Repole Stable | Horse Racing Free Tips

Pair of Stakes Kick Off Belmont Stakes Racing Festival Thursday

ELMONT, NY – A pair of stakes races, led by the featured GII Wonder Again S. for 3-year-old fillies on grass, will raise the curtain on the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival Thursday afternoon.

Repole Stable's Spansive (Karakontie {Jpn}) will put her perfect two-for-two record on the line for Todd Pletcher while making her stakes debut in the eight-deep Wonder Again.

Trainer Chad Brown will have three chances for his fifth Wonder Again win. He will saddle 5-2 morning-line favorite Revalita (Fr) (Recoletos {Fr}), a rallying second in the GII Edgewood S. at Churchill May 5; the rail-drawn co-second choice Venencia (Fr) (Recoletos {Fr}), third as the favorite while making her U.S. bow in a Keeneland allowance Apr. 27; and last out Belmont maiden winner Prerequisite (Upstart).

Last term's GI Frizette S. winner Chocolate Gelato (Practical Joke), meanwhile, will launch her sophomore campaign a race earlier versus six rivals in the six-furlong $150,000 Jersey Girl S. The dark bay failed to fire while making her first attempt around two turns in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland Nov. 4. Like the aforementioned Spansive, Chocolate Gelato is owned and trained by the same connections as GI Belmont S. morning-line favorite Forte (Violence). This race's namesake Jersey Girl provided Pletcher with his first Grade I victory as a trainer in the 1998 Acorn.

Drawn on the rail and sporting an imposing record of four wins from five career starts, Red Carpet Ready (Oscar Performance) is the horse to beat after hanging on by a head in the seven-furlong GII Eight Belles on the GI Kentucky Oaks undercard.

Thursday's 10-race program gets underway at 3:05 p.m. ET.

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TAA Calendar Photo Contest Open For Submissions

Judged on clarity, artistry and photographic quality, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) will select twelve winners–one featured photo for each month–for its annual Calendar Photo Contest, the organization said in a release Thursday afternoon.

Sponsored by Repole Stable, submissions must be relevant to the mission of Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and align with all other criteria set forth in the official contest rules.

“We are so excited to begin work on the 2024 calendar generously sponsored once again by Repole Stable,” said Emily Dresen, Director of TAA Funding & Events. “We look forward to all the amazing photos showing off our accredited organization's Thoroughbreds and a big thank you to our friends at Tipperary for sponsoring our grand prize.”

Online submissions will be accepted now through June 30, 2023. Click here for more information, the official rules and the contest submission form.

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Consolation For Forte Connections as Up to the Mark Impresses in Turf Classic

Having swallowed the most bitter of bitter pills earlier in the morning with news that Kentucky Derby morning-line favorite and 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence) was being scratched from the GI Kentucky Derby, owner Mike Repole was handed a measure of consolation when Up to the Mark (Not This Time) came rolling down the center of the Matt Winn turf course to prove a comprehensive winner of the GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic.

Exchanging bumps at the break with Earls Rock (Ire) (Fascinating Rock {Ire}), Up to the Mark settled in a midfield fifth for the run past the stands first time around, as Bye Bye Melvin (Uncle Mo) crossed from his outside draw and led from defending champion Santin (Medaglia d'Oro). Traveling in a nice rhythm down the backstretch, Up To the Mark commenced a rally leaving the three-furlong peg and had the leaders in the crosshairs at the quarter pole. Four wide at the head of the lane as Santin displaced Bye Bye Melvin at the head of affairs, the $450,000 Keeneland September yearling hit the front under a right-handed stick outside the eighth pole and ran out a convincing winner over Hong Kong Harry (Ire) (Es Que Love {Ire}). Spooky Channel (English Channel) just outfinished Ocean Atlantique (American Pharoah) for third.

A maiden winner in five starts on the dirt to begin his career, Up to the Mark looked reinvented when hacking up by four lengths when trying the grass for the first time at Gulfstream Jan. 28. Doubling up at the next allowance level Mar. 4, he was bet all the way down into 5-1 against the likes of Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the Apr. 14 GI Maker's Mark Mile at Keeneland and just missed second behind the Eclipse Award winner.

“It unfolded beautifully,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, winning a third Turf Classic. “He got a really good trip, was able to save a little ground. The horse relaxed nicely and had a good turn of foot when called upon. We'll probably go to the [June 10 GI Resorts World Casino] Manhattan [S.] on Belmont Day next.”

Pedigree Notes:

Up to the Mark is the 25th stakes winner, 11th graded winner and fifth Grade I winner for Not This Time and his first on the turf. He is the Taylor Made stallion's second top-level scorer of 2023, joining Dubai Golden Shaheen hero Sibelius. Ghostzapper's daughters have now produced 33 BTWs, 18 GSWs and five Grade I winners, two others of which descend from the Storm Cat sire line and one of which is 2018 Derby winner Justify (Scat Daddy).

Up to the Mark is out of an unraced daughter of Robert and Lawana Lows' 1996 GI Test S. winner Capote Belle, who also produced SW & GSP Zapper Belle (Ghostzapper) and Gata Bella (Storm Cat), the dam of MGSW/MGISP Catapult (Kitten's Joy) and SW Ha Ha Tonka (Distorted Humor).

The 9-year-old Belle's Finale, who was purchased by Ramspring Farm carrying a year-older full-brother to Up to the Mark for $70,000 at Keeneland November in 2017, is also the dam of the 3-year-old filly Cookie Crumbs (Mendelssohn), a 2-year-old West Coast filly, a yearling colt by McKinzie and a Maxfield colt foaled Apr. 12.

Saturday, Churchill Downs
OLD FORESTER BOURBON TURF CLASSIC S.-GI, $1,000,000, Churchill Downs, 5-6, 4yo/up, 1 1/8mT, 1:47.31, fm.
1–UP TO THE MARK, 123, c, 4, by Not This Time
               1st Dam: Belle's Finale, by Ghostzapper
               2nd Dam: Capote Belle, by Capote
               3rd Dam: Rythmical, by Fappiano
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
WIN. ($450,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Repole Stable and St. Elias
Stable; B-Ramspring Farm (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Irad Ortiz,
Jr. $601,400. Lifetime Record: 9-4-0-2, $829,550. Werk Nick
Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Hong Kong Harry (Ire), 123, g, 6, Es Que Love (Ire)–Vital Body
(Fr), by Gold Away (Ire). 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. (£185,000 RNA
4yo '21 GOFFLN; 85,000gns 4yo '21 TATAHI). O-Scott Anastasi,
Jimmy Ukegawa & Tony Valazza; B-Amarath Business
Management (IRE); T-Philip D'Amato. $194,000.
3–Spooky Channel, 123, g, 8, English Channel–Spooky Kitten, by
Kitten's Joy. 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($10,000 Ylg '16 FTKOCT).
O-NBS Stable; B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-Jason Barkley. $97,000.
Margins: 3 3/4, 1 1/4, HD. Odds: 2.63, 3.64, 4.37.
Also Ran: Ocean Atlantique, Santin, Wolfie's Dynaghost, Earls Rock (Ire), Bye Bye Melvin. Scratched: Master Piece (Chi), Steady On. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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No Immediate Plans For Pretty Mischievous Following Oaks

'TDN Rising Star' Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) was none the worse for her tough-trip victory in Friday's GI Longines Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs as a group of onlookers congregated outside the barn of trainer Brendan Walsh Friday morning. It was a first win in America's premier race for the sophomore filly set for her owner/breeder Godolphin, Walsh, jockey Tyler Gaffalione and her all-conquering sire.

“We are very proud of what she has accomplished and it couldn't be more special winning this for Godolphin,” said Walsh, who spent many seasons working in Dubai for Sheikh Mohammed's team. “There are some big races that we'll look at coming up, but no decision has been made on her next start.”

Repole Stables' New York-bred Gambling Girl (Dialed In) covered herself in glory Friday afternoon, running on strongly to complete the Oaks exacta, the fifth filly to finish runner-up in the race for trainer Todd Pletcher to go along with his four winners.

“She was just excellent after the race,” Pletcher said. “She came out of it well.”

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