Tag: Racing

Team Valor International's Romagna Mia (GB) went to the front before the eighth pole and drew off to post a three-length victory over Transient (GB) in the 32nd running of the $260,025 Rood & Riddle Dowager (G3) for fillies and mares Sunday afternoon at Keeneland.

Trained by Graham Motion and ridden by John Velazquez, Romagna Mia completed 1 1/2 miles on a firm turf course in 2:29.87. The victory marked the first win in the United States for the 4-year-old Mastercraftsman filly, the fourth Dowager win for Motion, and second for Velazquez.

Motion's previous victories came with Humaita (GER) in 2004, Kitten's Point in 2015, and Blame Debbie in 2020. Velazquez, who won his third graded stakes of the Fall Meet, previously won the race in 2017 on Apple Betty (IRE).

Henrietta Topham led the field through opening fractions of :24.45 and :48.76 with Vergara and Transient in closest pursuit and Romagna Mia rating in sixth in the field of seven. On the backstretch, Transient closed in on Henrietta Topham and they ran 1-2 to the top of the stretch where Transient took over.

Transient's advantage was short-lived as Romagna Mia quickly closed in with a four-wide bid, took over before midstretch, and pulled away for the convincing victory in her second domestic start.

“As soon as we got past the wire the first time, she got into the bridle,” Velazquez said. “I was following (jockey) Brian (Hernandez Jr. on Lovely Princess). She was one of the horses to beat and he still had ahold of his horse, so I got to the outside of him on the backstretch. I was like, 'Let me force the pace a little bit maybe. I can force the pace a little bit with (Hernandez).' I know my horse takes a little bit to get going, so I wanted to put her in the clear and keep her going forward.

“(Owner) Barry (Irwin of Team Valor International) kept telling me, 'She stays all day. She stays all day,' ” Velazquez continued. “So I just had that in my head. She's going to stay all day, so I'm going to put the pressure on and hope she keeps going that way. When she came to the three-sixteenths (pole), she straightened and she went on and ran away from the horses.”

A Group 2 winner last year in Italy and third in the Beverly D. (G1) Aug. 12 at Colonial Downs in her U.S. debut, Romagna Mia improved her record to 12-4-2-1, and with Sunday's check of $151,125 improved her earnings to $363,304. She is a 4-year-old daughter of Mastercraftsman (IRE) out of the Rip Van Winkle (IRE) mare Washington Blue (GB) and was bred by Cavendish Bloodstock.

Sent off as the favorite in the field of seven, Romagna Mia returned $6.76 for the win. Transient finished a head in front of Loved Reiko.

It was another 2½ lengths back to Lovely Princess, who was followed by Vergara, Henrietta Topham and Personal Best to complete the order of finish.

The post ‘She Stays All Day’: Romagna Mia Has Stamina To Spare For First U.S. Win In Dowager appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Fourth pick Durezza conquered the 3,000-meter (about 1 7/8-mile) distance of the $3,298,000 Kikuka Sho (G1) (Japanese St. Leger) Sunday to score his first graded and fifth consecutive win while vanquishing the victors of the first two legs of the Japan's Triple Crown in a stunning 3 1/2-length triumph at Kyoto Racecourse.

Durezza, who started from the farthest post position in the field of 17 in the final leg of the classic series, rushed to the front to take the lead while Pax Ottomanica sat on his tail a length behind in second. After covering the first 1,000 meters in 1:00.4, the son of Duramente was steadied to third from the front in the backstretch, briefly giving up the lead to Pax Ottomanica and Libyan Glass.

As the field started making their bids after the third corner in the second lap, Durezza was second to enter the lane, kicked into gear catching Libyan Glass before the 200-meter pole to take command once again, and stretched with the fastest closing speed to clear the wire by a comfortable margin.

Durezza covered the distance in 3:03.1 on good to firm turf.

“He made a flying start and was keen to go, so I decided to let him take the lead. He responded well between the third and last corner, which made me confident that he was going to close strongly,” winning ridder Christophe Lemaire said of Durezza. “When he accelerated in the stretch, I knew we were going to win. To see him beat such a strong field today over the 3,000-meter distance means we can look forward to him doing well among Grade 1 company over 2,000 and 2,400 meters also.”

Lemaire enjoyed a third victory in the Kikuka Sho following wins in 2016 and 2018  with Satono Diamond and Fierement, respectively.

Sent off the second choice, Tastiera, Tokyo Yushun (G1) (Japanese Derby) winner, was settled around ninth and traveled wide in the backstretch before turning home alongside the favorite Sol Oriens. Tastiera showed a good turn of foot down the center of the lane with the second fastest late kick but failed to threaten the winner in a runner-up effort.

Race favorite Sol Oriens was unhurried traveling wide in fifth to sixth from the rear, made headway at the third corner and made a wide sweeping bid into the straight. The Satsuki Sho (G1) (Japanese 2000 Guineas) winner picked off his tired opponents and dug in fiercely for third in the final strides, finishing 1 1/2 lengths behind Tastiera.

Durezza is trained by Tomohito Ozeki for owner Carrot Farm Co. Ltd. He was bred by Northern Racing from the Australian-bred More Than Ready mare More Than Sacred.

The post Durezza Denies Classic-Winning Pair In Japanese St. Leger appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Trainer Cherie DeVaux had little time to rest of her laurels Sunday as she sent out a multitude of horses for works the morning after Vahva provided her with her first Keeneland stakes victory, a gritty, half-length win over Alva Starr in the seven-furlong Lexus Raven Run (G2) Saturday.

“She's good this morning,” DeVaux said of Vahva. “Right now the goal is the La Brea (G1).”

The La Brea is a $300,000 test going seven furlongs Dec. 26 at Santa Anita.

A daughter of Gun Runner who has won or placed in five of her six starts this year, Vahva captured the seven-furlong Charles Town Oaks (G3) Aug. 25 in her start prior to the Raven Run. Her career line stands as 4-2-2 from 10 starts and purse earnings of $873,810 for a large partnership that includes Belladonna Racing LLC and West Point Thoroughbreds.

Meanwhile, trainer Brett Brinkman said Alva Starr would be headed to Fair Grounds next weekend after the close of the 17-day Fall Meet at the Lexington track.

“I was not disappointed with her effort yesterday,” Brinkman said of Alva Starr, who battled Vahva the length of the stretch in her first race beyond six furlongs. “We will go to New Orleans with her and then get her cranked up at Oaklawn Park.”

Brinkman said he would have no qualms about trying Alva Starr seven furlongs again and one such race that could fit the bill next spring is the Madison (G1) at Keeneland.

“We'd like to make this (coming to Keeneland) part of our regular routine,” Brinkman said.

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Mo Stash, winner of this spring's Kentucky Utilities Transylvania (G3), and Secretariat (G2) winner Gigante, headline a field of 10 3-year-olds entered for the 19th running of the $300,000 Bryan Station (G3) to be run at one mile on turf Saturday.

The Bryan Station will be the eighth race on closing day of the Keeneland Fall Meet, with a 4:44 p.m. (ET) post time.

Trained by Vicki Oliver for BBN Racing, Mo Stash has made three starts at Keeneland, beginning with a runner-up finish in the listed Indian Summer last fall that was followed four weeks later by a fourth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1). The Mo Town colt will seek to halt a four-race winless stretch since taking the Transylvania April 7 at the Lexington track. He will depart post position 5 in the Bryan Station and be ridden by Luis Saez.

Gigante is trained by Steve Asmussen for Iapetus Racing and Diamond T Racing. Gigante cuts back to a mile after he finished sixth in the New Kent County Virginia Derby (G3) going 1 1/8 miles in his most recent start on Sept. 9 at Colonial Downs. A winner of three of four starts at the mile distance, Gigante will be ridden by Joel Rosario and exit post position 2.

Asmussen won the 2007 Bryan Station with Inca King.

The field for the Bryan Station, with riders and weight from the rail out, is: Talk of the Nation (Jose Ortiz, 118 pounds), Gigante (Rosario, 122), Dude N Colorado (GB) (Flavien Prat, 118), Smokey Mandate (James Graham, 118), Mo Stash (Saez, 120), Runaway Storm (Colby Hernandez, 118), Worthington (Rey Gutierrez, 118), Santorini (Alex Achard, 118), More Than Looks (John Velazquez, 120), Appraise (IRE) (Tyler Gaffalione, 118).

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