Tag: Racing

Maxfield Past ‘Hiccup’ In Training, Potential Targets Include Mineshaft, Saudi Cup

Though a minor illness knocked undefeated Maxfield out of contention for this weekend's Pegasus World Cup, the 4-year-old son of Street Sense has fully recovered and recorded a half-mile breeze in :49.80 last Saturday at the Fair Grounds.

According to the Daily Racing Form, trainer Brendan Walsh and the Godolphin ownership are planning to start Maxfield in either the $20 million Saudi Cup on Feb. 20, or the G3 Mineshaft Handicap at the Fair Grounds on Feb. 13.

“He looked good and he came back good,” Walsh told drf.com on Wednesday. “It seems like he got over that little hiccup just fine. He trained this morning before I left, and he looks great.”

Maxfield won the G1 Breeders' Futurity in 2019 at Keeneland, then missed the Breeders' Cup due to injury. He returned to win Churchill's G3 Matt Winn Stakes in May of 2020, but missed time again until he returned to win the listed Tenacious Stakes at the Fair Grounds on Dec. 19.

Read more at the Daily Racing Form.

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Defending Lady Apple Tops Nominees To Houston Ladies Classic

Nominations have closed for the Houston Racing Festival at Sam Houston Race Park. The annual event, featuring six stakes and purses in excess of $1 million will be contested on Sunday, Jan. 31 with a special afternoon post time of 1:45 pm (CT).

The Houston Racing Festival includes two graded stakes, the Grade 3, $300,000 Houston Ladies Classic and the Grade 3, $200,000 John B. Connally Turf.

The Houston Ladies Classic, to be contested at 1 1/16 miles on the main track, closed with 22 nominations including 2020 champion Lady Apple. The 5-year-old daughter of Curlin out of the Clever Trick mare Miss Mary Apples is owned by Phoenix Thoroughbred III and KatieRich Farms.

Trained by Hall of Fame conditioner Steve Asmussen, the Kentucky-bred mare has won six of her 18 starts with earnings of $1,045,984. One year ago, she closed gamely under jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr., defeating a contentious field which included 2019 Kentucky Oaks champion Serengeti Empress, Mylady Curlin and Street Band. The victory was the second Houston Ladies Classic score for Asmussen, who is nominated for Eclipse Award winning trainer honors. In 2019, he saddled Midnight Bisou, who went on to national prominence winning five Grade 1 stakes, banking $7.4 million and honored as 2019 Eclipse Award winning Older Female.

Jeweled Princess is on target to ship to Houston and represent owners Walking L Thoroughbreds of The Woodlands, Texas. Trained by Kenny McPeek, the 4-year-filly Cairo Prince, out of the Scat Daddy mare Jersey Jules, earned her fourth career win on Dec. 18 at Remington Park when she captured the $75,000 She's All In Stakes. McPeek won the 2004 Great State Challenge Distaff at Sam Houston Race Park with Take Charge Lady as well as two editions of the Maxxam Gold Cup.

Trainer Michael Maker has nominated Ujayji, a 5-year-old mare by Smarty Jones, who would make her Texas debut for her breeder and owner T. L. Wise. The Pennsylvania-bred mare exits a third-place finish in the $100,000 Ladies Handicap at Aqueduct on Jan. 17.

Additional nominees include two fillies trained by Tom Amoss who are currently stabled at Fair Grounds. Hoffman Racing Family, LLC and Steve Landry's Beautiful Trauma, a 4-year-old daughter of Tapiture exits a runner-up finish in the $75,000 Spanky Broussard on December 26. Figure It Out, owned by Joe Politi was an eight length winner in New Orleans on Jan. 1. Trainer Scott Gelner is pointing Norman Racing Stables, LLC's Shes Our Fastest to the stakes. The Texas-bred daughter of Oratory won the 2019 Texas Rose Stakes at Sam Houston Race Park and has earned $344,537 in her 29 lifetime starts.

Inaugurated in 2013, the Houston Ladies Classic was awarded its graded status by the American Graded Stakes Committee in 2016.

Nominations were also strong for the Grade 3, $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup, at the distance of 1 1/2 miles with 43 nominations received by the Sam Houston Race Park racing office. Mike Maker, who has won the Connally a record seven times, has nominated 11 turf specialists. Three Diamonds Farm's Marzo, ran third in last year's edition of the race before running in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer at Saratoga. Sired by Medaglia D' Oro, Marzo has won four races and $310,000 to date.

Ajourneytofreedom closed to complete the superfecta in the $100,000 Gio Ponti at Aqueduct last November for her owners Paradise Farm Corp. and David Staudacher. Maker's third likely starter is Conviction Trade, who was claimed by Staudacher and tested his distance prowess last month in the H. Allen Jerkens, a two-mile turf stakes at Gulfstream Park. The Kentucky-bred son of Exchange Rate closed for second.

Signalman, a 5-year-old son of General Quarters who has earned over $671,000 in his 17 starts, has been nominated by McPeek. He competed in the 2018 Breeders' Cup Juvenile and won the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs.

The John B. Connally Turf was awarded Grade 3 status in 2006 and boasts a solid roster of past winners including Chorwon, Fort Prado, Rod and Staff as well as three-time champions, Candid Glen and Bigger Picture.

The draw for the Houston Racing Festival will take place on Sunday, Jan. 24. The remaining stakes include the $200,000 Texas Turf Mile for three-year-olds, which was added last year and drew a highly competitive field of ten; the $100,000 Pulse Power Turf Sprint, the $75,000 Jersey Lilly Turf Stakes and $75,000 Stonerside Sprint.

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Captain Scotty Out To Defend His Title In Palos Verdes

Veteran gelding Captain Scotty is back to defend his title as he heads a field of eight older horses going six furlongs in Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 Palos Verdes Stakes at Santa Anita. A 7-year-old son of Quality Road, Captain Scotty gives trainer Peter Miller a strong one-two punch as he'll be joined by recent acquisition Shashashakemeup, who comes off a big second place finish in his first start off a $50,000 claim at Churchill Downs.

Several others, including the Shelbe Ruis-trained Kneedeepinsnow, Mark Glatt's Pyron, Brian Koriner's Take the One O One, Bob Baffert's Ax Man and Doug O'Neill's Wildman Jack, all rate solid chances in the 69th renewal of the Palos Verdes.

Following his win in the Palos Verdes a year ago, Captain Scotty sustained a string of four double digit defeats, beginning with an 11 ½ length loss in the $1.5 million Saudi Cup Sprint on Feb. 29. In an effort to right the ship, Miller dropped “Scotty” in for a $25,000 claiming tag three starts back on Oct. 2 at Santa Anita, the result being a second place finish. A gate to wire six furlong winner on Oct. 31 at Del Mar, Captain Scotty comes off a game nose victory in a 5 ½ furlong optional claimer at Los Alamitos Dec. 6, a race in which he earned a much improved 92 Beyer Speed figure.

Owned by Gary Barber and Wachtel Stable, Captain Scotty, who has six wins from 20 starts and earnings of $382,048, will be ridden back by Ricky Gonzalez.

Owned by Tom Kagele, Shashashakemeup was haltered for $50,000 win two starts back at Churchill Downs Oct. 28 and although he was second, beaten 2 ¾ lengths in a second condition allowance Nov. 27, he registered a career-best 96 Beyer and thus merits serious consideration with top jock Juan Hernandez taking over in what will be his Santa Anita debut.

A 5-year-old full horse by Flatter, Kneedeepinsnow comes off what appeared to be the best race of his career on Dec. 31, a powerful 2 ¼ length score in a second condition allowance at 6 ½ furlongs. Owned by Ruis Racing, LLC, Kneedeepinsnow will be trying stakes competition for the first time and be ridden by Ruben Fuentes as regular rider Abel Cedillo opted to stay with Wildman Jack.

Claimed for $40,000 four starts back at Churchill Downs on July 9, the Mark Glatt-trained Pyron then took a six furlong starter allowance at Del Mar Aug. 15 and in his second start off the claim, rallied for a 1 ½ length win over Kneedeepinsnow at the same distance on Oct. 16 here. Most recently a close third in a 6 ½ furlong classified allowance Nov. 8 at Del Mar, this 5-year-old full horse by Candy Ride posted a career-top 92 Beyer and appears poised to run a smasher in the Palos Verdes. Owned by Ken Copenhaver, Pyron seeks his first stakes victory with Umberto Rispoli riding back.

Jay Em Ess Stables' California-bred Take the One O One shortens up out of a close third at 29-1 in the G2 San Antonio Stakes Dec. 26 and Patti and Hal Earnhardt's hard knocking Ax Man, idle since fourth in the G2 San Diego Handicap at 1 1/16 miles July 25, looms dangerous off the bench for Bob Baffert. A winner of six of 14 starts, 6-year-old gelding Ax Man will be ridden for the first time by Tyler Baze.

W.C. Racing's homebred Wildman Jack, who was a close fourth four starts back behind top sprinter Collusion Illusion in the G1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar Aug. 1, was well beaten as the favorite in G2 Joe Hernandez Stakes going 6 ½ furlongs on turf here Jan. 1 and will be trying dirt for only the second time in what will be his 14th career start for Doug O'Neill.

THE GRADE 3 PALOS VERDES STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 7 of 9 Approximate post time 3:30 p.m. PT

  1. Pyron—Umberto Rispoli—120
  2. Wildman Jack—Abel Cedillo—122
  3. Shooters Shoot—Mario Gutierrez—122
  4. Captain Scotty—Ricardo Gonzalez—122
  5. Shashashakemeup—Juan Hernandez—120
  6. Ax Man—Tyler Baze—120
  7. Take the One O One—Jose Valdivia, Jr.—120
  8. Kneedeepinsnow—Ruben Fuentes—120

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m. All of Santa Anita's races are offered free of charge at santaanita.com/live and fans can watch and wager at 1st.com/Bet.

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