Freud Colt Wows in Nownownow

Dakota Gold took to turf and two turns to score an impressive victory in this lucrative event. The chestnut was a 4 1/2-length debut graduate in an open rained-off sprint at Saratoga Sept. 2,  for which he earned a solid 82 Beyer Speed Figure. In receipt of first-time Lasix, Dakota Gold found a stalking position early just behind and outside of odds-on GIII With Anticipation S. scorer Coinage. He settled nicely down the backside behind a :45.56 half mile, and was asked to quicken after six furlongs in 1:10.82. He powered to the front in upper stretch while still figuring out his lead changes, and kicked home from there with bounding strides to defeat pricey maiden Royal Spirit by daylight.

“This is the biggest win of my career, the biggest purse I have ever won. It's incredible. It feels great,” said 23-year-old winning rider Isaac Castillo, who was second in the Monmouth jockey standings heading into Sunday's card. “This is a fantastic horse, a championship-type horse. He was very comfortable on the grass. I was a bit outside early, but he was galloping on his own and very relaxed. When I asked him he just took off. He seems like he can be a very special horse.”

Conditioner Danny Gargan offered, “I thought he was even better on the grass than he was in his first start on the dirt and that race was very impressive. When that race came off we still ran him because he had some good works on the dirt and he ran tremendous that day. I always wanted to run him longer on the grass and today, you put your neck out on the line, and it worked out. There was a New York-bred race today at Belmont at seventh-eighths on the dirt. [Owner] Dean [Reeves] and I discussed it and I really wanted to run here. I'm just glad I got the opportunity to do it and Dean gave me a chance. I told him if we win this we can go to the Breeders' Cup, so I think Dean is going to let me going to the Breeders' Cup. I just couldn't wait to get him on the grass. We knew he had this kind of turn of foot on the grass. There was some pace in the race and he just flew by. When the jockey asked him he just galloped by. It was pretty impressive. You get lucky and get a horse like this once in a while. I think this horse has as much talent as any younger horse I've ever had.”

The 70th stakes winner for New York-based stalwart Freud, Dakota Gold has a yearling half-brother by Redesdale and a foal half-brother by the Reeves' Mucho Macho Man. His dam is a half to 2010 GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile upsetter Dakota Phona (Zavata).

NOWNOWNOW S., $500,000, Monmouth, 9-26, 2yo, 1mT, 1:36.31, gd.
1–DAKOTA GOLD, 117, c, 2, by Freud
                1st Dam: Dakota Kid, by Lemon Drop Kid
                2nd Dam: World of Gold, by Spinning World
                3rd Dam: Explore the Gold, by Fast Gold
($83,000 Wlg '19 FTNMIX). 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O-Reeves
Thoroughbred Racing; B-Sequel Thoroughbreds & Ron Bowden
(NY); T-Danny Gargan; J-Isaac Castillo. $300,000. Lifetime
Record: 2-2-0-0, $355,000.
2–Royal Spirit, 116, c, 2, Into Mischief–Don'tforgetaboutme, by
Malibu Moon. ($450,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL). O-Repole Stable & St.
Elias Stable; B-Claiborne Farm (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.
$100,000.
3–Coinage, 121, c, 2, Tapit–Bar of Gold, by Medaglia d'Oro.
($450,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-D. J. Stable LLC & Chester
& Mary Broman; B-Chester & Mary R. Broman (NY); T-Mark E.
Casse. $50,000.
Margins: 2HF, 6, 1. Odds: 5.00, 6.30, 0.80.
Also Ran: Shimmering Leroid, There Are No Words, Grooms All Bizness, Midnight Chrome, Sweeping Giant, Pure Panic. Scratched: City At Night. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Clement Saddles City Man, Therapist In Friday’s Ashley T. Cole At Belmont

Trainer Christophe Clement will saddle City Man and Therapist – the one-two finishers last out in the West Point presented by Trustco Bank – in Friday's $125,000 Ashley T. Cole at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Clement has won the nine-furlong inner turf test for New York-bred 3-year-olds and up on two occasions, with Lubash scoring in 2012 and 2014.

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Peter Searles, and Patty Searles' City Man, a 4-year-old graded-stakes placed son of Mucho Macho Man, posted a game nose victory in the 1 1/16-mile West Point over the inner turf as part of New York Showcase Day on August 28 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

City Man, bred by Moonstar Farm, made the lead at the stretch call under returning rider Joel Rosario and outdueled Therapist for the narrow win.

City Man, who sprinted to victory in the 2019 Funny Cide at 6 1/2-furlongs on the Saratoga main track, also secured stakes success in the 1 1/16-mile Gio Ponti in November on the turf at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Clement said the West Point will set the versatile City Man up for a return to dirt in the $300,000 Empire Classic, a nine-furlong test for state-breds on October 30.

“He's a good horse. I'm going to run him here and then get him ready for the Empire Classic back on dirt,” Clement said. “He's always trained like a good horse.”

Oak Bluff Stables' Therapist, a 6-year-old graded-stakes placed son of Freud, boasts a record of 26-9-3-6 with purse earnings of $707,865.

Clement said he's concerned about Therapist's ability to handle the distance and the prospect of inclement weather on Friday.

“There a question mark on the mile and an eighth, especially on soft turf. He's more suited for a mile and a sixteenth, he's that kind of horse,” said Clement, who co-bred Therapist with Oak Bluff Stable. “He is doing very well at the moment. I thought he ran very well last time out. I'm a little concerned about the weather, but there's not much I can do about that.”

The popular chestnut has thrived on the Belmont turf with five wins from 12 starts, including stakes scores in each of the last four years in the 2017 Awad, 2018 NYSSS Spectacular Bid, 2019 Elusive Quality, and last year's First Defence.

“He's been a fun horse to have in the barn the past few years,” Clement said. “He's a lovely horse and I'm lucky to train him.”

City Man will exit post 2 under Rosario, while Therapist will emerge from the inside post under Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Edward Messina and William Butler's Sanctuary City, a 4-year-old Temple City bay, rallied from last-of-7 to complete the trifecta in the West Point.

Trained by James Ferraro, Sanctuary City enjoyed a three-race win streak beginning with a half-length score in a state-bred turf allowance in November at Aqueduct and followed with a state-bred optional claiming score on the Big A turf in April sprinting six furlongs in his seasonal debut. He completed the set with a last-to-first rush to win an open one-mile optional-claiming event on the Belmont turf in May.

Sanctuary City entered the West Point from off-the-board finishes in the Grade 3 Poker [4th] in June at Belmont and the Grade 3 Forbidden Apple [8th] in July at the Spa.

Kendrick Carmouche has the call from the outermost post.

Rounding out the field are Graded On a Curve [post 3, Javier Castellano], who was fourth last out in the West Point for trainer Chad Brown; and maiden winner Lord Flintshire [post 4, Jose Ortiz] for conditioner Jorge Abreu.

Three Jokers and Tiergan are entered for the main-track only.

Slated as Race 3, the event pays tribute to the late Ashley T. Cole, who served as chairman of the New York State Racing Commission and played a critical role in the formation of the New York Racing Association.

Also featured in Race 8 on the nine-race card is the $150,000 Joseph A. Gimma at seven furlongs on the main track for state-bred juvenile fillies. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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Gufo Breezes In Preparation For Joe Hirsch Turf Classic At Belmont

Otter Bend Stables' Gufo breezed an easy half-mile in :52 flat over the Belmont Park inner turf Sunday in preparation for the $500,000 Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on October 9 at the Elmont, N.Y., track.

Trained by Christophe Clement, the son of Declaration of War was a last-out winner of the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer Invitational on August 28 at Saratoga, where he fended off a stretch rally from the Aidan O'Brien-trained multiple Group 1-winner Japan.

“It was an easy work on his own on the turf,” Clement said. “We'll work him back on the turf next week to be a little more aggressive. He looked good.”

Never off the board in a dozen starts, Gufo commenced his 4-year-old campaign with a second-place finish beaten a nose in the Grade 1 Man o' War before rallying from 17 lengths off the pace to finish third beaten four lengths to Domestic Spending in the Grade 1 Manhattan.

Gufo, who captured the Grade 1 Belmont Derby and Grade 1 Hollywood Derby last year, regained his winning form when stretching out to 1 ½ miles under regular rider Joel Rosario for the Grand Couturier on July 5 at Belmont where he added blinkers for the first time.

Clement said Gufo has shown improvement when adding blinkers.

“He was a bit more aggressive than usual last time, but it all worked out,” Clement said. “I think it's always a question of pace. Wherever Joel is comfortable, I'm happy usually. Blinkers on gives him a little more cruising speed. Joel never had to hit him, and the horse was a bit more consistent in the stretch. He wasn't erratic like sometimes he can be. He looked better.”

Gufo will attempt to become the fourth horse in the past decade to sweep the Sword Dancer-Joe Hirsch double, joining Channel Maker [2020], Main Sequence [2014], and Point of Entry [2012].

On Saturday, Clement saddled Soldier Rising to a runner-up finish to Yibir in the Jockey Club Derby Invitational. The son of Frankel raced along the hedge in fourth down the backstretch with a ground-saving trip and launched his bid once finding racing room in upper stretch, finishing 2 ½ lengths behind Yibir.

He was second in his previous outing in the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational on August 7 at the Spa, where he was a rallying second to Irish invader State of Rest.

“He ran really well. He looked good and came back from his race in good shape,” Clement said. “He's a very nice horse. We just have to keep him sound. We'll run him maybe once or twice more, but I'm not sure where yet. Then we should have a very nice horse for next year.”

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Clement shipped two-time allowance winner La Dragontea to Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, for a victory in the Grade 2 Canadian on Saturday. The Lope de Vega dark bay or brown filly displayed stalking tactics while under a strong hold by Rosario down the backstretch. Rosario did not coax his filly until mid-stretch, where she extended her advantage to a one-length score.

La Dragontea, owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Rebecca Hillen, captured her North American debut with a wire-to-wire score in a Belmont allowance at 1 ¼ miles before finishing fourth in the Grade 3 Robert Dick Memorial at Delaware Park in Wilmington, Del. Prior to the Canadian, she defeated optional claiming company over a yielding Mellon turf at Saratoga.

“She's a nice filly,” Clement said. “She was a bit unlucky when I ran her in the stakes at Delaware as the turf was very soft that day. She won yesterday nicely. It gives you an idea of the level of racing at Belmont when you think she was in her conditions. She is an improving kind of a filly.”

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La Dragontea Earns First Graded Stakes Win In Canadian Stakes At Woodbine

Christophe Clement's English-bred filly La Dragontea got her first graded stakes win in the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. Ridden by Joel Rosario, the filly broke cleanly, sat just off the front running Our Secret Agent, and took over the lead in the stretch to make her first trip to Woodbine a winning one.

At the break, Our Secret Agent was out fastest, taking the lead over La Dragontea and Merveilleux, with Court Return and Barkin running toward the back of the short field. On the backstretch, the field maintained their early positions, with Our Secret Agent a length and a half in front of La Dragontea. Around the final turn, Rosario gave his filly her cue to move.

Entering the stretch, La Dragontea pulled even with a rail-running Our Secret Agent, Merveilleux to their outside. Inside the final furlong, La Dragontea took over the lead, pulling away from the field as Court Return came on in late stretch to take over second with Barkin rallying on the outside. At the wire, La Dragontea was a length in front of Court Return and Barkin, with Merveilleux and Our Secret Agent rounding out the field.

The final time for the 1 1/8 miles on the firm Woodbine turf was 1:50.33. Find this race's chart here.

La Dragontea paid $4.40, $3.10, and $2.10. Court Return paid $5.50 and $2.60. Barkin paid $3.30.

Bred in England by Bartisan Racing Ltd, the 4-year-old filly is by Lope de Vega (IRE) out of the Sadler's Wells mare La Concorde (FR). She is owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Rebecca Hillen. In 2021, the filly has three wins in five starts, for a lifetime record of four wins in 12 starts and career earnings of $246,882.

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