Tag: Racing

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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‘Long Distance’ Setting The Mood Taking A Step Up Into Belmont Oaks

Paul Pompa Jr.'s Setting the Mood will make a steep step up in class when she takes on stakes action for the first time in Saturday's Grade 1 Belmont Oaks.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Setting the Mood arrives at her stakes debut off a second place finish in a Saratoga allowance event going 1 3/8 miles over the inner turf, where she was brushed coming out of the gate, controlled the pace throughout most of the journey but was a head short of victory to Cap de Creus. The sophomore daughter of second-crop stallion Lea displayed stalking tactics in her prior effort going 1 ¼ miles at Belmont Park, sitting third before taking command in the stretch, but was passed by Hungry Kitten.

Still in search of her first triumph on grass, Setting the Mood broke her maiden in an off-the-turf event at Gulfstream Park in May.

“She's definitely a long distance filly,” Pompa, Jr. said. “She ran well in her last start. It's a short field, so it made sense for Todd to put her in there. We'll see how much talent she has.”

Setting the Mood will be squaring off against recent Saratoga Oaks-winner Antionette as well as Group 1-placed European invader Magic Attitude.

“There is a first time European in there, but it's a short field,” Pompa, Jr. said. “Todd and I talked about it and sometimes you just have to take a shot. If she hits the board, she has a Grade 1 placing on her resume. If she gets lucky, she wins the whole thing.”

Setting the Mood will break from the rail under jockey Luis Saez, who will attempt to replicate his winning form from Saratoga, where he rode nine stakes winners and finished fourth in the standings with 45 wins.

“She had the rail the last time and she got bottled up, so we'll have to be a little more aggressive,” said Pompa, Jr. “He's a top rider and a good human being. He always does well on my horses.

Last Saturday, Pompa, Jr.'s multiple graded stakes winner Regal Glory added another high level stakes win to her ledger when taking the Grade 1 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf on September 16. The Chad Brown-trained daughter of Animal Kingdom notched her first victory since dead-heating with Varenka in last year's Grade 2 Lake Placid at Saratoga.

While Regal Glory successfully scored another stakes win, Turned Aside was fifth as the beaten favorite in the Grade 3 Franklin-Simpson on September 16 at Kentucky Downs.

“Regal Glory can run on anything and she's a classy filly,” Pompa, Jr said. “Turned Aside didn't like the track at all. Going downhill, he was out of his element and he still only lost by 2 ½ lengths. When you go to Kentucky Downs, some horses love it and other don't like it. He was the favorite and the second and third choices ran at the back.”

Pompa, Jr. said he would regroup with trainer Linda Rice regarding a next start for Turned Aside, who won the Grade 3 Quick Call at Saratoga in his previous start.

“We'll see how he comes it and we'll speak to Linda and pick a spot for him,” Pompa, Jr. said. “One thing is that if he comes out it well, he probably gained a lot of fitness going up and down those hills.”

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Attfield Aims For Ninth Singspiel Victory With Tiz A Slam

The Woodbine weekend stakes parade includes a trio of complementary added-money events on Ricoh Woodbine Mile Saturday, including the $125,000 Singspiel Stakes (G3).

Trainer Roger Attfield, who won five consecutive editions of the turf race, and eight overall runnings, will look for back-to-back Singspiel victories with Tiz a Slam.

Inaugurated in 2005 as a 1 ½-mile grass marathon, the Singspiel, for three-year-olds and up, will now go as a 1 ¼-mile race, still contested over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

After three stakes triumphs last year, including the Louisville (G3) at Saratoga in May, and the Nijinsky (G2) at Woodbine in July, Tiz a Slam has finished fourth, seventh, along with a pair of sixth-place efforts in his two most recent outings. Attfield is hoping the six-year-old son of Tiznow can get back on track and into the winner's circle with a second straight Singspiel title.

“He hasn't been the horse he was last year but right now he's training as well as he ever has,” said the veteran conditioner.

Tiz a Slam, bred and owned by Chiefswood Stables, was sixth in his latest engagement, the 1 1/16 mile main track Seagram Cup (G3), on July 26 at Woodbine. A winner of nine races from 30 starts, Attfield believes the bay millionaire will appreciate the return to turf.

He doesn't see the shorter Singspiel distance as an issue.

“I don't think it matters much. I've never been totally convinced he was a mile and a half horse.”

Nine rivals will challenge Tiz a Slam for top prize in the Singspiel, a group that includes multiple stakes placed Sir Sahib (2-3-7 from 19 starts), multiple stakes placed Standard Deviation (3-2-4 from 13 starts), graded stakes winner Skywire (4-2-0 from 11 starts), graded stakes placed Jungle Fighter (3-3-1 from nine starts), and multiple stakes placed Nakamura (4-3-4 from 16 starts).

The race is named after the Irish-bred son of In the Wings, whose nine victories in 20 lifetime starts include the 1996 Canadian International Stakes.

The $135,000 Woodbine Cares Stakes and the $135,000 Ontario Racing Stakes are also on tap for Ricoh Woodbine Mile Day.

Scheduled as race 10, one race after the Mile, the Woodbine Cares Stakes has drawn seven two-year-old fillies.

Contested at five furlongs on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course, the race features Dirty Dangle, who won her debut for trainer Ralph Biamonte, Forest Drift, also a winner first time out, and Live Oak Plantation's Souper Munnings, who has posted a win and a second in her first two outings.

Last year, Fast Scene took the inaugural running of the race in a time of :56.96. The Kentucky-bred daughter of Fast Anna is owned by Blazing Meadows Farm LLC and Three Chimneys Farm LLC.

Seven two-year-old hopefuls are set to clash in the seven-furlong turf Ontario Racing Stakes, the first added-money feature on Sunday's card (race three).

Souper Classy, an Ontario-bred son of Souper Speedy won his debut on August 27 at Woodbine. Michael De Paulo trains the dark bay for owner Mickey Demers.

Credit River will make his debut in the Ontario Racing, Wesley Ward trainee Amsden looks to go two-for-two to start his career, and Quick Tempo heads north off a strong curtain-raising effort at Arlington on August 20, winning a 4 ½-furlong dash over the main track.

Old Chestnut won the inaugural running of the race last year, notching a 3 ¾-length triumph in a time of :56.85 on the Inner Turf.

First post for Saturday's 12-race card is 1:10 p.m. Fans can watch and wager on all the action via HPIbet.com.

FIELD FOR THE GRADE 3 $125,000 SINGSPIEL

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Say the Word – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Gail Cox

2 – Sir Sahib – Daisuke Fukumoto – Kevin Attard

3 – Admiralty Pier – David Moran – Barbara Minshall

4 – Standard Deviation – Justin Stein – Graham Motion

5 – Skywire – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse

6 – Woodbridge – Sahin Civaci – Mike Keogh

7 – Tiz a Slam – Steven Bahen – Roger Attfield

8 – Count Again – Luis Contreras – Gail Cox

9 – Nakamura – Kazushi Kimura – Graham Motion

10 – Jungle Fighter – Patrick Husbands – Michael Doyle

FIELD FOR THE $135,000 WOODBINE CARES

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Silent Mamba – Jeffery Alderson – Harold Ladouceur

2 – Dirty Dangle – Sheena Ryan – Ralph Biamonte

3 – Forest Drift – Rafael Hernandez – Robert Tiller

4 – Chatelet – Kazushi Kimura – Arnaud Delacour

5 – Souper Munnings – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse

6 – Rocket Reload – Justin Stein – Michael De Paulo

7 – Illegal Smile – Luis Contreras – Wesley Ward

FIELD FOR THE $135,000 ONTARIO RACING

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Souper Classy – David Moran – Michael De Paulo

2 – Credit River – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Breeda Hayes

3 – Sky's Not Falling – Luis Contreras – Michael Trombetta

4 – Amsden – Justin Stein – Wesley Ward

5 – Ready to Repeat – Kazushi Kimura – Gail Cox

6 – Too Legit – Daisuke Fukumoto – Barbara Minshall

7 – Quick Tempo – Rafael Hernandez – Christopher Davis

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