Tag: Racing

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Peter Searles and Patty Searles' Ramblin' Wreck rallied from last of eight to score a one-length victory in Sunday's co-featured $150,000 NYSSS Spectacular Bid, a seven-furlong Widener turf sprint for eligible New York-sired sophomores, at Belmont Park.

Ramblin' Wreck followed in the footsteps of  half brother Dakota Gold to give trainer Danny Gargan and co-owner Reeves Thoroughbred Racing back-to-back wins in this event after the Dakota Gold notched a three-quarter-length win in last year's edition. Ramblin' Wreck, by Redesdale and out of the Lemon Drop Kid mare Dakota Kid, made his sophomore debut a winning one with a strong off-the-pace ride from the Belmont spring/summer meet's current leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr.

“I love Dakota and he's a great horse, but this colt [gelding] is probably as talented – maybe more,” said Gargan. “Dakota plays around a little bit in his races and this colt really focuses a lot. I'm lucky to have him and that Dean [Reeves, co-owner Reeves Thoroughbred Racing] has entrusted me to train both of them. They're both nice horses.”

Ramblin' Wreck was away slowly from post 5 and trailed the field as Ten Cent Town and Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez claimed the lead, racing just ahead of Itsallcomintogetha and maiden Vince the Prince through an opening quarter-mile in :22.91 over the firm footing.

Ramblin' Wreck continued to trail in last down the backstretch as Itsallcomintogetha ranged up on the outside to challenge Ten Cent Town while Vacation Dance attempted to advance between horses from fourth but was shuffled back with no room to split the pacesetters. Meanwhile, a loaded Twenty Six Black swung to the outside under Manny Franco and came into contention as the field rounded the turn through a half-mile in 46.39.

A patient Ortiz nudged Ramblin' Wreck for more at the top of the lane and made steady progress toward Twenty Six Black, who overtook the lead from a tiring Ten Cent Town and a stubborn Itsallcomintogetha to his inside. Twenty Six Black stuck his neck in front at the sixteenth pole, but Ramblin' Wreck stormed home down the center of the course with large strides late to collar his foe just before the wire and complete the course in a final time of 1:21.21.

Twenty Six Black settled for place honors 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Itsallcomintogetha with Vacation Dance, Gem Mint Ten, Thethrillofvictory, Vince the Prince and Ten Cent Town completing the order of finish. Jackson Heights, Power Attack and main track-only entrant Willintoriskitall were scratched.

Gargan said he was confident Ramblin' Wreck would have enough late to run down his rivals.

“He's a two-turn horse and we knew we'd be sitting back and make a big run,” Gargan said. “We were just hoping we could catch them and it was pretty impressive how he run them down. They were still running at the end and they ran fast. I was very impressed with his race today. The turn-of-foot late was amazing. That's a nice horse he run down and he went by him pretty handily.”

Ortiz, who won his second stakes this weekend at Belmont after taking the Grade 2 Bed o' Roses with Goodnight Olive on Saturday, said the poor start dictated where Ramblin' Wreck would be placed in the field.

“It was a slow start. After that, I just went to Plan B and he did everything right,” Ortiz said. “He was there for me. He waited for me and when I was ready to go, he went and got the job done. Plan A was to try to stay close to the leader. I didn't have the speed to be involved with the first two or three horses, but I saw myself maybe three or four lengths off the speed. Things don't go the way you want sometimes, so when I missed the break I just rode the horse. I let him be where he was comfortable and started moving forward little by little. He responded every time I asked him.”

Bred by Ron Bowden, Ramblin' Wreck broke his maiden at second asking in September at Belmont at the Big A before finishing off-the-board in the Grade 2 Pilgrim and Central Park over the same course. He ended his juvenile campaign with a second-place effort to General Banker in the NYSSS Great White Way on dirt ahead of a six-month respite that ended with his Spectacular Bid triumph. He returned $9.50 for a $2 win ticket and was awarded $82,500 in victory, now sporting a 6-2-1-0 record.

After last year's Spectacular Bid, Gargan sent Dakota Gold out to a runner-up effort in the 1 1/16-mile state-bred Rick Violette and victory in the one-mile NYSSS Cab Calloway at Saratoga Race Course in his next two starts. Gargan said it is likely Ramblin' Wreck will take the same path with the Cab Calloway slated for July 20 and the Violette scheduled for August 17.

“I plan on running him in the same two stakes as Dakota Gold. Dakota won this race last year off a big layoff,” said Gargan. “We turn our horses out over the winter and we gave Ramblin' the time as well. Dakota hadn't run since the Breeders' Cup [5th in the Juvenile Turf], so it's kind of the same deal.”

Franco, who rode Twenty Six Black in his stakes debut for conditioner Horacio De Paz, said his mount showed some greenness when asked to widen his brief advantage in the stretch.

“I feel like when my horse made the lead, he pulled himself [up] a little bit,” Franco said. “When the winner passed me, he tried to re-engage again. He's still learning. The distance is fine, he'll go the distance.”

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In what amounts to a gem in the training profession, Leonard Powell's French-bred Neige Blanche overcame a nine-month layoff to successfully defend her title in Sunday's $100,000 Possibly Perfect Stakes at Santa Anita as she refused to be denied between horses late, taking a three-horse photo by a neck and providing jockey Diego Herrera with his first-ever Thoroughbred stakes win.

Neige Blanche covered the demanding 1 1/4 miles on turf in 2:01.44.

With a hillside start, trainer Michael McCarthy's Australia Mia went to the front in the run by the Grandstand for the first time, holding a one-length edge over post time favorite Buzz of New York, with Neige Blanche and Queen Ofthe Temple in close attendance third and fourth.

Turning for home, Australia Mia had a 1½-length lead on Neige Blanche, who had Buzz of New York to her immediate outside. In a thrilling head and head battle, a neck and a head separated the top three on the money.

“I monitor the heart rate of all my horses and I have a scale, so I put her on and I knew she was on par to where she was last year, so it gave me confidence,” said Powell, himself a French native. “Everybody was asking me questions this morning, so I started doubting myself. She got it done today.

“At the three-eighths when Diego got boxed in a little bit, when the riders were riding 'Neige' more than the other horses, it gave me some anxious moments, but Diego stayed cool and she showed her heart.”

Idle since finishing off the board here in the Rodeo Drive Stakes (G1) on Oct. 8, Neige Blanche, a six-time North American stakes winner coming in, was off as the 2-1 second choice and paid $6.80 for the win

“She broke fairly well,” said Herrera, who rode Neige Blanche in the afternoon for the first time Sunday. “Leonard told me to just keep her wherever she was comfortable, she was moving really nice. Around the half-mile pole, they started to pick it up and I just was following the pace.

“At the three-eighths, I got boxed in but she is a game filly, so I just tried to remain calm. When I got the split at the quarter pole, it was all business from there. We are just grateful to be able to ride for people like Leonard, the owners and all the connections. Just grateful for everything.”

A 6-year-old mare, Neige Blanche is owned by Laura De Seroux, Marsha Naify and Mathilde Powell. With seven overall stakes wins in Southern California, one Group 3 win in France and and four North American graded victories, Neige Blanche is now 10-0-4 from 22 career starts. With the Possibly Perfect's winner's share of $60,000, she has lifetime earnings of $602,780.

Bred by Ecurie du Stud, Neige Blanche is by Anodin out of Bianca Neve, by Muhtathir. Navick International bought her for $485,000 at the 2022 Keeneland November breeding stock sale, where she was offered in the Gainesway consignment.

Ridden by Joe Bravo, Queen Ofthe Temple, in search of her second consecutive stakes win, bested pacesetter Australia Mia by a head.

In a remarkable front-running effort, Australia Mia finished 2¾ lengths in front of longshot Zeyaraat.

Buzz of New York, the 8-5 favorite with Juan Hernandez, tired through the drive and checked in last.

Fractions on the race were :24.15, :48.84, 1:13.03, and 1:37.09.

The post Neige Blanche Takes Possibly Perfect For Second Time, Provides Jockey Herrera First Stakes Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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First Row Partners and Team Hanley's reigning champion female sprinter Goodnight Olive garnered a 97 Beyer Speed Figure while earning her fourth overall graded stakes triumph in Saturday's  Bed o' Roses (G2) at Belmont Park.

Trainer Chad Brown indicated Sunday that Goodnight Olive will likely target the seven-furlong $500,000 Ballerina (G1) on August 26 at Saratoga Race Course, which offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) in November at Santa Anita Park.

Goodnight Olive's championship  season saw her capture last year's Ballerina en route to a 2 1/2-length win over fellow Eclipse Award winner Echo Zulu in the reeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Keeneland. In Saturday's seven-furlong Bed o Roses she made amends following a troubled third in the Derby City Distaff (G1) on May 6 at Churchill Downs, which halted a seven-race win streak.

Under a well-executed ride by Irad Ortiz Jr., who piloted five winners on Saturday's program, Goodnight Olive took to the rear of the compact five-horse field down the backstretch. She made a four-wide move at the quarter pole and collared multiple graded stakes winners Wicked Halo and Caramel Swirl in the final furlong to win by a neck.

Brown credited Ortiz for executing a well-judged ride.

“He rode a great race and really made all the right calls throughout the race to keep himself out of trouble. The mare really came through and made a couple different moves in the race. I couldn't be prouder of the horse and Irad both,” Brown said.

Following the Bed o' Roses, Brown toyed with the idea of stretching her out to two turns, but said Sunday morning that he will likely keep the 5-year-old dark bay mare doing what she does best.

“The more I thought about it, I'll just keep her sprinting and probably freshen her up for the Ballerina,” Brown said. “It's the wrong time to do it [try two turns].”

Goodnight Olive is by 2004 Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer Ghostzapper, who Brown worked with when assisting the late Hall of Fame horseman Bobby Frankel.

“They are very similar horses,” said Brown, when asked if there were any similarities between Goodnight Olive and her talented sire. “They look the same, they've had the same physical issues in the same areas. She's got the heart, the will to win and the brilliance of him.

“I've trained three really, really top Ghostzapper fillies: her, and [Grade 1 winners] Guarana and Paulassilverlining,” Brown added. “All three are outstanding horses. This one is the closest to her dad with all of her attributes.”

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It was like the greats that Blue Rose Cen dominated the 174th edition of the Prix de Diane Longines (G1) (French Oaks), a classic that she won for her Spanish 0wner-breeder, Yeguada Centurion, with a four-length triumph over Never Ending Story on Sunday at Chantilly.

Never Ending Story finished a short head in front of third-place finisher Tasmania in the race that crowns the best filly on that side of the English Channel.

The Yeguada Centurion stable of winning owner Leopoldo Fernandez Pujals was also represented in the race by the fourth-place finisher Wise Girl, stablemate of the winner, who is trained by Christopher Head.

Wise Girl led quickly with Blue Rose Cen handy in behind followed by Pensée du Jour. Lindy and Running Lion joined the leading group while favorite Jannah Rose galloped further back. In the home stretch, the situation settled down fairly quickly since Wise Girl did not slow down, leaving room inside for Blue Rose Cen to pass en route to an easy success under Aurelien Lemaitre. Coming from the depths of the pack, Never Ending Story rallied for second ahead of Tasmania. Wise Girl kept a courageous fourth ahead of Elusive Princess in fifth.

Winner of the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac (G1) at age 2 and the Emirates Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (G1) (French 1000 Guineas) in May, Blue Rose Cen is currently achieving a career comparable to that of the great Zarkava (2008), Divine Proportions (2005), and Allez France (1973) in achieving the classic double.

Blue Rose Cen is a daughter of Churchill out of the Jeremy mare Queen Blossom, winner of the 2018 Santa Barbara (G3) at Santa Anita and 2016 Park Express (G3) at the Curragh. The mare has been through the sales ring three times: in Ireland, the United States, and then England, where Kentucky-based Taylor Made Sales Agency sold her to Durcan Bloodstock on behalf of Pujals for $146,951 at the 2018 Tattersalls December Mares Sale. Prior to that, she sold for $220,000 to Abbondanza & Medallion Racing at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale, where Denali Stud consigned her. Initially, her breeder, Irish National Stud, sold her for $18,936 at the 2014 Goffs Sportsman's Yearling Sale.

Time for the 2,100 meters (about 1 5/16 miles) was 2:05.09 on turf rated as good to soft.

Prix de Diane Quotes

Christopher Head (trainer of Blue Rose Cen, 1st): “It's incredible. I have never trained a filly of this quality. I would like to thank the whole team we work with, from the farrier to the veterinarian, including all the staff at the stable and those who manage communication. I'm thrilled to be able to work with each of them and wouldn't trade them for anyone. All this touches me particularly.

Blue Rose Cen is a flawless filly. She has the physique, the engine, the will and the passion to race. The filly was an excellent 2-year-old and she is capable of being as strong as a 3-year-old. She came to this race with a lot of experience and she never took it hard. Every time we ran it, it was unmarked by a previous run. For the rest of the program, we will first see how it fits. We had a plan in place until the Prix de Diane Longines, where she discovered the distance. We will discuss for the rest of the season, knowing that she should stay in training next year.”

Leopoldo Fernandez Pujals (owner of Blue Rose Cen, 1st): “I am delighted. I have a lot of luck and quality broodmares! I discovered racing in Spain with a friend who had a runner. His filly was beaten but I hung on. And my wife suggested I get a racehorse. But I'm a businessman and I can't buy a single horse: I bought 80!”

Aidan O'Brien (Never Ending Story coach, 2nd): “It's the first time Never Ending Story has run such a long distance and she had a great race. She is a good second behind the winner who is really a very good filly. I think she can improve a bit more. So we are very happy. For the future, she could participate in events like the Irish Oaks (G1)… or other competitions, because we already have Savethelastdance for the Irish Oaks.”

Francis-Henri Graffard (Tasmania coach, 3rd): “Her jockey, Tom Marquand, regrets that the filly did not come out of her stall faster. This fact of the race forced her to find herself among the last. Then in the course, Tasmania took the wake of Jannah Rose before diving along the inside rail to finish. It's amazing the speed at which the filly completed her course! Tasmania is not entered in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1), but there are other great races over 2,400 meters. She should have no trouble doing that distance in the future. However, I'm not sure it will have the same acceleration capability when the tracks are deep. Its owners were looking for black type in a Listed, but it was in the Prix de Diane that they finally got it!”

Christopher Head (trainer of Wise Girl, 4th):“Wise Girl was not a leader. She runs in the lead, much like Big Rock. I am delighted with his performance. She presented herself as a maiden-winning filly and she is fourth in the Diane, which is not bad!”

Jean-Philippe Dubois (trainer of Elusive Princess, 5th): “The Prix de Diane Longines is always a good race. Elusive Princess runs well. We'll see how she comes back from this race to decide her future. »

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