Tag: Racing

Blake Cox didn't sugarcoat his assessment of Juju's Map's disappointing effort in the Mother Goose in her last start – but he is hoping he has an answer for the lackluster showing.

Cox, the son of Eclipse Award winning trainer Brad Cox, and his dad's top assistant, is hoping a return to two-turn racing in Sunday's Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., will get the talented filly back on track.

Juju's Map had never been worse than second in her first five career starts – including a runner-up finish the Breeders' Cup Juvenile to Echo Zulu – before her third-place finish as the 1-2 favorite in the Grade 2 Mother Goose on June 25 at Belmont Park. She was beaten 7¾ lengths in the four-horse field in the mile and a sixteenth one-turn race.

“I would say we were disappointed,” said the younger Cox. “She trained very well going into the Mother Goose. We really had high hopes for her – in that race and for her 3-year-old campaign.

“Obviously, when she raced below expectations we had to re-route. So we're at Monmouth Park and we're back to two turns. I think that might have been the excuse. She's not a one-turn horse.”

Juju's Map, a daughter of Liam's Map-Nagambie by Flatter, heads a talented six-horse field of 3-year-old fillies for the 98th edition of the 1 1/16-mile Monmouth Oaks. The Sunday features carries a purse of $250,000.

“I think she will answer a couple of questions for us on Sunday as to how good she really is,” Cox said.

Owned by Albaugh Family Stables LLC, Juju's Map shows a 3-2-1 record from six career starts with earnings of $728,180. Her crowning achievement to this point is a win in the Grade 1 Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland Oct. 8.

“She has always been a filly that trains well and one we had high hopes for,” said Cox. “For her to run like she did in the Mother Goose was disappointing.”

The Monmouth Oaks will mark Juju Map's third race this year. She won her return at 3 by 4¾ lengths on May 6 at Churchill Downs off a seven-month layoff.

“He first race back against older horses was a huge race off the layoff,” said Cox. “She was training as well as she ever has going into the Mother Goose. That's why we were so disappointed. We expected a big effort and didn't get it.

“We'll see if two turns is the answer.”

The rest of the field for the Monmouth Oaks, which goes as the fifth race, is Silverleaf, Shotgun Hottie, Runaway Wife, Shahama and Office Etiquette.

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The dirt marathon division appears to have a new leader as Repole Stable's Fearless bested defending race winner and notable dirt stayer Lone Rock in Thursday's 12th running of the $200,000 Birdstone at Saratoga Race Course.

Fearless, trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, was a last out winner of the Grade 2 Brooklyn going 12 furlongs at Belmont Park, where Lone Rock finished third. The 6-year-old son of Ghostzapper persevered to the wire on Thursday, capturing the 1 3/4-mile test by three-quarters of a length and earned his third stakes triumph this year.

Breaking sharply from his inside post, Fearless took back to third as Lone Rock flashed his usual frontrunning style with Shooger Ray Too just to his outside in second through a quarter-mile in 24.94 seconds and a half-mile in 50.06 over the good and harrowed main track.

As the compact field passed the stands for the first time, Original Intent appeared keen to join the top flight of runners and matched strides with Lone Rock and Shooger Ray Too. Fearless, who angled a path wide, took to the rear with stablemate Portos to his inside. With not even two full lengths covering the field, Lone Rock maintained a narrow advantage through three-quarters in 1:15.40.

Shooger Ray Too dropped out of contention down the backstretch with Original Intent moving right up to even terms with Lone Rock through 1 1/4 miles in 2:06.14 as Fearless advanced into third under an all-out drive from Saez from 1 1/2 lengths off the pace.

Rounding the far turn, Lone Rock was 1 1/2 lengths in front of Original Intent, with both horses drifting out approaching the quarter-pole. With the inside wide open, Fearless wasted no time pursuing the front as Lone Rock attempted to keep him and Original Intent, to his outside, at bay. As Lone Rock's lead dwindled, Fearless captured command passing the eighth pole and drew off to victory in a final time of 2:59.88.

Original Intent finished one length ahead of Lone Rock, who rounded out the trifecta. Portos and Shooger Ray Too completed the order of finish.

Pletcher, who has won 6-of-12 editions of the Birdstone, admitted he was concerned when the field passed the grandstand for the first time.

“It didn't seem like he was loving the track. He was off the bridle pretty early for him,” said Pletcher, who collaborated with Repole to win the Birdstone with Micromanage [2014] and Moretti [2020]. “I was worried until he made a little spurt down the backside where he picked up a couple lengths and I thought maybe we were OK, but then he came off the bridle again. Luis just stayed with him – a really courageous effort for a horse that I don't really think was loving the going out there.”

Saez also said there were some anxious moments for Fearless.

“At one point when we hit the half-mile, I thought it was over. But we cut the corner and he switched leads and gave me another gear,” Saez said. “It was great and he came on time. His style is to be in the clear and he doesn't like to be squeezed in the middle of horses, so when I saw everyone was stopping front of me. I saw [Lone Rock] was supposed to be on the rail, so I went back in and cut the corner. It was a great finish. He always tries hard.”

The consistent Fearless now boasts a ledger of 17-8-6-1 and has not finished worse than third in his past 11 starts, dating to a victory in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile in February 2021. The well-traveled 6-year-old gelding captured his sire's Grade 3 namesake race at Gulfstream Park two starts prior to the Brooklyn. He has now won or placed at stakes level over five different racetracks.

“You have to give him credit. That win was all heart,” Pletcher said. “Luis never gave up on him. It was a good ride from him to stay with him and keep asking.”

Banking $110,000 in victory, Fearless boosted his lifetime earnings to $1,236,450. He returned $3.90 for a $2 win wager as the post-time favorite.
Runner-up Original Intent, trained by Bentley Combs, entered the Birdstone unbeaten in two starts at the grueling 14-furlong distance, and jockey Joel Rosario said he rode the horse like one that can handle the long trip.

“Everybody's going the long way and the strategy is if the horse can take the distance,” Rosario said. “He did everything right. With the humidity and the weather in these long races, they're definitely going to get tired at the end, but they hung in there and it was a good race.”

Gallant in defeat, Lone Rock's trainer Robertino Diodoro said his 16-time winner and earner of over $1.3 million didn't get the trip he was hoping for.

“He put the five [Shooger Ray Too] away and as soon as he put him away, the three [Original Intent] was on him, so he never really got a breather. He tried, but going a mile and three quarters he needs a breather,” Diodoro said.

Claimed for $40,000 by Diodoro in November 2020, Lone Rock has won nine races for his current trainer, seven at stakes level.

“He's awesome and a one-of-a-kind horse for a $40,000 claim,” Diodoro said. “I'm not disappointed in him. He tried and had to do all the dirty work today. We'll give him a little time and think about [a next start] in a week or so.”

Live racing resumes on Friday at Saratoga with a 10-race card, featuring the nine-furlong $135,000 Curlin in Race 7. 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.

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Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will have two chances to secure a record-equaling fifth victory in the Grade 2, $200,000 Amsterdam when he sends out reigning Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Corniche and graded stakes winner My Prankster in Sunday's 6 1/2-furlong sprint for sophomores at Saratoga Race Course.

Pletcher's four Amsterdam winners include Quality Road [2009], Discreetly Mine [2010], Forty Tales [2013] and Coal Front [2017]. Corniche, who made three starts for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert before being transferred to Pletcher, will look to continue on a similar path as his sire, Quality Road, whose Amsterdam victory came in his first start for Pletcher after starting his campaign with conditioner Jimmy Jerkens. Quality Road set a new track record in his stellar 2 1/4-length victory, completing the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:13.74, a record that still stands.

“We're hoping that with the good fortune we had with his sire Quality Road and him making his debut for us in the Amsterdam, which produced a track record performance, that hopefully some of that good fortune will follow through here,” said Pletcher.

Corniche, owned by Speedway Stables, will look to kick off his sophomore campaign on a high note as he makes his first outing since a prominent 1 3/4-length triumph in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile in November at Del Mar. The strong performance was an exclamation point on a short but brilliant juvenile campaign in which he posted a perfect 3-for-3 record that began with a 4 1/4-length romp on debut sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs in September at Del Mar.

Stretching out to 1 1/16 miles in his next outing proved to be no issue for Corniche as he coasted to an open-lengths victory in the Grade 1 American Pharoah in October at Santa Anita. There, he defeated returning rival and graded stakes winner Pappacap, whom he faced again and defeated in the Juvenile.

There were hardly any nervous moments for Corniche in the Juvenile, leading each step of the way under Hall of Famer Mike Smith and never looking back. The effort garnered a 91 Beyer Speed Figure and wrapped up championship honors for his three perfect efforts.

Corniche got back to work in April at WinStar Training Center before joining Pletcher's string at Belmont Park for the early summer. He has posted two works at Saratoga, most recently working a half-mile in 48.03 seconds over the main track on July 24.

“He's trained well and I thought watching his breezes that they are consistent with what I've seen watching videos of his breezes when he was with Baffert,” said Pletcher. “He's a solid workhorse, but it also looks like he's one that knows the difference between the morning and the afternoon.”

Pletcher said he opted to bring Corniche back in a sprint to ease him back into a racing schedule.

“There are no soft spots to land with a horse like him that's already won three races, so we're hoping we have him ready enough for a good showing in here,” said Pletcher. “We didn't want to run him in a race like the Jim Dandy or the Curlin off a lengthy layoff going nine furlongs.”

Pletcher also noted the Amsterdam may be a stepping to the Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on August 27 at the Spa.

“We'll focus on this one and see how he comes back,” Pletcher said.

Luis Saez has the call from post 7.

Robert and Lawana Low's My Prankster will look to turn the tables on fellow Amsterdam aspirant Gunite after a narrow loss to him last out in the Maxfield on July 3 at Churchill Downs.

A son of Into Mischief, My Prankster dazzled on debut last summer at Saratoga with a resounding 10-length victory sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs and earned a 92 Beyer. He was soundly defeated by Jack Christopher in the Grade 1 Champagne when facing winners for the first time, but bounced back to earn a stakes placing in the Bowman Mill at Keeneland and a win in optional-claiming company in December at Gulfstream Park to close out his juvenile season.

My Prankster enjoyed graded success to kick off his sophomore season, closing from fifth-of-6 to capture the Grade 3 Swale sprinting seven furlongs at Gulfstream two starts before a game third behind Jack Christopher in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on the May 7 Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill. He came up a half-length shy of Gunite in his most recent outing and outdueled Hoist the Gold, whom he will see again in the Amsterdam, by a head to hold onto place honors.

Pletcher said My Prankster's off-the-pace tactics should not put him at odds with Corniche.

“They won't compromise each other's chances with their running styles,” said Pletcher. “My Prankster has been a solid citizen. He always shows up and runs hard. We look forward to him getting a chance here. He seemed to like the track here last year in his debut.”

Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez picks up the mount from post 8.

Winchell Thoroughbreds' homebred Grade 1-winner Gunite will make his third start off an eight-month respite for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. One of three entrants for leading second crop sire Gun Runner, Gunite was last seen posting his half-length score over My Prankster in the Maxfield to earn his first victory since taking the Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga in September.

Gunite's Hopeful victory provided Gun Runner with his first Grade 1 winner, a full-circle moment for Asmussen, who conditioned Gun Runner to six top-level victories. There, Gunite took command from Headline Report at the half-mile call and never looked back, opening a 5 3/4-length advantage on multiple graded stakes-winner Wit and completing the seven furlongs in 1:23.08.

Among Gunite's other standout moments of his six-start campaign last year were a strong maiden win at third asking that June at Churchill and a second in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special to High Oak. He completed the year with a distant fifth in the Grade 1 Champagne.

“He was always a very mature 2-year-old. He's got a great mind and is very professional,” said Asmussen. “He's really beautiful and I think he had a lot of runs for a 2-year-old. In the Champagne, he was a little over the top. The Hopeful was obviously the pinnacle for him.”

Gunite will emerge from post 2 with Tyler Gaffalione in the irons.

Rustlewood Farm's homebred Pappacap has been unlucky to run into horses like Corniche and Jack Christopher in three of his Grade 1 outings, finishing second behind the former in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and American Pharoah, and behind the latter in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun in his latest outing, as well as in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile.

But the son of Gun Runner has held his own at the top level, making the grade with a frontrunning 4 3/4-length romp in the Grade 2 Best Pal in August at Del Mar en route to his two game finishes behind Corniche. His other graded placing was a close third in a three-way photo with Call Me Midnight and Epicenter in the Grade 3 Lecomte in January at Fair Grounds Race Course.

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said Pappacap continues to train forwardly in preparation for the shortest race of his career. His latest drill was a sharp half-mile in 47.22 seconds over the Saratoga main track on July 23.

“He's doing well. He's just a very solid horse that shows up all the time,” Casse said. “We're cutting him back farther. The good news is that there's no Jack Christopher in the race. He's handling the track and trained well up here.”

Joel Rosario will attempt to engineer a winning ride from post 4.

Conditioner Dallas Stewart will also be represented by two contenders in Dream Team One Racing Stable's Hoist the Gold and Nancy Stanley and Mark Stanley's Surfer Dude.

Hoist the Gold was narrowly defeated by Gunite and My Prankster in the Maxfield, closing from fourth-of-6 to come up just a half-length shy of his accomplished rivals in his first start off a three-month layoff. He broke his maiden at third asking when subsequent Grade 1 Haskell Invitational winner Cyberknife was disqualified from a six-furlong maiden special weight in September at Churchill Downs.

“I thought he ran well at Churchill Downs off the layoff,” said Stewart. “He was a little unlucky not to win, but ran competitively. It's a step up, but he's nice campaigner.”

Surfer Dude is in search of a breakthrough win after finishing third in the Gun Runner in December at Fair Grounds and second in the Lafayette in April at Keeneland. The son of Curlin has found the winner's circle once in four outings this year, taking a first-level optional claimer by a half-length on the Kentucky Derby undercard. He was last seen finishing third behind Conagher and Gunite in an allowance on June 3.

“He won an allowance at Churchill Downs and came back to run third in that tough race,” Stewart said. “He's a nice Curlin horse that we're excited about, too.”​​

Junior Alvarado has been tasked with the ride aboard Hoist the Gold from post 3 while Jose Ortiz will ride Surfer Dude from post 9.

SF Racing, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables' Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity winner Pinehurst will make his first outing since being transferred from Baffert to John Terranova after a trip to the Middle East this spring. A bay son of Twirling Candy, Pinehurst won the Group 3 Saudi Derby in February before a distant off-the-board finish in the Group 2 UAE Derby in March at Meydan.

Pinehurst will exit the inside post with Flavien Prat aboard.

Completing the field are The Estate of Scott Zimmerman's Runninsonofagun [post 6, Kendrick Carmouche], who enters from a second-place finish behind runaway winner Charge It in the Grade 3 Dwyer on July 2 at Belmont Park for trainer John Toscano, Jr.; and maiden winner Accretive [post 5, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] for owner Klaravich Stables and trainer Chad Brown.

The Amsterdam is slated as Race 9 on Sunday's 10-race card, which also features the Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green in Race 8. 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.

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Donegal Racing, Joseph Bulger and the Estate of Peter Coneway's multiple graded-stakes winner Arklow returns off a nearly 10-month layoff in Sunday's Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green, an 11-furlong inner turf test for older horses at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Brad Cox, the 8-year-old Arch bay was last seen in October at Belmont Park finishing fifth in the G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational, a race he won in 2019 over multiple Grade 1-winner Channel Maker.

Arklow worked a bullet half-mile in 48.19 seconds Sunday over the Oklahoma turf training track in preparation for his return.

“He's doing well. He had a good move here on the turf and I'm excited about getting him back started,” Cox said. “He's shown the ability to run big races off the layoff, so we'll need him to be at his best. He certainly doesn't look like he's 8-years-old. He looks amazing.”

Arklow finished second in the 2020 G3 Louisville at Churchill Downs off a five-month layoff and returned the following year to win the same event from a six-month absence, rallying from off-the-pace to best Red Knight by one length in the 12-furlong test.

He boasts a consistent record of 36-9-8-2 for purse earnings in excess of $2.9 million, posting additional graded wins in the 2017 G2 American Turf at Churchill; the G3 Kentucky Turf Cup in 2018 and 2020 at Kentucky Downs; and the 2020 G2 Hollywood Turf Cup at Del Mar.

“He's a very sound horse. We've had him in training off-and-on for six years, mostly on,” Cox said. “He's doing great. Physically, he looks amazing. He has the capability of running big off the layoff and we'll see if we can get him to do it again.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will pilot the Kentucky-bred horse from post 2.

Mrs. Fitriani Hay's Irish-homebred Highland Chief captured the Grade 1 Man o' War in May at Belmont, besting multiple Grade 1-winner Gufo and Yibir, the reigning Champion Turf Male.

Last out, Highland Chief finished fourth to the victorious Tribhuvan in the 10-furlong Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan, a race that runner-up Adhamo exited to capture the Grade 1 United Nations last weekend at Monmouth Park.

Trainer Graham Motion said the 5-year-old Gleneagles bay may not have benefitted from cutting back in distance last out while racing on one month's rest.

“I thought he ran well, but it's possible he regressed a little bit,” Motion said. “I ran him back in a month off a huge effort when he won the Man o' War, but he ran a credible race, especially after running his best race in the Man o' War. If we can get him back to either one of those performances, I think he'll be very competitive on Sunday.”

Highland Chief was group-stakes quality in England in 2020 when traveling 12-furlongs for former conditioner Paul Cole, finishing second in both the Group 3 John Pearce Racing Gordon at Goodwood and the Group 2 Great Voltigeur at York. He won the 10-furlong Golden Gates Handicap that same year at Royal Ascot.

Motion said the stretch back out in distance should favor Highland Chief.

“I have a feeling a mile and three-eighths to a mile and a half is more in his wheelhouse. This suits him a little better,” Motion said.

Trevor McCarthy has the call from post 3.

Three Diamonds Farm's millionaire New York-bred Cross Border has won the last two renewals of the Bowling Green for trainer Mike Maker, who entered Thursday's card just three wins shy of 3,000 for his career.

Cross Border was elevated to victory in 2020 following the disqualification of Sadler's Joy and won outright last year by 1 1/4-lengths over returning rival Rockemperor.

Bred in the Empire State by Berkshire Stud and B.D. Gibbs, the 8-year-old English Channel ridgling sports a ledger of 42-11-8-5, including a perfect in-the-money record on the Saratoga turf of 8-6-1-1.

Tyler Gaffalione will have the call from post 4.

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will have two chances for his third win in this event when he saddles Grade 1-winner Rockemperor and graded-stakes winner L'Imperator.

Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, Wonder Stables, Michael Kisber and Michael Caruso's Rockemperor drew off to a two-length score in last year's Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational at Belmont. The 6-year-old Holy Roman Emperor bay hasn't hit the board in four starts since, entering off an even fifth in the Grade 1 Manhattan.

Brown said Rockemperor has trained forwardly into Sunday's test, including a bullet five-eighths breeze in 1:01.44 on July 17 over the Oklahoma training turf.

“He hasn't been able to regain his form from last fall, but he's training really well,” said Brown, who won the Bowling Green previously with Hyper [2013] and Flintshire [2016]. “He does prefer firm ground. If it's firm, I feel like he has finally, in his works, rounded into the best form at least in the mornings that I've seen this year from him. He's getting up there in age a little bit, so you always wonder if he's tailed off some. I do really like his last two works in particular, so I'm hoping he can get back on the winning track here.”

Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables and Robert V. LaPenta's French-bred L'Imperator won an optional-claimer here last summer ahead of a third-place finish over yielding Spa going in the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch Handicap.

The 5-year-old gelded son of Holy Roman Emperor made the grade in gate-to-wire fashion in the Grade 2 Fort Marcy in May over yielding ground at Belmont ahead of a seventh-place finish in the Manhattan after exiting the inside post in a field of 10.

“He won on a very soft turf wire-to-wire a couple back, which is a totally new dimension for him,” Brown said. “Last time, in the Manhattan, he just really didn't have a good trip. I'm not sure what he would've done ultimately, but he was sort of bottled up the whole way. I never really got to see him run, so it was hard for me to judge how he was going to run that day. He sort of ran in place. We're going to try him at this distance, which is new for me and him to try together. We're going to see how he handles it.”

Rockemperor exits post 6 under Flavien Prat, while L'Imperator leaves the inside post in tandem with Manny Franco.

Rounding out the field is Colonel Stable and Jonathan Wilmot's stakes-placed Cibolian [post 5, Luis Saez], who removes blinkers and cuts back significantly in distance from a fourth-place finish last out on June 10 in the two-mile Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup.

The Bowling Green is slated as Race 8 on Sunday's 10-race card which also features the Grade 2, $200,000 Amsterdam in Race 9. 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.

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