The first telephone call Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse regularly receives each Christmas morning comes from jockey and longtime friend Patrick Husbands, sometimes at an hour earlier than he would prefer.
Tag: Racing
Paramount Prince Gives Casse, Husbands Third Victory In King’s Plate
Just as he did in the Plate Trial on July 23, Michael J. Langlois and Gary Barber's Paramount Prince went straight to the front and was never seriously threatened en route to a 1 1/2-length victory in the 164th running of the CAN$1-million King's Plate at Woodbine in Toronto, Canada, on Sunday.
Previously run as the Queen's Plate during the reign of England's Queen Elizabeth, the race for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds was the highlight of a 13-race program that included several other stakes, including the Grade 2 Dance Smartly for fillies and mares.
Seven-time Sovereign Award winner Patrick Husbands was aboard the son of Society's Chairman for trainer Mark Casse, who has 15 Sovereign Awards to his credit, including the last 12 in succession. It was the third Plate victory for both Husbands and Casse, the two having teamed up previously with the filly Lexie Lou in 2014. Both of Casse's previous plate winners were fillies, the other coming with Wonder Gadot in 2018.
Another Casse-trained filly, Elysian Field, finished second under Sahin Civaci after looming a menacing threat at the top of the stretch. Stanley House, the beaten favorite in the Plate Trial, finished third. They were followed by Velocitor (one of five runners from the barn of Kevin Attard), Touch'n Ride, Enjoythesilent, Cool Kiss, Twin City, Philip My Dear, Moon Landing, Wickenheiser, Twowaycerossing, Kalik (the slight favorite at 4-1 and the only U.S.-based runner in the field), Morstachy's, Kaukokaipuu, Silent Miracle, and Midnight in Malibu.
Paramount Prince ran the 1 1/4 miles on the Tapeta all-weather surface in 2:01.93 after setting all the fractions: :23.28, :47.41, 1:11.81, and 1:36.47. Paramount Prince paid $18 as the fifth wagering choice in the field of 17.
There were two horses on the also-eligible list that did not draw in: El Cohete and Runaway Charlie. El Cohete was originally in the body of the race when entries were drawn, but a discrepancy in qualifying earnings was noticed that relegated El Cohete to the also-eligible list and allowed Enjoythesilent to start.
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Princess Indy Makes Quick Turnaround To Win Monmouth’s Sorority
Everything that Princess Indy was doing in the mornings recently, both the way she was acting and training, was enough to convince Claudio Gonzalez to wheel her back just two weeks after a disappointing showing in the Adirondack Stakes (G3) at Saratoga.
The filly's a.m. indicators proved to be spot on.
Princess Indy wore down 13-10 favorite Wine On Tap in the final furlong and drew clear for a 1½-length victory in Sunday's $203,500 Sorority Stakes at Monmouth Park.
For Gonzalez, a runaway leader for a second straight Monmouth Park training title, it marked his first stakes win of the meet.
“I know this race was short between starts but the way she was training in the morning I thought I would take a chance,” said Gonzalez, who won three races on the 10-race card. “I told the owner (Valter Ramos) that she is so good now that even though it was close between races, running her just two weeks back, she has been training so good that I wanted to try.”
Given a stalking trip by jockey Carlos Rojas in the one-mile test for 2-year-old fillies, Princess Indy collared the Todd Pletcher-trained Wine On Tap, the pacesetter most of the way, late on the way to her second win in three career starts.
The winning time was 1:41.72.
It marked a big bounce-back effort for the Kentucky-bred daughter of Lord Nelson, who was a lackluster fifth in the Adirondack on Aug. 6. In her career debut she drew off to win by five lengths at Monmouth Park on July 15.
“I was real confident on her,” said Rojas. “When she broke her maiden I didn't really ask her and she won so easily. I knew she had a lot more to give. I thought after that race that she had a chance to be a stakes horse.”
Sent off at 3-1 in the field of eight, Princess Indy returned $8.40 to win.
“I wasn't worried about the two turns or distance with her,” said Rojas. “She acts like she wants to go long. I had her comfortable early in the race. I knew Pletcher's horse was the horse to beat so I tried to stay close to her and watch her the whole way. My filly really dug in when I asked her in the stretch.”
Gonzalez said he simply drew a line through the fifth-place finish in the Adirondack Stakes.
“Her last race she didn't get hold of the track early and that's why she dropped back,” said Gonzalez. “That's what (jockey) Manny Franco told me. After that she checked twice. That's why she didn't run her race. She was impressive when she won here. That's why I took her to Saratoga.”
Lagonisi rallied for third, a head behind Wine On Tap.
Bred by Spendthrift Farm LLC, Princess Indy was produced by the Warrior's Reward mare Bonita Mia.
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Patches O’HouIihan Wires Bold Venture To Stay Undefeated This Year, Earn First Graded Win
Frank Di Giulio Jr.'s homebred Patches O'Houlihan stayed undefeated in five starts this year after making every pole a winning en route to victory in the $150,000 Bold Venture (G3) for 3-year-olds and older on the King's Plate undercard Sunday at Woodbine.
Stepping up in class and taking on older, more seasoned competition, didn't faze Patches O'Houlihan one bit in the afternoon's seventh race, one of five stakes contested on the 13-race card.
Under Daisuke Fukumoto, the bay Reload gelding, in typical fashion, broke sharply from the gate and took control of the nine-horse field, leading Old Chestnut, one of three Martin Drexler trainees, by two lengths through an opening quarter in :22:68.
Patches O'Houlihan extended his advantage over that rival to four lengths through a half in :44.61 but soon felt the pressure from both sides as he navigated the turn for home. In front by a half-length at Robert Geller's stretch call, the Robert Tiller trainee continued to fight on and crossed the wire a 1¼-length winner.
Last American Exit, at 45-1, was second, a half-length ahead of Old Chestnut for second. Secret Reserve was fourth.
The final time for 6 ½ furlongs was 1:15.34.
“I looked at the [Daily Racing] Form,” said Fukumoto. “I knew my speed in the race, but you know, anything can happen. I just rode simple, rode good. I went inside and then took the lead. He's only three, right? It was a tough trip for him and he tried hard. He's a nice horse.”
It was the latest impressive outing for Patches O'Houlihan.
Bred and owned by Frank Di Giulio Jr., the Ontario-bred sprint star debuted last September and won in style, a 4½-length victory at 5½ furlongs on the Tapeta. After a sixth on the turf in the Bull Page, he came back with an eye-catching 9¾-length romp at 5½ panels over the Tapeta in his 3-year-old debut in May.
After another win over the same distance and same surface, Patches O'Houlihan stepped up to the stakes ranks and took the Lake Huron (on the inner turf) on July 8 and the Lake Superior on July 30.
“I've got to give Frank a lot of credit,” said Tiller. “We test each other. It's like a marriage. At the end of the day, this is a super good horse. I don't want to say he's a (Sovereign Award champion and Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee) Pink Lloyd, but he's a super good horse. This is a big thrill for me.”
Sporting a record of 6-0-0 from seven starts, all at Woodbine, Patches O'Houlihan, who went off as the 2-1 choice, paid $6.30 for Sunday's win. His dam is the Silent Name mare Maythefourthbwithu.
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