mo forza | Horse Racing Free Tips

Mo Forza, Smooth Like Strait Face Off In City Of Hope Mile

A winner of his last three starts, all Grade 2 turf stakes, Peter Miller's Mo Forza, along with Michael McCarthy's ultra consistent Smooth Like Strait, headline Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 City of Hope Mile as a field of five 3-year-olds and up compete over the Santa Anita turf.

Bred in Kentucky by the late trainer Barry Abrams' Bardy Farm, Mo Forza, who won last year's City of Hope Mile two starts back, emerged from a 10 month layoff on Aug. 21 to rally and win the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile, his third consecutive Grade 2 win at a mile on grass. With Flavien Prat bidding for his fourth consecutive win aboard the 5-year-old full horse by Uncle Mo, out of the Unusual Heat mare Inflamed, Mo Forza seeks his sixth one mile turf win from eight tries.

Owned by Bardy Farm and OG Boss, Grade 1 winner Mo Forza has four wins from six starts over the Santa Anita turf. With lofty Beyer Speed Figures of 104, 106 and most recently 103 to his credit, he rates tops billing.

Trained by Michael McCarthy and owned and bred by Cannon Thoroughbreds, LLC, Smooth Like Strait has four wins from eight tries at a mile on turf, with all four wins coming at Santa Anita. A solid second, beaten a head in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile Aug. 21, he was second, beaten a neck two starts back in the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes and in his career-best performance, he sped to 1 ½ length win in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile here three starts back on May 31.

A 4-year-old colt by Midnight Lute, Smooth Like Strait, who along with Mo Forza will tote co-high weight of 126 pounds, is three necks and a head away from being unbeaten in five starts this year. With an overall mark of 17-7-5-2, he has earnings of $1,043,823 and will be ridden by Umberto Rispoli for the ninth consecutive time.

A gutty neck winner of the Grade 1 Kilroe Mile on turf here March 6, trainer Dan Blacker's Hit the Road was subsequently fifth as the 5-2 favorite in the Grade 1 Makers Mile (turf) at Keeneland on April 9. Subsequent to that, he was freshened up and returned to the races on Aug. 21 at Del Mar, finishing a big third, beaten one length by Mo Forza.

With a recent race to his credit, Hit the Road will again get the services of eastern-based Florent Geroux as he bids for his fifth win from six starts over the course. A 4-year-old colt owned by D K Racing, LLC, Radley Equine Inc., Taste of Victory Stables, Rick Gold, Tony Maslowski and Dave Odmark, Hit the Road has six wins from 11 overall starts and earnings of $539,751.

THE GRADE 2 CITY OF HOPE MILE WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 3 of 11 Approximate post time 1:30 p.m. PT

Red Storm Risen—Joe Bravo—122
Mo Forza—Flavien Prat—126
Hit the Road—Florent Geroux—124
Order and Law—Abel Cedillo—122
Smooth Like Strait—Umberto Rispoli—126

The City of Hope Mile is one of five stakes on an 11-card Saturday with first post time at 12:30 p.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

The post Mo Forza, Smooth Like Strait Face Off In City Of Hope Mile appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Mo Forza Gets Emotional Del Mar Mile Victory

Mo Forza repeated as race champion in his first start in more than 10 months, recording his third Grade 2 victory in a row, edging out Smooth Like Strait by a head in the final strides.

“I was worried if I had him fit enough, I really was,” trainer Peter Miller said. “But he's a champion and he's got that heart of a champion. I'm just glad I had him fit enough. Just enough.”

Mo Forza was owned by the late Barry Abrams, a highly-respected trainer/owner/breeder on the Southern California circuit for many years who died last October after a 15-year battle with cancer.

“I've never had a horse that brought so much emotion to me,” Miller said. “Just seeing him in the barn, I think of Barry. The horse is special, big time.”

Smooth Like Strait was the first of two runner-up efforts for trainees of Mike McCarthy, who sent out stable newcomer Master Piece in the Del Mar Handicap.

“They both came back well and we're happy with the efforts,” McCarthy said.

The post Mo Forza Gets Emotional Del Mar Mile Victory appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Mo Forza Repeats In Del Mar Mile

A year ago, Mo Forza surged to the front in the last eighth of the 2020 Del Mar Mile, winning the Grade 2 stakes by 4 1/4 lengths. In the 2021 edition, the 5-year-old had to work a little harder to find the winner's circle, overcoming a slow pace to sprint past Smooth Like Strait in the final strides, winning his second Del Mar Mile by a head on Pacific Classic Day at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

Off of a ten-month layoff, Mo Forza ducked in at the start of the G2 stakes, cutting off Count Again to take up position behind leader Nepture's Storm, Smooth Like Strait, and Hit the Road. On the front end, Nepture's Storm ran the first quarter of a mile in :23.69 and then slowed the pace down, the half-mile timed at :48.52. Mo Forza lingered toward the back of the short field, seven lengths off Neptune's Storm through the backstretch. On the turn, jockey Flavien Prat asked his horse to go, taking him to the outside for their closing run.

Into the stretch, Smooth Like Strait moved past Nepture's Storm, taking a short lead in the last eighth, but both Hit the Road and Mo Forza were on the move. Mo Forza closed fastest, passing Smooth LIke Strait in the last yards, hitting the wire a head in front of Smooth Like Strait. Hit the Road was third with Nepture's Storm and Count Again rounding out the field.

The final time for the G2 Del Mar Mile was 1:35.03. Find this race's chart here.

Mo Forza paid $4.20, $2.60, and $2.10. Smooth Like Strait paid $2.60 and $2.20. Hit the Road paid $2.60.

“He did it last year and he did it again this year, so all the credit goes to the trainer. He broke well and then relaxed nicely for me. He really responded when I asked him to run and we were in a sprint from the eighth mile pole home. I knew we got up,” Prat said after the race.

“I was worried if I had him fit enough, I really was,” trainer Peter Miller said after the Del Mar Mile. “But he's a champion and he's got that heart of a champion. I'm just glad I had him fit enough. Just enough.”

Bred in Kentucky by Bardy Farm, Mo Forza is by Coolmore stallion Uncle Mo out of the Unusual Heat mare Inflamed. Trained by Peter Miller, the 5-year-old is owned by Bardy Farm and OG Boss. With this win, Mo Forza has a lifetime record of seven wins in 13 starts for career earnings of $914,460.

The post Mo Forza Repeats In Del Mar Mile appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Prat Increases Lead In Del Mar Jockey Standings, Looks To Add More Saturday

With two wins yesterday, Flavien Prat increased his lead from four to six victories over Abel Cedillo and five to seven over Juan Hernandez atop the jockey standings entering the final 11 days of the 31-day meeting. Prat is looking to make it three straight riding titles at the summer meeting and five of the last six either taken outright or shared.

Prat has recorded six stakes victories, working toward the record 14 stakes in a season he established last year.

And, in terms of quantity and quality, the 29-year-old native of France appears positioned to advance toward both those goals with his mounts on the TVG Pacific Class Day program that is the annual highlight of the season.

Prat has mounts scheduled in all 11 races, five of which are stakes. In the six non-stakes events he is booked on two morning-line favorites – Barbwire (5th, 3-1) and Dream Shake (8th, 7-2) — and has no mounts higher than 4-1 in the early odds. During the run of five stakes in six races, here are Prat's runners on oddsmaker Jon White's morning line:

Race 6, Torrey Pines – Private Mission for trainer Bob Baffert, 9-5 favorite.

Race 7, Del Mar Mile – Mo Forza for trainer Peter Miller, 8-5 favorite.

Race 9, Del Mar Oaks – Going Global for trainer Phil D'Amato, 9-5 favorite.

Race 10, Pacific Classic – Tizamagician for trainer Richard Mandella, 4-1, co-fourth choice.

Race 11, Del Mar Handicap – United for Mandella, 2-1 favorite.

Of course, all that stands in the way of Prat's success today is 83 other horses and 22 other riders intent on success of their own.

The post Prat Increases Lead In Del Mar Jockey Standings, Looks To Add More Saturday appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post