Tag: Racing

The Cottonwood Stable LLC's homebred Seven's Eleven, beaten as the favorite in his prior start, bounced back by powering to a popular 2¾-length triumph in Friday's $75,000 Howard and Sondra Bender Memorial at Laurel Park.

The seven-furlong Bender Memorial for 3-year-olds and up and $75,000 Politely for fillies and mares sprinting six furlongs, both restricted to Maryland-bred or -sired horses, were the first two of five stakes worth $450,000 over Thanksgiving weekend.

Stakes action continues Saturday with three $100,000 events – the 1 1/8-mile Richard W. Small for 3-year-olds and up, City of Laurel for 3-year-olds, and Safely Kept for 3-year-old fillies, each going seven furlongs.

Ridden by Angel Cruz for trainer Carlos Mancilla Jr., 3-year-old Bandbox gelding Seven's Eleven ($6.60) completed the distance in 1:23.34 over a fast main track for his fifth win from nine starts this year and second in a Laurel stakes following the six-furlong Maryland Million Sprint Oct. 14.

“He's a nice horse. In the mornings he's nice to gallop and in the afternoon he's even better,” Cruz said. “He's easy to ride and Carlos said, 'Just do whatever you want. You know him.' He did all the work.”

Cruz sent Seven's Eleven to the lead from their rail post and went the opening quarter-mile in :22.91 flanked on his right by 35-1 longshot Tenax with Sagamore Mischief in third and two-time Maryland-bred champion Joe, making his first start since mid-June racing between horses in the next flight.

Seven's Eleven was still in command after going a half-mile in :46.11 as Grade 3 winner Double Crown made a strong move up the rail and Holy Synchronicity swept up on the outside to get into contention. Cruz set Seven's Eleven down for a drive once straightened for home and had plenty left to turn back Double Crown late, improving to 4-0 at seven furlongs.

Double Crown was 2¾ lengths ahead of Star de Naskra winner Super Accelerate in third with Holy Synchronicity another 1¼ lengths back in fourth. Joe, Sagamore Mischief, Coffeewithchris, Tenax, and Hello Hot Rod completed the order of finish.

“I wasn't concerned. I know he's versatile. He can go from off the pace or on the lead. This is his distance. Seven furlongs is good for Seven's Eleven. I knew we had it at the top of the stretch,” Cruz said. “Every time the other horse was by me I had so much horse, I just waited until the top of the stretch.”

Seven's Eleven was produced by the Senor Swinger mare Senorita Siete.

Late longtime owner-breeders Howard and Sondra Bender were fixtures at Maryland racetracks for nearly four decades. Among their more than 500 winners were graded-stakes winners Secret River, Foufa's Warrior, Promenade Girl, Green Darlin, London Lane and La Reine's Terms.

Intrepid Daydream Makes It Four Straight In Politely

Paul Fowler Jr.'s 4-year-old homebred filly Intrepid Daydream wrested the lead from pacesetting Response Time at the top of the stretch and opened up through the lane to extend her win streak to four races with a 5¼-length victory in the $75,000 Politely.

It was the third win of the day for jockey Jevian Toledo, coming in 1:10.85 over a fast main track, and the third stakes win for Intrepid Daydream following the Shine Again Sept. 16 at Pimlico Race Course and last month's Maryland Million Distaff at Laurel.

Response Time, beaten three lengths when second to Intrepid Daydream in the Distaff, was hustled to the lead by jockey Jerion Barbosa from their rail post. Toledo and Intrepid Daydream, who broke alongside, pressed two wide through a quarter-mile in :22.70 before taking over the top spot leaving the far turn after the half went in :46.07.

“I was just hoping she would have plenty to keep going, and she did,” Fowler said. “Thank God.”

Toledo dropped Intrepid Daydream ($2.40) down to the inside once clear and she went on to register her seventh career win from 13 starts. Response Time was second, four lengths ahead of Utterly Enchanting, followed by Canoodle, Malibu Beauty and Moonboots.

Intrepid Daydream, a daughter of Jess's Dream out of the Jump Start mare Intrepid Tour, was entered but scratched from the 1 1/16-mile Thirty Eight Go Go Nov. 11 at Laurel to await the Politely. She improved to 3-0 lifetime against fellow Maryland-breds.

Bred and raced by Mrs. Richard du Pont, Politely won 13 stakes and placed in eight others from age 2 to 5, setting an Atlantic City track record in the 1967 Matchmaker and matching it the following year. Retired following the 1968 season, she won 21 of 49 career starts and was a member of the inaugural Maryland-bred Thoroughbred Hall of Fame Class of 2013.

The post Laurel Park: Seven’s Eleven Rolls To Bender Memorial Win; Intrepid Daydream Takes Politely appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Cash is King and LC Racing's Dr B scored her first graded stakes triumph one year ago in the $200,000 Go for Wand (G3), a one-mile main track test for fillies and mares at Aqueduct Racetrack, and will look to score a repeat win in this year's edition Dec. 2.

Trained by Butch Reid Jr., the 5-year-old daughter of Liam's Map was last seen finishing fourth in the Parx Dirt Mile when facing males on Sept. 23 at her home base of Parx Racing. That effort was her first outside of the graded ranks this year after four starts at the top level, including a game second to Caramel Swirl in the Vagrancy (G3) when making her seasonal bow in May at Belmont Park, and a distant runner-up effort to 2021 champion 2-year-old filly Echo Zulu in the Honorable Miss Handicap (G2) in July at Saratoga Race Course.

“She's doing great and she'll breeze tomorrow,” said Reid. “We've given her a freshening since her last start with an eye to a title defense in the Go for Wand, so we're going to go ahead and take a shot. She likes the Aqueduct course and she's been in some really tough spots – she's taken on some of the best in the country and certainly hasn't embarrassed herself. We're looking for a little bit easier than she's been up against. We expect her to show good speed. I wouldn't mind a little rain, either.”

In addition to the Go for Wand, Dr B has made one other start at the Big A when a good second to Boston Post Road in the seven-furlong Pumpkin Pie last October.

Bred in Kentucky by Eico Ventures, Dr B has earned $473,240 in total purses through a record of 21-5-7-2. She is a half-sister to Stand Up Comic, who won the 2021 Parx Futurity for the same ownership and Reid.

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West Virginia-bred Coastal Mission ventures to New York for the first time and brings a six-race win streak into next Saturday's $500,000 Cigar Mile Handicap (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Jeff Runco, who bred and campaigns the gray/roan gelding with his wife, Susan, in the name of Coleswood Farm Inc., the 4-year-old Great Notion gelding has won 11 of 16 career starts, including a trio of stakes wins at his Charles Town base, led by an open-company score two starts back in the two-turn seven-furlong Russell Road on Aug. 25 and the state-bred Sam Huff West Virginia Breeders' Classic going 1 1/8 miles last time out on Oct. 14.

Coastal Mission stalked and pounced to victory in the Russell Road, scoring by 2 3/4-lengths over graded stakes-placed Mish with graded stakes-placed Sir Alfred James in third and stakes-placed Payne in fourth.

“He's doing great and ready to go. He ran against some pretty good horses in the Russell Road and done well. He brings his game whenever he comes over,” Runco said.

Coastal Mission's current win streak has been accomplished exclusively at Charles Town and dates back to an open-company allowance win in April and includes a state-bred score in the Confucius Say. The win-friendly gray, who has won at distances ranging from 4 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/8 miles, shipped to Laurel Park in February 2022 to win an optional-claiming sprint.

Runco said the versatile Coastal Mission should appreciate the one-turn mile configuration at Aqueduct.

“I think a mile will be great for him. He just ran a mile and an eighth for the first time last out. But he runs seven-eighths really good and I think a mile out of the chute over there will be a good distance for him,” Runco said. “He ran a 98 Beyer in the Russell Road and he got a 95 Beyer last time and he did that easily – they were pulling him up in that race. His numbers are getting better and that's why we're giving him a shot at this race.”

Coastal Mission will mark Runco's ninth starter at the Big A having previously found success in the 2008 Queens County with the graded stakes-winning millionaire Researcher, also a West Virginia-bred .

“That horse won stakes everywhere. He won all over the Mid-Atlantic and made over a million,” Runco said.

Coastal Mission, a full brother to multiple graded stakes-placed Lewisfield, is out of the Crowd Pleaser mare Smart Crowd, who is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Duckhorn. He has banked $566,653 through a record of 16-11-3-1.

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