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Give Me The Lute Scores In Albany Stakes At Golden Gate

5-year-old gelding Give Me the Lute set a blistering fast pace, opened up on the competition turning for home, and held off a late challenge from race-favorite Brandothebartender to pick up his first career stakes victory in Saturday's feature at Golden Gate Fields in Berkley, Calif., the $50,000 Albany Stakes at five furlongs on turf for 3-year-olds and upward.

Give Me the Lute, who went 21.01 and 44.28 for the first two quarter-mile splits, stopped the clock for five panels in a swift 56.26 seconds. The son of Midnight Lute was ridden to victory by Irving Orozco. Winner trainer Andy Mathis picked up his third consecutive Albany Stakes win in Saturday's marquee race, having won the 2019 and 2020 editions with Mike Tiznow.

4-5 favorite Brandothebartender, winner of the Crystal Water and Sensational Star Stakes at Santa Anita earlier this year, sat at the back of the field before producing a fast rally in the final furlong to complete the exacta. Bettor Trip Nick checked in third. Give Me the Lute paid $6.60 to win, $3.20 to place, and $2.20 to win. Brandothebartender returned $3.00 to place and $2.20 to show while Bettor Trip Nick paid $2.60 to show.

Give Me the Lute, sent off as the 2-1 second choice in the wagering, was bred in California by Gary Barber. He is now owned by Rod and Wendy Hogan, who claimed Give Me the Lute for $80,000 at Del Mar in 2019. With the Albany Stakes win, Give Me the Lute holds a lifetime record of five wins, two seconds, and two third-place finishes, with career earnings of just shy of $180,000.

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Mintd Runs Down Juliet Foxtrot For 12-1 Mint Julep Surprise

Getting a ground-saving trip under Ricardo Santana Jr., Irish-bred Mintd was up in the final sixteenth of a mile to deliver a 12-1 upset of 1-2 favorite Juliet Foxtrot in Saturday's Grade 3 Mint Julep Stakes at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky..

Trained by Brendan Walsh for the partnership of Bradley Thoroughbreds, Madaket Stables LLC, Team Hanley, Tim and Anna Cambron, Mintd covered 1 1/16 miles on firm turf in 1:43.92, winning by a half length. Juliet Foxtrot, coming off a G1 victory in the Jenny Wiley at Keeneland in April, finished second under Tyler Gaffalione, 2 1/2 lengths ahead of She'sonthewarpath. They were followed by Handy Woods, Vezpa, Tuned, Lashara and Flash n' Dance in the field of eight fillies and mares, four years old and up. Crystal Ball, Dominga and Sister Hanan were scratched.

Mintd, a 5-year-old mare by Olympic Glory, was registering her first stakes victory in nine career starts – the first four in her native Ireland and five U.S. starts since March 2020. She paid $27.20 to win.

Longshot Flash n' Dance led the field of eight fillies and mares through early fractions of :23.90 and :48.66 as Juliet Foxtrot (GB) tracked from second with Hendy Woods in the clear in third and Mintd (GB) rated along the inside in fourth.

Juliet Foxtrot put away the pacesetter while leaving the far turn in 1:13.41 for six furlongs. The odds-on favorite spurted clear at the head of the stretch but Mintd was determined down the lane, drew within a half-length of Juliet Foxtrot (GB) at the sixteenth pole and put her away in the final yards for the win.

“Brendan and his team were very confident in this filly today, which gave me a lot of confidence as well,” Santana said. “I tried to keep her close to the early pace and we had a great trip.”

“It was a tough field on paper with a lot of nice fillies and mares entered,” said Walsh. “This horse has been very progressive in her development. She ran a great race on Kentucky Oaks Day and had a beautiful breeze over the turf (at Churchill Downs). I thought we had a good chance against some very nice fillies and Ricardo gave her a fantastic ride.”

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Brickyard Ride Cruises To Thor’s Echo Score At Santa Anita

Absent a suicidal pace duel, the Craig Lewis-trained Brickyard Ride settled into a rhythmic stride out of the gate and coasted gate to wire in Saturday's $100,000 Thor's Echo Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., winning by 4 ¾ lengths. Ridden for the first time by Juan Hernandez, Brickyard Ride got six furlongs in 1:09.34.

Winless in two starts since taking the Grade 2 San Carlos Stakes at seven furlongs on March 6, Brickyard Ride was pressed through opening quarter miles of 21.40 and 21 flat in his last two starts—resulting in a fourth-place finish in a six-furlong classified allowance May 7 and a second-place finish in the G3 Kona Gold Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs on April 18.

With an opening quarter mile of 22.62, Brickyard Ride was in complete control of the Thor's Echo, and although Colt Fiction appeared full of run while two lengths back turning for home, Brickyard Ride was never challenged through the lane.

“Craig told me a clean break with him was the key today,” said Hernandez. “I never bothered him, he felt comfortable the whole way. It felt like he ran faster when I worked him the other day (a bullet five furlongs in 58 flat on June 4) than he ran today. I looked at three or four replays of his races and it looked like today, he relaxed better.”

Owned and bred in California by Alfred Pais, Brickyard Ride was off as the 8-5 favorite and returned $5.20, $3.60 and $2.60.

“I don't like to make excuses for my horses but, he was pretty much eliminated last time,” said Lewis. “He hit the gate and then he ducked in real bad, he just lost his best attribute, which is speed. I just felt like he trained well and we know he's a brilliant horse when he's right…Juan knew he had a lot of horse under him.

“We're probably going to point for the Bing Crosby (G1, six furlongs at Del Mar July 31), possibly. We could stretch him out in a Cal-bred stake. He's a lovely moving horse, big horse with a wonderful stride, very athletic and has plenty of speed…We don't know if he can could do it (be effective routing) but we know this, he will be in front.”

A striking looking 4-year-old chestnut colt by Clubhouse Ride out of the Southern Image mare Brickyard Helen, Brickyard Ride notched his third stakes victory and he now has six wins from nine Santa Anita starts. With an overall mark of 16-8-1-2, the winner's share of $60,000 increased his earnings to $464,477.

Ridden for the first time by Umberto Rispoli, the Bill Spawr-conditioned Colt Fiction saved every inch of ground from his rail post and although he accelerated when called upon was no match for the winner, finishing 1 ¼ lengths in front of Fashionably Fast.

The second choice at 5-2, Colt Fiction paid $3.20 and $2.20.

Fashionably Fast, who was off at 7-2 with Tiago Periera, paid $2.60 to show while finishing 2 ¾ lengths in front of Loud Mouth.

Fractions on the race were 22.62, 45.16 and 56.99.

Sponsored by the CTBA, the Thor's Echo is part of the lucrative Golden State Series for eligible California-bred or sired horses.

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Shifty She Shines In Ginger Punch Stakes At Gulfstream Park

Pedigree Partners LLC's Shifty She seized control at the start of Saturday's $75,000 Ginger Punch Stakes at Gulfstream Park in Hallendale Beach, Fla. and held on tenaciously to capture the 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for Florida-bred fillies and mares.

The 5-year-old daughter of Gone Astray collected a $25,000 win-only bonus available to FTBOA Florida Sires Stakes-nominated starters in addition to the $45,105 winner's share of the purse.

While capturing her second consecutive stakes and winning her fifth race in her last six starts, the 4-5 favorite set a pressured pace while posting quarter-mile fractions of :23.77, :47.15, 1:10.09, and 1:33.93 on her way to a final clocking of 1:40.13.

“She loves to win. She definitely has the will to win,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “You can see that. If you look at her record, even before we got her. You can't teach that.”

Despite the race-long pressure, she had more than enough energy in reserve to hold off the late rally of Sun Summers by a half-length under Edwin Gonzalez, who earlier in the day notched his 1,500th career win.

“This is a nice filly. She doesn't have a problem going to the front or staying in the middle of the pace. I let her settle on the lead today and she went nice and easy. She likes to fight,” Gonzalez said.

After finishing fourth in her career debut, Shifty She won three straight races, including an open allowance at Gulfstream in December 2019, before going to the sidelines for 16 months. Transferred to Joseph following her hiatus, she set a pressured pace before weakening to finish fourth in her April 9 return to action. Chris Pallas and George Klein's homebred mare came back to capture the May 15 Powder Break, defeating open company while rallying from just off the pace.

“You can't train that. She always finds a bit more. She knows where the wire is. Even in the race off the layoff when she got beat, she dueled the whole way and still hung in there,” Joseph said. “I think after this we'll try to find a graded stakes somewhere and at least give her a chance to win a graded stakes.”

The Joseph-trained Lovely Luvy rallied from far back to finish third, three-quarters of a length behind Sun Summers.

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