Tag: Racing

John O'Meara's Roses for Debra brought her win streak to three in a row with a smart off-the-pace victory in Saturday's $200,000 Caress (G3), a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for older fillies and mares at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Christophe Clement, the daughter of Liam's Map has now won six of her last seven starts, including the Malvern Rose last July over the synthetic at Presque Isle Downs. She made her graded stakes debut a winning one under Irad Ortiz Jr., who executed a well-timed ride to pounce on a swift pace set by Bubble Rock and land the 2 1/4-length score.

“Roses for Debra has a spectacular turn of foot and when you have that kind of turn of foot in the straight, it's very dangerous,” said Clement.

Roses for Debra exited post 3 in the five-horse field cleanly while Our Flash Drive bobbled from the inside post and Bubble Rock sprinted to the front under Flavien Prat to lead the bunched-up field down the backstretch over the good footing.

Roses for Debra tracked one length back in second heading into the turn with Wakanaka keeping close watch in third while racing widest of all. Bubble Rock was asked for more from Prat as the field rounded the turn and Roses for Debra came within striking distance with Wakanaka looming large three-wide and full of run after a half-mile in 45.29.

A valiant Bubble Rock clung to a precarious lead into the stretch before Roses for Debra swept past her pacesetting foe at the eighth pole and drew clear from the advancing Wakanaka, who stormed home with giant strides but ran out of racetrack as Roses for Debra crossed the wire first in a final time of 1:02.39.

Wakanaka edged Bubble Rock out of place honors by a neck with Poppy Flower finishing another head back in fourth. Our Flash Drive completed the order of finish. Main track only entrant Bank On Anna was scratched.

Roses for Debra made her first five outings for trainer Michelle Brafford with four of them coming over the Presque Isle synthetic. This spring, Roses for Debra was moved into the care of Clement, who switched her to turf where she is now undefeated in three starts. Her other two starts for Clement were optional-claiming victories at Pimlico Race Course in May and at Belmont Park on July 3.

“She's very good. She was impressive at Pimlico. She was very impressive at Belmont. She came out of the race at Belmont in great shape,” said Clement. “When you run at Belmont you don't have to ship, you take them straight from the stalls to the paddock and back. I know it was ambitious, but why not have a look. It worked out. It's nice when you're aggressive and it works out.

“When they have that form on the synthetic, usually it translates really well on the turf,” Clement added. “After the way she won on the turf at Pimlico, I was convinced she was a grass filly. This is fun.”

Ortiz said having one target to track worked to his advantage.

“She broke well. I thought there was going to be a little more speed in the race, but she broke so well so I just sat on her,” he said. “When the other horse [Bubble Rock] went, I just followed the leader. After that, I just let her do her thing from the quarter pole.”

The Caress was the fourth win on the card for Ortiz, who said Saratoga's fans make each win even more meaningful.

“It's great. When you have four in a day, it's an amazing feeling,” he said. “We're looking forward to keep on going. It's special to do it here. Just seeing the crowd today, and little kids asking for pictures giving you high-fives and looking so happy when they see you. It makes it just much more special.”

Bred in Pennsylvania by Blackstone Farm, Roses for Debra was produced by the Bernardini mare Essential Rose. She banked $110,000 in victory and improved her lifetime record to 8-6-1-0. She returned $5.50 for a $2 win ticket as the 8-5 post-time favorite.

Junior Alvarado, aboard the Bill Mott-trained runner-up Wakanaka, said he had a good trip.

“She broke good today,” said Alvarado. “She put me in a beautiful spot. By the five-sixteenths pole, I tried to take my shot at the winner and she kind of went on with me and opened up a little bit at the end. But you know, I thought my filly ran a great race. Second best today for sure, but like I said, I loved the way she ran for me.”

The post ‘Spectacular Turn Of Foot’: Roses For Debra Pounces For Caress Victory appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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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.”

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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.”

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