Racing | Horse Racing Free Tips

Irish-Bred Space Blues Proves For Godolphin In Saudi Turf Sprint

Despite a layoff since August, some 11th-hour rain and a minor delay to the start of the race, form rang true in the US $1,000,000 1351 Turf Sprint sponsored by stc when Godolphin's Charlie Appleby-trained Space Blues (IRE) asserted himself in the final 200m.

Ridden to perfection by William Buick, the compact 5-year-old son of Dubawi broke from barrier two and sat comfortably in the second flank as early fractions were carved out by Krispen (IRE) and Urban Icon (GB).

Always keeping an eye on the Allan Smith-trained defending champion Dark Power (USA) and jockey Frankie Dettori – galloping just ahead – Buick leaned the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest winner to the outside, joining Appleby stablemate Glorious Journey (GB) as they commenced four and five-wide rallies around the bend.

Hitting the stretch with a couple of lengths to find on the leaders, Space Blues accelerated nicely in the final 300m, overpowering last year's victor over the unique 1351m distance. The final margin was three-quarters of a length back to Dark Power, with a neck back to Urban Icon and Joel Rosario in third. The win was a bit of redemption for Appleby, whose Mubtasim and Glorious Journey were second and third to Dark Power in 2020's inaugural running.

Quotes:

Charlie Appleby, trainer, Space Blues, 1st: “Absolutely delighted with that. We knew he was a class horse coming into the race and he had a lovely draw. I could see (the ground) was a bit loose for him and our concern was that he might just spin a bit on it, but he's come back on the bridle turning in like a class horse and put the race to bed at the right time. He travels for fun, watching the race there. I'll be interested to see what William has to say because obviously Dubai World Cup night has to be taken into consideration.”

William Buick, jockey, Space Blues: “We had a great run through. He broke well and I didn't want to be too close to the pace. The pace was perfect. It wasn't too hot or too slow. I followed Frankie (Dettori) before the split in the straight. It was how I hoped the race would pan out. He was the best horse and I didn't want to go for any heroics. You'd imagine this would set him for the Al Quoz.”

Frankie Dettori, jockey, Dark Power, 2nd: “I had a good race. I got the cover and we ran pretty much the same race as last year. He ran well and I was delighted to have him back in great form. The winner is a Group 1 horse, let's not forget. There is just some water on the track, it still rides beautifully.”

Allan Smith, trainer, Dark Power: “Charlie's horse was always coming, but no disgrace for Dark Power. He ran a fantastic race and Frankie gave it a good run. It was pretty much copybook to last year. He ran a little bit with the choke out early on, but Frankie got him settled. He got into a nice rhythm around the bend and I was delighted with him. And good luck to Charlie. We'd done him last year and he's done us this year. We've been invited to the Dubai World Cup meeting for the Al Quoz and I suppose if anything that'll be his next move.”

Joel Rosario, jockey, Urban Icon, 3rd: “That was good – he broke well; it took him a little bit to get a position, but turning for home, for a second I thought he was going to go on, but there were strong horses coming at the end there, the first two. He ran good, though.”

Rest of jockey quotes:

James Doyle, jockey, Glorious Journey, 4th: “He ran a good race. He got a little bit restless in the gates so we started a little bit slow but we ended up being in a nice position. When Space Blues came past me I just struggled to keep tabs with him, but he ran well and it was a great result for the team.”

Adrie de Vries, Land of Legends, 5th: “I jumped well. I got on for the speed a little bit then I lost a bit of position. He came back good in the straight. He could do with a little bit further, he's a seven-furlong (1400m) horse. This was a bit short for him.”

Cristian Demuro, Momkin, 6th: “He ran good but he stopped a little bit.

Alexis Moreno, Krispen, 9th: “My horse had good speed but he did not finish well. The best horse won the race. Best of luck for everybody.”

The post Irish-Bred Space Blues Proves For Godolphin In Saudi Turf Sprint appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Doyle Makes History On Saudi Cup Day, Guiding True Self Past Channel Maker In Neom Turf Cup

Hollie Doyle has become one of British racing's shining stars with her exploits over the last few months and her talents were demonstrated on the global stage with a perfect late run on True Self (IRE) in the US $1,000,000 Neom Turf Cup Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Now an 8-year-old mare, the Willie Mullins-trained True Self has been a real globe-trotter for Ireland, her most notable overseas victories to date coming with consecutive scores in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes in Australia.

Knowing that her mount would have plenty of stamina for the 2100m event, Doyle allowed For The Top (ARG) to take the field along before the big United Stakes contender Channel Maker (CAN) and Joel Rosario made their move along the backstretch.

Doyle, whose prolific streak of victories and first Group 1 success in 2020 even put her on the podium in the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year Award, timed it to perfection, coming past Rosario with 50m left to run and a length and a quarter clear at the post to become the first female jockey to ride a winner on the Saudi Cup card.

Quotes:

Hollie Doyle, jockey, New York Central, 1st: “It has been an incredible year, so it's great to get the new year off in a prestigious race such as this. I thought she was my best winning chance of the day, I watched all her performances and a step back in trip was a very clever move by Mr Mullins. They set a generous gallop the whole way round, but I managed to track them and got the splits up the straight. Willie said she's got one burst of speed and that's what she had.”

Willie Mullins, trainer, True Self: “It was a fantastic ride by Hollie and the team have done a great job out there. We bought her originally as a mare to go hurdling with but she just has a huge amount of speed and all the jockeys who rode her said a mile and a quarter would suit her. It didn't always work out but it was great to come for a big prize like this. The two plans this year were here and Australia at the end of the year. I'll have to talk to the owners, OTI Racing, to decide what else we do.”

Joel Rosario, jockey, Channel Maker, 2nd: “I mean it was good. The plan was to go to the lead and then he ran his race. I thought for a second I was going to get there and then the horse came with a strong run. He ran a big race. I got into Riyadh at one in the morning, everything was fine. I'm glad I made it here.”

The post Doyle Makes History On Saudi Cup Day, Guiding True Self Past Channel Maker In Neom Turf Cup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

I’m Leaving You Gives Red-Hot Prat Fourth Winner On Friday’s Santa Anita Program

In a continuance of what happened over the four-day Presidents' Day holiday weekend that concluded on Monday, it would appear that Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., is the epicenter of Flavien Prat's world and the rest of the racing community is simply living in it.

Aboard the Vann Belvoir-trained I'm Leaving You for the first time in Friday's seventh race, which served as Santa Anita's $36,000 allowance feature, Prat, who earlier in the day had registered his 1,000th career victory, orchestrated a late rally from well off the pace that provided him his fourth win on the day while resulting in a 1 ¼ length win. Off at even money in a field of eight older horses, I'm Leaving You got one mile on turf in 1:34.57.

A winner of 15 races, including two stakes this past week, Prat now sits atop the Winter/Spring jockey standings with 34 wins, three better than Juan Hernandez.

In a complete change of tactics from his most recent start at the same level and distance, I'm Leaving You was taken comfortably off the pace, whereas he stalked the early leaders while running second, beaten one length as the 6-5 favorite at Santa Anita on Dec. 31.

Next to last, about five lengths off the leaders three furlongs out, Prat sat patiently until mid-way on the far turn. Fanned five-wide turning for home, he overhauled Midnight Mystery at the sixteenth pole and easily held a fast finishing Hoop Dream safe late.

“There was no plan,” said Prat when asked about tactics. “I saw there was speed in the race and the way it worked out, he backed off the pace today and (was) very comfortable. When I asked him, he really picked it up at the top of the stretch.”

A 4-year-old gelding by Broken Vow, I'm Leaving You paid $4.20, $2.80 and $2.20.

Owned by his breeder, Coal Creek Farm, I'm Leaving You is out of their Dayjur mare One for You. Winless in six starts since breaking his maiden for a $62,500 claiming tag on May 29, 2020, I'm Leaving You now has two wins from 10 starts and with the winner's share of $21,600, he now has earnings of $57,220.

Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Hoop Dream rallied from last and paid $6.00 and $3.20 while finishing 1 ¾ lengths in front of Liar Liar.

Irish-bred Liar Liar, with Mario Gutierrez up, paid $3.00 to show while off at 9-2.

Fractions on the race were 22.93, 46.25, 1:10.46 and 1:22.70.

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m. PT.

The post I’m Leaving You Gives Red-Hot Prat Fourth Winner On Friday’s Santa Anita Program appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Cafe Pharoah Among Leading Contenders For ‘Win And You’re In’ February Stakes

TokyoHorseRacing Co. Ltd.'s Red le Zele (JPN) and Koichi Nishikawa's Cafe Pharoah (JPN) lead the 16-horse field for Sunday's 38th running of the 1-mile, $1.84 million February Stakes (G1) on dirt at Tokyo Racecourse. The February Stakes winner will earn the first automatic qualifying berth for this year's $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) to be awarded through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge is an international series of stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championships, which is scheduled to be held on Nov. 5-6 at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California.

As a part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, the Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the winner of the February Stakes to start in the 1 ¼-mile Longines Breeders' Cup Classic. Breeders' Cup also will provide a $40,000 travel allowance for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the pre-entry deadline of Oct. 25 to receive the rewards.

The February Stakes, which is the first Group 1 race in Japan this year, will be run counterclockwise over the Tokyo track. The race will be televised on TVG, with an approximate post time of 10:40 p.m. PT on Saturday in the U.S.

Red le Zele, a 5-year-old son of Lord Kanaloa (JPN), trained by Takayuki Yasuda, has won two of his last three races. In his most recent start on Jan. 31, Red le Zele surged to the lead in the final furlong to win the 7-furlong Negishi Stakes (G3) at Tokyo by a head as the 5-2 favorite over Wonder Lider (JPN).

Yasuda, who saddled Transcend (JPN) in 2011 and Grape Brandy (JPN) in 2013 to victories in the February Stakes, commented on Red le Zele's running style and maturity to JRA.com: “He's comfortable settling towards the rear in a race, and last time, despite not having a lot of room in the home straight, he finished off strongly. He was a little weak as a younger horse, but now that he's become bigger, he's shown he's capable of winning at the top level.”

A winner of eight of 16 starts, Red le Zele closed out 2020 with a win in the 7-furlong Muromachi Stakes (G3) at Kyoto on Oct. 24 and followed that effort with a second-place finish by a neck in the 6-furlong Capella Stakes (G3) at Nakayama on Dec. 13.

Red le Zele will break from post 16 under jockey Yuga Kawada.

Making his 4-year-old debut, Cafe Pharoah, trained by Noriyuki Hori, won twice at the race distance over the Tokyo track last year, taking the two Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying races, the listed Hyacinth Stakes and the Unicorn Stakes (G3). Bred in Kentucky by the late Paul Pompa Jr., Cafe Pharoah, a bay son of 2015 Triple Crown and Longines Breeders' Cup Classic winner, American Pharoah, out of the More Than Ready mare Mary's Follies, suffered his first defeat as the favorite in the Japan Dirt Derby on July 8 at Ohi, finishing seventh. He rebounded on Oct. 3 to win the 1 3/16-mile Sirius Stakes (G3) at Chukyo. Stepping into Group 1 company for the first time, Cafe Pharoah went off as the second choice in the 1 1/8-mile Champions Cup at Chukyo on Dec. 6, but could not sustain a drive coming from off the pace, and wound up sixth.

Cafe Pharoah will be ridden by Christophe Lemaire, breaking from post three.

The 7-year-old Sunrise Nova (JPN) will be making his fourth start in the February Stakes for owner Takao Matsuoka and trainer Hidetaka Otonashi. He finished third in last year's race, beaten 3 ¾ lengths. A chestnut son of Gold Allure (JPN) out of Bright Sapphire (JPN) by Kentucky Derby and Travers Stakes (G1) winner Thunder Gulch, Sunrise Nova won two group stakes races last year. He captured the 7-furlong Procyon Stakes (G3) on July 12 at Hanshin and the 1-mile Tokyo Chunichi Sports Hai Musashino Stakes at Tokyo on Nov. 14. However, he could not retain that form in his next start, the Champions Cup, when he finished 12th. Fuma Matsuwaka will ride Sunrise Nova, breaking from post nine.

Another 7-year-old, Shigeo Takeda's chestnut homebred Inti (JPN), won the 2019 February Stakes, prevailing by a neck over Gold Dream (JPN). Trained by Kenji Nonaka, Inti fared poorly in defending his title last year, winding up 14th of 16 as the second choice. In last December's Champions Cup at Chukyo, he raced close to the pace and gained the lead inside the final furlong before finishing third, beaten 2 ¾ lengths. In his first start of this year, Inti did not like the sloppy track at Chukyo in the 1 1/8-mile Tokai TV Hai Tokai Stakes (G2) and finished 12th. The renowned Yutaka Take, who has ridden five winners of the February Stakes, has the mount, breaking from post two.

A horse that did enjoy the sloppy track in the Tokai Stakes was Tadakuni Sugiyama's 5-year-old homebred Auvergne (JPN), who splashed home to a 1 ¾-length victory for his third-consecutive win. A bay son of Smart Falcon (JPN), trained by Masayuki Nishimura, Auvergne captured two listed stakes, the Fukushima Minyu Cup at Fukushima on Nov. 1 and the Betelgeuse Stakes at Hanshin on Dec. 20, prior to winning the Tokai Stakes. Auvergne has seven wins in 19 starts. Auvergne will be ridden by Genki Maruyama from post 14.

Koichiro Yamaguchi's Arctos (JPN) has won eight of 19 starts, and is another runner coming out of the Negishi Stakes, in which he finished fourth for trainer Toru Kurita. “He's a horse that likes to get fully wound up in the home straight but last time he wasn't able to really get going soon enough, so it was tough for him,” said Kurita of the 6-year-old son of Admire Aura (JPN). “But overall I was satisfied with the race.”

Arctos's lone win last year was in the Mile Championship Nambu Hai at Morioka on Oct. 12, when he defeated last year's February Stakes winner Mozu Ascot. Arctos will be ridden by Hironobu Tanabe from post six.

Yoshinari Yamamoto's 8-year-old Wonder Lider closed from last on the far outside in the 16-horse field of the Negishi Stakes, and just missed catching Red le Zele at the wire. A bay son of Statue of Liberty, Wonder Lider has finished in the top three a total of 16 times, and has seven wins in his 35-race career. Trained by Shogo Yasuda, Wonder Lider captured the 1-mile Tokyo Chunichi Sports Hai Musashino Stakes in November 2019 over the Tokyo course. Wonder Lider will break from post seven under jockey Norihiro Yokoyama.

The post Cafe Pharoah Among Leading Contenders For ‘Win And You’re In’ February Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post