Tag: Racing

LRE Racing and JEH Racing Stable's multiple Grade 1-winner Casa Creed got the jump on favored Annapolis and held on strong to post a one-length score in Saturday's $175,000 Kelso (G3), a one-mile inner turf test for older horses, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott and piloted by Luis Saez, the 7-year-old Jimmy Creed horse has now won three graded events traveling one mile over the Saratoga turf, taking the 2019 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (G2) and last year's Fourstardave Handicap (G1).

“It's very rewarding,” said Mott of conditioning the evergreen Casa Creed. “Ordinarily, you don't get any more than two seasons out of a horse running at the top level. To have a horse that can run at two, three, and maybe four seasons to run at the very highest level is very good. You don't find those kind.”

Casa Creed has proven to be proficient at a variety of distances, notching back-to-back editions of the six-furlong Jaipur (G1) in 2021-22 at Belmont Park and missing narrowly when second in the last two runnings of the 6 3/4-furlong 1351 Turf Sprint (G3) at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Saudi Arabia.

Lee Einsidler of LRE Racing spoke volumes of the hard-trying Casa Creed.

“He's special. He's taken us around the world and he's made a huge difference in our lives, really,” Einsidler said. “When you get into this game, they become part of your family. Life is all about building memories and this is another great one.”

Big Everest, who entered his graded stakes debut on a four-race win streak, led the seven-horse field through splits of :23.35 and :47.07 over the firm going with Filo Di Arianna tracking in second position and English Bee saving ground in third to the inside of Anaconda.

Casa Creed exited the outermost post 7 and settled in sixth position in the early stages to the outside of Annapolis. He advanced with purpose approaching the final turn and quickly swooped the field to take command from Big Everest at the stretch call. Annapolis angled off the rail and attempted to follow Casa Creed's run through the turn, but he could not reel in the winner, who stopped the clock in a final time of 1:35.51.

It was a further 1 1/4-lengths back to English Bee in third with Ice Chocolat, Big Everest, Filo Di Arianna and Anaconda rounding out the order of finish. Mid Day Image and main-track only entrant Gun It were scratched.

Saez said having outside position on his main rival Annapolis proved to be beneficial.

“The key was try to be right there on top of the favorite,” Saez said. “So everything came out perfect, he broke pretty sharp. I can feel it behind the gate, too, he was a little bit tough. So, I don't want to take too much, I just let him break and be comfortable, and he was pretty comfortable. Came to the top of the stretch and gave me a big kick.”

Irad Ortiz Jr., aboard Grade 1 winner Annapolis, said he had no choice but to wait for Saez to make his move.

“He beat me,” Ortiz said. “I kind of waited a little longer than I wanted to, but I kind of had to. There was nowhere to go and I kind of stayed steady waiting for Luis to make his move and then I followed him.”

Mott said he was pleased to see Casa Creed keep the well-regarded Annapolis at bay.

“That was a good horse – it says something for Casa Creed because the horse he beat is a real horse and a real tough competitor. He handled him today,” Mott said.

Mott said he is hopeful Casa Creed can defend his title in the $500,000 Fourstardave on August 12.

“He's a fun horse. We love to see him run and we try to give him enough time to make sure he's ready to go but at this point in time it doesn't have to be a Grade 1. The Fourstardave is and that's a big goal, but to be able to see him and have him compete is great fun,” Mott said. “His owner [Einsidler] loves Saratoga, too. Not only Casa Creed but his owner, too. I guess we all get hyped up about Saratoga right? Casa Creed is one of us.”

Einsidler noted that the $2.1-million earner, a $105,000 purchase from consignor Kelli Mitchell at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, will continue to race as long as he's competitive.

“He wants to run, so as long as he's telling us he wants to run that's what we'll do. When he tells us he wants to retire, we'll find a home for him,” Einsidler said.

Bred in Kentucky by Silver Springs Stud, Casa Creed banked $96,250 in victory, while improving his record to 32-8-5-5. He returned $6.50 for a $2 win bet.

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As much as trainer Joe Orseno had been impressed by Beauty of the Sea's start to her 3-year-old campaign, he knew she needed a test to see exactly where she was.

Test taken and passed.

Let go at 13-1 off two straight wins against lesser competition, Beauty of the Sea took command in midstretch and then held off a pair of closers – one on the inside, the other on the outside – for a head victory in Saturday's $104,000 Blue Sparkler Stakes at Monmouth Park.

The winning time for the 5½ furlongs over a firm turf course was 1:02.68.

“After she broke her maiden so convincingly and easily – and I had another filly in the race that she beat easily – I thought, 'OK, she's got some talent. Now we have to see how much,' ” said Orseno, now six wins shy of 2,000 for his career. “She handled that (first level optional claimer) easily in her next start, and when she did that, there were a couple of older horses in there, I thought if we kept her with 3-year-olds we would have a chance in a stakes race.

“I did not expect this race to come up as tough as it did.”

Ridden by Jairo Rendon, Beauty of the Sea became the first stakes winner for Florida-based sire Bucchero, who stands at Pleasant Acres Stallions in Morriston. Ironhorse Racing Stable, the 3-year-old filly's owners, also campaigned Bucchero.

With Florent Geroux in from Saratoga just to ride Love Appeals, and with Plentitude coming in 2-for-2 lifetime, Clement's duo looked particularly dangerous in the field of eight 3-year-old fillies.

Rendon had Beauty of the Sea sitting third early as Bosserati raced through a first quarter in :21.51, reaching the half in :44.15. Rendon had moved Beauty of the Sea outside by then, with the two taking control in mid-stretch and then holding off runner-up My Sweet Affair on the inside and Love Appeals on the outside. My Sweet Affair held off Love Appeals by a neck to claim second.

“I saw her races at Gulfstream and it seemed like she liked being just off the speed and she quickens at the end,” said Rendon. “That's the way I was thinking to ride her today. When (Bosserati) went out for the lead it gave us a target. She has class and she has a big heart. I just wanted to sit behind the speed and let her get her feet. I was a little worried when I went outside with her because I knew the others were coming. But we got there. She made it.”

Florida-bred Beauty of the Sea, who is out of the Poseidon's Warrior mare Belong to Sea, has a 3-1-0 line from five career starts and is 2-for-3 sprinting on the grass.

Beauty of the Sea paid $28.20 to win.

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In a torrential summer downpour on Woodbine's Tapeta, Living Magic captured her first stakes win in the $125,000 My Dear Stakes for 2-year-old fillies on Saturday afternoon.

Kentucky-bred Living Magic, owned and bred by Henry Nothhaft and trained by Phil Schoenthal, had Rafael Hernandez aboard. Hernandez, who just surpassed 3,000 career wins on Friday, collected win 3,002.

Out of the gate, it was the Mark Casse trainees Stormcast and Dancing Duchess going out to the lead, followed by Living Magic in the center. Living Magic quickly made her way into second from the inside, a nose behind Stormcast with Dancing Duchess a length behind in third, while Kevin Attard trainee Bolt Enoree followed closely.

It was a battle between Stormcast and Living Magic at the quarter. Living Magic held the lead from the top of the stretch to the finish, with Stormcast, Bolt Enoree, and Dancing Duchess left challenging each other for the remaining positions. Living Magic won by a length from Dancing Duchess. Stormcast was third and Bolt Enoree fourth.

The final time was 1:03:55

It was the third lifetime start and second win for the Schoenthal-trained Living Magic, a Justify filly out of the Footstepsinthesand mare Living the Life. She was rebounding from a third in the Astoria Stakes June 11 at Belmont Park after taking her debut at Parx Racing May 1.

Schoenthal was happy to be at Woodbine for the first time.

“I've been trying to get up to Woodbine for a number of years and it had never quite worked out. I campaigned the mare of this horse and she won five stakes on all weather tracks, so besides the blinkers, I found if there was any horse with a pedigree that would step-up on an all weather track it was Living Magic”.

Living Magic paid $16.60 for the win.

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Mark Grier's Grade 3 winner Eons, yielding the lead to Pao Alto in deep stretch, dug in again over the final 50 yards and got his nose down on the wire to edge the two-time group stakes winner by a nose in Saturday's $100,000 Prince George's County at Laurel Park.

The fourth running of the 1 1/8-mile Prince George's County for 3-year-olds and up on the grass was the second of three $100,000 stakes on the mid-July program, preceded by Sparkle Blue's victory in the Big Dreyfus, also nine furlongs on turf, and followed by Hybrid Eclipse's triumph in the Caesar's Wish going one mile on the main track, both races for fillies and mares.

Ridden by Victor Carrasco for trainer Arnaud Delacour, Eons ($16.80) was running in the Prince George's County for the third straight year. He was third behind multiple graded-stakes winner Pixelate in 2021 and finished second by a nose in 2022 but was promoted to the win following the disqualification of first-place finisher English Tavern for interference.

“It means a lot, especially with a 7-year-old that's been with us since he was 2. It's wonderful. He's a tough horse,” Delacour said. “He got going early and he kept going.”

Royal Patronage, Pao Alto's Graham Motion-trained stablemate and himself a Group 2 and 3 winner in England, broke alertly from his inside post and was in front around the first turn after going the opening quarter-mile in :23.97 =over an Exceller turf course rated good, with Beacon Hill to his outside and Eons in the clear three wide in third.

The running order went unchanged after a half-mile in :48.21 when Beacon Hill started to drop back and Eons moved up to challenge the leader midway around the far turn Six furlongs went in 1:11.29 when Eons took the lead but was soon joined by Pao Alto, a Group 2 winner in Qatar and Group 3 winner in France, on the far outside.

Eons and Pao Alto hooked up in mid-stretch and powered to the finish together, with Pao Alto forging a short lead inside the sixteenth pole before Eons battled back on the inside to prevail in a photo finish. It was 2 ¼ lengths back to Sky's Not Falling in third, with Royal Patronage and Beacon Hill completing the order of finish. Camp Hope, Royne and Tiz the Bomb were scratched.

Bred in Kentucky, Eons began his 2023 campaign running seventh in a 1 1/16-mile allowance April 7 at Keeneland, his first start in six months. He entered the Prince George's County off back-to-back efforts over the Laurel turf, finishing second to Sky's Not Falling going a mile May 6 and third to stablemate Doctor Davis June 17, both as the favorite.

“He was supposed to run at Turfway Park just to set him up for Keeneland. That didn't happen because the race didn't go, so we went to Keeneland a little short,” Delacour said. “He ran OK, but he needed the race and he's been improving ever since.”

By Giant's Causeway out of the Hansel mare Golden Antigua, Eons now has eight wins, three seconds and two thirds and surpassed $600,000 in purse earnings from 28 starts. Prior stakes victories have come in the 2022 Bensalem, 2021 Buckland and 2019 Kent (G3) and Stanton.

Sparkle Blue Scores Big Dreyfus Victory

Catherine Parke and Augustin Stable's Grade 3 winner Sparkle Blue, given a patient ride from jockey Jorge Ruiz, found room at the top of the stretch to split horses and go on to a popular 2 ¼-length victory in the $100,000 Big Dreyfus.

It was the first win in three starts this year for 6-5 favorite Sparkle Blue ($4.40), who covered 1 1/8 miles over an Exceller turf course rated good in 1:49.29 for her fifth career win and third in a stakes following the Valley View (G3) at Keeneland and Delaware Park's Christiana last year.

Sparkle Blue launched her 4-year-old campaign running sixth in the 1 1/8-mile Modesty (G3) May 5 at Churchill Downs, where she returned to be third in the 1 ½-mile Keertana May 27 in her most recent start.

“I think she really liked the course here today,” Motion said of the 4-year-old daughter of Hard Spun out of the Smart Strike mare Silk n' Sapphire. “It had a little give in it. It was very firm at Churchill both times she ran.”

It was 40-1 long shot Lady Puchi that took the field through fractions of :24.88, 50.30 and 1:13.96 tracked by Community Adjusted and multiple stakes winner Coconut Cake, wheeling back two weeks after her victory in Laurel's Jameela. Ruiz settled Sparkle Blue between horses in fourth and remained behind horses leaving the far turn before finding space and giving the filly her cue, opening up once straightened for home.

Two-time graded-stakes placed Atomic Blonde trailed the field for six furlongs but was able to weave through traffic in the stretch to get up for second, 1 ½ lengths ahead of Community Adjusted. They were followed by Candy Light, Lady Puchi, Coconut Cake and Deciding Vote. Cupid's Strike was scratched.

“I was a little nervous because Jorge took a little bit of a hold of her going into the first turn, but he does such a good job. He got her relaxed and she switched off nicely and won pretty easily,” Motion said. “She's improved so much. I give her exercise rider, Kevin Lundie, a lot of credit. She's been a little bit tricky in the morning, but he's figured her out and it shows in the afternoon.”

Sparkle Blue, bred in Kentucky by Parke was racing for the second time at Laurel, having run fourth behind subsequent multiple graded-stakes winner Consumer Spending in the 2021 Selima, her second start and first on the turf.

“I honestly hadn't looked beyond today. I kind of had a circle around this race for a while,” Motion said. “It seemed like a good spot and we'll look for something similar. I think this is a really good distance for her.”

Hybrid Eclipse Defends Title In Caesar's Wish

The Elkstone Group's Hybrid Eclipse trailed her rivals around the far turn before coming with a steady run on the far outside to reel in fellow multiple stakes winner Award Wanted and defend her title in the $100,000 Caesar's Wish by a neck.

Hybrid Eclipse ($8.20) gave the team of Elkstone, trainer Brittany Russell and jockey Joe Rocco Jr. their second win of the day following 4-year-old gelding Wish Me Home in Race 3, the 1 1/16-mile turf allowance his first start off a $40,000 claim.

Intrepid Daydream, first or second in five of seven career starts facing stakes company for the third time, took the early initiative but was pressed to her outside by Award Wanted as they went the first quarter in 24.30 seconds and a half in 47.22 with Hybrid Eclipse unhurried in last.

The two leaders entered the stretch together as Rocco began to work on Hybrid Eclipse, still with plenty of work to do entering the turn. Award Wanted, last out winner of the Obeah at Delaware Park, was able to edge past Intrepid Daydream but could not hold off Hybrid Eclipse as she came flying on the far outside to get up in time.

“We really thought she was good enough to win this race. It just had to set up right and get the right trip,” Rocco said. “It worked out the way I thought, at least. The two horses went out on the lead and kind of helped [knock] each other out. My filly got a little lost on the turn, but when I got her running she had a head full of steam to come home.

“Honestly, it wasn't until we crossed the first wire that I said, 'Oh, I'm gonna win.' But up until that point, I wasn't sure if I was going to run third,” he added. “She's a smart horse. She got the lead right at the second wire, her ears went up right away and she's like, 'My job is done.'”

Award Wanted held second, a half-length ahead of Intrepid Daydream, followed by Deco Strong, Misty Mauve and Cashing Big Checks.

Hybrid Eclipse was purchased by Elkstone's Stuart Grant for $107,000 at auction last July following her 3 ¾-length victory in the Caesar's Wish, her second start for Russell, Maryland's leading trainer in 2023. The 5-year-old Paynter mare subsequently won the Thirty Eight Go Go last November and Nellie Morse Feb. 18 at Laurel, most recently running third to Award Wanted in the Obeah.

Midwest-based Rocco, who turns 41 July 19, previously came to Laurel to ride June 9 and 10, winning two of five starts. A winner of nearly 1,600 races, he grew up in the Mid-Atlantic the son of jockey Joe Rocco and grandson of trainer Baden Hughes.

“It's great. I get to come here and fill in and ride for Brittany and other guys,” he said. “This is home so it's always nice coming home.”

Hybrid Eclipse, bred in Kentucky by Alex Venneri Racing LLC, was produced by the Valid Wager mare Super Plan.

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