Tag: Racing

Bolshoi Ballet drew off to an impressive 4 1/2-length score in Saturday's Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. The victory in the 12-furlong inner turf test for older horses provided Bolshoi Ballet with a “Win and You're In” berth to the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1)  in November at Santa Anita Park.

Trained by Aidan O'Brien and piloted by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, the 5-year-old Galileo bay earned his second top-flight score on the NYRA circuit after taking the 2021 Belmont Derby Invitational (G1).

“He was good, wasn't he? I fancied him coming out here — he looked well,” said T. J. Comerford, traveling assistant for O'Brien.

The former O'Brien-trainee Stone Age, now in the care of Chad Brown, led at the five-eighths, but was no match for the vigorous run of Bolshoi Ballet, who was in command after 10 furlongs and in front by four lengths at the stretch call hitting the wire under a hand ride in a final time of 2:29.29 over yielding going.

The victory registered a career-best 107 Beyer Speed Figure – a 21 point improvement on his Belmont Derby score.

“He just kept it very simple,” said Comerford of the trip engineered by Velazquez. “He followed the pace and as the pace started to fall away, he took on Stone Age down the back and it was all easy from there. He just ran clear. I think he would be even better on a bit better ground.”

Comerford and Bolshoi Ballet will fly back to Ireland Sunday evening with a return trip for the $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1) on September 30 at Belmont at the Big A under consideration as a springboard to the Breeders' Cup.

Bolshoi Ballet, who was a dual Group 3 winner in his native Ireland as a sophomore prior to his Belmont Derby win, made only one start in 2022 before launching his comeback in April, coming into the Sword Dancer off a sixth-place finish at odds of 125-1 in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) July 29 at Ascot. He is campaigned by Westerberg, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith.

The post Ireland-Based Bolshoi Ballet To Return For Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, Breeders’ Cup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Tapit Trice and Forte emerged well from their respective third- and fourth-place finishes in Saturday's Travers (G1), trainer Todd Pletcher reported Sunday.

“They're doing good,” Pletcher said. “Both of them looked well this morning.”

Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable's Blue Grass (G1) winner Tapit Trice, fitted with blinkers for the first time in the 154th Travers, found himself closer to the lead than he had been in recent starts despite breaking a step slow and was still within one length after one mile but was unable to catch the winner, Arcangelo, or Disarm, who rallied up the rail for second.

Ridden by Jose Ortiz, Tapit Trice wound up beaten 3 1/2 lengths. He also ran third by 1 1/2 lengths to Arcangelo in the Belmont Stakes (G1) June 10.

“He got a bit of a wide trip around the first turn, but he got involved and I thought he stayed on steadily through the lane,” Pletcher said. “It was a good third-place effort.”

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Forte, the champion 2-year-old male of 2022 who went off as the 8-5 Travers favorite, broke from the rail but lost his inside position to Arcangelo early on and trailed each of his six rivals through the first quarter-mile of the Travers.

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. was forced to swing well wide in an effort to make up ground, but Forte was unable close on the muddy main track and wound up 4 1/2 lengths behind his stablemate, beaten eight lengths for it all. Forte, who began the year with wins in the Fountain of Youth (G1) and Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park, finished second to Arcangelo in the Belmont and went into the Travers off a gutsy nose triumph in the Jim Dandy (G2) July 29 at Saratoga.

“It was kind of odd how things unfolded going into the first turn, that we ended up outside the eventual winner,” Pletcher said. “He kind of lost some position there and got shuffled all the way back to last, and then had to go wide to kind of get back involved and just kind of ran evenly from there.”

Pletcher indicated no decision has been made on where either of Tapit Trice or Forte will run next.

“Not yet,” he said. “We'll give it a few days to see how they are and come up with a game plan.”

The post Pletcher: Forte, Tapit Trice In Good Order After Travers; Next Starts TBD appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Juddmonte's Kentucky homebred Idiomatic was awarded a 101 Beyer Speed Figure for her dominant score in Friday's Personal Ensign (G1), a nine-furlong test for older fillies and mares at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Brad Cox, Idiomatic led at every point of call under Florent Geroux to draw off strongly in the lane to a four-length triumph in a final time of 1:49.12 over a sloppy and sealed main track. It was her third consecutive graded score and came on the heels of a determined head victory over Classy Edition in the Delaware Handicap (G2) on July 8 after a bobble at the start and a wide run into the stretch.

“She is doing well and has been since she came back from a layoff [in December],” said Cox. “When the draw came out, I thought based on what we saw on paper, she had a good shot to establish a nice, clear lead and obviously, she did. I didn't think the mile and an eighth would be an issue because she had just run a mile and three-sixteenths and overcame a tough trip at Delaware. She has a lot of class and it's a huge update for her pedigree and herself. She's a serious filly.”

Cox said the daughter of Curlin could be pointed to the Spinster (G1) on October 8 at Keeneland, but that he will meet with her owners to make solid plans in the near future. Other potential races include the $250,000 Beldame (G2) going 1 1/8 miles on the same day at Belmont at the Big A.

“She's got a nice little win streak going and she came back well,” said Cox. “We'll talk with Prince Khalid and family and come up with a game plan, but I would say the Spinster is probably the top spot on the radar given the fact it's a Grade 1 and Juddmonte sponsors the race. The Beldame would be 'Plan B' because there's not a lot of options. Obviously, the Breeders' Cup is the target to end the year, and we'll need another race between now and then.”

On Saturday, Cox sent out two other trainees to on-the-board efforts in Grade 1s at the Spa, with Matareya finishing third in the Grade 1 Ballerina (G1) and Verifying placing second in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial (G1).

Godolphin's Kentucky homebred Matareya, a two-time Grade 1 winner, was a hard-trying third in the seven-furlong Ballerina behind the victorious 2021 champion juvenile filly Echo Zulu and the reigning champion female sprinter Goodnight Olive. The daughter of Pioneerof the Nile tracked in third one length behind the pace and made a brief bid into upper stretch, but weakened and held on long enough to secure show honors by a nose over Caramel Swirl.

“She came back really good and I was very proud of the effort,” said Cox. “It was a good ride to save ground and she was beaten by two Champions, so no disgrace in the performance. I'm happy with the way she looks this morning. I'm not sure where she'll land, so we'll talk it over with the Godolphin team. We'll pursue the Breeders' Cup, but we'll probably want one more race. She's run well enough against these top fillies this year to be in the mix.”

Westerberg, Mrs. John Magnier, Jonathan Poulin, Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor's Indiana Derby (G3) victor Verifying finished second in the H. Allen Jerkens 1 3/4 lengths behind the late-running One in Vermillion after pacesetter New York Thunder fell in midstretch due to a catastrophic injury.

Cox said the race led to difficulty in taking away anything about Verifying's first start around one turn since October.

“He looks great this morning, but I don't really know what to say about the race at all,” said Cox. “He's going to take some homework on what to do moving forward. I'm not really sure what to do with him. I do like what I saw from him around one turn though, and I like him at seven-eighths and a one-turn mile.”

Cox said it is likely Verifying could target the seven-furlong Malibu (G1) in December at Santa Anita Park as a year-end goal.

“We need to figure out something between now and then, but he came back in good order,” said Cox.

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