was within his shadows, his nemesis from Santa Anita was right there and ready to challenge.

Such is the size of Pleasantly Perfect that he doesn't appear to quicken, merely lengthen his giant stride, and as he did, so he drew alongside Medaglia D'Oro at the 400m. Further back Victory Moon was beginning to make some ground, however all attention was with the leading two. They drew away from the chasing pack and as hard as Medaglia D'Oro tried to come back, Pleasantly Perfect was too big, too strong, on an evening where both would receive the plaudits.

Nad Al Sheba erupted as Pleasantly Perfect and Alex Solis eventually drew clear to win by just under a length, however as good as the win was, their appreciation was also for the brave second placegetter. Victory Moon was far from disgraced in finishing third five lengths away, himself a long way in front of the fourth, Grand Hombre, the horse entrusted by Godolphin to give them a hat-trick of Dubai World Cup successes.

However, with Pleasantly Perfect and Medaglia D'Oro it was always going to be a tough assignment. For Richard Mandella it was the breakthrough he so eagerly sought. This was an event where two top class horses proved themselves superior to their rivals with the winner arguably just that little bit better than the second.

Pleasantly Perfect finished his career winning nine of eighteen starts, with earnings close to a record US$8 million.

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Velazquez Gets Beautiful Gift Up In Final Yards Of Santa Ysabel

It may not rise to the level of settled science, but yet another equine case study was unveiled Sunday at Santa Anita, leaving little doubt that when it comes to big race results, this is indeed Bob Baffert's world and the rest of us are merely living in it.

Although she encountered unexpected trouble a quarter mile out, Baffert's Beautiful Gift, the “Other Baffert” in pari-mutuel parlance, was able to mount a furious rally through the lane and get up to nail Michael McCarthy's Moraz by a short head in the Grade 3, $100,000 Santa Ysabel Stakes, an important steppingstone to the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks on April 3 at the Arcadia, Calif., track. Ridden by John Velazquez, Beautiful Gift got a mile and one sixteenth in 1:44.83.

With Baffert's 3-5 favorite Kalypso showing the way to the far turn, Moraz was closing in, just a length back to her outside while Beautiful Gift sat third at the rail, about 1 ½ lengths off the lead. Approaching the quarter pole, Moraz appeared to have gained the advantage and Beautiful Gift, full of run, was poised to come through at the rail, but instead had to wait and swing three-deep at the top of the lane, allowing Moraz to hold a seemingly insurmountable 2 ½ length lead with just a sixteenth of a mile to run.

“She was full of run and I was trying to keep her from getting dirt in her face but when Rispoli (Umberto, aboard Moraz) pushed Joel (Rosario, aboard Kalypso) in, I had to take a hold of her,” said Velazquez. “But she was able to overcome it…By the time I got her to the outside, I got her rolling and I was hoping she would get there before the wire and she did.”

Idle since breaking her maiden at a flat mile on Oct. 23, Beautiful Gift, who was one of three Baffert entrants among a field of four sophomore fillies, was off at 3-1 and paid $8.00 and $3.80 with no show wagering.

“I didn't think Johnny was going to get there and all of a sudden that mare kicked in and (Beautiful Gift) is really (good). We gave her some time. She got really light on us. The further the better for her. I didn't think she got there until I saw the super slow mo, but I'm just happy that they ran well…It's nice to get these fillies, it's all I have for the Oaks, so it's fun.”

A daughter of Medaglia d'Oro, owned and bred by Baoma Corporation, Beautiful Gift is out of the A.P. Indy mare Sea Gift. With two wins from three starts, the winner's share of $60,000 boosted her earnings to $99,600.

The second choice at 2-1, Moraz finished 2 ¾ lengths in front of Kalypso and paid $3.20 to show. Baffert's third entrant, Heels Up, was last throughout and was distanced by nearly 26 lengths at 16-1.

Baffert, whose top rated Derby hopeful Life Is Good ran away with Saturday's Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes, now has nine stakes wins and 21 overall victories at the current Winter/Spring Meet, putting him first in both categories.

Beautiful Gift will receive 50 qualifying points to the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, which will be run on April 30. The second, third and fourth place finishers will receive 20, 10 and five points respectively.

Fractions on the race were 23.95, 48.13, 1:12.69 and 1:38.21.

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