Tag: Racing

Trainer Joe Orseno had options for rising star Mattingly, including a trip to New York to run on turf in the Nov. 4 Atlantic Beach at Aqueduct or a cross-country flight to sunny Southern California to run in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita.

Instead, the stakes-winning son of Bucchero has been entered to make his dirt debut in Saturday's $200,000 Affirmed, the seven-furlong second leg of the 2023 FTBOA Sire Stakes series, at Gulfstream Park.

Gulfstream-based Mattingly has run once on turf – a second-place finish in the Royal Palm Juvenile in his career debut at Gulfstream – and three times on Tapeta – a stakes victory last time out in the Hollywood Beach at Gulfstream, a runner-up finish in a Woodbine stakes, as well as a maiden score at Gulfstream.

“Over the last couple weeks in New York, I've had two horses aiming to try to run [on turf]. Beauty of the Sea's race [Glen Cove] was moved to [Thursday] and Eamonn ended up running in the slop, which was ridiculous,” Orseno said. “Why ship him up to New York for a six-furlong turf race Nov. 4 that probably will not be on the turf?”

It never rains in Southern California, but …

“We talked about putting the money up and paying the $100,000 to supplement him into the Breeders' Cup. How many chances do you get? And we think he deserved the shot,” Orseno said. “It's still $100,000 and another $40,000 to enter and $15,000 to get him there. You're talking about $155,000 before you even get in the entries to be 20-1, to be realistic. He wouldn't be one of the favorites.”

Being a son of Bucchero, Mattingly is eligible for the Florida Sire Stakes series for 2-year-olds sired by accredited Florida stallions, which prompted Orseno, Ironhorse Racing Stable LLC and Harlow Stables LLC's Mattingly to consider Saturday's Affirmed.

Mattingly breezed a half-mile in 50.78 seconds Saturday at Gulfstream with an eye on the Affirmed.

“He worked fantastic. I know it says he worked in 50, but the fraction were 27 and then 23,” Orseno said. “I wanted 27 to make sure he was getting over it OK and I told my exercise rider, 'If he likes it, we're going to chirp to him at the quarter-pole and we're going to let him run the last quarter.' He responded real well.”

Bucchero, who stands at Pleasant Acres Farm in Morriston, FL, was a multiple stakes-winner on dirt before becoming a multiple graded-stakes winner on turf.

“We're big advocates of Bucchero, the stallion. We think he does throw dirt horses, though he hasn't had a lot of chances, except the one Derek Ryan has in New Jersey, Book'em Danno – who has never been on Tapeta or turf and he's undefeated,” Orseno said.

Ryan-trained Book'em Danno, a New Jersey-bred son of Bucchero, has gone undefeated while winning three dirt races in a row, is coming off an 8 ½-length triumph in the off-the-turf Futurity at Aqueduct.

Mattingly's dam, Battingstar, has produced a son of Yes It's True, True Valor, who won six races on dirt during his career on the West Coast.

Mattingly, who has never raced beyond 5 ½ furlongs, will be tested by the distance as well as the dirt in the Affirmed.

“I think he'll handle it. We've been saying that we think he'll stretch out, so I think he'll handle the distance fine,” Orseno said. “And we get to stay home.”

Mattingly has found no soft spot for his dirt debut, in which he will clash with Bentornato, who is undefeated in three starts on dirt, including a 7 ½-furlong romp in the $100,000 Dr. Fager, the six-furlong first leg of the Florida Sire Stakes series Sept. 9. The Jose D'Angelo-trained son of Valiant Minister is rated as the 9-5 morning-line favorite in a field of 12. Christophe Clement-trained Hurricane Nelson, a son of Khozan who has finished second in both of his career starts in New York, is rated second at 5-2. Mattingly is rated third at 6-1 for his dirt debut.

The post FSS: Stakes Winner Mattingly Will Make Dirt Debut In Saturday’s Affirmed appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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This year's edition of the $111,000 Oklahoma Classics Distaff Handicap may be one of the toughest competitively from top to bottom as evidenced by Doudoudouwanadance being made the 3-1 lukewarm favorite on Friday, Oct. 20 at Remington Park.

Remington Park morning line maker Jerry Shottenkirk tabbed the 3-year-old daughter of Magna Graduate, out of the Macho Uno mare Ebony Uno, the favorite off her extremely sharp performances over this Oklahoma City track. She was made the slight choice over Do You Bileve (4-1), Da Prairie Girl (5-1) and Gotta See Red (6-1). The race will be run at 1 mile-70 yards on the main track.

Doudoudouwanadance's owner Terry Westemeir, of Broken Arrow, Okla., said he and trainer Scott Young went back and forth and over and over about which race to run this filly in on Classics Night, so much so that they lost her regular rider, Leandro Goncalves.

“Turf or dirt? Sprint or distance?” said Westemeir. “We both ultimately landed on the Distaff. We originally were thinking sprint for her. By the time we decided, Leandro was already committed to another horse (Gotta See Red) in the Distaff. But Lindey Wade is riding really great right now and we are excited to have him.”

Wade will be up on Doudoudouwanadance for the first time and if she runs like she did on this race night last year, he may just need to hold on. This filly won the $100,000 Oklahoma Classics Lassie for 2-year-old fillies at six furlongs by seven lengths. That was after she had broken her maiden by eight lengths the race before. She followed up these two trips to the winner's circle with another in the $75,000 Slide Show Stakes for juvenile fillies by 3-1/4 lengths – three-for-three after three starts. As she has grown older, it's been a tougher road to hoe. Doudoudouwanadance has ventured into much tougher open company in the $100,000 Trapeze Stakes in her final race of 2022 and then again in the Grade 3, $300,000 Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. The best she could do in those races outside of Oklahoma-bred company was an eighth-place finish and 12^th, respectively.

She hasn't won a race since the first three of her career, but that doesn't deter her owner's feelings about her.

“She is doing great,” Westemeir said. “She will represent us well.”

Doudoudouwanadance has raced twice at Remington Park as a 3-year-old this meet, running fifth, beaten four lengths in open first-level allowance company on Aug. 19 at 5-1/2 furlongs. She then stretched out to seven furlongs in the $50,000 Oklahoma Stallion Stakes on Sept. 8 as the even-money favorite and disappointed in fourth, beaten 6-3/4 lengths. Now she will try older fillies and mares for only the second time. Her fourth-place allowance finish this meet was against some from the older set.

Doudoudouwanadance's record is eight starts, three wins, and one second for $139,346 in earnings. That makes her the third-leading earner in this field.

Do You Bileve, a 6-year-old mare by Mr. Nightlinger, is the second-favorite in the morning line, coming off a third-place finish at 1 mile-70 yards on the main track Sept. 29 in a first-level allowance race. She is a consistent sort owned and trained by Pat Swan of Jones, Okla., and will be making her stakes racing debut. The mare has finished in the money in 21-of-41 starts, but has not won a race since June 23, 2021. She was bred in Oklahoma by Swan and Rose Smith.

Do You Bileve's record overall is 41 starts, three wins, nine seconds and nine thirds for a bankroll of $137,208. Swan will give a leg up to jockey Harry Hernandez for this.

Gotta See Red, is hoping to return to old Classics form in the Distaff. She has competed in 10 stakes races over her past 15 starts and is a multiple stakes winner for her career. This 5-year-old mare by Pollard's Vision, out of the Kipling mare Gotagogotagogotago, has won two of her last three starts for owners Hal Browning and David Faulkner from Dallas, Texas, and trainer Kari Craddock. Among the mare's stakes wins were victories in the $100,000 Oklahoma Classics Lassie as a 2-year-old in 2020; as a 3-year-old – the $55,000 Cinema Stakes at Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, Okla.; the $50,000 Oklahoma Stallion Stakes at Remington Park, and as a 5-year-old, the $55,000 More than Even Stakes at WRD on May 9, 2023.

Gotta See Red owns a career record of 17 starts, seven wins, three thirds for $246,893 in earnings. She is the top earner in the field and owns the most career victories of any in the Distaff with seven. She was bred by her owners.

Here is the field for the Oklahoma Classics Distaff by post position and program order, with trainer, jockey and odds:

1. Fighting Temptation: Alan Williams, Jose Medina, 15-1
2. When Judy Calls: Miguel Silva, Freddy Manrrique, 15-1
3. Okie Attitude: Juan Padilla, Luis Quinonez, 8-1
4. Kachina: Kari Craddock, Floyd Wethey, Jr., 10-1
5. Mucho Mia: Tyrone Gleason, Obed Sanchez, 12-1
6. Gotta See Red: Kari Craddock, Leandro Goncalves, 6-1
7. Da Prairie Girl: Roger Neff, Richard Eramia, 5-1
8. Stormieis Blue: Sarah Davidson, Richard Bracho, 20-1
9. Doudoudouwanadance: Scott Young, Lindey Wade, 3-1 (morning-line favorite)
10. Do You Bileve: Pat Swan, Harry Hernandez, 4-1

The Classics Distaff Handicap will be race seven of 10 on Oklahoma Classics Night, celebrating Oklahoma-bred Thoroughbreds. The scheduled post will be 10:01pm. The first race of the night is set for 7:07pm. All times are Central.

Remington Park has provided more than $331 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District, Remington Park is home to the Oklahoma Classics, the top night of racing in the state for Oklahoma-breds, on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023. Remington Park presents simulcast racing daily and non-stop casino gaming. Parking and admission are always free. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.

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