After a two-week break, the Road to the Breeders’ Cup resumes on Saturday, July 17, with a significant prep at the Jersey Shore anchoring the weekend's stakes activity that also includes opening weekend slates at Saratoga Race Course and Del Mar.
Tag: Racing
Noble Drama Rallies To Take City Of Dania Stakes
Harold Queen's Noble Drama called on his family's class to rally from far off the pace to win Sunday's $60,000 City of Dania, a rapidly run contest in which multiple Grade 1 stakes-placed Jesus' Team, the 7-10 favorite, was never a factor while finishing fifth in a highly anticipated return to action.
The City of Dania, a one-turn mile overnight handicap for 3-year-olds and up, headlined an 11-race program that wrapped up a weekend of racing action that included Papetu's victorious comeback in the $75,000 Carry Back and Competitive Speed's return to winning form in the Hallandale Beach on Saturday.
Out of a half-sister to 2010 Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Big Drama and full sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Sheer Drama, Noble Drama with Emisael Jaramillo collected his seventh career stakes victory at Gulfstream Park with a 1 1/2-length decision over pacesetter I'm a G Six.
“What a horse,” said trainer David Fawkes, who also campaigned Noble Drama's more famous family members.
Jesus' Team, who finished sixth in the $10 million Grade 1 Dubai World Cup March 27 after checking in second behind Knicks Go in the $3 million Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Jan. 23, raced evenly under Samy Camacho while proving unable to employ the stretch kick that powered him to a second-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes.
“Samy said he felt good but that maybe he needed a race,” trainer Jose D'Angelo said. “I know he had a lot of weight. Now we just have to check him and make a decision.”
Jesus' Team carried 127 pounds as the starting highweight while conceding between five and 12 pounds to his seven rivals, including five pounds to Noble Drama.
The victorious 6-year-old gelding, who went to post as the 5-2 second betting choice, was coming off a late-rallying triumph in the My Name's Jimmy overnight handicap May 22 off a four-month layoff.
“That last race took a lot out of him but it gave him plenty of time to recover. This week while training he's been bucking and playing like a yearling,” Fawkes said. “He's so much fun. He shows up every time.”
I'm a G Six, who was coming off an impressive optional claiming allowance victory, was hustled to an early lead by jockey Rajiv Maragh and proceeded to set a blistering pace, putting up eye-catching fractions of :22.81 for the first quarter and :45.12 for the first half mile and 1:08.89 for six furlongs. Pro Quality chased the pacesetter into the stretch under Chantal Sutherland and briefly appeared on his way to victory inside the eighth pole, but Noble Drama loomed in full strike on the far outside and claimed the victory. I'm a G Six battled back to finish second, a neck ahead of Pro Quality.
Noble Drama ran the mile in 1:35.09.
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Using History to Handicap the 2021 Haskell Stakes
Get ready, racing fans! The Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series takes a big turn on Saturday, July 17 with the running of the $1 million, Grade 1 TVG.com Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park. The prestigious 1 1/8-mile event for three-year-old Thoroughbreds serves as a “Win and You’re In” qualifier to the Nov.
Contreras Rides Tio Magico To Victory In Queenston At Woodbine
Sam-Son Farm homebred Tio Magico took the co-featured $125,000 Queenston Stakes, a seven-furlong sprint for Canadian-foaled three-year-olds, in front-running fashion with Luis Contreras aboard for trainer Gail Cox.
The Uncle Mo-Magic Broomstick gelding broke sharp and cruised through fractions of :23.85 and :46.95 en route to the 2-1/2-length victory in 1:22.54.
“I just love this guy. I think you haven't seen the best of him,” said a beaming Contreras after the victory. “He has something that attracts me and makes me feel good.”
Cutting back to seven furlongs after finishing fifth in a 1 1/16-mile allowance race here on June 19, Tio Magico paid $6.50 to win as the 2-1 second choice. The winning effort improved his record to 2-1-1 from eight career starts.
“We've always liked this horse a lot,” said Cox. “He ran so well last year, and I think we just probably messed around with his style a little bit. This is how he wants to run, and I think he'll run a distance like this. His gallop out was huge. So, it was so nice to be able to win like this.”
Tio Magico was a top three Queen's Plate contender, assessed at 6-1 odds in the Winterbook predictive rankings. When asked about targeting the 1 1/4-mile first leg of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown, which takes place on Sunday, Aug. 22 at Woodbine, Cox said the date would be up for discussion among the connections.
Artie's Storm angled out wide from mid-pack on the final turn and came on to finish second in the Queenston, with Queen's Plate eligible Red River Rebel, the 9-5 favourite, chasing from the rail in third. Del Griffith finished fourth and was followed by Master Spy, another Plate contender who pressed the pace near the turn, and Download.
Gretzky the Great was scratched along with Candy Overload, who was cross-entered in the Marine.
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