Tag: Racing

With a hot pace to run at, California-bred Closing Remarks rallied from far back to take Sunday's closing day co-feature at Santa Anita, the $200,000 Goldikova Stakes (G2), getting one mile on turf in 1:32.69.

Trained by Carla Gaines and ridden by Juan Hernandez, the 5-year-old Vronsky mare was up to win by a half-length over even-money favorie Queen Goddess.

As expected, Irish-bred Hamwood Flier went to the front out of the gate and enjoyed a two length advantage over Queen Goddess around the clubhouse turn. Heading up the backside, Closing Remarks had one horse beat while about seven off the lead.

Heading to the far turn, Hernandez opted to sit chilly as Lucky Girl rallied from last to her outside, but Closing Remarks would soon be into gear three-deep turning for home and rolled late to easily reel in the favorite well inside the sixteenth pole.

Owned and bred in California by Harris Farms Inc., Closing Remarks, a three-time graded stakes winner who was most recently fourth going 1 1/4 miles on turf in the Rodeo Drive (G2) on Oct. 7 at Santa Anita, was off at 5-1 in a field of six fillies and mares and paid $13.60 for the win.

Out of the Unusual Heat mare Orange Cove, Closing Remarks has five stakes wins and is 7-5-4 from 24 career starts. With the Goldikova's winner's share of $120,000, she increased her earnings to $999,320.

Queen Goddess, idle since her third in the Gamely Stakes (G1) on May 29 at Santa Anita, overtook Hamwood Flier a furlong out but was no match for the winner late.

Hamwood Flier held off Full Count Felicia by a head for third.

Santa Anita's leading rider through 18 racing days, Hernandez notched his league-leading seventh stakes win and his 24th overall victory.

Fractions on the race were :22.67, :45.38, 1:08.38, and 1:20.42.

GOLDIKOVA STAKES QUOTES
JOCKEY JUAN HERNANDEZ, CLOSING REMARKS, WINNER: “This mare she tries all the time, she's a really nice, honest mare. She knows what she is doing on the track, she is a professional and always shows up. Last time, there was no pace at all and I think I was too close to the pace and that's why she didn't finish. Today the race set up really good for her. Carla brought her ready today because she was feeling really good in the post parade and she showed up in the race. When I asked her turning for home around the three-eighths, she picked it up really well and she switched leads. At the end we got the win.”

TRAINER CARLA GAINES, CLOSING REMARKS, WINNER:
On why she opted for the Goldikova and not the Breeders' Cup: “Basically the competition; she's been very effective at a mile before but basically the competition.

“Juan did give her a lot to do but the pace was horrid upfront, so he just worked it out perfectly, but that's Juan.

“Thank you, John (Harris) for everything you've done for my team and I want to thank your team too, it all works together.”

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Walking L Thoroughbreds' Shimmering Allure launched a devastating rally in deep stretch to capture Sunday's 49th running of the listed $150,000 Tempted for 2-year-old fillies going a one-turn mile at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Shimmering Allure, a dark bay daughter of first crop sire Enticed, previously finished fourth in her lone two-turn start in the Darley Alcibiades (G1) on October 6 at Keeneland, which came following a fourth-out graduation going a one-turn mile at Churchill Downs for trainer Kenny McPeek. She handled the cutback with flying colors, tracking well off the pace, to post a sharp three-length victory under Junior Alvarado.

Breaking from post 1 in the eight-horse field, Shimmering Allure was in seventh position early on while 36-1 longshot Belle's Blue Bell set the tempo through an opening quarter-mile in :23.03 and the half-mile in 46.48 over the fast main track. Caitlinhergrtness, the 8-5 favorite, tracked a close second with Vino Rouge tracking to her outside in third.

Around the far turn, Caitlinhergrtness matched strides with the pacesetter and came under a drive in upper stretch with Vino Rouge battling to her outside. Vino Rouge took command at the stretch call, but could not fend off a rallying Shimmering Allure, who completed the journey in 1:37.84.

Vino Rouge finished 3 3/4 lengths ahead of third-place finisher Perfectly Wicked. Caitlinhergrtness, Don't Tell Kelly, Belle's Blue Bell, Enfuega, and A Primera Vista completed the order of finish. Caress and Vicountess were both scratched.

Alvarado said a fast pace up front helped his filly's chances.

“She was a filly we knew would come from behind. She broke very well today, and they outran her the first part, but I knew there was going to be a lot of speed since there was a lot of fillies coming from sprints, so that helped her to get a fast pace up front,” said Alvarado. “I bought my time and let her get her feet underneath. When we hit the three-eighths pole, I started tapping the shoulder and she turned it on. I knew I had enough horse to get there at the end, so I tipped out at that point and she finished up very well.”

The triumph only added to a whirlwind weekend for Alvarado, who piloted Just F Y I to victory in Friday's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1)  at Santa Anita Park before winning the following day's Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) aboard multiple Grade 1 winner Cody's Wish.

“That's why we wake up every day. We work almost every day just to get to those big races with horses with a chance, and then to be able to win those types of races is what you do for your career,” Alvarado said. “You want to be there. You want to show them that you can ride with any jockeys. Here, there are a lot of good riders all around. It was just an unbelievable weekend and something I will never forget in my life.”

Nick Galati, assistant to McPeek, said the conditioner had the Tempted circled following her last start.

“She ran so good last time and Ken told me right away that he wanted to run in the Tempted. I think this was the plan and she just turned a corner,” Galati said. “She liked going two turns and last time it was a really tough race, but she hung in there for a good fourth. Today, she was ready. I'm sure we'll find a good spot. She's really a nice filly, for sure. We always thought she was a nice filly, even the first time she ran in Saratoga, she ran really well. She sprinted a couple of times and it set her up nicely. I think she just keeps getting better. She seems to like any track she runs on also, so she's honest.”

Shimmering Allure, who returned $6.10 for a $2 win wager as the second choice, banked $82,500 in victory to push her lifetime earnings up to $189,095. Her record now stands at 6-2-2-0.

Bred in Kentucky by Clifton Farm, Shimmering Allure is out of the stakes-placed Wild Again mare Shimmering Tale and was bought from her breeder for $40,000 from the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale.

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Wolfie's Dynaghost, a 5-year-old son of Ghostzapper, put on a front-running tour de force to win Sunday's $175,000 Autumn Stakes (G2) at Woodbine.

Trained by Jonathan Thomas for owner-breeder Woodslane Farm, the gelding arrived at the 1 1/16-mile main track race for 3-year-olds and up off a third in the Durham Cup (G3) at the Toronto oval on October 7.

Supplemented to the Autumn, multiple graded stakes placed Wolfie's Dynaghost earned his first graded triumph courtesy of a flawless performance on a cloudy gray afternoon at Woodbine.

Sent on his way at 7-2 in the compact field of six, the bay, with leading rider Kazushi Kimura aboard, was engaged by multiple graded stakes victor War Bomber (IRE) and Win for the Money in the run to the first turn.

Wolfie's Dynaghost was a half-length clear of War Bomber through an opening panel timed in :24.71, followed by Win for the Money, 3-5 choice Tyson, Artie's Storm, and Luckman.

In front by a length through a half in :48.44, Wolfie's Dynaghost, making his third appearance at Woodbine, remained unfettered on the front end in the leadup to the final turn, with little change in positioning throughout the field. Coming off the turn for home, Wolfie's Dynaghost, still running comfortably on the lead, began to pull away from his pursuers and held a 2½-length advantage at the stretch call.

From there, the only thing left to decide was second place, as Win for the Money and 40-1 Luckman dueled for the runner-up spot, with the former three-quarters of a length clear of his rival at the wire.

The final time for Wolfie's Dynaghost's 4½-length victory was 1:42.52.

“I felt like he had a nice, high cruising pace, and I just kept him steady and just kept it going from the beginning,” said Kimura. “He was really relaxed on the backstretch and just took off from the three-eighths. It was a magnificent race.”

It was the ninth lifetime win, accompanied by a pair of seconds and five thirds from 24 starts for the Kentucky-bred, whose travels have taken him to Florida, New York, Kentucky, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Wolfie's Dynaghost, whose dam is the Dynaformer mare Dynaire, returned $9.70 for the win.

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Nice Guys Stables' Where's Chris outdueled the even money favorite Book'em Danno in deep stretch to earn his first stakes coup in Sunday's 49th running of the listed $150,000 Nashua for 2-yer-olds going a one-turn mile at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Where's Chris, by Twirling Candy, turned the tables on Book'em Danno following a distant third to that foe in an off-the-turf edition of the six-furlong Futurity on October 8 at Belmont at the Big A. The dark bay colt appeared to have no issue with the added ground Sunday, putting an end to Book'em Danno's unbeaten record in three starts to win by three-quarters of a length under Isaac Castillo.

The victory only added to a prosperous weekend for trainer Rick Dutrow Jr., who saddled White Abarrio to victory in Saturday's Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Santa Anita.

Breaking from post 4 in the five-horse field in the Nashua, Where's Chris tracked the early foot of Book'em Danno, who held a half-length advantage through an opening quarter-mile in :23.50 and a half in :47.47 over the fast main track. Billal sat a close third along the rail with graded stakes winner Yo Yo Candy just off his flank and Private Desire, who was slow from the gate, a distant fifth.

At the top of the stretch, Book'em Danno and Where's Chris were in gridlock with the former maintaining a head advantage at the stretch call. But Where's Chris got the better of his rival in the final strides to the finish line, stopping the clock in 1:36.75. Book'em Danno finished 5 1/2 lengths ahead of Billal, who fended off Private Desire's late rally to finish third. Yo Yo Candy completed the order of finish.

The win was the second trip to the winner's circle in three starts for Where's Chris, who two starts ago was a five-length winner on debut in September going six furlongs at Belmont at the Big A.

“He's a nice horse and the trainer [Dutrow] and horse's team did a very good job with him,” said Castillo, who piloted Where's Chris in the Futurity. “I knew I had a lot of horse and the horse looked like he was a good horse. I just tried to do the best for him.”

Jose Ortiz, aboard Book'em Danno, said his horse may have been hindered by the added distance.

“I thought he ran well. [Where's Chris] ran well last time out so I think he liked the distance today and my horse, I'm not sure he wants to go that long,” said Ortiz, who piloted Book'em Danno in his Futurity score. “He's by Bucchero, five furlongs. I let him run throughout the chute and see what happened and what kind of pace developed in front of me, but nobody really wanted to go, so I decided to go throughout the chute. I had very decent fractions. I was very happy passing the half-mile, but I didn't have enough horse.”

Where's Chris banked $82,500 in victory, which over doubled his lifetime earnings to $139,000. He returned a cool $41.60 as the highest price in the field.

Bred in Kentucky by The Neuman Group, Where's Chris is out of the stakes-winning and Grade 1-placed Lemon Drop Kid mare Sea Queen. Mike Maker bought him for $20,000 at the OBS Spring Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, where Mayberry Farm consigned him.

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