It could be a similarly emotional afternoon Saturday when the 7-year-old Pacific Gale returns to Gulfstream with a chance to defend her title in what will be the final start of a long and successful career.

The 43rd running of the seven-furlong Inside Information for fillies and mares 4 and older is among seven graded-stakes worth $5.2 million in purses on a blockbuster 12-race Pegasus World Cup Invitational Series program featuring the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) presented by 1/ST BET on dirt, $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) presented by Baccarat and inaugural $500,000 TAA Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf (G3) presented by PEPSI.

First race post time is 11:30 a.m. EST. NBC will provide live national coverage from 4:30 to 6 p.m. EST.

Kimmel said Holly Hill Stables' Pacific Gale will be bred to champion Uncle Mo following the Inside Information, a race she won by 2 ¾ lengths at odds of 16-1 last winter after finishing sixth in 2019. Pacific Gale was booked to Not This Time for 2021, but was doing so well that Kimmel convinced the late Mike Morton's widow, Tobey, to give her another try.

“The owner had passed away and she hadn't won a race in two years at that point. I was very close with Mr, Morton and he had died in December. His wife was basically looking to disperse all the holdings and I've basically done it,” Kimmel said. “I told her it would take me about a year. He had like 30 horses and that's how long it took me to get it done.”

Pacific Gale was sold after the Inside Information to Holly Hill, and she paid immediate dividends by winning Gulfstream's Hurricane Bertie (G3) in her subsequent start – the first time she had ever won back-to-back races.

“We sold her to these new clients and she won for them first time out in the Hurricane Bertie. She's been running for them all year and she's got a date with Uncle Mo this winter,” Kimmel said. “This will be her last start. I've had her since she was 2.”

Pacific Gale has gone winless in five tries since the Hurricane Bertie, beaten 2 ¼ lengths when third to Victim of Love after a belated start in the Vagrancy (G3) last May at Belmont Park, and four lengths when second to Chub Wagon in the Roamin Rachel last fall at Parx. Most recently, she finished fifth in the Oct. 21 Floral Park at Belmont.

“I think she's doing well. We gave her a little freshening at the end of the fall and she went to the farm. I think she was there for six weeks or eight weeks. They started breezing her and got a couple breezes into her and sent her in to me and I've given her four breezes now,” Kimmel said. “I think she's ready to go. For an older mare, she likes that racetrack. She's run very well at Gulfstream. We'll be looking forward to the engagement.”

Overall, Pacific Gale has five wins, seven seconds and six thirds with $651,160 in purse earnings and six other graded-stakes placings. Junior Alvarado is named to ride from Post 6 in a field of 10.

“She's just a class act. She's really a kind hose to be around. Some owners bring their little kids around and she'll come up and nuzzle them. She doesn't have a mean bone in her body,” Kimmel said. “Any horse that's stayed healthy for that many campaigns, you hope she can pass that on to her offspring. She's just a nice physical specimen. She's stayed sound, raced multiple campaigns, she's a multiple stakes winner, a Grade 2 winner, a Grade 3 winner and multiple graded-stakes placed. She always showed up and gave it a good effort.”

Whitham Thoroughbreds' homebred Four Graces is also a dual graded-stakes winner, having captured the seven-furlong Dogwood (G3) and Beaumont (G3) in successive starts in the summer of 2020. She ran twice more than year, finishing second in the Eight Belles (G2), before going to the sidelines.

Four Graces raced just once last year, finishing fourth in the mid-June Roxelana behind Bell's the One, who would go on to win three more stakes including the Honorable Miss (G2) and TAA (G2). Four Graces made her 5-year-old debut in a six-furlong optional claiming allowance Jan. 6 at Gulfstream, running second by a nose as the favorite to Starship Nala, who also returns in the Inside Information.

“We were very happy with her race, except for not getting the bob of the head. I actually thought I did, but that's racing,” trainer Ian Wilkes said. “That was just her second race in 15 months. It was good that that race went. We were able to use it to just knock the cobwebs off and as a way to get ready for this next race.

“She's always shown ability and been very talented, just unfortunate to have been on the sidelines a few times,” he added. “We're still getting there. We've had that one race now. Do I think that she's at 110 percent yet? No, but she's better. She's doing good. The only way I'm going to get her there is to get some races into her.”

Julien Leparoux has the assignment from Post 5.

Prior to going after a second straight victory in the Pegasus World Cup with Knicks Go in what will be the presumptive 2021 Horse of the Year's final start before starting a stud career, trainer Brad Cox will send out multiple stakes-winning homebred Just One Time in the Inside Information.

The 4-year-old daughter of Not This Time was purchased privately following her victory in the Oct. 22 New Start on the dirt at Penn National, her second stakes victory over fellow Pennsylvania-breds. The other came over the all-weather surface at Presque Isle Downs.

“She's doing really well. I like her a lot. This is going to be our first opportunity to run her. I think she's going to be a good filly. She pretty much hasn't run farther than three-quarters, so the seven-eighths is always a question mark until you try it. She showed me enough in the mornings to put her on a van and lead her over there,” Cox said. “She's a pretty good work horse. She showed me training what I like to see in regard to making the jump and attacking graded-stakes company.”

Joel Rosario, the favorite to win his first Eclipse Award as champion jockey, will be the irons from Post 8.

A five-time winner of the Inside Information, most recently with Ivy Bell in 2018, Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher chases No. 6 with St. Elias Stable's A G Indy. Like Just One Time, the 5-year-old Take Charge Indy mare is a recent private purchase that will be making just her second start on dirt after 12 consecutive tries on the turf, where she had a record of 4-4-2.

Last out, A G Indy won the Senator Ken Maddy sprinting five furlongs Nov. 5 at Del Mar. She has been on the work tab since late December in South Florida, including a sharp half-mile breeze with 5-year-old gelding Fearless, whose graded-stakes wins include the Dec. 18 Harlan's Holiday (G3) at Gulfstream.

“She's been training superbly on the dirt, so we're excited about that. She put in another good work with Fearless the other day and looked good doing it, so we're going to give her a try on the dirt,” Pletcher said. “She was kind of purchased with the idea of seeing if she might transition to the dirt, and every breeze that we've had with her so far has been really, really strong on the dirt.

“I just feel like it's a good opportunity,” he added. “We can always go back to the grass, but she's certainly been training like a horse that appreciates the dirt. To work head and head in company on the dirt with a horse like Fearless, who's coming off the Harlan's Holiday, kind of emphasized to us that she'll seem to handle it well.”

Luis Saez rides A G Indy from Post 2.

Three Diamonds Farm's Jakarta is a 7-year-old mare with three previous stakes wins, including the Dec. 28 Mrs. Claus at Parx in her first start for trainer Mike Trombetta. Third in the 2020 Buffalo Trace Franklin County (G3) at Keeneland, Jakarta is 3-for-5 lifetime at Gulfstream including wins in the 2020 Powder Break and Claiming Crown Distaff Dash.

“She worked the other day and she worked good,” Trombetta said. “I didn't have her real long. I only had her two weeks and the first time she ran, she just ran lights out. What I've learned is it looks like she enjoys the dirt as much as anything. I'm looking forward to running her.”

Three-time defending Eclipse Award winner Irad Ortiz Jr. has the call from Post 7.

Crumb Bun, on a two-race win streak; Dance d'Oro, exiting a victory in the one-mile Rampart Dec. 18 at Gulfstream; Starship Nala, seeking her first stakes win after seven runner-up finishes; Family Time, making her stakes debut off a Jan. 7 allowance win at Gulfstream; and Mon Petit Chou, third in Gulfstream's 2021 Game Face, complete the field.

The post Last Hurrah For Pacific Gale In Saturday’s Inside Information appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

A multiple graded stakes winner on dirt, the 6-year-old Flat Out bay worked solo under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez.

“She went 48 and change the right way and had a very good gallop out,” Kimmel said.

Pacific Gale blossomed over the winter in Florida, capturing the Grade 2 Inside Information in January and Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie in March, both at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

She has made her last three starts in graded stakes sprints, finishing third in the Grade 3 Vagrancy in May and fourth in the Grade 3 Bed o' Roses in June, both at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., ahead of a fifth-place effort last out in the Grade 2 Princess Rooney on July 3 at Gulfstream.

Kimmel said the $500,000 Grade 1 Ketel One Ballerina, a seven-furlong main track sprint on Travers Day August 28, is coming up tough, so he has given Pacific Gale her last two works on turf to good effect.

“I always wanted to see if she had any affinity for the turf course. Even though she's a 6-year-old, we never really got around to it. It might open up another avenue,” Kimmel said. “We gave her a couple breezes on the turf course with very positive results both visually and also Johnny thought she handled it very nicely.”

Kimmel said Chester and Mary Broman's popular New York-bred millionaire Mr. Buff will target a third win in the nine-furlong Empire Classic for state-breds on October 30 at Belmont following his off-the-board effort in the Evan Shipman on August 11 at the Spa.

With regular pilot Junior Alvarado up, Mr. Buff did not break as alertly as usual and had to chase the pace of gate-to-wire winner Sea Foam while being hemmed in by Three Jokers.

“The weather was kind of hot for him and he was a little dull. He didn't break that sharp and when he wanted to go, Junior had a quick moment to push him through there and he didn't go,” Kimmel said. “He got put in a box and he was in his mouth for a good quarter of a mile trying to slow him down. When he didn't get enough response, he put his stick away and galloped him home.

“We'll try to make sure we have him ready for the Empire Classic,” Kimmel continued. “Cooler weather should work well for him.”

The post Pacific Gale Breezes Ahead of Smart N Fancy At Saratoga appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Trained by Todd Beattie, Victim of Love's pair of winning starts at Belmont Park took place when sweeping the last two editions of the Grade 3 Vagrancy. She arrived at last year's Vagrancy as the longest shot in a field which included graded stakes winners Come Dancing and Royal Charlotte, but handled the test with flying colors when capturing the 6 ½-furlong event by 1 ¾ lengths.

Following a next-out third in the Grade 1 Ballerina at Saratoga, Victim of Love was out of action for over six months and returned in February with a runner-up finish in a Laurel Park optional claiming test. She successfully redeemed herself next out as the second betting choice in this year's Vagrancy on May 8 with an outside stalking trip under Joel Rosario from second and fought gamely down the stretch to win by 2 ¼ lengths.

“She likes the going up there,” Beattie said. “She has tactical speed and Joel realized the pace was going slow. I thought he moved what might have been a little early for her, but it wasn't [too early] because of the slow pace. They got the jump on things and boy is she tough to run down. She lays it on the line. They're not going to creep by her, she'd dog 'em, that's for sure.”

Since her Vagrancy victory, Victim of Love has recorded only one serious work, travelling five furlongs in 1:00.60 at Penn National on May 28.

“I thought two works in 27 days would be a little bit of a squeeze,” Beattie said. “She gets a lot out of her daily training. She's going to work every day, she just isn't going for published workouts. If I try to squeeze two works in there, it would be a little hard for her. I think she gets more out of big, aggressive gallops and strong training.”

Victim of Love is out of the Awesome Again mare Spacy Tracy, who has produced all winners from five progeny of racing age, including graded stakes victress Benner Island and two-time stakes winner High North.

Rosario will pilot Victim of Love from post 5.

Trainer John Kimmel will seek to turn the tables on Victim of Love with Holly Hill Stables' Pacific Gale, who was third in the Vagrancy.

After two full calendar years without a trip to the winner's circle, the 6-year-old Flat Out mare ended a 17-race slump with an upset win in the Grade 2 Inside Information on January 23 at Gulfstream Park at 16-1 odds. She carried her newfound winning ways into another South Florida stakes conquest in the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie on March 20 en route to the Vagrancy.

Although winless throughout her 2019-20 seasons, Pacific Gale placed at graded stakes level five times prior to winning at such caliber.

Kimmel said changing some things up with her training pattern proved instrumental in Florida during the winter, including utilizing the jogging path at Palm Meadows Training Center.

“She really liked that a lot. We had to sort of improvise when we came back here. We do a lot of 'around the world',” Kimmel said. “They go on to the training track, jog to the pony shed, go on to the main track and sort of gallop all the way around the backstretch and come back past the starting gate and back on to the training track and finish up there.”

In the Vagrancy, Pacific Gale was a step slow coming out of the gate and hurried into contention while racing in between horses down the backstretch. She came with a late run in the final furlong, but just missed second a nose to Sadie Lady.

Kimmel said the slow start deterred her chances of winning.

“I thought she was a little compromised in her last start by some issues in the gate. That took her out of her running style,” Kimmel said. “I don't see any reason why she shouldn't fire another good one. She seems to be doing really well. Her color looks great and she's eating great.”

Kimmel said Pacific Gale has always run solid races from a figures standpoint, but a combination of development and changing training technique have resulted in higher prosperity with the gallant mare.

“She really came into herself this year. If you look back on her numbers, she's running similar numbers as she did in the past, but maybe the level of competition might have been a little bit tougher,” Kimmel said. “She's getting a little more confident in herself. It's been nice to see her come forward and win some graded stakes races because she hadn't accomplished that. She placed in more than and a handful of them and to see her actually win some is great.”
Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, a two-time Bed o' Roses winner, retains the mount from post 7.

Bringing an unbeaten record in six starts is Daniel J. Lopez and George Chestnut's Chub Wagon, who will make her graded stakes debut for trainer Guadalupe Preciado.

The Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Hey Chub broke her maiden for a $20,000 tag in November at Parx before notching two more victories at the Philadelphia oval. Chub Wagon won an optional-claiming sprint at the Big A in April and after defeating her Keystone State counterparts in the Unique Bella, she took her talents to Maryland where she won the Skipat on May 15.

For the first time in her career, she raced off the lead in the Skipat, tracking the pace from third and handled the new tactics with aplomb when capturing the six-furlong event by two lengths.

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. was aboard for her open company stakes triumph and retains the mount from post 6.

Estilo Talentoso has proven herself a force to be reckoned with this season, arriving at the Vagrancy off two Grade 1 placings for trainer Juan Arriagada.
Never off the board in a baker's dozen lifetime starts, the 4-year-old daughter of Maclean's Music came from humble beginnings making her debut for a $16,000 tag in January 2020 at Gulfstream Park, but broke her maiden on sixth attempt at Gulfstream Park five months later at the South Florida oval. Her final start of last season was also her first stakes victory when capturing Gulfstream Park's Escena on August 20 at a one-turn mile.

After finishing third in the Wayward Lass at Tampa Bay Downs in her year debut, Estilo Talentoso ventured outside the Sunshine State for the first time when second in the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie at Laurel Park. She solidified her graded stakes placing when finishing a late-closing second to Kimari in the Grade 1 Madison at Keeneland, followed by a third in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs.

Estilo Talentoso is owned by Medallion Racing, Barry Fowler, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Little Red Feather Racing and BlackRidge Stables.
Breaking from post 8, Estilo Talentoso will be piloted by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott sends out Lake Avenue, who will try to make amends after an uncharacteristic distant fourth as the favorite in the Grade 2 Ruffian on May 2.

The Godolphin-homebred daughter of Tapit out of multiple Grade 1-winner Seventh Street won the Grade 2 Demoiselle in December 2019 during her freshman campaign in gate-to-wire fashion.

After going winless in four starts as a 3-year-old, she displayed different tactics in her 4-year-old debut when coming five lengths off the pace after a slow start to defeat an optional claiming field going seven furlongs at Gulfstream Park. The same dimensions were on conveyed in the next out Heavenly Prize Invitational on March 5 at Aqueduct, which she won by 6 ¾ lengths.

Breaking from post 1, Lake Avenue will be ridden by Junior Alvarado.
Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey attempts his third Bed o' Roses victory with Helen K. Groves and Helen Alexander's Alandra, who is 2-for-2 over Big Sandy.

The homebred 4-year-old daughter of Blame arrives off a sharp optional claiming triumph going a one-turn mile on May 15 at Belmont, where she registered a career best 85 Beyer Speed Figure.

Third in the Grade 1 Alcibiades in October 2019 at Keeneland in her second career start, Alandra is out of the graded stakes-winning A.P. Indy mare Altesse and hails from the prominent broodmare line of Courtly Dee.

Jose Lezcano will be in the irons from post 3.

Completing the field are multiple graded stakes-placed Piedi Bianchi [post 2, Manny Franco] and last out allowance winner Baynerness [post 4, Luis Saez].

The Bed o' Roses is named in honor of Alfred G. Vanderbilt's dual champion, who earned title of Champion 2-Year-Old Filly in 1949 and was crowned Champion Older Mare two years later. Trained by Hall of Famer William Winfrey, Bed o' Roses defeated colts in the 1950 Lawrence Realization travelling 1 5/8 miles. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1976.

The Bed o' Roses is carded as Race 8 on Friday's 11-race program at Belmont Park, First post is 12:50 p.m.

The post Victim Of Love, Pacific Gale Meet Again In Friday’s Bed O’ Roses appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The Shine Again for fillies and mares 3 and up is one of five stakes worth $475,000 in purses Sunday, June 13, that drew a total of 117 nominations. The six-furlong Shine Again is the only stakes both scheduled for the main track and as part of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series.

No Guts No Glory Farm homebred Anna's Bandit has yet to make her 7-year-old debut, having gone unraced since finishing third in the Dashing Beauty last July at Delaware Park. The Great Notion mare owns 17 career wins and more than $780,000 in purse earnings.

Edward Seltzer and Beverly Anderson's Hibiscus Punch became a stakes winner with her 41-1 upset of the Runhappy Barbara Fritchie (G3) Feb. 20 at Laurel Park, finishing fifth last out in the Derby City Distaff (G1) May 1. Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' Victim of Love, winner of the What a Summer last January at Laurel, defended her 2020 victory in the Vagrancy (G3) May 8 at Belmont Park over fellow Shine Again nominee Sadie Lady.

Third in the Vagrancy, Holly Hill Stables' Pacific Gale won the seven-furlong Inside Information (G2) and 6 ½-furlong Hurricane Bertie (G3) over the winter at Gulfstream Park for trainer John Kimmel. Daniel Lopez and George Chestnut's Chub Wagon kept her perfect record intact with a popular two-length triumph in the six-furlong Skipat May 15 at Pimlico on the Preakness (G1) undercard.

Also prominent among nominees are Maryland-based multiple stakes winners Dontletsweetfoolya, Hello Beautiful and Never Enough Time as well as Rising Seas, second May 22 in the Winning Colors (G3).

The four remaining June 13 stakes are all scheduled for the grass, including the $100,000 Prince George's County for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles and $100,00 Searching for fillies and mares 3 and up going 1 ½ miles.

Three of the top four finishers from the Dinner Party (G2) May 15 at Pimlico are among the 26 Prince George's County nominees – Talk Or Listen, Midnight Tea Time and 2020 Saranac (G3) winner Bye Bye Melvin, who respectively ran second, third and fourth. Also nominated are Corelli and Grade 2 winner Pixelate, separated by a nose in the 1 1/16-mile Henry S. Clark April 24 at Pimlico; 2019 Kent (G3) winner Eons; stakes winners Alwaysmining, Clubman, Doc Boy, English Bee and Logical Myth, third in the March 20 Muniz Memorial (G2); and 2020 Maryland Million Turf runner-up Cannon's Roar.

Among 19 nominees to the Searching are 2020 Dowager (G3) winner Blame Debbie; Crystalle, winner of the P.G. Johnson and second in the Miss Grillo (G2) in 2019; Judi Blue Eyes, a winner of two straight since being put back on grass by leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez; 2020 Long Island (G3) winner Mutamakina and Christophe Clement-trained stablemate Sorrel, third in the Gulfstream's March 27 Orchid (G3); Sister Hanan, third in the $125,000 The Very One (G3) Feb. 27 at Gulfstream; and stakes winners Luck Money and Thankful.

Sprinters 3 and up will go five furlongs in the $100,000 Stormy Blues for females and $100,000 Ben's Cat. The Stormy Blues attracted nominations from Soaring Softly (G3) winner Bye Bye; stakes winners Amanzi Yimpilo and Wesley Ward-trained stablemate Wink; Door Buster, Farsighted, Illegal Smile, Prodigy Doll and Tobys Heart. Also nominated is Lucky 7 Stables' six-time stakes winner Street Lute, yet to race on turf.

Most popular among horsemen, the Ben's Cat's 27 nominees include 2020 Futurity (G3) runner-up After Five; Eastern Bay, a stakes winner and runner-up in the 2020 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) on dirt that also owns two wins from six grass starts; multiple stakes-winning Maryland-bred Fiya; Hemp, third in the Chick Lang (G3) on dirt May 15 at Pimlico; 2019 Ben's Cat winner Oldies But Goodies; So Street, winner of the 2019 Howard County on the Laurel turf; and multiple dirt stakes winner Whereshetoldmetogo.

The post Quality Runs Deep Among Shine Again Nominations At Pimlico appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Sadie Lady nosed out  3-2 favorite Pacific Gale for second, with Piedi Bianchi and Honor Way completing the order of finish.

A 5-year-old Kentucky-bred mare by Speightstown trained by Todd Beattie, Victim of Love was ridden to victory by Joel Rosario, who was scoring his fourth win of the day. She ran 6 1/2 furlongs on a fast track in 1:17.27 after chasing Sadie Lady through fractions of :23.01, :45.64 and 1:10.50.

Victim of Love paid $6.30 as the second choice in the wagering. She carried 121 pounds, one less than Honor Way and Pacific Gale. The latter, coming off back-to-back graded stakes victories this winter at Gulfstream Park,  hopped in the air at the start under John Velazquez, breaking behind the field and then rushing up to each contention in the run down the backstretch.

“She came home really nicely and exploded at the end and I was really proud of that effort,” said Rosario. “She put in a really nice race. She's fast and it was a very good performance.”

Victim of Love began her career for Tommy Town and trainer Henry Dominguez as a 2-year-old in New Mexico, racing first at Zia Park and then at Sunland Park where she broke her maiden in her third start and earned black type next out in the Island Fashion Stakes.

Sent east to Beattie after her sixth start, Victim of Love added the What A Summer Stakes in January 2020 at Laurel, finished second in the G3 Barbara Fritchie and then took the Vagrancy in a 27-1 shocker over odds-on favorite Come Dancing.

She's now won six of 18 starts at seven different racetracks.

“Last year when she came here, she was a big price because she ran badly in the Nellie Morse [going one mile in March 2020 at Laurel Park] when we tried her going longer,” said Beattie. “I tried to rate her, but she wasn't happy about that. She wants to be up there and involved early. That's her number. The distance is perfect. Six and a half or seven furlongs is ideal. She can go a mile, but not at this level.”

Beattie said the Grade 3 Bed O' Roses on June 4 was a possibility but noted that Victim of Love was running without Lasix for the first time in the Vagrancy. “This was new territory for us,” said Beattie. “We're going to figure it out together.”

The post Victim Of Love Goes Back-To-Back In Vagrancy Handicap appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Alvarado's winning week at Gulfstream Park began Thursday with a win for trainer Jose D'Angelo. On Friday's card, Alvarado collected two wins for trainers Francisco D'Angelo and Michael De Paulo.

On Saturday, Alvarado took races 3, 6 and 9 for trainers Jose D'Angelo, Mark Casse and Bill Mott. In race 10, trainer John Kimmel gave a leg up to Alvarado on Pacific Gale in the G3 Hurricane Bertie Stakes, a 6-1/2 furlong sprint for older fillies and mares. With a ground-saving ride by Alvarado, Pacific Gale won by 3-1/2 lengths.

“I rode her a couple of times at Saratoga and Belmont. We always thought she was great but for some reason we never got the best of her,” Alvarado said. “She's stepping up right now. She's at a different level right now.”

One race later, Alvarado had the mount on Warrior's Pride in the Texas Glitter Stakes for trainer Antonio Cioffi, a fellow Venezuelan. Warrior's Pride broke running and never looked back completing the five-furlong dash in :55.37 over a firm turf course.

Speaking of trainer Cioffi, one of his biggest backers since returning to Gulfstream for the first time in 12 years, Alvarado said: “He's been a great help to me since I got here from Venezuela. This win actually meant a lot to me.”

Alvarado concluded his winning week with a victory on Sunday for trainer Mark Casse.

Of his decision to ride at Gulfstream for the winter where he rode his first winner in 2007, Alvarado commented: “The support I've been receiving from the owners and trainers has been beyond what I was expecting. It's been a really amazing experience and I can't wait to come back again next winter.”

Alvarado's weekly stats were 34-9-7-3 for a winning percentage of 26.4% and total purses of $304,630.

Alvarado out-polled Florent Geroux with two stakes wins at the Fair Grounds including the G2 Fair Grounds Oaks, Flavien Prat who won the G3 Sensational Star at Santa Anita and also collected 9 wins, Joel Rosario who won the G2 Louisiana Derby and Tim Thornton who also won nine races.

The post Nine Victories Net Junior Alvarado Jockey Of The Week Title appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The 22^nd running of the Hurricane Bertie, a 6 ½-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares, was supported on Saturday's 12-race card by the $75,000 Texas Glitter, a five-furlong turf dash for older horses, and the $75,000 Melody of Colors, a five-furlong turf sprint for older fillies and mares.

Alvarado, who came back to ride Warrior's Pride to victory in the Texas Glitter two races later on the card, has ridden 48 winners while riding full time during the Championship Meet for the first time in 12 years. The 36-year-old native of Venezuela had been highly successful while riding at Aqueduct during the winter months in past years.

“The support I've been receiving from the owners and trainers has been beyond what I was expecting,” said Alvarado, who rode his first winner in the U.S. at Gulfstream in 2007. “It's been a really amazing experience and I can't wait to come back again next winter.”

The John Kimmel-trained Pacific Gale ($3.80), who had gone winless in 17 straight starts before impressively capturing the Jan. 23 Inside Information at Gulfstream under John Velazquez, came right back to score a 3 ½-length triumph in the Hurricane Bertie under a ground-saving ride by Alvarado.

“I rode her a couple times at Saratoga and Belmont. We always thought she was great but for some reason we never got the best of her,” Alvarado said. “She's stepping up right now. She's at another level right now.”

The 6-year-old daughter of Flat Out advanced along the rail to race behind pacesetter Cory Gal and to the inside of stalkers Sonar and Sound Machine. Sound Machine made a three-wide sweep on the turn to get the jump on the favorite and take the lead at the top of the stretch. Alvarado was able to ease Pacific Gale off the trail entering the stretch and the Kentucky-bred mare kicked in to rush past Sound Machine and draw off to win comfortably.

“I just had to make sure I stayed off the heels of everybody and make sure to give her a clear run from there,” Alvarado said. “She was there for me all the way around.”

Pacific Gale ran 6 ½ furlongs in 1:15.93. Sound Machine held second, 1 ½ lengths ahead of Saguaro Row.

The post Pacific Gale’s Hurricane Bertie One Of Five Winners On Day For Alvarado appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The popular multi-race wager went unsolved Friday for the eighth racing day in a row since a March 6 mandatory payout. Multiple tickets with all six winners were each worth $28,355.44 Friday.

The jackpot pool is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day's pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Saturday's Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 7-12, featuring three stakes. The $100,000 Hurricane Bertie, a 6 ½-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares, will headline the sequence in Race 10. John Kimmel-trained Pacific Gale, who captured the Inside Information (G2) last time out, is rated as the 2-1 morning-line favorite in a field of eight that includes Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Sound Machine, Kent Sweezey-trained Saguaro Row, and Patrick Biancone-trained Reluctant Bride.

The $75,000 Melody of Colors, a five-furlong turf dash for older fillies and mares, will kick off the Rainbow 6 sequence in Race 7. Wesley Ward-trained Wink is set to make her 2021 debut after winning her first two starts and finishing second in a Groupe 3 stakes in France last year.

A mile maiden special weight race for 3-year-olds follows in Race 8. Todd Pletcher-trained Tallis, who made a strong middle move before tiring in a fourth-place finish in his recent debut, is rated as the 2-1 morning-line favorite in a field of nine. Race 9, a well-balanced optional claiming allowance for older horses at 1 1/16 miles on turf, may prove to be a 'spread' race for many handicappers.

The Hurricane Bertie, which will kick off the second half of the sequence in Race 10, will be followed by the $75,000 Texas Glitter, a five-furlong turf dash for older horses. Ward-trained Carimba, who won both of his starts easily last year at five furlongs on turf, is set to make his 2021 debut in the Race 10 stakes.

A 7 ½-furlong turf race for $16,000 claimers drew a full field of older horses for Race 12.

The post Gulfstream Park: Saturday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Has $1-Million Guarantee appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The Hurricane Bertie, a 6 ½-furlong sprint for fillies and mares, headlines a 12-race program that will also include the $75,000 Melody of Colors and the $75,000 Texas Glitter.

Sound Machine has had her moments during her 11-race career, but the multiple graded stakes-placed 4-year-old filly has also hit a few sour notes, including an off-the-board performance behind Pacific Gale in the Jan. 23 Inside Information (G2) at Gulfstream.

The daughter of Into Mischief tuned up for another encounter with the John Kimmel-trained Pacific Gale Sunday with a sharp half-mile workout in 47.05 seconds while working in company with Collaborate, a brilliant maiden winner who is being pointed to the March 27 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farm at Xalapa.

“She had a good work with Collaborate the other day. Going into this race we think we have a chance,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “Obviously, John Kimmel's horse will be the favorite. We're hoping to get her to run a big race. We'd like to get a graded-stakes win out of her. This looks like a good opportunity to get it done.”

Sound Machine is winless in seven starts since capturing the 6 ½-furlong Glitter Woman by 6 ½ lengths in January 2020, but she produced a graded-stakes finish in the Miss Preakness (G3) at Pimlico, where she rallied to third, beaten 1 ½ lengths, after getting bumped at the start. The Florida-bred filly followed up her disappointing effort in the Inside Information with a third-place finish in an optional claiming allowance.

“She's going to have to run the best race of her life, but we feel she can improve,” Joseph said. “She always seems to have a short run in her, and you have to time it well. We did a minor throat procedure after her last start. We hope that helps. If it does help her, I think she'll be able to sustain a longer run.”

Tyler Gaffalione has the return call on the $500,000 yearling purchase.

Tobey Morton's Pacific Gale had gone winless in 17 starts before breaking through with a two-length victory in the Inside Information. During the dry spell, the daughter of Flat Out, was stakes-placed eight times and graded stakes-placed on five occasions, including a second-place finish in the 2019 Hurricane Bertie.

In the Inside Information, the 6-year-old veteran stakes performer made a three-wide rally into the stretch and drew off to score by 2 ¾ lengths.

Junior Alvarado has the mount aboard Pacific Gale.

Saguaro Row, also a 6-year-old veteran stakes mare, is scheduled to make her first start for Greenville Stable and trainer Kent Sweezey in the Hurricane Bertie. The daughter of Union Rags is coming off a third-place finish in the Jan 20 Interborough at Aqueduct.

Paco Lopez has the call.

Magic Cap Stables' Slam Dunk, a Shug McGaughey-trained optional claiming allowance winner at Gulfstream last time out; Lowwood Farm LLC and trainer Fernando Abreu's Royal Meghan, a winner of back-to-back optional claiming allowances; Arindel's Sonar, who defeated Sound Machine in her most recent start; Paradise Farm Corp.'s Cory Gal, who finished second behind Sonar in her last start; and trainer Patrick Biancone and D P Racing LLC's Reluctant Bride, a two-time winner last year who is scheduled to make her 2021 debut; round out the field.

The post Sound Machine Should ‘Be Able To Sustain A Longer Run’ In Saturday’s Hurricane Bertie appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Morton passed away suddenly in December, collapsing in the middle of the night. He'd had horses in Kimmel's barn for over seven years, and the two grew particularly close after the death of Kimmel's own father in 2018.

“He was almost like a father figure for me in many ways,” said Kimmel, 66. “He had more experience than me in so many things, and he always had a story to tell. He loved talking, this guy, and we talked pretty much every day for the last seven years.

“You always knew it wasn't going to be a short call when the phone rang, but he was such an interesting man. He grew up in the Bronx with nothing, came from pretty much nothing. Each of our conversations usually came accompanied by some sort of story of something he did as a kid, like being a bat boy for the Yankees, or having polio.”

Morton had purchased Pacific Gale for $72,000 at the 2017 OBS 2-year-old sale, and it took several years for the filly's talent to show up on her resume. Racing under the name of Morton's wife, Tobey, Pacific Gale usually finished on the board in her races but had only three wins from 27 starts entering Saturday's contest at Gulfstream Park.

This time, however, the daughter of Flat Out stepped up to win the G2 Inside Information by 2 ¾ lengths.

“I'm sure he's looking down and I hope he had a big bet,” said Kimmel shortly after the race. “He loved to bet on his horses and it's a very generous price she has on the board (16-1). My congratulations to Tobey. I know it's a difficult time but hopefully this filly can put a smile on her face.”

Later in the same afternoon, Kimmel watched via simulcast as his assistant saddled Chester and Mary Broman's Mr. Buff for an easy win in the Jazil Stakes at Aqueduct. Now a 7-year-old gelding, Mr. Buff has won 16 of his 43 lifetime starts for earnings of nearly $1.3 million.

“He's probably the winningest horse I've ever trained,” said Kimmel. “It's a great story in its own right: I also trained his grandsire and sire, and for all the expensive stud fees Mr. Broman has paid in his breeding program, the fee to breed Mr. Buff was one dollar.”

Kimmel trained Friends Lake to win the 2004 Florida Derby, then his son, Friend or Foe, to win a trio of New York stakes races. Both were Broman homebreds, but the owner/breeder did not want to support another stallion in New York, so Friend or Foe was sent to a woman in Maryland to become a jumper on the condition that Broman could breed three mares a year to him for $1.

One of the first mares Broman sent to Friend or Foe was the graded stakes-placed Speightful Affair (Speightstown).

Mr. Buff was foaled in 2014, and while he's yet to add a graded stakes score to his tally, the gelding is regularly competitive in the older dirt division. Kimmel thinks it's just a matter of time before Mr. Buff wins his first graded race, but that it will require sticking to the race tactics that have worked for the horse.

“I think the main thing is that whoever's ridden him on those days has been so concerned about being on the lead, but really the most important factor with him is that when he breaks he needs to find his own rhythm, really drilled it into (jockey) Kendrick (Carmouche's) head. If you take him out of the comfort zone he seems to run out of gas, and he has a much harder time changing his leads.

“Last race he sat back, and his lead transition turning for home was perfect. I think in the future that if whoever's riding him will apply that concept, he certainly runs races that are fast enough that he can be competitive in graded stakes races.”

Of course, Kimmel has been in the racing game long enough to know that talent isn't always enough to win races. Still, he wouldn't change his decision to abandon his veterinary practice for a trainer's license 30 some-odd years ago.

“Unless you were actually involved in a specialty of some sort, like surgery or reproduction, working at the track as a vet just became extremely routine,” said Kimmel, who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 1980. “I could train my assistant to do about 95 percent of the work; there was very little challenge and very little reward.

“As a trainer, every day is different. There may be lots of disappointment, but there are also lots of rewards, lots of positive things that keep you energized and involved.”

Telling his father, legendary Thoroughbred owner Caesar Kimmel, about his decision to step away from veterinary medicine was another matter entirely.

“Jimmy Toner was training my dad's horses then, and I think he wanted to test out my ability level before he even sent me a horse,” Kimmel remembered. “As time went on he got Jimmy to send me a horse he didn't think much of, Chachi Man, and I won with him first time out at Calder. Eventually he started to believe I knew what I was doing, and we had a really good run for quite some time.

“It was quite an enjoyable thing to work with your father; I couldn't get fired!”

Among the pair's best horses together were G2 Pennsylvania Derby winner Timber Reserve, G1 winner Flat Fleet Feet, G1 winner Hidden Lake, and G2 winner Miss Golden Circle.

“He really enjoyed the horse racing business; it was his favorite thing to do,” Kimmel said of his father. “He used to sit in his office at Rockefeller Plaza writing names down that he thought he could get by The Jockey Club. Ed Bowen was over there, and they always had a funny relationship.

“They interviewed him on television one time, and they wouldn't even let him say some of the names of his horses! It was a lot of fun back then, but it was a very different time, of course.”

One of the horses most often attributed to Kimmel's father's penchant for risque names is the filly Bodacious Tatas. In fact, she was actually owned by the younger Kimmel in partnership with Dennis Drazin.

“Dennis named that horse,” Kimmel said, laughing. “We put that name in at The Jockey Club for three consecutive years, and finally bingo, it went through.”

The 1985 filly was sired by Distinctive Pro, a son of Mr. Prospector in which the younger Kimmel and Drazin had purchased a share. The young partners had wanted to buy a share in Mr. Prospector himself several years earlier, but Kimmel had been unable to convince his father of the horse's stallion potential.

“You see how that worked out,” Kimmel quipped.

When the chance to have a share in one of his sons arrived, Kimmel and Drazin jumped on it with both hands. They bought a few mares to breed to him, including the dam of Bodacious Tatas, Key to Paree.

Bodacious Tatas won her debut at Monmouth Park, encouraging Drazin to bring in a couple of his friends. They paid $100,000 for half-interest in the promising, provocatively-named filly.

“The first time the two new owners come to the races, of course it's a rainy, horrible day,” Kimmel recalled. “Bodacious ran bad, and I remember jockey Craig Perret came back and said, right in front of the new owners, 'Nope, it's not the track, she's just a piece of sh*t.'

“She ran one bad race after another after that, and eventually the two owners wanted us to buy them out. We did, and then ended up sending her to New York for longer races with wider turns, and she must have won by 10 lengths the first time up there!”

The next year, Bodacious Tatas easily defeated the favored mount of Perret in Monmouth's G2 Molly Pitcher Handicap at odds of 13-1. The filly wound up earning over $430,000 on the track.

These days, Kimmel's numbers are down from the 100-plus horses he had in the barn 20 years ago, but he still maintains an active group of approximately 40 horses split between New York and South Florida over the winter months.

“I've done a little bit of everything, from breeder to pinhooker, vet, bloodstock agent, consignor, and even hotwalked back when I was a kid,” Kimmel said. “I like to be really hands on, and I think I have past performances that are not paralleled by too many people in the business, with 10 Grade 1 winners I developed.”

Perhaps part of Kimmel's longevity in the Thoroughbred business can be attributed to his commitment to physical activity. His alarm goes off at 4:15 a.m. each morning, and he spends most of the day at the barn or riding the stable pony on the track. Still, Kimmel finds time to go biking or swimming several afternoons each week.

During the winter he spends dark days fishing on his boat, and he takes special care to plan an annual vacation that includes skiing by helicopter.

“I'm in my mid-60's, but I think I have another trip or two left in my bones,” Kimmel said. “At a resort, you can ski fresh powder maybe one or two times before it gets all tracked up. When you're going into untouched country by helicopter, you can ski powder run after run after run.”

Age is just a number, after all.

The post Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Kimmel Acknowledges Bittersweet Start To 2021 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post