Tag: Racing

Pinky Ring Bling, Texas Thunder Win Texas Stallion Stakes At Sam Houston

The first two stakes of the 2022 Sam Houston Race Park Thoroughbred season were contested on Thursday afternoon with Pinky Ring Bling living up to his post-time favoritism in the $75,000 My Dandy and Texas Thunder breaking her maiden in the $75,000 Darby's Daughter. The Texas Thoroughbred Association sponsors the Clarence Scharbauer Jr. Texas Stallion Stakes Series (TSSS), a set of races for progeny of nominated Texas-based stallions. The series features three sets of races, each split into two divisions (colts/geldings and fillies) for a purse of $75,000 per division. The races honor notable Texas horses of the past.

A field of five colts and geldings entered the starting gate in the $75,000 My Dandy, but there was no denying Pinky Ring Bling who drew off to a 3 ¼ length victory under jockey Ernesto Valdez-Jimenez as the 2-5 favorite. He crossed the wire of the five and one-half furlong race in 1:05.67 over a fast main track.

Trainer Ronnie Cravens saddled the colt by Too Much Bling, who races for the Lone Star Racing Club. He ran third in the Texas Avenger at Lone Star Park and third in the Kip Deville at Remington Park last September. It marked the colt's first stakes win as well as the first for Cravens.

“He's just been getting better and better,” said Cravens. “He's come a long way since we purchased him (for $5,000) at the TTA Yearling Sale. I'd like to mention breeder Ronald Ellerbee, who passed away a couple days ago. He's been a longtime breeder and loved his horses.”

Grami's Boy dueled gamely for trainer Mindy Willis; had the lead briefly and was able to hold for second. Bodymoor Heath completed the trifecta, followed by Moro Code and Regal Prize.

This was the second victory in six starts for Pinky Ring Bling ($2.80) and the winner's check of $45,000 boosted his career earnings to $81,860.

My Dandy was a 1925 Texas-bred foal who boasted a lifetime record of 191 starts with 47 wins and earnings of $137,923. A true “iron horse”, he ran from 1927 to 1935 and in 1930 made 43 starts in a single year.

Five fillies entered the starting gate in the second feature of the day, the $75,000 Darby's Daughter with a big score by Carl Moore Management LLC's Texas Thunder, who lit up the tote board at 25-1.

Bred by Robert Francis, the filly by Bradester ran third in the Texas Stallion Stakes- Pan Zareta Division on June 13 at Lone Star Park before beginning her 2022 season here on January 6. Trainer Karen Jacks was hoping to see improvement from the chestnut filly, but was clearly wowed at her maiden-breaking performance tonight. Under Valdez-Jiminez, she went to the lead and would not be denied. She drew off by five lengths, winning in 1:05.46.

“I knew she had it in her,” said Jacks. “She likes a tighter racing surface, so with the rain we had, I wasn't sure how it would go today. But she's very talented and I'm very happy for Carl. We had this plan for her and look forward to the next Texas-bred stakes here.”

Valdez-Jiminez was pleased with winning both features and spoke about Texas Thunder, who rewarded her supporters with a win payout of $58.40.

Eagle Express was sent off the favorite and the Steve Asmussen-trainee ran a game second under jockey Stewart Elliott. Kim's Texas Bling, It's a Gee Thing and Amazonian Queen completed the order of finish.

Darby's Daughter made her racing debut in 1988, winning two stakes at Louisiana Downs, the Grade 2, Miss Grillo at Aqueduct and the San Clemente Handicap at Del Mar. She retired with an impressive record of five wins from 15 starts and earnings of $435,104.

Sam Houston Race Park will showcase additional stakes races for Texas-breds on Saturday, February 19 with Texas Preview Day featuring the five stakes and Saturday, March 26 when the northwest Houston racetrack presents Texas Champions Day with seven $100,000 stakes on the card.

Texas Thunder wins the Darby's Daughter division of the Texas Stallion Stakes Series

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Stakes Winning Colt Named For President Biden Entered In Two-Turn Allowance At Laurel

When The Elkstone Group homebred Joe captured the Maryland Juvenile Dec. 18 at Laurel Park, it provided founder Stuart Grant with an ideal Christmas gift to bestow the colt's namesake, a longtime family friend who also calls Delaware home.

“I don't know where it's displayed, but I know the President has a win photo from [Joe's] stakes win,” Grant said. “The Biden family and us have been close for 30 years. I'm hoping it's in the White House, but I don't know for sure.”

Joe, based at Laurel with trainer Mike Trombetta, is entered to make his sophomore debut in Sunday's fourth race, an optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up going around two turns at about 1 1/16 miles. Regular rider Victor Carrasco gets the call from the rail in a field of six.

“He's doing great. We are bringing him along slowly. We'll look for the best spot for him,” Grant said. “Especially in a six-horse field, I don't really care where he is. If it was 12 horses, I might not want the inside or the outside, but he's a good horse.”

Joe is also nominated to the first stakes in Maryland for 3-year-olds, the $100,000 Spectacular Bid, sprinting seven furlongs. Originally scheduled for Jan. 22, it is one of six stakes worth $550,000 in purses that was pushed back to Saturday, Jan. 29 at Laurel.

“With him being a Maryland-bred, there's not much difference in the purse money to us than the stakes. Right now we may wind up being in the allowance and we'll just see what happens,” Grant said. “Assuming the track is good and everything's in good shape, I don't know why we wouldn't run him there. There are plenty of stakes. He's a young horse, and we want to build his confidence. We think he can do really good things. We're taking it easy with him.”

By Declaration of War out of the Arch mare Battle Bridge, Joe is a half-brother to Grade 3-placed turf router Irony of Reality who was unveiled in a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight turf sprint Oct. 24 at Laurel, where he got bumped at the break and wound up fifth in a field of nine. Moved to the dirt and stretched out to a mile for his next start, Joe sat just off the lead before taking over after six furlongs and drawing clear to a 3 ¼-length triumph Nov. 21.

“We liked him. Donna Freyer down at the Camden Training Center breaks them for me and she always liked him,” Grant said. “He didn't get up to Mike that quickly. It took him a little bit longer to develop. We don't push horses unnecessarily, and when Mike got him he was really happy with him. He's the one who said [he'd] like try him first on turf while we still have turf. We ran on that once and we brought him back to the dirt. Mike's done a good job.”

Next up was the seven-furlong Maryland Juvenile, where Joe found himself trailing all but two of 12 horses in the early going before uncorking a steady rally on the far outside to gain the lead in mid-stretch and win by 1 ½ lengths in his stakes debut.

“It's tempting after a stakes win like that to say, 'OK, go put him on the [Kentucky] Derby trail.' I'm not sure that's the best thing for this horse, so we're going to continue to bring him along slowly,” he added. “We're going to target the right spots. We'll move from this month's race to presumably a stakes race. If he wins the allowance, he won't have a lot of choices. We'll put him in some overnight stakes and see how he does with that kind of company. It's a long summer with a nice 3-year-old. We'll find some good places for him.”

Joe is actually the second horse Grant named for Biden. He also bred V P Joe, a son of Sky Mesa that won three of 21 starts between 2009 and 2012.

“This one, I tried to name Ridin With Biden but someone took it,” Grant said. “I said, 'We'll just go with what we call him,' and lo and behold it was available.”

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Morning Matcha, Magic Circle Chasing Oaks Points In Busanda

Stakes-placed Morning Matcha and graded-stakes placed Magic Circle will do battle in pursuit of Kentucky Oaks qualifying points in Sunday's 48th running of the $100,000 Busanda at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The nine-furlong event for 3-year-old fillies offers 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

With a perfect in-the-money record of 7-2-3-2, Cash is King Racing, LC Racing and Gary Barber's Morning Matcha brags field-best earnings of $247,390.

Trained by Butch Reid, Jr., Morning Matcha returns to the Big A following a late-closing second in the NYSSS Fifth Avenue on Dec. 18. Trailing the field down the backstretch, Morning Matcha kicked into gear with a late rally to finish 1 3/4 lengths shy of the victorious Yo Cuz.

The Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Central Banker, New York's leading sire in 2021, broke her maiden going 6 1/2 furlongs at Parx Racing on September 25, only 12 days after earning black type when second in the restricted Finest City at Presque Isle Downs. In her lone start around two turns, Morning Matcha defeated open company by 6 1/4 lengths going one mile at Parx on Nov. 16.

Morning Matcha, who was initially expected to ship to South Florida for the winter, remained in training at Reid, Jr.'s primary division at Parx in preparation for the Busanda.

“The quicker I can get her going longer, the better,” said Reid, Jr. “We've had plenty of time since her last race and she had a nice breeze last week. I think we made the right choice keeping her up here. She's been like that where she doesn't like to overextend too early on. That's why Kendrick [Carmouche] is riding her back, he knows the filly really well.”

Carmouche, who piloted the filly to both of her career wins, retains the mount from post 3 in pursuit of his second Busanda score.

While Morning Matcha attempts to make a good first impression on the Oaks trail, Magic Circle will seek to build on a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Demoiselle on Dec. 4 at Aqueduct, where she earned two Kentucky Oaks qualifying points.

J.W. Singer's Kantharos sophomore chestnut set slow fractions while in command throughout most of the nine-furlong Demoiselle journey before veering out in mid-stretch, ultimately giving way in the final sixteenth.

After a successful career debut at Saratoga at 25-1 odds in September, the Rudy Rodriguez-trained Magic Circle was a distant fourth in the G1 Frizette on Oct. 3 at Belmont Park before finishing a close second in the Tempted one month later.

Magic Circle breezed a half-mile in 51.12 seconds Sunday over the Belmont dirt training track.

“She worked well Sunday morning,” Rodriguez said. “When you're running against these type of horses, it's tough. She's just a very laid back filly. She lets us do whatever we need with her. She's shown plenty of promise from Day One. She's coming into the race well. We just have to hope for the best.”

Jose Ortiz, a two-time Busanda winner, will pick up the mount from the inside post.

After a collaborative triumph with The Grass Is Blue in 2021, trainer Chad Brown and owner Louis Lazzinnaro will vie to become the first trainer-owner combo to score back-to-back Busanda wins with Waters of Merom.

The daughter of Connect, who also is owned by FIN Stables, was claimed for $30,000 out of a two-turn maiden claimer in October at Keeneland, which she won by 8 1/2 lengths. She made a winning debut for her new connections on Jan. 6 at Aqueduct, traveling a one-turn mile at the starter allowance optional claiming level.

Dylan Davis returns to the irons from post 2.

Hall of Famer Bill Mott seeks a third Busanda score with Mike G. Rutherford homebred Rosebug. The daughter of American Pharoah found the winner's circle at fourth asking over a sloppy and sealed Big A main track on Dec. 30.

Rosebug is out of multiple stakes-winning Menifee mare Taittinger Rose, who was fourth in the 2004 Busanda before winning the Pennsylvania Oaks later that year. Rosebug's fourth dam is 1985 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Twilight Ridge.

Manny Franco will attempt to win his third Busanda in the past four runnings when guiding Rosebug from the outermost post 6.

Completing the field are Gamestonks [post 4, Trevor McCarthy] and Reigning Chick [post 5, Jalon Samuel].

The Busanda honors Ogden Phipps' 1950 Alabama winner, whose name is an anacronym for the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts (BuSandA) – a Navy bureau that Phipps had served in during World War II. As a broodmare, Busanda, a daughter of War Admiral and maternal granddaughter of the influential broodmare La Troienne, produced Hall of Famer and prestigious sire Buckpasser and was also the great granddam of 1984 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Outstandingly.

The Busanda is slated as Race 8 on Sunday's nine-race card. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

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