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Wondrwherecraigis Works In Preparation For Gravesend

Trainer Brittany Russell worked Grade 3-winning sprinter Wondrwherecraigis Saturday in his final drill for next Sunday's $100,000 Gravesend, a six-furlong handicap for 3-year-olds and up at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

The gelded son of Munnings posted a four-furlong breeze in :50 flat over the main track at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

“He is training along really well and as long as he comes out of that work well, all systems are go for the Gravesend,” Russell said. “He's really straightforward and we try and keep him happy. It's more or less just maintenance and he's ready to go.”

Hoping to extend his career-best form to Aqueduct when he runs at the Big A for the first time next weekend, Wondrwherecraigis was a driving winner of the Grade 3 Bold Ruler Handicap at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., last out on October 31.

The Bold Ruler was the first graded victory for the Michael Dubb and Elkstone Group-owned gelding, who crossed the finish line first in the G3 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md., in September, but was disqualified and placed behind runner-up Jalen Journey for interference in the stretch.

Russell said Wondrwherecraigis' performance in the Bold Ruler showed his professionalism.

“He knows his job and we know he's fast,” said Russell. “We just hold him together and keep him happy. He does his thing in the morning and he's a smart horse. In the afternoon he does tend to do a little drifting, but hopefully, all that is behind us now.”

His latest work is his second at Pimlico after moving from Laurel Park as the dirt surface there undergoes renovation. Russell says the move has not bothered the dark bay.

“I have stalls at Pimlico so he joined us over there and hasn't missed a beat. I think he actually liked the change of scenery,” Russell said with a laugh.

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Glass Ceiling Will Seek Second Stakes Win In January’s Interborough

Glass Ceiling earned an 88 Beyer Speed Figure with a 2 1/4-length victory in Saturday's $100,000 Garland of Roses, a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Glass Ceiling settled at the rear of the seven-horse field down the backstretch and swung wide nearing the quarter pole in pursuit of pacesetter Sadie Lady. Under Dylan Davis' right-handed encouragement, Glass Ceiling was in command outside the final furlong marker, covering the six furlongs in 1:11.19 over the sloppy and sealed main track.

Prior to Saturday's victory, the now five-time winner was a late-closing second to Lady Rocket in one of two divisions of the Pumpkin Pie on October 31 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., where she earned a career-best 94 Beyer.

Trainer Charlton Baker, who owns the 4-year-old daughter of leading third-crop stallion Constitution with Michael S. Foster, said Glass Ceiling will now target the seven-furlong $100,000 Interborough on January 15 at Aqueduct.

“She came out of it great. She ate up well like she always does,” Baker said. “She gets more relaxed going seven-eighths. She doesn't need to be rushed off her feet, so that's more beneficial than three-quarters.”

Baker said another sharp effort in the Interborough would likely result in a start in the $250,000 Grade 3 Barbara Fritchie on February 19 at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

“That's the plan. After her next start, we might go to Laurel and then give her some time off,” Baker said.

Glass Ceiling earned her first three victories while racing for trainer Danny Gargan during her sophomore campaign. After passing through the hands of several other trainers, she was claimed by Baker for $40,000 in May. She ended a 15-race slump in her fourth start for Baker with a six-length triumph in a first-level allowance tilt in September at Belmont Park three starts back. Baker said her speed figures and pedigree were enticing.

“I bred a mare to Constitution early on and I always believed in him as a stallion,” Baker said. “She was decent enough at three so I figured she could be competitive at four. I was just looking for a young horse that can get better and improve as an older horse and she's done that. During the wintertime up here, you can be competitive if you can run numbers in the low-to-mid 80s. She ran some numbers in the 90s a couple of times, so she's exceeded my expectations.”

Glass Ceiling, bred in Kentucky by Twin Creeks Farm is out of the stakes-placed Empire Maker mare Fighter Wing, whose dam was two-time graded stakes winner Lakenheath. Glass Ceiling boasts a consistent record of 23-5-6-4 with earnings of $332,612.

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Horton, Stewart Will Point Last Samurai To 2022 Oaklawn Handicap

Prominent Arkansas owner Willis Horton won the 2021 Oaklawn Handicap on his 81st birthday. Horton may have an opportunity to celebrate again in 2022 with Last Samurai, who recorded his biggest career victory to date in Saturday's inaugural $150,000 Poinsettia Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs, Ark.

Ridden by Jon Court, a Horton favorite, Last Samurai ($10.20) edged 2021 Arkansas Derby winner Super Stock by three-quarters of a length in a meet-best 1:43.70 over a fast track. The Poinsettia was among four stakes races Oaklawn created in December to accommodate its earliest opening in history, and the last chance for Last Samurai to compete on a big stage against 3-year-olds.

“Well, I mean, he's turning 4 here pretty soon,” Fair Grounds-based trainer Dallas Stewart said by phone moments after winning the Poinsettia. “Just going to take our time with him. The main goal with him would be the Oaklawn Handicap.”

The $1 million Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap is April 23. The 1 1/8-mile race, Oaklawn's signature two-turn event for older horses, was won last season by Silver State, co-owned by Horton and Winchell Thoroughbreds (Ron and Joan Winchell). Silver State also won the $150,000 Fifth Season Stakes and $500,000 Essex Handicap earlier in the meeting for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

Like Super Stock, Last Samurai was making his first start at Oaklawn since last April's Arkansas Derby. Last Samurai finished a non-threatening fifth. The Malibu Moon colt also finished fifth behind champion Essential Quality in the $750,000 G3 Southwest Stakes last February, Oaklawn's second of four Kentucky Derby points races. Last Samurai was exiting races longer in advance of the Poinsettia, including a runner-up finish in the $200,000 G3 Greenwood Cup Stakes (1 ½ miles) Sept. 25 at Parx in Bensalem, Penn., and a troubled third in a Nov. 6 allowance event (1 ¼ miles) at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. He was an allowance winner at 1 1/8 miles on the turf Aug. 10 at Colonial Downs in New Kent, Va.

“Listen, he's a 3-year-old running against 3-year-olds,” Stewart said. “It's a two-turn race. I don't know if he knows the difference between a mile and a sixteenth and a mile and an eighth.”

Last Samurai's first career stakes victory, and third in 12 starts overall, pushed his career earnings to $312,744. Horton purchased the colt for $175,000 at the 2020 OBS March sale of 2-year-olds in training. Last Samurai received a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 95, a career high, for his Poinsettia victory.

“I think he's going to be a real nice 4-year-old,” Stewart said. “It's nice that Oaklawn's running in December. Good opportunity to run horses. I really appreciate the meet here, being in December. We've got some nice horses to run there.”

Stewart made an 11th-hour decision to split his stable, initially sending a handful of runners to Oaklawn for the expanded 2021-2022 meeting that began Dec. 3. In addition to Last Samurai, millionaire G2 winner Long Range Toddy and Curly Tail, a 2-year-old son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, are on the grounds for Stewart. Horton also owns Long Range Toddy and Curly Tail.

Stewart said he will eventually have about 10 horses at Oaklawn, including “four or five” for Horton.

Stewart and Horton teamed to win two of Oaklawn's biggest races for 3-year-old fillies last season, $200,000 Martha Washington Stakes and $300,000 G3 Honeybee Stakes, with Will's Secret. Court was aboard for both victories, as well as Long Range Toddy in the first division of Oaklawn's $750,000 Rebel Stakes (G2) for 3-year-olds in 2019.

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Last Samurai represented Court's first stakes victory since he turned 61 in November.

“Dallas really wasn't specific about instructions,” Court said. “He knows that I know the horse. But we go over just basically how he's run before and how I've had success with him and we kind of went from there. But the owners have been really good and we communicate on how they would like to see the strategy turn out. It turned out very well today, especially when you end up in the winner's circle.”

The Poinsettia was the 702nd career Oaklawn victory for Court (No. 6 all time) and 36th stakes triumph. Court was Oaklawn's leading rider in 2000.

Stewart's Oaklawn division is overseen by assistant Jade Cunningham, who worked as an exercise rider at last season's meeting for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Stewart is a former Lukas assistant.

Oaklawn's first major two-turn race for older horses in 2022 is the $150,000 Fifth Season at one mile Jan. 15.

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Marion Francis Looks For First Stakes Win In She’s All In Friday At Remington Park

Marion Francis has yet to enjoy the sweet taste of stakes success, but she hails from the barn of the top trainer in the country. The 3-year-old filly ships into Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Okla., and has been established as the 9-5 morning-line favorite in the $100,000 She's All In Stakes on the final night of the season, Friday, Dec. 17.

Brad Cox leads all trainers nationally with earnings of $30,932,681 this year. He has yet to win the She's All In Stakes.

Marion Francis has made $222,578 in 2021 and has lifetime earnings of $232,118 despite never winning in black-type company. Her record is 10 starts, three wins, three seconds, and three thirds.

A daughter of Constitution, out of the Two Punch mare Sophie's Destiny, has been stakes-placed twice. She ran third two races back in the $200,000 Plum Pretty Stakes at Parx Racing in Philadelphia on Sept. 25. Cox's filly also got third in the $150,000 Cathryn Sophia Stakes at Parx on Aug. 24. She broke her maiden at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., this spring on March 28 as the 6-5 favorite. Her margin of victory was 1-1/4 lengths.

Marion Francis picked up her next win at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. against allowance/optional $75,000 claiming fillies. She won that one by three-quarters of a length on May 28 over a wet fast track. She will be entering the She's All In off her third win, beating optional $100,000 claiming fillies under allowance conditions, at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., by a mere neck on Oct. 21. She's been off almost two months since then but has a series of works to prep for this comeback, three of them at Keeneland and her last on Dec. 5 at Oaklawn where she breezed in :48.40 for a half-mile.

Jockey Florent Geroux has been in the saddle for all three Marion Francis wins and all 10 of her starts. Cox will once again give him a leg up in the She's All In. Marion Francis is owned by Madaket Stables, Kent Spellman, and Wonder Stables. She was bred in Pennsylvania by Blackstone Farm. This filly was last purchased for $150,000 in the Ocala (Fla.) Breeders' Spring Sale for 2-year-olds in Training in 2020.

Marion Francis was made the slight favorite over Casual (2-1) from the barn of the nation's second-leading trainer and the all-time winningest conditioner in history, Steve Asmussen. Casual also is a multiple stakes-placed filly and ran fourth in the 2020 She's All In. Asmussen, who is second behind Cox in a heated battle for top-earning trainer this year at $30,523,870, has won the She's All in twice and will be going for his third victory in the past four years. He won with Magical in 2019 and Clever Serve in 2018. Ricardo Santana, Jr., booted home the 2019 winner while David Cabrera, the track's leading rider the past four years, 2018-2021, was aboard Clever Serve. This year, Asmussen will use the riding services of Jose Ortiz, who is fourth in the country among jockeys in money earned ($23,721,025). He trails only Joel Rosario in first, followed by Jose's brother Irad, and Luis Saez.

Casual is owned by Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings (J.G. Sikura), Stretch Run Ventures (Ed McGee), and Windsor Boys Racing (Faheem Hasnain). The 4-year-old daughter of two-time Horse of the Year, Curlin, is out of the Mutakddim mare Lady Tak. She was bred in Kentucky by the first two owners. She may not yet be a stakes winner, but she has finished second or third in six of her last seven tries against stakes company.

Casual ran second in Oaklawn's $200,000 Spring Fever Stakes on Feb. 27 and third in the Carousel Stakes on April 10, followed by a runner-up finish in the $100,000 Skipat Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., on May 15. She continued her run with a third in the $120,000 Shine Again Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Asmussen decided to jump her up into the Grade 1 Ballerina Handicap there, where she ran seventh, beaten 11 lengths by champion Gamine on Aug. 28. Her next stop came here at Remington Park where she finished second to Cinnabunny in the $50,000 Flashy Lady Stakes on Sept. 26.

Casual was shipped out to Zia Park in Hobbs, New Mexico for her final start before the She's All In. She was a distant second in the $75,000 Zia Distaff there, beaten 5 3/4 lengths on Nov. 23.

The filly carrying the local flag in the She's All In will appropriately be She's All Wolfe, a 4-year-old daughter of the mare whose name is on this stakes race. She's All Wolfe, by Magna Graduate, was bred in Oklahoma by owner Dr. Robert Zoellner. All this filly has done for Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Famer trainer Donnie Von Hemel is win five of her eight starts at Remington on the main track. She is the 6-1 fourth favorite in the morning line.

She's All Wolfe is the lone Oklahoma-bred in the She's All In and leads in career victories and earnings. The 4-year-old's record is 20 starts, seven wins, five seconds, and a pair of thirds for a bankroll of $390,761. Her wins at Remington Park include the $30,000 Oklahoma Stallion Stakes for fillies on Sept. 11, 2020, and the $145,000 Oklahoma Classics Distaff last year and this year. Richard Eramia gets the return call on She's All Wolfe. Von Hemel has won the She's All In once since its inception in 2014. He sent out Ready to Confess for Pin Oak Stable in 2017.

She's All In reached millionaire status during her racing career, as well as being dominant in the Oklahoma Classics, winning the Distaff in four consecutive years from 2010-2013.

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Here's a look at the She's All In Stakes field from the rail out with post position, horse, jockey, trainer, and odds:

My Bets, Lane Luzzi, Philip Sims, 12-1
Lady Gwen, Carlos Montalvo, Brent Davidson, 20-1
Island Hideaway, Julien Leparoux, Karl Broberg, 12-1
She's All Wolfe, Richard Eramia, Donnie Von Hemel, 6-1
Paige Anne, Sophie Doyle, John Ennis, 5-1
Casual, Jose Ortiz, Steve Asmussen, 2-1
Marion Francis, Florent Geroux, Brad Cox, 9-5
Content, Danny Sorenson, Tina Hurley, 15-1

The She's All In goes as the 10th race on a 13-race card with an approximate post time of 9:25 p.m.

There are four other stakes races on Dec. 17:

Race 8, $70,000 Jim Thorpe Stakes, 3-year-olds, 1 mile (Oklahoma-breds)

Race 9, $70,000 Useeit Stakes, 3-year-old fillies, 1 mile (Oklahoma-breds)

Race 11, $100,000 Trapeze Stakes, fillies, 2-year-olds, 1 mile

Race 12, $400,000 Springboard Mile, 2-year-olds, 1 mile

The total closing day card will begin at 5 pm. on Friday, Dec. 17. Prior to the final night, racing will take place Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 15-16 starting at 7:07 pm. All times are Central.

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