Racing | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘She’s Got A Big Future’: Dogtag Takes Possibly Perfect As Heavy Favorite

Trainer Richard Mandella's heavily favored Dogtag rallied from mid-pack to take Sunday's $75,000 Possibly Perfect Stakes by 1 ¼ lengths, thus providing Santa Anita's runaway leading rider Flavien Prat with his fourth win of the day and his 79^th victory through 56 racing days at the Arcadia, Calif., track.

With a hillside start, Dogtag was allowed to settle into stride in the first run by the wire as Prat had her on a long rein, about 3 ½ lengths off pacesetter Desert Oasis heading into the far turn. Despite the fact Dogtag had moderate fractions to run into, she unfurled a dazzling turn of foot around the turn and hit the front turning for home, from where she was not seriously challenged.

A handy 1 ½-length second condition allowance winner while pressing the pace at a flat mile here on May 16, Dogtag, a 4-year-old filly by War Front who is owned by her breeder, LNJ Foxwoods, was off as the 4-5 favorite in a field of seven fillies and mares and paid $3.60, $2.80 and $2.20.

“She was very professional and she handled the course beautifully,” said Prat, who was aboard for the first time today. “The mile and a quarter is always a question, but just about everybody was trying it for the first time and the way she relaxed, it was no problem at all. When I asked her around the turn, she took me to the lead very nice, it looks like she's got a big future.”

Out of the Unbridled's Song mare Diamond Necklace, Dogtag who was Grade 3 stakes placed last July at Saratoga when trained by Chad Brown, picked up her third non-graded stakes win in her third start for Mandella and improved her overall mark to 9-4-1-2. With the winner's share of $48,360, Dogtag increased her earnings to $247,511.

“She seems to be getting better and better,” said Mandella. “I thought she'd break sharp and be on the lead, but Flavien got her to settle real nice, which was good. He usually does the right thing. We'll go ahead and point to the John Mabee at Del Mar (Grade 2, 1 1/8 miles on turf Sept. 5).”

Ridden by Tiago Pereira, Don't Blame Judy rallied from next to last to finish second, besting a late closing Pretty Point by a head. Off at 10-1, Don't Blame Judy paid $6.60 and $4.20.

Ridden by Mike Smith, Pretty Point got rolling late from last and paid $3.80 to show while off at 9-1.

With three days remaining in the current stand which concludes next Sunday, Prat has built an unsurmountable 23-length advantage over Abel Cedillo, 83-60.

Fractions on the Possibly Perfect were 23.70, 48.20, 1:12.82 and 1:37.26.

Racing resumes on Friday with first post time for a nine-race card at 1 p.m.

The post ‘She’s Got A Big Future’: Dogtag Takes Possibly Perfect As Heavy Favorite appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Neptune’s Storm Wears Down Kiwi’s Dream In San Francisco Mile

Neptune's Storm overtook stubborn Australian-bred Kiwi's Dream in deep stretch to win Sunday's Grade 3 San Francisco Mile Stakes, closing-day feature at Golden Gate Fields in Albany, Calif.

Trained by Richard Baltas and ridden by William Antongeorgi III, Neptune's Storm covered one mile on firm turf in 1:35.50, winning by a head and earning $150,000 from the San Francisco Mile's $251,350 purse. He paid $8 to win.

Kiwi's Dream, who similarly was caught in the final strides to lose by a head to Restrainedvengence in the May 25 All American on the Tapeta surface at Golden Gate, was 1 ¾ lengths clear of Camino Del Paraiso in second, with Restrainedvengence, the 8-5 favorite, finishing fourth. Arch Prince, Majestic Eagle, Simply Breathless and Murad Khan completed the order of finish in the race for 3-year-olds and up. All starters carried 125 pounds except for Simply Breathless, the lone mare in the field, who carried 120 under the weight for age conditions.

Neptune's Storm tracked Kiwi's Dream in second from the outset, the latter going right to the front under Golden Gate's leading rider, Juan Hernandez, and setting moderate fractions of :23.97, 48:11, and 1:11.91. Antongeorgi moved Neptune's Storm alongside the frontrunner at the top of the stretch, the seven furlongs clocked in 1:23.88, but Kiwi's Dream proved a tough foe to overtake, giving away grudgingly in the final yards for locally-based trainer Victor Trujillo.

A 4-year-old gelding by Stormy Atlantic out of the Irish-bred mare Immortal Life, by Iffraaj, Neptune's Storm was winning for the sixth time in 16 career starts. His only previous graded stakes victory came Oct. 19 at Belmont Park in the G2 Hill Prince. Neptune's Storm was a close second Nov. 30 in the G1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar and he comes out of a seventh-place finish to Raging Bull in the G1 Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita May 25.

Neptune's Storm was bred in Kentucky by Tracy Farmer and races for CYBT, Saul Gevertz, Lynn Gitomer, Mike Goetz, Michael Nentwig and Daniel Weiner.

Live racing of the 2019-2020 Winter/Spring meet at Golden Gate concluded on Sunday with mandatory payouts in the Pick 5's, Rolling Super High Five and Golden Pick Six jackpot wagers. Racing resumes at Golden Gate Fields on July 29 with the “Sonoma County Fair Meet at Golden Gate Fields” which runs through August 11. The Golden Gate Fields Summer meet immediately follows with live racing from August 12 through October 6.

The post Neptune’s Storm Wears Down Kiwi’s Dream In San Francisco Mile appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Captain Bombastic, Saez Team Up To Take Belmont’s Mike Lee For New York-Breds

Team Hanley's Captain Bombastic ran down a game 38-1 longshot Listentoyourheart in the final furlong, overtaking him from the outside and holding on for a 1 1/4-length victory in Sunday's $100,000 Mike Lee for New York-bred 3-year-olds going seven furlongs at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Captain Bombastic, a stakes-winner against state-breds as a juvenile, continued a consistent start to his career, improving to 3-2-1 in six starts. To keep the streak alive, the Forty Tales colt first tracked the early speed as Listentoyourheart led the eight-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in 22.51 seconds and the half in 45.45 on the fast main track.

Under Junior Alvarado, Listentoyourheart was not content to be a mere pacesetter, holding the advantage out of the turn and continuing with a strong run near the rail at the top of the stretch.

Captain Bombastic, under Luis Saez, pressed on out of the turn and steadily gained ground on his rival before finally gaining command in the deep stretch. Saez kept up the pressure and Captain Bombastic responded, completing seven furlongs in 1:21.94.

“There was a nice pace up front. That was the plan,” Saez said. “I knew we had a couple speed [types] outside of us, so the plan was to track them. We got our spot and when we made our move he responded. I was very comfortable. I had a lot of horse. When he put me in that spot, I knew he was going to win.”

The Jeremiah Englehart trainee improved to 2-0-1 in three career starts. Bred by Chester and Mary Broman, Captain Bombastic, off at 3-1, paid $8.20 on a $2 win wager and improved his career earnings to $316,800.

“He's a really cool horse,” Englehart said. “He's not the biggest horse. He's small compared to most of the horses in this race, but he likes to run.

“He just looked really good coming into this race,” he added. “He's just very athletic and I thought Luis did a great job. I didn't want to be down in behind horses on the fence, I thought we'd be more in the clear, but it worked out well. I thought we would sit a stalking trip on the outside, but Luis rode him very confidently, saved the ground on the turn, split horses and had horse to finish.”

Listentoyourheart, trained by Christophe Clement, looked strong off a nine-month layoff, besting 8-5 favorite Dream Bigger by one length for second. The son of Afleet Alex started his sophomore campaign in the same strong fashion in which he commenced his juvenile year, when he won his debut last June before running second in the Rick Violette and third in the Funny Cide during the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course.

“He ran a big race,” Alvarado said. “He broke very sharp and I decided to try and take it from there. I thought maybe because I'm on a longshot, they would let me go out nice and easy. He did show that he belonged with these horses. He finished up well.”

City Man, Three Jokers, Mission Wrapitup, Bourbon Bay and Gandy Dancing completed the order of finish.

Live racing resumes Thursday with a 10-race card highlighted by the $125,000 Critical Eye for New York-bred fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going one mile on the main track in Race 9 at 5:36 p.m. Eastern. First post is 1:15 p.m.

The post Captain Bombastic, Saez Team Up To Take Belmont’s Mike Lee For New York-Breds appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Son Of Hot California Sire Clubhouse Ride Takes Aim At Snow Chief Stakes

Margot's Boy, yet another son of the “now” California stallion Clubhouse Ride, goes for his fourth straight victory and his first stakes triumph in Saturday's $150,000 Snow Chief Stakes at a mile and an eighth on turf at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

The race is named for the Eclipse Award winner as champion 3-year-old male of 1986 who retired in 1987 as the all-time California-bred earnings leader with $3,383,210.

He was trained by Mel Stute.

Clubhouse Ride stands at Pete and Evelyn Parrella's 145-acre Legacy Ranch in Clements, California, for $3,500.

Owned and bred by Alfred Pais (pronounced pie-EEZ), Margot's Boy's style is one of catch me if you can. In his last three races, he went to the front and stayed there, although at a mile and one eighth the Snow Chief will mark his longest race yet.

“We'll see how it develops; he doesn't have to be in front,” said Craig Lewis, who also conditioned multiple Grade 2 winner Clubhouse Ride.

“But I prefer to be in front if nobody else wants to be there and if he doesn't have to go too fast.”

Drayden Van Dyke has ridden Margot's Boy in all of his races and will be aboard again Saturday in the Snow Chief, one in the lucrative Golden State Series, this restricted to 3-year-olds.

“I won't have to tell Drayden anything,” Lewis said. “He knows the horse very well. He's a smart rider; I'm sure everything will be fine.

The post Son Of Hot California Sire Clubhouse Ride Takes Aim At Snow Chief Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post