Tag: Racing

Hes Judgeandjury, a 2-year-old gelding, broke sharply and held off Sicario V by a neck to win the $3 million All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs Race Track.

“I felt the key was getting my horse to relax in the warm-up before the race,” jockey James Flores said. “I got him away from the pony horse and just let him be himself so that when he was moving into the starting gate he was loose and ready to run a big race.”

Hes Judgeandjury is the second All American victory for trainer Heath Taylor who won in 2008 version with Stolis Winner.

“I was a whole lot younger back then,” Taylor remembered with a smile in the winner's circle. “It's not about the money—but it's the history. The feeling that you have when you're at the top of the game by winning the All American is like no other that I can describe. I think about winning this race all the time and I'm very fortunate to have won it for a second time, but it's a team effort—there are many people and their horses that help make us successful.”

Hes Judgeandjury is owned and bred in Oklahoma by Jeff Jones and Steve Holt. The gelding's sire is Hes Relentless out of the mare Crazy Down Corona by First Down Dash. The gelding paid $17.80, $6.80 and $4.40 in a running time of 21.192 seconds for 440-yards to win the 11 th race. Hes Judgeandjury is expected to head to California for the Los Alamitos $2 million in the fall.

The $200,000 All American Juvenile was won by Rock A Jess V and jockey Juan Pulido as the gelding came from behind to win in a time of 21.237 seconds for 440-yards.

“We got bumped early and had to sort of regroup on the fly,” jockey Juan Pulido said in the winner's circle. “I asked him for some speed and he responded nicely. This horse is smart with plenty of natural ability to back it up.”

“That was a tough one,” owner Sammy Valeriano said in the winner's circle. “Our horse came from behind and showed class all the way.”

Rock A Jess V is trained by Santos Carrizales Jr. The gelding paid $5.00, $4.20 and $2.80 to win the 10 th race. The sire is Apollitical Jess out of the mare Rock Candy Sa by Good Reason Sa.

The $150,000 All American Gold Cup was won by Powerful Favorite, a 6-year-old gelding who won for the eighteenth time in his career. Jockey Eduardo Nicasio has been the gelding's jockey throughout his career.

“I believe it was his best race,” jockey Nicasio said in the winner's circle. As he has grown older he tends to break a little better like he did today. That impressed me and put a smile on my face. It was an easy trip.”

Powerful Favorite covered the 440-yard 9 th race in a time of 20.936 seconds and paid $5.60, $3.20 and $2.40 for the Rosenthal Ranch and trainer Chris O'Dell. The gelding's sire is Favorite Cartel out of the mare Remember Me Rose by Corona Cartel.

Monday was closing day at Ruidoso Downs for the 2022 racing season. The race track would like to thank all racing fans for their attendance throughout the season.

The post ‘Like No Other’: Hes Judgeandjury Gives Trainer Heath Taylor Second Winner In All American Futurity appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Trainer Jorge Delgado's plan for Winfromwithin in Monday's $102,000 Red Bank Stakes at Monmouth Park was simple enough. He wanted the horse on the lead and he didn't care what it took for him to get there.

Not only did Winfromwithin make the lead from the break, he carried his speed throughout the one-mile turf feature to score a 1¼-length victory over longshot Nothing Better.

Delgado's only anxious moments, in fact, were surviving a claim of foul and a stewards' inquiry after Winfromwithin drifted over and crowded Nothing Better on the rail at the eighth pole. No action was taken.

“The way we do things and the way we run our program, we don't change things if we have a strategy going into a race,” said Delgado, who recorded his first stakes win of the meet. “We live and die with our strategy. I'd rather finish last than change our strategy and today our strategy was for him to go to the lead no matter how hot the pace was.

“I wanted to be on a clear lead. That's when he is at his best and it showed today. There was no other horse that was next to him so he was able to go by himself and find a rhythm. When he is alone like he was he gets brave.”

The winning time over a firm grass course was 1:34.59, with Winfromwithin carving out fractions of :23.11, :45.16 and 1:08.53 as he basically taunted his six rivals to come after him. Hot Blooded rallied for third, four lengths behind Nothing Better.

“My plan from the start was to go to the lead,” said winning jockey Carlos Rojas. “They told me that is when this horse is at his best. He was traveling comfortably the whole time. Even with the six furlongs going in 1:08.53 he was comfortable and doing it on his own. This is his game, being on the front and being the one everyone else is chasing.”

The 4-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Into Mischief out of the Mr. Greeley mare Rau Breck, owned by Lea Farms, recorded his fifth win from 14 career starts. He was a tiring fourth in the Oceanport Stakes in his last start on Aug. 14 and missed by just a half-length in the Cliff Hanger Stakes on May 28. Both grass races were at Monmouth Park.

The win was his first in stakes company since capturing the Columbia Stakes at Tampa Downs on March 6, 2021. Todd Pletcher was his trainer then.

“The bar was high when I got him because Todd Pletcher had him before me and won a stakes with him,” said Delgado. “He had two good races in stakes company since I got him, and the way he trains in the morning I always felt he would be a stakes winner for me.”

Winfromwithin, who was bred by Mulholland Springs, returned $8.40 to win. Even-money favorite Good Governance, trained by Chad Brown, was a non-threatening fourth.

The post ‘My Plan From The Start Was To Go To The Lead’: No Catching Winfromwithin In Monmouth’s Red Bank Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Robert Yates/Kentucky Downs

Millionaire Grade 1 winner and Central Kentucky first-crop sire Sharp Azteca has gotten off to a rousing start at stud and one of the best runners from his initial crop may be the horse to beat in the $500,000 Global Tote Juvenile Sprint Stakes Thursday at Kentucky Downs.

Sharp Aza Tack drew post 2 on Friday morning for the Juvenile Sprint Stakes, a 6 ½-furlong race for 2-year-olds that lured a field of eight.

Trained by two-time Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Doug O'Neill, Sharp Aza Tack has won his two career starts, both five furlongs on turf, by a combined 9 ½ lengths after leading at every point of call.

Sharp Aza Tack, at odds of 12-1, broke his maiden by 2 ¼ lengths June 10 at Santa Anita and cruised home by 7 ¼ lengths as the even-money favorite in the Tyro Stakes on July 30 at Monmouth Park.

“He's always been a pretty precocious colt,” O'Neill said. “It's safe to say he's exceeded our expectations. He's been a really super addition to the stable and we're optimistic that we can keep it going.”

O'Neill purchased Sharp Aza Tack for $100,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. March Sale of 2-Year-Olds In Training. The colt now races for R3 Racing (Ron Arakelian).

O'Neill said he decided to begin Sharp Aza Tack's career on turf because he believed the competition wouldn't be as tough as debuting on dirt.

“I think the initial start was one where he was training good, but just thought, generally early in the year, especially with the (Bob) Baffert barn, and some of the powerful barns out here, the turf sprints are a little bit easier than the dirt sprints,” the Southern California-based O'Neill said.

“Just thought you might avoid the million-dollar horses in the turf sprints. That was kind of the mindset and so far, so good.”

Sharp Aza Tack has been based since early July at Keeneland, where he has recorded a series of swift workouts leading up to the Global Tote, a race O'Neill said he circled after the colt won his career debut.

“The purse is through the roof,” O'Neill said. “He's a Kentucky-bred. He hasn't done anything wrong so far, so we're excited.”

Three-time Eclipse Award winner Irad Ortiz Jr. (2018, 2019 and 2020) is named to ride Sharp Aza Tack for the first time in the Juvenile Sprint Stakes.

O'Neill is seeking his second career Kentucky Downs stakes victory after taking the 2019 Nevada State Bank Franklin-Simpson (G3) for 3-year-old sprinters with longshot Legends of War.

“We're fired up and optimistic,” O'Neill said.

Sharp Azteca, who stands privately at Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Kentucky, currently ranks third among North America's freshman sires, according to BloodHorse statistics. His offspring also include unbeaten Iowa-bred sensation and Breeders' Cup candidate Tyler's Tribe, who has won his four starts by a combined 53 ¼ lengths. Tyler's Tribe is a three-time stakes winner.

The post ‘Fired Up’ O’Neill Has Unbeaten Sharp Aza Tack In Juvenile Sprint Stakes At Kentucky Downs appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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