Although what used to be the Lady’s Secret Stakes at Santa Anita Park is now called the Zenyatta Stakes, the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar can easily pass as the Zenyatta Stakes II.
Tag: Racing
Trio Of MATCH Series Stakes Carded For Saturday At Pimlico
Several horses are poised to make up substantial ground in the standings when Pimlico Race Course hosts three stakes that are part of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships Series (MATCH) Saturday, July 31.
The $100,000 Challedon Stakes and $100,000 Alma North Stakes, both at six furlongs, will be the third of six legs in the 3-Year-Olds and Up Sprint—Dirt division and Filly and Mare Sprint—Dirt division, respectively. The $100,000 Deputed Testamony Stakes at 1 1/8 miles is the second of six legs in the 3-Year-Olds and Up Long—Dirt division.
The Alma North has attracted Hello Beautiful, the 4-year-old Maryland-bred filly by Golden Lad who is tied for second in the division standings with 7 MATCH Series points behind undefeated Chub Wagon, who leads with 20 points after two starts. The standout Pennsylvania-bred filly, however, will not compete in the Alma North and would miss the fourth leg of the division at Colonial Downs should she race in a $100,000 state-bred stakes Aug. 23 at Parx Racing, where she is stabled.
Hello Beautiful, trained by Brittany Russell for Madaket Stables, Albert Frassetto, Mark Parkinson, K-Mac Stables and Magic City Stables, has won seven of 15 starts and finished only a neck behind Chub Wagon in the Shine Again Stakes at Pimlico June 13 in her most recent start. She will be ridden as usual by Sheldon Russell in her second MATCH Series start of the year.
“She has trained really well,” Russell said. “Sheldon worked her last week (in :49 for a half-mile at Pimlico) and all systems point to go. Hopefully the time she has had and as well as she has done in between and running at Pimlico, which she showed she can absolutely handle, will prove beneficial.”
Michael and Katherine Ball's Club Car and C & B Stables' Paisley Singing each have 5 MATCH points based on third-place finishes in the Skipat Stakes and Shine Again, respectively. Both are entered in the Alma North.
The MATCH Series points structure in each stakes is as follows: 10 for first, 7 for second, 5 for third, 3 for fourth, 2 for fifth and 1 for sixth through last. Bonus points based on number of starts are designed to encourage participation. With six races in each of four divisions this year, a fourth series start is worth 5 bonus points; a fifth start, 2 points; and a sixth start, 3 points, for a maximum of 10. Horses must compete in three races in their division to qualify for a share of $282,000 in bonus money.
Hillside Equestrian Meadows' Laki, an 8-year-old Maryland-bred gelding who was the 3-Year-Olds and Up Sprint—Dirt division champion in 2018-19, will make his third series start of the year in the Challedon. He is second in the division standings with 9 points behind Yaupon and Special Reserve—each with 10 points—who are not expected to follow the MATCH Series trail.
Laki, a winner of 11 of 35 starts—seven of them stakes—worked a half-mile in :49.60 at Pimlico July 22 in preparation for the Challedon. He will be ridden by Horacio Karamanos.
The Russell-trained Whereshetoldmetogo, owned by Madaket Stables, Ten Strike Racing, Michael Kisber and Black Cloud Racing Stable, will make his first MATCH Series start in the Challedon. The 6-year-old Maryland-bred gelding was an easy winner of the six-furlong Alapocas Run Stakes at Delaware Park in his last start July 3, one of four wins in his last five starts. Sheldon Russell is named to ride.
A pair of Maryland-bred geldings who competed in the Grade 3 Pimlico Special, the first stakes in the division, are entered in the Deputed Testamony.
Hillwood Stables' 6-year-old Cordmaker, fourth in the Pimlico Special, has been working at the Maryland State Fair at Timonium in preparation for the Deputed Testamony. The winner of nine of 29 starts will be ridden again by Victor Carrasco and has three series points.
GMP Stables, Arnold Bennewith and Cypress Creek Equine's Harpers First Ride finished 10th in the Pimlico Special but returned to the barn of Claudio Gonzalez after that race and easily won a 1 1/16-mile allowance event at Pimlico. Harpers First Ride, who worked five furlongs in 1:00.80 at Pimlico July 23, has won 11 of 22 starts including the Pimlico Special and Deputed Testamony in 2020. Regular rider Angel Cruz has the mount.
Following the action at Pimlico, the MATCH Series will return Aug. 23 at Colonial Downs in Virginia with four $100,000 stakes on tap.
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Drain The Clock Will Try To Continue Strong Sophomore Campaign In Sunday’s Amsterdam
Drain the Clock has not left the competition much time to come back on him during a sophomore campaign that has already featured three graded stakes victories. The Maclean's Music colt will look to complete the trifecta of graded stakes scores at a NYRA track, headlining Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Amsterdam for 3-year-olds sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs over Saratoga Race Course's main track.
Owned by Slam Dunk Racing and Madaket Stables, Drain the Clock enters his Spa debut off an impressive victory by a neck over fellow Amsterdam contender Jackie's Warrior in the seven-furlong Grade 1 Woody Stephens presented by Nassau County Industrial Development Association on Belmont Stakes Day June 5. The Saffie Joseph, Jr. trainee earned a personal-best 97 Beyer Speed Figure for that victory over Big Sandy, which came two months after a win at the same distance in the Grade 3 Bay Shore at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Drain the Clock has won four of his five starts this year, commencing his campaign with two triumphs in January at Gulfstream Park. In total, Drain the Clock has won six of his seven career sprints, including a 7 1/2-length victory in his 3-year-old debut in the six-furlong Limehouse on January 2 at Gulfstream before posting a 6 1/4-length win in the seven-furlong Grade 3 Swale later that month over the same track.
Joseph, Jr. stretched out Drain the Clock in his only career route in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Fountain of Youth, where he ran a competitive second, just 1 1/2 lengths back to winner Greatest Honour, before racking up two consecutive graded stakes wins when cut back.
“Most of his one-turn races were won in hand,” Joseph, Jr. said. “He was basically geared down the last sixteenth in the Bay Shore. We always thought he had more to give but until you see it you don't know for sure and the Woody Stephens was definitely his breakout race. He earned his respect that day and beat a game horse in Jackie's Warrior. He's in good form and I think he's going over there with a really good chance.
“We tried two turns once and he ran credibly, but one turn is his niche and what he does best,” he added.
Drain the Clock, bred by Nick Cosato in Kentucky, will have Irad Ortiz, Jr.'s services from post 2.
In the Woody Stephens, Drain the Clock edged fellow Maclean's Music progeny Jackie's Warrior at the wire. He will now be returning to a Saratoga track in which he won two graded stakes in his juvenile year, capturing the Grade 2 Saratoga Special last August before winning the Grade 1 Hopeful.
Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Jackie's Warrior made a strong bid for Champion 2-Year-Old honors, notching a 5 1/2-length win in the Grade 1 Champagne in October at Belmont to give him three graded stakes wins in his first four starts. After running fourth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile in November, Jackie's Warrior carried that success into 2021, running third in the Grade 3 Southwest in February while on the Kentucky Derby trail.
Shortened up after that effort, Jackie's Warrior bested Dream Shake by a head in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on Kentucky Derby Day before matching Drain the Clock's 97 Beyer for the Woody Stephens.
Owned by J. Kirk and Judy Robison, Jackie's Warrior is approaching millionaire status, registering an 8-5-1-1 record with earnings of $948,964. He will look to reach that threshold Saturday, breaking from post 3 with regular rider Joel Rosario in the irons.
Klaravich Stables' Crowded Trade, who last raced when fifth in the Grade 1 Preakness on May 15 at Pimlico, has twice finished in the money in graded stakes, starting when second – a nose back to Weyburn – in the Grade 3 Gotham on March at the Big A. A competitive third in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino in April in the Big A's signature race set up his start in a Triple Crown race, where he finished 12 1/4-lengths back to winner Rombauer.
Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, Crowded Trade will make his first start at Saratoga with Hall of Famer Javier Castellano returning to ride from the outermost post 6.
Robert Hahn's New York homebred River Dog will bring his 2-for-2 record into his graded stakes bow. The Jeremiah Englehart trainee was a seven-length debut winner going six furlongs on May 2 at Belmont and won against state breds in the seven-furlong Mike Lee over a sloppy and sealed Belmont track on May 31.
The son of Twirling Candy will face open company on full rest, drawing the inside post with Jose Ortiz aboard.
“He's done everything we expected him to do,” Englehart said. “He ran so well in his maiden, and in the Mike Lee was able to get the job done. We wanted to let some time go by. We gave him two months between races, so hopefully from a timing standpoint, it works out the way we think it will.”
Rounding out the field is Jerry Namy's Flash of Mischief, who will be cutting back in distance off consecutive runner-up efforts at Prairie Meadows in the Prairie Mile and the Iowa Derby, for trainer Karl Broberg [post 4, Eric Cancel]; and Lugamo Racing Stable's Mister Luigi, who won his debut in September and returned off a 10-month layoff to finish fourth against optional claimers on July 9 at Gulfstream Park in his first start since Antonio Sano took over the training duties [post 5, Luis Saez].
The Amsterdam is slated as Race 9 on the 10-race card with a post time of 5:39 p.m. Eastern. First post is 1:05 p.m.
Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.
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‘I Wouldn’t Like It If It Were Easy’: Moquett Enjoys Challenges Of Training Strong-Minded Whitmore
Training the strong-minded reigning Champion Sprinter Whitmore comes with its challenges, but Arkansas-born conditioner Ron Moquett said he wouldn't have it any other way.
“I wouldn't like it if it were easy. It wouldn't mean as much if everything works out if it were easy,” Moquett said. “I think for me, at this stage in my career, it's good to get something that's a little quirky and a little different and show that you can handle those types and then hopefully get some of the easier ones down the road.”
Owned by Moquett in partnership with Robert V. LaPenta and Head of Plains Partners, Whitmore looks to add a third Grade 1 victory to his ledger in Saturday's Grade 1 $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt at Saratoga. The veteran 8-year-old gelding boasts a lifetime record of 41-15-13-4, which include triumphs in the Grade 1 Forego in August 2018 at the Spa as well as the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint at Keeneland.
Whitmore developed a good rapport with some of his previous pilots, with six jockeys having guided the talented veteran to the winner's circle, which include, Jose Ortiz, Irad Ortiz, Jr., Manny Franco, Didiel Osorio and Joe Talamo. Other jockeys of note to have piloted the 8-year-old veteran include Luis Saez, Joel Rosario, and Flavien Prat, as well as Hall of Famers Mike Smith and Victor Espinoza.
“He's quirky, but he's not hard to ride,” Moquett said. “These guys are professionals. When you look at the list of jockeys that have ridden this horse, those are some top riders. I've always said you ride riders for the comfort that they will get done what you want to get done, but it also has to do with the fact they're very sure and confident. If he catches a little glimpse of any thread, he can pick on you, he will pull that thread.”
Through a racing career which dates back to a 7 ¼-length debut win in November 2015 at Churchill Downs, Moquett has been able to spend more time with Whitmore than most trainers can say they've spent with some of their star pupils.
“He still deals with things that aren't easy. He hasn't had a nail in his shoe since he was a 3-year-old. He wears glue-on shoes,” Moquett continued. “He's not the easiest to be around at the gate. He likes to train backwards, he refuses to train by himself. He wants competition or he'll give you the middle finger. We have to soak his feed a certain way before he'll eat it. Everything is a collaboration of figuring out how to get along with him.”
Moquett credits his wife and assistant trainer Laura for being instrumental in coaxing the most from Whitmore.
“Laura is the master of that, and she has the patience of Job, which is probably how we're married,” Moquett said. “Being married to me has trained her to get along with Whitmore.”
Jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. appears to know Whitmore better than any other jockey, having finished in the money 15 of the 17 times he has been in the irons.
“Sometimes it works like that. Certain riders say, 'Hey we're doing this, let's go,' and Santana does that. They work well together,” Moquett said.
The post ‘I Wouldn’t Like It If It Were Easy’: Moquett Enjoys Challenges Of Training Strong-Minded Whitmore appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
