Tag: Racing

Peter Brant's blossoming turf star Bleecker Street stormed from off the pace to win the $225,000 Hillsborough Stakes (G2) in handy fashion Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs and remain undefeated.

The 4-year-old Quality Road filly, ridden by Hector Diaz Jr., won by 3 3/4 lengths from stablemate Rocky Sky and covered the 1 1/8 mile turf race for older fillies and mares in 1:48.21 on a course rated as good.

Gladys, who set the early tempo, finished third.

Relaxing off the pace, Bleecker Street raced along the rail into the far turn before angling out four wide approaching the upper stretch and racing clear as the 9-5 favorite.

“I rode her really confident because I know what she is capable of doing,” Diaz said. “No pressure. I was just waiting for the moment to switch outside because I knew she was going to run. She's really easy to ride. The last two starts she's been a different horse. When you ask her to go, she accelerates. She has an amazing turn of foot. The course was softer than she likes. That tells me how good she is.

“She can overcome any type of situation. When you ask her, she's going to respond. That's what separates the good horses from the great horses. The sky is the limit with her.”

Bleecker Street's victory was her fifth in as many career starts, all on turf, and followed her triumph in the Endeavour Stakes (G3) at the Oldsmar, Fla. track in her stakes debut Feb. 5

The top two finishers are trained by Chad Brown, who snagged a fifth victory in the Hillsborough.

“We're really happy about the 1-2 finish with Bleecker Street and Rocky Sky,” Brown said. “(Bleecker Street) really ran well. We were on the fence about sending her because I wasn't that confident how she would handle soft turf, but by the time we loaded them from Payson Park this morning it looked like the rain was moving through quicker than had been forecast and the wind might dry out the course. She really loves Tampa, so we decided to give it a shot. She was super impressive and handled the give in the ground well. It certainly looked like the added distance didn't bother her, so hopefully she can keep stepping up.”

A $400,000 purchase by Brant's White Birch Farm at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale, Bleecker Street was produced by the Exchange Rate mare Lemon Liqueur.

The post Unbeaten Bleecker Street Draws Off In Hillsborough appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Despite being the only graded stakes winner in the field, having taken down the Jessamine Stakes (G2) at Keeneland in October, Chris Walsh's California Angel has been installed as the 8-1 seventh choice for Saturday's $75,000 Allen “Black Cat” Lacombe Memorial at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans, La. The about one mile (rail 17 feet out) turf event attracted ten sophomore fillies, and it will go as race eight of nine at 5:10 p.m. CT.

A winner on debut over the Kentucky Downs turf at odds of 28-1, California Angel would return to the grass two starts later in the Jessamine. Once again disrespected at 17-1, she rallied from 12^th in the field of 13 to get up by a head over Diamond Wow. It was just a neck back to Turnerloose, the recent winner of the Rachel Alexandra (G2) presented by Fasig-Tipton on Fair Grounds dirt.

The win in the Jessamine gave trainer George Leonard the license to try the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) at Del Mar, and although she finished 11^th of 14, she was only beaten four lengths by the winner Pizza Bianca.

A recent fifth in the Untapable and 10th in the Rachel Alexandra, both on dirt, have darkened her form, but trainer George Leonard is confident the move back to the lawn will serve the daughter of California Chrome well.

“I'm happy to get her back on the grass,” Leonard said. “It wasn't like we passed up any turf races, and I was honestly under the impression that she would run well on the dirt. She works awesome on it. It's different race time than it is in the morning. Going into the Rachel (Alexandra) we had this race in mind as a fallback plan in case she didn't run well in there. She's always been a longshot. I don't feel like the (8-1) morning line is disrespectful. It's what you do on the racetrack that counts. The proof is in the pudding. Win, lose or draw, after this race she's going to get a break. She hasn't had a break in too long.”

California Angel will start from post four with Deshawn Parker back aboard.

The 4-1 morning line favorite in the Lacombe Memorial is Marc Detampel's New Year's Eve. An off-the-pace winner of both of her career starts, the daughter of Kitten's Joy will try to score a Fair Grounds hat trick with regular rider Adam Beschizza in tow for trainer Brendan Walsh.

The co-second choices at 5-1 are Wayne Sanders and Larry Hirsch's Dreamworker for Joe Sharp and the filly she edged in allowance company last time, the Godolphin homebred Pearl Earring, who was narrowly beaten by New Year's Eve in her most recent run for Mike Stidham. Reylu Gutierrez will guide Dreamworker from post seven and Brian Hernandez, Jr. will get a leg up on Pearl Earring from post five.

The remainder of the field with post, jockey/trainer and morning line odds: Steve Landers' Mariah's Fortune (post one, Marcelino Pedroza, Jr./Brad Cox, 6-1 ML), making her turf debut off a recent second behind Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) probable Bernabreezy on dirt; Stonestreet Stables' Lolloping (post two, Colby Hernandez/Brad Cox, 6-1 ML), a neck winner on debut in a two-turn maiden special weight turf race; Joel Politti's Kneesnhips (post three, James Graham/Tom Amoss, 6-1 ML), twice stakes placed on turf, including a third in the Chelsey Flower in what was her most recent start on November 6 at Belmont; Judy and J Kirk Robison's Luck Is Fickle (post six, Jareth Loveberry/Steve Asmussen, 12-1 ML), a romping winner in career start number two in what was her two-turn debut last out at Sam Houston; KMR Racing and Lynn Cassim's Cecilita (post eight, Orlando Mojica/Kelly Rubley, 8-1 ML), who broke her maiden in a locally run “off the turf” sloppy track route in career start number five last out.

Fair Grounds will also host “Wiener Dog Racing” on Saturday.

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A champion and one with championship aspirations meet for the first time in the $350,000 Azeri Stakes (G2) for older fillies and mares Saturday at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark.

Probable post time for the 1 1/16-mile Azeri, the ninth of 10 races, is 5:10 p.m. (Central). Racing begins at 1 p.m. The Azeri is the final major local prep for the $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) at 1 1/16 miles April 23. Letruska won last year's Apple Blossom en route to an Eclipse Award as the country's champion older dirt female.

The Azeri has drawn an outstanding cast of nine, led by 2021 Eclipse Award-winning female sprinter Ce Ce for Southern California-based trainer Michael McCarthy and defending champion Shedaresthedevil, a millionaire multiple Grade 1 winner for trainer Brad Cox. Also entered are multiple Grade 3 winner Pauline's Pearl for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen and Grade 3 winner Lady Mystify for trainer Peter Eurton.

“Obviously, a couple of class fillies on the comeback,” McCarthy said. “Brad's filly, Pauline's Pearl, I thought she was pretty impressive when she won the Houston Ladies Classic. It's a great field. I didn't expect it to be easy. It's a solid field, but I think she (Ce Ce) is the class of the field.”

Ce Ce returns to a two-turn race for the first time since finishing fourth in the $200,000 Santa Maria Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles last May at Santa Anita. Ce Ce cut back to one-turn races following the Santa Maria and captured three stakes races, including the $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) Nov. 6 at Del Mar to secure an Eclipse Award as the country's champion female sprinter of 2021.

In her only start this year, Ce Ce finished second in the $200,000 Santa Monica Stakes (G2) at 7 furlongs Feb. 5 at Santa Anita.

Ce Ce was nominated to the $500,000 Beholder Mile (G1) last Saturday at Santa Anita, but McCarthy opted to send the 6-year-old daughter of Elusive Quality back to Oaklawn. Ce Ce won the 2020 Beholder Mile and the Apple Blossom in her next start.

“I never ruled it (two turns) totally out of the question,” McCarthy said. “Obviously, Oaklawn's a racetrack that she's fond of. Thought something like this made sense.”

The projected eight-horse Azeri field from the rail out: She's All Wolfe, Francisco Arrieta to ride, 121 pounds, 12-1 on the morning line; Pauline's Pearl, Joel Rosario, 124, 7-2; Lavender, Ramon Vazquez, 117, 20-1; Ava's Grace, David Cohen, 117, 12-1; Ce Ce, Victor Espinoza, 117, 3-1; Shedaresthedevil, Florent Geroux, 119, 5-2; Golden Curl, David Cabrera, 119, 12-1; and Super Quick, Joe Talamo, 121, 10-1.

Program favorite Shedaresthedevil, who will be making her 2022 debut, was a finalist for champion 3-year-old filly of 2020 and champion older dirt female last year for co-owner Staton Flurry of Hot Springs.

Shedaresthedevil, in her 2021 debut, beat Letruska a head in the Azeri and scored two Grade 1 victories before concluding her campaign with a sixth-place finish in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) Nov. 6 at Del Mar after chasing a torrid pace. Shedaresthedevil has been based this year at Fair Grounds and her six published workouts leading up to the Azeri include a 6-furlong bullet (1:12.40) Feb. 27.

“I feel like she's maybe a little bit tighter (than last year),” Cox said. “She wasn't off quite as long. She didn't miss any training. So, I feel pretty confident she's as good this year as she was last year. It's a good group of fillies, so we're going to need to be. But she's training good. She looks fantastic, so we'll see how it goes.”

Shedaresthedevil came from off the pace to win Oaklawn's $300,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles in 2020 and was a wire-to-wire winner of the Azeri after breaking from post 5 in the five-horse field. Shedaresthedevil is drawn inside Super Quick, who has led at every point of call in her last three starts, Saturday.

“She's able to set off,” Cox said, referring to Shedaresthedevil's running style. “She doesn't have to have the lead or anything. She broke incredibly sharp last year in the Azeri. So, just play the break and that will be up to Florent on where he feels she's comfortable.”

Pauline's Pearl won the $600,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) for 3-year-old fillies last year at Oaklawn and the $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic (G3) Jan. 30 at Sam Houston in her 4-year-old debut. Both races were 1 1/16 miles. Golden Curl was second in the Houston Ladies Classic.

Lady Mystify and Pauline's Pearl were 1-2, respectively, in the $200,000 Remington Park Oaks (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Sept. 26 at Remington Park. Ava's Grace returns to the barn of 2020 Oaklawn training champion Robertino Diodoro after finishing second in last year's Fantasy in her two-turn debut.

She's All Wolfe exits a runner-up finish in the $250,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 12 for trainer Donnie K. Von Hemel. Bayakoa winner Miss Bigly returned to run second in the Beholder Mile. The Bayakoa is Oaklawn's second of three preps for the Apple Blossom.

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In what shapes up as a clash between a pair of highly regarded distaffers this Sunday at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., John Sadler's Edgeway rates a slight advantage over Bob Baffert's Private Mission as they head a field of five older fillies and mares in the Grade 3, $100,000 Las Flores Stakes, to be contested at six furlongs.

With a field of five older fillies and mares entered, Edgeway, second two starts back in the G1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint Nov. 6 at Del Mar and most recently victorious over Baffert's talented Merneith in the ungraded Kalookan Queen at 6 ½ furlongs here on Jan. 2, should be extremely tough to beat with John Velazquez back in the saddle.

A 5-year-old mare by Competitive Edge out of the Stormin Fever mare Magical Solution, Edgeway is owned by Hronis Racing and will be seeking her second graded stakes victory. A one length winner of the G3 Rancho Bernardo Handicap going 6 ½ furlongs three starts back on Aug. 20, she has an outstanding overall mark of 10-6-2-1 and earnings of $596,360.

Victorious by 1 ¾ lengths in gate to wire fashion at 2-5 in the Kalookan Queen, her win looks even better when Merneith's next-out win in the G2 Santa Monica Stakes is factored in. Expertly managed by her connections, Edgeway won three of her five starts last year while banking $431,000.

Owned by Baoma Corporation, Private Mission was a $750,000 yearling purchase who will be making her eighth start on Sunday. Although she won back to back graded stakes, the G2 Torrey Pines at one mile on Aug. 21 and the G2 Zenyatta at 1 1/16 miles here on Oct. 3, she comes off a pair of subpar races and will thus likely be the second choice at Las Flores post time.

Off at 10-1 in the G1 Breeders' Cup Distaff two starts back on Nov. 6, she showed the way early but tired badly to finish a distant last. In her most recent start, the G1 La Brea Stakes at seven furlongs on Dec. 26, she was off as the 3-5 favorite, but finished an even sixth, beaten 7 ½ lengths while never threatening.

A 4-year-old filly by Into Mischief out of the Unbridled mare Private Gift, Private Mission had no recorded works in January. Dating back to Feb. 11, she has had five drills, her most recent a three furlong move in 35.60 seconds on Wednesday. With four wins from seven starts, she has earnings of $257,300 as she bids for her third graded stakes victory.

THE GRADE 3 LAS FLORES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 1 of 8 Post time 12:30 p.m. PT

1. Private Mission—Juan Hernandez—124
2. Park Avenue—Tyler Baze–120
3. Edgeway—John Velazquez—124
4. Dynasty of Her Own—Ricardo Gonzalez–122
5. Aloha Kitten—Flavien Prat–124

First post time for an eight-race card on Sunday is at 12:30 p.m. with admission gates opening at 10:30 a.m.

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