Tag: Racing

Jockey Alonso Quinonez had three mounts on Saturday at Canterbury Park and he made the most of it.

The public bet the $100,000 Minnesota Oaks, one of four stakes races Saturday at Canterbury Park restricted to horses bred in Minnesota, as though Cupids Crush was a lock, making her the prohibitive 1-9 favorite. The public was mistaken. Quinonez aboard Thunders Rocknroll had something else in mind, breaking alertly from the gate and never getting headed, winning by nine lengths.

Cupids Crush and Eduardo Gallardo tracked in second and attempted to draw alongside on the far turn of the one-mile and 70-yard race, but Thunders Rocknroll kicked away when asked by the rider. She paid $15.80 to win, providing Quinonez with the first of three stakes wins. Thunders Rocknroll was bred and is owned by Bob Lindgren. The 3-year-old filly, by Maclean's Music out of the Thunder Gulch mare Thunder and Honey, is trained by Bernell Rhone.

The next three stakes belonged to trainer Tim Padilla and owner Pete Mattson as She's My Warrior won the $65,000 Glitter Star Stakes with Quinonez, Thealligatorhunter with Constantino Roman won the $65,000 Wally's Choice, and Roses by Liam won the $100,000 Minnesota Derby with Quinonez. Each winner was trained by Padilla. He co-owns She's My Warrior and Thealligatorhunter with Mattson while Mattson owns the Derby winner outright.

Quinonez and She's My Warrior went gate to wire in the Glitter Star while being challenged throughout by It's Her Time who raced just off her hip. At the eighth pole, Quinonez took control, going on to win by a length. She's My Warrior, a 4-year-old daughter of Warrior's Reward out of Garden Gloves, by Stormy Atlantic, paid $13.60.

“We got two beautiful trips,” Quinonez said of his mounts in the Oaks and Glitter Star. “Both of my fillies run pretty much the same style. I was just able to save horse and come home.”

A speed duel between Jose Patio and favorite Sir Sterling set up the Minnesota Derby victory for Roses by Liam, who tracked the pace under a patient Quinonez. As the front-runners tired, Roses by Liam kicked on, drawing away to win by 3 3/4 lengths over Jose Patio in 1:42.53 for one mile and 70 yards. It's Bobs Business finished third, another three lengths back.

Also on Saturday's card, Thealligatorhunter, an Overanalyze half brother to She's My Warrior, landed a repeat victory in the Wally's Choice Stakes, going wire to wire and fending off a late charge by favorite Xavey Dave to score by a neck. Thealligatorhunter paid $6 to win.

“[Xavey Dave] has beaten us twice. The last two times. So I was plenty worried about him closing,” Mattson said.

The eight-race card handled $1,163,643.

The post Canterbury Park: Jockey Quinonez Scores Three Stakes Wins, Including Minnesota Derby, Oaks appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Harris Farms' homebred mare Closing Remarks took advantage of a ground-saving ride by Umberto Rispoli to come away with a neck victory Saturday at Del Mar in the Grade 2, $251,000 Yellow Ribbon Handicap in the second of two graded stakes on the 10-race card.

The winner, a California-bred by the late stallion Vronsky, stayed close throughout the 1 1/16-mile grass feature, then drove hard through the lane to prove a neck best at the finish. The 5-year-old chestnut, who is trained by Carla Gaines, captured the fifth victory in the 21st start of her career and picked up a first prize of $150,000 to bring her career earnings to $711,320.

Finishing second was Nentwig, Beast Mode Racing and CYBT's Spirit And Glory, who was a length and a quarter better than third-place finisher Ganadora, owned by Baoma Corp.

Closing Remarks, who went off the 23-10 favorite in the field of seven, returned $6.60 to her backers. She ran the 1 1/126 miles on firm turf in 1:42.01 in this, the 71st edition of the stakes.

“Being on the rail obviously, basically, what you want to do is get the best out of it,” said Rispoli. “I was trying to get her in a nice position. I knew Ganadora was going to be on the lead. The best was going to be a matter of finding a way to go at the top of the stretch. I think she (Closing Remarks) has been very alive her past couple of races. Today she improved, and can compete with those horses. A huge win for Mr. (John) Harris. Carla gives a good prep in the morning and well done to the team.”

“Umberto (Rispoli) is the best,” said Gaines. “If there is any space he's going to get through and that's what he did. In grass racing you always want to save ground and he's a master at it, so I just left it up to him. She didn't have to make up quite as much ground as in her previous races and she loves this turf course.”

The stakes win was the fourth of the meet for rider Rispoli and the first for trainer Gaines.

Rispoli now has 22 wins in Del Mar stakes, including his score in this same race last year aboard Going Global.

Gaines was registering her first victory in the Yellow Ribbon, but her 18th overall in stakes at the shore oval.

The track's Pick Six wager, which had a guaranteed $1-million payout for any single-ticket winner Saturday, was not hit, meaning its $373,278 carryover will go into tomorrow's “mandatory payout” day for the popular wager. A potential final prize in the $3-million-plus range is surely possible for the bet on Sunday, which all will be paid out to those with the most number of winners with no carryovers involved.

Racing is back and running at Del Mar Sunday beginning at 2 p.m. The Pick Six wager will be on races 5 through 10.

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Virginia-bred Gigante made his triumphant return to the winner's circle by pulling a massive 22-1 upset victory in Saturday's $500,000 Secretariat Stakes (G2) at Colonial Downs. The race is being held in Virginia for the first time, making the victory for the Commonwealth that much sweeter.

Gigante, the 2022 Virginia-bred champion 2-year-old, was ridden by Javier Castellano for trainer Steve Asmussen and covered the one-mile over firm going in 1:35.10.

“I feel blessed Asmussen (trainer Steve) gave me the opportunity to ride that horse. I think I got along pretty good with him in the post parade. He acted very professionally. I had the best trip in the race. (I was) where I wanted to be today. There seemed to be a lot of speed in the race. I tried to use my patience. He broke so well from the gate and put me in good position. I just took my time and rode with a lot of patience, a lot of confidence and had the best result today.”

Mo Stash was hustled hard from the starting gate in the Secretariat Stakes and was joined by the forward-placed Major Dude as they entered the first turn. Following an opening quarter-mile in :23.67, Gigante was positioned in last but only 3½ lengths off the lead.

The field began to bunch entering the far turn after a half-mile in :48.03 as Castellano began asking Gigante for his best run. At the quarter pole, Gigante made a bold bid for the lead and took command into the lane but had to hold off the late charge of Nagirroc. Gigante kept finding more on the lead and was able to hold his rival at bay by a neck. It was another 1 ¾ lengths back to Silver Knott in third who was followed in order by Major Dude, Northern Invader and Mo Stash.

Gigante, the longest priced horse in the field of six 3-year-olds at 22-1 rewarded his backers by returning $47.80 for the win.

With his victory in the Secretariat Stakes, Gigante improved his overall mark to 9-4-0-1 and boosted his overall purse earnings to $583,550.

Iapetus Racing and Diamond T Racing's Gigante is a 3-year-old son of Not This Time out of the Empire Maker Mare Summertime Green. He was bred in Virginia by Ann Mudge Backer and Smitten Farm.

Colonial Downs was the starting point for Gigante. He broke his maiden here one year ago on the dirt and subsequently demolished a field of seven rivals in the Kitten's Joy Stakes on turf.

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The graded stakes debut of Danny A. Eplin's speed-loving Dreamfyre was a tour de force under Hector Berrios as she led out of the gate and was never threatened en route to a 3 1/2-length score in $200,000 Sorrento (G3) for 2-year-old fillies Saturday at Del Mar.

Sent off at 3-1, the Flameaway filly kept her record perfect in two career starts and was making a big step up in class following her front-running debut win in the stakes at Pleasanton on July 9 for trainer O. J. Jauregui.

Setting snappy fractions of :21.74, :45.10 for a half mile while co-favorites Benedetta and Dua pursued in vain, Dreamfyre opened a two-length lead in early stretch and drew away for the comfortable win.

Dreamfyre returned $9.20 after covering six furlongs in 1:10.52.

Benedetta was second, and Dua finished another 7 1/4 lengths back in third in the field of seven.

The $120,000 winner's share of the Sorrento purse increased Dreamfyre's lifetime purse earnings to $165,000.

John Oxley bred Dreamfyre in Kentucky from the Sky Mesa mare Appreciating. Offered by SGV Thoroughbreds at the OBS Spring Two-Year-Olds In Training Sale in April, she was purchased for $140,000.

Sorrento Quotes

HECTOR BERRIOS (Dreamfyre, winner) – “Oh, she's fast; really fast. I looked at the video (of her first start July 9 at Pleasanton) and I say there's only one way to go with her – that's go fast right out of the gate. She did everything right. She was good at the gate; good with the break; made the lead on her own. She's very professional. When we turned for home and I smooched to her, she took right off. She's a good one.”

O. J. JAUREGUI (Dreamfyre, winner) – “She's fast, I knew it. That's why I brought her here for the meeting. Usually I have my barn in Northern California. She's been doing everything right and I expected her to run a very honest race. She got a little breather about the five-sixteenths going to the quarter pole, so I knew I had a chance. She kicked right in and she ran really big.”

The post ‘Oh, She’s Fast, Really Fast’: No Catching Dreamfyre In Del Mar’s Sorrento appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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