Tag: Racing

Third favorite Ascoli Piceno claimed the $1,071,000 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1) Sunday at Hanshin Racecourse, marking her third win in as many career starts while lowering the stakes record to 1:32.6.

The winning time for the 1,600 meters (about one mile) on turf rated as good to firm was just just 0.3 seconds off the course record.

After breaking her maiden in her debut start at Tokyo in June, the Daiwa Major filly stepped up in class and immediately won her first graded stakes in the Niigata Nisai Stakes (G3) on Aug. 27, then struck at the elite level Sunday for owner Sunday Racing Co. Ltd. and trainer Yoichi Kuroiwa.

The race got underway with Chicago Sting sent to the front, followed by Nanao pressing the pace on her outside while Ascoli Piceno traveled two-wide and in midpack. Still behind a group of horses when entering the straight, Ascoli Piceno switched a path out for clear running and dueled with Corazon Beat down the middle of the stretch.

After finally pinning the pacesetter 100 meters out, Ascoli Piceno shook off the stubborn Corazon Beat and dug in strongly, holding off the late-charging Stellenbosch by a neck.

“The stable staff did a great job and she was in very good condition, so I had every confidence in her,” said winning rider Hiroshi Kitamura. “The filly broke better than in her previous start, was relaxed during the race, and responded well in the stretch. I was a bit worried for a second that we were going to get caught, but she gave her all, all the way to the line.”

Fifth pick Stellenbosch, ridden by Christophe Lemaire, was reserved around 10th right behind the eventual winner and although struggled for room in early stretch, launched the fastest late kick to catch Corazon Beat 100 meters out but was a neck short at the wire and finished second.

Second choice Corazon Beat settled in around sixth, circled wide into the lane and dueled with the winner but lacked the final kick and missed the runner-up seat while securing third another 1 1/4 lengths back.

Race favorite Safira ran on the outside and beside the eventual runner-up in the early stages and lost ground when shifted out wide on the last turn, but she closed strongly picking off her rivals to finish fourth, three lengths behind Corazon Beat in the field of 18.

Ascoli Piceno was bred by Northern Farm from the Danehill Dancer mare Ascolti.

Past winners of the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies include many successful Grade 1 champions, such as 2006 winner and 2008 and 2009 Horse of the Year Vodka; 2008 champion and 2010 Horse of the Year Buena Vista; and last year's victor Liberty Island, who subsequently became the seventh filly to sweep Japan's fillies' Triple Crown and went on to recently mark a respectable runner-up effort against Equinox in the Japan Cup (G1).

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By Tom Peacock

Andre Fabre's reputation as an international target trainer is unsurpassed and, nine years after his last victory at Sha Tin, the Longines Hong Kong Vase (G1) was the Frenchman's for a third time on Sunday.

A trailblazer at the Breeders' Cup, winner of virtually every European classic, and an eternal champion of his homeland, Fabre had flown slightly under the radar with his runner Junko in what had looked hot competition from around the world in the showdown going 2,400 meters (about 1 1/2 miles).

Fabre, though, insisted afterwards that he had felt confident that there was plenty to come from the strapping 4-year-old Intello gelding, and the positivity was shared by his rider, Maxime Guyon, who had also been in the saddle back in 2014 when the globetrotting Flintshire had struck for the same combination.

It was only a month ago that Junko had made his top-level breakthrough in the Grosser Preis von Bayern (G1) in very different conditions on soft ground against three rivals, but the runner produced by the famed breeding operation of Alain and Gerard Wertheimer eventually scored with similar conviction.

Settled at the rear of a modest pace set by La City Blanche, Guyon had conceded first run to Ryan Moore and Warm Heart as the gallop picked up turning for home.

Junko came wide of rivals on the bend and tore past Warm Heart and Japanese runner Zeffiro with 200 meters remaining. Guyon punched the air in celebration as he crossed the line, a length in hand over Zeffiro with Moore's mount fading to third in the eight-horse field, 2 1/4 lengths in arrears.

“I'm really happy because it's time to win this race (again). Nine years ago, it was Flintshire,” said Guyon.

“We didn't know before the race if he would like this ground or not, because normally he prefers the soft ground, but today in Hong Kong the ground was good. We had a good race, we had not a lot of runners so I'm not too far back and just after the last turn, he has a good turn of foot.

“He's very relaxed and of course the pace is not way fast, but the most important thing with the horse is if he's breathing really good and everything is OK. That's why I relaxed with him because he's very relaxed.”

Guyon quickly offered praise to the trainer who has given him so many fine moments.

“Everybody knows Andre Fabre. He's the best trainer,” he said.

“He has done a really good job with this horse because he has just won a second Group 1 with this horse — he's just won a Group 1 in Germany — and he comes to Hong Kong for a win and it's not easy to do that. I'm really happy for the team.

“It's a really important place; all the jockeys want to come to Hong Kong to finish the year and it's a really good weekend.”

Fabre himself had been on the end of three seconds in the Vase since 2014, with Flintshire again a year later, Talismanic in 2017, and Botanik 12 months ago. His first had been with Borgia (1999), who was another of the sort of accomplished frequent flyers that he feels Junko could become.

“I'm really delighted,” Fabre said. “It was expected because he's improving race after race. He's not had a lot of races, he's only four. He had a setback in Deauville so he couldn't run in the Grand Prix and he had the race in Germany. He didn't run that much. He will be back in Dubai; we kept him for that and for the international races.”

Bred in Great Britain, Junko was produced by the Dynaformer mare Lady Zuzu.

The post Fabre-Trained Junko Powers Last To First In Hong Kong Vase appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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By Daryl Timms

Any questions about Lucky Sweynesse loosening his grip on the world's best sprinter mantle were swept aside Sunday when trainer Manfred Man's speedster surged to victory in the Longines Hong Kong Sprint (G1) at Sha Tin.

It was a redemptive triumph for Lucky Sweynesse, who had no luck in last year's edition of the race when he was trapped with nowhere before finishing sixth behind Wellington after a tiring Lim's Kosciuszko went back through the field.

Momentarily on Sunday, it looked like Lucky Sweynesse was again in need of a big slice of luck at the top of the straight when Zac Purton had to get off heels and hook him around runners to get a clear passage up the straight, but he quickly accelerated to score from the fast-finishing outsider Lucky With You. Wellington, last year's winner, finished third.

Hong Kong horses filled the first five positions with Victor The Winner in fourth and Duke Wai, fifth. And what a difference year makes.

“I had the run inside Victor The Winner, but when James (McDonald) went for him, he shifted in and hampered me a little bit but he (Lucky Sweynesse) accelerated so quickly, I was able to come out across his heels and he had his chance from there – he did what he had to do. I love him.”

Purton said Lucky Sweynesse deserved the win.

“He's been our best sprinter for the last year, and he was able to atone for last year,” said Purton, who predicted pre-race Lucky Sweynesse was back to his best after a relatively modest start to the season.

“I could feel in the morning his trackwork had improved, and his action was getting a little bit better. His all-around demeanor in the morning was getting back to where it was last season. I could see he was blossoming at the right time.”

It was Purton's 11th overall Group 1 win at the Longines Hong Kong International Races. It was his third victory in the Hong Kong Sprint after a pair of wins by Aerovelocity in 2014 and 2016.

After resuming with two seconds, the gelding scored a narrow victory in the BOCHK Private Banking Jockey Club Sprint (G2) at Sha Tin last month.

But the doubters still questioned whether the 5-year-old New Zealand-bred Sweynesse gelding would return to his absolute best, who visibly eased up over the final 50 meters.

Wellington, now under the care of Jamie Richards, hasn't won a race in seven attempts since winning last year's Hong Kong Sprint. It was the gelding's second run back after finishing 10th of 16 in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (G1) in June at Royal Ascot.

Europe's best sprinter, Highfield Princess, a four-time Group 1 winner in three different countries, was aiming to be the first raider to win the Sprint since Japanese champion Danon Smash's 2020 success.

Coming off a last start win in the Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp (G1), the John Quinn-trained British star was faced with the obstacles of both a European and a mare never previously winning the race.

The British sprinting queen bypassed last month's Breeders Cup at Santa Anita in favor of the Hong Kong assignment for trainer John Quinn as she aimed to add the Asian conqueror title to her list of credits, but she finished sixth.

Lucky Sweynesse was sent off as the raging favorite last year and it was repeated again this time around.

Victor The Winner and Jasper Krone were both in the traditional roles in the front early, with Lucky Sweynesse positioned not far off them.

When Lucky Sweynesse got clear running, he surged past Victor The Winner, to score by three quarters of a length from the fast finishing Lucky With You, while Wellington was 1 3/4 lengths away in third. Victor The Winner was a further two lengths from the winner in fourth. The winning time was 1:09.25 for the about six furlongs.

Lucky With You's jockey, Andrea Atzeni, said the gelding ran a blinder.

“He finished off quite nicely and he was beaten by a champion,” he said.

Lucky Sweynesse, who was produced by the Red Clubs mare Madonna Mia, was bred by Luigi Muollo, Allan Sharrock, and Paul Dombroski.

The post ‘He Was Able To Atone For Last Year’: Lucky Sweynesse Gets Redemption In Hong Kong Sprint appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Trainer Bob Baffert made it seven consecutive $200,500 Starlet (G2) victories as 2-1 third choice Nothing Like You controlled throughout Saturday at Los Alamitos.

Stretched back to two turns a month after she had rallied to win by a nose going seven furlongs in the Desi Arnaz Stakes at Del Mar, the 2-year-old Malibu Moon filly established the lead from the inside immediately under jockey Juan Hernandez and was never seriously challenged on her way to a 5¼-length victory.

Owned by a partnership that includes Georgia Antley Hunt, Jeff Giglio, and John Rogitz, Nothing Like You has won three times in a row after finishing second, eighth, and fourth in the first three starts of her career.

Out of the Brother Derek mare Miss Derek, Nothing Like You completed the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.78 and the $120,000 payday pushed her bankroll to $237,160. She paid $6.20, $3.60 and $2.40.

Although the outcome was no surprise, Baffert didn't foresee the Starlet would play out the way it did.

“I thought my other filly (Grazia, the 9-5 second choice who finished last in the field of six) would be on the lead,'' he said. “(Nothing Like You) was pretty fresh today because I'd backed off on her a bit because I'd just run her at Del Mar.

“(Hernandez) said she popped out of there and he said nobody wanted the lead so he just took it. Once I saw her on the backside with that long stride you could tell she was in control of the race.

“It took this filly a while to come around. She wasn't real quick. We knew once we stretched her out that would be her game. The longer the better for her.''

Overall, the win added to Baffert's record total in the Starlet. He now has 10, including the trio he won at Hollywood Park when the race was run as the Hollywood Starlet. His victories in Inglewood, Calif. came with Excellent Meeting (1998), Habibti (2001), and Streaming (2013).

The Starlet win was the second in three years for Hernandez, who also scored with Eda in 2021.

“She's improving with every race and distance is what she has always wanted,'' said Hernandez after his record 15th daytime Thoroughbred stakes win at Los Alamitos. “She relaxed perfectly. I let her go at the head of the stretch and she took off.''

Great Forty Eight, who was second under the wire as the longest shot in the field at 29-1, was disqualified and placed fourth for shifting out under left handed encouragement from apprentice jockey J.G. Torrealba and impeding Chatalas, the 9-5 favorite, with about an eighth of a mile to go.

As a result of the incident, the maiden Flynn's Chance, a 17-1 shot, was elevated to second and Chatalas was moved up to third.

Bred in Kentucky by Notch Hill Farm, Wolverton Mountain Farm, and Spendthrift Stallions LLC, Nothing Like You is out of the Brother Derek mare Miss Derek. He sold for $190,000 to John Rogitz at the OBS Spring Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale in April. Wildheart Thoroughbreds was the consignor.

Baffert and Hernandez also teamed to win the day's second race with heavily favored Elwood Blues.

Although he had to settle for third money in the Starlit with Chatalas, trainer Mark Glatt tripled, scoring with Tiff With Jimmy in the third, Issa Court in the sixth and Top Gun Tommy in the eighth.

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