Tag: Racing

Multiple stakes placed Forester's Fortune, a 5-year-old son of Old Forester-Nursery Song, takes on six rivals in Saturday's $150,000 Vice Regent Stakes at Woodbine.

Trained by Rodney Barrow, the chestnut arrives at his latest engagement, a race for Ontario-bred 3-year-olds and up at 5 panels on the Toronto oval's Inner Turf, sporting a record of 4-2-4 from 22 starts and a 2-2-1 mark from nine turf races.

In his last two races, Forester's Fortune posted a second on July 17, and was most recently third in a 5-furlong dash over the Inner Turf on August 11.

“He's doing really well,” said Barrow. “He just needs a little luck. The last two races, he's had bad trips. But this horse, he always tries. The thing with him is that he needs the trip. Usually, when he kicks, he's coming from off the pace. The way he kicks in, if he gets stopped, then it's tough for him to get started again.”

Forester's Fortune launched his career in 2019 with a pair of third-place finishes, including in his second appearance, the Victoria Stakes.

Owned by Claudia Evelyn Silvera and Archie Lee, he broke his maiden in his first start of 2020, following that effort up with another trip to the winner's circle next time out.

Bred in Ontario by John Carey, the gelding was sixth in last year's Vice Regent.

A lifetime earner of $249,997 (U.S.), Forester's Fortune will look to strike stakes gold for the first time.

Barrow likes what he sees from his hard-knocking horse ahead of Saturday's race.

“Hopefully, it's a better result this time around. He's coming into the race in good order. I've always liked him. He's cool. He's older and he's wiser now. He has a good head on his body. As a baby, he was pretty crazy. Now, he's matured and he's good.”

Good enough, Barrow hopes, to break his stakes maiden.

“There is a lot I like about him, but the one thing that stands out for me is that he tries every race. Like I said, he just needs the trip. If he can get that, then I think he'll have a very good race.”

The Barbados-born Barrow, who won his first race with Pierian on June 11, 2020, will have friends and family back home cheering for Forester's Fortune on Saturday.

He's appreciative of the widespread support.

“I'm very lucky to have so many people back home and here in Canada who want to see me succeed. It would be nice to get a stakes win with this guy. He deserves it.”

Other starters include multiple graded stakes winner Silent Poet, along with five-time winner and Ontario Jockey Club Stakes victor Mason's Gamble.

The Vice Regent goes as race four. First post is 1:00 p.m. Fans can watch and wager on all the action through HPIbet.com and the Dark Horse Bets app.

$150,000 VICE REGENT STAKES

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Mason's Gamble – Rafael Hernandez – Josie Carroll

2 – Forester's Fortune – Daisuke Fukumoto – Rodney Barrow

3 – Silent Poet – Justin Stein – Nicholas Gonzalez

4 – Warp Ride – Eswan Flores – Andrew Smith

5 – Four Aces High (S) – Emma-Jayne Wilson – James Smith

6 – Wedgewood – Jason Hoyte – Mike Keogh

7 – Rockcrest – Keveh Nicholls – Nigel Burke

The post Woodbine: Forester’s Fortune Hunts Vice Regent Gold appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Nominations have closed for the 87th running of the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie Racetrack, with seven nominees. The list includes six of the top eight contenders from the Queen's Plate, looking to compete for the $400,000 2nd jewel in the OLG Canadian Triple Crown.

Trainer Mark Casse had good results in the Queen's Plate, finishing second with Hall of Dreams and third with Sire for Sure. He has nominated both horses for the Prince of Wales Stakes, hopeful for better results at the border oval.

Additional company from the Queen's Plate keeping their Prince of Wales options open include Ironstone (fourth place finish), Dancin in Da'nile (fifth), Hunt Master (seventh), and Duke of Love (eighth).

Rounding out the list of seven is an entry from a Fort Erie-based trainer. R. By Raghunath is looking for a home track advantage with his nominee Collaborative.

The Prince of Wales Stakes is run at a distance of one mile and three sixteenths on Fort Erie's dirt track. Final entries for the race close on Thursday, Sept. 8 at 11 a.m. The final field will be determined at noon that day at the Prince of Wales Stakes draw, which can be watched via live stream at https://www.forterieracing.com/streaming-and-replays.

The Prince of Wales Stakes takes place on Tuesday, Sept. 13, first race post time is 1 p.m., with the Prince of Wales race running approximately 5:30 p.m.

Race day highlights include two additional stake races that are part of the Ontario Sired Heritage Series, the Lake Erie Stakes and the Rondeau Bay Stakes, closing with nine and 12 nominations, respectively, both running for a $100,000 purse. The $30,000 Molson Cup and Le Cinquieme Essai Cup will also take place that day.

Admission and parking are free at Fort Erie Race Track, and all ages are welcome.

More information about the event can be found at www.FortErieRacing.com.

The post Canadian Triple Crown: Six Of Top Eight From Queen’s Plate Move On To Prince Of Wales appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Jockey Dylan Davis secured his first graded win at Saratoga Race Course when John C. Oxley and Breeze Easy's Boppy O staved off a late bid from Battle of Normandy to capture Wednesday's Grade 3, $175,000 With Anticipation in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, the Bolt d'Oro colt made his grass debut in the 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for juveniles from an off-the-board effort in the six-furlong Grade 3 Sanford on July 16 at the Spa.

Maiden winner El Conejito led the field of seven through splits of 24.93 seconds and 50.09 over the good going with Boppy O tracking in second position in front of the stalking 2-1 mutuel favorite Andthewinneris.

Boppy O continued to track the speed down the backstretch with Andthewinneris comfortably gapped in third in front of Battle of Normandy, who was racing in fourth position to the inside of the Casse-trained maiden Determinedly. Boppy O took over midway through the final turn with three-quarters elapsing in 1:15.65 as Battle of Normandy advanced in tandem with Determinedly.

The Kendrick Carmouche-piloted Battle of Normandy was full of run down the lane under pressure from a lugging-in Determinedly and in need of racing room behind a drifting Andthewinneris. Battle of Normandy surged to the inside of Andthewinneris with a sixteenth to run and angled to the outside of the leader for one last push, falling a neck shy of a determined Boppy O in a final time of 1:46.93.

It was a further 1 1/2-lengths back to Andthewinneris in third with Determinedly, Noble Huntsman, Our Dream Rye'd – who was squeezed at the start – and El Conejito completing the order of finish. Bourbon Therapy and Bramble Blaze – who are cross-entered in Saturday's Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile – were scratched, as were Quincy Cafe and Lachaise.

Boppy O, out of the graded-stakes placed on turf Scat Daddy mare Pappascat, is a half-brother to the Casse-conditioned graded-stakes winner Pappacap. A $190,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Boppy O graduated on debut in May at Gulfstream Park in a five-furlong maiden special weight sprint.

Casse said Boppy O, who provided his sire a first graded winner, performed well in two breezes over the Oklahoma training turf.

“My feeling is that Bolt d'Oro, a lot of them are going to be grass horses,” said Casse, who won this event last year with the New York-bred Coinage. “So it was about the grass, but it was also [that] I wanted to run him farther. I had thought about running him in the Sapling [on August 27 at Monmouth Park], just because it was two turns at Monmouth. But then I said, 'You know, I'm going to breeze this horse over the grass.' I thought he breezed good enough on the grass that he deserved a shot. I'm happy, but I'm not shocked.”

Davis, who teamed up with Casse to capture the De La Rose [Our Flash Drive] and Yaddo Handicap [Make Mischief] this summer at the Spa, said he felt confident throughout.

“Going into this, he was showing high energy levels from last time. He was really coming into the race really nicely,” Davis said. “He broke real sharp. I could've taken the lead, but I wanted him to get his stride comfortable going into the first turn. The five [El Conejito] went in. He was loving every part of it. I took the lead early, but he was doing it so comfortable and any challenger that came up to him late, he was putting them away. He was still a little green and spotty, but he still had a lot left in the tank. He was moving really nicely.”

Carmouche said Battle of Normandy, by City of Light and out of the multiple stakes winner Adorable Miss, performed well in his stakes debut following an impressive maiden score on August 6 at the Spa.

“I had a perfect trip, I sat inside the whole way. I was just waiting for a spot at the top of the lane to open,” Carmouche said. “I wish I could've gotten out a little earlier to get his feet moving faster, but I had to save ground and angle out at the three-sixteenths. I thought he ran even better than last time.

“He's improving every start which is good, I just hope that he stays sound and keeps moving forward,” Carmouche added. “Hopefully next time it'll be the Breeders' Cup win.”

Casse indicated Boppy O will make his next start in the Grade 2 Bourbon on October 9 traveling 1 1/16 miles over the turf at Keeneland. Bred in Florida by Rustlewood Farm, Boppy O banked $96,250 in victory while improving his record to 3-2-0-0. He returned $48.20 for a $2 win bet.

Live racing resumes Thursday at Saratoga with an 11-race card featuring the $150,000 P.G. Johnson in Race 10. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

Saratoga Live will present daily coverage and analysis of the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the summer meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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