“He's getting more mature and he's gotten better every start,” said winning trainer Rob Atras of his charge. “He had beaten arguably some lesser competition and today was a tough test, and he really showed up today. Honestly, I just think [jockey] Reylu [Gutierrez] did a great job. He had a tough time going into the first turn with him and obviously causing some havoc on the backside. He got him settled down and relaxed and really finished strong.”

Coming off a daylight win after settling the pace in the Bob Bork Texas Turf Mile S. Jan. 27 at Sam Houston, Neat was in the first flight early in the Transylvania and just a head off the call at the first fraction–a quarter in :23.98–while rank and visibly fighting Reylu Gutierrez before settling.

Gutierrez was able to ease the chestnut back on the inside, opening it up for the well-traveled Musical Act (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), second Mar. 2 in Dubai in the Jumeirah Classic, to take control with Cugino joining him soon after. Turning for home, Neat found his share of traffic while still covered up in fifth. An eighth from home and still in search of a seam, he split horses, just collaring Cugino from the inside at the last possible second after Musical Act surrendered and Lagynos surged while wide.

“Sometimes these 3-year-olds go through the holes and sometimes they don't,” said Gutierrez. “From the three-eighths pole it was all the horse. It was really tight down there but we waited as long as we could and when he saw that little bit of space, I mean, he certainly overcame me. It was all the horse.”

After two victories at this distance on the turf at both Laurel and Fair Grounds last year at two, Neat closed out 2023 with his lone main track attempt in the Gun Runner S. in New Orleans. He finished well back in sixth that day behind Track Phantom (Quality Road), also dropping his Beyer figure by 24 points. It was back to grass for the Texas Turf Mile, making Neat unbeaten in two starts at three with a four-for-five career tally on the grass.

Last year's Transylvania winner, BBN Racing's Mo Stash (Mo Town), was back again for Keeneland's opening day, winning a 5 1/2-furlong turf allowance earlier on Friday's card in his first win since the race last year.

Pedigree Notes:

Hidden Brook Farm and Spruce Lane Farm together bred Neat in Kentucky and sold him to Andrew N. Warren as a Keeneland November weanling for $200,000. The colt returned to the same ring the next September, bringing the same price from Red White and Blue. Hidden Brook had purchased his unraced dam while she was carrying to Violence for $62,000 at Keeneland's 2015 November sale. That foal would become SW & MGSP Louder Than Bombs. The mare, who hails from the same family as 2010 GI Spinaway S. winner R Heat Lightning (Trippi), has a 2-year-old filly by Nyquist–sold for $80,000 to Hat Creek Racing at Keeneland September–and a yearling filly by Medaglia d'Oro. Orabella aborted her 2024 foal.

Neat becomes the 33rd graded winner for WinStar stallion Constitution, a MGISW and son of Tapit who also has 64 black-type winners and will send just his sixth crop to the races this year. The late More Than Ready, broodmare sire of the Transylvania winner, was also part of the WinStar stallion roster and has 174 stakes winners worldwide out of his daughters.

That finish was pretty neat! #4 NEAT ($28.82) squeezed between rivals in the final furlong, getting up in the last stride to win @keenelandracing's $400,000 Transylvania Stakes (G3)!

Reylu Gutierrez was aboard for trainer Rob Atras and Red White and Blue Racing. pic.twitter.com/uSwbO0h4gu

— TVG (@TVG) April 5, 2024

Friday, Keeneland
TRANSYLVANIA S. PRESENTED BY KEENELAND SELECT-GIII, $397,263, Keeneland, 4-5, 3yo, 1 1/16mT, 1:44.93, gd.
1–NEAT, 118, c, 3, by Constitution
                1st Dam: Orabella, by More Than Ready
                2nd Dam: Hot Trip, by Trippi
                3rd Dam: Yellow Heat, by Gold Fever
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($200,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV;
$200,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Red White and Blue Racing LLC;
B-Hidden Brook Farm & Spruce Lane Farm (KY); T-Rob Atras;
J-Reylu Gutierrez. $226,300. Lifetime Record: 6-4-0-0,
$347,900. *1/2 to Louder Than Bombs (Violence), SW &
MGSP, $264,554. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Cugino, 118, c, 3, Twirling Candy–Adorable Miss, by Kitten's
Joy. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($225,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP).
O-West Point Thoroughbreds and Jimmy Kahig LLC; B-Gage Hill
Stables, LLC & W. S. Farish (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III.
$73,000.
3–Lagynos, 118, c, 3, Kantharos–Steamy, by Speightstown.
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($200,000 Ylg '22
KEESEP). O-HRH Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Al Saud; B-Robert
Spiegel (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $36,500.
Margins: NO, HF, 1. Odds: 13.41, 5.23, 31.75.
Also Ran: Lord Bullingdon, Musical Act (Ire), Can Group, Depiction, Guy Named Joe, First World War, Full Nelson, Oscar's World, Tennessee. Scratched: Camaro Z, Royal Majesty (GB).
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

The post Neat Surges Up the Rail to Take Keeneland’s Transylvania appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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One morning, as Kentucky Oaks day dawned, Norm's alarm never rang.

It was well into the morning before Mark Casse burst into his son's room in a panic. “Norman, why aren't you at school?” he cried.

“Dad, chill out,” retorted a teenaged Norm. “It's Kentucky Oaks day.”

That was the day that Norm Casse learned that the country's entire school system does not, in fact, shut down for Oaks day.

As a kid, the Kentucky Oaks marked a special occasion for Casse because it meant a Friday away from school in Louisville. Years later, after discovering his own passion for racing, working for his father for a decade, and now having trained on his own for six years, the Kentucky Oaks–and Derby week–has all come to mean so much more.

“I've been coming to the Oaks and Derby every year since 1995,” Casse reflected. “Even when I moved to Canada and worked for Dad up in Woodbine, the only weekend I ever took off was Derby weekend because I didn't want to break that streak. Being born and raised here is the reason why I do it. It's not because my family is involved. It's more because I love the Derby, the Oaks, and the whole week leading up to it.”

This year, Casse will saddle his first starter in one of those famed 3-year-old races with GI Kentucky Oaks contender Southlawn (Pioneerof the Nile). For Casse, who is a third-generation trainer and has already earned multiple graded stakes victories and just under 150 career wins, claiming his first Grade I on Friday would be a pinnacle moment.

“I can't really describe what it would mean to win the Kentucky Oaks,” he said. “All my friends and family are from here. They may not know what the Breeders' Cup Classic or the Pacific Class is, but they know what the Kentucky Oaks is. If we were able to win that, they'd look at me like a rock star.”

Casse comes to the Oaks with a filly that he and his team have always had high hopes for. Southlawn, a $290,000 yearling purchase for Robert Masterson, showed potential early on as a juvenile, but drawing out her true ability in the afternoons proved to be a puzzling task for Casse.

Southlawn takes to the main track at Churchill Downs | Sara Gordon

Southlawn was unplaced in her debut last June, finishing fifth behind none other than Mark Casse's future champion and Oaks contender Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief). After breaking her maiden by five lengths in her second start at Ellis Park, the filly from the final crop of Pioneerof the Nile was never a contender in the GIII Pocahontas S. and she came up empty in two tries on turf in the fall.

“After her last start on the grass here in the fall, we knew she was going to get the winter off,” Casse explained. “Tyler Gaffalione came back and said that she was having a lot of issues with her breathing. We sent her down to the Fair Grounds and we performed a myectomy on her. She's been undefeated ever since.”

The procedure seems to have solved any displacement issues the filly was dealing with as she has returned to the main track this year and has taken her first two sophomore starts by storm. She claimed an allowance at Fair Grounds by eight lengths in February and stamped her domination of the 3-year-old filly ranks in New Orleans with a win in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks.

Casse said that what has impressed him most about Southlawn's sophomore campaign is her developing running style.

“She doesn't have that early speed she had before,” he explained. “Now she makes a big, sustained run, which I think is going to be very beneficial in the Oaks. It just seems to me that she's better off breaking and trying to get a decent position, but then letting her get into her own rhythm and not forcing things too much. I like that she's so kind and professional now that no matter where we are in a race, we're still going to feel comfortable that she is going to run when Reylu asks her to run.”

Reylu Gutierrez, who competed in his first Kentucky Oaks last year, just claimed his first leading rider title at Fair Grounds earlier this year. The up-and-coming jockey has gained even more recognition while riding  a hot streak at Keeneland.

“I think one of the storylines that shouldn't go unsaid is that Reylu gets along with her really well,” Casse noted. “He's riding really well right now and he's so confident in her and in how she's training that it gives me a lot of confidence.”

Another essential character in Southlawn's storyline is of course her owner Robert Masterson.

The California-based owner had horses in training with Mark Casse for many years, highlighted by the outstanding two-time champion grass mare Tepin (Bernstein). Tepin was in the Casse barn at the same time that Norm was overseeing much of the stable.

Casse said that working with the talented filly and playing a role in her success at the top of the game, from the 2015 GI Breeders' Cup Mile to the 2016 G1 Queen Anne S., gave him the confidence he needed to go out on his own. When Casse first set up his stable, Masterson was his first–and for a short time, his only–client.

Masterson has been involved in racing for over 40 years and explained why he wanted to support the fledgling trainer back in 2018.

“Norm was the one that really took care of Tepin the whole time she was there,” he said. “When he decided to go out on his own, I just felt an obligation. Everybody needs a shot and I felt like I could be the person to give him a shot. I'm not the guy who is going to have a 40-horse stable, and his father already had all these big owners, so I thought that I could give him four or five horses and that would help him out.”

Picked out by Deuce Greathouse, Southlawn was a $290,000 yearling purchase for Robert Masterson | Sara Gordon

While Casse's success quickly grew in those first few years, Masterson's horses ran through a streak of bad luck. But Masterson stuck with his trainer and was eventually rewarded for his faith with the success of Southlawn.

“We didn't have much luck in the beginning, but it wasn't because of Norm,” Masterson said. “I think he's a really good trainer and a good caretaker of the horse. You're going to look at him five years from now and people are going to go, 'Where'd he come from?'”

Other than horses he owns in partnership, Masterson sends all of his horses to Casse. His stable is off to a fast start in 2023 and Friday could set up to be a monumental day. On top of Southlawn's Oaks bid, Masterson's Grove (Munnings) and New Beat (Not This Time), both 3-year-old fillies coming off maiden wins, are aiming to get into the entries. He also has a juvenile filly named Loveland (Munnings) looking to make her debut.

Masterson, a graduate of the University of Maryland, said that Southlawn is named after a neighborhood in Maryland outside of Washington D.C. He explained that his mother moved to South Lawn to be close to him when he was in college and years later, his first son was born there.

While Masterson hinted at his excitement ahead of Oaks day, noting that this is his first starter in the historic contest, he added that he is hoping for a happy outcome because of the positive implications it would have for Casse, his longtime bloodstock agent Deuce Greathouse, and the filly's many other connections who are making a name for themselves in the industry.

“I've been in the business since 1980 and I've had a lot of great horses so I'm not nervous,” he said. “I just hope she gets all the right chances. We always thought she was really going to be good and when she came back as a 3-year-old, she was a monster.”

Southlawn will face her toughest competition yet on Friday. The rematch of Southlawn with GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Wonder Wheel might be the start of a friendly father-son rivalry at the highest levels of the sport.

“When I went out on my own, my dad kept talking about how he couldn't wait until the day where we starting running against each other in these marquee races,” Casse explained. “So here's our first opportunity and it's a very cool opportunity. I'm just proud of my entire team. I feel like one of the things that we've done right since I went on my own is that I've built a really nice team that I'm confident in. I think they make a big, big difference in the stable and how well we're doing.”

Derby Week brings an unparalleled kind of excitement to the Churchill Downs backside, but Casse said he plans to embrace the hubbub and take in every moment. After all, it's an opportunity he's been dreaming about for years.

“I think the filly is training so incredibly well,” he said. “She looks great and her coat is great. She seems happier than ever and I know we're ready. I'm sure I'm going to be extremely nervous the morning of, but right now I'm just trying to enjoy the ride.”

The post Norm Casse Enjoying the Ride with First Oaks Filly appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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   Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where.

   With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) having gone into effect on July 1, the TDN will also post a roundup of the relevant HISA-related rulings from the same week.

CALIFORNIA

Track: Santa Anita

Date: 11/06/2022

Licensee: Armando Aguilar, jockey

Penalty: One-day suspension, $250 fine

Violation: Excessive use of the whip

Explainer: Having violated the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority Rule #2280 (c)(5) & (6) (Use of Riding Crop) and pursuant to Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority Rule #2282 (Riding Crop Violations and Penalties – Class 3), Apprentice Jockey ARMANDO AGUILAR, who rode MONGOLIAN NINJA in the sixth race at Santa Anita Park on Nov. 4, 2022, is suspended for one (1) day Nov. 13, 2022), and fined $250.00 for over use of the riding crop after reaching its maximum placing. Furthermore, Apprentice Jockey ARMANDO AGUILAR is assigned three (3) violation points that will be expunged on May 6, 2023, six (6) months from the date of final adjudication pursuant to Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority Rule #2282 (Riding Crop Violations and Penalties. Apprentice Jockey ARMANDO AGUILAR has accrued a total of three (3) points.

FLORIDA

The following ruling was reported on the ARCI's “Recent Rulings” webpage.

Track: Gulfstream Park

Date: 09/27/2022

Licensee: Nagib Aboughaida, trainer

Penalty: $500 fine, 15-day suspension

Violation: Medication violation

Explainer: 9/27/2022 – STEWARD'S RULING FINAL ORDER # 2022-027794 – F.S. 550.2415 VIOLATION = BOLDENONE. “CATCHING FISH” – $500 FINE IMPOSED AND DUE TO GSP/BOR 10/12/22; 15 DAY SUSPENSION IMPOSED (10/1/22 THROUGH AND INCLUDING 10/15/22); AND LOSS OF PURSE.

KENTUCKY

Track: Churchill Downs

Date: 10/30/2022

Licensee: Reyluis Gutierrez, jockey

Penalty: Five-day suspension

Violation: Careless riding

Explainer: Having withdrawn the appeal of Stewards Ruling #22-0117 issued July 17, 2022, Reyluis Gutierrez is now hereby suspended FIVE (5) racing days, Nov. 6 and Nov. 9 through Nov. 12, 2022 (inclusive).

Track: Churchill Downs

Date: 11/03/2022

Licensee: Ricardo Santana, Jr., jockey

Penalty: Five-day suspension

Violation: Careless riding

Explainer: After a hearing before the Board of Stewards, Ricardo Santana, Jr. who rode Echo Again in the eighth race at Churchill Downs on Oct. 30, 2022, is hereby suspended five (5) racing days, Nov. 6 and Nov. 9 through Nov. 12, 2022 (inclusive) for careless riding that occurred near the 7 1/2 furlong pole.

NEW HISA STEWARDS RULINGS

Note: While HISA has shared these rulings over the past week, some of them originate from prior weeks.

Violations of Crop Rule

Aqueduct

Jose Lezcano – ruling date Oct. 23, 2022

Delaware Park

Leonardo Corujo – ruling date Nov. 7, 2022

Finger Lakes

Christian Navarro – ruling date Nov. 7, 2022

Laurel Park

Luis Batista – ruling date Oct. 16, 2022

Jeiron Barbosa – ruling date Oct. 21, 2022

Mahoning Valley

Chelsey Keiser – ruling date Oct. 26, 2022

Odhair J. Mayta – ruling date Oct. 26, 2022

Luis Alberto Batista – ruling date Nov. 3, 2022

Braxton Carmouche – ruling date Nov. 3, 2022

Voided Claims

Delaware Park

Ghost Maiden – ruling date Oct. 27, 2022

Finger Lakes

Makeajoyfulnoise – ruling date Nov. 1, 2022

Hawthorne

Toddles – ruling date Oct. 30, 2022

Soul Story – ruling date Nov. 4, 2022

Horseshoe Indianapolis

Mi Estrella – ruling date Oct. 25, 2022

Mahoning Valley

Devil's Advocate – ruling date Oct. 25, 2022

Appeal Request Updates

Mountaineer Park

Marco Camaque

Crop rule violation

Ruling date Oct. 31, 2022

Appeal Filed Nov. 1, 2022

Stay granted

The post Weekly Stewards and Commissions Rulings – Nov. 1-7 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Gutierrez, riding regularly at Fair Grounds for the first time, has made an impact over the first month of the season. On Sunday, trainer Dallas Stewart enlisted Gutierrez to pilot Chess Chief in the aptly named Tenacious Stakes. Breaking from post 10, Chess Chief stalked the leaders while in heavy traffic for most of the run through the backstretch. At the top of the lane, it was a battle to the wire between Chess Chief, Happy American and Pirate's Punch. Chess Chief prevailed by the slimmest of margins in a final time of 1:43.39 for the 1 1/16-mile dirt contest.

In the following race, Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen gave a leg up to Gutierrez on Halo Again in the Buddy Diliberto Memorial, held over 1 1/16 miles on the Stall-Wilson turf course. Quickest from the gate at odds of 8-1, Halo Again made every pole a winning one while repelling the late run of Pixelate and Monarchs Glen to post a one-half length win in 1:43.22. The win was Gutierrez's third of the day and the second riding for Asmussen.

“It means the world to me,” the 26-year-old Gutierrez told Fair Grounds publicity. “The credit goes to (agent) Jose Santos. “We're everywhere – I rode at Turfway on Thursday, here at Fair Grounds, at Oaklawn. I'm just trying work hard. I'd like to be a part of at least one horse for every stable on this backside and get everybody to know me. I'll ride for anybody. It doesn't have to be a favorite.”

A finalist for the 2018 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice, Gutierrez was born in Rochester, New York. He is the son of Finger Lakes trainer Luis Gutierrez and his uncle is retired Finger Lakes jockey Jose Gutierrez.

Weekly statistics for Gutierrez were 15-3-2-3 and purse earnings of $176,178. He currently sits in second place in Fair Grounds standings with 17 wins and $669,650 in purses.

Other nominees for Jockey of the Week were Alex M. Cruz who was tied with Luis Saez for number of wins for the week, Kevin Roman with a 31.5 percent win rate, Luis Saez with two stakes wins, and John Velazquez who won the G1 La Brea.

The post Hot-Riding Reylu Gutierrez Voted Jockey Of The Week appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Gutierrez won with seven of his 17 mounts the past two days at Fair Grounds, five of them stakes. His winning mounts returned a total of $209.20 for a $12.30 return on investment. On Sunday he guided Gentle Soul ($35.00), Chess Chief ($22.20) and Halo Again ($30.80) to the Fair Grounds' winner's circle, and on Monday he followed up with victories aboard Hooperdrivesthboat ($83.80), Excess Magic ($6.60), Lovely Ride ($20.80) and Chattalot ($10.00).

“Feels great,” Gutierrez said after winning the final stakes of the day aboard Chattalot. “It's a credit to (jockey agent) Jose Santos, Jr. No matter where he's put me, we've been successful. We are calling Fair Grounds home, and we are doing very well. He does his due diligence. He does an excellent job with all of his riders. He puts me on these horses, and it's for everybody, so I'm just thankful for Jose.”

For the year, Gutierrez has won 132 races while banking $4.8 million, both career highs, while taking on new racetracks and challenges seemingly every month. Entering Thursday's card, he's sits second in the Fair Grounds jockey standings with 17 wins from just 73 mounts (23%), three behind meet leader Colby Hernandez.

Two of Gutierrez's Monday stakes scores came for trainer Bret Calhoun, whom he also credits for helping to jump start his career.

“When I ride for the Calhoun train it is really special,” Gutierrez said. “He's one of the reasons I am here today.”

Excess Magic Gets the Bacon in Woodchopper

In the $75,000 Woodchopper, Gutierrez placed the William T. Reed homebred Excess Magic (2.30-1 favorite) in the perfect pressing position on the outside of the pacesetting 18.10-1 longshot Rightandjust through early fractions of 24.43 and 49.76. He put that rival away off the turn for home and then held safe of close second choice Point Me By (2.50-1) to win by 1 ½ lengths in a final time of 1:38.08 for the mile on turf.

“His other horse (Who Took the Money) was the one I was most afraid of, so I guess he did me a favor by scratching him from the race,” Gutierrez said. “Both tracks (turf and dirt) are playing the way I like to ride. He (Excess Magic) was coming from a sprint to a route so I let him be a horse, get out there, and get in good position. On the backside I could feel everyone on top of us, so I could tell we were going pretty slow. He was ready to go and when I turned for home, I said 'let's go get some bacon'. He was hungry. I was hungry. Calhoun does a great job with his horses.”

The Woodchopper was the fourth win overall and first in a stake for Excess Magic (8-4-2-1), and it boosted his career bankroll to $164,171.

“He's been a pretty consistent horse for us,” Calhoun said. He had a little injury last year and we had to back off. Being able to run in a sprint prepping for this (win on Nov. 26), it worked out great. The mile is ideal for him. He's got tremendous turn of foot. Early on I was thinking we were a little (too) close (to the front), but that why I pay Reylu to ride him. He was right. The fractions were pretty slow and he had him right where he needed to be.”

Lovely Ride Works Out a Trip in Pago Hop

First career turf start is a stakes winning one for daughter of Candy Ride

Already a stakes winner on dirt, Allied Racing Stables Lovely Ride proved her versatility by winning her first ever start on turf, taking the $75,000 Pago Hop in what was a hard-fought battle down to the wire. It was the second stakes victory on the card for the team of trainer Bret Calhoun and jockey Reylu Gutierrez.

Away alertly from an outside post, Lovely Ride sat fourth while in the clear, two-wide down the backstretch while chasing moderate early fractions of 24.17 and 49.30 set by the longshot (25.60-1) Touch of Class. With the front-runner wandering about, she ducked inside of her mid-stretch, took the lead, and held safe of the resurgent 3.10-1 favorite Amiche and the late closing Princess Theorem (6.90-1) to score by a game ¾ of a length in a final time of 1:38.56 for one mile on turf. Only 3 ¼ lengths separated the top seven finishers.

“I had a delightful trip,” Gutierrez said. “She has enough tactical speed. I was able to break and come over (from the outside post). That was the whole game plan, we wanted to save ground. She took to it well. I have to credit Mr. (Bret) Calhoun and his brain because he has been brainstorming around with a couple of his horses and switching things up and he took the risk (of running on turf) given her pedigree. A lot of trainers don't have the opportunity to do that, but he took his chance. His chess playing is paying off and he is making me look good and his horses look good, so credit to Mr. Calhoun.”

The winner of the Catherine Sophia on August 24 at Parx, Lovely Ride has looked dominant at times on dirt, but she's been somewhat plagued by inconsistency.

“We thought pedigree-wise (by Candy Ride out of a Tiznow mare) she had a big chance to perform well on turf,” Calhoun explained. “Obviously this is the last 3-year old (restricted) race of the year. We were kind of out of options and so we thought we'd take a chance. We really thought she would handle the turf. It looks like she handled it well, and I look forward to her being even better on it next time. She looked like she was a little bit lost on it early on. By the time she figured out where she was going and what she was on, she finished up big and galloped out huge. It is great to have multiple options. We're just going to have to sit back and look at the condition books and see what race suits us best.”

With the win, Lovely Ride bolstered her resume to 9-5-1-1 with earnings of $284,160.

Chattalot Lets His Speed Do the Talking in Sugar Bowl

With three stakes wins the past two days, trainer Steve Asmussen breaks out of his Fair Grounds “slump” in a big way

Entering Sunday's action, trainer Steve Asmussen had zero wins to show from 21 starters to open the 2021-22 racing season at Fair Grounds. On the other side of Monday, he now has four wins with three of them coming in stakes. So much for that “slump”.

On the heels of a Sunday training triple, including stakes wins with Halo Again in the Buddy Diliberto Memorial and Epicenter in the inaugural running of the Gun Runner, Asmussen added a little icing to his holiday cake by winning Monday's Sugar Bowl with the front-running Chattalot for Bloom Racing and David Bersen. It was the third stakes win on the card, and fifth in the last two days, for jockey Reylu Gutierrez.

Away alertly from the rail, Chattalot (4.00-1) maintained his inside position while neck in neck with the 1.60-1 favorite Higher Standard through contested fractions of 22.05 and 45.35. He put that rival away on the turn for home, and the fended off a stretch challenge from Underhill's Tab (5.90-1) to win by a game, half-length in a final time of 1:10.03 for the six furlong on the main track. It was another 1 ¾ lengths back to Blue Kentucky in third. Higher Standards was 5 ½ lengths back in sixth.

“Today I just let him break and get his feet under him,” Gutierrez said. “I saw that no other horses were really getting away from him or going, so I just kind of took it to them. The rail has been good to me this weekend, so why not take it. When I saw (the favorite) Higher Standard just kind of pumping at the half mile pole, I was very confident.”

The winner of the first two starts of his career, the 2-year-old son of Midnight Lute was most recently seen finishing a tired fourth in the Lively Shively Stakes at Churchill Downs on November 27. With the win, he now boasts a record of 5-3-0-1 with earnings of $199,095.

Girl With a Dream was Filly With the Lead for a Brad Cox Letellier Exacta

Maybe it was more experience, maybe it was the break, maybe it was simply a matter that the most talented 2-year old filly won, but either way, the Brad Cox barn was front and center at Fair Grounds, sending out the Letellier Memorial Stakes $75,000 exacta with Girl With a Dream wiring the field and Com'On Sweet luv running second.

“She broke sharp,” jockey Florent Geroux said of the winner. “I thought she was the best in the field. We didn't know what to expect [in terms of running style]. We know she can be forwardly placed, but last time she came from the back at Churchill. I just felt I had the best horse in the race and she broke sharp so I took it from there. If someone wanted to go faster than me I would have let them go but that's not how the race unfolded, how everything played out.”

In a dirt sprint race where it was unclear how the front end would unfold, jockey Florent Geroux capitalized on a sharp break from his mount. By Practical Joke and owned by Jim Bakke and Gerry Isbister, Girl With a Dream was last seen closing inot hot fractions in a first-level allowance on November 13 at Churchill Downs. In the Letellier she set the fractions of 22.49, 46.42 as the .70-1 favorite. 31.90-1 Runnin Happy kept within a length at the first call. The bettor's choice of the two Steve Margolis horses, 4.50-1 Implosion, stalked and chased but never threatened for the lead. The other Margolis, 17.70-1 Mystique Saboteur, got away slow and passed tiring rivals for third. Despite coming away last from the gate, by the second call Marcelino Pedroz Jr. had guided Com' On Sweet Luv through traffic, up within one length, then as close as the leader's throatlatch. As they both got into their fillies, it was Girl With a Dream who proved best, synching the deal late in 1:10.84 for six furlongs.

“When [Come On' Sweet Luv] came close to me at the eighth pole it seemed like she had plenty left,” Geroux said. “But we were able to fight her off in the last eighth of the mile.”

All three rides for Com' On Sweet Luv have come under Marcelion Pedroza, Jr. The second place filly by Jimmy Creed broke her maiden out front last out at Fair Grounds on November 27, finishing strong after setting slow fractions.

“She got left at the gate a little bit,” Pedroza said. “She's not the type of filly to break sharp in the first jump. By the third jump she is right up in the race. I don't think it cost me the race. The other filly was better. We just got beat. On top of the stretch I felt like I had a shot. I grabbed a hold but he did too, so I was like let's see who is the better filly right here. He had more horse than me, that's it.”

The two-year old question du jour as we turn the calendar year: what's next for the winner and will she stretch out?

“Maybe, but if so, probably still around one turn,” Brad Cox said. “I wouldn't get super super crazy. Comparing her with other horses in our barn I am thinking she might be one to keep around one turn for the time being. She's had five runs now at 2 so we'll take a deep breath, regroup with her. It takes a little pressure off you going forward, now being a stakes winner.”

With the win, Girl with a Dream is 5-3-1-0 earning $170,720 in her brief and promising career.

Add Dirt to The Top of the List: Versatile Audrey's Time Keeps Getting Better

Lothenbach Stables' patient approach with Audrey's Time paid off on Monday, as the soon to be 5-year-old mare won the $75,000 “Spanky” Broussard Memorial Stakes at Fair Grounds. Making her 16th start over three racing campaigns, the daughter of Uncle Mo has raced 8 times with one win on turf, 1 win in her lone synth try, and in her 7th dirt start, she gets the trophy for trainer Neil Pessin and regular rider Corey Lanerie.

“She was just doing okay on the turf,” Pessin said. “I knew she had always worked well [on dirt], and we'd run her on the dirt before, but she was just maturing with every time out. I think that helped as much as anything, the time off we gave her and bringing her back slow.”

Run at 1 mile 70 yards, there was nothing slow about the front end. Ignacio Correas' .90-1 favorite Cheetara set fast opening fractions of 23.74 and 47.07–the quickening through the second call was largely due to being aggressively chased by 7.30-1 Powder River, who vied for the lead through the turn. Cheetera has proven not to like company and Powder River's jockey Adam Beschizza seemed to know it. The early leader faded and as Powder Room passed her on the inside, Audrey's Time made her winning move on the outside and didn't stop edging away to the wire.

“My horse got off a little slow,” Corey Lanerie said. “The leader was going easy by herself, but I kept my filly in the clear and she pulled up to her on the turn. From that point on I knew I had something left in the tank. I called on her and she took it from there.”

Make it $268,226 in the bank and a career record of 16-4-1-3 for Audrey's Time as connections contemplate the next move.

“I don't know if we belong with the ones we ran against last time [Envoutante and Bonny South in the Falls City (G2)],” Pessin said. “I don't think we are quite there yet. We might look at Sam Houston. I don't know what they're going to have in the older filly division as far as veteran mares being ready to run.”

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The answer is yes.

76.00-1 longshot Sumitup hustled through the mix of sharp breaks to get the lead and sped on setting the opening first quarter fraction of :21.89. Breaking inside the early leader, second-choice 1.90-1 Cilla was close to the front but relaxed and shifted to one path outside to be joined by quickening 25.30-1 shot Sarah's Passion, who pressed tightly and did not let up pressure. The pair moved through the turn behind the leader but took over the front at the half pole. And that's when everyone wondered, where is .40-1 favorite Ova Charged?

Breaking slowest of the field, rider Reylu Gutierrez guided Ova Charged at the back of the pack going four-wide through the turn while targeting the main foe. As Cilla put away Sarah's Passion, it looked like she could sustain. Drifting in, Ova Charged seemed to lose focus but Gutierrez came with the crop and Star Guitar's talented 3-year-old showed more than talent, digging in with Cilla in her sights and the finishing line just beyond, Ova Charged showed the heart of a Louisiana-bred champion and won by ¾ length over Cilla who never gave up. Five starts, four wins, and one graded stakes second totaling $174,600 lifetime earnings. The connections were in attendance and they were proud.

“It's an honor to ride for Jose's stable, to ride Ova Charged,” jockey Reylu Gutierrez said. “What a smart, talented, strong, physically and mentally imposing filly. I am really delighted I can ride her. Two champion fillies neither of them deserved to lose.”

Cilla's trainer Brett Brinkman had indicated before the race that the goal was to keep teaching Cilla to relax, but when you get drawn the 3 post, inside a filly like Ova Charged, it forced their hand when it came time to run.

“The post position dictated what we had to do,” Brinkman said. “The only two disappointing finishes I've had with her lately have been in the lane and we've been the target. When we are fixed on a target, we are much better off. I think that's the same way with his filly [Ova Charged]. She's a fighter, those are two good mares right there. She had the benefit of a recent race, which is no excuse. My filly fights, she's good. I'd like to turn the tables and have the outside the other way and force his hand. That's just the competitor in me.”

After the slow start, Ova Charged's connections didn't know this race could unfold in their favor.

“I was worried at the beginning because she didn't break sharp,” Fair Grounds co-leading trainer Jose Camejo said. “When she was coming home I knew she had a lot of horse left, but I knew she still had to pass the three [Cilla]. She got it done and we are so proud of what she did.”

The other co-leading trainer, Ron Faucheux, sent out 15.30 – 1 Strong Beauty who finished well for third place. An impressive turning out by her and the other sharp fillies in this race. 25.30 – 1 Sarah's Passion holding on for fourth. 14 – 1 Snowball finished fifth. Then 116.70 – 1 Sienna Breeze finished ahead of the tiring early speed Sumitup.

On a day dedicated to Louisiana's best horses and horsemen, Ova Charged owner's said it best:

“Louisiana I love you,” said Evelyn Benoit of Brittlyn Stables. “And I love Star Guitar.”

As for Cilla's next steps, her trainer has a solid plan.

“I am shooting for a summer career with her,” Brinkman said. “We weren't pointing to this race but it was a race I wanted to hit. We'll look to hit a race in February, then we are going back up the country.”

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Attracting a classy field with three graded stakes winners, this inaugural running of the Bob F Wright Memorial had the makings of a stunner from when the card was drawn. With four horses who knew how to win out front running across a turf course that has been kind to sent horses early in the meet, so much depended on the tactics each jockey would deploy.

“Trying to follow the right horse,” Loveberry said. “The 1 horse [Pixelate], I thought that was the one to follow and I just got the trip behind him the whole race. I saved ground and followed him.”

Running two lengths behind Pixelate early while tracking fractions of :24.88, :49.40, and 1:14.03 set by Forty Under, Another Mystery kept stride on the rail throughout both turns. He lacked room for a bid at the three-sixteenths pole. Fed up while awaiting a lane to open up, Loveberry tipped Another Mystery Out out and this Chris Block-trained bay 5-year-old kept to business finding more. He edged Pixelate to pull off the 10.80-1 upset. It was another length back to the hard-charging Monarchs Glen in third. The pacesetter Forty Under checked in fourth.

With the victory, Another Mystery raised his record to 22-6-2-3 with a bankroll of $282,850.

“Chris Block did a really good job training this horse, and I appreciate it a lot,” Loveberry said. “He was trained really good. I worked Another Mystery a couple times at Arlington. He brought it today.”

The newcomers to the jockey colony are shining on the opening weekend at Fair Grounds. Although Colby Hernandez leads with five wins, Reylu Gutierrez and Deshawn L. Parker have scored four apiece. With rides like the one he had on Another Mystery, Jareth Loveberry could give them all a run for their money.

“Finally got it off my back,” Loveberry said. “It was my first win.”

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Trained by Bret Calhoun and with Gutierrez again in the saddle, Hidden Connection went into the Grade 3 Pocahontas for two-year-old fillies fresh off a dazzling 7-1/2 length win at Colonial Downs. Off as the 9-5 favorite from post 9 in a field of 11, Hidden Connection sat just off the leader, Lemieux ridden by Tyler Gaffalione. With three furlongs to go, Hidden Connection went to the lead and drew away to a dominating 9-1/2 length win while setting a stakes record for the 1-1/16th mile race over a fast track in a final time of 1:43.78.

“It is incredibly special to get my first win at Churchill Downs for these great people, in front of this amazing crowd and aboard this filly,” said the understandably excited Gutierrez. “She is unbelievable.”

Gutierrez, 25, a finalist for the 2018 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice, earned his first graded stakes win in 2019. He is the son of Finger Lakes trainer Luis Gutierrez and his uncle is retired Finger Lakes jockey Jose Gutierrez. Even with those close racing connections, Gutierrez did not intend to be a jockey. An injury playing Lacrosse in high school led him to rehabilitation and the idea of physical therapy as a profession. He graduated from SUNY Cortland in 2017 with a degree in exercise physiology.

A desire to pay off student loans and growing up in the racing industry led him to give riding professionally a try. He won his first race in 2017 at Finger Lakes and is considered one of the industry's most promising young jockeys. To date, the well-travelled Gutierrez has won 356 races from 2,808 starts and nearly $13 million in purses. He rode mostly in New York through 2020 but decided to give Texas a try this year riding at Sam Houston and Lone Star Park as well as Remington Park in Oklahoma. This week, he rides at Churchill Downs then Remington Park and back home to Finger Lakes for mounts in two-year-old stakes races for trainer Mike Maker.

Weekly stats for Gutierrez were 8-1-1-1 and purse earnings of $202,624.

Gutierrez out-polled Javier Castellano who won the Grade 3 Iroquois, Tyler Gaffalione with a stakes wins at Churchill Downs, Feargal Lynch with two stakes wins at Laurel and Jaime Rodriguez who had nine wins for the week.

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The field of 10 broke cleanly, with Lemieux away fastest from the gate, taking a one-length lead. Hidden Connection stayed with her, Reylu Gutierrez putting his filly a half-length behind Lemieux.

Around the far turn, Hidden Connection drew even with Lemieux, passing her as they entered the stretch. From there, the filly ran away with the G3 Pocahontas, stretching her lead out to eight lengths as she crossed the wire. Mama Rina closed late to take second with Goddess of Fire and Code for Success rounding out the top four.

The final time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:43.78. Find this race's chart here.

Hidden Connection paid $5.60, $4.00, and $3.20. Mama Rina paid $21.40 and $7.80. Goddess of Fire paid $4.20.

The G3 Pocahontas is a Win and You're In race for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. The winner earns a fees-paid, guaranteed spot in the starting gate for the corresponding race at the Breeders' Cup World Championships, scheduled for Nov. 5-6 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

As a race on the path to the 2022 Kentucky Oaks, Hidden Connection's win in the Pocahontas earns her 10 points toward a spot in the starting gate for that classic.

Bred in Kentucky by St. Simon Place, Hidden Connection is out of the Awesome Again mare C J's Gal. Trained by Brett Calhoun, the 2-year-old filly is owned by Hidden Brook Farm and Black Type Thoroughbreds. She is 2 for 2 lifetime, with $207,525 in career earnings.

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The 35th running of the six-furlong Challedon for 3-year-olds and up was the last of three $100,000 stakes on the final program of July, preceded by Hello Beautiful's victory in the Alma North and Harpers First Ride's triumph in the Deputed Testamony. All three races are part of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series.

Mucho ($7.20) took the lead at the top of the stretch and turned back late challenges from multiple stakes winners Laki, Lebda, and Whereshetoldmetogo for a one-length victory in 1:10.09 over a fast main track under jockey Reylu Gutierrez.

“I told Rey, this horse is only getting sharper. Don't take anything away from the break,” Midwest-based winning trainer John Ortiz said. “Honestly, this is Rey's victory. He did everything right on the horse. He made all the right strategical moves. When he broke sharp, he kind of asked a little bit and made the horse on the inside chase and push and go through, and all we needed was a target. We needed a little speed, and he got it.”

Jockey J.D. Acosta was forced to hustle Lebda from his rail post to get by the alert-breaking Mucho, and was in front after a quarter-mile in :22.96. Grade 3 winner Laki and 3-2 favorite Whereshetoldmetogo, who have combined to win 13 stakes, raced side-by-side in behind with 37-1 long shot Whiskey and You trailing the field.

Laki maintained the lead following a half in :45.83 with Mucho turning up the pressure and Laki and Whereshetoldmetogo poised to strike while in the clear on the outside. Mucho forged a short lead once straightened for home, dug in past the eighth pole, and had plenty left to keep his challengers at bay.

Lebda held second by a neck over Whereshetoldmetogo, with Laki another half-length back in fourth.

Second as a 2-year-old in the 2018 Grade 1 Hopeful for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, Mucho came up just short of multiple stakes winner Bango in the seven-furlong Kelly's Landing June 25 at Churchill Downs. In his prior start, he finished ahead of both Laki and Lebda when fourth in the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint May 15 at Pimlico on the undercard of the 146th Grade 1 Preakness Stakes.

“The horse broke delightful today. Johnny's so good at getting horses out of the gate, with his morning training and routine,” Gutierrez said. “Watching his last going seven-eighths, I said, 'If he breaks sharp like that again today cutting back to three-quarters, I'm going to keep him there and keep him engaged.' I was able to make Lebda use a lot of horse to get the lead and I just had the trip. From the half to the three-eighths [pole], I got a really great breather to finish.

“This group of horses will probably be facing each other multiple times this year. Every trainer in this field, they do an amazing job with their stables and they're highly competitive so I'm very proud of our horse,” he added. “He beat them in the Maryland Sprint a couple starts ago so I really was expecting the same type of performance with him putting himself forwardly placed. I loved every second of it.”

Mucho is a 5-year-old son of Blame, the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic winner and champion older horse of 2010. Ortiz hinted Mucho could find himself at the year-end championships should his star continue to rise.

“This horse has only been improving. He's gained more weight and is getting sharper and stronger. That's all we needed,” he said. “There might be a couple more starts before we end up in Del Mar, you never know. You gotta dream big, right?”

Not run during Maryland's pandemic-shortened 2020 stakes season, the Challedon honors the Maryland-bred son of Challenger II that won 20 of 44 starts and $334,660 in purses from 1938 to 1942, was recognized as Horse of the Year in 1939 and 1940, and inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame in 1977. Winner of the 1939 Preakness and 1939 and 1940 Pimlico Special, Challedon also sired 13 stakes winners before his death in 1958.

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