restrainedvengence | Horse Racing Free Tips

Feel-Good Story Continues For Brinkerhoff With Restrainedvengence

One of racing's feel-good stories has another chapter waiting to be written for the old warhorse Restrainedvengence.

The seven-year-old cash cow trained by Val Brinkerhoff returned to Santa Anita yesterday after being turned out at Sunshine Ranch in Bradbury following his eventful third-place finish at 40-1 in the Bad Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar on Nov. 6.

“He needed a rest,” said Brinkerhoff of the $65,000 gelded son of Hold Me Back who earned $90,000 for his third behind front-running Life Is Good and runner-up Ginobili. “He ran his guts out for us last year, as he aways does.”

Restrainedvengence ran his guts out in the Dirt Mile despite a slow start and a four-wide trip under Edwin Maldonado.

“He ran 55 feet further than any horse in the race,” Val said. “That's probably about six lengths right there. He wasn't going to beat the winner, but he could have been second (beaten only three-quarters of a length by Ginobili, who earned $170,000, almost double that of the $90,000 for third).”

Restrainedvengence won his first graded stakes when he captured the Grade 3 American at Santa Anita last June 20, and won the Downs Albuquerque Handicap at Sunland Park in New Mexico last Sept. 18 for the second straight year, this time by a nose, again wasting no margin for victory.

He won by a head in 2020.

Restrainedvengence has 10 wins from 35 starts with career earnings of just over a million, at $1,007,682.

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Life Is Good Runs Off The Screen In Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile

It's been a big Saturday so far for jockey Irad Oritz, Jr., who recorded his second straight Breeders' Cup victory in just the third World Championships race of the card. Following his frontrunning triumph in the Turf Sprint aboard Wesley Ward's Golden Pal, Ortiz followed the same playbook to pilot WinStar Farm and China Horse Club's Life Is Good to the winner's circle in the Dirt Mile.

“I had a perfect trip,” Ortiz said. “He broke out of there running, he relaxed for me. I wasn't worried about those other runners early in the race, because I knew he was so fast. When we got to the quarter pole, he re-broke for me. What a nice horse to ride.”

The Todd Pletcher-trained colt more than lived up to his 3-5 odds: The 3-year-old son of Into Mischief simply ran his rivals into the ground, grabbing the lead at the start and dominating the race throughout to clock a final time of 1:34.12 over Del Mar's fast main track. He defeated his closest rival, Ginobili (4-1), by 5 3/4 lengths, while Restrainedvengence (40-1) checked in third.

“We were hoping for that, expecting that based on the way that he's been training, but it's always great to see it actually happen,” said Pletcher. “He took it to them. Just too much horse.”

The win is Pletcher's second in the Dirt Mile, following a victory with Liam's Map in 2015, and the Hall of Fame conditioner's 12th Breeders' Cup victory overall. It was Ortiz's third Breeders' Cup win of 2021, and his 14th overall.

Previously trained by the embattled Bob Baffert, Life is Good was moved across the country to Pletcher's barn after an injury took him off the Kentucky Derby trail in March. He returned in late August to run second to Jackie's Warrior in the G1 H. Allen Jerkens Stakes at Saratoga, then got back in the winner's circle with an easy romp in the G2 Kelso on Sept. 25.

Though the pair of Japanese-trained entrants, Pingxiang and Jasper Prince, were both expected to show early speed, Ortiz sent Life Is Good hard out of the starting gates and made the lead before the clubhouse turn. Under mild pressure from Eight Rings, Life Is Good set fractions of :21.88 and :44.94 with his ears pricked, making it look easy.

Eight Rings dropped back a bit around the far turn as Ginobili took up the challenge on his outside. Life Is Good maintained an advantage of just over a length as he ticked off six furlongs in 1:08.96, then simply out-ran his rivals down the stretch. Ginobili kept on well to maintain second, hitting the wire 5 3/4 lengths behind the winner, while Restrainedvengence closed from the rear of the field to finish three-quarters of a length back in third. Eight Rings held on to be fourth, while Silver State was fifth.

Bred in Kentucky by Gary and Mary West, Life Is Good is out of the placed Distorted Humor mare Beach Walk. He was a $525,000 purchase at the Keeneland September sale, and was sent to Baffert's barn in Southern California for the early part of his career. Life Is Good won impressively on debut in late November at Del Mar, then won the G3 Sham and the G2 San Felipe before his injury.

With a second and two more wins to his name since his transfer to Pletcher's care, Life Is Good has amassed a total of five wins from six starts with earnings of $1,059,200.

Quotes from other connections:

Trainer Richard Baltas (Ginobili, second) – “We just ran into a better horse. We got a great trip and it looked around the turn that we were making a move and we're going to win it, but Life Is Good kicked clear. I mean, I'm pretty happy. I would be happier if we'd had won it, but Ginobili ran a great race.”

Jockey Drayden Van Dyke (Ginobili, second) – “With how fast they we were going, I thought it was going to set up perfectly for us. But the winner had another gear when we got to him but I am super happy with Ginobili. It was the kind of trip that we wanted and we got it. We were just second best today.”

Trainer Val Brinkerhoff (Restrainedvengence, third) – “He ran very good. We kind of got away bad. We thought we would be back, but not that far. I think if we had a little bit better start we might have gotten second. I don't think we would have beaten the winner. He ran a heck of a race.”

Jockey Edwin Maldonado (Restrainedvengence, third) – “My horse ran well and I'm happy we ran third. The winner was just too good.”

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Fairytale Finale? Hard-Knocking Restrainedvengence To Be Entered In Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile

Restrainedvengence, the sometimes-irascible cash cow for trainer Val Brinkerhoff and his owners, Bobby Grayson Jr. and Val's wife, Kelly, will face the most daunting test of his long career when he runs in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar on Nov.6.

“The Mile (on turf) is too tough with the likes of Mo Forza, and the Dirt Mile is coming up light, so that's where we're going,” said Brinkerhoff, who has had Restrainedvengence since Day One, running the 6-year-old gelded son of Hold Me Back on turf, dirt, synthetic, in sprints and routes from coast to coast.

In 34 career starts, Restrainedvengence has 10 wins, four seconds and three thirds with earnings of $917,682. He worked four furlongs Friday in 50 seconds flat.

“It was an easy breeze,” said Brinkerhoff, who celebrates his 65th birthday next Tuesday, Oct. 19. “He'll have one more here before we go to Del Mar.”

Edwin Maldonado, who piloted Restrainedvengence to a courageous nose victory as the 13-10 favorite in the $200,000 Downs at Albuquerque Handicap on Sept. 18, will be back aboard in the Dirt Mile. Restrainedvengence won the same race last year by a head under Ruben Fuentes.

Restrainedvengence may be a cut below racing's A-List Thoroughbreds, but on the track he's all race horse. Anyone who doubts that should watch a replay of his victory in New Mexico.

Winning the Breeders' Cup would be a fitting fairytale finale.

“The Breeders' Cup is a big step,” Brinkerhoff allowed, “but we might not get another chance.”

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Restrainedvengence Gets First Graded Stakes Victory In American Stakes

Owner/trainer Val Brinkerhoff's consistent 6-year-old gelding Restrainedvengence kept to his task and overhauled favored Neptune's Storm late to notch his first-ever graded stakes victory, as he took Sunday's $100,000 Grade 3 American Stakes by a half-length at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. Ridden by Tyler Baze, Restrainedvengence got one mile on turf in 1:33.87.

With longshot Sash gunning from his outside post, Neptune's Storm tracked him while second by 1 ½ lengths as Restrainedvengence sat third by a similar margin around the Club House turn. Heading to the quarter pole, it appeared Neptune's Storm, ridden by Flavien Prat, had matters in hand as he reeled in Sash and took charge turning for home.

But Restrainedvengence had plenty left to say, as he wheeled three-deep at the top of the lane while about two lengths off the lead and gradually gained the ascendency inside the sixteenth pole to win going away.

“First of all, I'm most thankful to have Tyler stick with the horse because I haven't been able to get anyone to stick with my horse,” said Brinkerhoff, who purchased the horse for $65,000 as a Keeneland September Yearling. “He likes him and he's come to know him, to win a graded stakes at Santa Anita for me, is just the best thing that ever happened for a long time.

“When I first got him and broke him, I mean he's been a handful, but you love him because he's so good. He's just hard to deal with, when he wants to do something, I just give up and let him do it, and then we go back and start over. I think his attitude has made him be a champion because he wants to do what he wants to do and he loves to run.”

A Kentucky-bred by the Giant's Causeway stallion Hold Me Back, Restrainedvengence, who was most recently third in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile here on May 31, was off at 3-1 in a field of six 3-year-olds and up and paid $8.80, $3.60 and $2.60.

“He always tries,” said Baze. “We kind of figured out a couple of things with him a couple of races ago and he was real primed to run a huge race today. I won on him before in New Mexico and I had the chance to get back on him this year. He's done nothing but try hard and just been a great horse for Val.”

Owned by Val Brinkerhoff's wife Kelly and Bob Grayson, Jr., Restrainedvengence, who is out of the Red Ransom mare Cupids Revenge, now has a total of seven stakes wins and an overall mark of 31-9-4-3. With the winner's share of $60,000, he increased his earnings to $768,182.

Idle since Sept. 7 and in his first start for Peter Miller, Neptune's Storm appeared to have a perfect trip but couldn't go with the winner late. Off at 4-5, he paid $2.60 and $2.20 while finishing a half-length in front of an on-rushing Tiz Plus.

Ridden by Trevor McCarthy and a first-time gelding today, Tiz Plus was off at 17-1 and rallied well for third money as he returned $3.20 to show.

Fractions for the American Stakes were :22.91, :45.88, 1:09.34, and 1:21.64.

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