mike stidham | Horse Racing Free Tips

Colonial Downs Meeting Shatters Records

Buoyed by a record-breaking handle of more than $6.5 million on New Kent County Virginia Derby Day, Colonial Downs shattered all wagering marks this racing season, the fourth under the management of Colonial Downs Group and ownership of Peninsula Pacific Entertainment.

Total handle for the 26-day live racing meet was $74,940,840 for a daily average of $2,882,340, up more than 29% from the 2021 average daily handle mark of $2,231,765 during that season's 21-day session. This race meet marked an all-time wagering high in the history of Colonial Downs.

“The revival of Virginia racing continues to grow as we once again set new all-time handle marks,” said John Marshall, Colonial Downs Group Executive Vice President, Operations. “It is gratifying to see Colonial Downs evolve into one of the nation's elite meets which is what our team set out to accomplish just four years ago. We congratulate all of those who aimed and worked at placing Virginia racing in such an admirable position.”

Purses for the season averaged a Virginia record of $612,000 up from 2021's $521,000 per day in purse distribution. A total of 1382 individual horses representing 321 trainers made a combined 2,179 starts for the season. Field size averaged 8.35 runners per race compared to the 7.17 national per race average.

Mike Stidham took home leading trainer honors with 13 victories. The owners' race ended in a dead-heat between David Ross's DARRS, Inc. and R. Larry Johnson each of whom visited the winner's circle on six occasions. Jevian Toledo won his first Colonial riding crown with 25 victories.

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Bevy of ’21 KY Downs Stakes Winners Expected to Return

Courtesy Kentucky Downs

Ten–and possibly 11–of the 16 horses that won stakes at Kentucky Downs last year are scheduled to return for the upcoming meet, which runs seven days between Sept. 1-14.

Trainer Mike Stidham said both 2021 GIII Ladies Turf winner Princess Grace (Karakontie {Jpn}) and GIII WinStar Mint Million victor Pixelate (City Zip) will shoot for repeat stakes triumphs at the all-turf FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs. The $1-million GIII Mint Million S. is Sept. 3 and the $750,000 GIII Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf is Sept. 10, which features five graded stakes.

“Kentucky Downs has always been on our schedule as long as the horses are doing well,” Stidham said. “We know they run well over that track, and that's a lot of money to turn down taking a shot at. Kentucky Downs is a meet we always look at hard, the money is so good. We target trying to run as many as we can there.”

Owned by Susan and John Moore, Princess Grace most recently was second by a half-length in the GI Beverly D. S. at Churchill Downs won by Dalika (Ger) (Pastorius {Ger}). Princess Grace edged that mare by the same margin in last year's $750,000 Ladies Turf at a mile. Stidham said he's hoping Dalika also shows back up at Kentucky Downs, given the provision that the purse jumps to $1 million for registered Kentucky-breds if a Grade I winner runs in the race. (The base purse increases from $300,000 to $550,000 for non-Kentucky-breds such as the German-born Dalika.)

“We're rooting for her to come,” Stidham said, adding, “Princess Grace ran a great race in the Beverly D. like she generally does when things set up properly. She took the lead inside the eighth pole. It looked like we were going to be the winner, and Al Stall's mare came back on the inside. Not taking anything away from Dalika, but our filly had never been a mile and an eighth. It looked to me like the mile and an eighth is what got her more than the competition got her. And the distance was probably the difference-maker at Kentucky Downs.”

Stall confirmed that the tentative plan is in fact to run Dalika at Kentucky Downs.

Pixelate, owned by 2021 Kentucky Downs leading owner Godolphin, was third in Laurel's Prince George's County S. on July 16 in his only start of 2022. He won last year's $1-million Mint Million by 2 1/2 lengths over Somelikeithotbrown (Big Brown).

“We got the one race off the layoff; he ran really well,” Stidham said. “We're hoping that race sets him up for a really big effort in his second start of the year. ”

Trainer Brad Cox also plans to bring back both of his 2021 Kentucky Downs stakes winners: Adventuring (Pioneerof the Nile) and Turnerloose (Nyquist).

Adventuring, also owned by Godolphin, won the $500,000 Exacta Systems Dueling Grounds Oaks and is being pointed for the $550,000 AGS Ladies Marathon, which was elevated to Grade III status for 2022. In her only start as a 4-year-old, Adventuring won Mountaineer's West Virginia Senate President's Cup on Aug. 6. Cox said he isn't yet sure which race Turnerloose will go in. Turnerloose won last year's $500,000 Aristocrat Juvenile Fillies for owners Ike and Dawn Thrash. She was second by a half-length in Ellis Park's Centennial Distaff Mile against older fillies in her last start.

Other 2021 stakes-winners coming back include:

Stall said that In Good Spirits (Ghostzapper), who like Dalika is owned by Louisvillian Paul Varga's Bal Mar Equine, will shoot for back-to-back wins in the $600,000 GIII The Mint Ladies Sprint, most recently having finished fourth in Saratoga's restricted De La Rose at a mile.
Koala Princess (More Than Ready), winner of last year's $500,000 Ainsworth Stakes, was scratched out of Saturday's $200,000 GII Lake Placid S. at Saratoga to run in the $500,000 Nelson's Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey Music City for 3-year-old fillies Sept. 11 at Kentucky Downs, trainer Arnaud Delacour said in a text.
Tobys Heart (Jack Milton), last year's Music City winner, is targeting the Sept. 10 Ladies Sprint after finishing third in Ellis Park's 5 1/2-furlong Laguna Distaff Turf Sprint. Trainer Brian Lynch said he believes Kentucky Downs' 6 1/2-furlong distance will better suit the 4-year-old filly.
Trainer Paulo Lobo said the Brazilian-bred In Love (Agnes Gold {Jpn}) could go in either the Mint Million or the stakes he won in 2021: the $400,000 FanDuel Tapit S. restricted to horses that have not won a stakes this year. In Love used last year's Tapit as a springboard to taking Keeneland's GI Keeneland Turf Mile (now the Coolmore Turf Mile) in his next start. Lobo and owner Bonne Chance Farm also won last year's $1-million GII Kentucky Turf Cup with Imperador (Arg) (Treasure Beach {GB}), but that horse has been retired to stud in his native Argentina.
Family Way (Uncle Mo), winner of the 2021 Ladies Marathon, will attempt the repeat in that 1 5/16-mile race after finishing third in the Beverly D., trainer Brendan Walsh said.
Hendy Woods (Uncle Mo), winner of Kentucky Downs' restricted $400,000 One Dreamer last year, is targeting the Ladies Turf, said David Carroll, who runs Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse's Churchill Downs division.

An 11th stakes winner from last year is being pointed to the upcoming meet but faces a tight schedule. Trainer Pavel Matejka hopes to make a race to be determined with Accredit (Flatter), who paid $75 to win last year's $750,000 Big Ass Fans Dueling Grounds Derby. Accredit hasn't run since and has three timed workouts at The Thoroughbred Center in Lexington. However, Matejka also has a private half-mile turf training gallop that goes uphill and downhill, which could boost Accredit's fitness.

“We are hopeful that we can make it there,” Matejka said in a text. “He has been training very well and is pretty close being ready.”

Among other past Kentucky Downs stakes winners expected back: Donegal Racing's $3-million earner Arklow (Arch) will shoot for a record third victory in the $1-million GII Kentucky Turf Cup, whose winner gets a fees-paid berth in the $4-million GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland on Nov. 5. It will be Arklow's fifth appearance at Kentucky Downs, having finished second last year by a neck and in 2019 to go with victories in 2020 and 2018.

Totally Boss (Street Boss), the 2019 FanDuel Turf Sprint winner for trainer Rusty Arnold, is on course for that $1-million Grade II race in his return from a year's retirement. Totally Boss finished fourth by 3/4 of a length in Ellis Park's Twin Spires Turf Sprint in the second start of his comeback.

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Olympiad Tries to Keep Rolling in New Orleans Classic

Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stable and LNJ Foxwoods' Olympiad (Speightstown) announced himself as a player in the handicap division with a fast-finishing score in the GIII Mineshaft S. last out at Fair Grounds, and will look for an encore as the favorite in Saturday's GII New Orleans Classic S. on the GII TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby undercard.

Graduating at second asking in September of 2020 at Saratoga while besting future stakes winners Caddo River (Hard Spun) and Greatest Honour (Tapit), the $700,000 Keeneland September buy was laid up for 364 days and returned with a runner-up effort at the Spa Sept. 4 that earned him a 105 Beyer. Clearing his one-other-than allowance condition next out at Keeneland Oct. 14, he was a sneaky-good fourth with a wide trip in the GI Cigar Mile H. Dec. 4 at Aqueduct before running away with a Gulfstream allowance/optional claimer by 7 1/4 lengths Jan. 15. Returning to stake company in the Mineshaft, he kicked away to a 2 1/4-length score, clicking off his final five-sixteenths in a scorching :29.53 and setting a new track record for 1 1/16 miles.

Stretching out to nine furlongs for the first time, Olympiad's chief competition appears to come from Godolphin homebred Proxy (Tapit) and Woodford Thoroughbreds, WinStar Farm and Rock Ridge Racing's Promise Keeper (Constitution). Proxy appeared to be a GI Kentucky Derby contender last winter when running second in the local GIII Lecomte S. and GII Risen Star S., but was shelved following somewhat disappointing fourth-place runs in the Louisiana Derby and GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. Making his first start in over 10 months in a local allowance/optional claimer Feb. 25 and rallied from off the pace to triumph going away by 3 3/4 lengths.

“I couldn't be happier,” trainer Mike Stidham said. “He's had three really good works since his last race. He ran against top quality horses last year as a 3-year-old. It's just a matter of seeing if he's good enough to compete with the top horses this year, but he's given me every indication that he can. Given the way he ran in his last race, nine furlongs should absolutely be better than 1 1/16 miles for him. He was very relaxed and came home finishing nicely. I'm very much looking forward to the added distance with him.”

Promise Keeper recorded three open-lengths wins in his first five starts last year, culminating with a 2 1/4-length success in the GIII Peter Pan S. at Belmont before finishing a close fourth in the GIII Ohio Derby in his 3-year-old finale June 26 at Thistledown. Returning off the bench in the GIII Razorback H. Feb. 12 at Oaklawn, the chestnut overcame a troubled start and a wide trip, closing well to be fourth.

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Viadera Attempts to Defend Matriarch Title

Juddmonte's Viadera (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) captured the 2020 GI Matriarch S. at Del Mar and looks to defend her title in Sunday's renewal. Last year's victory was her third straight and she kicked off this term with a fourth in Saratoga's De La Rose S. Aug. 8, an event she won last year. Scoring by a nose in Saratoga's GII Ballston Spa S. Aug. 28, the bay could only manage sixth last time in Keeneland's GI First Lady S. Oct. 9.

Trainer Chad Brown, who saddled three of the last four winners of this event, also sends out Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom). A seven-time stakes winner, the Peter Brant runner's resume is missing just one thing, a Grade I victory and she will likely be favored to get it in this six-horse event. Kicking off this term with a win in Aqueduct's Plenty of Grace S. Apr. 11, the chestnut was fourth in Belmont's GI Just a Game S. June 5 and captured the De La Rose. She enters this off a half-length second to her stablemate in the First Lady.

Mike Stidham is also represented by an accomplished runner here in Princess Grace (Karakontie {Jpn}). Closing 2020 with a win in the GII Mrs. Revere S., the Susan and John Moore homebred opened her 2021 account with a win in the GIII Dr. James Penny Memorial S. July 6 at Parx. She followed suit with wins in the Aug. 7 GII Yellow Ribbon H. and Sept. 11 GIII Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf S. Princess Grace led every step of the way in Del Mar's GII Goldikova S. Nov. 6, but yielded late to be third.

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