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‘Ultra-Consistent’ Pixelate Headlines Saturday’s Woodchopper At Fair Grounds

Even though Godolphin LLC's homebred Pixelate is be the class of the field in Saturday's $75,000 Woodchopper, he's going to have to earn the victory as he leads the way over a strong field of 3-year-olds. The Woodchopper, run at about one bodemile on the Stall-Wilson Turf Course at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La., drew a baker's dozen, including a quintet of stakes winners.

Pixelate (post 5 at 4-1 with Angel Suarez) has been a top-level performer from the start for trainer Mike Stidham. He won the Central Park at Aqueduct as a 2-year-old to conclude a 2-for-4 freshman campaign, and the son of City Zip has only progressed from there. It took him a bit to get over a class hump this year, but Pixelate picked the right time to break through, winning the Del Mar Derby (G2) in September. He followed up with a close fifth in the Belmont Derby (G1) in October, and enters off a closing fourth in Keeneland's Nov. 6 Bryan Station, a race in which he was hung 10-wide on the turn for home. Pixelate is 3-for-13 lifetime and has answered the bell every time, which has been no surprise to Stidham.

“He's been ultra-consistent over the last two years and we've always thought he was very talented,” Stidham said. “In several of his races he was coming up just a little bit short and wasn't quite getting there. He's been running against some really solid, tough horses. Even in the Grade 1 he only got beat a couple lengths, and he's on the cusp of being in the top group of his category.”

Pixelate has run 1 1/8 miles or farther in his last five starts, though he shows a good second at a mile in the War Chant at Churchill Downs in May. While the Woodchopper won't be at his ideal distance, Stidham is hoping Pixelate won't be compromised at a shorter trip.

“I don't think the cutback will be a problem,” Stidham said. “He can lay in a forward position. I would prefer it being 1 1/16 miles but from a class standpoint he's been hooking some tough horses and I think he's in a good spot.”

Contention runs deep in the Woodchopper and Repole Stable's Bodecream (post 2 as Mike Diliberto's lukewarm 7-2 morning line favorite with James Graham) enters in career-best form for trainer Mike Maker. The son of Bodemeister started his career 2-for-8 for trainer Danny Pish, and following a private purchase, he was turned over to Maker this summer. He has really blossomed, though he's still looking for his first win for his new connections. Bodecream, 2-for-11 lifetime, was third in Saratoga's Saranac (G3) in August in his first start for Maker, third in Belmont's Hill Prince (G2) in October, and he enters off a nose second in Aqueduct's Nov. 27 Gio Ponti.

Calumet Farm's homebred Blackberry Wine (post 9 at 9-2 with Gabriel Saez) is the wildcard for trainer Joe Sharp. He is winless in three turf starts but enters off an extremely fast optional-claiming win on Dec. 13 here on the main track. The son of Oxbow has been third, however, in all three grass starts, and he hasn't been over the surface since running in an optional-claimer here last December. Blackberry Wine is 2-for-11 lifetime and could prove the one to catch.

Completing the Woodchopper field from the rail out: Kueber Racing LLC, Ten Strike Racing, and Mark Blieden's Pit Boss (20-1 with Mitchell Murrill); P. Dale Ladner's Jack the Umpire (post 3 at 20-1 with Jack Gilligan); Wayne R. Sanders and Larry Hirsch's Spanish Kingdom (post 4 at 8-1 with Brian Hernandez Jr.); Paradise Farms Corp's Dynadrive (post 6 at 12-1 with Shaun Bridgmohan); Brian L. Gunder's Top Draw (post 7 at 20-1 with Francisco Arrieta); Stallionaire Enterprises LLC's Doc Boy (post 8 at 12-1 with Florent Geroux); Ken and Sarah Ramsey's homebred Telephone Talker (post 10 at 12-1 with Adam Beschizza); Susan Moulton's Stanford (Ire) (post 11 at 20-1 with Marcelino Pedroza); Rick Rinn and Richard and Karen Boyer's Victory Boulevard (post 12 at 20-1 wit Miguel Mena); and Dixiana Farms LCC's Oak Hill (post 13 at 6-1 with Colby Hernandez).

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Tim Hamm-Trained Juvenile Filly Charge It All Earns Shot At Gasparilla Stakes

These days, when trainer Tim Hamm sends out a 2-year-old filly, Thoroughbred racing followers sit up and take notice. Charge It All gave Tampa Bay Downs fans and simulcast viewers something to keep in mind in Sunday's second race.

The Kentucky-bred juvenile, owned in partnership by Hamm's Blazing Meadows Farm and her breeder, Three Chimneys Farm, moved smartly to the lead on the turn for home and kept her mind on business under jockey Wilmer Garcia en route to a 1 ½-length victory from Special Princess in the 6 ½-furlong, allowance/$75,000 optional claiming event for 2-year-old fillies.

Charge It All's time on a fast track was 1:18.30.

“I like this horse a lot,” Hamm said. “At this time last year, she was really fat and she looked kind of like a cow. I didn't know if she would ever slim down, but after being in Miami in June, July and August, she got some scope to her and has turned into a real nice filly. I'm pleased with her performance. I think there is some upside to her.”

Charge It All benefited from a lively speed duel between pace-setter Splash Cash and R Averie Lynn before Garcia popped the question approaching the 3/8-mile pole and she took off.

Hamm credits his assistant, Julie Hutchison, for getting Charge It All into solid racing shape in south Florida during the summer prior to the filly's first start on Sept. 17 at Gulfstream Park. The daughter of Will Take Charge-Invalida, by Street Cry, is now 2-for-3.

Hamm's success earlier this year with his 2-year-old filly Dayoutoftheoffice, owned by Blazing Meadows Farm in partnership with Siena Farm, brought the conditioner widespread attention within the sport. She went 3-for-4 this year, winning the Grade 3 Schuylerville Stakes at Saratoga and the G1 Frizette at Belmont before settling for a second-place finish to Vequist in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland. The Frizette was Hamm's first G1 victory.

Certain to be an Eclipse Award finalist for Champion 2-Year-Old Filly, Dayoutoftheoffice is at Siena Farm in Paris, Ky., and will soon be sent to Hamm's Blazing Meadows South in Ocala to begin preparations for her 3-year-old season. She earned $556,500 this year.

Every horse develops at a different rate and Hamm isn't ready to get too far ahead of himself with Charge It All. At the same time, he says the $125,000, seven-furlong Gasparilla Stakes for newly turned 3-year-old fillies on Jan. 16 is a likely next start, provided she rebounds well from Sunday's effort.

“Julie was mad at me because I didn't nominate her for the (six-furlong Sandpiper Stakes on Dec. 5), but we knew this allowance was coming up,” Hamm said. “Now, it's kind of like we have nothing to lose (by racing in the Gasparilla). I'm not too ambitious yet, but I'm ambitious enough to let her tell us where to go next.”

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California-Bred Play Chicken All Heart In King Glorious At Los Alamitos

Play Chicken, a 13-1 outsider, held off Moving Fast, another longshot at 16-1, to win the $100,000 King Glorious Stakes Sunday, the final day of the Los Angeles County Fair Winter meet at Los Alamitos in Cypress, Calif.

Under jockey Mario Gutierrez, the son of Square Eddie and the Distorted Humor mare Smoove was reserved just off the pace, gained the advantage with an eighth of a mile to run and held sway by a neck in the race for 2-year-olds bred or sired in California.

The win was the third in the King Glorious for Gutierrez, owner-breeder J. Paul Reddam's Reddam Racing LLC and trainer Doug O'Neill. They teamed to win back-to-back runnings with Found Money (2015) and Ann Arbor Eddie (2016).

Making his first start in blinkers, Play Chicken completed the mile in 1:38.10 and returned $29, $10.60 and $7.80. He's now won twice in three races and earned $94,000. He broke his maiden at the King Glorious distance on turf in his debut Oct. 17 at Santa Anita.

“I thought it was great,'' said O'Neill assistant Stephanie Murray. “He showed a lot of heart. He was very gutsy, couldn't have asked for him to do anymore. We just wanted to play the break and see how the race unfolded.

“It was kind of his (Gutierrez) decision from the get go, so I think Mario gets all the credit.''

Moving Fast, who drew into the race from the also eligible list after the scratch of Positivity (he ran in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity Saturday), rallied after breaking last in the field of 10 to outfinish 15-1 shot Club Cal by a half-length. He paid $11 and $7.20 after his initial race in blinkers while the show price on Club Cal, a four-length maiden winner two weeks earlier in his Los Alamitos debut, was $5.80.

Mister Bold, the 19-10 favorite and the pacesetter, wound up fourth, a nose in front of 2-1 second choice Good With People. Tacoflavoredkisses, From the Get Go, Ascot Storm, Wedding Groom and Govenor's Party completed the order of finish.

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Backsideofthemoon Earns Career Best Beyer In Return To Rudy Rodriguez Barn

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez reported that all was well with Repole Stable's Backsideofthemoon, who registered his first stakes win in nearly three years when capturing the nine-furlong $100,000 Queens County on Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The 8-year-old son of Malibu Moon recorded a 105 Beyer Speed Figure for the six-length victory, where he led at every point of call while setting an easy tempo up front before kicking clear under jockey Jose Lezcano. He boasts a record of 47-8-9-7 and $722,216 in earnings through a career that began in September 2015. The 105 Beyer was his first triple-digit number over six racing seasons.

Backsideofthemoon appears to have an affinity for the Aqueduct main track, as six of his nine career victories have taken place there, including a triumph in the Jazil in January 2018 for former trainer Leo O'Brien.

Rodriguez claimed Backsideofthemoon from O'Brien in August 2019 and two starts later won going a one-turn mile at Aqueduct under Rodriguez's tutelage before being claimed by trainer Robert Klesaris. Rodriguez then claimed him back in September after a second-place finish in a one-mile allowance optional claiming event at Belmont Park.

“He's a cool horse to be around. He likes his job,” Rodriguez said. “When I claimed him before he was good and Bobby [Klesaris] did a good job of keeping everything together. There aren't too many horses his age that run the way he runs.”

Rodriguez gelded Backsideofthemoon after claiming him for the first time last August.

“The only thing we did was geld him when I claimed him before,” Rodriguez said. “He always trained well and if you look at him physically, he looks like a stakes level horse. He's a nice, solid strong, big horse. The coat he has right now looks like he's in Florida. He has a very shiny coat and not many horse, in the winter have that kind of coat.”

Rodriguez said he was unsure as to where the seasoned veteran's next start would take place, but that the $100,000 Jazil on January 23 could be in play.

“I'll talk to the boss and see what he says,” Rodriguez said. “He ran a big number, so we'll keep it together and hope for the best.”

Rodriguez also reported EV Racing's Eagle Orb, the New York-bred son of Orb who won the November 14 Notebook at the Big A, could target either the $150,000 Jerome on January 1 at Aqueduct – a 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifier – or stay against state-breds in the $100,000 Rego Park on January 11 at going 6 ½ furlongs.

“We have those two races in mind for him and me and the owner are still trying to decide which spot is best. He's training well,” Rodriguez said.

Bred in New York by Barry Ostrager, Eagle Orb is out of the Harlan's Holiday mare Lady On Holiday and was purchased for 95,000 from the Saratoga New York-bred Yearling Sale last August.

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