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Tag: Racing
Brody’s Cause Filly Kalypso Proves Best As Santa Ynez Favorite
In a performance befitting her short odds, Bob Baffert's Kalypso showed good early speed and took command turning for home en route to a facile 1 ¾-length victory in Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Santa Ynez Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Ridden for the first time by Joel Rosario, Kalypso got seven furlongs in 1:23.42 and provided Baffert with his record sixth win in the Santa Ynez, an early prep for both the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks and the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks.
Breaking from the far outside in a field of six sophomore fillies, Kalypso – from the first crop by Spendthrift Farm stallion Brody's Cause – enjoyed an early neck advantage on longshot Brilliant Cut, who broke from the rail. Heading up the backside, these two were head and head with Kalypso obviously well within herself. Turning for home, Kalypso asserted her dominance and she went on to a most impressive win as much the best.
“She broke good and put me right into the race, in a good position,” said Rosario, who notched his third stakes win through five days of racing. “I'm just happy to be on her. She was the best horse and she'll be better going longer distances.”
Most recently a close second going a mile and one sixteenth in the G1 Starlet at Los Alamitos Dec. 5, Kalypso was off as the 4-5 favorite and paid $3.80, $2.80 and $2.20.
“She has natural speed and she's a really fast filly,” said Baffert, who scratched morning line favorite Varda earlier but still ran three fillies. “She had the lead for a long time in the (Starlet), backing up it's a big difference to go seven eighths. The way she broke today, she was in a good spot and she was really training well coming into this race…
“I would try her long again, as they get older, they are maturing. You can slow her down a little bit, like today she was pretty relaxed. She wasn't too rank where she went real fast but we'll just see how (she) comes out of it.”
Owned by David A. Bernsen, LLC, Rockingham Ranch and Chad Littlefield, Kalyspo picks up 10 qualifying points to the Kentucky Oaks on April 30 and with her first graded stakes win, is now 5-2-2-1. With the winner's share of $120,000, she increased her earnings to $245,600.
Updated Kentucky Oaks points leaderboard
Ridden by Mike Smith, Frosteria rallied four-wide from well off the pace to outrun Brilliant Cut by 1 ½ lengths. The second choice at 7-2, Frosteria, a Godolphin homebred also trained by Baffert, paid $3.60 and $2.80.
Off at 30-1 with Ricky Gonzalez, the Doug O'Neill-trained Brilliant Cut finished 3 ½ lengths clear of Queengol and paid $5.80 to show.
Runner-up Frosteria picked up four Kentucky Oaks qualifying points, while Brilliant Cut got two and Queengol, one.
Baffert, who won last year's Santa Ynez with Bast, entered today's proceedings tied with D. Wayne Lukas with five lifetime wins in the race, which was run for the 70th time today.
Fractions on the race were 22.53, 45.13 and 1:10.18.
Live racing returns with first post time for a nine-race card on Friday at 12:30 p.m. All of Santa Anita's races are available free of charge at santaanita.com/live and fans can watch and wager via 1st.com/Bet.
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Mrs. Orb Ends Seconditis With La Verdad Upset; Entered In Keeneland January Sale
Mrs. Orb's persistence paid off with her first victory in more than a year when she made a move from the outside in the stretch and outkicked 2-5 favorite Sharp Starr to win Sunday's $100,000 La Verdad for New York-bred fillies and mares 4-years-old and up at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.
Mrs. Orb, who was the runner-up in five consecutive stakes appearances, posted a one-length score, marking her first victory in seven starts dating to the Bay Ridge in December 2019.
Owned by Ruggeri Stable, Richard Coburn, Script R Farm and Michael Miceli, the trainer, Mrs. Orb broke last under jockey Dylan Davis but advanced to third as Prairie Fire led the four-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in 24.16 seconds and the half in 47.95 on the muddy and sealed main track.
All four horses stayed in contention out of the turn, with Davis tipping his charge outside of rivals for the stretch run. Mrs. Orb pressed on from the outside at the top of the stretch, dueling Sharp Starr to her immediate inside before gaining separation and completing the seven-furlong course in a final time of 1:24.54.
“She's a hard-trying filly,” Davis said. “I'm just happy that I could get to win with her again. If that's her last race, that's very nice and Mike has done a good job with her throughout her career. I'm just happy to be aboard her and get the job done today.
“I think with the seven-eighths, she had a little more kick to finish to the wire than when she was stretching out,” he added.
Off at the longest shot on the board at 5-1, Mrs. Orb returned $12.20 on a $2 win wager. The 6-year-old Orb mare, bred by Rhapsody Farm, improved her career earnings to $439.520.
“She ran a big race,” Miceli said. “She sat off the pace nicely, dragged Dylan [Davis] up to the leaders and when he asked her to run, she delivered. “She got floated wide, but she dug in nicely. She's tough and she always delivers. I was glad she got over the seconditis.”
The victory, which improved her career ledger to 6-8-3 in 23 starts, could be the finale to a career that started in 2018. Miceli said she is catalogued at Keeneland's Horses of All Ages Sale on January 11.
“That's still the intention. Things can always change, but right now that's still on,” Miceli said.”
Sharp Starr, owned by Barry Schwartz and trained by Horacio DePaz, was three lengths clear of Espresso Shot for second. Prairie Fire was fourth.
“She handled the track fine,” said Sharp Starr jockey Trevor McCarthy. “She sat off the slow pace and was comfortable. She gave me a good kick, but we just got outrun today. She was the big favorite but I have no excuses. The other mare was just a little bit better today.”
Timely Tradition and Sadie Lady scratched.
Live racing resumes Thursday at Aqueduct with an eight-race card. First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.
The post Mrs. Orb Ends Seconditis With La Verdad Upset; Entered In Keeneland January Sale appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Pletcher Lands Three, McGaughey Two On Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitation List
Grade 1 winners Say the Word and Storm the Court, and three stakes winners from the barn of trainer Todd Pletcher, lead a list of 16 horses invited Sunday to the $1-million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.
The third running of the 1 3/16-mile Pegasus World Cup Turf, introduced in 2019 to serve as a companion race to the $3-million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), will be run Jan. 23. The Pegasus Turf has been won previously by eventual Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar (2019) and Zulu Alpha (2020).
The Pegasus World Cup Turf and Pegasus World Cup will be part of an extraordinary program featuring seven graded stakes, four contested on the turf. Stakes on Pegasus Day will also include the $200,000 Inside Information (G2), $125,000 William L. McKnight (G3), $125,000 Marshua's River (G3), $125,000 La Prevoyante (G3) and $125,000 Fred Hooper (G3).
The 12 horses given first preference for the Pegasus World Cup Turf are (in alphabetical order):
- Anothertwistafate – Owned by Peter Redekop B.C., Ltd. Trained by Peter Miller
- Breaking the Rules – Owned by Phipps Stables. Trained by Shug McGaughey
- Colonel Liam – Owner by Robert and Lawana Low. Trained by Todd Pletcher
- Cross Border – Owned by Three Diamonds Farm. Trained by Mike Maker
- Doswell – Owned by Joseph Allen LLC. Trained by Barclay Tagg
- Largent – Owned by Twin Creeks Racing Stables, LLC, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. Trained by Todd Pletcher
- North Dakota – Owned by Allen Stable Inc. Trained by Shug McGaughey
- Pixelate – Owned by Godolphin, LLC. Trained by Michael Stidham
- Say the Word – Owned by Agave Racing Stable and Sam-Son Farm. Trained by Philip D'Amato
- Sharp Samurai – Owned by Owned by Red Baron's Barn LLC, Rancho Temescal LLC, Mark Glatt. Trained by Mark Glatt
- Social Paranoia – Owned by The Elkstone Group, LLC. Trained by Todd Pletcher
- Storm the Court – Owned by Exline-Border Racing, LLC, David Bernsen LLC, Susanna Wilson and Dan Hudock. Trained by Peter Eurton
The also eligible horses (in order of preference):
- Next Shares – Owned by Debby Baltas, Richard Baltas, Christopher Dunn, Jules Iavarone, Michael Iavarone, Jerry McClanahan, Ritchie Robershaw, Mark Taylor. Trained by Richard Baltas.
- Field Pass – Owned by Three Diamonds Farm. Trained by Mike Maker
- Analyze It – Owned by William H. Lawrence. Trained by Chad Brown
- Greyes Creek – Owned by OXO Equine LLC. Trained by Chad Brown
Limited seating is available and tickets can be purchased at Pegasusworldcup.com.
Fans can watch and wager on the Pegasus World Cup at 1stbet.com and xpressbet.com.
Trainer Todd Pletcher, winner of 16 of the past 17 Championship Meet titles at Gulfstream Park, has an intriguing trio of contenders for the Turf in Largent, Social Paranoia and Colonel Liam.
Largent is an improving son of Into Mischief who enters the Pegasus off a victory Dec. 12 in the Fort Lauderdale (G2). The gelding has won six of nine career starts and has won four of his five starts at Gulfstream.
Pletcher-trained Social Paranoia, a 4-year-old son of Street Boss, prepped for the Pegasus at Gulfstream Dec. 16 by winning an allowance optional claiming event off a five-month layoff. Social Paranoia earlier in the year won the Appleton (G3) at Gulfstream.
Pletcher's third entry is the lightly raced Colonel Liam, a 4-year-old son of Liam's Map who enters the Pegasus off an impressive 3 ¼-length victory Dec. 26 in the Tropical Park Derby at Gulfstream Park.
Trainer Barclay Tagg, who trained the recently retired Tiz the Law to victories in last year's Florida Derby (G1), Belmont Stakes (G1) and Travers (G1), comes into the Turf with Doswell. The lightly raced 6-year-old raced only once as a 2-year-old. The son of Giant's Causeway broke his maiden as a 5-year-old and ended 2020 with a second-place finish behind Largent in the Fort Lauderdale.
It took seven races for North Dakota to win his first race, but the Shug McGaughey-trained 5-year-old has since won three of five races with his last being the Nov. 21 Red Smith (G3) at Aqueduct. McGaughey will also send out Breaking the Rules, a 6-year-old son of War Front who comes off a fourth-place finish in the Knickerbocker (G2) in October and a third-place finish in the Fort Lauderdale (G2).
Say the Word, a 6-year-old Ontario-bred by More Than Ready, enters off a third-place finish Nov. 27 in the Hollywood Turf Cup (G2) for trainer Philip D'Amato after winning the Northern Dancer Turf (G1) in October at Woodbine. The gelding finished fourth in his only other race at Gulfstream, that coming in 2018.
Storm the Court ships in from Santa Anita for trainer Peter Eurton. Winner of the 2019 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), the son of Court Vision was sixth in the Kentucky Derby (G1) last year before moving to turf and finishing seventh in the Hollywood Derby (G1) and second last time out in the Mathis Brothers Mile (G2)
Cross Border will attempt to give trainer Mike Maker back-to-back wins in the Pegasus Turf after saddling last year's winner, Zulu Alpha. The 7-year-old son of English Channel was second in last year's Sword Dancer (G1) and won the Bowling Green (G2), both at Saratoga. He comes into the Pegasus off a second-place finish in the Buddy Diliberto Memorial Dec. 19 at Fair Grounds.
Sharp Samurai was beaten a nose by Jesus' Team for the place in the Breeders' Cup Mile. The 7-year-old gelding, based at Santa Anita with trainer Mark Glatt, was second last year in the Pacific Classic (G1), Eddie Read (G2) and City of Hope (G2). His last victory was the 2018 City of Hope. Sharp Samurai is also on the invitation list for the Pegasus.
Pixelate, trained by Michael Stidham, comes into the Pegasus off a victory Dec. 26 in the Woodchopper at Fair Grounds. The Godolphin homebred and son of City Zip won the Del Mar Derby (G2) in September and was fifth in the Belmont Derby (G1) in October.
Anothertwistafate, winner Jan. 2 of the San Gabriel (G2) at Santa Anita and Sept. 10 Longacres Mile (G3), is invited to the Turf and is on the reserve inviation list for the Pegasus.
The Pegasus Turf also-eligible list is led by Next Shares, who will try to make his third trip to the Pegasus Turf the charm after a seventh-place finish in the 2019 edition and a 12th place finish last year. The 8-year-old would enter this year's event off a third-place finish Jan. 2 in the San Gabriel.
The reserve invitation list also includes Field Pass. The Ontario Derby (G3) winner is trained by Mike Maker, who saddled last year's Pegasus Turf winner Zulu Alpha. Trainer Chad Brown, who won the inaugural Pegasus Turf with Bricks and Mortar, has two on the reserve list in Red Bank (G3) winner Analyze Itand OXO Equine's Greyes Creek.
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