Tag: Racing

Elusive Princess (FR) announced her arrival in North America with authority on Aug. 4 at Saratoga when she romped to a 3¼-length victory as the favorite in the Saratoga Oaks Invitational (G3) as the favorite going 1 3/16 miles.

On Saturday, she will try to make another authoritative statement when she goes to the gate in the 40^th running of the $600,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) Presented by Dixiana to be run at 1 1/8 miles over the Keeneland turf course.

“She got here last night and trained this morning,” trainer Arnaud Delacour said of the 3-year-old filly, who came into his barn following her victory at Saratoga. “We picked her up the day after she won at Saratoga and took her to Fair Hill (Training Center in Maryland) and that gave us two months to get ready for here.”

Delacour took over the training of the filly from Jean-Philippe Dubois, who also bred and owned Elusive Princess.

“The ownership (LNJ Foxwoods, NK Racing and Anthony Munafo) did not change and the trainer kept a share (as Ecurie Victoria Dreams),” Delacour said. “I am lucky to get the opportunity. She is an exciting prospect.”

Delacour likes what he has seen from the Martinborough (JPN) filly who is Group 1-placed this year in France.

“She was very impressive at Saratoga and she is very efficient,” Delacour said. “Her last race in Europe (the Group 1 Prix de Diane run at 1 5/16 miles) she showed a big turn of foot and made a big run to finish fifth from far back.”

Turf conditions for the Prix de Diane were labeled good to soft and Elusive Princess caught soft conditions at Saratoga.

“She likes a little bit of cut (softness) in the ground, and I'd like to get that again Saturday,” Delacour said.

Overnight showers Friday into Saturday morning are forecast.

In addition to Elusive Princess, the QE II attracted European invaders Mawj (IRE), Sounds of Heaven (GB) and Elounda Queen (IRE).

“This is not a typical end-of-the-year race in that a lot of horses are coming in fresh,” Delacour said. “Mawj has not run since May (in winning the Group 1 One Thousand Guineas), and Sounds of Heaven hasn't run since the end of July (in the Group 1 Prix Rothschild). This is a tough race and a solid group.”

Flavien Prat, who has ridden the past two QE II winners in Shantisara (IRE) in 2021 and Gina Romantica last year, retains the mount on Elusive Princess on Saturday.

The post ‘Exciting Prospect’: Dominating Saratoga Oaks Winner Elusive Princess Will Make First Start For Arnaud Delacour In QEII appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Millie Girl, who has hit the top three in all her starts, chases her first stakes success in the $150,000 Ontario Matron (G3), Saturday at Woodbine.

The 1 1/16-mile main track feature for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and upward, has drawn 12 starters, including the 5-year-old daughter of Hard Spun-Mendocino Beano, who brings a mark of 3-2-3 from eight races into her latest test.

Trained by Catherine Day Phillips, who co-owns (through her Kingfield Racing Stable, Ltd.) with Braconcrest Inc. and Apricot Valley Thoroughbreds, the dark bay launched her career with two consecutive victories, both at seven panels on the E.P. Taylor turf, including a half-length score in her career bow last July.

“I trained Millie Girl's dam, Mendocino Beano, for the Fitzhenrys (breeders and owners, Sean and Dorothy) and she was very talented,” noted Day Phillips. “I was very excited to have Millie Girl, named after Dorothy's beloved dog, in our barn.”

Since her first two appearances, Millie Girl has raced three times on the Tapeta, twice at seven furlongs, and once at 1 1/6 miles, along with three starts on the E.P. Taylor, over “good” ground at 1 1/16 miles on October 22, over “firm” going at 6 ½ furlongs on June 3 and on “yielding” ground at one mile on July 1.

The Ontario Matron will be her fourth consecutive stakes engagement. She was third in both the Royal North (G2T) and Nassau (G2T), the latter won by multiple Grade 1 winner Fev Rover (IRE), with Canada's 2022 horse of the year, Canadian Stakes (G2T) victress Moira, finishing second.

Millie Girl, a $67,000 (U.S.) Keeneland Association November Breeding Stock Sale purchase in 2021, was a determined second in her most recent outing, the Seaway (G3) on September 17.

“She has shown talent from the start of her training,” said Day Phillips, of the mare bred in Ontario by Sean Fitzhenry. “She has taken time to develop both mentally and physically, but she has been worth the wait.”

Kevin Pena Salgado is the groom.

Other starters include multiple graded stakes winners Il Malocchio and Souper Hoity Toity, stakes winners Mouffy and Strega, and multiple graded stakes-placed Angelou.

First post time is 1:15 p.m. Fans can also watch and wager on all the action via HPIbet.com, bet365, and the Dark Horse Bets app.

Field for the Ontario Matron

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Ephrata (GB) – Eswan Flores – Josie Carroll

2 – Il Malocchio – Sahin Civaci – Martin Drexler

3 – Mouffy – Kazushi Kimura – Jonathan Thomas

4 – Do You Love Me (S) – Gaddiel Martinez – W. John Bourke

5 – Souper Hoity Toity – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse

6 – Whimsical Dance – Ryan Munger – Gail Cox

7 – Saratoga Vision – Justin Stein – Alexander Patykewich

8 – Millie Girl – Rafael Hernandez – Catherine Day Phillips

9 – Devil's Bit – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Roger Attfield

10 – Angelou – Luis Contreras – Kevin Attard

11 – Strega – Luis Contreras – Kevin Attard

12 – Tamarama (GB) – Declan Carroll – Jack Sisterson

The post ‘Worth The Wait’: Consistent Millie Girl Faces 11 Rivals In Ontario Matron appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Bryan Minnich's homebred gelding King's River, taking advantage of a class drop to graduate in dominant fashion last time out, will step back up into stakes company for the first time in Saturday's $100,000 Maryland Million Nursery at Laurel Park.

The Nursery for 2-year-olds and $100,000 Lassie for 2-year-old fillies, both sprinting six furlongs, are among eight stakes and four starter stakes on the 38th Jim McKay Maryland Million program, 'Maryland's Day at the Races' celebrating the progeny of stallions standing in the state.

Highlighted by the $150,000 Classic for 3-year-olds and up, first race post time is 11:30 a.m.

By millionaire Irish War Cry, whose three graded-stakes wins included the historic Pimlico Special (G3) in 2018, King's River was one of eight juveniles in for a $20,000 tag Sept. 29 on opening day of Laurel's fall meet. He had finished off the board in each of his first two races, the first in a waiver maiden claimer and the second in a $50,000 claimer on the grass at Colonial Downs.

“We felt we needed to make that move because he'd been struggling a little bit and we thought it would be something to give him a little confidence. I don't know if it gave him that much confidence, but we're going to find out. It was definitely the race I was looking for,” trainer Linda Albert said. “We'll see how it looks when we go to the big leagues this time.”

Breaking from the rail, King's River quickly recovered after being bumped at the start to assume an early lead and go on to a front-running 13-length triumph while pulling away despite being green under a hand ride from jockey Forest Boyce. The performance convinced the connections to take a shot in the Nursery, which Albert won in 2007 with Regal Solo, who would return to win the Classic in 2010.

“After the race we were sitting there saying that the race is coming right up. You do only get one crack at it with a 2-year-old. It's right here and it is one of my favorite days, so we'll give it a try,” Albert said. “He's doing great.”

King's River gets Boyce and the rail again in a full field of 14 that includes Maryland-bred also-eligibles Call Me Andy and It's My Rainbow.

“It's not ideal [but] it's where he was last time. It's going to kind of force his hand to be up close like that but, hopefully, he learned a little something last time,” Albert said. “That was the trouble in his other two races. He wasn't learning much, but we're going to give him a chance. We're glad to have Forest back. She's got the hot hand right now.”

Four horses – Bigdaddysboy, Blame the Tux, Point Pelee and Full Proof – enter the Nursery off victories. No Guts No Glory Farm's homebred Bigdaddysboy, a popular three-length debut winner Sept. 1 at Timonium, is one of three horses trained by John Robb, who won the Nursery in 1993 with Run Alden and 2011 with Glib.

Maryland's leading trainer, Brittany Russell, is represented by Karmac Stable homebred Prado Road. The gelded son of Golden Rod was beaten a neck in his lone start, a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight over a wet-fast track Sept. 30 at Delaware Park.

Rolling Meadows Farm's homebred maiden Summerstateofmind was second, beaten 2 ¼ lengths by Robb-trained Nursery entrant Dance for Green Aug. 6 at Laurel, and ran fourth in a six-furlong maiden special weight Sept. 15 at historic Pimlico Race Course. Trainer Tim Keefe is seeking his first win in the Nursery.

“I almost won it with a maiden a few years back [Dancing With Maude in 2016]. People thought I was crazy but I knew the horse belonged. He came flying and finished second,” Keefe said. “Obviously [Summerstateofmind] is still a maiden, but it doesn't matter. He's run well. His last race was good. He was beaten by a bunch of [well-bred] horses so we decided we'd give it a shot and see where we are with him.”

Catahoula Moon, Kohler's, Street Tough and Speedyness complete the field.

The post ‘You Do Only Get One Crack At It’: Homebred King’s River Steps Up For Maryland Million Nursery appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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