Pioneerof the Nile | Horse Racing Free Tips

Beautifully Bred Under the Stars Makes the Grade in Santa Ynez

Sent off the 9-10 chalk to build on a three-length maiden victory at Los Alamitos when last seen Dec. 11, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith's Under the Stars (Pioneerof the Nile) was made to work for it, but managed to tough out a narrow victory in Saturday's GIII Santa Ynez S. at Santa Anita.

Away alertly enough from the inside stall, the bay–bred on a similar cross to the one that produced Triple Crown winner American Pharoah–held her spot at the fence while being shaded three wide by pacesetting Miss Mattie B (Tonalist), with Big Shamrock (Mr. Big) poking through between. Awake At Midnyte (Nyquist) chimed in three wide at the top of the lane and appeared to have sufficient momentum to reel in the chalk, but Under the Stars sprinted powerfully through the final eighth of a mile to prevail tenaciously.

Under the Stars, a debut third as the chalk behind Awake At Midnyte Oct. 31, filled that same slot behind stablemate and next out GI Starlet S. heroine Eda (Munnings) in Del Mar's Desi Arnaz S. Nov. 13.

“When we came into this race, I was worried about the post, but she's improving,” Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said. “She's a half-sister to Bodemeister, so she has the pedigree to go further and Flavien [Prat] thinks she wants to go further also. It's nice when they're bred that well and the Coolmore gang, the ownership group, they've been real patient. I'm just glad they sent her to us.”

Pedigree Notes:

Under the Stars becomes the 40th stakes/18th graded winner for the late, great Pioneerof the Nile. This is the 302nd stakes/147th graded winner for the legendary Storm Cat as a broodmare sire. Storm Cat also appears prominently in the pedigree of Pioneerof the Nile's top two runners–Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (produced by a Yankee Gentleman mare) and champion Classic Empire (produced by a Cat Thief mare), respectively. Under the Stars is one of four black-type horses for her GSW/GISP dam, most notably responsible for GISW and multiple Classic-placed Bodemeister (Empire Maker); and MGISP Fascinating (Smart Strike). Untouched Talent has also produced colts of 2020 and 2021 by Justify. She was bred to Uncle Mo for 2022. Untouched Talent brought $5 million from Coolmore's M.V. Magnier following the Classics exploits of Bodemeister at the 2012 FTKNOV sale, which was topped by the $10-million Havre de Grace.

Saturday, Santa Anita
SANTA YNEZ S.-GII, $200,500, Santa Anita, 1-8, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:22.51, ft.
1–UNDER THE STARS, 120, f, 3, by Pioneerof the Nile
               1st Dam: Untouched Talent (GSW & GISP, $243,550), by Storm Cat
               2nd Dam: Parade Queen, by A.P. Indy
               3rd Dam: Spanish Parade, by Roberto
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O- Mrs.
John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor, & Derrick Smith; B-Eaton
(KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Flavien Prat. $120,000. Lifetime
Record: 4-2-0-2, $170,520. *1/2 to Bodemeister (Empire
Maker), GISW, $1,304,800; 1/2 to Himiko (American
Pharoah), SP, $177,277; 1/2 to Fascinating (Smart Strike),
MGISP, $166,320. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Awake At Midnyte, 120, f, 3, Nyquist–Midnight Union, by
Union Rags. ($85,000 RNA Wlg '19 KEENOV; $190,000 Ylg
'20 FTKOCT; $320,000 2yo '21 FTFMAR). O-Reddam Racing
LLC; B-Forty Oaks (KY); T-Doug F. O'Neill. $40,000.
3–Miss Mattie B, 120, f, 3, Tonalist–Traffic Blimp, by
Medaglia d'Oro. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK
TYPE. ($10,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Westlake Racing Stable;
B-R. S. Evans (KY); T-Robert B. Hess, Jr. $24,000.
Margins: 3/4, 6HF, 6. Odds: 0.90, 4.50, 12.60.
Also Ran: Big Switch, Big Shamrock, Mimajoon.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Beautifully Bred Under the Stars Makes the Grade in Santa Ynez appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Arrest Me Red Goes Gate To Wire In Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship

Lael Stable's homebred Arrest Me Red made every pole a winning one, staving off an inside rally from Pulsate to prevail in Saturday's $150,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Trained by Wesley Ward, Arrest Me Red was scratched out of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint on November 6 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., which was won by his stablemate Golden Pal. Re-routed to the Big A, the sophomore son of Pioneerof the Nile turned back older company with a game display in the six-furlong outer turf test.

“He did great. He ran very, very professional,” Ward said. “I just feel bad that he had a minor foot issue, otherwise he would have had a good run in the Breeders' Cup.”

Arrest Me Red, with Paco Lopez up, marked off splits of :22.69 and :45.60 over the firm going with defending race winner Turned Aside tracking in second and Backtohisroots pressing three-wide in third.

Pulsate, with Manny Franco up, settled into fourth position as Arrest Me Red took the field to the turn with Backtohisroots advancing with purpose. Arrest Me Red opened up a one-length lead at the stretch call and kicked for home with a ground-saving Pulsate trying to surge up the rail.

Lopez kept to task aboard Arrest Me Red and the talented bay held on for a neck win in a final time of 1:09.43. Pulsate completed the exacta by 1 3/4 lengths over the late-running Chewing Gum.

Lopez, aboard Arrest Me Red for the first time, said he was impressed by the colt's winning efforts in the Mahony in August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and the G3 Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., last out on October 2.

“I saw his last couple races and knew he was fast,” Lopez said. “There wasn't much speed today. I broke and put my horse in the race and waited for competition. I saw the horse coming to the inside [Pulsate] and I put a little pressure. That horse is a very good horse. Wesley knows what he is doing.”

Franco said Pulsate, who he guided to victory in the Lucky Coin in September at the Spa, was timid when asked to pass along the hedge.

“I had the room to go through, but my horse just hesitated a little bit,” Franco said. “He was coming the last sixteenth of a mile. When I rode him to the wire, he responded to me. He just got a little bit tired. He ran well though.”

Backtohisroots, Value Proposition, Big Package, Maxwell Esquire, Omaha City, and Turned Aside completed the order of finish. Grateful Bred, who broke through the gate ahead of the race, was scratched.

Bred in Kentucky by his owners, Arrest Me Red banked $82,500 in victory while improving his record to five wins from seven starts. He paid $6.50 for a $2 win ticket.

Live racing resumes Sunday at the Big A with a 10-race card featuring the $150,000 Autumn Days in Race 7, the $200,000 G3 Fall Highweight in Race 8, and the $100,000 Tepin in Race 9. First post is 11:50 a.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

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

The post Arrest Me Red Goes Gate To Wire In Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Racing Insights for Saturday, Nov. 27

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

6th-AQU, $80K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, 2:14 p.m.

Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey unveils a pair of well-bred newcomers in this salty-looking test. Courtlandt Farm paid $1,025,000 for Adam's Angel (Into Mischief) as a Keeneland September yearling. Out of stakes-placed Mary Rita (Distorted Humor) and bred on the same cross as Practical Joke and Life Is Good, the bay's third dam is the McGaughey-trained Hall of Famer and blue hen Personal Ensign (Private Account). Gainesway Stable and Andrew Rosen, meanwhile, will be represented by $340,000 KEESEP buyback Digital Asset (Tapit). Out of GSW First Passage (Giant's Causeway), she's a half to GSW Berned (Bernardini). Her dam is a half to the dam of this year's GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity winner Pinehurst (Twirling Candy). This is the family of GISW Harmony Lodge and GSWs Win Crafty Lady, Graeme Hall, Win McCool, Stratford Hill, etc.

Stonestreet Stables LLC's $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Select Yearling Showcase acquisition Favor (Pioneerof the Nile) is out of a winning full-sister to GISW Cross Traffic (Unbridled's Song). Dam Fame and Fortune cost $500,000 herself and could run some–she romped second out over this same track and trip as a 4-year-old before missing out on black-type by a neck around two turns.

Augustin Stable's Send for Me (Into Mischief) was a $250,000 September yearling turned $500,000 OBS April juvenile off a :10 flat breeze. Her second dam is MGISW Versailles Treaty (Danzig), who also produced GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner George Vancouver (Henrythenavigator) and GSW Saarland (Unbridled). TJCIS PPs

The post Racing Insights for Saturday, Nov. 27 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Scratched From Breeders’ Cup With Foot Abscess, Arrest Me Red Returns In Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship

Trainer Wesley Ward said Lael Stables' Arrest Me Red will make his next start in the $150,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship at six furlongs for 3-year-olds and up on Nov. 27 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Arrest Me Red was scratched out of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint on Nov. 6 at Del Mar, which was won by the Ward-trained Golden Pal. Arrest Me Red breezed a half-mile in :48 flat Wednesday over the Keeneland main track.

“He had a little foot abscess issue we were dealing with out in California, so we erred on the side of caution and scratched him,” Ward said. “We brought him back and he's had a great work here at Keenland, so he should be ready to go.”

The Pioneerof the Nile sophomore joined Ward's stable for his 3-year-old campaign, winning the Mahony in August at 5 1/2-furlongs over firm footing at Saratoga Race Course. The talented bay followed with a gate-to-wire score in the six-furlong Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational over firm going on October 2 at Belmont Park.

Ward said Arrest Me Red had initially been under consideration for the Grade 2 Woodford at Keeneland before setting course for Belmont.

“He came back [from the Mahony] and had some nice works and we were going to go in the Woodford with him, but there was no sense in going against my other horse, Golden Pal, so we looked for another option and he ran and won nice,” Ward said.

Arrest Me Red made four starts in a juvenile campaign for his former conditioner Arnaud Delacour, posting a first-out maiden win at Laurel Park in August 2020 and a two-length score in the six-furlong Atlantic Beach last November over the Big A turf.

CJ Thoroughbreds' Miss Alacrity, a chestnut daughter of Munnings, will return to the main track in Sunday's $100,000 Key Cents, a six-furlong sprint for juvenile fillies at Aqueduct.

Out of the multiple graded-stakes winning Menifee mare Just Jenda, Miss Alacrity launched her career with a 10-length maiden win sprinting five furlongs over Big Sandy in May. She followed with an impressive score in the Colleen, a five-furlong turf test in August at Monmouth Park.

Last out, Miss Alacrity stumbled at the start of the Speakeasy, a five-furlong turf test on Oct. 1 at Santa Anita, and settled for fourth.

“I think she was soundly beaten. We went out there with her winning that race at Monmouth and we wanted to see where she was at. There were no excuses, she just got beat,” Ward said. “It was a credible race. She ran well but she just got beat by better horses on the day.”

Miss Alacrity will remove blinkers while retaining the services of Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez from the inside post in a loaded field that includes the well-regarded Classy Edition for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher and the speedy Makin My Move for conditioner John Kimmel.

“This time of year, I generally take the blinkers off of everything with 2-year-olds. It keeps them focused at the beginning of the year and now that they're older and more seasoned, I like to take the blinkers off to go a little further,” Ward said. “She should be more aware of her surroundings and a little more relaxed in the race with the blinkers off.”

Lyrical Poet, a 4-year-old Kitten's Joy gelding owned, bred and trained by Ward, posted a claiming score traveling 5 1/2-furlongs over the Saratoga turf in July.

He is out of the speedy Bring the Heat mare One Hot Wish, who won a pair of sprints for Ward led by an 8 ½-length allowance romp at Gulfstream Park in 2008 that garnered a 91 Beyer.

Lyrical Poet was last seen finishing second in September in a Kentucky Downs turf allowance sprint won by Rustler, who exited that effort to win the Carle Place in October at Belmont.

Lyrical Poet breezed five-furlongs in 1:00.80 on Nov. 16 over the Keeneland main track in preparation for Race 2 on Saturday at the Big A, a six-furlong starter allowance on the turf for 3-year-olds and up.

“He's training good. I've taken my time with him. Kitten's Joys take a little time to get going and he was a late foal,” Ward said. “I own him so I can afford the time I think they need and he's rewarding that patience now. His dam was very fast.”

Listed at 3-1 on the morning line, Lyrical Poet will exit post 7 under Irad Ortiz, Jr.

The post Scratched From Breeders’ Cup With Foot Abscess, Arrest Me Red Returns In Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post