Tag: Racing

Sam-Son Farm, Cox Strike Again, Upsetting Singspiel Stakes With Count Again

For the second Saturday in a row, a Sam-Son Farm homebred trained by Gail Cox posted an upset of a graded stakes at Woodbine racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, this time winning the Grade 3 Singspiel Stakes with the 5-year-old Awesome Again gelding Count Again by about 1 3/4 lengths.

Ridden by Luis Contreras, Count Again only had Sam-Son/Cox stablemate Say the Word beaten midway through the 1 1/4-mile turf test for 3-year-olds and up. But he swung wide into the stretch and rallied for the victory over Stronach Stables' Sir Sahib, with Say the Word getting up for third, Nakamura finishing fourth, Woodbridge fifth, Standard Deviation sixth, Tiz a Slam seventh, Skywire eighth and Jungle Fighter last in the field of nine. Standard Deviation, Tiz a Slam and Nakamura each went off at 7-2 as co-favorites.

Stewards reviewed the stretch run after Count Again veered inwardly in midstretch, causing a chain reaction that forced runner-up Sir Sahib to alter course. The original order of finish was allowed to stand.

Count Again, an Ontario-bred produced from the stakes-winning Red Ransom mare Count to Three, covered 1 1/4 miles on firm turf in 2:00.67 and paid $21.20 for the win.

On Sept. 12, Sam-Son and Cox teamed up to win the G2 Canadian Stakes with the Candy Ride filly Rideforthecause, who upset heavy favorite Cambier Parc.

Tiz a Slam, a Roger Attfield trainee who won the 2019 Singspiel, went to the front of this year's renewal, setting early fractions of :25.82 and :49.91 for the opening half-mile. After six furlongs in 1:13.65, Jungle Fighter and Nakamura applied some pressure to Tiz a Slam's outside, with Contreras beginning to put Count Again in gear on the outside after he had slipped toward the rear of the field in the run down the long backstretch.

Nakamura engaged Tiz a Slam at the top of the stretch, briefly putting his head in front after a mile in 1:37.20, but Count Again was sailing along toward the lead on the outside. The gelding ducked in, forcing Nakamura to shift in. That led Daisuke Fukumoto, who'd saved ground throughout on Sir Sahib, to alter course and chase after Count Again in the final furlong after going around Nakamura. Once clear, Sir Sahib didn't make up any ground on the winner.

The Singspiel was the stakes debut for Count Again, who debuted at Ellis Park for trainer Neil Howard in August 2019, finishing third in a dirt sprint. He graduated from the maiden ranks in his second start at Keeneland on Oct. 9, then was off until winning an April 3 allowance race at Tampa Bay Downs when under the care of J. Kent Sweezey.

Count Again had two local runs for Cox, finishing third in a June 20 allowance/optional claiming race going 1 1/6 miles on turf, then getting beaten a neck by Woodbridge in a 1 1/4-mile allowance/optional claiming race Aug. 29. Contreras was aboard for both of those races.

 

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Magic Attitude Takes Belmont Oaks With Last-To-First Stretch Run In U.S. Debut

Trainer Arnaud Delacour expressed some concerns about the lack of pace before Saturday's Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. He was right, as the Godolphin homebred Antoinette maintained an easy lead, setting slow fractions for most of the mile and one-quarter turf test for 3-year-old fillies under John Velazquez.

But, it turns out, Delacour needn't have worried. Magic Attitude, the Lael Stables runner he sent out for her U.S. debut as an even-money favorite, easily ran down Antoinette with a powerful stretch run to win going away by 2 1/4 lengths with Javier Castellano in the saddle.

Antoinette held second, with Neige Blanche third, Setting the Mood fourth and Key Biscayne the trailer in the field of five.

Magic Attitude, a daughter of leading sire Galileo bred in England by Katsumi Yoshida, covered the distance in 2:01.14 on a firm inner turf course. The victory was her third in seven career starts, the first six of which came in France under the tutelage of Fabrice Chappet. Produced by the Exceed and Excel mare Margot Did – winner of the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes in England – Magic Attitude paid $4.30 for the win and earned $137,500 from the Belmont Oaks $242,500 purse.

Antoinette, coming off a front-running victory in the Saratoga Oaks Invitational, went straight to the front, getting the opening quarter-mile in :24.89 and the half in :49.99 while racing off the rail. Setting the Mood, along the inside, Neige Blanche between horses, and Key Biscayne to the outside, raced as a team just behind the front-runner, who passed the six-furlong marker in 1:14.17.

Put under an early hold by Castellano, Magic Attitude rated patiently in last until reaching the quarter pole after Antoinette clocked the opening mile in 1:37.91, swung out at the top of the stretch and quickly ran past her rivals on the far outside, hitting the front with an eighth of a mile to go and winning easily.

“I really like the way she did it,” said Casellano. “Watching the replays, it seemed like she could be a little bit keen. She always seemed to break well out of the gate and get good forward position in Europe. Today, she broke OK. I tried to cover up a little bit. It was her first time in the country and a mile and a quarter and you always have to save something for the end. She sat beautifully behind the speed. She had a nice rhythm. When I asked her turning for home at the quarter pole, she just took off really well. I was very excited to see the way she did it today.”

Delacour said Magic Attitude came out of quarantine with a fever and missed some training after traveling from France to the U.S. Winner in one of three starts last year at 2, the bay filly won the Group 3 Prix Vanteaux in her 3-year-old debut at Longchamp, then finished second to Tawkeel in the G1 Prix Saint Alary and fifth, beaten three lengths by winner Fancy Blue, in the G1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) at Chantilly on July 5.

“The pace was a little bit of a concern,” said Delacour. “With a five-horse field, you never know what's going to happen, but it didn't change her running style as that's how she likes to race. Javier timed it perfectly and she came with a good kick.

“Two starts ago [in the Prix Saint Alary], they were surprised because she was a little revved up and she never settled. They couldn't cover her up and she was pretty aggressive. Ever since, they've been trying to get her to relax. So, we tried to work her in the same way in the morning and put her behind horses and come with a nice run and that's what she duplicated in the afternoon. It was very exciting.”

Delacour was uncertain about Magic Attitude's next start. “We'll see. One race at a time,” he said. “The Queen Elizabeth [on Oct.10 at Keeneland] is in 21 days and might be coming back too quick. We'll let her tell us.”

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Twice Ain’t Nice: Charles Town Bars Horse After Pair Of Mid-Race Incidents

River Crossroad RVF became an internet sensation the first time on July 10, when the 3-year-old gelding ran in Charles Town's seventh race. He was in the lead but made a sudden right-hand turn at the top of the stretch, heading back toward the stable area, reports beyondtheflag.org.

The Jeff Runco trainee made it onto SVP's Bad Beats with Scott Van Pelt and Stanford Steve on ESPN. Though River Crosroad RVF broke his maiden in his next start, he pulled his signature stunt once again on Sept. 10. Charles Town stewards have now barred the horse from competing at the West Virginia track.

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