OBS March | Horse Racing Free Tips

Practical Joke Represented By First Japanese Winner

Coolmore America's successful first-crop sire Practical Joke (Into Mischief) was represented by his first Japanese winner and 15th overall when Dugat validated even-money favoritism in a 1200-meter turf maiden Saturday afternoon at Hanshin Racecourse.

Bred in Kentucky by Erv Woolsey and Ralph Kinder, the son of the mutiple stakes-placed Untraveled (Canadian Frontier) was knocked down to trainer Hideyuki Mori for $190,000 from the McKathan Bros. draft at this year's OBS March Sale after the Mar. 31 foal breezed an eighth of a mile in the bullet time of :9 4/5. So highly though-of was the colt that he made his career debut in allowance company, finishing third in testing conditions at Kokura Racecourse Aug. 14. Dugat just missed the placings in the G3 Kokura Nisai S. when making his second trip to the races Sept. 5 and was returning to the turf Saturday after finishing unplaced in a seven-furlong dirt maiden Sept. 25.

The heavy favorite bounced well from gate nine beneath Yutaka Take and crossed and cleared his rivals, covering the opening quarter mile from a standing start in :23.3 and the first 800 meters in :45.6 while well in hand. Under no urging whatsoever, Dugat widened his advantage in upper stretch and was gathered up in the final 50 yards, scoring by four lengths in 1:09.3 (see below).

Dugat is the only of his sire's first-crop runners to have started to date in Japan. Mori also paid a sales-topping $750,000 for a Practical Joke filly out of Peruvian champion Valiant Emilia (Per) (Pegasus Wind) at OBS March. The filly, from the family of GII Tampa Bay Derby hero Helium (Ironicus) and now named Clos de Mesnil, is in steady training and is likely to debut before the end of 2021. Dugat is the third of Mori's eight OBSMAR purchases–seven of which have started–to salute this fall.

WATCH: Dugat graduates easily at Hanshin

The post Practical Joke Represented By First Japanese Winner appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Second Chances: Promising War Front Colt Returns at Santa Anita Friday

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar.

After finishing a well-beaten third behind potential GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile favorite Corniche (Quality Road) sprinting on debut at Del Mar Sept. 4 (video), the promising War At Sea (c, 2, War Front–Serene Melody, by Street Cry {Ire}) stretches to two turns at Santa Anita Friday.

Off at 24-1 in his unveiling for the patient Ron Ellis barn, War At Sea chased from an inside fifth as Corniche threw it down through an opening quarter in :21.72 in a stretched-out field of 10. With the subsequent unbeaten GI American Pharoah S. winner in a race of his own turning for home and on his way to 'TDN Rising Stardom,' War At Sea continued on down the lane to pick up the show slot, eight lengths adrift the $1.5-million OBS April topper. War At Sea earned a very solid 78 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.

“Obviously, the horse that beat him is one of the top 2-year-olds in the country and might even be favored in the Breeders' Cup, so he got beat by a good one,” Ellis said.

“I was very impressed with the way he ran. He had trained like he's a really good horse and I think the more distance, the better for him. He's not really a sprinter and I knew that first time out, but he showed a little bit more than I thought he would at 5 1/2 [furlongs].”

War At Sea has breezed five times since his debut, including a four-furlong drill in :47 4/5 (9/46) in Arcadia Oct. 11. He's listed at odds of 4-1 on the morning-line while facing nine rivals going a mile at Santa Anita Friday.

“Because I wasn't expecting much from him as a sprinter, I didn't wind him up real tight for that first start,” Ellis said. “We've tightened the screws just a little bit–I got him geared to improve with each race. We've got long-term goals with him. He probably was only 85% first out and he's probably at 90% now. After this race, he should be at a 100%. Just trying to have him get a little better with each race.”

Produced by a stakes-winning daughter of the brilliant Serena's Song (Rahy), War At Sea, bred in Kentucky by Lewis Thoroughbred Breeding, brought $525,000 from Doubledown Stables, Inc. after powering through an eighth in :10 from the Eddie Woods consignment at OBS March earlier this year. This is the female family of Grade/Group 1 winners Sophisticat (Storm Cat), Honor Code (A.P. Indy), et al. The War Front/Street Cry cross is also responsible for MGSW War Decree.

“I was very surprised that a horse of his size and pedigree to go farther could do that [go in :10 flat],” Ellis said. “I loved him at the sale.”

“The War Front colt was very backward as a yearling,” Woods said earlier this spring. “They didn't feel like he was going to bring what he should [as a yearling], so we were very lucky to get him from Mr. Lewis. He's trained beautifully all year. He's gotten better and better as we've gone along. We've always thought he was a serious horse.”

Previous standouts featured in 'Second Chances' include: GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby winner Honor A. P. (Honor Code), GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner and Royal Ascot G2 Norfolk S. runner-up Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), MGISW and 'TDN Rising Star' Paradise Woods (Union Rags), GIII Las Virgenes S. heroine Moonlight d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro), GII Los Alamitos Futurity winner and MGISP Spielberg (Union Rags), GSW Backyard Heaven (Tizway), and MSW and 'TDN Rising Star' Gidu (Ire) (Frankel {GB}).

The post Second Chances: Promising War Front Colt Returns at Santa Anita Friday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Sept. 17 Insights: Half to Princess Noor Debuts in Intriguing Belmont Sprint

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

6th-BEL, $90k, Msw, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 3:38 p.m. ET

Seven horses make their career debut in this potential-laden nine-horse field, headed by PROTONIC POWER (Protonico), part of an uncoupled entry for the Todd Pletcher barn. Owned by Sumaya US Stable, who campaigned his sire, the colt is out of Grade III winner Sheza Smoke Show (Wilko), making him a half to 2020 OBS April topper and subsequent Grade I winner Princess Noor (Not This Time). The bay stayed home at Belmont for the summer and shows an upbeat worktab, highlighted by a half-mile gate breeze in :48 2/5 (5/66) over the main track Aug. 28. The other half of the Pletcher duo is Al Shaqab Racing's narrow morning-line favorite Afjan (Uncle Mo). The homebred is the second foal to race out of GSW/MGISP Scarlet Strike (Smart Strike), following this year's British G3 Supreme S. hero Toro Strike (Toronado {Ire}). Scarlet Strike is also a half-sister to Grade I winners Tara's Tango (Unbridled's Song) and Visionaire (Grand Slam). Afjan most recently breezed a sharp five furlongs from the gate over the local training track in 1:00 3/5 (2/28) Sept. 10. Cairama (Cairo Prince) turned heads at OBS March when breezing a furlong in :9 4/5 before hammering for $525,000, 35 times her sire's stud fee and debuts from the rail for the red-hot Steve Asmussen barn. Pegged as a 15-1 longshot on the morning line in his career bow for Nick Zito, Atlantic Thoroughbreds' Atlantic Dancer (American Pharoah) is a half-brother to last year's GII Tampa Bay Derby hero and GI Arkansas Derby runner-up King Guillermo (Uncle Mo) and hammered for $400,000 as a Keeneland September yearling. TJCIS PPs

—@JBiancaTDN

The post Sept. 17 Insights: Half to Princess Noor Debuts in Intriguing Belmont Sprint appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Carpe Diem Filly Flashy in First Start for Bromans

2nd-Saratoga, $85,000, (S), Msw, 8-20, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:10.92, gd, 12 1/2 lengths.
MAKIN MY MOVE (f, 2, Carpe Diem–Hard to Stay Notgo {MSW, $212,440}, by More Than Ready), bought back for $190,000 at OBS March after breezing in a bullet :9 4/5, likely left her breeders pleased with that outcome after running up the score impressively Friday. Backed down to 5-4 with some upbeat works and with leading rider Luis Saez taking the mount, the bay broke on top with Silver Fist (Iron Fist) and Trinity Titoli (Lord Nelson) giving chase through splits of :21.88 and :44.91. She was several lengths clear at the top of the lane, and not for catching from there as she cruised away in hand by 12 1/2 lengths. Silver Fist was a clear-cut second, while Trinity Titoli re-rallied to hold on for third. The winner's similarly fleet-footed dam took her own Spa unveiling at two by five lengths in 2014 and is also responsible for $425,000 OBSMAR grad Gotta Go Mo (Uncle Mo), SP, $154,320. Hard to Stay Notgo, who hails from the extended female family of Minardi, Tale of the Cat, Fed Biz, Joking, et al, produced a flatter filly this season before being bred back to Mendelssohn. Sales history: $190,000 RNA 2yo '21 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $46,750. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O/B-Chester & Mary R. Broman (NY); T-John C. Kimmel.

The post Carpe Diem Filly Flashy in First Start for Bromans appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post