Tag: Racing

Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable's Tapit Trice returned to the work tab for the first time since finishing third in the June 10 Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, breezing a half-mile over the Belmont Park training track on Friday.

Guided through the move by exercise rider Fernando Rivera, Tapit Trice completed his four-furlong work in 49.90 seconds over the fast track. The sophomore Tapit gray was seventh in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on May 6 at Churchill Downs prior to his Belmont Stakes run and captured the Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 8 at Keeneland. Both the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell on July 22 at Monmouth Park and the Grade 2, $500,000 Jim Dandy the following Saturday at Saratoga Race Course are likely next-out landing points for Tapit Trice, according to Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

“Both are in play,” Pletcher said. “He had a nice easy breeze by himself this morning. He seemed happy and moving well.”

Pletcher added that Eclipse Award-winning stablemate Forte, who finished second in the Belmont Stakes, could have his first breeze following the 'Test of the Champion' next Friday.

Pletcher sent Bass Stable's homebred Grade 1 winner Annapolis and LSU Stables' graded stakes-placed Far Bridge to the inner turf on Friday morning. The pair went a half-mile in company in 49.86 seconds in preparation for their next respective outings.

Far Bridge, a troubled second in the Grade 2 Pennine Ridge on June 3 at Belmont, is on target for the Grade 1, $750,000 Belmont Derby Invitational going 1 1/4 miles on July 8.

Annapolis will point for the Grade 3, $175,000 Kelso on July 15 at Saratoga before a potential start in the Grade 1, $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap on August 12 at the Spa. Both are one-mile turf events.

“Both went great. They were head and head the whole way and looked comfortable,” Pletcher said.

Pletcher added that Spendthrift Farm's Major Dude, a last-out winner of the Grade 2 Penn Mile on June 2 at Penn National, is likely for either the Belmont Derby or the Grade 3, $250,000 Manila going one mile at Belmont on the day prior.

The son of Bolt d'Oro is a three-time graded stakes winner, having captured the Grade 2 Pilgrim in October at Belmont at the Big A and the Grade 3 Kitten's Joy on February 4 at Gulfstream Park. Through a consistent 10-4-2-2 record, he has banked $714,895.

Pletcher also reported that 2021 New York Horse of the Year Americanrevolution will likely not make his 5-year-old debut until Saratoga. The son of Constitution has not raced since finishing second to Olympiad in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup in September at the Spa.

Owned by CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm, Americanrevoution has breezed consistently through the month of June, and went five furlongs in 1:02.01 on Thursday over the Belmont training track.

“He breezed his first five-eighths yesterday so we've got a little more work to do,” Pletcher said. “We'll resurface at Saratoga somewhere.”

Pletcher also stated that Repole Stable's New York-bred Gambling Girl, a late closing second in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on May 5 at Churchill Downs, is targeting the Grade 1, $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks on July 22 at Saratoga.

The post Pletcher Stable Update: Jim Dandy, Haskell Next-Out Options For Belmont Stakes Third Tapit Trice appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Tahiyra provided legendary Irish trainer Dermot Weld with a second Coronation Stakes success at Royal Ascot on Friday, 45 years after Sutton Place won the mile G1 prize in 1978.

The 8/13 favorite was ultimately much the best in a steadily run race but had to survive a stewards' enquiry after interfering with eventual runner-up Remarquee around a furlong from home.

Having sat last of the six runners, Tahiyra led entering the final furlong and saw it out well to win by a length. Remarquee rallied to go down by a length, bouncing back from a disappointing run in the 1,000 Guineas, with Sounds Of Heaven a head further back in third.

This was a first Royal Ascot winner for jockey Chris Hayes and an 18th in all for Weld, but his first since Free Eagle captured the 2015 Prince Of Wales's Stakes.

Tahiyra, who is a half-sister to Weld's Breeders' Cup Turf winner Tarnawa, has now won three G1 prizes from five career starts.

Weld said: “I have been very fortunate. I've won many Group Ones around the world, I think this is my 18th Group race to win here at Royal Ascot. I have been very fortunate in life.

“I was a little bit concerned in the early part of the race, but Chris did the right thing to take her back. Plan B came into action, which was to take your time – it's a long straight at Ascot and she has brilliant speed, and that's what he did.”

He added: “I suppose she's learning more about racing, she's getting more professional. I thought she won fair and square. She and her sister are different. Her sister was unbelievably tough, stayed really well, won the Breeders' Cup Turf and those two very good Group Ones in France for me. And she was beaten a neck in the Arc in ground that was just too dead for her on the day. Her sister was a brilliant racemare and this one is equally good. They are different sorts, this one has more pace. I enjoy so much training these fillies, I know the families and do my best to train them.”

On what the plan for this filly is now, he said: “I think the plan always was to give her a nice holiday, a nice break. She's had a very busy spring/early summer and she will have a nice break now and we will look at a program for her in the autumn.”

Asked whether the ground was a slight unknown before the race, he said: “I was happy, she's a light-actioned filly and I was pleased with her, she was doing everything right for me at home.”

Hayes said: “Tahiyra loaded late into the stalls. She got a little agitated for a second and lost her hind-end on me. I wanted to be closer, but she was running keen because she half frightened herself. I had to ride her nice and cool and get her to relax; it was a slow pace and she did well considering she was running at a quickening pace [in the straight]. She had a little look at the stands for half a stride. I can't wait to ride this filly in a properly run mile race to really see what she's made of.

“The boss just filled me up with confidence. We had a good chat this morning after I walked the course, I told him what I thought might happen and what might not happen. He said to me, 'just do what you always do'. So that was a nice little pat on the back going out and that just gave me the confidence to do the right thing by the filly and take her out of it.

“She slipped coming out the gates and I had to go to Plan B and forfeit my position early to Rob [Hornby on runner-up Remarquee], who was keen as well. I knew this filly could over-race and that I could be there too soon. It wasn't going to be straightforward and I just had to ride her like she was the best and the fastest in the field. Like I said, I can't wait to ride her in a truly run race.”

On what it means to have a horse like her in his career, he added: “It's unbelievable. Every time I ride for Mr Weld, I just seem to land on my feet, because every year I've ridden for him, I had a Group One winner out of it – I've had two this year and two last year.

“To get a filly like her at any stage of your career is brilliant, but to think we are only half way through the season and the boss's horses always get better later on. I don't know what her immediate plans would be, but she's a pleasure to have anything to do with. I just have to make sure I don't get suspended or injured because horses like her don't come round too often and I'll appreciate her now.

He added: “This means a lot, because the way a lot of people were talking, I was the only chink in her armour. I wasn't a chink today anyway.”

Ralph Beckett said of Remarquee: “By the time she did get rolling the gap was closing. You don't see many of ours with a sheepskin nose band, and she wears it because she is still green. She has not had that much racing. She has run her legs off today. It is a length [she lost], and she has run on again and made up a length in the last half furlong, at least! I am not disappointed with her in the slightest. The Guineas was a non-event – she had only had two starts and is a slow learner! She will go for the Falmouth next, I think that will suit.”

Rob Hornby added: “Remarquee has run a great race and it is nice that she has stepped up. She has put the run at Newmarket behind her. It probably came a little early in the season and after a hard run in the Fred Darling.”

Sounds Of Heaven's jockey Ronan Whelan said: “It was a great run. On paper it looked straightforward from my point of view, and thankfully the race went like that. My filly has run a belter and I think there is more to come from her. She is not the finished article yet. She will be better as the year goes on.”

The post Half-Sister To Breeders’ Cup Turf Winner Tarnawa, Tahiyra Proves Deserving Favorite In G1 Coronation Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Shaquille (9/1) confirmed himself the star of the 3-year-old sprinting ranks after overcoming a terrible start to win the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot for Oisin Murphy and Julie Camacho.

It was a remarkable performance from the fast-improving Shaquille, who appeared to have blown his chance by rearing as the stalls opened and forfeiting several lengths. However, Murphy was at his best on the Charm Spirit colt, allowing his mount to creep into the race before unleashing a telling change of gear to edge past Little Big Bear and score by a length and a quarter.

The 10/11 favorite Little Big Bear dominated the build-up after bouncing back to form in the G2 Sandy Lane Stakes but he proved no match for the winner. The filly Swingalong was three quarters of a length further back in third.

It was a first Royal Ascot winner for Camacho, who said of the slow start: “I thought, 'well that's it, he's blown his chance'. I've just watched it live and would like to go back and watch it properly – he was good, wasn't he?

“It's massive. We never thought we would train a Group One winner, not at Royal Ascot anyway, and for Martin [Hughes, owner] it's massive. He bred him. We've got his mother at home, his siblings, and dad looks after the stud, so I'm sure he was screaming at home.”

Asked whether she was surprised by the fact he even got back into the race, she said: “I was. When he started to run, I thought, 'he's going to be placed' and that he would run a big race, but then I thought 'oh my God, he's going to win'. I am a bit speechless.”

Murphy, riding his first winner of the week, said: “As the stalls opened, Shaquille went up into the air, and he took his time coming back down to the ground. It's very hard to do that in a 1,200 meter race and win.

“I thought the race was almost over. You just have to take a deep breath and then try to get onto the back of them [the other runners] smoothly. You just have to hope they've gone too fast and will slow down at the end.

“I got to the back of Ryan [Moore, Little Big Bear] quite easily without having to go for him, but I had to sustain an effort from quite a long way out. It really was a tremendous task that he managed to overcome.

“He's a tough, top-class animal. It's very hard to win any race doing what he did from the stalls and so to do it in a Group One, and to beat the likes of Little Big Bear, is an astounding performance.

“I've had a fantastic comeback and brilliant support from so many people. To get on the scoresheet today in a Group One is a brilliant feeling. I had three seconds before today so it's nice to win one.

“I feel for James Doyle. If Noble Style had not run, Shaquille was going to be his ride. I came in for a spare ride, but thank you to James for telling me about the horse. And thank you to the connections for letting me ride him.”

Aidan O'Brien said of Little Big Bear: “I am delighted with the run. He ran very well. I think he is a sprinter, and we will be looking forward to the July Cup.”

Swingalong's trainer Karl Burke said: “It was a fantastic run and Clifford [Lee] gave her a great ride. I knew the run in the French 1,000 Guineas was wrong – she did not stay the mile, but equally she would not have won over six furlongs that day.

“We were always targeting this race, she has been working real well. She will stay another half furlong, so we are thinking of the Prix Maurice de Gheest. We are very happy with her –she is a Group Two winner and now Group One placed.”

The post ‘He Was Good, Wasn’t He?’ Even After Blown Start, Shaquille Tops G1 Commonwealth Cup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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