Tag: Racing

Unifying rallied to the lead just outside the eighth pole and spurted away to win Sunday's $175,000 Leslie's Lady Overnight Stakes by three lengths at Ellis Park.

Cristian Torres was in the saddle for conditioner Riley Mott, who tabbed the first stakes win of his young training career. Unifying completed the seven-furlong distance in 1:23.64 over a track rated as sloppy,

The speedy B G Warrior was hustled hard from the gate and took the lead up the backside under jockey Albin Jiminez while being tracked throughout the early stages by Tell Me When. Unifying sat fifth up the backside, two lengths off B G Warrior's hot :21.99 opening quarter mile fraction. Around the far turn, Torres tipped Unifying to the two-path to begin her charge at B G Warrior. Just outside the eighth pole, Unifying poked her head in front of the tiring B G Warrior and kicked clear down the lane to win by a comfortable margin.

“She's a really nice filly and she's just getting better and better,” Torres said. “She was training right here at Ellis Park and she liked the track. She's very mature and gets along with anything.”

Unifying rewarded her backers and returned $11.90 for the victory. Topsy, who was sent to post as the 9-5 favorite, closed in the late stages of the Leslie's Lady to finish second under Tyler Gaffalione. B G Warrior completed the trifecta.

She's On the Rocks finished one length behind B G Warrior in fourth. She was followed in order by Friendlypersuasion, Promise of Hope, Padma, Condensation, and Tell Me When.

Sheri Greenberg, Staghawk Stables, Tom Reiman and Ronald Johnson's Unifying is a daughter of Union Rags out of the Arch mare Monarchia. She was bred in Kentucky by Lynn B. Schiff and sold to Cool Hill Farm for $32,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where Mill Ridge Sales consigned her.

With her victory in the in the Leslie's Lady, Unifying improved her overall record to 3-3-1 from eight starts and earnings of $294,076.

The post Unifying Surges Clear In Leslie’s Lady, Provides Trainer Riley Mott First Career Stakes Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Madaket Stables' L Street Lady doubled up on stakes scores, utilizing her newfound late-closing tactics to spring a 12-1 upset in Sunday's $150,000 Jersey Girl for sophomore fillies going six furlongs at Belmont Park.

L Street Lady, by Munnings, won her stakes debut in the January 21 Xtra Heat at Laurel Park three starts back, displaying tactical speed en route to a 2 1/4-length score for trainer Brittany Russell. She made her first venture outside of Maryland a triumphant one, sweeping past Unified Alliance in the last sixteenth of a mile to win by one length.

L Street Lady broke from post 3 under Manny Franco and settled at the rear of the compact field, while 26-1 longshot Wildhawk set the tempo through an opening quarter-mile in :22.52  over the fast main track with Aunt Becca just to her outside in second. Grade 1 winner Chocolate Gelato, the 4-5 post time favorite, was in search of racing room around the far turn while racing in fourth position under Irad Ortiz Jr.

Unified Alliance inched her way up to even terms with the pacesetter through a half-mile in :45.98 with Franco taking L Street Lady in the clear and four wide around the far turn. Unified Alliance put a head in front past the three-sixteenths as Chocolate Gelato checked when attempting to swing wide with L Street Lady right to her outside. Inside the sixteenth pole, L Street Lady was in clear command and completed the six furlongs in 1:11.10.

Unified Alliance finished 2 1/2 lengths ahead of third-place finisher Wildhawk, followed by Chocolate Gelato and Aunt Becca.

L Street Lady entered the Jersey Girl off a third-place finish in her graded stakes debut in the Miss Preakness (G3) on May 19 at Pimlico Race Course, where she was 48-1 odds finishing five lengths behind impressive victress Maple Leaf Mel.

Franco, who piloted L Street Lady for the first time, said Russell's instructions were to keep her comfortable down the backstretch.

“She told me not to rush her off her feet and if she's in the back, that's fine,” Franco said. “Just make one run with her, and that's what I did. I stayed out there waiting and I got a good setup in front of me, too. They came back and my filly ran them down. I was comfortable as soon as I was wide and in the clear. She got it done.”

Chocolate Gelato was making her first start since a distant 12th in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) in November at Keeneland in her first start going two turns.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who conditioned the race's multiple Grade 1-winning namesake, said he will potentially look to stretch the daughter of Practical Joke out in her next start.

“I thought she ran OK,” Pletcher said. “Last year, she didn't run quite as well on her debut as we thought she would and then she improved a lot in her second start. I think we kind of saw similar today and the race under her belt will be in her favor. I think we'd like to stretch her out.”

L Street Lady, who returned $26.20, now boasts a record of 3-0-2 from six starts and lifetime earnings of $194,900.

Bred by T and G Farm of Kentucky, L Street Lady is out of the Scat Daddy mare Lady Gayle. She was bought for $125,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale, where Denali Stud consigned her.

The post “My Filly Ran Them Down’: L Street Lady Cruises Last To First In Jersey Girl appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Winchell Thoroughbreds' homebred Disarm ran down Verifying right at the wire to win the first graded stakes of his young career in Sunday's 26th running of the $400,000 Matt Winn (G3) for 3-year-olds at Ellis Park.

Trained by Steve Asmussen and ridden by Joel Rosario, Disarm, who entered off a fourth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby (G1), completed the Matt Winn's 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.59 over the surface rated as sloppy.

The fleet-footed Bo Cruz was taken to the early lead under Corey Lanerie and completed a composed quarter-mile of :24.46. Verifying, and jockey Tyler Gaffalione, tracked Bo Cruz in second up the backside while Disarm and Rosario were positioned third at the rail. Around the far turn, following three-quarters of a mile in 1:13.05, Verifying drew alongside Bo Cruz while Rosario started to ask Disarm to pick up his best stride. Verifying, 16th in the Kentucky Derby, took over the lead from Bo Cruz at the eighth pole but had to fend off Disarm, who ranged up in the three path to his outside. In the final stages of the Matt Winn, Disarm gamely pressed by Verifying to record a half-length victory.

Bo Cruz was third, ahead behind Verifying.

“It was a little wet today which is always concerning to see how horses would like it,” Rosario said. “(Disarm) seemed to like it and got over the track well. It was a very good performance. Steve (Asmussen) told me to get him into position after we broke from the gate and just let him handle things on his own. At the three-eighths pole I had to start to ride him a little bit to keep position but he responded very nicely after that and continued to do so down the lane.”

Disarm was sent to post as the even-money favorite and returned $4.24 for the win.

It was another 1 ¾ lengths back to fourth-place Raise Cain, who was eighth in the Derby. He was followed in order by Denington, Go Solider Go, and King Russell, 15th in the Derby.

Kentucky-bred Disarm is a 3-year-old son of Gun Runner out of the Tapit mare Easy Tap.

With his victory in the Matt Winn, Disarm increased his overall mark to 2-2-2 from seven career starts and boosted his purse earnings to $760,700.

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Douglas Scharbauer's Texas homebred Closing Act moved to a perfect 2-for-2 with an off-the-pace victory under Irad Ortiz Jr. in Sunday's $150,000 Astoria, a 5 1/2-furlong sprint for juvenile fillies, at Belmont Park.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, the daughter of Munnings added to a debut graduation by a neck on May 11 when sprinting 4 1/2 furlongs at Churchill Downs where she delivered a similar rallying performance under Tyler Gaffalione.

“She made a few mistakes first time out and we told Irad that we thought she'd be more forwardly placed and more professional, and she was,” said Scott Blasi, assistant to Asmussen. “She got a lot out of her first race. Super proud of her today. She's really gone through a growth spurt this month and she's filling out and looks beautiful.”

Closing Act broke cleanly from the outermost post 5 to track behind the sharp-starting pacesetter Union Suit, who widened her advantage to one length midway down the backstretch and marked an opening quarter-mile in :22.33 over the fast main track while Golden Ghost rated in second and Closing Act went head-to-head with Donate Life for third.

Union Suit maintained her advantage in the turn as Golden Ghost and Donate Life dropped back with Closing Act advancing with purpose on the far outside under coaxing from Ortiz.. It was Closing Act's race to lose at the top of the lane as she overpowered her pacesetting rival and drew away down the stretch to post the 3 3/4-length victory in a final time of 1:06.59.

Union Suit stayed on for place honors by 1 1/2 lengths over the late-running Living Magic with Golden Ghost and Donate Life completing the order of finish. Low Mileage was scratched.

Ortiz said he used his best judgement to decide when to ask Closing Act for her best run.

“She's nice. She broke pretty well with the field, but when close to the turn the inside horse [Union Suit] got a little advantage on me,” he said. “I couldn't clear anybody so I had to stay there. After that, I had to make her go a little early. It's only a 5 1/2 [-furlong race] so I couldn't do too much. I just made her go forward and she responded really well so I just kept going.

“She made the lead playing a little bit and got a little lost,” Ortiz added. “When she made the lead she was looking around and slowed down a little. So I had to make sure she kept going.”

Blasi said Closing Act, whose dam is the Master Command mare Evening Show, could be pointed towards the $150,000 Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity on July 1 at Lone Star Park next.

“We'll talk to Steve about what's next. She's eligible for the Sales Futurity—she is a Texas-bred—so we have options,” said Blasi. “But, you know what, we are really happy to get done what we got done today.”

Closing Act returned $3.40 for a $2 win ticket as the 3-5 mutuel favorite. She banked $82,500 in victory, boosting her total lifetime purse earnings past the six-figure mark to $124,500.

Manny Franco, rider of runner-up Union Suit, said the Graham Motion-trained filly gave her best effort in her stakes debut.

“My filly ran really well and was second-best,” said Franco. “She was straight-forward. In the gate she was a little bit hesitant, but after that, in the race, she was good.”

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