Tag: Racing

The waiting game is over for trainer Chad Brown when it comes to a pair of his long absent female turf runners.

Klaravich Stables Inc.'s Faith in Humanity, a 4-year-old filly, and Peter Brant's Speak of the Devil, a 6-year-old mare, will come back to the races Saturday when they represent Brown in the $150,000 Honey Fox (G3) for fillies and mares, aged 4-and-up.

A field of 11 is entered for the mile journey on the turf. The Honey Fox is one of nine stakes (eight graded) on Saturday's 14-race card headlined by the $400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2). Post time for the first race is 11 a.m

Faith in Humanity, who will be ridden by Joel Rosario for the first time, hasn't been seen since winning the $150,000 Pebbles (G3) at Aqueduct on Sept. 18. Speak of the Devil, who gets Gulfstream's leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr. for the first time, has been away even longer. Her last race was the $500,000 Just a Game (G1) at Belmont on June 11, and she finished fourth as the even-money favorite.

Brown said Speak of the Devil needed surgery after the Just a Game and that put her on the equine disabled list. Faith in Humanity, Brown said, had a minor issue after the Pebbles – it did not require surgery – and needed some time.

“I am cautiously optimistic that both these fillies will have good seasons,” Brown said. “Just want to keep them healthy. They are a pair of nice stakes fillies.”

Brown has won the Honey Fox twice, the latest coming a year ago with In Italian. He also won it in 2019 with Precieuse, who was making her first start in eight months. Both of those Honey Fox champions were owned by Brant.

To get horses back to the races off injuries, Brown said he uses patience – plenty of that – as well as letting the horses give him some clues. It's an exercise he was taught long ago by his mentor, the late Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel.

“I train a lot by feel,” he said. “I am constantly observing my horses. I keep moving them up to different levels of workloads and I observe how they execute it and how they recover from it. When I feel they are getting close to a race, I pick my head up and start picking out a target for them. In other words, I just kind of let the horse tell me.”

Both of Brown's horses are French-breds. Faith in Humanity has two wins and a second in three career starts – all at a mile on the grass – while Speak of the Devil's first 14 races were in France before Brant purchased her and sent her to Brown's barn.

She won her first U.S. start – the $500,000 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (G2) at Churchill Downs by 23/4 lengths and then saw her season end after the Just a Game.

“She is back and looks fabulous,” Brown said. “This is a good starting point for her, for both of them.”

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott is one of nine trainers bringing horses to the Honey Fox to challenge Brown. He has Gainesway Stables' White Frost, who notched an optional claiming allowance win by 21/4 lengths in her 2023 debut. She is 2-for-2 at Gulfstream as she also won the $100,000 Sweetest Chant (G3) in January of 2021.

The 5-year-old Candy Ride mare will be ridden by Junior Alvarado.

“The timing of the Honey Fox is fine for us,” Mott said. “She usually stays in position and puts herself sort of in the race and makes a nice run. I think she is cut out to be a nice filly.”

Dewberry Thoroughbreds LLC's Princess Theorem, a 5-year-old daughter of Nyquist, has hit the board in six of her 11 turf starts for trainer Brendan Walsh and gets the services of jockey Tyler Gaffalione.

“It was a big effort last time in the allowance (win) and, the time before that, the (1 1/16-mile) distance might have been a little bit out of reach for her,” Walsh said. “But she ran well both times at Gulfstream, so we'll take a shot. When she's right, she can be pretty good.”

Trevor Harris' Sweet Enough will try to rebound from an eighth-place finish in the Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G3) for trainer Roger Attfield and will be ridden by Emma-Jayne Wilson.

Also entered in the Honey Fox are Victory Racing Partners' Kahiko for trainer J. Kent Sweezey and jockey Paco Lopez; Hibiscus Stables LLC and Dig That Mine LLC's Miss Delicious, who is trained by Steve Klesaris and will be ridden by Javier Castellano; Roger Keith Long's Miss Yearwood, trained by Ian Wilkes and the jockey is Luca Panici; L.T.B Inc and Hillerich Racing Inc's Touch of Class, who is trained by David Fawkes and will be ridden by Julien Leparoux; Susan and Jim Hill's Fast as Flight, who is trained by Brian Lynch and will be ridden by Jose Ortiz and J and J Stables LLC and Nicholas Vaccarezza's Sweet Dani Girl, trained by Carlo Vaccarezza and will be ridden by Luis Saez.

The post Honey Fox ‘Good Starting Point’ For Chad Brown-Trained Faith In Humanity, Speak Of The Devil appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

If her last two races are any indication, e Five Thoroughbreds' Transient could be sitting on the first graded-stakes victory of her career in Saturday's $150,000 The Very One (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

The 1 3/8-mile The Very One for fillies and mares 4 and up on the grass is the second of nine stakes, eight graded, worth $1.85 million in purses on a blockbuster 14-race card anchored by the $400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) for 3-year-olds on the road to the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1).

Post time is 11 a.m. EST. The 34th running of The Very One goes off as Race 6 with a post time of 1:27 p.m. EST.

Trained by Championship Meet leader Saffie Joseph Jr., Transient has been narrowly beaten in each of her last two starts, both in graded-stakes. She ran third by 1 ½ lengths after setting the pace in the 1 ¼-mile Maple Leaf (G3) over Woodbine's all-weather surface last fall, then was beaten a neck when second in the 1 ½-mile La Prevoyante (G3) Jan. 28 at Gulfstream in her 5-year-old debut.

“She's a filly that since we've had her has run well. She tries hard and likes these longer distances,” Joseph said. “She's going to need to improve again, but we feel like she could.”

Bred in England, Transient joined Joseph's string at Saratoga last summer and finished second in a 1 3/16-mile allowance before registering a 1 ¾-length triumph in a similar spot three weeks later at Aqueduct in her only prior try at the unique The Very One distance.

Transient was pressed on the lead and gave way late in the Maple Leaf, just her third time in 11 starts not on turf. She found some trouble and was rank in the early stages of the La Prevoyante but fought well through the lane despite Tyler Gaffalione losing his whip to be second.

“She's a horse where the key with her is to get her to relax. She can get very keyed up early. She's very hard to ride because you have to have good hands,” Joseph said. “The last time, Tyler wasn't able to get covered and she was kind of keen the whole way.

“He did a good job of keeping her composed and not letting her totally run off,” he added. “In that regard, if she can relax better she has a decent chance. Going a mile and a half, mile and three-eighths, you need to relax. For her to have been that keen and still run well, it speaks a lot of her ability.”

Gaffalione will ride Transient back from Post 6 in a field of 10. Transient has been third or better in eight of 11 starts, including five of eight on the grass.

“She's a very consistent filly,” Joseph said. “The longer the distance the better for her.”

Among those standing in Transient's way are the Chad Brown-trained trio of Virginia Joy, Higher Truth and Mylady. Peter Brant's Virginia Joy was a Group 3 winner in her native Germany before coming to the U.S., earning her first domestic victory with a popular one-length decision in last winter's The Very One. She went on to win the Sheepshead Bay (G2) and Flower Bowl (G2) before ending 2022 running eighth in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1), her most recent start.

Team Hanley, Jeff Drown and Michael Ryan's Higher Truth is entered to make just her second start since October 2021 and first since winning a 1 3/8-mile optional claiming allowance last July on the Belmont Park turf. Two years ago she was second in the Saratoga Oaks Invitational (G3) and Jockey Club Oaks Invitational and third in the Belmont Oaks Invitational (G1) and Sands Point (G2), each loss coming by less than a length.

Mrs. Michaela Faust's Mylady was a German Group 3 winner who ran third by less than a length in the German Oaks (G1) last year before coming to the U.S. In her only domestic start, she was placed fifth following a troubled trip in the 1 ¼-mile E.P. Taylor (G1) in October at Woodbine.

Brown also won Gulfstream's The Very One with Orlorda in 2016.

Also with a pair of entrants, Lady Rockstar and Ensemble, is trainer Brendan Walsh. Steven Parkin's Lady Rockstar has already raced twice during the Championship Meet, beaten a length when second in the one-mile Suwannee River (G3) Dec. 31 and exiting a third by 4 ¼ lengths in the 1 1/16-mile Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G3) Jan. 28.

“She's doing good,” Walsh said. “The extra distance is probably what she needs. I think we were always kind of toying with running her a little bit short in her other couple races. But, she did give a good account of herself each time and she seems like she's coming into this in good form. It should be a better spot for her.”

British-bred Lady Rockstar came to the U.S. last spring and won each of her first two domestic starts, respectively going 1 1/8 and 1 ¼ miles. Fifth in the 1 1/8-mile Matchmaker (G3) in her American stakes debut, she didn't race again for five months before coming back in the Suwannee River.

“It seems like he's sharpened up with some experience here in the states. It's always good to be able to do that and to know that she likes the surface [at Gulfstream] and she can stretch out, as well,” Walsh said. “The last race was probably a little bit short of her best, distance-wise, but we were happy with her run and it sets her up nicely for this spot.”

Joel Rosario gets the assignment on Lady Rockstar from Post 3.

Clipper Logistics' Ensemble exits a 10 ½-length romp in a 1 ½-mile optional claiming allowance Feb. 12 that was moved off the grass to Gulfstream's Tapeta course. The 5-year-old Irish-bred mare is winless with three seconds and a third in nine career tries on turf.

“I kind of put ensemble in there if the race were to come off the grass and go to the [Tapeta],” Walsh said. “The last time she ran real big, but we'll see how it shakes out and go from there.”

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano is named on Ensemble from Post 8.

Like Joseph, Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher is looking for a more relaxed run from Michael Tabor's Beside Herself, exiting a fourth in the La Prevoyante. The 4-year-old daughter of champion Uncle Mo ran fourth as the favorite in the 1 ½-mile Via Borghese Dec. 17 at Gulfstream, a race moved from the grass to the Tapeta, and is seeking her first stakes victory, having run third in the 1 1/8-mile Regret (G3) last June.

“I think what we've got to do is try to get her to settle a little more, and we've kind of found ourself in a little faster pace scenarios than we'd like. The synthetic race is kind of hard to gauge, but that's our key focus is to try to get her to relax,” Pletcher said. “I think we just have to ride her a little bit differently. If she finds herself on the lead that's fine, but if not we just need her to get into a comfortable rhythm behind a sensible pace.”

Luis Saez, up in each of the last two starts, has the return call from Post 2.

Completing the field are Broadway Boogie, a six-length optional claiming allowance winner going 1 ½ miles Jan. 5 at Gulfstream; Flying Fortress, third in the Via Borghese for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey; and Libretto.

The post Transient Goes Long Seeking First Graded Win In The Very One appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

After punching her ticket to the Kentucky Oaks, Wet Paint will be considered for two $600,000 graded stakes races in early April as a final prep for the country's biggest event for 3-year-old fillies, trainer Brad Cox said Sunday morning.

Wet Paint moved to the top of the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with a three-length victory in the $300,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Saturday at Oaklawn for Cox and powerhouse breeder/owner Godolphin LLC. The Honeybee was the final major local prep for the $600,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles April 1.

Cox said Wet Paint could target the Fantasy – Oaklawn's third and final Kentucky Oaks points race – or the $600,000 Ashland Stakes (G1) at 1 1/16 miles April 7 at Keeneland. A Grade 1 victory would boost Wet Paint's broodmare value.

“I will talk it over with them,” Cox said, referring to Godolphin. “That (Fantasy) or the Ashland because, I mean, it is a Grade 1. (Godolphin) is a breeding operation.”

Wet Paint (70 points) jumped to the top of the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with her Honeybee victory. She collected 50 for the Honeybee and 20 for winning Oaklawn's first Kentucky Oaks points race, the $200,000 Martha Washington Stakes at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 28. The $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) at 1 1/8 miles is May 5 at Churchill Downs.

A daughter of champion and 2010 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Blame, Wet Paint is perfect in three career starts on dirt. All three races have been around two turns and over off tracks. The 8-5 Honeybee favorite, Wet Paint ($5.40) rallied from 10th after three-quarters of a mile, storming to the lead just inside the sixteenth pole under Flavien Prat. Wet Paint's winning time over a sloppy, sealed surface was 1:45.35. She received a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 83, a career high, after generating a 67 in her Oct. 26 maiden victory at Horseshoe Indianapolis and a 77 in the Martha Washington.

“She's consistent,” Cox said. “I think that's a good word to start with. Like for it to stay muddy. Big field yesterday. I had some concerns with how much kickback she would take. The race before, I don't think the track had near as much moisture in it and she was kind of able to track them, not take as much mud, tip out and come running. She came back covered in mud yesterday, obviously. She improved yesterday. Had to pass more fillies and won going away. Very impressive with the gallop out. A mile and an eighth, with her pedigree, is something she should be able to handle. We'll see how it goes.”

Only one horse, Eight Belles in 2008, has swept the Martha Washington (second division), Honeybee and Fantasy. She then finished second against males in the Kentucky Derby. Will's Secret won the Martha Washington and Honeybee in 2021 before running third in the Ashland and Kentucky Oaks.

Secret Oath scored runaway victories in last year's Martha Washington and Honeybee before tackling males in Oaklawn's $1.25 million Arkansas Derby (G1) at 1 1/8 miles. Secret Oath finished third in the Arkansas Derby before winning the Kentucky Oaks.

Asked if Wet Paint was a candidate for the $1.25 million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 1, Cox said: “Probably not.”

The Honeybee victory, Wet Paint's third in five starts overall, raised her earnings to $334,100. Wet Paint represented Cox's 277th career Oaklawn victory and his meet-high fourth stakes victory this season. Cox has 32 career stakes victories in Hot Springs. Cox won the 2020 Honeybee with Shedaresthedevil, who also captured the Kentucky Oaks.

The post ‘Consistent’ Oaks Hopeful Wet Paint Under Consideration For Fantasy, Ashland appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post