Tag: Racing

Yuugiri is scheduled to breeze Monday morning at Oaklawn in advance of her scheduled comeback race this month in Arkansas or California, trainer Rodolphe Brisset said Saturday afternoon.

Yuugiri was among Oaklawn's leading 3-year-old fillies last season after finishing third in the Honeybee Stakes (G3) and winning the Fantasy Stakes (G3). Both races were 1 1/16 miles. Yuugiri hasn't started since finishing 13th in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) going 1 1/8 miles May 6 at Churchill Downs.

Following a 60-day vacation, Yuugiri resumed training around Labor Day and had seven published workouts since Oct. 12. The last four have come at Oaklawn.

“I thought it was time to give her a break,” Brisset said. “She has done super, like she has really, really changed physically, put weight on. So, I'm going to go race by race. The first step is breeze on Monday.”

Brisset said Yuugiri is eyeing a six-furlong allowance race Dec. 18 at Oaklawn and the $300,000 La Brea Stakes (G1) at seven furlongs Dec. 26 at Santa Anita.

“Plan B is the La Brea at Santa Anita,” Brisset said. “Hopefully, the race here will go.”

Regardless of where she runs next, Brisset said he intends to target shorter races in 2023 for Yuugiri, who has compiled a 2-2-1 record from six starts and earned $556,110. She is a daughter of 2011 Preakness (G1) winner Shackleford.

“More than likely, we're going to keep her to one turn,” Brisset said. “She won at a mile and a sixteenth here, so maybe she can run a mile here. But more than likely, we're going to keep her around one turn.”

Oaklawn's beefed-up stakes series for older female sprinters is highlighted by the inaugural $250,000 Matron March 31. The Matron is preceded by the $150,000 American Beauty Jan. 21 and the $150,000 Carousel Feb. 25. All three races are six furlongs.

“We'll map something out,” Brisset said. “I'm going to take it race by race.”

Brisset, WinStar Farm's in-house trainer, is wintering at Oaklawn for the second time. He has 20 stalls for the 2022-2023 meeting that began Friday. Brisset compiled a sparkling 8-6-5 record from 31 starts last season at Oaklawn, with his horses earning $962,745 in purse money.

“We have an OK group,” Brisset said. “Some of these look like they'll need a race or two to figure out what we're going to ask, but I'm sure through the winter they're going to show their true talents. Hopefully, we have something that can go on to the big stage, Oaks and Derby. Kind of the same idea we had last year. Now, we have to see if anybody will take us there.”

In addition to getting Yuugiri to the Kentucky Oaks, the Brisset-trained We the People was an eye-catching winner of his first two career starts at Oaklawn before missing a chance to secure a spot in the Kentucky Derby with a seventh-place finish in the Arkansas Derby (G1) last April.

We the People, a son of Constitution co-owned by WinStar, became a Grade 3 winner and concluded his 3-year-old campaign with an eighth-place finish in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) Sept. 24 at Parx.

“We gave him some time, 60 days, and he should be on his way back, starting to jog, pretty soon,” Brisset said. “I don't think he's going to make it back here.”

The post Brisset: Former Kentucky Oaks starter Yuugiri Nearing Return At Oaklawn, We The People To Start Jogging Soon Following Layoff appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Il Malocchio, who has developed a penchant for heating up in cold weather, made it consecutive stakes wins after taking Saturday's $100,500 La Prevoyante at Woodbine.

Trained by Martin Drexler, the bay arrived at the 1 1/16-mile Tapeta event for Ontario-sired fillies and mares off an outstanding effort in the 1 ¼-mile Maple Leaf Stakes (G3) on November 12.

Her encore performance was just as impressive.

Lorena crossed over from the outside post nine to take the lead as the field passed the wire the first time but was quickly overhauled by 33-1 Swinging Mandy. A group of other runners, including Il Malocchio, were in tight heading into the first turn, but all managed to settle into stride without incident.

Swinging Mandy, on top by 2 ½ lengths after a quarter in :24.30, and followed by Lorena, Strega, Lady Moonshine and Il Malocchio, then stretched her lead to three lengths through a half reached in :48.16. Sahin Civaci, aboard Il Malocchio, kept the daughter of Souper Speedy running unimpeded in fifth.

Strega, who struck front into the turn for home, was quickly confronted by Il Malocchio in early stretch, who then sprinted past her rival and never looked back.

Ahead by 1 ½ lengths at the stretch call, Il Malocchio bested late-closing Silent Causeway by 4 ¼ lengths in a time of 1:44.86. Strega finished third and Golden Vision was fourth.

“On the first turn, I had a little bump there, but nothing serious,” said Civaci. “Overall, my trip was really nice. Just like Marty said, I guess she likes the cold. She was feeling good post parade and I was pretty confident.”

As was Drexler, who is enjoying a career-best campaign.

“She's going to get a little break now and then we'll figure out next year,” said Drexler, of the 4-year-old who now sports a mark of 4-6-3 from 20 starts for owner and breeder Franco Meli. “She was doing well, and I think this is a little bit easier company, so I liked her a lot today. She was really calm and just cool and collected.”

Drexler and Civaci have become one of Woodbine's most formidable trainer-jockey combinations, something the rider noted after the race.

“I would like to thank Marty because he's been my biggest supporter from day one and he's been putting me on really nice horses, so I'm very appreciative of that.”

Il Malocchio paid $4.70.

The post ‘I Guess She Likes The Cold’: Il Malocchio Captures La Prevoyante For Second Consecutive Stakes Win At Woodbine appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Set-Hut LLC's 3-year-old Touchuponastar tallied the biggest win of his career when leading a every pointing of call and coasting to a 4 ¾-length win Saturday in the $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic at Fair Grounds.

The victory marked two Champions Day stakes wins for Touchuponastar's sire, Clear Creek Stud resident  Star Guitar, and his breeder, Keith and Ginger Myers' Coteau Grove Farms in Sunset, Louisiana. Star Guitar also sired A G's Charlotte, who scored in the $100,000 Ladies Distaff, and Coteau Grove Farms also bred Late September, winner of the $100,000 Juvenile.

Ridden by Timothy Thornton for trainer Jeff Delhomme, Touchuponastart set an uncontested pace, was briefly headed by runner-up Behemah Star nearing the stretch, but easily rebuffed that rival when called upon in early stretch, cruised clear. He returned $12.40 for the win.

Who Took the Money was third.

“We knew he was a special horse all along,” Thornton said. “We knew we were coming here to beat (favorite) Who Took the Money, but when I was able to get that first quarter as slow as I was going, I thought Calhoun's horse (Highland Creek) was going to pressure me. When they left me alone, I knew I was going to have plenty left, and he was definitely able to show how special he is today.”

Touchuponastar covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.66 on track rated as fast while earning his first stakes win and improving to 4-1-1 from six lifetime starts, all this year. The $90,000 winner's share of the Classic purse boosted his career earnings to $163,100.

Produced by the Lion Heart mare Touch Magic, Touchuponastar was a $15,000 purchased by Jake Delhomme's Set-Hut at the 2020 Texas Thoroughbred Association's Yearling and Horses of Racing Age Sale, where Eaton Sales consigned.

“He's young and has a big future ahead of him,” Jeff Delhomme said of Touchuponastar. “We were leaning towards the Classic the entire time (instead of the Sprint). We didn't run in the prep because earlier in the career we swung back in three weeks, and we think that ended up being a little too fast. It opens a lot of doors for us to be able to get nine furlongs, even outside Louisiana-bred horses.”

Also on the Champions Day card, Thomas M. Galvin's homebred A G's Charlotte ($2.90) snatched slim lead from pacesetter Winning Romance at the three-sixteenths pole, then battled that determined rival to wire to win by Ladies Distaff by a nose in a thrilling finish. Marcellino Pedroza Jr. was aboard for trainer Patricia West and coaxed the best from his mount, who completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.72 while besting 3-5 favorite Winning Romance by the slimmest of margins, her fourth win from 10 starts this year and second straight stakes victory. It was 7 3/4 lengths back to third-place finisher Fort Polk in the eight-horse field. A G's Charlotte is a 3-year-old daughter of Mo Tom out of the Indygo Shiner mare Adrianne G.

Kevin Stedman's Late September drove to a 2 1/4 length triumph in the Juvenile, covering six furlongs in 1:11:04 under Jose Rodriguez. Trained by Jose Camejo, the Munnings colt won for the third time from six outings and increased his lifetime bankroll to $166,120. Tumbarumba, the 3-5 favorite, last of seven runners at the half-mile mark, rallied between horses in the final furlong to take second, four lengths in front of Calicoco. Late September, who returned $12, was bred by Coteau Grove Farms from the Lemon Drop Kid mare Hello Maggie May.

Camejo and Rodriguez also teamed with Brittlyn Stable's homebred Ova Charged ($2.40), who scored a repeat win in the $100,000 Ladies Sprint Stakes. The daughter of Star Guitar out of the Dehere mare Charged Cotton led gate to wire over three overmatched rivals while rolling to a 4 3/4-length win in 1:10.38 for the six furlongs. The win was the fifth consecutive for the 4-year-old filly. Free Like a Girl was second, and Spirited Beauty was a third. There was no show wagering.

Kendel Standlee's homebred Big Chopper rolled from off a :44.79 opening half mile to win the $100,000 Sprint going away at 6-1 for trainer Scott Gelner and jockey Corey Lanerie. He was followed home in by longshots Relentless Dancer (15-1) and Mike J (46-1). After pressing into a hot pace, 2-1 favorite Bertie's Galaxy finished last of the 12. Big Chopper, a 3-year-old Shackleford colt out of the Unusual Heat mare Miss Well Molded, was timed in 1:10.24 for the six furlongs, notching his second stakes triumph and returning $15 for the win.

Mansfield Racing's highly regarded Free Drop Maddy ($4.40) held off favorite Norah G by a neck under Reylu Gutierrez to win the $100,000 Lassie. Fair Grounds leading trainer Bret Calhoun won the Lassie for a second time after scoring in 2009 with Speedacious. Free Drop Maddy covered six furlongs in 1:11.66 while earning her third stakes win. The daughter of Free Drop Billy out of the Half Ours mare Solo Buena, bred by Clear Creek Stud, never finished off the board in six lifetime starts. Her career line stands at 3-1-2 and earnings of $225,800.

The post Touchuponastar Rolls To First Stakes Win In Louisiana Champion Day Classic appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Michael Lund Petersen's Faiza prevailed in a stirring stretch battle with runner-up Pride of the Nile and then a stewards inquiry to land the $300,000 Starlet (G1) for 2-year-old fillies Saturday at Los Alamitos Race Course.

A bumping incident involving both the winner and the runner-up and pacesetter Doinitthehardway at the top of the stretch ignited the inquiry, but the final result was unchanged. Doinitthehardway, Faiza's stablemate, faded to fourth and Uncontrollable was up to finish third, 5 1/2 lengths behind Pride of the Nile.

A Kentucky-bred Girvin filly ridden by Flavien Prat, Faiza won by a head completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.49, giving trainer Bob Baffert a ninth victory in the race and sixth consecutively. She returned $3.

Prat had Faiza ideally positioned in third as Doinitthehardway sped out to lead early and set fractions of :23.36, :47,87, and 1:12.86 or six furlongs while Pride of the Nile pressed from second. Faiza uncoiled her winning bid around the turn and took charge soon after the bumping incident at the quarter pole. Pride of the Nile proved a resolute rival and dug in, matching strides down the stretch with Faiza, who gamely prevailed at the wire.

The Starlet is one of the races on the “Road to the Kentucky Oaks,” with the winner receiving 10 points toward a berth in the race May 5, 2023, at Churchill Downs.

Faiza, a $725,000 purchase from consignor Paul Sharp at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale in May, was supplemented to the Starlet for $10,000 following her 3 ½-lenght debut win Nov. 12 at Del Mar.

Bred in Kentucky by Brereton Jones, Faiza was produced by the Smart Strike mare Sweet Pistol.

STARLET (G1) STAKES QUOTES

JOCKEY FLAVIEN PRAT (Winner, Faiza): “She traveled well the entire way. She switched leads at the head of the stretch and there was a little bumping, but I really didn't feel anything. Both her and (runner-up Pride of the Nile) ran very hard to the wire.''

TRAINER BOB BAFFERT (Winner, Faiza and Fourth, Doinithehardway): ''This place is special to me and especially on the day of the Champion of Champions. I have such great memories and Los Alamitos just means a lot to me. To win this race this many times (six in a row at Los Alamitos and a record nine overall – including three at Hollywood Park) is a tribute to the clientele I have and a great staff that works with me. It's a team effort. (Faiza) has always shown she's a specia filly and she had to be special today to win just off one maiden race. She's still green, but I think she has a big future in front of her. I think she's going to get better with age, but we've loved her from the start and she's by one of the hottest sires (Girvin) going right now.''

The post Faiza Goes From Debut Winner To Grade 1 Victress After Starlet Stretch Battle appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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