Tag: Racing

Thomas Galvin's multiple Louisiana-bred stakes winner Norah G will face nine 3-year-old fillies entered for Saturday night's featured 48th running of the $300,000 Dogwood Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs.

Saturday's “Downs After Dark” program will get underway at 6 p.m. (ET) and the Dogwood, set for seven-furlongs on the main track, will go as Race 10 at 10:42 p.m. The 11-race card will also include the $300,000 Bourbon Trail, $300,000 Harrods Creek, and $175,000 Seneca Overnight Stakes.

Norah G, trained by Patricia West, will make her first start outside Louisiana but will ship to Kentucky with a solid résumé that includes victories in the Louisiana Futurity at Fair Grounds and Louisiana Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Louisiana Downs. Norah G last competed Aug. 27 at Louisiana Downs on turf where she showed her versatility and easily defeated nine rivals by two lengths going wire to wire in a one-mile allowance-optional claiming event. Jockey Rey Gutierrez will have the call from post No. 8 as the daughter of Fast Anna makes her graded stakes debut.

The Dogwood field features several accomplished fillies including Pea Patch Stakes runner-up Twice as Sweet; Catherine Sophia Stakes runner-up Yesternight; Audubon Oaks runner-up and third-place finisher Flamand and Santa Fe Gold; Valdale Stakes winner B G Warrior; and allowance winner Alexa Lou.

Here is the complete Dogwood field in order of post positions (with jockey and trainer): Yesternight (James Graham, Lindsay Schultz), Metaphysical (Ricardo Santana Jr., Jeff Hiles), Flamand (Mitchell Murrill, Elias Lopez), B G Warrior (Joe Ramos, Ron Kahles), Lady Radler (Jesus Castanon, Mike Campbell), Santa Fe Gold (Francisco Arrieta, Bret Calhoun), Twice as Sweet (Declan Cannon, Brendan Walsh), Norah G (Rey Gutierrez, PatriciaWest), and Alexa Lou (Julien Leparoux, Dallas Stewart).

Also on the card, Gold Square's multiple stakes-placed 3-year-old Slip Mahoney will try to win his first stakes in the Bourbon Trail, 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 set for the Harrods Creek Stakes, and Richard Bahde's former $50,000 claimer turned Grade 2 winner Taxed heads a field of seven 3-year-old fillies entered in the Seneca Overnight Stakes.

The post Norah G Ventures Outside Of Louisiana To Bid For Graded Glory In Dogwood appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Mr. and Mrs. Tsunebumi Yoshihara's Yuugiri overcame a stumble leaving the gate, stalked pacesetter Fire On Time from the inside and tipped out down the stretch to collar the leader inside the final sixteenth and win Saturday's 14th running of the $300,000 Open Mind (Listed) at Churchill Downs by three lengths.

Odds-on 1-4 favorite Wicked Halo never threatened and finished third.

Ridden by Flavien Prat for trainer Rodolphe Brisset, Yuugiri ran six furlongs over a fast track in 1:09.43.

Yuugiri went to her knees from post position No. 1 when the gates opened and the usual front-runner was forced to track four-time Churchill Downs winner Fire On Time from the inside. After splits of :22.09 and :45.20, Prat took Yuugiri off the rail and angled out for her run down the stretch. After five furlongs in :57.08, Fire On Time began to retreat and Yuugiri cruised right on by for the comfortable win.

“She broke a step slow but was able to relax and really finish well,” Prat said. “She showed a new style today.”

Yuugiri banked the $185,000 first prize and improved her record to six wins, two seconds and one third in 13 starts. Her career earnings total $979,010. The Open Mind was her fourth career stakes triumph.

“We've tried her on a couple different surfaces this year but she's shown success on the dirt,” Brisset said. “Today, after she broke slow, she showed a new dimension relaxing in the pocket. She's an accomplished filly who's won several stakes throughout her career. We're very proud of how she won this race today.”

Yuugiri returned $8.74 for the win.

Wicked Halo finished third, 5¾ lengths behind Fire On Time.

More Than Vows was fourth and was followed by Sharp Hero. Ten Rings was scratched.

Yuugiri is a 4-year-old daughter of Shackleford out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Yuzuru and was bred in Kentucky by her owners.

Saturday's race saluted the late Eugene Klein's Hall of Fame filly Open Mind, the D. Wayne Lukas-trained winner of the 1988 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Churchill Downs who returned to the Louisville track the following spring to win the Kentucky Oaks (G1). The New Jersey-bred filly was an Eclipse Award champion at ages two and three. A winner of 12 races and $1,844,372 in 19 starts, the daughter of Deputy Minister was enshrined in Racing's Hall of Fame in 2011.

The post ‘She Showed A New Dimension’: Relaxed Yuugiri Kicks Clear In Open Mind appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Patches O'Houlihan, under Daisuke Fukumoto, fended off a furious late charge from a pair of rivals to take Saturday's $150,000 Vigil Stakes (G3), one of four stakes on Turf Champions Day at Woodbine.

A 3-year-old son of Reload out of Maythefourthbwithu, by Silent Name (JPN), Patches O'Houlihan arrived at the six-furlong main track race for 3-year-olds and up with five straight wins to his name.

The bay gelding had to work overtime to keep the streak going.

Rockcrest, breaking from the inside post, was joined quickly on the front end by Patches O'Houlihan, the duo taking their six rivals through an opening quarter in :22.31, followed by My Buddy B and Last American Exit.

It was Rockcrest who held a head advantage over Patches O'Houlihan at the half-mile juncture reached in :44.32, as Last American Exit moved into third, a head in front of My Buddy B, as the pace noticeably quickened into the turn for home.

Rockcrest dug in gamely along the rail, while Patches O'Houlihan and Fukumoto ratcheted up the pressure to the outside. Last American Exit, at 31-1, and Secret Reserve, at 12-1, arrived on the scene late and took dead aim on the dueling frontrunners.

At the wire, Patches O'Houlihan bested Last American Exit by a nose. Secret Reserve was a further head back, with Rockcrest another neck behind in fourth.

The final time for six furlongs on the Tapeta was 1:09.16.

“This horse likes the company,” said Fukumoto. “Today, he was pretty quiet, but was real sharp last time. He was calm today and followed the inside horse nicely. When the stretch came, I had confidence because he likes company.”

Bred and owned by Frank Di Giuilio Jr. and trained by Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Robert Tiller, Patches O'Houlihan is now 7-0-0 from eight starts. It was fourth stakes triumph and second straight graded win for the Ontario-bred, who arrived at the Vigil off a 1 ¼-length victory in the Bold Venture (G3) on August 20.

He paid $4.40 for the win.

The post Patches O’Houlihan Takes Vigil By Nose To Stay Unbeaten This Year appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Search Results, the 9-5 favorite owned by Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables Inc., set moderate early fractions and led every step of the way in Saturday's 39th running of the $400,000 Locust Grove (G3) for fillies and mares at Churchill Downs on her way to a 3¼-length triumph over Hidden Connection.

Ridden by Tyler Gaffalione and trained by Chad Brown, Search Results went right to the front from post position No. 4 and rattled off fractions of :24.30, :48.16 and 1:11.83 with Hidden Connection in close pursuit to her outside. The reasonable early pace meant Search Results would have plenty left for the stretch run and she responded with the comfortable win – her first victory since winning the Grade 3Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park in July 2022.

Search Result's clocking for 1 1/16 miles over a fast track was 1:42.40 – the fastest in 10 runnings of the Locust Grove over the surface and distance, eclipsing Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil's 2021 mark of 1:42.86.

“She ran a great race today,” Gaffalione said. “I just sort of inherited the lead and she settled really well. In the stretch when I asked her to quicken, I had a lot of horse beneath me.”

Search Results, a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Flatter out of the Candy Ride (ARG) mare Co Cola who was bred by Machmer Hall, returned $5.74 for the win. Misty Veil finished third,  4 ¼ lengths behind Hidden Connection.

Pauline's Pearl was fourth and was followed by Le Da Vida (CHI), A Mo Reay, Falconet, Soul of an Angel and Fannie and Freddie. Music Street and Royal Take Charge were scratched.

The victory was worth $238,560 to Search Results and increased her earnings to $1,903,810 with a record of 7-3-5 from 16 starts. This was her sixth stakes win and fifth against graded stakes company. She won the 2021 Acorn (GI) at age 3.

“We got Search Results in earlier this week from the New York string and she settled in well to her surroundings here,” said Josh Flores, who oversees Brown's Kentucky string at Churchill Downs. “She's very professional and ran a great race on the lead today. I'm not sure what will be next for her but we're very proud of the way she ran today.”

The Locust Grove is named after the 1790 Georgian mansion in Louisville that played home to ancestors of Churchill Downs founder Col. M. Lewis Clark.

The post Search Results Leads All The Way In Locust Grove appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post