michael stidham | Horse Racing Free Tips

Stidham Ships Pixelate West To Win Del Mar Derby

Godolphin's Pixelate, benefitting from yet another perfectly timed ride on the turf by Del Mar's leading rider, Umberto Rispoli, was along in time to score by a head in the 76th running of the $200,000 Del Mar Derby Sunday at the shore oval near San Diego, Calif.

The invader from the East Coast — trained by Michael Stidham — had a near perfect trip saving ground and laying third for most of the run, then put it in gear down the lane for the Italian journeyman who is riding like a star in his first season at Del Mar. It was the fourth winner on the afternoon for Rispoli giving him a one-win lead – 49 to 48 — over his ace counterpart, Flavien Prat, who had a pair of victories on the card, including a stakes score that was his 14th of the meet, a Del Mar riding record. The battle for supremacy between these two exceptional riders at this 81st summer stand will come down to the 27th and final day of the meet on Monday.

Pixelate, a homebred City Zip colt and the 3-2 favorite, returned $5.00, $3.20 and $2.80 across the board after he covered the nine furlongs in 1:50.25. He picked up a winner's share of $120,000 and now has a record of three wins, five seconds and three thirds in 11 starts for winnings of $311,400.

Finishing second was Alfred Pais' Margot's Boy, while third was Paula Capestro's Dominant Soul.

“I talked to Mike (trainer Michael Stidham) this morning and we both agreed that we had the best horse in the race. I said I wanted to ride him up closer than normal for him; I told him this is a smaller tighter course, not like Churchill (Downs). He said: 'You ride him like you want to.' I had a great trip and he fired when he had to. I'm very happy. And I've waited 16 years (his riding career) to wear these (pointing to the Godolphin royal blue silks).”

Earlier on the card, Kaleem Shah's Madone split horses at the head of the stretch and went gamely through the stretch under Flavien Prat to capture the ninth running of the $75,000 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf at a mile on the grass by a half length.

The victory gave rider Prat his 14th stakes win of the meeting, establishing a new mark for stakes scores in a single summer session. Previously, Rafael Bejarano held the record with 13 victories set in 2012.

Madone paid $5.20, $3.00 and $2.40 across the board as the race favorite and earned a check for $$48,300 for his second victory in two starts and now shows winnings of $81,300.

CYBT, Nentwig or Altamira Racing Stable's Nimbostratus was second across the line, but moved back to third for interference in the stretch with LNJ Foxwoods' Ivy League, who was moved up from third to second.

Final time for the 2-year-old filly stakes was 1:39.09.

Del Mar's closing card will take place tomorrow on Labor Day with an 11-race program on tap. First post will be at 1 p.m.

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Ghostbuster Colt Mystic Guide Could Jump From Jim Dandy Win To Preakness

Godolphin's Mystic Guide emerged from his triumph in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga in good order and shipped back to Fair Hill Training Center on Saturday evening, where trainer Michael Stidham is primarily stabled.

The sophomore Ghostzapper chestnut earned his first graded stakes victory in the 1 1/8-mile event over the Saratoga Race Course main track in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and arrived off a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Peter Pan on July 16 to Country Grammer.

Stidham said the Grade 1, $1 million Preakness Stakes on October 3 at Pimlico Race Course is a possibility for Mystic Guide.

“We're going to look at it and see how he trains these next couple of weeks,” Stidham said. “He's already back at Fair Hill and looked good this morning. He came out of the race in good shape.”

Never off the hoard in five career starts, Stidham said Mystic Guide had always touted himself as a horse with a bright future. Following a five-length maiden score at second asking in his two-turn debut in March at Fair Grounds, he finished third in a one-turn first level allowance race at Belmont Park which was won by Tap It to Win en route to the Peter Pan.

“He always showed us a lot of promise right from the beginning,” Stidham said. “We stayed patient with him. We didn't put him in spots that he wasn't ready for. We tried to do the right thing by the horse, and it paid off yesterday. There was temptation in thinking about the Derby, but he didn't advance quickly enough to be in that picture.”

Following Saturday's Grade 1 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, which was won by Authentic who kept heavy favorite Tiz the Law at bay, Stidham said the 3-year-old division appears to be wide open.

“I don't think that there's a big difference in a lot of the 3-year-olds,” Stidham said. “Tiz the Law was certainly the leader of the group, and then obviously he got beat yesterday. I think it opens the picture up and I think our horse is lightly raced and could be coming into his peak now and coming up to his best racing.”

A Kentucky homebred, Mystic Guide is out of the three-time Grade 1-winning A.P. Indy mare Music Note. Stidham currently has Mystic Guide's half-brother Gershwin in his barn. The unraced 2-year-old son of Distorted Humor has been training forwardly at Fair Hill and Stidham said he could make his career debut soon.

“He's showing some early promise. He hasn't started yet but he's had some nice works,” Stidham said. “There are a lot of similarities. They're big, strong colts and Gershwin has shown some early talent. He's another one that's going to be a two turn horse. We aren't in any rush with him. He'll make his first start in the month to six weeks.”

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Mystic Guide Strong In The Stretch To Win Jim Dandy Stakes

Appearing to be home free at the top of the stretch, jockey Luis Saez looked over his right shoulder aboard Jesus' Team to check for any potential spoilers. What he saw was a dirt-covered Mystic Guide mounting a charge that would eventually lead him to the winner's circle in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga.

The 3-year-old Ghostzapper colt broke from the outside post, and settled near the back of the six-horse field, two paths off the rail. Longshots First Line and Celtic Striker led the group into the first turn, followed closely in third by Pegasus Stakes runner-up Jesus' Team, and the lead duo separated from the rest as they straightened out to the backstretch in an opening quarter of :23.37 seconds.

First Line led the way across the back straightaway, with Celtic Striker on his outside hip, while Mystic Guide waited patiently in the back of the field. The half-mile went by in :47.61 seconds, and Jesus' Team spent the next quarter-mile lodging a three-wide move to the front.

Jesus' Team was firmly in command at the top of the stretch, but Ortiz had brought Mystic Guide up through the middle of the field in the meantime, and appeared on the outside of the new leader as the eighth-pole drew near. After some right-handed urging by Ortiz, Mystic Guide drew up beside Jesus' Team, who fought on for a few strides before conceding the lead.

Ortiz kept Mystic Guide to task through the final sixteenth, fending off a late charge from Liveyourbeastlife to win by a length. Jesus' Team carried on for third, while betting favorite Dr Post ran an even fourth.

Mystic Guide completed the 1 1/16-mile race in 1:49 flat over a fast main track for owner Godolphin and trainer Michael Stidham. He paid $6.60 to win as the field's second choice.

The Jim Dandy was Mystic Guide's second win in five career starts, and his first victory in stakes competition. Stidham added blinkers to the colt for the Jim Dandy after finishing third in his most recent start, and his stakes debut, a third in the G3 Peter Pan Stakes on July 16 at Saratoga.

A homebred for Godolphin, Mystic Guide is out of the five-time Grade 1-winning A.P. Indy mare Music Note, who also ran under the Godolphin blue.

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‘It Was Perfect,’ Tagg Says Of Tiz The Law’s Final Runhappy Travers Work

Sackatoga Stable's Grade 1 Belmont Stakes-champ Tiz the Law was the first horse on the main track at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Saturday morning, breezing five furlongs in 59.44 seconds in preparation for the Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers slated for August 8.

“I wanted to go in a minute and he went in a minute. It was perfect,” said trainer Barclay Tagg. “We couldn't have worked better. He came back good and he was breathing good. Everything was good. He's a gem to work with. He is doing perfectly as far as I'm concerned. I don't know what else we can do for him. I like this colt. Why wouldn't you? We've got a nice horse.”

The “Mid-Summer Derby,” to be contested at 1 1/4 miles for the country's most talented 3-year-olds, is one of three Grade 1s on the day, joining the $300,000 Ballerina presented by NYRA Bets for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going seven furlongs in a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

The day will also see sophomore fillies compete in the prestigious Grade 1, $300,000 Longines Test at seven furlongs, with the card bolstered by the Grade 3, $200,000 Troy, a 5 ½-furlong turf sprint for older males, and the Grade 3, $150,000 Waya, a 1 ½-mile turf route for older fillies and mares.

Sent out at 5:30 a.m., Tiz the Law recorded splits of 23.4, 36 and out in 1:13.2 over a fast main track with exercise rider Heather Smullen aboard.

“He's a little more relaxed in the morning,” said Smullen. “He's nice and professional and does his job. There is always adversity. If he sees someone, he will get strong. He will get aggressive. He's a racehorse. Luckily, there was no one out there today. He went out there today and did what I told him to do. He was strong and consistent. It sure seems like it [that he's ready for the Travers]. He's done everything they have asked him to do.”

A three-time Grade 1 winner, the son of second-crop sire Constitution followed up his August 2019 debut win at the Spa with a four-length score in the Grade 1 Champagne in October at Belmont. He completed his juvenile campaign with a close third in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club, contested on a sloppy strip at Churchill Downs.

Tiz the Law launched his sophomore season at Gulfstream Park with a three-length romp in the Grade 3 Holy Bull in February. He then dominated the nine-furlong Grade 1 Florida Derby by 4 ¼ lengths on March 28.

Last out, Tiz the Law captured the first leg of the revised Triple Crown when 3 ¾-lengths the best in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Belmont Stakes.

Tagg and Sackatoga Stable traveled the Triple Crown road in 2003 with another New York-bred in Funny Cide. The Distorted Humor chestnut prevailed by 1 ¾-lengths in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby under Hall of Famer Jose Santos. He followed up with a 9 ¾-length score in the Grade 1 Preakness, but finished third in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes after setting the early pace in his Triple Crown bid.

Sackatoga Stable's operations manager Jack Knowlton said he was pleased with his colt's final preparations.

“Fortunately, he's an easy horse to deal with. He gallops out the way you want him to gallop out. Everything looks as good as it can be,” said Knowlton. “I want to enjoy the next week because it is going to be a lot of fun. We will get to do a lot of things and we will enjoy the moment at Saratoga. Hopefully, everything will work out. We've got four weeks to hopefully win another [Kentucky] Derby.

“It's exciting [to be here for the Travers]. My second biggest disappointment with the whole Funny Cide run was not being able to even run in the Travers,” added Knowlton. “When he got sick, that was a bigger disappointment after not winning the Triple Crown. Now, we've got a second chance. It's not often you get second chances the way we have with this horse and to do things that we couldn't do. We checked one box by winning the Belmont. It would be wonderful to check this box to win the Travers. I have a lot of confidence that he's going to get the mile and a quarter.”

Bred in New York by Twin Creeks Farm, Tiz the Law is out of the graded stakes-winning Tiznow broodmare Tizfiz. He has accumulated earnings of $1,480,300.

Tiz the Law, who leads all contenders with 272 Derby qualifying points, will contest a unique Triple Crown scenario that will continue with the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, rescheduled from Saturday, May 2 to Saturday, September 5, as the second leg of the Classic series. The Grade 1 Preakness, originally slated for May 16, will close out the Triple Crown on October 3 at Pimlico Race Course.

Runhappy Travers contenders Country Grammer and Shivaree breezed at 8:45 a.m. after the break on the Saratoga main track, while possible entrant Mystic Guide breezed at Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Maryland.

Paul Pompa, Jr.'s Country Grammer, last out winner of the Grade 3 Peter Pan for trainer Chad Brown, worked a half-mile in company Saturday morning on the main track in 47.66. The Tonalist bay was clocked the opening quarter-mile in 24 flat.

A maiden winner at second asking when travelling nine furlongs in November at the Big A, Country Grammer was fifth in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth in his seasonal debut in February at Gulfstream. Following a closing third in a one-turn, 1 1/16-mile allowance event on June 4 at Belmont, Country Grammer made his return to two turns a winning one in the 1 1/8-mile Peter Pan on Opening Day July 16 at Saratoga.

The experienced Shivaree, trained by Ralph Nicks for Jacks or Better Farm, was clocked five furlongs in 1:03.27 after the break on the Saratoga main.

“It looked like he went well. He's a tough horse and he handles everything fine,” said Nicks. “He handled shipping up there fine. He seems to be in good form. It was a nice maintenance breeze on the bridle, just kind of cruising around there this morning so all is well. We decided last week to take a shot, and everything's good.”

The Awesome of Course colt, a Florida homebred, boasts a record of 12-3-3-2 with purse earnings of $345,505. He captured the Buffalo Man and Limehouse at Gulfstream to kick off his 3-year-old campaign and was the runner-up in both the Grade 3 Swale and Grade 1 Florida Derby at the Hallandale Beach oval. Last out, Shivaree failed to fire when 11th in the Grade 2 Blue Grass on July 11 at Keeneland.

Junior Alvarado will have the call in the Runhappy Travers.

Godolphin homebred Mystic Guide, a late-running third in the Grade 3 Peter Pan for trainer Mike Stidham, added blinkers for his five-eighths work in 1:01 flat Saturday at Fair Hill.

“We felt like he was a little more handy with the blinkers on,” said Stidham. “He broke off three lengths behind another horse. We told the rider to stay even with the other horse down to the wire and he galloped out well. He went out in 13 and change. I was very happy with the addition of blinkers.”

Stidham said he will consider both the Runhappy Travers and the Grade 2, $150,000 Jim Dandy at nine furlongs on September 5 for Mystic Guide.

“We're considering the Travers and we're also considering maybe waiting and running in the Jim Dandy,” said Stidham. “We haven't decided yet but this definitely was a work we were going to use to see if the blinkers helped, which they seemed to, and then decide how aggressive we want to be. Obviously, going into the Travers would be a bit of an aggressive move.”

By Ghostzapper, the Kentucky homebred colt is out of five-time Grade 1-winner Music Note. Mystic Guide made his first two starts at Fair Grounds including a debut third in a six-furlong sprint in February ahead of a five-length maiden score when travelling 1 1/16-miles on March 21 that earned an 84 Beyer.

Mystic Guide rallied to finish second behind Tap It to Win in a June 4 allowance around one-turn with eventual Peter Pan victor and likely Runhappy Travers rival Country Grammer 1 1/2-lengths back in third.

With Jose Ortiz aboard for the first time in the Peter Pan, Mystic Guide settled in eighth position in the nine-furlong event rallying wide to finish third, 3 1/2-lengths back of the victorious Country Grammer, who was a neck better than Caracaro.

The probable field for the Runhappy Travers, which offers 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers, is also expected to include Caracaro [Gustavo Delgado], Max Player [Linda Rice], Uncle Chuck [Bob Baffert] and South Bend [Bill Mott].

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