Tag: Racing

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert made a triumphant return to Los Alamitos on Saturday, winning both of the races in which he had starters, including the $125,000 Los Alamitos Derby with High Connection.

Six days after his recent 90-day suspension for a medication violation ended, Baffert won a maiden contest with heavily favored Rhetoric two hours before High Connection disposed of even-money favorite Slow Down Andy and three other 3-year-olds in the Derby.

The win in the race was the fifth in a row for Baffert and his seventh since daytime Thoroughbred racing returned to Los Alamitos in 2014.

Ridden by Juan Hernandez, who also aboard Rhetoric, High Connection took it to Slow Down Andy, who had upset the Baffert-trained Messier in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) the last time he raced at Los Alamitos, and ultimately got the best of that one inside the final eighth of a mile, winning by 1 ¾ lengths.

Owned by Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Al Saud, the Connect colt out of the Forest Camp mare Forest Legend completed the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.98. Now 2-for-4, High Connection has banked $149,000. He returned $5.40.

Slow Down Andy, who was trying to become the first horse to complete a Los Alamitos Futurity and Los Alamitos Derby double, wound up four lengths clear of 19-1 shot – and stablemate – Win the Day.

Doppelganger, Baffert's other entrant and 3-1 third choice, and Got Thunder completed the order of finish.

“I'm glad to be back and what a way to comeback,'' said Baffert. “I love this place. The first time I came to Los Alamitos was when I was 14. Quarter horses were my life and I knew if I could make it at Los Alamitos I knew this was it.

“(High Connection) kind of fell back after he broke his maiden (by 10 lengths March 26) and we weren't really sure how far he wanted to go. The first two horses I worked when I came back where these two and they worked really well.

“Doppelganger works so well in the morning and I don't know why he doesn't show more in the afternoon. I could tell in the paddock High Connection was ready and Juan said he really brought his A game today. He needed it because Slow Down Andy was relentless.''

The victory completed a sweep of the Los Angeles County Fair meet stakes for Hernandez. He won the Bertrando June 25 with Desmond Doss and the Grade 2 Great Lady M. last Monday with Becca Taylor prior to Saturday.

“Bob told me to keep him close because he can get a little lazy,'' said Hernandez. “He was sharp in the post parade, came out running and very comfortable all the way.''

The post ‘I’m Glad To Be Back’: Baffert Wins Los Alamitos Derby With High Connection appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Flurry Racing Stables' Interstatedaydream tallied her second consecutive graded stakes win with a convincing victory in the $200,000 Indiana Oaks (G3) Saturday at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Dueling with early pacesetter Patna, who lead through a half mile in :48.26, Interstatedaydream edged to the lead under Florent Geroux and got furlongs in 1:12.55 before Runaway Wife came up alongside around the far turn and into the stretch, getting her head in front.

Brad Cox-trained Interstatedaydream battled back resolutely and shook free to score by 2 ½ lengths as the 3-10 favorite in the field of seven fillies, finishing 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.27 on a track rated as good.

Runaway Wife held for second, 6 ½ lengths in front of third-place finisher Silverleaf.

“Around the turn I kind of got a little worried, but she dug back in, and she looked like what we thought she was,” said owner Staton Flurry. “We wanted to get another graded stakes under her belt and hopefully we can go onto bigger and better things.”

Interstatedaydream, who returned $2.60, came into the Indiana Oaks off her first graded score in the George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) May 20 at Pimlico, which followed her third in the Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) April 8 at Keeneland in her first stakes appearance.

“She was extremely well-spotted,” said Geroux, who also teamed with Cox and Flurry to win the 2020 Indiana Oaks with Shedaresthedevil, who in her next start won the COVID-delayed Kentucky Oaks (G1). “Brad decided to run her in this race and pass on the heavy-heads on the East Coast and West Coast. Perfect spot. She won very nicely last time out at Pimlico, and it was nice to get another graded stakes on her resume.”

Cox said Interstatedaydream could be considered for a stakes over Woodbine's all-weather surface such as the Queen's Plate for Canadian-breds against males.

“But I like the idea of keeping her on dirt,” he said. “I think our short-term goal could be possibly the Cotillion (at Parx). It's a Grade 1. Saratoga, we'll see. The Alabama (G1) would be an option as well. We're going to let some of these fillies like Nest and (Kentucky Oaks winner) Secret Oath kind of duke it out maybe this summer and if the Cotillion comes up the way we'd like, that could be a good spot as well. We need to take a swing at a Grade 1 at some point, and that could be one I've kind of eyeballed.”

That kind of patience served Flurry and Cox well with Shedaresthedevil, now a three-time Grade 1 winner.

Said Flurry: “That's kind of the motif that Brad has taught us: Be patient with them. Don't try to throw them to the wolves every time there's a race out there they fit in. Be patient, take your time between spots and they'll reward you. Look at how we've done with Shedaresthedevil. That's kind of the game plan we had in 2020, and it won us the Kentucky Oaks. It was a good finish today I'm excited to see what the future holds for us.”

Flurry said Interstatedaydream is named for one of his favorite bands, the Oklahoma-based Turnpike Troubadours.

“There's a line in one of their songs like 'You ain't nothing, just an interstatedaydream.' I said, 'That sounds like a really good horse name. So here she is.”

Bred by William D. Graham, Interstatedaydream is out of the Uncle Mo mare Babcock, whose runners also include the multiple stakes-placed Emmeline.

The winner was sold at auction on three times, initially bringing $105,000 as a newly-turned yearling at the 2020 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, then she sold for $130,000 later that year at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Finally, the filly was picked up by Flurry Racing Stables for $175,000 at last year's Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.

The post Interstatedaydream Battles Back For Indiana Oaks Victory appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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It was a big step up into stakes action for Actuator, and the 3-year-old colt handled it with ease, winning the 28th running of the $300,000 Indiana Derby (G3) Saturday at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Ridden by James Graham, the $2,200 yearling purchase is now a graded stakes winner for his connections during a new record handle day of $7,201,564 for Horseshoe Indianapolis.

A field of eight entered the gate for Indiana's premier Thoroughbred race. Trademark with Rafael Bejarano used their inside starting post to get the first lead followed closely by Indiana-bred Mowins and Jon Court. Actuator and Graham sat right off Mowins on the outside through the first half of the race. Around the turn, Graham began to ask Actuator for more speed and joined the top two on the inside along with Best Actor and Florent Geroux on the outside to vie for the top spot heading into the stretch.

Actuator got the lead and began to pull away from the inside horses, but it was Best Actor who was closing with every stride and the main threat. Actuator dug in gamely in the final strides to hold off Best Actor by a half length for the win. King Ottoman and Horseshoe Indianapolis leading jockey Marcelino Pedroza Jr. ducked to the inside late to pass rivals for third.

“I could feel them creeping up his inside,” said Graham. “I knew he'd stay. His last work was fantastic. I'm just happy it paid off today. He doesn't do everything he's asked. He has to be told sometimes, which is a great thing.”

Actuator, who covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.48, paid $8.40 for the win. The Bodemeister colt is trained by Michael McCarthy and owned by Jake Ballis' Black Type Thoroughbred, Joe Ragsdale's Rags Racing Stables, Rick Howard, and Gavin O'Connor, who initially purchased the colt as a yearling with his partners.

“Look, he was working really well over the past number of weeks since his run at Churchill Downs,” said O'Connor. “I spoke to Mike McCarthy this morning and I asked him–and I know he doesn't like giving answers, no trainer does–but I said, 'Mike,  can we be quietly confident going into today?' And he said, 'Yeah, Gavin. Absolutely. I think the horse is working lights out. I think you have a really fighting chance to be there today.”

Following his maiden-breaking victory at Churchill Downs, Ballis immediately made an offer to join in on the ownership of Actuator. The celebration for the connections of Actuator was put on hold due to an inquiry at the start and a jockey objection in the stretch, but no action was taken, and the celebration began for Actuator.

“I've been to Churchill the last two works since we bought the horse,” said Ballis, who now owns 70% interest in Actuator. “I told my wife and my other partners, it's going to take a very good horse to beat us. Thankfully I was right. Michael and Justin have done such a good job with him. We brought a bunch of people here to Indiana and we're going to have a lot of fun in the casino tonight.”

Actuator was bred by WinStar Farm in Kentucky. He has been prepping at Churchill Downs for his start in the Indiana Derby.

“I wasn't really sure what happened (on objection) because I thought he kept a straight path,” said Justin Curran, assistant trainer for McCarthy, who won the 2018 Indiana Derby with Axelrod. “He ran like he was training. He had some very, very good works at Churchill.  He's just maturing at the right time, and hopefully can progress from here. Big effort. I was very happy how he rated, obviously coming off a fast seven furlongs in a maiden at Churchill. He rated really well and kicked in at the end. That's a very nice horse that was second. I know Brad was high on him. I think he's on an upward curve, too. Hopefully two nice colts.”

Trainer Brad Cox, who conditions Best Actor, was pleased with his colt's performance.

“Super big race,” said Cox. “He stumbled at the start. Got pinched a little bit, but I thought he ran a big race. Good horse. I wouldn't trade spots. I think he's a pretty good horse and he's going to get a lot out of this.”

Actuator also got a lot out of his Indiana Derby performance. It was his second win in his fourth career start. He turned in two turf starts at Horseshoe Indianapolis last fall at two before returning to the track this season to become undefeated in two starts. Actuator now has in excess of $250,000 in career earnings.

“This is huge for him,” continued Graham. “Because he only does enough, we haven't gotten to the bottom of him yet. Or Michael hasn't gotten to the bottom of him yet. Walking on to the track the other morning before his last work for here, he just played. He's not fully focused yet, which is a great thing because if he can keep doing that and progressing, we're all going to be very happy at the end of the year.”

So, what's next for Actuator following his first graded stakes win? McCarthy said the team will develop a plan moving forward.

“Everybody was quietly confident,” said McCarthy by phone from California. “I thought his performance off the layoff was very, very good. The horse came back and trained well after his maiden score. Jake Ballis and his partners were very keen to get in on the horse. I thought there were bigger and better things to come with him. We'll just enjoy this for right now. The horse has had a lot thrown at him the last five weeks. We'll get him back to Churchill Downs and come up with a game plan with all the partners.”

Favorite Rattle N Roll was shut off at the start and stumbled with Brian Hernandez Jr. aboard. The horse trailed the field the entire distance and finished next to last.

“I'm really not sure (what happened),” said Hernandez. “I didn't get to see a head on. Getting away, we got knocked around leaving there. We ended up catching I think the inside horse's heel. We almost fell. The horse stumbled to his face. I lost both irons, and by the time we got everything back together, we were way out of it. He got knocked out the second jump; his race was over. After all that happened, going into the first turn, we were already 15 lengths behind the next to last horse. So you know from that point on, you're just hoping they go really, really fast and they come back. He lost all chance at that point.”

As tradition would have it, the Indiana Derby pulled in a new record handle for the track for the seventh straight year. The 2022 Derby demolished last year's Derby handle record by nearly $1 million, which was $6,292,387 compared with the new record of $7,201,564.

The post Actuator Goes From Maiden Winner To Graded Stakes Winner In Indiana Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Classic Causeway earned multiple graded stakes wins on dirt in his eight-race career before trainer Ken McPeek entered him against top-caliber divisional competition for his turf debut in the $1 million Caesars Belmont Derby Invitational (G1). But the son of Giant's Causeway took to the new surface immediately, surging to the front as a 26-1 longshot and never relinquishing the lead in a gate-to-wire victory on Belmont Park's inner turf course on Saturday.

Classic Causeway won by three-quarters of a length from Nations Pride, with Stone Age a head back in third. He covered 1 ¼ miles in 1:59.99.

The 73rd running of the Belmont Derby, the last of four stakes on the Stars and Stripes Racing Festival card, was the first leg of the Caesars Turf Triple series, and will be followed by the Grade 1, $1 million Caesars Saratoga Derby Invitational at 1 3/16-miles on August 6 and the Grade 3, $1 million Caesars Jockey Club Derby Invitational at 12 furlongs during the Belmont Fall meet.

Kentucky West Racing and Clarke M. Cooper's homebred Classic Causeway won the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis and Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby over the winter at Tampa Bay Downs before finishing 11th in both the Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream and Grade 1 Kentucky Derby for his former conditioner Brian Lynch. After transferring to McPeek's care, he ran third in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Ohio Derby on June 25 at Thistledown before the surface switch.

Under jockey Julien Leparoux, Classic Causeway broke sharp from post 4 with only Royal Patronage in close pursuit entering the first turn, leading the 12-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in :23.55 and logging :48.02 for the half, and 1:12.33 for six furlongs over firm going.

Out of the turn, Classic Causeway maintained his lead and fended off all challengers, including Nations Pride to his outside in the shadow of the wire before cruising across the finish line.

“We knew he was pretty much the speed in the race,” said co-owner Patrick O'Keefe of Kentucky West Racing. “He's like a 14-year-old kid that can throw a baseball 100 miles per hour. Now, he's slowed down a little to 90 miles per hour and can hit the play.

“[McPeek] is amazing,” O'Keefe added. “To me, he's a life send. I have someone who really knows the breeding and knows where to put them. I loved [the idea of running him on the turf].”

Classic Causeway paid $55.50 on a $2 win wager. He earned millionaire status with the victory, increasing his bankroll to $1.12 million, and improved to 4-1-2 overall in nine starts.

O'Keefe said the two-week turnaround time in addition to the turf debut did not deter them from entering and will now likely enter the Caesars Saratoga Derby Invitational next month.

“He came back good and was eating the bottom out of the feedbag. What Kenny says, I do,” O'Keefe said.

Leparoux won his first Belmont Derby and his second Grade 1 win since 2020, adding to his victory in the 2021 Flower Bowl with War Like Goddess at Saratoga.

“The plan was to go on the lead. The only time I was a little worried was in the first turn when Joel [Rosario, aboard Royal Patronage] was kind of head-to-head with me,” Leparoux said. “When he took back, my horse got to cruising and happy to be on the lead. I was getting him to relax nicely and switch off. It was a good run for him.

“He was actually feeling pretty fresh today,” he added. “It was Kenny's idea to wheel him right back on the grass, and it paid off today for sure.”

Nations Pride, the slight 2-1 favorite for trainer Charlie Appleby and ridden by Frankie Dettori, held off fellow Irish-bred contender and 5-2 selection Stone Age under Ryan Moore, both riders based in Great Britain.

Grand Sonata, Royal Patronage, Sy Dog, Limited Liability, Machete, Tiz the Bomb, Implementation, Napoleonic War, and Stolen Base completed the order of finish. Emmanuel scratched.

“He got upset in the gates. I was the last one out and I had to play catch up then and go through traffic,” Dettori said of Nations Pride. “The winner had a trouble-free run. If he jumped, it could have been a different story. In America, if you give too many lengths away at the start, you're going to pay at the end.”

Stone Age, trained by Aiden O'Brien, was making his North American debut two starts removed from a Group 3 win in his native country at Leopardstown in May, breaking from the outermost post.

“He was finishing off well. Ryan was very happy with him. He had a wide draw,” said T.J. Comerford, traveling assistant for O'Brien. “It's his first run in America, I'm sure he'll build on it. It's a good run back from his run in the English Derby. Ryan is happy with him and Aidan is happy with the run.”

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