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Sweet Melania Regains Graded Stakes Winning Form In Suwannee River

The last time Sweet Melania had her picture taken was nearly 18 months ago at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. In the intervening months since then, the daughter of American Pharoah has had four in-the-money finishes, but no wins. In the Grade 3 Suwannee River Stakes, Sweet Melania stalked Shifty She throughout the first six furlongs and rallied in the stretch to get her first victory of 2021.

In a capacity field of 12, Sweet Melania broke well, with jockey John Velazquez putting her in second behind the favorite Shifty She, who took the lead from the break. Through early fractions of :25.91 for the first quarter and :48.4 for the half-mile, Shifty She had a comfortable three-length lead over Sweet Melania and In a Hurry down the backstretch. Velazquez moved his filly into contention as they entered the far turn, pulling within striking distance of Shifty She entering the stretch.

Down the Gulfstream straight, the two fillies dueled down the first half of the stretch, but Sweet Melania was able to get a head in front within the last furlong to hit the wire a half-length in front. Shifty She held off a rallying In a Hurry to finish second.

The final time for the one-mile G3 stakes was 1:36.40. Find this race's chart here.

Sweet Melania paid $15.60, $7.00, and $4.80. Shifty She paid $4.40 and $3.00. In a Hurry paid $4.20.

“She was super sharp coming into it. I loved the way she was training and she got a beautiful ride from Johnny. It was a good setup, and I thought she ran a good race. I felt like she had been rounding back into form and had some good performances and just didn't quite get there. She did seem super sharp, and we were hoping for an improved performance,” trainer Todd Pletcher said after the race.

“The first time I rode her she broke well and I was trying to get her back. She was kind of keen and the other horse next to me was pushing the whole way, and she never really got to relax. Last time she relaxed a little bit behind a couple horses in front, so I thought maybe she wants to do that and have a better finish. Although she just got beat last time out, she ran a really good race,” jockey John Velazquez said after the G3 Suwannee River.

“Today I was just trying to do the same thing, if I could get behind somebody. It was perfect. When I let her go, she responded right away. Obviously, the horse in front is a very tough horse to beat, but I didn't want to let it be too easy. I got to her at the three-eighths pole and I knew I probably had her but on the other hand, I don't want to let her go too easy and get caught by somebody else from behind. It feels good to win a race like this.”

Bred in Kentucky by St. Elias Stables, Sweet Melania is a 4-year-old filly out of the Discreet Cat mare Sweet N Discreet. She is owned by Robert and Lawana Low. Sweet Melania was consigned by Gainesway and purchased by West Bloodstock and her owners for $600,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. With her win in the G3 Suwannee River, the filly has one win in six starts in 2021 for a lifetime record of four wins in 15 starts and career earnings of $571,210.

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Dubai Warrior Holds Off Regal Reality To Take Betway Quebec Stakes At Lingfield

Dubai Warrior rediscovered his best form to register a fourth course success at Lingfield Park in Lingfield, United Kingdom, in the Listed Betway Quebec Stakes Saturday.

The son of Dansili enjoyed an excellent record at the track for his previous trainer John Gosden, winning three of his four starts including this race in 2019 and the 2020 Group 3 Betway Winter Derby.

Now trained by David Loughnane, Dubai Warrior was last on his debut for the stable in the G3 Diamond Stakes at Dundalk in County Louth, Ireland, in September but shaped much better in fifth behind Pyledriver in the Listed Betway Churchill Stakes at Lingfield Park on November 13.

Richard Kingscote deployed more positive tactics today and positioned Dubai Warrior in behind front runners Garden Paradise and Palavecino in the early stages. The duo was relegated to fifth at the four-furlong pole before making a decisive move widest of all approaching the home turn.

Dubai Warrior, sent off a 13/2 chance, led at the top of the straight and dug in gamely as Regal Reality closed all the way to the line. The winning distance was a nose, with 5/2 favorite Felix two lengths further back in third.

Loughnane said: “Dubai Warrior is a class horse and very good around here. It is brilliant to get a winner on the board for his owner [Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum].

“He is a very easy horse to train and maps out his own races. We don't have to do too much with him.

“He had a setback and then was gelded. He used to get a bit worked up and sweaty before his races but that can be typical of his sire's progeny, but he is a happy horse now and happy horses win races.

“We just think the eye-shields help him put his head down. Richard gave him a great ride and, once this horse gets rolling, it takes a good one to go with him.

“The aim now will be the Winter Derby and then Finals Day itself will be a long-term target. I would think he will come back here for the Winter Derby Trial as well.”

Kingscote said: “It probably wasn't the smoothest race for Dubai Warrior. He needs to get rolling early, which meant I had to get myself out and come too wide.

“I thought coming to the half-furlong pole, my momentum was just finishing and Ryan [Moore] was coming on the second, but Dubai Warrior really stuck his neck out.

“He is a smart horse, particularly around here, and there should be more pots in him going forward.”

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Cox Eyes Azeri, Apple Blossom For Shedaresthedevil

Trainer Brad Cox said Thursday afternoon that multiple Grade 1 winner Shedaresthedevil should return to his barn early next month to begin serious preparations for a 2022 campaign that figures to again unfold at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs, Ark.

Co-owned by Staton Flurry of Hot Springs, Shedaresthedevil opened 2021 with a victory over Letruksa in the $350,000 G2 Azeri Stakes for older fillies and mares in March at Oaklawn. Her final start this year was a sixth-place finish in the $2 million G1 Breeders' Cup Distaff Nov. 6 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif. Shedaresthedevil, as a racing/broodmare prospect, sold for $5 million at Fasig-Tipton's Fall Mixed Sale Nov. 9, but will remain with Cox for a 2022 campaign. Flurry said the 4-year-old daughter of Daredevil received a 30-day break following the Breeders' Cup and is now in light training at new co-owner Mandy Pope's farm in Florida.

Cox said the $350,000 G2 Azeri March 12 and $1 million G1 Apple Blossom Handicap April 23 at Oaklawn are targets for Shedaresthedevil, who has bankrolled $2,331,458 after winning 9 of 17 career starts.

“I think those are realistic goals,” Cox said. “We'll get her back and probably ship her to the Fair Grounds and train her here and just kind of see how things go. I'm excited about hopefully taking a big swing at the Apple Blossom.”

Cox just missed sweeping Oaklawn's series of two-turn stakes races for older fillies and mares in 2021. Cox won the $150,000 Pippin with Getridofwhatailesu, $250,000 G3 Bayakoa with two-time Eclipse Award winner Monomoy Girl, and the Azeri with Shedaresthedevil. Monomoy Girl, in what would be her final career start, was beaten a nose by Letruska in the Apple Blossom. The Apple Blossom is the final race in the series.

Letruska, also ticketed to run next year, is the front-runner for an Eclipse Award as the country's top older dirt female of 2021. Shedaresthedevil won the $300,000 G3 Honeybee Stakes for 3-year-old fillies in 2020 at Oaklawn before capturing the $1.25 million G1 Kentucky Oaks later that year at Churchill Downs.

Flurry has owned a piece of Shedaresthedevil since November 2019.

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Caddo River Makes First Start Since June At Oaklawn Sunday

After beginning 2021 with a bang, Caddo River will try to go out with a bang when the star-crossed 3-year-old returns in Sunday's eighth race at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark., a one-mile conditioned allowance test that will mark the colt's first start in more than six months.

Caddo River, a homebred for John Ed Anthony of Hot Springs, hasn't run since finishing a well-beaten sixth in the $400,000 Grade 1 Woody Stephens Stakes June 5 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. Caddo River ran three times at the 2021 Oaklawn meeting. The speedy son of Hard Spun registered a record-setting 10 ¼-length victory in January's $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes at one mile – Oaklawn's first of four Kentucky Derby points races – before finishing fifth in the $1 million G2 Rebel Stakes in March and second in the $1 million G1 Arkansas Derby in April.

After being withdrawn from Kentucky Derby consideration because of a minor illness, Caddo River received a lengthy vacation following a flat performance in the seven-furlong Woody Stephens.

“We just gave him time,” trainer Brad Cox said Thursday afternoon. “He had no injury. Just time and freshen him up. To try to make the Derby and all that, it's very demanding on a horse. It felt like it had kind of taken its toll between all of that, the whole winter. The race in the Woody Stephens was not what we were looking for, so we gave him time and he's come back and trained very, very well. I think this is a really good race to get him back going.”

Caddo River resumed training in late summer/early fall, Cox said, and returned to the work tab at Blackwood Stables in Kentucky before moving to the trainer's barn at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Caddo River breezed three times in November at Churchill Downs and has logged three works in his return to Oaklawn, including a six-furlong bullet (:59.80) Dec. 4.

Facing older horses for the first time Sunday, Caddo River is the 8-5 program favorite and scheduled to break from the rail under regular rider Florent Geroux. Also entered in the projected eight-horse lineup is Irish Unity, runner-up in the $250,000 St. Louis Derby for 3-year-olds Aug. 28 at FanDuel Sportsbook and Horse Racing in Collinsville, Ill., for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

Cox said Caddo River's comeback race could help determine where he stands among the trainer's deep roster of older horses in 2022.

“We have Plainsman there as well,” Cox said, referring to the multiple G3 winner he trains for Anthony. “We have Warrior's Charge, Night Ops, Shared Sense is down here (Fair Grounds). We have Mandaloun, Concert Tour. We have a very good group of horses. Listen, he's going to have to step up. He was a very, very good 2-3-year-old. Some of them take those steps forward, some of them don't. If he takes a step forward, he'll be fine and, hopefully, he will be a player in the handicap division there.”

Caddo River has amassed $404,092 in earnings after compiling a 2-3-0 mark from seven lifetime starts. Caddo River broke his maiden by 9 ½ front-running lengths at one mile in November 2020 at Churchill Downs before winning the Smarty Jones, his stakes debut, in his next start.

Probable post time for Sunday's eighth race is 3:46 p.m. Central. In Sunday's sixth race, Cox is scheduled to send out unbeaten Como Square in an entry-level allowance sprint for 2-year-old fillies. Another Anthony homebred, Como Square is by super sire Into Mischief and a half-sister to Caddo River. Como Square exits a 4 ¾-length debut victory Nov. 11 at Indiana Grand in Shelbyville, Ind.

Caddo River and Como Square are out of the Anthony-raced Pangburn, a daughter of Congrats who was an allowance winner in 2015 at Oaklawn.

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