NL List | Horse Racing Free Tips

Mr Freeze Holds Off Aurelius Maximus In Fayette At Keeneland

Jim Bakke and Gerald Isbister's Mr Freeze surged to the front on the far turn and then held off a late bid from Aurelius Maximus by a neck to win the 63rd running of the Grade 2, $200,000 Hagyard Fayette Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.

Trained by Dale Romans and ridden by Javier Castellano, Mr Freeze covered the 1 1/8 miles on a fast main track in 1:50.71. It is the third victory in the race for Romans, who previously won with M B Sea in 2003 and Pick of the Litter in 2014.

Mo Mosa shot to the lead out of the gate with Aurelius Maximus in closest pursuit and Mr Freeze racing in the clear just off the pace through fractions of :24 and :49.06. Approaching the half-mile pole, Mr Freeze and Crafty Daddy joined the front two with Mr Freeze four wide.

On the far turn, Mr Freeze had assumed command and opened a daylight advantage that was more than enough to hold his rivals at bay in the run to the wire.

“Today he ran like his old self,” said Romans. “That was a rough trip for him. I wasn't expecting him to be four wide on both turns and stalking horses, but he showed what a good horse he really is.”

“I had a beautiful trip,” Castellano countered. “I like the way everything unfolded in the right place for my horse. Usually my horse goes to the lead, but they got the jump on us in the first turn. I was in really good position outside. Turning for home, I was very encouraged that he would get it done. He fought all the way to the wire and never let the other horse pass him. I am very proud of him. “

A Keeneland sales graduate, Mr Freeze is a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred son of To Honor and Serve out of the Tabasco Cat mare Heavenly Cat. It is the fourth graded stakes victory for Mr Freeze, who added $120,000 to his bankroll and pushed his earnings to $1,561,950 with a record of 16-6-4-2.

Romans said a start in the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland is not out of the question. “We're going to have to talk about it,” he said. “We talked about the Dirt Mile (G1) before, but we'll have to talk about everything (Mile and Classic-G1). Everything's on the table.”

Mr Freeze paid $5.20, $3.40 and $2.40. Aurelius Maximus, ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr., returned $4.40 and $3.60 and finished three-quarters of a length in front of Title Ready, who paid $3.40 to show under Corey Lanerie.

It was another neck back to Coastal Defense, who was followed in order by Captivating Moon, Rated R Superstar, Crafty Daddy, Mirinaque (ARG) and Mo Mosa.

Racing continues Sunday with a nine-race program beginning at 1:05 p.m. ET. Keeneland will offer a Pick 6 carryover of $34,998.45 and a Super High 5 carryover of $58,378.55.

The post Mr Freeze Holds Off Aurelius Maximus In Fayette At Keeneland appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Apprentice Jessica Pyfer Rides Longshot Indy Jones To Her First Victory At Santa Anita

It's often said racing is a game of peaks and valleys. And so it was for 22-year-old Jessica Pyfer on Friday at Santa Anita, as she experienced major trouble leaving the gate aboard 6-5 favorite Give Me a Hint in the third race, only to experience the ultimate exhilaration of winning her first career race in the day's ninth and final, aboard the Val Brinkerhoff-trained Indy Jones.

“I had two more mounts and I knew I had to make it up somehow,” said Pyfer, who was soaking wet from multiple buckets of ice water administered in a time-honored fashion by her fellow jockeys prior to a winner's circle interview on TVG. “Val told me at Del Mar that this horse was ready and I really can't thank him enough for this one. I'm just feeling so blessed and so happy that I decided to go down this road.

“I knew at the top of the stretch when I was in front, that I had to stay in front. That was my only motivation to get down to the wire. It was just such an amazing feeling and all the guys in the jocks' room have been so awesome to me, celebrating me by drenching me with water, but they've all helped out so much, I just can't thank them enough.”

A native of Denver, Colo., Pyfer has been raised around racing as her father, Roger Pyfer is an ex-jockey and her mother Sherrie is now married to top trainer Phil D'Amato and assists in the management of his stable.

In what was her sixth career mount, Pyfer had Indy Jones away alertly from her number four post position, was head and head into and around the far turn with Baby Gronk to her inside, took charge a quarter mile from home and prevailed by 1 1/4 lengths while getting 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:18.50.

Winless in his last 10 starts and ridden for the first time today by Pyfer, Indy Jones, a 4-year-old gelding by Temple City who was entered for a $16,000 claiming tag, was off at 14-1 and paid $31.60, $14.60 and $7.00.

“Sixth mount. But I've learned so much in the past six months that it's just crazy how things happen.”

Indeed it is as Jessica Pyfer is now on her way as a promising young apprentice with but one mount on Saturday, the George Papaprodromou-trained Lucky Ryan Seven in the ninth race.

The post Apprentice Jessica Pyfer Rides Longshot Indy Jones To Her First Victory At Santa Anita appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Mutasaabeq Leads 1-2 Finish For Leading Sire Into Mischief In Bourbon Stakes

Shadwell Stable's Mutasaabeq, last at the top of the stretch in the field of 11, rocketed to the front at the sixteenth pole and cruised to a 21/4-length victory in the 30th running of the $200,000 Bourbon (G2) for 2-year-olds at Keeneland and earn a spot in the $1-million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) to be run at a mile at the Lexington, Ky., track on Nov. 6.

Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Luis Saez, Mutasaabeq covered the 1 1/16 miles on a firm turf course in 1:43.13 in his grass debut. It is the fifth victory in the Bourbon for Pletcher, whose other winners are Twilight Meteor (2006), Bittel Road (2008), Interactif (2009) and Current (2018).

Into the Sunrise emerged with the lead in the run to the first turn and set fractions of :22.62, :47.09 and 1:12.24 while Saez waited at the back.

Mutasaabeq shifted to the outside on the far turn, entered the stretch eight wide and quickly picked off rivals before overtaking Into the Sunrise inside the sixteenth pole and drawing off.

“We broke a little slow,” said Saez. “Last time he did the same thing, but I knew I had a lot of horse. The distance was great for him. He was working so good on the turf. We knew what we had. When we came to the half-mile I was trying to (decide) where we were going to go – inside or out – but inside we had so many horses. I felt like I had the horse to go out and let him roll. When he came to the straight, he just took off. He did it easy.”

“He didn't break well and that has historically been him,” said Pletcher. “He's a horse that has speed and he has a tremendous turn of foot as you saw today, but he's notoriously not been great the first jump or two away from the gate. So I wasn't surprised when he didn't get away well and then he kind of got shuffled back and then a horse kind of came over and he had to steady a bit.

“The first 100 yards didn't go very well, but he was able to save a little bit of ground around the first turn and it looked like Luis (Saez) was biding his time and trying to figure out whether he should find a seam to go through or ultimately he just decided to circle the field and kind of sling-shotted them. He delivered an explosive turn of foot. Great to see and great for the Shadwell team.

“His maiden win was very impressive and his gate work prior to his maiden win was as good as any 2-year-old we've had at Saratoga ever. We felt that the Hopeful (G1), they kind of ran away from him and he couldn't really close the way we hoped he would. Kind of looking into his pedigree, the Into Mischief's run on anything.”

A Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale graduate, Mutasaabeq is a Kentucky-bred son of Into Mischief out of the Scat Daddy mare Downside Scenario. The victory was worth $120,000 and increased his earnings to $189,600 with a record of 3-2-0-1.

Sent off as the favorite, Mutasaabeq paid $6, $3.80 and $3.60. Abarta, also by the Spendthrift Farm stallion Into Mischief, rallied for second under Umberto Rispoli to return $10.60 and $7.60. Nathan Detroit finished another three-quarters of a length back in third under Julien Leparoux and paid $7.60 to show.

It was another head back to Into the Sunrise, who was followed in order by Arrest Me Red, Private Island, Spyglass, Barrister Tom, Blame the Booze, Indy Tourist and Really Slow.

The post Mutasaabeq Leads 1-2 Finish For Leading Sire Into Mischief In Bourbon Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Horologist Upsets Point Of Honor, Dunbar Road In Beldame

Chasing a fast early pace in a field scratched down to just four runners, Horologist moved to the lead at the top of the stretch, then raced to an easy three-length victory over Point of Honor and Dunbar Road as the longest shot in the field in Sunday's Grade 2 Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Point of Honor made a belated bid along the rail to be second, with even-money favorite Dunbar Road, winner of the G2 Delaware Handicap last out, never threatening while third. Letruska, who set fast fractions and led by a wide margin for the first six furlongs, was last.

Ridden by Junior Alvarado, Horologist covered nine furlongs on a fast track in 1:49.01. She paid $16.20 for the victory, her seventh in 19 starts and second stakes win since Bill Mott took over her training earlier this year.

Racing for There's a Chance Stable, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Medallion Racing and Abbondanza Racing, Horologist is a 4-year-old filly by Gemologist bred by Holly Crest Farm in New Jersey, where her three previous stakes victories were recorded at Monmouth Park: the Smarty N Classy Handicap and G3 Monmouth Oaks in 2019 and G3 Molly Pitcher this year in her first start for Mott.

Letruska, coming off a front-running win in the G3 Shuvee at Saratoga on Aug. 30, went to the front early under Kendrick Carmouche, taking a one-length advantage through a quarter mile in :23.10, then opened up by 3 1/2 lengths after a :45.52 half mile. Through six furlongs, timed in 1:09.05, Letruska extended her advantage to seven lengths.

Horologist was her closest pursuer throughout and began to eat into Letruska's lead before turning for home. She took command by 2 1/2 lengths with a furlong to run, the mile in 1:35.62, adding another half length to that margin at the finish.

Mott was winning the Beldame for the third time, having saddled Royal Delta in 2012 and Elate in 2017.

The post Horologist Upsets Point Of Honor, Dunbar Road In Beldame appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post