Tag: Racing

Eight fillies and mares were entered, but only three faced the starter after a series of scratches before Saturday's Grade 2 Fleur De Lis Stakes at Ellis Park. Stonestreet Stables' homebred Tapit mare Pauline's Pearl was victorious in the 1 1/8-mile race – one of six stakes on the day that were originally scheduled to be run at Churchill Downs but moved to the Henderson, Ky., track when Churchill Downs officials opted to end their summer meet early after a dozen fatalities raised safety concerns.

Ridden by Joel Rosario for trainer Steve Asmussen, Pauline's Pearl sat just behind her two rivals, Bellamore and A Mo Reay, who battled on the front end for much of the way. Rosario swung Pauline's Pearl to the outside and she wore down the two front-runners in the final furlong to win comfortably by three-quarters of a length in 1:49.59 on a fast track. Bellamore held second by a neck, but stewards lit the inquiry sign and disqualified the Empire Maker mare for interfering with A Mo Reay down the stretch.

Heartyconstitution, Moon Swag, Music Street, Royal Take Charge and Sou of an Angel were scratched by their trainers.

Pauline's Pearl paid $6.52 as the second choice in the wagering behind 2-5 favorite A Mo Reay. It was the eighth career win from 19 starts for Pauline's Pearl, who won the G1 La Troienne as a 4-year-old in 2022.

The Fleur De Lis winner was produced from the Dixie Union mare, Hot Dixie Chick, winner of the G1 Schuylerville Stakes as a 2-year-old. Hot Dixie Chick was produced by another graded stakes winner, the California-bred Above Perfection.

Pauline's Pearl has done a lot of traveling during her career, which began at Fair Grounds as a 2-year-old. At 3, she raced at Oaklawn, Churchill Downs, Prairie Meadows, Charles Town, Remington Park and Zia Park. She began her 4-year-old campaign at Sam Houston, then raced at Oaklawn and Churchill Downs, then returned to Sam Houston in January of this year to kick off her 5-year-old season, which included a trip to Santa Anita in March for the G1 Beholder. Pauline's Pearl was coming off a sixth-place finish in defense of her title in the La Troienne at Churchill Downs.

 

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After recently celebrating his 75th birthday, trainer Chuck Spina could not be faulted for wanting to slow down a bit. The reality is nothing could be further from the truth.

My Beautiful Belle, overlooked in the wagering despite carrying a two-race winning streak, used a perfect set-up trip to score a 1½-length victory in Saturday's $98,000 Regret Stakes at Monmouth Park, giving Spina his second stakes victory of the meet.

When Mia's Crusade won the Spruce Fir at Monmouth Park on May 20 it marked Spina's first stakes win since 2020.

My Beautiful Belle, sitting fourth off an early three-horse speed duel in the five-horse race for fillies and mare, looped four-wide around the final turn for jockey Jomar Torres and sailed past Oxana for her sixth career win.

The winning time for the six furlongs was 1:09.89.

“She's in excellent form right now,” said Spina, a fixture at Monmouth Park since 1971. “We're going to breed her soon, in January or February, so it was good to get her a stakes win.

“She got the perfect set-up laying fourth behind the speed. She won here last year by 6¾ lengths in 1:09.2 and got an 87 Beyer Speed Figure for that and I thought if she could run back to that she would have a shot here. I thought she would run well so I'm not surprised by this.”

Bred in Pennsylvania by co-owner Joe Ioia, Spina's long-time business partner, My Beautiful Belle return $25.00 to win.

Torres had the 5-year-old Munnings mare watching the duel up front between 3-2 favorite Olivia Darling, 17-10 shot Self Isolation and 2-1 Oxana through an opening quarter in :22.10 and a half in :44.70. Coming off the turn, Torres wheeled her four-wide and she raced past the early front-runners. Oxana held for second, one length ahead of Sweet Willemina.

“She tried hard today,” Torres said of My Beautiful Belle, who is out of the Lawyer Ron m are Winiliscious. “She broke good and we were able to work out a good trip behind the speed dueling in front of us. She is much better off the pace. She broke sharply and we settled in and when I asked her for that one big move around the turn she gave it to me.

“I knew she would run big today. I don't think she has even been better than she is now.”

Spina, who turned 75 on June 28, is coming off a 2022 season that saw him win 16 races – his highest total since 1990 – while setting a personal best with $660,215 in earnings. With partners with Joe and Gayle Ioia, the trio tied for the owner's title a year ago.

Spina has seven wins this year, scoring an upset with 18-1 Raw Power on Monmouth Park's Friday card.

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His name is Turf King, but Wise Racing's Irish-bred colt by Kingman is now unbeaten in two starts on all-weather surfaces following his victory on Saturday in Woodbine's Grade 3 Marine Stakes on the Toronto, Canada, track's Tapeta oval.

Ridden by Kazushi Kimura for trainer Chad Brown, Turf King saved ground virtually every step of the way in the two-turn contest, rallying up the rail from off the pace to defeat Kaukokaipuu by about three-quarters of a length. Midnight Rising finished third, with Stayhonor Goodside fourth, and Simcoe fifth in the field of eight 3-year-old colts and geldings.

Turf King covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.41 and paid $4.10 as the even-money favorite.

Running for the fourth time at four different tracks, Turf King kicked off his career on Gulfstream Park's Tapeta track on Feb. 16, winning a maiden race by a neck. He traveled next to Keeneland, taking an April 28  allowance race on turf by a head, then finished third in the Jersey Derby at Monmouth Park on turf June 3. He trained at Monmouth before shipping to Toronto for the Marine.

One Bay Hemingway seized the early advantage under Luis Contreras, taking the field through moderate fractions of :24.11, :48.22, and 1:12.47 for the opening six furlongs. Stayhonor Goodside was his closest pursuer heading into the far turn, with Rico Walcott keeping Kaukokaipuu just behind that rival before launching a three-wide big around the far turn.

Kizushi bided his time in fifth position along the rail in the run down the backside, awaiting room briefly rounding the final turn, then accelerated quickly once straightening away at the top of the stretch.

Kaukokaipuu got the early jump on Turf King, swinging wide into the stretch and into the lead, but Turf King wore that rival down in the final furlong to get the win. The mile time was 1:37.10 en route to the final clocking of 1:43.41. Midnight Rising, last early, finished with interest to be clearly third best.

The winner, bred in Ireland by Ridgemont Stud, was produced from the Acclamation mare, Sweet Acclaim. Turf King was purchased for $180,000 by Allen Wise's Wise Racing from the Niall Brennan Stables consignment at the OBS March Sale of 2-year-olds in training. Brennan purchased the colt in Ireland as a yearling for $116,834 at the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale.

 

 

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Godolphin homebred Wadsworth earned his first stakes victory on Saturday after uncoiling a determined outside rally at the top of the stretch and wearing down pacesetter Mo Stash to win the $225,000 American Derby (Listed) at Ellis Park.

The American Derby is one of six stakes on Ellis Park's Saturday program that is headlined by the $1-million Stephen Foster (G1).

Well positioned off the early pace in fourth under Florent Geroux, the Quality Road colt posted his third win from eight career starts for trainer Brad Cox and entered off a runner-up finish in the Ceasars Handicap My 17 at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Prior to that, he was fourth in the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) on the Tapeta March 25 at Turfway Park in his stakes debut.

By Quality Road out of Godolphin's Grade 1-winning turf mare Dickinson, by Medaglia d'Oro, Kentucky-bred Wadsworth covered the American Derby's 1/16 miles on turf rated as good in 1:40.96. He returned $4.50 as the favorite.

Mo Stash broke on top and set fractions of :24.20 for the opening quarter mile, :48.49 for a half mile, and 1:11.17 for six furlongs with Gigante in close attendance in second. Swung out to the five path to rally, Wadsworth drifted out a bit off the turn but was ready to run. Closing in on Mo Stash with each stride, he dueled briefly with the leader in midstretch and got by late in a one-length triumph.

Mo Stash, the 8-5 second choice, hung on for second, two lengths to the good of Desert Duke, who checked in third.

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