Radio Days | Horse Racing Free Tips

Diverse Cast Converges in Beaumont

A field of seven sophomore fillies who made their most recent starts in Florida, New York, Kentucky and Louisiana converge at Keeneland for Sunday's GIII Beaumont S. Godolphin's Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile) was second in last November's Fern Creek S. at Churchill Downs to the now five-for-six Marissa's Lady (Violence) and then completed the exacta (albeit 8 1/4 lengths back) behind leading GI Kentucky Oaks candidate Secret Oath (Arrogate) in a one-mile Oaklawn allowance on New Year's Eve. She most recently shortened back up to a sprint to air in a Fair Grounds optional claimer Feb. 26, good for a field's best 91 Beyer Speed Figure. Third that day was re-opposing Reagan's Decision (Unified).

On the opposite end of the speed figure spectrum is Gina Romantica (Into Mischief), who earned just a 64 Beyer for her successful Tampa unveiling Mar. 12. That number fails to tell the whole story, however. A $1,025,000 KEESEP purchase by Peter Brant and conditioned by Chad Brown, the half-sister to GISW Gift Box (Twirling Candy) and MGSWs Stonetastic (Mizzen Mast) and Special Forces (Candy Ride {Arg}) was very visually impressive rallying wide on the Tampa Bay Derby undercard and justifying 9-10 favoritism by 1 1/4 lengths.

Heading up the last-seen-at-Aqueduct contingent are Lady Scarlet (Union Rags) and Radio Days (Gun Runner). The former was a gutsy $150,000 claim by trainer Mike Maker, Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher off of Matareya's conditioner Brad Cox out of a maiden-breaking effort at Churchill in November. She took an Oaklawn optional claimer two starts later Feb. 26, and added the Big A's Cicada S. by open lengths Mar. 19.

Joe Allen, Peter Brant's cousin, also gets in on the action with $750,000 September pick-up Radio Days. The dark bay at one point looked like Shug McGaughey's top GI Kentucky Oaks hopeful off a two-for-two start to her career, including a Dec. 2 Aqueduct optional claiming romp that earned her 'TDN Rising Star' status. Second at odds-on in the GIII Forward Gal S. at Gulfstream going this distance Feb. 5, she cuts back after fading to fourth at 1-2 in the mile-long Busher S. back in Ozone Park Mar. 5.

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Unbeaten ‘Rising Star’ Radio Days Returns in Forward Gal

Unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Radio Days (Gun Runner) launches her sophomore campaign in Saturday's GIII Forward Gal S. at Gulfstream Park.

Owned by Allen Stable Inc. and trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, the $750,000 KEESEP graduate made it two-for-two in a blowout optional claiming victory at this same seven-furlong distance at Aqueduct last time Dec. 2. Her worktab includes a four-furlong bullet in :48 3/5 (1/19) at Payson Jan. 12.

“She's a filly we're really excited about. Her first two races have been really good,” McGaughey said. “She's had a little bit of a break now. She's going to run Saturday, and hopefully her future is ahead of her.”

Diamond Wow (Lookin At Lucky), winner of the rained-off Our Dear Peggy S. over course and distance Sept. 18, just missed by a head in her latest going two turns over grass in Keeneland's GII JP Morgan Chase Jessamine S. Oct. 13.

“We gave her a break and she has grown and developed well. We're happy with the way she's worked,” trainer Patrick Biancone said. “It's a comeback race. She is not perhaps 100% yet but it's time to come back and prepare for the spring.”

Girl With a Dream (Practical Joke) enters riding a two-race winning streak for Brad Cox, led by a wire-to-wire tally in the Letellier Memorial S. at Fair Grounds last time Dec. 27.

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Unbeaten Radio Days Faces Diamond Wow In Forward Gal

Trainer Patrick Biancone had options when deciding on how Diamond Wow would kick off her 3-year-old season Saturday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The promising 3-year-old filly shares a family trait with multiple graded-stakes winner Diamond Oops that allowed Biancone to choose between the $100,000 Forward Gal (G3), a seven-furlong dash for sophomore fillies on the main track, and the $100,000 Sweetest Chant (G3), a 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for 3-year-old fillies, on Saturday's 12-race program that will be headlined by the $250,000 Holy Bull (G3).

Biancone, who owns Diamond Wow with Diamond 100 Racing Club LLC and Amy Dunne, would eventually opt for the Forward Gal.

The daughter Lookin At Lucky is out of a half-sister to the Biancone-trained Diamond Oops, a multiple graded-stakes winner on both turf and dirt. She has already demonstrated signs of uncommon versatility in her short three-race career, in which she debuted with a victory in Aug. 28 turf sprint before capturing the off-the-turf Our Dear Peggy at seven furlongs a month later at Gulfstream. The Kentucky-bred homebred closed out her juvenile campaign with a courageous second-place finish in the Jessamine (G2) at Keeneland, where she lost by only a head after breaking from the No. 13 post.

“We gave her a break and she has grown and developed well. We're happy with the way she's worked,” Biancone said. “It's a comeback race. She is not perhaps 100 percent yet but it's time to come back and prepare for the spring.”

Following the Jessamine, Biancone made the decision to bypass the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) or Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1).

“It was coming up a bit quick and she was a bit stiff, and I guess she had a growth spurt. We got lucky to get beat because if we did not get beat by a nose, then we would have gotten invited and we may have been forced to go,” Biancone said. “My owner was very kind to be on the safe side and it was a good thing. It was tough to make the decision but at the end of the day, we were very happy.”

Romero Maragh, who guided her to her two wins at Gulfstream before Mike Smith took over for the Jessamine, returns aboard Diamond Wow.

Allen Stable Inc.'s Radio Days is also scheduled to make her 3-year-old debut in the Forward Gall after going 2-for-2 last season.

“She's a filly we're really excited about. Her first two races have been really good,” Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey said. “She's had a little bit of a break now. She's going to run Saturday, and hopefully her future is ahead of her.”

The daughter of Gun Runner won at first asking with a late rally in a six-furlong dash over a sloppy Belmont Park track Oct. 31 before overcoming a bump at the break to win a seven-furlong optional claiming allowance Dec. 2 at Aqueduct by 8 ½ lengths.

“She had always trained well,” McGaughey said. “We were hoping she'd run well first time out – the type of race she ran.”

Dylan Davis, who was aboard for her first two wins, travels from New York to ride Radio Days in the Forward Gal.

Jim Bakke and Gerry Isbister's Girl With a Dream is venturing from Fair Grounds for trainer Brad Cox for the Forward Gal. The daughter of Practical Joke captured the Dec. 27 six-furlong Letellier Memorial at Fair Grounds last time out.

Luis Saez is scheduled to ride Girl With a Dream for the first time Saturday.

Repole Stable's Greatitude is scheduled to make her stakes debut Saturday after graduating by 2 ¾ lengths in her second career start Dec. 19 at Gulfstream. The Todd Pletcher-trained daughter of Dialed In finished second in her Nov. 23 debut at Aqueduct behind McGaughey-trained Kathleen O, who came back to win the Jan. 1 Cash Run Stakes at Gulfstream.

Irad Ortiz Jr. is slated to ride Greatitude for the first time Saturday.

Monarch Stable Inc.'s Last Leaf, who finished fourth against the colts in the Limehouse last time out, returns in the Forward Gal. The Ron Spatz-trained daughter of Not This Time has won on both turf and dirt.

Miguel Vasquez has the call aboard the Last Leaf, who won the Hollywood Beach Stakes on turf against males in September.

Cash Is King LLC and LC Racing LLC's Disco Ebo, a state-bred stakes winner at Parx; and Palm Beach Racing Partnership's She's So Beautiful, who captured the Juvenile Filly Sprint for Florida-breds three starts back; are also entered in the Forward Gal.

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Gun Runner’s Radio Days Romps to Rising Stardom

Radio Days (Gun Runner) took her record to two-for-two with 'TDN Rising Star' performance at Aqueduct Thursday. A debut winner in the slop at Belmont Oct. 31, she was heavily favored at 1-5 to repeat here. Settling well back off the pace in fourth, the $750,000 KEESEP buy swept up three wide to take on the top three on the backstretch run. Left with just one foe at the top of the lane, Radio Days quickly shrugged her off and rolled clear with ease to win for fun by 8 1/2 lengths. Frosty Brew (Frosted) was best of the rest in second. The winner is a half to Bowies Hero (Artie Schiller), MGISW, $1,592,720. Remembered had a Union Rags filly last year and was not bred back. She is now in foal to Nyquist.

4th-Aqueduct, $82,000, Alw (NW1$X)/Opt. Clm ($80,000), 12-2, 2yo, f, 7f, 1:25.83, ft, 8 1/2 lengths.

RADIO DAYS, f, 2, by Gun Runner

1st Dam: Remembered, by Sky Mesa

2nd Dam: Sister Girl, by Conquistador Cielo

3rd Dam: Scipio, by Danzig

Sales history: $750,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $94,600. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. O-Allen Stable, Inc.; B-Hinkle Farms (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III.

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