New York-breds | Horse Racing Free Tips

Laopanonaprayer Much Best In Fifth Avenue Division Of New York Stallion Series

Kendrick Carmouche captured his first New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) riding title by guiding Laobanonaprayer to a convincing victory in Sunday's $250,000 NYSSS Fifth Avenue, a seven-furlong sprint for eligible New York-sired juvenile fillies at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Carmouche entered the day with 21 wins, four more than second-place Jose Lezcano and clinched the title in style with an eight-length score aboard Laobanonaprayer, who is owned and trained by Daniel Velazquez.

“I got the best post position,” said Carmouche. “The best thing to do was to just watch everything go on to the inside of me and go from there. Everything set up perfect. I just had to be patient and let my horse run on. I'm just very happy for my buddy Danny Velazquez and his family and his team. We all came together to win another race. It's wonderful when you are in the winner's circle.”

Laobanonaprayer assumed a stalking position in fourth as Flower's Fortune set a contested opening quarter-mile of 23.95 seconds under pressure from U Should B Dancing and the rail-surging Jill's a Hot Mess.

Jill's a Hot Mess wrestled the lead away heading into the turn through a half-mile in 47.30 as Carmouche asked Laobanonaprayer to shift into gear racing outside of rivals. Moving comfortably throughout, Laobanonaprayer kicked clear of Jill's a Hot Mess down the lane and sprinted home in 1:24.95 on the fast main track.

Jill's a Hot Mess stayed on strong to complete the exacta by 3 1/2-lengths over Shanes Pretty Lady.

Rounding out the order of finish were Pop the Bubbly, Pazzion, Ms Wicked, Gray Destiny, Vive La Liberty, Flower's Fortune, Athena Dancer and U Should B Dancing. Tangerine Dream was scratched.

Following a pair of on-the-board efforts at Delaware Park to start her career, Velazquez added blinkers and the services of Carmouche for the filly's 5 1/2-length maiden win in the Maid of the Mist on Empire Showcase Day at Belmont Park.

Velazquez said he was confident of a strong effort despite a slight cutback in distance from her last out one-mile win over state-breds.

“I knew we came prepared,” said Velazquez. “I was questioning the distance but I knew she could handle it. I think she can actually go a mile and an eighth. I'm really looking forward to testing her against open company. That's where we'll really know where she is. It's fun to compete in these stakes, but we got to test her against open company.

Bred in the Empire State by Christina Deronda, Laobanonaprayer banked $137,500 in victory while improving her record to 4-2-1-1. A bay daughter of Laoban, out of the Raffie's Majesty mare Raffie's Chance, Laobanonaprayer returned $4 on a $2 win bet.

Live racing resumes Thursday at the Big A with a nine-race card to kick off Opening Day of the 56-day winter meet, which will include 42 stakes races worth $4.57 million in purse money. First post is 12:20 p.m.

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Sharp Starr Among Trio Of New York-Breds Scoring Weekend Graded Stakes Wins

Barry K. Schwartz's homebred Sharp Starr, a neck winner of the Grade 3 Go for Wand Handicap, was one of three New York-breds to pick up graded-stakes wins on Saturday joining Brooklyn Strong [Grade 2 Remsen] and Varda [Grade 1 Starlet at Los Alamitos]. The Go for Wand and Remsen were run at Aqueduct in Ozone Park, N.Y.

The victory in the one-turn mile for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up provided 35-year-old trainer Horacio DePaz with his first graded stakes win.

“I'm very happy for the filly. She's really developed,” said DePaz. “The owner was thrilled. We've always thought highly of the filly and she's really coming around. Obviously, he bred her and owns the mare, so he was really happy.”

With Jose Ortiz up, Sharp Starr tracked in second position, a length back of older eight-time winner Portal Creek, piloted by Kendrick Carmouche, before engaging in a stirring stretch duel over the sloppy and sealed main track.

“I was happy with the position she got,” said DePaz. “She broke clean and was able to get into the race and then Jose did a really good job of judging the pace. We were really concerned about Kendrick's filly getting loose on the lead. She was the only one that showed speed like that and the way the track was playing, we didn't want her to get too far away and leave us with too much to do. Jose rode her really well and judged it really well. It was a thriller down the stretch.”

Sharp Starr, a 3-year-old daughter of Munnings who has overcome a tendency to start slowly, graduated in July at Belmont Park and hit the board in a pair of nine-furlong events going two turns over the summer at Saratoga Race Course, including a closing third in the restricted Fleet Indian.

The dark bay was off-the-board in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan in October at Pimlico Race Course before finding winning form in a 15 3/4-length score in a one-turn mile against state-breds on November 7 at the Big A that garnered a 101 Beyer Speed Figure.

DePaz said the extended sprint distance suits Sharp Starr with a pair of one-mile events at the Big A – the open $125,000 Heavenly Prize on March 6 and $100,000 Biogio's Rose for state-breds on March 7 – under consideration.

“I'd like to keep her at the one-turn mile. I'll have to talk to the owner and see,” said DePaz. “She's great this morning. She's bright, alert. She ate up was sound on the road and no worse for wear.”

Sharp Starr's 2-year-old half-brother V Pattern, by Street Sense and out of the A.P. Indy mare Mindy Gold, continues to develop for DePaz. He earned a 46 Beyer in his lone start when sixth in a 6 1/2-furlong state-bred maiden special weight on October 18 at Belmont.

“He started once and it was too short for him but he got a good experience out of it,” said DePaz. “He also didn't break the sharpest in that race but made a run at the end. He can hopefully move forward from that.”

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After ‘False Start,’ Eagle Orb Dominates New York-Breds In Notebook

E.V. Racing Stable's Eagle Orb was anxious to get going, leaving the starting gate early in Saturday's $100,000 Notebook. But after the field re-loaded, the son of Orb settled down, tracked the early speed and finished strong for a 2 3/4-length victory in a stakes for New York-bred juveniles going six furlongs over the main track at Aqueduct in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Eagle Orb, who entered with a pair of runner-up efforts in three stakes appearances for trainer Rudy Rodriguez, was one of four entrants to burst through the gate before the official start. It was a case of no-harm, no-foul, as all seven horses were re-loaded for the start, with Eagle Orb breaking sharp from post 4.

Storm Shooter set the early speed for a tightly bunched pack, going the opening quarter-mile in 23.28 seconds over a track labeled good. Under current meet-leading rider Kendrick Carmouche, Blue Gator, the 7-5 favorite, took command with the half-mile going in 47.26 as Storm Shooter retreated to the back of the pack.

Out of the turn, jockey Manny Franco urged Eagle Orb from the outside, where he overtook Blue Gator and drew away, hitting the wire in 1:11.71 while improving to 2-2-0 in five career starts. Bred by Barry Ostrager, Eagle Orb built on runner-up efforts in Funny Cide going 6 1/2 furlongs on Sept. 4 at Saratoga Race Course and a last-out second in the one-turn mile Sleepy Hollow on Oct. 24 at Belmont Park.

“I think he's a better horse sprinting,” Franco said. “Today, he was in a nice stalking position and when I put him in position, he started going very comfortably and started opening up.”

Cutting back in distance, Eagle Orb won for the first time since a triumphant debut on Aug. 21 at the Spa. Off at 6-1, he returned $12.20 on a $2 win bet and improved his career earnings to $153,100.

“I didn't want to get involved in the speed duel early,” Franco said. “I was trying not to take my horse too far off the pace, but I didn't want to be up there. I wanted to wait behind the speed. My horse settled nice for me and when I put him in the clear, he took me there after that.”

Added Franco on the start: “The horse on the outside of us [Horn of Plenty] was kind of moving around and all the horses broke through the door, that's when it happened.”

Rodriguez praised Eagle Orb's consistent start to his career.

“This horse always shows up. I was a little disappointed why we didn't get the last two wins,” Rodriguez said. “He's been close at Saratoga and at Belmont. He was knocking at the door.”

Three Diamonds Farm's Blue Gator, a stakes winner last out in the New York Breeders' Futurity over a sloppy and sealed Finger Lakes track on Oct. 26, finished 6 1/4 lengths ahead of Market Alert for second for trainer Mike Maker.

“I didn't want him to be that close, but those horses weren't fast enough to beat my horse there, so I was just sitting as long as I could,” Carmouche said. “I asked my horse to run around the turn and at the quarter pole he quickened up, but the other horse quickened faster than me. I thought he ran his race.”

Horn of Plenty, Lookin for Trouble, Storm Shooter and Half Right completed the order of finish.

Live racing resumes on Sunday at the Big A with a 10-race card highlighted by the $100,000 Winter Memories for 3-year-old fillies in Race 9 at 3:47 p.m. Eastern and the $100,000 Key Cents for New York-bred juvenile fillies going six furlongs in Race 2 at 12:22 p.m. First post is 11:50 a.m.

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Big Finish Nets Article Schiller Triumph For Therapist

Oak Bluff Stables' Therapist sat well off the pace and displayed a devastating turn-of-foot down the lane to secure a neck win in scoring his eighth stakes victory in Saturday's sixth running of the $100,000 Artie Schiller going one mile over the good inner turf at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Never worse than fourth in his last dozen starts, the New York-bred 5-year-old son of Freud notched his sixth stakes win against open company, scoring at such caliber in each of his years in training, dating back to his 2-year-old year in 2017, where he won the Laurel Futurity at Laurel Park and the Awad at Belmont Park.

In the money in all five of his starts this season, Therapist arrived at the Artie Schiller off a runner-up effort to graded stakes winner Somelikeithotbrown in the Mohawk on Oct. 24, part of Empire Showcase Day at Belmont Park.

Breaking from post 8 under Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, Therapist was angled to the two-path at the back of the pack as New York-bred multiple restricted stakes winner Rinaldi led the field into the first turn through an opening quarter-mile in 24.43 seconds and the half in 48.50, with Grade 1-winner Valid Point tracking in second.

Castellano nudged his charge around the far turn racing five lengths behind Rinaldi, who maintained his advantage as the field hit the top of the stretch. Castellano angled Therapist four wide and found a seam in between runners and began making up significant ground. Rinaldi was then confronted by Chad Brown trainees Valid Point and Delaware in the final sixteenth, but Therapist's turn of foot was too good for them as he was first on the wire in the nick of time, stopping the clock in 1:37.16. Valid Point finished second, a head in front of Delaware.

Rounding out the field were Rinaldi, Clear Vision, Ninety One Assault, Hawkish and Ballagh Rocks.

Hembree and main track only entrants Backsideofthemoon, Sea Foam, Chilly In Charge and Compound It were scratched.

Returning $8.30 as the lukewarm favorite, Therapist upped his lifetime earnings to $653,345 through a record of 21-9-2-5, having won at five different tracks.

Trainer Christophe Clement, who also bred Therapist in partnership with the owner, expressed a strong sense of pride in conditioning such a consistent state-bred.

“He's the perfect advertisement for the New York bred program; he's very consistent and can win at a high level against open company,” Clement said. “I think he's a very honest horse. He's a lovely horse and I'm lucky to train him. I'm the co-breeder, alongside the owner, Mr. Richard Leahy [of Oak Bluff Sables].”

Castellano climbed aboard Therapist for the first time on Saturday afternoon, but said that he had been observing the horse from afar.

“I've been watching this horse and following his races,” Castellano said. “He's the type of horse that likes to come from behind and can't be too close to the pace or he'll hang. Today, it worked out perfect. I had an outside post and saved all the ground and he finished really strong. I like the way he finished today.”

Patience was key for Castellano, who said the strategy was to save ground and roll home late.

“This time, I took my time,” Castellano said. “A few horses had the speed, so I had to do the best I could to save ground on the first turn. Even out of the last turn, I was feeling really good and was watching [and waiting] for the hole. It paid off.”

Clement did not rule out one more 2020 start for Therapist.

“Therapist has been very good to us over the years. He might go for one more race this year or he could wait until next year,” Clement said. “I haven't decided yet, but we'll see how he comes out of the race.”

Live racing resumes on Sunday at the Big A with a 10-race card highlighted by the $100,000 Winter Memories for 3-year-old fillies in Race 9 at 3:47 p.m. Eastern and the $100,00 Key Cents for New York-bred juvenile fillies going six furlongs in Race 2 at 12:22 p.m. First post is 11:50 a.m.

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