Tag: Racing

With a powerful surge inside the final furlong, 3-2 favored Capensis passed California Frolic and Limited Liability to score a two-length victory under jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. in Tuesday's Grade 3 $300,000 New Kent County Virginia Derby for 3-year-olds, the highpoint of a record-breaking day of more than $6.5 million wagered on the card at Colonial Downs in New Kent, Va.

Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Robert V. LaPenta, Gainesway Stable, Winchell Thoroughbreds and Stonestreet Stables, Capensis, a gray son of Tapit, trained by Todd Pletcher, gave Ortiz, a three-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey, a sweep of the Virginia Derby and the Woodford Reserve Virginia Oaks which he captured one race prior aboard Spirit and Glory. It was his fifth win of the day and his first in the Virginia Derby.

Breaking from post 10 in an 11-horse field, Capensis was prominent throughout, racing wide up the backstretch and sweeping off the far turn on the Secretariat Turf Course. He closed from fourth place around the far turn and swept toward the leaders in the center of the course in the stretch. Under mild urging from Ortiz, Capensis secured his second win in three starts, and his first graded-stakes score.

He completed the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.15 over a firm course.

“I talked to (Pletcher) and he told me to stay outside,” Ortiz said. “I had a perfect trip, great position with nobody to the outside of me. He was traveling perfect. I asked him a little and he jumped into the bit. I knew I had a good chance to run them down and when I asked him he was there for me.”

“I love the trip he got,” said seven-time Eclipse Award winner Pletcher, who also saddled Red Giant to victory in the 2007 Virginia Derby. “You always want to save some ground if you can, and Irad did that and was traveling well and when Irad asked him he responded.”

Capensis broke his maiden in his first start, winning at 1 1/16 miles at Belmont Park on July 2.  Prior to the Virginia Derby, he finished sixth in a 1 1/16-mile allowance race at Saratoga on July 30.

Tuesday's total handle of $6,512,667 on the 11-race card surpassed the previous mark of $4,875,792 set last year.

The post Irad Ortiz Jr. Caps Off Big Day At Colonial Downs With Virginia Derby Victory Aboard Capensis appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Michael Nentwig, Michael Dubb, Beast Mode Racing LLC, John Rochfort, Robert N. Falcone Jr.'s Spirit and Glory (IRE) surged past five runners in the final furlong to win the $200,000, 1 1/8-mile Woodford Reserve Virginia Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at Colonial Downs by 1 ¼ lengths over Sparkle Blue.

Trained by Falcone, Spirit and Glory ($19.20), was ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., who scored his fourth victory of the day in the Oaks before picking up his fifth tally in the day's featured Grade 3 $300,000 New Kent County Virginia Derby astride Capensis.

Spirit and Glory, a bay daughter of Cotai Glory (GB) out of Supreme Spirit (IRE) won her second race in the U.S. since arriving from Ireland. She came into the Virginia Derby off a seventh-place finish in the Grade 3 Glens Falls Stakes at Saratoga on July 22.

She broke slowly but settled toward the back of the pack up the backstretch four paths off the rail before making her bid approaching the quarter pole. She passed Lady Puchi  and Sparkle Blue for the win.  Candy Light finished third.

“Mr. Falcone told me to watch her in the post parade. Stay with the pony. She was calm and relaxed. I let her do her thing,” said Ortiz. “I was coming on the outside and had a target in front of me and she took me all the way to the quarter pole. I tipped her out, and my filly responded well.”

Spirit and Glory completed the 1 1/8-miles in 1:48.25

Earlier in the card in the $125,000 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Kitten's Joy Stakes on turf or 2-year-olds, lapetus Racing and Diamond T Racing's Virginia-bred Gigante ($12.60) rolled to a 6 3/4-length victory.  Trained by Steve Asmussen and ridden by Feargal Lynch, Gigante completed the 1 1/16-mile race in 1:44.08 over a firm turf course. A bay son of Not This Time, Gigante has made all three of his starts at Colonial. After a fifth-place finish in his first start on July 18, Gigante broke his maiden on Aug. 10 by 3 lengths in a 1-mile turf test.

Oceanic ($21.00) sprung a 3 ¾-length upset in the $150,000 Woodford Reserve Da Hoss Stakes for 3-year-olds and up on turf. Ridden by Julien Leparoux, the 5-year-old Constitution gelding stayed just off the pace around the far turn and made his bid in the stretch to draw off in the final furlong. Owned by Surfside Stables and trained by Jason Blair, Oceanic won his fourth race, and his second one this year.

Determined Jester, the 35-1 longest shot in the eight starters and the only filly in the field, broke her maiden and powered to a 4½-length victory under jockey Forest Boyce in the $125,000 Exacta Systems Rosie's Stakes for 2-year-olds. Owned by D Hatman Thoroughbreds and trained by Phil Rosenthal, Determined Jester, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Practical Joke, covering the 5½ furlongs in 1:02.75, and paid $75.

“We've known we've had a quality filly from day one,” said Rosenthal, “and we're just thrilled it all worked out.”

The post Spirit And Glory Rallies Late For Virginia Oaks Upset appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Sunday is Ladies Day at the FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs with fillies and mares in the spotlight. The 11-race card is highlighted by three stakes: the $500,000 Ainsworth Untapable for 2-year-old filly sprinters, $500,000 Nelson's Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey Music City for 3-year-old filly sprinters and the $550,000 AGS Ladies Marathon for fillies and mares running 1 5/16 miles.

A trio of Kentucky Downs stakes winners from last year will be in action in Family Way, Adventuring and Koala Princess. First post for Sunday's 11-race card is 12:25 p.m. Central, with the Untapable going off at approximately 4:23 p.m., the Music City 4:57 p.m. and the Ladies Marathon 5:31 p.m.

Family Way is seeking a repeat in the Ladies Marathon, which sports Grade 3 status for the first time. The field of nine also includes Adventuring, winner of last year's $500,000 Exacta Systems Dueling Grounds Oaks at the same distance.

Family Way won a thrilling three-horse photo in last year's Ladies Marathon. In five stakes this year, she has a win in Gulfstream Park's Grade 3 Orchid, three seconds and a third in the Grade 1 Beverly D. at Churchill Downs. The top two finishers of the Beverly D. — Princess Grace and Dalika — run in Saturday's $1 million Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf at a mile. (Reminder that first post for Saturday's 12-race card is 11:30 a.m. Central.)

Godolphin's versatile Adventuring is a stakes winner on turf, dirt and synthetic. The Brad Cox-trained filly for the most part is admirably consistent — though when she throws in a clunker, it can be pretty spectacular. She ended last season with a 10th-place finish over Turfway's synthetic Tapeta, the same course over which she won her first stakes in the Bourbonette Oaks. Off eight months, Adventuring returned to take Mountaineer Park's West Virginia Senate President's Cup on Aug. 6 in a race run in the slop after being taken off the turf.

The Kelsey Danner-trained Viburnum, last year's Dueling Grounds Oaks runner-up at 22-1 odds, is running back 10 days after taking a 1 5/16-mile allowance race at Kentucky Downs by a head.

Vicki Oliver entered the stakes-winning duo of Flippant and Core Values. Flippant also is entered in Saturday's $1 million Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf (G3). Her three stakes victories include beating Adventuring last year at Ellis Park, then taking the Virginia Oaks and two races ago capturing the Indiana General Assembly Distaff. In her last start, she finished sixth in Del Mar's Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon. Core Values seeks to return to her winning ways that made her a two-time stakes-winner last year, beating boys in a 1 1/8-mile stakes at Ellis Park after which she was seventh in the Dueling Grounds Oaks. She finished third in Keeneland's Grade 3 Bewitch at 1 1/2 miles in April.

Others include Stand Tall, a close fifth in the Ladies Marathon last year and a narrow second in Churchill Downs' 1 1/2-mile Keertana Stakes two races back; multiple stakes-winner Oliviaofthedesert; Disappearing Act and Luck Money.

The Music City's potential favorite is Koala Princess, who won last year's Untapable and off her 2-for-2 record was made the very tepid favorite for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at a mile. She finished seventh that day, losing by a total of 2 1/4 lengths. In her only start this year, Koala Princess was third in Saratoga's Grade 3 Lake George, also at a mile. Trainer Arnaud Delacour scratched from Saratoga's 1 1/16-mile Lake Placid to turn her back in distance in the Music City.

Others in the 6 1/2-furlong Music City overflow field of 15 entrants include: multiple stakes-winners Poppy Flower, Bubble Rock, Happy Soul and Have A Good Day (a Group 3 winner in France); stakes-winning Sister Lou Ann and Majestic d'Oro; allowance winners Freedom Speaks, Static Fire, Sequin Lady and Sunday Grace; the stakes-placed Dreamworker and Oeuvre, winner of four straight allowance races. Static Fire and Sunday Grace are among three horses needing defections in order to run.

Danner also has Danse Macabre in the 6 1/2-furlong Untapable. The Army Mule filly followed up a maiden race at Colonial Downs with a second in Saratoga's Bolton Landing stakes, a grass sprint.

Half A Chance won a dirt maiden race at Saratoga after finishing second on grass at Belmont. She's owned by the CJ Thoroughbreds partnership headed by former Kentucky Downs track president Corey Johnsen and trained by Wesley Ward.

The field of eight includes the winners of turf maiden races at Saratoga (Alluring Angel and Numero Seis), Ellis Park (Bling), Colonial Downs (Tiki Bar) and Monmouth Park (Recinto Rompere).

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Cross Border, a multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire, was last seen on Travers Day at Saratoga in the prestigious Grade 1, $750,000 Sword Dancer Stakes. The 8-year-old New York-bred son of English Channel is now part of the Keri Brion barn and will kick off his National Steeplechase Association career at the Far Hill Races in New Jersey next month, running in the inaugural $100,000 John Forbes stakes over the turf at two miles.

Cross Border, who is owned by the Wycoff family's Three Diamonds Farm, has won 11 times in 44 career starts over seven seasons. Along the way, he has earned $1,171,479, mostly while under the care of trainer Mike Maker. He has finished second eight times, and third, five. He is a two-time winner of the G2 Bowling Green at Saratoga, and over his long and productive career boasts victories over classy competition including Channel Maker, Rockemperor, Tribhuvan, Sadler's Joy, and Red Knight. In the Sword Dancer, Cross Border finished fifth of 10, but only five lengths behind the winner, Gufo.

Three Diamonds has been involved in racing since the mid-2000s, initially at Mid-Atlantic tracks with trainer Michael Trombetta. Their activity increased after they also began sending horses to trainers Todd Pletcher and Mike Maker, with Maker having most of the stable. And Cross Border isn't the Wycoff's first jumper. In 2018, they had a 4-year-old gelding named Electro, a veteran of 22 starts on the flat, who made his lone hurdle start in a maiden race at the Radnor Hunt Races for trainer Ricky Hendriks.

In an interview with the National Steeplechase Association's Tod Marks, Three Diamonds managing partner Jordan Wycoff said: “Our family has been in show jumpers for as long as I can remember, but never had string of steeplechase horses. My father-in-law (Frank Mullins) is president of Aiken Steeplechase and has just built an unbelievable new one-mile track down there; that has certainly been a driving factor.

“Cross Border is indeed still running very well and obviously loves his job, but he is 8-years-old and has given us his all for quite some time now. We feel the time is right for a change in scenario, and his demeanor (and) high energy level makes us think this could suit him.”

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