Paris Lights | Horse Racing Free Tips

Modernist Could Target Brooklyn Following Excelsior Score

Pam and Martin Wygod's Modernist earned a 95 Beyer for his 2 1/2-length score in Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000 Excelsior, a nine-furlong test for older horses at Aqueduct racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

With Junior Alvarado up for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, Modernist tracked in second position and shook clear at the head of the lane en route to a convincing win over the late-closing Haikal.

The 4-year-old Uncle Mo colt graduated last January at the Big A ahead of a win in the Grade 2 Risen Star and a third in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, both at Fair Grounds. He was given a freshening after off-the-board efforts in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes and Grade 3 Peter Pan at Saratoga.

“He's doing good this morning,” said Mott's New York-based assistant Leana Willaford. “The last couple races last year, he was looking like he was ready for a break and he got one. It obviously helped him. He came back to me here much more mature physically and mentally. I thought he looked great going into the race.”

Willaford said the prominent trip was a good one for the long-running colt, especially after the scratch of 4-5 morning line favorite Mr. Buff.

“He's run well that way. He was on the lead when he broke his maiden and vying for it when he won the Risen Star,” said Willaford. “With Mr. Buff out, you figured you better be up there and they didn't go very fast early. Distance will not be a limitation for this horse. He can go all day.”

A possible target for Modernist would be the 12-furlong Grade 2, $400,000 Brooklyn on June 5 at Belmont.

WinStar Stablemates Racing's Paris Lights garnered an 85 Beyer for her half-length score over pacesetter Portal Creek in the Grade 3 Distaff on Friday at the Big A.

“She ran great,” said Willaford. “She was sitting a little closer than I imagined she would, but it was good that she did because that filly got away with some slow fractions, too.”

Paris Lights is likely to target the Grade 1, $500,000 La Troienne on April 30 at Churchill Downs.

Frank Fletcher Racing Operations' Candy Man Rocket faded to ninth in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial after an early stalking trip under Alvarado.

“The track was a little deep for him. He sat close easily and Junior said he asked him a little at the three-eighths pole and he gave him a run to the quarter pole,” said Willaford. “He came out of it fine this morning. I think we just need to shorten him up. He looks like more of a one-turn type of horse.”

There's A Chance Stable, Medallion Racing, Abbondanza Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Paradise Farms Corp., and David Staudacher's Horologist is set to make her seasonal debut in Saturday's $100,000 Top Flight Invitational at nine furlongs on the main track.

The 5-year-old New Jersey-bred daughter of Gemologist won the Grade 2 Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park and Grade 2 Beldame at Belmont last year. She completed a lucrative campaign with an off-the-board effort in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff in November at Keeneland.

“She's doing good,” said Willaford. “She was here last year before the Beldame for quite a while and she looks as good or better as she did in the late summer and fall.”

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Paris Lights Shines Bright In 2021 Debut At Aqueduct

WinStar Stablemates Racing's Paris Lights capped her sophomore campaign with a graded stakes score and made her anticipated 4-year-old bow with similar success, running down Portal Creek in the final jumps to capture Friday's Grade 3, $150,000 Distaff Handicap by a half-length at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The 66th running of the Distaff, a seven-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares, was the first stakes of the 11-day Aqueduct spring meet that started Thursday and runs through April 18.

Paris Lights was last in action nearly nine months prior, when she tracked in second position before edging Crystal Ball by a head to win the nine-furlong Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks in July at Saratoga Race Course.

Off the respite, Paris Lights utilized a similar trip in the Distaff, breaking sharp from post 4 under jockey Junior Alvarado and sitting in second position behind pacesetter Portal Creek, who led the compact five-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in 24.04 seconds and the half in 48.28 on the fast main track.

Kendrick Carmouche kept Portal Creek to the inside out of the turn, with Paris Lights tenaciously attempting to overtake her from the outside. The duo linked up in the stretch, with Portal Creek initially repelling her rival's initial charge before Paris Lights re-gained command in the final sixteenth, hitting the wire in 1:26.99.

The trainee of Hall of Famer Bill Mott won for the fourth time in five career starts and fourth straight following a third-place debut effort in April 2020 at Gulfstream.

“I was hoping she would give me a good break so I could put myself in the race in a stalking position, and that's how it worked out,” said Alvarado. “I got to the lead and she started wandering a little bit and kind of waited on horses. Being off a little while, she got lost on me a little bit, but it was still a great effort.

“She doesn't have a six or seven-furlong kick, she just grinds on little by little,” he added. “Once I got clear, she wandered a little. I tried to keep her attention and move my reins a little and keep her moving forward. This distance is not her game, she was just the best horse today.”

Alvarado, a stalwart on the NYRA circuit, was riding his first day back in New York since notching 53 wins – including seven stakes – during Gulfstream Park's championship meet. On Friday, he continued his success riding for Mott.

“We've been a great team for the past eight years,” he said. “Last year and this year, we've been pretty strong with Bill Mott. I'm just enjoying the ride I'm on right now. It's just been great working with him. I might call him before the race if something looks a little tricky and we'll try and figure it out. I'll say this is what [agent] Mike [Sellitto] and I want to do, but you decide. It works out most of the time.”

Paris Lights' time off did not deter bettors, who made herthe 6-5 favorite. The Curlin filly, carrying 121 pounds, returned $4.60 on a $2 win wager. Bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, Paris Lights improved her career bankroll to $370,412.

“Obviously, it's not her best distance, but she showed up and ran well,” said Mott assistant Leanna Willaford. “This gives her plenty of time for the [Grade 1, $500,000] La Troienne [on April 30] at Churchill Downs. No complaints. She's been here since Wednesday and has been doing great.”

Ten Strike Racing's Portal Creek, carrying 120 pounds, ran second for a second consecutive stakes, edging a rallying Honor Way to her outside by a neck. The 5-year-old Shanghai Bobby mare was also the runner-up in the Heavenly Prize Invitational going a one-turn mile on March 6 at the Big A for trainer Juan Carlos Guerrero.

In the stretch, Portal Creek angled off the rail closer to Paris Lights, who was making her move near the middle of the track. Carmouche said the drifting might have made the difference.

“The filly ran very game,” Carmouche said. “She only runs one way and she fought it out to the wire. Carlos had her ready today. My filly wanted to fight it out with the other horse, but she was so far out by the time you drift out there, you're not going to win the race.”

Honor Way, who ended her 2020 year with back-to-back wins in the Garland of Roses and Pumpkin Pie, respectively, earned blacktype in her first start as a 7-year-old. Trained by Charlton Baker, Honor Way, the 124-pound highweight, has finished in the money in her last six starts.

Kansas Kis and Lady Kate completed the order of finish.

Live racing resumes Saturday with an 11-race card that features five stakes, headlined by the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino at 5:58 p.m. Other stakes include the first Grade 1 of the 2021 NYRA circuit in the $300,000 Carter for 4-year-olds and up going seven furlongs; the Grade 3, $250,000 Gazelle for sophomore fillies at nine furlongs; the Grade 3, $200,000 Bay Shore for 3-year-olds sprinting seven furlongs; and the $150,000 Excelsior for 4-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles. First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

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Grade 1 Ladies: Lady Kate, Paris Lights Return In Friday’s Distaff At Aqueduct

Anderson Stables' Lady Kate looks to make the grade in Friday's Grade 3, $150,000 Distaff, a seven-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Distaff is the first stakes race of the 11-day Big A spring meet, which will run Thursday, April 1 through Sunday, April 18.

Trained by Eddie Kenneally, the Grade 1-placed Lady Kate will make her seasonal debut following an off-the-board effort in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff won by eventual Champion Older Dirt Female Monomoy Girl in November at Keeneland.

The 5-year-old Bernardini mare, who finished second to Monomoy Girl in the Grade 1 La Troienne in September at Churchill Downs, enjoyed a four-win campaign in 2020, including a score in the one-mile Groupie Doll in August at Ellis Park.

“She had a very strong campaign last year,” said Kenneally. “She won four races and traveled around a little bit. She had a busy year.”

Lady Kate, out of the graded stakes-winning Street Cry mare Princess Haya, enjoyed a freshening before returning to the work tab in February at Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida.

“She wintered really well,” said Kenneally. “We sent her to Eddie Woods in Ocala and turned her out for a couple of months and brought her back in January at Palm Meadows. She hasn't missed a beat since she came back in. She's benefitted from her vacation time and I think she's come back really good.”

Lady Kate battled with Monomoy Girl on three occasions last year and Kenneally said the La Troienne effort was the highlight of a strong campaign.

“That was a deep field and she beat some quality horses that day,” said Kenneally. “She didn't get beat too far by Monomoy Girl, so I think that was probably her best race.”

Kenneally said Lady Kate's natural speed allows her success over a variety of trips.

“She's versatile. She's won at 6 1/2-furlongs, a one-turn mile, the Groupie Doll was a mile around two turns and the La Troienne was a mile and a sixteenth around two turns,” said Kenneally. “I think seven-eighths on the comeback is a good distance to start back at, but we'll be planning on stretching her out after that.”

Lady Kate, who was supplemented to the Distaff after an allowance race at Gulfstream Park did not fill, will exit post 2 under Trevor McCarthy.

WinStar Stablemates Racing's Paris Lights bested Crystal Ball by a head in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks last out in July at Saratoga Race Course. The 4-year-old Curlin bay, unraced as a juvenile, won 3-of-4 starts in her sophomore season.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Paris Lights has prepared for her seasonal debut at Payson Park in Florida, breezing three-eighths in 38.40 seconds on March 21.

Paris Lights will exit post 4 under Junior Alvarado.

Ten Strike Racing's Portal Creek, a 5-year-old Shanghai Bobby mare trained by Juan Guerrero, has enjoyed a productive winter at the Big A despite not having her picture taken.

Portal Creek finished second, beaten a neck by Sharp Starr, in the Grade 3 Go for Wand, a one-turn mile over a sloppy and sealed Aqueduct main track in December. She followed with a fourth in the seven-furlong Interborough in January and was a prominent second to Lake Avenue last out in the one-mile Heavenly Prize Invitational on March 6.

Kendrick Carmouche, aboard for the Go for Wand and Interborough efforts, has the call from post 5.

Saul Kupferberg's Honor Way enters from wins in the seven-furlong Pumpkin Pie in November at Belmont and the six-furlong Garland of Roses in December at the Big A.

The 7-year-old Caleb's Posse mare, trained by Charlton Baker, boasts a record of 41-13-8-7 with purse earnings of $688,892 and will be piloted by Jose Ortiz from the inside post.

Perrine Time Thoroughbreds' Kansas Kis has come close to stakes success at Aqueduct on two occasions for trainer Ray Handal. The 4-year-old Constitution bay missed by a nose to Water White in the 2020 Busher Invitational, traveling a one-turn mile. Last out, Kansas Kis tracked from third in the six-furlong Correction and completed the trifecta just 1 1/2-lengths back of the victorious Sadie Lady.

Kansas Kis will exit post 3 under Pablo Morales.

The Distaff is slated as Race 7 on Friday's eight-race card. First post is 1:20 p.m. Eastern.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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Jessica Harrington: Covid Casts A Different Light On Communication

It has been a strange year and the Covid pandemic has meant that we have had to revolutionise the way we try to keep owners informed. We use a very good system now called Racing Manager and we do a lot of videoing of the horses, talking to their lads, talking to the jockeys. Because people haven't been allowed to come racing we interview the jockeys in the parade ring before racing, take photos of the horses in the parade ring and afterwards and then another video with the jockey's summing up of the race, whether good, bad or indifferent. It's something we have really had to embrace—normally we would ring people but now we have really had to step outside the box and I hope owners have found it useful.

We don't just do the horses, we have been making funny videos around the yard as well and just trying to make it as though the owners were here. Some people haven't been able to see their horses for well over a year or 18 months, so it's very strange. Some people in Ireland have been able to get down to the yard when they can but for the people who are abroad, very few of them have even been able to get into Ireland.

On the Racing Manager the owners also get pedigree updates if anything else in the family has won, which is great as it can be hard to keep track of all of that. I find it a very good platform to keep people informed.

I have a horse for the Irish National Stud, Kojin (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}), which is part of their racing club, and they get great fun out of the app when the videos go up; there are always lots of replies to it and I hope it makes the club members really feel involved, not just in their horse but in every horse in the stable.

We've recently launched a new website and I think it's really important for the fans of racing as well, to see videos of the horses that they've been following on social media or on the website, especially when they haven't been able to go racing.

There's no doubt that Covid has made us look at things in a completely different way.

Roll on the Flat

We're looking forward to the Flat season. We have around 70 2-year-olds coming in and this year for the first year I actually have quite a few more older horses, and that's rather exciting that so many of them have remained in training.

Alpine Star (Ire) (Sea The Moon {Ger}), Cayenne Pepper (Ire) (Australia {GB}), Valeria Messalina (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) and Silence Please (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) all won either Group or Listed races last year and they have all stayed in training.

Then of the colts and geldings we have the Niarchos Family's Free Solo (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}), who has run very little in his career but he was placed twice in listed races last year and he is now back as a 4-year-old. Then I have the 4-year-old Lobo Rojo (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) for Ballylinch Stud. Leo De Fury (Ire) (Australia {GB}) has also stayed in training. He's now five and was a Group 2 winner last year for Zhang Yuesheng, who has also has the 4-year-old Harpocrates (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) who won up in Dundalk recently. Indigo Balance (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), who was second at the Curragh on Sunday, has come back from Australia. I trained him as a 2-year-old and he then went to Peter and Paul Snowden. He returned in the middle of last year but he took a long while to acclimatise so he didn't run last season.

Then there's Njord (Ire) (Roderic O'Connor {Ire}), who who won the big handicap at Ascot on Champions Day, and of the fillies I have Flor De La Luna (GB) (Sea The Moon {Ger}), who won a maiden in the autumn for her breeder Kirsten Rausing and I think she's a nice filly.

So I have a really good team of older horses, including a new horse who is new to our yard: King Of Comedy (Ire) (Kingman {GB}). It will be interesting to see how he gets on. I'm not sure I'll ever improve on John Gosden but he came to me in the autumn and he is pencilled in for a race on Sunday at Naas, but it will depend on what the ground is like.

The Younger Brigade

Among the 3-year-olds we have the two good Lope De Vega (Ire) colts Lucky Vega (Ire) and Cadillac (Ire). I think they will both go directly to their respective Classic targets: Cadillac will go to the Irish 2000 Guineas and Lucky Vega will go to Newmarket. That's my thinking at the moment but I reserve the right to change my mind!

Then there are quite a few 3-year-old colts who have just had the one or two runs which I think are quite exciting, like Taipan (Fr) (Frankel {GB}), who won on his only start for Fiona Carmichael, Ace Aussie (Ire) (Australia {GB}), Mcpherson (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}) and Hell Bent (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire})—the types that were always going to be 3-year-olds.

We are also lucky to have some nice 3-year-old fillies with Classic entries. Oonadatta (Ire) (Australia {GB}) was very good last year and was placed in the G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes. She and Sacred Rhyme (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Loch Lein (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), No Speak Alexander (Ire) (Shalaa {Ire}), Golden Lyric (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and Zaffy's Pride (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}) all seem to have done well over the winter. And of corse there are some that didn't run last year who were never going to be 2-year-olds, such as Pappina (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who has an Irish Oaks entry. I feel I have a really nice balance of horses.

On the 2-year-old front I have some really well-bred horses including the full-sister to Alpha Centauri (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) who is called Discoveries (Ire), and a filly by Sea The Stars (Ire) out of Green Room who probably won't make a 2-year-old but she is a lovely filly and is a half-sister to the Group 1 winners Together Forever (Ire) and Forever Together (Ire). It's really exciting to have a nice bunch of 2-year-olds but we don't know how fast they can go yet.

We also have the full-brother to St Mark's Basilica (Fr) named Paris Lights (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) for his Australian breeder Bob Scarborough who also co-owns Oonadatta. Bob is a fantastic and very enthusiastic owner and we've enjoyed increasing the Australian connections in our yard, which includes OTI Racing and several Australian members of our Alpha Racing syndicate which we are running again this year with eight 2-year-olds.

Syndicates The Way Forward

Alpha Racing was set up by Richie Galway with Patrick Cooper doing the buying and it's in its third year now. The members of the syndicate have had a lot of fun so far, especially with Cadillac, and we're trying to set up some more syndicates on a slightly different level, basically with the aim of trying to get younger and new people into racing.

The It's All About The Girls syndicate is still going strong and they have one 3-year-old and three 2-year-olds to race this year. They've been a very lucky syndicate and have had winners every year and for a small investment. It's been great fun, which is what it's all about.

We are fortunate that the investment in Irish racing from overseas has remained strong even throughout this difficult year, and equally importantly the smaller syndicates are still going. That's the one thing I thought might be affected; I was worried that perhaps people might give up when they couldn't go racing. But thankfully most people are hanging in there and saying 'at least we have the racing'. They are able to watch it and still get great fun out of that, but of course it is nothing like actually being there when your horse runs.

I think this year was the first time in 45 years that I haven't been to Cheltenham, but it is as it is. I just hope that when we all get back out there we will be able to remember the art of socialising.

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