Tom Pedulla presents five takeaways from a huge weekend of Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve prep races that featured the $800,000 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, the $750,000
Tag: Racing
Champion Gamine Cruises To Easy Victory In Seasonal Debut In Las Flores
The champ is back. Idle since winning the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Keeneland on Nov. 7, Bob Baffert-trained Gamine, in what amounted to a paid workout, broke alertly from her rail post and made every pole a winning one in taking Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Las Flores Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. With regular rider John Velazquez up, she got six furlongs while well within herself in 1:09.52 and drawing off by five lengths.
“She came back so good,” said Velazquez, who rode Gamine in her final four starts of 2020. “She felt as good as last year. Bob thinks she's not ready yet, that's what he told me. She does everything so effortlessly, it's just everything she does, makes my job a lot easier. I just steer where I want to go and that's it. That's the biggest point of her strength, I believe.”
With no place or show wagering, Gamine, who has now finished first across the wire in six of her seven career starts by a combined 38 ¼ lengths, was off at 1-20 and paid $2.10 to win, with no place and show wagering.
“I told Johnny before, 'With the one hole, make sure you don't let her make the gap (as the horses come out of the seven furlong chute onto the main track oval),” said Baffert. “Ride her like she's 10-1.' I'm happy for my owners and everybody involved. They are excited, it's Easter Sunday, so it's a big win…
“They (the fans) saw one of the greatest fillies I've ever trained going one turn. Hopefully, we'll stretch her out.”
Purchased for $1.8 million out of the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in Training Sale, Gamine, a 4-year-old filly by Into Mischief out of the Kafwain mare Peggy Jane, is owned by Michael Lund Petersen. With the Las Flores purse of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $893,000. With four graded stakes wins, three of them Grade I's, her official resume now reads five wins from seven starts, as she was disqualified from purse money earned in a first condition allowance win at Oaklawn Park on May 2, 2020.
Baffert's Qahira, who sat a joint second, about one length off the winner with Hang a Star and Biddy Duke leaving the half mile pole, proved second best under Flavien Prat as she finished 2 ¾ lengths in front of Biddy Duke.
Fractions on the race were 22.74, 45.77 and 57.54.
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Unbeaten Search Results Atop Kentucky Oaks Leaderboard After Gazelle Victory
Klaravich Stables' Search Results remained undefeated in three starts with a facile score in Saturday's Grade 3, $250,000 Gazelle at Aqueduct racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.
The Flatter filly, who earned 100 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points in victory, entered the nine-furlong test from a half-length score in the Busher Invitational going a one-turn mile. She earned a 92 Beyer for her Gazelle triumph and now tops the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 150 points.
“She looks great this morning,” said Dan Stupp, trainer Chad Brown's New York-based assistant. “She ran well yesterday and she still has room to move forward. She certainly handled the distance well.”
The Brown-trained The Grass Is Blue, a Broken Vow chestnut owned by Louis Lazzinnaro, finished fourth in the Gazelle.
Brown saddled a pair of contenders for Klaravich Stables in the Wood Memorial with Crowded Trade rallying from eighth to finish third, while mutuel favorite Risk Taking bobbled at the start and finished seventh.
Crowded Trade entered the Wood from a nose defeat to Weyburn in the Grade 3 Gotham, while Risk Taking was made the Wood favorite on the back of a convincing score in the Grade 3 Withers.
“He tried and ran well,” said Stupp regarding Crowded Trade. “Everyone is fine this morning. We'll see what Chad wants to do moving forward with them.”
Not to be overshadowed on the Wood Memorial undercard was an impressive North American debut by Peter Brant's Flighty Lady in a 1 1/16-mile turf allowance. The 4-year-old Sir Percy filly finished third in the 2019 Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp and placed in a pair of Group 3 events last year in France.
Flighty Lady was prepared by Brown at Payson Park in Florida and demonstrated a powerful kick under Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the final sixteenth to win by two lengths.
“She shipped in middle of the week and looked fantastic,” said Stupp. “She is a very classy acting filly and well behaved in the paddock. She gave a good impression on race day and then ran to it. It was a very patient ride from Irad and she responded well. She's a very exciting turf prospect for us this year.”
Flighty Lady registered an 86 Beyer in victory.
Klaravich Stables' Highly Motivated, who finished third for Brown in the Grade 3 Gotham, was a game second in Saturday's Grade 2 Blue Grass at Keeneland. The Into Mischief bay battled gamely on the pace en route to a narrow neck defeat to undefeated Essential Quality, the reigning Champion 2-year-old colt. Highly Motivated is in 14th position in the Derby standings with 50 points.
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Modernist Could Target Brooklyn Following Excelsior Score
Pam and Martin Wygod's Modernist earned a 95 Beyer for his 2 1/2-length score in Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000 Excelsior, a nine-furlong test for older horses at Aqueduct racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.
With Junior Alvarado up for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, Modernist tracked in second position and shook clear at the head of the lane en route to a convincing win over the late-closing Haikal.
The 4-year-old Uncle Mo colt graduated last January at the Big A ahead of a win in the Grade 2 Risen Star and a third in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, both at Fair Grounds. He was given a freshening after off-the-board efforts in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes and Grade 3 Peter Pan at Saratoga.
“He's doing good this morning,” said Mott's New York-based assistant Leana Willaford. “The last couple races last year, he was looking like he was ready for a break and he got one. It obviously helped him. He came back to me here much more mature physically and mentally. I thought he looked great going into the race.”
Willaford said the prominent trip was a good one for the long-running colt, especially after the scratch of 4-5 morning line favorite Mr. Buff.
“He's run well that way. He was on the lead when he broke his maiden and vying for it when he won the Risen Star,” said Willaford. “With Mr. Buff out, you figured you better be up there and they didn't go very fast early. Distance will not be a limitation for this horse. He can go all day.”
A possible target for Modernist would be the 12-furlong Grade 2, $400,000 Brooklyn on June 5 at Belmont.
WinStar Stablemates Racing's Paris Lights garnered an 85 Beyer for her half-length score over pacesetter Portal Creek in the Grade 3 Distaff on Friday at the Big A.
“She ran great,” said Willaford. “She was sitting a little closer than I imagined she would, but it was good that she did because that filly got away with some slow fractions, too.”
Paris Lights is likely to target the Grade 1, $500,000 La Troienne on April 30 at Churchill Downs.
Frank Fletcher Racing Operations' Candy Man Rocket faded to ninth in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial after an early stalking trip under Alvarado.
“The track was a little deep for him. He sat close easily and Junior said he asked him a little at the three-eighths pole and he gave him a run to the quarter pole,” said Willaford. “He came out of it fine this morning. I think we just need to shorten him up. He looks like more of a one-turn type of horse.”
There's A Chance Stable, Medallion Racing, Abbondanza Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Paradise Farms Corp., and David Staudacher's Horologist is set to make her seasonal debut in Saturday's $100,000 Top Flight Invitational at nine furlongs on the main track.
The 5-year-old New Jersey-bred daughter of Gemologist won the Grade 2 Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park and Grade 2 Beldame at Belmont last year. She completed a lucrative campaign with an off-the-board effort in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff in November at Keeneland.
“She's doing good,” said Willaford. “She was here last year before the Beldame for quite a while and she looks as good or better as she did in the late summer and fall.”
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