Tag: Racing

NBS Stable and Elements Racing's Danse Macabre made a bold inside move in the late stages of Thursday's $125,000 Glen Cove to earn her fourth career stakes victory in the six-furlong outer turf sprint for sophomore fillies at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Kelsey Danner, the daughter of Army Mule showed her versatility with her off-the-pace triumph, which was her first when racing farther back than third in the early stages. Last year, she came from 3 1/2 lengths off the pace to capture Kentucky Downs' Untapable by a nose, but needed to make up seven lengths in the Glen Cove to get up in time under regular pilot Adam Beschizza and return to the winner's circle for the first time since May.

“I was a little worried,” Danner said about being far off the pace. “She doesn't like soft ground and Adam said there's a lot of cut down there. She's just a nice filly. She knows what she's doing and she does it. She has a lot of heart.”

Danse Macabre broke evenly from post 2 in the 10-horse field as Zoinnocent broke slow to her inside and Determined Jester rushed up to assume command to her outside in company with Future Is Now and mark an opening quarter-mile in 22.20 seconds over the good footing.

The pair opened up four lengths on the field down the backstretch with Dontlookbackatall biding her time in third and Danse Macabre racing in sixth along the inside. Approaching the turn, Beschizza angled his mount a few paths out and coaxed her along as Dontlookbackatall inched closer to the pacesetters and Love Appeals tracked to her outside in fourth after the half-mile in 44.92.

Danse Macabre found herself three-wide in pursuit of the top flight entering the stretch with Determined Jester and Future Is Now beginning to yield to their oncoming opponents. Dontlookbackatall took charge past the eighth pole with Love Appeals putting in a serious bid in the center of the course, prompting Beschizza to ask his mount to duck down inside of the former for the final hundred yards to the wire. Danse Macabre responded with an impressive burst of speed to pass Dontlookbackatall in deep stretch and notch the 1 1/2-length score in a final time of 1:09.34.

Dontlookbackatall secured place honors by a neck over her oncoming Christophe Clement-trained stablemate Love Appeals with Personal Pursuit rallying from ninth late to round out the superfecta another 2 3/4 lengths back.

Lady Beth, Ticker Tape Home, Future Is Now, Beauty of the Sea, Determined Jester and Zoinnocent completed the order of finish. Also-eligibles Plentitude, Violet Gibson, Queen of the Mud, Gatita Suave and main track-only entrant Tappin Josie were scratched.

Beschizza, who earned his 600th career win in the Glen Cove, said the softer footing kept Danse Macabre from utilizing her usual prominent trip.

“She's a fast ground filly. When it's fast, I can usually sit there on the bridle close to the speed,” Beschizza said. “I'd say it was the soft side of good today and I was just wheel spinning and scrambling early. We were going a good honest tempo, so I was hoping it would break. The class shined through and she got up.”

Beschizza, who began riding in 2015, reflected on what Danse Macabre has meant to both him and Danner.

“She's done wonders for my career and Kelsey. The owner puts his hard-earned money into the game and he's getting his just rewards with fillies like her. For a cheap purchase she's definitely a diamond in the rough and an owner's dream,” Beschizza said of the $55,000 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase. “I can't complain, I've been on the back of her through losses as well and Kelsey still throws me back on.”

Danner added she has not yet made any plans for Danse Macabre's next outing.

“There's a few options this winter. I might just give her a bit of a break as there's kind of a lull of options right now,” said Danner.

Bred in Kentucky by St. Elias Stables, Danse Macabre boasts a graded victory after taking the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride in March at Gulfstream Park, as well as additional stakes scores in the Mamzelle in May at Churchill Downs and aforementioned Untapable. The talented chestnut banked $68,750 in victory and is nearing millionaire status with $927,090 in total purse earnings through a perfect in-the-money record of 9-5-3-1. She returned $4.80 for a $2 win ticket.

Jose Ortiz, aboard runner-up Dontlookbackatall, said his mount was valiant in defeat.

“Very clean trip, picture perfect,” said Ortiz. “We knew the winner would be tough going in, she's a very nice horse. I'm very happy with our filly. She's nice and she's proved that she's getting better each time.”

Live racing resumes Friday at Belmont at the Big A with a nine-race card that features the Grade 3, $150,000 Knickerbocker in Race 6. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of every day of Belmont at the Big A on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

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

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OLG Canadian Triple Crown jewel winners Velocitor and Touch'n Ride are set to compete in the $150,000 Grade 3 Ontario Derby on Saturday at Woodbine.

The Grade 3 Ontario Derby for 3-year-olds is run at a mile and an eighth on the Tapeta. Saturday's contest has attracted a field of 10.

Kevin Attard trainee Velocitor will make his return to the track after winning the Prince of Wales Stakes, the second jewel of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown at Fort Erie Race Track on September 12.

“Velocitor has been doing well since his Prince of Wales win,” said Attard to Woodbine Communications. “He's had a few easy breezes since and has been feeling very good about himself.”

Owned by Al and Bill Ulwelling, Velocitor has a record of 4-1-1 from 10 starts. The son of Mor Spirit won the Coronation Futurity last November and ran fourth in The King's Plate ahead of his Prince of Wales win.

Twin City, Cool Kiss, Stanley House and Twowaycrossing join Velocitor and Touch'n Ride as horses racing in Saturday's Grade 3 Ontario Derby that competed in a leg of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown. All six horses raced in two of the three legs of the Triple Crown.

Layne Giliforte trainee Touch'n Ride won the mile and a half Breeders' Stakes over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course on October 1. Twowaycrossing is the only other starter in Saturday's Ontario Derby that ran in the Breeders'.

Attard is looking forward to sending Velocitor out in Saturday's race against some familiar Canadian bred rivals plus new opponents, including the Mark Casse trained fillies Forever Dixie and Solo Album.

“The cut back to nine furlongs should be to his liking. It's a very competitive field and should set up to be an exciting horse race.”

With seasonal temperatures expected Saturday, Velocitor is a proven winner in cooler temperatures after winning last year's Coronation Futurity.

“Definitely some horses enjoy the cooler weather, (Velocitor) obviously won in the fall as a juvenile, but at the same token I didn't ever think that the heat was an issue for him in the summer months or effected his performance”, said Attard. “I think since gelding him he's just gotten more focused and has steadily improved to get back to the type of horse we were hoping he would turn out to be.”

Justin Stein has the assignment again aboard Velocitor in the Grade 3 Ontario Derby. Stein and Attard are both seeking their first Ontario Derby victories.

The lightly raced Touch'n Ride enters with a record of 2-0-1 from 4 starts for owner/breeder Chiefswood Stables Limited. Jockey Kazushi Kimura will once again ride and is seeking his fourth consecutive victory in the Ontario Derby.

Chiefswood last won the Ontario Derby with Tiz a Slam in 2017.

The Ontario Derby will be Saturday's ninth race. First post time is 1:15 p.m. Fans can watch and wager on all the action via HPIbet.com, bet365, and the Dark Horse Bets app.

$150,000 ONTARIO DERBY (GRADE 3)
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Souper Blessing – Willie Martinez – Michael Trombetta

2 – American Blaze – Ryan Munger – Riley Rycroft

3 – Twin City – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Stuart Simon

4 – Cool Kiss – Louis Contreras – Michael De Paulo

5 – Stanley House – Rafael Hernandez – Michael De Paulo

6 – Velocitor- Justin Stein – Kevin Attard

7 – Touch'n Ride – Kazushi Kimura – Layne Giliforte

8 – Forever Dixie – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse

9 – Twowaycrossing – Keveh Nicholls – Rodger Attfield

10 – Solo Album – Sahin Civaci – Mark Casse

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Steeplechase racing's seminal day features an all-stakes seven-race card and $675,000 in prize money. The races will be broadcast nationally on America's Day at the Races on Fox Sports. First race post time is 12:50 p.m.

They don't call the Far Hills Races steeplechasing's championship day for nothing, and this year there's little doubt that titles will be won or lost on Saturday at Moorland Farm in the bucolic borough in Somerset County, N.J. And that includes the biggest prize of all: the Eclipse Award.

The Grade 1 $250,000 American Grand National at 2 ⅝ miles, centerpiece of Saturday's event and the sixth race on the program, has drawn a prospective field of eight. Unlike three of the other four Grade 1s that have been contested this year, the Grand National is not a handicap; it will be run at level weights, so it's a fair fight to the finish. All starters carry 156 pounds.

Only one of the previous 2023 Grade 1 winners is in the field, Hurricana Farm's lightly raced Merry Maker, who captured the Lonesome Glory at Aqueduct last month.

As for the other G1 winners, the European connections of Iroquois star, Scaramanga, who denied Bruton Street-US' Snap Decision a three-peat in the event, had contemplated a return to the States, but the horse had only one start since his trip to Nashville in May, finishing 13th in a handicap at Galway in July. Irv Naylor's Belfast Banter, 17-1 upset winner of the AP Smithwick at Saratoga, suffered an injury; and Riverdee Stable and Ten Strike Racing's Awakened, who remains eligible to compete in novice competition, has opted to go in the $100,000 Foxbrook Champion Hurdle, which has drawn a small field of five.

Another Irish star, Shark Hanlon's Hewick, the defending Grand National winner, won't make the trip across the Atlantic either, and instead will point toward a start in December as a prep for the world's most prestigious jump race, the Cheltenham Gold Cup in England in March. Hewick earned the 2022 Eclipse Award off of his blowout victory in that single U.S. effort.

Despite the defections, Saturday's Grand National, with its substantial purse and title implications, has attracted the attention of accomplished hurdlers, up-and-coming hopefuls, and classy European jumpers.

The Euros include Galaxy Horse Racing Syndicate's 10-year-old two-time Cheltenham winner Seddon, trained by John McConnell and ridden by Ben Harvey, who makes his first National Steeplechase Association appearance. Also returning is McConnell's fellow Irish conditioner Gordon Elliott, always a major player at Far Hills, who has shipped over four runners including William and Aisling Hurley's Salvador Ziggy for the Grand National. Elliott stable jockey Jack Kennedy has the mount. Kennedy, a 10-time winner at Cheltenham, has two victories in two previous appearances at Far Hills. This is his first time back since 2018.

Trainer McConnell told the UK's RacingTV earlier this week that Seddon has been the syndicate's “horse of a lifetime.”

“He jumps very well whether it is hurdles and fences so I don't think that will be a problem and nice ground and the trip will be OK. I suppose it all depends on how he settles in but we're very hopeful…Ben rides him and he's looking forward to it. He has never ridden over there before but he's a good judge of pace and we wouldn't have anyone else on him at this stage.”

Salvador Ziggy, 7, would be Elliott's second Grand National winner; he took the 2018 edition with Jury Duty. The Irish Field reports that Salvador Ziggy has a “strong chance of success” following a solid second a month ago in the Kerry National at Listowel in Ireland. Before that, the El Salvador gelding reeled off three straight wins.

“Salvador Ziggy ran a great race in Listowel and I think this race could really suit him,” Elliott told the Irish Field. “He is an easy going sort of horse and he'll handle the ground. He has enough pace to drop back to the trip and we'd be very hopeful of a big run.”

For Snap Decision, this will be the Hard Spun gelding's third attempt to win the Grand National. With a victory, the Phipps-bred star would surpass the million-dollar mark in total career earnings. Compared to last year, trainer Jack Fisher has taken a

less-arduous path with the nine-year-old, running just three times so he'd be fresh for the Grand National, where he ran poorly in 2022 following a hard campaign in which he frequently gave away 20 pounds or more to his rivals. After winning the Temple Gwathmey in Middleburg and finishing second in the Iroquois in the spring, Fisher gave Snap Decision the summer off. He returned in the Lonesome Glory, a handicap at 2 ½ miles. After leading for most of the way, he faded at the top of the stretch to fourth while carrying 20 fewer pounds than upstart Merry Maker. Graham Watters rides.

Merry Maker's score in the Lonesome Glory was his second in four outings this year – and first in a stake – for trainer Arch Kingsley. In two previous stakes tries, he closed from 10th to third in the Jonathan Kiser novice, and finished fourth in the G1 Jonathan Sheppard, both at Saratoga. Parker Hendriks will be aboard.

The only other NSA Grade 1 winner in the field is Keystone Thoroughbreds' Noah and the Ark, who upset Snap Decision at 41-1 in the 2022 Lonesome Glory, but hasn't shown that spark since. In three G1 starts this year he has yet to hit the board. Harry Beswick rides for trainer Todd McKenna.

For the rest of the field, the Grand National will be an ambitious step up.

Madaket Stables and Paul and Molly Willis' Jimmy P, trained by Keri Brion, turned heads with a dazzling 10 ½-length romp in a 120 handicap at the Iroquois Races, then followed it up with a sharp second to Awakened in the Jonathan Sheppard, where he briefly took the lead before drifting out in the upper stretch, and still battled on to be beaten just a length. Danny Mullins, who came over from Europe to ride Jimmy P in both of those past two starts, returns. Mullins has had great success at Far Hills, taking the Grand National aboard Gill Johnston's Mr. Hot Stuff in 2017.

Johnston also has a horse in this year's Grand National, Mortlach, trained by Willie Dowling and ridden by Jamie Bargary. The eight-year-old was a six time hurdle and steeplechase winner in Europe, and made his one and only U.S. start in the Iroquois, where he led the over the first two fences, settled in third, before tiring to finish seventh in the field of eight.

Though Smithwick winner Belfast Banter is on the sidelines, the Irv Naylor stable and trainer Cyril Murphy have entered Scorpion's Revenge to carry the colors of the NSA's leading owner. A winner of three of his first five starts – including the 2022 Green Pastures novice stakes at Iroquois – the Irish-bred seven-year-old son of Aidan O'Brien-trained millionaire Scorpion has run twice this season. In the Daniel Van Clief stakes at Foxfield, he was beaten a nose in his first effort in seven months, followed by a closing third in the Iroquois, 3 ¾ lengths behind runner up Snap Decision.

The rest of the card contains powerhouse fields as well. Click here for full entries: https://nationalsteeplechase.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Far-Hills.pdf

Here's the race schedule:

1st race: 12:50 p.m. $50,000 Gladstone Sport of Kings 3-year-old hurdle stakes at 2 ⅛ miles.

2nd race: 1:33 p.m. $50,000 Harry E. Harris Sport of Kings 4-year-old hurdle stakes at 2

⅛ miles.

3rd race: 2:16 p.m. $100,000 Foxbrook Champion novice hurdle stakes, 4-year-olds and up, at 2 ½ miles.

4th race: 3:01 p.m. $75,000 Peapack Sport of Kings filly & mare handicap hurdle stakes, 4-year-olds and up, at 2 ⅛ miles.

5th race: 3:44 p.m. $50,000 Appleton Sport of Kings 130 ratings handicap, 4-year-olds and up, at 2 ⅝ miles.

7th race: 4:32 p.m. $250,000 Grand National Sport of Kings hurdle stakes (Grade 1), 4-year-olds and up, at 2 ⅝ miles.

8th race: 5:17 p.m. $100,000 John Forbes Memorial Flat Stakes, 4-year-olds and up, at 2 miles.

How to watch

The Grand National will be broadcast live on America's Day at the Races, produced by the New York Racing Association in partnership with Fox Sports. Coverage begins at 12:30 p.m.

As always, you can watch Saturday's races via live stream from the link on the NSA homepage, www.nationalsteeplechase.com. The stream is sponsored by Brown Advisory.

How to wager

Fans have two ways to bet on their favorites, both via phone. Pari-mutuel wagering is available through 4NJBets. To sign up, deposit, and wager, you'll need to download the 4NJBets app or visit https://4njbets.com/200farhills.

If you are physically present in New Jersey, you can also place wagers through the MonmouthBets app. MonmouthBets offers fixed-bet wagering, meaning the odds in place when you make your bet is the price you get if you're a winner. For information and a link to download the app, click here: https://farhillsrace.org/fixed-odds-betting/

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