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Shackled Love Gives Jockey Charlie Marquez First Stakes Win In Private Terms

ZWP Stable and Non Stop Stable homebred Shackled Love pressed Maythehorsebwithu from the gate, forged a narrow lead in mid-stretch and dug in gamely when the even-money favorite surged again near the wire to spring a 21-1 upset of Saturday's $100,000 Private Terms at Laurel Park.

The 32^nd running of the Private Terms at about 1 1/16 miles is the second step in Laurel's series of stakes for 3-year-olds following the one-mile Miracle Wood Feb. 20 and preceding the 1 1/8-mile Federico Tesio April 17, a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the 146^th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 15 at Pimlico Race Course.

A gelded bay son of 2011 Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Shackleford, Shackled Love ($45.60) completed the distance in 1:43.56 over a fast main track to become a stakes winner in his first try. It was also the first career stakes win for rider Charlie Marquez, Maryland's leading apprentice of 2020 who turned 18 Jan. 25.

“I'm just so excited. I'd like to thank the trainers and owners and everybody that's gotten me here from when I first started,” Marquez said. “I'm lost for words. I don't really know what to say.”

Shackled Love was a late addition to the Private Terms field, having been entered for a race March 12 before the program was cancelled as a precaution after a horse at Laurel tested positive for EHV-1. Trainer Gary Capuano also saddled stakes winner Shackqueenking, another son of Shackleford.

“He ran such a game race last time out and he ran a pretty decent number. He's got some staying power, so we thought we'd take a shot,” Capuano said. “He drew a good post and there was nothing coming up right away. He's got some talent.”

Maythehorsebwithu, a four-length winner of the Miracle Wood trying two turns for the first time, got out quickly and assumed the lead from Post 2, going the opening quarter-mile in 23.97 seconds and the half in 47.55 with Shackled Love at his right hip. Shackqueenking ranged up into a contending spot in third around the turn racing on the far outside but was unable to keep up with the top two as they straightened for home.

“I expected to be close. The inside, Sheldon Russell, I thought he was going to be close and I thought my outside had a little bit of pace [Zertz],” Marquez said. “We were walking up front, so I wanted to push the pace a little bit and give my horse the confidence that he needed.”

Shackled Love stuck a head in front at the top of the stretch but jockey Sheldon Russell and Maythehorsebwithu was stubborn on the inside and came back for more, grudgingly giving way in the final yards. It was two lengths back to Excellorator in third, with Shackqueenking fourth by another length.

Zertz, Royal Number and Commodore Perry competed the order of finish.

“The race kind of set up the way we thought. We thought Sheldon on the inside was going to show some speed, and we had speed. It was just [Zertz], we didn't know what he was going to do,” Capuano said. “We thought that the pace would set up just about like that. Shackqueenking had a good shot turning for home and he just kind of hung. The other two just kind of kicked on.”

Shackled Love broke his maiden in debut last fall at Delaware Park but had lost his last four races, all at Laurel, beaten in separate entry-level optional claiming starts in December and January by Maythehorsebwithu and Royal Number. The Tesio in five weeks is a likely landing spot.

“I think so,” Capuano said. “As long as he comes back good, we'll try that.”

Private Terms raced in the colors of Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Janney's Locust Hill Farm, winning 12 races, nine stakes and more than $1.2 million from 1987-89 including the 1988 Federico Tesio (G3) and Wood Memorial (G1) and 1989 Mass Cap (G2). His track record of 1:47 1/5 in winning the 1989 Never Bend Handicap at Pimlico still stands. He sired Grade 1-winning millionaires Soul of the Matter and Afternoon Deelites.

Notes: Jockey Sheldon Russell scored a natural hat trick Saturday with Littlestitious ($10.20) in the $100,000 Beyond the Wire, Glory March ($4) in Race 4 and Whereshetoldmetogo ($2.40) in the $75,000 Not For Love. Both Whereshetoldmetogo and Glory March are trained by his wife, Brittany Russell … Five-pound apprentice Charlie Marquez doubled aboard Six Pack Sara ($6.20) in Race 2 and Shackled Love ($45.60) in the $100,000 Private Terms … Jockey Victor Carrasco also won twice, with Cordmaker ($8.60) in the $100,000 Harrison E. Johnson Memorial and Kiss the Girl ($6) in the $75,000 Conniver … There will be a jackpot carryover of $13,587.89 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 for Sunday's nine-race program (4-9). Multiple tickets with all six winners Saturday each returned $282.58.

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‘A Good Step Up’: Triple Crown Prep May Be Next For Prevalence After Dominating Win

Godolphin LLC's Prevalence took a giant step forward Thursday at Gulfstream Park, where the highly regarded 3-year-old colt registered a dominating optional claiming allowance victory that may very well lead to a Kentucky Derby (G1) prep race for his next start.

Bet down to 1-9 in a field of six 3-year-olds on the strength of a dazzling debut in a seven-furlong maiden special weight event at Gulfstream Jan. 23, Prevalence scored by three lengths in his return to action while running the one-turn mile in 1:35.82.

“I think it was a good step up for the horse going from the seven [furlongs] to a mile. It seemed like he got the distance good; the time was good,” trainer Brendan Walsh said. “We can't ask for much more than what we saw.”

The $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill n' Dale will be run March 27 at Gulfstream Park but will come up too soon for Prevalence. The Blue Grass (G2) at Keeneland, the Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn Park and Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct will be run April 3. The latter two preps would seem the most likely targets since Godolphin's Essential Quality is scheduled to run in the Blue Grass.

“We'll get back and let the dust settle and talk to the team at Godolphin and see where we go after that,” Walsh said, '[A Derby prep] is a strong possibility, for sure.”

Prevalence established himself as a hot Triple Crown prospect when he debuted on the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) undercard. After brushing with a rival shortly after the start, he asserted himself on the backstretch and drew away under wraps to complete seven furlongs in 1:23. The Feb. 27 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream had been a goal for the homebred son of Medaglia d'Oro before he missed a key workout due to a brief bout with a cough.

“It was very important that we did what we did today, and not throw him in too deep,” Walsh said. “I'm very pleased we got this race. Hats off to the guys at Gulfstream for getting the race to go, because I think it was very important for the horse.

Prevalence broke cleanly from his outside post to race a couple lengths off the pace set by Tio Magico, who was making his 2021 debut after finishing second in the Coronation Futurity at Woodbine in his juvenile finale. The Kentucky-bred colt joined the pacesetter leaving the backstretch without any encouragement from jockey Tyler Gaffalione and took a slight lead on the turn into the homestretch. He opened a clear lead in the stretch and finished under mild encouragement.

“It was probably not as flashy as his first race, but I think we're going to get a lot more out of this race today,” Gaffalione said. “He was definitely more green. He was looking up at the grandstand down the lane. He kind of got lost by himself. I just had to remind him to keep to his task. He has a really bright future. I'm really looking forward to getting to the bottom of him.

“He didn't disappoint at all today, if anything, I'm even more excited about him because I know, if it comes to it, he will give me some fight,” Gaffalione added.

Southern Passage, who trailed the field early, closed to finish second under Corey Lanerie, a length ahead of Tio Magico.

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Webinar: Tips For How To Train When Riding Isn’t An Option

Winter weather often limits training for horses of all kinds, and although much of the country is now experiencing warmer temperatures, spring rains could continue to create headaches for equestrians.

With this challenge in mind, the Retired Racehorse Project recently hosted a webinar titled, 'How To Train When You Can't Ride' to offer tips for riders of all sports to keep horses physically and mentally engaged when the ground is icy, rain-soaked or snow-covered.

A few key takeaways:

Dr. Shannon Reed, associate professor of equine surgery at The Ohio State University and off-track Thoroughbred advocate, said that even for a horse in rehabilitation from an injury, there are ways to keep things from being monotonous. If a horse is limited to hand walking, check with your veterinarian to see if it's ok to hand walk outside rather than in the barn aisle, whether tack walking or trailer loading practice are acceptable forms of exercise. Stall-bound horses may still be able to work on vocal cues and lateral work (“Move over”) in the stall. Walking over ground poles or under saddle may also be an option for some horses.
“You should come out of six months of rehab with a better horse than what you went in with,” said Reed. “There are a whole lot of things that you can do with your horse that have nothing to do with being under saddle, which is someplace we sometimes put ourselves under pressure.”

Always check with the veterinarian when brainstorming things that could fit within the guidelines – don't ask the Facebook peanut gallery.
Hand walking, especially a brisk walk, can be a surprisingly good way to get a horse (and rider) fit. Reed recommends hand walking in whatever environment you safely can. While walking the roads of her neighborhood, Reed was able to introduce her OTTB to ditches, mailboxes, driveways, trash cans, and other items. The horse learned to stop and wait for people to pass, and to turn on the forehand when required.
Reward curiosity in your horse. It's better for a horse to encounter something new in a low-pressure, non-time sensitive situation than at a competition.
Hand walking is a safe way to begin teaching herd bound horses that they will return to their friends eventually, and that it's ok to trust and focus on the human handler despite separation anxiety. That trust will likely translate to under saddle work.
Lateral work can be done in hand with the help of a dressage whip to help direct a horse's haunches. Lateral movement from the walk is a good way to help a horse stretch and stay limber without putting stress on joints and soft tissues.
Walking through puddles is another easy lesson that doesn't require a perfect surface. Water can reflect light and movement in unexpected ways, and even if you don't plan to run your horse cross country and encounter water on a routine basis, odds are that he will encounter a puddle at some stage that must be crossed safely.
Standing and ground tying are underestimated skills. Horses, especially young or high-energy horses, need to become comfortable with some degree of boredom waiting for their class at a horse show, or waiting by a trailer. Standing by the mounting block is also a challenge for many horses, since they don't realize the significance of the block and may be used to being mounted while in motion.
Ask your local farm supply shop for old sale banners that you can add to your arena so your horse has experience with something bright that may flap in the wind.
Trailer rides don't always have to be about going somewhere for competition. Those who have a truck and trailer have the opportunity to not only haul horses to schooling shows as non-competitors to stand and watch the proceedings. They also have the chance to take horses on short errands, like running to the grocery store for 10 minutes and taking the horse back home. This will make traveling less of an “event” and keep horses relaxed about the process – especially if they have a hay net to munch on.

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Velazquez Gets Beautiful Gift Up In Final Yards Of Santa Ysabel

It may not rise to the level of settled science, but yet another equine case study was unveiled Sunday at Santa Anita, leaving little doubt that when it comes to big race results, this is indeed Bob Baffert's world and the rest of us are merely living in it.

Although she encountered unexpected trouble a quarter mile out, Baffert's Beautiful Gift, the “Other Baffert” in pari-mutuel parlance, was able to mount a furious rally through the lane and get up to nail Michael McCarthy's Moraz by a short head in the Grade 3, $100,000 Santa Ysabel Stakes, an important steppingstone to the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks on April 3 at the Arcadia, Calif., track. Ridden by John Velazquez, Beautiful Gift got a mile and one sixteenth in 1:44.83.

With Baffert's 3-5 favorite Kalypso showing the way to the far turn, Moraz was closing in, just a length back to her outside while Beautiful Gift sat third at the rail, about 1 ½ lengths off the lead. Approaching the quarter pole, Moraz appeared to have gained the advantage and Beautiful Gift, full of run, was poised to come through at the rail, but instead had to wait and swing three-deep at the top of the lane, allowing Moraz to hold a seemingly insurmountable 2 ½ length lead with just a sixteenth of a mile to run.

“She was full of run and I was trying to keep her from getting dirt in her face but when Rispoli (Umberto, aboard Moraz) pushed Joel (Rosario, aboard Kalypso) in, I had to take a hold of her,” said Velazquez. “But she was able to overcome it…By the time I got her to the outside, I got her rolling and I was hoping she would get there before the wire and she did.”

Idle since breaking her maiden at a flat mile on Oct. 23, Beautiful Gift, who was one of three Baffert entrants among a field of four sophomore fillies, was off at 3-1 and paid $8.00 and $3.80 with no show wagering.

“I didn't think Johnny was going to get there and all of a sudden that mare kicked in and (Beautiful Gift) is really (good). We gave her some time. She got really light on us. The further the better for her. I didn't think she got there until I saw the super slow mo, but I'm just happy that they ran well…It's nice to get these fillies, it's all I have for the Oaks, so it's fun.”

A daughter of Medaglia d'Oro, owned and bred by Baoma Corporation, Beautiful Gift is out of the A.P. Indy mare Sea Gift. With two wins from three starts, the winner's share of $60,000 boosted her earnings to $99,600.

The second choice at 2-1, Moraz finished 2 ¾ lengths in front of Kalypso and paid $3.20 to show. Baffert's third entrant, Heels Up, was last throughout and was distanced by nearly 26 lengths at 16-1.

Baffert, whose top rated Derby hopeful Life Is Good ran away with Saturday's Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes, now has nine stakes wins and 21 overall victories at the current Winter/Spring Meet, putting him first in both categories.

Beautiful Gift will receive 50 qualifying points to the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, which will be run on April 30. The second, third and fourth place finishers will receive 20, 10 and five points respectively.

Fractions on the race were 23.95, 48.13, 1:12.69 and 1:38.21.

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