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C Z Rocket Ends Whitmore’s Hot Springs Streak; Longshot Carlos L. Takes Temperence Hill

C Z Rocket denied 8-5 favorite Whitmore his fifth victory in the $200,000 Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn on Saturday when he got up in the final jump under Florent Geroux to prevail by a neck in a final time of 1:09.04 for six furlongs over a fast track. Flagstaff finished third.

“I didn't think we would be behind Whitmore, but it kind of worked out,” said trainer Peter Miller, who had claimed the City Zip gelding last year for $40,000 at the Hot Springs, Ark., track before he went on to win multiple graded stakes in Southern California.

“Might have been a blessing in disguise to track Whitmore,” Miller added. “He's such a great horse, Whitmore, and so is C Z Rocket. I just can't say enough about both of these horses. My congratulations to the connections of Whitmore on having this horse ready to rock and roll. Going down the stretch, I thought we were going to get there. It was tough. He was a little further back than I'd thought he would be, honestly. I did see pace was hot. Flo (Florent Geroux) knows what he's doing. Horse runs really well for him. Pace was fast, so we were where we were supposed to be and it worked out.”

C Z Rocket, who races for Madaket Stables LLC, Gary Barber and Tom Kagele, improved his record to 10-2-2 in 24 starts and has now earned $1,011,641. He returned $7.20, $3.40 and $2.40 as the 5-2 second choice.

In the Temperence Hill Stakes, 47-1 longshot Carlos L. went gate to wire to win the 1 ½ mile race by a neck over Lone Rock under jockey Alex Canchari. Tenfold, the 2-1 favorite was third.

The 5-year-old Hold Me Back horse has now won seven of 16 starts and earned $262,999 for trainer Mac Robertson and owners Good Friends II, LLC.

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D’Amato Finds Home In Turf Sprints For Gregorian Chant

Long regarded as a two-turn horse on grass, trainer Phil D'Amato's 5-year-old Gregorian Chant has found a home sprinting on turf at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., as he rallied from last to take Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 San Simeon Stakes by a neck while getting six furlongs on turf in 1:08.79 under Juan Hernandez—his second consecutive turf stakes win at the distance.

Unhurried early from his number two post position, Gregorian Chant was into the bridle, about four lengths off the lead while a joint fifth heading to the far turn as heavily favored Jolie Olimpica showed the way. Moving easily around the turn, Hernandez wheeled four-deep turning for home and in a thriller, outran Sombeyay and Flavien Prat late.

“He broke slow and I just let him get comfortable (on the backstretch) and then when we went into the stretch, Phil told me to get him rolling and that's what I did,” said Hernandez, who also orchestrated a 2 ¼-length win in the ungraded Clockers' Corner Stakes on Jan. 24. “It's exciting fighting with another horse, going head and head, you feel excited and you feel strong. You just want to win the race.”

Off at 7-2 in a field of six older horses, Gregorian Chant, who was bred in England, paid $9.80, $4.20 and $2.20.

“It took us awhile to figure out what he wanted to do,” said D'Amato. “This horse has found his home sprinting, no question. There's so much difference in him now, compared to him at three and four (years old). He' matured a lot and we will definitely keep him short.”

Ridden by Flavien Prat and trained by Peter Miller, Sombeyay was attentive to the pace, made the lead turning for home and couldn't hold the winner off while finishing 2 ½ lengths in front of Jolie Olimpica. Off at 4-1, Sombeyay paid $4.80 and $2.60.

Richard Mandella's Brazilian-bred mare Jolie Olimpica, who went to the front out of the gate under Mike Smith and was head and head into and around the turn, couldn't run with the top two late and paid $2.10 to show while off at even money.

Fractions on the race were 22.72, 45.52 and 57.32.

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Shackled Love Gives Jockey Charlie Marquez First Stakes Win In Private Terms

ZWP Stable and Non Stop Stable homebred Shackled Love pressed Maythehorsebwithu from the gate, forged a narrow lead in mid-stretch and dug in gamely when the even-money favorite surged again near the wire to spring a 21-1 upset of Saturday's $100,000 Private Terms at Laurel Park.

The 32^nd running of the Private Terms at about 1 1/16 miles is the second step in Laurel's series of stakes for 3-year-olds following the one-mile Miracle Wood Feb. 20 and preceding the 1 1/8-mile Federico Tesio April 17, a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the 146^th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 15 at Pimlico Race Course.

A gelded bay son of 2011 Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Shackleford, Shackled Love ($45.60) completed the distance in 1:43.56 over a fast main track to become a stakes winner in his first try. It was also the first career stakes win for rider Charlie Marquez, Maryland's leading apprentice of 2020 who turned 18 Jan. 25.

“I'm just so excited. I'd like to thank the trainers and owners and everybody that's gotten me here from when I first started,” Marquez said. “I'm lost for words. I don't really know what to say.”

Shackled Love was a late addition to the Private Terms field, having been entered for a race March 12 before the program was cancelled as a precaution after a horse at Laurel tested positive for EHV-1. Trainer Gary Capuano also saddled stakes winner Shackqueenking, another son of Shackleford.

“He ran such a game race last time out and he ran a pretty decent number. He's got some staying power, so we thought we'd take a shot,” Capuano said. “He drew a good post and there was nothing coming up right away. He's got some talent.”

Maythehorsebwithu, a four-length winner of the Miracle Wood trying two turns for the first time, got out quickly and assumed the lead from Post 2, going the opening quarter-mile in 23.97 seconds and the half in 47.55 with Shackled Love at his right hip. Shackqueenking ranged up into a contending spot in third around the turn racing on the far outside but was unable to keep up with the top two as they straightened for home.

“I expected to be close. The inside, Sheldon Russell, I thought he was going to be close and I thought my outside had a little bit of pace [Zertz],” Marquez said. “We were walking up front, so I wanted to push the pace a little bit and give my horse the confidence that he needed.”

Shackled Love stuck a head in front at the top of the stretch but jockey Sheldon Russell and Maythehorsebwithu was stubborn on the inside and came back for more, grudgingly giving way in the final yards. It was two lengths back to Excellorator in third, with Shackqueenking fourth by another length.

Zertz, Royal Number and Commodore Perry competed the order of finish.

“The race kind of set up the way we thought. We thought Sheldon on the inside was going to show some speed, and we had speed. It was just [Zertz], we didn't know what he was going to do,” Capuano said. “We thought that the pace would set up just about like that. Shackqueenking had a good shot turning for home and he just kind of hung. The other two just kind of kicked on.”

Shackled Love broke his maiden in debut last fall at Delaware Park but had lost his last four races, all at Laurel, beaten in separate entry-level optional claiming starts in December and January by Maythehorsebwithu and Royal Number. The Tesio in five weeks is a likely landing spot.

“I think so,” Capuano said. “As long as he comes back good, we'll try that.”

Private Terms raced in the colors of Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Janney's Locust Hill Farm, winning 12 races, nine stakes and more than $1.2 million from 1987-89 including the 1988 Federico Tesio (G3) and Wood Memorial (G1) and 1989 Mass Cap (G2). His track record of 1:47 1/5 in winning the 1989 Never Bend Handicap at Pimlico still stands. He sired Grade 1-winning millionaires Soul of the Matter and Afternoon Deelites.

Notes: Jockey Sheldon Russell scored a natural hat trick Saturday with Littlestitious ($10.20) in the $100,000 Beyond the Wire, Glory March ($4) in Race 4 and Whereshetoldmetogo ($2.40) in the $75,000 Not For Love. Both Whereshetoldmetogo and Glory March are trained by his wife, Brittany Russell … Five-pound apprentice Charlie Marquez doubled aboard Six Pack Sara ($6.20) in Race 2 and Shackled Love ($45.60) in the $100,000 Private Terms … Jockey Victor Carrasco also won twice, with Cordmaker ($8.60) in the $100,000 Harrison E. Johnson Memorial and Kiss the Girl ($6) in the $75,000 Conniver … There will be a jackpot carryover of $13,587.89 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 for Sunday's nine-race program (4-9). Multiple tickets with all six winners Saturday each returned $282.58.

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Fair Grounds Invader Littlestitious Captures Beyond The Wire At Laurel

Joel Politi's Littlestitious came with a steady run down the center of the stretch to catch Fraudulent Charge inside the sixteenth pole and edge clear to a half-length victory in the $100,000 Beyond the Wire Saturday at Laurel Park in Maryland.

The 33^rd running of the one-mile Beyond the Wire for 3-year-old fillies was the first of five stakes worth $450,000 in purses on a nine-race program, headlined by the $100,000 Private Terms for 3-year-olds.

Ridden by Sheldon Russell for trainer Tom Amoss, Littlestitious ($10.20) completed the distance in 1:36.75 over a fast main track to earn her second career stakes victory following the My Trusty Cat Dec. 1 at Delta Downs to cap her juvenile season.

This year, the bay daughter of Hall of Famer Ghostzapper ran fifth in the Silverbulletday Jan. 16 and fourth behind Clairiere and Travel Column – two of this year's top Kentucky Oaks (G1) prospects – in the Rachel Alexandra (G2) Feb. 13 at Fair Grounds

“The division down in New Orleans is about as good as anywhere. If you look at the Oaks, those are the top two fillies on a lot of people's lists,” winning owner Joel Politi said. “We didn't want to beat our heads against them again, so this was a good opportunity for her to stretch her legs a little bit.”

Littlestitious broke sharply but settled in third under Russell as Street Lute and Fraudulent Charge hooked up on the lead. A winner of six career stakes including five in a row, and favored at 3-5 in her first try beyond seven furlongs, Street Lute went a quarter-mile in 24.71 seconds and a half in 47.71 with Fraudulent Charge glued to her right hip.

Fraudulent Charge, second to Street Lute in the Dec. 26 Gin Talking and Feb. 20 Wide Country in back-to-back starts, forged a short lead entering the stretch after going six furlongs in 1:11.64 while Littlestitious began to roll on the far outside. Russell set his filly down for a drive once straightened for home and kept her to task.

“She's a fighter and she's fought in all of her races. Sheldon rode her just unbelievably well and positioned her down the stretch,” Politi said. “I had a feeling in mid-stretch that she was going to get there, but she definitely had to earn that.”

Fraudulent Charge was second for the third straight race, 4 ½ lengths ahead of Street Lute in third. Journeytothemoon and Buckey's Charm completed the order of finish.

“We live in Columbus, Ohio, and we made the trip out today to be here. Winning a race here at a track I came to as a little kid is just a highlight for me,” Politi said. “Where we go from here, I have no idea yet. Tom and I will talk later, but this is great.”

Founded in 2017, Beyond the Wire is an industry-wide initiative between the Maryland Jockey Club, Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, Maryland Horse Breeders Association and Maryland jockeys designed to facilitate safe and enriching placements for retired Maryland-based racehorses.

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