Tag: Racing

Trainer Nate Quinonez and jockey Eduardo Gallardo won the first two stakes on Canterbury Park's Hall of Fame program Saturday evening at the Shakopee, Minn. track. Cupids Crush drew off to win the $50,000 Frances Genter Stakes by 11 3/4 lengths as the prohibitive favorite and in the next race Xavey Dave slipped through on the rail to win the $50,000 Ralph Strangis Stakes by one-half length. The Strangis field shrunk to three horses following the scratches of five entrants.

Nate Quinonez recorded the first two stakes victories of his career. He took over operation of the entirety of Mac Robertson's 70-horse stable after Robertson, who awaits adjudication, was provisionally suspended by the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit following a positive test in a June 4 race for a substance banned for use in male horses but allowed in fillies and mares.

“We have a really good team of people at the barn,” Quinonez said. “I got an opportunity to be here right now and I can't do it without them and all the owners that support us every single day.”

Cupids Crush paid $2.40 to win and covered the six furlongs in 1:10.15. The 3-year-old filly is owned by Vicki and Mike McGowan's Xtreme Racing Stables, LLC. Checkcashingconnie, also trained by Quinonez, finished second while Ann Alee, who set the early pace, finished third.

Linda Bush owns Xavey Dave. He paid $5.40. Stagecoach Boys was second and Thealligatorhunter was third in the 7 1/2 furlong turf race.

Midnight Current beat stablemate Let's Skedaddle by a head in the $50,000 Minnesota Turf Distaff also at 7 1/2 furlongs on the turf. Both mares were bred and are owned by Bob Lothenbach's Lothenbach Stables, Inc and are trained by Joel Berndt. Leading jockey harry Hernandez was aboard the winner who paid $2.80 as the favorite.

The final race of the evening, the $50,000 Victor S. Myers Stakes, went to the favorite Sir Sterling who pulled away to win the six furlong race by 2 1/4 lengths over Roses by Liam in 1:10.26. The 3-year-old gelding is trained by Tony Rengstorf and is owned and was bred by Chad Kuehn. Lindey Wade was aboard the winner who paid $4.00.

Total handle for the nine-race card was $1,249,167. The four stakes were restricted to horses bred in Minnesota. Racing resumes Sunday at 1:00 p.m. CT.

The post Cupids Crush Romps By 11 3/4 Lengths During Canterbury’s Hall Of Fame Program appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire and fan favorite Tax has been retired from racing after a 19-start career that saw him win three graded stakes and more than $1.1 million in earnings, trainer Danny Gargan said Sunday.

“We've decided to retire him because it was the right thing to do by the horse,” said Gargan. “He's done enough. We just wanted him to win over the million-dollar mark, and he got well over that.”

Owned by Gargan and R.A. Hill Stable, Tax won the 2019 Withers (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack and finished second in the Wood Memorial (G2), awarding him enough points to start in the Kentucky Derby (G1) where he finished 14th. He followed with a fourth in the Belmont Stakes (G1) before a win in the Jim Dandy (G2) at Saratoga Race Course.

During a three-start 4-year-old campaign, he posted a 4 1/2-length romp in Gulfstream Park's Harlan's Holiday (G3) before his lone start of 2021 when off-the-board in the Pegasus World Cup (G1) at Gulfstream. The dark bay gelding made a memorable comeback nearly 18 months later when earning the final victory of his career in Delaware Park's Battery Park last July.

After a runner-up finish in the Challenger (G3) in March at Tampa Bay Downs, Tax retired with a record of 19-5-5-1 and total purse earnings of $1,102,190.

Gargan said Tax has been sent to the farm of Dean Reeves, who co-owned Tax through 2021, and will be retrained with an eye to a pony career.

“He went to Dean Reeves' farm and we're probably going to break him to be the farm pony next year,” said Gargan. “Maybe he'll come here to Saratoga next year and be our barn pony here.”

Tax retires as the all-time top earner for Gargan, who spoke fondly of the gelding's accomplished career.

“He's my favorite horse of all-time,” said Gargan  of Tax, a son of Arch bred in Kentucky by Claiborne Farm and Adele B. Dilschneider. “He's so pretty and so kind for such a big horse.”

The post Multiple Graded Stakes-Winning Millionaire Tax Retired appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Robert Masterson's Southlawn, trained by Norman Casse, seeks her first Grade 1 victory in Saturday's $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks, a 1 1/8 mile main track test for 3-year-old fillies, at Saratoga Race Course.

The daughter of Pioneerof the Nile captured the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) in March ahead of a 10th-place finish as the 5-1 second choice in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) on May 5 at Churchill Downs.

Southlawn broke sharply in the Kentucky Oaks but still found herself five-wide and unable to save much ground, leading to a lack of response at the top of the stretch.

The bay breezed four furlongs over the Saratoga main track in :48.88 Saturday in her first workout since shipping from Churchill Downs, where she worked weekly after the Kentucky Oaks.

Casse said Southlawn, who initially targeted the Acorn (G1) on June 9 at Belmont Park, has progressed from her Oaks effort.

“She had a tough trip in the Oaks, so we decided to skip the Acorn and give her a little bit of time off, a freshening,” said Casse. “She's had a steady series of works leading into this and been training really well. She looks great, we got a nice easy half mile into her over the Saratoga main track and she handled the track very well.

“Our feeling is that when Southlawn is at her best, she is just as good as anyone,” Casse added.

The post Fair Grounds Oaks Victress Southlawn Preparing For CCA Oaks appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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