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Anothertwistafate Returns From Layoff In Thursday’s Longacres Mile

Ten older horses led by Peter Redekop's Anothertwistafate have been entered in the $100,000 Longacres Mile (G3), to be run Thursday, Sept. 10, at Emerald Downs.

The 85th renewal of the Northwest's premier event goes as Race 8 at 8:30 p.m.

Unraced since a 10th in the 2019 Preakness, Anothertwistafate is the 8 to 5 morning line favorite in the Longacres Mile. A 4-year-old Kentucky-bred by Scat Daddy, Anothertwistafate was among the nation's top 3-year-olds last year, finishing second in both the Sunland Derby (G3) and Lexington Stakes (G3) and winning the $100,000 El Camino Real Derby by seven lengths. Trained by Blaine Wright, Anothertwistafate is 3-2-0 in seven lifetime starts with $303,505 in earnings. The dark bay colt capped a strong series of works with a bullet six furlongs in 1:12 2/5 last Sunday at Golden Gate.

“Everything has gone well, our horse has worked lights out,” Wright said via phone from California. “His six furlong works are like a mile, he gallops out strongly.”

Wright has been the leading stakes trainer the last three seasons at Emerald Downs, amassing 30 stakes wins here since 2017. The Mile, however, has eluded his grasp. There have been some close calls, including runner-up finishes by Alert Bay in 2018 and Anyportinastorm, who missed by a head to Law Abidin Citizen in 2019.

Wright says winning the Longacres Mile is a big deal for anyone in Northwest racing.

“I think everyone involved in this race would say the same thing, that winning the Mile means a lot,” Wright said. “It means a lot to me, Mr. Redekop, and everyone in the race.”

Wright is adept at returning horses from layoffs, winning with 19 of 69 horses that have been sidelined 180 days or more. In 2018, Wright brought millionaire Alert Bay back from a 13-month break to finish second in the Longacres Mile.

Anothertwistafate drew the No. 4 post-position and will be ridden by two-time Longacres Mile-winning jockey Juan Gutierrez.

Five Star General and He's the Reason, both from Canada, are 9 to 2 and 5 to 1 on the morning line. Five Star General captured the 2019 British Columbia Derby and is two for two at a mile, while He's the Reason is a multiple stakes winner in Vancouver. Both are owned and trained by Glen Todd, whose Princess of Cairo stunned previously unbeaten Daffodil Sweet in the Washington Oaks earlier this week.

Five Star General, co starting high-weight with He's the Reason at 122 lbs., is ridden by two-time Kentucky Derby winner Mario Gutierrez, two for two in the Mile with wins on Taylor Said in 2012 and Point Piper in 2016.

Elliott Bay at 8 to 1 appears the top local threat. The lone returnee from the 2019 Longacres Mile, the 5-year-old Harbor the Gold gelding is unbeaten in two starts at the meet and also boasts the track's hottest connections. Eddie Martinez leads all jockeys with four stakes wins in 2020 while trainer Frank Lucarelli and owners Chad Christensen and Josh McKee have combined for four stakes wins at the meet: two by 2-year-old filly sensation Time for Gold and one each by Elliott Bay and Gold Crusher, the latter taking the $40,000 Muckleshoot Derby earlier this week.

Papa's Golden Boy and Take Charge Deputy, second and third to Elliott Bay in the Mt. Rainier, are 10 to 1 and 12 to 1. For sheer speed, Papa's Golden Boy is the fastest horse at Emerald Downs. His quarter and half-mile fractions in three races this year are otherworldly: :21 1/5 & 44 1/5 , :21 1/5 & :43 1/5, :21 3/5 & :43. The question, of course, is distance. Thursday will be his first try around two turns, but it was encouraging that younger brother Gold Crusher easily won the Muckleshoot Derby at a mile and sixteenth. In two starts this year, Take Charge Deputy defeated Barkley in an allowance at 5 1/2 furlongs and finished third in the Mt. Rainier at 6 1/2 furlongs. A 5-year-old gelding, Take Charge Deputy is three for six at the distance including a victory in the final edition of the Portland Meadows Mile.

Makah Lane, La Waun, The Press and Hollywood Heat all figure to go off at big odds.

Makah Lane won the one-mile Washington Cup Sophomore as a 3-year-old and began this year with a sharp allowance win opening day, but failed to fire while finishing fifth in the Mt. Rainier. La Waun is a a hard-hitting 5-year-old with 10 wins from 36 starts, but The Mile represents a big step up in class and his lone route win was vs. $12,500 claimers on a synthetic surface.

The Press is sharp and can get the distance; he beat Mach One Rules at a mile in the 2016 Washington Cup. He also is stepping up in class, but trainer Howard Belvoir has won the Longacres Mile three times at Emerald Downs. Hollywood Heat produced a $105.60 upset in allowance company last month, but was drilled by Elliott Bay on July 2 and has never raced farther than six furlongs.

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Happy Saver Stays Perfect With Federico Tesio Triumph: Preakness ‘On The Radar’

Wertheimer and Frere's homebred Happy Saver, stepping up to stakes company for the first time, kept his perfect record intact through three starts with a popular and professional 1 1/2-length victory in Monday's $100,000 Federico Tesio at Laurel Park in Maryland.

The 39^th running of the 1 1/8-mile Tesio for 3-year-olds was the third of five $100,000 stakes on a special 10-race Labor Day holiday program that capped Laurel's Preakness Prep Weekend. For the fifth straight year, the Tesio served as a 'Win and In' event to the 145^th Preakness (G1) Oct. 3 at Pimlico Race Course.

Seven-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Todd Pletcher, watching from Saratoga where he won the training title, said the Preakness would be on the radar for Happy Saver, a chestnut son of Super Saver, who in 2010 gave Pletcher his first of two Kentucky Derby (G1) wins. Not Triple Crown nominated, Happy Saver would need to be supplemented for $25,000 to run.

“It's hard to win any races, much less your first three and step up in distance in your second start and into a stake in your third start. It's impressive he's been able to do that on three different surfaces, so I'm really pleased with his progress,” Pletcher said. “He's three-for-three and if he comes out and trains accordingly we'll consider stepping up and taking a shot.”

Happy Saver ($2.40), out of the Distorted Humor mare Happy Week, completed the distance over a fast main track in 1:49.15 – the fastest nine-furlong Tesio since Marciano won the 2001 edition in 1:49 when it was held at Pimlico Race Course. The Tesio was contested at 1 1/16 miles from 1981-91 and 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015. It was not run in 2012.

It was the second career Tesio win for both Pletcher and jockey Trevor McCarthy. Pletcher won in 2002 with Smoked Em, while McCarthy was first with Bodhisattva in 2015.

“He really turned it on that last eighth of a mile, the last quarter. They were running,” McCarthy said. “This horse is all class. Everything you want to do, he'll do for you. It was just a big privilege to be on him today. I have to thank Todd and his whole crew for doing such a great job.”

Winner of the Heft Stakes last December at Laurel but unraced since a fourth-place finish in the Withers (G3) Feb. 1 at Aqueduct, Monday Morning Qb broke sharply and was intent on the lead, rolling through a quarter-mile in 24.76 seconds and a half in 48.82 while Amen Corner chased along the rail and McCarthy kept Happy Saver in the clear three wide in third.

Monday Morning Qb was still there after going six furlongs in 1:13.69 when McCarthy began to move on Happy Saver and the top two gained distance from the rest of the field. Happy Saver nudged a head front once straightened for home and was set down for the drive while Monday Morning Qb determinedly kept on to his inside.

“He really warmed up well for me today. I was really impressed with the way he warmed up. He broke really strong and those speed horses on the outside didn't break very well. I knew [Monday Morning Qb] would break good off the layoff. I didn't know how fit that horse would be today but I just left him alone and let my horse get in a great stride and a great rhythm,” McCarthy said. “When [Monday Morning Qb] came to him galloping out, he rebroke. He was pretty impressive.”

Monday Morning Qb was a clear second, nine lengths ahead of late-running Big City Bob, followed by Mexican Wonder Boy, Amen Corner and Letmeno, who stumbled out of the gate and trailed throughout. Plot the Dots was scratched.

Happy Saver went unraced at 2, breaking his maiden at first asking in a seven-furlong sprint June 20 at Belmont Park then stepping up to open allowance company July 26 at Saratoga to win by four lengths at 1 1/8 miles. The Tesio was his first race against straight 3-year-olds.

“I just kind of told Trevor a little bit about the horse and told him he can ride him tactically however he wanted. He won first time out going wire to wire basically seven-eighths and then he came from off the pace and got some good education his second start so I told him to just use his best judgment,” Pletcher said. “He was in the clear, stalking. That was the horse that I felt like we had to beat. The horse put up a good fight but our horse was able to keep finding a little more.”

The Tesio is named for the noted Italian breeder, owner and trainer whose hombreds Nearco and Ribot dominate Thoroughbred bloodlines around the world. Tesio died in Italy in 1954 at age 85.

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The Week in Review: Authentic Represents Baffert’s Finest Work

The Authentic (Into Mischief) who won the GI Haskell S. at Monmouth by a nose didn’t look like a horse that could win the GI Kentucky Derby. Against a field decidedly weaker than what he would face seven weeks later at Churchill Downs, he nearly squandered a 2 1/2-length lead in the stretch and seemed to be running on fumes in the last few yards of the mile-and-an-eighth race. The mile-and-a-quarter loomed as a major obstacle.

Even trainer Bob Baffert acknowledged that Authentic needed to take things to another level.

“I’m happy with him. But he still has a lot of improving to do,” he said after the Haskell. “We’re going to work on him a little until then (the Derby).”

Complicating matters in the Derby, Authentic didn’t break sharply, compromising his chances. By the time he made the lead, the field had completed the opening quarter-mile in 22.92.

So when Tiz the Law (Constitution) ranged alongside Authentic at the quarter pole in the Derby, the race appeared to be over. But it was a different Authentic that showed up Saturday. He didn’t lose his focus and he had something left in the tank for the final furlong. He actually spurted clear of Tiz the Law to win by 1 1/4 lengths.

“Yeah, I heard all of that. People saying after the Haskell he definitely can’t go that far,” said John Velazquez, who picked up the mount when Mike Smith chose to ride Honor A.P. (Honor Code). “The mile-and-a-quarter will be very far for him. I was very confident. I’ve got a good trainer.”

That much is obvious. Somehow, Baffert orchestrated a complete makeover of Authentic. Much of the work seems to have been accomplished in the mornings. Baffert is known for working his horses fast but took a different approach with Authentic. His works included a one-mile breeze in 1:38.60, part of a pattern that included longer and slower works than what you normally see from the Hall of Fame trainer. The end result was a more composed horse who thrived at a mile-and-a-quarter.

Back in May, Authentic was being overshadowed by Nadal (Blame) and Charlatan (Speightstown), horses who were typical of what the Baffert operation has been producing over the last many years. Like American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) and Justify (Scat Daddy), they didn’t necessarily need any help from their trainer. They accomplished what they accomplished because they were super talented. Authentic is a very good horse, but also an example of the type of horse who might not have won the Derby with any other trainer.

With Baffert starting out every year with 50 or 60 superbly bred, expensive 2-year-olds, he has a chance every year to come into the Derby with a hand that is stronger than any of his rivals. That is among the reasons he has six Kentucky Derby wins, tying him with Ben Jones for first place among all trainers. Baffert will surely get to No. 7 before he’s done and could easily win 10 or so. If that happens he will unquestionably be the greatest Derby trainer in history.

In the meantime, the Ben Jones-versus-Baffert debate is an interesting one.

Jones needed only 11 starts in the Derby to record his six wins, which were accomplished over a 14-year span from 1938 to 1952. Baffert has started 33 horses in the Derby over 24 years. But he has been operating in an era where there are far more foals and the number of starters in the Derby is often 20. Jones won three Derbies where there were 11 or fewer starters, including in 1948 when Citation topped a field of six.

The other factor that must be considered is that many believe that Ben Jones was not the trainer of Citation and it was, instead, his son Jimmy Jones. The younger Jones was listed as Citation’s trainer for the first 15 starts of his career before being entered under the name of Ben for the Derby Trial and the Derby. After the Derby, Citation continued to run in Jimmy’s name. The move was made to give Ben a chance to draw closer to Herbert “Derby Dick” Thompson for most Derby wins by a trainer. Thompson had four at the time.

Baffert said Sunday morning that both Authentic and Thousand Words (Pioneerof the Nile) will likely go next in the GI Preakness S. Baffert has seven Preakness wins, tying him for first with R. Wyndham Walden, who dominated the race in the late 1800s. With Baffert heading to Baltimore with a new and improved Authentic, win No. 8 may only be four weeks away.

Preakness Could Decide 3-Year-Old Championship

Entering Saturday, Tiz the Law looked like a cinch to win the 3-year-old championship, but not anymore as Authentic is in the mix. A Preakness win could vault Authentic into the top spot in the division, where he would remain if neither he nor Tiz the Law wins the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic. Jack Knowlton, who heads the group that owns Tiz the Law, is well aware of the possible scenarios.

“I think we are still in the lead for the Eclipse, but if Authentic goes there and wins he’ll be in the lead,” Knowlton said. “I’d like to go there and win that race. If we do that and beat Authentic that would put an exclamation point on the end of the sentence. If neither of us win, I think we’d be in a better position with three Grade I wins. That’s where I am.

“In all likelihood, he has a better chance of winning the Preakness than the Breeders’ Cup Classic, where you’d be facing horses like Tom’s d’Etat [Smart Strike], Maximum Security [Maximum Security] and some other really good older horses. I’d like one more go against the 3-year-olds.”

Knowlton said no decision has been reached yet concerning the Preakness and admitted that trainer Barclay Tagg is reluctant to run him there.

Kudos to Churchill Stewards

The Churchill Downs stewards could not have handled the disqualification of Maximum Security in last year’s Derby any worse. First, they failed to post an inquiry into what was clearly a very roughly run race and then they refused to take any questions from the media after issuing a brief statement that left a lot of questions unanswered.

Apparently, they have learned from their mistakes. After Friday’s sixth race, which involved the disqualification of Lasting Legacy (Tapizar), the chief steward Barbara Borden come on the track’s television feed to explain the decision. Stewards’ reports involving DQ’s are also posted on the Churchill Downs website.

Let’s hope other tracks follow Churchill’s lead. Transparency is never a bad thing.

Another Horse Wins After Drastic Late Odds Drop

By now, horseplayers are used to seeing dramatic drops in the odds after the field leaves the gate, but what happened in Saturday’s second race at Saratoga was hard to fathom. When the horses loaded into the gate, Vineyard Sound (Stormy Atlantic) was 24-1. While the race was being run Vineyard Sound dropped to 11-1. A winner, of course, Vineyard Sound paid off at 8-1.

Saying it again: horse racing is the only gambling game where you can win a bet and feel like you’ve lost.

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Ghostbuster Colt Mystic Guide Could Jump From Jim Dandy Win To Preakness

Godolphin's Mystic Guide emerged from his triumph in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga in good order and shipped back to Fair Hill Training Center on Saturday evening, where trainer Michael Stidham is primarily stabled.

The sophomore Ghostzapper chestnut earned his first graded stakes victory in the 1 1/8-mile event over the Saratoga Race Course main track in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and arrived off a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Peter Pan on July 16 to Country Grammer.

Stidham said the Grade 1, $1 million Preakness Stakes on October 3 at Pimlico Race Course is a possibility for Mystic Guide.

“We're going to look at it and see how he trains these next couple of weeks,” Stidham said. “He's already back at Fair Hill and looked good this morning. He came out of the race in good shape.”

Never off the hoard in five career starts, Stidham said Mystic Guide had always touted himself as a horse with a bright future. Following a five-length maiden score at second asking in his two-turn debut in March at Fair Grounds, he finished third in a one-turn first level allowance race at Belmont Park which was won by Tap It to Win en route to the Peter Pan.

“He always showed us a lot of promise right from the beginning,” Stidham said. “We stayed patient with him. We didn't put him in spots that he wasn't ready for. We tried to do the right thing by the horse, and it paid off yesterday. There was temptation in thinking about the Derby, but he didn't advance quickly enough to be in that picture.”

Following Saturday's Grade 1 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, which was won by Authentic who kept heavy favorite Tiz the Law at bay, Stidham said the 3-year-old division appears to be wide open.

“I don't think that there's a big difference in a lot of the 3-year-olds,” Stidham said. “Tiz the Law was certainly the leader of the group, and then obviously he got beat yesterday. I think it opens the picture up and I think our horse is lightly raced and could be coming into his peak now and coming up to his best racing.”

A Kentucky homebred, Mystic Guide is out of the three-time Grade 1-winning A.P. Indy mare Music Note. Stidham currently has Mystic Guide's half-brother Gershwin in his barn. The unraced 2-year-old son of Distorted Humor has been training forwardly at Fair Hill and Stidham said he could make his career debut soon.

“He's showing some early promise. He hasn't started yet but he's had some nice works,” Stidham said. “There are a lot of similarities. They're big, strong colts and Gershwin has shown some early talent. He's another one that's going to be a two turn horse. We aren't in any rush with him. He'll make his first start in the month to six weeks.”

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