Tag: Racing

Trainer Christopher Davis will saddle American Sanctuary Saturday at Gulfstream Park with the hope that the son of American Freedom will finally get a clear run in the $100,000 Hutcheson Stakes at the Hallandale Beach, Fla., track.

Dare to Dream Stable LLC's American Sanctuary has had troubled runs – sometimes of his own doing – in his last four races, most recently in the Nov. 6 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Del Mar.

“He had some time trouble last year, unfortunately, in a bunch of his races. Starting with his first stake in Iowa right up to the Breeders Cup,” Davis said. “He's had some tough goes.”

The Hutcheson, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds, is featured on Saturday's program along with the $100,000 Any Limit, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies, and the $100,000 Silks Run, a five-furlong turf dash for older horses.

American Sanctuary graduated in his second career start at Prairie Meadows last July following a fourth-place finish in his debut over Arlington Park's all-weather surface. He hasn't had a clear run since. Making his stakes debut at six furlongs in his third start, American Sanctuary finished second after being bumped at the start and was forced to race three-wide. In the mile Sapling at Monmouth, he was herded four-wide in the stretch before finishing second. In the 1 1/16-mile Breeders' Futurity, he closed to finish a creditable fourth after stumbling at the start and twice racing in traffic.

“He stumbled out of the gate and was last in the Breeders' Futurity. He made a huge run up the rail and took all the dirt,” Davis said. “He came running. It's just hard to get home when you're 17 lengths back in a Grade 1.”

A slow start resulted in a seventh-place finish in the 1 1/16-mile Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

“He was second in two stakes with troubled trips and he finished fourth in a Grade 1 with an extremely troubled trip. I think he's right there with any of these horses,” Davis said. “Obviously, he's going to have to step up. Hopefully, he matured, like I think he has.”

American Sanctuary has pleased his trainer with his training and physical growth since his juvenile finale.

“He's come back better than he was last year. He's bigger, stronger. He seems like he's going in the right direction,” Davis said. “The Hutcheson might be a touch short for him. He's won going short, but against mediocre 2-year-olds. The ultimate game with him I think is the farther the better. We'll run in this race to get the year started and then point to bigger and better things.”

Jose Ortiz is slated to ride American Sanctuary for the first time.

Spendthrift Farm LLC and My Racehorse's Provocateur is set to make his first start at Gulfstream in the Hutcheson following a pair of solid efforts at Tampa Bay Downs, where he broke his maiden and finished second in the seven-furlong Pasco.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher gave the call aboard to son of Into Mischief to Irad Ortiz Jr.

William and Corinne Heiligbrodt and Spendthrift Farm LLC's Cattin enters the Hutcheson off a third-place finish in the Pasco. The Ralph Nicks-trained son of Neolithic had previously won the six-furlong Inaugural at Tampa Bay Downs.

R. A. Hill Stable, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Spedale Family Racing LLC's Nitrous Channel is set to make his anxiously awaited return from an eye-catching debut score at Gulfstream Park Feb. 5. The George Weaver-trained son of Nyquist romped to a 2 ¼-length victory at six-furlongs under Tyler Gaffalione, who has the return mount Saturday.

R.T. Racing Stable's Golden Juan, who finished third in the Feb. 18 Armed Forces over the Tapeta surface, is set for a return to the Gulfstream main track, over which he won his first two starts.

Inoel Beato, a Mid-Atlantic-based jockey, has been named to ride the son of Fed Biz.

Peacock Stable's Sport Pepper and Daniel Pita's Desert Ruler round out the field.

The post Trouble-Prone American Sanctuary Looking For Clean Trip In Hutcheson appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Deborah Greene and Hamilton Smith's Luna Belle will attempt to stretch her talent beyond a sprint for the first time as she goes after a fourth consecutive stakes victory in Saturday's $100,000 Beyond the Wire at Laurel Park.

The 34th running of the one-mile Beyond the Wire for 3-year-old fillies is among five stakes worth $450,000 in purses on an 11-race program, co-headlined by the $100,000 Private Terms for 3-year-olds.

First race post time is 12:40 p.m.

Named last month as Maryland's champion 2-year-old filly of 2021, Luna Belle was bred by Greene and her late father, Fred Greene Jr., and is based with Smith at Laurel. The Great Notion filly is two-for-two at 3, winning the six-furlong Xtra Heat Jan. 29 and seven-furlong Wide Country Feb. 19 by nine combined lengths.

The Beyond the Wire is a stepping stone to the 1 1/16-mile Weber City Miss April 16 at Laurel, a 'Win and In' qualifier for the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) May 20 at historic Pimlico Race Course.

“The way she ran her last race going seven-eighths, it looks like she can handle the mile pretty easy. The distance is something I've been hoping she can do all along. I prefer a route horse over a sprinter any day,” Smith said. “The way they've got the program set up here it's really good for a young horse. You start out going three-quarters, then seven-eighths, then go a mile and right on up the ladder. It gives a young horse a chance to mature and everything.”

Luna Belle had to overcome some traffic trouble in her most recent start, where she broke a step slow and then had to steady in tight quarters leaving the backstretch. Jockey Denis Araujo weaved his way between horses to the outside where Luna Belle unleashed a powerful kick to pass her rivals.

“She ran into trouble the last time going into the turn and [Araujo] had to take her up two or three times. She had to overcome all that and still won pretty impressively,” Smith said. “That was, by far, her best race from what she's done so far.”

Smith said they have been approached several times about selling Luna Belle, a filly who began her career with a pair of turf starts before breaking her maiden by six furlongs last August sprinting six furlongs in 1:09.89 on the main track at Colonial Downs, where Smith was leading trainer in 2021.

“When I first ran her on the dirt down at Colonial Downs and she broke her maiden running [1:09] and change, and I knew I had a filly that could really run,” Smith said. “Some people say that the track's fast down there, but she still ran nine and change and for maiden 2-year-old to run like that I thought was pretty impressive.

“Deborah is having a lot of fun with her and she's had a lot good offers to sell, but she doesn't want to sell. I'm right along with her,” he added. “She's having fun and like she says, if you sell her you can get the money and try to go buy one and hope they're as good as she is, so we might as well as have fun with the one we've got. So, that's what we're doing.”

Araujo, aboard for each race during the streak, rides back from Post 7 in a field of eight.

No Guts No Glory Farm's homebred Mama G's Wish is entered to make her stakes debut off four straight wins for owner-trainer John 'Jerry' Robb. She has won from 5 ½ to seven furlongs during her streak, all with stable rider Xavier Perez up, who gets the return call from Post 2.

“She seems to be on the improve pretty good here lately. She's won four in a row and she's as good as she can get right now so now would be the time to take a shot,” Robb said. “The mile I'm not sure about, but there's no reason why she shouldn't be able to go a mile.”

Robb leads Laurel's winter meet with 21 wins, one more than Maryland's five-time defending overall champion Claudio Gonzalez. Both are looking for their first stakes win of the year.

“Things have fallen right into place for us. I've had the right races go and the right type of racetrack each time,” Robb said. “A lot of horses were coming back fresh. It's all just lined up in the stars for once. You've got to get it while you can because there's going to come a time when you have to stop.”

Trainer Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon entered the pair of Click to Confirm and Red Wine Time. Mi Patria Racing's Click to Confirm was claimed for $25,000 last fall at Laurel and has hit the board in five of seven subsequent starts with one win, a third in the Nov. 13 Smart Halo and back-to-back seconds going one mile in her two most recent efforts. She also ran sixth to Luna Belle in the Maryland Juvenile Fillies in mid-December.

“She's doing great,” Sanchez-Salomon said. “She's been running her guts out lately going long, which is I think what she likes. That's what she wants to do.”

J R Sanchez Racing Stable's Red Wine Time will be making her first start since being claimed for $10,000 out of a 5 ¾-length debut win March 5 at Laurel, where she fell behind by a dozen lengths after a quarter mile and continued to trail the field through four furlongs before rallying.

“When I claimed that filly, a lot of people were going to go in for her and then everybody backed out. I went in myself and I got her. She was very, very impressive,” Sanchez-Salomon said. “I think I've got a nice filly. I just had to work on her. She had some back end problems but I think I've got her in the right spot.”

Angel Cruz is named on Click to Confirm from Post 6 while Red Wine Time will break from Post 5 with meet-leading rider Jevian Toledo.

A pair of horses shipping in from opposite directions will converge on Laurel for the Beyond the Wire. From South Florida comes Ha' Penny, a maiden special weight winner last November at Gulfstream Park for trainer Joe Orseno that ran fourth in back-to-back stakes at Tampa Bay Downs to open 2022 – the seven-furlong Gasparilla Jan. 15 and one-mile, 70-yard Suncoast Feb. 12.

Horacio Karamanos gets the riding assignment from Post 3.

Blue Devil Racing Stable's Diamond Collector makes the short trip from New York for trainer Carlos Martin. The daughter of Grade 1 winner Blame ran second in her two starts at 2 before breaking through with a front-running 4 ½-length maiden special weight triumph Feb. 6 at Aqueduct. She has yet to race beyond seven furlongs.

“This is a good test for her,” Martin said. “She seems like she's improved from race to race to race and hopefully when we get her stretched out she'll even be more effective. She doesn't have a quick, quick turn of foot but she's just got a real steady way about her and she's bred to run on. We're optimistic that with maturity and time that she'll be a mile and an eighth, mile and a quarter-type filly that can maybe do both surfaces.”

Victor Carrasco will be aboard from Post 4.

Barak Farm's She Is Wisky, beaten two lengths when second to Luna Belle in the Wide Country, her stakes debut; and Fortune Racing's Candy Light, popular last out maiden special weight winner going one mile Feb. 24 at Laurel, round out the field.

The post Luna Belle Chasing Fourth Consecutive Stakes Victory In Beyond The Wire appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Delta Work (5-2 favorite) won Wednesday's Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, getting up to defeat stable companion Tiger Roll (3-1) by three-quarters of a length. Both horses are owned by Michael O'Leary's Gigginstown House Stud and entered the winner's enclosure together.

The 12-year old-Tiger Roll, a five-time winner at The Festival and twice successful in the Randox Grand National (2018 and 2019), was retired following his run today. Tiger Roll's five wins at The Festival came in the JCB Triumph Hurdle (2014), National Hunt Chase (2017) and Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase (2018, 2019 and 2021). His career earnings came to just under £1.5 million.

Delta Work handed a 32nd Festival success to owner Gigginstown House Stud, a 34th to trainer Gordon Elliott and a 10th to jockey Jack Kennedy.

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Delta Work and Tiger Roll, said:

“Of course, I wanted the Tiger to win but once I'd won the race I didn't mind as it was for Gigginstown who are massive supporters of us – and the reception he got when he came into the ring is what it's all about. He's been the horse of a lifetime and I'm very lucky to have had him – he goes back to Michael O'Leary's now. He's been with us for nine years now and to be honest I had a tear in my eye there, it's unbelievable. If he'd have won it would have been special but he ran his heart out and we're absolutely delighted.

“We've always had faith in him and it's brilliant, he's really enjoyed the game and it's a great result. The reaction from the crowd didn't really surprise me to be honest and if he'd have won the cheer would have been unbelievable. He got the reaction he deserved and we're very proud of him. He will be a big loss for the yard but he'll only be at Gigginstown which is down the road, so they can go and see him whenever they want.

“The ground really suited Delta Work and it was a great performance from the winner – he can enjoy this race for a few years now.”

Winning jockey Jack Kennedy said:

“Everybody hates me now but I don't care! I thought I was always going to get there really. A lot of people don't like me now after that but it doesn't really bother me to be honest. After I schooled him the other day I said to my brother that I might be the most hated man in Cheltenham on Wednesday evening, and I was right.

“He's been very disappointing all year but the switch to this cross country race has rejuvenated him. All of the schooling and everything was brilliant and I'm delighted.

“I thought the ground had gone for Tiger Roll and I was surprised at how well he was going to be honest, but I suppose it was in the back of my head that he might not get up the hill as good as my lad on that ground. I actually expected to pick him up a bit easier, but my lad just ground him down in the end.

“Delta Work is after getting a new lease of life. He hasn't been travelling as well as he's travelled today and maybe he's got sick of it, but this has really lit him up.

“I was disappointed yesterday as I had a great book of rides, but we are on the board now.

“He's in the Grand National, and I would hope I'd be on him.

“This has to be well up there amongst my riding highlights. I've always wanted to ride in a cross country race and this is my first ride in one. It was unbelievable riding a class horse like him, jumping and travelling. It was a great thrill. I'm delighted.”

Michael O'Leary, owner of Delta Work and Tiger Roll, said:

“The great thing is he (Tiger Roll) has finished in one piece and has come back safe and sound. He will now have a very long and well-earned retirement.

“He could have slipped at the first or pulled up after two fences. All I wanted today was for Tiger to run well and come home in one piece.

“The risk was as I told you before that he might pull up on ground he didn't like but he was brilliant. He is a warrior.

“He has given us so many great days. He has won here five times, finished second twice and won two Grand Nationals. Don Cossack and War Of Attrition were the best as they won two Gold Cups. This would have just been a fairytale.

“If I could have controlled it, I would have roared at Jack to finish second on Delta. You have to roll so many at the dartboard here and hope that something will stick.

“He ran well and came home sound. We will retire him now and everyone will get to celebrate him as it will be the last time that they will see him run on a racetrack. What a warrior he is he is a legend. I was booing myself and was saying please Jack don't go past him let him win it God help us. It is not often you want to give away a win at Cheltenham but it really would have been fairytale if he could have won today. He has run a fantastic race and owes us nothing.”

Davy Russell, rider of Tiger Roll, said:

“He is a great horse and he has got a fitting send off so it is great. I always felt Jack breathing down my neck and I would say the rain and the ground just caught us out as Delta work is very effective on that ground and I'd say Tiger is not as effective on it.

“He went down on his sword the way he deserved to go down. You can see the public are fantastic. It doesn't matter where they are from they are cheering both horses. It is such a marvellous sport we have and we are so lucky. He is just a marvellous horse.

“Tongue in cheek some people booed Delta Work and I didn't think that was fair as he put in the same effort as Tiger so he deserved the plaudits.

“I don't think I could have done any different. He likes to get to the front at some stage of the race at this age of his career as he likes to boss a race. I will miss him for sure but that is life and we move on and we live in the fast line.

“He is going to a good home and he has had a marvellous life and career and will be looked after where he is going.

“I've not ridden him that many times. I've been beaten on him twice and won three times on him. The first National was a bit heart and mouth stuff with the photo finish but the second one was marvellous. Today was marvellous. Any time you get clapped in and out is a special day.”

The post ‘Horse Of A Lifetime’ Tiger Roll Retired After Runner-Up Finish At Cheltenham Festival appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The Elkstone Group's homebred colt Joe, recently crowned the Maryland-bred champion juvenile of 2021, puts a three-race win streak on the line when he returns to action in Saturday's $100,000 Private Terms at Laurel Park.

The 33rd running of the Private Terms at about 1 1/16 miles is the next step in Laurel's series of stakes for 3-year-olds following the one-mile Miracle Wood Feb. 19 and preceding the 1 1/8-mile Federico Tesio April 16, a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the 147th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 21 at Pimlico Race Course.

A total of five stakes worth $450,000 in purses will be offered on Saturday's 11-race program, including the $100,000 Beyond the Wire for 3-year-old fillies. First race post time is 12:40 p.m.

Joe's connections opted to pass on the Miracle Wood both to give the Declaration of War colt – named for President Joe Biden – greater spacing off a season-opening victory in a Jan. 23 allowance at Laurel going the Private Terms distance and to keep him around two turns.

“He's doing good,” trainer Michael Trombetta said. “We skipped the Miracle Wood with him to give him a little extra time because he had run a couple times fairly close. He's trained really well and we're looking forward to running him.”

Out of the Arch mare Battle Bridge, Joe ran fifth in his late October unveiling over Laurel's world-class turf course before being moved to the dirt, where he graduated by 3 ½ lengths in a one-mile maiden special weight Thanksgiving week. He won the seven-furlong Maryland Juvenile in mid-December in his stakes debut, rallying from far back with a powerful six-wide stretch move to prevail by a length and a half.

“Quite honestly, I was getting very good feedback on him in late summer. It's been good,” Trombetta said. “He's a big, good-looking guy. I still think he's bred for grass and he does the dirt. I think there's a whole lot of stuff that he can get himself into if he continues on the path that he's going.”

Regular rider Victor Carrasco will be aboard from Post 7 in a field of eight.

“I think there's a lot of upside yet for him,” Trombetta said. “He hasn't been tested super hard – state-bred race [stakes], allowance race, maiden race. Now it's time to turn the heat up a little bit and see how he does with it.”

Trombetta also entered Sonata Stable's Conclusive, a son of 2016 Florida Derby (G1) and Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Nyquist that ran sixth as the co-favorite in the Miracle Wood, his stakes debut. He graduated going 1 1/8 miles in an off-the-turf maiden special weight last Halloween and began 2022 with a front-running 5 ¾-length allowance triumph Jan. 2 over a muddy main track.

“I thought he would run better,” Trombetta said. “I don't know if going back to a one-turn mile complicated things or not. He's had better success at two-turn races than he has at a one-turn mile, and I don't have a great explanation for why that is. I'm anxious to try him back around two turns.”

Laurel's winter meet-leading rider Jevian Toledo gets the assignment from Post 1.

Bird Mobberley's Maryland-bred Local Motive stretched out to a mile for the first time in the Miracle Wood. He raced close to the front for a half-mile, took a commanding lead into the stretch and went on to win by two lengths. It was the third stakes win for the Divining Rod gelding, following the seven-furlong James F. Lewis III at Laurel and five-furlong Hickory Tree over the Colonial Downs turf last summer.

Local Motive and Joe met once before in the Maryland Juvenile, when Local Motive tired to fifth after disputing the early pace between horses. J.D. Acosta returns to ride from Post 2.

“The horse is training good and he's worked really good into this race,” trainer John Salzman said. “I would have worked him twice but I missed a work with him. He grabbed a quarter just bucking and playing on the racetrack so I skipped a work with him, but he's doing really good.

“My question is, how far will he really go?” he added. “He's getting better with every start I feel. As long as he's close and lays just a bit off the pace he'll be in good shape, or he can set the pace if there is none.”

Also exiting the Miracle Wood is runner-up Majestic Frontier. Gerald Grabcheski and Renate Jackson's gelded son of Grade 1 winner Keen Ice bumped with co-favorite Perfect Day at the eighth pole and had his two-race win streak snapped.

“He had trouble last time and finished second so I think that he's got a shot. He could have won that day, so I'm looking forward to trying him back,” trainer John 'Jerry' Robb said. “He had a few problems that needed to be worked out and that we got worked out. They still bug him a little bit but he's been getting better and better and better.”

Xavier Perez will be aboard from Post 3.

J R Sanchez Racing Stable's Shake Em Loose won the Dec. 26 Heft at Laurel in his first start since being claimed for $16,000 by trainer Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon. He returned in the Jan. 29 Spectacular Bid, also at seven furlongs, but lost all chance after rearing when the gates opened and wound up seventh.

Shake Em Loose rebounded in an optional claiming allowance going one mile Feb. 27, making a bold move on the turn and powering through the stretch to a 3 ¾-length triumph. Charlie Marquez, up for that effort, returns from outside Post 8.

“Thank God he's doing awesome right now. He's great. I just worked him the other day and he worked unbelievable. He really impressed me. I hope he doesn't have any problems coming out of the gate,” Sanchez-Salomon said. “That's what happened the last time he ran in a stake. He broke in the air coming out of the gate and that was it. He rushed up a little bit and then relaxed but he had just rushed too much. He's going into it pretty good. I hope he runs well. I think he will. I think he's going to impress even more this time.”

Shipping in from New York is Stud El Aguila's Eagle in Love, a gelded son of 2011 Florida Derby (G1) winner Dialed In that went unraced at 2 but was a 4 ¾-length maiden special weight winner in debut Feb. 3 at Aqueduct for trainer Rob Atras.

Completing the field are Martin Carmichael's Micro Star, a front-running waiver maiden claiming winner by 7 ¼ lengths Jan. 16 at Laurel, and Built Wright Stables' Maximum Impact, respectively fourth and fifth behind Shake Em Loose last month. Maximum Impact finished fifth in the Miracle Wood.

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