Tag: Racing

Sconsin Runs Down Favorite Four Graces In Eight Belles

Lloyd Madison Farms IV's homebred Sconsin overhauled favored Four Graces at the eighth pole to win the 65th running of the $300,000 Eight Belles Presented by TwinSpires.com (GII) for 3-year-old fillies by 2 ¼ lengths.

Trained by Greg Foley and ridden by James Graham, Sconsin covered the seven furlongs on a fast main track in 1:21.30.

“When this race came up on paper we sort of thought the pace scenario could work in our favor,” Foley said. “This filly was very impressive at Keeneland against Four Graces. She got a great ride by James (Graham) and cruised home. It's very exciting winning with a filly like this on such a big stage as the Kentucky Oaks. Hopefully we can do it again tomorrow with Major Fed in the Derby.”

Mundaye Call and Four Graces dueled through early fractions of :22.11 and :44.14 as Sconsin trailed in the field five. On the far turn, Sconsin began to pick off horses, drew even with Four Graces at midstretch and drew off for the victory.

Sconsin, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Include out of the Tiznow mare Sconnie, earned $186,000 with the victory to increase her bankroll to $301,512 with a record of 8-3-2-1.

“She ran huge. She likes this racetrack evidently,” Graham said. “They ran fast in front of her and she picked them off. Can't ask for any more than that. The two favorites are speed horses, so all you can hope is that they hook up and kill each other off. My filly was just happier today. Those two had pace pressure and we just finished them off.”

Sconsin returned $16.40, $3.60 and $2.40. Four Graces, ridden by Julien Leparoux, returned $2.60 and $2.10 and finished 1 ¾

lengths in front of Never Forget who paid $3.80 to show under Javier Castellano.

It was another length back to Mundaye Call who was followed by Extra Effort.

Julien Leparoux (rider, Four Graces, second) – “She ran a good race. We had speed, the other one had speed. She was maybe a little fresh but other than that, I tried to rate her but she was taking the bit. She ran a good race though.”

Ian Wilkes (trainer, Four Graces, second) — “The filly was a little fresh today, but let's not take anything away from the winner. The winner ran her race, she ran her race. That filly's been knocking on the door. Every race, she runs her race and she's right there. It looked like it was going to be the two of us (favorites) going out front and hope we didn't set it up. But the other filly ran good. I'm proud of my horse, she didn't quit. My filly runs her race. I've got to let her run her race. I freshened her up, I backed off her. I don't want to make excuses today. My filly ran good.”

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Esplanande Brings Perfect Record Into Sunday’s Grade 1 Spinaway

A field of six juvenile fillies will seek Grade 1 black type in Sunday's 129th running of the Grade 1, $250,000 Spinaway going seven furlongs over the main track at Saratoga Race Course.

The historic event, which is the first Grade 1 event for 2-year-old fillies on the East Coast, has been won by Eclipse Award winning debutantes Before Dawn (1981), Family Style (1985), Meadow Star (1990), Flanders (1994), Golden Attraction (1995) and Countess Diana (1997). In its earlier years, the Spinaway was won by all-time great fillies Miss Woodford (1883), Maskette (1908), Top Flight (1930), Affectionately (1962), Numbered Account (1971), La Prevoyante (1972) and Ruffian (1974).

The prestigious race is named in honor of George Lorillard's talented chestnut who won seven of her nine starts, including stakes wins at the defunct Jerome Park and Sheepshead Bay Park. Successful in her career as a broodmare, Spinaway was the granddam of Tanya, who won her grandmother's namesake race in 1904 before defeating colts in the Belmont Stakes the following year. Other prominent descendants of Spinaway include multiple champion producing stallion Giant's Causeway, prolific broodmare Hasili and European Champion Gleneagles.

Trainer Tim Hamm shipped Dayoutoftheoffice for a victory in the Grade 3 Schuylerville on Opening Day at the Spa and will invade for another stakes engagement for juvenile fillies with Esplanande, who is unbeaten in three starts all against Ohio-breds.

Owned and bred by Hamm's Blazing Meadows Farm and WinStar Farm, the dark bay daughter of Daredevil won her debut by 6 ¼ lengths at Belterra Park in Cincinnati, Ohio before defeating Buckeye State native colts in the Hoover on July 3 at Belterra and the Cleveland Kindergarten on August 8 at Thistledown.

“This horse has dominated state bred competition. She's beaten the boys in Ohio, but she'll get a test this time, and we'll see how she handles the step up in competition,” Hamm said. “She's done nothing wrong and her Beyer and Thoro-Graph numbers put her to where she deserves a chance.”

Because he knows how tough it can be to win at Saratoga, Hamm doesn't bring just any horse to the Spa and said that a horse has to prove themselves worthy of the engagement.

“They have to show that they have some class and can handle themselves under some stress,” Hamm said. “They got to go out there and perform. If they're on their 'A' game, you feel like you have a shot. The horses we're bringing up there have shown that.”

Esplanande will stretch out to seven furlongs for the first time, with her longest race taking place last out at six furlongs.

“It looks like she'll carry her speed seven eighths and I'm not convinced she can't get a mile. She's been a classy filly,” Hamm said.

Hamm boasts three graded stakes victories on his resume, but a Spinaway triumph would give him his first at the Grade 1 level.

“It would be outstanding especially with a homebred filly like that,” Hamm said. “I'm still looking for that first Grade 1. It would be super. We have the mare and Daredevil is a WinStar stallion so it would mean a whole lot to the whole operation.”

Hamm conditions numerous horses for WinStar, including dual stakes winner Alexandria, who also is unbeaten in three starts.

“We have a great relationship with WinStar,” Hamm said. “We have about 20 yearlings which will be 2-year-olds next year with WinStar, and we have about a dozen in training. The relationship started about 10 years ago and it's grown each year. We breed together and we do some training together on certain horses.”

Jockey Junior Alvarado, who piloted Dayoutoftheoffice to victory in the Schuylerville for Hamm, has the mount from post 4.

Trainer Mark Casse will attempt a third triumph in the Spinaway with Beautiful Memories.

A John C Oxley Kentucky homebred, the chestnut daughter of Hard Spun was an emphatic 10-length runaway winner of her debut on May 28 at Churchill Downs before being pulled up in the last out Grade 3 Schuylerville on July 16.

In her first work since being eased, Beautiful Memories drilled through a bullet half-mile in 46.20 seconds on August 5 over the Saratoga main track. She has continued to train forwardly and worked a half-mile in 49.40 on August 28.

Beautiful Memories is out of the stakes-placed Sky Mesa mare Sky Dreamer, who is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Dream Dancing. Her fourth dam is 1999 Champion Older Female Beautiful Pleasure, who was a six-time Grade 1-winner.
Jockey Jose Ortiz was aboard for both of her two starts and will be back aboard from post 5.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen earned his first Grade 1 at the Spa when Cashier's Dream strolled home to a six-length triumph in the 2001 Spinaway. This year, he will send out Phoenix Thoroughbreds' Lady Lilly.

The bay daughter of freshman sire and 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist was a narrow winner on debut going six furlongs over the main track on August 2 at Saratoga.

Bred in Kentucky by Mueller Thoroughbred Stable, Lady Lilly is the fourth progeny out of the Pulpit mare Miss Inclined, whose previous three offspring are all winners. She was bought for $280,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where she was consigned by Elm Tree Farm.

Jockey Joel Rosario will have the return engagement as he seeks an 11th stakes victory this meet from post 3.

Rounding out the field are Irish Constitution [post 1, Dylan Davis], Vequist [post 2, Luis Saez], and Guana Cay [post 6, Irad Ortiz, Jr].

The Spinaway is slated as Race 9 on Sunday's 12-race program, which offers a first post of 12:45 p.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Lady Prancealot, Raymundos Secret Top Saturday’s John C. Mabee

The 63rd edition of the John C. Mabee Stakes at Del Mar Saturday has drawn a field of eight older fillies and mares headed by a pair of on-the-rise 4-year-olds in Raymundos Secret and Lady Prancealot.

The Grade II race with its $150,000 purse goes as the 10th of 11 on a card that will have an early starting time of 1 p.m.

Raymundos Secret, a Florida-bred by a British stallion named Treasure Beach, comes into the mile and one-eighth Mabee off a photo-finish tally in a one-mile allowance race at Del Mar on August 14. That was the first start by the Phil D'Amato-trained bay since October 26 of last year, so it surely should serve as a good tightener. It was also the filly's fourth win in six lifetime starts, all on the green. She races for the partnership of Sierra Racing or Sterling Stables.

Lady Prancealot, who does her running out of the barn of trainer Richard Baltas, comes into the Mabee off a series of stakes tries against some of the better grass fillies and mares on the west coast. The Irish-bred by Sir Prancealot most recently finished fourth – beaten less than two lengths despite trouble along the way – in the Grade II Yellow Ribbon at Del Mar on August 8. Last year she won the Grade III Valley View at Keeneland and the Grade I American Oaks at Santa Anita and sports a bankroll of $574,841. She's owned by McClanahan, Iavarone or Parkland Thoroughbreds.

Interestingly, though not surprisingly, the top two riders at the session – Umberto Rispoli and Flavien Prat – ride the top two fillies in the feature. Rispoli will get a leg up on Lady Prancealot, while Prat goes aboard Raymundos Secret.

Here's the full field for the headliner from the rail out with riders and morning line odds:

Amerman Racing's Catch the Eye (J.C. Diaz, Jr., 15-1); Lady Prancealot (5/2); Sondereker, Lewkowitz or Albert, et al's Don't Blame Judy (Drayden Van Dyke, 10-1); Mr. and Mrs. Larry D. Williams' Pulpit Rider (Juan Hernandez, 5-1); Little Red Feather Racing's Zee Drop (Abel Cedillo, 6-1); Jeong or Johnson's Meal Ticket (Tiago Pereira, 15-1); Hronis Racing's Quick (Jose Valdivia, Jr., 8-1), and Raymundos Secret (2-1).

Pulpit Rider comes into the Mabee off a photo-finish score in the Solana Beach Stakes for California-breds going a mile on the grass at Del Mar on August 15. The 5-year-old mare by the late Lucky Pulpit has won six races and more than $460,000 in purses.

Zee Drop, a 4-year-old chestnut by Lemon Drop Kid, steps into stakes competition for the first time. She's won three of her eight lifetime outings, including a victory on the green at Del Mar last September.

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