Tag: Racing

The first foal out of Grade 1 winner Daddys Lil Darling fired an impressive race at Chester on Wednesday, making her an early favorite for this year's 3-year-old fillies' Classic races in Europe. Savethelastdance, sired by Galileo, won the Cheshire Oaks by a margin of 22 lengths for trainer Aidan O'Brien and jockey Ryan Moore.

“I was very impressed, you can only be impressed by what she's done there,” Moore told the Racing Post. “They kind of all gave up with half a mile to go and she was just getting going, but she gave me a very good feel – she's probably given me as good a feel in this race as the ones I've ridden before.”

The next stop for Savethelastdance is likely to be the Epsom Oaks on Friday, June 2.

Daddys Lil Darling, trained by Ken McPeek in the United States, is a daughter of Scat Daddy who won the G1 American Oaks on turf, finished second in the G1 Kentucky Oaks and the G1 Ashland, both on dirt, and retired with earnings of $1,335,305 for owner/breeder Normandy Farm. Upon her retirement, Daddys Lil Darling was sold at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale, bringing a final bid of $3.5 million from Coolmore's M. V. Magnier.

Bred to Galileo in 2019, Daddys Lil Darling foaled Savethelastdance in Ireland on March 1, 2020. The filly ran fifth on debut as a 2-year-old, but has now won both her starts as a 3-year-old after breaking her maiden at Leopardstown on March 5.

Daddys Lil Darling has also produced a 2-year-old full brother to Savethelastdance, Mr Hampstead, which sold to Amo Racing for $575,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September sale.

Read more at the Racing Post.

Oh my! Savethelastdance looks a proper one in the Cheshire Oaks for Ryan Moore and Aidan O'Brien @ChesterRaces pic.twitter.com/3bZFQng84Y

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 10, 2023

The post First Foal Out Of Daddys Lil Darling, Savethelastdance Impresses Ryan Moore With 22-Length Cheshire Oaks Victory appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Paradise Farms Corp (Peter Proscia), David Staudacher, Skychai Racing (Harvey Diamond) and Angelo Carlesimo's Gaslight Dancer, the winner of the April 16 Palisades Turf Sprint at Keeneland, tops a field of eight 3-year-olds that were entered in Saturday's eighth running of the $225,000 William Walker Stakes (Listed) at Churchill Downs.

The 5 ½-furlong William Walker Stakes is scheduled to be contested in Lane 2 on the Matt Winn Turf Course, 12 feet off the inside. The featured event on the 11-race card will go as Race 10 at 5:26 p.m. (all times Eastern). First post is 12:45 p.m.

Trained by Mike Maker, Gaslight Dancer recorded his second-lifetime score in the Palisades Turf Sprint where he rallied from just off the pace to defeat 11 rivals by 1 ½ lengths. The William Walker will be Gaslight Dancer's second start of his 3-year-old campaign and he'll be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione out of post No. 2.

Among Gaslight Dancer's rivals is the Palisades Turf Sprint runner-up Two of a Kind. Owned by K and R Racing Stable (Phil Deguire) and Town Branch Racing (Stewart A. Smith), Two of a Kind finished second in his first turf effort in the Palisades Turf Sprint at odds of 51-1. The Brian Lynch-trained son of Overanalyze will be ridden from post 3 under Julien Leparoux.

Mike McCarty's Private Creed was the 8-5 post-time favorite in the Palisades but finished fifth. He'll return in the William Walker in search of his fourth-lifetime score. Previously, the Steve Asmussen trainee recorded victories in the Juvenile Sprint at Kentucky Downs and the Indian Summer at Keeneland. The speedy son of Jimmy Creed will be piloted by Brian Hernandez Jr. from post 7.

The complete field from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):

1. Gilcrease (Corey Lanerie, Al Stall Jr.);
2. Gaslight Dancer (Gaffalione, Maker);
3. Two of a Kind (Leparoux, Lynch);
4. Chiringo (Luis Saez, George Weaver);
5. No Nay Hudson (IRE) (James Graham, Wesley Ward);
6. Crispy Cat (GB) (Ricardo Santana Jr., Jorge Delgado);
7. Private Creed (Hernandez, Asmussen); and
8. Ah Jeez (Rey Gutierrez, Doug O'Neill).

Following four days off after the Kentucky Derby, racing at Churchill Downs will resume Thursday for the first Twilight Thursday of the 44-day Spring Meet that will feature $2 domestic beer, local food trucks and live music. The first of eight races will get underway at 5 p.m.

Friday is the first Senior Day of the Spring Meet where guests 60 and older can enjoy lunch in Millionaires' Row for only $34. Tickets can be purchased by calling (502) 636-4450.

Limited premium dining tickets are available for Sunday's popular Mother's Day card at www.churchilldowns.com. First post will be 12:45 p.m.

For more information about racing from Churchill Downs, visit www.churchilldowns.com.

The post Palisades Winner Gaslight Dancer Headlines Saturday’s William Walker Turf Sprint appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Butch Reid isn't sure what the coming year has in store for a couple of under-the-radar 3-year-olds he has but the veteran trainer knows it's time to start finding out exactly where they fit in.

To that end, he will send out Didinger and Ninetyprcentmaddie in Saturday's $100,000 Long Branch Stakes, which serves as the opening day feature race as Monmouth Park's 51-day meet gets underway. The 87th edition of the Long Branch Stakes, at a mile and 70 yards, is restricted to 3-year-olds.

“I'm pretty sure we're going to run both. I hate doing that, but it's the right spot for both of them,” said the Parx-based Reid. “We need to find out what direction to go with them. It's all part of the stepping stone process. I think they're two quality horses that we're going to have a lot of fun with the rest of the year,”

Didinger, a $230,000 yearling purchase owned by Cash is King and LC Racing, comes in off a 5½-length romp in an optional claimer at Parx on March 27 in his 3-year-old debut. He showed hints of his potential at 2, with a win, three seconds and a third from five starts.

“He's a horse that we always knew had a ton of talent but it took him a while to put it all together,” Reid said. “He had a nice little break after his 2-year-old campaign and it seems to have paid off with the way he came back. He's coming up to this race really well.”

A Kentucky-bred son of Bold d'Oro-Gwithian by Street Sense, Didinger seems to be relishing the longer distances. If the colt lives up to his potential, Reid sees the TVG.com Haskell and the Pennsylvania Derby on Didinger's radar.

“I don't think there are any limits to what this horse can do,” Reid said.

Ninetyprcentmaddie, an LC Racing homebred, comes in off two sharp efforts, winning the City of Brotherly Love Stakes at Parx by 9¾ lengths and then finishing second, beaten a head, in the Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel on April 15. The Shug McGaughey Perform, who won the Tesia with a late rush, is under consideration as a supplemental entry to the Preakness Stakes.

Ninetyprcentmaddie, a Pennsylvania-bred son of Weigelia-Amblin Easy by Private Interview, has four wins and two seconds from eight career starts. The only poor performance of his career came in the Grade 3 Withers on Feb. 11 when he was distanced.

“He didn't ship good that day and we learned from that,” said Reid. “He was kind of sulking. Mentally, he was just lost that day. He's a young colt and sometimes the biggest hurdle to overcome with them is the mental part.

“But he shipped well to Pimlico in his last start and ran a great race. I know Shug McGaughey thinks a lot of the winner that day. One of the reasons I like this spot for him is because it's an easy ship to Monmouth Park. He shouldn't be put off of his game.”

A field of eight has entered the Long Branch Stakes, including the Ken McPeek trained Hayes Strike, who was off the board in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes in his most recent start. He won the Private Terms at Laurel prior to that.

First race post time Saturday is 12:40 p.m. That will be the post time for Saturdays, Sundays and holiday Mondays throughout the meet that runs until Sept. 10. When Friday racing is added in June first race post time for those days will be 2 p.m.

The post Butch Reid Sees Long Branch As ‘Stepping Stone’ For Talented 3-Year-Olds Didinger, Ninetyprcentmaddie appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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