Tag: Racing

Enable To Seek Historic Treble In Saturday’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes

Enable will face a select field of seven rivals in Saturday's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes.

The world-class mare will seek to secure her third victory in the race – a feat that has never been achieved before by any horse.

Having won races all over the world, this race falls very much as part of Enable's plan to secure a historic third win in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Her reappearance run this season came earlier in the month in the Coral-Eclipse where she went down battling to a match-fit Ghayyaith. Since that race connections have reported that she is back where they want her, with assistant trainer Thady Gosden saying “She's very well at the moment, working nicely and has come on a lot for her run at Sandown.”

“At the moment things are going very smoothly. Her attitude is very good at home and physically she's improved a lot.”

Standing in her way will be six rivals from Aidan O'Brien's stable and one additional runner from her own stable.

Of the O'Brien sextet, the obvious challenges come from another star-mare in Magical and colt, Japan. Magical was last seen winning the Pretty Polly Stakes over in Ireland, and is no stranger to a match up with Enable – this would be their sixth meeting with Enable leading 6-0.

Japan has also encountered Enable a couple of times, finishing close to her in both the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and also the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown.

Of the other O'Brien horses, Magic Wand has engaged in plenty of high-class battles around the world so would be an ideal candidate. Anthony Van Dyke was the winner of a thrilling 2019 Investec Derby so has the pedigree to thrive in this race.

Enable's only runner outside of the O'Brien stable comes from her own stable in Fanny Logan. The progressive four-year-old was last seen winning at Ascot when securing a competitive Hardwicke Stakes at the Royal meeting.

Full Line-up:
Anthony Van Dyke, Enable, Fanny Logan, Japan, Magical, Magic Wand, Sir Dragonet, Sovereign

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‘Two Turns Is Better For Him’: Code Of Honor Tunes Up For Aug. 1 Whitney

Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey breezed two-time Grade 1 winner Code of Honor over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga Race Course  in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on Saturday morning in his first work since running third in the Grade 1 Runhappy Met Mile on July 4 at Belmont Park.

Owned by William S. Farish, the 4-year-old chestnut son of Noble Mission went five furlongs in company with stable mate and first-level allowance winner Creed, with both horses completing their moves in 1:01.93.

McGaughey plans on running Code of Honor in the Grade 1, $750,000 Whitney on August 1.

“They both worked excellent,” McGaughey said. “Code of Honor worked really, really well, I was really pleased. I was just looking to do a little something with Creed.”

McGaughey said that the Grade 2, $150,000 Jim Dandy on September 5 would be a target for Creed. Owned by Edward J. Hudson, Jr. and Lynne Hudson, the son of second-crop stallion Honor Code broke his maiden by 7 ¾ lengths on June 11 at Belmont Park before defeating winners over Big Sandy on July 2. Creed was purchased for $650,000 from the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

In the Met Mile, Code of Honor was a late-closing third, finishing a 1 1/2 lengths to Vekoma.

McGaughey believes that Code of Honor, winner of last year's Grade 1 Runhappy Travers and Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, is more suited for the Whitney's 1 1/8-mile distance.

“He didn't get the best trip,” McGaughey said of the Met Mile. “Two turns is better for him, especially now that he's older, but I thought he ran really well. They went really fast, he had a wide trip. The winner had a dream trip over a speed-favoring track, so I thought it was all good.”

Code of Honor will attempt to become the first horse to win the Travers and the Whitney since Medaglia d'Oro did so respectively in 2002 and 2003. McGaughey will go for his fourth Whitney triumph having saddled Honor Code (2015), Easy Goer (1989) and Personal Ensign (1988) to victory.

A Kentucky homebred, Code of Honor is out of the graded stakes-winning Dixie Union broodmare Reunited.

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Unbeaten Whistle Stop Cafe Finds ‘Perfect Path’ To Victory In $1-Million Rainbow Futurity

Whistle Stop Cafe broke clean and found another gear in the last 150 yards to win the Grade 1, $1-Million Rainbow Futurity by three-quarters of a length over morning line favorite Mister Illusion at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico on Sunday. Seven ran third, and post time favorite and Ruidoso Futurity champion Cyber Monday finished fourth taking away any chance of a Triple Crown winner in the Quarter Horse division in 2020.

Undefeated Whistle Stop Cafe, who ran the 400 yards in :19.492, returned $14.40 on a $2 win ticket. The race was run under partly cloudy skies on a fast track.

Whistle Stop Cafe is owned by the Whitmire Ranch/Lainie Whitmire et al and was bred in Texas by Bobby Cox. The gray filly by Freighttrain B out of Sinuous by Mr Jess Perry hails from the barn of Blane Wood and was purchased for $42,000 at the Heritage Place Sale.

“When they broke, both horses on either side of her sort of split and gave her a perfect path. She's a fast filly and knows exactly what to do,” said trainer Wood.

Jockey Rickey Ramirez was aboard for the win today, as he has been for all of her other victories, including her first place finish in the 2020 Heritage Place Juvenile.

“She been a terrific filly from the start. We knew we had something when she performed so well at Remington in the spring, but she's blossomed even more this summer,” said jockey Ramirez. “I saw a horse coming at me on the side and right at the same time I felt my horse re-break about half-way through. She's perfect so far. I hope we can keep her that way.”

In the other feature race of the day, the $100,000 Rainbow Juvenile Stakes, the barn of Sergio Ibarra had the first and second place finishers with For The Irony and One Eagles Delight who ran in the race as an alternate after Jess Cindy was scratched earlier in the day. For The Irony won handily by 1 ¼ lengths over the 400 yards with a time of :19.968 beating out his stable mate.

“He just keeps knocking on the door,” said trainer Ibarra. “He's been a little unlucky with his times in the trial races, but has done everything right. That's four in a row versus some very nice horses.”

Owned by Diamond Racing Stables/Julietta Torres et al, For The Irony by Valiant Hero out of Dare You To Beat Me by Tres Seis is a California-bred black gelding. He was ridden today by Ibarra's go-to jockey, Sergio Becerra, Jr., who also rode him to victory in the Ruidoso Juvenile earlier this summer.

“He gave me a little trouble in the starting gate but then settled down. Once he broke everything was okay,” said jockey Becerra, Jr.

Live racing continues next weekend at Ruidoso Downs Race Track with the Zia Festival and three days full of races dedicated to New Mexico-bred Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds. Friday's race card features trials for the Rio Grande Señor and Rio Grande Señorita Futurities. Saturday's program includes the Grade II Zia QH Derby, and Sunday's highlights include the GI Zia Futurity along with six additional stakes races.

Post time is 1:00 PM MDT on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. At this time, the Turf Club and the Jockey Club are limited to 50% capacity due to the Public Health Order from the State of New Mexico. For more information on how to watch online, place your bet with your favorite online wagering provider, or conduct drive-thru wagering, please visit RaceRuidoso.com.

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