Tag: Racing

Antonio Sano saddled his 949th winner in the United States Sept. 9 at Gulfstream Park, passing the late South Florida trainer Manny Azpurua to become the all-time leading Venezuelan trainer in America.

The 60-year-old trainer is hardly ready to rest on his many laurels, however. He has too much to look forward to.

“Manny Azpurua was an excellent trainer here and in Venezuela,” said Sano, who ventured to South Florida in 2009 after saddling more than 3,000 winners in Venezuela. “It's a new record for me, but I'm trying to continue to win more races.”

Sano has returned to South Florida this week from Lexington, Ky., where he purchased six yearlings at the Keeneland September sale, hoping to add to his reputation as a horseman with a keen eye for a bargain. The 60-ytear-old trainer most notably purchased a son of Dialed In for $16,000 at the 2015 Keeneland September sale, and multiple graded-stakes winner Gunnevera went on to earn more than $5.5 million in 2016-2019.

While it remains to be seen how his new yearling purchases will turn out, Sano is staying busy while setting sights on achieving more immediate goals with Il Miracolo and Dancing Groom.

Eduardo Soto's Il Miracolo is scheduled to meet 10 other 3-year-olds in Saturday's $1 million Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at Parx. The son of Gun Runner prepped for the Pennsylvania Derby with a three-length victory at Parx in the Aug. 22 Smarty Jones (G3).

“He's training very well for this race. It's a difference race with different horses but my horse is a confident horse,” said Sano, who saddled Il Miracolo, a $70,000 purchase at the 2022 OBS Open sale, to a second-place finish behind Scotland in the Curlin at Saratoga. “He is getting better and better.”

Il Miracolo is rated at 8-1 on the morning line in a field headlined by Bob Baffert-trained Reincarnate, the 3-1 morning-line favorite. Bill Mott-trained Scotland is rated at 5-2.

Soto's Dancing Groom, an impressive maiden special weight winner at Saratoga last time out, is being pointed toward the Oct. 7 Champagne (G1) at Aqueduct. The son of Vino Rosso, who was purchased for $60,000 at the OBS March sale, debuted with a sixth-place finish in a six-furlong maiden special weight race July 22 at Saratoga before graduating in his next start in a mile maiden special weight race taken off the turf. Dancing Groom rated off the pace before making a four-wide sweep to the lead heading into the stretch and drawing off to a five-length score.

“I saw the horse for long distance. I started him at six furlongs the first time. His second race at a mile, the horse won very easy,” Sano said. “His next race will be the Champagne.”

While branching out, Sano continues to make his presence felt at Gulfstream Park, where he saddled Magic Stable's Papeete, a 2-year-old son of Not This Time purchased for $30,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September sale, for a promising 2 ¾-length victory last month.

The post Sano-Trained Il Miracolo ‘A Confident Horse’ Ahead Of Pennsylvania Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Rigney Racing's stakes-winning 3-year-old filly Xigera has competed on turf for six of her seven career starts but trainer Phil Bauer is excited for her return to dirt in Saturday's $175,000 Seneca Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs.

The last time Xigera ran on dirt resulted in a fourth-place finish in last year's Alcibiades (Grade 1) at Keeneland. Since that race, the well-backed daughter of Nyquist won two starts on turf including a half-length score in the July 1 Tepin at Ellis Park.

“We've always thought highly of her since her 2-year-old season,” Bauer said. “She ran on the dirt once as a 2-year-old and we've been looking forward to getting her back to the dirt down the road. This race worked out well timing wise for us to run at Churchill and not ship anywhere. She trains well on the dirt here.”

Xigera was tabbed as the third choice on the morning line odds at 9-2. The three-time winner enters the Seneca following an enigmatic sixth-place finish in the Saratoga Oaks Invitational (G3).

“I don't think she handled the track at all that day,” Bauer said. “That was the last race they ran on the turf that day because of the rain and it was really soft.”

Saturday's 1 1/16-mile Seneca is one of four stakes contests on the 11-race “Downs After Dark” program. First post is 6 p.m. (all times Eastern) and the Seneca will go as Race 9 at 10:11 p.m. The featured race Saturday is the $300,000 Dogwood (G3) for 3-year-old fillies run at seven furlongs. Along with the Dogwood, the program will also feature the $300,000 Bourbon Trail and $300,000 Harrods Creek.

Here are the fields for Saturday's stakes contests in order of post positions (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds):

Race 7: the $300,000 Bourbon Trail:

1. Manciata d'Oro (Manny Esquivel, Brad Cox, 4-1);
2. Slip Mahoney (Gerardo Corrales, Brad Cox, 5-2);
3. Denington (Corey Lanerie, Kenny McPeek, 7-2);
4. Shirl's Bee (Julien Leparoux, Dallas Stewart, 15-1);
5. Oscar Eclipse (Cristian Torres, Brian Lynch, 3-1);
6. Lincoln Highway (Rafael Bejarano, Vicki Oliver, 15-1); and
7. Big Data (Emisael Jaramillo, Michael Lerman, 5-1).

Race 8: the $300,000 Harrods Creek:

1. Bourbon Bash (Jaime Torres, Wayne Lukas, 6-1);
2. Determinedly (Francisco Arrieta, Mark Casse, 6-1);
3. Loyal Company (Declan Cannon, Brendan Walsh, 3-1);
4. Bouncer (Ricardo Santana Jr., Mark Casse, 5-1);
5. Mount Up (Emisael Jaramillo, Todd Pletcher, 7-2);
6. Everso Mischievous (Cristian Torres, Brad Cox, 2-1); and
7. Praetorian Guard (James Graham, Lou Linder Jr., 20-1).

Race 9: the $175,000 Seneca Overnight Stakes:

1. Taxed (Cristian Torres, Randy Morse, 5-2);
2. Sabra Tuff (Rey Gutierrez, Dallas Stewart, 6-1);
3. She's Lookin Lucky (Ricardo Santana Jr., Matt Shirer, 5-1);
4. Poblano (Francisco Arrieta, Brendan Walsh, 3-1);
5. Champagne Calling (Declan Cannon, Ian Wilkes, 12-1);
6. Xigera (Julien Leparoux, Phil Bauer, 9-2); and
7. Nomadic Pride (Edgar Morales, Tom Amoss, 10-1).

Race 10: the $300,000 Dogwood (G3):

1. Yesternight (James Graham, Lindsay Schultz, 3-1);
2. Metaphysical (Ricardo Santana Jr., Jeff Hiles, 10-1);
3. Flamand (Mitchell Murrill, Elias Lopez, 5-1);
4. B G Warrior (Joe Ramos, Hugo Andrade, 6-1);
5. Lady Radler (Jesus Castanon, Michael Campbell, 10-1);
6. Santa Fe Gold (Francisco Arrieta, Bret Calhoun, 6-1);
7. Twice as Sweet (Declan Cannon, Brendan Walsh, 6-1);
8. Nora G (Rey Gutierrez, Patricia West, 12-1); and
9. Alexa Lou (Julien Leparoux, Dallas Stewart, 4-1).

The post Turf Stakes Winner Xigera Returns To Dirt In Saturday’s Seneca Overnight Stakes At Churchill appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Slew's Tiz Whiz and Alex Cruz both shined bright at Emerald Downs in 2023, both earning multiple awards and titles as the track wrapped up its 28th season of live racing Sunday.

Slew's Tiz Whiz was voted 2023 Horse of the Meeting, becoming the 18th Washington-bred to win the award and joining Stryker Phd (2014-15) and Noosa Beach (2010-11) as the only repeat winners of the season's top award. In addition, the 5-year-old Slew's Tiznow gelding took honors as Top Washington-bred, Top Older Horse, led the meet in earnings, $83,000, and tied Clovisconnection, Appeal Factor, Aloha Breeze, and Blazingbellablu for most stakes wins with two apiece.

Conditioned by Tom Wenzel, owned by Slew's Crew Racing, and ridden by Jose Zunino, Slew's Tiz Whiz won stakes short and long, winning the 6 ½ furlong Governor's and 1 1/16-mile Muckleshoot Tribal Classic, while adding a second in the six-furlong Budweiser and a third to Five Star General in the Longacres Mile to his impressive resume.

Alex Cruz accomplished Emerald Downs history, becoming the first jockey to win four straight titles at the Auburn track—riding 69 winners in 52 days while finishing 14 clear of runner-up Luis Negron. In fact, the 29-year-old native of Puerto Rico became the first rider in state history with four consecutive titles at the same track, eclipsing Rocco Bowen (Emerald Downs 2016-18), Gary Boulanger (Longacres 1989-91), Gary Baze (Longacres 1973-75), and Robert Howg (Yakima Meadows (1975-77).

Cruz was also first in earnings, $1,016,128, and the only jockey to win five races on a card (Aug. 6) and was voted the Lindy Award for sportsmanship and accomplishment by his fellow riders.

In the trainers' ranks, Justin Evans enjoyed a tremendous first season, capturing the title with 49 wins and finishing 18 clear of Blaine Wright and 19 ahead of defending titlist Jorge Rosales. Evans also finished first in earnings ($558,850), was the meet's leading owner (21 wins), and became the first trainer to sweep titles at Turf Paradise and Emerald Downs in the same year.

Clovisconnection turned in dazzling efforts in the Auburn Stakes (6F/1:07.59) and Irish Day Stakes (6 ½ F/1:14.73) and took honors as the meet's Top 3-Year-Old Colt or Gelding and Top Sprinter for trainer Blaine Wright and owner/breeder William Hedrick.

In addition to Slew's Tiz Whiz, Wenzel conditioned a pair of champions for owner George Todaro. Aloha Breeze rattled off three brilliant sprint victories including daylight scores in the Seattle Stakes and Kent Stakes and was voted Top 3-Year-Old Filly. Miner League closed out his juvenile season with two straight wins for Wenzel, Todaro, and jockey Carlos Montalvo, rolling from off the pace to prevail in the Gottstein Futurity on closing day.

Blazingbellablu was a study in consistency, posting a 2-2-0 record in four starts, including wins in the Hastings Stakes and Washington Cup Filly & Mare Stakes, and is the Top Older Filly or Mare for trainer Charles Essex and Petra Lewin.

Oak Crest Farm homebred Appeal Factor dazzled in two starts for trainer David Martinez—sweeping the Angie C Stakes and WTBOA Lassies Stakes—and was unanimously voted Top 2-Year-Old Filly.

Dirt Road Red, the meet's only five-time winner, was voted Top Claimer, and the $150,000 Longacres Mile won by Five Star General was Race of the Meeting.

Harbor the Gold, for the 11th time in 13 years, was Leading Sire and is No. 1 all-time with 493 wins at Emerald Downs.

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