Racing | Horse Racing Free Tips

Pickin’ Time Wins City of Laurel Stakes At Laurel Park

Roseland Farm Stable's graded-stakes winner Pickin' Time swept to the lead on the outside around the far turn and had plenty left to turn back a bid from He'smyhoneybadger nearing the wire for a 1 ¼-length victory in Saturday's $100,000 City of Laurel at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

The 11th running of the City of Laurel for 3-year-olds was the first of three $100,000 stakes on the program, followed by the Safely Kept for 3-year-old fillies, also sprinting seven furlongs, and 1 1/8-mile Richard W. Small for 3-year-olds and up.

Ridden by Mychel Sanchez for trainer Kelly Breen, Pickin' Time ($12.80) earned his fourth career stakes win and first in open company since the 2020 Grade 3 Nashua last November at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y. Most recently, he won the Monmouth Park's New Jersey Breeders Handicap Aug. 29. The winning time was 1:23.74 over a fast main track.

Breaking outside all but one horse in the field of eight, Pickin' Time was positioned third while in the clear behind multiple stakes-placed pacesetter Awesome Gerry, who led through a quarter-mile in :23.28 pressed by 31-1 long shot Three Two Zone. Three Two Zone assumed the lead after a half in :46.60 with Pickin' Time poised to pounce.

“He gave me a pretty good feeling from the beginning. I think the team did a great job getting him ready for the race,” Sanchez said. “He was pretty easy. He broke really well. I had a good position. I didn't have to use him in the beginning, so I pretty much sav[ed ground] the whole way and when I asked him to go, he really took off.”

Pickin' Time rolled past Three Two Zone once straightened for home and powered through the stretch while He'smyhoneybadger, who beat Pickin' Time in the Oct. 23 Perryville at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., came with a belated run. It was three lengths back to Three Two Zone, who was three-quarters of a length better than Awesome Gerry in fourth.

Stakes winner Everett's Song, the 3-2 favorite, ran fifth to snap his three-race win streak. Riden With Biden, Plamen, and Depository completed the order of finish.

“I guess my horse was ready to go today,” Sanchez said. “It seems like he does better when he gets early position clear. The last couple times he was kind of in between horses [when] he broke a little poorly. I think the post position helped me today.”

The post Pickin’ Time Wins City of Laurel Stakes At Laurel Park appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Marissa’s Lady Takes Inaugural Fern Creek At Churchill Downs

Boone Family Trust and Tillema Family Trust's homebred Marissa's Lady shot past pacesetter Verylittlecents at the top of the stretch and turned back a late challenge from 8-5 favorite Matereya en route to a one-length victory in the inaugural running of the $200,000 Fern Creek for 2-year-old fillies on Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

Marissa's Lady, trained by Billy Morey and ridden by Rafael Bejarano, ran 6 ½ furlongs over a fast track in 1:16.85.

The victory was worth $121,140 and increased Marissa's Lady's earnings to $190,600 with a record of two wins in two starts. She is a Kentucky-bred daughter of Violence out of the Cee's Tizzy mare Marissa's Joy, and broke her maiden at first asking on Oct. 31.

Sent off at odds of 3-1, Marissa's Lady returned $8, $4.00, and $2.60. Matareya, under Joel Rosario, and paid $3.40 and $2.60 with Sweet Dani Girl another 2 ½ lengths back in third paying $2.80 to show under Martin Garcia.

Bali Del Sol, Knowing Glance, Verylittlecents, and Laura's Charm completed the order of finish. Golden Sights was scratched.

The post Marissa’s Lady Takes Inaugural Fern Creek At Churchill Downs appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Cordmaker Gets Seventh Career Stakes Win In Richard W. Small At Laurel

Hillwood Stable's Cordmaker, still going strong at the age of 6, overpowered several younger rivals including 3-year-old favorite Shackqueenking to register his seventh career stakes victory, a 1 ¾-length decision over Workin On a Dream in Saturday's $100,000 Richard W. Small at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

The 21st running of the 1 1/8-mile Small for 3-year-olds and up, part of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series, was the last of three $100,000 stakes on the program, preceded by the City of Laurel for 3-year-olds and Safely Kept for 3-year-old fillies, each sprinting seven furlongs.

Cordmaker ($12.20) ran second in last year's Small to Harpers First Ride, who went on to win the historic Grade 3 Pimlico Special, a race where Cordmaker finished third for the second consecutive year. The winning time Saturday was 1:50.48 over a fast main track.

“It's great for the horse and the barn and [owner] Mrs. [Ellen] Charles,” winning trainer Rodney Jenkins said. “It's a nice thing all around.”

With regular rider Victor Carrasco aboard, Cordmaker settled in third as 17-1 long shot Workin On a Dream and Shackqueenking led the way, going the opening quarter-mile in :24.58 and a half in :47.59. Racing in the clear, Cordmaker closed the gap after six furlongs went in 1:11.84 and swooped to the front at the top of the stretch, running a mile in 1:37.14.

“I wanted him to stay closer. We've been taking him, not way out of it, but pretty far and that's a lot of ground to make up in a stakes race,” Jenkins said. “I told Victor, 'Keep him up in there and make them run,' and he did. Victor gave him a great ride.”

Shackqueenking finished third, with two lengths separating him from runner-up Workin On a Dream and Forewarned in fourth. They were followed by Informative, Tappin Cat, Mischief Afoot, Treasure Trove, Bustoff, and McElmore Avenue.

Cordmaker, a gelded son of two-time Horse of the Year and 2014 Hall of Famer Curlin, added to his lead in the MATCH Series' 3-year-olds and up long dirt division with his 11th career victory from 33 starts, pushing his lifetime bankroll over $700,000 and bouncing back from being disqualified from second to sixth for interference in the Sept. 18 Polynesian at Laurel.

“His last race, when he had that [incident] down here, you never know how they're going to react the next time, and that made me nervous,” Jenkins said. “But he came around great.”

Formerly run as the Broad Brush, the multi-millionaire and four-time Grade 1 winner he trained, the Richard W. Small was renamed following the beloved horseman's death from cancer in 2014. Baltimore-born 'Dickie' Small served two tours of duty during the Vietnam War as a Green Beret before becoming a trainer, also campaigning Broad Brush's son, 1994 G1 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Concern. He won at least one stakes race in Maryland every year but one between 1974 and 2014 and is also known for helping launch the riding careers of female jockeys such as Andrea Seefeldt, Jerilyn Brown, Rosie Napravnik, and Forest Boyce.

The post Cordmaker Gets Seventh Career Stakes Win In Richard W. Small At Laurel appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Another Mystery Upsets Bob F. Wright Memorial Stakes At Fair Grounds

Clean trips are hard to come by for late closing horses. Another Mystery knows it well. Steadied twice and stuck in traffic before finishing sixth in the Grade 3 Sycamore at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., last out, this Illinois homebred by Temple City out of the classy broodmare Ioya Two entered Saturday's $75,000 Bob F. Wright Memorial for Team Block with darkened form. With new pilot Jareth Loveberry guiding this late flyer, Another Mystery ($23.60) saved ground and found the lane needed to strut his best stuff in the stretch, passing the 1.10-1 favorite and Godolphin millionaire Pixelate to score a neck victory at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans, La.

Attracting a classy field with three graded stakes winners, this inaugural running of the Bob F Wright Memorial had the makings of a stunner from when the card was drawn. With four horses who knew how to win out front running across a turf course that has been kind to sent horses early in the meet, so much depended on the tactics each jockey would deploy.

“Trying to follow the right horse,” Loveberry said. “The 1 horse [Pixelate], I thought that was the one to follow and I just got the trip behind him the whole race. I saved ground and followed him.”

Running two lengths behind Pixelate early while tracking fractions of :24.88, :49.40, and 1:14.03 set by Forty Under, Another Mystery kept stride on the rail throughout both turns. He lacked room for a bid at the three-sixteenths pole. Fed up while awaiting a lane to open up, Loveberry tipped Another Mystery Out out and this Chris Block-trained bay 5-year-old kept to business finding more. He edged Pixelate to pull off the 10.80-1 upset. It was another length back to the hard-charging Monarchs Glen in third. The pacesetter Forty Under checked in fourth.

With the victory, Another Mystery raised his record to 22-6-2-3 with a bankroll of $282,850.

“Chris Block did a really good job training this horse, and I appreciate it a lot,” Loveberry said. “He was trained really good. I worked Another Mystery a couple times at Arlington. He brought it today.”

The newcomers to the jockey colony are shining on the opening weekend at Fair Grounds. Although Colby Hernandez leads with five wins, Reylu Gutierrez and Deshawn L. Parker have scored four apiece. With rides like the one he had on Another Mystery, Jareth Loveberry could give them all a run for their money.

“Finally got it off my back,” Loveberry said. “It was my first win.”

The post Another Mystery Upsets Bob F. Wright Memorial Stakes At Fair Grounds appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post