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Tag: Racing
Front-Running Ruby Nell Dominates Autumn Miss For Graded Stakes Breakthrough
Who better to have on a front-runner than Edwin Maldonado? Answer: No one.
With Maldonado at the reins, Spendthrift Farm's Ruby Nell, despite stumbling at the break, was in complete command throughout as she took Sunday's closing day co-feature at Santa Anita, the $100,000 Autumn Miss (G3), winning by 3¼ lengths over heavily favored Anisette while getting one mile on turf in 1:32.67 and earning her first graded stakes victory.
With four scratches reducing the Autumn Miss to a field of seven sophomore fillies, Ruby Nell had a five-length advantage over 24-1 longshot Justique around the first turn and widened from there, opening up by eight lengths turning for home in a literal cakewalk on trainer Richard Mandella's 73rd birthday.
“She's really gifted, a very good filly,” Mandella said. “…She stumbled leaving the gate today and off terrible, (but) she looked so relaxed. I thought well, maybe he will tuck her right in there and she got a head of steam and when she does, she's pretty strong.”
A winner of the Unzip Me Stakes at about 6½ furlongs down the hillside turf course on Oct. 1 at Santa Anita, Ruby Nell was off as the 5-2 second choice and paid $7.60 for the win.
A daughter of Bolt d'Oro out of the Not For Love mare Rich Love, Ruby Nell, who sold for $1.2 million at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Florida Select (Gulfstream) Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, where Tom McCrocklin consigned her, has four wins, two seconds, and a third from eight starts. With the winner's cut of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $258,520. She was bred in Kentucky by Solana Beach Sales.
“She is a very versatile filly,” said Maldonado, who notched his second win of the 19-day meet. “When we ran down the hill, naturally, there was a lot more speed than going a mile, so she kind of fell back. … We knew with the today that she was the lone speed but nevertheless, we were trying not to rush anything.
“Wherever she broke, wherever she was, we were happy with. She just won it her way today.”
Anisette was the victim of a lone speed scenario, and although she put in a good run, it wasn't nearly enough. A Grade 1 winner, British-bred Anisette outfinished Breath Away by a half-length for second.
Fractions on the race were :22.61, :45.46, 1:08.67, and 1:20.60.
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Cal-Bred Closing Remarks Reels In Favored Queen Goddess For Goldikova Win
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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‘She Finished Up Very Well’: Shimmering Allure Tallies First Stakes Win In Tempted
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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