Tag: Racing

Stars on Earth picked up her second classic success Sunday at Tokyo Racecourse with her victory in the Oka Sho (G1) (Japanese 1,000 Guineas).

Following a delay due to a loose horse prior to the scheduled start, third favorite Stars on Earth was unhurried after a smooth break and rated in midfield around ninth or tenth position.

Christophe Lemaire guided the dark bay slightly to the outside where she made her bid along the center lane, closing the gap on the leaders with every stride as a fierce battle for the lead took place in front in the last 200 meters. But grabbing the lead 100 meters out, Stars on Earth pulled away strongly to secure her second jewel of the fillies' Triple Crown by 1 1/4 lengths.

Stars on Earth finished the 2,400 meters (about 1 ½ miles) in  2:23.90, becoming the 16th horse to win the first two legs of the series.

She won the first leg of the Triple Crown, the Oka Sho (G1) (Japanese 1,000 Guineas), April 10 at Hanshin Racecourse. The final leg of the series, the Shuka Sho (G1), is run at 2,000 meters (about 1 ¼ miles) and is set for October 16 at Hanshin Racecourse. Six fillies have sweep the series, including undefeated Daring Tact in 2020.

“The filly was in great condition coming into the race, but it requires a lot of effort to start from an outside draw, so I was easy with her in early,” Lemaire said after Sunday's victory aboard Stars on Earth. “She stayed calm and responded really well in the closing stages so I was happy. It was her first attempt at 2,400 meters but her pedigree showed that she should be up in terms of stamina so I thought it shouldn't be a problem. She's already won at 1,600 meters (about one mile) and shown to handle 2,400 meters, so I think she has a pretty good chance to win her third (Group 1) triple over 2,000 meters.”

Tenth pick Stunning Rose was nicely positioned along the rails around fifth, angled out slightly for the stretch run and turned in a fine turn of foot to lead briefly at the 200-meter mark but was unable to match the strong finishing speed of the winner who quickly overtook her from the outside. She held on for second.

Fourth choice Namur secured an inside position behind Stunning Rose after a good break then was eased further back to mid-division along the backstretch with a good view of the eventual winner on her outside.

Staying to the inside coming into the final turn, Namur closed in rapidly and rallied with the top two finishers in the last 100 meters but was unable to sustain her bid in the last strides, finishing third.

Race favorite Circle of Life showed frustration and lost momentum due to the start delay, missed a beat coming out of the gate and trailed at the very rear for most of the trip. Still with a lot of ground to cover coming into the straight, the Epiphaneia filly failed to find her usual turn of speed finishing a dull 12th.

Trained by Mizuki Takayanagi, Stars on Earth is a daughter of Duramente out of Southern Stars, by Smart Strike. She was bred by Shadai Farm and is campaigned by Shadai Race Horse Co.

The post Stars On Earth Sparkles in Japanese Oaks To Secure Two-Thirds Of Fillies’ Triple Crown appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The Elkstone Group's Maryland homebred Joe, a multiple stakes winner on dirt, made the successful transition to the turf with a hard-fought neck victory in the $100,000 James W. Murphy Stakes, and Team Hanley and Parkland Thoroughbreds' Joy's Rocket scored a dominant 4 ¼-length triumph in the $100,000 Skipat Stakes Saturday on the Preakness Stakes undercard at Pimlico Race Course.

Briefly under consideration for the Preakness following his victory in the April 16 Federico Tesio at Laurel Park, Joe ($5) was instead redirected to the Murphy by Elkstone's Stuart Grant and trainer Michael Trombetta. A Declaration of War colt out of the Arch mare Battle Bridge, he had tried turf once before when he was fifth in a 5 ½-furlong sprint in his career debut last October.

In the Murphy, regular rider Victor Carrasco rated Joe in sixth along the rail inside Crabs N Beer as Uncaptured Spirit and 30-1 long shot Epic Luck dueled up front through splits of :22.85 and :45.85, with Local Motive and Ready to Purrform – both previous stakes winners in Maryland – leading the second flight.

Advancing strongly and still with plenty of horse, Carrasco maintained his inside position until midway around the far turn when he tipped out to split Uncaptured Spirit and Ready to Purrform and straightened for home with a short lead. Ready to Purrform ranged up on their outside and the two horses raced stride-for-stride through the stretch with Joe getting clear late.

Crabs N Beer was third, 2 ¼ lengths behind the runner-up, followed by Uncaptured Spirit, Determined Kingdom, Shake Em Loose, Local Motive and Epic Luck. The winning time was 1:35.26 over a firm course.

Joe – named for Grant's friend U.S. President Joe Biden – was named Maryland's champion 2-year-old male for 2021 after breaking his maiden and winning the Maryland Juvenile in mid-December at Laurel Park. This year, he won his two-turn debut in a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance Jan. 23 and was second to Shake Em Loose in the Private Terms prior to his Tesio victory.

It was the first Murphy win for Carrasco. Trombetta previously won the Murphy in 2016 with Marengo Road.

The James W. Murphy pays homage to the late trainer that won nearly 1,400 races and more than 50 stakes and $24 million in purses starting in 1965. He was named the MTHA's Trainer of the Year in 2006, three years before he died at age 82.

In the Skipat, Joy's Rocket, winless in her previous eight starts that included four second-place finishes, looked like a winner all the way around historic Pimlico.

It was the second stakes victory of the day for jockey Joel Rosario and Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, who combined to take the $150,000 Maryland Sprint (G3) with Jaxon Traveler. The pair also teamed with Kentucky Derby (G1) runner-up Epicenter, who later on the card was second in the $1.5 million Preakness Stakes (G1).

Joy's Rocket broke running and was quickly joined up front by 2-1 favorite Cilla as they went a quarter-mile in :22.57 with Time Limit, a stakes winner in Maryland to open her 2022 season, positioned to the outside in third. Time Limit moved up to second after a half in :45.06 and loomed a threat approaching the stretch, when Joy's Rocket began to steadily edge clear under a hand ride to win in 1:09.76 over a fast main track.

Fillie d'Esprit made a belated move on the outside to get up for second, 1 ½ lengths ahead of Time Limit. Cinnabunny, Cilla, Oxana, Glory Dia and Street Lute, an eight-time stakes winner making her second start of the year, completed the order of finish.

Joy's Rocket had not won since taking the Letellier Memorial in December 2020 at Fair Grounds for her third stakes victory in five starts. The 4-year-old filly was 0-for-5 in 2021 with three seconds, including a head loss in the Raven Run (G2) at Keeneland. She was runner-up to Southern Grayce in an April 30 optional claimer at Oaklawn Park.

Bred in Connecticut, Skipat won 26 of 45 career races over six years, earning $614,215 between 1977 and 1981. Two of her wins came in the Barbara Fritchie (G3), in 1979 and 1981, the latter coming the year after she had been retired and bred and brought back to the races.

The post Maryland-Bred Joe Captures James W. Murphy; Joy’s Rocket Wires Skipat On Preakness Undercard appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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