Tag: Racing

A Sunday roundup of the hopefuls for the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1), set for May 6 at Churchill Downs.

AFFIRMATIVE LADY – AMO Racing USA's Affirmative Lady galloped a mile on the main track at Keeneland under Kevin Lundie for trainer Graham Motion.

Affirmative Lady will train at Keeneland early Monday morning before leaving by van around 9 a.m. for Churchill Downs.

AND TELL ME NOLIES – Peter Redekop's And Tell Me Nolies, who arrived at Churchill Downs on Saturday, walked the shedrow Sunday morning.

Winner of the Del Mar Debutante (GI) and Chandelier (GII), the Peter Miller trainee comes into the Kentucky Oaks off a runner-up finish in the Santa Anita Oaks (G2).

BOTANICAL, THE ALYS LOOK, WET PAINT – Trainer Brad Cox's trio of Longines Kentucky Oaks runners Botanical, The Alys Look and Wet Paint all galloped about 1 ½ miles Sunday morning at Churchill Downs.

LNJ Foxwoods and Clearsky Farm's Botanical is likely to be one of the top choices in this year's Longines Kentucky Oaks and will be ridden by local jockey Chris Landeros

“She's very talented and she's already proved that this winter at Turfway when she was perfect from four starts,” Landeros said. “Keeneland's meet has proved to be a good steppingstone for the Turfway horses. They've run very well there and I think that shows the caliber of horses that stayed this winter at Turfway. That gives you a lot of confidence coming into the Kentucky Oaks.

“Brad (Cox) is very blessed at having all of these talented fillies in this year's race and even some that won't run in this year's race that have shown a lot of promise.

“I've been riding for 17 years now. I started when I was 17-years-old out west and my career has brought me to the biggest stage here at Churchill Downs. We've been here before but I'm glad I'm in this situation now with some more experience under my belt. I'm very anxious to get it going Friday.”

Jockey Flavien Prat will have the mount on likely Oaks morning line favorite Wet Paint while Luis Saez will pilot The Alys Look.

DEFINING PURPOSE – Following her “happy half” workout on Saturday of :47 for the four furlongs, the Ashland Stakes (G1) winner walked on Sunday.

Greg Geier, assistant to trainer Kenny McPeek, said she emerged from the breeze in fine shape.

DORTH VADER – John Ropes' Dorth Vader galloped about 1 ½ miles at 7:30 a.m. Sunday at Churchill Downs.

“She was a bit on her toes (Saturday) but that's kind of who she is,” trainer Michael Yates said. “I'll probably take her over to the paddock once or twice to get acquainted with things. We're very excited to be here this week.”

 FLYING CONNECTION – Brad King, Randy Andrews, G. Chris Coleman, Jim Cone, Suzanne Kirby and Lee Lewis' Flying Connection had a walk day for trainer Todd Fincher.

Following training hours, Flying Connection had a paddock schooling session. Fincher said the Sunland Park Oaks (Listed) winner would go to the gate in the next couple of days.

GAMBLING GIRL/JULIA SHINING – Trainer Todd Pletcher's Kentucky Oaks hopefuls both jogged a mile and three-eighths Sunday morning during the special Derby/Oaks 7:30 to 7:45 training session. Repole Stable's Gambling Girl, who is guaranteed a spot in the mile and one-eighth headliner Friday, had Carlos Quevedo in the tack. Stonestreet Stables' Julia Shining, who is two horses away from making the 14-horse lineup, was partnered by Humberto Zamora.

“They both went well,” Pletcher said. “We're good.”

The trainer was asked for a possible Plan B for the Curlin filly Julia Shining should she not make it into the Oaks lineup.

“Possibly we'd consider the Black-Eyed Susan the day before the Preakness in Baltimore,” he said. “Or we might wait until the Acorn (Stakes) in New York at Belmont (Grade I, $500,000 June 9).”

MIMI KAKUSHI – Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum's Mimi Kakushi was hand-walked in the Quarantine Barn a day after working a half-mile in :50.40.

PRETTY MISCHIEVOUS – Pretty Mischievous galloped on Sunday morning during the special Derby/Oaks 7:30 to 7:45 training period at Churchill Downs. Having put in her final preparatory work ahead of the Oaks on Thursday, the Godolphin homebred has been moving well under exercise rider Albino Martinez and keeping to her schedule as laid out by trainer Brendan Walsh.

“She galloped her normal one mile and a half today,” said Charlie Lynch, assistant trainer to Walsh. “She schooled in the paddock yesterday and it went very well.”

PROMISEHER AMERICA – Hoffman Thoroughbreds and Tom McCrocklin's Promiseher America is scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs early Monday morning, traveling from her home base at Belmont Park.

Trainer Ray Handal has named Jorge Vargas Jr. to ride the daughter of American Pharoah in the Oaks. The Gazelle (G2) winner will be stabled in barn 42.

SOUTHLAWN – Robert Masterson's Southlawn had another routine 1 ½-mile gallop for trainer Norm Casse Sunday at 7:30 a.m

The speedy daughter of Pioneerof the Nile will be ridden in the Oaks by Rey Gutierrez.

WONDER WHEEL – After following up her final breeze with two easy days on the track, D.J. Stable's Wonder Wheel galloped one mile and a half on Sunday morning. In good hands with assistant trainer David Carroll in the boot, Wonder Wheel entered the track at 5:40 a.m. in the Mark Casse barn's second set.

Carroll reported that Wonder Wheel moved well beneath him and is doing great going into the race. The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) champion will keep to the same routine leading up to Oaks day.

Before becoming a trainer in 1992, Carroll worked as an exercise rider for Shug McGaughey. A brilliant exercise rider, Carroll accompanied the 1989 Belmont Stakes winner Easy Goer through his morning drills.

ALSO-ELIGIBLE – Richard Bahde's Taxed (No. 15 on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard) galloped a mile and a half under Santurino Vergara for trainer Randy Morse.

Morse said Taxed is likely to enter the Oaks as an also-eligible.

The post Kentucky Oaks Update: Wet Paint, Botanical Gallop At Churchill, Affirmative Lady To Ship To Churchill Monday appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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By Declan Schuster

Golden Sixty stands alone as Hong Kong's most prolific Group 1 winner after his record-setting third FWD Champions Mile (G1) triumph at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Equal with Beauty Generation's mark of eight top-level wins before Sunday, Golden Sixty – trained by Francis Lui – added Sunday's success to his wins in 2021 and 2022.

Making it an unmatched nine Group 1s for the Australian-bred 7-year-old by Darley's Central Kentucky-based sire Medaglia d'Oro, jockey Vincent Ho also sealed a fourth Champions Mile win in succession to become the race's leading rider after breaking his deadlock with Brett Prebble.

“Thank you to all of the racing fans and, of course, I am really grateful to be on this horse again,” Ho said of Golden Sixty, who has won 25 of 29 career starts and tallied nine Group 1 victories. “He's such a superstar and I'm just very grateful and very happy for Golden Sixty of course. Now he looks around and enjoys the crowds and his home turf.

“We got a sneak through the inside, one off and sort of in second position. I told myself before this race to try and enjoy every moment with Golden Sixty because he is seven now and we don't know when he is going to retire but it's the best way to enjoy every single step with him.

“I'm nothing without him. All of the credit goes to Golden Sixty,” Ho continued.

Golden Sixty landed his third Group 1 victory this season in a time of 1:33.34 ahead of Beauty Joy and California Spangle, respectively.

“It's always my honor to be on him. I'm happy for the horse and happy for the crowds that come to support him. He's just an amazing horse,” Ho said. “He's going as well as ever. There's no sign of him dropping in performance.”

Stepping away cleanly under Ho, Hong Kong's two-time Horse of the Year (2020/21 & 2021/22) steadily stole ground mid-race and between runners before taking command with roughly 400 meters left to run.

“The only thing I can say is happy. He's such a good horse with a good fighting heart. He gives me confidence,” Lui said. “Vincent had his own plan, I didn't disturb him. Before the race, we didn't talk about how to run because he knows this horse well and I don't have to teach him.”

Speaking of longevity, Lui declared that Golden Sixty's future runs could be spaced even further apart and while a shot at Hong Kong's Triple Crown remains open in next month's G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2,400 meters) on 28 May, Lui expects Golden Sixty's next major target to be a third win in December's Longines Hong Kong Mile (G1).

“Now we just keep a little bit longer in between races, before we could keep racing – even some of the Group 3 races – but now we just pick the Group 1 races,” Lui said.

The official margin of victory was 1 1/2 lengths. Golden Sixty was sent off as a dominant  favorite.

Of runner-up Beauty Joy's effort, jockey Hugh Bowman said: “Delighted, no surprise to see him do that. He enjoyed that even tempo. It wasn't frantic, it was consistent, which is what he needs.”

California Spangle led the race early before fading to third under jockey Zac Purton: “He ran well, he just got annoyed the whole race. They were at him and he sort of didn't get a chance to switch off.”

Golden Sixty's previous Group 1 wins this season came in the Stewards' Cup (1,600 meters) and Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2,000 meters) – the first two legs of Hong Kong's Triple Crown.

Prior to Golden Sixty's Champions Mile three-peat, Ho bagged a first win in the race in 2020 aboard Southern Legend.

Golden Sixty's dam is the unraced Kentucky-bred Distorted Humor mare Gaudeamus.

The post Golden Sixty Lands Champions Mile At Sha Tin For Record Third Time appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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They came, they saw and they were well and truly conquered in the Sha Tin sunshine Sunday as Romantic Warrior confirmed himself among the world's elite with a commanding second consecutive success in the FWD QEII Cup (G1).

Pandemic restrictions meant trainer Danny Shum's gelding beat a purely domestic field when landing the race in 2022 and the 5-year-old Irish-bred Acclamation gelding faced a sterner test against two Group 1 winners from Japan and globetrotting British raider Dubai Honour, fresh from capturing two of Australia's elite 2,000-meter (about 1 1/4-mile) contests.

However, the market spoke volumes about the confidence behind Romantic Warrior and the favorite delivered in spades, charging into the lead with 400 meters to run and easing down close to home as New Zealand-based rider James McDonald stood up in the stirrups to salute an adoring crowd.

“How good are the Hong Kong horses, they're flying today,” said a beaming McDonald, who is now unbeaten in three rides on Romantic Warrior after partnering him to similarly emphatic victories in the  Jockey Club Cup (G2) and Longines Hong Kong Cup (G1) last November and December.

“He's a world-class horse and put in a performance just like he did in December,” McDonald said. “There wasn't one part of the race where I thought he wasn't right–he was always going to explode for me – and the race panned out beautifully. He's a world-class horse. It took an absolute weapon (Golden Sixty) to run him down last time but he's a great 2,000-meter horse and I really enjoy riding him.”

A slow pace set by Money Catcher led to a final time of 2:01.92, but acceleration is what separates the great from the good and Romantic Warrior's closing 400 meters of :22.53 was faster than Golden Sixty's final 400 meters in the Champions Mile G1)) and only :0.27 slower than Lucky Sweynesse's final 400 meters in the Chairman's Sprint Prize.

That final burst was all too much for Prognosis, who stayed on well to finish two lengths adrift of the winner in second, while Dubai Honour and Money Catcher were just behind in third and fourth.

Romantic Warrior's latest victory – following on from a thrilling success in last year's BMW Hong Kong Derby and his runaway defeat of elite global  performers in the Hong Kong Cup (G1)– took his career record to 10 wins from 13 starts.

The post Romantic Warrior Repeats In QEII Cup With Dominating Triumph appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Masahiro Miki's  Justin Palace, coming off a victory in the Hanshin Daishoten (G2)) in March, captured his first victory at the highest level Sunday in the Tenno Sho (Spring) (G1), held for the first time in three years at the newly renovated Kyoto Racecourse in Japan.

Four-year-old Justin Palace, a Deep Impact half brother to U.S. classic winner and Central Kentucky sire Palace Malice, made a clean start from the innermost post. He eased back to settle eighth then ninth from the front along the rails and shifted slightly to the outside turning the second corner. The colt gradually made headway turning the last corner two-wide, surged out behind Deep Bond entering the lane, overtook the eventual runner-up 300 meters out, and pulled away for a 2 1/2-length victory with the fastest closing speed.

Second choice in the field of 17, Justin Palace covered 3,200 meters (about two miles) in 3:16.1.

“The horse was calm throughout the race and I was sure that he was going to win when we moved up behind Dee p Bond and entered the straight,” said winning rider Christophe Lemaire. “He has become a super horse over long distances, so I think he will do well in races like Arima Kinen (G1) in the future.”

Deep Bond settled wide in seventh in front of the eventual winner early, gradually made headway to take command turning the final corner and, while surrendering the lead passing the 300-meter marker, held fast-closing Silver Sonic by a length to mark his third consecutive runner-up effort in this race.

Unhurried around 13th, Silver Sonic advanced on the outer route after the third corner to close in on the front rivals and, while unable to threaten the top two finishers, showed the second-fastest late drive for a third.

Race favorite and defending winner Titleholder, settling in second after rallying with African Gold for the lead, assumed command at the first corner but pulled up before the final corner due to lameness in his right foreleg. He was scheduled to undergo an examination after the race.

Marking two wins and a runner-up effort in the Hopeful Stakes (G1) at about 1 1/4 miles as a 2-year-old, Justin Palace was ninth last year in a pair of Japanese classics: the Satsuki Sho (G1) (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and the Tokyo Yushun (G1) (Japanese Derby). He landed his first graded victory in the Kobe Shimbun Hai (G2) in September, followed by a third in the Kikuka Sho (G1) (Japanese St. Leger), and capped off the season with a seventh in the Arima Kinen.

Justin Palace, who is trained by Haruki Sugiyama, was bred in Japan by Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Racing. His dam is the stakes-winning Royal Anthem mare Palace Royal, who sold to Yoshida for $1.1 million at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November sale in the Hill 'n' Dales Sales Agency consignment. Her most notable foal is Palace Malice, a son of Curlin. Palace Malice won the 2013 Belmont (G1) and 2014 Metropolitan (G1). He stands at Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Ky.

The post Justin Palace, Half Brother To Palace Malice, Wins Tenno Sho (Spring) In Japan appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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