Tag: Racing

A Grade 2 winner in a Tapeta sprint, Gentry Farms' Accomplished Girl is scheduled to stretch out and return to turf for Saturday's $150,000 Suwanee River (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

The Suwanee River, a mile turf stakes for fillies and mares, will be a supporting stakes on an 11-race program featuring the $150,000 Harlan's Holiday (G3), a 1 1/16-mile prep for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), and the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2), a 1 1/8-mile turf prep for the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Jan. 27.

Accomplished Girl broke her maiden impressively on turf but is definitely more accomplished on Tapeta. The 3-year-old daughter of Street Boss enters the Suwannee River off a front-running victory in the 6 ½-furlong Presque Isle Masters (G2) on Tapeta.

“It's hard to say that she's not better on Tapeta, but she good on turf also,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said.

Accomplished Girl captured a July 16 optional claiming allowance over Gulfstream's all-weather surface and finished a close second on turf in a Kentucky Downs optional claiming allowance prior to her Presque Isle Masters win.

While she has shown talent on turf and all-weather surfaces, Accomplished Girl has not run beyond 6 ½ furlongs during her six-race career.

“We're stretching her out. We entered her for Sunday [in the five-furlong Abundantia], but we decided to run on Saturday, stretching out, going a mile. I feel like she can do it,” Joseph said. “She has the pedigree on her dam's side to at least get a mile. She relaxes good in her works. That's going to help. But until they do it, you never know. We're hoping she gets it, because if she gets the mile, it opens up a lot of opportunities for her.”

Edgard Zayas has the return mount aboard Accomplished Girl.

Joseph is also scheduled to saddle Ken Ramsey's Sister Lou Ann for the Suwannee River. The 4-year-old daughter of Frosted is coming off a second-place finish behind Sand and Seas in the $100,000 Sabal Palm Handicap at Gulfstream. A few starts earlier, the homebred filly captured the One Dreamer at Kentucky Downs.

“She won the race at Kentucky Downs, then she ran subpar at Keeneland. Her last race was set up to hopefully have her peak in this race,” Joseph said. “She's coming into this race in good order. I think she's going to run big.”

Jose Ortiz has the return mount on Sister Lou Ann.

Gold Square LLC's Full Count Felicia will make her Gulfstream debut following a fourth-place finish in the Goldikova (G2) on the Nov. 5 Breeders' Cup undercard.

“She's doing great. She made the trip to California and came back, and we've taken our time getting her back into a rhythm,” trainer Brittany Russell said. “She's the kind of filly that when she's doing good, she likes to train. She's training forwardly. It seems as though she's ready to run.”

Full Count Felicia has won four of six starts since joining Russell's stable, including an 8 ½-length victory in the All Along at Laurel prior to her trip to Santa Anita for the Goldikova.

“As soon as she stepped into the barn, she was pretty straightforward,” Russell said. “She's a strong forward type training in the morning. Sometimes, with good horses, that's just how they are. You just have to keep them happy.

“She's a tough girl. For a filly, she's one of those horses that likes her job. She enjoys going to the racetrack every day.”

Irad Ortiz Jr. will fill in for regular rider Sheldon Russell, Brittany's husband.

“We're pretty busy at Laurel that day. We have a couple of live ones there,” Russell said. “You're in good hands with Irad. Honestly, she's a pretty straightforward type to ride. I just hope they get a good trip around. I think she'll run well.”

Stonestreet Stables LLC's Willakia, who finished second behind Full Count Felicia in the All Along, enters the Suwannee River off a troubled close-up fourth in the Forever Again at Aqueduct after breaking from the rail post position.

“She was a little unlucky last time. She got stuck in there,” trainer Graham Motion said. “I don't know if it cost her the race, but it definitely cost her hitting the board. She definitely would have gotten a piece of it.”

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, who guided Motion-trained Romagna Mia to a stunning Via Borghese triumph Tuesday at Gulfstream, is scheduled to ride Willakia for the first time Saturday.

CHP Racing's Saffron Moon, who defeated Willakia in a Keeneland allowance before finishing a distant second in the Cardinal (G3) at Churchill; Whitham Thoroughbreds LLC's Walkathon, the third-place Cardinal finisher who captured the 2022 Regret (G3) at Churchill before going to the sidelines for more than a year; Susan and Jim Hill's Fast as Flight, the fourth-place finisher in the Sabal Palm who has been in the money in 11 of 16 starts; John Behrendt's Tequilera, who has won her last two starts at Kentucky Downs and Laurel; Pantofel Stable, and Wachtel Stable's Poca Mucha, a consistent daughter of Tourist who is coming off a solid second in a Kentucky Downs optional claiming allowance; and Blue Devil Racing Stable's Messidor, a steady-running Irish-bred mare; round out the field.

The post ‘Until They Do It, You Never Know’: Accomplished Girl Stretches Out In Gulfstream’s Suwanee River appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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A winner at the distance, Phil D'Amato's classy Oakhurst fits nicely atop a field of six fillies and mares going 1 1/8 miles on turf in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Robert J. Frankel Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

Owned by Little Red Feather Racing, Oakhurst comes off an even sixth-place finish going 1 3/8 miles on grass in the G3 Red Carpet Stakes at Del Mar Nov. 23.  Oakhurst, who was a close fourth at 1 1/8 miles three races back in the G2 John C. Mabee Stakes Sept. 9, will be handled by Flavien Prat on Saturday.

A 4-year-old daughter of the Pulpit stallion Mr Speaker out of the Dynaformer mare Happiness Is, Oakhurst has one win from six starts with D'Amato, who sent her out to a close fourth-place finish in her first Southern California start six races back—the G1 American Oaks on Dec. 26, 2022.

Originally trained on the east coast by Chad Brown, Oakhurst has three wins from 14 overall starts and earnings of $249,445.

On the improve for trainer Paddy Gallagher, Irish-bred Yerwanthere, a first condition allowance winner two starts back going one mile on turf at Santa Anita on Oct. 28, rallied from well off the pace to finish second, beaten three quarters of a length going a mile on grass in the restricted Kathryn Crosby Stakes Nov. 11 and will hope to be rolling late again as she tries an extra furlong for the first time.

Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Yerwanthere, a 4-year-old filly, had two wins from five starts in Ireland and England and is three for eight overall with Umberto Rispoli riding back.

D'Amato will also saddle Lakota Spirit, who like Yerwanthere, is a “now” horse who comes off three solid races, her most recent a one mile turf win in a first condition allowance on Nov. 26.

A 4-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Curlin, Lakota Spirit, in what will be her fourth start since relocating to Southern California with D'Amato, will be ridden back by regular pilot Juan Hernandez.

Owned by Peter Brant and Mrs. Paul Shanahan, Lakota Spirit had one win from six starts with Chad Brown and is 9-2-4-1 overall with earnings of $156,265.

Race 3 of 9  Approximate post time 1 p.m. PT

1. Lakota Spirit—Juan Hernandez—121
2. Rebel Girl—Lanfranco Dettori—121
3. Angel Nadeshiko—Antonio Fresu—121
4. Luminiferous—Kazushi Kimura—121
5. Oakhurst—Flavien Prat—121
6. Yerwanthere—Umberto Rispoli—121

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 12 noon with admission gates opening at  10 a.m.

The post D’Amato Has Leading Pair In Robert J. Frankel Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Greeley and Ben, winner of the Dave's Friend on December 23 at Laurel Park, will look to secure millionaire status in Saturday's Listed $150,000 Gravesend, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Horacio De Paz for owner Darryl E. Abramowitz, the 9-year-old Greeley's Conquest gelding has banked $981,138 through a 42-25-7-2 record that includes five stakes wins topped by a victory in last year's Grade 3 Fall Highweight Handicap here.

Greeley and Ben raced for six different trainers before joining the De Paz stable this year. He has made three 2023 starts at Laurel Park, finishing a distant sixth off a nearly one-year layoff in November before last-to-first wins traveling six furlongs in a December 2 optional-claimer and the aforementioned Dave's Friend.

“He's thriving. He's in a good movement right now,” De Paz said. “When we ran him the first time, we had to train him and breeze him a few times to get him ready for the race. He's a big, compact horse and carries good flesh, so he had to work some of that off.

“Now, it's just a matter of maintaining his fitness without overdoing it,” continued De Paz. “If you go back and look at his past performances, he's a horse that always ran back-to-back races. He's been doing that awhile, so I think when he's in a good moment you have to not take it away from him. Younger horses might need more time, but he seems to thrive off it.”

De Paz said Greeley and Ben, who took the Fall Highweight on two weeks' rest and won 15-of-17 races between April 2021 and September 2022, is a natural athlete.

“I'd compare him to Mike Tyson – someone that still looks like he could step in the ring, just very athletic naturally,” De Paz said. “That's the way this horse is. He's just a pro and physically, the way he carries himself, he's very light on his feet for as old as he is.

“He's very solid, very mature,” added De Paz. “I have horses that are 4-years-old that probably hit the ground harder than he does. He's very athletic looking.”

Although Greeley and Ben closed from last in each of his recent two outings, including from 10th and 8 3/4-lengths off the pace in the Dave's Friend, De Paz said the hard-knocking bay has considerable form to be closer to the pace if needed.

“I didn't expect to be as far back as we were last time,” De Paz said. “He broke and left himself where he was at with the field running away from him. He came with a good run at the end. I don't mind closing sprinters – sometimes I like them a bit more than sprinters who go to the lead and get in a dogfight and faze each other out because they go too fast.

“He's done it every way and right now he seems to be running good from behind,” continued De Paz. “As he runs a little more, he'll probably get a little sharper.”

Dylan Davis, who guided Greeley and Ben to a prominent allowance score here last November, has the call from post 3.

Pantofel Stable, Wachtel Stable and Gary Barber's New York-bred Bold Journey [post 4, Eric Cancel] will look to double up on stakes score for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

The 4-year-old Hard Spun colt made the grade last out in the six-furlong Grade 3 Fall Highweight Handicap on November 24 here with a last-to-first charge to best returning rivals Durante and Rotknee. With Jose Ortiz up, Bold Journey settled in fifth as Durante led through splits of 22.68 seconds and 46.06 over the fast main track. He was given his cue at the quarter-pole and tipped out eight-wide to score under a drive by one length over Durante in a final time of 1:10.91.

The victory marked the first stakes score for the Fred W. Hertrich, III and John D. Fielding-bred chestnut, who has banked $486,243 through a 19-6-6-0 record.

Trainer David Jacobson will saddle a pair of contenders in Durante [post 5, Manny Franco] and Stage Left [post 1, Ruben Silvera].

Durante, co-owned by Jacobson with JKX Racing, has won five of his last seven starts led by a frontrunning score in the six-furlong Grade 3 Bold Ruler on October 27 at Belmont at the Big A.

The 4-year-old Distorted Humor bay, previously trained in California by Keith Craigmyle, won from off-the-pace after stumbling at the start of his August debut for Jacobson at Penn National but has utilized a blistering pacesetting approach since.

Stage Left, by Congrats and out of the multiple graded stakes-winning Repent mare Diva Delite, is a half-brother to multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Midnight Bisou. The 7-year-old dark bay gelding joined the Jacobson barn in March and has won 4-of-13 starts since, including scores in the off-the-turf King T. Leatherbury in April at Laurel and the Rumson in September at Monmouth Park.

Stage Left finished fourth in the Bold Ruler and arrives from a close sixth-place finish in the Dave's Friend where he rallied seven-wide after exiting the outermost post 10.

Rounding out the field is William J. Butler's New York-homebred Rotknee [post 2, Jose Lezcano], who has won 3-of-7 starts at the Big A led by a score in the state-bred Hudson in October over muddy and sealed going.

Trained by Mike Maker, the 4-year-old Runhappy colt earned a 100 Beyer Speed Figure for his prominent effort in the Hudson where he opened up by 5 1/2-lengths at the stretch call en route to a one-length score over the late-running Grade 1-placed Ny Traffic, who is entered in Saturday's Grade 3 Harlan's Holiday at Gulfstream Park.

The Gravesend is slated as Race 3 on Saturday's nine-race card. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

The post ‘Mike Tyson’ Of Racehorses: 9-Year-Old Greeley And Ben Could Achieve Millionaire Status In Saturday’s Gravesend appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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