Tag: Racing

Following a triumphant stakes debut in Saturday's Busanda at Aqueduct Racetrack, a qualifier for the Kentucky Oaks (G1), Alpha Delta Stables' Occult will likely set her sights on the $250,000 Gazelle (G3) on April 8 at the Big A.

Trained by Chad Brown, Occult earned a career-best 78 Beyer Speed Figure for the nine-furlong Busanda where she also collected 20 points towards the Kentucky Oaks, catapulting her to second place on the leaderboard. The daughter of leading North American sire Into Mischief trails only Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner Wonder Wheel, who has amassed 40 points.

Occult received a tactical ride by Dylan Davis from second behind pacesetter Sweetest Princess entering the backstretch and was in command at the stretch call, drawing away to a 3 3/4-length victory over Gambling Girl and Affirmative Lady, a respective third and second in the Grade 2 Demoiselle here on December 3. She entered off a sharp 4 1/4-length maiden victory at second asking going a one-turn mile in December over the Big A main track.

“She was up against a couple runners that were in the Demoiselle. I was surprised that she went off the favorite,” said Jon Clay of Alpha Delta Stables. “She ran well and I think Dylan Davis did a great job of settling her just off the pace and she really ran her race. Her Beyer improved from her last race to this one, so it looks like she's moving in the right direction. Being able to get the Oaks distance and to win by nearly four lengths, that definitely shows distance is not going to be an issue for her in the future.”

Clay expressed a desire to target the Gazelle, a race he won in 2016 with the Brown-trained Lewis Bay, who finished third in the Kentucky Oaks. The Gazelle is the final local Oaks qualifier, awarding a total of 100-40-30-20-10 points to the top-five finishers. Another viable option for Occult could be the Busher Invitational on March 4 [50-20-15-10-5], which is contested at a one-turn mile.

“I think we want to keep her in New York. She likes Aqueduct and down the road, the Gazelle would be the logical last prep,” Clay said. “I think Chad mentioned yesterday that he didn't want to turn her back to a mile, but we still have a lot of time to figure that out. We'll see how she trains over the next month and then make a plan from there. Our goal would be to run in the Gazelle if she stays healthy and she moves forward. I had luck running in the Gazelle with Lewis Bay. That was her last prep before going into the Oaks, so it's a logical step to stay in New York.”

Clay said he plans on remaining cautiously optimistic.

“There's still a lot of races to be run and a lot of good horses out there. Some of them may not have even started yet,” Clay said. “Wonder Wheel is a great horse and she'll get going. There's a lot of good horses out there, so we just need to worry about our own horse.”

Bred in Kentucky by Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, Occult is out of the graded stakes-winning Empire Maker mare Magical Feeling, making her a half sibling to multiple stakes winner Exulting and stakes winner Magical. Occult was bought for $625,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September yearling sale.

The post ‘I Think We Want To Keep Her In New York’: Occult Likely On To Stay On Aqueduct Path To Kentucky Oaks appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Grade 3 winner Yuugiri will be pointed to the $150,000 Carousel Stakes for older female sprinters Feb. 25 at Oaklawn, trainer Rodolphe Brisset said Sunday morning.

Yuugiri was among Oaklawn's leading 3-year-old fillies last year after winning the Fantasy Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles in April. Following a lengthy vacation, Yuugiri was a sharp winner of her comeback race, a Dec. 30 allowance sprint at Oaklawn. Brisset said he plans to keep Yuugiri around one turn in 2023, with the goal of winning a Grade 1 race to enhance her broodmare value.

Yuugiri's major spring objective, Brisset said, is the $600,000 Madison Stakes (G1) for older fillies and mares at seven furlongs April 8 at Keeneland. Brisset said another spring option for Yuugiri is the inaugural $250,000 Matron Stakes for older fillies and mares at six furlongs March 31 at Oaklawn.

“We gave her an easy week after the win and she's back galloping,” Brisset said. “What I did, I worked backwards from the Madison. The goal is to run her in the Madison at Keeneland. The timing is right with the calendar, so now she's pointing for the Carousel. How she runs in the Carousel, we will decide if we go to the Madison or the Matron.”

A daughter of Shackleford out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Yuzuru, Yuugiri has a 3-2-1 record from seven lifetime starts and earnings of $619,710. The Dec. 30 race was Yuugiri's first start since finishing 13th in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) last May at Churchill Downs.

The post Brisset: Yuugiri To Use Oaklawn’s Carousel As Springboard To Grade 1 Bid appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Millionaire and two-time Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) runner-up C Z Rocket could return to Oaklawn during the current meet, said Peter Miller, trainer of the 9-year-old gelding who has two previous stakes wins at the Hot Springs, Ark. track.

The Southern California-based C Z Rocket closed his 2022 campaign with runner-up finishes in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes (G2) Oct. 1 and the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) Nov. 5 at Keeneland.

“He's doing real good,” Miller said. “He's back in training, galloping, and going to breeze. He could make an appearance [at Oaklawn]. We've got Dubai possibly in mind. We're not sure, but we gave him a little break, five weeks or so, after the Breeders' Cup.”

Miller claimed C Z Rocket for $40,000 out of a fifth-place finish in an April 30, 2020, sprint at Oaklawn. The gelding then ripped off five consecutive victories, including the Santa Anita Sprint Championship, before finishing second to that year's eventual Eclipse Award winner Whitmore in the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Keeneland.

C Z Rocket returned to Oaklawn in 2021 and toppled Whitmore in the Hot Springs Stakes and the Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3). Both races were for older horses at six furlongs.

C Z Rocket was beaten 1 ¼ lengths by Elite Power, then 4, in last year's Breeders' Cup Sprint. A son of the late City Zip, C Z Rocket has a 12-6-5 record from 35 career starts and earnings of $1,952,641. He is campaigned by Altamira Racing Stabole, Madaket Stables, Gary Barbeer, and Tom Kagele,

“If you don't like him, you don't like a horse,” Miller said.

Oaklawn's next sprint stakes for older horses is the $150,000 King Cotton Jan. 28. Miller said he could have a candidate for the six-furlong race in recent stable addition Radical Right, who was purchased for $260,000 at Fasig Tipton's December Midlantic mixed sale. The First Samurai gelding finished second in the City of Laurel Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters Nov. 26 at Laurel in his last start.

Radical Right has four published workouts at San Luis Rey Training Center in Southern California since Dec. 24. Radical Right was purchased in December by Tom Kagele, who also co-owns C Z Rocket.

“Seems like a nice horse,” Miller said.

Miller has around eight horses stabled at Oaklawn, including Ginobili, winner of Fifth Season Stakes on Saturday.

The post ‘If You Don’t Like Him, You Don’t Like A Horse’: C Z Rocket’s 2023 Campaign Could Include Oaklawn, Dubai appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Pan Zareta winner filly Oeuvre broke alertly and relaxed professionally behind a pair of Louisiana-bred longshots before taking command in the stretch and winning Saturday's 4th running of the $100,000 Nelson J. Menard Memorial Stakes at Fair Grounds by two lengths over seven other older females.

Campaigned by trainer Chris Block for owner-breeder Richard Perkins, Oeuvre covered 5 1/2 furlongs over a firm turf course with the rails 34 feet out in 1:06.26 under jockey Jareth Loveberry.

“It's been an honor to ride this filly,” Lovebery said. “She can break the front and relax. She can sit right off of it, which is what she did today. Very comfortable. And she does it on her own.”

Oeuvre, now with three stakes straight victories, was considered for the one-mile Pago Hop on New Year's Eve but connections decided to keep the 4-year-old Illinois-bred at her proven distance.

“A lot of the breeders in the state have proven that Illinois-breds travel well,” Block said. “We've thought about stretching her out and were actually looking at the Pago Hop (run on Dec 31). Mr. Perkins and I decided that we'd stay sprinting with her for now.”

Oeuvre broke outside the two early speedsters from post 7 and tracked from third as Charlie T led the field through fractions of :22.67 and :47.90.

Co-favored with Oeuvre at 2-1, Astute, the recent addition to the Brad Cox barn, who was making her first run in over 19 months, got shuffled back soon after the break. Aboukir Bay also settled far back, conceding as many as 12 lengths at the three-eighths pole. As Charlie T proved bold holding the lead at the top of the stretch, Loveberry asked and Oeuvre took over, and it was never in doubt she would be the winner.

Charlie T held on for second as comebackers Astute and Aboukir Bay rallied for third and fourth, respectively.

“Jareth (jockey Loveberry) is right,” Block said. “She relaxes really nice. She was kind of an aggressive filly back in the spring. Now she relaxes, which gives her an added dimension. Maybe we can stretch her out at some point. It's kind of hard to do that with how good she's been as a sprinter. She'll run on anything you ask her to. We have the whole season ahead of us. We just have to use the right judgment and pick the right spots. I'm happy to have her here at the Fair Grounds.”

The $60,000 first prize increased Oeuvre's career earnings to $413,126 from a record of 9-3-2 in 15 starts.

Sent off as the 2-1 co-favorite, Oeuvre paid $6.80 for the win.

Behind the top four, Eve's Delight, New Boss, Touch of Class, and Violenza completed the order of finish.

Oeuvre is a daughter of Shackleford out of the winning Kitten's Joy mare Love This Kitten.

The post Illinois-Bred Oeuvre Notches Third Consecutive Stakes Win With Nelson J. Menard Victory At Fair Grounds appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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