road to the kentucky derby | Horse Racing Free Tips

Cardinal Conditions S. Offers KY Points at Chelmsford on Thursday

Chelmsford City Racecourse, closed since sustaining damage from Storm Eunice in mid-February, opens its gates on Thursday highlighted by the £100,000 Woodford Reserve Cardinal Conditions S., which offers points (30-12-6-3) on the Road to the GI Kentucky Derby on May 7. A total of £155,996 in prizemoney will be offered throughout the eight-race card, which begins at 3:30 p.m. local time. Held over one-mile on the all-weather, the Cardinal has attracted a field of six 3-year-olds.

Leading the sextet is Godolphin's Blue Trail (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), who already holds 20 points, as he triumphed in Kempton Park's 'Road To The Kentucky Derby' Conditions S. on Mar. 2. Second and third that day were Highclere Thoroughbred Racing's Harrow (Ire) (El Kabeir) and Prince Faisal's Find (GB) (Frankel {GB}).

Charlie Appleby said, “It's great that Chelmsford are doing a good job in staging a race of this value at this point of the season. I am glad it's being supported: it might not be big numbers but I am a big believer that you don't need numbers to make a good race if you get good horses, and I think they've done that.

He added “We've come out of the [Kempton] race well. What we've done this time is that we are going to remove the hood in the hope that it might just sharpen him up a little. But the preparations have gone well and obviously Harrow and Find are entitled to come forward a bit for their runs, but we are all going

there with good experience under our belts and may the best horse win.”

The field also includes the listed-winning Mr Professor (Ire) (Profitable {Ire}), who is trained by Alice Haynes for Amo Racing Limited. He will run in cheek pieces for the first time.

“We've got a good draw and the French style of racing didn't

really suit him,” she said. “I think he's better with an end-to-end gallop and Chelmsford is much more of a speed track. It is a very valuable race for this time of year. It was an obvious decision to run in it.”

Dark Moon Rising (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) from the Kevin Ryan yard and the maiden Atheby (GB) (Gutaifan {Ire}) from Jane Chapple-Hyam will also line up.

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Not This Time Colt Front and Center in Risen Star

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Epicenter (Not This Time) made up for his close call in the GIII Lecomte S. with a front-running score in the GII Risen Star S. at the Fair Grounds, moving him up in the GI Kentucky Derby points rankings. Winchell Thoroughbreds and winning trainer Steve Asmussen also teamed up to take this event in 2016 with future Horse of the Year Gun Runner.

Away a breath slower than the rest, Epicenter quickly got his hooves beneath him and tugged his way up to the front under Joel Rosario. Bodock (Street Boss), a 63-1 shot, kept the pacesetter honest through early splits of :23.79 and :47.97 with Pappacap (Gun Runner) saving ground to Bodock's inside in third. Meanwhile favored 'TDN Rising Star' Smile Happy (Runhappy) bided his time back off the pace in sixth with GII Remsen S. runner-up Zandon (Upstart) sitting off his heels. Epicenter continued to lope along comfortably at the head of affairs, putting up three-quarters in 1:12.25. Rosario sat chilly in the saddle as Epicenter cruised clear with ease in the lane for a decisive victory. Smile Happy rallied for second with Zandon closing right behind him for third.

Fading to sixth in his seven-panel Churchill Downs unveiling in September, Epicenter returned with a good-looking graduation going a mile at that venue Nov. 13. Running away to a 6 1/2-length triumph in this venue's Gun Runner S. Dec. 26, he did most of the heavy lifting in the Lecomte S. last time Jan. 22, only to be headed by Call Me Midnight (Midnight Lute) late.

“He did run a really big race today,” Rosario said. “That was really nice. He looked like he was enjoying what he was doing and put in a really nice race today. We'll see going forward how far he can go.”
“A little different than his last race in that every quarter was perfect,” owner Ron Winchell said. He looked nice and comfortable we were just hoping he would finish off the race and he did. He looked great.”

Pedigree Notes:
Epicenter is the fifth graded winner and one of 17 black-type scorers for his young sire Not This Time. He is also the 14th graded scorer and one of 30 black-type winners out of a daughter of Candy Ride (Arg), who was also the broodmare sire of GIII Fair Grounds H. winner Cavalry Charge (Honor Code). Westwind Farms purchased the winner's dam Silent Candy for $130,000 at the 2014 KEENOV sale carrying a foal by Scat Daddy. Her recent produce includes a juvenile colt by Always Dreaming and a yearling filly by Tapiture. She was bred back to Outwork.

Saturday, Fair Grounds
RISEN STAR S. PRESENTED BY LAMARQUE FORD-GII, $400,000, Fair Grounds, 2-19, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:49.03, ft.
1–EPICENTER, 122, c, 3, by Not This Time
               1st Dam: Silent Candy (SW & GSP, $182,208), by Candy Ride (Arg)
               2nd Dam: Silent Queen, by King of Kings (Ire)
               3rd Dam: Soundproof (Ire), by Ela-Mana-Mou (Ire)
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($260,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP).
O-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC; B-Westwind Farms (KY);
T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-Joel Rosario. $240,000. Lifetime
Record: 5-3-1-0, $410,639. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for
the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Smile Happy, 122, c, 3, Runhappy–Pleasant Smile, by
Pleasant Tap. ($175,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV; $185,000 Ylg '20
FTKSEL). O-Lucky Seven Stable (Mackin); B-Moreau
Bloodstock Int'l Inc. & White Bloodstock LLC (KY); T-Kenneth
McPeek. $80,000. 'TDN Rising Star'
3–Zandon, 122, c, 3, Upstart–Memories Prevail, by Creative
Cause. ($170,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Jeff Drown; B-Brereton
Jones (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $40,000.
Margins: 2 3/4, HF, HD. Odds: 3.50, 2.20, 3.80.
Also Ran: Pioneer of Medina, Tawny Port, Slow Down Andy, Trafalgar, Pappacap, Bodock, Russian Tank.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Howling Time, Classic Causeway Lead Big Field For Sam F. Davis At Tampa Bay Downs

For a number of 3-year-old Thoroughbreds whose connections hold Kentucky Derby aspirations, 4:54 p.m. ET on Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla., is show-and-tell time.

A field of 12 sophomores, a few more promising than the others, is expected to line up about that time for the 42nd running of the Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile race awarding “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points to the first four finishers on a 10-4-2-1 scale.

The Sam F. Davis is one of four main-track stakes races on a good-looking, 11-race Festival Preview Day card beginning at 12:11 p.m. The program includes three other stakes races: the $150,000, mile-and-40-yard Suncoast Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, a Road to the Kentucky Oaks points race to be contested as the eighth race; the $100,000, six-furlong Pelican Stakes, for 4-year-olds and-upward, which is the seventh race; and the $50,000, six-furlong Minaret Stakes, for fillies and mares 4-and-upward, scheduled as the sixth.

In addition to being a field of dreams for breeders, owners, trainers, jockeys and stable workers, the Sam F. Davis is the major prep race for the Grade 2, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, which is the showcase event of a $1-million-plus Festival Day card on March 12 featuring four graded stakes races.

To get to Festival Day, the Sam F. Davis entrants need to show they've upped their games off their 2-year-old performances. There is no shortage of confident handlers.

“It's a good (Kentucky) Derby prep race, the timing is good and our horse is healthy and doing everything right,” said Dale Romans, the trainer of Kentucky-bred colt Howling Time, expected to be one of the betting favorites.

“(The Sam F. Davis) is a good race to get your horse to the next level, and it's a great race to win on its own. But we are looking down the road (with Howling Time),” Romans said.

Howling Time, who is owned by Albaugh Family Stables and will be ridden by his regular jockey, Joseph Talamo, won his first two starts as a 2-year-old, including the Street Sense Stakes on Oct. 31 at Churchill Downs, before fading to a fifth-place finish in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes on Nov. 27 at Churchill. “No one else wanted the lead,” Romans said, “and I don't think that's where this horse wants to run.”

Romans said he hopes Talamo can place Howling Time somewhere behind the leaders before unleashing his best run late. “This horse never gets tired, and we just want to get him to finish with a nice run and hopefully win,” Romans said.

Joining Howling Time from the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes is Kentucky-bred colt Classic Causeway, who finished a solid second in that race to Smile Happy. Irad Ortiz, Jr., will take over the riding assignment from Joel Rosario. Classic Causeway is 1-for-3, including a third-place finish on Oct. 9 in the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland.

Trainer Brian Lynch said he is sending Classic Causeway from his south Florida base to Tampa Bay Downs on Thursday, with the intention of jogging him Friday morning and schooling him in the paddock Friday afternoon.

“I'd like to see him get his first graded-stakes victory and keep picking up Derby points,” said Lynch, who trains Classic Causeway for Kentucky West Racing and Clarke M. Cooper. “His workouts have been solid, and everything about them suggests he should run well.

“I feel that if he runs his race, he will certainly fit with these horses,” Lynch said. “He has a high cruising speed and he has gotten much bigger and stronger as a 3-year-old. He has the tactical speed to not be very far from the engine room, and hopefully he will be first to the wire.”

While Classic Causeway earned six points on the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” for his two graded-stakes efforts, Red Oak Stable's unbeaten (3-for-3) colt Make It Big gained 10 points on Dec. 17 by winning the Springboard Mile Stakes at Remington Park in Oklahoma, his second stakes victory.

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr., said Jose Ortiz, Irad's brother, will again ride Make It Big.

“I talked it over a few weeks ago with Rick Sacco, the racing manager for Red Oak, and he recommended the (Sam F. Davis) would be a good choice for his 3-year-old debut,” Joseph said. “We didn't expect the race to come up this tough, but I'm excited to see how he stacks up.”

Joseph said Make It Big was forced to overcome adversity in the Springboard Mile. “He got in between horses and had to rate a bit, and then he got hooked late (by runner-up Osbourne) and had to out-battle him to the wire. It was a very professional performance,” Joseph said.

“This horse has a good mind, and he has found a way to win each time. He probably needs to improve to win Saturday, but he has improved in each race, so hopefully he will follow suit.”

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse has entered three horses in the Sam F. Davis, including Grade 3 Grey Stakes winner God of Love, a supplementary entry after not being originally nominated. Casse's other runners are Golden Glider and Volcanic.

Here is the full field for the Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes in post position order, with trainers and jockeys:

1. Mr Rum Runner, Patrick Biancone, Romero Ramsay Maragh

2. Unpredictable Bay, Alnaz Ali, Alonso Quinonez

3. Classic Causeway, Brian Lynch, Irad Ortiz, Jr.

4. Golden Glider, Mark Casse, Antonio Gallardo

5. God of Love, Mark Casse, Rafael M. Hernandez

6. Trademark, Victoria Oliver, Daniel Centeno

7. Make It Big, Saffie Joseph, Jr., Jose Ortiz

8. Shipsational, Edward Barker, Javier Castellano

9. Howling Time, Dale Romans, Joseph Talamo

10. Volcanic, Mark Casse, Edwin Gonzalez

11. Strike Hard, Matthew J. Williams, Leonel Reyes

12. Kitten Mischief, Jonathan Thomas, Manuel Franco;

13. (also-eligible) Little Vic, Juan Carlos Avila, Paco Lopez.

The 42nd edition of the Suncoast Stakes appears to have a standout in Nest, 2-for-3 after her victory on Dec. 4 at Aqueduct in the Grade 2 Demoiselle Stakes. The daughter of Curlin, out of the A.P. Indy mare Marion Ravenwood, is owned by Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House and is trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher.

Here is the full field for the $150,000 Suncoast Stakes in post position order, with trainers and jockeys:

1. Blamethechampagne, Ian Wilkes, Rafael M. Hernandez

2. Nest, Todd Pletcher, Irad Ortiz, Jr.

3. Alittleloveandluck, Mike Dini, Paco Lopez

4. Mining Chrome, Gerald Bennett, Roberto Alvarado, Jr.

5. Mirth 'n Merriment, Tim Hamm, Rocco Bowen

6. Peaceful Surprise, Christophe Clement, Samy Camacho

7. Ha' Penny, Joseph Orseno, Luca Panici

8. Princess Elin, Alnaz Ali, Alonso Quinonez.

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Messier Draws Off By 15 Lengths in Robert B. Lewis Stakes

In an absolutely sensational performance, Messier served notice to the racing world that he will be a major player in any Derby, anywhere in 2022. Racing with blinkers off following a disappointing second-place finish in his most recent start, the Ontario, Canadian-bred colt by Empire Maker demolished four rivals in taking Sunday's Grade 3, $200,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita by a stakes record 15 lengths. Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden for the first time by John Velazquez, Messier got 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.89.

Breaking from the rail, Messier was able to out-foot second choice Sir London in the run to the Club House turn, and dictated terms throughout from there. A half length in front turning up the backside, Messier was pressured by both Sir London and Cabo Spirit as he raced on a long rein past the half mile pole.

Into the bridle around the far turn as Sir London fell back, Messier opened up three lengths on Cabo Spirit at the three sixteenths pole and from there, he was literally poetry in motion as a late afternoon sun highlighted his sleek bay coat in a breathtaking effort.

“The strategy worked,” said Velazquez. “I don't think the blinkers would have hurt him or made a difference. It was just the way the race set up. I'm in post one and I don't want to give the lead to them in front of me, then they slow down in front of my face and I can't get out of there, so I asked Bob, 'Bob, I'm going to come out running just to the first turn. I'm not going to chase them but I'm going to let him get his legs underneath of him.

“'If they want to want to go faster, they can go faster and I don't have to be on his mouth.' He said, 'No, do whatever you need to do.' Then he asked me what the horse needed to do and I just (said), 'I told him to GO!.'”

Second as the 1-2 favorite in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 11, Messier was off at 3-5 and paid $3.20, $2.40 and $2.10.

Owned by SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, LLC, et al, Messier, who won the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes at seven furlongs two starts back on Nov. 14, is now a two-time graded stakes winner and he's 5-3-2-0 overall. With the winner's share of $120,000, he increased his earnings to $285,600. Out of the Smart Strike mare Checkered Past, Messier sold for $470,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Yearling Sale in 2020.

For his part, Baffert seemed genuinely in awe of Messier's effort, which provided the embattled Hall of Fame conditioner with his fourth consecutive win in the Lewis, including last year's victory by eventual Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit. Dating back to General Challenge in 1999, Baffert has won the Lewis a record 10 times.

“Jim (assistant, Barnes) had Johnny work him for me once and he gave me some good input on him,” said Baffert, whose 3-year-old filly Adare Manor took the Grade 3 Las Virgenes earlier in the day by 13 lengths. “He's maturing, I could tell today that he's growing, he's getting bigger. You could tell when I put the saddle on him. He looked incredible, he looked the part. There were some good horses in there, they were legitimate horses.”

When asked whether or not Messier would stay at home and be pointed to the Santa Anita Derby on April 9, Baffert responded, “I don't know yet. It depends on my other horses to see how (they are). We have always gone with whoever is doing well that week (and he) gets on a plane or stays here. So right now, we will just enjoy this and I'm just happy to have a horse like this in my barn.”

In a solid effort, Cabo Spirit, who had raced on grass in his last four starts and came off a win in the one mile Eddie Logan Stakes Jan. 2, finished second, seven lengths in front of Baffert's Wharton. Trained by George Papaprodromou and ridden by Victor Espinoza, Cabo Spirit was off at 18-1 and paid $7.20 and $3.60.

Wharton, who sat a perfect trip, was no match for the top two with Juan Hernandez up. Off at 4-1, he paid $2.60 to show and finished 4 ½ lengths in front of Sir London, who bobbled at the break and came up empty.

Fractions on the race were 23.24, 46.94, 1:11.32 and 1:36.32.

Live racing resumes with a nine-race card on Friday with first post time at 12:30 p.m.

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