Tag: Racing

Calumet Farm's impressive 5 ¼-length allowance winner Running Bee leads a field of 11 3-year-olds that were entered in Sunday's 17th running of the $300,000 Commonwealth Turf (G3) on closing day at Churchill Downs.

The Commonwealth Turf, run at 1 1/16 miles on grass, will go as Race 11 of 12 with a post time of 5:56 p.m. (ET). Sunday's Fall Meet final program will get underway at 1 p.m. and feature mandatory payouts in all wagers including the 20-cent Derby City 6 Jackpot.

Trained by Chad Brown, the improving Running Bee cruised to a maiden-breaking score Aug. 10 at Saratoga when he circled past eight rivals to win by 3 ¾ lengths under jockey Manny Franco. Following an unsuccessful try at Kentucky Downs in the Dueling Grounds Derby (G3), the son of Calumet's late multiple leading turf sire English Channel returned to allowance company Oct. 26 at Keeneland where he easily defeated nine rivals in a front-running score under jockey Tyler Gaffalione and earned a professional 91 Brisnet Speed Rating. Gaffalione will once again have the call from post No. 3.

Running Bee was one of two horses supplemented for $3,000 each by Brown in the Commonwealth Turf. His stablemate, Klaravich Stable's Portfolio Company, was the runner-up finisher in last year's With Anticipation (G3) and $200,000 Pilgrim (G2). The son of Kitten's Joy will be ridden by Florent Geroux from post 9.

Three Diamonds Farm and Deuce Greathouse's American Turf (G2) winner Stolen Base will make his return to Churchill Downs in the Commonwealth Turf. Trained by Mike Maker, Stolen Base has not found the winner's circle since his triumph on Kentucky Derby Day in the American Turf. That day, the 3-year-old son of Bodemeister rallied from just off the pace to defeat nine rivals in the 1 1/16-mile event. Following his breakthrough victory, Stolen Base was well beaten in the Belmont Derby (G1), Hall of Fame (G2) and Bryan Station (G3). As a 2-year-old, Stolen Base's résumé includes runner-up efforts in the Bourbon (G2) and John Battaglia Memorial. Jockey Luis Saez will have the call from the rail.

Another graded stakes winner that entered the Commonwealth Turf is Donegal Racing's Hall of Fame winner Ready to Purrform. Campaigned by Brad Cox, Ready to Purrform scored a wire-to-wire win in the Aug. 5 Hall of Fame at Saratoga. The son of Kitten's Joy is 3-for-8 lifetime with one second and one third-place effort with purse earnings of $274,350. Ready to Purrform was well backed at odds of 9-2 in the Bryan Station but finished 10th, beaten 4 ¼ lengths. Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. has the call from post 6.

The full field from the rail out (with jockey, trainer): Stolen Base (Saez, Maker); Trademark (Rafael Bejarano, Vicki Oliver); Running Bee (Gaffalione, Brown); Play Action Pass (Edgar Morales, Robert Medina); Mount Rundle (Joe Talamo, Michelle Nihei); Ready to Purrform (Santana, Cox); Acutator (Martin Garcia, Michael McCarthy); Fighter in the Win (Gerardo Corrales, Maker); Portfolio Company (Geroux, Brown); Red Danger (Julien Leparoux, Brian Lynch); and Barberini (Vince Cheminaud, Arnaud Delacour).

The Commonwealth Turf is scheduled to be contested in Lane 1 of the turf course.

The post Dominant Allowance Winner Running Bee One Of Two Brown-Trained Supplemental Entries To Commonwealth Turf appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Rich Strike is on the cusp of history as he will attempt to become only the 15th Kentucky Derby winner in the last 148 years to be victorious in the $750,000 Clark Stakes (G1).

“Richie,” as he's called by his owner Rick Dawson of RED TR Racing and trainer Eric Reed, is the first Derby winner to attempt the Clark since 1997 Derby winner Silver Charm won the 1998 Clark as a 4-year-old. In the last century it's been extremely rare to even have a Derby winner attempt to run in the Clark, especially in their 3-year-old season.

In 1970, Dust Commander returned to Churchill Downs for the Clark but only managed to finish third behind Watch Fob and Spud.

It's been since 1901 when His Eminence won both the Kentucky Derby and the Clark as a 3-year-old.

“It might even be another good omen that it's been a long time since someone has pulled this off, especially with what happened in the Derby being the second-longest price to ever win,” Reed said.

Rich Strike was tabbed as the 2-1 morning line favorite in the Clark where he'll make his start this month following a troubled fourth-place finish in the $6-million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Keeneland.

“If you were to ask me three months ago if I would've ever considered running in both races I likely would've said no,” Reed said. “Richie loves to train and the way he bounced out of that Classic showed us that he's ready to run again.”

The 1 1/8-mile Clark, which has run every year since 1875 at Churchill Downs, will go as Race 11 of 12 Friday with a post time of 5:56 p.m. (ET). First post for the “Black Friday” card is 1 p.m. and will also feature the 31st running of the $300,000 Mrs. Revere (G2) in Race 10.

The Clark field from the rail out (with jockey, trainer, morning-line odds): Proxy (Joel Rosario, Mike Stidham, 7-2); Trademark (Martin Garcia, Vicki Oliver, 20-1); Injunction (Rafael Bejarano, Carlo Vaccarezza, 6-1); Rich Strike (Leon, Reed, 2-1); Fulsome (Florent Geroux, Cox, 6-1); Last Samurai (Tyler Gaffalione, D. Wayne Lukas, 20-1); and West Will Power (Saez, Cox, 5-2).

The post Kentucky Derby Winner Rich Strike Looks To Pull Off Rare Double In Clark appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Longleggedlaverne capped off a fantastic season of racing with a win on the closing day card, sealing the deal as the 2022 Leading Thoroughbred Horse at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Guided by Joe Ramos, the lanky 5-year-old mare scored her seventh win of the meet to set a new record for most wins in one meet by a horse in both the Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse category.

Longleggedlaverne's journey has been full of twists and turns for Trainer Tianna Richardville. She claimed the mare at three at Horseshoe Indianapolis in the fall of 2020 and had two wins in four starts before losing her to a claim at Churchill Downs. She went to Fair Grounds with her new connections, but Richardville kept tabs on her. When they dropped her down to a $5,000 claiming price, she once again claimed her back into her barn.

“She was claimed from me for $20,000 and then they dropped her to $5,000 at Fair Grounds,” explained Richardville. “I got her in a seven-way shake and brought her back to Indiana. She is very hard to deal with and very aggressive in the mornings, so that probably played a factor in them dropping her down in price. She has quite a bit of attitude, but I know when she is kicking and squealing in the barn, she's ready to go.”

Since her return to the Richardville Stable, Longleggedlaverne has won eight races with the American Lion mare, including seven wins in her last nine starts. She just returned from the Claiming Crown Glass Slipper where she finished fourth at Churchill Downs before completing her five-year-old campaign with a win in Indiana. Jockey Joe Ramos has been aboard her for all eight of her wins with Richardville, whose Thirstyacres Racing LLC owns.

“She's just been on fire this year,” said Richardville. “I had Leading Horse with Wildcard Prado last year so to get it again this year with 'Laverne' is very special. I'm pretty proud to have had two really nice horses in my barn the past few years.”

Longleggedlaverne now has 14 career wins in 39 career starts. Her bankroll is now just shy of $200,000 lifetime. She is 11 of 12 at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Eric Halstrom, Vice President and General Manager of Racing, made the winner's circle presentation to Richardville and Troy Wage of Thirstyacres Racing along with Joe Ramos, jockey for Longleggedlaverne.

The 20^th season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing concludes Wednesday, Nov. 23. Live racing will return for the 21^st season in mid-April 2023, pending approval from the Indiana Horse Racing Commission. For more information on live racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis, visit www.caesars.com/horseshoe-indianapolis.

The post ‘She’s Just Been On Fire This Year’: Longleggedlaverne Honored For Seven-Win Season At Horseshoe Indianapolis appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Graded stakes-winner Runninsonofagun has been a consistent competitor throughout his entire career. After breaking through against stakes competition last out, the son of 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner will look to notch a second consecutive graded stakes score when he competes in Saturday's Grade 3, $175,000 Fall Highweight for 3-year-olds and up sprinting six furlongs on the Aqueduct Racetrack main track.

Owned by the Estate of Scott Zimmerman, Runninsonofagun is 4-1-5 in 11 career starts, with his lone non-placing coming when sixth in his stakes debut in March at the Big A in the Grade 3 Gotham. Since then, the sophomore gelding has earned black type in six consecutive starts, including a victory by a nose over Eastern Bay last out in the Grade 3 Bold Ruler contested at the Fall Highweight distance on October 29 at Aqueduct.

Conditioner John Toscano, Jr. saw his trainee earn a 97 Beyer Speed Figure for that effort, which came after three straight third-place finishes against high-caliber competition, starting with the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 2 Amsterdam in July at Saratoga Race Course and following with the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial in August [also garnering a 97 Beyer] at the Spa before the Grade 2 Gallant Bob in September at Parx.

“He seems to get better and better with every start,” Toscano, Jr. said. “He has a lot of fight in him. No matter where I place him, he gives us 100 percent. It looks like he enjoys running at Aqueduct, but to be honest, he has performed well at Saratoga and Belmont as well.”

As the post-Thanksgiving Black Friday deals are advertised, Toscano, Jr. said he thinks back to when his barn received a great value when claiming Runninsonofagun for $40,000 on New Year's Eve 2021. Entering the weekend, he has already amassed $341,050 in earnings in 2022 and can still add to that total.

“We got extremely lucky with him; not bad for a $40,000 claimer,” Toscano, Jr. said.

Runninsonofagun, assigned a co-field high 132 pounds, will have rider Kendrick Carmouche in the irons from post 7.

Michael Scheffres' Factor It In [post 6, Irad Ortiz, Jr. 132 pounds] gave Runninsonofagun a strong challenge in the stretch in the Bold Ruler, finishing a half-length off the winner and just a neck behind runner-up Eastern Bay for a strong third-place effort.

That marked the 6-year-old's first graded stakes appearance since 2020 and just his third overall in a career that started in 2018. Trained by Carlos Mancilla, Factor It In has only improved with age, posting a 2-1-1 ledger in four starts this year while finishing in-the-money in all three stakes appearances, placing second in the Chesapeake in August at Colonial Downs and winning the Challedon on October 1 at Laurel Park before returning to the Big A later in the month.

West Point Thoroughbreds and Marvin Delfiner's Jaxon Traveler, a graded-stakes winner after capturing the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint in May at Pimlico, will be competing for the first time since finishing eighth in the Bold Ruler. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, the Maryland-bred son of Munnings finished third in the Ben's Cat in July at Laurel and second in the Lite the Fuse in September at Pimlico before returning to graded stakes company.

Jaxon Traveler, assigned 131 pounds, will now get another opportunity against Runninsonofagun, drawing post 2 with Jose Lezcano on the call.

Greeley and Ben [post 1, Manny Franco, 130 pounds], owned by Darryl Abramowitz, was fourth in the Bold Ruler and followed with a 1 3/4-length victory in a six-furlong allowance contest on November 10 at Aqueduct for trainer Faith Wilson.

The 8-year-old veteran, who has a 22-7-2 record in 38 career starts, will look to capitalize on his experience and make his third consecutive start at Aqueduct.

Mahendra Kallap's Bezos has won back-to-back starts at the Big A and will look to notch a third straight victory, drawing post 4 with jockey Omar Hernandez Moreno set to ride for trainer Chandradat Goberdhan. He will carry just 123 pounds.

Rounding out the field is Happy Farm, who has posted two wins and four runner-up efforts in his last six starts, and is trained by Michael Miceli [post 3, Dylan Davis, 128 pounds]; and Synthesis, who bested optional claiming company in a 6 1/2-furlong sprint last out on September 30 at Belmont at the Big A for trainer David Jacobson [post 5, Jose Ortiz, 128 pounds].

The 109th running of the Fall Highweight is carded as Race 8 on Saturday's 10-race program, which also features the Grade 2, $300,000 Red Smith for 3-year-olds and up competing at 1 3/8 miles on the inner turf and the $120,000 Central Park for 2-year-olds going one mile on the turf. First post is 11:50 a.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the best way to bet every race of the Aqueduct Racetrack fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

The post Consistent Runninsonofagun Headlines Aqueduct’s Fall Highweight appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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