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Brinkerhoff’s ‘Best Horse’ Restrainedvengence Chasing Graded Win In City Of Hope Mile

Restrainedvengence, the “best horse” Val Brinkerhoff has ever trained, comes back in Saturday's Grade II City of Hope Mile on Santa Anita's turf in just over two weeks from his last race, a game head victory as the 4-5 favorite in the $200,000 Downs at Albuquerque, New Mexico over a mile and an eighth on dirt Sept. 19. It was the richest race of the meet.

“The City of Hope is a short field and he came out of his race super-good, never lost any weight and never missed a meal,” said Brinkerhoff, a former jockey who rode at the bush tracks in the northwest before becoming one of the hardest-working horsemen in the game just over a dozen years ago.

Brinkerhoff, who turns 64 on Oct. 19, still gallops his own horses.

“I think getting the horse there took more out of him than the race itself,” said Val, whose wife and dedicated assistant, Kelly, and Bobby Grayson Jr. own the five-year-old gelded son of Hold Me Back, who has an 8-3-1 record from 25 starts with earnings of $625,222. He was second by a head in the City of Hope last year.

“I missed some training on him here but he ran good enough to win despite being bumped through the stretch. He should be fit now because I missed a bunch of time after I ran him at Golden Gate (in the Grade III San Francisco Mile June 14) because of a foot issue, then I missed time because of the smoke from the fires here, but he's fine now.

“He's won stakes on three different surfaces: Tapeta, dirt and turf, so he's very versatile.” While he's never won a graded stakes, the Kentucky-bred has competed in 12 straight added money races and earned Beyer speed figures of 100 or more in three of them.

The City of Hope, race eight of 10 with a 12:30 p.m. first post time: Sharp Samurai, Juan Hernandez, 5-2; Restrainedvengence, Ruben Fuentes, 8-1; Majestic Eagle, Ricardo Gonzalez, 20-1; Royal Ship, Mike Smith, 4-1; Bob and Jackie, Heriberto Figueroa, 12-1; Blitzkrieg, Abel Cedillo, 4-1; and Mo Forza, Flavien Prat, 8-5.

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McPeek Honors Mother’s Advice with Swiss Skydiver’s Preakness Bid

When trainer Ken McPeek decided to buck history by entering the filly Swiss Skydiver in the 145th Preakness Stakes on Saturday, he was keeping close to him the words of his late mother, Ann. “Son, stretch yourself,” she told him. “You’ll be fine.”

Racing Writers Pedulla, Ehalt Analyze the 2020 Preakness Stakes

Bob Ehalt and Tom Pedulla became fast friends when they met on their first day at Fordham Preparatory School in the Bronx, N.Y., in 1970. Bob soon introduced Tom to the joys of thoroughbred racing. They have endured some rough moments at the track, with Tom taking exception when Bob repeatedly smacks him on the back with a program as one of their horses launches an all-out drive. Much to Tom’s chagrin and the amusement of onlookers, Bob has been known to call for security as he proceeds to cash a $27 triple.

Undefeated Yaupon Ties Stakes Record In Chick Lang Romp

L. William and Corinne Heiligbrodt's Yaupon kept his perfect record intact in impressive fashion Thursday, streaking to a stakes-record four-length triumph in the $200,000 Chick Lang (G3) at Pimlico Race Course.

The 45th running of the six-furlong Chick Lang for 3-year-olds helped launch a spectacular Preakness weekend program of 16 stakes, nine graded, worth $3.35 million in purses over three days featuring the 145th running of Saturday's $1 million Preakness (G1).

Stakes action was kicked off earlier on Thursday's card with upset victories by Hollis in the $100,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint and A Great Time in the $100,000 The Very One, both going five furlongs on the grass.

Favored at 3-5 over eight rivals, Yaupon ($3.20) improved to 4-0 with his second straight graded-stakes triumph following the Amsterdam (G2) Aug. 29 at Saratoga in his previous start. The winning time of 1:09.10 matched Lantana Mob from 2008 for the fastest in stakes history.

Both Yaupon and Lantana Mob came from the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, who also won the 2018 Chick Lang with 2019 champion sprinter Mitole. It was the first Chick Lang victory for Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez.

“Put him on the lead and keep him on the lead, and he keeps running,” Velazquez said.

Velazquez did precisely that, hustling Yaupon to the front from the gate and assuming control through testing splits of 22.77 and 45.11 seconds, pressed to his outside by Arkaan while the rest of the field tried to keep pace. Yaupon was firmly in command as Arkaan dropped back once straightened for home and sprurted away as Double Crown came with a steady run to edge 17-1 long shot Relentless Dancer for third.

“You've got to ride him the first part. For the first three-sixteenths of a mile, I had to ride him just to keep his head on the business,” Velazquez said. “Even at the three-eighths pole I am reminding him, 'Hey, keep your mind on your business.' Then when he switched down the lane then he knew. It was 'OK, time to go.'”

Unraced at 2, Yaupon debuted with a nose victory June 20 at Churchill Downs then rolled by 3 ¾ lengths in a Saratoga allowance July 18, both races coming over older horses. In his first race facing straight 3-year-olds he captured the six-furlong Amsterdam, his stakes debut.

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing's Double Crown won the Roar and Carry Back over the spring and summer at Gulfstream Park, and was exiting a third-place finish in the Smile Sprint (G3) Sept. 5 under regular pilot Cristian Torres, who made the trip north to ride. Double Crown was racing for the first time in Maryland since his debut triumph last September, after which he was purchased privately.

“He always gives 100 percent,” Torres said. “I had a perfect trip. He broke good. I let him settle off the speed. At the three-eighths, he started picking it up very nice and down the stretch, when I got him clear, he was rolling.”

Run as the Hirsch Jacobs Stakes from its inception in 1975 to 2009, the Chick Lang was renamed in honor of the racing industry legend widely known as 'Mr. Preakness,' who passed away in 2010 at age 83.

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