Tag: Prendimi

Prendimi Gets Well-Earned Break After Maryland Million Classic Win

G. J. Stable's Prendimi emerged from his upset victory in the $150,000 Maryland Million Classic at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md., in good order and will be headed south next month to begin his annual winter vacation.

Trainer Luis Carvajal Jr. said the New Jersey-bred 6-year-old Dance With Ravens gelding returned to their base at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., following the Classic and was bright and energetic Sunday morning.

“He's good. I do play around with Twitter a little bit and I did tweet a picture of him this morning. He was very awake and I like the way he came out of the race,” Carvajal said. “First of all, he ate everything, of course. When they put him on the scale yesterday, he weighed like 1240 pounds. He's a good eater. He got here late last night and then we waited a couple hours and we fed him and he cleaned the feed tub after that, so that's a good sign.”

The 1 1/8-mile Classic was the richest of four career stakes wins for Prendimi and first away from Monmouth Park. He led from start to finish under jockey Mychel Sanchez and was tested every step of the way, including a protracted stretch duel with favored Tappin Cat, prevailing by a neck.

“You can see that when he wants to run, he's a fighter. Sometimes he has his lazy days and if he doesn't want to try, he just doesn't try,” Carvajal said. “On the morning of the race, I thought about the horse and I thought he had a good chance. Once they open the gate, plans go out the window but he did everything right and the jockey did a great job. Mychel rode him so good and he looked so energetic down the lane. It's good to see.”

It was the third straight trip to the Classic for Prendimi, who ran second in 2019 and seventh in 2020. He got the rest of the year off each time before returning the following season, and Carvajal said he will continue that blueprint this year.

“That's the plan. As long as the horse is happy and healthy, there's always the next time,” he said. “Home for me is Florida. That's where I have my wife and kids and home. Plans are already made to go back to Florida. He'll get a little bit of rest and probably run a few times there. Tampa Bay Downs is good and usually horses do good when they come back here.”

Carvajal, who galloped Prendimi's dam, Cigno d'Oro, won his first career graded stake at Laurel with Imperial Hint in the 2017 Grade 3 General George off a victory in Laurel's Fire Plug the month prior. Imperial Hint would go on to four Grade 1 victories and earn more than $2.2 million in purses.

“If I had a few more horses, I probably would have left something up. I have such good luck over there at Laurel,” he said. “Laurel has been good to me. It's probably just a matter of time [until] I keep some horses there, too.”

The post Prendimi Gets Well-Earned Break After Maryland Million Classic Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Hello Beautiful Shines, Prendimi Grinds in Maryland Million Wins

One-to-five favorite Hello Beautiful (Golden Lad) glided unopposed through the Laurel Park homestretch in the $100,000 Distaff S. to win a Maryland Million Day stakes for the third consecutive year while 12-1 frontrunner Prendimi (Dance With Ravens) uncorked a gritty display of tenacity to finally break through in his third attempt to win the  $150,000 Classic S., the feature event on Saturday's eight-stakes card for the offspring of in-state stallions.

A trio of Maryland stallions registered two-win days on the 36th annual Jim McKay Maryland Million program: Great Notion, the state's annual leading sire by earnings from 2018-20, has now sired at least one Maryland Million Day winner for 12 consecutive years. Golden Lad, who entered the day third in 2021 earnings by Maryland-breds, accounted for two main-track winners at six and seven furlongs. The offspring of Buffum, who died in 2019, swept the two juvenile sprint stakes.

Four of the afternoon's eight stakes produced tight finishes with winning margins of less than half a length, including a wild four-way photo in the $100,000 Turf Classic in which noses separated the top three finishers.

And there was even a dramatic touch of reclamation in the $100,000 Ladies S. on the turf: The 2020 winner of that stakes, Epic Idea (Great Notion), had gotten disqualified from her win in May 2021 when the Maryland Racing Commission took the unusual step of voting to overturn a stewards' decision to let the results stand even though Epic Idea had drifted out. After getting demoted to second in that 2020 edition of the Ladies S., Epic Idea gamely avenged that DQ by storming back to win the 2021 version.

Even though Hello Beautiful's 3 1/2-length win in the Distaff S. was not technically the feature race on Maryland Million Day, the 4-year-old was the headline horse. She didn't disappoint as the heaviest favorite of the afternoon, assuming command soon after the start and always controlling the race with an authoritative, freewheeling style that was accentuated by the fillies and mares in her wake being under full-out drives while Hello Beautiful soared home confidently under jockey Jevian Toledo, who was subbing for regular rider Sheldon Russell (broken foot).

“It was really emotional today,” said winning trainer Brittany Russell, who noted she was watching the race with her husband Sheldon, who acted as if he was “riding” Hello Beautiful himself instead of being sidelined. “I'm sure Toledo could feel that help,” she said with a laugh.

“She's so special,” Brittany Russell added. “She keeps running, and she keeps running hard.”

Hello Beautiful is owned in partnership by Madaket Stables, Albert Frassetto, Mark Parkinson, K-Mac Stables, and Magic City Stables. Bred by Hillwood Stables, LLC, she wired the seven furlongs in 1:22.22 over a “fast” main track en route to becoming the seventh horse to win three Maryland Million races.

The Classic offered a contrast in styles. Prendimi had finished second, beaten half a length, in this stakes in 2019, then ran last in a field of seven in the 2020 Classic. On Saturday, he cleared the field from post two, got pressured by a 25-1 shot, then appeared to be well within the striking sights of 3-5 fave Tappin Cat (Tritap) turning for home.

Jockey Mychel Sanchez braced for the attack by rousing Prendimi to a furious drive that lasted the length of the straightaway. Even though the narrow lead of the 6-year-old always seemed in peril, Prendimi (which loosely translates to “catch me” in Italian) kept repulsing Tappin Cat's bids to prevail by a neck in 1:50.46 for nine furlongs. The G J Stable homebred is trained by Luis Carvajal Jr.

“We always had faith in him,” Carvajal said. “He's a big horse, and he doesn't like to be behind horses.”

Epic Idea's half-length score in the Ladies S. was a study in ground-saving placement by jockey Daniel Centeno, who shipped in specifically for this stakes mount.

Centeno picked a spot at the fence and sat fourth with his stalking 7-2 shot for most of the nine-furlong trip over firm going before angling out and splitting horses with the Vivian Rall homebred to win in 1:49.46.

“I just looked back at her form,” said trainer Michael Merryman. “Her best race she ever ran was with Centeno. And we wanted to win it, so I made him fly up from Tampa.”

Merryman took the high road when asked post-race about Epic Idea's seven-months-after-the-fact DQ by the racing commission, which Rall had chosen not to appeal.

“It's a big redemption for us. I have to bite my tongue a little bit right now because everyone knows that that was not right,” Merryman said.

In the Turf S., a 20-1 shot set the pace and nearly half the field had a chance to inhale the caving leader off the final turn.

Somekindofmagician (Street Magician) ended up prevailing by a nose for owner Bell Gable Stable, LLC, trainer Gary Contessa, and jockey Angel Cruz. The 4-1 shot, bred by Earl Barnhart, covered the nine furlongs in 1:49.00.

The $100,000 Sprint S. on the Maryland Million card was won by 7-1 Air Token (Golden Lad), who was claimed as a $10,000 maiden by trainer Jose Corrales for his own outfit (Corrales Racing, LLC) back on Aug. 1, 2020.

That investment has now yielded nearly 30 times the claim price in purse earnings. But Air Token's record also shows that he was disqualified from his only other stakes victory, the $100,000 Concern S. at Laurel on Nov. 28, 2020, because of an overage of dimethyl sulfoxide (the anti-inflammatory drug DMSO). According to the stewards' ruling, Corrales was not fined or suspended because of “mitigating circumstances.”

Saturday's winning ride by J.D. Acosta was orchestrated by conceding the lead after Air Token broke running, then stalking a too-hot pace and tipping out for the drive to win going away by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:09.63 for six furlongs. Carol Ann Kaye was the winning breeder.

The two winners of the Maryland Million juvenile stakes not only shared a sire (the late Buffum), but both also had the distinction of re-rallying after briefly losing the lead.

Buff Hello withstood prolonged pace pressure in a spirited three-way go of alternating leaders under jockey Charlie Marquez to win the $100,000 Nursery S. for owner Joseph Besecker and trainer Claudio Gonzalez. Bred by Sergio Gomez, the 5-1 colt was clocked in 1:10.51 for six furlongs while two lengths clear at the wire.

Buff My Boots scored smartly in the $100,000 Lassie S. by slapping back what appeared to be a winning deep-stretch bid to prevail by half a length under Acosta at 9-2 odds in 1:11.14 for six furlongs. Bred by Hope Hill Farm Maryland, she's owned by Bird Mobberley, LLC, and trained by John Salzman, Jr.

A year ago, both Maryland Million juvenile winners had gone through the ring at EASOCT for relatively modest money: Buff My Boots for $7,000 and Buff Hello for $26,000.

In the $75,000 Turf Sprint S., Grateful Bred (Great Notion) sprinted straight to the lead at 1-2 odds and never had an anxious moment, covering 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:02.29 en route to a 1 1/2-length tally. The Gordon Keys homebred is trained by Madison Meyers. Toledo rode.

The post Hello Beautiful Shines, Prendimi Grinds in Maryland Million Wins appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Prendimi Outlasts Tappin Cat to Take Maryland Million Classic

Prendimi held the lead from gate to wire, but his win in his third try at Maryland Million Classic was not an easy one. The 6-year-old gelding outlasted the stretch-long challenge from a persistent Tappin Cat to take the Classic by a head at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

Prendimi took the top spot right out of the gate, with Ain't Da Beer Cold and Tappin Cat in second and third a half-length back. Thorough early factions of :23.61 and :46.84, Prendimi ran comfortably on the lead under jockey Mychel Sanchez. Ain't Da Beer Cold pulled even with Prendimi as they approached the far turn, with Tappin Cat going to the outside to find racing room

Around the turn, Ain't Da Beer Cold faded as Tappin Cat made his bid for the lead as they straightened out into the Laurel stretch. Prendimi had a half-length on Tappin Cat, but the challenger would not quit, forcing Prendimi to dig in late stretch to hold off Tappin Cat and win by a head. The Poser was third. Torch of Truth, Dream Big Dreams, Crouchelli, Dashing Lou, and Ain't Da Beer Cold rounded out the order of finish.

The final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:50.46. Find this race's chart here.

Prendimi paid $26.20, $7.80, and $4.60. Tappin Cat paid $2.40 and $2.10. The Poser paid $3.60.

Bred in New Jersey by owner GJ Stables, Prendimi is by Dance With Ravens out of the Tour d'Or mare Cigno d'Oro. He is trained by Luis Carvajal, Jr. The Maryland Million Classic is Prendimi's first win in 2021, for a lifetime record of six wins in 30 starts and $472,005 in career earnings.

The post Prendimi Outlasts Tappin Cat to Take Maryland Million Classic appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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‘Life After Imperial Hint’: Carvajal En Route To Tallying Personal Best Number Of Wins In A Season

If Luis Carvajal, Jr., had any doubts about the direction his training career would take following the retirement of multiple Grade 1 winner Imperial Hint they have long disappeared.

With nine horses entered over Monmouth Park's three-day racing weekend – including Prendimi in the featured Irish War Cry Handicap for Jersey-breds on Saturday – the 49-year-old native of Santiago, Chile is well on his way to setting a personal best for victories in a season.

He has 22 wins overall from 135 starts so far, having gone 9-for-52 at the current Monmouth Park meet, after a career-best 24 winners a year ago.

“There's definitely life after Imperial Hint. Definitely,” Carvajal said. “Now we've just got to find the next one.”

Imperial Hint, who retired after racing just once in 2020, finished with 14 wins in 25 starts and $2,209,055 in earnings. He left a void in Carvajal's barn that is almost impossible to fill with just one horse. So Carvajal has compensated with more horses than he has ever had in a career that began in 2006.

The result has been what looks to be the fourth straight year that Carvajal will increase his overall win total.

“That's what happens when you have more horses,” he said. “If you get more horses you have more chances to run in different races and more chances to win. I probably have 10 more horses than I had last year. It makes a difference.”

Just as Imperial Hint made a difference in his career.

“A horse like that can help pull you up as a trainer, because it shows you can win Grade 1 races,” said Carvajal, whose barn is adorned with a Fleur-de-lis, as are some of the hats he wears. 'Once you get your name out there for doing that it helps with everything you do. It keeps your name out there. Definitely, Imperial Hint gave my career a boost.”

These days, Carvajal is relying more on allowance horses, claimers, Jersey-breds and maidens.

He entered Expect to Be Ready in tonight's third race, a maiden special weight sprint on the turf, and Give It a Go in the sixth race, a maiden $25,000 claimer.

He has five entered on Saturday's 13-race card (including one MTO entrant) and two on the 10-race Sunday program.

“It's been busy for us,” he said. “Like I said, when you have more horses to run you can be busy. It's going to be a busy weekend for us. We like that. You can't make money if you don't race.”

In Saturday's $85,000 Irish War Cry he will be trying Prendimi on the turf for just the second time. The gelded son of Dance With Ravens is Carvajal's second all-time money-earner behind Imperial Hint with $360,480 banked so far,

That race is at a mile on the grass.

“Prendimi is my big boy now,” said Carvajal. “We tried him once on the grass before this. He was not horrible. He was coming off a layoff and was too close to the pace and they were really rolling. So I'm going to throw out that race and I'm hoping he runs a good race on the grass.”

The post ‘Life After Imperial Hint’: Carvajal En Route To Tallying Personal Best Number Of Wins In A Season appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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