In a monumental schedule change, Oaklawn Park’s 118th season opens Friday, adding December race dates to the calendar for the first time in the track’s history. The 66-day meet will be conducted largely on a Friday-Sunday basis and will conclude Sunday, May 8.
Tag: Racing
All Three Stakes Winners Doing Well After Saturday Scores
The three stakes-winning horses from Saturday at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., showed no ill effects from their efforts and will be given some well-earned rest before “to be determined” next assignments.
Taken in order in which they were achieved:
Three Diamond Farm's Field Pass, a 4-year-old son of Lemon Drop Kid, recorded career win number eight in his 23rd career start in the $250,000 Grade 2 Seabiscuit Handicap and the $150,000 winner's share of the purse boosted his career earnings to $913,143. Nolan Ramsey is trainer Mike Maker's assistant in charge of West Coast operations.
“Everybody's happy for the horse,” Ramsey said this morning. “He's a hard-trying horse and it's nice to see him punch his ticket. As far as what's next, the San Gabriel at Santa Anita (Park in Arcadia, Calif.) is an option but we have options back east as well.
“As of right now, he's booked on a flight to go back east Tuesday, but we'll find out today what we're going to do.”
The win by Tezzaray in the $100,000 G3 Jimmy Durante was the second in as many starts for trainer Peter Miller since being imported from England last summer. Ruben Alvarado, who is taking over as Miller takes a step back from training, said all three of the stable's Durante entrants – Liam's Dove (5th) and Travel Smart (6th), in addition to Tezzaray, were fine.
“I thought all three of my fillies ran very well and were given great rides,” Miller said after the race. “It's nice to win a stakes race on the way out.”
Trainer John Shirreffs said by text that Beyond Brilliant, winner of the $400,000 G1 Hollywood Derby was looking very good Sunday morning. “He had his head out waiting for his early morning feed. That's always a good sign.”
It was the third victory in nine starts for Beyond Brilliant, owned by the C R K Stable of Lee and Susan Searing of Arcadia. The $240,000 winner's share of the purse, earned via a masterful wire-to-wire guidance by Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux, raised the son of Twirling Candy's earnings to $381,280.
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Vergara Repels Challenge From She’s A Mia To Win Tepin At Aqueduct
Gary Broad's Vergara made a strong move from the outside at the top of the stretch to overtake Tasweya and Solib before out-dueling She's a Mia in the final sixteenth to post a win by three-quarters of a length in Sunday's $100,000 Tepin for 2-year-old fillies competing at 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf course at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.
Vergara, who graduated with a 1 1/4-length win at second asking last out in October at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md., shipped to an out-of-state track for the first time and displayed the ability to both travel and handle stakes company.
Departing from post 3 under Luis Saez, the Noble Mission filly tracked in third position as Tasweya led a 10-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in :23.73 and the half in :50.10 over firm going in the fourth running of the Tepin.
In the final furlong, Vergara responded to Saez's left-handed encouragement by surging past Tasweya from the outside while She's a Mia, at 25-1, gamely fought on from the rail under rider Jalon Samuel. In the final sixteenth, Vergara drew away to complete the course in a 1:44.50 final time.
“She broke pretty badly but after the second jump she was right there,” Saez said. “She was running a little green at the three-eighths and she came in behind heels, but when she came into the stretch, she started running.
“We were looking to cover up and relax. She was a little green,” Saez added. “She came in behind horses and I don't want to be at the top of the stretch trying to come out. That's why I did that before the stretch and she responded really well.”
Off at 6-1, Vergara paid $14.60 on a $2 win wager. Purchased for $130,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Vergara improved her career earnings to $87,200.
Trainer Graham Motion breezed Vergara at the Maryland-based Fair Hill facility and kept her local for her first two starts, which saw her run third in a 5 1/2-furlong sprint at Laurel on September 30 before her win last month at the same track when stretched out to 1 1/8 miles. She handled going two turns again, showing a strong turn-of-foot.
“She ran better,” Saez said. “She had good speed to break and be right there. It was a great race. Graham said to ride her however you want. I stayed with the pony [during the post parade] because going long, I don't want to be too rank.”
She's a Mia, who won her turf debut in her second overall career start last out going six furlongs on October 16 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., for trainer Cleveland Johnson, again teamed with Samuel and earned a placing, edging Mischievous Kiss by a neck for runner-up status.
“She had a very nice trip. It's the first time she's ever gone the distance and the winner had gone a mile and an eighth already,” Samuel said. “I was trying to track them, but the winner got an edge on me at the distance.”
The favorite Caironi, Anador, Solib, Determined Star, Louella Street, Tasweya,photos and Kingdom Queen completed the order of finish. Main-track only entrant Waters of Merom scratched.
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Live racing resumes Thursday at the Big A with a nine-race card. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.
America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.
NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.
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Buff Hello, Buff My Boots Lead List Of Nominees For Pair Of Maryland Juvenile Stakes At Laurel
Stakes winners Buff Hello, Cynergy's Star, Local Motive, and filly Buff My Boots are among 45 2-year-olds nominated to a pair of juvenile stakes Saturday, Dec. 4 at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.
The $100,000 Maryland Juvenile and $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Fillies, both for Maryland-bred/sired horses sprinting seven furlongs, kick off the stakes action in the final month of the calendar year that wraps up with the Dec. 26 Christmastide program of six stakes worth $600,000 in purses.
Joseph Besecker's Buff Hello was a front-running two-length winner of the Maryland Million Nursery Oct. 23 in his fifth career start. He is one of 10 Juvenile nominees to have run in the six-furlong sprint including Local Motive, who finished third but returned with a determined head victory in the James F. Lewis III Nov. 13, also at Laurel.
Others coming out of the Nursery include runner-up Coastal Mission, a full brother to retired multiple stakes winner Lewisfield; Cynergy's Star, winless since taking the Timonium Juvenile Aug. 29; respective fourth and fifth-place finishers Shady Munni and Mr. Mox; and Under the Radar, third in the Aug. 26 Dover at Delaware Park in Wilmington, Del.
Bird Mobberley's Buff My Boots captured the Maryland Million Lassie by a half-length in gate-to-wire fashion, then came back and tired to fifth following a speed duel with Sparkle Sprinkle in the Nov. 13 Smart Halo, also six furlongs at Laurel. Sparkle Sprinkle and Lassie runner-up My Thoughts are also among the Juvenile Fillies nominees.
Also prominent among Juvenile Fillies nominees are Luna Belle, fourth by a length in the Lassie and most recently second in the Smart Halo; Smart Halo show finisher Click to Confirm; Dazzy, a dazzling 12-length debut winner Oct. 29 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.; Jester Calls Nojoy, winless in two stakes attempts for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher following a 10-length maiden triumph at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; and Small Wonder runner-up Whiteknuckleflyer.
James McIngvale's Runup, three-length winner of the Sorority Sept. 6 at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., that finished off the board in the Grade 1 Alcibiades last time out, was nominated and being pointed to a start but will miss the race with a bruised foot, trainer Laura Wohlers said Sunday.
West Point Thoroughbreds and Marvin Delfiner's Jaxon Traveler won last year's Juvenile before going on to capture the Bachelor at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., and Star de Naskra at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., this year, while also running second in Pimlico's G3 Chick Lang and Saratoga's G3 Quick Call.
After winning the Juvenile Fillies, Lucky 7 Stables' Street Lute ended 2020 with a victory in the Laurel's Gin Talking and has four wins and three thirds, all in stakes, from 10 starts this year.
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