Blue Stripe, who made her first U.S. start in last year’s Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff, earned a “Win & You’re In” berth to try again this year by capturing the Aug. 6 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar.
Tag: Racing
Cool Papa Bell, Sold At Fasig-Tipton’s Lexington Standardbred Sale, Makes History With Hambletonian Upset, Owner Sets Sights On Kentucky Derby
By Mike Farrell, Meadowlands Media Relations
Cool Papa Bell, the trotter named for the ballplayer, carved his own legend by pulling off the biggest upset in Hambletonian history on Saturday at the Meadowlands, paying $106 to win.
His 1:51.3 victory was a stunning conclusion to a stakes-laden afternoon on a day when temperatures soared into the 90s at Big M.
For Jim Campbell, it was also a memorable day as he became the third trainer to win the $1 million Hambletonian and the filly companion event, the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks, in the same year. Fashion Schooner paid $14 for her Oaks upset earlier in the day.
Campbell, the brother of Hall of Fame driver John Campbell, joined the elite circle occupied only by Jimmy Takter and Jan Johnson.
The Oaks surprise was just a hint of things to come:
“It's unbelievable,” Campbell said. “It's something that I never dreamed could happen because it's so hard to get a horse to get into one of the races. To come out and win both of them, I'm just very blessed. I've gone out of here many nights when things didn't go good in my truck, and be mad. A day like today erases any bad day I've ever had in horse racing.”
It was the second Hambletonian win for Campbell, who trained Tagliabue to victory in 1995.
Cool Papa Bell gave rising star Todd McCarthy the biggest driving win of his blossoming career.
McCarthy, to borrow a Thoroughbred expression, gave Cool Papa Bell a “ground-saving trip.” Away in the back of the pack, Cool Papa Bell threaded his way around horses to hug the pylons, moving into contention rounding the second turn.
Up front, 3-5 favorite Rebuff was on the lead and trying to close the deal. When he weakened, ultimately finishing sixth, an upset started to percolate. Cool Papa Bell shook loose at the top of the lane, angling outside for his first clear path in the scramble to the finish.
“We did get fortunate with a couple of breakers,” Campbell said. “That did help us. People kept moving off the rail and he kept advancing, which was the winning move. Todd deserves all the credit for that. Instead of worrying about getting into a slow outer tier, he figured to take a shot up the inside.”
From that point, it was up to the overlooked gelding.
“Out of the turn, I didn't know they were still looking pretty cozy there,” McCarthy said. “I wasn't quite sure how much I'd have left there, too. But when that little fella straightened, he had his mind on the job today and halfway down the stretch, I knew if everything kept going well, we'd be right there.”
Cool Papa Bell won by three-quarters of a length over the filly Joviality S, with Temporal Hanover third to give trainer Marcus Melander the second- and third-place finishers.
New York-bred Cool Papa Bell, who is by Chapter Seven out of Thai Optional, by Muscle Hill, posted his seventh win in 17 career starts for Scott Farber's Runthetable Stables, from Montvale, N.J.
Farber paid $100,000 for Cool Papa Bell, previously named Seven Year Itch, at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Lexington selected yearling sale for Standardbreds, the most he had ever paid for a horse. He told horseracingnation.com now that he has won the Hambletonian he plans to win one of Thoroughbred racing's most coveted trophies.
“I'm a goal-oriented guy, and I always said once I won the Hambletonian I'd move my focus to the Kentucky Derby,” he said after Cool Papa Bell's upset at The Meadowlands. “So I'll start rallying the troops and figure out how to do that.”
Farber, a college baseball player and student of the sport, changed the horse's name to honor the ballplayer rumored to be among the fastest players the sport had ever produced.
“I was hoping the horse would live up to the great ballplayer's name,” Farber said. “He's done just that.”
The post Cool Papa Bell, Sold At Fasig-Tipton’s Lexington Standardbred Sale, Makes History With Hambletonian Upset, Owner Sets Sights On Kentucky Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Fulsome Captures West Virginia Governor’s Stakes, Caps Three Stakes Wins For Cox, Lopez At Mountaineer
Though the Brad Cox-trained Home Brew finished fourth in the West Virginia Derby (G3) after a troubled start, Cox had another banner day Saturday at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort . As was the case in 2018, Cox won three stakes, including the $200,000 West Virginia Governor's Stakes (G3).
All three were ridden by Paco Lopez, who came in from Monmouth Park for five mounts, all trained by Cox.
Juddmonte Farms' homebred Fulsome capped it off with a 1 ¼-length score in the Governor's Stakes. The 3-year-old Into Mischief colt was sixth but never far back in a bunched field and took over at the top of the stretch. The time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:43.48 and the winner paid $3.40.
Fulsome, a three-time Grade 3 stakes winner before his first trip to Mountaineer, now has four, and he cleared the $1 million mark in earnings.
“Paco rode a good race,” said Cox assistant Ricky Giannini, who usually handles the duties on West Virginia Derby day. “He didn't have him too far back even though the horse likes to drop back early. Sometimes when he gets clear he loses focus, but Paco said he didn't. He's just a notch below the Grade 1-type of horses but he's very honest and consistent.”
Giannini said several races are on the table for Fulsome—a race at Churchill Downs or the Parx Dirt Mile in September, and the Fayette Stakes (G2) at Keeneland in October.
Cox also won the $75,000 West Virginia Senate President's Cup for fillies and mares at one mile and 70 yards with Adventuring, and the $75,000 West Virginia House of Delegates Speaker's Cup for 3-year-olds and up at one mile and 70 yards with Price Talk. Both races were taken off the turf.
Godolphin homebred Adventuring hadn't raced since December 2021 but had been working regularly at Horseshoe Indianapolis. The 4-year-old Pioneerof the Nile filly has now won on dirt—fast or wet—turf and the synthetic Tapeta surface.
Price Talk, owned by Gaining Ground Racing, was claimed for $80,000 in June and followed up with a near-miss second in an allowance race at Horseshoe Indianapolis for his new connections. The 5-year-old Kitten's Joy gelding prefers grass but has now won twice on dirt.
“It was a good race off the layoff,” Giannini said of Adventuring's effort. “She broke her maiden in an off-the-turf race last year. Paco said she wasn't flat, but she didn't accelerate like she has on the turf. We're looking at a race at Kentucky Downs for her.
“Hopefully there are bigger and better things for (Price Talk). There is a restricted race at Kentucky Downs for him. He has improved a lot since we got him.”
Though four races were transferred to the main track from the turf because of heavy showers in the morning, total pari-mutuel handle on the nine-race Mountaineer program was $2.26 million, up 29.2% from 2021.
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‘This Is Huge’: Skippylongstocking Posts First Stakes Win In West Virginia Derby
The plan for Daniel Alonso's Skippylongstocking worked to perfection Aug. 6 at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort when the 3-year-old Exaggerator colt who had been competitive in two Triple Crown races broke through with his first stakes victory in the $500,000 West Virginia Derby (G3).
Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., Skippylongstocking in his last start finished a solid third in the Belmont Stakes (G1) June 11 after dueling with eventual fourth-place finisher We the People for about 1 1/4 miles. Joseph freshened the colt a bit before he returned to the work tab at Saratoga Race Course in July.
The goal, Joseph said, was the West Virginia Derby, which from the far turn to the finish turned into a battle between the two colts that did the early work in the 1 ½-mile Belmont.
We the People, a Constitution colt owned by WinStar Farm, Bobby Flay, Siena Farm and CMNWLTH and trained by Rodolphe Brisset, again grabbed the early initiative in West Virginia Derby with Skippylongstocking in second, never worse than 1 ¼ lengths behind. We the People, ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr., set an honest pace on a track rated sloppy with three-quarters of a mile in 1:11.50.
Skippylongstocking, ridden by Edwin Gonzalez for the first time, ranged up outside the leader on the far turn and the duel was on. The winner gradually edged clear of a stubborn We the People to win by 1 ¼ lengths in a good 1:48.11. Simplification, who raced in third throughout, finished 4 ¾ lengths behind favored We the People. The winner paid $9.80 as the third choice.
Skippylongstocking, who doubled his career earnings to $672,600, was purchased for $37,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. Two-Year-Olds in Training sale. The colt provided Alonso, who has been a Thoroughbred owner since 2015, with his first graded stakes win.
“This is huge,” said Alonso, who was part of a large group in the winner's circle. “It's our first graded stakes win, and we're looking forward and we'll see what happens. Maybe we'll take a shot at the big boys.”
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