michael maker | Horse Racing Free Tips

The Wine Steward Stays Unbeaten With Funny Cide Win

Unbeaten and already a stakes winner in his first two starts, The Wine Steward kept his perfect record intact with a gutsy performance in Sunday's Funny Cide S. at Saratoga. Back facing New York-breds for the first time since his six-length debut win at Belmont May 28, the even-money favorite had to overcome a wide draw and a bumpy beginning. Caught outside throughout, he turned for home four abreast, set his sights on pacesetter El Grande O, and dug in to just get past that rival in the final jumps.

“He kind of bobbled out of there a little bit,” said winning jockey Manny Franco. “I wanted to be forward and I had to stalk four wide, but I knew I was on the best horse. If he's going to win, he's going to win from here. I didn't make things complicated, I just wanted to stay there and made my move when I thought it was the right time. I'm glad he got it done.”

A $340,000 OBS March 2-year-old, The Wine Steward is out of a half to a trio of good horses in GSW/GISP Giant Game (Giant's Causeway), MGSW/GISP Isotherm (Lonhro {Aus}), and GISP Gio Game (Gio Ponti). His dam, purchased for $350,000 by Coteau Grove Farms at last year's Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, has a yearling colt by Authentic and a weanling Curlin filly. She was bred back to Justify for 2024. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

FUNNY CIDE S. PRESENTED BY ROOD AND RIDDLE EQUINE HOSPITAL, $200,000, Saratoga, 8-27, (S), 2yo, 6f, 1:10.92, ft.
1–THE WINE STEWARD, 122, c, 2, by Vino Rosso
                1st Dam: Call to Service, by To Honor and Serve
                2nd Dam: Game for More, by More Than Ready
                3rd Dam: Ermelinda, by Sea Hero
($70,000 Ylg '22 SARAUG; $340,000 2yo '23 OBSMAR).
O-Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher; B-Sequel
Thoroughbreds LLC, Lakland Farm & Mark Toothaker (NY);
T-Michael J. Maker; J-Manuel Franco. $110,000. Lifetime
Record: 3-3-0-0, $274,010.
2–El Grande O, 122, c, 2, Take Charge Indy–Rainbow's Song, by
Unbridled's Song. O-Barry K. Schwartz; B-Stonewall Farm (NY);
T-Linda Rice. $40,000.
3–Whatchatalkinabout, 122, c, 2, Dialed In–Super Savvy, by
Super Saver. ($38,000 RNA Ylg '22 FTKFEB; $82,000 Ylg '22
FTKOCT). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Ice Wine Stable;
B-Newtownanner Stud Farm (NY); T-Wesley A. Ward. $24,000.
Margins: HD, 5HF, 5HF. Odds: 1.10, 10.30, 5.60.
Also Ran: Works for Me, Always a Warrior, Trust Fund.

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Asmussen Gobbles Up Five Thanksgiving Day Wins At Churchill Downs

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen found another way into the record books.

Asmussen, the 56-year-old who collected win No. 9,446 on Aug. 7 at Saratoga to become North America's all-time win-leader among trainers, saddled what is believed to be a record five winners on a single card at Churchill Downs on Thanksgiving Day.in Louisville, Ky.

Records prior to 1991 are incomplete and no trainer had ever won more than four races in a day at the Louisville track since then. There have been eight four-win days since 1991 including five by Asmussen: Asmussen (July 4, 2004), Todd Pletcher (May 5, 2006), Asmussen (June 16, 2007), Asmussen (July 7, 2007), Kenny McPeek (Oct. 26. 2008), Mike Maker (June 2, 2013), Asmussen (May 4, 2019) and Asmussen (June 27, 2020).

On Thursday, Asmussen won with Generator ($5.60), Front Street ($2.80), Regal Retort ($6.60), Treaty of Paris ($21) and All in Sync ($5.80). He had a chance to add to his record in Race 10 but Dr. Jack finished sixth as the 2-1 favorite.

Asmussen, who is atop the Fall Meet trainer standings with 18 wins, is Churchill Downs' all-time win-leader with 819 victories and he is poised to collect his record-extending 25^th Churchill Downs training title when the 21-day meet concludes Sunday.

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Pacific Classic Contenders Put In Final Works

Summer Wind Equine's Magic On Tap worked five furlongs under jockey Abel Cedillo in :59 flat this morning for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert in a final prep for the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic which is now one week away. It was one of five works, at Del Mar and Saratoga, by nominees for the signature event of the summer season.

“It went well. We're running in the Pacific Classic,” Baffert said via text of Magic On Tap's exercise.

Working with stablemate Private Mission, who Del Mar clockers also timed in :59 for five furlongs, Magic On Tap completed a series of three workouts since finishing fifth in the $250,000 Grade 2 San Diego Handicap on July 17.

A stumble at the start severely compromised the 5-year-old son of Tapit's chances in the 1 1/16-mile San Diego Handicap, the major prep for the 1 ¼-mile TVG Pacific Classic. Magic On Tap had arrived at Del Mar with a record of three victories in six career starts and earnings of $228,800 and was fresh from a win in the seven-furlong Grade 2 Triple Bend Stakes at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., in May.

Later in the morning, Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella sent MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm's Tizamagician out for a five-furlong work in one minute flat with an interim clocking of :36.20 under exercise rider Austin Solis, the son of retired Hall of Fame jockey Alex Solis.

“He looked great. Couldn't be better,” Mandella said of the 4-year-old son of Tiznow.

Tizamagician has five wins in 18 career starts and earnings of $427,851. He stamped himself as a TVG Pacific Classic contender by winning the 1 ½-mile Grade 3 Cougar II Stakes on July 18.

Perry and Denise Martin's Mo Mosa, trained by Michael Maker, went five furlongs in 1:00.60 at Del Mar under exercise rider Marcelo Medina in a team work with stablemate Fight On. Track clockers recorded splits of :11.2; :23.0; :35.2, and a final quarter in :25.1.

“It was a great work, we were very pleased with it,” said Nolan Ramsey, in charge of the Del Mar string for Maker. “We need to speak with the owners. The Pat O'Brien is an option, but it (Pacific Classic) is still on the table for discussion.”

Mo Mosa finished fourth — behind TVG Pacific Classic nominees Express Train, Tripoli, and Royal Ship – in the San Diego Handicap shipping in from a stakes victory in May at Lone Star Park in Texas.

Cupid's Claws, owned by Flawless Racing and partners and trained by Craig Dollase, worked five furlongs from the gate at Del Mar in 1:00 under Umberto Rispoli.

“He looked good and he finished up very well,” Dollase said. “It's a go for the Pacific Classic.”

At Saratoga, Todd Pletcher-trained Dr Post worked four furlongs in :49.22, 27th of 80 at the distance. “We're pleased with his workout and he'll go west,” Pletcher said. “He is scheduled to ship on Tuesday.”

TVG Pacific Classic nominee The Great One went six furlongs in 1:13.20, but trainer Doug O'Neill said the 3-year-old is more likely to stay in competition with his age group peers in the $100,000 Shared Belief Stakes on August 29. Trainer Mike McCarthy said Independence Hall, who worked Friday, still has the Charlestown Classic as the main target.

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Special Reserve Gives Red-Hot Maker Another Graded Stakes Win In Maryland Sprintspecial

Trainer Michael Maker has a knack for turning claiming horses into graded stakes winners. He did it on Friday when Last Judgment, a $62,500 claim, won the Grade 3 Pimlico Special on the opening day of Preakness weekend at Old Hilltop in Baltimore, Md. He accomplished the feat again on Preakness day Saturday when Special Reserve captured the Grade 3, $150,000 Maryland Sprint Stakes, three races after Maker claimed the 5-year-old Midshipman gelding for $40,000 at Oaklawn Park.

Under Irad Ortiz Jr., Special Reserve dueled with 5-2 favorite Strike Power, put that one away at the top of the stretch, then drew out for his first stakes triumph, winning by 1 3/4 lengths. Special Reserve covered six furlongs in a quick 1:08.91 after fractions of :22.94, :45.38 and :56.77. Special Reserve paid $9.80.

Owned by Paradise Farms Corp. and David Standacher, Special Reserve gave Maker his third graded stakes of the Preakness weekend, following Friday's stakes double with Last Judgment and Army Wife in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes.

Strike Power – who was trying to give trainer Steve Asmussen his third consecutive victory in the Maryland Sprint and jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. his fourth straight – held second by 1 1/4 lengths, with Frosted Grace third, Mucho fourth and Laki fifth in the field of 11 older runners. They were followed by War Tocsin, Threes Over Deuces, Lebda, Seven Nation Army and Yodel E.A. Who.

Breezy Gust was pulled up n by jockey Joel Rosario approaching the half-mile pole, but the gelding walked back to the stable area.

Starting from the No. 8 post position, Special Reserve broke on top, but Ortiz allowed Strike Power and Santana to move through on the inside to take the lead. Special Reserve was on Strike Power's right flank throughout and moved to the lead at the top of the stretch.

The Maryland Sprint was the second win from three starts since Maker claimed Special Reserve. He was coming off a good second to the tough sprinter Flagstaff in the Grade 3 Commonwealth Stakes at Keeneland on April 3. This was Special Reserve's sixth career win from 19 starts.

The Maryland Sprint is part of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) series, which ran from 1997-01, then was revived in 2018. It is a regional racing series for multiple divisions of horses that offers bonuses to owners and trainers compiling the most points. The 2020 series was not held because of COVID-19 and this year's series is abbreviated to include races from Maryland and Virginia. Series organizers anticipate returning to a more robust schedule involving additional racetracks and horsemen's organizations in 2022.

Post-race quotes:

Winning Trainer Mike Maker (Special Reserve): “I might get some stalls (in Maryland).”

“He was in at Oaklawn (for a $40,000 claiming tag on Feb. 6). We've got to have this horse, and we claimed him. He had a bit of a bleeding issue that we addressed and got taken care of, and the rest is history. We originally liked him because he was still eligible for two-other-than [allowances]. You never know in this game.”

“I just gave a leg up to Irad [Ortiz Jr.] and said 'Good luck.' That was about it. He was going to be forwardly placed.”

Winning Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. (Special Reserve): “The horse broke great and put me in the race very quick out of there, I had a horse inside with speed. I just relaxed and tried not to fight with him too much. He came back to me, so I left him there and when I asked him, he took straight off for me to win.”

Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. (Strike Power; 2^nd): “He ran hard and gave me everything he had. We had a good trip – just second best today.”

Trainer Kathy Ritvo (Frosted Grace; 3^rd): “He ran a good race. We're happy with him.”

Jockey Javier Castellano (Frosted Grace; 3^rd): “He went really well. I expected to be a little closer to the pace, but the horse missed the break. There was nothing I could do. I liked the way he did it: come from behind, saved all the ground, cut the corner. He did really well today.”

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