Tag: Racing

AMO Racing USA's New York Thunder broke sharply to the lead in Friday's $200,000 Amsterdam (G2) at Saratoga and was never threatened, winning the 6 1/2-furlong sprint for sophomores by 7 1/2-lengths and earning a lifetime high Beyer Speed Figure of 110 under jockey Tyler Gaffalione.

Trained by Jorge Delgado, New York Thunder entered with a perfect 3-for-3 lifetime record, including the six-furlong Woodstock Stakes over Tapeta at Woodbine Racetrack in April in his start prior to the Amsterdam, which followed wins in a turf allowance and synthetic track maiden sprints over the winter at Gulfstream Park.

Leading up to the Amsterdam, the bay Nyquist colt strung together multiple impressive workouts at Monmouth Park, including two half-mile bullet breezes in June and an eye-popping :46.40 work on May 27. There was still a major question mark of the 3-year-old having never raced on dirt, but Delgado said Gaffalione believed in New York Thunder's speed.

“[Gaffalione] came immediately with a description of every horse in the (Amsterdam), and I told him, 'You got this, just go, I have full confidence in you,' ” said Delgado. “Every time I looked at the race, I looked at it a different way. I thought maybe the one [Drew's Gold] goes, maybe Ryvit goes, maybe we sit behind them, but I left it in Tyler's hands and his plan worked out perfectly.”

Ryvit stumbled out of the gate from post 5 as New York Thunder broke alertly from the outermost post 6 and set blazing fractions of :21.48 and :43.56 over the fast main track.

Gaffalione successfully mounted a three-length lead by the stretch, shaking odds-on favorite Drew's Gold from his side around the half-mile pole. New York Thunder's lead widened under little urging, and he finished in a final time of 1:14.65.

New York Thunder's six-furlong split in the Amsterdam of 1:07.77 is faster than Saratoga's six-furlong track record of 1:07.92 set by Imperial Hint in the 2019 Alfred G. Vanderbilt (G1), and the colt's geared down final time was not far off of Quality Road's track record of 1:13.74 set in the 2009 Amsterdam.

Delgado said New York Thunder returned to Monmouth Park from the victory in good order.

“He came back to the barn in good shape, happy and proud. As fast as he is, you can see in the races that he's a very, very quiet horse,” Delgado said. “He doesn't even move. He's just chilling in his stall, enjoying the days off.”

Delgado will resume New York Thunder's training shortly, pointing him toward the seven-furlong, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial (G1) on August 26.

“If everything goes right and everything keeps normal, that race is highly possible. That is my, 'Plan A,'” Delgado said, also admitting that thoughts of a possible start in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) down the line have started to creep into his mind after the impressive victory.

New York Thunder was purchased from the Threave Main Stud consignment for $130,000 at the 2021 Keeneland  September Yearling Sale. Bred in Kentucky by Gatewood Bell and Forgotten Land, New York Thunder is out of the Midshipman mare Start Over, who is a half sister to graded stakes-placed Degree of Risk. His third dam, Surf Club, produced 2012 Grade 1 Forego winner Emcee.

The post ‘Plan A’: Unbeaten New York Thunder To Seek Grade 1 Glory In Jerkens Memorial appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Jeff Drown's Zandon worked a half-mile in :49.24 Sunday over the Saratoga's main track in preparation for Saturday's $1-million Whitney (G1), a nine-furlong route for older horses. The Whitney offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) in November at Santa Anita Park.

“The breeze went super and the horse is doing great. I'm looking forward to running him,” said trainer Chad Brown, who is in search of his first Whitney win.

The 4-year-old Upstart colt captured the 2022 Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland en route to a close third-place finish in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby (G1) when 1 1/2 lengths back of the victorious Rich Strike. He has hit the board in five of six starts since the Derby – all in graded events – including a last-out second to returning Whitney rival Cody's Wish in the  Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap (G1) on June 10 at Belmont Park.

Brown said Zandon will benefit from a return to two-turns after showing determination to best Grade 1 winner White Abarrio by a head for place honors in the Met Mile.

“I was very pleased with his effort. He showed a lot of heart to be second. Clearly, he was second best in the race. Cody's Wish is arguably the best dirt horse in training in this country, so a lot of respect for him,” Brown said. “Our horse is doing fine and I think he's better around two turns. He's got a tall order here. It probably won't be a big field, but it's a very strong field with Cody's Wish and some other top horses. He's got his work cut out for him, but I really like the way the horse is doing and I like him at a mile and an eighth. I think that's his best distance. I'm just hoping he runs the race of his life and is able to spring an upset.”

Zandon, who sports a record of 2-5-3 from 11 career starts and purse earnings in excess of $1.7 million, made two Spa starts last summer – both in events won by eventual champion 3-year-old male Epicenter – when second in the Jim Dandy (G2) and third in the Travers (G1).

Bred in Kentucky by Brereton C. Jones, the $170,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase by Mike Ryan, agent, is out of the Creative Cause mare Memories Prevail, who is a half sister to dual graded stakes winner Cairo Memories.

The post ‘The Breeze Went Super’: Zandon Works Toward Whitney Bid appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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If there is such a thing as perfect, trainer Bill Mott said he saw it in Godolphin's homebred Cody's Wish's final half-mile tune up for Saturday's $1-million Whitney (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. The Whitney offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) in November at Santa Anita Park.

Under clear skies and temperatures in the 60s on Sunday, Cody's Wish visited the Oklahoma training track following the renovation break under Neil Poznansky and clocked the first quarter mile in :24 2/5 seconds before finishing in :48.28. He galloped out five furlongs in 1:01 4/5 and seven furlongs in 1:27.

“I thought it was perfect. If there is such a thing as a perfect work. Neil did a perfect job. The warm up was good, the breeze went well, he went off easily enough,” Mott said. “He was off in :12 and (2/5 or 3/5). He came home well. He let him off the bridle a little bit at the eighth pole and he finished up his last quarter very nicely. We didn't make him gallop out too much today, obviously. We're right on top of the race.”

Mott said Cody's Wish can be a difficult horse to work and credited Poznansky for his safe hands and good judgment.

“He's not easy to work because he can go too fast. You have to have someone on him that knows what they're doing,” Mott said. “He looked beautiful when he was working. He was smooth as silk. But fortunately, we have someone as talented and experienced as Neil. Even he says the horse is a little bit difficult to judge in his works how fast he's going because he does it so easily, you don't realize how fast he's going sometimes. He's not the only horse that's been that way. Usually, you'll find the occasional good horse that's hard to read how fast they're going.”

Cody's Wish  will attempt his seventh straight victory when he lines up in the nine-furlong Whitney. The Kentucky-bred bay horse enters from four consecutive Grade 1 scores, taking last year's Forego at Saratoga and the two-turn Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile before making his 5-year-old debut a winning one in the seven-furlong Churchill Downs on May 6. He last raced when capturing the Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 10 at Belmont Park.

Cody's Wish will look to be the first horse to sweep the Met Mile-Whitney double since fellow Godolphin colorbearer Frosted in 2016.

While Cody's Wish is in the midst of a winning streak, the same can be said for Juddmonte's aptly named Elite Power, who captured his eighth straight victory in Saturday's Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1) going six furlongs at the Spa. The 5-year-old chestnut has done no wrong since breaking his maiden by nine lengths last June at Churchill Downs. Following two wins at allowance-optional claiming level, he captured the Vosburgh (G2) at Belmont at the Big A before sealing champion male sprinter honors with a 1 1/4-length win in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) at Keeneland.

Elite Power kicked off his year with a triumphant international endeavor in Saudi Arabia's Group 3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint at King Abdulaziz Racecourse before winning the True North (G2) on June 10 at Belmont Park en route to the Vanderbilt, where he earned a career-high 108 Beyer Speed Figure.

Things didn't come easy in the Vanderbilt for Elite Power, who contested a sloppy and sealed track for the first time. He settled in fourth down the backstretch and did not appear poised for victory at the quarter pole with Grade 1-winning millionaire Gunite three lengths in front. But Elite Power had dead aim on Gunite and collared his foe in the final strides to win by a head.

“He looked great this morning,” Mott said. “I was very impressed just because I feel that when you have a sloppy or muddy track like that, it gives the advantage to the horse three in front turning for home. If you have to make up that much ground on a sloppy or muddy track, it can be difficult, so I give the horse a lot of credit for being able to do that. The horse be beat was running and he's a very good horse, too. He's in good form. I have to be pleased and I am pleased.”

Mott indicated that the seven-furlong $500,000 Forego (G1) on August 26 at Saratoga would be Elite Power's likely next start. The last horse to sweep the Vanderbilt-Forego double was A.P. Indian in 2016.

In addition to being in winning form, both Elite Power, and Cody's Wish are sons of multiple champion-producing stallion Curlin, a two-time Horse of the Year who stands at Hill 'n' Dale Farms in Paris, Ky.

“We're trying to start an advertising campaign for Curlin,” Mott quipped.

The post ‘An Advertising Campaign For Curlin’: Offspring Cody’s Wish, Elite Power Point For Spa Grade 1s appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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