Tag: Racing

West Paces Racing and Stonestreet Stables' Dubyuhnell dug in gamely down the lane to out finish the pacesetting Arctic Arrogance and win Saturday's $250,000 Remsen (G2), a nine-furlong test for juveniles at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Danny Gargan and piloted by Jose Ortiz, the chestnut son of Good Magic was a determined winner of the two-turn test over a sloppy and sealed main track that offered 10-4-3-2-1 Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying points to the top-five finishers.

Dubyuhnell entered from a second-out graduation traveling one-mile over a sloppy and sealed main track on October 2 at Belmont at the Big A. Gargan said he was impressed with the effort from the $400,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, who he believes can be a contender for the 2023 Kentucky Derby (G1) on May 6 at Churchill Downs.

“He was drawing off,” Gargan said. “I think we were pretty lucky he does want to get the distance. We just have to stay sound and stay lucky and keep picking the right races. Maybe we'll be somewhere in May.

“This colt here I think is more of the Derby type of horse because he wants to get the distance,” Gargan added. “A mile and an eighth suits him and he came running at the end. They were going fast. He was up towards the lead and they went three-quarters in 1:12 and change and that's running today.”

The New York-bred Arctic Arrogance, last-out winner of the Sleepy Hollow here against fellow state-breds, broke alertly under Jose Lezcano and took command through splits of :24.31 and 48.13 with Dubyuhnell keeping close watch to his outside from second. The previously undefeated Tuskegee Airmen, who entered from a win in the Rocky Run at Delaware, settled in third position along the rail under Luis Saez with Prove Right and Quick to Accuse directly to his outside as three-quarters elapsed in 1:12.23.

Arctic Arrogance and Dubyuhnell got away from the field through the final turn, opening up seven lengths on their rivals at the stretch call and fought it out tooth and nail the length of the lane. But there would be no denying Dubyuhnell, who pulled clear in the final strides to secure the half-length win in a final time of 1:50.88. It was another 11 1/4-lengths back to Tuskegee Airmen in third with Quick to Accuse, Midnight Trouble, Il Miracolo and Prove Right rounding out the order of finish.

Ortiz, who has guided Dubyuhnell through all three career starts, said he put together a more prominent trip than expected.

“He broke good. Initially, we thought we were going to lay a little bit farther back than that because it looked like it was going to be a lot of speed in the race,” Ortiz said. “I told Dan, 'I'm just going to break forward and see what happens going into the first turn.' Surprisingly, it was only Lezcano there with Arctic Arrogance who I thought was one of the speed, but I was able to lay next to him every step of the way. I was very happy. On the backside, we hit the second turn and I knew it would be me or him.”

Lezcano said he was hoping for a bigger kick down the lane from the Linda Rice-trained Arctic Arrogance.

“My horse gave me a very good race. He ran hard and did everything right. The other horse kept running. I don't know what happened with my horse because when I asked him, he didn't take off like last time,” Lezcano said.

Gargan said Dubyuhnell will head to Florida but could return to the Big A in February for the 1 1/8-mile $250,000 Withers (G3), which offers 20-8-6-4-2 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top five finishers.

“We'll take him down to Florida because of the weather and we won't have to miss as much training,” Gargan said. “I'm not ruling out that he couldn't come back for the Withers, we don't know yet. I'd love to win the Wood Memorial, it's one of my favorite races. There's no plans for where he'll go next, but we could see him here for the Withers.”

Out of the multiple gradedstakes-winning Forest Wildcat mare Wild Gams, Dubyuhnell is a half sibling to multiple graded stakes winner Cazadero. Bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, he banked $137,500 in victory while improving his record to 3-2-0-0. He returned $10 for a $2 win bet.

The post ‘Maybe We’ll Be Somewhere In May’: Dubyuhnell Gamely Prevails In Stretch-Long Duel For Remsen Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Put to a drive on the backstretch by jockey Luis Saez, odds-on favorite Julia Shining didn't make it look easy but got the job done nonetheless in the $250,000 Demoiselle (G2) on Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack, narrowly defeating the maiden Affirmative Lady in the nine-furlong race for 2-year-old fillies.

The Demoiselle, run for the 101st time, kicked off a sequence of four graded stakes races on the program led by the Grade 1, $750,000 Cigar Mile Handicap presented by NYRA Bets. As part of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, the Demoiselle also awarded qualifying points of 10-4-3-2-1 to its top-five finishers.

In victory, Julia Shining, a full sister to reigning champion 3-year-old filly Malathaat, replicated her older sister's success in this event in 2020.

A runaway maiden winner at Keeneland's Fall Meet, Julia Shining was making just her second career start in the Demoiselle for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher and Stonestreet Stables, who also bred the Curlin filly out of Dreaming of Julia, by A.P. Indy. Dealing with rainy conditions over a sloppy and sealed track, her inexperience was really put to the test after she broke near the back of the field of seven as Tribal Queen went out to lead through honest splits of :24.61 for the opening quarter-mile and :49.35 for the half.

Not satisfied with his position exiting the first turn, Saez began imploring Julia Shining for run on the backstretch and continued to work on her while the pair went wide around the far turn through three-quarters in 1:14.31. It wasn't until the field turned for home that the two were able to level off and make up appreciable ground, but by then Affirmative Lady had surged to the front and was loath to relinquish the lead. These two battled head and head in the final furlong, however, Julia Shining, despite making a wide rally that lasted the better part of the race, would not be denied and hit the wire a neck in front of her stubborn rival, completing the distance in 1:53.05.

“She was clearly not handling things [down the backstretch] and Luis was trying to encourage her to improve position and finally did it around the quarter pole,” said Pletcher. “Once she found a rhythm down the lane, she started to close and Luis said she kind of got her head in front and then wanted to wait a little bit.

“Clearly she has tons of natural talent and is still putting it all together,” the trainer added. “We knew from her debut that she didn't like the kickback, and you add the sloppy track into that today, so that was our biggest concern was trying to get her into the clear. Unfortunately, the only way to get her into the clear was to go pretty wide, but she's got so much natural stamina that we felt the mile and an eighth was really going to play to her strengths.”

The win was Julia Shining's second from two career starts, with her earnings now at $194,075. She returned $3.10 on a $2 win wager as the heavy favorite.

Trained by Graham Motion for AMO Racing USA, Affirmative Lady fought doggedly under Hall of Famer John Velazquez but remained a maiden when the dust settled. Her runner-up finish in the Demoiselle actually represents her best placing to date, with the gray Arrogate filly having previously gotten a third and a fourth to begin her career at Keeneland.

“The dirt was hitting her and I saved ground the best I could,” said Velazquez. “I put her in the clear and I heard the winner all the way from the half-mile pole right outside of me. I knew it was one of Todd's, either or. I'm thinking that I'll just hold my position where I was and hopefully when they come to me, she goes. She put up a good fight though. I'm very proud of her.”

The Pletcher-trained Gambling Girl finished third, three-quarters of a length behind Affirmative Lady, while Royal Spa and La Vita Sofia rounded out the top five. Foggy Night and Tribal Queen completed the order of finish.

The post Julia Shining Emulates Champion Full Sister Malathaat In Winning Demoiselle appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Iowa-bred sensation Tyler's Tribe is expected to start in the $150,000 Advent Stakes for 2-year-old sprinters Dec. 9 at Oaklawn, Tim Martin, the gelding's co-owner/trainer, said Saturday morning.

Post positions for the 5 ½-furlong Advent, which anchors the first of 68 scheduled racing dates in 2022-2023, were drawn Saturday morning. Tyler's Tribe, among nine entrants, is scheduled to break from post 5 under regular rider Kylee Jordan. First post Dec. 9 is 12:30 p.m. (CT), with probable post time for the Advent 3:46 p.m.

Tyler's Tribe completed major preparations for a projected Advent start by working three furlongs in :37.60 under Jordan just after the second renovation break Saturday morning at Oaklawn.

“Just a little maintenance move,” Martin, a Hot Springs resident, said moments after watching the work from the first turn. “He's fit. He's been running. He ran five weeks ago, obviously. I worked him a half last week. This was six days before the race. I'll scope him. If he's clean, we'll race. If he ain't … but he looks good.”

It was the second local work for Tyler's Tribe since he suffered his first career loss in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) Nov. 4 at Keeneland in his most recent start. Tyler's Tribe was eased and vanned off after bleeding in the 5 ½-furlong race.

Martin said he also considered Tyler's Tribe for the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 1 at Oaklawn, but decided to pass because the anti-bleeder medication Lasix is prohibited in Kentucky Derby points events. The use of race-day Lasix is also prohibited in the Breeders' Cup. Tyler's Trible ran without Lasix for the first time in the Juvenile Turf Sprint. Horses are allowed to run on Lasix in the Advent.

“I want to take the advantage of the Lasix right now,” Martin said before Saturday's work. “That's kind of why I backed off. I breezed him last week and he scoped good – no mucus, no blood, no nothing. We'll scope him again today and if everything's good, then I'll go. It's 5 ½. He'll like that.”

Tyler's Tribe was a four-time stakes winner at Prairie Meadows – all sprints – with two of the victories coming in open company, including the Prairie Meadows Freshman Aug. 27 by 15 ½ front-running lengths. Tyler's Tribe has won his five starts by a combined 59 ¾ lengths.

From the first crop of millionaire Grade 1 winner Sharp Azteca, Tyler's Tribe has won five of six starts and earned $306,294.

The projected nine-horse Advent field from the rail out, including jockey, weight: Count de Monet, Santo Sanjur, 117 pounds; C. J.'s Storm, Nik Juarez, 117; Too Much Info, Cristian Torres, 117; How Did He Do That, Isaac Castillo, 119; Tyler's Tribe, Kylee Jordan, 124; Happy Is a Choice, David Cabrera, 117; Frosted Departure, Francisco Arrieta, 124; Alto Road, Luis Quinonez, 117; and Wild Mule, Angel Rodriguez, 119.

The Advent goes as the eighth of nine races.

The post Tyler’s Tribe Aimed For Return In Oaklawn’s Advent Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Del Mar's ninth Bing Crosby Season will finish strongly Sunday with a nine-race card enhanced by the 42nd edition of the Grade 1, $400,000 Matriarch Stakes for fillies and mares as the highlight of the afternoon.

Adding additional luster to the fall finale is the Grade 3, $100,000 Cecil B. DeMille for 2-year-olds.

The Matriarch, which goes as Race 7, will be headed by its defending champion, Peter Brant's Regal Glory, a 6-year-old multi-millionaire mare who captured last year's edition of the stakes by two and a half lengths in a front-running effort. All told, the sparkling daughter of Animal Kingdom has won 12 of her 22 starts – most of them stakes – and banked a total of $2,379,134.

Regal Glory ran one of the few lackluster races of her career last out in the Breeders' Cup Mile against colts at Keeneland on November 5, but the fact that trainer Chad Brown put her on a plane headed west less than a month later speaks well of how she recovered from that effort. Top rider Flavien Prat has the call.

Brown has some serious history with the Matriarch at Del Mar. Of the eight runnings so far, he's shipped in and sent out the winner four times. And he'll be favored to do it again Sunday.

Here is the field for the Matriarch in post position order with riders and morning line odds:

1. Fortune Racing's Bipartisanship (Joe Bravo, 10-1);
2. West Point Thoroughbreds, Mercedes Stables or Mooney, et al's Emgland's Rose (Victor Espinoza, 12-1);
3. Reddam Racing's Eddie's New Dream (Mario Gutierrez, 20-1);
4. Hronis Racing or West Point Thoroughbreds' Gold for Kitten (Hector Berrios, 20-1);
5. Rockingham Ranch or Talia Racing's Hamwood Flier (Mike Smith, 5-1);
6. Regal Glory (8/5);
7. Team Valor International or Gary Barber's Wakanaka (Joel Rosario, 5-1);
8. Bobby Flay's Pizza Bianca (Umberto Rispoli, 6-1);
9. Madaket Stables, Dubb, LaPenta and Caruso's Dolce Zel (Irad Ortiz, Jr., 6-1), and
10. Benowitz, Madaket Stables or Wonder Stables, et al's Avenue de France (Juan Hernandez, 15-1).

In the Cecil B. DeMille, Pegram, Watson and Weitman's Speed Boat Beach well could be the one they've all got to beat. The Florida-bred by Bayern announced himself smartly when he broke the track record at Del Mar on September 10 in his racing debut, covering five and a half furlongs in 1:01.86 in a straight maiden race. Subsequently he captured a turf stakes at Santa Anita, then went unplaced in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland. Trainer Bob Baffert has given the call on his colt to Prat.

Here is the field for the DeMille in post position order with riders and morning line odds:

1. Downey or Robinson-Downey's Kolomio (Bravo, 20-1);
2. Agave Racing Stable, Knuckley or Lehman's Ransomware (Ramon Vazquez, 6-1);
3. Dr. Rodney Orr's First Peace (Smith, 5-1);
4. Mark Davis' Ah Jeez (Hernandez, 3-1);
5. Hronis Racing's Game Time (Rispoli, 6-1);
6. Drakos or Hanson's Ze'bul (Abel Cedillo, 5-1);
7. Speed Boat Beach (5/2);
8. Peter Johnson's Fleet Feet (Drayden Van Dyke, 12-1), and
9. George Todaro's Lloyds Logic (Edwin Maldonado, 20-1).

Besides all the usual closing day activities, the track also will offer a mandatory payout on its popular Pick Six Single Ticket Jackpot bet. Going into the Friday program, the wager's carryover was approaching the $400,000 mark and the bet could be worth multiple millions come Sunday. First post that day is 12:30 p.m.

The post Del Mar: Regal Glory Returns For Title Defense In Sunday’s Matriarch appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post