Racing | Horse Racing Free Tips

Golden Sixty Stretches Win Streak To 14 In Champions Mile As Sha Tin Reopens To Limited Attendance

Golden Sixty needed all the urgings from his rider, Vincent Ho, and the 5,719 in attendance at Hong Kong's Sha Tin racecourse to secure Sunday's Group 1 FWD Champions Mile.

Recording his 14th consecutive win and fourth Group 1 in total, the world's joint top-rated miler powered into the lead rounding the home turn but was made to sweat for his win by a fast-finishing More Than This, ridden by Joao Moreira.

“He has never been chased and we learnt today that he still can fight when something chases him, not just when he is doing the chasing, which is good,” Ho said of Golden Sixty.

“That was amazing (to have a crowd), a big thanks to all the fans today who came out, it makes such a difference, the atmosphere and everything is so much different.

“It's been a good season, seven races for Golden Sixty and I'm happy for him to win this, hopefully he will have a break now until next season, he had a couple of tough runs these past two,” the rider said.

Japan secured a sixth win in the FWD QEII Cup with Loves Only You, also ridden by Ho, leading home a Japanese 1-2-3-4. Triple Crown-winning filly Daring Tact was second.

“I can't describe it,” Ho said, reacting to a pair of G1 successes in the space of 40 minutes.

“I don't dare to look back until the finish line but she was amazing. I'm grateful that the Japanese connections asked me to ride her.

“The QEII Cup is one of my dream goals as well as the Derby and the December internationals, a QEII win means a lot.

“It's amazing today with Golden Sixty and Loves Only You. It's definitely one of the highlights, I'll enjoy it for sure.”

The connections of Loves Only You celebrate the filly's QEII win

Wellington, trained by Richard Gibson and ridden by Alexis Badel, showed an impressive turn of foot to notch his first Group 1 in the Chairman's Sprint Prize earlier on the card.

“It's fantastic to see the fans back today and I'm just delighted for the owners. They were one of the first owners in my stable when I came here. They've been very loyal and supportive and it's a great satisfaction to source and deliver such a great horse”, said Gibson.

With crowds returning in safe numbers, three fantastic Group 1 races and betting turnover hitting a record HK$1.611 billion (approx. US$207 million) for the Champions Day meeting, Hong Kong Jockey Club Club CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said: “It's great to have people coming back to the racecourse for a meeting of this quality. Golden Sixty kept his unbeaten record and, if you look at the performances of Loves Only You and Wellington, it was an amazing day.”

The post Golden Sixty Stretches Win Streak To 14 In Champions Mile As Sha Tin Reopens To Limited Attendance appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

As Time Goes By Romps Over Santa Margarita Opponents

She looked a winner every step of the way. The Bob Baffert-trained As Time Goes By, second to Eclipse Champion Swiss Skydiver in her most recent start, was thoroughly dominant from start to finish in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Santa Margarita Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., winning by 9 ¼ lengths. Ridden by Mike Smith, the 4-year-old daughter of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah got a mile and one eighth in 1:49.95.

A solid second, beaten 2 ¾ lengths by Swiss Skydiver in the Grade 1 Beholder Mile at Santa Anita on March 13, As Time Goes By was quick out of the gate and had well fancied Harvest Moon in pursuit up the backside. Three furlongs out, Smith stepped on the gas with a one-length advantage and when she hit the furlong pole, As Time Goes By was eight lengths in front and well on her way to a rollicking victory.

“I was shocked (to be on the lead), I actually thought the one horse (Pharoah's Heart) and Harvest Moon would show a little more speed,” said Smith, who won last year's Santa Margarita with Paradise Woods and who has won the prestigious fixture for fillies and mares a total of five times. “But today, she actually jumped really quick out of there, and she fell right into stride so nice and I just stayed out of her way.

“…She warmed up really brilliant, acted really good in the gate, stood really well. That was really impressive today, she did that well, well in-hand and galloped out nice. Now Bob can point her just about anywhere he wants to.”

A six-furlong maiden winner three starts back at Los Alamitos Dec. 13, As Time Goes By took a one mile allowance two starts back at Santa Anita by nine lengths on Jan. 17. The heavy favorite today among a field of five older fillies and mares at 3-5, As Time Goes By paid $3.20, $2.40 and $2.10.

“She's by my all-time favorite horse, American Pharoah, and I've taken my time,” said Baffert, who collected his second Santa Margarita win. “The owners have been really patient. She's beautifully bred, and I knew the older she gets, the better she's gonna get. Mike is so great with these good mares and he just gets the most out of (them).

“I was debating on running her next week in Kentucky or here, but because I want to develop her slowly and the Breeders' Cup (at Del Mar) is the main goal, we chose to stay (home)…She's so sweet like her sire. She's the sweetest thing in the barn. I have a soft spot for her, because I think of American Pharoah every time I walk by her stall.”

Owned by Michael B. Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier and Derrick Smith, As Time Goes By is out of the multiple stakes winning mare Take Charge Lady. With the Santa Margarita serving as her first stakes win, she's now 6-3-2-1 overall. The winner's share of $120,000 increased her earnings to $260,600.

Trained by George Papaprodromou, This Tea was last early, saved ground around the far turn and rallied well to be second, finishing 2 ¼ lengths in front of Harvest Moon. Ridden by Kent Desormeaux, This Tea was the longest shot in the field at 31-1 and paid $10.40 and $9.40.

Ridden by Flavien Prat, Harvest Moon was the second choice at 2-1 and paid $2.20 to show.

Contested for the 83^rd time, dating back to 1935, today's Santa Margarita splits were 23.17, 46.98, 1:11.36 and 1:36.70.

First post time for a 10-race card on Sunday is at 1 p.m.

The post As Time Goes By Romps Over Santa Margarita Opponents appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Whisper Not Earns First Graded Victory In San Francisco Mile

Sent away the 7-5 favorite under Geovanni Franco, the 4-year-old Poet's Voice colt Whisper Not scored his first graded stakes victory in Saturday's $250,000, Grade 3 San Francisco Mile Stakes at Golden Gate Fields in Albany, Calif. The Grade 1-winning 5-year-old Midnight Lute mare Keeper Ofthe Stars was a stubborn second while taking on males, with Restrainedvengence third, Brown Storm fourth and Border Town fifth in the field of eight older runners.

Trained by Richard Baltas for Electric City Racing, Madaket Stables, Christopher Dunn and Jeremy Peskoff, the English-bred Whisper Not paid $4.80 for the win, his fourth in a 10-race career that began in England in 2019. Whisper Not was purchased at a Tattersalls horses in training sale last August prior to being imported to the United States. He ran the mile on firm turf in 1:35.94.

Diamond Blitz, a 70-1 long shot who almost always races to a big early lead, ran to form, opening up a wide advantage from the outset while setting fractions of :23.51, and :46.58 for the opening half mile. Whisper Not and Keeper Ofthe Stars, along with Kiwi's Dream, raced in the next group some eight lengths behind in the run down the backstretch.

Rounding the far turn, those three inhaled Diamond Blitz, going six furlongs in 1:11.02, and Keeper Ofthe Stars seized a narrow advantage at the top of the stretch.

Franco kept to his task, drawing on even terms with Keeper Ofthe Stars with a furlong to run and inching past that one in the final yards to secure the win by a head. It was two lengths back to Restrainedvengence, who edged Brown Storm by a nose for third.

Trained in England by Richard Hannon, Whisper Not debuted for Baltas at Del Mar last Nov. 29, losing an optional claiming/allowance race by three-quarters of a length. he then ran a good third to Smooth Like Strait in the G2 Mathis Brothers Mile at Santa Anita Dec. 26. Returned to allowance company, Whisper Not finished second at Santa Anita Feb. 6, then won wire to wire over Rip City at Santa Anita on March 6.

Out of the Dansili mare, Poyle Meg, Whisper Not was bred in England by Cecil and Miss Alison Wiggins.

The post Whisper Not Earns First Graded Victory In San Francisco Mile appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Wong Finishes 1-2 In California Derby As Stalking Shadow Passes Jimmy Irish In Deep Stretch

Getting a perfect trip in third behind dueling pacesetters, Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' California-homebred Stalking Shadow rallied in deep stretch to win Saturday's $100,000 California Derby over Jonathan Wong-trained stablemate Jimmy Irish at Golden Gate Fields in Albany, Calif.

The 3-year-old colt by Ministers Wild Cat, ridden by Evin Roman, covered 1 1/16 miles on the synthetic Tapeta surface in 1:45.22 and paid $16.20 to win.

Jimmy Irish held second with the John Shirreffs-trained Parnelli, the 4-5 favorite, third in the field of eight 3-year-olds.

Lost in Space, the second choice in the wagering, broke slowly from the inside post position, allowing Jimmy Irish to secure the lead and the rail under Armando Ayuso. Parnelli and jockey Edwin Maldonado were content to sit just off the leader through fractions of :23.73, :48.72 and 1:12.59 for the first six furlongs, then turned up the pressure on the turn for home, drawing up alongside the leader. Those two had at least six lengths on their closest pursuer, Stalking Shadow, who raced comfortably in third as the field straightened into the stretch.

Stalking Shadow fought off Parnelli and appeared to be home free with a sixteenth to run, the mile clocked in 1:38.59, but Stalking Shadow was gaining momentum and caught and passed Jimmy Irish in the final yards to win going away.

The victory was the first stakes win for Stalking Shadow and his fourth victory overall from nine starts. Runner-up Jimmy irish, owned by McShane Racing, was making just his second start, having graduated at first asking in a 5 1/2-furlong sprint at Golden Gate on April 4.

The post Wong Finishes 1-2 In California Derby As Stalking Shadow Passes Jimmy Irish In Deep Stretch appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post