Tag: Racing

Mark T. Anderson's New York-bred Sterling Silver will look to make the grade in Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000 Victory Ride for sophomore fillies sprinting 6 1/2-furlongs over the main track at Belmont Park.

Trained by Tom Albertrani, Sterling Silver enters from a professional 4 1/4-length victory in the restricted Bouwerie on May 30 over Big Sandy with returning rider Trevor McCarthy in the irons. The daughter of Cupid tracked in fourth behind pacesetter November Rein before going three-to-four wide in the turn and coming away with a 2 1/2-length lead. She continued to find more down the lane and completed the seven furlongs in 1:24.41.

The win came on the heels of two off-the-board efforts against open company, finishing fifth in both the Busher Invitational in March at Aqueduct and the Grade 1 Ashland going around two turns on April 8 at Keeneland.

“She's coming off a good win in her last start, so hopefully we can see another good performance this weekend,” said Albertrani. “We tried to stretch her out two turns and maybe it wasn't the right distance for her. So, putting her back in with her with New York-breds and cutting back in distance was probably the main thing.”

Sterling Silver won her sophomore debut in January going the Victory Ride distance in the Franklin Square against fellow state-breds at the Big A.

Albertrani said turning back a half-furlong from her last outing should be no problem for her.

McCarthy has the mount from the outermost post 7.

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez hopes that stakes-winning Hot Peppers can use the Victory Ride as a springboard to the seven-furlong Grade 1 Longines Test on August 6 at Saratoga Race Course for owners Michael Dubb and Michael Caruso.

A Florida-bred daughter of Khozan, Hot Peppers won three of her first five starts for trainer Ronald Spatz in Florida, including a trio of sprint victories at Gulfstream Park in January and February. After finishing a distant ninth in the seven-furlong Sophomore Fillies in March at Tampa Bay Downs for her stakes debut, Hot Peppers was privately purchased by her current connections and sent to Rodriguez in New York.

Hot Peppers proved to be an astute buy making easy work of the six-furlong Jersey Girl on June 12 in her first outing for Rodriguez. Luis Saez sent the bay filly to the lead and never looked back as she widened margins throughout to cross the wire 6 3/4-lengths the best.

“With the way she was training in the morning, I thought she would run big,” said Rodriguez. “But the way she did it was extra impressive for sure.”

Rodriguez said Hot Peppers has continued to train forwardly since her dominating Jersey Girl performance.

“She's been doing good. I kind of babied her because the race came up a little quick, but she seems good,” said Rodriguez. “In a perfect world, we'd like to wait until the Test, but it's way too long for that. If she performs the way we expect, the Test is the goal.”

Hot Peppers will be trying the 6 1/2-furlong distance for the first time. Her lone start beyond six furlongs was her off-the-board run in the Sophomore Fillies.

Saez gets the call again from post 6.

Brad King, Stan Kirby and Suzanne Kirby's Texas-shipper Smash Ticket will make her second outing in graded company after she dazzled in a second-level allowance on May 30 at Lone Star Park for trainer Todd Fincher. The dark bay Midnight Lute filly easily took down the 5 1/2-furlong sprint by 11 lengths to earn a field-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure under Richard Eramia.

The win came one start after she earned a graded placing in the Grade 2 Sorrento in August at Del Mar with Umberto Rispoli in the irons, finishing a closing third behind the victorious Elm Drive and Grade 1-winner Eda. She finished second on debut last June to Wicked Halo, who went on to win the Grade 2 Adirondack that summer at Saratoga and the Tepin on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Hall of Famer Mike Smith has the call from post 2.

Marylou Whitney Stables' homebred Pretty Birdie has finished a good second in her last two outings, defeated less than three lengths in both the Grade 2 Eight Belles on May 6 at Churchill Downs behind subsequent Grade 1 Acorn winner Matareya, and the Leslie's Lady behind next-out stakes winner Wicked Halo.

The Norm Casse trainee won the Grade 3 Schuylerville at Saratoga last year before finishing last-of-9 in the Grade 1 Spinaway in September to finish off her juvenile season. She returned in February with a fifth in the six-furlong Dixie Belle at Oaklawn Park before taking the Purple Martin over the same surface and distance in March.

Joel Rosario will ride the daughter of Bird Song for the first time from post 5.

The undefeated Half Is Enough will attempt to keep her perfect record intact in her stakes debut for trainer Michael Trombetta. Owned by Ironhorse Racing Stable, the Frosted bay has won her three starts by more than a combined 14 lengths, including a 7 1/4-length romp on debut in September at Monmouth Park.

She followed with a gritty neck score after a slow start in a first-level allowance over muddy and sealed going in May at Laurel Park before her latest allowance victory by 6 3/4-lengths on June 4 at Delaware Park.

Half Is Enough, who will be racing beyond six furlongs for the first time, will be piloted by Irad Ortiz, Jr. from post 3.

Completing the field are Cash is King and LC Racing's Stand Up Comic [post 1, Frankie Pennington] for trainer Butch Reid, Jr and Gayla Rankin's Grade 3-placed Happy Soul [post 4, John Velazquez] for trainer Wesley Ward.

The post Sterling Silver Seeks Graded Stakes Breakthrough In Victory Ride At Belmont appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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A competitive field featuring three contenders from the barn of Chad Brown and five invaders from Europe lead a 10-horse field assembled for Saturday's Grade 1, $700,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational for 3-year-old fillies going 10 furlongs over the inner turf at Belmont Park.

The Belmont Oaks, the first leg of the filly division of the Caesars Turf Triple series, will be followed by the Grade 3, $700,000 Saratoga Oaks Invitational at 1 3/16-miles on August 7 and the Grade 3 Jockey Club Oaks Invitational at 11 furlongs during the Belmont fall meet.

Brown, a four-time Eclipse Award-winner, will saddle Consumer Spending and McKulick for Klaravich Stables as well as Haughty for Bradley Thoroughbreds, Bel Mar Racing and Breeding, Cambron Equine and Team Hanley.

Consumer Spending, a More Than Ready filly, has won both of her starts this year at stakes level. After defeating Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Pizza Bianca in the Memories of Silver in April at Aqueduct, Consumer Spending won the Grade 2 Wonder Again on June 9 at Belmont Park.

A maiden winner at second asking over a yielding inner turf in September at Saratoga, Consumer Spending captured the Selima one month later at Laurel Park before finishing a close sixth beaten 1 3/4 lengths in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

“She's been a pleasant surprise,” Brown said. “We put her on course, hoping that she develops. They don't always do that. I was on the fence about her if she was going to be a horse that was precocious and a good 2-year-old. She's really matured physically and mentally; she's gotten stronger in her races and in her works. She stretched out going further than I thought she would. All things positive for her and she continues to advance in her career.”

Manny Franco, who piloted Consumer Spending to both of her victories this year, will return from post 5.

McKulick boasts three graded stakes placings in four lifetime starts. After a triumphant career debut last August at Saratoga, the daughter of Frankel was third next out as the beaten favorite in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo in October at Belmont Park. Upon returning to action seven months later, McKulick was a late-closing second in the Grade 2 Edgewood on Churchill Downs' Kentucky Oaks undercard. She arrives at the Belmont Oaks off a second in the Grade 3 Regret on June 4 at Churchill.

“They were paceless races and she's looking for a mile and a quarter,” Brown said of her two starts this year. “She'll improve as she runs longer.”

McKulick will break from post 1 under Irad Ortiz Jr.

Haughty brings a consistent 4-2-0-2 record to the Belmont Oaks, exiting her first stakes victory in the Penn Oaks on June 4 at Penn National. The Empire Maker bay was a 4 3/4-length winner of her 3-year-old debut, which came seven months after a late-closing third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, finishing three-quarters of a length to Pizza Bianca.

Haughty will leave from post 3 under Flavien Prat.

Five fillies by way of Europe have crossed the Atlantic Ocean in search of Belmont Oaks accolades representing three countries, including Ireland's dual group stakes winner Agartha for trainer Joseph O'Brien. Owned by Heider Family Stables, Agartha has yet to go past one mile in 11 lifetime starts, exiting a fifth-place finish in the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas on May 15 at The Curragh.

Agartha, a daughter of second crop sire Caravaggio, garnered prominent victories last year when taking the Group 3 Silver Flash at Leopardstown last July at 16-1 odds before capturing the Group 2 Debutante at The Curragh the following month as the lukewarm favorite. She closed out her 2-year-old campaign with a pair of Group 1 efforts, the best taking place in the Moyglare Stud in September at The Curragh, where she finished a close second.

Scott Heider of Heider Family Stables noted the filly's stamina-rich pedigree. Her dam, Arya Tara was a stakes winner in Ireland going 1 3/4 miles and comes from the same family as Group 1-winning stayers Azamour, Ansar, and Astarabad.

“She had a pretty incredible 2-year-old season,” said Heider. “She's a filly that's interesting. She's by Caravaggio. In Europe they remember him being an incredibly fast son of Scat Daddy. [Breeder] Anne Marie [O'Brien], as she often does, crossed speed with stamina. The dam was also trained by Joseph, and she was Group 3-placed, but she did a lot of her running going a mile and a quarter to a mile and a half, so she was a true stayer. The female family is just full of high-class Group 1 and Group 2 winners. The vast majority all were stayers.”

John Velazquez has the call from post 9.

Internationally acclaimed trainer Aidan O'Brien, the father of Joseph, will seek his third Belmont Oaks victory when sending out Group 1-placed Concert Hall.

Owned by Coolmore partners Derrick Smith, Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier and Westerberg, Concert Hall finished a distant third in the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas on May 22 going one mile at The Curragh three starts back, which came on the heels of a triumphant 3-year-old debut in the ten-furlong Salsabil at Navan.

A bay daughter of Dubawi, Concert Hall enters off two fourth-place finishes at Group 1 level in the Oaks on June 3 at Epsom and most recently the Pretty Polly at The Curragh. As a 2-year-old, she won The Curragh's Group 3 Weld Park going seven furlongs.

Concert Hall is out of the Group 1-winning Galileo mare Was, who captured the 2012 Epsom Oaks, and comes from the same family as dual Group 1-winner New Approach.

O'Brien, who trained Belmont Oaks winners Athena [2018] and Santa Barbara [2021], has tasked Ryan Moore with piloting Concert Hall from post 10.

Shipping to the states by way of the Moulton Paddocks at Newmarket, England is Godolphin's With The Moonlight for trainer Charlie Appleby.

The bay daughter of Frankel, and full-sister to Group 1-winner Dream Castle, finished last-of-11 in the Oaks, where she secured prominent outside position early on but flattened out in the stretch run. The effort came just one month after winning her 2022 debut, which came stakes level going the Belmont Oaks distance at Newmarket.

Appleby also sends out Nations Pride for the Belmont Derby, and said With The Moonlight has some things in common with her stablemate.

“She's pretty similar to Nations Pride,” Appleby said. “She got beat as a juvenile on the back end over soft ground in a listed race and then came out and won the Pretty Polly decisively on quick ground. In the Oaks, she similarly didn't stay on that [softer] ground. Back to a mile and a quarter and back on a sound surface should suit. They have very similar profiles and if they both turn up fit and well, they'll be very competitive.”

Appleby will looking to build on his recent success in shipping horses to high caliber wins in North America. Last year, he earned eight Grade 1 victories in North America, including the Just a Game and Diana on the NYRA circuit with Althiqa.

World-renowned jockey Frankie Dettori will hope to perform his signature flying dismount in the Belmont winner's circle after he pilots With The Moonlight from post 4.

Representing France in the Belmont Oaks are Francis-Henri Graffard-trained Know Thyself and Hot Queen from the yard of Pia Brandt.

Know Thyself, owned by Craig Bernick, enters off a third-place finish on May 15 going 11 furlongs at Longchamp. The Galileo chestnut filly earned black type in her previous start when second in the Group 3 Prix Vanteaux on April 10 over the same oval.

Graffard, who trained Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies turf runner-up Malavath, will send out his first Belmont Oaks contender in Know Thyself, who will be ridden by Julien Leparoux from post 8.

Finn Blichfeldt's Hot Queen exits a sixth-place finish in the Group 2 Prix de Sandringham on June 5 at Chantilly. The daughter of Recorder won her 3-year-old debut in the Listed Prix la Camargo in March at Saint-Cloud ahead of a third in the Prix Vanteaux, when finishing behind Know Thyself.

French jockey Stephane Pasquier, who guided Karakontie to a 2014 Breeders' Cup Mile score, will pilot Hot Queen from post 7.

Trainer Brendan Walsh sends up Marc Detampel's New Year's Eve, who has won 3-of-4 career starts. The Kitten's Joy filly was an upset 14-1 winner of the Grade 2 Edgewood on May 6 at Churchill Downs last out, where she sported blinkers for the first time.

Luis Saez, a nine-time stakes-winner this meet, has the return call from post Completing the field is David Bernsen and Schroeder Farms' California chipper Cairo Memories for trainer Bob Hess, Jr., who arrives at the Belmont Oaks off two Grade 3 triumphs over the Santa Anita turf in the April 9 Providencia and the May 29 Honeymoon. Both wins were at nine furlongs under Hall of Famer Mike Smith, who will ride from post 2.

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Godolphin's 4-year-old homebred Cody's Wish scored a determined neck victory over Three Technique in the $173,250 Hanshin Stakes on Monday, closing day at Churchill Downs.

Cody's Wish clocked one mile over a fast track in 1:34.10 under New York-based rider Junior Alvarado, who rode the winner for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Two days ago, Alvarado and Mott teamed to win the $750,000 Stephen Foster (G2) with Olympiad.

Mish led the field of six older horses down the backstretch through splits of :23.20 and :45.61 as Cody's Wish, the odds-on 3-5 favorite rated a length back in the clear from the outside. Cody's Wish left the turn in front after six furlongs in 1:09.43 as Three Technique made a bold and wide closing move from last. It appeared that Three Technique poked his head in front with a furlong left to run, but Cody's Wish was resolute and came back gamely along the inside for the narrow win.

“He had to fight back today in the stretch,” Alvarado said. “(Three Technique) was really closing fast but Cody dug back in and was really determined to stay in front of him. It was special to be able to ride him back. I rode him in his debut and from that start and his last two winning the Westchester and here today he's really matured a lot.”

The first prize was $107,070 and increased Cody's Wish's bankroll to $492,130 and improved his overall record to 5-1-3 in nine starts. It was his second straight stakes win. Previously, he won the Westchester (G3) by five lengths May 7 at Belmont Park.

Cody's Wish paid $3.40.

Three Technique, the 13-1 longest shot in the field, finished four lengths in front of third-place finisher Awesome Gerry.

Weyburn, Plainsman and Mish completed the order of finish. Runnin' Ray was scratched.

Cody's Wish is a Kentucky-bred son of Curlin out of the Tapit mare Dance Card.

“Words really can't describe how special that was,” said Mott's chief Kentucky assistant trainer Kenny McCarthy. “This horse, who is named after someone so special to us and the barn, Cody Dorman, showed so much heart to get the job done today. We're just so happy to play a small part in this very special story. He had to work pretty hard today but he was determined and didn't want to lose.”

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D. J. Stable's Wonder Wheel broke alertly, went to the front, and drew away down the stretch for a commanding 6 ¾-length win in the 121^st edition of the $167,500 Debutante Stakes on Monday, closing day at Churchill Downs.

Trained by Mark Casse, Wonder Wheel was ridden by leading rider Tyler Gaffalione, who collected his 10th stakes win of the Spring Meet. She covered six furlongs in 1:10.26.

Sabra Tuff was second, and Les Bons Temps was third, 1 ¼ lengths back.

Breaking from post No. 3 in the field of seven 2-year-old fillies, Wonder Wheel emerged as the leader and was pressed by 8-5 favorite Empire of My Own down the backstretch through a quarter mile in :21.52. She kicked a couple lengths clear around the turn, crossed the half-mile marker in :45.05, and then widened her advantage under mild urging.

The victory was worth $106,140 and increased the 2-year-old filly's earnings to $175,600 with a perfect record in two starts. Prior to her Debutante triumph, Wonder Wheel broke her maiden at Churchill Downs on June 3 by 2 ¼ lengths.

“When I first got on her the other month, I thought she could be special,” Gaffalione said. “She did everything so professionally today. She left the gates really well today and did it all on her own. The Casse team got her ready to fire a big effort today. I'm so thankful for all of the people and horses that have supported me this meet. Without them I wouldn't be in this position today. It's been a wonderful meet.”

Wonder Wheel returned $5.60.

Empire of My Own was fourth, followed by Eyes of Gold, Frango Electrico, and Crackalacking.

“She's a special filly and we're so thrilled for the Greens (Jon and Leonard Green of D. J. Stable) that they were able to be here this afternoon for this win,” said Casse's chief Kentucky assistant trainer David Carroll. “She was very impressive in her debut and in her preparation for this race she couldn't have been any better. She's by Into Mischief so we were confident she'd be able to handle the extra distance.”

Wonder Wheel is out of the Tiz Wonderful mare Wonder Gal. She was bred in Kentucky by Three Chimneys Farm LLC and Clearsky Farms and was purchased for $275,000 from Clearsky Farms at the 2021 Keeneland September Sale.

The Debutante was first staged in 1895.

The post ‘She’s By Into Mischief So We Were Confident’: Wonder Wheel Dazzles In Debutante at Churchill Downs appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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