More Than Ready | Horse Racing Free Tips

Emmanuel Impresses in Tampa Two-Turn Test

6th-Tampa Bay Downs, $31,000, Alw (NW1X)/Opt. Clm ($75,000), 1-30, 3yo, 1m 40y, 1:40.24, ft, 4 1/2 lengths.
EMMANUEL (c, 3, More Than Ready–Hard Cloth, by Hard Spun) backed up the 'TDN Rising Star' moniker and his place at number five on T.D. Thornton's GI Kentucky Derby Top 12 Sunday as he handled a salty Tampa allowance field with aplomb. A 6 3/4-length debut scorer going a one-turn mile at Gulfstream Dec. 11, he was forced to scratch from a spot similar to this one Jan. 7 when he spiked a fever, but he was backed like a sure thing here at 1-5 for the red-hot Todd Pletcher barn. With locally based Pablo Morales in the irons, the bay wasted little time taking command but was kept off the fence through soft splits of :25.03 and :49.88. Fellow last-out Gulfstream graduate Glider (Quality Road) moved inside of the leader in upper stretch and looked like he might go right on by, but Morales was playing possum. He hadn't moved a muscle yet on Emmanuel to the eighth pole, but as soon as he hit the gas the chalk burst away and ran up the score with impressive ease to march home 4 1/2 lengths to the good. Glider was a clear-cut second ahead of Emmanuel's stablemate In the Union (Union Rags).

“Just a class horse. I felt like I had so many gears underneath me,” Morales said. “Every time I would just move a hair, he would take off a little bit more and just do it easily. He felt [Glider] coming on the inside down the lane, so I decided to give him a little bit of a hand ride and I could feel him extending more and more.

“He just did it easy–it felt like a workout for him. He acts like an old horse who has run 100 times and he gives you what you ask out of him. I'm thankful I was considered to ride him. It was a pleasure.”

Pletcher and WinStar Farm were of course represented on Saturday by fellow 'Rising Star' and impressive $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. winner Life Is Good (Into Mischief), while Siena Farm is co-owner of $750,000 GIII Southwest S. hero and fellow undefeated 3-year-old colt Newgrange (Violence). Produced by a half-sister to globetrotting MG1SW Hawkbill (Kitten's Joy) and GISW Free Drop Billy (Union Rags), Emmanuel has a 2-year-old Kitten's Joy half-brother who cost $120,000 at Keeneland September and a yearling full-sister. Unraced Hard Cloth, a granddaughter of GISW Serape (Fappiano), visited Munnings last term. Sales history: $350,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $50,400. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-WinStar Farm LLC & Siena Farm LLC; B-Helen K. Groves Revocable Trust (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.

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Venerable Say The World Tops Sunday’s San Marcos Stakes

At the top of his game at age seven, trainer Phil D'Amato's venerable gelding Say the Word, fresh off a big come from behind victory in his most recent start, heads a compact field of six older horses going a mile and one quarter on turf in Sunday's Grade 2, $225,000 San Marcos Stakes at Santa Anita.

Third to Say the Word in the G2 Hollywood Turf Cup Nov. 26, Friar's Road came up a nose short as the 3-5 favorite in the G3 San Gabriel Stakes here on Dec. 26 and will hope for better luck going an extra furlong.

Irish-bred Lincoln Hawk, although trying graded stakes competition for the first time since running a close fifth at 28-1 five starts back in the G2 Del Mar Derby, could certainly qualify as a “now” horse as he comes off an impressive allowance tally over the course at a mile and one eighth.

With a short field in prospect and what appears to be a dearth of front-running speed, eight-year-old Acclimate, a highly accomplished California-bred gelding, could be long gone on the San Marcos lead.

Throw in San Gabriel winner Bob and Jackie, who will be tasked with keeping Acclimate busy early, and the San Marcos looks to be very competitive affair.

Under a well-timed ride from Kent Desormeaux, Say the Word, an Ontario/Canadian-bred son of More Than Ready, flew from far off the pace to collar Acclimate late going a mile and one half on the Del Mar Turf and won the Hollywood Turf Cup going away by one length while earning a 101 Beyer Speed Figure.

A Group 1 winner in his final Canadian start at Woodbine nine starts back on Oct. 18, 2020, Say the Word has won two of his eight starts for D'Amato, including a G2 stakes at Keeneland on April 17, 2021. Owned by Agave Racing Stable and Sam-Son Farm, he'll be ridden back by Desormeaux as he bids for his fourth graded stakes win and his eight overall victory from what will be his 34th career start.

Off as the 3-5 favorite with Irad Ortiz in the G3 San Gabriel, Friar's Road stalked the early pace, wheeled three-deep turning for home and just missed in what was his fifth start of 2021. Third, beaten 1 ¼ lengths by Say the Word two starts back in the Hollywood Turf Cup, Friar's Road flew late to be third, beaten a head by multiple G1 winner United three starts back in the G2 John Henry Turf Championship here on Oct. 2.

With Flavien Prat taking over, look for Friar's Road, who seeks his first graded stakes win, to get plenty of pari-mutuel attention. Owned by Mr. and Mrs. William K. Warren, Friar's Road, a 5-year-old horse by Quality Road, is trained by Michael McCarthy and brings an overall mark of 12-2-4-2.

Although his Bob and Jackie comes off a gusty nose win in the G2 San Gabriel, trainer Richard Baltas may have an Ace in the hole with Lincoln Hawk, who surged late to take a first condition allowance on Dec. 27. Patiently handled by Juan Hernandez, Lincoln Hawk is one of several who will have to hope for a realistic pace on Sunday. Owned by Rockingham Ranch and Supreme Racing, Lincoln Hawk, who has won two of his seven stateside starts with D'Amato, is 12-2-2-2 overall and will be trying a mile and one quarter for the first time.

If he's up to the challenge at age eight, conditions could be to order for front-running Acclimate as it doesn't appear anyone can match strides with him early. A gate to wire winner of the mile and three quarters turf G3 San Juan Capistrano Stakes five starts back on June 19 of last year, Acclimate, a three-time graded winner, will be handled for the seventh consecutive time by Ricky Gonzalez.

The lone Cal-bred in the field, Acclimate, who is by the Eclipse Award-winning Unusual Heat stallion Acclamation, is trained by Phil D'Amato and is owned by the Ellwood Johnston Trust, Timmy Time Racing, LLC, Brooke Bartlett, Ryan Bartlett, Michael Goritz and Kenneth Tevelde. With an overall mark of 29-7-6-5, he has earnings of $683,872, $306,000 of which was earned at age seven last year.

Owned by Calvin Nguyen and Joey Tran, Bob and Jackie, who was off at 5-1, took the Dec. 26 San Gabriel in gate to wire fashion, managing to hold off Friar's Road by a nose. A 6-year-old horse by Twirling Candy, he notched his first graded stakes win and his fourth overall stakes tally in the San Gabriel under a perfect ride from Jose Valdivia, Jr., who rides back on Sunday.

With an overall mark of 16-5-5-1, Bob and Jackie, who will be trying a mile and one quarter for the first time, will hope to keep Acclimate honest in the early going.

THE GRADE 3 SAN MARCOS WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 7 of 9 Approximate post time 3:30 p.m. PT

Dicey Mo Chara—Abel Cedillo–120
Lincoln Hawk—Juan Hernandez—120
Say the Word—Kent Desormeaux—124
Friar's Road—Flavien Prat—120
Acclimate—Ricardo Gonzalez—122
Bob and Jackie—Jose Valdivia, Jr.–122

First post time for a nine-race card on Sunday is at 12:30 p.m., with admission gates opening at 10:30 a.m.

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Pegasus Turf: Hit The Road Ready To Fire His ‘A Game’ Off The Bench

While the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) has long been in the plans for Hit the Road, trainer Dan Blacker did not expect to run in the race off a nearly four-month layoff.

Ah, but odd things happen in life and sport and Blacker has no choice but to train the Grade 1 winner up to his first start at 1 1/8 miles in the $1 million race Jan. 29 at Gulfstream Park.

Hit the Road, owned by DK Racing, Radley Equine, Taste of Victory Stables, Rick Gold, Tony Maslowski and Dave Odmark, gave Blacker, 39, the first Grade 1 win of his career with his neck victory over Smooth Like Strait in the Frank Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita. Blacker purchased the now 5-year-old son of More Than Ready in 2018 as a yearling in a private sale after he failed to reach his reserve price at a public auction.

“After he won a Grade 1 in March last year we had the Breeders' Cup in mind throughout the year,” Blacker said. “We were prepping him, then he had a fever the week before the race and we had to scratch him. To prepare a horse for that amount of time and to have to withdraw at the last minute was really disappointing.”

After that setback and once Hit the Road resumed training, Blacker plotted a new course.

“We prepped him for the San Gabriel (G2), which is a mile and an eighth at Santa Anita [Dec. 26], with the Pegasus in mind because that race was at a mile and an eighth, as well,” he said. “And then that race came off the turf and we had to scratch out of that race. So, we're just coming in here. It's a bit of an unknown, but the horse is training really well.”

Hit the Road has a long series of breezes on his work tab, most recently going five furlongs in 58.40 seconds over the Santa Anita turf Jan. 16.

“Everything needs to go perfect, really,” Blacker said. “It's a lot of tests that he has to pass in order to make the trip. It's a long trip, it's very expensive and I don't want to take him unless he's ready to fire his absolute 'A' game. Hopefully we'll be able to do it. But it's up to the horse. We'll just have to see over the next two weeks. Right now, he's doing great and I'm really happy with him.”

Thanks to the unforeseen combo of the minor illness and then rain in December in Southern California, the Pegasus Turf will be Hit the Road's first start since he finished third by a half-length in a troubled trip in the City of Hope Mile (G2) Oct. 2 at Santa Anita. The City of Hope was his 11th consecutive race at one mile.

“He runs really well fresh, so I'm not worried about the fitness,” Blacker said. “I'm more concerned about the distance. You just never know. I think he will be able to run at a mile and an eighth, but the question is: Is he as good at a mile and eighth as at a mile? And when you're running in Grade 1s, you've got to bring your 'A' game.

“It's a lot of money, this race. We were fortunate to be invited and grateful to the Stronach Group for inviting us,” he added. “It just depends on the horse, how he works over the next two weeks. Hopefully everything runs smoothly [and] we can take a shot.”

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Jan. 7 Insights: More Than Ready Rising Star Returns in Tampa Allowance

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

2nd-TAM, $31.5K, Alw/Opt. Clm ($75K), 3yo, 1m 40y, 1:09 p.m. ET

WinStar Farm and Siena Farm's EMMANUEL (More Than Ready) ran away to a well-bet debut victory and 'TDN Rising Star' honors last month at Gulfstream and will get his first two-turn test in this salty Tampa allowance early on Friday's card. Bought for $350,000 at Keeneland September, the bay was backed down to 7-5 against nine rivals when unveiled over a mile Dec. 11, shook off some early pace pressure and cruised home a 6 3/4-length winner. His rider that day, Luis Saez, travels across the Sunshine State to keep the mount. Emmanuel's main competition appears to be Conrad Farms' Golden Glider (Ghostzapper), who also impressed in a first-out victory, albeit with a totally different running style. Supported at 7-2 in a 12-horse field when unveiled going 1 1/16 miles Nov. 27 at Woodbine, the Mark Casse trainee dropped back to last before passing every rival and sweeping to the lead late for a one-length graduation. Fringe contenders include Trigger Happy (Gun Runner), who returns in just 11 days after romping to a 9 1/4-length debut score Dec. 27 at Hawthorne, Boitano (Nyquist), who earned his cap and gown for Godolphin and Eoin Harty here Nov. 27, and Cloud Play (Into Mischief), last seen running a close third in the Fitz Dixon, Jr. Memorial Juvenile S. Oct. 11 at Presque Isle. TJCIS PPs —@JBiancaTDN

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