Welcome to 2023 Kentucky Derby Prospect Snapshots, where we’ll take a look each week at a recent winner on the Triple Crown trail, usually from the Road to the Kentucky Derby schedule from which the racehorses earn points toward qualifying. The 1 ¼-mile Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve will be held May 6, 2023, at Churchill Downs.
Tag: Racing
‘True Team Effort’: Spooky Channel Returns From 14-Month Layoff To Win Buddy Diliberto Memorial
On October 22, 2021, the $80,000 NBS Stable's claim Spooky Channel rewarded trainer Jason Barkley with his first career graded stakes score in the Sycamore (G3) at Keeneland. After a setback that cost him over a year of racing, “Spooky” rewarded Barkley and his team once again, this time for their patience.
In what was his first start in over 14 months, the 7-year-old gelding captured Monday's $100,000 Buddy Diliberto Memorial Stakes at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La.
Spooky Channel made an early move to engage the pacesetting Gentle Soul through soft fractions of :24.68 and :51.01 over a firm Stall-Wilson turf course with the rails 34 feet out. He took over at the top of the stretch under jockey James Graham and drew clear in the stretch to win by 2 1/4 lengths over the late closing English Tavern. Big Agenda checked in third.
“There was a little concern with him being off so long,” Graham said. “Jason's (trainer Barkley) plan was to have him ready for today and he did a good job. I was able to lean against him (the pacesetter) Gentle Soul the whole way. I picked him up. It took a little while to get to the next gear, but when he did, he accelerated.”
Crossing the finish line in 1:48.41, Spooky Channel paid $9.80, $5.20 and $3.00. The pacesetting 2-1 favorite Gentle Soul, who drew in off the also eligible list, settled for fourth. Temper Tantrum, Risk Manager, Bizzee Channel and Captivating Moon completed the order of finish.
With the win, the gelded son of English Channel now sports a record of 26-12-4-0 and a bankroll of $661,722.
“True team effort,” Barkley said. “James (jockey Graham) didn't fight with him. He let him do what he wanted to do. We have a lot of options. The more options the better as a trainer. We know he can win at 1 1/2 miles. We'll just let him tell us what he wants to do.”
The post ‘True Team Effort’: Spooky Channel Returns From 14-Month Layoff To Win Buddy Diliberto Memorial appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Pretty Mischievous Cruises Clear In Untapable At Fair Grounds, Tallies First Stakes Win
Pretty Mischievous settled nicely in the pocket, then split foes to take over and win the $100,000 Untapable by 3 1/4 lengths Monday at Fair Grounds and earn 10 points towards qualifying for the 2023 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1).
A Godolphin homebred by Spendthrift Farm's leading sire Into Mischief, Pretty Mischievous clocked one mile and 70 yards over a fast track in 1:41.98 under Brian Hernandez Jr., who rode the winner for trainer Brendan Walsh. The Walsh barn won two other races on the Road to the Derby Kickoff Day card – the Joseph “Spanky” Broussard Memorial with Moon Swag and a maiden special weight rout with their promising 2-year-old colt Banishing, also a Godolphin homebred.
“She won sprinting early but (we) always thought that she would stretch out,” assistant trainer on the grounds Paul Madden said of Pretty Mischievous. “She ran very well at Churchill (in the G2 Golden Rod) against a really good filly (Hoosier Philly). Brendan (Walsh) wasn't sure about running in here, but she had a really good workout two weeks back and he said it's time to run. She has a great pedigree. It's a good win for Godolphin, a good day for the team, and I'm glad to be part of it.”
The odds-on favorite Vahva stumbled out of the gate and was relegated to last, more than six lengths behind the pacesetting longshot All About Me, who rushed out and took the lead over the field of nine through early fractions of :24.26 and :48.31 while taking pressure from Hayunevano.
Pretty Mischievous settled in nicely along the rail and made a bold move to split the two leaders at the half-mile pole. Hayunevano kept on with Pretty Mischievous through the turn but it was a sweeping move by The Alys Look that posed the biggest threat to the eventual winner, ranging up on the outside but failing to make a serious bid for the lead as Pretty Mischievous opened up and continued to add distance between them. Vahva battled with Hayunevano and edged that one for a distant third.
“She was the best filly today,” Hernandez said. “Going around the turn we were tucked in, but when she saw daylight she dragged me between horses. She basically did it all on her own and I just had to be a good passenger.”
The Untapable is a Kentucky Oaks qualifier and awarded points on a 10-4-3-2-1 basis.
Pretty Mischievous' impressive victory was worth $60,000 and improved her overall record to 3-0-1 from four starts and earnings of $241,310. Combined with the 3 points she earned coming in third in the Golden Rod (G3), Pretty Mischievous is in third place on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 13 qualifying points.
The 8-5 second choice, Pretty Mischievous returned $5.40 for the victory. Behind The Alys Look (4 Oaks points), Vahva (3 points), and Hayunevano (2 points), it was Hang the Moon (1 point), Just like Magic, Cotton Candy Annie, Two Minute Drill, and All About Me who completed the order of finish.
Pretty Mischievous was produced by Grade 1 winner Pretty City Dancer, by Tapit.
The post Pretty Mischievous Cruises Clear In Untapable At Fair Grounds, Tallies First Stakes Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
D’Amato-Trained Rhea Moon Finds American Oaks Success In First Top Level Attempt, Stablemate School Dance Close Second
Well positioned for a third consecutive Classic Meet training title but quiet through the first 10 races on opening day, Phil D'Amato made plenty of noise in the 11th and final event, the $300,000 American Oaks (G1) as his Irish-bred Rhea Moon rallied from off the pace to score by a head under Juan Hernandez.
Hernandez not only registered his second Grade 1 victory of the day, but his third stakes win and fourth overall as he seeks to defend his leading rider title from 2021-22.
Idle since taking the Autumn Miss (G3) at one mile on turf Oct. 29, Rhea Moon, who had broken her maiden going 1 1/8 miles on grass four starts back, got the mile and one quarter Oaks in 2:00.75.
Unhurried while a joint eighth, about five lengths off the lead turning up the backside, Rhea Moon saved ground at the rail under a snug hold to the top of the land, split horses three deep and gradually overhauled stablemate School Dance to annex her first Grade 1 win.
A first condition allowance winner at one mile on turf two starts back at Del Mar Aug. 21, the daughter of Starspangledbanner out of the Fastnet Rock mare Callisto Star was off at 6-1 in a field of 11 sophomore fillies and paid $15.60 for the victory.
Owned by Rockingham Ranch and Talla Racing LLC, Rhea Moon, who was winless in a pair of Irish starts at age two, is now 4-3-2 from nine starts overall. With the American Oaks' winner's share of $180,000, she increased her earnings to $371,831.
The D'Amato exacta completed by School Dance, who was making her stakes debut with Ramon Vazquez up. Off at 11-1, School Dance finished three-quarters of a length in front of Sparkle Blue.
Irish-bred Salimah, who shipped in from New York for Chad Brown and was the 5-2 favorite, showed the way to the quarter pole but tired to finish seventh under Flavien Prat.
Fractions on the race were :23.88, :48.31, 1:12.45, and 1:36.97.
An on-track crowd of 41,446 contributed to an all-time Santa Anita opening day record all-sources handle of $26,315,016. Racing will resume on Friday, with first post time through Monday, Jan. 2 at 12 noon (PT).
AMERICAN OAKS (G1) STAKES QUOTES
JOCKEY QUOTES
JUAN HERNANDEZ, RHEA MOON, WINNER: “With four wins and three stakes wins, I feel really proud. My agent and I are a pretty good team, and he got me the opportunity to ride some nice horses today like this filly. She's improving every race, and she's won her last couple of races. She showed up today to do it again. This field is full of talent. Everyone brings their horses on a big day like Opening Day ready to run and win races. I had a ton of horses in front of me, and my trainer told me to save ground. So, I was just saving ground and waiting for the opportunity to present itself. Then, around the quarter pole I started following a horse who was having a nice trip and snuck in right behind that horse to cross the finish line first.”
TRAINER QUOTES
PHILIP D'AMATO, RHEA MOON, WINNER: “I think going a mile and a quarter, the one hole was an advantage. Juan took advantage, just saving every inch of ground and getting her out in time. He gets a lot of credit for developing this filly. …Juan and I are really in a groove, as much as Flavien and I do well, Juan and I just seem to really get on a hot streak and I have a lot of confidence in him as does everyone else. It is just great to see. I don't need to give him a lot of instructions and he gets the job done.”
The post D’Amato-Trained Rhea Moon Finds American Oaks Success In First Top Level Attempt, Stablemate School Dance Close Second appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
