When trainer Jose D’Angelo is asked why he left his native Venezuela to come to the United States, he might well have spoken for countless immigrants when he responded, “If you have dreams, you must follow your dreams.” D’Angelo, 30, was off to an auspicious start after he began his own training operation in his homeland eight years ago. He became the youngest conditioner to win the prestigious Clasico Simon Bolivar when aptly-named Dreaming of Gold delivered the gold in 2014.
Tag: Racing
Loutsch Hopes ‘The Old Dennis’ Is Back In Time For Pegasus World Cup
Dennis' Moment was given a break from racing after the 3-year-old finished tenth in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes on Feb. 29, when a veterinary exam revealed bone bruising. According to Horse Racing Nation, the Tiznow colt has returned to training at the barn of Dale Romans.
Equibase reveals that Dennis' Moment has breezed at Churchill Downs three times since his return, the latest a half-mile move in 48 seconds on Oct. 10. Jason Loutsch, racing manager for the Albaugh Family Stables, said Dennis' Moment could be pointed to the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 23 at Gulfstream Park.
“We elected to make the right decision, always take care of the horse first, and give him some time off. Hopefully, the bone bruising is gone now and he comes back and is the old Dennis,” Loutsch told Horse Racing Nation.
Dennis' Moment has been a favorite of Romans' since prior his debut on June 23, 2019, in which he clipped heels and unseated jockey Robby Albarado. The colt rebounded with a 19 1/2-length triumph at Ellis Park on July 27, then set a stakes record when geared down to win the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes on Sept. 14.
Sent off as the favorite for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Dennis' Moment went to his knees at the start and never recovered, finishing last in the eight-horse field. The bone bruising seems to be to blame for the colt's poor performance in the Fountain of Youth, but Loutsch believes Dennis' Moment can come back to have a strong 4-year-old campaign.
“Absolutely, he's that kind of horse,” Loutsch said. “If he continues to feel good and go forward, there is no reason to think he can't compete at that level.”
Read more at the Horse Racing Nation.
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Road to 2020 Breeders’ Cup: Three Heating Up, Three Cooling Down for Oct. 13
The path to the 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland Race Course on Nov. 6-7 is a road with plenty of ups and downs as talented racehorses vie for a spot in one of 14 championship races and $31 million in purses and awards.
Stradivarius Will Try To Regain His Crown In British Champions Long Distance Cup
The world's top rated stayer, Stradivarius stands out among the 15 entries still in the mix for the £300,000 (approximately US$350,000) QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup on Saturday, Oct. 17.
The exceptional 6-year-old, bred and owned by Bjorn Nielsen, won the Qatar Goodwood Cup for a record fourth time at Goodwood in July, having landed the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot for the third time the previous month.
Trained by John Gosden, Stradivarius has won a record 13 races that fall under the QIPCO British Champions Series umbrella, including the QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup in 2018. He has run 13 times over two miles or further and been beaten just twice – when a length third to Order Of St George as a 3-year-old in the 2017 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup and when pipped a nose by Kew Gardens in last year's riveting renewal.
The opposition to Stradivarius is headed by two-time Comer Group International Irish St Leger winner Search For A Song. She will be having her first run over two miles but has hinted she will stay and her trainer, Dermot Weld, has been responsible for two previous Long Distance Cup winners in Rite Of Passage (2012) and Forgotten Rules (2014).
Andrew Balding has two possible challengers in Spanish Mission, fluent winner of the Doncaster Cup on his latest start, and the mud-loving Morando, whose exploits last season included an eight-length drubbing of Kew Gardens in the Boodles Diamond Ormonde Stakes at Chester.
Balding said: “Spanish Mission was very impressive in the Doncaster Cup last time but I would have thought he would be effective from a mile and a half to an extended two miles. He's a horse who historically has not wanted the ground too soft, so that's a concern for him. If the ground got pretty testing, we'd have to think twice about running him.
“Morando, on the other hand, loves it when the mud is flying. It would be a new venture going two miles with him but the way he's shaped in his races in the last two seasons suggests that two miles is well within his compass now and he goes well at Ascot.”
Fujaira Prince, trained by Roger Varian, was returning from a year off when an emphatic winner of the Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot in June and followed up in the Sky Bet Ebor at York two months later. He chased home Search For A Song in the Irish St Leger last time out.
Aidan O'Brien has won the race three times with Fame And Glory (2011), Order Of St George (2017) and Kew Gardens (2019). This time he could be represented by Sovereign, winner of last year's Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby; Broome, who was a close fourth in last year's Investec Derby; and Dawn Patrol, third in this year's Irish Derby.
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