Tag: Racing

Candy Overload was full of run late to notch his first stakes victory in the $203,300 Kennedy Road (G3) for 3-year-olds and up Sunday at Woodbine.

Multiple graded stakes winner Silent Poet skipped out to lead the field of 10 in the six-furlong Tapeta event, with even-money choice Arzak pressing through an opening quarter in :22.41, while late-running Candy Overload was unhurried and settled into ninth spot.

Arzak, a head on top, and Silent Poet continued their upfront battle and took their rivals through a brisk half in :44.85, as Sahin Civaci, aboard Candy Overload, kept the 4-year-old son of Reload running unfettered in eighth place.

The front-end tussle remained through three-quarters, as Candy Overload began to circle rivals to the far outside, setting up a clear path down the lane in an attempt to reel in the leaders.

Silent Poet took over the proceedings at the stretch call, but Ice Chocolat soon arrived on the scene, while Candy Overload continued to gobble up ground, eventually getting the measure of his stablemate, 19-1 Ice Chocolat, to notch a three-quarter length win in a time of 1:09.17. Lucky Score rallied stoutly to finish third. Silent Poet held on for fourth.

Bred in Ontario by Northern Dawn Stables Inc. and Denny Andrews, the bay gelding is trained by Mark Casse for owners Leonard Schleifer, Wachtel Stable, and Gary Barber.

With the win, Candy Overload is now 4-5-1 from 15 career starts.

“Today, the races were playing the speed,” said Civaci. “But I knew we had to come off [the pace], so that was a little bit challenging. I had a good trip overall. I had the outside and when the horse kicked on down the lane, it was clear and he ran good.”

Candy Overload debuted on July 12, 2020 at Woodbine and finished sixth. One race later, he broke his maiden courtesy of a 37-1 upset at 6 ½-furlongs over the Woodbine Tapeta.

He paid $17.40 for Sunday's win.

The post Determined Late Run Propels Candy Overload To First Stakes Win In Kennedy Road appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Seven-time winner and multiple graded stakes placed Baby Yoda will pursue his first stakes triumph in Saturday's $750,000 Cigar Mile Handicap (G1) at Aqueduct Racetrack, owner Adam Wachtel said.

Owned by Wachtel Stable, Gary Barber, and Pantofel Stable and trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Baby Yoda was most recently a close second as the favorite in the Kelso Handicap (G2) on October 29 at Belmont at the Big A. He set a moderate tempo on the backstretch before being passed up by upset winner and probable returning rival Double Crown inside the sixteenth pole.

A four-time winner of eight starts this season, the 4-year-old Florida-bred Prospective gelding defeated starter-allowance company going six furlongs twice in Kentucky at the beginning of the year before securing allowance optional-claiming scores on the NYRA circuit going seven furlongs and a one-turn mile, respectively. He was a narrowly beaten second in the Pelican at Tampa Bay Downs in his 2022 debut and was a distant second to Flightline in last year's Malibu (G1) at Santa Anita.

Overall, Baby Yoda has a 7-3-2 career line from 15 outings and $525,720 in earnings.

Baby Yoda worked a half-mile in :48.60 over the Belmont Park training track on Saturday.

“He's a little bit of a folk hero, but he's never won a stakes race,” Wachtel said. “He's come close a couple times, he finished second to Flightline in the Malibu. I would hope that we get some weight from some of these others. But so far, that's the plan. If he comes out of yesterday's work in good shape, we'll be there next Saturday.”

Baby Yoda is most well-known for recording a 114 Beyer Speed Figure at allowance level last September at Saratoga, defeating eventual Grade 1-winning stablemate Olympiad by 4 1/4 lengths going 6 1/2 furlongs.

“That was quite something. I came up that day on a last minute trip and I knew he was training well and I knew how good Olympiad was,” Wachtel recalled. “That was quite the extraordinary effort. The next morning, I was at the training track and other trainers that I knew were making comments about how good the horse was. He's been a really cool horse that's run in big races against big competition. We gave him a little class relief in Kentucky this spring running in some starter races, just trying to get his confidence back up.”

The post ‘He’s A Little Bit Of A Folk Hero’: Baby Yoda Will Try For Elusive First Stakes Win In Cigar Mile appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Adam Wachtel, part-owner of the Bill Mott-trained 2020 Champion Turf Male Channel Maker, said the 8-year-old English Channel gelding will remain in training in 2023.

The earner of over $3.7 million was seventh in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf on November 5 at Keeneland last out to cap off a season that included victories in the  Elkhorn (G2) in April at Keeneland and the Grand Couturier in July at Belmont Park.

“Physically, the horse looks unbelievable. He's 8-years-old and Bill and his staff said this summer that he looks better now than he did two years ago,” Wachtel said. “He's all dappled out and he looks phenomenal, and he hasn't lost anything. As long as he is physically well enough, we see no reason why we shouldn't go on with him. He's getting a little break, but he's not leaving the track. We probably won't run him until late February at the earliest.”

Channel Maker, bred in Ontario by Tall Oaks Farm, has won some of the NYRA circuit's premier events for turf horses, including the 2019 Man o' War (G1), 2020 Sword Dancer Invitational (G1) and 2018 and 2020 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (G1).

Also co-owned by Gary Barber, R. A. Hill Stable, and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Channel Maker was bred in Ontario by Tall Oaks Farm. He won the 2017 Sovereign Award as Canada's Champion 3-Year-Old Male.

The post ‘The Horse Looks Unbelievable’: Former Champion Channel Maker To Stay In Training In 2023 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Third favorite Vela Azul captured his first top-level win Sunday in the $7,513,043 Japan Cup (G1) at Tokyo Racecourse, giving his sire Eishin Flash his first Grade 1 winner.

With British-based three-time champion rider Ryan Moore aboard, Vela Azul was forced to travel in a tight, two-wide and midfield position up to the final corner behind a slow pace set by Unicorn Lion.

Trapped behind a wall of horses, Moore guided Vela Azul to running room 300 meters out, but then the colt was forced to switch paths to avoid the tiring Danon Beluga just after passing the furlong pole. He dug in fiercely on cue and overtook the dueling Shahryar and Weltreisende 50 meters to the wire to win by three-quarters of a length.

Time for the about 1 ½-mile race was 2:23.7 on turf rated as firm.

“He broke OK,” winning trainer Kunihiko Watanabe of Velz Azul, who began his career racing on dirt as a 3-year-old. “The pace was rather slow, but my horse has a good late charge and I trusted him to make a good run.

“He was in good condition coming into this race, but he exceeded our expectation. He is 5 years old, but he gets better and better and still has room for improvement. The reason for racing him on dirt early in his career was because he had leg issues (fractures) as a young colt, and in order to race him with less risk he was raced on dirt. However, I did think he had an aptitude to race well on turf and it was only a matter of timing as to when to shift to turf racing,”

Moore said he felt lucky to ride such a talented horse.

“The pace was very steady for the Japan Cup,” he said. “The horse never had much room, but when he did he quickened up very well, so he was very impressive today. I had a good horse that got me out front and we had a nice spot–it wasn't too far off the pace and following a good horse, the horse in front was having to wait and I was having to wait (too), and when he found a bit of room he quickened up very well. I suppose for today being towards the inside wasn't a disadvantage.”

Breaking from stall 15, race favorite Shahryar was eased to a lower rearward position after sitting in midpack as the bunched-up field cruised down the backstretch.

After meeting traffic then finding a clear path two furlongs out, the Sheema Dubai Classic (G1) victor kicked into gear and rallied with Danon Beluga and Weltreisende into the last furlong but was outrun by the strong-closing winner, while beating a stubborn Weltreisende and Danon Beluga, who dropped behind earlier, and cleared the wire three-quarters of a length behind in second.

Fourth pick Weltreisende sat in fifth from the pace, was blocked in early stretch and after squeezing through a gap for clear sailing, briefly took over the lead at the furlong marker but was caught by the runner- up 100 meters out and then the hard-closing winner for a neck third.

Vela Azul is campaigned by Carrot Farm Co. Ltd. and was bred by Northern Farm from the Kurofune mare Vela Blanca.

The post Moore Deftly Guides Vela Azul To Japan Cup Triumph appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post