America’s Best Racing has put together a slideshow of the 3-year-olds expected to compete in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve on May 1 at Churchill Downs.
Tag: Racing
Bonny South Returns To Winning Ways, Emerges Best In Three-Horse Photo In Doubledogdare
Juddmonte Farms homebred Bonny South, winless in four starts since capturing the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks in March 2020, returned to her winning ways in Friday's Grade 3 Baird Doubledogdare Stakes for older fillies and mares at Keeneland racecourse in Lexington, Ky.
The Brad Cox-trained daughter of Munnings was kept off the rail by Florent Geroux throughout the 1 1/16-mile stakes, rallying from mid-pack in the field of six and just edging Royal Flag and pacesetter Graceful Princess in a three-horse photo. The margins were a head from first to second, with runner-up Royal Flag defeating Graceful Princess by another head. Eres Tu was fourth, with High Regard fifth. Speech, winner of the G1 Ashland Stakes in 2020, was bet down to 3-2 favoritism but was finished before far turn and eventually eased in her first start since finishing sixth in the G1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Keeneland.
Bonny South covered 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:43.46 and paid $9.40 for the win. Speech, winner of the G1 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland for trainer Michael McCarthy, was bet down to 3-2 favoritism
Todd Pletcher-trained Graceful Princess, a 5-year-old Tapit mare searching for her first stakes victory, secured an early lead, outrunning Speech before the first turn and setting fractions of :24.11, :48.02 and 1:12.06 for the first six furlongs. Bonny South raced several lengths behind the front-runner in fourth and began to make her move with three-eighths of a mile remaining. The Munnings 4-year-old ranged up alongside Graceful Princess at the top of the stretch and Royal Flag – who had just one filly beaten in the early going – came to their outside. The three raced as a team to the wire with Bonny South just prevailing after passing the mile marker in 1:37.09.
The victory was the fourth from nine career starts for Bonny South, who chased Speech in the Ashland before runner-up finishes in the G1 Alabama at Saratoga (to Swiss Skydiver) and G2 Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico (to Miss Marissa). She completed her 2020 campaign with another second-place finish, this time to Envoutante in the G2 Falls City at Churchill Downs.
Post-race quotes:
Florent Geroux (winning rider of Bonnie South)
On the difference today compared to her strong efforts in the past “Just her breaking good and putting me in the race a little bit closer than she has been. Today there wasn't much pace. The idea with her was to see how she broke and I couldn't really rush her but at the same token I couldn't be too far back and try to make a late run. She had a nice trip. When I asked her turning for home, she gave me a nice kick. She was very brave at the end to hold off (runner-up) Royal Flag. She was fighting at the end.”
Brad Cox (winning trainer: “I felt like physically she'd moved forward from (age) 3 to 4. She's certainly been working that way in the mornings. She had a big work last weekend at Churchill and was kinda touting herself. Florent did a good job realizing there wasn't a lot of pace. She had a little bit of a wide trip and dug in late. I was very proud of her.”
On what he sees for the remainder of her 2021 campaign: “Hopefully (it's) one full of Grade 1s – that would be the goal. The (Juddmonte) Spinster (G1 during the Keeneland Fall Meet) would be a race that definitely would be on the radar, having the Juddmonte connections. Hopefully we can get her there and off to the Breeders' Cup.”
Todd Pletcher (trainer of third-place finisher Graceful Princess): “She ran dynamite off the layoff. She got the trip we were hoping for. She really fought hard and we are very pleased with her effort. (Jockey Luis Saez) said it was a battle and our filly dug down deep but just could not quite get there. The fractions were what we were hoping for. She made the lead the right way. She relaxed nicely.”
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Top Oklahoma-Bred Welder Preparing For Rare Out-Of-State Appearance At Oaklawn Park
Oaklawn will run two $1 million races Saturday (Apple Blossom and Oaklawn Handicap) and have a millionaire running in an allowance event when Welder makes a rare appearance outside Oklahoma for trainer Theresa Sue Luneack and owner Ra-Max Farms LLC.
Oklahoma-bred Welder is the 2-1 program favorite for the 10th race – the Oaklawn Handicap and Apple Blossom are bookends – a conditioned sprint for older horses. Welder will be making his first start since a Dec. 19, 2020, allowance victory at Remington Park. It was his record-tying 15th career victory at the Oklahoma City venue.
Luneack said the 8-year-old gray gelding was rerouted to Oaklawn after the $50,000 Highland Ice Stakes Tuesday at Will Rogers Downs near Tulsa was canceled because of lack of entries. Will Rogers is Welder's home track and he is based just a couple of miles away.
“He's fit, ready to run and ready to rock,” Luneack said after Welder galloped Thursday morning at Oaklawn under regular rider David Cabrera. “Jose Santos said, 'Bring him to Oaklawn.' I said, 'Well, I'll see what I can do.' The race came up on the extras and it was a perfect fit.”
Santos is the agent for Cabrera. In Welder's only Oaklawn appearance, he finished third, beaten two lengths by future Eclipse Award winner Whitmore, in the $150,000 Hot Springs Stakes for older sprinters in 2019. Welder is a legend in Oklahoma, amassing 15 career stakes victories between Remington Park and Will Rogers Downs and has a 26-5-4 mark from 38 starts overall and earnings of $1,204,042.
Luneack said Welder was under consideration for the $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) last Saturday at Oaklawn, but the gelding's priority has always been Oklahoma.
“We try to help Oklahoma racing, so we really wanted to run in the Oklahoma stake,” Luneack said. “We passed on the Count Fleet because we were trying to promote Oklahoma, but obviously that didn't work. He probably should have run in the Count Fleet.”
Luneack said Welder arrived Wednesday night for Saturday's 6-furlong race, which has a $108,000 purse – roughly three times higher than his last start.
“It's always a challenge for us,” Luneack said. “We don't haul him a lot. But now that we have to be here three days prior, I actually think that might be to Welder's advantage because he can come in and go to the racetrack to gallop and relax. Maybe a couple of trips to the track without racing will help him settle in a little better.”
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Canadian Horse Of The Year Mighty Heart To Make 2021 Debut Saturday At Keeneland
Larry Cordes' homebred Mighty Heart, who Thursday night was named Canada's 2020 Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old male, will make his 2021 debut Saturday in Keeneland's eighth race, a 1 1/16-mile allowance optional claiming test on the main track.
Trained by Josie Carroll, who also conditions 2020 Canadian champion 3-year-old filly Curlin's Voyage, Mighty Heart shipped to Keeneland April 3 from Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida.
“He has been training well at Palm Meadows and this is a starting point for the year,” said Sue Lorimer, assistant to Carroll, who is overseeing the trainer's small string at Keeneland.
Winner of the Queen's Plate and Prince of Wales Stakes in September, Mighty Heart worked five furlongs here last Saturday in 1:00.60 as his final prep for his 4-year-old debut.
Lorimer and Melanie Pinto, who has been Mighty Heart's rider through the winter and spring, did not have much a celebration last night.
“We watched it (the virtual presentation) and then it was lights out,” Pinto said.
Mighty Heart is by Dramedy, a son of Distorted Humor who won Keeneland's 2015 Dixiana Elkhorn (G2) at odds of 30-1.
Other 2020 Sovereign-winning horses with Keeneland connections are:
Artie's Princess (female sprinter) – the homebred for Ken and Sarah Ramsey is based at Keeneland with trainer Wesley Ward.
Gretzky the Great (2-year-old male) – ran here in the 2020 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) Presented by Coolmore America.
Say the Word (male turf) – entered in Saturday's Elkhorn (G2).
Skywire (older male main track) – sold for $47,000 as a yearling at the 2017 January Horses of All Ages Sale.
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