Fearless Makes Bold Move To Take Harlan’s Holiday At Gulfstream Park

Facing a field that included Mighty Heart, the reigning Canadian Horse of the Year, jockey Luis Saez made a bold move for the lead on the backstretch at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., and never relinquished the front, winning the Grade 3 Harlan's Holiday by a length.

Out of the gate, Mighty Heart established a one-length lead early, with Blue Steel and Fearless stalking down the backstretch. With early fractions of :24.38 and :47.76, Saez sent Fearless to the lead as they approached the far turn, putting a head in front of Mighty Heart as they rounded into the far turn.

Into the stretch, Fearless increased his lead to two lengths as South Bend rallied on the outside, passing Mighty Heart inside the last furlong to take second. At the wire, the margin of victory was four lengths. Blue Steel, Twenty Twice, and Eye of the Jedi rounded out the order of finish.

The final time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:42.19. Find this race's chart here.

Fearless paid $3.20, $2.40, and $2.10. South Bend paid $4.00 and $2.80. Mighty Heart paid $2.60.

Bred in Kentucky by Helen K. Groves Revocable Trust, Fearless is by Ghostzapper out of the Street Cry (IRE) mare And Why Not. Owned by Repole Stable, the 5-year-old gelding is trained by Todd Pletcher. Consigned by Elite Agent, he was purchased by West Bloodstock, agent for Repole Stables, for $205,000 at the July 2021 Fasig-Tipton Horses of Racing Age Sale. With his win in the G3 Harlan's Holiday, Fearless has two wins in five starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of five wins in 11 starts and career earnings of $576,550.

The post Fearless Makes Bold Move To Take Harlan’s Holiday At Gulfstream Park appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Center Aisle Much The Best In Sugar Swirl, Earns First Stakes Victory

Center Aisle stalked a quick pace over six furlongs at Gulfstream Park and dueled with Frank's Rockette down the stretch to take the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl by a length. After two in-the-money finishes in other graded stakes races, the daughter of Into Mischief breaks through to win her first graded stakes.

Loriloupies was quickest out of the gate at the Hallandale Beach, Fla., track, setting early fractions of :21.72 for the quarter mile and :44.18 for a half mile. She was part of a four-across quartet of Frank's Rockette, Center Aisle, and Quinoa Tifah down the backstretch and into the race's only turn. As they straightened for home, Center Aisle and Frank's Rockette began to separate themselves from the field, dueling down the Gulfstream straight.

The two fillies were head to head throughout the stretch run, but Center Aisle was able to pull away from Frank's Rockette to win by a length. Bronx Beauty was third.

The final time was 1:09.54. Find this race's chart here.

Center Aisle paid $6.20, $2.80, and $2.60. Frank's Rockette paid $2.60 and $2.20. Bronx Beauty paid $2.80.

Bred in Kentucky by Breffni Farm, Center Aisle is by Into Mischief out of the Empire Maker mare Specification. She is owned by OXO Equine LLC and trained by Paulo Lobo. The filly was consigned by Tom McCrocklin and purchased by her owners for $1.5 million at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Florida Select Two-Year-Olds In Training Sale. With her win in the G3 Sugar Swirl, the 4-year-old filly has three wins in three starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of four wins in eight starts and career earnings of

The post Center Aisle Much The Best In Sugar Swirl, Earns First Stakes Victory appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Geno Outlasts Un Ojo To Win NYSSS Great White Way

Geno went wide on the lone turn of the Great White Way, part of the New York Stallion Stakes Series, to find running room on the outside of Unique Unions and outlasted a rallying Un Ojo to take the seven-furlong stakes by a neck.

Breaking from the middle of the field of 11, Geno settled in fourth behind Unique Unions, who took the lead out of the gate, with Kenner and Bustin Pietre content to sit behind the early leader. Through early fractions of :22.71 and :46.48, Unique Unions was a half-length in front of Kenner on the far turn, entering the stretch at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y., poised to take the field gate to wire.

Geno went three-wide on the far turn to find running room in the Aqueduct straight, rallying on the outside of Unique Unions with jockey Trevor McCarthy driving Un Ojo to his outside. Geno passed Unique Unions inside the last sixteenth to take the lead and was able to hold off Un Ojo to win by a neck. Unique Unions held on for third with Hot Stepper fourth.

Jockey Trevor McCarthy lodged an objection after the race, as there was some contact between Geno and Un Ojo in the stretch. The stewards upheld the order of finish.

The final time for the seven furlongs was 1:25.88. Find this race's chart here.

Geno paid $18.80, $9.90, and $6.00. Un Ojo paid $15.20 and $7.90. Unique Unions paid $3.20.

“I love this horse. He's so classy. He does whatever you want him to do. Last time I rode him, I was sort of knocking my head because I didn't ride him that well. But everything paid off today,” jockey Jose Vargas said after the race.

“He came to me from Ocala and he just trained really well this summer. This horse has a lot of class, as much class as I've seen a horse have in a while. I debated first time out whether I should run him on dirt or turf. His mother [Weekend Hottie] won on grass and my success with Big Brown offspring have been on grass, so I ran him over it,” trainer David Donk told the NYRA Press Office after the Great White Way.

“I told Johnny [Velazquez] I liked the horse and he was good enough to win first out. He ran well in a stake [2nd in the Awad] next time. I don't think he got the greatest trip last time [6th in the Central Park]. He breezes really well on the dirt and I needed to try him somewhere on the dirt. This is as good a spot as I could have found. Jorge [Vargas, Jr.] gave him a great ride.

Bred in New York by Pete Martine, Geno is by Big Brown out of the Sun King mare Weekend Hottie. He is owned by Mendham Racing Stable. With his win in the NYSSS Great White Way, the 2-year-old colt has two wins in four starts for career earnings of

The post Geno Outlasts Un Ojo To Win NYSSS Great White Way appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

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.

The post Sweet Melania Regains Graded Stakes Winning Form In Suwannee River appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights