Gulfstream Park has long been a key racetrack on the road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, and in recent years three of the last eight Kentucky Derby winners made at least one start at the Hallandale Beach, Fla. track on the Derby trail.
Tag: Racing
Baffert: Charlatan’s ‘Talent Makes Up For His Inexperience’ Heading To Saudi Cup
Though Bob Baffert doesn't expect to make the trip to Riyadh next month for the second edition of the $20 million Saudi Cup, the Hall of Fame trainer will have a strong hand with potential race-day favorite Charlatan headed overseas. The lightly-raced 4-year-old son of Speightstown will make the Saudi Cup just his fifth career start, but a big performance off the layoff in the Grade 1 Malibu on Dec. 26 proved talent isn't an issue.
“I think his talent makes up for his inexperience,” Baffert said during a conference call Wednesday. “I think he has enough experience where he doesn't know what it's like to lose. I think that's a good trait.”
Charlatan has crossed the wire first in all four of his career starts, though he was disqualified from his win in the G1 Arkansas Derby in May, 2020. Given time off for injury after that start, Charlatan returned to dominate the G1 Malibu by 4 1/2 lengths.
Baffert said the one-turn, 1 1/8-mile distance of the Saudi Cup was especially attractive with a speed horse like Charlatan.
“I think coming off the seven-eighths race, especially the way he did it, I think it is a perfect kind of distance,” the trainer said. “We know he ships well and he has a great mind on him. He's a good gate horse. It's very challenging to go to Saudi or Dubai. You need a really great mind and he has a really great mind. So I think that race fits the bill perfectly for him.”
Baffert indicated a couple minor concerns after the inaugural edition of the race, including a narrow starting gate that doesn't allow a header to stay with the horse, and a deeper track surface that the trainer thought could have used more water ahead of race day.
Another American-trained horse, Tacitus, will contest the Saudi Cup for a second straight year. The 5-year-old son of Tapit has danced most of the big dances and is regularly flirting with a top-level victory, but has yet to break through. Tacitus was fifth last year at Riyadh, and will be making his first start since finishing fourth in the Breeders' Cup Classic.
“Last year when we brought Tacitus, he had a nice little following locally due to the fact that he was a Juddmonte horse,” said Riley Mott, assistant to his father, trainer Bill Mott. “He had a lot of fans there on race day. And just to be there in (the late) Prince Khalid Abdullah's home country was very special. To bring Tacitus back this year is something we are very much looking forward to and a big reason why we kept him in training this year.”
It is currently unclear whether impressive Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and Pegasus World Cup winner Knicks Go will ship over for the Saudi Cup. Trainer Brad Cox told the Daily Racing Form that a decision will be made by Monday.
“He does look really good out of the race, sound, a 5-year-old with a lot of energy. His weight's great,” reported Cox.
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Locals Idol, Tizamagician Face Off With Florida Invader King Guillermo In Saturday’s San Pasqual
The Richard Baltas-trained Idol, Richard Mandella's Tizamagician and Florida invader King Guillermo head a compact field of five older horses going a mile and one eighth in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita. To be run for the 83rd time, the San Pasqual is an iconic prep to the G1 Santa Anita Handicap on March 6.
Lightly raced Idol, who is owned by Calvin Nguyen, was attentive to the pace en route to a close second place finish going a mile and one sixteenth in the G2 San Antonio Stakes here on Dec. 26 and will once again get the services of eastern-based Gabriel Saez on Saturday. An impressive seven furlong maiden winner in his second start at Churchill Downs Sept. 26, Idol, a 4-year-old colt by Curlin out of the A.P. Indy mare Marion Ravenwood, then aired by 5 ¾ lengths in a mile and three-sixteenths allowance at Churchill Nov. 8.
With two wins and as many seconds from his four career starts, Idol appears poised to have a big 4-year-old campaign for Baltas.
With an overall mark of 13-3-5-0, Tizamagician, a 4-year-old colt by Tiznow, comes off an outstanding second condition allowance win on Jan. 2, a race in which he led throughout and took by a half length at 4-1. Although he'll be facing a G2 winner in King Guillermo, Tizamagician has the advantage of a sharp recent win over the track as he once again runs out of his own stall for Mandella.
A close fourth in last year's G3 Robert B. Lewis at Santa Anita, Tizamagician, who is owned by MyRacehorse.com and Spendthrift Farm, LLC, will again be ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, who has guided him to a pair of victories in his last four starts.
A disappointing fourth, beaten 12 ¼ lengths after pressing the early pace in the one turn Cigar Mile (G1) at Aqueduct Dec. 5, trainer Juan Avila's King Guillermo had been since running second in a division of the Grade I Arkansas Derby on May 2 and may've been in need of the race. Owned by Victoria's Ranch, nom de course for retired five-time All Star catcher Victor Martinez, King Guillermo, 4-year-old colt by Uncle Mo, was an upset winner of the Grade II Tampa Bay Derby three starts back on March 7 and was subsequently off at 9-2 in the Arkansas Derby.
In what will be his first start west of the Mississippi River, King Guillermo ships west from his Gulfstream Park base and will be ridden for the first time by Abel Cedillo in what will be his seventh career start.
Second to top rated Charlatan going seven furlongs in the opening day Malibu Dec. 26, C R K Stable's Express Train will be ridden back by leading man Juan Hernandez and with a career-top Beyer Speed figure of 99 in-hand, rates a solid shot in what will be his eighth career start. Trained by John Shirreffs, Express Train was well off the early pace in the Malibu, but has proven very effective when on or near the lead going two turns.
THE GRADE 2 SAN PASQUAL STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 5 of 8 Approximate post time 2:30 p.m. PT
- Tizamagician—Drayden Van Dyke—120
- Idol—Gabriel Saez—120
- King Guillermo—Abel Cedillo—122
- Express Train—Juan Hernandez—120
- Zestful—Edwin Maldonado—120
First post time for an eight-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.
The post Locals Idol, Tizamagician Face Off With Florida Invader King Guillermo In Saturday’s San Pasqual appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Bargain Buy Competitive Speed Puts Three-Race Win Streak On The Line In Forward Gal
John Minchello's Competitive Speed, a bargain $5,000 juvenile purchase turned stakes winner in less than a year, will put her three-race win streak on the line when she tries graded company for the first time in Saturday's $100,000 Forward Gal (G3) at Gulfstream Park.
The 39th running of the seven-furlong Forward Gal for 3-year-old fillies is among five graded-stakes worth $600,000 in purses on a 12-race program highlighted by the $200,000 Holy Bull (G3), Gulfstream's next step for 3-year-olds on the road to the Florida Derby (G1).
First race post time is 11:45 a.m.
A chestnut daughter of Competitive Edge, a Grade 1 winner at 2, and granddaughter of 2003 champion older horse and Horse of the Year Mineshaft, Competitive Speed failed to meet her reserve as a yearling in the fall of 2019 and was sold as a 2-year-old in training last July. She debuted in the slop at Gulfstream Park West in October, finishing sixth in a six-furlong maiden special weight, but hasn't lost since.
“She's always doing better every day, and that's happened from the very first day that she came to the barn. When she came to us and started training and working and get condition, she was doing better,” trainer Javier Gonzalez said. “When we put her in company, she did better. Whatever we ask her to do, she did better. She's passed every test.
“This is going to be a big test, but I think she can make it. She's doing good and she is one of those horses that is never going to make you look bad,” he added. “I think she's going to run a very good race.”
Competitive Speed graduated by 1 ½ lengths in a 6 ½-furlong maiden claimer at Gulfstream West less than two weeks after her unveiling, beating a pair of next-out winners in the process. She made her Gulfstream debut Dec. 6, coming from off the pace to take a starter optional claimer by 4 ½ lengths, then stepped up to stakes company in the 6 ½-furlong Glitter Woman Jan. 2.
Once again, Competitive Speed was able to rate under regular rider Leonel Reyes before taking a short lead at the top of the stretch and going on to win by three lengths and give Gonzalez – a multiple group stakes winner in Puerto Rico, including the 2013 Clasico Ano Nuevo (G1) – his first stakes triumph in the U.S.
“That was very special. I came here two years ago and was working hard to find a good horse. You never know which one is going to be the one,” Gonzalez said. “I was looking and waiting because then people start to look at you with respect. She is doing so good. She will always have a big, big space in my heart.”
Competitive Speed has breezed twice at Gulfstream West since the Glitter Woman, including a half-mile in 48.40 seconds Jan. 16, third-fastest of 18 horses. Reyes will ride back from Post 3 in a field of eight.
“It was a little bit faster than I wanted but she came back good. The next day she ate everything and she was happy,” Gonzalez said. She's coming into the race really well.
“She's very quiet in the stall. If you pass by her you would never know she was there,” he added. “When she won the stake, one of the exercise riders saw her and asked, 'Which horse is this one?' She's a really nice horse.”
The one horse that beat Competitive Edge, Legacy Racing's Coach Jer's Joy, returns for the first time since her Oct. 31 debut. Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., the Palace filly has breezed seven times at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, for her return. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount from outside Post 8.
Shadwell Stable homebred Zaajel, a bay daughter of 2007 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Street Sense, also enters the Forward Gal off one race, a 7 ¼-length maiden special weight romp going seven furlongs Dec. 20 at Gulfstream for Championship Meet-leading trainer Todd Pletcher.
“She was very impressive in her debut and she's trained great since then,” Pletcher said. “Ideally, I'd kind of like to run her in an allowance race, but we don't really have an option at the moment. Considering how well she ran at the distance and over the surface here, we'll give it a try. The seven furlongs was no problem in her debut.”
Luis Saez, up for her debut, gets the return call from Post 7.
Rounding out the field are Queen Arella, a maiden special weight winner in debut last May at Gulfstream but off the board in back-to-back stakes in New York; last-out maiden winner Three Tipsy Chix; Wholebodemeister, who also broke her maiden last summer at Gulfstream and is trying stakes company for the third time; Dial to Win, fifth in the Glitter Woman; and Lady Traveler, runner-up in Rags to Riches last fall in Kentucky for trainer Dale Romans.
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