Making the Grade, which runs through the 2021 Triple Crown races, focuses on the winners of (or top performers in) key races, usually from the previous weekend. We’ll be analyzing impressive winners and evaluating their chances to win classic races based upon ability, running style, connections (owner, trainer, jockey), and pedigree.
Tag: Racing
Havre De Grace Daughter Graceful Princess Entered In Wednesday’s Delaware ‘Cap Prep
Whisper Hill Farm's Graceful Princess is among fourteen entered in the $100,000 Obeah Stakes at Delaware Park this Wednesday, June 9. The mile and a sixteenth affair is the local prep for the filly and mare summer classic – the mile-and-a-quarter Grade 2 Delaware Handicap to be run on Saturday, July 10.
Graceful Princess is a daughter of the 2011 Horse of the Year Havre de Grace. Havre de Grace, who broke her maiden at Delaware Park in 2009, won the Obeah Stakes before finishing second beaten a nose against her arch rival Blind Luck in the Delaware Handicap in 2011. Tapit, the sire of Graceful Princess, broke his maiden at Delaware Park in 2003 before winning the 2004 Wood Memorial.
In her only outing this year, Graceful Princess finished third beaten a neck in the mile and a sixteenth Grade 3 Doubledogdare Stakes at Keeneland in April 16.
“She has trained very well since the Doubledogdare,” said her trainer Todd Pletcher. “That was a huge effort and we are optimistic coming in.”
Last year, the 5-year-old Kentucky-bred had a record of a win from four starts. Her career record is two wins, a second and a third from 11 starts with earnings of $108,474.
Todd Pletcher has won the Obeah Stakes five times – Isola Piu Bella in 2005, Fleet Indian in 2006, Unbridled Belle in 2008 & 2009, and Love and Pride in 2012. Pletcher has used the Obeah Stakes as a prep for three of his four record equaling Delaware Handicap victories. In 2001, Irving's Baby ran third in the Obeah Stakes before winning the Delaware Handicap; in 2006, Fleet Indian won the Obeah Stakes before winning the DelCap; and in 2007, Unbridled Belle ran second in the Obeah Stakes before her Delaware Handicap score. In 2010, Life at Ten did not run in the Obeah Stakes before winning the Delaware Handicap.
The race is named in honor of the two-time Delaware Handicap winner in 1969 and 1970 and the dam of the Hall of Fame filly Go For Wand who was locally owned by Jane and Harry duPont's Christiana Stable. Horses finishing first, second, third or fourth in the Obeah Stakes will automatically earn a free nomination to the Delaware Handicap.
Since the Obeah Stakes was inaugurated in 1996, only the 2006 older female champion Fleet Indian and I'm a Chatterbox, who won the race in 2016, have won the race and followed with a victory in the Delaware Handicap. Two fillies have finished second in the Obeah and won the Delaware Handicap. They were Unbridled Belle in 2007 and Power Play in 1997. Three winners of the Obeah Stakes have followed by running second in the Delaware Handicap. They were 2011 Horse of the year Havre de Grace, Your Out in 2002 and Under the Rug in 2001.
$100,000 Obeah Stakes
| PP | HORSE | OWNER | TRAINER | JOCKEY | Wg | OD |
| 1 | Shyza | Carguys Racing | John Servis | Mychel Sanchez | 119 | 20-1 |
| 2 | Crystall Ball | WinStar Stablemates | Rodolphe Brisset | Luis Saez | 121 | 5-1 |
| 3 | Bajan Girl | R. Stack & D. Walters | Rohan Crichton | Kendrick Carmouche | 119 | 6-1 |
| 4 | Promised Storm | Jennifer Truehart | Regina Brennan | Luis Ocasio | 119 | 20-1 |
| 5 | Jilted Bride | Bradley Thoroughbreds | Steven Asmussen | Jaime Rodriguez | 123 | 12-1 |
| 6 | Trolley Ride | James Eshleman | T. Bernard Houghton | Inoel Beato | 119 | 20-1 |
| 7 | Sweet Sami D | ABL Stable | Patrick McBurney | Paco Lopez | 119 | 20-1 |
| 8 | Miss Marissa | Cammarota Racing | James Ryerson | Daniel Centeno | 119 | 8-1 |
| 9 | Queen Nekia | Ken Copenhaver | Joseph Saffie Jr | J.C. Diaz Jr | 123 | 7/2 |
| 10 | Dream Marie | Miracle's International | Matthew Williams | Joe Bravo | 119 | 15-1 |
| 11 | Market Rumor | Bloch & Six Column | Ian Wilkes | Chris Landeros | 119 | 20-1 |
| 12 | Graceful Princess | Whisper Hill Farm | Todd Pletcher | Irad Ortiz Jr | 119 | 9/2 |
| 13 | Lucky Stride | Sonata Stable | Michael Trombetta | Julian Pimentel | 123 | 15-1 |
| 14 | Artfull Splatter | James Wolf | Kieron Magee | Carol Cedeno | 119 | 15-1 |
The post Havre De Grace Daughter Graceful Princess Entered In Wednesday’s Delaware ‘Cap Prep appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
America’s Best Horses for June 7
Each week members of the media around the country vote on the nation's top contenders on the Triple Crown trail in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Find out the final 2021 top 3-year-old rankings below. AMERICA’S TOP THOROUGHBREDS FOR JUNE 7, 2021
Brown Plans Next Stops For Domestic Spending, Search Results
Trainer Chad Brown said he was pleased on Sunday morning with the efforts of his Belmont Stakes Day card horses, with highlights being a one-two finish in the Grade 1, $1 million Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes; a victory in the Grade 1, $500,000 Acorn Stakes; and successfully debuting a promising 3-year-old earlier in the day in maiden company, all at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. All three winners were owned by longtime client Klaravich Stables.
Domestic Spending continued his lavish ascent in the Grade 1 Manhattan Stakes, closing to win his sixth race from seven starts and stay perfect on the year, following a dead-heat win in the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic on May 1. The gelding is the latest in a line of top-class sons of Kingman — also the sire of Europe's top miler Palace Pier — to scorch the turf recently and is destined for a similar path to 2019 Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar, who won the G1 Turf Classic and G1 Manhattan before taking the 10-furlong Arlington Million and 12-furlong Breeders' Cup Turf — both Grade 1s.
“If you had asked me this time of year about Bricks and Mortar [pointing to the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf], I would have said 'no' and that's why I was considering the [G1 Breeders' Cup] Mile for that horse for a while, thinking he's not going to be a three-turn horse,” Brown explained. “These horses, as they get older and get some seasoning under them, you're starting to see them have more range. Anything is possible, let's see, but his next start—all going well—is at Arlington.”
Left in Domestic Spending's deficit was pace-setting Brown pupil Tribhuvan, who backed up his victory in the Grade 2 Fort Marcy on May 1 with an admirable runner-up effort.
“He surprised me in the Fort Marcy, but he didn't surprise me yesterday,” Brown explained. “That horse has been a different horse since we gelded him and the more I looked at his Fort Marcy, the more I started to believe it. That's why we chose as a team – me and [owners Wonder Stables, Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb and Michael Caruso] – to give it a shot in the Manhattan instead of running at Monmouth yesterday. Fortunately we did because I thought he ran great.
“They both ran their hearts out and gave two great performances.”
Search Results won her fourth race from five starts in Saturday's G1 Acorn, stalking and pouncing with aplomb under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, who was substituting for injured Irad Ortiz, Jr. The daughter of Flatter landed her first Grade 1 after coming up a neck short in last month's Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks to divisional leader Malathaat.
“I really wanted to try to do that and give myself a little breathing room with her between now and Saratoga,” said Brown. “We have a decision to make there on whether or not we're going to bring her back in the Coaching Club, which was my original plan, or if I think she needs more time for any reason, we can always train her up to a race like the [Grade 1, $500,000 Longines] Test (on August 7). I couldn't see myself running her past a mile and an eighth.”
Earlier in the day, Brown unveiled Klaravich Stables' Soft Power, a sophomore son of Kingman's sire Invincible Spirit, who overcame a bit of traffic to get up in the final jump over seven grassy furlongs. The bay colt was a $256,604 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale 2019 purchase and is out of a half-sister to Grade 1 Dubai Duty Free winner Cityscape and world-class sprinter Bated Breath.
“He ran super and we really liked that horse last year, but unfortunately he got hurt during the summer, so we had to rest him,” Brown said. “He trained well and ran a big race, so I'm really excited about his future. I'd love to get him into a mile '1-X' allowance and then go up to a stakes in a perfect world. I'm going to have to look around. If I don't get that, I might have to put him in a stakes.”
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