Tag: Racing

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Steven Rocco, William Branch's Big Everest will strive to keep a spotless Aqueduct Racetrack record afloat when attempting to defend his title in Saturday's ninth running of the listed $150,000 Artie Schiller for 3-year-olds and upward going one mile over the inner turf.

Big Everest, trained by Christophe Clement, is a perfect 3-for-3 when competing at the Big A, including a wire-to-wire victory by a half-length in last year's running of the Artie Schiller. The 5-year-old British-bred son of The Gurkha made his 2023 debut a winning one when commanding through every point of call in the local Danger's Hour on April 15 to win by a nose over next-out stakes winner Anaconda. Big Everest then shipped to Monmouth Park to defeat next-out stakes winner Smokin' T in the 1 1/16-mile Cliff Hanger on 27, which was his most recent victory. He enters from a pair of unplaced efforts when fifth in the Grade 3 Kelso on July 15 at Saratoga and fourth in the Oceanport on August 13 at Monmouth.

“He's doing well,” Clement said. “He's fast, but he doesn't have to be in front.”

Joel Rosario will ride from post 4.

A. Bianco Holding Limited's dual surface stakes winner Pioneering Spirit [post 1, Jose Lezcano] is back in search of more prosperity following a 15 3/4-length score in an off-the-turf edition of the Knickerbocker on October 20 at Belmont at the Big A.

The Linda Rice-trained 4-year-old son of American Pharoah was haltered for $40,000 in March and graduated at 13th asking on May 11 at Belmont Park to kick off a four-race winning streak. Following his maiden score, he defeated starter allowance company on June 4 going nine furlongs at Belmont before winning a first-level allowance on June 27 over the same track. He then captured an allowance optional claimer going the Long Island distance on July 29 over the inner turf at Saratoga Race Course en route to a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer Invitational on August 27 at the Spa.

Hall of Fame trainer Neil Drysdale will send out Alice C. Bamford's Kentucky homebred St Anthony [post 9, Paco Lopez] following a victory in the one-mile Red Bank on September 4 at Monmouth Park. The 4-year-old Noble Mission bay entered that event from an allowance optional claiming coup going 1 1/16 miles at the Jersey Shore oval. St Anthony earned prior stakes prosperity on the west coast, capturing the Alcatraz last May at Golden Gate Fields and the Robert Dupret Derby last August at Santa Rosa.

Trainer Chad Brown will saddle a pair of competitive contestants in dual Grade 1-placed Masen [post 8, Manny Franco] and three-time winner Exact Estimate [post 6, Irad Ortiz, Jr.].

A British Juddmonte homebred, Masen enters from his first start in one calendar year when finishing ninth in the Grade 2 Nearctic on October 8 at Woodbine. The 5-year-old Kingman bay was previously conditioned overseas by Ger Lyons and was second in his North American debut when beaten a nose to Shirl's Speight in the Grade 1 Maker's Mark Mile last April at Keeneland. He followed the strong performance with a five-length win in the Seek Again last May at Belmont before capturing the Grade 3 Poker last June over the Belmont Widener turf. He followed these wins with a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Fourstardave last August at Saratoga, finishing behind Casa Creed as well as stablemate and eventual Champion Turf Female Regal Glory.

Klaravich Stables' Exact Estimate, by Into Mischief, will make his stakes debut following a local allowance optional claiming victory in September over stakes-winner Freedom Trail. The 4-year-old bay colt campaigned over the main track in his first two starts before graduating in his turf debut on March 17 going 1 1/16 miles at Gulfstream Park. He defeated winners going one mile on June 17 at Belmont, two starts before his last performance.

After five placings at state-bred stakes company this season, Repole Stable's New York-bred Jerry the Nipper [post 5, Jose Ortiz] will dive into open stakes company for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. The 6-year-old son of Liam's Map has finished in the money in all six starts of this year and enters from a pair of Belmont at the Big A placings behind Spirit of St. Louis when third in the Mohawk on October 29 and second in the Ashley T. Cole on October 6. His lone victory this year took place against open allowance optional claiming company on July 30 at Saratoga.

Jerry the Nipper was bred in the Empire State by St. Elias Stable and Peta Ryan.

Completing the field are stakes-placed Bring Me a Check [post 2, Dylan Davis] for trainer Pat Reynolds, two-time winner James Aloysius [post 3, Javier Castellano] for trainer Tom Morley, and the Blake Kelly-trained stakes-placed Wicked Finn [post 7, Junior Alvarado]. Offaly Cool, Sheriff Bianco, and Kinetic Sky have been entered for main track only.

The Artie Schiller, which honors the 2005 winner of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile, is carded as Race 8 on Saturday's nine-race program at Aqueduct Racetrack, which also features the Grade 3, $300,000 Long Island. 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.

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Awesome Treat, a 5-year-old daughter of Awesome Patriot-Tiz a Treat, looks for her first stakes success in Saturday's $175,000 Bessarabian Stakes (G2), at Woodbine.

The seven-furlong main track feature for fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and upward, has drawn 14 starters, including Awesome Treat.

Trained by Steve Attard, the dark bay mare, fourth in last year's Bessarabian, heads into Saturday's affair off a pleasing runner-up finish in the Ontario Fashion (G3) on October 14. Dismissed at 38-1, Awesome Treat rallied stoutly down the lane to miss top prize by a half-length in the six-furlong test.

“She is awesome, she really is,” praised Attard. “She is a very nice mare. She never seems to surprise me. Just how she is and how she trains, you know what you are going to get from her. I wasn't surprised at all with that effort last time. That's her, a hard-trying mare, who always shows up. Six furlongs might be a bit short for her, but Emma [jockey, Wilson] gave her an incredible ride and they came flying in the stretch.”

Bred in Kentucky by Kumud Sikand, who co-owns with Rakesh Sikand, Awesome Treat finished eleventh in her debut at Churchill Downs on November 28, 2020. She contested her next three races at Woodbine, and posted a fourth, third and ninth, before two starts at Fair Grounds, both fourth-place efforts.

A return to Toronto resulted in a maiden-breaking score on October 29, 2022, a fourth in the Bessarabian and another win on December 4.

Awesome Treat's next four starts came at Turfway Park, including a second in the Wishing Well Stakes this January and a fourth in the Frog Stakes in March.

“I have had her off and on since she was three,” noted Attard. “She has never run a bad race for us. This is my third year with her. She will race here and then she goes back to compete in the U.S. at some point of the season. We always love having her here.”

The Kentucky-bred heads into the Bessarabian with a 2-4-1 mark from 16 starts, along with $161,845 (U.S.) in purse earnings.

“Just the way she tries all the time is amazing,” praised Attard, who will have Jose Campos in the irons Saturday. “She can be a bit tough in the stall, but we love having her.”

Gunner Bennett, who handles groom duties for Awesome Treat, echoed that sentiment.

“For me, she's a horse that doesn't want to be pet,” said Bennett. “She doesn't want to be messed with, but if you spoil her with carrots and love, she shows a soft side and it's incredibly rewarding. There's no better feeling than coming into the barn in the morning and seeing her throw her head out of her stall as soon as she hears me come in.”

Other starters include multiple graded stakes winner Our Flash Drive, along with graded stakes winners Loyalty, Midnight Stroll, Miss Dracarys, Ready To Venture (GB), Spun Glass and multiple graded stakes winner Artie's Princess.

Trainer Roger Attfield and Kinghaven Farms teamed to win the first two editions of the Bessarabian, in 1985 with Summer Mood and one year later with Playlist.

The race is named after Canada's champion older female of 1986, a multiple stakes winning daughter of Vice Regent trained by Michael Doyle and owned by Eaton Hall Farm. She finished her racing career with an 18-5-4 mark from 37 starts.

Also on Saturday, 13 fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and upward, will travel 1 ¼ miles on the Tapeta in the $150,000 Maple Leaf Stakes (G3).

The field includes multiple graded stakes winner Il Malocchio, who won last year's edition, graded stakes winners Mille Girl and Solo Album, multiple graded stakes placed Angelou and multiple stakes placed Ever Smart.

Conn Smythe, principal owner of the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs from 1927 to 1961 and builder of Maple Leaf Gardens, leads all owners with seven Maple Leaf crowns. The race was inaugurated in 1892.

The Bessarabian is carded as race nine on Saturday's 11-race program. The Maple Leaf goes as race seven. First post is 1:05 p.m. Fans can also watch and wager on all the action through HPIbet.com, bet365 and the Dark Horse Bets app.

Field for the Bessarabian (G2)
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Spun Glass – Luis Contreras – Michael Trombetta

2 – Our Flash Drive – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse

3 – Ready To Venture (GB) – Rafael Hernandez – Michael Stidham

4 – Baby No Worries – Willie Martinez – Tim Girten

5 – Dolce Sopresa – Ryan Munger – Josie Carroll

6 – Time for an Angel – Leo Salles – Michael Stidham

7 – Loyalty – Kazushi Kimiura – Josie Carroll

8 – Owen's Tour Guide – Sofia Vives – William Armata

9 – Miss Dracarys – Sahin Civaci – Neil Drysdale

10 – Artie's Princess (S) – Juan Crawford – Saffie Joseph, Jr.

11 – Collecting Flatter – Daisuke Fukumoto – Josie Carroll

12 – Awesome Treat – Jose Campos – Steve Attard

13 – Midnight Stroll – Trevor McCarthy – John Terranova

14 – Love to Shop – Justin Stein – Kevin Attard

Field for the Maple Leaf (G3)
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Indy Champagne – Justin Stein – Layne Giliforte

2 – Inventing – Leo Salles – Kevin Attard

3 – Talbeyah (IRE) (S) – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse

4 – Il Malocchio – Kazushi Kimura – Martin Drexler

5 – State of Mind – Sofia Vives – Josie Carroll

6 – Ready Lady – Jose Campos – Roger Attfield

7 – Ever Smart (S) – Trevor McCarthy – Neil Drysdale

8 – Angelou – Luis Contreras – Kevin Attard

9 – Ephrata (GB) – Daisuke Fukumoto – Josie Carroll

10 – Solo Album – Sahin Civaci – Mark Casse

11 – Millie Girl – Rafael Hernandez – Catherine Day Phillips

12 – Batyah – Eswan Flores – Josie Carroll

13 – Lady Brew – Ryan Munger – Steven Chircop

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Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mage, withdrawn from last weekend's Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) with a fever, is being pointed to a 2024 campaign that could launch in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Park.

The 1 1/8-mile Pegasus for 4-year-olds and up headlines a spectacular Jan. 27 program featuring seven graded-stakes worth $5.2 million in purses including the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) and $500,000 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf Invitational (G3).

Co-owner Remiro Restrepo said that Mage is among a 'big majority' of the stable's horses that remain at The Thoroughbred Center in Lexington, Ky. before shipping to their winter home at Gulfstream, where Mage broke his maiden in debut Jan. 28 before running fourth in the Fountain of Youth (G2) and second in the Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa April 1.

“The winter home for us is Gulfstream Park, for the entire barn. The horses are there all winter through the end of March, and then the ones that go to Keeneland for any races ship up immediately. The [others] transition to The Thoroughbred Center between the first and the 30th of April [when] the rest of them ship over,” Restrepo said. “Everybody's trying to ship down [to Florida]. We've still got a few more horses to ship down from Kentucky, but we do have a big majority of the horses still up there.”

Following the Kentucky Derby, Mage finished third in the Preakness (G1) and second in the Haskell (G1) before running seventh in the Travers (G1) Aug. 26 at Saratoga, his most recent start. He breezed four times at The Thoroughbred Center in October and was pre-entered in the Classic but had his name removed after missing a planned work Oct. 29, the day before he was scheduled to fly to Santa Anita Park for the Breeders' Cup.

“He was doing perfect before the Classic. If you were to have asked me 24 hours before he jumped on the plane, I would have said, 'We couldn't be happier. He's doing as good as he was before the Derby, we're ready to rock,'” Restrepo said. “And then, 24 hours later, you have to say, 'Holy smokes. He missed two meals and caught a slight temp.' How could we jump on the plane? The most incredible thing is, we make plans, and the horses decide whether to execute them or not.

“It's one of those things. It sums up horse racing, right? A lot of things happen outside of your control. They're animals so you have to be their stewards,” he added. “Unfortunately, we were forced to miss the race and now we're just kind of taking a step back and looking at our options. We're looking at the racing calendar for 2024 and figuring out what the best course of action is.”

The Pegasus has showcased some of racing's top older horses to either cap an outstanding career or use as a springboard to later glory. Inaugural 2017 winner Arrogate beat two-time Horse of the Year California Chrome, making his final start, raced four more times was inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame in 2023. Gun Runner, the 2017 Horse of the Year, won the 2018 Pegasus in his finale, as did four-time Grade 1 winner City of Light in 2019.

Knicks Go parlayed a 2021 Pegasus victory into Horse of the Year honors, then came back to be second in 2022 in his final race behind Life Is Good, who went on to win three more graded-stakes including the Whitney (G1) and Woodward (G1). Art Collector sprung a 15-1 upset in this year's edition for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

“Obviously he's a horse with a lot of fans and he accomplished an amazing thing [this] year. There's a lot of people that are curious. There's been a lot of horses retired this year, a pretty prominent number of horses, but we're running in 2024. That's the most important thing,” Restrepo said. “When the time comes, we'll start hunkering down on a calendar for the year, some targets, and figure that out. Yes, the Pegasus is definitely one of the possibilities. There's just a lot of things to consider. We'll figure that out when we can.”

A Miami native currently attending horse sales in Kentucky, Restrepo owns Mage with Brian Doxtater and Case Chamberlin's CMNWLTH, assistant trainer Gustavo Delgado Jr.'s OGMA Investments, and Sam Herzberg's Sterling Racing. Purchased for $290,000 and trained by Gustavo Delgado Sr., Mage has two wins, two seconds, one third and $2,507,450 in purse earnings from seven starts.

“There's just so much going on. We just finished up a big sale [Tuesday] night. Now we've got 12 days of selling here, and there's no race tomorrow,” Restrepo said. “So, you put that on the back burner. You say, 'Let's get through this season and we'll get to that when we do.'

“He's running [next year]. There's no question about that,” he added. “Our goal is to have him ready for an awesome 2024; however, many races or locations or whatever it may be is what we've all got to decide as a team. That's what we're going to work on once we get a little time. [The Pegasus] is 11 weeks away, it's not something we've got to focus on right now. I know that it's in the pipeline, and we'll just go from there.”

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