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Sharp Starr Gives Horacio DePaz First Graded Stakes Win In Go For Wand Handicap

Barry K. Schwartz's New York-homebred Sharp Starr, perfectly piloted by Jose Ortiz, outdueled Portal Creek to capture Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Go for Wand Handicap, a one-turn mile for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Munnings sophomore, trained by Horacio DePaz, arrived at the Go for Wand from a commanding 15 3/4-length score in a state-bred allowance mile on November 7 at the Big A that garnered a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure.

Leading rider Kendrick Carmouche sent Portal Creek to the lead with Sharp Starr assuming a stalking position to her outside as slight 6-5 mutuel favorite Nonna Madeline hustled up the rail to gain third through an opening quarter-mile in 23.26 seconds on the sloppy and sealed main track.

Sharp Starr continued to press Portal Creek, who maintained a one-length lead into the turn, as Graceful Princess improved her position outside rivals through a half-mile in 46.72. Portal Creek opened up through the turn and attempted to kick clear of Sharp Starr, but Ortiz kept to task on the New York-bred filly as the duo locked up for the length of the stretch with Sharp Starr earning a hard-fought neck victory in a final time of 1:36.75. It was 12 lengths back to Nonna Madeline in third with Stand for the Flag, Graceful Princess and Overheated rounding out the order of finish.

The victory marked the first graded stakes score for DePaz, who is enjoying his first season of training full-time on the NYRA circuit. The 35-year-old conditioner said he was pleased to see Sharp Starr make amends last out at the Big A following an off-the-board effort in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan in October around two turns at Pimlico Race Course.

“She definitely likes the track, but I think she likes the one-turn mile a little bit better. It set up for her. I was happy she could repeat that last effort,” said DePaz.

Sharp Starr graduated in July at Belmont Park and hit the board in a pair of nine-furlong events going two turns over the summer at Saratoga Race Course, including a closing third in the restricted Fleet Indian. DePaz said Sharp Starr's improved efforts from the gate have made a significant impact on results.

“Even in her two-turn races, she wants to put herself there, but she has those bad starts and afterwards she can't get up there,” said DePaz. “She's breaking so much better and getting herself into the race. The way she breaks and gets herself close, she's able to finish up nicely.”

Ortiz, who captured the 2013 Go for Wand with Royal Lahaina, was aboard Sharp Starr for the maiden win and her two Saratoga efforts. He said he felt confident in the filly going a one-turn mile as he returned to the saddle.

“They were running her two turns and she was breaking a little slow,” said Ortiz. “Last time, when they brought her back to a one-turn mile, she broke well and that suited her better. They stuck with that racing style today. She broke sharp. She was there for me every time I asked her.”

Carmouche said Portal Creek, an eight-time winner invading from Parx for trainer Juan Carlos Guerrero, was valiant in defeat.

“The horse ran well,” said Carmouche. “Coming from Parx, running on this track, she ran awesome. She made every pole a winning one but the final jump.”

Bred in the Empire State by the owner's Stonewall Farm, Sharp Starr banked $55,000 in victory while improving her record to 9-3-2-2. She returned $4.50 for a $2 win bet.

Live racing resumes Sunday at the Big A, Closing Day of the 18-day fall meet, with a nine-race card offering a pair of rich New York Stallion Stakes Series races, including the Great White Way for 2-year-olds and the Fifth Avenue for juvenile fillies, with purses of $250,000 each. Also featured on Closing Day is the $100,000 Garland of Roses at six furlongs for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

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Trainer Velazquez ‘Derby Dreaming’ After Brooklyn Strong’s Remsen Victory

Mark Schwartz's Brooklyn Strong showed up with a big effort in the final furlong to win the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct in Ozone Park, N.Y., over the 6-5 favorite, Ten for Ten.

Ten for Ten took an early lead, setting the pace through fractions of :23.67, :47.86, 1:12.69, and 1:37.96 on a sloppy track. Sent off at odds of 7-1, Brooklyn Strong challenged the leader in the stretch and pulled ahead to win the 1 1/8 mile race by a neck with Ten for Ten taking second and 8 3/4 lengths separating the two from the third place finisher, Known Agenda, followed by Pickin' Time and Erawan. Brooklyn Strong returned $16.20 on a $2 win bet.

Final time for 1 1/8 miles was 1:50.80.

“I was very confident going in,” winning trainer Daniel Velazquez said in a post-race interview. “I knew the distance was key and I was confident about the off track. I was happy with his performance. He really dug in. Today was a big showcase for him against tougher competition and I couldn't be happier.”

This is the first graded stakes win for the NewYork-bred gelding and the first for his sire, Wicked Strong, who has two crops to race. Brooklyn Strong is out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare, Riviera Chic. Prior to today's win, Brooklyn Strong had crossed the finish line first in two of three starts including the Sleepy Hollow Stakes at Belmont. Brooklyn Strong was purchased for $5,000 by Schwartz at the OBS 2-year-old in training sale in April of 2020. He was ridden today by Joel Rosario. This was the first graded stakes win for trainer Daniel Velazquez.

“I broke well and it looked like they were running away from me a little bit,” Rosario. “So I had to ride him to get position. I didn't want to let him fall back, so I rode him to stay within a couple of lengths. I was happy with how he was progressing and I was confident he was going to have something left for the end.”

Today's win earned the son of Wicked Strong 10 qualifying points for the 2021 Kentucky Derby.

“We'll come back healthy and then start picking our spots,” Velazquez said on earning the Derby points. “This is a big prep for the Derby moving forward. Now, we're definitely Derby dreaming.”

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Chrysoberyl, Cafe Pharoah Chasing Saudi Cup Slot In Japan’s Champions Cup

After a thrilling Japan Cup last Sunday, this week will see some of Japan's top dirt horses take on the Grade 1 Champions Cup at Chukyo Racecourse on Sunday, Dec. 6. The race offers a guaranteed slot in February's $20 million Saudi Cup in the UAE.

There are 18 nominations for a maximum 16-runner field this time around. The race is for 3-year-olds and up and is run over 1,800 meters (approximately nine furlongs) on the dirt track at Chukyo.

The now 4-year-old colt Chrysoberyl not only won last year, but shaved 1.6 seconds off the previous race record time, which had been equaled by three horses in consecutive years, namely Sound True (2016), Gold Dream (2017), and Le Vent Se Leve (2018). Chrysoberyl will be back for another go at the race this year, as well as an attempt to beat his own time of 1:48.50. This year's winner's check is JPY100 million (just under US$1 million).

Here's a look at some of the top dirt horses expected to take on the race:

Chrysoberyl – Last year's winner, the colt by Gold Allure will take some pegging back this time as well. The only loss to his name came when he raced in Saudi Arabia in February this year. Otherwise he has a perfect record of eight wins in all his other eight races, where he has started favorite six times, and has produced some impressive wins, including his latest race, the JBC Classic at Oi in November over 2,000 meters.

Assistant trainer Kenichi Shono said: “It was a strong win last time in the JBC Classic, and his responses were really very good. He had some time at the farm after that and came back to the stable on the 14th, and since returning he's looked in good order.”

The horse's regular jockey, Yuga Kawada, looks set to take the ride again.

Cafe Pharoah – The American bred 3-year-old colt by American Pharoah has loomed large on the dirt scene recently, with just one loss from his five-race career to date. He was a short-priced favorite last time when he won the Grade 3 Sirius Stakes over 1,900 meters at Chukyo in October.

Trainer Noriyuki Hori said: “His prize money total has turned out to be enough to get him into this race without a run in the Musashino Stakes, so given this situation, he's been at the stable since his last race. We're able to prepare him for a run here and he's trained well up to now.” J

ockey Christophe Lemaire, who notched four G1 victories in November alone, will be in the saddle seeking another one here.

Arctos – It will be just the second start in a JRA Grade 1 race for the 5-year-old, after he finished ninth in this year's February Stakes. He was able to turn the tables, however, on the latter race's winner when he beat Mozu Ascot in his latest race, the Mile Championship Nambu Hai at Morioka over 1,600 meters in October, which he won narrowly.

“After his last race, he went to the farm. He might get a bit stiffer in winter, but he's in very good condition, as he showed in his last race, and with the power he's got, he should be fine taking on the 1,800 meters this time,” said trainer Toru Kurita.

Arctos has eight wins from seventeen starts.

Sunrise Nova – The 6-year-old has a good race record in his thirty starts, finishing in the first three eighteen times, which have included ten wins. He was sixth in the Champions Cup in 2018, and he's tuned up for this year's race with a strong win in the Grade 3 Tokyo Chunichi Sports Hai Musashino Stakes at Tokyo in November.

Assistant trainer Kenichi Shono said, “He got to run his own race last time and showed good finishing speed. It's the best way for him to race, if he can save things until the end and then get switched for a late run down the outside.”

Trainer Hidetaka Otonashi looks like being doubly represented in the race, for as well as Sunrise Nova, he also trains Chrysoberyl. The trainer has thirteen JRA Grade 1 wins, and the latter gave him his only Champions Cup victory last year.

Chuwa Wizard – Another runner whose consistency is certainly his top salespoint, the 5-year-old by King Kamehameha has only been unplaced once in seventeen starts, and has nine wins to his name. He finished fourth in last year's Champions Cup. He had his first race since June at Oi last month, when he finished third to Chrysoberyl in the JBC Classic. Trainer Ryuji Okubo was pleased with his latest race.

“It was his first race in a while last time, and I thought he might need the run, but he ran smoothly, and with an aggressive first up race, I think it leads him nicely into this one,” said the trainer.

Gold Dream – If there's one horse to be a flag-bearer for dirt racing in Japan over the past five years, it would be Gold Dream. The Northern Farm bred 7-year-old won the Champions Cup in 2017, and ran second in the race last year, as well as having very good overall race results. He finished just sixth in the Mile Championship Nambu Hai last time, but trainer Osamu Hirata believes he's capable of better.

“Last time out, the rain made it a quick race, and he couldn't finish any closer than he did. In the meantime, he's been working well on the woodchip course with two other horses and seems very well, not showing his age at all,” said Hirata.

Clincher – The 6-year-old by Deep Sky is better known as a turf performer, and it's on that surface that he's competed in seven JRA Grade 1 races, as well as being a 2018 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe representative for Japan. He's been taking on dirt races since the beginning of this year, and after a good win in the Grade 3 Miyako Stakes last time, he comes into the reckoning here.

“It was a perfect win last time when he showed his power, and the jockey must also take credit for it. The horse has been tuning up nicely in training and he'll put in some strong work before the race,” commented trainer Hiroshi Miyamoto.

Jockey Kosei Miura looks set to get the big race ride.

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Weather Report Makes Cigar Mile A Gameday Decision For Firenze Fire, Mind Control

Trainer Kelly Breen said Mr. Amore Stable's multiple graded-stakes winner Firenze Fire may look for other options should Saturday's Grade 1, $250,000 Cigar Mile be contested over a sloppy main track at Aqueduct Racetrack.

“He's doing well but right now the main concern is the weather. If the track is sloppy, I don't think we're going to run,” said Breen. “There are a couple of other options for him.

“But if the rain misses us, we're running,” added Breen. “He's ready to go.”

Firenze Fire has won at one mile on three occasions, including the 2017 Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont; the 2018 Grade 3 Dwyer on Big Sandy; and the 2018 Jerome at the Big A.

Last out, the 5-year-old Poseidon's Warrior bay rallied from 11th to finish third in the six-furlong Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint on Nov. 7 at Keeneland Racetrack under Jose Lezcano.

Breen said he expects the stretch out in distance to help his horse.

“I do, especially off his closing race at the Breeders' Cup. I think it should not be a problem,” said Breen.

Breen took over training duties for Firenze Fire earlier this year and has saddled the horse to a record of two wins from six starts, including Grade 2 scores in the True North on June 27 and Vosburgh Invitational on Sept. 26, both contested on a fast Belmont main track.

Two of Firenze Fire's losses for Breen came in Grade 1 events – the Runhappy Carter Handicap at Belmont and the Forego presented by America's Best Racing at Saratoga – on sloppy tracks.

Lezcano retains the mount from post 4.

Mind Control won't be doing his best Gene Kelly impersonation if the expected rainy forecast comes to fruition for Saturday's Grade 1 Cigar Mile, with trainer Gregg Sacco saying on Friday that inclement weather will likely cause him to scratch out of the test for 3-year-olds and up that highlights four-graded stakes over Aqueduct Racetrack's main track.

The last two times Mind Control has run over sloppy tracks have not resulted in good efforts, with the 4-year-old Stay Thirsty colt running eighth in the seven-furlong Grade 1 Forego on August 29 at Saratoga Race Course and sixth in the Grade 1 Carter on June 6 at Belmont Park. Both of those efforts saw Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez try to cajole the five-time graded stakes-winner to no avail.

“It's just not in the game plan for him,” Sacco said. “The few times we did try it, they were just nightmares. Johnny said he spins his wheels and just doesn't get a hold of the track.”

The multiple Grade 1-winner is coming off a ninth-place effort in the seven-furlong Lafayette on November 7 at Keeneland. But Sacco said he has trained forwardly at his Belmont base since then, including a four-furlong work in 48.85 seconds on Sunday.

“He's been right on cue and has been full of himself and he really loves training at Belmont,” Sacco said. “His energy level was high. We were happy with everything coming into this race.”

Mind Control has thrived at the Big A, winning four of his five races with a runner-up effort in the other contest. Three of his graded stakes scores have come at the Ozone Park-based track, including the 2019 Grade 3 Bay Shore and this year's edition of the Grade 3 Toboggan and Grade 3 Tom Fool.

“It's unfortunate because he's training as good as ever and came out of the last race well,” Sacco said. “We were just hoping for a fast track and a little wetness on the track isn't the end of the world, but if the forecast holds true, it doesn't look like we'll be running tomorrow.”

Owned by Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stables, Mind Control is 7-2-3 in 17 career starts with earnings of more than $1.04 million.

“Everyone's in the same boat. It's part of the game and as trainers we take the good with the bad,” Sacco said. “The main thing is that he's 100 percent sound and his weight is good and his coat is good and he's going to run as a 5-year-old, so we look forward to that.”

Sacco said he hasn't picked out a definitive spot for his seasonal debut after the near year, but said a return engagement for the Grade 1 Carter, where he ran sixth in June at Belmont, is a possibility.

“I think the first big goal of 2021 is the Carter,” Sacco said.

Mind Control drew post 2 in the nine-horse field with Velazquez slated to ride. He is one of four horses listed as 20-1 on the morning line, joining Snapper Sinclair, Majestic Dunhill and Bon Raison.

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