Tag: Racing

What is true of some fine wines is also proving true of and Greeley and Ben. Darryl Abramowitz's 9-year-old gelding keeps getting better with age, recording his 25th career win Saturday at Laurel Park with a come-from-behind victory in the $100,000 Dave's Friend Stakes.

“He's just a wonderful horse, a horse that every owner would love to have, and he's a dream come true,” Abramowitz said after the son of Greeley's Conquest rallied from behind to win the six-furlong stakes by a half-length over Dollarization.

Abramowitz claimed Greeley and Ben for $40,000 in September 2022, at Saratoga, and the gelding has rewarded him with four wins in seven starts for the current owner.

“For the 40 at Saratoga, I said I'll take a shot,” Abramowitz said. “That's what this game's about. It's about dreams, and the dream came true.”

Cowan took the lead briefly in mid-stretch before a wild scramble ensued involving several horses. But Greeley and Ben, with jockey Jevian Toledo in the irons, swept past the leaders in late stretch to pull off the victory, his 25th in 42 lifetime starts, finishing in a time of 1:10.93. Greeley and Ben ($13.60) is trained by Horacio De Paz.

“I expected him to be more forwardly placed,” Abramowitz said of the gelding, who was last in the field of 10 for part of the race. “And when I saw him in the back, my heart started beating. But when I saw him coming on, I said this horse is gutsy. He knows how to find the wire. He always seems to find the wire. And he was coming, and he made it again.”

Dollarization settled for second, a head in front of No Cents.

Abramowitz said he plans to continue racing the gelding as a 10-year-old.

“This horse loves donuts and hot dogs,” he said. “He makes everybody happy. He makes the whole barn happy. I'm going to be on cloud nine for another week after this.”

Double Crown Springs Upset In Robert T. Manfuso

Built Wright Stables' Double Crown sprung a mild upset in the $100,000 Robert T. Manfuso Stakes, not only corralling race favorite Offaly Cool toward the top of the stretch, but outdueling him to the wire to prevail by a nose in the 1 1/16-mile event.

Sent off at odds of 10-1, Double Crown ($22.20), sat just behind Offaly Cool while saving ground along the rail in the early going under jockey Jeiron Barbosa, angled to the outside at the top of the stretch, and turned in a determined run to the wire to barely overtake the favorite. It was 2 ½ lengths further back to third-place finisher Magic Michael.

With Offaly Cool coasting through early fractions of :24.45, :49.12 and 1:13.99, Double Crown maintained close position before mounting his winning charge. Final time was 1:44.65.

Trained by Raymond Ginter Jr., the 6-year-old Maryland-bred son of Bourbon Courage notched his ninth win in 44 lifetime starts.

Saddle Up Jessie Wins Going Away In Carousel Stakes

Michael J. Ryan's Saddle Up Jessie recorded her first stakes victory in the $100,000 Carousel Stakes, and made it look easy, winning by 4¾ lengths.

The 4-year-old More Than Ready filly, forwardly placed behind front-running Peyton Elizabeth in the 1 1/8-mile stakes for fillies and mares, took command at the top of the stretch and pulled away for a convincing victory under jockey Jevian Toledo. Hybrid Eclipse was a distant second, 4 ½-lengths in front of Lady Brew.

Trained by Brittany Russell, Saddle Up Jessie ($4.20) has won four of her six races since being claimed in January at Santa Anita for $20,000.

Saddle Up Jessie was making her first start in stakes company on Saturday, facing a field of five rivals, and sat behind early fractions of :25.99 and :50.98 before drawing off in a winning time of 1:53.76.

Headland Comes Out on Top In Willa On The Move

Thomas Brockley's battle-seasoned Headland prevailed in a front-running duel with Dream Chaser in the $100,000 Willa On The Move Stakes before drawing off for a 1½-length victory in the 6½-furlong test for fillies and mares.

The 7-year-old mare was claimed three times in 2023, with the most recent of those coming in August for $62,500.

Ridden by jockey Angel Cruz for trainer George Weaver, Headland ($4.80) found herself in a front-running battle with Dream Chaser along the backstretch, with opening fractions of :22.73 and :46.70, before taking charge in the lane to register her 11th victory in 44 lifetime starts. She finished the race in 1:18.46.

Apple Picker, the even-money favorite, finished second. Dream Chaser, who crossed third under the wire, was disqualified to fourth for causing interference in the upper stretch with Moody Woman, who was placed third.

Headland, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Paynter, was making her 11th start of the year, but just the first of her career at Laurel.

The post Laurel Roundup: Greeley and Ben, Double Crown, Saddle Up Jessie, Headland Shine In Stakes Action appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Alexandres LLC's Il Miracolo breezed an “easy” five furlongs Saturday in preparation for a planned start in the $3-million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 27 at Gulfstream Park.

The son of 2018 Pegasus winner Gun Runner was timed in 1:00.70 for his third workout at Gulfstream since finishing third in the Nov. 24 Clark (G2) at Churchill Downs.

“It was an easy workout,” trainer Antonio Sano said. “He'll go direct to the Pegasus – no race before it.”

Il Miracolo, who ran in the Holy Bull (G3), Fountain of Youth (G2), and Florida Derby (G1) last season without success, has blossomed during his 4-year-old season, in which he captured the Smarty Jones (G3) at Parx and has been stakes-placed in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at Parx and the Fayette (G2) at Keeneland, as well as the Clark.

“He's just a baby. Every race he gets better and better,” Sano said.

Sano saddled $5.6-million earner Gunnevera for a third-place finish behind Gun Runner in the 2018 Pegasus.

At Palm Meadows Saturday morning, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. sent Michael Iavarone and partners' O'Connor, and Daniel Alonso's Skippylongstocking to the track to breeze for the Pegasus World Cup.

O'Connor, who defeated Il Miracolo by a head in the Fayette, breezed a half-mile in :49.35, while Skippylongstocking, who finished third in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G2) last time out, produced a bullet clocking of :59.55 for five furlongs.

The post Pegasus World Cup Hopefuls Il Miracolo, Skippylongstocking, O’Connor Log Workouts appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Live Oak Plantation's homebred Souper Blessing, a 12-1 longshot, split horses down the stretch under a perfect ride by jockey Edwin Gonzalez to win Saturday's $125,000 Tropical Park Derby.

Souper Blessing, a 3-year-old Temple City colt out of the Summer Bird mare Bird of Paradise trained by Michael Trombetta, covered the firm 1 1/16-mile turf course in 1:40.53. He has three wins from seven starts, winning twice on Tapeta.

After winning under allowance conditions at Presque Isle in August, Souper Blessing finished third in the Toronto Cup in September at Woodbine, beaten 1¼ lengths, and was second by a neck at Gulfstream Park in November in the Showing Up. But the colt earned his first stakes win Saturday against 11 others in a very competitive race.

Breaking cleanly from post 7, Gonzalez rated Souper Blessing along the rail in fifth around the first turn and entering the backstretch while Legacy Isle took the field past a quarter in :22.69 with Eyes On the King behind him and a half mile in :47.46 with Bobby O now behind him.

“I wanted to be in the first turn inside saving ground, and then I had a perfect trip behind [Boppy O],” Gonzalez said.

Entering the stretch, Souper Blessing was behind a wall of four horses, but inside the final eighth Gonzalez found a seam between Bobby O, who had taken the lead, and Smokey Mandate, before driving away to a half-length victory. Irish Aces, who got in off the also eligible list, rallied late for second while Bobby O finished third.

“When I asked him down the stretch, he went right through,” Gonzalez said.

Chris Aro, assistant to Trombetta, said: “Last time he ran here he just shipped from Woodbine. I think he just needed to adjust. He's been working lights out. Edwin did a great job.”

Florida-bred Souper Blessing returned $26.20 for the win.

The post Game Souper Blessing Drives Between Rivals For Tropical Park Derby Triumph appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Jun Park and Deliah Nash's millionaire Sibelius, who used a victory in last year's Mr. Prospector (G3) as a springboard to Group 1 glory in Dubai, returned to Gulfstream Park for the first time since and defended his title with a popular and decisive four-length triumph in Saturday's $125,000 edition of the race.

Ridden by Junior Alvarado, Sibelius ($5.80) crossed the wire in 1:23.16 for the seven furlongs over a fast main track to become the first horse to win the Mr. Prospector in back-to-back years and just the second two-time winner, joining X Y Jet (2015, 2017).

In addition, Jerry O'Dwyer became just the third trainer since 1978 to take successive runnings of the Mr. Prospector, following Steve Margolis (2003, 2004) and David Fawkes (Jan. 2011, Dec. 2011).

“It's nice. I think it's the first time I've had a defending title champion in any race,” O'Dwyer said. “It was just super for him to come back and put in a huge effort like he did last year. He was very visually impressive again here today.”

Based year-round at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, Sibelius hadn't raced at his home track since last year's Mr. Prospector. He began this year with a stakes-record victory in the Pelican at Tampa Bay Downs and capped his win streak with an upset in the $2-million Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) in March. He was no better than fourth in three subsequent starts, running fifth in the Oct. 6 Phoenix (G2) at Keeneland in his prior start.

“Junior had great faith in him,” O'Dwyer said. “He breezed him his final breeze last week and he said to me, 'Jerry, I believe this horse is as good as he was last year.' That was good enough for me.”

Sibelius broke sharply from outermost Post 9 and quickly found himself in a three-way duel for the lead with Hurricane J on the rail and Grade 2 winner Long Range Toddy between them. The first quarter mile went in :22.44 when Hurricane J dropped back and left the front-running to the top two, with Sibelius taking over the lead after a half in :45.

“Junior just let him jump forward there and settled him. He was three deep, which I wasn't in love with early on when you see the fractions they're putting up,” O'Dwyer said. “When they put up a half in :45 going seven furlongs you're like, 'How much does he have left?' But, he had plenty.”

Favored at 9-5, Sibelius began to gain separation from the field leaving the far turn and opened up once straightened for home, powering through six furlongs in 1:10.30 and finishing strongly. Gilmore came with a late run to get up for second, with Dreaming of Kona edging Long Range Toddy for third. Great Navigator was fifth, followed by Hurricane J, Howbeit, Winfromwithin, and Scaramouche.

“If you can get him to relax when he's inside or between horses, you can get him to shut off a little bit more. But he was outside and he gets aggressive when he's in the clear on the outside. I just tried to manage him and not get in his way and when we turned for home he was there for me,” Alvarado said. “I didn't want to jinx myself, but I was hoping he was going to come out with a good effort today and I'm just glad he did and showed up today.”

The 5-year-old Sibelius has eight from 23 career starts and $1,744,751 in purse earnings from 23 starts. O'Dwyer hinted he plans to follow a similar path next year with the gelded son of Not This Time, starting in the Pelican.

“That's what we did last year, and I think we'll try to do it again this year,” he said. “It's seven weeks from Dubai to the Pelican [in 2024] where this year it was six weeks, so we'll see. I'll take a look at the book. It was a nice prep for him last year and I think we'll more than likely do the same. It'll have to be something special for us to be persuaded to do something different.”

Bred in Kentucky by Taylor Brothers Properties LLC, Pollock Farms, and Patrick H. Payne et al., Sibelius is out of the Pulpit mare Fiery Pulpit.

The post ‘Very Visually Impressive’: Sibelius Cruises Clear In Mr. Prospector Repeat appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post