Tag: Racing

Arnmore Thoroughbreds and Even Keel Thoroughbreds' Gala Brand scratched out of an engagement against her female counterparts in Wednesday's off-the-turf P.G. Johnson, but the daughter of Violence showed grit and determination to defeat males in Thursday's 19th renewal of the Grade 3, $175,000 With Anticipation, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for juveniles, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, who sent out Magic Cross to win yesterday's P.G. Johnson, Gala Brand swept from last-to-first under Jose Ortiz to outduel Carson's Run in a thrilling stretch drive, awarding her with both her first triumph against winners and first career stakes score on the heels of a debut win on August 3 here.

Mott credited Megan Jones, managing partner of co-owner Arnmore Thoroughbreds, with the decision to take on males in the With Anticipation.

“I owe a lot to her,” said Mott. “She made sure she was nominated to both races and the plan was to enter in both. She was ready to scratch yesterday even before they came off the grass because she wanted the better turf course. As it turned out, there was no decision to make. Everything fell into place and then another filly won yesterday.”

Gala Brand broke cleanly from the inside post in the field of seven and settled in last along the hedge as Market Street bounded to the front with Nomos and Spirit Prince in a battle for second through an opening quarter-mile in 25.02 seconds over the good footing.

Market Street led into the backstretch as Ortiz opted to bring Gala Brand two paths off the rail to the outside of Wine Collector and just behind Carson's Run with a half-mile in 51.61. The Mott-trained Get Spooled, who went widest of all in the first turn after a slow start and raced near the back of the field early on, was asked to make an early move by Jose Lezcano and took up second position near the half-mile call.

Nomos was swung wide mid-turn through three-quarters in 1:16.42 to make his bid for the lead while the Dylan Davis-piloted Carson's Run and a loaded Gala Brand were given their cues in tandem as they each opted to make a run to the outside of a tiring Nomos. Get Spooled got the jump on his rivals and came away with the lead at the stretch call, but Carson's Run and Gala Brand made up ground with every stride down the center of the course in an exciting battle to the wire.

Spirit Prince made one last bid for the lead in between Get Spooled and Carson's Run, but neither he nor the latter could hold off the impressive turn of foot from Gala Brand, who swept by in the final strides to post the half-length triumph in a final time of 1:45.93.

A game Carson's Run secured place honors 1 1/4 lengths ahead of his Christophe Clement-trained stablemate Spirit Prince, with Nomos and Get Spooled finishing fourth in a dead heat. Wine Collector and Market Street completed the order of finish. British Sea was scratched.

Ortiz, who won his third stake of the meet, said following the talented Carson's Run throughout was key to the victory.

“The main thing first time going long was to keep her in good rhythm and just let her be and that's what I did,” Ortiz said. “I followed Dylan, I liked his horse. I saw him work the other day on the Oklahoma and he worked very well. I followed him every step of the way until we hit the quarter-pole. I went outside of him and it worked out. She was full of run, very nice filly.”

Gala Brand boasts an eye-catching color pattern, with white splotches on her underside and tall white markings on her legs. Jones said the flashy filly's colors may not have been popular with prospective buyers at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where she was purchased for $30,000.

“The color helped us buy her because I couldn't find any holes in her at the sale,” said Jones. “She was a little rangy, I think it was the European in her. She looked pretty awkward [when she was] younger, the white covered more than it does now. She almost kind of grew into her color as she went. I think it helped us in the long term.

“Her personality actually fits her color,” Jones added. “She has a lot of charisma and confidence. As soon as I saw her under tack and got to know her, I was like, 'That's just right for her.' She was born to be that color.”

The With Anticipation marks the first graded win for Arnmore Thoroughbreds, a milestone Jones said she will savor before making any further plans for Gala Brand.

“We'll just enjoy this for now and then get together and see where we go, but I think she overcame a little bit today,” said Jones. “They went slow up front and she ran them down and was challenged for the first time really and galloped out nicely. I was proud of her.”

Mott noted Get Spooled, a New York-bred son of Hard Spun, was compromised by a troubled trip.

“My other horse broke bad and he should have been up close,” said Mott. “He wound up getting into second position going into the turn and took the lead turning for home. I thought, maybe we're going to be one-two, but he folded a bit inside the sixteenth pole.”

Bred in Kentucky by Desmond Ryan and Martin Schwartz, Gala Brand is out of the multiple graded/group stakes-winning Lord of England mare Olorda. She banked $96,250 in victory and returned $7.80 on a $2 win ticket.

Live racing resumes Friday at the Spa with a 10-race card, featuring the Grade 3 Saranac in Race 4. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

Saratoga Live will present live coverage and analysis of the Saratoga Race Course summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.

The post Gala Brand Bests The Boys In Thursday’s With Anticipation appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Nominations for the 88th Prince of Wales Stakes, the second race for the Canadian Triple Crown, have closed and the card is shaping up to be its strongest in decades. The $400,000 stakes will hit the dirt oval at Fort Erie Race Track on Sept. 12 with what looks to be a full field.

When nominations closed on Aug. 29, a total of 11 different horses had their ticket punched to the big dance at the track's signature event. This list was packed with heavy hitters, including Paramount Prince, who won the first leg of the Triple Crown at the King's Plate at Woodbine on Aug. 20. After the King's Plate victory, Paramount Prince will need to win the Prince of Wales Stakes to keep the Canadian Triple Crown run going.

“It's been a full two decades since the last horse, Wando, captured the Triple Crown back in 2003,” said Fort Erie Race Track's communication manager, James Culic. “The Stakes card is jammed with great horses, but Paramount Prince really put on an impressive display at the King's Plate, so I think he has a genuine shot at keeping the Canadian Triple Crown dream run going in Fort Erie.”

To do that, Paramount Prince will have to fend off challenges from familiar faces like Stanley House, Velocitor, Cool Kiss, Twin City, Morstachy's, and Kaukokaipuu, all of whom ran in the King's Plate and are nominated for the Prince of Wales Stakes as well. The nomination card was rounded out by Armaline, Ottawa, Stanhonor Goodside, and Tiburon.

If all 11 horses remain in good health and make it to the gate on Sept. 12, it will be the largest Prince of Wales Stakes card in two decades. This despite ongoing challenges with horse supply constraints in Ontario.

Live racing for the big event begins at 1 p.m., with the Prince of Wales Stakes hitting the oval later that afternoon. The track will have food trucks on hand to keep the crowd fed as they take in the Prince of Wales, and the four other stakes races that day, including the Molson Cup, Le Cinquieme Essai Cup, The Rondeau Bay Stakes, and The Lake Erie Stakes. The race card for the 88th Prince of Wales Stakes will be finalized on Sept. 7 during the draw for post positions, which will be live streamed to the track's YouTube page.

Admission and parking to the Stakes are free, and for those who can't make it in person, The Prince of Wales Stakes will once again be broadcast live on TSN.

The post Prince Of Wales Card Stacked For Canadian Triple Crown Run At Fort Erie appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Years ago a horse named Cigar was running on the turf. Nothing special, just an average grass horse. He did win an entry level allowance race at Del Mar, but that was about it.

Then one day, trainer Bill Mott and owner Allen Paulson decided to try their now 4-year-old colt on the dirt. Cigar ran off 16 straight victories, tying Citation's old mark for most consecutive wins and eventually vaulting Cigar into racing's Hall of Fame.

This should not be mistaken as a comparison to Cigar but there's a horse in the Peter Eurton barn named Exaulted that started out as your average, everyday dirt horse until this year when the connections decided to try him on the turf. He hasn't lost since and will try to extend his win streak to five this Saturday in the G2 Del Mar Mile, one of the five graded stakes featured on Pacific Classic Day.

“That's what I have to think,” Eurton says when asked if the surface switch was the key to Exaulted's turnaround. “He was always pretty healthy. Growing up he had little issues but nothing ever serious.”

The son of Twirling Candy only won once in his first 11 races. He broke his maiden winning an entry level allowance race at Santa Anita. Exaulted ran twice at Del Mar last summer finishing third and fifth in entry level allowance races.

“He didn't run bad,” Eurton says. “He was always knocking on the door but he wouldn't finish. (The grass) made him more of a stayer.”

So to start his 6-year-old campaign, Eurton made the switch to grass.

“He's by a turf sire,” Eurton says. “His size is not your typical turf horse. He's like 17-hands so we always thought he'd be a dirt horse and it just kind of worked out. It's just too bad I didn't try it earlier.”

He won an entry level allowance in January; a non-winners of two in February; the G3 American in April and the G1 Shoemaker Mile on Memorial Day. All were at Santa Anita.

Trainer Philip D'Amato has brought his full complement of turf runners to the party on Saturday. In the Mile he has Count Again and Balnikhov, winner of last year's Oceanside Stakes on opening day at Del Mar.

“He (Balnikhov) really likes this turf course down here,” D'Amato says. “He's trained really well post Eddie Read and I think he should be set to run one of his 'A' races.”

Balnikhov finished a fast-closing second to stablemate Gold Phoenix in the G2 Eddie Read in July.

Bob Baffert will send out Du Jour, winner of the $100,000 Wickerr on opening weekend. The son of Temple City will have the services of rider Flavien Prat, who is flying in from the east coast and will ride this weekend.

Last year's Wickerr winner, Irideo, will take the outside post in the 10-horse 'Mile' field. He posted back-to-back runner up finishes, both behind Exaulted, in the G3 American and the G1 Shoemaker Mile before a head-scratching, sixth-place finish in this year's edition of the Wickerr. Trainer Marcelo Polanco is hoping for a better effort this time.

“Since we got here I've been working him on the grass,” Polanco says, “so he's getting used to it and he does work good on the turf.”

Irideo had two bullet works over consecutive weekends earlier this month. He also has a new rider.

“We have Tiago Pereira,” Polanco says. “He worked the horse the last time. They got along real good and he seems like the right guy for this horse. He's an easy horse to ride. You make one move and that's about it. He's got to relax in the first part (of the race) and he'll give you a good race.”

The G2 Del Mar Mile is the seventh race on the 11-race Saturday card. Approximate post time is 4:30 p.m. First post for Saturday's races is at 1:30 p.m.

Here's the field from the rail with the jockeys:

1. Du Jour (4-1);
2. Sumter (Mike Smith, 15-1);
3. Count Again (Umberto Rispoli, 4-1);
4. Exaulted (Juan Hernandez, 3-1);
5. Balnikhov (Hector Berrios, 6-1);
6. Visitant (Geovanni Franco, 12-1);
7. I'm A Gambler (Antonio Fresu, 8-1);
8. War At Sea (Victor Espinoza, 10-1);
9. Twist (Kent Desormeaux, 12-1), and
10. Irideo (Tiago Pereira, 10-1).

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