Racing | Horse Racing Free Tips

Pondering Retirement, Jones Seeks His First Groupie Doll Win With Istan Council

For all the races he's won at his hometown track, trainer Larry Jones could be looking at his final shot to win one of Ellis Park's signature races, Sunday's $125,000 Groupie Doll Stakes at the Henderson, Ky., track.

Jones will saddle Brereton Jones' Istan Council in the mile race, which attracted an overflow field of 13 fillies and mares. The trainer long has pointed horses for the Groupie Doll, and its various incarnations that include being called the Gardenia and the Coca-Cola Handicap. Istan Council is among his starters, having finished third last year behind victorious Lady Kate and New Roo, both of whom return.

A native of Hopkinsville, Ky., Jones has considered Henderson home for most of his adult life. He started his racehorse ownership career at Ellis Park in 1980 and officially began training his horses in 1982, going 0 for 42 before winning a $2,700 maiden-claiming race at Ellis Park in 1983. Fast forward 1,184 wins and almost $55.2 million in purse earnings later, and Jones is strongly considering retiring. Or at least what passes for retirement for someone who only is comfortable sitting if it's in a saddle.

Of course, Jones retired once before, with his wife Cindy taking over the stable in 2010, and that lasted a year. But circumstances are different now.

Rick Porter, the Delaware car dealer and champion owner who supplied Jones with standouts such as Horse of the Year Havre de Grace and Kentucky Derby runners-up Hard Spun and Eight Belles, died in June. Also, the most recent of a sequence of serious injuries sustained during freak training mishaps has relegated Jones to his pony, frustrating the trainer who for decades got on all of his toughest racehorses.

“I figure we'll get through the Oaklawn meet this winter,” Jones said. “But I have had some owners call me, wanting me to take horses next year, and I've turned them down. I don't know if we have any stars in the barn right now. If some of these 2-year-olds turn out to be really good, I'm sure I'll try to see them through their career.

“Since Mr. Porter passed away, and we don't have as many horses for Governor (Brereton) Jones as we did, yeah, we'll probably go,” he said, adding a caveat, “I don't know if I'll ever quit. I own several horses myself. But we'll definitely get down to where I don't have to travel. I'm really getting tired of living out of a suitcase. We've done it for 40 years now, and very extensively for the last 25…. I don't know if I'll completely stop, because I've got a few broodmares, and I've got to do something with these babies. But basically Larry Jones will be on the ownership side of all of them.”

[Story Continues Below]

Of course, being an owner requires a trainer. Jones was self-taught and didn't come up under anyone. In that regard, it's hard to imagine Jones having horses with somebody else.

“Well, that's what I was trying to think,” he agreed. “I can't find anybody that I really want. The last time I quit, I got that Cindy Jones to train for us. But she said she's not doing it anymore, either.”

In the meantime, he has Istan Council in the Groupie Doll, owned by former Kentucky Governor Brereton Jones (no relation), supplied Larry Jones with his three Kentucky Oaks winners. Istan Council comes into the Groupie Doll off a runner-up finish in the Iowa Distaff won by Josie, who also is in Sunday's stakes. Sophie Doyle, the regular rider of Larry Jones' Grade 1-winning filly Street Band, has the mount.

“In the Iowa Distaff, I think Josie had the perfect trip,” Jones said. “I think we had a very good trip. We jumped out, just laying just off the pace, and felt like we had the leader when we wanted her. Then here came Josie and made us start having to hustle up and go. And we still got the jump on Josie, and Josie ran by her down the lane. But she ran a nice race.”

Jones loves the Groupie Doll as a race, even though he also got beat in it last year with Street Band, who finished sixth in her career finale. He finished second in 2012 with Joyful Victory, who a few races later won a Grade 1 race at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.

“I always wanted to try to have something for here,” Jones said. “This is still a very marquee race.”

The post Pondering Retirement, Jones Seeks His First Groupie Doll Win With Istan Council appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Palace Pier, Poetic Flare To Clash For Breeders’ Cup Mile Berth In Deauville Group 1

The John & Thady Gosden-trained Palace Pier (GB) looks for back-to-back wins in the Group 1 Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois at Deauville this Sunday. The winner of this race, which boasts five Group 1 winners, will earn an automatic starting position and fees paid into this year's $2 million Grade 1 FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile presented by PDJF through the 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.

Unbeaten in three starts this season, Palace Pier, a son of Kingman (GB) secured his place in the Grade 1 FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile on June 15 when capturing the “Win and You're In” Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot.

After bypassing the Group 1 Qatar Sussex Stakes due to a blood disorder, the 4-year-old will face seven rivals in France, including Mrs. J. S. Bolger's two-time Group 1 winner Poetic Flare (IRE).

Winner of the Group 1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas and the Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes, Poetic Flare was last seen finishing second in the G1 Qatar Sussex Stakes on testing ground on July 28. Trainer Jim Bolger believes his 3-year-old colt will improve from that performance.

“It was the ground at Goodwood,” Bolger said. “The filly [Alcohol Free (IRE)] was very good but it was a sub-par run for him. It was very tacky ground that day. He is so much better on good ground. This horse has all the class in the world, he's very quick, and any sort of a reasonably run race will suit him.”

Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Mrs. A.M. O'Brien's Order of Australia (IRE), the defending G1 FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile champion, has been entered by trainer Aidan O'Brien. The 4-year-old son of Australia (GB) finished fifth behind Poetic Flare in the G1 Qatar Sussex Stakes.

[Story Continues Below]

The 4-year-old filly Alpine Star (IRE), owned and bred by the Niarchos Family, will seek to go one better than last year. Runner-up behind Palace Pier in 2020, one of three occasions the 2020 Group 1 Coronation Stakes heroine placed second in Group 1 company, Alpine Star returns to Deauville after finishing second in her seasonal debut in the listed British Stallion Studs EBF Lyric Fillies' Stakes.

“It's a very good renewal of the race,” said her trainer, Jessica Harrington. “She's in good form and a stronger filly this year. Hopefully, it will be the slow side of good. Shane Foley takes the ride and I hope she will run a big race.”

Andre Fabre has won the Group 1 Prix Jacques Le Marois more than any other trainer in its history with seven victories. He has entered the Godolphin-owned Victor Ludorum (GB) and Midtown (GB).

Winner of the Group 1 Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) over course and distance in June 2020, this year Victor Ludorum bounced back from two defeats to win the Group 3 Prix Messidor at Chantilly last time out on July 18. He is joined by his lightly raced stablemate Midtown, a 3-year-old son of Dubawi (IRE) out of a Diktat (GB) mare First City (GB), who was last seen finishing a credible third in only his third start in the Group 1 Haras d'Etreham Prix Jean Prat.

Group 3 winner Ecrivain (FR), trained by Carlos Laffon-Parias, and British challenger Chindit (IRE), trained by Richard Hannon, complete the field.

As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois winner to start in the G1 FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile, which will be run at a mile on the Del Mar turf course. Breeders' Cup will also 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.

The post Palace Pier, Poetic Flare To Clash For Breeders’ Cup Mile Berth In Deauville Group 1 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Plainsman Tabbed Morning-Line Favorite In Remington’s Opening Night $175,000 Governor’s Cup

The country's second-ranked trainer by horses' earnings this year, Brad Cox, entered Plainsman Friday morning in the $175,000 Governor's Cup. The first stakes race of the season headlines the opening night program for Remington Park racing on Aug. 20.

Remington Park morning-line maker Jerry Shottenkirk has established Plainsman the 2-1 favorite for a competitive field of 10 horses top to bottom. The Governor's Cup will go as the eighth race on a nine-race card that begins at 7:07 p.m. next Friday. Post time for the 1-1/8th mile race on the dirt has been set for approximately 10:23 p.m.-central.

Plainsman, a 6-year-old by Flatter, out of the Street Sense mare S S Pinafore, is owned by Shortleaf Stable of Hot Springs, Ark. and he will be ridden by Francisco Arrieta. Arrieta took over the duties on Plainsman three races back at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, and has not lost on him since he was given a leg up by Cox. Plainsman won an allowance race on April 15 at Oaklawn, followed by victories in the $50,000 Jim Rasmussen, an overnight stakes at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa on June 4, and the $85,000 Michael G. Schaefer Stakes at Indiana Grand in Shelbyville, Ind. Arrieta has most recently been riding at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky. Plainsman's record is 23 starts, seven wins, five seconds and three starts for $515,407 in earnings.

Despite the win streak, Plainsman has been beaten by a couple of horses in this race, including defending champion Hunka Burning Love in the 2020 Jeffrey A. Hawk Memorial at Remington Park. Hunka Burning Love won the Governor's Cup last year by 6-1/2 lengths and has been made an 8-1 slight outsider to repeat because of his recent dull form. Trainer Karl Broberg sends out this 7-year-old gelded son of Into Mischief, out of the Thunder Gulch mare Touch of Fire, for owner End Zone Athletics of Mansfield, Tex. He will be ridden by Remington Park newcomer Reylu Gutierrez.

Hunka Burning Love has never lost in three tries around two turns at Remington Park. Three-time defending champion jockey David Cabrera has ridden him in two of those wins and Ramon Vazquez was aboard for the other. Both of them have other mounts in the Governor's Cup. Hunka Burning Love has had a third and two fourth-place finishes in his last three starts. He was fourth in the $400,000 Steve Sexton Mile at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Tex. All of three of his recent losses came over a sloppy or muddy track, however.

Vazquez will ride Rated R Superstar, who was supplemented for $5,260 at time of entry by Remington Park's all-time leading owner Danny Caldwell of Poteau, Okla. (371 wins). The 8-year-old gelded son of Kodiak Kowboy, out of the Gold Case mare Wicked Wish, was made the 9-2 second choice in the morning-line in this spot. He is one of two millionaires in the field. Rated R Superstar, trained by Federico Villafranco, has earned $1,068,014 in 54 starts with eight wins. He finished a neck back of Plainsman in the Rasmussen, but hasn't won in stakes company the past two years.

The other millionaire is Tenfold, the top money-earner in the field with $1,179,745 in 25 starts. The 6-year-old by Curlin, out of the Tapit mare Temptress, appears to be the class of the field, having run against graded stakes horses in nine of his last 13 races.

Asmussen, the new all-time leading trainer by wins in racing, also has Tapit Wise representing the barn at 10-1 morning-line odds.

Another horse entered on a win streak is Guided Missile, going for his third straight win. At 8-1 odds, trainer Boyd Caster sends out this 4-year-old colt by Tapit from the Tiznow mare Pussyfoot. He has won two in a row in allowance events at Prairie Meadows.

This will be the 30th Governor's Cup at Remington Park, contested at 1-1/8 miles since 2011. The race was originally called the Remington Cup from 1988-1994. Asmussen has won the race six times (2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2017 and 2018) while Broberg has one win, last year with Hunka Burning Love.

Jockey David Cabrera is the lone rider in the field to have a score in the Governor's Cup, winning aboard Hunka Burning Love last year.

Here's a look at the field from inside to outside with jockey, trainer and morning line odds:

Tenfold, Stewart Elliott, Steve Asmussen, 5-1
Guided Missile, Curtis Kimes, Boyd Caster, 8-1
Trident Hit, David Cabrera, Ron Moquett, 6-1
Box Seat, Iram Diego, Boyd Caster, 20-1
Rated R Superstar, Ramon Vazquez, Federico Villafranco, 9-2
Baozun, Weston Hamilton, Juan Gomez Jr., 30-1
Plainsman, Francisco Arrieta, Brad Cox, 2-1
Popularity, Richard Eramia, Joe Offolter, 15-1
Tapit Wise, Leandro Goncalves, Steve Asmussen, 10-1
Hunka Burning Love, Reylu Gutierrez, Karl Broberg, 8-1

Tracked by more than 167,000 fans on Facebook and 10,400 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $269 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District, Remington Park features live and simulcast horse racing, and the casino is always open! The 2021 Thoroughbred Season begins Aug. 20. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.

The post Plainsman Tabbed Morning-Line Favorite In Remington’s Opening Night $175,000 Governor’s Cup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Ottoman Empire Has Additional ‘Education’ Ahead Of Saratoga Special

Greg Tramontin's Ottoman Empire will look to benefit from the experience of his race last month at Saratoga when he returns as part of a 12-horse field of juveniles in tomorrow's Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special presented by Miller Lite contested at 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track.

The Tom Amoss trainee won his debut in a five-furlong sprint on June 20 at Churchill Downs, rallying from seventh to best next-out winner Texas Red Hot by one length. Stepping up to stakes company next out, the Classic Empire colt ran fourth in the Grade 3 Sanford at six furlongs at the Spa in a race won by Wit.

“He won his first start at Churchill and there's absolutely no doubt he's a talented horse,” Amoss said. “In his first start, it was strictly on raw talent. He made a lot of mistakes. He didn't break well, he didn't like being crowded, he didn't go around anybody. But it was a very good race as far as watching a horse that doesn't have a really good understanding of competition yet but still being able to win a race.”

Amoss said an equipment change could continue to be beneficial to Ottoman Empire, who was a $120,000 purchase at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

“Since his first start, we thought we had educated him pretty well entering the last stakes race here. We did add blinkers to him, which isn't a move I often make this early in a horse's career,” Amoss said. “I like them to learn through racing, but we're going to go ahead and run with the blinkers. I just feel he needs a little jump-start in the education process.”

Ottoman Empire drew post 3 with Dylan Davis in the irons. He is listed at 15-1 on the morning line.

“His understanding of competition and what he needs to do to win is still not where it needs to be, but you tend to get a little bit of a better understanding through racing, so we're back in tomorrow and we feel good about it,” Amoss said.

Joel Politi's Li'l Tootsie will make a surface change after going 3-1-0 in first seven career starts on dirt when she competes in Sunday's $120,000 Galway for 3-year-old fillies going 5 1/2 furlongs on Saratoga's Mellon turf course.

Li'l Tootsie, who ran ninth last out in the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks on July 7 at Indiana Grand Race Course, registered her first breeze on the grass with a five-furlong work in 1:03.66 on the Oklahoma training turf July 31 and Amoss said he was impressed with the effort.

“She's a very talented sprinter,” Amoss said. “She's never raced over the grass before, but the pedigree suggests it'll work. We breezed her over the Oklahoma turf course and we thought she worked very well. This race gives us the opportunity to see if we can make her anything other than a dirt sprinter and broaden our horizons.”

Li'l Tootsie, bought for $105,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is a daughter of Tapiture out of the Dayjur mare Informative Style. She drew the inside post in the Galway with Eric Cancel aboard and is 12-1 on the morning line.

“You always prefer to be further outside with a chance to position and make a late run without any traffic,” Amoss said. “The one-hole, it's the shortest way home, but it presents potential problems for a horse who comes off the pace. We have to work out a trip from there and see what happens.”

The post Ottoman Empire Has Additional ‘Education’ Ahead Of Saratoga Special appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post