Tag: Racing

With six days to go until the opening of Keeneland's 17-day Fall Meet, fields are taking shape for the Oct. 7-9 Fall Stars Weekend, which will offer 11 stakes worth $5.45 million.

Nine of the races are Breeders' Cup Challenge tests (*) that award the winners fees-paid berths into corresponding races at the 39^th World Championships, which will be held Nov. 4-5 at Keeneland.

According to Keeneland Stakes Coordinator Allison De Luca, the possible starters for the stakes are as follows:

Friday, Oct. 7. Entries taken Tuesday, Oct. 4

*$500,000 Darley Alcibiades (G1), 2-year-old fillies, 1 1/16 miles: Boss Lady Bailey (trainer John Ortiz), Chop Chop (Brad Cox), Essaouira (Graham Motion), Fun and Feisty (Kenny McPeek), Infinite Diamond (Patrick Biancone), Just Cindy (Eddie Kenneally), Stellar Lady (McPeek), Wonder Wheel (Mark Casse).

*$350,000 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix (G2), 3-year-olds and up, 6 furlongs: Baytown Bear (Paul McEntee), Long Range Toddy (Dallas Stewart), Meraas (Chad Summers), Necker Island (Chris Hartman), Nakatomi (Wesley Ward), Sibelius (Jeremiah O'Dwyer), Sir Alfred James (Lynn Cash), Special Reserve (Mike Maker), Top Gunner (John Ortiz).

*$350,000 JPMorgan Chase Jessamine (G2), 2-year-old fillies, 1 1/16 miles (turf): C C Cruise Control (Kenny McPeek), Chop Chop (Brad Cox), Dulcia (Joe Sharp), Play the Music (Mark Casse), Promise of Hope (Tom Amoss), Towhead (Mike Maker), What an Honor (Maker).

Saturday, Oct. 8. Entries taken Wednesday, Oct. 5

*$1 Million Coolmore Turf Mile (G1), 3-year-olds and up, 1 mile (turf): Casa Creed (Bill Mott), Emaraaty (Chad Brown), Greyes Creek (Paulo Lobo), In Love (Lobo), Ivar (Lobo), Masen (Brown), Princess Grace (Mike Stidham), Santin (Brendan Walsh), Set Piece (Brad Cox), Smooth Like Strait (Michael McCarthy), Somelikeithotbrown (Mike Maker), Winfromwithin (Jorge Delgado).

*$600,000 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1), 2-year-olds, 1 1/16 miles: Carmel Road (Bob Baffert), Forte (Todd Pletcher), Frosted Departure (Kenny McPeek), Funtastic Again (Wesley Ward), Good Heart (Brendan Walsh), Honed (McPeek), Jin Tong (Doug O'Neill), Lost Ark (Pletcher), National Treasure (Baffert), Powerful (Steve Asmussen), Two Phil's (Larry Rivelli).

$750,000 First Lady (G1), 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 1 mile (turf): Alms (Mike Stidham), In Italian (Chad Brown), Market Rumor (Ian Wilkes), Princess Grace (Stidham), Regal Glory (Brown), Technical Analysis (Brown).

*$350,000 Thoroughbred Club of America (G2), 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 6 furlongs: Bell's the One (Neil Pessin), Club Car (Ben Colebrook), Happy Soul (Wesley Ward), Joyful Cadence (John Ortiz), Liberty M D (Ian Wilkes), Palm Cottage (Paulo Lobo), Sconsin (Greg Foley), Slammed (Todd Fincher).

$350,000 Woodford (G2), 3-year-olds and up, 5½ furlongs (turf): Artemus Citylimits (Mike Maker), Asymmetric (Wesley Ward), Bound for Nowhere (Ward), County Final (Steve Asmussen), Gear Jockey (Rusty Arnold), Golden Pal (Ward).

Sunday, Oct. 9. Entries taken Thursday, Oct. 6

*$600,000 Juddmonte Spinster (G1), 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 1 1/8 miles: Army Wife (Mike Maker), Letruska (Fausto Gutierrez), Malathaat (Todd Pletcher), Played Hard (Phil Bauer), Princess of Cairo (Mike Puhich), Shedaresthedevil (Brad Cox).

*$350,000 Castle & Key Bourbon (G2), 2-year-olds, 1 1/16 miles (turf): B Minor (Kenny McPeek), Boppy O (Mark Casse), Gigante (Steve Asmussen), Good Heart (Brendan Walsh), Mendel's Secret (Mike Maker), Oscar Award (John Ortiz), Rarified Flair (McPeek), Really Good (Maker), Reckoning Force (Walsh), Red Route One (Asmussen).

*$250,000 Indian Summer (L), 2-year-olds, 5½ furlongs (turf): Danse Macabre (Kelsey Danner), Love Reigns (Wesley Ward), No Kay Never (Ward), No Nay Hudson (Ward), Private Creed (Steve Asmussen).

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Proven at the distance, John Sadler's long-fused Heywoods Beach, a 5-year-old horse by Eclipse Champion Sprinter Speightstown, looms the horse to beat among a field of eight three-year-olds and up in Sunday's marathon mile and one half, Grade 3, $100,000 Tokyo City Cup at Santa Anita.

Although he was never a threat going a mile and three eighths on turf in the G2 Del Mar Handicap Sept. 3, Heywoods Beach attended the pace and registered a one length win on the main track in the G3 Cougar II Stakes going a mile and one half two starts back on July 24.

Owned by Hronis Racing, LLC, Heywoods Beach has two wins and as many thirds from five tries on dirt and is 19-4-2-3 overall. He'll be ridden for the third consecutive time by Ramon Vazquez.

A close fourth in the Del Mar Handicap, Richard Mandella's Tizamagician showed the way in the Cougar Stakes but couldn't hold off Heywoods Beach late, finishing second, beaten one length. Owned by MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm, LLC, all of Tizamagician's five wins have come on dirt. With an overall mark of 23-5-10-0, he has two wins and three seconds from five tries at the Tokyo City distance.

THE GRADE 3 TOKYO CITY CUP WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 10 – Approximate post time 4:30 p.m. PT

1. Tizamagician – Mike Smith – 126
2. Newgrange – Ricardo Gonzalez – 122
3. Heywoods Beach – Ramon Vazquez – 126
4. Extra Hope – Tyler Baze – 126
5. Win the Day – Umberto Rispoli -118
6. Avenue – Juan Hernandez – 122
7. Storm the Court – Edwin Maldonado – 126
8. Govenor's Party – Kyle Frey – 122

First post time for a 10-race card that will include three other stakes on Sunday is at 1 p.m.

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Nine 3-year-olds, including four who contested the Queen's Plate, will go postward this Sunday at Woodbine in the $400,000 Breeders' Stakes, third jewel in the OLG Canadian Triple Crown.

The final jewel of the tri-surface series for Canadian-bred sophomores concludes on the world-renowned E.P. Taylor Turf Course with the longest leg at the distance of 1 ½ miles.

A son of Pioneerof the Nile-Dance Again, bred and owned by Sam-Son Farm, Dancin in Da'nile was fifth to Moira in the Queen's Plate and didn't contest the second jewel, the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, at 1 3/16 miles over Fort Erie's dirt course on Sept. 13, a race won by Duke of Love.

“I think he got really far back,” said trainer Gail Cox, of the Plate trip. “He was behind, got stuck in traffic and really couldn't go anywhere, so it left him with a lot to do at the end. He did come with a nice late rush, he came out of the race really well, and he's been training well heading into this one.”

Dancin in Da'nile has six career starts under his saddle, highlighted by a victory in his career bow on Aug. 29, 2021, and a second in the Coronation Futurity last October.

The colt was fourth in his first try over the grass, in his second start, the Cup and Saucer Stakes, a 1 1/6-mile test over yielding ground that saw Dancin in Da'nile close well after encountering traffic trouble at the head of the E.P. Taylor.

On June 12, in his 3-year-old debut, he took on 10 foes in a 1 1/6-mile allowance race on Woodbine's Inner Turf, and finished third, three-quarters of a length behind the winner.

Cox is hoping the third time on the turf is the charm.

“I think he loves the turf. The race this year was his first start back against older horses and he did get bounced around at the top of the lane. I don't think it [mile and a half distance] will be an issue. It's far, but I think he can handle it. He's a much more mature horse now. He's more focused. He's always handled everything well, which is something that has remained the same.”

Sam-Son is no stranger to Breeders' success having won the race on six occasions. Twenty years ago, Portcullis took all the spoils. The stable's first Breeders' victory came with Hangin On A Star in 1987.

Dual hall of fame conditioner Mark Casse will have two chances to win his third Breeders', having won in 2007 with Marchfield and in 2018 with Neepawa.

This year, he'll be represented by Hall of Dreams, second in both the Plate Trial and Queen's Plate, and Sir for Sure, first in the Plate Trial and third in the Plate.

Owned by Gary Barber, Peter Deutsch, Wachtel Stable and Leonard Schleifer, Hall of Dreams, a son of Lemon Drop Kid-Hallnor, will try out the turf for the first time on Sunday.

Sporting a record of 1-5-0 from eight starts, the chestnut gelding, bred by Joey Gee Thoroughbreds, was slated to run on the grass in his debut last October, but the race was taken off the grass and run on the Tapeta.

“We breezed Hall of Dreams on the dirt before the Prince of Wales, and just felt that he handled it okay,” said Casse. “He's bred up and down for the grass, so we decided to bypass the race for the Breeders' and he's trained very well for it.”

Fashioning a mark of 2-1-1 from seven starts, Sir for Sure, a bay son of Sligo Bay (IRE)-Serena's Rose, has yet to race over the grass.

Casse is hopeful the gelding, bred and owned by René Hunderup, can take to the green scene.

He believes Sir for Sure, who lost his rider on the first turn in the Prince of Wales, will be up to the task.

“The original plan was to run Sir for Sure in the Prince of Wales, and we all know how that went,” said Casse. “But he came out of it fine. The biggest thing we do know about the Breeders' is that both Sir for Sure and Hall of Dreams will relish the mile and a half. That's a big factor as far as turf goes. You just don't know for sure. Both their breeding says turf, but what the breeding says and what they do can be two different things. They're both doing well heading into the race and hopefully they both have a good race on Sunday.”

The same connections of Queen's Plate winner Moira, trainer Kevin Attard and ownership group X-Men Racing LLC, Madaket Stables LLC, and SF Racing LLC, will send out Gaston.

Bred in Ontario by Saintsbury Farms Inc., the son of Hard Spun-Bola de Cristal (IRE) broke his maiden in his most recent start, a 1 1/16-mile race on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

Unraced at two, the dark bay colt just missed in his debut, finishing second in a 6-furlong Tapeta race at the Toronto oval.

Gaston brings a record of 1-2-0 from four starts into the Breeders'.

“He's a nice, little horse,” said Attard. “He ran well first time out and then came back with somewhat of a letdown performance in his second start. We tried him on the turf, which he's bred for, and he ran a good second that day. It was actually on Queen's Plate day when he broke his maiden. He's a horse that's bred to run the mile and a half distance, so we're excited. He definitely gets over the turf very well. He relaxes well and he waits for the rider to ask him, then kicks in. In a race like this, you need a horse with that running style.”

A win by Gaston would deliver Attard his first Breeders' victory.

“It's a race I haven't won, so it would be nice to knock it off the to-do list.”

The last Triple Crown winner was the brilliant Wando, just the seventh horse to complete the series sweep when he won the 2003 Breeders' Stakes with jockey Patrick Husbands aboard for trainer Michael Keogh and late owner/breeder Gustav Schickedanz.

Since then, A Bit O'Gold (2004), Pender Harbour (2011) and Tone Broke (2019) also claimed two-thirds of the Triple Crown by taking the last two legs. In 2020, Belichick won the Breeders', denying stablemate Mighty Heart a Triple Crown sweep.

The longest shot to win the Breeders' was Miami Deco in 2010. The Ontario-bred son of Limehouse returned $132.10 for a $2 win bet. Catherine Day Phillips became the first female trainer to win the race courtesy of A Bit O'Gold in 2004. One year later, she was in the winner's circle again, this time with Jambalaya. Roger Attfield holds the record for most wins by a trainer with nine. His first came with Carotene in 1986.

Post time is set for 1:10 p.m. ET, with the Breeders' Stakes scheduled as the ninth race (approximately 5:38 p.m. ET). The race will be broadcast live from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET on TSN2.

FIELD FOR THE BREEDERS' STAKES (RACE 9)

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Lac Macaza – Luis Contreras – Julia Carey

2 – Gaston – Kazushi Kimura – Kevin Attard

3 – Hall of Dreams – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse

4 – Ice Road – Jason Hoyte – Mike Dunslow

5 – Shamateur – Sahin Civaci – Sid Attard

6 – Collaborative – Leo Salles – Ravendra Raghunath

7 – Dancin in Da'nile – Rafael Hernandez – Gail Cox

8 – Duke of Love – Justin Stein – Josie Carroll

9 – Sir for Sure – Declan Carroll – Mark Casse

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