Bass Racing homebred Annapolis, a winner in both of his career starts as a 2-year-old, is the 9-5 morning line choice for his 2022 debut in Friday's Grade 2, $400,000 Penn Mile at Penn National Race Course in Grantville, Penn. Expected post time is 7:45 p.m., Eastern.
The 3-year-old son of War Front will break from the rail for trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. The winner of last year's G2 Pilgrim Stakes at Belmont Park, Annapolis has been working steadily toward his sophomore debut. His first appearance on the work tab this year was in late March at Palm Beach Downs; the colt has compiled 10 breezes since then and should be fit for the Penn Mile.
Annapolis is out of the multiple Grade 1-placed Unbrilded's Song mare My Miss Sophia, who commanded a final bid of $4 million when sold with Annapolis in utero at the 2018 Keeneland November sale.
The top challengers to the favorite in Friday's Penn Mile include two-time stakes winner Red Danger for trainer Brian Lynch and the multiple stakes-placed Fort Washington for trainer Shug McGaughey.
The full field for the Penn Mile, with jockey and trainer, is as follows:
Annapolis – Irad Ortiz, Jr. – Todd Pletcher
Wow Whata Summer – Tyler Conner – James Lawrence II
Uncaptured Spirit – Angel Suarez – Mark Shuman
Ohtwoohthreefive – Kendrick Carmouche – George Weaver
Michael Dubb and Gandharvi Racing Stables' Battle Bling tops a field of six entered in the $150,000 Obeah Stakes at Delaware Park on Wednesday, June 8. The 1 1/16-mile affair is the local prep for the filly and mare summer classic – the 1 1/4-mile Grade 2 Delaware Handicap on Saturday, July 9.
In her most recent, Battle Bling finished fourth in the mile and a sixteenth $750,000 G1 La Troinenne Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 6. Prior to that, the 4-year-old daughter of Vancouver made four starts at Aqueduct. The Kentucky-bred trained by Rob Atras finished second in the 1 1/8-mile Top Flight Invitational on April 10, second in the one mile Heavenly Prize Stakes on March 6, won the 1 1/8-mile Ladies Stakes on Jan. 16, and ran second in an optional claiming race in which she was claimed for $62,500 on Dec. 19.
Battle Bling has a career record of three wins, six seconds, and a third from 16 starts with earnings of $285,617.
“She is doing good,” said trainer Rob Atras. “She came out of her last race in pretty good shape. We were not sure which direction we were going to go for her next race, but after her last work, we decided on the Obeah. We will certainly consider the Delaware Handicap with a good showing. She is the kind of filly who gets better the longer she goes, so if she handles the track and everything else goes good, the Del Cap is on the radar.”
Goodwood Racing's Flight to Shanghai will have the home field advantage. The 4-year-old daughter of Shanghai Bobby is currently stabled at Delaware Park in the barn of trainer Jane Cibelli.
In her most recent outing, Flight to Shanghai ran third in the mile and seventy yard Serena's Song Stakes at Monmouth Park on May 8. In her only other outing this year, she was unplaced in the Heavenly Cause Stakes at Laurel Park on April 16. Last year, she posted a pair of Delaware Park allowance victories from as many outings. She has a career record of three wins, three seconds and two thirds from 12 starts with earnings of $129,760.
'She could not be doing better,” said trainer Jane Cibelli. “She came out of the stake at Monmouth great and she has been training nicely since. Two of her three career victories have been over this track, so we are looking forward to this stake over our home track. The reason for running in the Obeah is because we do have the Delaware Handicap in our plans, but she will need a solid effort in the Obeah, for us to consider that next step.”
The race is named in honor of the two-time Delaware Handicap winner in 1969 and 1970 and the dam of the Hall of Fame filly Go For Wand who was locally owned by Jane and Harry duPont's Christiana Stable. Horses finishing first, second, third or fourth in the Obeah Stakes will automatically earn a free nomination to the Delaware Handicap.
Since the Obeah Stakes was inaugurated in 1996, three fillies or mares have won the race and followed with a victory in the Delaware Handicap. They were the 2006 older female champion Fleet Indian, I'm a Chatterbox, who won the race in 2016, and Miss Marissa, who won last year. Two fillies have finished second in the Obeah and won the Delaware Handicap. They were Power Play in 1997 and Unbridled Belle in 2007. Three winners of the Obeah Stakes have followed by running second in the Delaware Handicap. They were Under the Rug in 2001, Your Out in 2002, and the 2011 Horse of the Year Havre de Grace.
Bal Mar Equine's seven-time winning mare Dalika (GER) is set to make her first start since October against an ultra-competitive cast of nine rivals that entered Sunday's $200,000 Old Forester Mint Julep (Grade 3) at Churchill Downs.
The Mint Julep, run at 1 1/16 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course, will go as Race 9 of 10 with a post time of 4:55 p.m. (all times Eastern). First post is 12:45 p.m.
Trained by Al Stall Jr., the speedy Dalika (GER) won last year's Robert Dick Memorial (G3) at Delaware and Al Stall Memorial at Fair Grounds. The gray mare has done most of her training this spring at Skylight Training Center, located in Goshen, Ky. Dalika (GER) has recorded two of her seven wins at Churchill Downs and has only one start locally where she finished outside the top 2. The late Miguel Mena rode Dalika (GER) in nine of her last 10 starts. Ricardo Santana Jr., who was close friends with Mena, will be in the saddle Sunday from post No. 6.
Other top contenders that entered the Mint Julep include Grade 3 winner Gam's Mission, two-time stakes victor Hendy Woods, recent allowance winners Market Rumor and Petricor (GB) and Group 3 winner Waliyak (FR).
Here's the complete field for the Old Forester Mint Julep from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):
Petricor (GB) (Florent Geroux, Bill Mott)
Market Rumor (Chris Landeros, Ian Wilkes)
Waliyak (FR) (Joe Talamo, Ed Vaughan)
Keeper of Time (Tyler Gaffalione, Brendan Walsh)
Lake Lucerne (Julien Leparoux, Brendan Walsh)
Dalika (GER) (Santana, Stall)
Gam's Mission (Adam Beschizza, Cherie DeVaux)
Ambassador Luna (Rafael Bejarano, Ben Colebrook)
Hendy Woods (Brian Hernandez Jr., Mark Casse)
Take Charge Ro (James Graham, Brian Lynch)
Wagering for Sunday's Mint Julep Stakes and every race from Churchill Downs is available on www.TwinSpires.com, the official wagering provider of Churchill Downs Incorporated and the Kentucky Derby.
After seven straight wins, but just one against stakes competition, trainer Carlos Milian says it's time to test Hollywood Jet again.
He will do just that in Saturday's $100,000 Mr. Prospector Stakes at Monmouth Park, with the six-furlong feature teeming with both speed and talent. Milian isn't quite sure where Hollywood Jet fits in that, acknowledging that “this is the toughest challenge of his career so far.”
But Hollywood Jet is fast.
“Very fast,” said Milian.
The problem is, speed is in abundance in the Mr. Prospector, from the Carlos David-trained Quick Tempo, who is shipping in from Churchill Downs, to Oaklawn shipper Greeley and Ben, to the Kelly Breen-trained River Dog. Looming as a major contender off the pace is Drafted, who has posted victories in Grade 3 stakes in two of his past three races. In between, he was fifth in the Grade 1 Carter.
Then there's Hollywood Jet, claimed by Milian at the urging of his son on May 15, 2021 for $12,500.
The career statistics for the gelded 4-year-old son of Uncaptured are dazzling. From 14 career starts he has nine wins, two seconds and two thirds. He started his seven-race winning streak last Sept. 20, with his most recent score by 10½ lengths at Parx on May 17.
But with the exception of the Fishtown Stakes on March 7, Hollywood Jet has, Milian concedes, been carefully spotted. One other issue: The horse has only raced at Parx throughout his career.
“I've tried to guide him into easier spots than this race,” said the Parx-based Milian. “I really haven't tried a tough field like this for him. Now it's time to try better company.
“The way he is running lately he is telling me he is ready to go forward. The way he destroyed the field in his last race he is telling me he wants to try another stakes race.”
Since Milian claimed the horse for himself, Hollywood Jet has eight wins, a second and a third in 11 starts. He blames himself for the one off-the-board finish of the horse's career, with Hollywood Jet a well-beaten fifth against allowance company last July 14.
“I consider that my mistake because I tried to change the way he runs that race,” said Milian. “There was a lot of speed in that race too, so I told the jockey (Luis Ocasio, his regular rider) to take him back and make him close. He did not like that. He was fighting the jockey the whole way.
“He is a speed horse. That's the way he runs. I know there are a few horses in this race that are going to be tough to beat. I know a lot of them also have speed. But my horse loves to fight. He will be out there fighting with them for the lead. He loves that. That is how he loves to race.”
The other concern Milian has is shipping.
“I'm definitely worried about him going to another track for the first time,” he said. “It's not the same when you are shipping out the same day of the race like he will do for this. It's not the same for the horse. He is used to one track for his career and now we are shipping him out. So that could be an issue.”
The Mr. Prospector Stakes headlines a 12-race card on a Saturday card that falls in the middle of the start of three-day racing weekends at Monmouth Park. The track's first Friday card is set for a 2 p.m. start for an eight-race card. Post times on Saturday and Sunday are 12:15 p.m.
Trainer Carlos Milian and Jockey Luis Ocasio (R) at Parx Racing in Bensalem, PA Photo by Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO
