Tag: Racing

With a ground-saving, stalking trip aboard favorite Steady On, jockey Irad Oritz Jr. earned his fifth victory of the afternoon Saturday at Gulfstream Park in the $150,000 Appleton.

Steady On, co-owned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable, had close seconds in his three previous stakes tries for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. Starting from Post 6, Ortiz promptly guided the 4-year-old son of Pioneerof the Nile to the rail and the colt ran along comfortably a few lengths off the pace set by Churchtown of :24.22, :47.52 and 1:10.43.

Coming off the second turn, Ortiz Jr. tipped Steady On to the outside and asked him to engage the leader. Steady On moved alongside 13-1 Churchtown and they raced together through the stretch until Steady On moved away for the win.

Steady On, bred by Springhouse Farm from the Storm Cat mare Wile Cat, reached the wire in 1:34.49 and paid $5.80 as the 9-5 favorite in the field of 11. Peter Brant and Joseph Allen's Fort Washington finished third.

Appleton Quotes:

Winning trainer Todd Pletcher (Steady On): “He got a beautiful trip, a ground-saving trip, and kicked on nicely. It worked out kind of how we talked before the race. He's a warrior. He shows up every time, and he even ran well a couple of times when they took it off the turf onto the synthetic. He just shows up and gives you a good effort every time.”

Winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. (Steady On): “Difficult to feel better than I do when winning in front of my family and so many dear ones that support me at all times. It's been an incredible afternoon, and hopefully there's still more to come.”

The post Steady On Notches First Stakes Score In Appleton, Provides Irad Ortiz Fifth Win On Gulfstream Card appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Recently troubled but worry-free Saturday, Harris Farms' homebred Closing Remarks got a perfect trip in the $200,000 Royal Heroine Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita and responded with an authoritative 1½-length score under Joe Bravo.

Trained by Carla Gaines, Closing Remarks, the lone California-bred in the field, got one mile on turf in 1:34.82.

A much-troubled third at the same trip in the Buena Vista Stakes (G2) on March 4 at the Arcadia, Calif. track, Closing Remarks was a settled fourth early as recent allowance winner Honey Jar sped to the lead which she held to the quarter pole. On the move at that point and just two lengths off the lead, Closing Remarks wheeled four-deep into the lane and won as much best.

“She just leaves the gate so settled and relaxed,” said Bravo, who was aboard for the eighth consecutive time today. “Carla has done a great job bringing her around in each one of these races. She probably should have won her last one but we had a troubled trip in that race and today with a clean trip, she was tons (the best).

“She dropped down (to her left lead) turning for home and she exploded. There's nothing better than acceleration like that. A horse that loves to run, that's her.”

Placed in four out of her last five starts, all graded stakes, Closing Remarks was the 6-5 favorite in a field of six older fillies and mares today and paid $4.40 for the win.

A 5-year-old mare by Vronsky out of the Unusual Heat mare Orange Cove, Closing Remarks, a Cal-bred stakes winner at age three, got her first graded victory in the Royal Heroine in her 12th try and improved her overall race record to 4-5-4 from 18 starts. With the winner's share of $120,000, she increased her earnings to $554,820.

“It's really great because we bred her, her dam and her granddam,” said John Harris, a major player in California racing for more than 50 years. “I don't know if we're lucky or smart, but we are happy with the way it's going. … These graded stakes really make the game and it's nice to have a graded stakes win at Santa Anita. It is surreal.”

Attentive to the pace while third early, Phil D'Amato's School Dance saved ground to the top of the lane, tipped out three-wide turning for home but couldn't go with the winner while finishing second by a neck over Very Scary.

Fractions on the race were :23.44, :47.35, 1:11.05, and 1:23.06.

The post ‘A Horse That Loves To Run’: Closing Remarks Accelerates In Lane To Take Royal Heroine appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Godolphin homebred Wet Paint rallied from last to win the $600,000 Fantasy (G3) Saturday at Oaklawn Park and will point to the Kentucky Oaks (G1) May 5 at Churchill Downs.

The Blame filly, the 3-5 favorite ridden by Flavien Prat for trainer Brad Cox, won by 2 ½ lengths from 33-1 longshot Taxed while Olivia Twist, the longest shot in the 10-horse field at 50-1, finished another half length back in the third.

Off a step slow, Wet Paint raced in tenth then eighth as Grand Love set the early tempo through six furlongs. Moving up late down the backstretch, she willingly rallied to take charge in midstretch and get the win.

Wet Paint paid $3.20 after running the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.08 on a fast track and earned 100 points toward starting eligibility in the Kentucky Oaks. With 70 points prior to the Fantasy, she now sits atop the Kentucky Oaks Leaderboard with 170 qualifying point.

Wet Paint, who is unbeaten in three starts this year, became just the second horse to sweep Oaklawn's a trio of Kentucky Oaks points races, winning Oaklawn's Martha Washington Stakes at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 28 and the Honeybee Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 25. The only other filly was Eight Belles in 2008.

Wet Paint, who is out of the Street Cry mare Sky Painter, earned the $353,900 winner's share of the Fantasy purse, boosting her lifetime bankroll to $689,000.

Fantasy Stakes Quotes:

Winning trainer Brad Cox (trainer, Fantasy winner, Wet Paint): “I guess when you break and they (the field) kind of gets away from you a bit you're always a little concerned. But they were strung out a little bit. I saw the half in 47 (seconds) and thought she was going to be able to close into it, and she finished up well. When Flavien asked her to pick it up at the half-mile, you could tell he was riding her with a lot of confidence. At the three-eighths pole, she ranged up and was just cruising along. Very happy with how she finished up and galloped out. She ran great, won going away.”

Next stop Kentucky Oaks: “No doubt. It was five days from yesterday (Friday) as long as she comes out of it in good order, we'd expect her to. We'll get her to Churchill at some point this week and get her ready for the Oaks.”

You're loaded with 3-year-old fillies: “Yeah, we've got a good group. Obviously this filly Punch Bowl, Botanical, Flashy Gem, The Alys Look. I'm not sure they'll all run, but I think we're going to have a couple anyhow.”

Great Oaklawn meet for Wet Paint: “Really amazing. It was the week of the Martha Washington, she was a late entry. I had her on the synthetic at Turfway and she broke her maiden on a wet track at Indiana last fall. But the lack of speed she showed in her races, we wanted to get her on the grass. We thought it would put her into the race a little more. But she comes running and obviously she's able to win nice races and graded stakes and she doesn't need to be involved in the race early. Flavien came back and said, 'Wow, her turn of foot is really devastating.' She's kind of like a grass horse. When you ask her to go, she really, really accelerates.”

Jockey Rafael Bejarano, second on Taxed: “She ran really good. I was really happy. Taking off the blinkers made a big difference. He (trainer Randy Morse) worked her without blinkers the last time. I suggested that we should try her without the blinkers. She worked fine. She showed me a better kick this time and she never quit. The winner (Wet Paint) was much the best, but I think she can compete with these kinds of horses.”

Jockey David Cabrera, third on Olivia Twist: “That was a tough field, man. My horse ran a tremendous race. She broke out of there really sharp. We couldn't ask for any better position. She ran a great race. The gate crew did a tremendous job. The horse was a little restless in the gate. They took their time to back her out and put her back in. I couldn't ask for any better. We had our trip. Just got outrun.”

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AMO Racing USA's Affirmative Lady, put in a steady drive midway around the far turn, powered through the stretch to pass Davona Dale (G2) winner Dorth Vader, and pulled clear to a two-length victory in Saturday's $250,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2).

Ridden by Luis Saez for trainer Graham Motion, Affirmative Lady ($19) had placed twice previously in stakes, including second by a neck in the Demoiselle (G2) last December at Aqueduct. The Arrogate filly was coming out of a maiden special weight triumph going the Oaks' 1 1/16-mile distance Feb. 26 at Gulfstream, earning her a return trip to stakes competition.

“When she broke her maiden here five weeks ago, I thought it was really impressive and the timing was good,” Motion said. “I think she really wants to go further. I think she'll really appreciate a mile and an eighth, to be honest.”

The Gulfstream Park Oaks was worth a total of 200 qualifying points to the top five finishers for the 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Oaks (G1) May 5 at Churchill Downs. Affirmative Lady earned 100 points to seal her spot in the starting gate.

“There's a big race going a mile and an eighth in May, so we'll think about that,” Motion said. “Look, if she comes out of it OK, we have to [run]. That's what she wants to do.”

Saez, aboard for the first time, settled Affirmative Lady in fourth saving ground on the rail as 30-1 long shot Flakes was in front through a quarter-mile in :23.73 pressed by Jan. 1 Cash Run winner Infinite Diamond with Dorth Vader looming in the clear three wide. The order didn't change after a half in :47.63 when Saez tipped Affirmative Lady off the rail to split horses and get into the race.

“The plan with her was to try to break good, get close and save ground. When we were ready, she kept going,” Saez said. “I had a lot of horse. Graham did an amazing job with her. She did great. She ran huge.”

Dorth Vader forged a short lead at the top of the stretch with Flakes digging in on the inside, but set Affirmative Lady down for a drive once straightened for home and reeled in the front runners in the final eighth of a mile with plenty left to turn back a late run from Sacred Wish, who got up for second. The winning time was 1:44.69 over a fast main track.

“I'm thrilled, extremely happy,” Saez said. “Graham always does a great job with his horses, and that gave me a lot of confidence she would have the stamina at the end. She demonstrated she has a great future and a very good chance to win the Kentucky Oaks. She's versatile and knows how to settle nicely, which says a lot about her potential going longer.”

Sacred Wish, making just her third career start and first for trainer George Weaver, edged Flakes by a head for second to earn 40 Kentucky Oaks points. Flakes picked up 30 points, beating Dorth Vader by a neck for third.

“I liked the way everything fell in the race. I had to go a little wide and sacrifice a little bit with the outside post and she didn't break that sharp out of the gate. She stumbled a little bit but she recovered and I liked the way she was doing it all the way down the backside,” Javier Castellano, aboard Sacred Wish, said. “Her first time going two turns, she handled it well. She finished good. I'm very satisfied.”

Dorth Vader, breaking from outermost Post 8, now has 70 points after picking up 50 for her 4 ¾-length upset at odds of 46-1 in the one-mile Davona Dale.

“She broke out a bit and was very wide on the first turn,” trainer Michael Yates said. “We'll see how she comes out of this and see how she trains and go from there.”

Miracle, the 2-1 favorite, Infinite Diamond, 2022 FSS My Dear Girl winner Atomically and Just Katherine completed the order of finish.

Affirmative Lady was bred in Kentucky by Alastar Thoroughbred Co. LLC from the Stephen Got Even mare Stiffed.

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