Tag: Racing

An impressive winner at the distance in her previous start, Cairo Memories stalked early leader Sterling Crest, made a narrow lead turning for home, and repelled a stiff challenge to her outside from recent stakes winner Island of Love to register an impressive 1 ¼-length win in Sunday's $100,000 Honeymoon Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita.

Ridden by Mike Smith for trainer Bob Hess Jr., Cairo Memories, a 3-year-old filly by Cairo Prince, got 1 1/8 miles on turf in 1:48.67.

A 4 ½ length winner of the Providencia Stakes (G3) in gate-to-wire fashion on April 9 at Santa Anita, Cairo Memories adapted well to Sunday's pace scenario as Irish-bred Sterling Crest, with Ramon Vazquez up, was intent on making the lead into the first turn.

“Last time, she had it all her own way, today she had to be tactical, got challenged, and kicked home nicely,” said Hess.  “It was a little tougher than we had hoped, but she ran well and I think she'll run a little farther.  We're looking at a few things, there's the Belmont Oaks (G1, 1 ¼ miles on turf) on my birthday (July 9) and if all goes well, we'd like to come back to Del Mar and run in the Oaks (G1, 1 1/8 turf, Aug. 20) down there.”

The 1-2 favorite in a field of six sophomore fillies, Cairo Memories paid $3.

“As soon as competition comes to her, she just jumps right back in the bridle, which she did,” said Smith, who has ridden Cairo Memories in her last three starts. “It gave me the confidence to know that she was going to run down to the wire. She's getting smarter about leaving the gate.  She used to have trouble leaving there early in her career, but she is getting better at it and hopefully, she continues to.”

Owned by Schroeder Farms and David Bernsen, Cairo Memories, who is out of the Indian Charlie mare Incarnate Memories, has now won three stakes over the Santa Anita lawn from as many tries.  With four wins from seven overall starts, she picked up $60,000 for the Honeymoon win, increasing her earnings to $352,500.

A winner of the Senorita Stakes (G3) at one mile on turf May 7, Irish-bred Island of Love was trying 1 1/8 miles for the first time Sunday in her fourth stateside start for Phil D'Amato. Third in the run to the far turn, she loomed ominously leaving the quarter pole as she headed the winner but could not go with her late in a determined effort.

Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Island of Love finished 1 ½ lengths in front of Ballet Dancing.

Off at 5-1 with Drayden Van Dyke, Ballet Dancing proved third-best, finishing 4 ¼ lengths in front of Sterling Crest.

The post Up To The Challenge: Favorite Cairo Memories Outduels Island Of Love To Prevail In Honeymoon appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Don Gato's 3-year-old gelding Viejos Tiempos stormed to the front in the final quarter-mile to win Sunday's 1 ¼-mile Gran Premio Club Hipico Falabella (G1) by 2 ¾ lengths over Visorio at Club Hipico de Santiago.

With the victory, Viejos Tiempos, ridden by Javier Guajardo, earned an automatic starting berth in the $2 million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge “Win and You're In” series.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 82 stakes races whose winners receive free berths and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which is scheduled to be held at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky on Nov. 4-5.

Viejos Tiempos joins Jet Dark, winner of the L'Omarins Queen's Plate (G1) in South Africa on Jan. 8, as the first two horses to secure Win and You're In berths into this year's FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile.

A son of two-time Eclipse Award winner Lookin At Lucky, Viejos Tiempos, trained by Patricio Baeza, completed the 1 ¼ miles in 1:59.04 over a good course for his third consecutive win in nine starts, and first Group 1 triumph.

Viejos Tiempos, 7-1, broke alertly in the 13-horse field and saved ground along the rail while Calfun and Keltoi set the pace through the first six furlongs. Visorio, 17-1, took up the challenge and grabbed the lead at the top of the stretch. Guajardo then angled Viejos Tiempos off the rail, made a determined bid for the lead, and surged past Visorio just inside the quarter pole for the victory. The 2-1 favorite Nenufar Azul, a 3-year-old filly, rallied to finish third, followed by El Expreso in fourth.

Viejos Tiempos won his previous two races at Club Hipico, including a 1 ¾-length victory in a 1 ¼-mile conditional stakes race on May 6.

As a part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, the Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for Viejos Tiempos to start in the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile. Breeders' Cup will also provide a $40,000 travel allowance for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships.

The post Viejos Tiempos Wins Group 1 Race In Chile To Earn Automatic Breeders’ Cup Mile Berth appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Beaten 50 lengths in his last three starts, all stakes, at distances of 1 1/8 miles and 1 ¼ miles, trainer George Papaprodromou's American Theorem, unhurried early, rallied from off the pace to just outfinish Principe Carlo on the money and win Sunday's $200,000 Triple Bend Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita.

Ridden by Joe Bravo, American Theorem, a 5-year-old ridgling by 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, got seven furlongs in 1:22.17.

Heavily favored Brickyard Ride, who sped to the lead as expected, had a three-length advantage on American Theorem past the half mile pole, as Principe Carlo and Elector sat second and third. A joint third, about 2 ½ lengths off the favorite three furlongs out, American Theorem wheeled three-deep turning for home and battled head and head with the runner-up to the wire.

“I love when a plan comes together,” said Bravo, who was aboard for a ninth-place finish going 1 1/8 miles on a synthetic surface at Turfway Park in Northern Kentucky on April 2. “We really had high hopes for this horse, he had a couple of hiccups along the way and George cut him back in distance. Look at him around the turn, it seemed like at any time he jump on those horses and he did.

“There were some nice horses in that race and I give all the credit to George, having the patience with him, bringing him around the right way. It's all in the details that got him to the winner's circle today.

“…I give credit to Principe Carlo because he is a great horse.  (He) really laid it down turning for home. That's what horse racing is all about, it's a war. You don't know who's going to get it until the last, final jump.”

Off at 13-1 in a field of six older horses, American Theorem paid $28.

Bred in Kentucky by Sierra Farm from the Maria's Mon mare Mighty Renee, American Theorem notched his first stakes win in the Triple Bend and is now 11-3-3-0 overall.  With the winner's share of $120,000, he increased his earnings to $291,967.

“Our plan was to just sit right off of them and make a little run and it worked out perfect, like we planned,” said an ebullient Papaprodromou.

When asked if he'd have settled for a dead heat, he responded quickly, “No.  We've been trying him long and he's been involved with fast paces and it didn't work out.  I think he's a great horse and like I've said, I love this horse.  Congrats to my owners, Kretz Racing, they're the best owners ever.  Hopefully, we'll move forward from this.”

For his part, the Librado Barocio-trained Principe Carlo ran much too good to lose, pressing the favorite early and nearly prevailing in desperate finish.  Off at 13-1 with Kyle Frey, he finished 3 ¼ lengths in front of Get Her Number.

Get Her Number trailed early and rallied four-wide under Ramon Vazquez for third .

Brickyard Ride, off at 1-5, and Elector, one-two early, finished fifth and sixth, with Brickyard Ride checking in 9 ¼ lengths in front of Elector who was the second choice at 7-2.

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Trainer Jonathan Thomas has always felt that the longer Fuerteventura goes, the better the 3-year-old gelding would be.

But cutting back to a mile in Sunday's $100,000 Jersey Derby at Monmouth Park – a distance Thomas felt was about as short as the son of Summer Front wanted to go – wasn't a problem.

Forced to swing three-wide in a five-horse field coming out of the final turn, Fuerteventura collared race favorite Quality G at the sixteenth pole and then held off a powerful late run from Celestial City and jockey Javier Castellano to prevail by a head in the 79th edition of the Jersey Derby.

“Listen, I could be wrong. Maybe he is better at a mile,” Thomas said afterward. “I could be wrong and that's fine when this happens.”

Unraced at 2, Fuerteventura posted his third straight victory, with his only loss coming in his debut on Feb. 19 at Gulfstream Park going five furlongs. The Jersey Derby marked his first career stakes win in his first career stakes try. He returned $13.40.

The winning time for the mile over a firm turf course was 1:34.93.

“I knew this horse was coming off two straight wins and he was sharp and the trainer is a very good trainer so I knew he would be ready to run,” said winning jockey Isaac Castillo. “I was able to get him to relax early. I wasn't worried about them going a little slow early on because I knew my horse would finish. He loves to run late. I just had to be a little patient and let him finish.

“I tried to stay just outside of (Celestial City) early so I knew where he was the whole time. I know he is a big closer too. We were able to get the jump on him coming out of the turn. I knew he was coming but my horse was good enough.”

Castillo, who will spend Monday at Lone Star Park riding for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, including a mount aboard Presidential in the Texas Derby, won a career-high five races on the 12-race card.

Sent off at 5-1 by the crowd of 12,366, Fuerteventura sat fourth, just outside of Celestial City, through moderate early fractions of :24.11 for the opening quarter and :48.66 to the half set by There Are No Words. Quality G, the 3-5 favorite trained by Todd Pletcher, took over midway through the final turn before Fuerteventura and Celestial City launched their bids.

“I was a little surprised by this because I thought (a mile) would be a bit short for him,” said Thomas. “But it looked like the top flight of horses were doing a little too much. They didn't do it particularly fast but they did do it a little keen. I thought our horse was able to sit a really nice trip and relax. I felt good about our horse being able to relax and then using his turn of foot.

“Isaac Castillo did a great job of keeping (Celestial City) hemmed in and he kind of got out late and was making a furious rally. I thought Isaac rode a really nice race.”

Celestial City, trained by Shug McGaughey, was a half-length better than Quality G, who slipped back to third.

The Kentucky-bred Fuerteventura, owned by Robert V. LaPenta (he also owns Quality G) and his breeder, Brereton C. Jones, could have been had for $30,000 when he broke his maiden on March 19 at Gulfstream Park. He has continued to improve with each start.

“Every start this horse is getting better,” said Thomas. “He's very genuine about what we've asked of him. I like these horses that make these incremental strides forward the way he has.”

Jones bred Fuerteventura from the Smart Strike mare Casanova Striker.

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