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Artie’s Princess Holds Off Boardroom For Bessarabian Success

Artie's Princess, a 3-year-old daughter of We Miss Artie, won her second straight stakes at Woodbine, and notched her first graded crown, in taking the $197,750 Bessarabian (Grade 2) at the Toronto, Ontario, oval on Saturday.

The trio of Jakarta, Souper Escape and Artie's Princess zipped out of the gate in the seven-furlong Bessarabian, matching strides through an opening-quarter mile in a swift :22.31. It was Jakarta who eventually assumed command with her other two rivals tracking her every move. Artie's Princess, who came into the race off a sharp score in the Ruling Angel Stakes on September 12, sat in third for Kazushi Kimura.

Jakarta continued to call the shots on the front end, taking her rivals through a half-mile clip in :44.41, as Princess Artie kept the pacesetter well within her sights.

As the field turned for home, Artie's Princess surged to the lead, holding a two-length advantage at Robert Geller's stretch call. Looking like a lock mid-way down the lane, the Wesley Ward trainee had to fend off a late-race meeting with hard-charging Boardroom, who fell a head short of collaring the winner. Our Secret Agent rallied to net third, while Amalfi Coast, last year's Bessarabian champ, finished fourth.

“Basically, if I could go to the front I wanted to go to the front, but I knew that just the two horses wanted to go to the front, and it looked a little bit fast that's why I was just patient, watched from behind,” said Kimura, who earlier in the card teamed with Field Pass to take the Grade 3 Ontario Derby Stakes. “She was just so comfortable today.”

The final time was 1:20.90.

“I felt [jockey Luis Contreras and Boardroom coming] but she wasn't that tired and kept going,” offered Kimura. “I felt I could win.”

The ultra-consistent filly, bred and owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, now has three wins from four outings in 2020. Last year, the Ontario-bred went 2-1-0 from three starts, taking her first two races before a runner-up effort in the Frost King Stakes in November.

Her sire, We Miss Artie, also owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, won the 2014 Plate Trial at Woodbine before finishing third in the Queen's Plate.

Sent off as the 5-2 choice, Artie's Princess paid $7, $3.80 and $3.30. She combined with Boardroom ($5, $3.90) for a 4-2 $34.40 exactor. Our Secret Agent ($4.30) completed a 4-2-7 triactor worth $156.90. Amalfi Coast rounded a 4-2-7-5 $1 Superfecta that returned $277.35. Outburst was scratched.

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Extra Hope Turns Tables On Midcourt With Front-Running Native Diver Score

Last year in a four-horse field in the Native Diver Stakes at Del Mar, Jay Em Ess Stable's Extra Hope tracked C R K Stable's Midcourt from second place all the way around the track in the nine-furlong race. Midcourt drew clear late and won it by nearly six lengths.

This year – in another four-horse field at the Del Mar, Calif., track – the roles flipped.

Extra Hope and rider Juan Hernandez made the lead out of the gate and led Midcourt and Victor Espinoza from break to finish, scoring nicely in the Grade 3, $100,000 contest. His winning margin was only a length, but in the counting house and the record books a win is most certainly a win. Fractions were :23.86 :47.79 1:11.45 1:37.02 1:50.11

“That was the plan – to go for the lead right away,” said Hernandez. “He helped me a lot the way he broke so good out of there. Then he was running nice an easy for me; he was relaxed. At the quarter pole I asked him and he gave me a good reply.”

“That's (front running) what we planned with Extra Hope,” said Mandella. “I told (Juan Hernandez) 'Spin the tires' out of the gate a little bit. He (Extra Hope) kind of doesn't take life real serious, so he wasn't getting out of his training what he needed to before his first race off the layoff. But the one race did it. He's been doing good since then. We'll look at the Big 'Cap (next year) and possibly the San Antonio on opening day at Santa Anita.”

Extra Hope, a 4-year-old colt by Shanghai Bobby, earned a check for $60,000 for capturing his first stakes race and increased his bankroll to $294,831 with his fourth win in 14 starts. The victory was extra sweet for the lady behind Jay Em Ess Stable –Samantha Siegel. She also bred Extra Hope.

Finishing third in the lineup was Hronis Racing's Combatant and filling out the field was Fox Hill Farms and Siena Farm's Royal Ship, who stumbled badly out of the gate and nearly unseated rider Mike Smith.

Extra Hope ran the mile and one-eighth in 1:50.11 and paid $10.40 and $2.80. Midcourt, the 2/5 favorite, returned $2.10. There was no show wagering in the short lineup.

Leading rider Abel Cedillo had a pair of victories on the afternoon and now has 16 winners in the first 10 days of racing. Best performance by a rider on the afternoon though went to Flavien Prat, who registered three firsts. He now sits in second place in the jockey standings with 10 wins.

Racing resumes tomorrow at Del Mar with a nine-race card beginning at 12:30 p.m.

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Field Pass Edges Belichick For Lemon Drop Kid Exacta In Ontario Derby

It looked as though Field Pass would be standing on the sidelines rather than the winner's circle, but a late burst of speed netted the son of Lemon Drop Kid top prize in a thrilling edition of the $134,000 Ontario Derby (Grade 3), Saturday at Woodbine in Toronto, Ontario.

Ridden by Kazushi Kimura, Field Pass found a seam in deep stretch and recorded a one-length win as the 5-2 second choice, as he held off Breeders' Stakes champ Belichick (also by Lemon Drop Kid) and a game Malibu Mambo to win the 1 1/8-mile added-money event. Mutuel favorite, Mighty Heart, who won the Queen's Plate and Prince of Wales Stakes, finished fourth.

It was Mighty Heat who seized control of the 3-year-old race early on, with Malibu Mambo, Field Pass and Dune of Pilat keeping tabs on the Maryland-bred grey through an opening quarter-mile in :24.30 and a half-mile clocked in :47.92.

As Rafael Hernandez urged Mighty Heart to continue his front-running ways, Malibu Mambo, under Justin Stein, and Belichick, with Luis Contreras in the irons, began to circle in on the leader. Meanwhile, Field Pass found himself in traffic trouble, as Kimura worked to find an opening with the Three Diamonds Farm silk bearer.

In deep stretch, Kimura and Field Pass bulled their way between Belichick and Malibu Mambo en route to the Michael Maker trainee's sixth career win in 15 starts.

The well-traveled colt covered the distance in an impressive 1:48.35, just missing the track record of 1:48.24 established by Global Access on September 28, 2019.

“My planning was that I didn't want to get too forward, but I didn't want to send him to the front,” said Kimura. “That was the perfect position, just waiting for room.”

The win was the fifth from nine starts on the campaign for Field Pass, who now has a trio of Grade 3s (the others are this year's runnings of the Jeff Ruby Steaks, and Kentucky Utilities Transylvania Stakes).

He arrived for his first Woodbine start after back-to-back finishes in a pair of Grade 2 events, the American Turf Stakes on September 5 at Churchill Downs, and the Twilight Derby on October 18 at Santa Anita.

With the Ontario Derby win, Field Pass, who broke his maiden in his second start on July 13, 2019, at Saratoga, is 6-2-3 from 15 starts.

“Such a classy horse,” praised Kimura. “I've watched him many times, winning replays. He's nice, a nice horse.”

Field Pass paid $7.70, $4.50, and $2.80, while Belichick returned $5.30 and $3.40. Malibu Mambo, the 2020 Queen's Plate winter book favorite, paid $3.90 to show. The 1-2 exactor paid $27.60, while a 1-2-8 triactor came back $144. A $1 Superfecta of 1-2-8-6 (Mighty Heart) returned $214.55.

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Oscar Dominguez To Defend Title In Friday’s Hollywood Turf Cup

Oscar Dominguez, who pulled off an upset of United at odds of 11-1 in the 2019 Hollywood Turf Cup, is entered to defend the title when the Grade 2, $200,000 event is run for the 39th time overall and the seventh at Del Mar on Friday.

The now 7-year-old Irish-bred gelding, owned by Nancy Messineo and Bruce Sands and trained by Richard Baltas, rallied from last of 10 with a mile to go in the 1 ½-mile marathon to win by a neck under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez last year. Another top rider from the east, Irad Ortiz, Jr., will be aboard on Friday as Oscar Dominguez seeks to end an 0-for-5 record in 2020 that has followed the Turf Cup score.

The other entrants, in alphabetical order with jockeys in parenthesis are: Another Mystery (Mike Smith), Arklow (Joel Rosario), Fivestar Lynch (Abel Cedillo), Laccario (Manuel Franco), Marckie's Water (Tiago Pereira), North County Guy (Mario Gutierrez), Proud Pedro (Juan Hernandez), Red King (Umberto Rispoli), Say the Word (Flavien Prat), Tartini (No Rider) and Ward 'N Jerry (No Rider).

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