Tag: Racing

Instant Coffee rallied wide into a slow pace and surged to the front inside the final sixteenth to win the $399,625 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) by 1 ¼ lengths over Curly Jack on Saturday while providing jockey Luis Saez his sixth victory on the “Stars of Tomorrow II” program for 2-year-olds at Churchill Downs.

Instant Coffee, owned by Al Gold's Gold Square LLC and trained by Brad Cox, ran 1 1/16 miles over a fast track in 1:45.25, earned $238,440 and collected 10 points as part of the “Road to the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve” series, which offered points on a scale of 10-4-3-2-1 to the Top 5 finishers as a “Prep Season” race.

“This is one of the biggest reasons why we do this – to be on the Road to the Kentucky Derby,” Cox said. “We're extremely proud of this colt to win like that in just his third start. He really does whatever you ask of him in the morning. It was a pretty slow pace but Luis kept after him and he was able to keep grinding out the win.”

Instant Coffee was rated wide in seventh down the backstretch about four lengths back as Gigante led the field of nine 2-year-olds colts through dawdling fractions of :24.76, :50, and 1:15.02. Cyclone Mischief briefly poked his head in front leaving the final turn as Instant Coffee came under a drive and moved into fifth as the field began to bunch. Instant Coffee, who raced four-to-five paths wide throughout, proved to be best in the stretch as eight of the nine entrants were in contention down the lane.

He broke a little bit slow today so we got behind the pace,” Saez said. “I was a little worried because they weren't really going fast at all up front and I was pretty wide. I could tell around the far turn my horse was trying very hard and I was very confident in him. We were able to make a big run into the lane and he kept finding more. He's a young horse who's just getting started and figuring things out.”

Instant Coffee paid $5.08 as the 3-2 favorite. Curly Jack, under Edgar Morales, was second, and Hayes Strike was another head back in third with Rafael Bejarano aboard.

It was a nose back to Red Route One in fourth and another nose back to Denington in fifth. They were followed by Gigante, Cyclone Mischief, Freedom Trail, and a distanced Western Ghent.

Overall, Instant Coffee has won three of his three starts with earnings of $322,815. His lone blemish was a fourth-place finish in the Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland in his previous start.

Instant Coffee, a son of Bolt d'Oro out of the Uncle Mo mare Follow No One, was bred in Kentucky by Sagamore Farm.

Saez's six victories on the day – Determinedly ($4.22) in Race 1, Victory Formation ($4.74) in Race 3, Vahva ($5) in Race 4, Point Proven ($6.50) in Race 5, Worthington ($9.10) in Race 6 and Instant Coffee ($5.08) in Race 11 – was just the 12th time that milestone has occurred at Churchill Downs, which opened in 1875. It fell one win short of the track record of seven, set by Pat Day on June 20, 1984 and matched by Julien Leparoux on Nov. 11, 2008.

The Kentucky Jockey Club is named in honor of the holding company that operated Churchill Downs at the time of the race's inaugural running in 1920. In recent years, the Kentucky Jockey Club produced Kentucky Derby (G1) winners in WinStar Farm's Super Saver, who won both races for trainer Todd Pletcher in 2009 and '10, and Mike Pegram's Real Quiet, the runner-up in the 1997 Kentucky Jockey Club who returned to win the Derby the following spring.

The post Instant Coffee Rolls To Kentucky Jockey Club Score At Churchill Downs, Caps Six-Win Day For Saez appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The stars aligned for John M. B. O'Connor's Astronaut to wire a talented field of 12 under expert handling from Kendrick Carmouche in Saturday's Grade 2, $300,000 Red Smith, a 1 3/8-mile inner turf marathon for 3-year-olds and up, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Tom Albertrani, the 5-year-old son of Quality Road scored the second graded victory of his career and first for his conditioner after rejoining his stable in October. Astronaut, who began his career with Albertrani in early 2020, moved west to the care of trainer John Shirreffs for his 4-year-old campaign and claimed victory in the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap going the Red Smith distance last August at Del Mar. He returned to Albertrani after making his seasonal debut in September at Del Mar and posted a game third-place finish last out in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on October 8 at Belmont at the Big A.

“I had him early on in his career before he went to California, and we always did like the horse back then,” Albertrani said. “He always looked like a horse that had talent. He had some good races out in California and I think that one race off the layoff set him up for his last two.”

Astronaut, who broke sharply from post 4, rushed up to claim the lead from Highest Honors to his inside and marked an opening quarter-mile in :24.81 and a half-mile in :49.82 over the firm going. Astronaut maintained his advantage as the spread-out field passed the stands for the first time with a keen Cold Hard Cash holding second position over Highest Honors.

The Chad Brown-trained Highest Honors, under strong urging from Irad Ortiz Jr., began his bid after three-quarters in 1:14.98 and came within striking distance of Astronaut at the top of the stretch, but the pacesetter had something left in the tank and kicked clear as the field passed the eighth pole and crossed the wire three lengths the best in a final time of 2:14 flat.

Highest Honors secured place honors 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Cold Hard Cash, who fended off the late bid of longshot Daunt by a neck. Balthus, Beacon Hill, Mooney Love, Shawdyshawdyshawdy, Soldier Rising, Temple, Reigning Spirit and Dynadrive completed the order of finish. Main-track only entrants Kinetic Sky and I Am the Law were scratched.

Albertrani said he was pleased to see speed from Astronaut after stalking in the Joe Hirsch.

“We were looking for the lead today. We stayed close last time and we thought we might be able to steal it on the lead today,” said Albertrani. “Kendrick did the right thing and made the right choice.”

Carmouche, who won four races on Saturday's card, said Astronaut captured the victory with ease.

“The horse ran an amazing race last time in the Grade 1,” Carmouche said. “This time, I wanted to put him into the race and see if they would let me walk the dog a little bit and when he came off the bit around the second turn, I knew I was a winner. I just had to make sure I was still going easy. Tom Albertrani and the owner spotted this horse right and they made us a winner.

“He's a very funny horse with his mouth, so once you get him on the bit it's hard to get him off of it,” Carmouche added. “By the time the second turn came around, I dropped his head a little and he relaxed even better. Going into the backside, I knew it was to that point.”

Albertrani said he plans to bring Astronaut south and decide his next start from there.

“This horse has been in great form. John did a great job bringing him over to the East Coast here and I just put the finishing touches on him,” Albertrani said. “He's been in good form and hopefully we keep him that way. Hopefully, we'll move down to Tampa with him and be choosing between there and Gulfstream with him. We'll see how he settles in when he gets there.”

Astronaut, who was bred in Kentucky by Anastasie Astrid Christiasen-Croy, banked $165,000 for his winning effort, boosting his total purse earnings to $511,860 through a record of 14-3-5-1. He returned $32 for a $2 win ticket.

Chad Brown, trainer of Highest Honors and fifth-place finisher Balthus, said the former gave his best effort.

“He was second best today, but I thought he got a very good trip,” said Brown. “I thought both horses got good trips. Balthus looked like maybe he didn't handle the turf, he just didn't fire today. Both horses I thought got great trips and great rides.

“I think both horses will go south for the winter,” Brown continued. “I'll talk to each individual owner and see what they want to do and if they want to kick on to Gulfstream or just give them a break.”

The post Astronaut Powers Gate To Wire For Easy Red Smith Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The 8-year-old Greeley and Ben, expertly piloted by Manny Franco for owner Darryl E. Abramowitz, made the grade in his 39th career start, staving off the late charge of Runninsonofagun to post a narrow neck score in Saturday's Grade 3, $175,000 Fall Highweight at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Greeley and Ben was making his first start for trainer Faith Wilson, who notched her first career win in May 2021 at Monmouth Park, and provided the conditioner with her first graded score.

“I wish my kids [Chelsea and Christian] were here for this, but it's a far drive from New Jersey every day that me and my husband [Carlos Cortez] take,” Wilson said.

Greeley and Ben, carrying 130 pounds, turned the tables on Runninsonofagun after finishing fourth to his familiar foe in the six-furlong Bold Ruler (G3) at Aqueduct in October. The Greeley's Conquest gelding exited that effort to capture a six-furlong allowance tilt at Aqueduct on November 10.

“We loved him since he came to the barn and he's just been getting better and better,” Wilson said. “The starter allowance was supposed to be a confidence booster for him last time. Since then, he's been wild in his training, so he was proud of himself since that last win going into here. We were pretty impressed with how he was doing.”

Bezos set the tempo in the Fall Highweight, surging to the lead through splits of :22.90 and :46.67 over the fast main track with Jaxon Traveler tracking along the rail in second. Greely and Ben advanced from third position through the turn, cutting the corner into the stretch run to duel for the lead with Jaxon Traveler as Factor It In, a close third in the Bold Ruler, and Runninsonofagun took aim.

All four rivals were in with a shout in the final 70 yards but a game and determined Greeley and Ben stuck his neck out to prevail in a final time of 1:11.95 for the six furlongs. Runninsonofagun completed the exacta by a head over Factor It In with Jaxon Traveler another head back in fourth. Synthesis, Happy Farm and Bezos rounded out the order of finish.

Franco, who won the Notebook at Aqueduct Friday with Acoustic Ave, said he wanted a prominent trip.

“My main thing was I wanted to get him to break well and stay close,” Franco said. “I just hugged the rail the whole way around. In the stretch, the horse on the lead opened up the rail and my horse just went through and did the rest. He fought hard.”

Kendrick Carmouche, aboard the mutuel favorite Runninsonofagun, said he was proud of the effort from the John Toscano, Jr. trainee, who shared co-highweight honors of 132 pounds with Factor It In.

“My horse ran so good. It would be different if he could have leveled off and opened up on them, but he brings you there so easy thinking you've got so much horse,” Carmouche said. “But overall, the horse gave his best effort. I had him in the right place to win and the owners and the trainer would have liked to have won this one before we put him away for the season and start him over next year.”

The Fall Highweight was just the third graded attempt for Greeley and Ben, who was a close-up third in last year's Grade 3 Whitmore at Oaklawn Park for his then conditioner Karl Broberg. The well-traveled gelding moved barns several times since that effort before being claimed for $40,000 by trainer Jeffrey Englehart from a winning effort in September at Saratoga.

Bred in Kentucky by Millard R. Seldin Revocable Trust, Greeley and Ben banked $96,250 in victory while improving his record to 39-23-7-2. He returned $16.80 for a $2 win bet.

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