Tag: Racing

The chestnut 3-year-old colt Conclude, owned by the partnership of Little Red Feather Racing, Madaket Stables, and Bret Jones, hung tough late to tally by a head Sunday at Del Mar in the 78th edition of the Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby.

Hector Berrios gave the son of Collected a well-timed ride and finished the nine furlongs on turf in 1:48.61. Trainer Phil D'Amato saddled the winner, who earned a first prize of $180,000 from the gross purse of $302,000 in the Grade 2 headliner for sophomores. The race is considered the championship event for 3-year-old males during the Del Mar meeting.

Finishing second was Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal's Maltese Falcon, who closed stoutly through the lane to just miss. He was a length ahead of CYBT, McLean Racing Stables, Gevertz, Nentwig and Pagano's Almendares.

Conclude, who had won the opening day Caesars Sportsbook Oceanside Stakes, won his third straight race and fourth overall and increased his bankroll to $359,600. He paid $4.20 to win as the 11-10 race favorite.

Earlier on the card, a racing rarity occurred when trainer Bob Baffert's two horses in the Shared Belief Stakes dead-heated for the victory.

Pegram/Watson/Weitman's Tahoe Sunrise and Sunny Brook Stables' Mr Fisk finished exactly even on the wire and both were awarded the victory in the $125,500 stakes for 3-year-olds. They ran the mile on dirt in 1:37.33 with Victor Espinoza up on Tahoe Sunrise and Juan Hernandez aboard Mr Fisk.

The winning horses each received $50,000 as their shares of the purse.

Finishing third, eight lengths farther back, was C R K Stable's Smart Mo.

Tahoe Sunrise paid $3.00 for the win. Mr Fisk returned $2.80.

Baffert previously had been involved in a dead-heat stakes victory in the De Anza Stakes at Del Mar in 1992 when his horse Wheelers Oil tied with Boss Soss, trained by Jack Haynes.

Racing will resume at Del Mar on Labor Day Monday with a first post at 1:30 p.m.

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HECTOR BERRIOS (Conclude, winner) – “I had a good trip, all the way. He was relaxed and that's the best. Then when we turned for home, I said 'Vamoose!' And he really took off from there.”

PHIL D'AMATO (Conclude, winner) – “A masterful ride by Hector (Berrios), letting that other horse go and then making that move at the three-quarter pole to get him comfortable on the lead. He's tough horse. The mile and an eighth is where he wants to be at. Anywhere in that mile to mile and an eighth range he's going to be a top class horse down the road.”

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FRACTIONS:  :23.91  :47.40  1:12.20  1:36.68  1:48.61

The stakes win was the fifth of the session for rider Berrios and the sixth for trainer D'Amato.

Rider Berrios was winning his first Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby and his ninth overall stakes at Del Mar.

Trainer D'Amato was winning his second Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby (Midnight Storm, 2014) and his 50th overall stakes at Del Mar.

The winning owners are Little Red Feather Racing, Madaket Stables, and Bret Jones.

The post Berrios Guides Conclude To Narrow Victory In Del Mar Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Love to Shop, at odds of 5-2, was full of run late to take the $125,000 Toronto Cup Stakes for 3-year-olds Sunday at Woodbine.

Arriving at the one-mile Toronto Cup off a third in the Ontario Colleen Stakes (G3) on July 22, Love to Shop, the lone filly in the field of eight, emerged victorious courtesy of a strong stretch drive over a firm E.P. Taylor turf course.

Eyes On the King, one of three Mark Casse trainees (Conman and Lifetime of Chance were the others), took the early lead and was 3½ lengths in front of Conman through an opening quarter in :23.28, as Emma-Jayne Wilson, board Love to Shop, settled into sixth spot.

On top by three lengths after a half in :45.86, Eyes On the King was then pressured to his outside by stablemate Conman heading into the turn for home. Wilson, who kept Love to Shop well within striking distance, gave her charge her cue at the top of the lane.

A head clear at the stretch call, the bay, trained by Kevin Attard, was resolute in the final yards, going on to secure a 1¼-length triumph in a time of 1:34.14.

Conman edged Souper Blessing by a head for second. Sammy Stone was fourth, followed by British Artillery, Eyes On the King, Lifetime of Chance and Dream Jereem.

“I learned a little bit about her last time,” said Wilson, in reference to the Ontario Colleen. “I gave her the best trip I could. The last 70 yards, it got a little tight and I had to alter course, and she's such a big, strong filly, so it wasn't ideal. This time, I had the chance to get her into a nice, outside stalking trip, and let her get into rhythm. With three-eighths of a mile stretch run, I just tipped her off heels and let her build and build. She finished on strong, and she got the job done.”

It was the first stakes win for the daughter of Violence out of Tiffany Case, by Uncle Mo. She came to the Attard barn after three starts in the U.S. for Todd Pletcher, which included a maiden-breaking score at Belmont on June 10.

“I think she was the best horse in the race,” said Wilson. “I knew that going in and she ran like it.”

Owned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable, Love to Shop was bred in Kentucky by DJ Stable LLC. Offered by Taylor Made Sales Agency at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, she was purchased for $200,000.

Launching her career with a pair of seconds, one at Saratoga, the other at Belmont, Love to Shop is now 2-2-1 from five starts.

She returned $7.70 for the win.

The post ‘She Got The Job Done’: Love To Shop Defeats Males In Toronto Cup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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LFG Racing LLC's Anglophile struck for his first stakes win Sunday at Kentucky Downs when upstaging favorite and runner-up Far Bridge in the $1-million National Thoroughbred League Dueling Grounds Derby (G3).

The English Channel colt was third to Wadsworth in the KY Downs Preview Dueling Grounds Derby Aug. 5 at Ellis Park but would not be denied Sunday. Relaxing his mount off the early pace in fourth through one mile in the 1 5/16-mile race as Wizard of Westwood set the early tempo, Declan Cannon brought the winner up along the rail with a determined stretch rally to get the victory by a half length as Far Bridge rallied strongly on the outside but just missed.

Battle of Normandy, who who dispatched by the winner after leading briefly at the eighth pole, hung on for third, one length behind Far Bridge.

Anglophile returned $23.40 after completing the trip in 2:o8.93 on firm turf. His overall record improved to 3-1-2 from nine starts. The $597,120 winner's share of the purse brought his lifetime bankroll to $735,599.

“He'd been training so well coming into this race,” trainer Brian Lynch said of the chestnut colt. “We thought he had a little bit of traffic (at Ellis Park) last time that probably could have cost him the prep for it. But he overcame it today. What a great, confident ride with Declan. It was just great to see this little horse and this group of guys. Just a wonderful group. To pull this off for them is fantastic. Everybody just loves this little horse. He just continues to get better and better. We're just thrilled to have him in the barn.”

“I think the sky's the limit for this little guy, especially for these marathon distances. So we'll just let the dust settle here and we'll look for bigger and better things down the road.”

Anglophile was bred in Kentucky by Upson Downs Farm and Louie W. Wright. His dam is the Kitten's Joy mare Trustmore Lovemore.

Louisville resident Hunter Rankin of winning owner LFG Racing, recalled how he put the partnership in Anglophile together.

“Had this idea to put 14 guys together and got together with this horse. It is very special to me because my parents (of Upson Downs Farm) bred this horse. He is such a neat little horse, he does everything you ask him to do. If you don't ask him to do it, he won't, but if you ask him he will. He has just gotten better with racing. We put blinkers on him a race ago and it helped him because he is so laid back. I can't say enough about what Brian Lynch and his staff have done with him.”

The post Anglophile Rallies Up Rail To Take Dueling Grounds Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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