Tag: Racing

Lea Farms LLC's Super Chow's dominating triumph in Saturday's $100,000 Hutcheson came as a surprise to no one, but the way the 1-5 favorite got to the Gulfstream Park winner's circle did open a lot of eyes.

Super Chow had built and impressive career record while employing his abundant early speed that carried him to five wins, including three straight stakes, in seven starts. Saturday, the son of Lord Nelson broke a step slowly from his inside post position in the starting gate allowing Two of a Kind and Youbetterbejoking to get the jump on him. Instead of rushing Super Chow along the rail in pursuit of the early speedsters, jockey Chantal Sutherland eased the Kentucky-bred colt off the rail to gain a more advantageous stalking position.

“Chantal, all the credit to her for Plan B. It wasn't expected, but that's why you have a professional rider on the horses. They're able to make changes,” trainer Jorge Delgado said. “I definitely didn't want to be on the rail. When I saw her go outside in the middle of the track, I loved that. I knew we had the best horse and he was training good. It was just a matter of how he was going to handle it.”

Super Chow handled the new scenario just fine, advancing on the leaders along the backstretch before making a three-wide sweep on the turn into the homestretch and drawing clear to win the six-furlong race by 5¼ lengths.

“I work him, all his works. I know his personality; we know each other. I know when to ask him to do stuff. Today was a little different,” Sutherland said. “We're usually in front, but he broke a little slower today, and it was kind of shocking, being on the rail. But he overcame all adversity, so that shows us a little bit more about him because I didn't know if he was that versatile.”

Super Chow remains undefeated in his six starts at the six-furlong distance. After winning three straight stakes at the distance with Sutherland aboard, he came up just horse after setting the pace in the seven-furlong Swale (G3), defeated by highly regarded Shug McGaughey-trained General Jim by just a half-length.

Saturday, Super Show kicked in through the stretch to complete six furlongs in 1:09.95. Lea Farms-owned and Delgado-trained Live Is Life closed from last in the field reduced to four by three morning scratches to finish second. Two of a Kind, who set fractions of :22.09 and :45.18 for the first half mile, faded to third, another 3¼ lengths back. Youbetterbejoking finished last.

“He's really super competitive and we never seen him beside another horse, kind of first time,” Sutherland said. “Now we know he's got grit. It's fun to see his tenacity.”

Super Chow will be pointed toward the six-furlong Chick Lang (G3) on the Preakness Stakes (G1) undercard in May at Pimlico. Lea Farms-owned, Delgado-trained Lightening Larry won the 2022 Chick Lang with Sutherland aboard.

Delgado said a possibility exists that he will enter Live Is Life in the $1-million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) April 1 at Gulfstream if the field comes up light due to the imposing presence of champion and Fountain of Youth (G2) winner Forte.

The post ‘Now We Know He’s Got Grit’: Super Chow Shows New Dimension In Hutcheson Romp appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Bred in Pennsylvania and based at Parx, Thomas Coulter's Nimitz Class has made Maryland his home away from home, rolling to a third consecutive stakes victory at Laurel Park with a popular 6¼-length triumph in Saturday's $100,000 Harrison E. Johnson Memorial.

The 35th running of the one-mile Harrison Johnson for 4-year-olds and up was one of five stakes worth $450,000 in purses on Saturday's card.

Ridden by Jevian Toledo for trainer Bruce Kravets, Nimitz Class ($3.20) completed the one-turn mile in 1:36.43 over a fast main track for his third straight win following the Feb. 18 John B. Campbell and Dec. 30 Robert T. Manfuso, both going about 1 1/16 miles.

“I just think this horse wants to run a mile, whether it's a flat mile or even further,” Kravets said. “I think he'll run up to a mile and a quarter.”

Stakes winner Hello Hot Rod outran Nimitz Class to the lead and held it after going a quarter mile in :24.21, with the 3-5 favorite stalking just to his outside. The half went in :47.26 as Nimitz Class eased past Hello Hot Rod without urging and straightened for home in command, opening up on his own through the lane.

Kelso (G2) winner Double Crown, sent off at 35-1, nosed fellow multiple stakes winner Ournationonparade for second. It was five lengths back to American Patrol in fourth, followed by Rough Sea, American d'Oro and Hello Hot Rod. Treasure Trove was scratched.

Nimitz Class now has three wins from four career races at Laurel, also finishing second in the seven-furlong Concern last summer. Overall, the 4-year-old Munnings colt out of the Flatter mare Five Diamonds, bred by Arrowwood Farm, has won eight of 14 lifetime starts.

“I think this horse will run just about anywhere that we take him. He loves it down here in Maryland,” Kravets said. “We like the tack surface, the track, everything about it.”

The Harrison E. Johnson honors the Bowie-based trainer who died at age 45 in the crash of a plane he was piloting from Saratoga to Virginia. A native of Adelphi, Md., his best horse was 1973 Hopeful (G1) winner Gusty O'Shay, named that year's Maryland-bred 2-year-old champion.

The post Nimitz Class Draws Off In Harrison E. Johnson For Third Successive Stakes Win At Laurel appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The ATC Longines Golden Slipper (G1), the world's richest 2-year-old race with a Aus$5-million purse (US$3,357,146) on Saturday at Rosehill Gardens in Australia, proved a history-making race for Coolmore with champion trainer Chris Waller collecting his very first Golden Slipper trophy with Coolmore homebred colt Shinzo trained to the minute.

A maiden coming into the ATC Pago Pago Stakes (G3) last Saturday, Shinzo turned in a game-changing performance to zoom home from last and win, securing his place in the Golden Slipper field.

With many other key runners trying to hold on to career best form, Shinzo was just arriving at his peak and we saw it today.

Undefeated filly Learning to Fly, the first Australian stakes winner for U.S. Triple Crown winner and Coolmore's Kentucky-based sire Justify, was slow to begin and was back running third last until she clipped heels and lost rider Chad Scofield (both horse and rider emerged unscathed), so she was out of race early as colts went on to fight out the finish.

Shinzo enjoyed a good run in transit on the fence from gate one under Ryan Moore and powered to the line to beat the Godolphin homebred and race favorite Cylinder by more than a length.

Time for the 1,200 meters (about six furlongs) was 1:09.65.

“We knew we had a Group 1 horse, we just didn't know what distance and our team backed ourselves to know we could get speed into him because he'd just learned to race,” Waller said.

“Today, fourth-up after a confidence-boosting win last week, he knew exactly what to do. He's a very good colt and I appreciate the owners for trusting me, not just with him but with a lot of other good horses, young bull horses.

“I guess that takes things to a different level of pressure, they need results, and they chose me to try to find a Group I Golden Slipper winner and we've managed to do it for them.”

Coolmore and partners purchase a significant number of colts every year at the yearling sales and have tasted success with dual Group I winner Home Affairs, but Shinzo is a homegrown product, foaled, raised and educated at the Jerry's Plains headquarters.

“It's hard to enjoy the moment,” Magnier said after the win.

“I'm just hoping Learning To Fly and Chad Schofield are OK. I feel for Annabel (Neasham, trainer).

“But Golden Slippers are so hard to win. This is the race we wanted to win more than any other this year.

“We asked Ryan Moore to come out and ride Shinzo at short notice and what can you say about him.

“Thank God for Ryan Moore, he is on another level, he is so patient. I have to make mention of Chris Waller, he has had so much faith in this colt. He kept us believing.

“We have finally won the Golden Slipper, but I just want to make sure 'Fly' and Chad are OK.”

Ryan Moore won earlier in the day taking the Group I ATC Ranvet Stakes on UK raider Dubai Honour and made it a Group I double on Shinzo.

“Tom (Magnier from Coolmore) called me last week at this time and asked if I'd like to come down. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be here,” Moore said.

“Shinzo won well last week, he's a very talented colt, he's got a super attitude. Lovely big strong long striding horse.

“I'm sure he's going to be better when he goes up in trip. We were lucky we got a nice draw, was able to follow Cylinder through and it all just went beautifully for us. It all worked out.

“I'm sure he's not just an out and out six-furlong sprinter. I'm sure he's going to be more comfortable when he gets over more ground. It feels like he's improving and he'll continue to improve and all being well he'll have a good future.”

With two wins and two placings from four starts earning Aus$3 million, Shinzo is the 19th Group I winner for champion sire Snitzel and is his second Golden Slipper winner following Estijaab, who won in 2018.

He is a full brother to his Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Exhilarates, who is ironically owned by Darley, so the defeat of Cylinder would have been somewhat softened by knowing they have a full sister to the winner at home in the paddock.

Shinzo was foaled and raised at Coolmore and is the second winner from dual Group I-winning More Than Ready mare Samaready, who was bought by Tom Magnier in 2020 for Aus$1.8million at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale when she was carrying him in utero.

Samaready missed in two subsequent seasons and was sent back to Ireland last year.

The post WATCH: Coolmore Homebred Shinzo Powers To Golden Slipper Triumph appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' classy homebred sprinter Opening Buzz gamely held off a fast charging Baby No Worries to win the $97,550 WEBN Frog Stakes by a neck Friday night at Turfway Park.

Trained by Jonathan Wong and ridden by Luan Machado, Opening Buzz tabbed her fifth lifetime win in eight career starts in the six-furlong race for older female sprinters, completing the distance in 1:09.62 on the all-weather surface.

Opening Buzz raced in fifth in the early stages, 4½ lengths off the early pace as Paulo Lobo-trained stablemates Quaria Comet and Thunder Love dueled through a swift opening quarter-mile in :21.80 while Altered Shot and Awesome Treat raced just off their heels in third and fourth, respectively.

Around the far turn, following a half-mile time of :45.27, Machado began asking Opening Buzz for her best run and tipped her three wide into the homestretch. At the eighth pole, Opening Buzz took charge from a tiring Quaria Comet and was able to hold off 15-1 longshot Baby No Worries in the closing strides to notch the victory.

The win marked the second in a stakes for Opening Buzz, who annexed the 6 1/2-furlong Wishing Well at Turfway Jan. 29 in her season debut. She came into Friday's event off a sixth-place finish in the one-mile Wintergreen Feb. 25 at the Northern Kentucky track but shortened back up for the WEBN Frog Stakes and scored as the 8-5 favorite, returning $5.54.

Baby No Worries, with Manny Esquivel in the saddle,  finished 2 1/4 lengths in front of third-place finisher Quaria Comet, ridden by Gerardo Corrales.

California-bred Opening Buzz is a 4-year-old daughter of Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' resident sire Stanford and is a member of his first crop. She out of the Unbridled's Song mare Open Mic.

With the $48,608 winner's share of the WEBN Frog Stakes, Opening Buzz lifetime bankroll grew to $201,993.

The post Opening Buzz Repels Late Challenge For WEBN Frog Stakes Win At Turfway appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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