Longtime fans of Thoroughbred racing no doubt have fond memories of spending their Memorial Day watching horses like Ghostzapper, Holy Bull, Forego, Arts and Letters, Buckpasser, and Kelso shine in the Metropolitan Handicap. After spending the last six years on the Belmont Stakes day program, the COVID-19 pandemic and revised racing schedules have led to the Met Mile returning to a holiday program.
Tag: Racing
Half-Brother To Rising Turf Star Mean Mary, Bye Bye Melvin Keeps To Grass In Saturday’s Kent Stakes
Otter Bend's Gufo tops the $125,000 Grade III Kent Stakes at Delaware Park this Saturday. The mile-and-an-eighth grass affair has attracted a field of eight 3-year-olds. The Kent has been carded as the ninth race with an approximate post time of 5:15 p.m.
Gufo will try to extend his current winning streak to four. The Kentucky-bred trained by Christophe Clement, started his career with a third in an Aqueduct turf maiden on November 17. The son of Declaration of War followed with three successive turf victories all at Gulfstream Park. On December 29, he broke his maiden by a nose going a mile and a sixteenth. He followed with a half-length triumph in a mile and an eighth allowance on March 27. In his most recent, he won the mile and a sixteenth $75,000 English Channel Stakes on May 2. He has career earnings of $102,510.
Trainer H. Graham Motion has entered Alex Campbell Jr.'s Bye Bye Melvin who has a career record of two wins and a third from six starts with earnings of $32,840. In his most recent, the son of Uncle Mo was unplaced in the mile and a sixteenth $400,000 Grade II Tampa Bay Derby on March 7. His previous two efforts, on the grass at Tampa Bay Downs, tell the real story of the Kentucky-bred. On December 7, he broke his maiden going a mile and a sixteenth by 8 ¼-lengths and then he followed with a ¾-length score in a one mile allowance on January 8.
“He had two solid turf victories at Tampa over the winter,” said trainer H. Graham Motion. “But, we thought he breezed really well on the dirt, so we decided to run him in the Tampa Bay Derby. After the Tampa Bay Derby, we are excited to get him back on the grass. He is a half-brother to Mean Mary, so we think he has a bright future on the grass.”
Mean Mary has a career turf record of five wins and a second including victories this year in the Grade III La Prevoyante and Grade III Orchid at Gulfstream Park and Grade II New York at Belmont Park.
$125,000 Grade III Kent Stakes
For 3-year-olds
at a mile-and-an-eighth (turf)
| # | HORSE | OWNER | TRAINER | JOCKEY | Wg | OD |
| 1 | Talking | Augustin Stable | Jonathan Thomas | Daniel Centeno | 118 | 12-1 |
| 2 | On Base | Robert LaPenta, Bridlewoo | Jonathan Thomas | TBD | 118 | 15-1 |
| 3 | Pixelate | Godolphin | Michael Stidham | Angel Suarez | 118 | 3-1 |
| 4 | Bye Bye Melvin | Alex Campbell Jr. | H. Graham Motion | Feargal Lynch | 118 | 6-1 |
| 5 | Me and Mr. C | Stonehedge | Edward Allard | Carol Cedeno | 118 | 8-1 |
| 6 | Gufo | Otter Bend Stables | Christophe Clement | Trevor McCarthy | 118 | 5/2 |
| 7 | Sunsation | Newtown Anner Stud | Kelsey Danner | Joe Bravo | 118 | 6-1 |
| 8 | Vanzzy | Daniel Ryan | Michael Pino | Mychel Sanchez | 118 | 4-1 |
The post Half-Brother To Rising Turf Star Mean Mary, Bye Bye Melvin Keeps To Grass In Saturday’s Kent Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Piece Of My Heart Aims For Kentucky Oaks Points In Delaware Oaks
Wolfe Racing and Hugh Robertson's Piece of My Heart tops a field of eight in the $300,000 Grade III Delaware Oaks at Delaware Park this Saturday. The Oaks has been carded as the eighth race with an approximate post time of 4:45 p.m.
For the first time, the mile a sixteenth affair will be a points race for the Grade I Kentucky Oaks which was rescheduled to September 4 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Delaware Oaks will be worth 50 points to the winner, 20 points for second, 10 points for third and five for fourth.
Piece of My Heart has won her last two at Oaklawn Park. In her most recent, the Florida-bred trained by McLean Robertson posted a 1 ½-length score in the mile and a sixteenth $80,000 Gardenia Stakes on May 1. Previously, the daughter of Flat Out notched a 1-length triumpn in a one mile allowance on April 10. She has a career record of three wins, two seconds and a third from eight starts with earnings of $135,750.
She has had four workouts at Delaware Park with her most recent on June 30 when she breezed five furlongs over a fast main track in 1:00.
“She is doing real good,” said trainer McLean Robertson. “It looks like she gets over the Delaware Park surface really well. Hopefully, she will run the same as last time. It took her a little while for her, but she got awful good at Oaklawn and she is doing really good here, so we are looking forward to Saturday.”
WinStar Farm, Lindy Farms, and Madaket Stables' Comical will be seeking redemption as she finished second to Piece of My Heart in the Gardenia Stakes in her last race. Previously, the Kentucky-bred trained by Steven Asmussen second in a mile and a sixteenth allowance at Oaklawn Park on March 28. In her only other outing this year, she finished fourth in mile and forty yards $150,000 Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on February 8. Last year, she posted a record of two wins, a second and a third from nine starts including a win the Grade III Schuylerville Stakes at Saratoga and a second in the Grade I Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita. She has a record of two wins, three seconds and a third from nine starts with earnings of $271,251.
$300,000 Grade III Delaware Oaks
For 3-year-old fillies
at a mile and a sixteenth
| # | HORSE | OWNER | TRAINER | JOCKEY | Wg | ODD |
| 1 | Comical | WinStar, Lindy Farms, Mad | Steven Asmussen | Alex Cintron | 116 | 5/2 |
| 2 | Piece of My Heart | Wolfe Racing & Robertson | McLean Robertson | Joe Talamo | 118 | 2-1 |
| 3 | Princess Cadey | Magic Stable | Claudio Gonzalez | Angel Cruz | 120 | 10-1 |
| 4 | Long Point Beach | Five Hellions Farm | Lacey Gaudet | Feargal Lynch | 116 | 15-1 |
| 5 | Hopeful Growth | St. Elias Stable | Anthony Margotta Jr | Trevor McCarthy | 116 | 10-1 |
| 6 | Project Whiskey | Cash Is King LC Racing | Robert Reid | Frankie Pennington | 116 | 12-1 |
| 7 | Dream Marie | Miracle's International | Matthew Williams | Joe Bravo | 116 | 7/2 |
| 8 | Queen Bridget | Mary Ann Gould | John Alexander Ortiz | Tyler Baze | 116 | 12-1 |
The post Piece Of My Heart Aims For Kentucky Oaks Points In Delaware Oaks appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Grade 1 Winner Got Stormy Takes On Males Again In Poker Stakes
Gary Barber's Got Stormy will once again take on the boys as she looks for the first win of her 2020 campaign in Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000 Poker, a one-mile turf test for older horses on Runhappy Met Mile Day July 4 at Belmont Park.
The Grade 3 Poker is one of five graded stakes on a loaded card headlined by the Grade 1 Runhappy Met Mile, open to 3-year-olds and up, offering a berth in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile; along with the Grade 1, $400,000 Manhattan for 4-year-olds and up going 1 1/4-miles on turf; the Grade 2, $200,000 Suburban, a 1 1/4-mile test on Big Sandy; and the Grade 3, $100,000 Victory Ride, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies.
Slated as Race 8 at 5:13 p.m. Eastern on Saturday's 11-race card, which offers a first post of 1:15 p.m., the Poker will feature live on NBC from 5 – 6 p.m. Eastern.
In August, Got Stormy, a 5-year-old daughter of Get Stormy, became the first filly to win the Grade 1 Fourstardave, in its 35th running, besting the boys at one mile over a firm inner turf in a track record 1:32 flat at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, Got Stormy would face males in her next two starts finishing second in both the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile, over soft going, and Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita. She completed a stellar season with a win in the Grade 1 Matriarch at Del Mar.
Winless in three starts this season, Got Stormy's best effort came when second by a neck to River Boyne in the Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile on March 7 at Santa Anita. Last out, she ran fourth in the Grade 3 Beaugay when chasing frontrunning winner Rushing Fall off a near three-month layoff on June 3 at Belmont.
“The California race was very good. Her last race was disappointing, but we took her out of her element,” said Casse. ” There was no speed in the race and we tried to keep her closer and that was to her demise. We won't do that again, we'll let her settle.”
Got Stormy scratched out of last Saturday's Grade 1 Just a Game after persistent rainstorms soaked the Belmont green. Casse said he made the call after watching Monkeyseemonkeydo win a seven-furlong turf maiden in 1:24.15.
“After watching them run seven-eighths in 24 and change, I said this turf is not for us,” said Casse. “She didn't get really good until last summer and her best races are on hard ground. I think the soft turf got her beat in the Woodbine Mile and she was just beat by a better horse at the Breeders' Cup.
“We're just trying to find her top form and I believe it has to do with a harder turf course,” added Casse. “She won't get it this weekend at Belmont, but she also likes the sharper turns at Saratoga and Santa Anita because she has a quick turn of foot when you ask her to go.”
Hall of Famer John Velazquez, who piloted Got Stormy to victory in the 2018 Wild Applause at one-mile on the Belmont turf, will be legged up on the talented chestnut for just the second time from post 7.
Four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, leading trainer at the Belmont spring/summer meet, will saddle the formidable duo of Grade 1-winner Valid Point and the improving Value Proposition.
Owned by e Five Racing Thoroughbreds and Michael J. Ryan, Valid Point won his first three career starts topped by a one-length score in the Grade 1 Secretariat in August at Arlington Park. The 4-year-old Scat Daddy colt completed his campaign with an off-the-board effort in October in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland.
Klaravich Stables' Value Proposition, a dark bay son of Dansili, garnered a career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure last out when capturing an optional-claiming turf mile on June 3 at Belmont Park.
Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will pilot Valid Point from post 2 while Value Proposition will exit post 9 under Irad Ortiz, Jr.
The Elkstone Group's Social Paranoia, trained by Todd Pletcher, offers a consistent record of 14-3-4-5 with purse earnings of $847,210. The 4-year-old Street Boss colt ran second here last year in Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational over 1 ¼-miles on the Widener turf to kick off the Turf Triple series. Social Paranoia was an even fourth in the Saratoga Derby Invitational, second leg of the Turf Triple, before winning the Dueling Grounds Derby at 1 5/16-miles at Kentucky Downs.
Social Paranoia made the grade in his seasonal debut with a rousing last-to-first charge in the Grade 3 Appleton, a one-mile turf test on March 28 at Gulfstream Park. He arrives at the Poker from an off-the-board effort in the Grade 2 Fort Marcy contested over nine furlongs on a Belmont inner turf rated good.
Jose Ortiz has the call aboard Social Paranoia from post 5.
Juddmonte Farms homebred Seismic Wave, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, captured the English Channel at one-mile on the Widener turf to close out his sophomore season. The Tapit chestnut, who boasts a record of 12-3-2-2, launched a seven-wide rally in his seasonal debut when charging from last-of-13 to finish fourth in the First Defence, a seven-furlong Widener turf test on June 7 at Belmont.
Joel Rosario retains the mount from post 4.
Rounding out the field are Dream Friend [Jose Lezcano, post 1], Hawkish [Manny Franco, post 3], Eons [Kendrick Carmouche, post 6], and main-track only entrant Its All Relevant [Romero Maragh, post 8].
America's Day at the Races, produced by NYRA in partnership with FOX Sports, and airing live on Fox Sports and MSG+ will offer live coverage of Belmont Park stakes action on Saturday from 1 – 5 p.m. and from 6 – 7 p.m. on FS1. Free Equibase-provided past performances are available for races that are part of the America's Day at the Races broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.
The post Grade 1 Winner Got Stormy Takes On Males Again In Poker Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
