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Pletcher Prepares Following Sea, Americanrevolution For Cigar Mile

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher worked graded stakes winner Following Sea and multiple New York-bred stakes winner Americanrevolution in company this morning at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., in preparation for next Saturday's $750,000 Grade 1 Cigar Mile presented by NYRA Bets at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Both horses completed their half-mile moves over the dirt training track rated fast in :49.21.

Owned by Spendthrift Farm, Following Sea rounded out the trifecta behind Aloha West and Dr. Schivel in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint on November 6 at Del Mar. The son of second-crop sire Runhappy entered the Sprint from a solid score against older company in the G2 Vosburgh on October 9 at Belmont Park.

Americanrevolution, a CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm owned Constitution colt, enters the Cigar Mile off an 11 ¾-length romp against fellow Empire State-breds in the Empire Classic on October 30 at Belmont, where he produced a 108 Beyer Speed Figure.

“They both went well,” said Pletcher, a four-time winner of the Cigar Mile. “It was a good breeze for them both with a solid gallop out. They both seem to be happy and healthy, knock on wood.”

Since 2000, seven 3-year-olds have bested elders in the Cigar Mile, which is the final Grade 1 event on the NYRA circuit for the calendar year.

Pletcher also worked a handful of juveniles slated for stakes action next week with Mo Donegal and Overstep breezing a half-mile in company over the Belmont training track in :49.77. Both horses are pointing towards the $250,000 G2 Remsen – a nine-furlong test for juvenile colts which offers 10-4-2-1 points towards the 2022 Kentucky Derby.

Mo Donegal, a Donegal Racing owned son of Uncle Mo, stretched out from six furlongs to 1 1/16 miles to break his maiden at second asking on October 21 at Belmont. Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's New York-bred Overstep, a bay son of Into Mischief bred by Chester and Mary Broman, was a close second in the state-bred Sleepy Hollow on October 30 over a sloppy and sealed Belmont main track.

Pletcher previously captured the Remsen with Bluegrass Cat [2005] and Overanalyze [2012], both of whom contested in the following year's Kentucky Derby.

Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, and Michael House's Nest registered a half-mile work in :49.79 in preparation for the $250,000 G2 Demoiselle, a nine-furlong test for juvenile fillies which offers 10-4-2-1 points toward the 2022 Kentucky Oaks.

Pletcher is a six-time winning trainer of the Demoiselle, including with subsequent Oaks victresses Ashado [2003] and Malathaat [2020].

On Friday, Pletcher saddled Repole Stable's Never Surprised to a flashy victory in the $150,000 Gio Ponti, which saw the Constitution bay garner a career-best 98 Beyer Speed Figure with Kendrick Carmouche in the irons. Never worse than second in a half dozen career starts, Never Surprised was previously second to Public Sector at graded stakes level in the G3 Saranac at Saratoga and the G2 Hill Prince at Belmont. Last year, he captured both his starts over the Aqueduct turf, including a wire-to-wire win over stakes-winner Hard Love in the Central Park.

Pletcher said the $100,000 Tropical Park Derby on December 26 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., remains in play.

“That's a possibility. We'll see,” Pletcher said.

The post Pletcher Prepares Following Sea, Americanrevolution For Cigar Mile appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Princess Grace Favored In Del Mar’s Closing Day Matriarch

Del Mar's Bing Crosby Season #8 will come to a sweet close Sunday with a nine-race card topped by the Grade 1, $400,000 Matriarch Stakes.

Besides the filly and mare grass feature, there also will be the Grade 3, $100,000 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes for 2-year-olds. The Matriarch has lured seven for its mile journey, while the DeMille has brought out 11 for its eight furlongs on the green.

The 15-day Crosby Season at the seaside track north of San Diego, Calif., featured the 38th edition of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which established a new betting mark for the two-day, 14-race extravaganza. Additionally, the seaside track put on its own 13-day session climaxed by a seven-stakes, all on grass, four-day finish that puts a fine bow on a fine racing run.

Heading the 41st edition of the Matriarch – the last seven of which have been held at Del Mar – is Susan and John Moore's Princess Grace, a 4-year-old filly by the Japanese-bred stallion Karakontie who has won six of her eight lifetime starts, including a tally at Del Mar this past summer in the Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon Handicap. Trainer Michael Stidham sticks with Kent Desormeaux as her rider.

Princess Grace will have to have her running shoes on tight Sunday, though, with trainer Chad Brown having entered two of his mares in the test, including last year's winner Viadera.

The Matriarch will be seventh race on the Sunday card.

In the Cecil B. DeMille, which goes as Race 3, the horse to beat appears to be another Brown runner in Verbal, who has only made one starts, but it was a goodie. He won easily over a field of straight maidens at Belmont Park on October 10 at a mile on the grass and will have Jose Ortiz back again on board on Sunday.

Here are the full fields for both races from the rail out with riders and morning line odds:

Matriarch Stakes: Princess Grace (8/5); Calvin Nguyen's Bodhicitta (John Velazquez, 12-1); Juddmonte's Viadera (Flavien Prat, 5/2); Aoshiba Corporation's Fast Jet Court (Drayden Van Dyke, 20-1); Heider Family Stables' Zofelle (Umberto Rispoli, 5-1), and Peter Brant's Regal Glory (Jose Ortiz, 9/5).

Cecil B. DeMille Stakes: Red Baron Barn or Rancho Temescal's Optimising (Umberto Rispoli, 3-1); Merecado Racing's Khantaro d'Oro (Juan Hernandez, 12-1); Alvarez Racing Stables' Groovy Huey (Edwin Maldonado, 30-1); West Point Thoroughbreds or Barker's Derecho Dandy (Joe Bravo, 5-1); Drakos or Hanson's Barsabas (Tyler Baze, 12-1); Homme or DeMaio's Il Capitano (John Velazquez, 20-1); Kretz Racing's Cabo Spirit (Victor Espinoza, 6-1); Featherston, Lambert or Underhill, et al's Stotland (Kent Desormeaux, 30-1); Glenn Sorgenstein WC Racing and Great Friends Stable, et al's Get Back Goldie (Kyle Frey, 6-1); Verbal (5/2), and Exline-Border Racing, Wilson, et al's Lottery Pick (Flavien Prat, 8-1).

First post for the Sunday finale will be 12:30 p.m.

The post Princess Grace Favored In Del Mar’s Closing Day Matriarch appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Maxfield Ends Racing Career With Clark Victory, Heads To Jonabell For 2022 Breeding Season

Godolphin's homebred Maxfield is set to travel back to Darley's Jonabell Farm in Lexington after winning his career finale in Friday's $750,000 Grade 1 Clark presented by Norton Healthcare at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

Maxfield, a now multiple Grade I-winning colt by Street Sense, will stand at his owner's farm in 2022.

“The plan worked out very well for us. With Essential Quality running in the Breeders' Cup, it gave us a chance to run him here in the Clark,” said Michael Banahan, Director of Farm Operations for Godolphin. “It's a vision of Sheikh Mohammad to achieve best results we can, especially with our homebreds. This gave us an opportunity to split those horses. It was a great result for Brendan (Walsh) and team who nursed Maxfield through ups and downs the last three years. He was a top 2-year-old and it was devastating not able to run in the Breeders' Cup. Then he came back and looked like we are on the (Kentucky) Derby trail, only to have another setback. It's just been a great team effort to keep him at that level.”

Maxfield remained stabled in Walsh's Barn 9 Saturday morning at Churchill Downs but is scheduled to head to retirement in the coming days.

With his victory in the Clark, Maxfield earned a 100 Brisnet Speed Rating while improving his record to a perfect 5-for-5 at Churchill Downs. He's scheduled to stand for $40,000 at Darley.

The post Maxfield Ends Racing Career With Clark Victory, Heads To Jonabell For 2022 Breeding Season appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Say The Word, Desormeaux Have Final Word In Hollywood Turf Cup

Agave Racing Stable and Sam-Son Farm's Say the Word swung clear at the top of the stretch and scampered down the lane to capture the $251,000 Hollywood Turf Cup at Del Mar Friday afternoon in Del Mar, Calif.

The 6-year-old gelded son of More Than Ready ran a mile and one half on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course in 2:27.62 under Hall of Fame rider Kent Desormeaux to score by a length and take down a first prize of $150,000 in the Grade 2 headliner.

Phil D'Amato trains the winner and he also trains the runner-up, The Elwood Johnston Trust, Timmy Time Racing, et al's Acclimate, who set all the pace in the marathon, but couldn't hold off his stablemate at the end. Finishing third a neck back was Mr. and Mrs. William Warren Jr.'s Friar's Road.

Say the Word, who is a Canadian horse bred by the Sam-Son Farm of Rick Balaz of Ontario, paid $13.00, $5.80 and $4.00 across the board. Acclimate returned $8.80 and $4.40, while Friar's Road paid $3.20.

“This horse has had so much trouble before this; it was great to see him win. Kent (Desormeaux) did like he said he would and kept him covered up, then go him clear in the stretch and let him stretch his legs,” said D'Amato.

Desormeaux, who was winning his 86th stakes at Del Mar, kept his horse covered up for the majority of the journey, shifted him all the way outside at the top of the lane and kept him to a drive to the wire. It was the veteran's seventh lifetime score and the winner's share increased his earnings to $882,792. All of his wins have come on the turf.

“I've got to give Phil (trainer D'Amato) the credit for this one,” said Desormeaux. “He told me it was hard to get this horse to settle, so I told him I'd do the European thing: I'd put him up some horse's rear (force him to stay in position) and wait until the end. My peers always ask me who's my star and what that means is I'll put a star by the horse that I think will carry me 70 yards from the wire. And Umby (rider Umberto Rispoli) had the star today (Rispoli was aboard Friar's Road, the horse Desormeaux drafted in behind).”

In the track's continuing Pick 6 Single Ticket Jackpot Wager, the bet once more couldn't be conquered by the fans and its carryover moved up to $510,986. With only two days of racing left in the season, there's a real possibility that the wager could go all the way to Sunday's closing day and cause a mandatory payout that afternoon, a situation that usually greatly enhances the pool for the players.

First post for both Saturday and Sunday's races will be 12:30 p.m.

The post Say The Word, Desormeaux Have Final Word In Hollywood Turf Cup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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