Tag: Racing

Highly consistent graded stakes winners Major Dude and Nagirroc will go head-to-head against six other sophomores in Friday's ninth running of the Grade 3, $250,000 Manila Belmont Park.

The one-mile Widener turf test boast graded status for the first time after previously being used as a springboard to subsequent Grade 1 triumphs by past winners Bricks and Mortar [2017], Win Win Win [2019] and Annapolis [2022].

Three-time graded stakes winner Major Dude, a Spendthrift Farm-owned son of second crop sire Bolt d'Oro, boasts field-best earnings of $714,895 through a 10-4-2-2 record. The bay colt was a last-out winner the Grade 2 Penn Mile on June 2 at Penn National, where he stalked the pace from third and lost ground around the far turn, but made a sweeping three-wide move to win by three-quarters of a length.

A 10-1 winner of his turf debut in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Pilgrim in October at Belmont at the Big A, Major Dude was a close ninth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf the following month at Keeneland. He has finished no worse than third in five starts this season, which include a triumph in the Grade 3 Kitten's Joy going 1 1/16 miles on February 4 at Gulfstream Park en route to a runner-up finish in the Grade 2 Jeff Ruby Steaks in March over Turfway Park's all weather surface.

“I think this suits him more than those longer distance turf races. He seems to have more punch at the end of that distance,” said Spendthrift Farm's general manager Ned Toffey. “It wasn't a superstar field [in the Penn Mile] but he did what he was supposed to do and I like how he did it. He encountered a little adversity there and really responded to that well, got aggressive and finished up really strong. It was really nice to see. It was a race he should have won, and he did.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will retain the mount aboard Major Dude from post 5.

Trainer Graham Motion will saddle Nagirroc, who has never finished off the board in seven lifetime starts and was a last-out winner of the one-mile James W. Murphy on May 20 at Pimlico, where he sported blinkers for the first time.

The bay son of Lea entered his prior engagement off a second-place finish in a strong edition of the Grade 3 Transylvania on April 7 at Keeneland, which featured next-out stakes winners Webslinger [third] and Mi Hermano Ramon [fourth].

“We backed up a little bit by going in the Pimlico race, which obviously was an easier spot than some of the other races that we could have gone in, but I really wanted to try blinkers,” Motion said. “When you make changes like that you don't want to make things too complicated for them. It really worked out that day and I've been really impressed with him.”

Nagirroc made his debut in Indiana with trainer Jim Corrigan and was acquired privately by owners Little Red Feather Racing, Madaket Stables and William Strauss following a second place finish on debut at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Transferred to Motion, Nagirroc graduated in September going six furlongs at Belmont at the Big A before winning the Grade 3 Futurity in October over the same surface and, subsequently, finishing third at 39-1 odds in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Keeneland.

Motion expressed interest in targeting more ambitious spots later in the year.

“We made the decision to wait for this race which I think is the good move and I'm hoping this sets us up for some other races later this summer,” Motion said.

Flavien Prat will ride Nagirroc from post 4.

Trainer Cherie DeVaux will saddle Victory Partners' More Than Looks [post 3, Joel Rosario] as he makes his stakes debut.

The More Than Ready dark bay broke his maiden over Gulfstream Park's synthetic in March before finishing second to eventual graded stakes winner Turf King in a Keeneland allowance the following month. He enters from a narrow victory against winners on June 17 going 1 1/16 miles over the Ellis Park turf.

“He broke his maiden at a mile and seventy and he ran really well at Keeneland to just get beat by Turf King and that horse came back to flatter his form,” DeVaux said. “He came back and ran really well to win at Ellis, closing into a paceless race to just get up. He has a lot of talent, but he's just taken a while to come around and he still acts a bit green in his races. He's getting better each start and as he matures.”

Joseph Allen and CHC Inc.'s Talk of the Nation [post 2, Jose Ortiz] has done little wrong since switching to the turf three starts back for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey.

The Quality Road dark bay defeated winners in his turf debut in a Tampa Bay Downs allowance optional claimer before capturing the Columbia on March 4 over the same surface. He enters off a runner-up one-length defeat as the heavy favorite in the June 3 Jersey Derby at Monmouth.

Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Michael Kisber, and William Rucker's Belouni [post 6, Joel Rosario] will try to make amends after finishing last-of-7 in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Pennine Ridge for trainer Chad Brown. The Fast Company French-bred previously captured the Woodhaven in April at Aqueduct going the Manila distance.

Brown also entered Klaravich Stables' Activist Investing [post 7, Dylan Davis] who has not raced since breaking his maiden at third asking in October at Belmont at the Big A. The son of Kingman will cut back to a flat mile after making all three of his previous efforts at the 1 1/16-mile distance.

Completing the field are Jose D'Angelo-trained Amstrong [post 1, Javier Castellano], and Dreaming of Kona [post 8, Scott Spieth] for trainer Aldana Spieth, who both are last-out stakes winners over synthetic.

The Manila honors the five-time Grade 1 winner, who was named 1986 Champion Turf Horse for fellow Hall of Famer LeRoy Jolley. The son of Lyphard won 12-of-18 starts, including a thrilling victory in the 1986 Breeders' Cup Turf over the following year's Champion Turf Horse Theatrical.

The Manila is slated as Race 9 on Friday's 10-race program. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the spring meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

The post Manila Favorite Major Dude ‘Seems To Have More Punch’ At Mile Distance appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Juddmonte's Idiomatic tops a field of six in the 86^th running of the Grade 2, $500,000 Delaware Handicap at Delaware Park on Saturday.  This will be the first year the filly and mare classic will be contested at the distance of 1 3/16 miles after being run at a mile and a quarter every year since 1951 (except 2020 when the race was run at mile and an eighth due to the pandemic).

The Delaware Handicap has been carded as the ninth race with an approximate post time of 4:46 p.m.

In her most recent, Idiomatic notched a 2 ½-length victory in the G3 Shawnee going 1 1/16 miles at Churchill Downs on June 3.  Previously, the 4-year-old daughter of Curlin ran second in the G2 Ruffian at a mile at Belmont Park on May 6.  The Kentucky-bred conditioned by Brad Cox has a career record of five wins, a second and two thirds from eight starts with earnings of $474,490.

LC Racing, Cash Is King and Gary Barber's Morning Matcha could give Robert “Butch,” Reid Jr. a rare training double by winning the Delaware Oaks and the Delaware Handicap in the same year.  Todd Pletcher and Jerry Hollendorfer are the only trainers to win both races in the same year.  Pletcher won both with Adieu (Oaks) and Fleet Indian (DelCap) in 2006 and Hollendorfer won with It Tiz Well (Oaks) and Songbird (DelCap) in 2017.

Reid won his second Delaware Oaks on Saturday with Foggy Night.  The 66-year-old from Woodbury, N.J., won his first Delaware Oaks with Project Whiskey in 2020.  He has never had a starter in the Delaware Handicap.

“For me personally, it is fantastic to have this opportunity especially because Delaware Park is a racetrack I grew up within a half-hour of, so we were always watching those big races,” said Reid.  “As a kid, we were always coming to Delaware Park and those were races we always looked forward to coming to watch so this is really exciting.  We have been fortunate to be very lucky at Delaware over the last few years.”

In her most recent, Morning Matcha, finished second, beaten a nose, in the local prep, the 1 1/16-mile Obeah Stakes on May 27.  In her only other outing this year, the Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Central Banker posted a two-length triumph in the seven-furlong Unique Bella Stakes for Pennsylvania-breds at Parx on April 24.  Last year, the 4-year-old had a record of two wins, two seconds and three thirds from 10 starts, including a third in the Delaware Oaks, a second in the G1 Cotillion at Parx and a third in the G3 Comely at Aqueduct.  She has a career record of five wins, six seconds and five thirds from 19 starts with earnings of $743,390.   Morning Matcha was bred by Crane Thoroughbred Services, located approximately 74 miles from Delaware Park in Lebanon County, Pa.

“I am pretty excited about Morning Matcha, especially after looking at the past performances of the race,” Reid said.  “It looks like there is a fair amount of speed in the race, so it should set up really nice for her.  The reason we ran her in the Obeah was to give her a race over the track this season.  As a trainer who has been running horses at Delaware Park for a long time, I really appreciate giving a horse a race over the track.  Hopefully that will work to our advantage.  It seems like she handled it last time, but she just had a little bad luck.  A little bit longer distance should help her as well because she is the kind that can run all day.  The distance should be right up her alley.”

Jockey Paco Lopez will also be shooting for the Delaware Oaks/Delaware Handicap double as he was the rider aboard Foggy Night in the Delaware Oaks last Saturday.  The last time a jockey won both races in the same year was 1977 when John Velazquez accomplished the feat aboard Cum Laude Laurie (Oaks) and Our Mims (DelCap).  Three other jockeys have also done so.  They were Eddie Maple with Pacific Princess (Oaks) and Optimistic Gal (DelCap) in 1976, John Rotz with Gallant Bloom (Oaks) and Obeah (DelCap) in 1969, and William Hartack with Bayou (Oaks) and Princess Turia (DelCap) in 1957.

Since the Obeah Stakes was inaugurated in 1996, four fillies or mares have won the race and followed with a victory in the Delaware Handicap.  They were the 2006 older female champion Fleet Indian, I'm a Chatterbox in 2016, Miss Marissa in 2021 and Miss Leslie last year.  Two fillies have finished second in the Obeah and won the Delaware Handicap.  They were Power Play in 1997 and Unbridled Belle in 2007.  Three winners of the Obeah Stakes have followed by running second in the Delaware Handicap.  They were Under the Rug in 2001, Your Out in 2002 and the 2011 Horse of the Year Havre de Grace.

$500,000 Grade 2 Delaware Handicap

fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, 1 3/16 miles

	HORSE	OWNER	TRAINER	JOCKEY	Wg	OD
1	Royal Take Charge	Altair Farms	Albert Stall Jr	Reylu Gutierrez	115	8-1
2	Battle Bling	Dubb & Gandharvi	Rob Atras	Angel Cruz	118	6-1
3	Idiomatic	Juddmonte	Brad Cox	Florent Geroux	121	7-5
4	Gamestonks	Designated Hitters Racing	Rodolofo Sanchez-Salomon	Kevin Gomez	115	12-1
5	Classy Edition	Robert & Lawana Low	Todd Pletcher	Kendrick Carmouche	118	7/2
6	Morning Matcha	LC Racing Cash is King et	Robert Reid, Jr	Paco Lopez	118	5/2

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Brad Cox, whose horses' 2023 purse earnings of $15.28 million lead North America, shoots for his second victory in the Grade 3, $300,000 Indiana Derby with Verifying this Saturday at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

The two-time Eclipse Award winner as North America's outstanding trainer won the 2020 Indiana Derby with Shared Sense, was third in 2021 with Fulsome and second by a half-length with Best Actor last year.

Verifying seeks his first stakes win in the 1 1/16-mile Indiana Derby after finishing second in last year's Grade 1 Champagne, second by a neck to Tampa Bay Derby (G2) winner Tapit Trice in this spring's Toyota Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland and second again by a half-length to Disarm in Churchill Downs' Matt Winn (G3). Between the Blue Grass and Matt Winn, Verifying faded to 16th in the Kentucky Derby after setting a wilting pace. Disarm was a beneficiary of that hot pace, coming on to finish fourth.

“He's doing really well,” Cox, who has maintained a large division at Horseshoe Indianapolis for a long time, said of Verifying. “I love how he came out of the Matt Winn. It will be back in 27 days, but he's a horse we felt we needed to get a race under his belt. He's just got the two wins. He's run really well, just was narrowly defeated in the Matt Winn, the Blue Grass. His Derby was a throw-out with the pace, going too quick too early. But he's a nice horse, he's doing well physically, looks amazing.”

Verifying worked five-eighths of a mile Saturday at Churchill Downs in 1:00.60, third fastest of 19 workouts at the distance that morning. Marcelino Pedroza, who is second in the Horseshoe Indy standings with 34 victories heading into Monday's card, gains the mount.

“We have a lot of luck with Marcelino,” Cox said.

A son of the 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify, Verifying was purchased for $775,000 as a yearling by the international Coolmore racing and breeding conglomerate that stands Justify at its Ashford Stud in Central Kentucky. Verifying won his debut at Saratoga last summer. Off his Champagne second in his second start, he ran in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland, checking in sixth after a difficult trip. He started off his 3-year-old season with an Oaklawn Park allowance victory before taking fourth in the Rebel Stakes (G2).

Cox demonstrated as recently as this past Sunday that horses can rebound after getting shellacked in the Kentucky Derby. Zozos won his fourth race in five starts since he was 10th in last year's Derby by taking Ellis Park's $275,000 Hanshin. Cyberknife, 18th in the same Derby, won the Grade 1 Haskell and finished his career losing the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile by a mere head. Tawny Port won the Ohio Derby (G3) in his next start after his seventh in the 2022 Kentucky Derby.

“We ran three horses in the Kentucky Derby last year,” Cox said after Zozos' Hanshin victory Sunday. “This horse (Zozos) has responded well. Cyberknife was a Grade 1 winner after and before the Derby and barely got defeated in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and went off to stud. Tawny Port rebounded and won the Ohio Derby. We had four running in it this year. Maybe those can redeem themselves. And they have, with Verifying coming back and running well.

“There's totally life after the Kentucky Derby. You have to watch the horse. If they need a break, they need a break. They all need breaks at some point. It's just when they're asking for it, you've got to give it to them.”

Cox's 2023 purse earnings are about $1 million more than second-place Steve Asmussen. At $15,285,222 in earnings heading into Monday's racing, he has accrued the fifth-highest season earnings in his career with half of the year to go, putting him on course to break his North American record $31,715,312 set in 2021. With a career that began in 2005, Cox already ranks No. 15 in all-time purse earnings. Of the 14 trainers ahead of him on the all-time list, 10 are in the Hall of Fame.

West Will Power's victory in Saturday's $1 million Stephen Foster at Ellis Park gave Cox his 20th Grade 1-winning horse and his 39th Grade 1 win overall, all dating to 2018 with Monomoy Girl. That two-time champion earned her first of 14 victories out of 17 career starts at Horseshoe Indianapolis in 2017. The $100,000 yearling purchase went on to earn almost $4.8 million, including winning the Breeders' Cup Distaff twice, and then sold for $9.5 million to Spendthrift Farm in 2020.

“Monomoy Girl was very special; she's the one who really got this thing rolling for us,” Cox said after the Stephen Foster. “I think about her a lot. She means a tremendous amount to us, probably our all-time favorite. Today has a lot to do with her.”

The 21st season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing extends through Friday, Nov. 17. Live racing is held Tuesday through Thursday with Saturday racing added in during the summer months. First post Tuesday and Wednesday is 2:30 p.m. Thursday racing begins at 2:10 p.m. The Summer Saturday Racing Series includes five all-Quarter Horse dates July 1, July 22, Aug. 12, Sept. 2, and Oct. 7 beginning at 10:45 a.m. Indiana's featured event, the Grade 3 $300,000 Indiana Derby is set for 12 p.m. Saturday, July 8. For more information on live racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis, visit www.caesars.com/horseshoe-indianapolis.

The post ‘Life After The Kentucky Derby’: Brad Cox-Trained Verifying Headlines Saturday’s Indiana Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The Estate of Robert J. Amendola's graded stakes winner Evvie Jets led every step of the way to notch her third career stakes triumph in Sunday's $150,000 Perfect Sting, a one-mile Widener turf test for older fillies and mares, at Belmont Park.

Trained by Mertkan Kantarmaci and piloted to victory by Javier Castellano, Evvie Jets stayed well in command throughout to land a half-length triumph over pace-pressing post-time favorite Technical Analysis, who, along with Haughty and Customer List, was part of a formidable triad for conditioner Chad Brown. It was Evvie Jets' second win in three starts this year, adding to another stakes score in the Plenty of Grace in April at Aqueduct Racetrack.

“Unbelievable. She just has so much heart,” said Michael Amendola, son of Evvie Jets' late owner Robert Amendola. “Put her toe to toe with anybody and she fights on. It's a true test of her being a great racehorse. We have so much trust in her and we were excited to have Javier aboard today. She's been training great and we had her in a great spot. It was a nice surprise, but it wasn't a surprise.”

Away from the outermost post 5 at odds of 8-1, Evvie Jets broke sharpest of all with Technical Analysis ranging up to her inside to stay within striking range while Customer List broke a step slow and trailed through an opening quarter-mile in 23.36 seconds over the firm footing.

Technical Analysis, with Jose Ortiz in the irons, preserved her inside stalking position down the backstretch with stablemate Haughty giving chase on the outside as the half-mile elapsed in :46.77. Ortiz angled Technical Analysis to the outside of her pacesetting foe approaching the turn to take dead aim at Evvie Jets with Haughty going widest of all under Flavien Prat.

Castellano shook the reins approaching the top of the lane and Evvie Jets responded, finding another gear as Technical Analysis came within a half-length at the eighth pole but was in an all-out drive and unable to make up further ground. A valiant Evvie Jets had enough left in the end to stave off her rival and cross the wire first in a final time of 1:33.99, returning $19.60 for a $2 win ticket.

Haughty kept on for show honors as the late-running Tic Tic Tic Boom completed the superfecta. Customer List, who flattened out after a brief bid in the turn, completed the order of finish.

Kantarmaci, who won his third race of the Belmont spring/summer meet, said he was confident Evvie Jets could take on the trio of Chad Brown trainees.

“I see that Chad's three horses were really strong competition for today, but we were at our best distance and we knew she was going to make her race,” Kantarmaci said. “The rival doesn't always run each race the same race – you need to run against them and if you make your race, you can beat them. She did her race.”

Although Evvie Jets has shown proficiency both on and off the pace, Kantarmaci said it was a wise decision by Castellano to take charge when Technical Analysis did not.

“I think this is the right move because she gets more comfortable on the lead and she has the ability to answer,” said Kantarmaci. “If the pace is slowed down already, she has the ability to give the second kick instead of the waiting horses make the kick.”

Castellano, who scored his second stake this weekend and fourth of the meet, said it was Evvie Jets' race to lose once she made the lead.

“These are the types of races that you have to use the best judgement,” said Castellano. “They [Technical Analysis] had speed and I had speed. I could either be aggressive and try to win the race, or be conservative and maybe get second or third. I tried to play the break and I didn't see anyone taking the lead, so I took it myself to dictate the pace. My horse loved it. The way she did it, you can see the fractions were easy and she was traveling really well. Turning for home, when I asked her, she responded really well.”

Bred in Kentucky by Farfellow Farms, Evvie Jets, a 5-year-old Twirling Candy mare, attained graded stakes glory when taking the Grade 3 Noble Damsel in October at Belmont at the Big A, which provided Kantarmaci with his first graded victory as a trainer. She boasts a record of 20-6-6-2 and banked $82,500 for her latest victory, increasing her lifetime bankroll to $531,655.

Bred in Kentucky by Farfellow Farms, Evvie Jets is out of the Consolidator mare Natchez Trace. Offered by Hidden Brook, she was a $75,000 Keeneland September yearling sale purchase by Team D in 2019.

Kantarmaci said potential targets for Evvie Jets could include the 1 1/16-mile, $300,000 Ballston Spa (G2) on August 24 at Saratoga Race Course, or the one-mile First Lady (G1) on October 7 at Keeneland.

“I think we should keep her in New York, in her own barn in her own home where she trains,” Kantarmaci said. “If she's really doing good, we look a little more higher levels with her. We go by distance first. Let's see what she shows in a couple weeks and go from there.”

Ortiz praised the runner-up effort from multiple graded stakes winner Technical Analysis, who made her first start off a nearly nine-month layoff.

“Usually, Chad has them pretty ready to go off the layoff and my filly ran a great race,” Ortiz said. “I thought the winner ran a great race, too. We went pretty fast down the backside.”

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