Victorious against a well-met field of Saratoga maidens in July, the chestnut tired badly in the GI Hopeful S. after a round of bumper cars soon after the break took him off the pace. He resurfaced at Keeneland in October with two starts–a second against first-level optional claimers on the seventh and then running third Oct. 28 in the Bowman Mill S.

Sent away at 9-5 in good order and able to be part of the pace pressure on the frontrunner, he swung into the backstretch four wide and was three off the rail heading for the homeward stretch. Given his cue with Roman Vazquez sitting pretty, Valentine Candy shut down all challenges right there, kicking home 6 3/4 lengths best over 67-1 shocker Willy D's (Lookin At Lucky) and late-running Andy's Candy (Practical Joke). It was Steve Asmussen's record-extending 105th career Oaklawn stakes victory.

A perfect ride by @JockeyRamonVazq aboard #10 VALENTINE CANDY ($5.60) for victory in the Advent Stakes at @OaklawnRacing for the Steve Asmussen barn. Congratulations to the connections with this son of Justify, who stands at @coolmoreamerica.

How about that $156 Exacta? pic.twitter.com/3YjIMR9R2g

— TVG (@TVG) December 8, 2023

“I'm just very, if anything, relieved to see him run back to his first race,” Steve Asmussen said. “The field that he beat at Saratoga first time out–showed great quality that day. Beautiful horse; great opportunity. That's who he's supposed to be.”

Added Ramon Vazquez: “Steve didn't give me any instructions. [Valentine Candy]'s a nice horse. I just had to guide him.”

The most recent to the races for Taste Like Candy, who went runner-up in the GI Hollywood Starlet S. in her season on the track, Valentine Candy has only one other sibling of racing age. The unplaced King Happy (Street Sense) was sent to Ireland in 2018 as a yearling and the broodmare had a run of poor breeding fortunes since then until she produced the winner and recently a 2023 colt by Mitole. She was bred to Liam's Map for 2024. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

ADVENT S., $150,000, Oaklawn, 12-8, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:04.65, ft.
1–VALENTINE CANDY, 117, c, 2, by Justify
         1st Dam: Taste Like Candy (GISP, $286,205), by Candy Ride (Arg)
         2nd Dam: My Success, by A.P. Indy
         3rd Dam: Towering Success, by Irish Tower
($250,000 Ylg '22 FTKOCT). 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O-L. William & Corinne Heiligbrodt, Jackpot Farm, Whispering Oaks Farm LLC & Coteau Grove Farms LLC; B-Pine Creek LP (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-Ramon A. Vazquez. $96,038. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-1, $195,713.
2–Willy D's, 117, c, 2, Lookin At Lucky–Boston Mine, by Mineshaft. ($60,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Danny Brown, Charis Brenneman & Greg Compton; B-Beau Lane (KY); T-Greg Compton. $29,550.
3–Andy's Candy, 117, g, 2, Practical Joke–In Gold Blood, by My Golden Song. ($28,000 Ylg '22 TTAYRL; $84,000 2yo '23 TTAAPR). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-JD Thoroughbreds, LLC, Joey Keith Davis & Larry J. Romero; B-Samuel Sherman (KY); T-Chris A. Hartman. $14,775.
Margins: 6 3/4, HD, 1. Odds: 1.80, 67.30, 10.10.
Also Ran: Market Street, Molly's Town, General Shipman, Frost Free, Ceepeegee, Bye Bye Liam, Drewmania, Sweet Soddy J. Scratched: Spirit's Mischief.

The post Justify’s Valentine Candy Dominates Oaklawn’s Advent appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

“He's in great shape,” Yakteen said Saturday morning.

Returning in an allowance going a mile on dirt, Practical Move stalked a lively pace and then drew off in the stretch to notch a comfortable four-length victory under Ramon Vazquez. The winning time was 1:35.14, which earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure according to Daily Racing Form.

Yakteen and Practical Move's owners will now decide whether to move on to the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita. Practical Move is a candidate for either the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile or the GI Breeders' Cup Classic.

The post Practical Move Doing Well After Friday’s Comeback Win appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

And an electrifying effort it was. Drawn towards the outside in a field of 10, the March-foaled bay bounced very alertly and was involved in bit of an early tussle for the lead with longshot Details Matter (Coast Guard) before ceding the advantage heading to the backstretch. It appeared to have been a smart tactical decision from Ramon Vasquez, as the opening quarter was up in a slick :22 flat and the half in a strong :46.21. Fully expecting the pacesetter to drop away, Vazquez was content to sit against Boltage, eventually allowing him to nose in front five-sixteenths from home. Popped the question in upper stretch, Boltage responded immediately to put a gap on his rivals and sprinted home very nicely for an impressive victory as the 3.90-1 second pick. Glandford (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), a latest second at Yarmouth for trainer William Jarvis and making his stateside bow here, was off slowly, found some traffic when the real running was about to begin and finished well to be second.

Boltage was an even sixth on debut behind susbequent GIII Best Pal S. third Raging Torrent (Maximus Mischief) in a five-furlong maiden July 23, a race whose third-place finisher Tall Paul (Frosted) broke his maiden in New York-bred company at Saratoga Aug. 12.

Ultimate Prize was purchased for $1,200 at the 2019 Keeneland November Sale, reportedly pregnant to Midshipman, but Boltage is the mare's first live produce. Boltage, sold for $20,000 at last year's Keeneland January Sale, proved a nifty pinhook when hammering to Jim and Dana Bernhard's Lynnhaven Racing for $240,000 at the Fasig-Tipton July sale about six months later. This is also the Emory Hamilton family of champion Queena, the dam of GISW Brahms, as well as Grade I winners Verrazano and Somali Lemonade.

Ultimate Prize is also the dam of Mr Loooch (Speightster), SP, $154,560, recent runner-up in the Honey Jay S. at Thistledown Aug. 12, a yearling colt named Metwally (Mitole) and a weanling colt by Omaha Beach. She was bred to both the latter and Golden Pal this season.

8th-Del Mar, $84,500, Msw, 8-24, 2yo, 1mT, 1:37.20, fm, 5 1/4 lengths.
BOLTAGE, c, 2, by Bolt d'Oro
1st Dam: Ultimate Prize, by Smart Strike
2nd Dam: Queens Full, by Indian Charlie
3rd Dam: Puestera, by Forty Niner
Sales history: $20,000 Ylg '22 KEEJAN; $240,000 Ylg '22 FTKJUL. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $49,700. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-Pin Oak Stud LLC; B-Virginia Moore & Malia Hopkins (KY); T-Richard E Mandella.

BOLTAGE ($9.80) was electric while winning the 8th at @DelMarRacing. Another 2-year-old winner for @spendthriftfarm's Bolt d'Oro. He's trained by Richard Mandella and ridden by @JockeyRamonVazq for owners @PinOakStud. pic.twitter.com/STZ9ylKTiH

— TVG (@TVG) August 25, 2023

The post Pin Oak Colt ‘Bolt’-s Up In ‘Rising Star’-Worthy Turf Bow appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The Fountain of Youth S. has evolved into somewhat of a “trap” race for high-profile 3-year-olds, with 12 of the last 16 favorites going down to defeat prior to this year's running. In fact, 10 years ago, one of those odds-on losers was Forte's sire, the then-undefeated Violence. He lost the 2013 edition by a half-length to eventual Kentucky Derby winner Orb, but Violence sustained a right front sesamoid fracture that necessitated his retirement after only four races.

Forte, of course, had no idea he was up against a historical trend that featured a familial plot twist when the starter sprung the latch Saturday. He had a clean break and tracked the action fifth into the first turn, racing while into the bit and eager to close gaps on the heels of the frontrunners through opening quarter-mile splits of :24.05 and :23.60.

Irad Ortiz, Jr., was able to dial back Forte's enthusiasm a touch while settling into a rhythmic stride down the back straight, and true to the tactics this colt displayed at age two, Forte asserted his presence while giving the impression he was sizing up the leaders and had them well within his striking sights.

Entering the far bend, Ortiz mulled his options for about a sixteenth of a mile, which is a tactical luxury a jockey enjoys only when he knows he has a willing partner who can take off like a rocket with just a subtle flick of the wrists.

As the 15-1 pacemaker Cyclone Mischief (Into Mischief) got softened up by first and second runs from two stalkers through a third-quarter split of :24.19, Forte inhaled the three of them at the head of the lane with an all-in move that left him only three-sixteenths of a mile to fully unwind over Gulfsttream's short-stretch configuration.

Forte responded to Ortiz's rousing, but the jockey quickly sensed his mount didn't need much in the way of aggressive encouragement. Under his own power, Forte leveled off with a brief but discernible burst of late-race acceleration that put him 4 1/2 lengths clear of the leaders at the wire. The final-quarter split was :24.90 and the last sixteenth was :6.38 for a 1:43.12 finish and a 98 Beyer Speed Figure.

That Beyer represents a two-point regression from the 100 Forte earned when winning last November's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile for trainer Todd Pletcher and owners Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable.

But Forte was geared down in the late stages of the Fountain of Youth when it was obvious that a winning outcome had been assured, and his more-in-the-tank performance was visually strong enough that it doesn't make sense to quibble over numbers in this instance.

Meanwhile, on the Left Coast…

Practical Move had already done a little avenging on behalf of his sire, Practical Joke, by winning the GII Los Alamitos Futurity back in December. That's because, despite being a top contender on the 2017 Derby trail, Practical Joke never won a two-turn race (although he did rack up a trio of Grade I victories up to one mile around one turn).

Yet bettors weren't too keen Saturday that his son, Practical Move, could win again over 1 1/16 miles in the San Felipe, letting this Tim Yakteen trainee go off as the 4-1 fourth choice coming off a three-month layoff. But a heady ride by Ramon Vazquez drove home the fact that this colt is swiftly rising through the ranks as a dangerous Derby commodity.

Breaking from post two, Practical Move brushed the gate, then absorbed some minor bumping from the horse down to his inside. Unfazed, he took up the chase while fourth through the first turn, hugging the rail. He remained unruffled with a rank rival to his outside, then willingly accepted a rating hold by Vazquez as the field cornered onto the backstretch.

Once the field hit the back straightaway, the riders avoided the rail like it was strung with barbed wire. Of the nine, Practical Move was closest to the inside, in the three path. The pace was honest, with quarter-mile splits of :23.14 and :23.98 for the first half mile. Vazquez edged his mount up incrementally–a nice display of grace under pressure–and Practical Move was jointly second 3 1/2 furlongs out.

But then the inside passage tightened up, and Vazquez had to take hold of Practical Move for a few crucial strides. The leader, Hejazi (Bernardini), still looked strong at that point, and two other horses were launching bids in the clear on the outside.

In an instant, Practical Move got relegated back to fourth. It was the type of positioning misfortune that costs races, and when you're trying to make the cut in a crucial Derby qualifying stakes, it can cost you an entire campaign.

Yet Vazquez never panicked, nor did Practical Move shy from his tight inside spot. Hejazi was soon spent, and he showed it by drifting out to the four path at the head of the lane after a robust third-quarter split in :23.96.

Practical Move deftly cut the corner when that seam opened, and he was as good as gone, kicking home under light encouragement to win with purpose by 2 1/2 lengths.

The final-quarter split was :24.59 and his final sixteenth was clocked in :6.34.

Owned in partnership by Leslie Amestoy, Jean Pierre Amestoy, Jr., and Roger Beasley, Practical Move earned a 100 on the Beyer scale, upping his Los Al Futurity number by 12 points.

There have now been 15 points-earning Derby qualifying stakes at 1 1/16 miles on dirt in 2022-23, and Practical Move owns the two fastest final clockings: 1:41.65 in the Los Al Futurity and 1:42.10 in the San Felipe.

Also Noteworthy…

Now that favorites have won the Fountain of Youth S. the past three years, the companion filly stakes on the same afternoon, the GII Davona Dale S., has become the 'bombs away” race on the first Saturday in March. The $95.40 win by Dorth Vader (Girvin) in this season's renewal was preceded by upset winners who paid $107.60 and $105.00 in 2021 and 2019…Interesting that Davona Dale herself only raced twice at Gulfstream. But the champion 3-year-old filly of 1979 did start her eight-race sophomore win streak there in the Bonnie Miss S., a run that included five Grade I victories before she lost at 1-5 odds in the GI Alabama S. at Saratoga. In a training move filed under the “you'll never see this again” category, Davona Dale then gallantly wheeled right back against colts in the GI Travers S. one week later, only to finish fourth.

The 2022 GI Kentucky Oaks winner, Secret Oath (Arrogate) will have a new jockey for her 4-year-old debut in Oaklawn's GII Azeri S. Saturday. Luis Saez, who has been aboard Secret Oath in her last six starts, is committed to pilot 'TDN Rising Star' Tapit Trice (Tapit) in the GIII Tampa Bay Derby, so trainer D. Wayne Lukas has named Tyler Gaffalione to ride. “Luis has got a [Kentucky] Derby prospect that he's really high on and didn't want to give it up. He really agonized over that decision, but he's afraid that he might lose [the call on Tapit Trice]. He's going to try to talk me into putting him back on. If Tyler rides a big race, he'll have a little trouble getting back on,” Lukas said

Here's wishing Hawthorne Race Course good luck with trying out a nationwide-low 12% takeout on win, place and show bets at the six-month meet that started Sunday. During the first three months of the season, Hawthorne will be racing on Sundays and Thursdays with a 2:30 p.m. Central first post.

“By shifting Saturday racing to Thursday in the spring, we will face less competition on the national scene while being able to make Hawthorne a more visible track to the wagering public,” said the track's racing director, Jim Miller.

Yes, it's the first week of March, and we already have two North American horses with perfect 5-for-5 records on the new season. Dulcimer Dame (Mineshaft), a 6-year-old Charles Town-based mare who races at the starter-allowance level, roared home by 5 1/2 lengths as the 1-5 fave in Saturday's eighth race at the West Virginia oval. She races for owner Richard Burnsworth and trainer Anthony Farrior. Earlier on Mar. 4, the Arizona-stabled Metarose (Metaboss) necked out a 3-2 favored win in a Turf Paradise starter-allowance. The 5-year-old mare is campaigned by owner Miguel Gallegos and trainer Miguel Hernandez.

The post The Week in Review: Forte’s Dominance was Expected, but Practical Move Truly Impressed appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

“I'm grateful to be here and to the owners and trainers who have supported me,” said Vazquez. “I'm blessed, this is big for me because not everybody who comes to ride at Santa Anita has made it [leading jockey] in such a short time. I'm so blessed and I thank everybody who has supported me.”

Miller, a 56-year-old native Angelino who bases primarily out of San Luis Rey Downs Training Center, collected his fourth Autumn Meet title and his sixth overall Santa Anita training crown.

“We're very excited to win another title at Santa Anita,” said Miller. “It's always a great accomplishment to win there. It's a team effort. The people in the barn did a great job all meet and really special thanks to my owners for being just the best, the most loyal group of owners a guy could ask for. Looking ahead, we'll have a small string at Oaklawn but our main focus will be at Santa Anita.”

Live racing will return to The Great Race Place with opening day for the 2022-23 Winter Spring Meet on Monday, Dec. 26.

The post Vazquez, Miller Take Santa Anita Autumn Meet Titles appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Yuugiril was out fastest in the 1 1/16-mile stakes, taking a two-length lead early, with Cancel This and Sandstone sitting second and third. Sandstone moved up on the backstretch, pulling within a head of Yuugiri as they came out of the far turn.

In the stretch, Yuugiri repelled Sandstone's challenged, increasing her lead as Sandstone was unable to continue pressing the leader. To her outside, Dream Lith and jockey Ramon Vazquez were driving, closing ground between the daughter of Medaglia d'Oro and the leader. In the race's final jumps, Dream Lith passed Yuugiri to win by a length, with Sandstone holding on for third.

The final time for the G2 Golden Rod was 1:44.72. Find this race's chart here.

Dream Lith paid $20.20, $8.40, and $3.60. Yuugiri paid $7.20 and $3.60. Sandstone paid $2.40.

Bred in Kentucky by Southern Equine Stables LLC, Dream Lith is out of the Street Cry (IRE) mare Elle Sueno. She is owned by Cypress Creek Equine and Arnold Bennewith and trained by Robertino Diodoro. Consigned by Bluewater Sales, the filly was a $590,000 RNA at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale. With her victory in the Golden Rod, Dream Lith earns 10 points toward the 2022 Kentucky Oaks, with Yuugiri earning four points, Sandstone two points, and fourth-place Famed earning one point. The G2 stakes is the 2-year-old filly's second win in fourth starts, for career earnings of $313,455.

The post Dream Lith Rallies Late To Win Golden Rod At Churchill Downs appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Coming off a last-out second in the Grand Prix American Jockey Club at Belmont Park, Lone Rock stayed a length off frontrunner Tizamagician from the break, biding his time throughout the marathon TAA Stakes. Locally Owned, who beat Lone Rock in the Grand Prix last-out, was third, with Cupid's Claws and Hapi Hapi rounding out the field. On the final turn, Lone Rock made his bid for the lead, pulling even with Tizamagician entering the stretch, as Locally Owned tired and fell back.

In the Del Mar stretch, Lone Rock took the lead easily, striding away from Tizamagician to win by 1 1/2 lengths. Cupid's Claws came on for third. Hapi Hapi and Locally Owned rounded out the order of finish. Find this race's chart here.

Lone Rock paid $5.00, $2.80, and $2.10. Tizamagician paid $2.60 and $2.10. Cupid's Claws paid $2.60.

Winning jockey Ramon Vazquez pledged to donate 10% of his earnings from his mounts on Breeders' Cup Saturday to the family of jockey Miguel Mena, who was killed in a pedestrian accident in Louisville, Ky., earlier this week.

“No special instructions for me. He just said to ride him like you know how. I had a good trip all the way. I was very confident in my horse and he was running well. At the eighth pole, I asked and he ran hard. He's a good horse,” Vazquez said after the race.

“It played out the way we thought it would. We expected (Tizamagician) would go and we would make him use a little bit to clear us. Then when it was time, he likes it on the outside and we could go get him. This is such a good horse. He makes our jobs easy,” Sean Williams, trainer Robertino Diodoro's assistant, told the Del Mar Press Office after the TAA Stakes.

Bred in Kentucky by Town & Country Horse Farms and Pollock Farms, Lone Rock is by Majestic Warrior out of the Hard Spun mare Ruby Lips. The gelding is owned by Flying P Stable and R.A. Hill Stable. Lone Rock was consigned by Taylor Made Sales and sold to Shortleaf Stable for $55,000 at the July 2016 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale. With this win, the 6-year-old gelding has six wins in eight starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of 13 wins in 36 starts and career earnings of $1,024,921.

The post Lone Rock Sets Track Record In TAA Stakes Win At Del Mar appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Remington Park's all-time winningest horse, Welder, has won the race the past four years for owner Ra-Max Farms (Clayton Rash) of Claremore, Okla., three times for trainer Teri Luneack.

The 8-year-old gelding who retired on Oct. 15 with 16 wins at Remington Park and 27 overall has won the Silver Goblin Stakes a record number of times, one ahead of Okie Ride. This year, there were 20 nominations to the 6-1/2 furlong race, including the horse that beat Welder in the final race of his career. The race is written for 3-year-olds-and-older that are Oklahoma foals. Shannon C won the Oklahoma Classics Sprint on Oct. 15 and Welder ran third.

Shannon C had been beaten by Welder four times in his career before winning the Oklahoma Classics Sprint, but the fifth time was the charm. The 6-year-old gelded son of Latent Heat, out of the Fistfite mare Miranda Diane, is owned by B and S Racing (Robert Smith) of Springfield, Mo., and trained by Scott Young. He was ridden to his Classics win by Leandro Goncalves.

Shannon C could very well be the heir apparent to picking up the dropped baton. He is on a two-stakes win streak, having taken the $70,000 Remington Park Turf Sprint on Sept. 3. He could easily be the favorite in the Silver Goblin off those consecutive stakes wins.

“Shannon has been an iron horse from Day One,” said Young. “The Classics win was his day. It took a while but he showed why Bob and Ted (Bozarth and Smith) breed horses to Miranda Diane. It's come full circle now. He got that Oklahoma Classics win that we've been shooting for, for what? The past four years.”

Shannon C drew away impressively at the end, winning by three lengths at 5-1 odds. Young ran 1-2 in the race as Mesa Moon held off Welder by one length. The trainer has also nominated Mesa Moon for owner Cimarron TTT Farms (Marvin Triplett) of Edmond, Okla. Mesa Moon was three lengths back of his stablemate in the Oklahoma Classics Sprint at 6 furlongs.

Shannon C earned $78,000 for the win and improved to 27 starts, seven wins, 11 seconds, and two thirds for $368,766 in earnings.

Another multiple stakes winner that figures to vie for favoritism, if he should hit the entry box of this race, is Quality Rocket. He was soundly defeated in seventh in the $130,000 Oklahoma Classics Turf on Oct. 15, after winning it last year and taking the Red Earth Stakes two years in a row on the turf. His talents go far beyond routing on the grass, however. He has won the Route 66 Stakes at Fair Meadows in Tulsa, Okla., two years in a row on the dirt at the distance for the Silver Goblin Stakes.

Quality Rocket, a 7-year-old gelded son of Backstabber, out of the King of Scat mare, has an impressive lifetime record of 36 starts, 11 wins, nine seconds, and one third for $409,006 in earnings. If he were to go in the Silver Goblin, he would be the top money earner. That's not too shabby for a horse that had been put in for a $7,500 claiming tag three races in a row in the early part of his career. He is owned by Jeremy Ball of Shawnee, Okla., trained by Boyd “Jobe” Caster. Ramon Vazquez has been in the saddle for his last two stakes tries.

The record time for the Silver Goblin is 1:15, set by Zee Oh Six in 2005, the first year of the race named for one of the greatest Oklahoma-breds in history. Silver Goblin is seventh among Okie-breds in lifetime money earned with $1,083,895. He is behind Kip Deville ($3,325,489), Lady's Secret ($3,021,325), Shotgun Kowboy ($1,548,684), Clever Trevor ($1,388,841), Welder ($1,263,359), and She's All In ($1,102,489). Silver Goblin had 26 career starts with 16 wins, four seconds, and three thirds from 1993-99. He will long be remembered for running second to Cigar in the 1995 Oaklawn Handicap at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. Cigar was in the middle of a 16-race win streak. Cigar won just short of $10 million in his career.

Racing continues next week with a Wednesday-Saturday night schedule. First post time is 7:07 p.m. Central.

The post Shannon C Headlines Field For Silver Goblin At Remington appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Quality Rocket drew the 11-hole, the far outside post for this race at 1-1/16th miles. He also has been challenged strongly by some in this field.

Trainer Boyd “Jobe” Caster, in the past three years, has turned Quality Rocket, a 7-year-old gelding, into a turf monster, winning last year's Turf and the Red Earth Stakes twice. This son of Backstabber, out of the King of Scat mare Lady Cambridge, has earned $409,006 over his career, winning 11 of 35 starts. The most telling statistic that shows just how Quality Rocket has bloomed as an older horse is that Caster put him into claiming races for a $7,500 tag three times when he was a 4-year-old in 2018 and no one grabbed him. In those three races, he had run second twice and won by 6-3/4 lengths. That win came in only the second time around two turns for Quality Rocket.

Quality Rocket, owned by Jeremy Ball of Shawnee, Okla., won last year's race for Jeremy's father Gerald Ball, who has passed away in the meantime. If Quality Rocket could get the job done again this year, it would be the third win in the Turf for Caster. He also won this race in 2012 with Ridge Road with jockey Lindey Wade up. Garrett Steinberg booted home Quality Rocket last year and Ramon Vazquez gets the call for this year's Turf.

Quality Rocket would have won three Red Earth Stakes races in a row had it not been for a late rush from longshot Timely Reply in 2019 that left him in second, beaten by a neck.

Last year, Quality Rocket held off Half Ours to Keep (4-1) by a head at the wire in the Turf. Half Ours to Keep, a 5-year-old gelded son of Beggarthyneighbor, out of the Purim mare Cusip, is owned by Erin Gaarz of Arlington, Texas, and trained by Karl Broberg. He will be ridden by Stewart Elliott, who is among the top grass riders at Remington every thoroughbred meet. However, Half Ours to Keep is 0-for-10 on the grass with $66,448 banked greensward, but that move last year makes him dangerous. He will break just to Quality Rocket's inside in post 10.

The third choice in the line at 9-2, Quarky, also has to be given a solid shot in here. He ran second to Quality Rocket in this meet's Red Earth Stakes, beaten one length, and actually was sent off as the 9-5 favorite in that race. This 5-year-old gelding by The Factor, out of the Sahm mare Beyond the Reach, is owned by Jerry Namy of Ft. Worth, Texas, and trained by Broberg. He will be ridden by David Cabrera, the three-time defending champion rider here. Cabrera has an easy lead in the jockeys' standings this meet as well.

Quarky is a four-time winner on the lawn with his most recent win on the grass coming at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., when he won an allowance race there on Dec. 11, 2020. He is the second-most experienced on the turf with 23 starts on that surface. Only Pacific Typhoon (15-1) has more starts on the grass with 26, winning eight times. He ran fourth in this race last year, beaten only 1-1/4 lengths.

Another consideration has to be Khola (6-1), a winner of his last two starts on the grass, both times in allowance company. This 4-year-old gelded son of Pollard's Vision, out of the Election Day (IRE) mare Buena Fortuna (MEX), hails from trainer Kari Craddock's barn for owner Craddock Racing of Brookings, S.D. He will be ridden by Leandro Goncalves. It will only be his third start against stakes horses. His best finish in a stakes race was fourth in two tries.

Here's the field from the rail out with horse, jockey, trainer, and odds:

Morhawk, Richard Eramia, Karl Broberg, 20-1
Pacific Typhoon, Lane Luzzi, Austin Gustafson, 15-1
Khola, Leandro Goncalves, Kari Craddock, 6-1
Quarky, David Cabrera, Karl Broberg, 9-2
Sweet Medicine, Luis Quinonez, Francisco Bravo, 8-1
Yip Kip, Ezequiel Lara, Lynn Chleborad, 20-1
Gospel Musketeer, Jose Medina, Steve Williams, 30-1
Tommyhawk, Freddy Manrrique, Randy Swango, 10-1
Georgia Deputy, Jose Alvarez, Joe Petalino, 20-1
Half Ours to Keep, Stewart Elliott, Karl Broberg, 4-1
Quality Rocket, Ramon Vazquez, Boyd “Jobe” Caster, 5-2

The Turf is set as the ninth of 10 races on Oklahoma Classics Night, with an approximate start time of 11:05 pm. The first race on Oct. 15 goes at 7:07 pm. All times are Central.

The post Quality Rocket Seeks A Repeat In OKC Turf At Remington Park appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

In that 2019 race, a huge longshot, Timely Reply chased down Quality Rocket in the stretch after the near three-time winner had a two-length lead coming for home in that race. Quality Rocket lost by a neck in that one, but has been perfect in the Red Earth Stakes since. The 7-year-old gelding by Backstabber, out of the King of Scat mare Lady Cambridge, won last year by 4-1/4 lengths with Garrett Steinberg up.

Quality Rocket passed the 9-5 wagering favorite Quarky on Friday night in the stretch to get up by one length with Ramon Vazquez in the saddle for trainer Boyd “Jo-be” Caster.

“He loves to be a racehorse,” said Caster. “and he gets better with age. He's like, 'Line 'em up and let me run.'”

Run, he did. He covered the distance in 1:28.45 over the firm turf, faster than his 1:28.64 that he won in last year. Quality Rocket actually ran even faster when he finished second by a neck. The winner two years ago, Timely Reply, finished in 1:27.69. It was Caster's second win in this stakes race and Vazquez's first. Last year, Quality Rocket won for owner Gerald Ball, who passed away between that race and this one. The gelding is now in the hands of Jeremy D. Ball, Gerald's son, of Shawnee, Okla.

“Yeah, we lost Gerald last year; I'm sure he was watching tonight,” Caster said. “Quality Rocket sure does like the grass. His daddy (Backstabber) did, too. He passed it on to his son.”

Quality Rocket, bred in Oklahoma by Gerald and Oteka Ann Ball, earned $42,000 for the victory and improved his lifetime record to 35 starts, 11 wins, nine seconds, and one third for $409,006 in his bankroll. His turf record is seven starts, three wins, and one second for $181,280. This horse has been versatile for Caster as well. He has won back-to-back $45,000 Route 66 stakes at Fair Meadows in Tulsa, Okla., the past two years, at 6-1/2 furlongs on the dirt of a half-mile bullring there. In this year's Route 66 he finished 4-1/2 lengths ahead of Welder, a sprinting Oklahoma-bred millionaire.

Quality Rocket followed up his win in the Red Earth here last year with a victory in the $130,000 Oklahoma Classics Turf, stretching out to 1-1/16th miles on the grass. Caster said he would likely go in that race again this year, scheduled for Oct. 15.

“Jo-Be just told me not to fight him and let him get comfortable,” said Vazquez. “I had my doubts, yes, about getting past that 2-horse. I was just waiting for my moment and my horse didn't quit.”

Quality Rocket (5-2) returned $7.20 to win, $3.80 to place, and $3.20 to show. Tommyhawk was third at 15-1 odds, 1-3/4 lengths behind the runner-up. The early fractions in the race were :23.22 for the first quarter-mile, :46.62 for the half-mile, and 1:10.48 for three-quarters of a mile.

Racing continues this week with a Saturday-Sunday schedule. It's the only Sunday race day of the meet, serving as Oklahoma Derby Day. Post time is 3 p.m. on Sept. 26, while Saturday night begins at 7:07 p.m.

The post Quality Rocket Repeats In Red Earth Stakes At Remington appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post