Tag: Racing

Delta Downs in Vinton, La. opened its 2023-2024 Thoroughbred race season on Friday night with a nine-race program that featured a pair of $100,000 stakes races.

Fans were treated to the Gold Cup and the Magnolia Stakes. Both events were for Louisiana-bred runners going seven furlongs. The Magnolia featured fillies and mares.

The Gold Cup featured heavily favored Touchuponastar, who was gunning for third win in as many starts at Delta Downs. His last appearance in Vinton resulted in a rousing victory in the Louisiana Premier Night Championship back in February.

Touchuponastar did not disappoint by coming through with a 5½-length victory and it could have been even more.

After breaking sharply under jockey Tim Thornton, the eventual winner cruised to an easy lead and carved out fractional times of :23.75 for the opening quarter mile and :47.61 for the half-mile. As the field of eight made the turn for home Thornton shook the reins and his mount responded, going on to a dominant win over Big Chopper while Autumns Strong Man finished another 3 3/4 lengths behind the runner-up.

The final time for Touchuponastar, who is trained by Jeff Delhomme, was 1:24.64. Each race on the program was contest over a fast track and with near perfect weather conditions.

Touchuponastar has now won eight of 11 career starts and has banked a total of $468,100 for his owner, Set-Hut LLC (Jake Delhomme). His win in the Gold Cup was worth $60,000.

Bred in Louisiana by Coteau Grove Farms, Touchuponastar is a 4-year-old bay gelding by Star Guitar out of the Quiet American mare Touch Magic.

Leaving the starting gate at odds of 1-5, Touchuponastar paid $2.60 to win.

All eyes were on Free Like a Girl in the $100,000 Magnolia Stakes as the 4-year-old filly was attempting to the race for the second year in a row and become a millionaire at the same time. But it wasn't to be as Noneya pulled the upset under jockey Vicente Del Cid, who was riding for owner/trainer Ronnie Ward.

Free Like a Girl made a late bid but came up short finishing third behind the winner and Norah G who wound up second.

As the seven-furlong race for Louisiana-bred fillies and mares began it was Norah G who showed early speed by setting fractional times of :23.71  for the quarter mile and :48.21 for the half. Meanwhile, Noneya sat patiently off the leader while stalking the pace before digging in for a sustained rally turning for home.

At the wire Noneya was 2 1/4 lengths clear of Norah G while Free Like a girl was another three-quarters of a length behind in third. The winner covered the distance in 1:25.97.

Noneya has now won six of 18 career starts. Her $60,000 winner's share in the Magnolia raised her lifetime bankroll to $202,340.

Bred in Louisiana by J. Adcock and Hume Warnall, Noneya is a 5-year-old mare by Palaceout of the Quiet American mare American Placed.

Dispatched at odds of 6-1, Noneya paid $15 to win.

The post Delta Downs Opener: Touchuponastar Wires Gold Cup; Noneya Takes In Magnolia appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

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.

Source of original post

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.

Source of original post