Tag: Racing

Bobby Flay's homebred Pizza Bianca, upset winner of the 2021 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1), swept to the lead down the center of the track and pulled clear for a 1 ¾-length triumph in Friday's $100,000 Hilltop at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

The 50th running of the Hilltop for 3-year-old fillies going one mile on the grass was the second of six stakes, four graded, worth $1.05 million in purses on a sensational 14-race Black-Eyed Susan (G2) Day program headlined by the 98th edition of the 1 1/8-mile fixture for 3-year-old fillies.

Racing for just the second time since her Breeders' Cup upset last November, Pizza Bianca was unhurried in the early stages settling sixth under Florent Geroux as Murph took the field through splits of 23.31 and 47.56 seconds pressed by Pizza Bianca's Christophe Clement-trained stablemate, Diamond Hands.

Murph was still in front turning for home when Geroux gave Pizza Bianca her cue, tipping her to the outside around horses and setting her down for a drive through the stretch. She passed the wire in 1:36.54 over a firm course, 1 ¾ lengths ahead of Diamond Hands, who held off Vergara by a head for second. It was another neck back to Lady Puchi in fourth.

Determined Gold, Murph, Hail To and Determined Star completed the order of finish.

Pizza Bianca broke her maiden last summer at Saratoga before running second in the Natalma (G1) at Woodbine in her stakes debut. She was given the winter off following her half-length triumph in the Breeders' Cup, returning to be second as the favorite in the Memories of Silver April 24 at Aqueduct.

It was the first Hilltop victory for the New York-based Clement, while Geroux previously won the race in 2016 with Gone Away.

The Hilltop is a shortened version of Pimlico's long-standing nickname, Old Hilltop, in recognition of a large infield hill prominent for viewing races. The hill was leveled in 1938.

$100,000 Hilltop Quotes

Winning owner Bobby Flay, Pizza Bianca: “[Jockey] Jose [Ortiz] did exactly what we were hoping for. She broke; he kind of put her to sleep around the track; asked her a little bit; and she performed very nice. Really, a sigh of relief, but also just a beautiful performance.”

“When you are 2-5 you just want to fire. I'm always nervous, but she performed very nicely. It was nice to see.”

(Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot in June is next)

“I ran in that race in 2011 with More Than Real. She didn't run that well, but it doesn't matter. It was an amazing experience. To me, this is what this is all about. These horses can take you on experiences of a lifetime.”

Winning jockey Jose Ortiz, Pizza Bianca: “The flow of the race was way different from last time [in Memories of Silver at Aqueduct]. Last time, it was a much slower pace. They went in :50 [for the half-mile], and she was pretty close and I had to move a little early, three wide. I think today was much better – the way she wants to run: sit back, let the speed develop and come with one run.”

“Honestly, down the backside, they went a little bit too fast early on. I felt I was in a perfect position. I knew from the five-eighths pole that I was sitting on a lot of horse. I felt very confident from that point.”

“She ran a very good race last time off the bench. It was a pretty tough deal. She was ready, just got beat. But I think it was circumstances of the race that got her beat. She was a little keen off the layoff. Today, she was more relaxed. I sat on her out of the gate, just to let her know that we weren't going anywhere close to the pace.”

The post Hilltop Score Serves As Royal Ascot Tuneup For Pizza Bianca appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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A horse claimed by the Mike Maker barn completed a career turnaround, and earned herself a breakthrough graded stakes victory.

Stop us if you've heard this one before.

This time around, it was Lady Scarlet, picked up through the claim box last November for $150,000, who earned her first graded score on Friday at Pimlico Race Course, unleashing a devastating turn of foot to take the Grade 3 Miss Preakness Stakes.

The daughter of Union Rags broke alertly in the six-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies, and settled on the inside path under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., as post time favorite Happy Soul rushed out to the early lead, chased in second by Gimmick. The lead duo were well clear across the backstretch, going through an opening quarter in :23.01, allowing Ortiz to take Lady Scarlet off the rail and position her on the outside as they went through the turn.

Happy Soul and Gimmick continued to battle in the bend, and they drew even at the top of the stretch after a half-mile in :45.58 while Lady Scarlet loomed on the outside and entered the fold at the three-sixteenths pole. Under left-handed urging by Ortiz, Lady Scarlet carried that momentum past the early leaders, and drew off to cross the wire 3 3/4 lengths ahead of Happy Soul. Gimmick was another length behind in third.

Lady Scarlet stopped the clock in 1:10.07 over a fast main track. She paid $7.40 to win as the field's second choice.

Friday's victory improved Lady Scarlet's record to four wins in nine career starts for earnings of $303,530. It was her third win on the season, after taking a February optional claiming race at Oaklawn Park, and earning her first black type with a victory in the Cicada Stakes at Aqueduct in March. She entered the Miss Preakness off a fourth-place effort in the G3 Beaumont Stakes last month at Keeneland.

Maker saddled the winner for owners Paradise Farms and David Staudacher. The Preakness weekend cards have been good for the trainer, who won four graded stakes during last year's Friday and Saturday cards: the G3 Pimlico Special Match Series Stakes with Last Judgment; the G2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes with Army Wife; the G3 Maryland Sprint Match Series Stakes with Special Reserve; and the G2 Dinner Party Stakes with Somelikeithotbrown.

Lady Scarlet was bred in Kentucky by Popatop LLC, who initially campaigned the filly. She is out of the winning Include mare Exclude.

Quotes courtesy of Maryland Jockey Club notes team:

Winning trainer Mike Maker, Lady Scarlet: “We left it up to [jockey] Irad [Ortiz Jr.] to be creative. If they hooked up on the lead, so be it. If they gave it [the lead] to us, so be it. I think she can go either way. She's won on the lead before, and she's won from coming off it. So, it worked out perfectly. I think she's a good horse and there's plenty of races out there.”

(On claiming Lady Scarlet for $150,000) “It sounds like a lot, which it is, but with the purse structure that there is, the prices of horses has gone up.”

Winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., Lady Scarlet: “I got a perfect trip. She broke good from a great position. I waited for the time to roll, and she did very well. She did everything right, everything perfect. They went out a little fast and I was right there behind them and waited for the time to go. I had plenty left.”

Jockey John Velazquez (Happy Soul): “She broke good and got a good position. I don't think she ran her 'A' race today. Last time out, she was flat. Today, she was mad but she wasn't herself.”

The post Lady Scarlet Blows By Rivals In Miss Preakness Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Stilleto Boy seeks his first Grade 1 victory and trainer Ed Moger Jr. his second in the $400,000 Hollywood Gold Cup for 3-year-olds and up at a mile and a quarter on Memorial Day, Monday, May 30.

A four-year-old gelded son of Shackleford, Stilleto Boy is scheduled to work Monday for the Gold Cup, according to Ed, 66, who trains the chestnut for his younger brother, owner Steve.

Winner of the G2 Californian in front-running fashion April 30, Stilleto Boy worked a half-mile in 50 seconds May 16 under leading jockey Juan Hernandez, who rides in the Gold Cup.

“He's only won three races in his life, so a Grade 1 win would be significant for the horse as well me,” said Moger, whose only previous Grade 1 victory came when Stormy Lucy owned by his brother stunned 13 rivals at 65-1 in Del Mar's 2015 Matriarch, getting up by a head under a classic ride by Kent Desormeaux.

“It was a perfect ride and we wouldn't have won without a perfect ride like that,” Moger reflected. “He's a great rider.”

As to strategy for the Gold Cup, Moger said Stilleto Boy is “a good horse. We're not going to send him or anything. We'll get him out there, get him into the race and play it by ear.

“In the Californian (which had a four-horse field), I told Juan to kind of hustle him into the race, and then just play it by ear.

“He got a pretty easy lead and that's how it was, but I think his best races have been when he's halfway close to the pace (although he did win twice wire-to-wire before the Californian).”

Humility aside, Ed gives “all of the credit” to Steve for buying Stilleto Boy with the highest bid of $420,000 last July at the Fasig-Tipton Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale.

Ed has a laudatory resume of his own, however, with more than 1,900 victories as a presence in both Northern and Southern California going on half a century. He began training in 1976.

Prior to his victory in the Californian, Stilleto Boy was third in three straight Grade 1's, the Santa Anita Handicap presented by Yaamava' Resort & Casino, the Pegasus World Cup Invitational presented by 1/ST BET and the Runhappy Malibu Stakes.

Before those races, he was fifth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic and second in the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes.

Overall, Stilleto Boy has a 3-3-6 record from 15 starts with earnings of $1,031,175.

The post Stilleto Boy Eyeing First Grade 1 Win In Memorial Day’s Hollywood Gold Cup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Trainer Wayne Catalano expressed interest in a trip to New York with reigning Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Aloha West, eyeing a possible start in the Grade 1, $1 million Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 11 at Belmont Park.

Owned by Aron Wellman's Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, the Maryland-bred son of Hard Spun made his 5-year-old debut when third in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs on the May 7 Kentucky Derby undercard.

Aloha West broke from the rail and maintained close inside position down the backstretch as Jackie's Warrior led the field gate-to-wire. With Jackie's Warrior well clear in the stretch drive, Aloha West battled with Reinvestment Risk and just missed second by one length.

“He went on the dead rail and got pushed a little early,” Catalano said. “It was a tough race. The only horse that went up the rail the last eighth of the mile was the Derby winner [Rich Strike]. From what I saw, everyone else was on the middle of the racetrack.”

The Met Mile is expected to come up tough with undefeated Grade 1-winner Flightline targeting the prestigious stallion-making race. Speaker's Corner, who registered a 114 Beyer Speed Figure in the Grade 1 Carter at Aqueduct, also is targeting the Met Mile.

Prior to his Breeders' Cup Sprint score in November, Aloha West was a two-time allowance optional claiming winner at Saratoga, where Catalano said he plans on sending a handful of horses for the upcoming 2022 meet. Aloha West has posted a 10-5-2-1 record with earnings in excess of $1.3 million.

The post Breeders’ Cup Sprint Winner Aloha West May Target Met Mile appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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