Tag: Racing

Tsunebumi and Sekie Yoshihara's Yuugiri worked five furlongs in 1:01.60 in company with Great Escape on a fast main track at Keeneland Sunday morning as she continued preparations for the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) May 6 at Churchill Downs.

With jockey Flavien Prat pinch-hitting for Florent Geroux, who rode at Oaklawn Park Saturday afternoon, Fantasy Stakes (G3) winner Yuugiri broke off at the half-mile pole and recorded fractions of :24.20 and :48.40 in the move that occurred at 7:40 a.m. (ET) after the first track maintenance break.

“She did it very easy,” said Prat, who will ride undefeated UAE Oaks (G3) winner Shahama in the Kentucky Oaks. “I was very happy with the work.”

The work was the second since the Fantasy for Yuugiri, who breezed a half-mile in :50 at Keeneland April 16.

Trainer Rodolphe Brisset's wife, Brooke, oversaw the work for her husband, who was traveling back from Oaklawn.

“We got what we wanted this morning,” Brooke said, adding that Yuugiri would work again here next Sunday morning, have a walk day on Monday and ship to Churchill Downs for the Oaks. At Churchill last fall, Yuugiri made her first three career starts with a victory and two runner-up finishes in stakes.

Jeff Drown's Toyota Blue Grass (G1) winner Zandon left Keeneland Sunday morning for the short van ride to Churchill Downs and a start in the $3 million Kentucky Derby (G1) May 7.

Zandon worked a half-mile in :48.60 at Keeneland Saturday morning.

Trainer Chad Brown said the colt would have his final Derby work Saturday.

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Surging into history with another remarkable performance, Romantic Warrior has capped an unlikely ascent from obscurity to stardom for trainer Danny Shum and jockey Karis Teetan with a stunning FWD QEII Cup (G1) victory Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse.

The QEII Cup was one of a trio of Group 1 races anchoring FWD Champions Day at the Hong Kong track with favorites prevailing in each. Along with Romantic Warrior in the QE II Cup, Golden Sixty took the FWD Champions Mile and Wellington won the Chairman's Sprint Prize.

Joining Werther (2016), Designs On Rome (2014), Ambitious Dragon (2011), and Vengeance Of Rain (2005) in completing the Hong Kong Derby-QEII Cup double, Romantic Warrior crowned an unlikely advance – in the span of eight starts–from Class 4 company at Happy Valley Racecourse in October to Group 1 success against Hong Kong's elite stayers.

A 4-year-old Acclamation gelding, Romantic Warrior scored a scintillating two-length success Sunday over Tourbillon Diamond and Panfield in 2:00.13 for 2,000 meters (about 1 ¼ miles).

Guided from trouble while fourth behind a stop-start tempo to the 800-meter mark, Romantic Warrior angled into clear running in the straight and was never seriously challenged, powering over the final 400 meters in a quick :22.62 to cap a wondrous first season.

Romantic Warrior's lone career defeat in eight starts came in the Hong Kong Classic Cup in February when caught wide and fourth behind California Spangle.

“I feel great and happy to see the horse steadily improve and I've always loved his manner, but his manner is getting better and better,” Shum said. “He's very easy to train. He's a very nice horse. He's a superstar.”

Selected by former Irish champion jockey Michael Kinane at the 2019 Tattersalls October yearling sale at Newmarket, where he sold to the Hong Kong Jockey Club for 300,000 guineas, Romantic Warrior was purchased in 2021 by owner Peter Lau for HK$4.8 million at the Hong Kong International Sale. His dam is the Street Cry mare Folk Melody, a daughter of Canadian Grade 1 winner Folk Opera.

In the Champions Mile, reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year Golden Sixty became Hong Kong's all-time leading money winner.

Sealing his sixth Group 1 in the process for jockey Vincent Ho and trainer Francis Lui, Golden Sixty enhanced his all-time bank to HK$113,400,600 with HK$11.4 million for first place today, surpassing the mantle of HK$106,233,750 previously held by Beauty Generation.

Staring from gate two, Golden Sixty settled in fourth spot on the rail as California Spangle led the field under Zac Purton.

In the straight, jockey Ho pulled the 6-year-old Medgalia d'Oro gelding out and in the blink of an eye he had the race shot to bits as California Spangle battled bravely for second, beaten by only two lengths while Excellent Proposal filled third.

“He did well. He traveled comfortably and actually when Zac steadied the pace a little bit he started to travel a bit keen but he is strong enough and brave enough to push through that gap and run them down easily,” Ho said.

Sunday's victory marks Golden Sixty's 21st, achieved across 24 starts in Hong Kong.

“He still wanted to slow down a bit the last couple of strides but he did amazing,” Ho said if Golden Sixty, who was produced by the Distorted Humor mare Gaudeamus.

Golden Sixty – in the silks of owner Stanley Chan – clocked a winning time of 1:32.81.

Also on Sunday, Wellington joined one of the most select clubs in Hong Kong racing's fabled speed division Sunday when running out a dominant winner of the Chairman's Sprint Prize under Alexis Badel.

Trainer Richard Gibson's powerful 5-year-old All Too Hard gelding, who captured the coveted prize with a striking turn of foot in 2021, was bidding to join Mr Vitality, Fairy King Prawn, Silent Witness, Sacred Kingdom, Dim Sum, and Lucky Nine as a dual winner of Hong Kong's final Group 1 dash of the season in recent years.

Only Mr Vitality, Silent Witness, and Lucky Nine had landed the prize in successive years since 1995 but Wellington emulated them with a clinical performance which left Badel beaming and Gibson hailing “equine brilliance” as Hong Kong racing took a significant step towards pre-pandemic normality with owners back at the races for the first time since January 12.

Wellington was ridden with characteristic confidence by Badel and settled comfortably in fifth through a strong opening quarter of :23.36 set by the freewheeling Kurpany.

Computer Patch nosed ahead briefly with 300 meters to run, followed by Sight Success, but Badel had both moves covered in a flash and Wellington stormed past them with ears pricked to win by 1 ¼ lengths 1:08.09 for 1,200 meters (about six furlongs).

Wellington, produced by the More Than Ready mare Mihiri, has won 10 of his 16 starts while earning more than HK$40 million in prize money.

“Today was really the day when champions were at their best and, with the support of our sponsor FWD, I would describe the day as a great success and a restart of the vibrancy of Hong Kong racing with it no longer being staged behind closed doors,” said Hong Kong Jockey Club's Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges.

“I would like to thank the Hong Kong government for allowing us to keep racing and also for giving us permission to have owners back at the track today. We look forward to being able to welcome back our members and members of the public to join us at the track.”

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Lightly regarded Last Samurai scored an emphatic open-length victory in the $1 million Oaklawn Handicap (G2) Saturday at Oaklawn Park.

The 4-year-old son of Malibu Moon pulled a 12-1 upset, scoring by four lengths with Jon Court aboard and covered the 1 1/8 miles for older runners in 1:49.32 on a fast track. He returned $27.

After setting the early pace–:23.94 for the opening quarter and :48.34 for a half mile–Last Samurai lost his advantage to Plainsman on the backstretch and raced in third. Saving ground on the final turn, he trust his head in front when straightening for home and drew clear.

Fearless, the 6-5 favorite who was second in last year's edition of the race, finished second again, and Plainsman finished third after relinquishing command to the Last Samurai in the stretch, then was outfinished by a neck for second. He was two lengths in front of 2021 Arkansas Derby (G1) winner Super Stock in fourth.

“He had a good break,” Court said of Last Samurai. “We knew speed had been tough today and he's capable of laying up there. We were able to dictate a pace that we were comfortable with and finished well in front. I love it when a plan comes together like that.”

Trained by Dallas Stewart for Willis Horton Racing, Last Samurai earned the $600,000 winner's share of the Oaklawn purse while improving his career line to 4-3-2 from 15 starts and lifetime earnings of $946,744. He has one other stakes win on his resume, the Poinsettia Stakes last December at Oaklawn.

Last Samurai  was cutting back to 1 1/8 miles after finishing second, beaten a neck by millionaire graded stakes winner Lone Rock last time out in the listed Temperence Hill Stakes at 1 ½ miles April 3 at the Hot Springs, Ark. track.

“We had a little setback with him,” Stewart said. “We missed a little time with him, but we got back on track in that mile and a half (Temperence Hill Stakes). It was a really a courageous race against a nice horse (Lone Rock). He just came out of the race so good, out of that mile and a half, and came with a good work and just preceded on from there. Such a nice horse. Hopefully, he'll have a big year.

“We just wanted to get a little position. Jon (Court) did a good job judging the pace, :48 (for a half mile) wasn't that bad, laying off of them, but not that far off. It's never a bad thing to get out of the gates and get around the first turn at Oaklawn without getting wacked around. Seems like that happens a lot, but he did a good job. Inside post, held his position, not going too fast, big horse, kept him in stride and came home good.”

Last Samurai's victory marked the second straight in the Oaklawn Handicap for Willis Horton of Marshall, Ark. following the win last year by Silver State, owned in partnership.

Bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, Last Samurai was produced by the First Samurai mare Lady Samuri.

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Channel Maker, a former U.S. and Canadian champion, halted a seven-race winless skid when drawing clear late and holding on to capture the $350,000 Elkhorn Stakes (G2) Saturday at Keeneland.

Luis Saez guided the 8-year-old son of English Channel to a 1 ¼ length triumph over Another Mystery, who was gaining on the winner in the closing stages but had to settle for second.

Bemma's Boy was a half length back in third in the field of eight older runners. Favorite Two Emmys finished seventh after setting the pace for the first half mile.

Channel Maker finished 1 1/2 miles in 2:27.10 on firm turf, eclipsing the previous stakes mark of 2:27.84 established by African Dancer in 1999. The victory marked his first return to a winner's circle since taking the 2020 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park.

Two Emmys sprinted to the lead out of the gate with Channel Maker sitting right off his flank through fractions of :25.13, :49.53, and 1:14.05 through six furlongs.

Going into the far turn, Tiberius Mercurius moved through an opening to the inside of Two Emmys to quicken the pace to reach the mile in 1:37.91. Channel Maker joined the top two with a three-wide move, surged to the front turning for home, and was never threatened in the run to the wire.

“He's pretty tricky, but I rode him a couple times before and learned a lot from him,” Saez said after the Elkhorn win. “He used to run on the lead, but we decided last night to take him a little from behind, so the key today was to break and let the 3 horse (Two Emmys) go because we knew that was the speed in the race. So I sat right there at his shoulder, and when we came to the top of the stretch it was all about him.”

Channel Maker, who is trained by Bill Mott, had not raced since finishing fifth in the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) last November at Del Mar. He came into Saturday's race having previously raced on the Keeneland turf course, finishing third in the 2020 Breeders' Cup Turf.

With the Elkhorn win, Channel Maker's record improves to 8-6-5 from 44 lifetime starts and earnings of $3,595,576. He was the U.S. champion turf male of 2020 and landed Canada's Sovereign Award as champion 3-year-old male in 2017.

An Ontario-bred out of the Horse Chestnut mare In Return, he was bred by Tall Oaks Farm and is campaigned by Wachtel Stable, Gary Barber, R. A. Hill Stable, and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing

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