Tag: Racing

Galilean, Grinning Tiger Among Nominees For Race Honoring Soi Phet

Galilean and Grinning Tiger, a combined 4-for-4 at Los Alamitos, are among 12 nominees to the $100,000-guaranteed Soi Phet Stakes, a one-mile race for 3-year-olds & up bred or sired in California.

The seventh renewal of the race formerly known as the Bertrando will be  run Saturday, June 27, the second day of the Summer Thoroughbred Festival at Los Alamitos in Cypress, Calif.

The race honors Soi Phet, a gelded son of Tizbud trained by Leonard Powell for the Benowitz Family Trust, Mathilde Powell and Paul Viskovich who won five stakes races at Los Alamitos before his retirement at age 11 in 2019. The first of his local victories came in the inaugural Bertrando in 2014 and he won the race again in 2018.

Owned by a partnership that includes West Point Thoroughbreds and trained by John Sadler, Galilean, a 4-year-old son of Uncle Mo, scored in his career debut at Los Alamitos Sept. 22, 2018, then captured the King Glorious Stakes by nine lengths nearly three months later. Both of those victories came for Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.

Grinning Tiger, who scored a pair of 7-1 upsets in sprints in 2019 in his first two races at Los Alamitos, comes off a shocking gate-to-wire win in the Crystal Water Stakes on the Santa Anita grass June 6.

Owned by Tyree Wolesensky and trained by Anthony Saavedra, the 92-1 stunner was the eighth win in 27 starts for the 5-year-old son of Smiling Tiger.

Other nominees include Brandothebartender, Cono, 4-year-old fillies D's Lovely Sophia and Silk From Heaven, King Abner, fifth in this race a year ago, Lieutenant Dan, Loud Mouth, Lymebyrd, Take the One O One and Three Ay Em.

Entries for the Soi Phet Stakes will be taken Wednesday, June 24.

The post Galilean, Grinning Tiger Among Nominees For Race Honoring Soi Phet appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Glatt: Kentucky Derby ‘On Our Radar’ After Barrera Win By Collusion Illusion

Although it appeared Bob Baffert's Ragtime Blues may have had matters in-hand at the top of the stretch, the Mark Glatt-conditioned Collusion Illusion had only begun to fight, as he kicked into high gear and motored to an impressive 3 ¼-length tally in Saturday's Grade III, $100,000 Lazaro Barrera Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.  Ridden by Flavien Prat, the bay colt by Twirling Candy got 6 ½ furlongs in 1:16.03 and has his connections thinking about the first Saturday in September.

Breaking alertly from the rail in a field of five, Collusion Illusion was unhurried early as Phantom Boss and Ragtime Blues disputed the early running heading to the far turn.  With Mike Smith encouraging Ragtime Blues, he assumed command a half mile out and appeared to get the jump on Collusion Illusion as he opened up a three length advantage a quarter mile from home.

“He had me a little worried there at the top of the stretch, but I think he's a pretty smart horse and Flavien has a lot of confidence in him,” said Glatt.  He's very athletic, there's no wasted action in his stride.”

Is the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5 a possibility?

“It's on our radar,” said Glatt, whose horse appeared to gallop out in front around the Club House turn by half a football field.  “We paid the late supplement ($3,000).  I don't know what's next.  I just wanted to get by today.  We'll need to stretch him out and figure out how to get enough points.”

A stirring three-length allowance winner going six furlongs off a 7 ½ month layoff on May 17, Collusion Illusion was off at 2-5 and paid $2.80, $2.10 and $2.10.

Owned by Dan Agnew, Rodney Orr, Jerry Schneider and John Xitco, Collusion Illusion, who is out of the First Dude mare Natalie Grace, picked up his second graded stakes win and now has four wins from five career starts.  With the winner's share of $60,000, he increased his earnings to $248,751.

“Mike Smith opened up a little at the turn, so I wasn't super confident, but I knew as soon as we turned for home, if we switched leads, he would give me a good kick,” said Prat, who is now three for three aboard “Collusion.”

Ragtime Blues, who had won two of his three starts and was trying stakes competition for the first time, offered little resistance late while finishing 3 ¼ lengths in front of longshot Howbeit.  Off at 2-1, Ragtime Blues returned $2.20 and $2.10.

Off at 43-1 with Umberto Rispoli, Howbeit paid $3.60 to show.

Fractions on the race were 21.90, 44.73 and 1:09.66.

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Factor This Posts Game Front-Running Wise Dan Triumph

Gaining Ground Racing LLC's 5-year-old Factor This collected his third consecutive stakes win with a hard-fought, front-running triumph while holding off a fast-closing English Bee in Saturday's 31st running of the $200,000 Wise Dan (Grade II) at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

Ridden by Shaun Bridgmohan and trained by Brad Cox, Factor This ran 1 1/16 miles on firm turf in 1:41.15 to win by a neck as the even-money favorite. The $119,040 winner's share of the purse jumped his career record to 29-10-3-4—$844,070.

Pressured into the first turn, down the backstretch and leaving the final turn by English Bee's Calumet Farm stablemate Ritzy A.P., Factor This dictated the pace through splits of :23.93, :47.53 and 1:11.46. Bridgmohan dropped his hands at the top of the stretch and Factor This responded with determination as he inched clear and was able to hold off a rallying English Bee.

“We got a lot of pressure early and, once we sort of got into a rhythm, I tried to wait on him as much as possible,”Bridgmohan said. “I looked over and (Ritzy A.P.) was actually about to take the lead and then I had to go. He was still able to hold off the charge after getting that pressure early. He has a lot of fight and determination; he's just getting better.”

Factor This paid $4, $3.60 and $2.40. English Bee, with James Graham up, returned $8.60 and $5.40. Parlor was another three-quarters of a length back in third under Tyler Gaffalione and paid $3.80 to show.

Aquaphobia, Emmaus (IRE), March to the Arch, Casa Creed, Just Howard and Ritzy A.P. completed the order of finish. Hembree and Eons were scratched.

Factor This, a $62,500 claim in 2018, has won six races for Cox and Brian and Tom Cutshall, who race as Gaining Ground Racing LLC. Before the Wise Dan, Factor This won the $150,000 Fair Grounds (GIII) and $300,000 Muniz Memorial (GII) at Fair Grounds.

“That wasn't as easy as an even-money shot is supposed to win but he ran a huge effort,” Cox said. “He got pressure early and every step of the stretch he was able to fight off his rivals. It was an impressive effort on the front end. We'll get with the owners and determine a plan from here but it was very exciting to see how hard he ran today with that adversity.”

Factor This is a bay son of The Factor out of the Singspiel (IRE) mare Capricious Miss (GB). He was bred in Kentucky by Maccabee Farm.

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