Racing | Horse Racing Free Tips

Heavily Favored Mischevious Alex Captures Gulfstream Park Sprint

Cash is King LLC and LC Racing LLC's Mischevious Alex asserted his class to score a comfortable 3 ½-length victory in Saturday's $100,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint (G3) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The Gulfstream Park Sprint, a six-furlong dash for 4-year-olds and up, and the $100,000 Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint (G3), a five-furlong race for older horses on turf, co-headlined a 12-race program that also featured a mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool.

Mischevious Alex, who was sent to post as the 2-5 favorite in a field reduced to four by scratches, recorded his second straight victory of the 2020-2021 Championship Meet with the April 3 Carter (G1) at Aqueduct or the Golden Shaheen (G1) on the March 28 Dubai World Cup undercard being targeted for his next start.

“The Carter is the primary goal. The Dubai sprint is in our minds, but we're going to talk it over and decide,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “[Cash is King LLC's] Chuck [Zacney] has a game plan to try to win a Grade 1 this year.”

Mischievous Alex, who won a Jan. 10 optional claiming allowance impressively while making his first start for Joseph off a five-month layoff, broke alertly to contest the early pace outside pacesetter Cajun Brother and inside Frosted Grace along the backstretch. Cajun Brother ran the first quarter of a mile in 22.45 with Mischevious Alex traveling comfortably to his outside under Irad Ortiz Jr. The odds-on favorite moved to a narrow lead on the turn into the homestretch with Frosted Grace looming boldly to his outside. Asked for some run at the top of the stretch, the 4-year-old son of Into Mischief offered a powerful kick to win with authority.

“It worked out well. He got the job done,” Joseph said. “He broke well and I was happy how he broke. For a brief moment, where he was in a little tight, Irad did a great job of maintaining his spot. After that, he stayed six furlongs strongly. At six furlongs, you don't have to worry about him stopping. He keeps getting stronger towards the end.”

Mischievous Alex, who captured the 2020 Swale (G3) at Gulfstream, ran six furlongs in 1:09.55.

“I got a good trip. The horse put me in a good position early. I think [Cajun Brother] had the speed from the break so I just let him go ahead. I sat there and was patient and when it was time to let him go, I just let him go and he responded really well,” Ortiz said. “He's doing great.”

Frosted Grace finished second under Luis Saez, a half-length ahead of Cajun Brother and jockey Miguel Vasquez.

The post Heavily Favored Mischevious Alex Captures Gulfstream Park Sprint appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Al Quoz In Dubai Could Be Next For Leinster Following Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint Victory

Rusty Arnold-trained Leinster came through in the stretch for the bettors who made him their 2-5 favorite, adding the $100,000 Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint (G3) to his growing list of graded-stakes victories.

The Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint, a five-furlong dash for older horses, and the $100,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint (G3), a six-furlong race for 4-year-olds and up, co-headlined a 12-race program that also featured a mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool.

Leinster broke alertly from the starting gate to contest the early pace between horses before being eased back by jockey Luis Saez, who was content to track pacesetter High Crime and Inter Miami during a :21.03 first quarter of a mile. Saez eased Leinster to the outside on the turn into the homestretch and the veteran turf sprinter responded with a powerful stretch drive to catch High Crime by a neck.

“That was the trip that we expected. I know we had some speed inside, but he's that kind of horse that you can't rush him early. You have to let him get his feet,” Saez said. “When he came to the stretch, he knows what to do. He was always responding and it was easy for him. When we came to the stretch, I knew we were going to be OK. I know [High Crime] was a pretty tough horse, but Leinster he came from the layoff, too, so we didn't want to push him early. He did his job.”

Making his first start since finishing third in the Nov. 7 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1) at Keeneland, Leinster ran five furlongs on a 'good' turf course in :55.29.

“I liked the way he did it. They were going head and head; they were going so fast, [Saez] took him back and gave him a breather,” said Arnold, who trains Leinster for Amy Dunne, Brenda Miley and Westrock Stables LLC. “It looked for a second he might not get there, but he that gear.”

High Crime, the 3-1 second choice ridden by Julien Leparoux, held second 1 ½ lengths head of Harrysontheloose and jockey Junior Alvarado.

Leinster won back-to-back Grade 2 stakes, the Shakertown and the Woodford, over a fast Keeneland course before finishing just a length behind victorious Glass Slippers over a 'good' Keeneland turf in the Breeders' Cup.

“Since he started running sprints on the grass, he's missed the board once, and that was in the [2019] Breeders' Cup [Turf Sprint]. He didn't get a trip and maybe he was over the top,” Arnold said.

Arnold said that the 6-year-old son of Majestic Warrior would likely run next in the $1 million Al Quoz (G1) on the March 28 Dubai World Cup undercard or the April 3 Shakertown (G2) at Keeneland.

The post Al Quoz In Dubai Could Be Next For Leinster Following Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint Victory appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Woodbine Cleared To Resume Live Racing With No Spectators At Mohawk

Following today's designation of the Halton Region being placed in the 'Red-Control' zone by the Government of Ontario, Woodbine Entertainment has announced plans to resume live racing, without spectators, at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Thursday, Feb. 18.

Halton Region will officially enter the 'Red-Control' zone as of 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 16. Live horse racing, without spectators, is permitted in all phases of the province's current COVID-19 Response Framework except for 'Grey-Lockdown'.

With the resumption of racing on Feb. 18, Woodbine Mohawk Park will proceed with its regular schedule of live racing every Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings starting at 7 p.m.

Condition sheets for the first several cards at Woodbine Mohawk Park are now posted at www.StandardbredCanada.ca. The draw for Thursday's card will take place Monday, Feb. 15, with the entry box closing at its usual time of 10:30 a.m. The full draw schedule is listed below:

Enter Monday for Thursday
Enter Tuesday for Friday
Enter Wednesday for Saturday
Enter Thursday for Monday

Woodbine Mohawk Park will host qualifiers on Thursday, Feb. 18 at 9:30 a.m. The entry box for qualifiers closes Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 10:30 a.m.

As per the Government of Ontario's restrictions, spectators are not permitted at Woodbine Mohawk Park at this time. Only those performing essential duties relating to the operating of live horse racing are currently permitted onsite. Woodbine Entertainment will provide an update to horse owners and the public over the coming days of opportunities to watch and wager.

Any horseperson coming to Woodbine Mohawk Park for training, qualifying or racing must complete the COVID-19 Daily Screening Form prior to arriving at the racetrack and must adhere to Woodbine Entertainment's COVID-19 Racing Protocols at all times.

Any horseperson that has been outside of Ontario must provide the Director of Racing (Bill McLinchey, bmclinchey@woodbine.com) with proof of their return date and be in Ontario for 14 days before coming to Woodbine Mohawk Park for training, qualifying or live racing. Any individual outside of Ontario must also provide a negative COVID-19 test taken 10 days into their quarantine.

The post Woodbine Cleared To Resume Live Racing With No Spectators At Mohawk appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Needs Supervision Could Play Upset Card In Barbara Fritchie

Encouraged by her most recent effort, trainer Jerry O'Dwyer is giving Howling Pigeon Farms, Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable and Madaket Stables' multiple stakes winner Needs Supervision another shot at graded success in Saturday's $250,000 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie (G3) at Laurel Park.

The 69th running of the Fritchie for fillies and mares 4 and older and the 45th edition of the $250,000 General George (G3) for 4-year-olds and up co-headline a Winter Sprintfest program of six stakes worth $900,000 in purses. First race post time is 12:25 p.m.

In addition to Needs Supervision, a 12-1 long shot on the morning line, Madaket's Sol Kumin also has an ownership stake in the Fritchie's 8-5 program favorite, five-time stakes winner Hello Beautiful. The two horses will break side-by-side respectively from Posts 7 and 8.

Needs Supervision, 5, ran fourth behind Majestic Reason in last year's Fritchie then was third in the Nellie Morse, held in mid-March prior to live racing being paused 2 ½ months in Maryland amid the coronavirus pandemic. Minor issues kept her from racing again for eight months.

“She's never had any major issues, just little niggly things,” O'Dwyer said. “She had a back issue that was bugging her and it was kind of causing her to break slow and she wasn't as comfortable as she could be. We seem to have a handle on that now.

“I think she's moving super now,” he added. “It's hard to find when there's something wrong with her because she's such a tough filly. She never shows any signs of distress or pain, but it's when she underperforms you know there's more there. That's when you really start going over her with a fine tooth comb to try and find something.”

Needs Supervision ran third to Fritchie contender Dontletsweetfooya, a winner of her last five races including two stakes, in the Nov. 28 Primonetta, then stretched out to 1 1/8 miles for the Allaire du Pont (G3) Dec. 26, where she tired to be fifth after setting the pace. Most recently, she closed to be second by a length behind Bella Aurora in the seven-furlong Interborough Jan. 18 at Aqueduct.

“She came out of her last race great. She ran a super race up there. I liked the way she finished up and came through horses. The winner got the clear path on the inside and she couldn't get out until the top of the lane,” O'Dwyer said. “We would have liked to get out a little bit sooner, but I was just glad to see her come back and run a race like that and finish up good.”

Needs Supervision won the seven-furlong Safely Kept in November 2019 at Laurel over next-out winners Hey Mamaluke and Victim of Love, the latter going on to win the Vagrancy (G3) and run second in the Fritchie and third in the Ballerina (G1) before going to the sidelines.

“She's won at seven furlongs, she likes the surface, and she seems to be training good and doing really well,” O'Dwyer said. “It's going to be a tough race, with lots of good fillies and mares in there. I think there's going to be lots of speed in there which should help us. We're not the quickest into stride, but I'd like to see her five or six lengths off them. That'd be nice. You're going to have Hello Beautiful and Dontletsweetfoolya, both of those are very fast fillies and I'm sure no rider will want to take their horse out of their comfort zone. So, I'm hoping it'll set up a little bit for us with something to run at.

“It's going to be a very nice race, very competitive. You just want to see the best horse win and everybody get a fair shake of the dice,” he added. “We still have a lot of faith in our filly, how she is right now. The owners have been great people to me. I'd just like to get her back in a bit of form and to get a graded-stakes win would be huge for her as a broodmare.”

The post Needs Supervision Could Play Upset Card In Barbara Fritchie appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post