Tag: Racing

Brad Cox watched Cyberknife cool out from his half-mile breeze Sept. 10 at Churchill Downs and pondered what would be next for Al Gold's 3-year-old son of Gun Runner.

“What am I going to do with this horse if I don't run him?” Cox asked that day. “There are not a lot of options; really none left against straight 3-year-olds.”

Cox and Gold, who races Cyberknife in the black and gold colors of his Gold Square, decided on Saturday's $1 million betPARX Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing. Cyberknife, the 3-1 second choice for the 1 1/8-mile Pennsylvania Derby, bids for his third Grade 1 victory of 2022 Saturday. He finished second behind Epicenter last time out in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.

Cyberknife breezed a half in :49 Sept. 10, and another 5 furlongs in 1:01.20 last Saturday at Churchill.

“He really is doing well,” Cox said. “Once again, he's in this race because of how well he's doing. I didn't really think anything about this until last week, and I spoke to Al Gold about it and we thought he deserved it.

“He's a Grade 1 horse and it's a Grade 1 race. And look, I'm excited about matching up with Taiba. He's a very good horse, a Grade 1 winner in his own right. There are some other very good horses in the race. It looks like a really good group of horses.”

Cyberknife, who arrived in the Philadelphia area Tuesday and trained on the main track Wednesday morning, will make his eighth start of 2022 in the Pennsylvania Derby. He brings four wins and a bankroll of $1,751,520 this year, tops among the Derby field.

Cyberknife started his sophomore campaign with a sixth in the Grade 3 Lecomte in late January at Fair Grounds. He won the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby in early April at Oaklawn, finished 18th in the Kentucky Derby in May, won the Grade 3 Matt Winn in mid-June at Churchill and the Grade 1 Haskell Stakes in late July at Monmouth Park.

“That's exactly right,” Cox said when Cyberknife's 2022 campaign was called likened to a throwback.

The post Pennsylvania Derby: Cyberknife Ready For Another Grade 1 Opportunity appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Rumble Strips and Kayne Kauffman established a new world record in the $110,914 Ohio Breeders Championship for freshman colt trotters in Tuesday action at the Delaware County Fair.

When the gate's wings folded, Kauffman hustled Rumble Strips out of his rail position and rebuffed an early challenge by Black Magic (Chris Lems), tripping the quarter mile timer in :28.1. As the field of six passed the stands in :57.3, A Real Legend (Don Irvine, Jr.) was the first to tip to the outside. Rumble Strips went past the three-quarter pole in 1:25.3 and used a :27.4 final quarter to establish a new world mark of 1:53.2. Black Magic held on to second and Burton's Hill (Brett Miller) rallied for the show spot.

The new world champion is conditioned by Mike Polhamus for Constance Polhamus and Mary Beth Walters. With the lions share of the purse, the Long Tom colt's earnings jumped to $126,144.

Buckeye Stallion Series (Two-Year-Old Filly Trot)

The sire Downbytheseaside has dominated Ohio pacing ranks the past two years, now he is taking on the trotters. Doc's Boo Boo (Jeff Nisonger), a Downbytheseaside lass, cruised to an easy victory in the final division of the Buckeye Stallions Series for freshman filly trotters.

Waddupgee (Aaron Merriman) and Don't Tickle Me (Brett Miller) completed the trifecta. Jr Stables owns the mistakenly bred trotter who scored for the seventh time in 12 seasonal starts. Mark Winters trains.

Hank LeVan guided Frantastic L to a gate-to-wire win over Mission Valley (Ronnie Gillespie) by 2 ¾ lengths in 1:57.1 to take the first division.
LeVan Stables Inc., Darmofal Racing, Edward Perry and Megan Levan own the daughter of Team Six. With the win, Frantastic L now has 10 wins in 16 seasonal starts.

A Long Dream (Brett Miller) came from off the pace to sweep past the tiring leaders to take the third division in a lifetime best 1:57.2. Go Long Kate (Aaron Merriman) and Aquatica (Jason Thompson) were second and third.

First Up Racing Stable and Elise Kilmer share ownership of the Long Tom filly. Vernon Beachy is the winning trainer.

Smokinhotirishgirl used a patient drive by Anthony MacDonald to take the second division in 2:00.4. The Uncle Peter lass sat behind the pacesetting Gabby's Teddy Bear (Aaron Merriman) until the top of the stretch and sprinted clear by 2 1/4 lengths. TheStable.ca and Hutchison Harness share ownership in the three-time winner. Jason McGinnis is her trainer.

Ladies Driving Championship

The Spring Haven Farm Ladies Driving Championship went to Poof Daddy and Krista Harmon in 1:55.4. The event features the top point earners from the season long pacing series restricted to female pilots.

Poof Daddy defeated Speaking Out (Amy Wengerd) and Sister Said (Emily Hay).

The seven-year-old Woodstock gelding is also owned and trained by Harmon.

With the win, Poof Daddy's career earnings stand at an even $100,000.

The 21-race Wednesday card, featuring the 52nd edition of the Jugette will go postward at 12:00 noon.

The post Rumble Strips Sets New World Record For Freshman Colt Trotters At Delaware County Fair appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will saddle a pair of top contenders in Kalifornia Queen and Love And Thunder in Saturday's Grade 3, $175,000 Athena, a nine-furlong inner turf test for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at the Belmont at the Big A fall meet.

Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb and First Row Partners' Kalifornia Queen, a 5-year-old German-bred daughter of Lope de Vega, will make her first appearance since a close third-place finish in October 2021 in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor at Woodbine Racetrack.

A Group 2-winner in Germany for her former conditioner Hank Grewe, Kalifornia Queen made six starts last year in her initial season for Brown, posting a record of 1-1-2 and hitting the board in the Grade 3 Matchmaker [2nd] at Monmouth Park and the Grade 2 Ballston Spa [3rd] at Saratoga Race Course.

She has trained extensively over the Belmont Park dirt training track for her return, including a half-mile breeze in 49.34 on September 18.

John Gunther and Tanya Gunther's Love And Thunder, a 5-year-old Irish-bred daughter of Siyouni, finished third as the mutuel favorite last out in the restricted Fasig-Tipton De La Rose on August 7 at Saratoga. The multiple stakes-placed bay also finished third in last year's Autumn Days at the Big A and the Perfect Sting at Belmont in July.

Manny Franco will pilot Kalifornia Queen from post 5, while Jose Ortiz has the call on Love And Thunder from post 3.

Matthew Schera's Tass, a 6-year-old daughter of Temple City, enters from a nose score in the restricted Nellie Mae Cox on September 7 at Colonial Downs for trainer Carlos Martin.

Tass, a six-time winner from 21 starts, finished sixth in a Saratoga allowance mile won by Messidor over returning rival Evvie Jets on July 27 ahead of her Colonial score. Martin said he worked closely with trainer Chuck Lawrence, who also conditions for Schera, to prepare the dark bay for her stakes score.

“I told Chuckie we'd get her ready and I wanted to get her to Fair Hill a week before, so she'll be there nice and early so it will be logistically an easier trip to Colonial,” Martin said.

Tass worked a bullet half-mile in 48.09 on August 27 over the main track in her final breeze before leaving Saratoga and proved resilient at Colonial, exiting the outermost post 10 under Victor Carrasco and tracking from second position en route to a game nose score.

“He shipped her in on the day of and we got a great ride from Victor Carrasco and she gutted it out. It was a great day for all of us. She ran exceptionally well,” Martin said. “Victor had to hustle her. He used her a little bit to get position and the kid did a great job. He used her for the first eighth and once she sat second and relaxed, I started to feel good about the whole thing.”

Tass has won 2-of-4 starts over the Aqueduct turf, including scores in an 11-furlong allowance in November 2019 and a claiming mile in November.

Martin said it's worth bringing the mare back on short rest with graded black type on the line.

“She likes the course and the distance. I decided to take a shot,” Martin said. “When they're doing good you have to run them, and she's doing great.”

Jose Lezcano will pilot Tass from post 4.

Stuart Janney's Kentucky-homebred In a Hurry [post 1, Dylan Davis] enters from a gate-to-wire score in the nine-furlong All Along on September 10 over firm going at Pimlico Race Course.

Trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, the 5-year-old Blame mare earned graded black type with third-place finishes in the Grade 3 Suwanee River in December at Gulfstream and the Grade 3 Gallorette in May at Pimlico.

Rounding out the field is Robert Amendola's Evvie Jets [post 2, Eric Cancel], who makes her stakes debut for trainer Mertkan Kantarmaci. The 4-year-old Twirling Candy bay boasts a record of 14-3-4-2, including a victory in a turf allowance mile in November at the Big A.

W W Fitzy is entered for the main-track only.

The Athenia is slated as Race 3 on Saturday's 11-race card, which also features the $125,000 Ashley T. Cole in Race 10. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of every day of Belmont at the Big A 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 official wagering platform of Belmont at the Big A, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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Winchell Thoroughbreds' Grade 1-winning sprinter Gunite will meet Patricia's Hope and Mark Farrar's speedy Conagher for the third time as the headliners in Saturday night's second running of the $275,000 Harrods Creek at Churchill Downs.

The seven-furlong Harrods Creek will go as Race 8 of 11 with a post time of 9:39 p.m. (all times Eastern). The stakes-laden Downs After Dark program will get underway at 6 p.m. and also features the $275,000 Dogwood (G3), $275,000 Bourbon Trail and $160,000 Seneca Overnight Stakes.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Gunite was defeated 1 ¼ lengths by one of the nation's best 3-year-olds, Jack Christopher, in the $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial (G1). Prior to that start, the son of Gun Runner narrowly defeated Accretive in the $200,000 Amsterdam (G3) and My Prankster in the $160,000 Maxfield Stakes. Last season, Gunite stormed home to a 5 ¾-length romp in the $300,000 Hopeful (G1). Gunite has only finished outside the Top 3 once when he was a disappointing fifth in the $500,000 Champagne (G1). Jockey Tyler Gaffalione will retain the mount from post No. 7.

Conagher faced Gunite last out in the Jerkens where he scampered to an early two-length lead from the rail but faded to fourth in deep stretch. The Mike Tomlinson-trained son of Jimmy Creed defeated Gunite four starts ago at Churchill Downs when he scorched seven furlongs in 1:20.62. Tomlinson tested Conagher at two turns following his aforementioned victory against Gunite but he tired late to finish second in the $250,000 Iowa Derby. Following the Iowa Derby, Conagher returned to sprinting and found the winner's circle in the $100,000 Housebuster Overnight Handicap at Colonial Downs. Jockey Joe Rocco Jr. has been the regular pilot for Conagher for eight of his 10 starts and will have the call from post 4.

Here's the field for the Harrods Creek from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):

1. Friar Laurence (Mickaelle Michel, Ben Colebrook);
2. Double Thunder (Javier Castellano, Todd Pletcher):
3. Hippodrome (Jon Court, Lynn Cash);
4. Conagher (Rocco, Tomlinson);
5. Editorial Comment (ARG) (Julien Leparoux, Kenny McPeek);
6. Strava (Brian Hernandez Jr., Dallas Stewart); and
7. Gunite (Gaffalione, Asmussen).

Wagering is available on www.TwinSpires.com, the official wagering provider of Churchill Downs Inc. and the Kentucky Derby.

The post Top Sophomore Sprinters Gunite, Conagher Meet Again In Harrods Creek appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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