Tag: Racing

Program favorite Defining Purpose for trainer Kenny McPeek and unbeaten Olivia Twist for trainer Todd Fincher headline the $200,000 Martha Washington Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles Saturday at Oaklawn.

Probable post time for the Martha Washington, which goes as the fifth race, is 2:10 p.m. (Central). Racing begins at noon. The 11-race card also features the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles and the $150,000 King Cotton Stakes for older horses at 6 furlongs.

The Martha Washington is Oaklawn's first of three Kentucky Oaks points races. It will offer 40 (20-8-6-4-2, respectively) to the top five finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Oaks, the country's biggest race for 3-year-old fillies. Oaklawn's Kentucky Oaks points series continues with the $300,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) Feb. 25 and the $600,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) April 1. Both races are 1 1/16 miles.

Defining Purpose concluded her 2-year-old campaign with a 5 ¼-length victory in the inaugural $150,000 Year's End Stakes at 1 mile Dec. 31 at Oaklawn. Defining Purpose was among four winners for McPeek on the Dec. 31 card, the first in Oaklawn history exclusively for 2-year-olds.

“It should be a good next spot for her,” McPeek said. “She was ultra-impressive last time. It looks like Todd Fincher's filly has got some talent that's in there. The rest of them, I think, she's beaten or be all right against. It should be a good next step to keep her in line for the rest of the winter at Oaklawn, hopefully.”

Olivia Twist (3 for 3) exits the $100,000 Trapeze Stakes at one mile Dec. 17 at Remington Park. A daughter of millionaire multiple Grade 1 winner Mshawish, Olivia Twist has won her three starts – all at Remington Park – by a combined 19 ½ lengths. Olivia Twist has recorded three workouts this month at Oaklawn leading up to her 3-year-old debut.

“The timing is perfect from her last race,” said Fincher, who is based at Sunland Park, but has a five-horse string this season at Oaklawn. “How do you pass up this race? It's perfect. She's doing great. Everything's lining up just the way we want it to.”

The projected six-horse field from the rail out:

1. Wet Paint, Flavien Prat to ride, 115 pounds, 9-2 on the morning line;
2. Key to Success, Tyler Baze, 115, 20-1;
3. Defining Purpose, David Cabrera, 122, 6-5;
4. Take Charge Briana, Mickaelle Michel, 115, 6-1;
5. Olivia Twist, Cristian Torres, 122, 2-1; and
6. Taxed, Joe Talamo, 115, 15-1.

Take Charge Briana and Taxed, a supplemental nominee, finished third and fourth, respectively, in the Year's End. Wet Paint, who will be making her stakes debut for two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox, is one for one on dirt. Key to Success finished second to the promising Twirled in a first-level allowance sprint Dec. 31 at Oaklawn for trainer Mike Puhich.

Secret Oath, last year's Martha Washington winner, went on to win the Kentucky Oaks for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas and was a finalist for an Eclipse Award as the country's champion 3-year-old filly of 2022. Lukas also trains Take Charge Briana.

The post Oaks Prep: ‘Ultra-Impressive’ Defining Purpose Faces Unbeaten Olivia Twist In Martha Washington appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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To the surprise of no one, Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 San Vicente Stakes goes through Bob Baffert. The trainer of nine out of the 11 horses nominated to the seven-furlong stakes for Derby hopefuls, Baffert has entered four out of the five that are scheduled to run Sunday at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.

A two-time graded stakes winner, Baffert's Havnameltdown, fresh off a 1 ¼ length score going seven eighths in the G3 Bob Hope Stakes Nov. 20 at Del Mar, rates top billing with leading man Juan Hernandez aloft.

A first-out maiden five furlong winner July 24, Havnameltdown then marched to a gate to wire victory in the G3 Best Pal Stakes at six furlongs Aug. 14. In his only defeat, Havnameltdown ran second, beaten 5 ½ lengths by his highly regarded stablemate Cave Rock in the G1 Del Mar Futurity Sept. 11.

Owned by longtime Baffert clients Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Florida-bred Havnameltdown, a bay colt by the Lion Heart stallion Uncaptured, was purchased for $200,000 out of the Ocala Breeders Sales 2-year-old in Training Sale this past April. With three wins from four starts, he's the leading money earner in the field with $288,000.

A 2 ¾ length first-out maiden winner for Baffert going six furlongs here on Dec. 26, Faustin, who also earned an 89 Beyer Speed Figure, will again be ridden by Ramon Vazquez. Off as the 4-5 favorite in his debut, Faustin would appear to have a huge chance as he tries to muscle his way on to the Derby Trail.

Purchased for $800,000 out of the same Ocala 2-year-old in training sale that produced Havnameltdown, Faustin is by Curlin and is owned by Michael Lund Petersen.

Off at even money in his debut, Baffert's Fort Warren ran to the betting, as he won in virtual gate to wire fashion by a half length under Hernandez while earning an 88 Beyer. With Hernandez committed to Havnameltdown, John Velazquez takes over on the $550,000 Keeneland September Yearling purchase.

By Curlin, Fort Warren is owned by SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, and Madaket Stables, LLC.

Baffert's fourth entrant is Gilmore, who broke his maiden by four lengths going a flat mile at Los Alamitos on Dec. 10. Off at 1-5 with Hernandez up, he rallied powerfully off the turn for home while earning an 81 Beyer.

A $250,000 Keeneland September Yearling, Gilmore is also owned by SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, and Madaket Stables, LLC and will be ridden for the first time by Mike Smith in what will be his third start.

In a seemingly impossible role that would redefine upset should he win, trainer Ryan Hanson's Man Child will take on team Baffert in what will be his sixth career start. Most recently second, beaten a head as the 6-5 favorite in an ungraded 6 ½ furlong stakes at Turf Paradise Dec. 21, Man Child was a well beaten third behind Havnameltdown in his second start, the G3 Best Pal Stakes at Del Mar Aug. 14.

A $45,000 Keeneland September Yearling by Creative Cause, Man Child's lone win came in his debut, a five furlong maiden sprint at Los Alamitos July 3—a race he won on the lead by a half length.

Owned by California Racing Partners, Ciaglia Racing, LLC, Michelle (Yu) Hanson, Richard Pearson, Timothy Husted, and Robert Dronk, Man Child, who has an overall mark of 5-1-1-2, will be ridden back by Diego Herrera.

THE GRADE II SAN VICENTE WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 2 of 9 Approximate post time 1 p.m. PT

1. Havnameltdown—Juan Hernandez—124
2. Faustin—Ramon Vazquez–120
3. Fort Warren—John Velazquez—120
4. Man Child—Diego Herrera—120
5. Gilmore—Mike Smith–120

First post time for a nine-race card on Sunday is at 12:30 p.m. Admission gates open at 10:30 a.m.

The post Baffert To Saddle Four Of Five Entrants In Sunday’s San Vicente appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber's Queen Goddess, having successfully launched her comeback last month, will bring Grade 1 credentials to Gulfstream Park for Saturday's $500,000 TAA Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf (G3).

Trained by southern California-based Michael McCarthy, who captured the Pegasus World Cup (G1) in 2019 with City of Light, Queen Goddess is third choice on the morning line for the Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf at 5-1 behind fellow Grade 1 winners Shantisara (2-1) and Dalika (7-2).

Queen Goddess has been third or better in eight of 10 career starts, five of them wins, including a front-running 2 ½-length triumph in the 1 1/8-mile Robert J. Frankel (G3) Dec. 31 at Santa Anita. It was the first start in 232 days for the now 5-year-old Empire Maker mare since finishing second in the 1 ½-mile Santa Barbara (G3) last spring.

“It was just what we were looking for to get her going off the bench,” Eclipse founder and president Aron Wellman said. “She had things all her own way that day, for sure. I don't think she'll have it as easy in the Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf, especially on the cutback in distance to a mile and a sixteenth.

“But, she's come out of that return race in great form,” he added. “[Jockey] Johnny [Velazquez] put a lot of great work into her with Mike McCarthy in the mornings that translated into a dominant victory on New Year's Eve in the Frankel.”

Queen Goddess ran fifth behind Shantisara in the 2021 Queen Elizabeth II over a yielding Keeneland turf in her stakes debut, finishing the year by winning an off-the-turf edition of the American Oaks (G1) going 1 ¼ miles at Santa Anita in gate-to-wire fashion.

Last year Queen Goddess raced four times, all in Grade 3 stakes, finishing fifth in the 1 1/16-mile Bayakoa on dirt at Oaklawn Park in her season debut. She went on to win the 1 ¼-mile Santa Ana (G3) last March and owns two wins and a third, beaten less than a length, in three 1 1/16-mile grass races.

Gulfstream's three-time Championship Meet-leading jockey Luis Saez gets the riding assignment for the first time on Queen Goddess, breaking from Post 6 in a field of 11.

“It's one of those situations where there's not a lot of opportunities for fillies and mares going long on the turf to run for half a million dollars,” Wellman said. “There are certain questions that she's going to have to answer, as well, but she's another one who hold in high regard.

“She already is a Grade 1 winner. Even though this race is a Grade 3 it's arguably got Grade 1 prestige and competition, so she's going to have to prove she can do it at a mile and a sixteenth on the turf,” he added. “But, we feel like we're bringing a very live filly over to Gulfstream for this event.”

The post Wellman: Despite Distance Cutback, Grade 1 Winner Queen Goddess ‘Very Live’ In Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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