Tag: Racing

A big gate-to-wire one-mile turf winner in his previous start, trainer Leonard Powell's Air Force Red employed identical tactics on Saturday at Santa Anita as he shortened up to about 6 ½ furlongs over the hillside turf course, taking the $250,000 Joe Hernandez Stakes (G2) by 1 ¾ lengths.

Ridden for the second time in a row by Juan Hernandez, Air Force Red finished the trip in 1:11.53.

Breaking on top from his number five post in a field of 10 three-year-olds and up, Air Force Red had a 1 ½ length advantage on eventual runner-up Lane Way at the dirt crossing and despite the fact he stayed on his left lead to deep stretch, was never threatened through the stretch run.

A 1 ¾ length winner of the restricted Lure Stakes at Santa Anita on Oct. 29, Air Force Red, a 4-year-old bay ridgling by the War Front stallion Air Force Blue, was off at 7-1 and paid $16.40 for the victory.

Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Holly Golightly, Air Force Red, who is out of the Mizzen Mast mare Mesana, notched his first graded stakes win and got his fifth win from 10 overall starts. With the winner's share of $150,000, he increased his earnings to $354,140.

Attentive to the pace from his rail post, Lane Way was second, a length off the winner while into the bridle a half mile from home and proved second-best on the day as finished 1 ½ lengths in front of Gregorian Chant.

Gregorian Chant saved ground to the top of the lane and made a nice move from off the pace to finish third, three quarters of a length better than Smooth Like Strait.

The Hernandez fractions, all set by Air Force Red, were :22.19, :43.65, and 1:05.66.

JOE HERNANDEZ (G2) STAKES QUOTES

OWNER QUOTES
ARON WELLMAN, ECLIPSE THOROUGHBRED PARTNERS, PART OWNER, AIR FORCE RED, WINNER: “ This is home base, and we happened to be home today. I just want to dedicate this win. …We lost an incredible part of the racing community (Friday) with Mandy Delahoussaye passing away (at age 47). So, I just want to send my entire condolences to the entire Delahoussaye family, Eddie D., Juanita, Lorne, and Rose Ann. Eddie rode this hill like nobody and to win this today, down the hill, in a Grade 2, the day after Mandy's passing is really special. So I just want to honor her memory with this victory.”

JOCKEY QUOTES
JUAN HERNANDEZ, AIR FORCE RED, WINNER: “It looked like the owner brought him in a little sharp today, and it was good because down the hill you need to have a little bit of speed. He broke really sharp and he was really focused at the gate, he broke in front of everybody and after that he was just really comfortable. I felt like I was flying down the hill, but he was really comfortable and nobody put any pressure on him. It was a little fast but comfortable, he was doing it all by himself, I didn't push him to be there. He crossed the dirt really smooth and he switched leads when I asked him and he picked it up and got to the wire first.

“This was a really unbelievable year for me, I'm really happy. I really improved on myself and I have to give a lot of thanks to my agent and all the partners. Hopefully next year I want to keep working hard and have an even better year next year.”

TRAINER QUOTES
LEONARD POWELL, AIR FORCE RED, WINNER: “I always look forward, I never look backwards, so I know we've had quite a few (stakes wins) but I'm just very thankful to the crew, everyday at the barn and to the owners that put faith in us.

“When the number three, Super Ocho, scratched, we were some of the speed and I looked back at the PP's and two times that he had run down the hill he made it all I told J.J. before the race, 'Don't be afraid.' ”

The post Air Force Red Scores Emotional Win For Connections In Joe Hernandez appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Annette Allen's Stolen Holiday surged late under jockey Junior Alvarado to win the $125,000 Suwannee River (G3).

The 73rd running of the Suwannee River, a one-mile turf event for fillies and mares, was the third of six stakes, five graded, worth $850,000 in purses on an 11-race New Year's Eve program. Stolen Holiday covered the mile in 1:34.32.

The victory for Alvarado moved him to within six wins of 2,000 for his career.

Stolen Holiday ($13.40), a 5-year-old mare trained by Shug McGaughey, was well back before unleashing a late stretch charge to defeat Lady Rockstar, with early front-runner Bay Storm holding on for third.

Stolen Holiday, bred in Kentucky by Orpendale from the Sadler's Wells mare Silk and Scarlet, improved her record to five wins in 12 lifetime starts.

Suwannee River (G3) Quotes

Winning trainer Shug McGaughey (Stolen Rocket): “That's a little bit different style for her, although she did finish [in the Sand Spring) here last year. She's usually more forwardly placed. In the first turn, I didn't know what would happen, but she finished real good.”

Winning jockey Junior Alvarado (Stolen Rocket): “She broke good. I was getting in there behind the speed horses and somebody on the rail squeezed through, pushed me out, made me clip heels and after that it was Plan C or D to come from behind. She was just much the best. She overcame all the problems. I was just a passenger to try and give her as smooth a ride as I can. Turning for home, she just gave me a beautiful kick and I knew by the eighth pole that I was going to get there.”

On being just six away from 2,000 wins: “I know it's there because they remind me every time I win a race now. I just try to do my job. I don't try to worry about it, eventually it will come. I just go race by race and try to do my best and it eventually will come.”

The post Stolen Holiday Rallies Late Tor Victory In Suwannee River appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Spendthrift Farm's homebred Teena Ella, the third foal out of four-time champion and Hall of Famer Beholder, will make her second start Sunday at Santa Anita in the third race, a six-furlong maiden special weight for 3-year-old fillies.

By War Front, Teen Ella debuted under similar conditions at Del Mar on Nov. 12. Sent off at 2-1, Teena Ella dueled through sharp opening fractions of :21.92 and :44.76  for a half mile before faltering in the stretch and fading to sixth, beaten 11 lengths. The winner of that heat, Faiza, came back to win the Grade 1 Starlet at Los Alamitos on Dec. 10 for Bob Baffert.

Teena Ella is trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella and will again have top jockey Juan Hernandez in the irons. She is the co-second choice on the morning line at 5-2.

Mandella, who hits at 19 percent clip with second-time starters, was encouraged by Teena Ella's debut and is looking for a move forward on Sunday. She has worked five times at Santa Anita since that effort, which includes a bullet four-furlong move on Dec. 1 and stamina-building six-furlong drill in 1:12.6 on Dec. 19. Mandella said Teena Ella could receive a change in tactics for start No. 2.

“She acts like she can run a little bit,” Mandella said Saturday morning. “We might try and save her a little bit early (in the race) and see how that goes.”

Sunday's third race on an eight-race program that will be held exclusively on dirt due to predicted rain, has an assigned post time of 12:59 (PT).

Also currently in Mandella's barn is Beholder's second foal, Karin With an I. Spendthrift's 3-year-old Curlin filly, homebred Karin With an I has yet to be competitive. She checked in seventh in both her debut at Santa Anita in April and again at Del Mar on Sept. 11.

Karin With an I has been working steadily since early November and on Saturday she drilled three furlongs in :36.40.

Earlier this year, Beholder was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame following a sparkling career on the track. The daughter of Henny Hughes had a record of 18-6-0 from 26 starts and amassed more than $6.1 million in earnings for Spendthrift Farm. She was champion 2-year-old filly in 2012, champion 3-year-old filly the following year, and was twice champion older female in 2015 and 2016.

The post Champion Beholder’s War Front Filly Teena Ella Set For Second Start Sunday At Santa Anita appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Frank Fletcher's Frank's Rockette overwhelmed her four rivals in Saturday's $125,000 Sugar Swirl at Gulfstream Park, scoring a sharp front-running victory under Luis Saez.

Saddled by Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, the 5-year-old daughter of Into Mischief shook off early pressure and drew away to a 12 ¼-length triumph in the six-furlong stakes for fillies and mares that kicked off a New Year's Eve program co-headlined by the $150,000 Harlan's Holiday (G2), a prep for the Jan. 28 $3-million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), and the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2), a prep for the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1)..

Frank's Rockette, the 4-5 favorite, was pressed to her outside along the backstretch and around the far turn while setting fractions of :22.06 and :44.74  for the first half-mile before kicking away powerfully.

The homebred mare's 10th career victory boosted her career bankroll to $1,224,808.

Joyful Cadence finished second, a neck in front of Copella.

Sugar Swirl (G3) Quotes 

Winning Trainer Bill Mott: “She just said, 'Adios.' She usually brings a good race to the game, and today she brought a really good one. For some reason she's never shown her best race at Keeneland (11th in Breeders' Cup F&M Sprint). Other than that, she's been one-two-three every other time she's run in her life. She's been a model of consistency.

“Mr. Fletcher (owner Frank Fletcher) is all in to race. I think he's leaning toward racing, and when he sees this race, he'll probably want to give her another one. There's obviously time for another race before you have to go to the breeding shed. So that's an option. But the way she's going, I see no reason not to keep going a little bit.”

Winning Jockey Luis Saez: “She's a nice filly. She's great. She just broke from there running and controlled the pace. At the half-mile pole, I had plenty of horse and she did it pretty easy. When we came to the stretch, she switched leads and just kept going. It was great.”

The post ‘Adios’: Frank’s Rockette Scores By Open Lengths In Gate-To-Wire Sugar Swirl Romp appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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