Tag: Racing

Nutella Fella, the 54-1 upset winner of the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga, will not start again until 2024. Trainer Gary Contessa told bloodhorse.com that the 2-year-old son of Runhappy will be out of training until at least January with a hairline fracture in his left hind ankle.

“It acted like a foot bruise, but we still immediately X-rayed the leg, and X-rays were clean as a whistle. Yet, it just didn't respond (to treatment) like a foot bruise, and it acted like more,” Contessa told bloodhorse.com. “Dr. (Luis) Castro and I wanted to get a more definitive X-ray and we sent him for a CAT scan at New Bolton Center (in Pennsylvania). Sure enough, that was a great move, because they did the scan yesterday and found a hairline fracture in the ankle.”

The colt will not likely need surgery, Contessa said.

Nutella Fella won his debut in a maiden special weight race at Delaware Park on July 26, clearing his rivals by 2 1/4 lengths and stopping the clock in 1:05.55 for 5 1/2 furlongs on the fast dirt track. Ridden by Junior Alvarado in the G1 Hopeful on Sept. 4, the colt broke slowly and was last down the backstretch. Nutella Fella made up all the ground late to win by 1 1/2 lengths, recording a final time of 1:24.41 for seven furlongs on fast dirt.

Out of the placed Candy Ride mare Krissy's Candy, Nutella Fella was a $12,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling sale. He is owned by Bell Gable Stable LLC.

Read more at bloodhorse.com.

The post Hopeful Winner Nutella Fella Out Of Action Until January With Hairline Fracture appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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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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