Tag: Racing

Michael Dubb's Therapist struck for his first win at the highest level Saturday when running down favorite Catnip to score in the $600,000 United Nations (G1) at Monmouth Park.

Under Javier Castellano, Therapist rated toward the back on the field early before uncoiling a sustained outside stretch rally and mowing down Catnip to get the victory by 1 1/2 lengths.

Therapist returned $26.60 after running 1 3/8 miles in 2.14.50 on firm turf.

Catnip, who took charge on the far turn after chasing early freewheeling pacesetter So High, a 55-1 longshot, from second, held for the runner-up spot. Therapist's 9-year-old stablemate Red Knight came on for third, three-quarters of a length behind Catnip

An 8-year-old Freud gelding trained by Mike Maker, Therapist notched his 13th win from 42 career starts.

Bred in New York by Richard Leahy's Oak Bluff Stables and Christophe Clement, Therapist was produced by the Smart Strike mare Lady Renaissance.

Maker won the 2020 United Nations with Aquaphobia and the 2017 edition with Bigger Picture while Dubb enjoyed a third consecutive victory in the race.

United Nations Quotes:

WINNING OWNER MICHAEL DUBB (won third United Nations and third year in a row): “I followed this horse throughout his career. I knew the ability he had and that's why I claimed him (for $50,000). When he got a little older they put him in claiming races so we tried to claim him for $25,000 and got outshook. When they put him back in for $50,000 I knew he was worth that and quite a bit more.

“This is Mike Maker's sweet spot. When we got him the horse hadn't been racing this long and I asked Mike why he wanted to go this long. He said, 'I see it in the breeding.'

“I wasn't here for the first two (Adhamo in 2022 and Tribhuvan in 2021). I never came here for the other two and got lucky so I came today. It's amazing to win this race three years in a row.”

WINNING JOCKEY – Javier Castellano: “He's a really good horse. I like the way he did it today. He's the kind of horse you can do whatever you want to do with him. He's a pro horse. Everything he does he does it the right way. I like this horse at this distance. He's a long-distance horse. He seems to always maintain his rhythm. I knew that horse on the lead (55-1 shot So High) was going to stop. I just rode my race. I knew he was going to come back to us. I didn't want to chase him and not have anything left. It's a long distance. You have to have a lot of patience and have a lot of confidence in the horse. It's amazing that he won a Grade 1 race at 8 years old. He's just a professional horse.”

The post Therapist Scores First Grade 1 Win, Hands Maker Third United Nations Victory appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Under a patient ride from Paco Lopez early on, Shotgun Hottie swung four wide into the stretch and drove past favorite Search Results to take the $500,000 Molly Pitcher (G3) by a half length Saturday at Monmouth Park.

Sent off at 8-1 odds, the 4-year-old Gun Runner filly was winning for the fifth time in 15 career starts and came in off a victory in the Lady's Secret Stakes June 10 at the Oceanport, N.J. track. Saturday's triumph marked her first graded stakes victory after two seconds and a third in graded events last year.

Shotgun Hottie returned $18.40 after covering 1 1/16 miles 1:43 and change.

Chilean-bred Le Da Vida finished second after racing last of seven early, and Search Results finished third, three-quarters of a length back, after pressing the pacesetter Loved for the first half mile.

Shotgun Hottie is trained by Cherie DeVaux for owners Omar Aldabbagh and Jeff Ganje. She was bred in Kentucky by Vincent Colbert from the Malibu Moon mare Re Entry. She sold to Ganje out of the Gene Recio consignment at the 2021 OBS spring sale of 2-year-olds in training for $45,000.

Molly Pitcher Quotes:

WINNING TRAINER – Cherie DeVaux: “Paco looked like he had a lot of horse throughout the race and when he ranged up on the backside it then was just sustaining that run. She did sustain her run and I'm just really proud of her. I left her here (after she won the Lady's Secret here in her last on June 10) under the care of (trainer) Dan Ward. She's been working over this track and has a lot of experience on the track. She's run two races prior here (Serena's Song May 14) and she's just improving each subsequent week.”

WINNING JOCKEY – Paco Lopez: “I loved my position today. My position was great. But I never expected it to happen like that. I got lucky today. I had to wait outside. When we reached the final turn I just let her go. Cherie DeVaux told me she was ready today. The last time I rode her (in winning the Lady's Secret at Monmouth Park on June 10) nobody wanted the lead so I put her on the lead. Today I had to wait a lot more. Cherie told me she would be ready for this race. I said, 'OK.' I know this filly she tries hard, even after she didn't break well. She was loaded and waiting and waiting. I knew [Search Results] was inside us, but my filly was good today.”

The post Shotgun Hottie Makes The Grade In Breakout Molly Pitcher Performance appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Godolphin's homebred Proxy make all the pace, determinedly shook off challenges from Whelan Springs and Calibrate, and powered to victory in the $400,000 Monmouth Cup (G3) Saturday at Monmouth Park.

The 5-year-old Tapit horse, the 1-5 favorite, was scoring for the sixth time in 18 career outings while rebounding from an unplaced finish in the Stephen Foster (G1) earlier this month at Ellis Park.  The Monmouth Cup standout, he took the  Clark (G1) at Churchill Downs last November, was second in the  Santa Anita Handicap (G1) in March, then took Oaklawn Handicap (G2) April 22 and before finishing eighth in the Stephen Foster July 1. He would not be denied Saturday, showing his class for Joel Rosario to get the victory after making all the pace in a race for the first time in his career..

Proxy returned $2.8o after covering 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.99. He set early fractions of :23.80, :48,13, 1:12.05 and 1:37.37 before cruising across the finish line 2 1/2 lengths in front of Whelen Springs. Calibrate finished third, another 4  3/4 lengths back.

Trained by Mike Stidham, Proxy earned the $240,000 winner's share of the Monmouth Cup purse, boosting his lifetime bankroll to $2,024,970.

Kentucky-bred Proxy is out of Grade 1 winner Panty Raid, by Include.

Monmouth Cup Quotes:

WINNING TRAINER – Michael Stidham: “He really showed some guts. He's never been on the lead in his life. He's laid close early on in his career so we knew he could be close and still finish. But he was never on the lead so I didn't know what to think. I was hoping for the best, and then when they hooked him at the three-sixteenths pole, I thought, `Oh Boy. here we go.' Then he dug in and class came through in the end.

“That was very gratifying because his last race (in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster at Ellis Park), with Ellis being speed favoring and getting shuffled back around the first turn he had no chance. We just felt like we're not going to sit around and wait 60 days and plan to hopefully run in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (Grade 1 at Saratoga) but that was another 60-day break. He had already had one of those. He ran big today.”

WINNING JOCKEY – Joel Rosario: “I think it was just a case of too much class. He was the best horse in the race. He broke well and I just kind of let him go and do his thing. He's a little tricky sometimes to ride. You have to let him do the work. I know he always tries. He never gives up. He just does what he does. I was on the best horse and I rode him that way. They put some pressure on us but I was never worried. He has so much class. I just let him show the way.”

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