Tag: Racing

Fergus Galvin and Rebecca Hillen's Safeen rallied down the center of Ellis Park's turf course and got by pacesetter Bling in the final strides to win Sunday's 58th running of the $300,000 Pucker Up (G3), the featured event on Day 2 of Kentucky Downs Preview Weekend.

The Pucker Up was Safeen's first graded stakes victory from seven lifetime starts. She was ridden by Luis Saez for trainer Eddie Kenneally.

Bling was sent to the early lead after breaking from the rail and was soon pressured to her outside by Frontal Attack. The duo completed an easy quarter-mile in :24.52. Safeen and Saez tracked in fourth while staying in the clear. Around the far turn, Frontal Attack began to fade while Saez tipped Safeen to her outside. In the stretch, Safeen drifted in slightly but drove past Bling in the final sixteenth to win by a half-length. It was another 1½ lengths back to French-bred Freydis the Red in third.

“She's pretty quick from the gate,” Saez said. “The two horses inside were the speed. We let her sit and get into a smooth stride. When I came into the stretch I was loaded. She can run all day and confident she can get the (1 5/16) distance at Kentucky Downs.”

“I think we should have a look at the race at Kentucky Downs,” Kenneally said. “She's starting to mature and relax in her races. It makes her a better horse. At this point I think she can go a little further. I think we have a little cushion now that we have a graded stake on our resume.”

The race at Kentucky Downs Kenneally referred to was the $1-million Dueling Grounds Oaks (G3). With her victory in the Pucker Up, Safeen earned an all entry fees-paid berth to race, which will be run on Sept. 3.

Safeen's overall record now stands at 3-1-3 and purse earnings of $372,090. Sent off the favorite, she returned $4.54.

Safeen is a 3-year-old daughter of War Front out of the Dynaformer mare Tafaneen. She was bred in Kentucky by Shadwell Farm and sold to Galvin for $18,000 at the 2022 Keeneland January Horse of All Ages Sale, where Bluewater Sales consigned her.

The post Safeen Reels In Front-Running Bling For Pucker Up Triumph, Earns First Graded Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Godolphin's 3-year-old filly division leader Pretty Mischievous, who passed the wire first in Saturday's seven-furlong Test (G1), has exited her race well, trainer Brendan Walsh said.

The daughter of Into Mischief added a third Grade 1 tally to her Kentucky Oaks and Acorn wins in May and June, respectively. She also joined her dam Pretty City Dancer, who annexed the 2016 Spinaway, as a Saratoga seven-furlong Grade 1 winner.

In the Test, Pretty Mischievous was closing on the far outside, while pacesetter Maple Leaf Mel asserted herself as the likely victress in front. Yards from the wire, when Maple Leaf Mel went down, Pretty Mischievous wrested a would-be second from Clearly Unhinged. Pretty Mischievous and jockey Tyler Gaffalione ultimately won by a head, with 1¾ lengths back to Munnys Gold in third.

“She's fine, she ate up good and has been eating peppermints all morning here, hanging over the door,” Walsh said. “She ran well yesterday, but it was just a little sharp for her, though she beat some very good fillies. The filly that broke down was the best of the day, but we're proud of the effort ours gave. That's her putting in her A-effort, like she always does. She always leaves it all out there and we can't ask for more than that. I didn't realize how much she really did close. It just goes to show how good a filly she is to give as good an effort as she did.”

Walsh said he did not have any immediate plans for Pretty Mischievous, but noted it was likely to include a step up in distance.

“We'll probably go back to the two turns after that. We're not really leaning anywhere yet, as far as her next race,” Walsh said. “I would say two turns is definite and the Cotillion (G1) would be the one that you would think would be the place to go—but I haven't discussed with the team, so nothing has been decided. She's won three Grade 1s—or two and a half—and a Grade 2. There's no one else who's done that.”

Pretty Mischievous, a Kentucky homebred, sports a record of 7-1-1 from nine career starts and purse earnings of $1,756,560.

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Blue Rose Farm's Arcangelo worked five furlongs in 1:00.21 Sunday over the Saratoga Race Course main track in preparation for the  $1.25-million Travers (G1) on August 26.

Accompanied to the track by trainer Jena Antonucci on her pony and piloted through the work by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, the Belmont Stakes  (G1) winner was caught by NYRA clockers galloping out strongly through fractions of 1:26 1/5, 1:39 and 1:53.

“It was a little more serious work,” Castellano said. “I usually hold him together. Today, I let him stretch out a little bit. I like the way he did it today – good fractions and a good move. The best thing for him is galloping out — he reaches out longer.

“In the turn, I asked a little bit and he took off. I just dropped my hands and let him roll,” added Castellano. “The boss wanted me to put on a good show today. I had been holding and keeping him fresh, but we are in a stage to make it serious because we are facing the best 3-year-olds in the country. You have to put a good foundation in and I think he does.”

Castellano, who is also the regular pilot of Kentucky Derby (G1) winner and Travers contender Mage, has yet to make a riding commitment.

Antonucci said Arcangelo nearly got two works for the price of one when the Arrogate colt attempted to join in on another breeze during his impressive gallop out.

“He swapped leads and went to go again,” said Antonucci, with a laugh. “That's a good quality for a horse to have. We finally got him pulled up over the three-eighths pole. He was kind of pleased with himself.

“He's happy and he loves it and he's enjoying it,” Antonucci added. “What better gift could I have?”

A three-time winner of five starts, The $35,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase won the Peter Pan (G3) in May at Belmont Park ahead of his Belmont coup.

He has breezed on a roughly every 10-day schedule since returning to the work tab on July 5 at Saratoga. Antonucci said the colt thrives on spacing between his races and works and she is listening attentively to her horse as she prepares him for a cut back to 10-furlongs in the Travers.

“He has a great foundation. His speed is there. I don't need to keep putting more speed into this horse, it's there,” Antonucci said. “Obviously, making sure a horse like this has the foundation he needs when we have to call upon it is the most important thing and that's my focus for him.”

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