Tag: Racing

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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With The Moonlight looks to continue the remarkable local success of trainer Charlie Appleby and owner/breeder Godolphin when the Irish-bred 4-year-old faces nine other fillies and mares in the E.P. Taylor Stakes, Sunday at Woodbine.

The E.P. Taylor, run over 1 ¼ miles on the eponymous turf course, offers Grade 1 status and a purse of $750,000.

With The Moonlight will be the first E.P. Taylor starter for Appleby, whose eight Grade 1 wins from 11 starters here include the two most recent Woodbine Miles with Master of The Seas (IRE) and Modern Games (IRE). All those successes came for owner Godolphin and included six homebreds.

“Woodbine is a fair track, and this filly has shown she adapts well to training and racing away from home in the U.K.,” said Appleby.

With The Moonlight will be making her fifth appearance in North America, having recorded a win in the Grade 3 Saratoga Oaks Invitational and seconds there in the Lake Placid and the Belmont Oaks Invitational. The daughter of the spectacular Frankel (GB) was the runner-up behind the very talented In Italian in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley at Keeneland this spring.

Appleby considered the Saratoga Oaks the most impressive of those efforts.

“She got warm in the preliminaries, but managed to overcome that, getting a good position in the race and reversing form with the filly (McKulick) who had beaten her in the Belmont Oaks.”

With The Moonlight has been away from the races since finishing sixth over “soft” going in the Group 2 Dahlia at Newmarket on May 7.

Slated to start in the Grade 1 New York Stakes at Belmont on June 7, the filly missed that engagement due to what was described at the time as a “poor scope” and was sent home.

“We have been happy with her training over the summer,” said Appleby.

With The Moonlight will be looking for her first Grade 1 victory in the E.P. Taylor but numbers Grade 2 runner-up finishes in the Cape Verdi and Balanchine in Dubai this winter among her six overall successes.

“She settled well that day too, showing maturity,” said Appleby, of the latter effort.

William Buick, successful here with Master of The Seas (IRE) and Modern Games (IRE) and also an E.P. Taylor winner in 2009 with Lahaleeb (IRE), retains the mount on With The Moonlight.

Locally-based Moira and Fev Rover comprise a solid local team for the E.P. Taylor.

Moira, a 4-year-old trained by Kevin Attard, who was facing older rivals and trying turf for the first time in last fall's E.P. Taylor, is coming off a smashing 6 ¼-length victory in the Grade 2 Canadian over 1 1/8 miles of turf here September 9.

“She's doing well,” said Attard, who sent out Starship Jubilee to win the E.P. Taylor in 2019. “She's coming off a big win, obviously, and she's had some good works since then.”

Winner of Sovereign Awards as Canada's Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old filly last year, Moira had finished second in each of her first three starts this season.

Fev Rover (IRE) defeated Moira on one of those occasions, leaving that rival 4 ¼ lengths back when making her seasonal bow over one mile of turf in the Grade 2 Nassau.

Returning to action two weeks later in Saratoga's Grade 1 Diana Stakes, Fev Rover was a close and unlucky third but got her Grade 1 victory next time out in the Beverly D. at Colonial Downs.

In the Canadian, however, the Mark Casse-trained 5-year-old was fourth as the odds-on favourite.

“It was disappointing, but I was using the race as a prep for the E.P. Taylor and the Breeders' Cup (Filly and Mare Turf),” said Casse. “We're just hoping it works out. She's training really good into this race. We're expecting a big effort.”

Chad Brown, who won last year's E.P. Taylor with Rougir (FR) and the 2020 renewal with Etoile (FR), will be represented this year by Saratoga shippers Consumer Spending, Rocky Sky (IRE) and Kalifornia Queen (GER).

Christophe Clement, who took the 2021 E.P. Taylor with Mutamakina (GB), will be looking to emulate that feat with Amazing Grace (GER) and Atomic Blonde (GER).

Skims (GB), conditioned by Shug McGaughey, was in town for a runner-up effort in the Canadian, with Atomic Blonde just behind in third.

Aspen Grove (IRE) trained by Jack Sisterson, joins Fev Rover (IRE) as the only Grade 1 winners in the field. The daughter of Justify captured last year's Belmont Oaks Invitational.

Field for the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Fev Rover (IRE) – Javier Castellano – Mark Casse

2 – Amazing Grace (GER) – Dylan Davis – Christophe Clement

3 – Skims (GB) – Sahin Civaci – Shug McGaughey

4 – With The Moonlight (IRE) – William Buick – Charlie Appleby

5 – Aspen Grove (IRE) – Oisin Murphy – Jack Sisterson

6 – Moira – Rafael Hernandez – Kevin Attard

7 – Consumer Spending – Kazushi Kimura – Chad Brown

8 – Atomic Blonde (GER) – Trevor McCarthy – Christophe Clement

9 – Rocky Sky (IRE) – Declan Carroll – Chad Brown

10 – Kalifornia Queen (GER) – Patrick Husbands – Chad Brown

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