Tag: Racing

Dura Erede claimed this Wednesday's Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes, nosing out his rival Top Knife at the wire to outshine the other hopefuls in Japan's year-end test for 2-year-olds. The 90-1 longshot debuted in June this year and broke his maiden in his third career start in August. The son of Duramente came into this race after putting in a fourth-place finish in the G2 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes (1,800m) on November 19.

The dark brown colt has given trainer Manabu Ikezoe and Kazakhstan native-jockey Bauyrzhan Murzabayev—who is riding in Japan under a short-term license for the first time—their first JRA-G1 victories.

Top Knife was sent up front as the race got underway and led the 18-horse field while Dura Erede pressed the pace from the outside in second all the way into the stretch. As the two dueled running up the hill, Top Knife briefly shook off the persistent Dura Erede and put close to a length lead between him 100 meters out. However, the stubborn Duramente colt found another gear and dug in with enormous force to overtake his rival at the wire, notching a photo-finish victory.

“It's the same good feeling as when I won my first G1 race in Germany—I'm very happy. I couldn't tell if we won, it was so close, but my colt broke well and it was the plan to chase the pace in second so everything went well. After two close seconds last weekend, I'm so happy that I came in first in the last G1 race of the year,” commented jockey Bauyrzhan Murzabayev in an interview after the race.

King's Reign was off a bit slow, first sitting in fourth from the rear and then improved position in the backstretch up to a mid-pack seat before taking the widest route into the lane. Although with a lot of ground to cover, the Rulership colt stormed down the straight with the fastest closing speed and put away Fantom Thief at the wire while finishing 1-1/4 lengths behind the runner-up for third place.

Race favorite Mikki Cappuccino rushed up close to the pace after breaking sharply from the widest stall and stalked the two frontrunners in third. The Epiphaneia colt continued to chase the leaders in early stretch but failed to further threaten and was overtaken by Fantom Thief and then King's Reign before the finishing line and was fifth.

Other Horses:
4th: (1) Phantom Thief—reserved in 7th on rails, switched paths for room, dug in with 2nd-tied fastest late speed but caught before wire
6th: (9) Seven Magician—sat in mid-field and 3-wide, closed in well while briefly dueling with King's Reign 100m out
7th: (2) Hearts Concerto—saved ground in 10th, showed 2nd-tied fastest late speed, no match for winners
8th: (4) Serendipity—traveled in mid-pack, two-wide, bumped rival in early stretch, unable to reach contention
9th: (3) Sea Wizard—fourth on the rails, sustained bid until 100m out, nothing left thereafter
10th: (14) J Palms—settled 10th to 11th and 3-wide, struggled climbing hill, passed tired rivals
11th: (6) Gruner Green—sat in 6th, made rapid headway rounding final corner, showed little in stretch
12th: (13) Wurttemberg—bobbled at start, ran rails around 4th from rear, showed mild effort
13th: (7) Born in Grande—ran in 10th to 11th, near rear coming into lane, failed to respond
14th: (17) Jun Tsubamegaeshi—gradually made headway up to 7th in backstretch, drifted out in last turn, nothing left
15th: (5) Fate—traveled in 3rd, 5th entering lane, came up empty after early efforts
16th: (10) Gastrique—reserved 4th to 5th from rear, made bid turning into straight, never fired
17th: (12) Monde Plume—missed break, trailed near rear, was through early
18th: (16) Ska Paradise—followed in rear, never a factor

The post Longshot Dura Erede Digs Deep To Deny Top Knife In Japan’s Hopeful appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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In what will be her initial stakes engagement, Spendthrift Farm's up and coming Anacopa merits serious consideration among a field of eight fillies and mares going six furlongs in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Las Flores Stakes at Santa Anita.

Trained by Carla Gaines, Anacapa, a 3-year-old daughter of two-time Breeders' Cup Classic winner Tiznow, will shorten up out of a big gate to wire allowance score at a flat mile on Dec. 2 at Del Mar. Off at 4-5, she won by 2 ¼ lengths in a field of seven.

Although ridden by Flavien Prat on Dec. 2, Anacapa will be reunited with Joe Bravo in the Las Flores, with Prat possibly opting for recent multiple stakes winner Samurai Charm.

A gate to wire maiden winner at six furlongs in her second start (first on dirt) four starts back on July 22, Anacapa, who earned a career-best 86 Beyer Speed Figure on Dec. 2, has proven one-turn ability and should be plenty tough in what will be her seventh career start.

With Prat climbing aboard for the first time, trainer Peter Miller is looking to win his third consecutive stakes with Samurai Charm, who comes off a pair of six furlong wins in ungraded events at Zia Park on Oct. 31 and Nov. 22.

A 5-year-old mare by First Samurai, Samurai Charm, who is owned by Downstream Racing, LLC, will be looking for her first graded stakes victory in what will be her 14th career start. With a Las Flores-best last out Beyer of 92, Samurai Charm is 7-2-2 overall with earnings of $312,660.

Lady T, who rallied from off the pace and just missed by a nose in a six furlong allowance Nov. 27 at Del Mar, will hope to be rolling late for John Shirreffs as she seeks her first graded stakes win. Owned by Jerry and Tina Moss, Lady T, a 3-year-old filly by Into Mischief, was second, beaten 1 ¼ lengths going a mile and one sixteenth four starts back in the G2 Summertime Oaks, a race in which she posted a career-top 89 Beyer.

With regular rider Victor Espinoza back aboard, Lady T brings an overall mark of 10-1-6-0 and earnings of $169,700.

THE GRADE 3 LAS FLORES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 9 Approximate post time 3:30 p.m. PT

1. Classical Romance—Ryan Curatolo—119
2. Samurai Charm—Flavien Prat—123
3. Lexington Humor—Kyle Frey—119
4. Manorelli—Edwin Maldonado—119
5. Anacapa—Joe Bravo—119
6. Violent Runner—Emily Ellingwood—121
7. Lady T—Victor Espinoza—119
8. Doris Mae—Juan Hernandez—119

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 12 noon, with admission gates opening at 10 a.m.

The post Speedy Anacapa Steps Up To Stakes Company In Saturday’s Las Flores appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Santa Anita will honor the memory of the man who so artfully presented racing at The Great Race Place from its inception on Dec. 25, 1934 until shortly before his passing in February of 1972 on Saturday as a wide-open field of 11 3-year-olds and up will go about 6 ½ furlongs down the Camino Real Turf Course in the Grade 2, $250,000 Joe Hernandez Stakes.

Rating top billing is the Mark Glatt-trained Whatmakessammyrun, who in his only try down the one-of-a-king hillside course, was a three-quarter length winner of the G2 Eddie D Stakes two starts back on Oct. 1. Most recently second going five furlongs on turf at Del Mar in the ungraded Stormy Liberal, Whatmakessammyrun is better suited to the longer distance of the Hernandez and should be plenty tough with Joe Bravo riding back.

A 4-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding by We Miss Artie, Whatmakessammyrun was unbeaten in a pair of six furlong turf sprints out of Santa Anita's turf chute at age three, highlighted by a 3 ¾ length romp in the ungraded Desert Code Stakes nine starts back on June 6, 2021.

Owned by Sterling Racing, LLC, Whatmakessammyrun is 16-4-3-2 overall, with all of his placings coming on grass. Campaigned three seasons in New York, Florida, Kentucky and Southern California, he has earnings of $324,570.

Second, beaten three quarters of a length by the top selection in the G2 Eddie D two starts back, Richard Mandella's Lane Way comes off a solid neck win in a hillside allowance Nov. 6 and is thus one for two over the course.

Owned by MyRacehorse, Lane Way, a 5-year-old gelding by Into Mischief, has two wins and three second place finishes from his last five starts, all turf sprints. With Mike Smith back aboard in the Hernandez, Lane Way can press or stalk the early pace as he's shown ample versatility in 11 turf starts.

With an overall mark of 15-3-5-5, Lane Way has earnings of $257,560.

Trainer Leonard Powell's Air Force Red looms very dangerous as well, as he enters the Hernandez as a fresh commodity, having posted a 1 ¾ length win going one mile on turf here in the restricted Lure Stakes on Oct. 29 with Juan Hernandez, who will be back aboard on Saturday.

Fifth, beaten 2 ¾ lengths in the G2 Eddie D by Whatmakessammyrun, Air Force Red, a bay ridgling by Air Force Blue, has two wins from three tries down the hillside turf. Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Janet Golightly, Air Force Red has four wins from nine starts and has earnings of $204,140.

With Frankie Dettori engaged to ride, classy comebacker Hit the Road will no doubt command a good deal of attention as he tries the hillside layout for the first time. A game neck winner of the G1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile (turf) here five starts back on March 26, 2021, Hit the Road, a 5-year-old full horse by More Than Ready, has been idle since finishing eighth in the G1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Turf going a mile and one eighth at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 29.

Owned by D K Racing, LLC, Radley Equine, Inc., Taste of Victory Stables, Tony Maslowski and Dave Odmark, Hit the Road, who has four stakes victories and an overall mark of 13-6-0-2, will hope to be rolling late in what could be a short rehearsal for a return to Gulfstream on Jan. 28.

THE GRADE 2 JOE HERNANDEZ WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 1 of 9 Post time 12 noon PT

1. Lane Way—Mike Smith—121
2. Irideo—Ramon Vazquez—121
3. Super Ocho—Juan Lopez—121
4. Gregorian Chant—Flavien Prat—121
5. Whatmakessammyrun—Joe Bravo—125
6. Air Force Red—Juan Hernandez—121
7. Front Run the Fed—Umberto Rispoli—121
8. Hit the Road—Lanfranco Dettori—121
9. Kiss Today Goodbye—Kyle Frey—121
10. Smooth Like Straight—John Velazquez—121
11. Sigiloso—Hector Berrios—121

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 12 noon, with admission gates opening at 10 a.m.

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