Ricardo Santana Jr. | Horse Racing Free Tips

Fire At Will Runs Down Outadore In Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf

Fire At Will defied his 30-1 odds to establish himself as North America's top 2-year-old on the grass Friday with a powerful stretch drive to win the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Keeneland.

The Declaration of War colt left the gate forwardly placed, and jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. acted quickly to get him on the rail from the seven post. Fire at Will and Gretzky the Great tracked early leader Outadore heading into the first turn, avoiding the congested traffic that plagued many of the runners behind them.

Outadore led the field through an opening quarter in :23.64 seconds, with Gretzky the Great pressuring him on the outside. The top three remained in the same position at the half-mile point, crossed in :48.12 seconds, and Outadore appeared to be in a good position to sustain his lead entering and exiting the final turn under Jose Ortiz.

All the while, Santana sat patiently on the rail path, and when Gretzky the Great faltered at the top of the stretch, Fire At Will ran through the seam, and came face-to-face with Outadore with an eighth of a mile to go. Under a hard drive and left-handed urging, Fire at Will kicked away in the stretch, and hit the wire three lengths ahead of middle-moving Battleground, who passed Outadore by a neck in the final jump.

Fire At Will covered the mile on a turf course rated as good in 1:35.81.

The victory was worth $550,000 and increased Fire At Will's earnings to $687,932 with a record of 4-3-0-0 with all three victories coming in stakes. Mike Maker trained the colt for owner Three Diamonds Farm.

Fire At Will paid $62.40 to win, which was a massive price, considering he came into the race off a two-length win in the G2 Pilgrim Stakes at Belmont Park. Prior to that, he won a rained-off-the-turf edition of the With Anticipation Stakes at Saratoga Race Course by 1/2 lengths.

Bred in Kentucky by Troy Rankin, Fire at Will is out of the unplaced Kitten's Joy mare Flirt. He sold to Three Diamonds Farm for $97,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Race Quotes courtesy of the Breeders' Cup Notes Team:

Winning trainer Mike Maker (Fire At Will) – “I tell you, we have been high on him since day one and with each race he's got better. It's very satisfying to get Three Diamonds Farm their very first Breeders' Cup win.”

Winning jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. (Fire At Will) – “I got a beautiful trip. I had plenty of horse in the tank. Thank God everything played out perfect.”

On timing: “He put me where he wanted to be and that's why we won.”

Second-place jockey Ryan Moore (Battleground) – “My horse ran super. Very happy with him.”

Third-place trainer Wesley Ward (Outadore) – “He ran great. I thought that the fractions were decent to where he could kick on. Talking to Jose, he said when he turned for home he dropped into another gear as we expected. But, take nothing away from that winner. He ran away from us. (The winner) ran a big, big race.”

Third-place jockey Jose Ortiz (Outadore) – “He got a little tired the last sixteenth, but he ran a helluva race. He was ready 100 percent. Wesley had him ready.”

Fourth-place trainer Jessica Harrington (Cadillac) – “He ran a great race. Shane said he got into a bun fight early on which pushed him back to eighth and messed the race up for him. But I'm really pleased with his run and especially the way he stayed on to the line.

Fourth-place jockey Shane Foley (Cadillac) – “He had a bad trip after the first bend. He then got a nice run later on and he hit the line really well.”

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GISW Cavorting’s First Foal Gets Up in Churchill Unveiling

6th-Churchill Downs, $84,814, Msw, 10-25, 2yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:44.85, ft, 1/2 length.
CLAIRIERE (f, 2, Curlin–Cavorting {MGISW, $2,063,000}, by Bernardini), given a 7-2 chance for trainer Steve Asmussen in this unveiling, was four wide into the first turn and remained under restraint despite showing some eagerness to get on with it early. Three wide on the far turn, she began to close on the leading pack, headed by the Norm Casse-trainee Super Quick (Super Saver). Fanned out eight wide turning for home, the bay inched ever closer to the game leader throughout the length of the stretch and got up just in time to peg that rival on the wire. Clairiere is the first foal out of three-time Grade I winner, multi-millionaire and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Cavorting. A daughter of GSW Promenade Girl (Carson City), Cavorting is a half-sister to GSW Moon Colony (Uncle Mo) and MGSP ‘TDN Rising Star’ Thirstforlife (Stay Thirsty). After having produced a filly by Medaglia d’Oro last term, she followed up with a full-brother to Clairiere this season. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $49,092. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
O-Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.

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Max Player Works ‘Really Well,’ Covers Swift Five Furlongs In Company At Churchill Downs

George Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbred's $1 million Travers Stakes (Grade I) third-place finisher Max Player recorded a swift five-furlong move in :59.60 Monday morning at Churchill Downs in preparation for the $3 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (GI) on Saturday, Sept. 5.

Max Player, who was recently transferred to the care of Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen from New York-based conditioner Linda Rice, worked at 7:30 a.m. (all times Eastern) during the exclusive 15-minute training window for Kentucky Derby and Oaks contenders. Max Player, who breezed with jockey Florent Geroux up, began his work two lengths behind stablemate Allege and worked through fractions of :23.80 and :35.80. Max Player finished even with his workmate at the wire and continued to gallop out in front through six furlongs in 1:12.60.

“He worked really well behind his workmate,” said Geroux, who was filling in Monday for Max Player's Derby rider Ricardo Santana Jr. “I think he will like the 1 ¼-mile distance in the Derby. I was working the horse this morning because Ricardo is still at Saratoga. Steve has given me many great opportunities in my career so I always try to help when he needs me. I will be on (trainer) Bob Baffert's horse Thousand Words in the Derby.”

Also training during the special training window was Victoria's Ranch's King Guillermo, who galloped 1 ½ miles under exercise rider Edgar Medina for trainer Juan Avila. The son of Uncle Mo is scheduled to have his final move before the Kentucky Derby on Saturday morning.

Raymond Daniels and Wayne Scherr's former $100,000 claim Necker Island returned to the track following his walk day on Sunday with an easy jog under exercise rider Hillary Hartman. Necker Island, trained by Chris Hartman, is tentatively scheduled to work on Saturday with jockey Miguel Mena aboard.

Prior to the Kentucky Derby and Oaks training window, Lloyd Madison Farm's Major Fed galloped 1 ½ miles at 5:15 a.m. under exercise rider Margarito Fierro. Trained by Greg Foley, the $300,000 Indiana Derby (GIII) runner-up is scheduled to have his final work on Friday or Saturday. Approximately 45 minutes following Major Fed's gallop, West Point Thoroughbreds and Pearl Racing's $600,000 Arkansas Derby (GI) third-place finisher Winning Impression had a light 1 ½-mile gallop with trainer Dallas Stewart's exercise rider Emerson Chavez in the saddle.

Jim Bakke and Gerald Isbister's $200,000 Ellis Park Derby runner-up Attachment Rate had a scheduled walk day following his half-mile move in :48.60 Sunday morning.

On the Longines Kentucky Oaks front, Mark and Nancy Stanley's graded stakes placed Tempers Rising galloped 1 ½ miles at 6:30 a.m. under Chavez. Also making an appearance Monday morning at Churchill Downs was Flurry Racing Stables, Qatar Racing Limited and Big Aut Farms' $200,000 Indiana Oaks (GIII) winner Shedaresthedevil, who jogged with exercise rider Edvin Vargas up for trainer Brad Cox. Her stablemate, Juddmonte Farms' $600,000 Alabama Stakes (GI) runner-up Bonny South, galloped 1 ½ miles under exercise rider Gustavo Abrego.

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Cazadero Bids For Third Straight In Saratoga Special

A field of 11 juveniles will look to make their star turn in Friday's 114th running of the Grade 2, $150,000 Saratoga Special presented by Miller Lite going six furlongs over the main track at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Rich in history, the Saratoga Special has been a launching pad for eventual champion horses dating all the way back to 1907 when Hall of Famer Colin won the event en route to an undefeated 15-for-15 career. In 1914, Regret won the Saratoga Special before becoming the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby the following year. Other prominent winners of the historic race include champions Morvich (1921), Blue Larkspur (1928), Top Flight (1931), Whirlaway (1941), Native Dancer (1952), Nearctic (1956), Bold Forbes (1975), Conquistador Cielo (1981), and Favorite Trick (1997).

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen will attempt five victories in the Saratoga Special when saddling Cazadero, who is the lone starter in the field with a graded stakes triumph.

Owned and bred by Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Stables, the bay son of Street Sense won the Grade 3 Bashford Manor on June 27 at Churchill Downs in his most recent start, which came after an 8 3/4-length romp on debut at the Louisville oval.

Cazadero has gotten acclimated to the Oklahoma training track, recording three works including a three-eighths bullet in 37.60 seconds on August 2.

Asmussen and Stonestreet teamed up to win the 2010 Saratoga Special with Kantharos, who also entered the race off a first-out Churchill maiden win followed by the Bashford Manor.

“Its nice to have a couple of races under his belt heading into a race like this at Saratoga,” said Asmussen's chief assistant Scott Blasi. “He came in very well-respected and hasn't done anything wrong yet.”

Jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. will retain the mount from post 6.

Asmussen also will saddle Jackie's Warrior, a bay son of Maclean's Music who won on debut on June 19 at Churchill Downs defeating next out winner and fellow Saratoga Special aspirant Therideofalifetime.

Owned by J. Kirk Robison, Jackie's Warrior registered an 81 Beyer for the effort, the same number that stablemate Cazadero recorded in his career debut.

“It was a very impressive maiden special weight at Churchill. Fast times and talented horses as well,” Blasi said. “With these babies you just have to get some experience in them and hope that they continue to move forward.”

Jockey Joel Rosario will be aboard from post 10.

Trainer Christophe Clement will attempt a seventh stakes win of the meet when saddling Momos for Ironhorse Racing Stable and Secure Investments.

The son of Distorted Humor was an impressive 6 ½-length winner in his Saratoga career debut on July 18.

“He's coming back a little quick with three weeks in between races,” Clement said. “I could have trained for the [Grade 1, $250,000 Runhappy] Hopeful [on September 7] going seven-eighths at the end of the meet, but this is the best of the choices, so to speak. I just would like to keep him going short in a stakes on dirt and this was the logical one. He seems to be very fast, so why change something that is working?”

Jockey Manny Franco retains the mount from post 7.

Stephen Fidel's Therideofalifetime boasts the highest career speed figure when registering an 85 Beyer in his second start when romping to an 8 ¼-length win at Keeneland on July 11.

Trained by Ignacio Correas IV, the chestnut colt is by Candy Ride and the first progeny out of the stakes-winning Proud Citizen broodmare Cosmic Evolution.

Jockey Jose Ortiz will pilot Therideofalifetime from post 9.

Breeze Easy's Roderick will attempt to mimic a sensational 8 ¼-length win on debut as he breaks from the far outside for trainer Wesley Ward.

The son of Into Mischief garnered a 73 Beyer for the win in the five-furlong maiden on June 21 Belmont Park, where he defeated next-out winner Zippy Baby.

A $550,000 purchase from last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Roderick is out of the Cherokee Run mare Cayala and is a full-sister to graded stakes winner One Liner. He comes from the same family as Grade 1 winners Daredevil and Albertus Maximus.

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. returns aboard Roderick and will attempt a third Saratoga Special victory.

Trainer Antonio Sano sent out eventual multimillionaire Gunnevera to a 2016 Saratoga Special victory and will attempt to do the same with Magic Stables' Papetu, who breaks from post 1.

Like Sano's previous Saratoga Special winner, Papetu also is a chestnut son by Dialed In and arrives off a five-length maiden triumph at Gulfstream Park en route to an allowance optional claiming win on July 5 at the South Florida oval.

Papetu has trained forwardly heading into his graded stakes debut having recorded a half-mile drill over the main track at Gulfstream Park West in 47.60 seconds.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez will ride Papetu.

Completing the field are Hold the Salsa [post 2, Dylan Davis], Garoppolo [post 3, Luis Saez], Caramel Chip [post 4, Luis Cardenas], Pickin' Time [post 5, Javier Castellano], and Market Alert [post 8, Jose Lezcano].

The Saratoga Special is slated as Race 9 on Friday's 10-race card, which offers a first post of 1:10 p.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the 40-day summer meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, NYRA Bets is currently offering a $200 new member bonus in addition to a host of special weekly offers. The NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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