Tag: Racing

Bubble Rock broke alertly and led every step of the way to win Friday's 30th running of the $300,000 Mrs. Revere (G2) for 3-year-old fillies at Churchill Downs by 1 ¼ lengths over Joyful Applause.

Owned and bred by John Ed Anthony's Shortleaf Stable Inc., Bubble Rock ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.05 over a firm Matt Winn Turf Course to collect her third stakes win and second against graded company. Joel Rosario rode the winner for trainer Brad Cox and returned two races later guide Proxy to victory in the Clark (G1).

Bubble Rock, who previously won the Matron (G3) at age 2 and Cincinnati Trophy at Turfway Park earlier this year, banked the $177,250 first prize and rewarded her backers with $5.32as the 8-5 betting choice in the field of 10.

She went straight to the front and set moderate fractions of :24.17, :49.26, and 1:13.75 as longshots Joyful Applause and Take a Stand tracked about one length back in second and third, respectively, down the backstretch. Bubble Rock was never seriously threatened into the final turn or in the stretch and the top three finished in the same position nearly all the way around the trip.

“She broke very well from the gate and took me to an easy lead down the stretch,” Rosario said. “She got into a really good rhythm and we weren't going too fast down the backside. I could feel around the turn I still had a lot of horse beneath me and she was able to kick clear in the stretch.”

Joyful Applause, at odds of 34-1 under Edgar Morales, was second, while Take a Stand, ridden by Fernando De La Cruz, was another 1 ½ lengths back in third at 38-1.

Lovely Princess, Quality Star, She's Gone, Lady Puchi, Fancy Martini, California Angel, and Sweet Lady Ivanka completed the order of finish. Have a Good Day was scratched.

The winner's share of the purse pushed Bubble Rock's earnings to $508,793 from a record of 4-2-1 in 10 starts. Prior to the Mrs. Revere, Bubble Rock finished fourth in the Valley View (G3) at Keeneland on Oct. 28.

“We're very proud of her effort today,” Cox said. “She's a filly that we tried multiple distances with, and at the end of a 3-year-old campaign this was a target for us. She's run well at Turfway in the past so we could keep that as a target this winter.”

Bubble Rock is a dark bay or brown daughter of More Than Ready out of the Giant's Causeway mare Reef Point and was bred in Kentucky by her owner.

The Mrs. Revere is named in honor of an accomplished Churchill Downs fan favorite in the mid-1980s. Mrs. Revere won 12 races in 28 starts, finished second seven times and earned $429,545 for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Her six wins in a dozen starts at Churchill Downs included stakes triumphs in the Regret, Dogwood and Edgewood in 1984 and the Kentucky Cardinal in 1985. She was owned by Dr. Hiram Polk and the late Dr. David Richardson, who have provided the winner's trophy for the Mrs. Revere in each year of its existence.

The post Bubble Rock Kicks Clear Going Wire To Wire In Mrs. Revere appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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In a thrilling run down the Churchill Downs stretch, Godolphin's 4-year-old homebred Proxy was able to run down pacesetter West Will Power inside the final sixteenth of mile and win the148th running of the $750,000 Clark (G1) by three-quarters of a length to collect his elusive first stakes win.

Meanwhile, Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Rich Strike, who finished fourth in the Breeders' Cup Classic (GI) just 20 days ago, finished last of six as the only 3-year-old in the race.

Proxy clocked 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:48.89 under jockey Joel Rosario, who rode the winner for trainer Mike Stidham.

For Godolphin, it was their second straight Clark win with a homebred as they took last year's renewal with Maxfield.

The lofty first prize of $458,970 lifted Proxy's earnings to $971,220 from a record of 4-5-2 in 13 starts.

A seemingly hard-luck colt, Proxy is nearly a millionaire after collecting the first stakes win of his career. At age 3, he finished second in a pair of Road to the Kentucky Derby prep races at Fair Grounds, the Lecomte (G3) behind Midnight Bourbon and Risen Star (G2) behind Mandaloun. He'd conclude his 2021 season with fourth-place finishes in the Louisiana Derby (G2) and Lexington (G3). Proxy's 4-year-old campaign this season included runner-up efforts in the New Orleans Classic (G2) behind Olympiad and the listed Blame Stakes behind Dynamic One, as well as a pair of thirds in the Ben Ali (G3) and Stephen Foster (G2).

Rested since the July 2 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs, Proxy was fresh off the 146-day layoff and sat just back of pacesetter and 8-5 favorite West Will Power, the winner of the Fayette (G2) at Keeneland in his last start who dictated the pace through comfortable fractions of :23.94, :48.51, and 1:12.76. The two drew nearly even leaving the final turn with West Will Power in front by a half-length of Proxy, who chased wide from the five path. They matched strides down the lane, but a surging Proxy grabbed command inside the final 50 yards for the triumph.

“This was his first start in a few months so he was a little sharper leaving the gate,” Rosario said. “He was a little bit further back in his last start here in the Stephen Foster than I expected him to be. I knew (West Will Power) was really the only horse that had early speed in the race so I didn't want to let him get away easily. He was very professional today throughout. (West Will Power) didn't want to give in. He was very tough on the lead and I had to work pretty hard to get by him.”

Proxy, the 2-1 second betting choice, rewarded his backers with $7.08 to win. West Will Power, with Luis Saez up, finished 2 1/2 lengths in front of third-place finisher Fulsome, under Florent Geroux.

“I was a little shocked he showed as much speed as he did,” Stidham said of Proxy. “That could have been because of how fresh he was coming off the layoff. We had this race as a target when we gave him a break following the Stephen Foster. It's very special for him to get his first graded stakes win as a Grade 1. I think Joel (Rosario) knew from riding (West Will Power) last time in the Fayette that he would show early speed again. When he broke as sharp as he did, he didn't take position away from him. I was confident he'd have enough left in the stretch by his pedigree. He's bred to go a mile-and-a-quarter. There are a lot of options now going forward. I'd love to get back to the Dubai World Cup (G1), but going into 2023 there's a lot still on the table after a win like today.”

Last Samurai finished fourth and was followed by Injunction and Rich Strike. Trademark was scratched.

“He was in a good position at the rail, but turning for home he didn't have anything left at all,” said Rich Strike's trainer, Eric Reed. “We knew it was a big risk running him back in three weeks. Sometimes you're the hero and sometimes you're the goat.”

Proxy is a son of Tapit out of the multiple Grade 1-winning Include mare Panty Raid who was bred in Kentucky by his owners.

The Clark, named for Churchill Downs founder Col. M. Lewis Clark, was run for the first time in 1875 during the first racing meet at Churchill Downs, which was then known as the Louisville Jockey Club. Like the Kentucky Derby and Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1), the Clark has been renewed annually without interruption since its first running.

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Colts Neck Stables' Nothing Better kept a consistent season afloat, utilizing his typical front-running tactics to score a second stakes victory in Friday's $150,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship, a six-furlong test for 3-year-olds and upward over Aqueduct's outer turf course.

Trained by Jorge Duarte Jr., Nothing Better has never finished out of the money in six starts this season, including a stakes conquest in the Rainbow Heir on August 14 at Monmouth Park. The 5-year-old Munnings gelding carried his good form into a deep field that included of three graded stakes winners, turning back several challenges to win by a half-length.

Nothing Better emerged well from post 3 under Horacio Karamanos with New York-bred and 2-1 favorite Dancing Buck tracking a close second through an opening quarter-mile in :22.16 over the firm turf. Nearing upper stretch through a half-mile in :44.37, Dancing Buck inched his way to even terms with Nothing Better, with the latter kicking away from his foe past the eighth-pole, but a new challenge loomed as Anaconda launched a late rally in the final furlong. Nothing Better had enough in the tank to maintain his advantage to the wire, covering the six furlongs in 1:07.61.

Anaconda finished another 1 3/4 lengths ahead of late-closing Thin White Duke. Completing the order of finish were Chewing Gum, Voodoo Zip, Dancing Buck, Scuttlebuzz, Run Curtis Run, Gear Jockey, and Yes and Yes. Bad Beat Brian and Nathan Detroit were scratched.

Returning a cool $20.20 for a $2 win wager, Nothing Better banked $82,500 in victory, which brought his career earnings up to $356,317 and record to 18-7-2-3. He saw added ground from his previous start, arriving off a one-length allowance triumph under Jevian Toledo going 5 1/2 furlongs over the Laurel Park turf.

Duarte, whose last stakes win on the NYRA circuit came with Introduced in the 2020 Smart N Fancy at Saratoga Race Course, said he knew the Michelle Nevin-trained Dancing Buck would be his biggest competition.

“Michelle's horse had some gas, too. But my horse has been very fast at Monmouth, which is known to be a speedy track. We planned to play the break and try to go to the lead if they let us,” Duarte said. “Once you commit [to the lead] here, you hardly see a speed duel. The guys here are pretty smart about that, so we tried to take advantage of that and today it worked out.”

Karamanos said he did exactly what was requested of him.

“The trainer told me, 'Break in front and don't look back,' so that's what I did. Jorge has done a good job with this horse,” Karamanos said. “He's improving. Last time at Laurel, he won really nicely. He didn't win with me, but he did it in a nice time – 1:02 and change. So, I felt like I had a nice shot. This is a really nice horse.”

Karamanos said he was pleasantly surprised when Dancing Buck and last out stakes winner Run Curtis Run were not as keen to make the lead.

“I sent him out and I took the lead right away,” Karamanos said. “I got him to relax a little and then at the eighth pole, I let him pick it up. He gave me one beautiful kick to the wire.”

Duarte, who recently celebrated his 100th career win, said Nothing Better would likely get a freshening for the winter before resuming serious business in spring 2023.

Bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto Corporation, Nothing Better is out of the Duke of Marmalade mare One True Love, who is a half sister to Grade 1 winner Folk Opera.

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