Tag: Racing

Frank Fletcher Racing Operations' Candy Man Rocket, expertly piloted by Junior Alvarado, stalked and pounced to an impressive score in Saturday's $175,000 Runhappy (G3), a six-furlong sprint for older horses, at Belmont Park.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the 5-year-old Candy Ride horse has won three of four starts this year, including a score in the Gulfstream Park Sprint in February. But, last out in the Count Fleet Handicap (G3) on April 15 at Oaklawn Park, Candy Man Rocket acted up pre-race and ran an uncharacteristic last of 10.

Candy Man Rocket was better behaved – for the most part – Saturday and returned to winning form with aplomb.

“He wasn't great in saddling today – he was a little wound up. I was a little concerned,” Mott said. “Junior said when he got on the track he settled down. At least he showed up. The other day he just spit it out. He can run, he's just got to get the right trip.”

Beren, the 7-5 mutuel favorite under Irad Ortiz Jr., and the Andy Hernandez-piloted Twisted Ride dueled through an opening quarter-mile in 22.60 seconds and a half-mile in 45.15 over the fast main track with Candy Man Rocket enjoying the pace battle from third.

Alvarado gave Candy Man Rocket his cue through the turn and the dark bay responded in kind, putting a head in front at the stretch call and battling briefly with a game Twisted Ride as Beren faded. Candy Man Rocket was in command for good at the furlong marker and powered through the wire a 1 1/2-length winner in a final time of 1:09.33. Twisted Ride completed the exacta by a half-length over Stage Left with Drafted, Beren, and Mr Phil rounding out the order of finish.

Alvarado has guided the dark bay through each of his last nine starts and said he was relieved to be back in the winner's circle after the Oaklawn experience.

“To be honest, we weren't expecting him to be nice and relaxed in the saddling area, because last time when they went to saddle him, we kind of lost him right there in the paddock and post parade,” Alvarado said. “By the time I got on, he was all washed out and very nervous. Then, warming up he never relaxed and I knew he wasn't going to give me his best effort – that's what happened. You've got to draw a line through his last race. Today, he behaved in the post parade and warming up and he was a complete gentleman, nice and relaxed. He came out with a big run today.”

Alvarado said the pace duel played into his hands.

“That was the trip we were looking for, and thank God everything was setting up perfectly,” Alvarado said. “I was sitting right where I wanted to be and I had the horse right under me to help me. The rest was just him. I had to nudge him along a little bit turning for home and he responded so well. I thought he was traveling beautiful and he was just waiting for me. Right when we turned for home, I knew he was going to be there for me.”

The win-friendly Candy Man Rocket made the grade in the 2021 Sam F. Davis (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs and narrowly missed in that year's Gold Fever here when a nose back of Beren. Mott said he will nominate Candy Man Rocket to the 6 1/2-furlong $250,000 True North (G2) on June 10 at Belmont.

The Pennsylvania-bred Twisted Ride, a multiple stakes-winning son of Great Notion, shipped in from Parx for trainer Michael Moore on the back of a four-race win streak that included scores in the Fishtown and Page McKenney with Hernandez aboard.

“He ran great. He didn't win but he finished a great second,” Hernandez said. “It's a difficult race and he ran great. I was behind in the turn and I didn't want to move too soon, but I didn't want to wait too long. The number four [Candy Man Rocket] is a nice horse.”

Bred in Kentucky by R.S. Evans, Candy Man Rocket is out of Kenny Lane, by Forestry. He banked $96,250 in victory while improving his record to 11-6-1-0. He paid $7.40 for a $2 win ticket.

The post Candy Man Rocket Better Behaved, Gets Job Done In Runhappy appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Our Flash Drive flashed a fleet turn of foot to win the $158,400 Whimsical Stakes (G3) Saturday afternoon at Woodbine.

Ridden by Patrick Husbands, who celebrated his 100th career graded stakes victory and 350th stakes triumph overall, Our Flash Drive, the 3-5 choice in the six-furlong Tapeta race for older fillies and mares bested fellow Mark Casse trainee Miss Speedy by 1 ¾ lengths.

There was an early tussle on the front end with Forest Drift, to the inside, and Hard Edge, just to her outside, going head-to-head through early fractions of :22.57 and :45.03 for a half mile. Husbands kept a patient hand aboard Our Flash Drive, the duo sitting chilly in third as the field readied to navigate the turn for home.

Our Flash Drive then glided past the front-runners in early stretch and pulled away with ease down the lane as Miss Speedy and U.S. invader Baby No Worries rallied late for the runner-up prize, with the former gaining the upper hand by a half-length.

The final time was 1:10.12.

“She's legit,” praised Husbands. “Anything you want her to do, she'll do. She broke sharp and I was just behind the speed, and I didn't want the speed to come back and get stopped behind it. So, by the three-eighths pole, I tipped her out into the clear and she got the job done.”

It was the second straight graded stakes victory for the 5-year-old Ghostzapper mare, who came into the Whimsical off her 2022 season-closing victory in the Woodbine's Bessarabian (G2) in November.

The Florida-bred has four graded triumphs to her name, including the 2021 Selene and Ontario Colleen, both Grade 3 events.

Bred and owned by Live Oak, Our Flash Drive was produced by unraced Dynaformer mare Dynamotor. She returned $3.40 for the win and is now 6-3-1 from 15 career starts. After a seventh and a fourth to start her career at Saratoga in the summer of 2020, the bay broke her maiden the following June at Woodbine, the start of a three-race win streak.

Miss Speedy, Baby No Worries, Owen's Tour Guide, Forest Drift, Hard Edge, Ambassador Luna, and Basalt Street completed the Whimsical's order of finish.

“You come here, and people treat you with respect and you work hard and get it,” said Husbands, of his riding milestones. “It pays off in the long run.”

The post ‘She’s Legit’: Our Flash Drive Kicks Clear In Whimsical, Provides Husbands 100th Graded Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Irish-bred No Nay Hudson, stakes-placed on three previous occasions, collected the first stakes win of his career when he powered home to beat Two of a Kind by 1 ½ lengths in Saturday's eighth running of the $208,750 William Walker, a listed stakes for 3-year-olds at Churchill Downs.

Odds-on favorite Gaslight Dancer finished another head back in third in the field of eight.

No Nay Hudson, owned by Andrew Farm (Richard Brodie) and For the People Racing Stable LLC (T. Mike Morgan), clocked 5 ½ furlongs over a firm Matt Winn Turf Course in 1:02.30 to eclipse Big Invasion's 2022 stakes record of 1:03.73. James Graham rode the winner for trainer Wesley Ward.

No Nay Hudson was rated in seventh three-wide and in the clear only 3¾ lengths back of the leaders Two of a Kind and Crispy Cat (GB), who rattled off early fractions of :21.78 and :44.56. Leaving the far turn, No Nay Hudson (IRE) tipped out six wide and hit his best stride with three-sixteenths of a mile to run and collared Two of Kind inside the final furlong for the win.

“Wesley called me earlier and just said to let this horse break on his own and take you there,” Graham said. “He has a lot of early speed but I didn't break as well as we thought we would. He got into a good spot early and was able to get the job done. I was very fortunate to be able to ride this horse and I think Wesley and the owners will have some fun with him in the future.”

No Nay Hudson is a No Nay Never colt out of the Malibu Moon mare Raw Silk, who was bred by RJB Bloodstock. Now owning a 7-2-2-1 record, No Nay Hudson has earned $233,546 with $120,280 coming from the winner's share of the William Walker purse.

The breakthrough William Walker win was preceded by second-place finishes in last year's Skidmore at Saratoga and Atlantic Beach at Aqueduct along with a third in the  Indian Summer during Keeneland's fall meet.

Prior to the Walker, No Nay Hudson finished sixth of 12 in the Palisades at Keeneland over a course rated as good.

No Nay Hudson returned $23.54 for the win at odds of 10-1.

Crispy Cat was fourth and followed in order by Private Creed, Ah Jeez, Gilcrease and Chiringo.

No Nay Hudson joined No Nay Mets, victor in the Royal Palm Juvenile at Gulfstream, as one of two stakes winners Saturday for No Nay Never, who stands at Coolmore in Ireland.

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Bregman Family Racing LLC's Irish-bred No Nay Mets got the jump on his nine rivals out of the starting gate and was never headed to register a 10-1 upset victory in Saturday's $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile at Gulfstream Park.

The Royal Palm Juvenile, a five-furlong turf stakes for 2-year-olds co-headlined Saturday's 10-program with the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, a five-furlong turf stakes for 2-year-old fillies. Each race provides its winner with an automatic berth into one of six stakes during the June 20-24 Royal Ascot meeting, as well as a $25,000 equine travel stipend for shipping from the U.S. to England, in addition to the winner's share of the purse.

Steve Cauthen's Holding the Line, the 3-5 favorite trained by 12-time Royal Ascot winner Wesley Ward, raced forwardly before fading to seventh.

Making his career debut, No Nay Mets held a narrow lead on the backstretch before clearing his pace disputers on the far turn under jockey Luca Panici. The George Weaver-trained Irish-bred colt shook off a strong outside challenge by Mattingly on the turn into the homestretch and drew off to a 3 ½-length victory.

No Nay Mets is a son of No Nay Never, whom Ward saddled for a victory in the Norfolk (G2) during the 2013 Royal Ascot meeting. His son will be given the chance to follow in his footsteps to Royal Ascot glory.

“He's a pretty nifty colt. He was on a rushed schedule for this. There's no reason not to go over there,” Weaver said. “It's a lot of fun, and he's got as good a chance as anybody.”

Alex Bregman, the Houston Astros All Star third baseman, heads Bregman Family Racing LLC.

“I met him last year down here. He's a really, really, cool dude. He's down to earth and has a lot of fun with the game,” Weaver said. “I love working for him and have something for him.”

No Nay Mets ran five furlongs on a firm turf in :57.50 after setting fractions of :22.98 and :45.44 seconds for the first half mile.

When No Nay Mets failed to meet his $335,000 RNA at the recent OBS April 2-year-olds-in-training sale, consigner Ciaran Dunne asked Weaver if he'd like to take over the colt's training.

“He worked :20 and 2 [-fifths seconds for a quarter mile] and galloped out [three furlongs] in :36 at the 2-year-old sale in April. I just needed to get a gate work into him. It was kind of a crunched schedule to get him here,” Weaver said. “He was fit. It was just a matter of letting him spin his legs a couple of times. He was a No Nay Never, so it made sense he would handle the turf.” times.”

Mattingly, named for Yankees great Don Mattingly, held second under Edgar Perez in his debut. Zaino, a 70-1 longshot ridden by Angel Morales, finished third, three-quarters of a length back.

No Nay Mets, who was bred by Coolmore, was produced by the War Front mare Etoile, a Group 3 winner in Ireland.

The post ‘A Pretty Nifty Colt’: No Nay Mets Takes Royal Palm Juvenile In Career Bow appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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