Tag: Racing

Jill Baffert and Debbie Lanni's Du Jour poured it on in the stretch and kicked clear to a dominating victory Saturday in the $300,000 Del Mar Mile (G2).

With Flavien Prat riding for trainer Bob Baffert, the 5-year-old Temple City gelding easily cruised past overmatched rivals and romped across the finish line 2¼ lengths to the good of Grade 1 winner and favorite Exaulted, whose win streak was halted at four.

Du Jour added a second graded stakes win to his record following his 2021 American Turf (G2) score at Churchill Downs. He won the Wickerr July 23 during Del Mar's opening weekend.

Du Jour returned $10.20 for the victory after completing the one-mile trip in 1:33.82 on firm turf.

Visitant was third, a head behind Exaulted in the field of 10.

Du Jour improved his overall record to 5-3-2 from 15 starts. The $180,000 winner's share of the Del Mar Mile purse increased his lifetime earnings to $918,220.

Bred in Kentucky by Woods Edge Farm, Du Jour was produced by the Bernardini mare Guiltless. He was a $280,000 purchase by Donato Lanni, agent, at the 2020 OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training, where Off the Hook consigned him.

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The best and brightest horses representing the Virginia breeding and certified program were on display Saturday in Commonwealth Champions Day at Colonial Downs.

Five stakes for varying ages and over multiple distances were presented as part of a 10-race card at the New Kent track. Among the top performances were a stakes riding double for jockey Horacio Karamanos and a second stakes win of the meet for Chambeau and Determined Kingdom.

In the first of the day's stakes events, Reilly McDonald's Passion Play ($6.20) took the lead on the far turn and was relentless in holding off the late challenges from DARRS Inc.'s Palio and Jeremy Brooks' Wow Whata Summer to prevail by a neck in the $131,500 Bert Allen Stakes. Horacio Karamanos was aboard the Virginia-bred Mary Eppler-trained son of Hold Me Back who covered the 1-1/16 miles over firm turf in 1:43.67. The win was the sixth in 29 starts for the 7-year-old gelding who earned $90,000 for the effort to boost his lifetime bankroll to $327,497.

“This horse deserved to win,” said Karamanos, who has ridden Passion Play in nine of his last 10 starts including a win in the 2021 edition of this race. “He always tries. His last race (a seventh-place finish) was so tough for him. Today, I just wanted him to break ok and see how the race unfolded. After a couple others went to the front, I sat back a bit and relaxed until the eighth pole. When I asked him, he fired so nicely all the way to the wire.”

O'Sullivan Farms' Unruly Julie ($30.40) changed tactics and ran to a front-stepping, half-length tally over Naval Empire in the $105,500 Nellie Mae Cox Stakes under jockey Wesley Ho. The Javier Contreras-trained The Factor mare ran the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.25 to score her seventh victory from 36 trips to the post. She added $60,000 to her lifetime earnings which now stand at $225,819.

“She's been training the best she ever has. She ran in this race last year (finishing second). Coming into this race she's really been a different horse. Honestly, she took me to the lead,” Ho said when asked about the change in running style. “She was so keen in taking the lead, she pulled me there. I just tried to save as much as I could for the stretch run and she still gave me everything she had. I'd have rather been mid-pack but she had other ideas today.”

D Hatman Thoroughbreds and Kingdom Bloodstock, Inc.'s Determined Kingdom ($3.60) improved from a sixth-place finish in the 2022 edition of the Meadow Stable Stakes to notch a wire-to-wire neck victory as the 4-5 favorite in the $130,000 2023 renewal of the 5½-furlong dash. Victor Carrasco rode the gelded son of Animal Kingdom for trainer and co-owner Phil Schoenthal who sprinted the distance in 1:02.08.

“He's certainly taken a step forward as a 4-year-old,” Schoenthal said. “He's a lot keener horse. It's a beautiful thing to have a Virginia-bred who loves the grass at Colonial. We'll give him a couple of starts in the fall and then turn him out on the farm like we do with all our grass horses. As long he's doing good we'll make this a regular stop every year.”

The Meadow Stable was the sixth win in 18 starts for Determined Kingdom, who previously won the Punch Line in July at Colonial Downs. The $90,000 winner's share Saturday elevated his earnings to $442,189.

Bird Mobberly LLC's Low Mileage ($8.40) rallied along the rail to take command midstretch and draw off to a 3¼-length victory in the $125,000 Jamestown Stakes for Virginia-bred/sired 2-year-olds. Jevian Toledo was aboard the John Salzman trainee who recorded his first stakes tally and second win in four starts overall. The daughter of Mineshaft covered the 5½-furlongs in 1:04.22 and earned $75,000 for the score to push her bankroll to $121,500.

Wrapping up the stakes action was the $130,000 Camptown Stakes, which was taken by Sam English II's Chambeau ($4.60), a 6-year-old Karakontie mare who picked up her third win of the season after capturing the Tyson Gilpin/Glenn Petty Stakes in July and an allowance race last week.

“I wasn't as confident today as I was last week,” English said. “We only started her (for the first time) as a 5-year-old, and she's only run eight times in her life. She's a special horse.”

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Louisiana Downs proudly hosted an afternoon of festivities Saturday, culminating with the running of the $200,000 Super Derby. The oppressive heat for the past two months took a hiatus so that the crowd could step out in their finest for a very entertaining afternoon.

It was a breakout performance by Big Data to take Super Derby 41 and capture the first stakes of his career. Trainer Michael Lerman felt the 1 1/8-mile race would be a good opportunity for the son of Cloud Computing, out of the Creative Cause mare Moxie, who made his debut at Gulfstream Park on December 16. He broke his maiden on April 22 and advanced to the allowance level with success.

“He's a large horse and can be a handful, but (jockey) Emisael (Jaramillo) fits him well,” said Lerman. “The race unfolded the way we anticipated, and we were thrilled with the outcome.”

Jaramillo was content to let Big Data race off the early pace set by Machine Gun Man, who completed the first quarter-mile in :23.81 and the half-mile in :48.71. Big Data was traveling well heading to the final turn and drew off to a 1 ¾-length victory in a final time of 1.51.83.

Big Data shipped in from Gulfstream Park on Tuesday, and Lerman was pleasantly surprised that the temperature had dipped this week.

“It was cooler here than Florida,” he stated. “I shipped in a horse for the Super Derby undercard in 2006. It was an inferno that year, so this was a relief.”

Big Data, sent off as second choice in the wagering, paid $8.20 to win. He earned $120,000 for his first stakes win and his record stands at 8-3-4 and lifetime earnings of $213,680.

Lerman said that Big Data will return to South Florida on Sunday and options for his next start include the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) or possibly a stakes at Churchill Downs.

“He's on the right trajectory,” added Lerman.

Kim Boulmetis of Petal Power Racing bred Big Data and was thrilled with his victory. She owns his dam, Moxie, a daughter of Creative Cause who is in foal to Cloud Computing.

“I thank Mike and his team,” she said. “They did an incredible job. I have never seen an outfit treat horses so well. I also want to commend Louisiana Downs for bringing this race back. I know the history of the Super Derby and appreciate the hard work of everyone. It's been the most wonderful trip for us.”

That praise meant a great deal to Louisiana Downs President and owner Kevin Preston, who stated from the beginning that he intended to restore the Super Derby to its former status at a top race for 3-year-olds.

“Our team worked extremely hard to present a festive day with quality horse racing,” said Preston. “What was so rewarding is the response from our fans, dressing to the nines, wearing gorgeous hats, and bringing family and friends for the afternoon. It's hard to explain how rewarding it was to us to see how much they enjoyed the return of the Super Derby.”

No White Flags completed the exacta.

“We were hoping for one more race, but still happy that he finished well in his first stakes effort,” said trainer and former jockey Carl J. Woodley. “I was never nervous riding, but had knots in my stomach the minute he left the paddock. Training is a lot tougher than being a jockey.”

How Did He Do That ran third for owners J. Kirk and Judy Robison and trainer Steve Asmussen.

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Ceiling Crusher sprinted to a clear lead early, controlled the pace throughout, and romped away in the stretch to score a six-length win in the $150,000 Torrey Pines (G3) for 3-year-old fillies Saturday at Del Mar.

Flying Connection was best of the rest, finishing 3 1/2 lengths clear of Justique in third.

The 2-1 favorite in the field of eight, Ceiling Crusher returned $6.80 after completing the one-mile main track event in 1:37.41 under Edwin Maldonado. She clocked all the fractions: :22.14 for the opening quarter mile, :46:29 for the half mile, and 1:11.78 for six furlongs.

A California-bred daughter of Mr. Big trained by Doug O'Neill, Ceiling Crusher has never finished off the board in six career starts and added a fifth victory to her record while notching her first graded win.

The bay filly is campaigned by Wonderland Racing Stables, Todd Caddy, Time Kasparoff, and Ty Leatherman. Bred by Harris Farms, she is out of the Indian Charlie mare Palisadesprincess.

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