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Circle P, Kissedbyanangel Take Stakes For Maryland Juveniles At Laurel

DeSales 85 LLC's Circle P, making his stakes debut, sat well off dueling leaders Catahoula Moon and Speedyness before coming with a late run to split the top two in deep stretch and go on to a 1¾-length victory in Saturday's $100,000 Maryland Juvenile at Laurel Park.

The 42nd running of the Maryland Juvenile served as co-headliner with the 37th edition of the $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Filly, both races for Maryland-bred or -sired horses sprinting seven furlongs.

Ridden by Ricardo Chiappe for Penn National-based trainer Flint Stites, Circle P ($19.80) completed the distance in 1:24.49 over a fast main track for his second win from four starts, both coming at Laurel, including a 6½-length waiver maiden claiming triumph Oct. 15.

Catahoula Moon, winner of the Oct. 14 Maryland Million Nursery at Laurel racing on the inside, and Speedyness, sent off as the 6-5 favorite off back-to-back wins with the addition of blinkers, battled up front through a sharp quarter-mile in 22.95 seconds and a half in 45.66, with Call Me Andy a distant third.

Approaching the eighth pole, as Catahoula Moon began to gain separation from Speedyness, Chiappe was rolling on Circle P down the center of the track, splitting the two horses and surging to the front.

“The horse ran awesome. He's still a little green. He doesn't like the dirt in his face,” Chiappe said. “In the stretch I was thinking to go outside but the horse put himself inside and just came flying. He was very good today. He was so relaxed and he showed class.”

Catahoula Moon was second, four lengths in front of Speedyness. Call Me Andy, Hittheroadjak, Cap Com, King's River and Mister Agent completed the order of finish. All the Way and Jumpingjaggerflash were scratched.

Circle P, a Speightster colt bred by Marathon Farms Inc. from the Quiet American mare Quiet Inferno, was purchased last year by Taproot Bloodstock's agency for $47,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where Mill Ridge Sales consigned. He was second in his Sept. 15 unveiling at Penn National, and following his graduation ran third in a seven-furlong optional claimer Oct. 29, also at Laurel.

“He had a really good first race and I thought he ran really well. His second race he broke a little slow and he got hit pretty hard out of he gate and got pushed way back, and doesn't like the dirt [in his face]. We've been working on that,” Stites said. “He's been training super. We entered him in an allowance race earlier on and the race didn't go, so this was our best option.”

Kissedbyanangel Leads Way In Maryland Juvenile Filly

Joanne Shankle's Kissedbyanangel, claimed out of a victory in her mid-September debut, kept Sheilahs Warcloud at bay the length of the stretch to register a front-running triumph in the $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Filly.

It was the sixth career start for Kissedbyanangel ($5), third in stakes company, and first since running third – 3½ lengths behind runner-up Sheliahs Warcloud – in the Maryland Million Lassie Oct. 14.

Kissedbyanangel broke alertly under jockey Angel Cruz and went straight to the front, going the opening quarter-mile in :24.26 pressed by Determined Sail, stakes-placed on turf but making her first start on dirt. Big Earn raced in third along the rail with Sheilahs Warcloud in the clear in fourth.

The half went in :48.05 as Sheilahs Warcloud swept into second on the outside under Xavier Perez, setting the stage for a drive to a wire through the stretch. Kissedbyanangel edged clear inside the eighth pole to win by two lengths in 1:24.94.

“I just told Angel, 'Ride your race,'” Shankle, who also trains the winner, said. “He knows the filly. 'If he can get an easy lead, just go,' and it worked out.”

Big Earn came with a late run to nose out second-time starter Binnie for third, followed by Lucky Cougar, Determined Sail, Still Game and Little Crybaby.

Kissedbyanangel, a Golden Lad filly bred by Super C Racing Inc. from the Street Sense mare Angelinthemorning, was claimed for $12,500 out of a 6¾-length win Sept. 10 at Pimlico Race Course. Eighth in the 1 1/16-mile Selima on the Laurel turf in her subsequent start, she ran third in the Lassie and second in a six-furlong optional claimer Oct. 28 before winning a similar spot going one mile Nov. 17.

“I just looked and she was Maryland-bred by Golden Lad, so we just took a shot,” Shankle said of claiming the filly. “She's improving every day.”

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Honey Dijon Turns Tables In My Dear Girl; Owner-Breeder, Jockey, Sire Girvin Sweep FFS Finales

Honey Dijon got the better of heavily favored R Harper Rose to win the $300,000 My Dear Girl, giving owner-breeder Brad Grady, jockey Paco Lopez and sire Girvin, a sweep of both FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series finales Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

Honey Dijon ($8) saved ground along the inside behind pacesetting R Harper Rose, who was undefeated in three starts, before swinging to the outside on the turn into the homestretch and wearing down the 3-5 favorite to win by 2¾ lengths under Lopez, who rode three winners on Saturday's 11-race program.

The Joe Sharp trainee's second victory in five starts in the 1 1/16-mile FSS fillies final followed Jack Sisterson-trained Seminole Chief's 12-1 upset score for Grady and partner David Grund, Lopez, and former Ocala Stud sire Girvin in the 1 1/16-mile FSS colts and geldings final.

Honey Dijon, who broke her maiden at Saratoga by 5¾ lengths in her second career start, had finished second behind R Harper Rose by four lengths in the Oct. 21 FSS Susan's Girl at seven furlongs.

“I was really happy to see her be able to stretch out like that. It looks like she's an improving filly,” said Sharp, who watched Honey Dijon's triumph from Fair Grounds. “This opens up a who new door for us. We're going to give her a little freshening for her 3-year-old campaign.”

R Harper Rose finished second, 7¼ lengths ahead of Haunted, in her first start around two turns. R Harper Rose, a daughter of Khozan, set sharp fractions of :23.19 and :46.78 for the first half mile before tiring in the stretch.

“We got beat. She ran her race and just got beat. That's all you can say,” R Harper Rose's trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “She got beat fair and square, no excuses. We'll give her a little break and then backtrack with her.”

Due to an untimely fever, R Harper Rose was scratched from the $100,000 Desert Vixen, the six-furlong first leg of the FSS series Sept. 9 for which she had been installed as the 7-5 morning-line favorite on the strength of a dazzling 6¼-length front-running debut romp Aug. 5. She bounced back quickly with a sharp 5¾-length front-running optional claiming allowance triumph at 5½ furlongs Sept. 22 before running away with the $200,000 FSS Susan's Girl by fourth lengths Oct. 21.

Honey Dijon, who is out of the Empire Maker mare Archangelus, ran 1 1/16-miles in 1:45.60.

Girvin was relocated from Ocala Stud to Airdrie Stud in Midway, Ky. for the 2023 breeding season.

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Road To KY Derby: Mage’s Brother Dornoch Re-Rallies, Battles Back To Win Remsen Thriller

By Lynne Snierson for NYRA

Dornoch dug down deep and defeated a rapidly closing Sierra Leone at the wire in Saturday's $250,000 Remsen (G2), a nine-furlong test for 2-year-olds, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

In an exhilarating photo finish, Dornoch, who was seemingly beaten by his rival inside the sixteenths pole when Sierra Leone went by him, courageously re-rallied on the rail under strong urging by Luis Saez and secured the trophy for owners West Paces Racing, R.A. Hill Stable, Belmar Racing and Breeding, Two Eight Racing, and Pine Racing Stables.

Trained by Danny Gargan, the winner of the 2022 Remsen with Dubyuhnell, Dornoch took a major step toward the first Saturday in May by earning 10 qualifying points on the Road to the 150th Kentucky Derby (G1). The bay colt, who is by Good Magic out of the Big Brown mare Puca, and thus a full brother to 2023 Derby victor Mage, refused to lose.

On a muddy and sealed track that had been playing kindly to inside speed all afternoon, he went to the lead in the 10-horse field and set fleet fractions of :23.09 and :46.97 for the first half-mile, 1:11:56 for six furlongs, and 1:37.42 for the mile. He looked like the sure winner late in the race, but then Sierra Leone came storming wide from all the way at the back of the pack and was gaining ground with every stride under Jose Ortiz.

The two colts engaged in a fierce battle to the wire, with Sierra Leone, a $2.3-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale purchase trained by Chad Brown, coming up just short by a nose.

“It was pretty good fractions. I had everyone on top right there, but he was pretty comfortable. When he has pressure, he's OK, but when he feels alone, he kind of look around. But he's learning. He's a pretty good horse,” said Saez of Dornoch. “He's a pretty nice horse, but I feel like he's still learning. When he kind of feels a little alone, he was a little lost. As soon as the other one [Sierra Leone] came to him, he saw him and he want to beat him. I can't describe this. He wants to win the race.

“Jose tried to close, but he's a big horse and he got through,” Saez continued. “It's pretty difficult to come back, but he has a big stride, and two jumps – he was right there. I was pretty surprised. Every day, you learn something new from horses, and this is a pretty special horse. Last time, he kind of was the same, but he ran with different horses. Today was a pretty tough race, and he proved that he's a pretty good horse.”

Two starts back, Dornoch was the runner-up in Monmouth Park's Sapling with Kendrick Carmouche up and in his effort prior to Saturday's test was the dominant 6 1/2 length winner of a 1 1/16 miles maiden at Keeneland on Oct. 14 while never switching leads and running greenly. He was significantly more professional in the Remsen.

“Kendrick told me, when he rode him at Monmouth, he said, 'Danny, if I had more time.' When he saw the horse go by him, he said he gets to playing around, which he bounced off the rail today and when he gets out there by himself he loses focus. He said if he sees another horse, he's going to run back to him and today he proved it,” said Gargan, who called Dornoch the best horse he's ever trained. “It was something that was always said but never proven until today, but that was pretty impressive because I thought the other horse went way past him. For him to dig in and fight back like that, especially after the half mile in :46, three quarters in 1:11, he ran the whole race.”

Dornoch's final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:50.30.

Sierra Leone [who earned 5 Derby qualifying points) finished 4 3/4 lengths in front of Drum Roll Please [3 points], with Moonlight [2 points], Where's Chris [1 point], Copper Tax, Domestic Product, Billal, Le Dom Bro, and Private Dancer rounding out the order of finish.

Jose Ortiz said he was pleased with the trip he engineered for Sierra Leone.

“He broke good, they went plenty fast. He just sit there, he was relaxed,” Ortiz said. “I make a move at the half a mile and he responded nicely. He was lugging in a little bit in the stretch and the other horse [Dornoch] looked like he was waiting. When he felt me, he came back. I think it was a good race from him [Sierra Leone]. My horse kept coming. He ran a bit greenly, but I'm proud of him. It was a big step up.”

On his wide bid into the stretch Ortiz explained, “He was running so good to the other horses, and I didn't want to get him stopped. So, I went wide with him.”

Drum Roll Please, a Brad Cox trainee and maiden winner last out, was trying stakes company and the distance for the first time and rider Javier Castellano was pleased with the colt.

“I loved my trip. I liked the way he did it. He stepped up in class and did it very professionally. He ran two turns for the first time, I liked the way he did it from the beginning until the end. He passed horses, was behind horses, took dirt in the face, was a great experience for him, especially with a lot of horses and a lot of kickback. It was very nice and professional,” he said.

Gargan, who said they were lucky to get the colt for $325,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where Oracle Bloodstock, agent signed the ticket, outlined what's next for Dornoch as the connections set sights on the Run for the Roses and the Triple Crown campaign.

“He's a big, big horse. We are going to give him some time off and take him down to Palm Meadows, kind of like Nick Zito taught me when I was his assistant. We will tack walk him for a couple weeks, two to three weeks, play around with him, let him grow into that frame and start looking for races later, probably sometime in March. Two races, maybe three before the Derby,” said the trainer. “He's a very special horse.”

Bred in Kentucky by Grandview Equine, Dornoch banked $137,500 in victory while improving his record to 4 2-2-0. He returned $5.40 for a $2 win bet.

“This is the first leg of a long journey, I hope,” said co-owner Randy Hill, alluding to the Kentucky Derby, in the winner's circle.

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Freewheeling Hoist The Gold Cruises To Cigar Mile Win, Tops Exacta For Sire Mineshaft

Dream Team One Racing Stable's Kentucky homebred Hoist the Gold became racing's newest millionaire with a powerful front-running score in Saturday's $500,000 Cigar Mile Handicap (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Dallas Stewart and piloted by John Velazquez, who suggested targeting the one-turn mile for 3-year-olds and up, Hoist the Gold zipped through splits of :22.41, :44.88 and 1:09.04 through six furlongs over the muddy and sealed track and powered home 4 1/2-lengths clear of the late-running Senor Buscador.

Hoist the Gold, a 4-year-old Mineshaft colt, won the six-furlong Phoenix (G2) in October at Keeneland with Velazquez aboard, but faltered to sixth last out when exiting post 3-of-8 in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) on Nov. 4 at Santa Anita Park.

“What a race. Johnny picked the right race for us,” said Stewart. “He told us at Breeders' Cup the horse doesn't like dirt in his face. He said, 'Just let me ride him the way I want – run him a mile at Aqueduct and he won't get beat.' He was 100 percent right.”

Hoist the Gold, carrying 121 pounds, put away pace-pressing Pipeline and opened up by five lengths at the stretch call with a rail-riding Coastal Mission trying and failing to cut into the margin. Senor Buscador, who was last-of-12 early under Junior Alvarado, had saved ground down the backstretch but tipped eight-wide turning for home and began to pick off rivals one-by-one. Senor Buscador rallied gamely but there was no reeling in Hoist the Gold, who stopped the clock in a final time of 1:34.28.

It was 4 1/4-lengths back to 32-1 longshot Castle Chaos in third with Three Technique, Coastal Mission, Offaly Cool, Dr Ardito, High Oak, Pipeline, Accretive, Everso Mischievous and Cascais rounding out the order of finish.

Stewart credited Velazquez for executing a perfect trip.

“At the eighth pole, he kicked in another gear and got in front of them some more,” Stewart said. “He made that separation and that's the sign of a good horse. I just hate that they took the Grade 1 away, but he showed he's a good horse and we'll take the $500,000 and head down the road.”

Velazquez, who won this event last year with Mind Control, said he felt confident turning for home.

“Right before the quarter pole, I didn't feel anybody around me. I was like, 'Man, they're going to have to really run because I know when he switch the lead, he goes on again,'” said Velazquez, who notched his fourth Cigar Mile win following additional success with Left Bank [2001] and Tonalist. “I didn't feel anybody, but I made him switch the lead and made sure he keep his mind running, because when he gets to the stretch, he runs but he gets out at the same time. I had to keep him busy as well.”

The Todd Fincher-trained Senor Buscador closed from last-of-9 to take the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 San Diego Handicap in July at Del Mar and utilized those same deep-closing tactics in his next three outings – all in Grade 1 company – when fourth in the 10-furlong Pacific Classic at Del Mar, third in the nine-furlong Awesome Again at Santa Anita and seventh, defeated 5 1/4-lengths by the victorious White Abarrio last out in the 10-furlong Breeders' Cup Classic.

Although the 5-year-old, also by Lane's End stallion Mineshaft, raced closer to the pace when taking the one-turn mile Grade 3 Ack Ack last October at Churchill Downs, he could see them all after the opening quarter-mile with Alvarado aboard for the first time..

“He fell back. I didn't want to change his running style, I let it be,” Alvarado said. “At the turn, I started picking it up, I tried to see if I could find any room between horses on the inside and there was nothing. There was just too many horses there so I had to swing outside and I knew at that point I was running for second, but I had to still give it a try. He was game, the track was against him today, and he still put up a good effort.”

Hoist the Gold, out of the Tapit mare Tacit Approval, enjoyed Grade 1-placings at seven-furlongs when third in the Malibu last December at Santa Anita and with a runner-up effort to Cody's Wish in the Churchill Downs in May.

He banked $275,000 in the Cigar Mile to take his career earnings in excess of $1.1 million and improve his record to 26-5-6-3. Hoist the Gold returned $19.40 for a $2 win bet.

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