Tom Pedulla presents five key takeaways from the $750,000 Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes on Saturday at Belmont Park and other major developments this weekend.
Tag: Racing
He’spuregold Captures Monmouth’s Irish War Cry Handicap For Third Consecutive Year
The Irish War Cry Handicap may need to be renamed in the years to come at Monmouth Park.
The He'spuregold Stakes might be more apt.
He'spuregold, a 5-year-old gelding, rallied from off the pace to collar There Are No Words in the final sixteenth of a mile to win Sunday's $85,000 Irish War Cry Handicap – the third straight year the Kelly Breen-trained son of Vancouver has won the race for New Jersey-breds.
Owned by Roseland Farm Stable, He'spuregold has won seven races from 21 career starts – six coming on the grass. He has won four state-bred stakes races at Monmouth Park.
“I kind of envisioned what happened today. I thought Chuck Spina's horse (There Are No Words) would be right there and it would be a little bit of a stretch duel between us and that's what happened,” said Breen. “He's a special horse. I'm going through a lot right now (physically). With the time I've missed (following neck fusion surgery in mid-May), to come back after three weeks with the barn in such good order and this horse in such good order I have to tip my hat to my crew.
“Jesus Gomez is in charge when I'm gone. He's been with me for 20 years. Despite me missing time we're having a good meet and I really think that's a credit to the good help I have.”
Ridden by Paco Lopez, He'spuregold returned $3.60 to win as the favorite in the field of 10 Jersey-breds going a mile on the turf.
The winning time over a course listed as firm was 1:34.01.
“I think this horse wants to go a little longer so I wasn't really comfortable with a mile today,” said Lopez. “But he broke well and there were those three horses were having a duel early and I was able to get him comfortable and see everything happening.
“He is so much better as a grass horse. He's a different horse on the turf. He has won a race on the dirt but I don't know how since he is so good on the grass.”
With Crafty Don, Smithwick's Spice and Leo Monte all dueling for the lead through early fractions of :22.95 and :46.62, Lopez had He'spuregold in fifth, just behind There Are No Words.
Coming out of the turn There Are No Words got the jump on the field and opened a 1½-length lead in mid-stretch before He'spuregold caught him late to win by three-quarters of a length. It was another 8½ lengths back in third to Smithwick's Spice.
He'spuregold, bred by John Bowers Jr. from the graded stakes-winning Smart Strike mare Smart N Classy, has a 5-1-0 line from seven starts on the Monmouth turf.
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Reaper Among Gulfstream’s ‘Road To Royal Ascot Series’ Alumni To Continue To Excel
Gulfstream Park's 'Road to Royal Ascot Royal Palm Series' became an instant success the very second Crimson Advocate crossed the finish line first by a nose at Ascot Racecourse in the Queen Mary (G2) June 21.
Just five weeks earlier, the George Weaver-trained 2-year-old daughter of Nyquist had captured the Gulfstream's $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, a mile turf stakes for 2-year-old fillies that offered the winner a fees-paid berth into one of six juvenile stakes during the Royal Ascot meeting as well as a travel stipend.
While Weaver-trained No Nay Mets, the 3½-length winner of the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Royal Ascot qualifier, didn't fare nearly as well the next day in the Norfolk (G2), but Gulfstream's mile turf stakes for 2-year-olds has succeeded in producing a couple of promising next-out winners.
Reaper, an Arindel homebred who failed to live up to his dazzling debut on dirt while trying turf for the first time in the Royal Palm Juvenile, came back with a gutsy triumph in Saturday's $100,000 Prairie Gold Juvenile over Prairie Meadows main track. The Florida-bred son of Brethren pressed the pace between horses along the backstretch and into the stretch before fighting back to prevail by a neck in the 5 ½-furlong sprint.
Ironhorse Racing Stable LLC and Harlow Stables LLC's Mattingly, who debuted with a promising second behind No Nay Mets in the Royal Palm Juvenile, came right back to graduate in his next start on Tapeta at Gulfstream. The Florida-bred son of Bucchero scored a front-running 5¾-length victory at 5 ½ furlongs June 24.
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Giddings Has Grade 1 Test In Mind For Undefeated Maple Leaf Mel
Trainer Melanie Giddings celebrated the first stakes win of her career Saturday with August Dawn Farm's Maple Leaf Mel, who was named for her trainer during her tenure as an assistant trainer to the filly's original conditioner Jeremiah Englehart.
The New York-bred daughter of Cross Traffic notched the second graded coup of her career in Saturday's Victory Ride (G3) at Belmont, landing a facile 2 1/2-length victory to keep her record unblemished through five lifetime outings.
Giddings said Maple Leaf Mel returned to Saratoga Race Course Sunday morning where she will make her preparations towards an intended start in the $500,000 Test (G1) on August 5 at the Spa.
“She is here and happy to be eating and to be back,” said Giddings. “The Test is the plan. She'll have a few days off like everybody after their race and we'll see how she comes out of it. We'll make sure she's happy and good and her energy is good and go from there. She's a high-energy horse, so it takes quite a bit to knock her down. She looks pretty bright-eyed this morning.”
Maple Leaf Mel, who also won Pimlico's Miss Preakness (G3) on May 19, has won all five of her starts in gate-to-wire fashion, including her effort Saturday when guided by regular pilot Joel Rosario through splits of :22.54, :45.52, and 1:09.48 over the fast main track. She faced a brief challenge from Dazzling Blue into the stretch, but turned back her foe with ease to coast home the winner in a final time of 1:15.74. She earned a career-best 99 Beyer.
“It's really special. When you have a horse like that and she's already won four, you just want perfection for her all the time,” said Giddings. “I expected her to run the way she did. She just thrives on running. She's the kind of horse anyone loves to have and when you're taking her over, she's going to give 110 percent.”
Maple Leaf Mel, bred by Joe Fafone, made her first three outings against fellow state-breds, including a 7 3/4-length score in the East View in March for her sophomore debut. The gray filly has made an impressive jump from 2 to 3 and covered the Victory Ride's 6 1/2 furlongs more than two seconds faster than she ran that same distance in the state-bred Seeking the Ante in August at the Spa.
“I think she's just learning and she just does things naturally and so easy,” said Giddings. “Her turn of foot and speed is really incredible and she doesn't even know what she's doing. I think the more she runs, she's kind of just enjoying herself. She probably could have run even faster yesterday if she wanted to.”
The Victory Ride was just the 29th lifetime start for Giddings, who went out on her own in January after working for Englehart for several years. Giddings said she is grateful to have a filly like Maple Leaf Mel so early on in her career.
“I'm just really blessed, and not a lot of people get an opportunity with a horse like this,” said Giddings. “I appreciate having the chance. I've never missed a day since getting her in the barn when she was 2 with Jeremiah. Even when I'm having a bad day myself, she's here and I suit up and go whether I feel like I can or can't. It's good for me. I just never want to miss a day with her.”
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