Tag: Racing

Godolphin homebred Matareya took control in early stretch and bounded away to win the $400,000 Beaumont Stakes (G3) by open lengths Sunday at Keeneland.

Time for the about seven furlongs for 3-year-old fillies on the track's Beard Course was 1:27.55.

With Flavien Prat aboard for trainer Brad Cox, Matareya rated in second place, about one length back, as Lady Scarlet set the pace through a half mile in :46.61.  Matareya was urged closer as Lady Scarlet held command by just a half-length nearing the home turn, then made her winning move when Prat gave the cue near the three-sixteenths pole. Driving past that rival, she romped away and was geared down in the final stages.

Matareya won by  8 1/2 lengths and improved her record to 3-2-0 from six career starts while notching her first stakes win. The 11-10 favorite, she returned $4.

“She broke really well and rated nice,” Prat said. “I was on cruise control all the way around.

Radio Days, last in the seven-horse field through a half mile, rallied strongly to be up for second, finishing 1 3/4 lengths in front of third-place finisher Reagan's Decision. Lady Scarlet faded to fourth.

Radio Days' rider, Joel Rosario,  said he just took his time with the filly in the early stage.

“I took her inside for a little bit, and she handled everything well and kept running,” he said. “She tried hard and came with a little bit of a run so I'm happy with that.”

Matareya, a Pioneerof the Nile filly, was second in the 6 ½-furlong Fern Creek Stakes last November at Churchill Downs before meeting filly sensation Secret Oath in December in an Oaklawn Park allowance race while trying one mile for the first time. After finishing second, 8 ½ lengths behind Secret Oath, she made her 2022 debut Feb. 26 at Fair Grounds and was returned to sprinting, dominating.  Going 5 1/2 furlongs in allowance company she tallied a  5 1/4-length win after leading wire to wire.

Cox credited the cutback in distance to Matareya's improvement.

“We were hoping she'd go long,” he said. “She trained like she would. Flavien made the comment that he didn't see why she wouldn't. But she's kind of shown us she enjoys the cutback, so we'll probably stick to one turn for now.

“We obviously picked up a Grade 3 today. It's huge for the pedigree (Pioneerof the Nile out of Innovative Idea, by Bernardini) and huge for the broodmare band at (breeder/owner) Godolphin, which is one of the best in the world. It was a big win, so we'll let the dust settle and see how she comes out of it, but those are obviously races we'll look forward to and try to work back from, and – who knows? – maybe try to get her to the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) here at Keeneland this fall.”

The Beaumont offered 17 points as the final stop on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks (G1) on a 10-4-2-1 scale to the first- through fourth-place finishers.

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Cannon Thoroughbreds' Smooth Like Strait, runner-up in the 2021 FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1), headlines a field of 11 horses entered Sunday for the the $600,000 Maker's Mark Mile (G1) Friday at Keeneland.

The Maker's Mark Mile, for 4-year-olds and older on the turf course, will go as the ninth race with a 5:16 p.m. ET post time. First post is 1 p.m.

Trained by Michael McCarthy, Smooth Like Strait will be making his 2022 debut in the Maker's Mark Mile and will have regular rider Umberto Rispoli aboard when he exits post position six.

An earner of more than $1.4 million, Smooth Like Strait compiled a 7-1-5-1 record in 2021 with his losses coming by less than a half-length. His victory came in the Shoemaker Mile (G1).

Smooth Like Strait is not the only Grade 1 winner in the field.

Trainer Paulo Lobo will send Keeneland stakes winners for Bonne Chance Farm and Stud R D I: In Love and Ivar The former won the Keeneland Turf Mile (G1) last fall; the latter took the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) in 2020. Alex Achard will be aboard In Love from post one, and Joe Talamo is on Ivar from post five.

The other Grade 1 winner in the field is Agave Racing Stable and Sam-Son Farm's Count Again, who is coming off a win in the Frank Kilroe Mile in March at Santa Anita for trainer Phil D'Amato. Joel Rosario has the mount from post seven.

The field for the Maker's Mark Mile, with riders from the rail out, is:

1.  In Love (BRZ) (Achard)

2. Shirl's Speight (Luis Saez)

3. Atone (Tyler Gaffalione)

4. Masen (Flavien Prat)

5. Ivar (Talamo)

6. Smooth Like Strait (Rispoli)

7. Count Again (Rosario)

8. Somelikeithotbrown (Jose Ortiz)

9. Set Piece (Florent Geroux)

10. Mira Mission (Julien Leparoux)

11. Public Sector (Irad Ortiz Jr.)

All starters will carry 123 pounds.

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With a dismal performance on dirt now a distant memory,  trainer Phil D'Amato's sensational Irish-bred Going Global remained unbeaten on the Santa Anita turf as she waltzed to a comfortable 1 ¾-length score in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Royal Heroine Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.  Ridden for the first time by Umberto Rispoli, Going Global got a flat mile in 1:33.97.

A measured second, one length off of pacesetter Javanica three furlongs out, Going Global, who typically rallies from off the pace, took command leaving the quarter pole and under a vigorous hand ride, proved much the best.

“Although (it was) a small field, she was very impressive,” said D'Amato, who has now saddled Going Global to win seven of her nine stateside starts.  “She did it very easily.  Umberto got her to relax and she did everything very well today.  That last one on the dirt, that was my mistake.  I should have never run her that day.  She had a nice freshening since then and she responded very well.  We are going to keep her on the grass the rest of the year and see where we are at year's end.”

Sixth, beaten 15 ¼ lengths in the Grade 1 American Oaks, originally scheduled for grass, but switched to a wet-fast main track on Dec. 26, Going Global is now unbeaten in five starts, all stakes, over the Santa Anita lawn.

Off at 1-5 in a field of four older fillies and mares, Going Global, a 4-year-old filly, paid $2.60 and $2.10 with no show wagering.

“She's an unbelievable filly, an incredible score,” said Rispoli, who was aboard for the first time in the Royal Heroine.  “It is not her usual style of running but when the race comes up, sometimes you have to change something.  From my experience, if you have a good horse, you just have to be up there (close to the pace), no matter the field.”

Owned by Dubb, Gevertz, Nentwig, et al, Going Global, who picked up her sixth graded stakes win, is now 13-8-1-0 overall and with the winner's share of $120,000, increased her earnings to $769,292.

Ridden by John Velazquez, Javanica was hustled to the early lead and despite being overtaken by the winner turning for home, kept to her task to finish second by 2 ¼ lengths over another D'Amato Irish-bred, Excelerina.

Off at 8-1, Javanica paid $4.00 to place.

Fractions on the race were 24.59, 48.35, 1:10.86 and 1:22.30.

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Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable, and Gainesway Stable's Wit rallied gamely down the lane to reel in a stubborn Highly Respected and capture the $200,000 Bay Shore Stakes (G3) by a nose at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, who earlier on the card captured the Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) with Mo Donegal, Wit was sent to post as the lukewarm 2-1 favorite in his seasonal debut and did not disappoint.

“The wins get better every year,” said co-owner Mike Repole. “It's a track I've been coming so since I was 13-years-old, and 40 years later, winning graded stakes here is really special. I –100% – thought we lost; it was a special win. Todd and I have been friends for a long time now. It's a lot of fun.”

Jose Ortiz, a three-time winner on the card including with Nostalgic in the Gazelle Stakes (G3), guided Wit into a stalking position in fifth as Fromanothamutha led the field through a half-mile in :22.21 and the half-mile in :45.55 over the fast main track.

Wit made a menacing wide move approaching the turn to the outside of Scaramouche and Highly Respected, the latter of which spurted between rivals mid-turn to take command from the fading leader with a bold move under Manny Franco.

Highly Respected opened up a two-length advantage at the stretch call as Ortiz went to work aboard a determined Wit, who found another gear late and closed to notch a nose win in a final time of 1:23.27.

Ortiz said Wit, who was hampered by slow starts last year, has improved his gate habits.

“Off the bench, Pletcher had him ready, which was the most important thing. I went to Palm Beach Downs last week to work him out of the gate,” Ortiz said. “His problem last year was he was immature inside the gate and he would stand there awkwardly and break slow. As a 3-year-old, he's more mature and he's breaking better. He was sitting in a beautiful spot today. Approaching the quarter pole, Manny slipped through the hole and I thought he got me. But my horse showed his class. He was well trained and he was ready.”

Byron Hughes, Pletcher's New York-based assistant, praised the winning ride from Ortiz.

“He broke well today and Jose kept him in the clear and was very patient at the top of the stretch,” Hughes said. “He was able to get the nose down in the last jump. It looked like he got a good bob but I wasn't 100% sure that we got the win.”

Franco said the lightly raced Highly Respected can only improve.

“My horse ran really well second time out. He's still a baby and I think he has a bright future ahead of him,” Franco said.

It was a further 4 1/2-lengths back to Life Is Great in third with Dean's List, Scaramouche, Juggler, Fromanothamutha and Outkissed rounding out the order of finish. Runninsonofagun and Doctor Jeff were scratched.

Wit, by Practical Joke, was purchased for $575,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He graduated on debut in June at Belmont Park and followed with an eight-length romp in the Grade 3 Sanford at Saratoga Race Course. The talented dark bay closed out his juvenile campaign with on-the-board Grade 1 efforts in the Hopeful in September at Saratoga and the Champagne in October at Belmont.

Bred in Kentucky by Rosilyn Polan, Wit banked $110,000 in victory while improving his record to 5-3-1-1. He returned $6.

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