Tag: Racing

Idle since winning the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 8, trainer Tim Yakteen's Practical Move returned to action in a big way on Friday at Santa Anita, as he waltzed to a four-length victory in a one mile classified allowance, getting the trip under Ramon Vazquez in 1:35.14.

In a race reduced by three scratches to a field of four 3-year-olds and up, Practical Move sat a perfect trip, just off of dueling leaders Newgrange and Tripoli into and around the Club House turn.  As the field turned up the backside, it was Newgrange at the rail and Tripoli to his outside, with Practical Move about 1 ½ lengths off the lead a half mile from home.

Around the far turn, Practical Move glided into contention while well within himself and made the lead in the four-path leaving the quarter pole in-hand under Vazquez, who would go on to register his third win of the afternoon.

As for any speculation as to where Practical Move would run next, including the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic or the $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, both at Santa Anita on Nov. 4, Yakteen declined to speculate.

“We were hoping for this,” he said.  “Very happy with the way he ran, he'd been training very well but you never know until you run 'em…Things set up well for us today and he replicated what he's been doing in the morning.

“We're going to take a day or two, think about where we'll go next and we'll figure it out.  I'll get together with Peter and Leslie (Amestoy, part owners along with Roger Beasley) and then we'll take it from there.”

The 2-5 favorite, Practical Move returned $2.80 and $2.20 with no show wagering.

By the Into Mischief stallion Practical Joke out of the Afleet Alex mare Ack Naughty, Practical Move, who was bred in Kentucky by Chad Brown and Head of Plains Partners, now has five wins from eight starts.  With today's winner's share of $39,000 from total purse money of $65,000, Practical Move now has earnings of $923,200.

Tripoli, a 6-year-old full horse trained by John Sadler and a winner of the G1 Pacific Classic in 2021, was sent aggressively from his outside post and prevailed by three quarters of a length over 5-2 second choice Newgrange.

Off at 6-1, Tripoli paid $4.00 to place.

Fractions on the race were 21.79, 44.92, 1:09.47 and 1:22.18.

Racing resumes with first post time for a 10-race card on Saturday at 1 p.m.  Admission gates open at 11 a.m.

The post Santa Anita Derby Winner Practical Move Best Of Four In Comeback appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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With a powerful outside move, Buchu secured a “Win and You're In” berth to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on Friday in the Grade 2 Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland.

The daughter of Justify was unhurried out of gate by jockey Martin Garcia, settling in near the back of the pack while Bella Haze and Asternia set the early pace in the 1 1/16-mile turf race, leading through the first turn and setting an opening quarter-mile in :22.84 seconds.

Bella Haze and jockey Joel Rosario maintained a half-length advantage over 51-1 longshot Asternia and Julien Leparoux coming out of the turn, and that advantage remained about the same as they went across the backstretch, tracked a length behind by Time to Dazzle, and another length back to post time favorite Toupie. Meanwhile, Buchu remained in third-to-last, as the leaders passed the half-mile point in :47.37 seconds.

Little changed through the next quarter-mile up front, with Bella Haze holding the advantage on the rail through six furlongs in 1:12.12. Challenger Asternia was no longer able to keep up and faded into the pack, while Abeyance attempted to move up the rail and challenge the leader.

Buchu was still third-to-last when the field turned for home, but Garcia swung his mount widest of all and started making up lots of ground between the quarter pole and the three-sixteenths pole. While Bella Haze staved off the challengers in her immediate vicinity, Buchu came rolling down the stretch several paths out from the pacesetter, and they reached equal terms just past the eighth pole. Buchu carried on the momentum on the outside and rolled on to a 3 3/4-length victory.

Bella Haze was swallowed up by the cavalry charge in the final furlong, as Pharoah's Wind made a middle move to finish second, a nose ahead of Crown Imperial. Bella Haze finished fourth,

Buchu completed the Jessamine in 1:42.48 over a turf course labeled as good. She paid $13.30 to win.

Trainer Philip Bauer saddled Buchu to victory for owner Rigney Racing, who also bred the filly.

The Jessamine was Buchu's second career victory after breaking her maiden in her previous start on Sept. 23 at Churchill Downs. Friday's race was her first try at stakes competition, after beginning her career with a pair of third-place efforts on the dirt at Ellis Park and Saratoga Race Course. She was moved to the turf for her next Saratoga start on Aug. 20, but she finished sixth after a troubled trip, prior to her race at Churchill Downs, also on the grass.

“The last time (maiden win at Churchill) she was a little fresh and she was inside,” Garcia said. “Today I had a really good position. I knew it was going to be big speed so I just let her break and relax. In the first turn I just took it easy and took her back and she relaxed on the backside. At the five-sixteenths (pole) I just took her out and then I asked her to go, and all I could see was just going by horses. I'm like, 'I'm going to win!' She's a phenomenal filly. We won again. Thanks to the trainer (Phil Bauer) and the owner (Rigney Racing) for the opportunity. She's a superstar.”

With the victory on Friday, Buchu guaranteed herself a spot in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on Friday, Nov. 3 at Santa Anita Park.

If she is successful, she would be the first Jessamine winner to prevail in the Juvenile Fillies Turf since Aunt Pearl parlayed the race into a Breeders' Cup score in 2020. Rushing Fall also turned the Jessamine/Juvenile Fillies Turf double in 2017.

The post Buchu Sweeps Late To Take Jessamine Stakes, Secure Breeders’ Cup Berth appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Oceanic, a multiple graded stakes-placed son of Constitution-Rockin Girl, tackles six furlongs of E.P. Taylor turf and 12 rivals in Sunday's $250,000 Nearctic Stakes (G2T) at Woodbine.

Trained by Jordan Blair for Surfside Stables, LLC, 6-year-old Oceanic has encountered his fair share of bad racing luck over a career that has yielded a 4-3-3 mark from 25 starts, to go along with $348,624 (U.S.) in earnings.

The bay's past three starts are prime examples of tough trips he's endured.

On May 23, at Indiana Downs, Oceanic stumbled at the three-eighths pole but recovered to finish fourth, 2 ¼ lengths behind the winner in the five-furlong turf race. One race later, on July 1, Oceanic stumbled at the start of the Highlander (G2T) at Woodbine but rallied to finish second, a half-length back of Lucky Score in the six-furlong trek over the E.P. Taylor turf.

Last time out, on August 6, the gelding was bumped early in the 5 ½-furlong KY Downs Preview Turf Sprint Stakes at Ellis Park, before regrouping to finish fourth.

“He's had a lot of issues and other things over the years,” said Blair. “But he's a trier and he always gives you everything he's got.”

Blair sees the E.P. Taylor course as an ideal fit for Oceanic.

“We've freshened him for this one and he seems to always run well off a freshening. We had to decide whether to run at Ellis Park, Kentucky Downs, or at Keeneland or Woodbine. One thing we noticed about Canada, is that he flourished on that turf course, and the extra half-furlong really fits his running style right now. It could make all the difference in the world. With such a big course up there, at least in our last race, the horses really spread out and gave us a lot of running room.”

“And the turf course is beautiful. I had come up to Toronto many years ago when I was an assistant with Kenny McPeek and we won the Summer Stakes (in 2009) with a horse named Bridgetown. I've been up there several times and experienced it and it's a lovely course. It has big, sweeping turns and it gives the horses room to run. With more than a quarter mile turning for home, it gives you a real true sense of your horse, rather than having those troubled trips like Oceanic has dealt with. He stumbled in the Highlander, but he had plenty of time to make that big run.”

Bred in Kentucky by DP Racing LLC, Oceanic debuted with a second-place effort on April 1, 2020, in a six-furlong dirt race at Tampa Bay Downs. He broke his maiden in his seventh start, a 4 ½-length score at five panels over the Tampa Bay turf on January 17, 2021.

His lone stakes victory came in last year's Woodford Reserve Da Hoss Stakes. He was second in the Woodford Reserve (G2T) next time out and then contested the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T), finishing thirteenth to Caravel.

“It almost feels like he should be a Grade 1 winner by now,” said Blair. “He's as talented as any of the turf sprinters out there, but without getting the breaks. Hopefully, he can get away well, and if he's able to settle mid-pack, then watch out. If he can get the trip, I think he's sitting on a pretty big race.”

Oceanic will face some heavy hitters in the Nearctic, a group that features multiple graded stakes winner Lucky Score, who is 2-2-4 in his last eight starts. Other hopefuls include graded stakes winner Big Invasion, 2023 Connaught Cup (G2T) victor Dream Shake, multiple graded stakes-placed Ice Chocolat (BRZ), and graded stakes winner Masen (GB). ​ ​

Field for the Grade 2 Nearctic
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Dream Shake – Rafael Hernandez – Michael Stidham ​

2 – Remuda – Patrick Husbands – Eoin Harty

3 – Jazz Hands – Shane Ellis – Harold Ladouceur

4 – County Final (S) – Edgard Zayas – Saffie Joseph, Jr.

5 – War Bomber (IRE) – Ryan Munger – Norm McKnight

6 – Oceanic – Reylu Gutierrez – Jordan Blair

7 – Lucky Score – Sahin Civaci – Mark Casse

8 – Masen (GB) – Kazushi Kimura – Chad Brown

9 – Last American Exit – Justin Stein – Harold Ladouceur

10 – Ice Chocolat (BRZ) – Javier Castellano – Mark Casse

11 – Big Invasion – Dylan Davis – Christophe Clement

12 – Rockcrest – Keveh Nicholls – Nigel Burke

13 – Dhabab (IRE) – William Buick – Edward Vaughan

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