Tag: Racing

Dubai World Cup Winner Mystic Guide Takes Over NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll

Godolphin homebred Mystic Guide earned his first top-level victory in spectacular fashion this past weekend when he surged to a 3 ¾-length triumph in the $12 million Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse. In addition to padding his career bankroll, that win allowed the son of Ghostzapper to continue to elevate his reputation in the handicap ranks as he takes over the No. 1 spot in this week's National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top Thoroughbred Poll.

Trained by Michael Stidham, Mystic Guide came into the Group 1 Dubai World Cup off a six-length victory in the Grade 3 Razorback Handicap on February 27. The 4-year-old colt, who won the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes during his sophomore campaign, earned 21 first-place votes and 333 points this week to move past fellow Grade 1 winner Charlatan into the lead position on the poll.

“Today he proved he is a champion and I know he is going to get better and better,” jockey Luis Saez told the Dubai World Cup notes team after piloting Mystic Guide to victory. “What a nice horse, he has all the ability. It's an honor for me. It's a dream come true.”

Charlatan, who most recently finished as the runner-up in the $20 million Saudi Cup, drops one spot to second with 10 first-place votes and 328 points. Champion distaffer Monomoy Girl sits third with 6 first-place votes and 309 points followed by fellow champion Swiss Skydiver (1 first-place vote, 249 points) and stablemate Knicks Go (231 points).

Grade 1 winner Colonel Liam ranks sixth with 193 points while Santa Anita Handicap hero Idol (122 points) is seventh. Godolphin's Maxfield ranks eighth with 68 points while Shedaresthedevil (52 points), and champion female sprinter Gamine (45) round out the top 10.

The Godolphin team reigns over both NTRA polls this week as their unbeaten juvenile champion Essential Quality maintains his lead position in the Top Three-Year-Old Thoroughbred Poll with 31 first-place votes and 373 points ahead of his expected run in the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 3.

Concert Tour, winner of the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes, remains second with 6 first-place votes and 330 points with Louisiana Derby victor Hot Rod Charlie moving up to third with 258 points. Known Agenda joins the top 10 for the first time, landing in the fourth spot this week with 240 points following his triumph in the Grade 1 Florida Derby.

Medina Spirit sits fifth with 185 points while Greatest Honour (178 points) drops to sixth after finishing third as the favorite in the Florida Derby. Risk Taking (89 points) is seventh followed by Life Is Good (1 first-place vote, 88 points), Midnight Bourbon (70), and Helium (51).

The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport's most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in the Top Three-Year-Old Thoroughbred Poll concludes following the Belmont Stakes on June 5 and the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through November 6.

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A 17-Year-Old Owner, A 3-Year-Old Colt, And One Queen’s Plate Dream

Joshua Attard knew the dark bay colt would be on the list, but he wanted to see it for himself.

In between his virtual online classes, the 17-year-old high school student from Brampton, Ontario, took a few seconds out of a full day to click on the Woodbine Racetrack website.

After another click, he landed on the page he was looking for, the one that heralded the arrival of the Queen's Plate Winterbook, the annual list of predictive rankings for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds nominated to the Canadian Triple Crown.

Attard scanned the page to find his horse.

That's right… his horse.

“It feels great, to be honest with you,” said the son of high-profile Woodbine trainer Kevin Attard. “I never expected at my age that I could own a horse that could be in the Queen's Plate.”

His hopes of being represented in Canada's iconic horse race (August 22 at Woodbine) lies on the hooves of Keep Grinding, listed at 25-1 in the Winterbook.

The Ontario-bred son of Tizway broke his maiden in impressive fashion last November to close out his 2020 campaign. Under jockey Justin Stein, Keep Grinding prevailed by a neck in the 1 1/16 mile main track maiden special weight race at Woodbine.

Bred by Huntington Stud Farm Corp, the 3-year-old is trained by Attard's grandfather, longtime horseman Tino Attard.

“I'm proud of my horse and I'm proud to share this journey with my father and his father, my grandfather. I couldn't ask for anything better. It feels really great. I knew he might be a Plate-caliber horse when he started to work as a 2-year-old last year. I worked on the backstretch at Woodbine last summer, so I had the chance to watch him work and he would put on a show. His first race on the grass, I knew he had some talent because he came from far out of it and the race was a little short for him. He's a two-turn horse. When he broke his maiden, that's when I said I had a Queen's Plate prospect.”

The name of the horse, who has one win from three career starts, is a nod to Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner.

Attard came up with the idea after watching the young NHL star over the past few NHL seasons.

“I wanted to name my horse something that motivated me. I play hockey. When I go into the corners, I always tell myself to keep grinding for the puck. So, if I ever had the chance to own a horse I would name it Keep Grinding. It's something that motivates me and I hope it motivates other people.”

The thought of having a horse load into the starting gate for the $1 million classic is anything but a recent goal for Attard.

That dream came to light well before his first year of high school.

“I started going to the racetrack when I was around 10. I remember wanting to go because I was a little bored and I wanted to get out of the house. And the first time I went, it was the greatest feeling. I went to the backstretch to see the horses. I loved them. I would pet them and just enjoy spending time with them. I had a strong connection with them from the start and every year, my love of the horses and horse racing has grown.”

Attard, who was three when his father finished second with Alezzandro in the 2007 Queen's Plate, is hoping that this year's edition of the “Gallop for the Guineas” will see his family name written in the history books.

If Keep Grinding isn't the one crowned Plate champion, the younger Attard would be equally ecstatic to see his father lead a horse into the Woodbine winner's circle.

That would hardly be a longshot.

Kevin Attard has a pair of horses, namely, Stephen, and Haddassah, in the top five of the Queen's Plate Winterbook. He also has Truffle King (25-1), a dark bay son of Giant Gizmo, being pointed towards the Plate as well.

A bay son of Constitution-Naughty Holiday, Stephen is the second choice in the Winterbook at 4-1. He ended his 2-year-old campaign in style, taking all the spoils in the $250,000 Coronation Futurity Stakes.

Haddassah, a gelded son of Air Force Blue-Lady Haddassah, is listed as the 8-1 fourth choice in the Winterbook.

Stephen and Haddassah are both owned by the father-son team of Al and Bill Ulwelling.

“I'd still be cheering for whatever horse or horses my dad has in the Plate. If my dad has those three in the race and I have mine, I'll find a way to cheer for all four of them. Just because I own Keep Grinding doesn't mean I won't be rooting for my dad. But I know there's a long way to go before the big day.”

Until then, Attard will endeavor to keep the date of August 22nd in the back of his mind. Admittedly, it hasn't been an easy task and he knows it will only get tougher in the days and weeks ahead.

“I never would have expected, to be honest, to have a horse like this at my age. I'm really excited to have a horse that is eligible for the Queen's Plate, and that has a chance to be in the race. I know it's a hard road to get to the Queen's Plate, so we'll just hope the horse keeps developing and getting better each week.”

He likes what he's seeing in Keep Grinding.

“He's getting better each day, I think. He's bigger and stronger now and looks like he can handle the mile-and-a-quarter Plate distance. Hopefully, he keeps training well and he can be in the Queen's Plate. If I could win it, that would be even better. I'd probably start crying if we won.”

Attard is certain of one thing.

“If he does run in the Plate, I know he'll try his best and I'll be proud of him wherever he finishes. I know he'll live up to his name.”

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Opening Day: Fire At Will, My Girl Red Headline Friday Stakes At Keeneland

Three Diamonds Farm's Fire At Will, winner of last fall's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) here at Keeneland, will face five rivals in Friday's 33rd running of the $150,000 Kentucky Utilities Transylvania (G3) for 3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

The Transylvania will go as the ninth race with a 5:30 p.m. post time.

Trained by Mike Maker, who saddled Field Pass to a victory in the 2020 Transylvania, Fire At Will returns to the turf after finishing eighth in the Fountain of Youth (G2) on dirt in his most recent start. Tyler Gaffalione has the mount and will break from post position four.

Top threats to Fire At Will could come from Bantry Farms' Barrister Tom, winner of the More Than Ready Juvenile at Kentucky Downs last fall, and Stuart Janney III's Scarlett Sky, runner-up in the Palm Beach (L) at Gulfstream Park in his most recent start.

Trained by Michael Ewing, Barrister Tom will be making his 2021 debut and break from post five under Drayden Van Dyke.

Joel Rosario has the mount on Scarlett Sky and will break from post one for trainer Shug McGaughey, who won the 2011 Transylvania with Air Support.

The field for the Transylvania, with riders and weights from the inside, is: Scarlett Sky (Rosario, 118 pounds), Palazzi (Chris Landeros, 120), Breadman (Luis Saez, 118), Fire At Will (Gaffalione, 123), Barrister Tom (Van Dyke, 120) and Earls Rock (IRE) (Florent Geroux, 120).

Erich Brehm's My Girl Red, stylish winner of last summer's Sorrento (G2) at Del Mar, headlines a field of seven 3-year-old fillies entered Monday for Friday's 36th running of the $150,000 Beaumont (G3) Presented by Keeneland Select.

Run over the Beard Course of 7 furlongs, 184 feet, the Beaumont offers 17 points toward the $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) on a 10-4-2-1 scale to the first- through fourth-place finishers.

The Beaumont will go as the afternoon's eighth race with a 4:57 p.m. post time. First post time for Friday's 10-race program that opens the 15-day Spring Meet is 1:05.

Trained by Keith Desormeaux, My Girl Red will be making her 2021 debut on Friday. James Graham will be aboard for the first time and break from post one.

Two fillies coming out of Florida may provide challenges to My Girl Red.

West Point Thoroughbreds, John Ballantyne, William Freeman and Michael Valdes' Lady Traveler finished second in the Forward Gal (G3) at Gulfstream in her most recent start on dirt. Trained by Dale Romans, Lady Traveler will break from post five under Corey Lanerie.

G. Watts Humphrey Jr.'s Farsighted, winner of the Any Limit at Gulfstream in her most recent start, returns to Keeneland where she broke her maiden last fall before running second in the Songbird on the Breeders' Cup's Future Stars Friday undercard. Julien Leparoux has the mount and will break from post three.

The field for the Beaumont, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: My Girl Red (Graham, 120 pounds), Slumber Party (Joel Rosario, 118), Farsighted (Julien Leparoux, 118), Amalfi Princess (Tyler Gaffalione, 118), Lady Traveler (Lanerie, 118), Cilla (Colby Hernandez, 118) and Twenty Carat (Luis Saez, 118).

Lindy Farms and Ice Wine Stable's Fauci, never worse than second in four career starts, will begin his 2021 campaign Friday when he headlines a field of 10 3-year-olds entered Monday for the second running of the $100,000 Palisades Turf Sprint going 5½ furlongs on the grass.

The Palisades Turf Sprint will go as the seventh race Friday afternoon with a 4:24 p.m. post time.

Trained by Wesley Ward, Fauci ran second to stablemates Golden Pal in the Skidmore at Saratoga and Outadore in the Juvenile Turf Sprint at Kentucky Downs to close his 2020 campaign.

Tyler Gaffalione has the mount on Fauci and will break from post position eight.

Returning to Keeneland, where he won the Indian Summer (L) Presented by Keeneland Select last October, is Kristin Boice and Marylou Holden's Bodenheimer.

Trained by Valorie Lund, Bodenheimer closed 2020 with an eighth-place finish behind Golden Pal in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2) here. Brian Hernandez Jr. will be back aboard and break from post two.

The field for the Palisades Turf Sprint, with riders and weights from the inside, is: Lookin for Loki (Mitchell Murrill, 118 pounds), Bodenheimer (Hernandez, 120), Chasing Artie (Joel Rosario, 118), Blameworthy (Florent Geroux, 118), Smokin' Jay (Luis Saez, 118), Rustler (Corey Lanerie, 118), Unitedandresolute (James Graham, 118), Fauci (Gaffalione, 118), Lock Up (Drayden Van Dyke, 118) and J C's Champ (Emmanuel Esquivel, 118).

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