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Rated R Superstar Gives Caldwell First Governor’s Cup At Remington

Owner Danny Caldwell has won 372 times at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Okla., now, but on Friday night, the Poteau, Okla., native won a race he had never won before – the $175,000 Governor's Cup with Rated R Superstar. The Governor's Cup was the feature event on the opening night of the 2021 Thoroughbred Season at Remington Park.

Caldwell has won the Thoroughbred owners' title 11 times at Remington Park and now can add one of Remington Park's richest races to his trophy case. “I don't have one of those; it's pretty,” Caldwell said as he was presented the trophy.

It was also the first win in the Governor's Cup for jockey Ramon Vazquez and trainer Federico Villafranco.

Caldwell picked up Rated R Superstar for $50,000 in a claim at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., on Jan. 30, a race that the 8-year-old gelding won.

“I knew he was going to be special when he ran great against Silver State,” Caldwell said. “I love these older horses. He had a bad couple of races at Turfway Park and no one else put a claim for him that night (in January) so I was fortunate to get him.”

Since the claim, the Kentucky-bred son of Kodiak Kowboy, out of the Gold Case mare Wicked Wish, has won two races, but it was actually a race in which he ran second that showed his class. About six weeks after being the only owner to put in a claim for Rated R Superstar, Caldwell entered the horse in the $500,000 Essex Handicap at Oaklawn, a spot that appeared a bit ambitious for a horse from a $50,000 claiming race. Rated R Superstar came flying at the end of that 1-1/16th mile race to lose by only a neck to Silver State. All Silver State did this year was win six races in a row, including the Grade 1 Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park and the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap. In Silver State's most recent effort, he finished third in the Whitney at Saratoga to Knicks Go, who is the top American horse in the Breeders' Cup Classic rankings.

In the Governor's Cup, Vazquez had Rated R Superstar dead last in the field of nine coming down the backstretch in the 1-1/8th mile race, about seven lengths back of a tightly packed field. He also had him well off the rail toward the middle of the track to keep him out of trouble.

“I knew the horse was doing great right now,” said Vazquez. “I worked him the other morning. He had a lot in reserve when I finally asked him to run.”

By the top of the stretch, Rated R Superstar and runner-up Plainsman, the 6-5 post-time favorite, were heads apart. The winner prevailed at the wire by a neck at 7-2 odds over Plainsman, who had beaten him by a neck in the $50,000 Rasmussen Stakes at Prairie Meadows, Iowa., on June 4. Trident Hit, also 7-2, was another 1-3/4 lengths back in third.

Rated R Superstar earned $105,000 for the win and paid $9.40 to win, $3.60 to place, and $2.80 to show. He improved his record to 55 starts, nine wins, nine seconds, and eight thirds for $1,173,014. He passed the $1 million mark in earnings this summer.

Running time for the distance was 1:50.30. The interior fractions, set mostly by defending champion Hunka Burning Love (8-1) early, setting up Rated R Superstar's kick to victory were :23.61 for the first quarter-mile, :47.17 at the half-mile, 1:11.18 for three-quarters of a mile and 1:37.03 for the mile.

It was the first race for Rated R Superstar on the dirt at Remington Park after having raced on the turf in the $100,000 Remington Green Stakes over the turf here on Aug. 24, 2018. He finished sixth in that start, 3-1/4 lengths back of winner Turbo Street.

Caldwell won nine owner titles at Remington Park in the past 10 years, losing only in 2019 to End Zone Athletics, trainer/owner Karl Broberg's outfit. Caldwell also won in 2008 and 2010. His top year was 2016 when he won the crown with 50 wins, the most ever by an owner here.

The Opening Weekend at Remington Park continues Saturday, Aug. 21 with the first race at 7:07 pm Central.

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Quick Suzy Goes For Prix Morny, BC Juvenile Turf Sprint Berth Sunday

Royal Ascot winner Quick Suzy (IRE) is set to take on 13 rivals in the 6-furlong Group 1 Darley Prix Morny at Deauville on Sunday. The Darley Prix Morny winner will receive an automatic berth into the $1 million Grade 2 Juvenile Turf Sprint through the international Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 84 stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be held at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California, on Nov. 5-6.

Owned by the Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Quick Suzy blitzed her rivals in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Ascot on June 16 and will be looking to emulate Campanelle (IRE) by completing the Queen Mary-Prix Morny double, which Lady Aurelia also achieved in 2016.

Quick Suzy is trained by Gavin Cromwell in Navan, Ireland. Cromwell commented, “Quick Suzy goes for the Prix Morny. She was entered in the Phoenix Stakes (G1) at the Curragh last week, but we gave her a break after Ascot and the race just came too soon after that break. Fillies have a very good record in the Prix Morny and, on top of that, Queen Mary winners have a great record in it too, so it looks the right race for her. It fits perfectly into her schedule too. Gary Carroll will ride and we're really looking forward to the race. She's in great form.”

The Richard Hannon-trained and Al Shaqab Racing-owned Armor (GB) won the Group 3 Markel Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood by 3 ¼ lengths and steps up to Group 1 company for the first time. The son of No Nay Never will be ridden by Patrick Dobbs.

The unbeaten Velocidad (GB) took out the Group 2 Airlie Stud Stakes at the Curragh on his second start. Trained by Joseph O'Brien, the 2-year-old son of Gleneagles (IRE) will be ridden by Ryan Moore for the first time.

Asymmetric (IRE) is another Group 2 winner in the field. The son of Showcasing (GB) built on his second-place finish in the Group 2 Tattersalls July Stakes at Newmarket to win the Group 2 Unibet Richmond Stakes in his latest start. Runner-up that day at Goodwood in the Unibet Richmond Stakes was Khunan (GB). The son of Twilight Son (GB) is one of two runners in the race for trainer Richard Fahey, who also saddles Group 2 Norfolk Stakes winner Perfect Power (IRE). Hollie Doyle and Christophe Soumillon are booked to ride, respectively.

The French challenge is headed by the Andre Fabre-trained Trident (FR). Impressive on debut, Trident was narrowly beaten in the Group 3 Darley Prix de Cabourg over course and distance. He will be partnered with Mickael Barzalona.

As a part of the benefits of the Challenge series, the Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the winner of the Darley Prix Morny to start in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, which will be run at five furlongs over the Del Mar turf course. Breeders' Cup also will provide a travel allowance of $40,000 for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the Championships' pre-entry deadline of Oct. 25 to receive the rewards.

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Stakes Winner Anna’s Bandit Retired

No Guts No Glory Farm's 7-year-old mare Anna's Bandit, whose resume includes 11 stakes wins at three different tracks in two states as well as purse earnings of $806,655 over six seasons, has been retired from racing and will become a broodmare.

Bred and owned and trained by Maryland-based John 'Jerry' Robb and his wife, Gina, and ridden in 33 of her 39 lifetime starts by Xavier Perez, Anna's Bandit retires with a career record of 17 wins, five seconds, and eight thirds.

The Maryland Jockey Club will honor Anna's Bandit with a retirement ceremony between races during the 37th Jim McKay Maryland Million Day program Oct. 23 at Laurel Park.

“We're very excited. It's always hard, especially with a horse like Anna that's done so much, that you have to make this decision,” Gina Robb said. We couldn't be prouder of her. Now she's coming home and I'm so grateful, I really am.

“She means the world to us. She's like one of our children, basically. I think anybody who breeds horses can kind of relate to that, especially when it's a mom and pop kind of thing like we are,” she added. “We're a little operation. They're all there with us on the farm, and bringing her home to the farm that we built means so much to us. I'm really happy for her that she had such an incredible career, and now she's able to start over in a new chapter.”

In her most recent race, the daughter of Great Notion out of the No Armistice mare Onearmedbandit ran fifth in a six-furlong optional claiming allowance July 26 at Colonial Downs in New Kent, Va., behind fellow multiple stakes winner Never Enough Time.

“We were pretty much decided that this was going to be her last year regardless, it didn't matter if she was good, bad, or indifferent,” Gina Robb said. “She came out of that Colonial race a little tired, and we were kind of shaking our heads because we thought it was one of her easier spots.

“When she came back from Colonial, we just kind of didn't like the way she was going,” she added. “She doesn't have anything major where we had to stop her, but I think in all of our minds and our hearts and how much she means to us, we really didn't want to take any more chances.”

Perez, who reached 1,000th career wins in June at Delaware Park in Wilmington, Del., rode Anna's Bandit to 14 wins, four seconds, and seven thirds, and all but $114,540 of her purse earnings. Other jockeys to ride Anna's Bandit were Eric Camacho and Katie Davis in 2016 and 2017 and Gerald Almodovar in the May 29, 2020 Original Gold at Charles Town in Charles Town, W.Va., her last win.

“She deserves it,” Perez said of retirement. “She doesn't owe anything to anybody. She did her job and she made us proud. She's safe and where she belongs. I'm happy for her.”

In 2019, Anna's Bandit won nine of 11 starts and more than $400,000 in purses, tying for the most wins of any horse in North America. Her career stakes wins included the 2018 and 2019 Conniver, 2019 Maryland Million Distaff and 2019 Politely at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md., and 2019 Timonium Distaff.

In West Virginia, where she was bred, Anna's Bandit won the Down Town Allen and Sadie Hawkins in 2018; Original Gold, Sadie Hawkins, and West Virgina Cavada Breeders' Classic in 2019; and Original Gold in 2020.

Her Maryland Million win came just a week after Anna's Bandit won the Cavada, a feat Gina Robb felt was at the top of a laundry list of accomplishments.

“That one year that when she won all those stakes, it was kind of like a blur,” she said. “After she won the West Virginia-bred race and came back in seven days … I have the goosebumps thinking of it. That had to be the most incredible of all the races.”

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Anna's Bandit also placed in 10 other stakes, including a third behind Majestic Reason and Victim of Love in the 2020 Grade 3 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie, her lone graded-stakes attempt. Majestic Reason was a three-time stakes winner that was retired following the race, while Victim of Love went on to win back-to-back editions of the Grade 3 Vagrancy in 2020 and 2021 and run third in the 2020 Grade 1 Ballerina.

“She's amazing. She's always going to be one of the best horses I ever rode, or anybody rode,” Perez said. “They don't come around too often. You have to be lucky and be in the right place at the right time. It worked out for me.”

Anna's Bandit's success has been nothing short of remarkable. She showed she was special early on, debuting with a 6 ¾-length maiden special weight triumph May 6, 2016 at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md., and jumping straight into stakes company. She finished third in the Astoria at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., and second in the Debutante at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., the latter in July, before going to the sidelines.

She went 14 ½ months between races, the result of multiple operations to repair leg injuries that went undiagnosed during her formative years.

Anna's Bandit was limited to four starts in 2020, due to both the coronavirus pandemic that paused live racing in Maryland for 2 ½ months from mid-March to late May, and a minor foot issue in late summer that prompted Robb to give her the rest of the year off. She began this year running fifth in the June 13 Shine Again at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., and second in the July 10 Dashing Beauty at Delaware Park.

Plans call for Anna's Bandit to be bred in 2022, though the details have yet to be worked out.

“We are just trying to get over the fact that she's retired. We do have time to discuss where we're going on February 15th, because we plan on trying to get her in foal early,” Gina Robb said. “We would like to ship her and bring her home and not have her stay anywhere else. I don't know that I'm ready to let her go. I'm just getting her back.

“I think the first year we might keep her local, to a Maryland sire or on the East Coast, somewhere close so we can ship and go and keep her home where I don't have to worry about anything else. I'm very excited to be a part of her broodmare career, and to have her first foal on this farm is going to be one remarkable day.”

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Edgeway, Bravo Team Up For Rancho Bernardo Score At Del Mar

Hronis Racing's Edgeway, the even-money favorite in a short field of four fillies and mares, went about her business in fine fashion Friday afternoon and came away a one-length winner in the 50th edition of the Grade 3, $100,000 Rancho Bernardo Handicap at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

The 4-year-old daughter of Competitive Edge covered 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:16.80 under Joe Bravo and won her race in easier fashion than the margin would indicate. She also gave her trainer, John Sadler, his sixth victory in this distaff sprint going back to a fine filly named Track Gal the conditioner saddled to win the race in 1995, '96 and '97.

Finishing second in the Rancho Bernardo was Gem Inc and Kagele's Proud Emma, while pulling in third was Don Alberto Stable's Stellar Sound.

Edgeway was winning her fifth race in her eighth start and the winner's share of $60,000 pushed her earnings so far to $379,200. With show wagering cancelled due to the short field, Edgeway returned $4.00 and $2.60, while Proud Emma paid $4.60.

In the track's Rainbow Pick 6 Single Ticket Jackpot wager, for the 18th straight time a single bettor couldn't tab all six winners on his or her own meaning there will be yet another carryover into Saturday's TVG Pacific Classic Day card where a “mandatory” payout awaits. Friday's carryover amount of $1,874,996 will be in the pool to start the day tomorrow and it and all the “new” money that comes in on the bet will go out to those who have the most winners, guaranteed.

Some projections put the likely “new” money amount in the $6- to $10-million range. If so, it will virtually ensure that the track will best its non-Breeders' Cup single-day betting record of $25,870,431 set on August 18, 2018, a TVG Pacific Classic Day.

Racing for the big TVG Pacific Classic Day card begins at 2 p.m. Saturday. Eleven races will be on tap with the Pick 6 wager beginning on Race 6, which is scheduled to go off at approximately 4:30 p.m.

JOE BRAVO (Edgeway, winner) – “She was feeling real positive from the break right on through. I was in the catbird seat pretty much all the way. At the three-eighths (pole) I just cut her loose and she got real brave then. She's a nice filly and good horses make my job easier. It'll be interesting to see what John (trainer Sadler) does with her next.”

JOHN SADLER (Edgeway, winner) – “This has been such a good race for me and it is fun to win it again; it has been a few years in between wins. This is a good filly, she has a great record. The only bad race was her last one and Gamine (who left Edgeway 11 ¼ lengths behind in the Great Lady M at Los Alamitos) is the best in the country. She came back from it today, so I'm very happy.”

FRACTIONS: :22.31 :44.94 1:10.05 1:16.80

The stakes win was the third of the meet for rider Bravo, but his first in the Rancho Bernardo. He now has five stakes wins at Del Mar.

The stakes win was the first of the meet for trainer Sadler, but sixth in the Rancho Bernardo. He now has 79 stakes wins at Del Mar, second most of all trainers.

The winning owners, Hronis Racing, are Kosta and Pete Hronis of Delano, Calif.

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