Tag: Racing

One in Vermillion, who was purchased at an Arizona Thoroughbred auction for $26,000 by his owner, Jonathan Kalman, as a yearling late in 2021, has earned $328,840 in 10 starts since his career debut April 13, 2022, at Turf Paradise in Arizona.

Now, he will attempt to win his first graded stakes in the Grade 3, $500,000 West Virginia Derby on Sunday evening.

The 3-year-old California-bred colt by Army Mule made three starts in 2022 and came away with two stakes scores in the Open Spring Futurity and Lost in the Fog Juvenile at Turf Paradise. He began 2023 with a win in the Riley Allison Derby at Sunland Park in New Mexico, which would be his third of five victories thus far.

His connections tried One in Vermillion in the G3 Sunland Park and the G1 Santa Anita Derby in California, and he finished fifth both times. He bounced back to win the seven-furlong Laz Barrera Stakes at Santa Anita and was shipped to Canterbury Park in Minnesota with Southwest-based trainer Esteban Martinez to perhaps take a shot at some of the prominent Midwestern events for 3-year-olds.

One in Vermillion won an allowance race upon his arrival at Canterbury and followed up with a second-place finish in the Canterbury Derby. He then was shipped to Prairie Meadows in Iowa for the Iowa Derby, in which he led from gate to finish only to be disqualified and placed second behind How Did He Do That for drifting out late in the stretch.

The effort, however, was enough for Martinez and Kalman to try another Derby.

“These things happen,” Martinez, who shipped One in Vermillion to Mountaineer early to prepare for the Derby, said of the disqualification. “I think he'll go long. It's more about how he handles the track, but he always tries hard, and I think he has got a chance. I hope I'm right. The horse is feeling good right now.”

In many of his races One in Vermillion has been on the lead, and in half of his starts has carried that speed all the way. He has been ridden by Harry Hernandez, the leading rider for the 2022-23 Turf Paradise meet and current leading rider at Canterbury, in eight of his races.

“Harry really likes this horse,” Martinez said. “Wherever the horse goes, he wants to go with him. He's very excited about riding in the West Virginia Derby.”

Martinez, who began training in 2017, is usually based in Arizona in the fall and winter and Minnesota in the spring and summer. He has won 107 races with purse earnings in excess of $2 million.

The West Virginia Derby program will begin at the special Sunday post time of 5 p.m. ET. The Grade 3 West Virginia Governor's Stakes is set for 7:40 p.m. followed by the Derby at 8:15 p.m.

The post One In Vermillion Continues ‘Derby Hunting’ In West Virginia appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The La Jolla Handicap, a Grade 3 test that is the second of three grass challenges that Del Mar puts forth each year for the 3-year-old set, will be up for grabs Sunday as the featured attraction on an 11-race card that starts at 2 p.m. PT.

This 82nd edition of the La Jolla carries a purse of $150,000 and has drawn eight runners for its 1 1/16-mile presentation. It will be Race 10 on the San Diego county seaside track's afternoon program with a likely post time of 6:30 p.m.

There are no standouts in the lineup, leaving all sorts of possibilities for the last major prep to the track's showcase 3-year-old offering, the Grade 2, $300,000 Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby, which goes on Sunday, Sept. 3.

It doesn't happen often, but there's a legitimate chance that the maiden Maltese Falcon might be the apple of more than a few eyes in the La Jolla. The Irish-bred gelding by the Scat Daddy sire Caravaggio is owned by Red Barons Barn or Rancho Temescal and has been knocking on the door in his five U.S. starts, including a good second in the Cinema Stakes at Santa Anita on June 11.

His connections plead his case further: he's handled by the rising conditioner Leonard Powell and gets the saddle services of the top rider Juan Hernandez. They break from Post 3 in the field.

Here's the complete crew for the La Jolla from the rail out with riders:

C R K Stable's Smart Mo (Joe Bravo in the tack); Muir Hut Stables' Agency (Ramon Vazquez); Maltese Falcon; Lamarock Stable's Justin's Legacy (Hector Berrios); Hronis Racing's Panic Alarm (Umberto Rispoli); CYBT, Nentwig or Pell's Kid Azteca (Asa Espinoza); The Del Mar Group's Henry Q (Antonio Fresu), and Madaket Stables and Convergence Stable's Zalamo (Mike Smith).

Henry Q makes his Del Mar debut in the feature. The Blame colt was most recently in the east running third in Belmont Park's Peter Pan in May, then fifth in Thistledown's Ohio Derby in June – both of them Grade 3 events on dirt. He was a minor stakes winner at Sunland Park in New Mexico earlier this year, winning the Mine That Bird Derby by 14 3/4 lengths. This will be his first race on turf, but he's had two breezes over the Del Mar grass course.

Panic Alarm will be making his U.S. bow on Sunday. The Irish-bred and raced gelding has been in the John Sadler barn since early July and shows a pair of victories from his 2-year-old season and four starts this year, the most recent coming on June 22.

In the race prior to the La Jolla, the 70th running of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association Stakes will unfold. The dash for Cal-bred 2-year-old fillies has lured eight lassies out of their barns for a run of 5 1/2 furlongs and a $125,000 purse.

The post Maiden Maltese Falcon May Rate Edge Over La Jolla Handicap Rivals appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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When 1-2 favorite War Like Goddess tried to take jockey Joel Rosario for a ride in the early stages of Thursday's Grade 2 Glens Falls Stakes at Saratoga, it opened the doors for an upset in the 1 1/2-mile turf contest. In the final eighth of a mile, it was the second choice McKulick (4-1) who was able to pick up the pieces and run down the favorite, crossing the wire a neck ahead of War Like Goddess.

Seth Klarman's 4-year-old daughter of Frankel completed the 12 furlongs over the firm turf in 2:27.05, giving trainer Chad Brown his first victory in the Glens Falls. Irad Ortiz, Jr. piloted the winner for her first win in nearly 11 months.

“She's dancing,” said Ron McKulick, husband of the late Mary McKulick, the filly's namesake and Brown's first employee when he left Bobby Frankel's barn. “She would be humbled and honored and full of joy.”

Drawn on the inside of the seven-strong field, favored War Like Goddess was allowed to settle into stride before Rosario tried to take hold of the two-time Glens Falls winner (2021 and 2022). Turning into the stretch run for the first time, however, War Like Goddess was boxed in from the outside and took offense to the rating attempt; she became extremely rank, tossing her head about and trying to pull Rosario to the front of the field.

At the front of the field, Elegant Taste and Vergara held the top two spots while Virginia Joy kept War Like Goddess against the rail in a joint third. McKulick and Sopran Basilea followed in a compact formation, while Amazing Grace brought up the rear. The early fractions were mild: :24.84, :50.01, and 1:15.29.

Vergara and Virginia Joy were at the front heading into the stretch for the final time, but War Like Goddess made her move and was able to take over from those leaders. Ortiz, meanwhile, looked like he was out of horse along the rail at the head of the lane, but he angled McKulick to the outside and the filly dug in gamely. McKulick put in a big late run down the center of the course to defeat War Like Goddess by a neck at the wire. Amazing Grace closed to finish third, and Sopran Basilea was fourth.

Bred in Great Britain by Essafinaat UK Ltd, McKulick is out of the unraced Makfi mare Astrelle. Mike Ryan selected the filly at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale for $245,369; she won on debut, and won two legs of last year's Fillies' Turf Triple in New York. The Glens Falls is just her fourth lifetime win, but it improves her overall record to 4-4-2 from 11 starts and earnings of over $1.4 million.

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Lee Pokoik's Becky's Joker flew under the radar in her winning career debut in the Grade 3 Schuylerville in July, but enters the Grade 3, $200,000 Adirondack three weeks later as a prime contender in Sunday's 6 1/2-furlong main track test for juvenile fillies at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Gary Contessa, Becky's Joker provided a stunning upset in the six-furlong Schuylerville, making her career debut off a series of local breezes and facing a seemingly impossible task in squaring off against graded competition for her first afternoon outing. The daughter of Practical Joke responded to the tall order with aplomb, rallying from one length off the pace to coast home geared down under returning Hall of Fame rider Javier Castellano and 3 1/4 lengths clear of returning rival Saratoga Secret.

“I didn't think anybody was better than her physically, and I really thought she could win that race,” said Contessa. “I just didn't know what to expect mentally, because we can't recreate a field of horses in the morning with her getting dirt in her face or a break in the flow or having to overcome traffic. You just don't know how a horse is going to handle that, but I had a very strong belief that mentally she was very sound, and physically she was very talented. It was a combination of the two.”

The $130,000 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale purchase has worked back twice since her Schuylerville coup, including a bullet half-mile in 47.40 seconds on July 26 over the Spa's Oklahoma dirt training track.

“She's incredible because we don't ask her to work,” said Contessa. “We just let her break off at the pole and I tell the rider to just sit on her. She does it all on her own and with her ears up. She's happy to train and her works are well within herself.”

Contessa expressed deep respect for the talented bay, who gave him his first graded score since Sippican Harbor won the Grade 1 Spinaway in 2018. Contessa had planned to wait for the $300,000 Spinaway on September 3 with Becky's Joker, but decided to give her another run after she exited the Schuylerville in exceptional form.

“She's just so level-headed about everything,” said Contessa. “She doesn't get stressed out about anything and she's very cool, calm and collected. She's the perfect horse and ready to run back. I was going to wait for the Spinaway, but she's doing so well and watching her train, I thought it would do well to run her. And, we still have 28 days until the Spinaway after this race, so it's not like we're for want of time.”

Becky's Joker will emerge from the outermost post 10.

Clearsky Farms' Kentucky homebred Here U Come Again [post 3, Florent Geroux] boasts a field-high 86 Beyer Speed Figure for a professional debut victory sprinting five furlongs on July 7 at Ellis Park.

Trained by two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox, the Liam's Map grey tracked in second close to pacesetter Pinotslilgirl before taking charge at the three-eighths call and drawing off down the lane to cross the wire 2 1/4 lengths the best in a final time of 57.27.

“She's doing really good,” said Cox. “She ran really good in her first run and I think she's a good filly – fast filly. She's been pretty good out of the gate and we were hoping to have a bit of a target. She was able to break and sit a nice trip, get herself in good position and finish up well. It was five-eighths and she was meant to run three-quarters the week before but the race didn't go. We put her there and she obviously responded well. I'm pretty happy with what we've seen from her since.”

Cox said he expects Here U Come Again to relish the added ground in the Adirondack.

“I think it's a good thing for her,” said Cox. “I'm not saying she's a mile and a sixteenth filly, but I think she's got a good mind and can sit a good trip and finish up. I've liked her from Day One. The first time I saw her, she was one who stamped herself as really good.”

Here U Come Again is out of the multiple stakes-winning Euroears mare Euro K Shotgun, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Shotgun Kowboy. Her immediate family also includes Maysville Slew, a graded stakes-winning millionaire.

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas vies for a record-extending eighth Adirondack victory and a successful title defense after taking last year's running with Naughty Gal. This year, the veteran conditioner saddles BC Stables' Saratoga Secret [post 6, Flavien Prat] as she attempts to turn the tables on Becky's Joker.

A daughter from the final crop of Arrogate, Saratoga Secret graduated on debut in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden tilt in June at Ellis Park before making the step up to the graded ranks for her first try against winners in the Schuylerville. There, she vied for early command under Luis Saez before racing three-wide into the turn and briefly had the lead before fading down the lane.

“She ran really well,” Lukas said. “I thought she may have needed that race and she's improved a little bit. But the winner was too much, let's be honest. I'd like to take mine out again.”

Lukas acknowledged the feat Becky's Joker accomplished to graduate on debut in a graded event.

“I really think that horse will be a legitimate favorite for her to rope down through there like she did in that last race, that was pretty impressive,” said Lukas. “Gary deserves a good one.”

The undefeated Brightwork [post 4, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] looks to keep her perfect record intact for conditioner John Ortiz after earning her first stakes coup with a narrow score last out in the six-furlong Debutante on July 2 at Ellis Park.

Campaigned by WSS Racing, the Outwork bay impressed on debut in a 4 1/2-furlong sprint in April at Keeneland, winning by three lengths over a field that included Crimson Advocate, who finished third ahead of wins in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies at Gulfstream Park and Group 2 Queen Mary at Royal Ascot. Brightwork stretched out to six furlongs in the Debutante and led at every point of call to gamely fend off V V's Dream.

A half-sister to the stakes-placed Quiet Company, Brightwork is out of the Malibu Moon mare Clarendon Fancy, a half-sister to graded stakes-placed Dubini and stakes-winner What a Catch. Clarendon Fancy is also a full-sister to Catch the Moon, who produced multiple graded stakes-winning millionaires Girvin and Midnight Bourbon, as well as graded stakes-winners Cocked and Loaded and Pirate's Punch.

Completing the field are debut maiden winners Cara's Time [post 1, Dylan Davis], Magic Cross [post 2, Jose Lezcano], Princesa Celina [post 5, Jose Ortiz], who races with blinkers off, Princess Indy [post 7, Manny Franco], Streaming Now [post 8, Joel Rosario] and Copper Em [post 9, Tyler Gaffalione].

The Adirondack is slated as Race 8 on Sunday's 10-race program. 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/.

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