Ricardo Santana Jr. | Horse Racing Free Tips

Silver State Takes Essex Handicap For Fourth Consecutive Victory

Silver State rolled to his fourth consecutive victory for trainer Steve Asmussen on Saturday, winning the $500,000 Essex Handicap at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark., from off the pace under Ricardo Santana Jr.

Rated R Superstar, an 8-year-old making his 50th career start and the 2019 Essex winner, finished second by a neck nder Ramon Vazquez, with Night Ops 1 3/4 lengths back in third and Harpers First Ride fourth in the field of six older runners. Tax, the 120-pound highweight, was scratched.

Silver State, a 4-year-old by Hard Spun owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing, carried 118 pounds and ran the 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:42.73. He paid $4.40 as the favorite, winning for the fifth time in nine career starts. He was bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings.

Harpers First Ride, making his first start for Robertino Diodoro after spending most of his career in Maryland, dueled with Green Light Go through fractions of :23.57, :47.67 and 1:12.22 while Silver State and Rated R Superstar raced at the rear of the field. Green Light Go retreated on the turn as the back markers began to gain ground on the turn and into the stretch.

Silver State had the jump on Rated R Superstar and maintained his lead throughout the stretch, passing the mile in 1:36.57 and holding sway for the victory.

“We had a beautiful trip,” Santana said. “I was in the position I wanted to be in. He relaxed really well for me and turning for home, he gave me a really nice finish.”

Silver State was on the Triple Crown trail early last year, finishing second in the G3 Lecomte and third in the G2 Risen Star Stakes at Fairgrounds. After a seventh-place finish in the G2 Louisiana Derby in March, he went to the sidelines. Silver State returned with a seven-length allowance victory at Keeneland in October, won a Churchill allowance in November and took the Fifth Season Stakes in at Oaklawn in January.

“It's a great partnership with the Hortons and Winchell Thoroughbreds,” Asmussen added. “They've done so much for me. This horse has always shown a lot of potential. We gave him the necessary time and he's come back to win four races. This was a very quality win today.”

The post Silver State Takes Essex Handicap For Fourth Consecutive Victory appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Santana Hits 1,500 Career Win Milestone Friday At Oaklawn

Seven-time Oaklawn riding champion Ricardo Santana Jr. recorded his 1,500th career North American victory in Friday's fourth race at Oaklawn, according to Equibase, racing's official data gathering organization.

Santana, 28, reached the milestone at the Hot Springs, Ark., track on Casual ($6.60) for his main client, Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. It was Santana's eighth victory of the meet – all for Asmussen – and the 554th in his Oaklawn career.

“I'm very thankful to have won 1,500 races in the United States,” Santana said in a Twitter message Friday. “Thank you to all of the owners, trainers, and stable employees for making this possible, and thank you to my agent, Ruben Munoz, for his hard work and dedication.”

Santana was Oaklawn's leading rider from 2013-'18 and again in 2020. Santana is Oaklawn's all-time leader in career purse earnings ($27,142,696 through Friday). He set a single-season Oaklawn record for purse earnings ($4,317,757) in 2019.

Santana ranked eighth nationally last year in purse earnings ($12,751,803) and 15th in victories (175), according to Equibase. Santana, a native of Panama, began riding in the United States in 2009 and has been an Oaklawn regular since 2011.

The post Santana Hits 1,500 Career Win Milestone Friday At Oaklawn appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Another Milestone For Asmussen: 700 Career Wins At Oaklawn

Steve Asmussen became the second trainer to reach 700 career victories at Oaklawn when even-money favorite Swiftsure captured Saturday's seventh race at under Ricardo Santana Jr.

Asmussen entered the 2021 Oaklawn meeting that began Friday with 696 career victories at the Hot Springs, Ark., track. He saddled one winner Friday and added victories in Saturday's fourth race with favored Jalen Journey ($4.40) and sixth race, the $150,000 Fifth Season Stakes, with favored Silver State ($3.80) before reaching the career milestone with Swiftsure ($4).

A two-time Eclipse Award winner (2008 and 2009) as the nation's outstanding trainer, Asmussen, 55, was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2016. He is seeking his record-tying 11^th Oaklawn training title.

“Oaklawn's been unbelievably good to us,” Asmussen said. “I think it's propelled us to where we're at. The opportunity to run this quality of horse for a good amount of money – there's a lot of good people we work for to go out and continue to improve their stock. Everything feels like it's headed in the right direction.”

Asmussen started his first horse at Oaklawn in 1989 and saddled his first winner in Hot Springs Feb. 9, 1996 (Honest J). Asmussen recorded his first Oaklawn stakes victory the following day with Valid Expectations in the $50,000 Mountain Valley for 3-year-old sprinters. Valid Expectations, Asmussen's first nationally prominent runner, was ridden by older brother Cash Asmussen, an Eclipse Award-winning apprentice and champion jockey in France.

Steve Asmussen has at least one stakes victory every year in Hot Springs since 1996 and Silver State marked his Oaklawn-record 90^thoverall. He set a single-season Oaklawn record for purse earnings in 2019 ($5,644,609). Asmussen, through Saturday, had started 3,408 horses in his Oaklawn career.

Some of Asmussen's top horses to run at Oaklawn include champions Curlin, Untapable, Gun Runner, Mitole and Midnight Bisou – all stakes winners in Hot Springs.

The late Bob Holthus is the only other trainer in Oaklawn history with 700 career victories. Holthus, a nine-time Oaklawn training champion, recorded more than 850 in Hot Springs.

“Am I second? Dang, I'm second in a lot of categories, aren't I?” Asmussen joked. “Second all-time in wins, second at Oaklawn in wins, second in money earned.”

Asmussen entered Sunday second in North American history career in purse earnings (more than $344 million), according to Equibase, racing's official data gathering organization, and second in career victories (9,159), including two with Curlin in the United Arab Emirates in 2008. Asmussen is projected to surpass the late Dale Baird (9,445) for career victories this fall. A former jockey, Asmussen had his first starter, and victory, in 1986.

“I promise you this,” Asmussen said. “I don't plan on stopping right on it (9,445), if that matters at all.”

Hall of Famer Henry Forrest (11) holds the record for most career Oaklawn training titles. Asmussen was Oaklawn's leading trainer in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. His 64 victories in 2019 is the second-highest single-season total in Oaklawn history.

Saturday's triple left Asmussen and Brad Cox (four victories) tied for the early lead in this year's Oaklawn standings. Both are finalists for an Eclipse Award as the country's outstanding trainer of 2020.

The post Another Milestone For Asmussen: 700 Career Wins At Oaklawn appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Getridofwhatailesu, Silver State Victorious In Oaklawn Stakes

The Elkstone Group LLC's Getridofwhatailesu, making her first start since a winning effort at Oaklawn last March, took advantage of her favored stablemate's bad break and came flying late from 10th place to win her first career stakes by 1 ½ lengths in the $150,000 Pippin Stakes on Saturday's opening weekend at the Hot Springs, Ark., track.

Several horses vied for the lead throughout the one-mile race with Wicked Whisper leading for the first quarter in :23 2/5 and Graysonsmacho Girl leading to the half mile mark in :47, but in the end they were no match for the winner, who won the race in 1:38 2/5 over a fast track under jockey Joe Rocco Jr. Our Super Freak, who stalked the pace throughout, took second, and Istan Council was third.

Getridofwhatailesu was the second Oaklawn stakes winner in two days for trainer Brad Cox, who also won the opening day Smarty Jones with Caddo River. Shortly before the Pippin he won the $3-million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park with 2020 Oaklawn allowance winner Knicks Go.

Getridofwhatailesu, a 5-year-old Ghostzapper mare, improved her record to four wins from seven starts and has now earned $259,197. She returned $19.20, $8.60 and $5.60 at odds of 8-1.

Silver State Noses Out Hunka Burning Love In Fifth Season Stakes
Two races earlier, Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC and Willis Horton Racing LLC's Silver State became a stakes winner in his 4-year-old debut when he edged pacesetter Hunka Burning Love by a nose in the $150,000 Fifth Season Stakes.

Silver State, ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr., was the last out of the gate and was unhurried early as Hunka Burning Love led through early fractions of :23 3/5 and :47 2/5. The winner caught up to the front runner entering the stretch and wore him down late for the victory in 1:37 3/5 for one mile over a fast track. Night Ops was third.

Silver State is trained by Steve Asmussen, who one race later won his 700^th race at Oaklawn. The Hard Spun colt has now won four of eight career starts and has earned $330,094. The 4-5 favorite returned $3.80, $2.60 and $2.10.

Live racing resumes Sunday with a 1 p.m. first post. The meet continues through Saturday, May 1.

The post Getridofwhatailesu, Silver State Victorious In Oaklawn Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post