Tag: Racing

LSU Stables' Far Bridge repelled the strong rally of favorite The Foxes and won the $750,000 Belmont Derby Invitational (G1) Saturday at Belmont Park.

Ridden by Jose Ortiz, Far Bridge won by one length and finished 1 1/4-mile turf contest in 2:01.75.

An English Channel colt, Far Bridge broke through for his first stakes win and third win overall from five career starts while rebounding from a pair of seconds in Grade 2 races in his previous starts: the American Turf May 6 at Churchill Downs and Pennine Ridge June 3 at Belmont. He was ready to fire Saturday and got the job done for trainer Todd Pletcher.

Mondego was out to set the tempo and laid down fractions of :23.71, :50.06, and 1:14.89 while Far Bridge bided his time from seventh, then sixth, and Irish-bred The Foxes relaxed next to last in the field of 11.

Far Bridge was roused while inside on the far turn, angled out in early stretch and rallied strongly in the final furlong before gaining command in the final sixteenth. The Foxes, fifth in early stretch under Oisin Murphy, was full of run, closed with determination when called upson, and put his nose in front of 41-1 longshot Mondego but could not get the winner.

British-bred Mondego held on for third.

Far Bridge, who bred in Kentucky by Calumet Farm, was produced by the Kitten's Joy mare Fitpitcher. He returned $8.70 for the win.

Belmont Derby Invitational Quotes:

Todd Pletcher, winning trainer of Far Bridge: “We got a fortunate trip today. Everything worked out. We were able to save some ground pretty much around both turns, especially the far turn. We knew he had a good closing kick, we just needed to be in position to deliver it. I really liked the way he was moving around the turn and then when he got clear in the stretch, I knew he'd keep coming. We always felt like the added distance was going to be to his advantage.”

On privately acquiring Far Bridge following his second start: “They [owner LSU Stable] really liked the horse and they made a serious offer on him. They deserve any success they have with the horse.”

On targeting the Grade 1, $600,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational on August 5 at Saratoga Race Course: “I think that's a logical next target.”

Jose Ortiz: “I rode him one time [a win in March at Gulfstream] and I think that helped, but every race developed differently. Unfortunately, last time he was in some trouble but the horse doesn't help himself – he lugs in a little bit and that can get you into trouble and that's what happened last time. It's nothing [Joel] Rosario did wrong, the horse looks for it. We've been working for him to try and get him straight. Todd has been working with his bit and I think we finally nailed him. He went straight today but I think the trip helped him because he was on the rail, so he can't lug in no more. He cut the corner on the quarter-pole – beautiful trip – and when I tip him out, he exploded. It was a nice kick in the end.

“I knew the 11 [The Foxes] was behind me. I tried to look for him on the back side and couldn't see him. I could see the Klaravich horse [No. 10, Redistricting]. I knew he was behind me and Oisin [Murphy, aboard The Foxes] is a very smart rider and I knew he would be following me and my horse was one of the tougher horses in the race and he is very smart. So, I guess he was following me and he was because he told me after the wire [laughs].”

On the race to win the riding title at the Belmont spring/summer meet: “I'm taking it one race at a time. I've put myself in a great position to win it right now, but I remember when Eric [Cancel] won six the last day of Aqueduct [2021 winter meet] and caught Kendrick [Carmouche]. Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] could wake up and win six. So, I take it day-by-day and race-by-race. I put the work in and if I get it, I get it.”

Anna Lisa Balding, wife of Andrew Balding, the trainer of runner-up The Foxes (No. 11) and general manager of their Park House Stables, Kingsclere operation: “His final furlong must have been a very quick one. He's run a hell of a race. Unfortunately, he didn't break well enough and didn't deserve to win after breaking like that. He took a while to get into stride. I think the 10 furlongs is the right trip for him. Oisin [Murphy] said he finished with lots of horse under him, so I think he has a Group 1 in him, we just have to find the right one.”

On a potential start in the Saratoga Derby: “He might well do. We'll see how he comes out of this.”

Oisin Murphy: “He stood to jump and was a little slow away. I followed the winner but I wanted to sit closer in the run. The winner got first run on me as we turned into the straight and The Foxes picked up brilliantly, but I'd have loved to have been more forward in the run.”

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Juddmonte homebred Idiomatic scored a hard-fought victory in the 86th running of the $500,000 Delaware Handicap (G2) Saturday at Delaware Park.

With Florent Geroux aboard, the 4-year-old daughter of Curlin prevailed by a head over Classy Edition after a stretch-long battle. It was another 9¼-lengths farther back to Morning Matcha in third. Idiomatic returned $2.80 as the favorite in the field of six.

Previously, the Kentucky-bred trained by Brad Cox won the Shawnee (G3) at Churchill Downs om June 3. With the Delaware Handicap victory, she raised her career record to six wins from nine starts with earnings of $774,490. This was the second career Delaware Handicap for her jockey Florent Geroux who won the race in 2016 aboard I'm a Chatterbox. It was the first Delaware Handicap victory for her trainer Brad Cox.

“She has been training tremendously in the morning and we have very high hopes for her,” said winning rider Florent Geroux. “We are hoping, if she stays healthy and keeps on progressing, hopefully, she will be a player in the Distaff division in November.”

Kentucky-bred Idiomatic ($2.80) was produced by the First Defence mare Lockdown.

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Tim Shaw is going to savor  this win for a while.

After 22 years as a trainer, and 1,337 starters, Shaw notched his first career stakes win when front-running Precious Avary held on for a neck victory in Saturday's $85,000 Jersey Girl Handicap at Monmouth Park, doing so at odds of 22-1.

The win was the third in a row for the 3-year-old daughter of Divining Rod, all coming since she returned to facing New Jersey-breds.

“It's a great feeling,” said Shaw. “It means the beer is going to be colder, the steak is going to taste better. I've only run two horses in stakes races in my career and she is one of them. Mostly I claim horses and have some homebreds with limited ability. But I never had a real horse who could run like this one.”

Racing against older fillies and mares, and stretching out on the turf for the first time, Precious Avary was put on the lead by jockey Silvestre Gonzalez, loped through an opening quarter in :25.08 and a first half in :50.24 and had just enough left to hold off 2-1 Bramble Bay, who was charging up the rail. It was another 1¾ lengths back to Riding Pretty in third.

The winning time for the mile over a turf course listed as firm was 1:37.31.

“She's in very good form right now,” said Gonzalez. “She just loves to run – dirt, turf, short, long. She's just game. She comes out of there and gives 100 percent.

“When I broke out of there and I saw there was no speed I put her on the lead and then grabbed her and she rated very well today. She settled in nicely, we got an easy pace and that helped us down the stretch. Right now she's in a happy place. She's a Jersey-bred and in these Jersey-bred races she fits very well.”

The victory was her fourth straight against state-bred company, the last three coming at Monmouth Park this year.

“I think the change back to Jersey-bred company has given her confidence again,” said Shaw, who keeps a 10-horse stable based at Parx Racing. “She had a good race against open company at Penn National to start the year and that was kind of the spark. Then once we were able to get her in Jersey-bred company it seemed her confidence kept building.

“It's a little of a case of being back with her own company thing, being back with some confidence, and she's a 3-year-old filly who is getting better. She's won short turf, long dirt, slop going short and now turf going two turns. Honestly, I don't know what she wants or what she's best at. As long as Monmouth stays open I think we have to keep her with Jersey-breds.”

A Smith Farm and Stable homebred, Precious Avary  has a 4-2-1 line from 10 career starts with earnings of $201,460. She was produced by the Mutakddim mare Alytania.

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Whisper Hill Farm's Kentucky homebred Charge It ran exactly how his 3-5 odds suggested he would, setting a moderate tempo down the backstretch and drawing away in the stretch under little urging to earn his second graded win in Saturday's 137th running of the $350,000 Suburban (G2) for older horses, at Belmont Park.

Mandy Pope, owner of Whisper Hill Farm, expressed excitement in now owning a potential commercial stallion prospect.

“It's always wonderful to win any graded race, but the Suburban here at Belmont is a good stallion-making race looking forward to his next career,” Pope said. “We're really happy to have won and to have won so easily and not take too much out of him.”

The Suburban kicked off graded stakes action on Saturday, which also includes the Grade 1, $750,000 Belmont Derby Invitational in Race 10; the Grade 1, $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Belmont Oaks Invitational in Race 8; and the Grade 3, $175,000 Victory Ride in Race 11. The Suburban awards the top-four finishers a free entry into the $1-million Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) on September 2 at Saratoga Race Course.

Charge It, a 4-year-old gray son of Tapit, made amends from a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 10 at Belmont. Despite having never won past 1 1/16 miles, the added ground appeared to be no deterrence for Charge It, who captured the local one-mile Grade 3 Dwyer last year by an astounding 23 lengths.

Graded stakes-placed Red Run broke on top through an opening quarter-mile in :24.49 over the fast main track, but Charge It, from post 4, matched strides with his foe passing the chute and established command while racing several paths wide under John Velazquez. Charge It maintained his advantage through a half-mile in :48.12 as Clapton, Tonal Impact, and Unbridled Bomber attempted to launch bids from the rear of the dense field.

Around the far turn, Charge It completed three-quarters in 1:11.80 with Clapton beginning to advance into second under Emisael Jaramillo and Red Run tiring toward the inside. Velazquez saw no serious threats passing the quarter-pole as he peeked behind from both directions and kept his mount to task with Clapton continuing to make up ground. Charge It's class prevailed in the end as he crossed the wire a 4 3/4-length winner in a final time of 2:01.31 for the 1 1/4 miles on a fast track.

Clapton finished another four lengths ahead of Unbridled Bomber, who beat out Red Run by a neck for third. Tonal Impact completed the order of finish.

Charge It won his 2023 debut in a 1 1/16-mile allowance optional claimer in February at Gulfstream before finishing second in the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) in March and fifth in the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) in April.

Velazquez, who rode Charge It for the first time in last year's Dwyer, piloted the colt to his Met Mile effort, and said the biggest difference was the break.

“Last time, he broke slow and I tried to put him into the game. I was so far back and all of a sudden he took hold of the bridle and I was moving towards the leaders, but I wasn't going to be that dumb and let him go from eighth to first,” said Velazquez, a now three-time Suburban winner. “So, I took a hold of him and I let him loose in the turn. He kind of got confused and he kind of stayed the same pace all the way around. After looking back, obviously he ran a really good race and if he had [broke better] last time and be in a better position, he would have been right there. Today, it was a different story. [He was the] speed and was close, he used some momentum and that's the way it worked out.”

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who also notched his third Suburban conquest, said the $1-million Whitney (G1) on August 5 at Saratoga is now a viable option for Charge It. The nine-furlong test is a “Win And You're In” qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) in November at Santa Anita.

“We're happy with his performance today. We'll talk to everyone and consider the Whitney,” Pletcher said. “It was a good win for him. It proved he could stay a mile and a quarter. The spacing is pretty good if we want to consider the Whitney, which is obviously going to be a more difficult assignment, but he's always been a horse that's impressed us as a top-class horse. Maybe he's starting to put it all together.”

Pletcher said there were no anxious moments during the race.

“He was in cruise control throughout,” Pletcher said. “He left him off the rail a little bit to keep him relaxed, but he was traveling so well and it was coming pretty easily to him, you don't want to take that away.”

Jaramillo praised Clapton's effort and said the Arindel Florida homebred gives it his all every time. The 4-year-old Brethren chestnut was third in Charge It's allowance triumph two starts before capturing Gulfstream's Grade 3 Ghostzapper at 21-1 odds.

“It was a good race and he's a good horse,” Jaramillo said. “He's adapted to every track he runs at. I'm very happy with the performance today. He's a horse where every time he runs, he's a longshot – and every time, he runs well. I'm really, really happy.”

Charge It returned $3.30 for a $2 win wager and banked $192,500 in victory, which brought his lifetime earnings up to $717,600 and record to 4-3-0 from 10 career starts.

Charge It is out of the Indian Charlie mare I'll Take Charge, whose Grade 1-winning and producing dam Take Charge Lady was the mother of 2013 champion 3-year-old male Will Take Charge, Grade 1-winner Take Charge Indy and Charming – the dam of Grade 1-winning millionaire Omaha Beach and 2014 champion 2-year-old filly Take Charge Brandi.

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