Tag: Racing

Town and Country Racing and Repole Stable's Cairo Consort, whose flat-footed start spotted her rivals several lengths at the break, came with a dramatic late run through the stretch to catch long shot stablemate Alpha Bella approaching the wire and win Saturday's $175,000 Sweetest Chant (G3) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The 1 1/16-mile Sweetest Chant for fillies was the fourth of five graded-stakes for 3-year-olds and second of two on the grass preceding the $250,000 Holy Bull (G3), the next step on Gulfstream's road to the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) April 1.

Cairo Consort ($6.40) gave Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher his fourth win of the day and second in a stakes, following Major Dude in the $175,000 Kitten's Joy (G3). He also won with 3-year-olds King's Fortune and Tapit Trice.

It was the third win of the day for jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., who tied a track record with seven winners on a single card Friday. Ortiz was also aboard King's Fortune and Major Dude.

Winner of the one-mile Ginger Brew Jan. 7 at Gulfstream in the first start for her new connections, Cairo Consort had her head turned to the right when the starting gates opened and she hesitated to come out, then settled in behind her eight rivals as Sweetlou'sgotaces and Malleymoo raced through splits of 22.75 seconds, 47.11 and 1:11.66.

Alpha Bella, also trained by Pletcher and ridden by Luiz Saez, saved ground early before being swung outside on the turn to take on the leaders. Alpha Bella found herself in front passing the eighth pole but Cairo Consort was in full flight down the center of the stretch and rolled past to a narrow victory.

Heavenly Sunday was third, followed by Metaphysical, Bulsara, Malleymoo, Stephanie's Charm, Padma and Sweetlou'sgotaces.

Cairo Consort won the Catch a Glimpse in her stakes debut and was second in the Natalma (G1) last summer, both on the Woodbine turf, before finishing third at odds of 19-1 in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1). Following that effort, she fetched $875,000 at Fasig-Tipton's November mixed sale and sent to Pletcher.

$175,000 Sweetest Chant (G3) Quotes

Trainer Todd Pletcher (Cairo Consort, 1st; Alpha Bella, 2nd): “At the start I didn't give her much chance to recover, she broke so poorly behind the field. But I'll tell you, she came with a really big late run.

“The funny thing is the last time she broke well but she wasn't well-behaved behind the gate so we've been doing a lot of work with her that way. We shipped her over early this week and paddock schooled her, and I thought she was behaving beautifully so I was surprised when she did that at the start. I think she probably enjoyed that kind of trip, sitting back and making one run, so it's something we might keep in consideration down the road.

“I thought for a moment [Alpha Bella] was going to save the day and then all of a sudden Cairo Consort kind of came out of nowhere. A very good effort by both fillies.

“I usually like to take the logical approach and look at the next stake here, but there's also some consideration to try this filly [Cairo Consort] on the dirt at some state. We'll kind of see how things unfold and how she trains.”

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. (Cairo Consort): “She just moved her head in the gate the same time they opened it. She missed the break, so I had to go to Plan B.

“When she missed the break, I just let her relax. She was happy back there, relaxing. At the same time, she was in contact with the field. She wasn't that far back. By the turn, she wanted to go. I didn't want to go too wide, so we cut the corner. She was there and gave me a good turn of foot.”

The post Cairo Consort Overcomes Bad Start To Win Sweetest Chant; Pletcher Wins Fourth Of The Day appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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In a dramatic finish, the Jeff Mullins-trained Quattroelle surged late to take Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Megahertz Stakes by a half length while getting a flat mile over the Santa Anita turf in 1:35.04.

While the original plan was to be attentive to the pace, jockey Hector Berrios went to “Plan B” and instead tracked the field while last by about four lengths around the far turn and split horses inside the sixteenth pole to overhaul John Velazquez and Bay Storm when it counted.

“I had to be patient, I hung close to the (other horses), and I tried to wait as long as I could for an opening,” said Berrios.  “Once I saw a clear opportunity, she responded well to my instructions to push forward.”

A 5-year-old Irish-bred mare, Quattroelle, who was an ungraded stakes winner for Mullins at age two, came off an even third-place finish going 1 1/8 miles on turf in the G3 Robert J. Frankel Stakes at Santa Anita on Dec. 31.

Dismissed at 10-1 in a field of seven older fillies and mare, Quattroelle paid $23.60, $8.80, $5.00.

Owned by Red Baron's Barn, LLC and Rancho Temescal, Quattroelle picked up $60,000 for the win, increasing her earnings to $292,772.  She now has four wins, three seconds and four thirds from 14 career starts.

“We were a little concerned about the distance, but it was really our only opportunity to run her, so this is where we ended up,” said Mullins.  “Hector's done a great job with this filly.  I don't speak Spanish and he doesn't speak English, but we got it going on right now.”

Bay Storm, who showed the way and fought off all challengers except the winner, ran a big race in defeat under John Velazquez, finishing a half length in front of Closing Remarks.  The second choice in the race at 3-1, Bay Storm returned $5.60 and $3.80.

Ridden by Joe Bravo, Closing Remarks, the lone California-bred in the field, checked in third, a neck in front of longshot One Silk Stocking and paid $3.40 to show while off at 9-2.

School Dance, the 2-1 favorite with Frankie Dettori, tired late to finish fifth, about 2 ¼ lengths behind the winner.

Fractions on the race were 23.37, 48.09, 1:12.35 and 1:23.75.

The post ‘Patient’ Berrios Guides Quattroelle To Late-Running Megahertz Score appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Ashbrook Farm and Upland Flats Racing's Red Carpet Ready, unbeaten in her first two starts, stepped up to graded company and kept her perfect record intact with a dominating victory in Saturday's $125,000 Forward Gal (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

The seven-furlong Forward Gal for fillies was the third of five graded stake worth $850,000 in purses for 3-year-olds and anchored by the $250,000 Holy Bull (G3), the next step on Gulfstream's road to the $1-million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) April 1.

Ridden by jockey Luis Saez for trainer Rusty Arnold, Red Carpet Ready ($6.60) broke running outside all but two rivals in the field of nine but quickly settled in fourth as Twice as Sweet, winner of the Smart Halo last fall at Laurel Park, and Arella Star dueled through a quarter-mile in :22.78.

Saez kept Red Carpet Ready in the clear and ranged up on front-running Twice as Sweet midway around the far turn as the half went in :45.98. Undervalued Asset made a run at Red Carpet Ready at the top of the stretch but the winner had plenty left in reserve and sprinted clear.

Undervalued Asset held second ahead of late-running multiple stakes winner Atomically. Positano Sunset, Apropos, Flakes, Twice as Sweet, Arella Star and Adeliese's Smile completed the order of finish. Lynx was scratched.

Red Carpet Ready debuted last October with a gate-to-wire 10-length maiden special weight triumph sprinting six furlongs at Churchill Downs, where she followed up with a 3 ¼-length victory in the 6 ½-furlong Fern Creek to cap her juvenile season.

Bred in Kentucky by Lynn B. Schiff, Red Carpet Ready is out of the Street Sense mare Wild Silk.

The Forward Gal is a Kentucky Oaks (G1) qualifier. Red Carpet Ready earned 20 points for her winning effort toward a start in the Louisville race.

Forward Gal (G3) Quotes

Winning trainer George 'Rusty' Arnold II (Red Carpet Ready): “She's answered the bell every time we've run her. She's pretty special.

“I'd be shocked if she doesn't go long. I was more worried that she wasn't a sprinter.”

“[Jockey] Luis [Saez] said she wanted to break so sharp, she her lost her footing a little bit, but after she recovered, she did everything right.”

Winning jockey Luis Saez (Red Carpet Ready): “I had a pretty good trip. She broke from there running and she's pretty fast. We just tried to have a target in front and eveything came out so perfect. She's a pretty nice filly. She has everything. She can run from anywhere, in front or behind, and she keeps going.”

The post Road To The Kentucky Oaks: Red Carpet Ready Keeps Record Perfect With Forward Gal Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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In the reverse of his prior start, where he was unable to find running room until too late, Spendthrift Farm's Major Dude got an ideal trip under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. and powered through the stretch to overtake pacesetting stablemate Dude N Colorado and capture Saturday's $175,000 Kitten's Joy (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

The 1 1/16-mile Kitten's Joy was the second of five graded stakes for 3-year-olds and the first of two on the grass preceding the $250,000 Holy Bull (G3), the next step on Gulfstream's road to the $1-million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) April 1.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Major Dude settled in fourth while Dude N Colorado, exiting a front-running maiden triumph Dec. 24 on the Tapeta at Gulfstream, raced through a quarter mile in :23.09 and a half in :47.24, pressed by Boppy O. Six furlongs went in 1:10.88 with the leaders unchanged, but Ortiz able to tip Major Dude outside and in position for a clear run down the lane, getting up inside the eighth pole and drawing clear.

Candidate, unbeaten in three previous turf starts including the Jan. 7 Dania Beach at Gulfstream over Major Dude, got up to be second ahead of Dude N Colorado. They were followed by Boppy O, Souzak, Congruent, Lights of Broadway, and Moon Cat.

Major Dude, by Bolt d'Oro, made his first three starts on dirt last summer, running third in the Sapling at Monmouth Park. He won the Pilgrim (G2) at Aqueduct in his turf debut and has remained on grass since, finishing ninth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) and second in the Dania Beach.

It was the third win of the day for Pletcher, following 3-year-olds King's Fortune ($14.40) in Race 5 and Tapit Trice ($4.60) in Race 8.

Major Dude was bred in Kentucky by Clearsky Farms. Spendthrift Farm bought him from Taylor Made Sales Agency for $550,000 at the 2012 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling sale.

Kitten's Joy (G3) Quotes

Trainer Todd Pletcher (Major Dude, 1st; Dude N Colorado, 3rd): “Dude N Colorado, he won wire-to-wire last time so we were going to kind of let him run away from there and see how the race unfolded. He was able to make a pretty comfortable lead. Major Dude, we just wanted to focus on getting him out in the clear a little sooner. The last time he just got bottled up a little too long behind a slow pace. He closed well that day, he just ran out of time.

“[Jockey] Irad [Ortiz Jr.] was able to maneuver him out into the clear and give him plenty of time to put his run together and he finished very well. He's a super nice colt, very consistent. I'll talk to the guys at Spendthrift. We're kicking around the idea of putting him on the dirt at some point. We'll see when that opportunity comes up.”

Winning Irad Ortiz Jr. (Major Dude): “I had a perfect trip. I broke good. I took a little hold following some nice horses, saving ground the whole way. He did the rest.

The post Spendthrift’s Major Dude Powers To Kitten’s Joy Victory appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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