mike stidham | Horse Racing Free Tips

No Pegasus For Godolphin’s Fair Grounds-Based Maxfield, Mystic Guide

Neither of Godolphin's two Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup aspirants based at the Fair Grounds, Maxfield nor Mystic Guide, will make the Jan. 23 race at Gulfstream Park, reports the Daily Racing Form. Both colts came down with minor respiratory illnesses and missed enough training to take them out of Pegasus consideration.

The undefeated Grade 1-winner Maxfield, who returned off a seven-month layoff to win the Dec. 19 Tenacious Stakes at the Fair Grounds, returned to regular training on Monday. Trainer Brendan Walsh expects the 4-year-old to be ready for racing in early to mid-February.

“Some horse came down with something when the temperature dropped here,” Walsh told DRF. “The only remedy is to back off on them. He showed some early signs, so we backed off. It's curtailed any aspirations of going for a race like the Pegasus. The good news is he's fine.”

Mystic Guide, trained by Mike Stidham, finished second last out in the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup behind Happy Saver. Stidham said the colt is still coughing, but is back to tack walking in the shed row and will likely be pointed to a stakes race at the Fair Grounds or at Oaklawn in the coming months.

‘Ultra-Consistent’ Pixelate Headlines Saturday’s Woodchopper At Fair Grounds

Even though Godolphin LLC's homebred Pixelate is be the class of the field in Saturday's $75,000 Woodchopper, he's going to have to earn the victory as he leads the way over a strong field of 3-year-olds. The Woodchopper, run at about one bodemile on the Stall-Wilson Turf Course at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La., drew a baker's dozen, including a quintet of stakes winners.

Pixelate (post 5 at 4-1 with Angel Suarez) has been a top-level performer from the start for trainer Mike Stidham. He won the Central Park at Aqueduct as a 2-year-old to conclude a 2-for-4 freshman campaign, and the son of City Zip has only progressed from there. It took him a bit to get over a class hump this year, but Pixelate picked the right time to break through, winning the Del Mar Derby (G2) in September. He followed up with a close fifth in the Belmont Derby (G1) in October, and enters off a closing fourth in Keeneland's Nov. 6 Bryan Station, a race in which he was hung 10-wide on the turn for home. Pixelate is 3-for-13 lifetime and has answered the bell every time, which has been no surprise to Stidham.

“He's been ultra-consistent over the last two years and we've always thought he was very talented,” Stidham said. “In several of his races he was coming up just a little bit short and wasn't quite getting there. He's been running against some really solid, tough horses. Even in the Grade 1 he only got beat a couple lengths, and he's on the cusp of being in the top group of his category.”

Pixelate has run 1 1/8 miles or farther in his last five starts, though he shows a good second at a mile in the War Chant at Churchill Downs in May. While the Woodchopper won't be at his ideal distance, Stidham is hoping Pixelate won't be compromised at a shorter trip.

“I don't think the cutback will be a problem,” Stidham said. “He can lay in a forward position. I would prefer it being 1 1/16 miles but from a class standpoint he's been hooking some tough horses and I think he's in a good spot.”

Contention runs deep in the Woodchopper and Repole Stable's Bodecream (post 2 as Mike Diliberto's lukewarm 7-2 morning line favorite with James Graham) enters in career-best form for trainer Mike Maker. The son of Bodemeister started his career 2-for-8 for trainer Danny Pish, and following a private purchase, he was turned over to Maker this summer. He has really blossomed, though he's still looking for his first win for his new connections. Bodecream, 2-for-11 lifetime, was third in Saratoga's Saranac (G3) in August in his first start for Maker, third in Belmont's Hill Prince (G2) in October, and he enters off a nose second in Aqueduct's Nov. 27 Gio Ponti.

Calumet Farm's homebred Blackberry Wine (post 9 at 9-2 with Gabriel Saez) is the wildcard for trainer Joe Sharp. He is winless in three turf starts but enters off an extremely fast optional-claiming win on Dec. 13 here on the main track. The son of Oxbow has been third, however, in all three grass starts, and he hasn't been over the surface since running in an optional-claimer here last December. Blackberry Wine is 2-for-11 lifetime and could prove the one to catch.

Completing the Woodchopper field from the rail out: Kueber Racing LLC, Ten Strike Racing, and Mark Blieden's Pit Boss (20-1 with Mitchell Murrill); P. Dale Ladner's Jack the Umpire (post 3 at 20-1 with Jack Gilligan); Wayne R. Sanders and Larry Hirsch's Spanish Kingdom (post 4 at 8-1 with Brian Hernandez Jr.); Paradise Farms Corp's Dynadrive (post 6 at 12-1 with Shaun Bridgmohan); Brian L. Gunder's Top Draw (post 7 at 20-1 with Francisco Arrieta); Stallionaire Enterprises LLC's Doc Boy (post 8 at 12-1 with Florent Geroux); Ken and Sarah Ramsey's homebred Telephone Talker (post 10 at 12-1 with Adam Beschizza); Susan Moulton's Stanford (Ire) (post 11 at 20-1 with Marcelino Pedroza); Rick Rinn and Richard and Karen Boyer's Victory Boulevard (post 12 at 20-1 wit Miguel Mena); and Dixiana Farms LCC's Oak Hill (post 13 at 6-1 with Colby Hernandez).

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Upstart Colt Crushes On Laurel Debut

5th-Laurel, $48,520, Msw, 12-12, 2yo, 1m, 1:38.31, ft, 12 1/4 lengths.
MANOR HOUSE (c, 2, Upstart–Cascina, by Dixie Union) could scarcely have been more impressive making his debut over Laurel’s one-turn mile Saturday, as he drew off through the final furlong to graduate by 12 1/4 lengths. The Florida-bred was away to an uneventful beginning from the two hole and made the lead with a minimum of fuss, covering the opening half in :47.50 while taking mild pressure. He began to widen approaching the quarter pole, kicked farther in front in upper stretch and was eased through the final 40 yards by Victor Carrasco. Manor House, who had trained with vigor at trainer Mike Stidham’s Fair Hill base ahead of this debut, is the 18th winner for his first-crop sire (by Flatter). Manor House is a half-brother to Bella Vincenza (Biondetti), SW, $246,043, and his dam was most recently covered by Army Mule from this same A.P. Indy sire line. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $22,800. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
O-Newtown Anner Stud Farm; B-David Berman (FL); T-Michael Stidham.

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Karakontie Filly Handles Dirt in Rained-Off Mrs. Revere

Lightly raced Princess Grace handled the main track best of this turf-meant group to make the grade in only her fourth lifetime start. A 5 1/2-length debut romper on the Colonial sod and over a next-out winner Aug. 2, the Moore homebred cleared her first-level allowance condition at Monmouth Sept. 5. She had last been seen splitting Stunning Sky (Declaration of War) and How Ironic when second in the GIII Pin Oak Valley View S. at Keeneland Oct. 16.

Prompting the pace from second among a strung-out field, the dark bay was forced to hit the accelerator midway down the backside to avoid getting shuffled back as foes behind her attempted to take closer order. Princess Grace took command midway around the turn for home under a seemingly confident Florent Geroux, and kicked on nicely from there while never seriously threatened.

“The pace unfolded exactly how I thought that the horse to my inside (Positive Danger {Uncle Mo}) would go to the lead and we could sit just to her outside,” Geroux said. “She broke very alertly and was tracking nicely throughout the race. She’s a nice filly and with winning on the dirt it gives the connections more options in the future but I would guess goes back to turf.”

Winning conditioner Mike Stidham added, “You’re always concerned about a horse that didn’t race on dirt yet. She had pretty consistent works over the Tapeta surface at Fair Hill. We didn’t necessarily have a great line on how she would take to the dirt, but her early works were on the dirt. We thought she handled it very well then, so we were cautiously optimistic. We knew that her dam Masquerade was game on both dirt and turf so we felt good trying it. Down the backside you saw Florent was in a great spot just off the leader. When he let out a notch she just opened up impressively.”

Pedigree Notes:

Princess Grace becomes the sixth black-type winner, third graded, for young sire Karakontie. A rare North American runner whose sire and broodmare sire were both bred in Japan, she is the first stakes winner out of a mare by Canada’s leading sire Silent Name.

Stidham trained the winner’s dam Masquerade, a $15,000 yearling, for four of her six career wins–she scored three times on the grass, twice on the dirt and once on synthetic over a career that stretched from two to seven. Her two stakes placings came for Stidham on the turf.

Masquerade has a yearling filly by Kitten’s Joy and was bred to Frosted for 2021.

Saturday, Churchill Downs
MRS. REVERE S.-GIII*, $200,000, Churchill Downs, 11-14, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m (off turf), 1:44.00, ft.
1–PRINCESS GRACE, 118, f, 3, by Karakontie (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Masquerade, by Silent Name (Jpn)
                2nd Dam: Present Colors, by Prized
                3rd Dam: Blue and Green, by Miswaki
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-John &
Susan Moore (KY); T-Michael Stidham; J-Florent Geroux.
$122,760. Lifetime Record: 4-3-1-0, $205,260. Werk Nick
   Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Pass the Plate, 118, f, 3, Temple City–Pocket Gift, by Great
Notion. O/B-Silverton Hill, LLC (KY); T-Paul J. McGee. $39,600.
3–How Ironic, 118, f, 3, Tonalist–Sarcastic, by Distorted Humor.
O/B-G. Watts Humphrey (KY); T-Victoria H. Oliver. $19,800.
Margins: 2 3/4, 1HF, 4. Odds: 2.50, 2.90, 7.50.
Also Ran: Stunning Sky, Witez, Positive Danger. Scratched: Hendy Woods.
*Automatically downgraded from Grade II status due to surface switch. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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