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Medaglia d’Oro Gelding Golden Sixty Extends Hong Kong Win Streak To 13

Golden Sixty extended his unbeaten run to 13 straight wins with victory in Sunday's Group 1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup at Sha Tin.

However, Hong Kong's highest rated horse was forced to spare no effort as he scrambled to add a third consecutive Group 1 to his glittering record which now stands at 16 wins from 17 starts, four shy of Silent Witness' record 17 consecutive wins.

Dropped out to his customary position at the rear of the field, the Medaglia d'Oro gelding began his surge in the straight but the challenge from Furore on the inside required jockey Vincent Ho to call on everything that Golden Sixty could give and, it proved just enough as he prevailed by a short head, the smallest margin of any of his wins.

“I was quite confident that I would stay ahead of them but we fought hard – it wasn't easy, it was a bit unexpected to be that close. I was just worried about the horse to the inside of him because Golden Sixty laid in a bit, he would have won easier if he didn't do that,” Ho said.

“Once he went past Exultant he wanted to lay in – it made it difficult for me but it's still a victory,” the 30-year-old added.

Sunday's win was both a first in the Gold Cup for trainer Francis Lui and jockey Vincent Ho.

“I think you can't really change the horse's character – when he passed the third horse (Exultant), Golden Sixty thinks he has finished the job, but there's another horse on the inside,” Lui said.

Now rated 131, Golden Sixty is only two wins shy of Beauty Generation's single-season record of eight and, he has the first two legs of Hong Kong's Triple Crown in the bag after claiming last month's G1 Stewards' Cup.

“I will think about the third leg of the Triple Crown, we also have a race in April in mind,” Lui said referencing FWD Champions Day.

The third and final leg of the Triple Crown is the G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup on 23 May and, if successful stepping up to 12 furlongs in three months' time, he could become the second horse after River Verdon in the 1993/94 racing season to win the Triple Crown.

Horse of the Year Exultant battled into third place under Zac Purton, while Glorious Dragon sealed fourth under Matthew Poon behind him, the second of the Lui-trained runners.

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Nixon ‘Over The Top’ After First Graded Stakes Victory In Barbara Fritchie

By early Sunday morning the voice mailbox on Justin Nixon's cell phone was full, and for good reason. Late the previous afternoon, the Laurel Park-based trainer registered the first graded-stakes victory of his career in dramatic fashion with Hibiscus Punch in the $250,000 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie (G3).

Hibiscus Punch rallied to upset Hello Beautiful and Dontletsweetfoolya, both multiple stakes winners coming in on lengthy win streaks, at odds of 41-1. It was also the first graded triumph for the 6-year-old mare, and second in two months for owner-breeders Edward Seltzer and Beverly Anderson following Eres Tu in the Dec. 26 Allaire du Pont (G3), also at Laurel.

“I was cautiously optimistic. Obviously, Hello Beautiful is an awful nice mare, and Dontletsweetfoolya, and they were both coming into the race strong and with strong resumes. We would have just been happy with a graded placing for the filly,” Nixon said. “To win it was just over the top.”

It was just the eighth career start for Hibiscus Punch, by Into Mischief out of the Machiavellian mare Bellini Sunrise. In her only previous stakes attempt, she ran second by 2 ¼ lengths behind Dontletsweetfoolya in the Willa On the Move on the du Pont undercard. In between, she won an open Jan. 17 allowance at Laurel; all three came with Horacio Karamanos aboard.

“Closers were doing well. When we entered we knew that those two would probably set the race up pretty nice for us, if we were good enough,” Nixon said. “You look at their resumes and they're both very talented fillies and very quick fillies. We thought if we could draft in behind them and get a piece, that'd be great.

“The trip worked out well. Horacio, he just rides her perfect. He lets her settle and make that one run and yesterday a lot of little things all came together for her,” he added. “Very happy for the Seltzers and just thrilled to have the filly. I've been at Laurel on and off since 2003 so that's special, too, to win the big race here.”

Nixon said no decision has been made on the next step for Hibiscus Punch, who emerged from the Fritchie in good order. Nixon captured Sunday's opener at Laurel with the Seltzer-owned Lucre ($11.80).

“Everybody's good. We came out in good order and she's doing well. She's a nice filly,” Nixon said. “Right now we're just go into enjoy the victory. Mr. Seltzer and I will talk and I'm sure he's got some ideas. Whatever he thinks is best, that's what we'll do. Right now we haven't looked at it too, too hard but we'll flip through the stakes books and what have you and see where we go.”

Hello Beautiful, riding a three-stakes win streak, dueled with Dontletsweetfoolya up front for a half-mile before finishing fifth as the 2-5 favorite in the Fritchie. Starting this year, horses competing in graded-stakes in Maryland are not allowed to be treated with Lasix within 48 hours of post time.

“When she was empty at the quarter pole, I knew something went wrong. It's ok. We learned something. She won't ever walk over there without Lasix again,” trainer Brittany Russell said. “We're going to freshen her up for a couple weeks.”

Russell said Madaket Stables, Albert Frassetto, Mark Parkinson, K-Mac Stables and Magic City Stables' Hello Beautiful will get some time off with Bruce Jackson at the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md. She had been a perfect 7-0 racing over Laurel's main track.

“She'll just have a little 'R and R,'” she said. “She won't lose much and we'll get her back in here and kick on with her.”

Meanwhile, Russell said Michael Dubb and Bethlehem Stables' Maythehorsebwithu was doing well out of his four-length score in the $100,000 Miracle Wood for 3-year-olds. It was the first stakes win for the gelded son of Grade 1 winner Bullsbay, a narrow second choice to multiple stakes winner Kenny Had a Notion.

“What a man. He showed up. He appeared to take that step that I said we were hoping to see eventually,” Russell said. “He's just a neat horse. He's walking around the barn this morning like it wasn't a hard effort for him or anything. That's what you like to see.”

The $100,000 Private Terms, contested at about 1 1/16 miles, is the next step for sophomores on Laurel's stakes program, scheduled for March 13. The one-mile Miracle Wood was the furthest test to date for Maythehorsebwithu.

“It's going to be up to him. If he needs to skip the next one, I believe he's probably worth it, if that's what he's telling us. But if he's touting himself and acts like he needs to run again, I guess three weeks isn't a big deal if the horse is doing well,” Russell said. “We'll just let him tell us. If we have to skip it, it's no big deal either.”

Five Hellions Farm's Dontletsweetfoolya had won five consecutive races including back-to-back stakes entering the Fritchie, which marked her 4-year-old and graded-stakes debut. She wound up seventh, just the second time in nine career starts where she didn't hit the board.

“As the day progressed, I would probably say our confidence wasn't high with the way the track was playing,” trainer Lacey Gaudet said. “She was there, she got a little tired, she got headed. This racetrack was extremely tiring. I don't think the lack of Lasix affected her. She runs with very little, so I don't think that was an excuse for her. She came back fine. Unfortunately, horses get beat. You can't win forever. Do I wish that he could have finished a little better? Absolutely. But, we're happy that she came back happy and healthy and we'll just go back to the drawing board and find another spot.”

Gaudet and Five Hellions also saw Fraudulent Charge rally to be second by a length to Street Lute in the $100,000 Wide Country for 3-year-old fillies. It was the sixth stakes win in eight starts for Street Lute and second straight over Fraudulent Charge, who came within a nose in the Dec. 26 Gin Talking at Laurel.

“She ran huge. We could not be disappointed in that. We want her to go further,” Gaudet said. “Everybody thought that it was a fluke last time, the way that she ran, because it was a four-horse field and had everything kind of go her way. I was just really happy to see her run back to that. She's going to be a fun filly.”

Free Nominations For Five Stakes March 13, Including $100,000 Private Terms
Free nominations close Saturday, Feb. 27 for five stakes worth a total of $450,000 to be run at Laurel March 13.

The open stakes are the $100,000 Private Terms for 3-year-olds at 1 1 /16 mile, the $100,000 Beyond The Wire for 3-year-old fillies at a mile, and the $100,000 Harrison Johnson Memorial for older horses at 1 1/8 mile. The stakes also include the $75,000 Not For Love at six furlongs for Maryland bred and sired horses, and the $75,000 The Conniver Stakes for Maryland bred or sired fillies and mares at seven furlongs.

For more information contact Maryland Jockey Club stakes coordinator Trish Bowman at 800.638.1859 and Trish.Bowman@marylandracing.com.

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Baffert: Charlatan ‘Turned In A Gallant Effort’ In Saudi Cup

Charlatan did all the heavy lifting in the world's richest race on Saturday but could not hold off Mishriff late, enduring a noble defeat in the $20-million Saudi Cup, finishing second by a length.

“He ran a big race,” trainer Bob Baffert said Sunday morning. “He put away Knicks Go, just ran him down, turned in a gallant effort and it's too bad he got beat. That's a demanding track. The stretch is so long, and he ran hard.

“It was an exciting race and I would have loved to have won it, but I was afraid of a speed duel between him and Knicks Go. They locked horns after a half-mile and really picked it up the second quarter.

“But the way he ran, it shows what a brilliant horse he is. He put away a really good horse (in Knicks Go, who finished fourth).”

As to the immediate future, Baffert said, “He came out of the race really well. We'll get him back to the United States, play it by ear and see how he's doing.”

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Maddie May Winner Make Mischief Among Fillies Eyeing Kentucky Oaks Points In March 6 Busher

Following a rail-riding triumph in Saturday's $100,000 Maddie May against fellow New York-bred fillies, trainer Chris Englehart said Gary Barber's Make Mischief could return to open company in the $250,000 Busher Invitational on March 6 at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y

The Busher is a qualifying prep race for the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on April 30 at Churchill Downs and awards the top-four finishers points on a 50-20-10-5 scale. The most recent winner of the Busher to win the Kentucky Oaks was King of Prussia Stable's Princess of Sylmar in 2013.

Make Mischief, a daughter of Into Mischief, secured an early stalking position behind pacesetter Brattle House, who commanded leisurely fractions. In mid-stretch, jockey Eric Cancel had just enough room to the inside of the frontrunner to take advantage a few strides outside the wire and win by a neck. Make Mischief, who earned a 71 Beyer Speed Figure in victory, has never finished worse than second in six of seven lifetime starts while boasting $207,750 in earnings.

Make Mischief earned graded stakes black type during her juvenile campaign when finishing second in the Grade 3 Schuylerville and Grade 2 Adirondack for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, both at Saratoga Race Course.

Casse sent Make Mischief to Englehart's care for a winter campaign launched by an allowance victory going seven furlongs on January 31 at the Big A.

“We were pretty confident with her going in,” Englehart said. “We thought she would run well, and she did. It was a little worrisome when [Brattle House] went slow up front, but she came through really well like she was supposed to.”

Englehart said he would monitor the filly's energy level before making a decision on her next start, but did not rule out the Busher Invitational.

“We're invited to the Busher,” Englehart said. “We'll keep our options open with her and see how she trains, but that would be something we'll consider.”

Bred by Avanti Stable, Make Mischief is out of the Speightstown mare Speightful Lady and was bought by Flamingo Bloodstock for $285,000 from the 2019 Fasig-Tipton New York-bred Yearling Sale, where she was consigned by Paramount Sales.

Miss Brazil Breezes For Busher
Miss Brazil won her stakes debut last out in the Ruthless on February 8 at Aqueduct and returned to the work tab for the first time since that 6 1/4-length score, breezing four furlongs in 48.89 seconds over the Belmont Park dirt training track on Saturday.

Trainer Tony Dutrow said the sophomore Palace Malice filly came out of that effort in good order and continues to progress heading into her expected start in the $250,000 Busher Invitational on March 6.

Miss Brazil, owned by Team D, capped her juvenile campaign with a maiden-breaking win at second asking on November 29 at the Ozone Park-based track, earning a 93 Beyer. In her 3-year-old debut, she wired a three-horse field in her first start stretching out to seven furlongs.

In the Busher, she will compete at a one-turn mile for the first time and face more challenging competition, as the race is a qualifier for the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, offering 50-20-10-5 points to the top-four finishers.

“She leads us to believe that seven furlongs to a mile is within her ability, but we'll find out for sure,” Dutrow said. “She'll probably meet the best horses she's ever faced before, and with an added distance, so we know we have to past this test. But I'm happy with how the progression has gone so far.”

Miss Brazil, who ran third in her debut in October over Belmont's Big Sandy, was bred in Kentucky by Haymarket Farm. Dutrow said he's been pleased with her improvement, including besting Gulf Coast, who had won a stakes at Gulfstream Park in the Cash Run before competing in the Ruthless.

“I feel good about the way she handled a Gulfstream Park-stakes winner in her last race and I feel good about what she's accomplished so far,” Dutrow said. “We're very happy with the way she's been training on the track at Belmont Park and the way she broke her maiden there; those were the factors in keeping her in New York this winter. She stays very good training there and she has a fondness for the Aqueduct surface. That's why we went the New York route this winter.”

Impressive Maiden Winner Mo Desserts 50-50 For Busher
Trainer Jimmy Jerkens said plans are currently in flux for impressive maiden winner Mo Desserts.

Owned by Late Night Stables, Mo Desserts tasted sweet victory in her second start, where she stretched out to a one-turn mile in style with a pacesetting 15 ½-length romp over a fast main track on February 8 at the Big A, garnering an 81 Beyer.

The chestnut daughter of second-crop sire Nyquist could race back in the $250,000 Busher Invitational, but Jerkens said plans are still up in the air.

“We're fifty-fifty right now,” Jerkens said. “She ran really well when she broke her maiden, but there was a bit of a rail bias that day, so we took that into consideration. It was still, all in all, what we were hoping for.”

Mo Desserts returned to the work tab on Thursday morning with a three-furlong move in 37.70 seconds over the Belmont Park training track.

“We weren't looking for much the other day,” Jerkens said. “She's not the heftiest thing in the world, she's kind of slight.”

Bred in Kentucky by DJ Stable, Mo Desserts was purchased for $300,000 from the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale, where she was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency. She is out of the Dynaformer mare Frozen Treat – a full-sister to dual turf graded stakes winner Masseuse.

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