Tag: Racing

Barry and Joni Butzow's homebred Zozos took the lead out of the gate and held off Kupuna by three-quarters of a length to win the second running of the $175,000 Knicks Go Overnight Stakes for 4-year-olds and up Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Florent Geroux, Zozos covered the mile on a fast main track in a stakes-record 1:34.42.

Zozos was fastest out of the gate in the field of 11 and put up fractions of :22.66 and :45.15 with Kneedeepinsnow and Kupuna applying only token pressure.

On the far turn, Kupuna ranged up alongside Zozos, but entering the stretch, Geroux cut the corner and re-established a clear advantage that he carred to the finish.

Zozos is a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Munnings out of the Forestry mare Papa's Forest. The victory was worth $90,500 and increased Zozos' earnings to $412,900 with a record of 5-1-0 from eight career starts.

Zozos returned $9.42,  to his backers. Kupuna, ridden by Rey Gutierrez, finished 4 ¾ lengths in front of last year's winner Three Technique, under Rafael Bejarano.

It was another 2 ¾ lengths back to Baby Yoda, who was followed in order by Kneedeepinsnow, Masqueparade, Promise Keeper, Noble Drama, Gulfstream Way, Caddo River and Surly Furious.

KNICKS GO QUOTES

Florent Geroux, jockey, Zozos, winner: “He broke sharp and went right to the lead. And, was able to hold off all the other horses. Pretty simple. Not much technique there.”

Brad Cox, trainer, Zozos, winner: “This has been one of the better races he has run. I was a little concerned about cutting him back in distance to the one turn mile. He's a great horse but I did tell Florent (Geroux) before the race 'break very aggressive with intent' because there were a lot of horses that looked like they wanted to do the same thing. Fortunately he showed up and ran a great race.”

The post Zozos Powers To Knicks Go Overnight Victory On Front End appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Owned by Sol Kumin's Head of Plains Partners, Fluffy Socks put in a brave performance to capture Saturday's Grade 2, $500,000 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile on the Kentucky Derby undercard. The 9-2 second choice, Fluffy Socks and Irad Ortiz, Jr. bulled their way between rivals at the head of the lane and powered clear to defeat 4-5 favorite Spendarella by a length on the wire. Trained by Chad Brown, the 5-year-old daughter of Slumber ran a mile over the firm Matt Winn Turf Course in 1:35.53.

“Turning for home I waited as long as I could,” Ortiz said. “When she hit the clear she was full of power.”

Fluffy Socks paid $11.96 for the victory, her first since October of 2021. Bred in Kentucky by her owner, Fluffy Socks was named by Kumin's son. The mare is out of the unplaced Kitten's Joy mare Breakfast Time, and has now improved her record to five wins, seven seconds, and two thirds from 18 starts for career earnings of $994,580.

Well off the inside rail, Haughty set the early pace with favorite Spendarella about a length back in second and longshot Sharp Hero in third along the inside. Ortiz had Fluffy Socks in fifth, just behind stablemate and last year's winner of this race, Speak of the Devil. Haughty set fractions of :23.62 and :47.81 before keeping off the inside rail heading into the stretch. That left a spot open for Sharp Hero to try to make a bid on the inside, and forced Spendarella about four paths off the rail turning into the lane, with Speak of the Devil to her outside.

Ortiz waited for a clear path to open up, and managed to squeeze Fluffy Socks through a narrow gap between Spendarella and Haughty with an eighth of a mile to run. A strong rally kept Fluffy Socks running all the way through the wire, defeating Spendarella by a length. Speak of the Devil checked in third, while late-running Wakanaka finished fourth. Sharp Hero and Haughty completed the order of finish.

The post Fluffy Socks Splits Rivals, Powers Clear In Churchill Distaff Turf Mile appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Godolphin's homebred Matareya took over from Travel Column at the head of the stretch and then prevailed through the stretch drive by a length over Wicked Halo to win the $750,000 Derby City Distaff (G1) for older fillies and mares, the first of nine stakes on the Kentucky Derby Day card Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Flavien Prat, Matareya covered the seven furlongs in 1:21.87 over a fast main track. It is the second victory in the race for Prat, who won in 2016 aboard Taris.

Travel Column set the pace with Matareya just off her flank through an opening quarter-mile in :22.07 with Wicked Halo three wide and 1-2 favorite Goodnight Olive in fourth tucked in behind the top trio.

Matareya grabbed the lead at the head of the lane with Wicked Halo to her outside. As Travel Column began to retreat, Goodnight Olive split horses to move to third but never could get off the rail as she and Wicked Halo raced side by side in tight quarters.

Matareya is a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Pioneerof the Nile out of the Bernardini mare Innovative Idea. The Derby City Distaff is the second Grade 1 victory for Matareya, who improved her record to 6-3-1 from 11 career starts and boosted her earnings to $1,366,550 with Saturday's $460,350 check.

Matareya returned $12.12. Wicked Halo, with Tyler Gaffalione aboard, finished a length in front of Goodnight Olive under Irad Ortiz Jr.

It was another 3¼ lengths back to Hot and Sultry, who was followed in order by My Destiny and Travel Column.

DERBY CITY DISTAFF QUOTES

Flavien Prat, jockey, Matareya, winner: “We really liked our (post) position. That was a key to it. She broke sharp and I was able to get her right in the race.”

Brad Cox, trainer, Matareya, winner: “It was a very big effort. I'm very proud of her. Flavien (Prat) did a really good job of getting her into position. There were some really good fillies in there.”

Irad Ortiz Jr., jockey, Goodnight Olive, third: “I was stuck, the entire way. I had no place to go. I couldn't get out of there. I had tons of horse, just no place to go.”

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Basking in the attention of her fans, Pretty Mischievous, the winner of Kentucky Oaks 149, enjoyed her morning in trainer Brendan Walsh's barn.

“We are very proud of what she has accomplished and it couldn't be more special winning this for Godolphin,” Walsh said. “There are some big races that we'll look at coming up, but no decision has been made on her next start.”

Breaking cleanly from the far outside post and piloted by Tyler Gaffalione, Pretty Mischievous made her winning move at the top of the stretch and fought off the late-flying Gambling Girl through the lane. The daughter of Into Mischief by the Tapit mare Pretty City Dancer is a Godolphin homebred, its first Oaks champion.

GAMBLING GIRL (second) – Repole Stable's Gambling Girl, second by a neck in Friday's 149th Kentucky Oaks, came out of the race in good order and will head up to New York in the coming week with trainer Todd Pletcher's string.

“She was just excellent after the race,” the conditioner said. “She came out of it well.”

Pletcher has won the Kentucky Oaks four times and now run second in “The Run for the Lillies” five times. The daughter of Dialed In picked up a check for $227,500 for her efforts and now has $484,910 in earnings after 10 starts.

THE ALYS LOOK (third)/WET PAINT (fourth)/BOTANICAL (13th) – Trainer Brad Cox reported that all three of his Kentucky Oaks runners were doing well Saturday morning although he had not had time to fully evaluate them yet. The Alys Look and Wet Paint, the favorite, finished third and fourth respectively, while Botanical was 13th, her first loss in her past five starts.

“So far so good,” Cox said. “They all came back sound. I have zero clue where we're going next. Botanical looked like she got a bad break. I really expected her to break well and be close. Wet Paint was fine. No real excuse. I thought The Alys Look ran well. Just a little disappointing when you have the favorite and don't get the result you want.”

DORTH VADER (fifth) – John Ropes' Dorth Vader was back at Barn 41 Saturday morning following her fifth-place finish in Saturday's Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI).

“We enjoyed our time here in Kentucky and are proud of her,” Michael “Bo” Yates said.

FLYING CONNECTION (sixth) – Brad King, Randy Andrews, G. Chris Coleman, Jim Cone, Suzanne Kirby and Lee Lewis' Flying Connection, the pacesetter in Friday's Oaks, came out of the race fine and is slated to get a break.

“She is leaving today and will go to a farm for three weeks and then go to Ruidoso Downs (in New Mexico),” said Oscar Rojero, exercise rider and assistant to trainer Todd Fincher.

DEFINING PURPOSE (seventh) – Trainer Kenny McPeek said his filly, owned by Magdalena Racing, Collette Marie Vanmatre and James Ball, came out of the Oaks in good shape after finishing seventh.

“She is fine in the barn, eating well, with no problems,” McPeek said at his barn Saturday morning. “We'll nominate her to the Delaware Oaks, the Indiana Oaks and Iowa Oaks. Then we'll see which one best suits her.”

MIMI KAKUSHI (eighth) – Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum's Mimi Kakushi is scheduled to leave Monday and return to Dubai and rejoin the string of trainer Salem bin Ghadayer.

Mimi Kakushi received a ground-saving trip under Mickael Barzalona just behind the leading trio until the far turn where she began to give way.

WONDER WHEEL (ninth) – After finishing ninth in Kentucky Oaks 149, D.J. Stable's Wonder Wheel returned to the barn doing wonderfully.

“She came back great, cooled out, had playful energy,” David Carroll, the assitant trainer for Mark Casse, said. “She took a bump out of the gate, but she never ran.”

Connections are still deciding what is next for the champion 2-year-old filly from 2022.

SOUTHLAWN (10th) – Trainer Norm Casse reported all was well with Southlawn Saturday morning after the Oaks.

No immediate plans have been laid out for her next start.

AFFIRMATIVE LADY (11th) — AMO Racing USA's Affirmative Lady is scheduled to go to Keeneland on Sunday and then head to trainer Graham Motion's main based at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland later in the week.

“She is good this morning,” said Alice Clapham, Motion's longtime assistant. “Johnny (jockey John Velazquez) said she broke well yesterday but then found herself at the back going into the first turn somehow.”

Breaking from post 13, Affirmative Lady shied from horses to her inside going into the first turn and was last in the field of 14 after a half-mile and never threatened.

PROMISEHER AMERICA (14th) – The day after finishing in the back of the Kentucky Oaks pack, Hoffman Thoroughbreds, Tom McCrocklin, and Medallion Racing's Promiseher America enjoyed her morning grazing in the clover pasture outside her barn.

“She is doing great,” Rodrigo Montecino, the assistant trainer for Ray Handal, said. “She broke good but at some point decided she didn't want to run her race.”

The Gazelle winner will head back to New York as connections figure out her next start.

The post ‘It Couldn’t Be More Special’: Walsh-Trained Pretty Mischievous Exits Kentucky Oaks Victory In Good Shape appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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