Tag: Racing

Godolphin's Pretty Mischievous looks to move a step closer to the 3-year-old filly championship for 2023 when she takes on eight others in Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pa.

Pretty Mischievous drew post three and was installed as the 2-1 favorite in the 1 1/16-mile Cotillion, the co-featured event on Saturday's stacked card along with the Grade 1, $1 million betPARX Pennsylvania Derby. The Cotillion goes as the 12th of 14 races, with a post time of 5:20 p.m. ET.

Trained by Brendan Walsh, Pretty Mischievous comes into the Cotillion with three consecutive Grade 1 victories. The daughter of Into Mischief upset the Kentucky Oaks at odds of 10-1, won the Grade 1 Acorn five weeks later at Belmont Park and added the Grade 1 Test Stakes at Saratoga Race Course after Maple Leaf Mel broke down in the final strides.

Walsh looks forward to Pretty Mischievous racing around two turns for the first time since the Oaks.

“To be very honest I was a little surprised last time, she struggled with the pace a little bit in the Test. But she was running very strong at the end of the race,” Walsh said. “Listen, they weren't hanging around there, they were moving on the front. I thought maybe she would have adjusted to it a little better, but saying that, obviously we know what happened. She would have been a good second, so I can't be too hard on her either.

“The two turns really is her thing. We tried that (the Test). Back to two turns she's been very effective as we all know, so we're looking forward to getting her back there. Hopefully, we can cap a very good year for her.”

Trainer Ken McPeek sends out Katsumi Yoshida's Grade 1 winner Defining Purpose, the 4-1 second choice on the morning line. The daughter of Cross Traffic won the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks two starts back at Horseshoe Indianapolis and finished third, beaten 5 ½ lengths, last time out in the Grade 1 Alabama. Seventh in the Kentucky Oaks, Defining Purpose scored a 20-1 upset of the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes in early April at Keeneland Race Course.

“These kinds of races are never easy and you don't expect them to be easy,” McPeek said. “But she is good right now and this is her chance to shine.”

McPeek also kept Defining Purpose at Saratoga to prep for her Parx debut, and she's turned in three strong half-mile works over the Oklahoma in preparation for Saturday. McPeek said the purse and status of the Cotillion lured him to Parx,

“I could have taken her to Remington for the Remington Park Oaks, a race we have won a couple times (2013 and 2020) but I don't think it was going to enhance her pedigree any more,” he said.” Even a placing in the Cotillion is important. Obviously, winning it would be the goal.”

Trainer Doug O'Neill ships 5-1 third choice Ceiling Crusher in from Southern California for the Cotillion. The California-bred daughter of Mr. Big exits a 6-length victory in the Grade 1 Torrey Pines Stakes Sept. 2 at Del Mar. She's won four of five starts, all as the favorite, by a combined 39 lengths, and drew post three for the Cotillion.

“This is definitely our Breeder' Cup Classic if you will … the Cotillion,” O'Neill said. “We are super jazzed and super pumped up. It will be a tough spot, but we are hoping she can swim in these deeper waters.

“Saturday will stamp, or validate, hopefully, what we think of her. We are excited to see her in there. She doesn't necessarily need the lead, but she could be forwardly placed. She has a real high cruising speed and a lot of stamina.”

Occult, winner of the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks last time out; and Hoosier Philly, a Grade 2 winner at 2 who topped leading 3-year-old Wet Paint two starts back in the Monomoy Girl Stakes at Ellis Park, are co-third choices at 6-1. Grade 3 Iowa Oaks runner-up Imonra, Cathryn Sophia winner Foggy Night, Saratoga allowance winner and Wilton Stakes runner-up Just Katherine and Cathryn Sophia third Majestic Creed complete the field.

The Pennsylvania Derby and Cotillion headline Saturday's card that also includes the $400,000, Grade 2 Gallant Bob Stakes for 3-year-olds at 6 furlongs; the $300,000 Parx Dirt Mile Stakes for 3-year-olds and up; the $250,000 Grade 3 Turf Monster Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at 5 furlongs on the turf; and the Grade 3, $200,000 Greenwood Cup for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/2 miles.

The card also features a pair of $150,000 events for Pennsylvania-bred and sired 2-year-olds in the Imply Stakes and Prince Lucky Stakes; and the $100,000 Plum Pretty Stakes for Pennsylvania-bred fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up and $100,000 Alphabet Soup Stakes for Pennsylvania-bred 3-year-olds and up.

Post time for the first race Saturday is 11:35 a.m. ET.

The field for the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion Stakes, with jockeys and morning-line odds:

1. Foggy Night, Florent Geroux, 12-1;

2. Ceiling Crusher, Edwin Maldonado, 5-1;

3. Pretty Mischievous, Tyler Gaffalione, 2-1;

4. Hoosier Philly, John Velazquez, 6-1;

5. Occult, Irad Ortiz Jr., 6-1;

6. Just Katherine, Junior Alvarado, 12-1;

7. Defining Purpose, Brian Hernandez Jr., 4-1;

8. Imonra, Tyler Conner, 10-1;

9. Majestic Creed, Mychel Sanchez, 30-1.

The post ‘Two Turns Really Is Her Thing’: Pretty Mischievous Takes On Eight Rivals In Cotillion appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will be looking for his record fifth victory when he sends out favored Reincarnate in the 43rd running of Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million betPARX Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pa.

Reincarnate, owned by SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan, was installed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the Pennsylvania Derby, which drew a field of 11.

The Pennsylvania Derby and Cotillion headline Saturday's card that also includes the $400,000, Grade 2 Gallant Bob Stakes for 3-year-olds at 6 furlongs; the $300,000 Parx Dirt Mile Stakes for 3-year-olds and up; the $250,000 Grade 3 Turf Monster Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at 5 furlongs on the turf; and the Grade 3, $200,000 Greenwood Cup for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/2 miles.

The card also features a pair of $150,000 events for Pennsylvania-bred and sired 2-year-olds in the Imply Stakes and Prince Lucky Stakes; and the $100,000 Plum Pretty Stakes for Pennsylvania-bred fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up and $100,000 Alphabet Soup Stakes for Pennsylvania-bred 3-year-olds and up.

The Pennsylvania Derby goes as the 13th of 14 races Saturday, with post time at 6:10 p.m. ET. First post Saturday is 11:35 a.m.

Reincarnate, who will be ridden by Juan Hernandez, will start from the outside post 11.

“Oh, man, I am going to hang up,” Baffert said with a laugh by phone from California when told Reincarnate's post for the 1 1/8-mile race. “It means lucky 11. I was hoping to get in the middle somewhere, but you can't change it. He's still going.”

Reincarnate, a son of Good Magic, last raced July 8 when he won the Los Alamitos Derby gate-to-wire by 2 1/2 lengths.

This season, he has two wins and two thirds in five starts. Before Los Alamitos, he was 13th in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby.

“This race is going to be a good step up for him,” Baffert said. “He ran really well at Los Alamitos. He is going to have to break well and show up. That's the main thing. If he shows up, I don't see why he wouldn't run well.”

FMQ Stables' Saudi Crown, trained by Brad Cox, is the 7-2 second choice on the morning line. The son of Always Dreaming has been idle since a gutty second-place finish behind Forte in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga on July 29. He was also second in the Grade 3 Dwyer May 21 at Belmont Park. He will be ridden by Florent Geroux.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen will saddle Winchell Thoroughbreds' Magic Tap, the 5-1 third choice on the morning line. The lightly raced son of Tapit will be making his stakes debut in the Derby after winning an allowance race by a neck at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 13. Magic Tap, who will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, has two wins and two seconds in his four career starts, all of them this year.

Scotland, owned by LNJ Foxwoods and trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, will attempt to build off his sixth in the Grade 1 Travers Aug. 26 at Saratoga Race Course as he makes his first start since with regular rider Junior Alvarado. He is the 6-1 fourth choice on the morning line.

Eduardo Soto's Il Miracolo (8-1) comes into the Derby after winning the Grade 3 Smarty Jones Stakes Aug. 22 at Parx for trainer Antonio Sano.

Gilmore, owned by the same connections as Reincarnate, was fourth in the Grade 2 Amsterdam July 28 at Saratoga and then won an allowance at the Spa Aug 30. The Brendan Walsh-trained son of Twirling Candy is 10-1 on the morning line and will be ridden by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, who rode him in his first start nine races ago.

“The last race, and the way the horse has gone in general gives us more confidence going into this race,” Walsh said. “He's doing great, really improving as the year has went on. We feel like it's time to give him a shot at something like this.”

Dreamlike, trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, is 10-1 on the morning line and is coming off a pair of Saratoga races. The son of Gun Runner, owned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable, broke his maiden July 14 and was fifth in an allowance Aug. 13. Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride.

Completing the field are Daydreaming Boy, conditioned by Parx trainer Louis Linder and to be ridden by Dexter Haddock, was third in the Smarty Jones; West Coast Cowboy, who was second in the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby and is from the barn of Saffie Joseph Jr. and keeps rider Tyler Conner; Crupi, also from Pletcher, won an Aug. 18 allowance on a muddy track at Saratoga; and maiden Modern Era from the barn of Parx regular Uriah St. Lewis, who will be making his stakes debut after eight maiden starts.

The field for the Grade 1, $1 million betPARX Pennsylvania Derby, with jockeys and morning-line odds:

1. Modern Era, Patrick Henry Jr., 50-1;
2. Dreamlike, Irad Ortiz Jr., 10-1;
3. Saudi Crown, Florent Geroux, 7-2;
4. Magic Tap, Tyler Gaffalione, 5-1;
5. Scotland, Junior Alvarado, 6-1;
6. Daydreaming Boy, Dexter Haddock, 12-1;
7. West Coast Cowboy, Tyler Conner, 12-1;
8. Gilmore, John Velazquez, 10-1;
9. Crupi, No rider, 15-1;
10. Il Miracolo, No rider, 8-1;
11. Reincarnate, Juan Hernandez, 3-1.

The post Baffert-Trained Reincarnate Tabbed 3-1 Morning Line Choice Over 10 Rivals For Pennsylvania Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Gold Square's multiple stakes placed 3-year-old Slip Mahoney will try to win his first stakes contest in Saturday's third running of the $300,000 Bourbon Trail at Churchill Downs.

The 1 1/16-mile Bourbon Trail was carded as Race 7 at 9:05 p.m. The 11-race “Downs After Dark” program will start at 6 p.m. and feature the $300,000 Dogwood Stakes (G3) along with the $300,000 Harrods Creek and $175,000 Seneca Overnight Stakes.

In the Bourbon Trail, Slip Mahoney began his season on the Road to the Kentucky Derby when he was the runner-up finisher to Raise Cain in the Gotham (G3) at Aqueduct. Slip Mahoney has been primarily based with trainer Brad Cox's New York string where he defeated five rivals, including Harrods Creek Stakes competitor Mount Up, in a July 23 allowance contest at Saratoga. One month ago, Slip Mahoney finished a head behind his stablemate Tabeguache in the St. Louis Derby. Slip Mahoney will be ridden by Gerardo Corrales from post No. 2.

Another intriguing entrant in the Bourbon Trail is Petal Power Racing Stable's Super Derby winner Big Data. Trained by Michael Lerman, Big Data rallied from just off the pace in Louisiana Downs' Super Derby to defeat six rivals by three-quarters of a length. The son of Cloud Computing has only finished off the board once through eight starts. Jockey Emisael Jaramillo will have the call from post 7.

Here is the complete field for the Bourbon Trail from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):

1. Manaciata d'Oro (Manny Esquivel, Brad Cox);
2. Slip Mahoney (Corrales, Cox);
3. Denington (Corey Lanerie, Kenny McPeek);
4. Shirl's Bee (Leparoux, Stewart);
5. Oscar Eclipse (Cristian Torres, Brian Lynch);
6. Lincoln Highway (Rafael Bejarano, Vicki Oliver); and
7. Big Data (Jaramillo, Lerman).

The Bourbon Trail ® honors the profound history and proud tradition of “America's Official Native Spirit” when the Kentucky Distillers' Association (KDA) established the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® in 1999, a road trip-style experience for bourbon lovers to visit the Bluegrass State's signature distilleries.

The Kentucky Bourbon Trail ® and Bourbon Trail ® are trademarks/service marks of the Kentucky Distillers' Association used by Churchill Downs Inc. pursuant to license. The Kentucky Distillers' Association and its member distilleries ask that you please enjoy Kentucky Bourbon responsibly.

St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and Robert Masiello's ultra-consistent Mount Up, a recent allowance winner at Saratoga, headlines a field of seven 3-year-olds entered in Saturday's third running of the $300,000 Harrods Creek Stakes.

The seven-furlong Harrods Creek will go as Race 8 at 9:39 p.m.

Mount Up, trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, has never finished worse than second in four-career starts. The son of Army Mule broke his maiden by a scant nose in late June at Belmont Park. One month later, Mount Up was second best in a first-level allowance event at Saratoga behind Slip Mahoney, a multiple stakes-placed Brad Cox trainee. Mount Up returned to the same allowance condition Aug. 20 and defeated nine rivals by a half-length. Mount Up will be ridden by Emisael Jaramillo from post No. 5.

Another Saratoga allowance winner that entered the Harrods Creek is Qatar Racing's Everso Mischievous. Like Mount Up, Everso Mischievous has yet to finish worse than second in four starts. Trained by Brad Cox, Everso Mischievous broke his maiden on Kentucky Derby Day by 2 ¼ lengths. Following that race, the son of Into Mischief battled Heartbreaker in a first-level allowance contest at Ellis Park but finished second by a head at odds of 2-5. Everso Mischievous shipped north to Cox's Saratoga string where he narrowly defeated Cape Trafalgar and eight other rivals by a neck. Jockey Cristian Torres has the mount from post 6.

Here is the complete field for the Harrods Creek from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):

1. Bourbon Bash (Jaime Torres, Wayne Lukas);
2. Determinedly (Francisco Arrieta, Mark Casse);
3. Loyal Company (Declan Cannon, Brendan Walsh);
4. Bouncer (Ricardo Santana Jr., Mark Casse);
5. Mount Up (Emisael Jaramillo, Todd Pletcher);
6. Everso Mischievous (Torres, Cox); and
7. Praetorian Guard (James Graham, Lou Linder).

Richard Bahde's former $50,000 claimer turned Grade II winner Taxed leads a field of seven 3-year-old fillies entered in Saturday's third running of the $175,000 Seneca Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs.

Taxed and her six rivals will go to post at 10:11 p.m. in Race 9.

Trained by veteran Randy Morse, Taxed has greatly rewarded her connections since being claimed on Nov. 20, 2022. On Preakness Day eve, Taxed powered past Hoosier Philly to win the Black Eyed Susan (G2) by 3 ¾ lengths. The daughter of Collected also sports runner-up efforts in the Fantasy (G3), Indiana Oaks (G3) and Martha Washington. Jockey Cristian Torres will have the call for the first time on Taxed in the Seneca from the rail.

Another stakes winner that entered the Seneca is Rigney Racing's Tepin winner Xigera. Trained by Phil Bauer, Xigera will make only her second start on dirt. Her only start on the main track came as a 2-year-old in the Alcibiades (G1) at Keeneland when she had a troubled trip to finish third. Xigera began her 3-year-old season in early June at Churchill Downs with an impressive 3 ½-length victory at one mile on turf. She followed that up with a gritty half-length score in the Tepin at Ellis Park. Xigera enters the Seneca following a disappointing sixth-place finish in the Saratoga Oaks Invitational (G3). The daughter of Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist will be ridden by Julien Leparoux out of post No. 7.

Here is the complete Seneca field from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):

1. Taxed (Torres, Morse);
2. Sabra Tuff (Rey Gutierrez, Dallas Stewart);
3. She's Lookin Lucky (Ricardo Santana Jr., Matt Shirer);
4. Poblano (Francisco Arrieta, Brendan Walsh);
5. Champagne Calling (Declan Cannon, Ian Wilkes);
6. Fun and Feisty (Corey Lanerie, Kenny McPeek);
7. Xigera (Julien Leparoux, Phil Bauer); and
8. Nomadic Pride (Edgar Morales, Tom Amoss).

The post Downs After Dark: Slip Mahoney Chases Stakes Win In Bourbon Trail, Taxed Leads Seneca Overnight Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post