Tag: Racing

Artie's Storm will face 10 rivals in the Grade 2 $175,000 Eclipse Stakes Presented by Don Julio, Sunday at Woodbine.

A 1 1/16-mile main track event for 4-year-olds and upwards, the Eclipse has attracted a competitive field that includes multiple graded stakes placed Wolfie's Dynaghost, graded stakes winners Rondure, and War Bomber (IRE), along with seven-time winner Carrothers.

Trained and owned by Paul Buttigieg, Artie's Storm, a 5-year-old son of We Miss Artie-Tiz Stormy Now, made his seasonal debut in last year's Eclipse, and went on to cross the wire a one-length winner at 7-1.

It's the same scenario this time for the dark bay who went 1-3-1 from seven starts in 2022, the runner-up efforts coming in three Grade 3 events, the Dominion Day, Seagram Cup and Durham Cup.

“That would be nice, to get it done again,” said regular rider David Moran. “It's a big field, a tough race with horses who have a race under their belt, but Artie is training well and working good. He's in good shape coming into it. He won last year off the shelf, so hopefully he does the same again this time around.”

The gelding concluded the 2022 campaign with a third in the 1 1/16-mile Steady Growth Stakes on December 11.

Moran believes the lifetime earner of $455,995 (U.S.) is ready for his most recent challenge.

“He's a lovely horse to ride and a lovely horse to be around. He's been doing everything he's supposed to do leading up to this. Hopefully, he's good enough, but he seems to be checking the boxes in all the right places.”

Bred in Ontario by Sunrise Farm, Artie's Storm debuted in October 2020 at the Toronto oval, rallying to finish third, a neck away from taking top spot in the 5 ½-furlong Tapeta race. He broke his maiden next time out, on June 20, in his three-year-old debut, over seven panels on the main track. After a runner-up result in the Queenston Stakes, he was back in the winner's circle, notching a half-length score in a 1 1/16-mile turf race on July 24.  ​

“Artie, he's a very straightforward horse,” said Moran. “He's a gentleman, even on race day. He's so kind to be around and does everything you ask of him.”

Also on tap Sunday is the running of the $100,000 Pink Lloyd Stakes (formerly known as the Ontario Jockey Club Stakes), a six-furlong Tapeta race for Ontario-sired 4-year-olds and up. ​

Thirteen starters, including Rockcrest, will contest the race named after the gelding who was recently named to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

A 6-year-old son of Old Forester (Pink Lloyd's sire), Rockcrest, owned and trained by Nigel Burke, heads into his latest test off a front-running 9-1 score at 5 ½ panels on April 9. The roan gelding earned a half-length victory over last year's Canadian champion male sprinter, Filo Di Arianna (BRZ), who was also a finalist for horse of the year.

“I definitely have to give respect to the champion sprinter of 2022,” praised Burke. “He's exceptional. I knew the only way we could beat this horse is if we were in front of him at the top of the stretch. If he was sitting level with us, he would explode and go by us. We broke well and were able to slow the pace down, and he [Filo Di Arianna] was trapped in a bit of a pocket, and by the time he had come, the race was over. It was a bit of racing luck, some winter training, and a big effort from Rocky.”

Bred in Ontario by Northern Dawn Stables Inc., Rockcrest will chase his first stakes score since taking the 2019 Simcoe. He was second in the Grade 3 Vigil to close out his 2022 campaign.

“He's definitely a horse that tries every time he's out there,” praised Burke. “He might not be the most talented, but he's definitely going to give it his all nine times out of 10. And that's all you can really ask of them. He's just very special to me. He was my first winner in Canada and first stakes winner. I'm a small operation but he makes feel like I can compete with the big ones to a certain extent.”

Bred in Ontario in 20212, sprint superstar Pink Lloyd won 29 of 38 starts and earned $2.4 million (CDN) under the tutelage of Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame trainer Robert Tiller. Bred by John Carey and owned by Entourage Stable, Jr., the gelding's first major triumph came early in 2017 when he captured the Jacques Cartier Stakes, a race he would win three more times. It would be the start of 26 career stakes wins, all at Woodbine. His perfect season of eight stakes scores garnered him Sovereign Awards as Champion Older Horse, Outstanding Sprinter and Horse of the Year. Over the course of the next four years, he earned five more Sovereigns.

Following his retirement from the track, Pink Lloyd's connections donated him to LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society, where he continues to be a popular draw with racing fans who visit the farm.

The Eclipse is race eighth on Sunday's nine-race card. The Pink Lloyd is race six. First post time is 1:10 p.m. Fans can also watch and wager on all the action through HPIbet.com and the Dark Horse Bets app.

ECLIPSE STAKES FIELD
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Avoman – Justin Stein – John Charalambous

2 – War Bomber (IRE) – Sahin Civaci – Norm McKnight

3 – Wolfie's Dynaghost – John Velazquez – Jonathan Thomas

4 – Tyson – Patrick Husbands – Josie Carroll

5 – Artie's Storm – David Moran – Paul Buttigieg

6 – Bringer of Rain – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Barbara Minshall

7 – Treason – Kazushi Kimura – Josie Carroll

8 – Conglomerate – Ryan Munger – Martin Drexler

9 – Luckman – Luis Contreras – Vito Armata

10 – Carrothers – Declan Carroll – Martin Drexler

11 – Rondure – Rafael Hernandez – Katerina Vassilieva

PINK LLOYD FIELD
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Reload's Rascal – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Michelle Love

2 – Last American Exit (S) – Jose Campos – Harold Ladouceur

3 – Mason's Gamble – Patrick Husbands – Josie Carroll

4 – Bossy Holiday – Luis Contreras – Josie Carroll

5 – Miss Speedy – Kazushi Kimura – Mark Casse

6 – Poseidon Steel – Ryan Munger – Gordon Colbourne

7 – Commander Joe – Eswan Flores – John Ross

8 – Secret Reserve – Rafael Hernandez – Mike Mattine

9 – Rockcrest – Keveh Nicholls – Nigel Burke

10 – Dun Drum – Declan Carroll – Ian Black

11 – Maakwa – Justin Stein – Shana Lopez

12 – Forester's Fortune – Daisuke Fukumoto – Rodney Barrow

13 – Candy Overload – Sahin Civaci – Mark Casse

The post Artie’s Storm Set For Title Defense In Eclipse; 6-Year-Old Rockcrest Leads Inaugural Pink Lloyd Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The promising 3-year-old filly Anywho will be making a belated stakes debut for trainer John Sadler in Saturday's Grade Summertime Oaks going 1 1 1/16 miles.
Unbeaten in two starts, Anywho was shipped to Churchill Downs last month to run in the G2 Eight Belles going seven furlongs on the Kentucky Oaks undercard May 5. It was not to be.

Anywho arrived at Churchill Downs on April 29 the Saturday before the race. The following day on Sunday she spiked a temperature.

“Entries were being taken on Monday, so we didn't even enter her,” Sadler said Thursday morning. “It turned into a flight of nothingness.”

While it was a disappointing turn of events for Sadler and owner Hronis Racing, hopes are high for Saturday. Anywho drew the outside post in a field of seven entered for the Summertime. She is the 3-1 co-second choice on the morning line. Veteran jockey Joe Bravo will be aboard for the first time.

“She had to miss four or five days of training when at Churchill Downs, but since returning she's been right on schedule,” Sadler said. “She's really been working well and I like the draw for her first time going two turns. Being on the outside should allow her to stay in the clear.”

Anywho has worked four times since her trip to Kentucky. They include a six-furlong move in 1:13.00 here on May 22 followed by a sharp half-mile drill in 59.80 seconds on Sunday.

By Bolt d'Oro, Anywho was a debut winner last October going seven furlongs at Belmont Park for trainer Tom Albertrani and owner Robert Masiello. She was subsequently entered in last year's Keeneland November Horses of All Ages Sale where she commanded $290,000. David Ingordo, who serves as a bloodstock agent for Hronis Racing, signed the ticket for the filly.

In her only start for her new connections, Anywho was a sharp two-length winner here going seven furlongs on March 27. The effort earned a 90 Beyer Speed Figure and was also well-rated on the Ragozin Sheets, Sadler noted.

“She was really impressive going seven-eighths,” Sadler said. “It got a good Ragozin number, so we're really excited about her and what she can do on Saturday.”

Also in the Summertime Oaks, Sadler entered Ancient Peace but she could be scratched in favor of next week's G3 Honeymoon Stakes going 1 1/8-miles on turf. Ancient Peace romped in an allowance that was taken off the turf April 8. It's her only start on dirt. Owned by Boardshorts Stable, the daughter of War Front most recently was fourth as the odds-on favorite in the G3 Providencia at 1 1/8 miles here April 29.

“We're going to talk to the owners later today and see if we want to go in the Summertime. Otherwise, we'll probably wait until next week for the Honeymoon,” Sadler said.

The Summertime Oaks goes as the eighth race on Saturday's nine-race card. Post time is approximately 4:30 p.m. PT.

The field in post position order with riders:

1. The Alys Look, Mike Smith (5-2);
2. Window Shopping, Hector Berrios (5-1);
3. And Tell Me Nolies, Ramon Vazquez (4-1);
4. Lily Poo, Umberto Rispoli (8-1);
5. Doinitthehardway, Juan Hernandez (3-1);
6. Ancient Peace, Tiago Pereira (8-1);
7. Anywho, Joe Bravo (3-1).

The post ‘Really Excited About Her’: Unbeaten Anywho Makes Belated Stakes Debut In Summertime Oaks appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Spare rides don't get much better than live chances in the Epsom Derby, and four-times Irish champion jockey Colin Keane is understandably excited about having his first ride in the race on Dante Stakes neck runner-up White Birch this Saturday.

Last summer Keane was confirmed only days in the lead up to the Irish Derby, before going on to win that race with Westover. He picked up that ride because of his greater experience of The Curragh, but he has only ridden once before at Epsom and is required this time because the colt's recent partner Shane Foley is needed for Jessica Harrington's similarly-fancied Leopardstown Derby Trial winner Sprewell.

Keane cannot count on being quite so lucky again in this fourth Classic of the QIPCO British Champions Series, but he believes trainer John Murphy's striking grey has plenty going for him in what looks an open race, so he is optimistic.

The 28-year-old, who won an Irish 2000 Guineas on Siskin and an Irish Oaks on Even So, said: “It would be brilliant if it happened again like last year, and hopefully we'll get a good clear run and he'll give a good account of himself.

“It's a race we all want to be riding in and it's a lovely opportunity for me to get. As Shane said, you struggle to find one ride in the Derby and then two came along in the same year for him. It's unfortunate for him, but it's great for me.”

He added: “I've been lucky enough to ride plenty of winners for John and his son George, but I never felt I was certain to get the ride. I was hopeful more than anything. I had a sit on him on Monday morning and gave him a canter, and he seems like an uncomplicated horse, so I'm very much looking forward to it.

“I've only ridden there once before, on a filly of Aidan O'Brien's in last year's Oaks, and the course is so unique that I think you need a horse that jumps and travels, then stays well. It's a very good test of a horse, but he looks a well-balanced, good-moving colt and he's been doing all his best work at the finish both times this year, so you would think he'll stay. He seems to tick a lot of the boxes.”

The Dante often proves the best Derby Trial and the race is also represented by the game Andrew Balding-trained winner The Foxes and by the desperately unlucky-looking third Passenger, for whom the supplementary entry from six-time winner Sir Michael Stoute looks highly significant. My Dear Friend was down the field there after being hampered at the start, and Roger Varian's new recruit King Of Steel didn't run after getting upset in the stalls.

Aidan O'Brien has won the Derby eight times, although only once with Ryan Moore in the saddle, and he has the likely favorite once again in Auguste Rodin, who ended his juvenile campaign with a thoroughly convincing win in Doncaster's Vertem Futurity but beat only two rivals when favorite for the QIPCO 2000 Guineas on his reappearance.

O'Brien will be represented by another two legitimate contenders in Chester Vase runner-up Adelaide River and Dee Stakes winner San Antonio. However, it has long been plain that it has always been about the one horse, and he has dismissed the Guineas – over a trip plenty sharp enough and on unsuitably soft ground – as “a mess of a race” from Auguste Rodin's point of view.

He is happy to put a line through it and clearly still thinks the world of the colt, who he describes as “a collector's item”, since he is by Japanese star Deep Impact out of Oaks runner-up Rhododendron, “probably one of the best Galileo mares ever”.

Excusing what happened at Newmarket he said to the Jockey Club: “Auguste Rodin has very much a middle-distance pedigree and he's a beautiful mover, so good ground and better would be preferred. There were a lot of factors which happened at Newmarket which we couldn't control, and we didn't see anything there to suggest we should veer from our original plan.

“When Little Big Bear galloped into him he wiped out Ryan, and then Ryan was stuck in a pocket in a race with no pace, so many things went wrong. Over a mile everything would have had to have gone his way, and obviously it was the complete opposite. He's always been very special from day one, and nothing has changed our mind.”

Charlie Appleby, successful with Masar (2018) as well as Adayar, relies upon the latter's brother Military Order, who beat Ed Walker's big improver Waipiro in a Lingfield Derby Trial switched to Polytrack after parts of the turf course became waterlogged.

Appleby believes Military Order has the attributes for Epsom and compared him favourably with Adayar. He told Godolphin: “They are both high class, that is clear to see, but Military Order is slightly more athletic than Adayar at this stage of their respective careers. Mentally, as well, he's sharper.”

He added: “For me, the best part of the Lingfield Trial was the final furlong of the race where his stamina came to the fore. When the second came to challenge him you thought it was going to be 'race on' but, in a matter of strides, he put the race to bed because his stamina kicked in.

“He came out of the race very well and we've been very pleased with him since. He's improving week on week physically. He's a mile and a half horse, so you don't expect flashy work. That hasn't changed from his two-year-old days and I wouldn't expect it to change. Like his brother Adayar, he goes out and gets the job done.”

Frankie Dettori's final Derby ride will be the Chester Vase winner Arrest, trained by John and Thady Gosden, and he is excited at having a live chance in the race, as well as in Friday's Betfred Oaks, in which he partners stable-mate Soul Sister.

Dettori, who partnered the colt in a gallop at Epsom last week, said: “The Derby is still our most famous race. When I started my career as a jockey you first want to ride in it and then you want to win it. I've been lucky to win it twice. This is my last shot and at least I'm going in with a great chance.

“We always thought a bit of him last year but he was all frame and no muscle. He's done great over the winter, his home work has been good, and Chester was great. He's growing up, getting stronger, and Chester did him the world of good.

“I've got a live chance. It looks a wide-open Derby. I haven't seen any horse dominate a trial and win by five lengths.”

Only one of the 14 runners is unbeaten, yet he is by no means among the race's leading fancies. The Ralph Beckett-trained Artistic Star has won both of his races, just as last year's Derby winner Desert Crown had, and while significantly more improvement is required, he has a lot more going for him than his odds might suggest.

Beckett acknowledges that encouragement for the bold decision to step last month's Sandown novice winner straight up into Classic company came from the colt's veteran owner Jeff Smith, who had the 2003 Derby fourth Norse Dancer, but he doesn't believe in social runners and has no reservations about his suitability for the test.

Dual Oaks winner Beckett, whose unlucky-in-running 2022 third Westover was just a second runner in the Derby, said: “Artistic Star is a grand, straightforward horse. He was quite a late foal and he's going to carry on developing through the year, but I sincerely hope and suspect that he'll cope with the whole jamboree, as he's a very hardy horse.

“Whether he's good enough I don't know, but Jeff likes his trainers to be on the front foot and he ran to a good figure at Sandown last time. He's not a big horse and he's well balanced, so he should go round Epsom all right. It looks quite open so I'm looking forward to it.”

Charlie Johnston has two chances of winning at the first attempt a race which eluded his father Mark, as besides My Dear Friend he also saddles the much shorter-priced QIPCO 2000 Guineas fifth Dubai Mile.

The colt, who beat Arrest by a head in a ten-furlong Group 1 at Saint-Cloud last year, will be a first ride in the race for last winter's all-weather champion Danny Muscutt, whose star is very much in the ascendant.

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