Tag: Racing

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who will saddle Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's formidable multiple Grade 1 winner Forte in the Kentucky Derby (G1) on May 6, will also bring a strong contender for Repole Stable to the May 5 Kentucky Oaks (G1) in the New York-bred Gambling Girl.

The entries of Gambling Girl in the Oaks and the trio of the reigning champion 2-year-lld male Forte, Blue Grass (G1) winner Tapit Trice, and Louisiana Derby (G2) winner Kingsbarns in the Run for the Roses will give Pletcher a chance to become the first trainer since Ben Jones [1952] to sent out both the Derby and Oaks winner in the same year.

Bred by Gallagher's Stud, the multiple graded stakes-placed Gambling Girl finished second in the nine-furlong Gazelle (G3) on April 8 at Aqueduct Racetrack, awarding her 40 points towards the Kentucky Oaks and guaranteeing her a spot in the starting gate.

Gambling Girl added to the 21 points she earned for on-the-board efforts here in the Demoiselle (G2) and Busanda and a fourth in the Honeybee (G3) at Oaklawn Park. Jockey Jose Ortiz engineered a rallying trip in the Gazelle, guiding her from 4 1/2 lengths off the pace to show a strong turn-of-foot and finish a half-length back of the victorious longshot Promiseher America.

Pletcher said Gambling Girl, by Darby Dan Farm resident sire Dialed In, will head to Churchill Downs to make her final preparations for the Oaks.

“She's shipping to Louisville today and we're pointing to the Oaks,” said Pletcher. “She always tries hard and I thought we had dead aim at the winner, but we just couldn't quite get there. It was another good effort from her.”

The post Gazelle Runner-up Gambling Girl Headed To Churchill Downs For Kentucky Oaks appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Stonestreet Stables' Twilight Gleaming returned to the races with authority Saturday by winning the Giant's Causeway (L) by 1½ lengths while posting a stakes-record time.

“She ran great, and she is good this morning,” trainer Wesley Ward said of Twilight Gleaming, who covered the 5 1/2 furlongs for fillies and mares in 1:01.74.

The victory put Twilight Gleaming, a 4-year-old Irish-bred National Defense filly, on a path to a possible return to Royal Ascot in England, where she ran second in the 2021 Queen Mary (G2).

Twilight Gleaming was making her first start since finishing fourth behind Caravel in the Franklin (G3), since upgraded to Grade 2 status, at Keeneland in October. Caravel came back three weeks later to beat the boys in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1).

Ward also saddled Gayla Rankin's Happy Soul in the Giant's Causeway, and she finished fourth.

“I think I am going to keep her on the grass,” said Ward, who ruled out coming back in the $300,000 Unbridled Sidney (L) at Churchill Downs on May 5. “That race comes back awful quick for me.”

Brownwood Farm's Querobin Dourada rallied to get second in the Giant's Causeway as the longest price on the board at 87-1.

“She had been training very well, and she ran good,” trainer Paulo Lobo said of Querobin Dourada, adding that a next start is to be determined.

The post Twilight Gleaming Possible For Royal Ascot Return appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Flurry Racing Stables' Interstatedaydream headlines a field of eight fillies and mares entered Sunday for Friday's 28th running of the $300,000 Baird Doubledogdare (G3) going 1 1/16 miles on the main track at Keeneland.

The Doubledogdare will be the ninth race on Friday's 10-race program with a 5:16 p.m. (ET) post time. First post on Friday is 1 p.m.

Malathaat won last year's Doubledogdare to kick off an Eclipse Award-winning campaign that concluded with a victory in the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) in November at the Lexington track.

Trained by Brad Cox, Interstatedaydream won the George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan (G2) at Pimlico and the Indiana Oaks (G3) last year. Third in the Azeri (G2) behind Secret Oath and Clairiere in her most recent start, Interstatedaydream will be ridden by Florent Geroux and break from post position four.

In her lone Keeneland start, Interstatedaydream finished third in last year's Central Bank Ashland (G1).

The other graded stakes winner in the field is Hidden Brook Farm and Black Type Thoroughbreds' Hidden Connection.

Winner of the 2021 Pocahontas (G3) and twice graded stakes-placed, Hidden Connection is trained by Bret Calhoun and will be ridden by Rey Gutierrez from post seven.

Also figuring to attract attention is Team Valor International's Green Up.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Green Up will be making her 2023 debut. She defeated Interstatedaydream in last year's Cathryn Sophia Stakes at Parx before finishing fourth in the Cotillion (G1). Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount and will break from post two.

The field for the Doubledogdare, with riders and weights from the inside, is: Traverse (Joel Rosario, 118 pounds), Green Up (Ortiz Jr., 118), Frost Point (Flavien Prat, 118), Interstatedaydream (Geroux, 118), Moon Swag (Luis Saez, 118), Music Street (Julien Leparoux, 118), Hidden Connection (Gutierrez, 118), Shotgun Hottie (Tyler Gaffalione, 118).

The post Interstatedaydream, Hidden Connection To Meet In Keeneland’s Doubledogdare appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Second favorite Sol Oriens claimed this year's first leg of the Japan's Triple Crown, the $3,298,000 Satsuki Sho (G1) (Japanese 2000 Guineas), Saturday at Nakayama Racecourse.

Entering undefeated in just two career starts since his November debut as a 2-year-old and coming off his latest victory in the Keisei Hai (G3)  run over the Guineas 2,000-meter (about 1 1/4-mile) distance at Nakayama, the son of Kitasan Black became the first colt to land the Satsuki Sho in just his third career start, the shortest in Japan Racing Association history.

Sol Oriens was a fraction slow out of the gate under Takeshi Yokoyama, who thereafter guided further off the rails as the track on the inside was considerably roughed up from the heavy rain on Saturday.

Traveling near the rear and well off the brisk pace set by Granite, who covered the first 1,000 meters (about five furlongs) in :58.5 on the ground rated as yielding, Sol Oriens circled the whole field that had already spread wide turning for home then unleashed a terrific late charge that carried him instantly from second last to the lead soon after the 100-meter marker.

Sol Oriens, who won by 1 1/4 lenghts, completed the trip in 2:00.6.

“I'm thrilled to have been able to show the colt's strength and win this Group 1 title,” Yokoyama said. “He's still very green, especially at the turns, with only a short career coming into this race, but as he's already shown in his previous start, I know firsthand the power and speed which this colt possesses and so, while we had a lot of ground to cover from way behind, I knew that if I could keep him in good rhythm up to the straight, he would be able to show his full potential to win this race.”

Fifth pick Tastiera broke smoothly and was rated outside a rival in mid-division, switched a little further out into the stretch, unleashed a swift rally to assume command at the furlong pole and continued on willingly, holding off all but the winner to finish second.

Race favorite Phantom Thief was rated in midpack, further behind than expected, after the break as horses rushed to take a good position from both sides and traveled at a rapid pace. The Harbinger colt lost a shoe somewhere along the backstretch, lugged in after entering the stretch, and while showing effort thereafter, was unable to match the strides of the top two finishers, finishingthird, three lengths behind the winner.

Sol Oriens is trained by Takahisa Tezuka for owner Shadai Race Horse Co. Ltd. He was bred in Japan by Teruya Yoshida's Shadai Farm from the Motivator mare Skia, a Group 3 winner in France. He is from the second crop of Shadai resident sire Kitasan Black.

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