Tag: road to the kentucky derby

Juvenile Champ Storm The Court Made 3-1 Morning Line Favorite In Saturday’s $500,000 Ohio Derby

Placed just once in his three starts so far this year, juvenile champion Storm the Court will try to get his season back on track in this Saturday's Grade 3 $500,000 Ohio Derby. The 3-year-old son of Court Vision was made the 3-1 morning line favorite in the 14-horse field, set to go nine furlongs over the main track at Thistledown in North Randall, Ohio.

The race offers the winner 20 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, rescheduled for Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs.

Trained by Peter Eurton, Storm the Court won last fall's Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita. This year, the colt finished fourth in the G2 San Vicente in his sophomore debut, then third in the G2 San Felipe in March. Most recently, he finished sixth in the G1 Arkansas Derby. This Saturday, Storm the Court will be partnered by regular rider Flavien Prat and break from post 13.

Second choice on the morning line at 7-2 is Lebda, a two-time stakes winner trained by Claudio Gonzalez. The son of Raison d'Etat will break from post 4 under jockey Alex Cintron.

Rowdy Yates will make his first start since returning from overseas in the Ohio Derby. Trained by Steve Asmussen, the Morning Line colt will be breaking from post 3 under jockey Tyler Baze. Rowdy Yates is a four-time stakes winner, and is 9-2 on the morning line after finishing fourth in the Saudi Derby Cup last out.

The full field for Saturday's Ohio Derby is as follows:

  1. Dean Martini (rider TBD, Amoss) 20-1
  2. Rogue Element (McKee, Romans) 30-1 (AE)
  3. Rowdy Yates (Baze, Asmussen) 9-2
  4. Lebda (Cintron, Gonzalez) 7-2
  5. Dack Janiel's (Burke, Sisterson) 15-1
  6. Sprawl (Lopez, Mott) 15-1
  7. Informative (Bisono, St. Lewis) 12-1
  8. Bear Alley (Corrales, Romans) 30-1
  9. Code Runner (Feliciano, Asmussen) 6-1
  10. South Bend (Bejarano, Hough) 8-1
  11. Soros (Machado, Delgado) 15-1
  12. Established (Murrill, Stidham) 30-1
  13. Storm the Court (Prat, Eurton) 3-1
  14. Unrighteous (Parker, Pletcher) 20-1
  15. Celtic Striker (Gutierrez, Handal) 15-1

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Tiz The Law Delivers Redemption For New York Connections In 152nd Belmont Stakes

A deluge of rain at Belmont Park derailed the Triple Crown dreams of the gutsy gelding, Funny Cide, in 2003, but 17 years later Sackatoga Stable and trainer Barclay Tagg finally captured the elusive Belmont Stakes with a decisive four-length victory by Tiz the Law. Their triumph in the 152nd running came in front of a nearly-empty grandstand and over a shortened distance of nine furlongs, punctuating an unprecedented year in which the Belmont has been run as the first of the three-race classic series.

The 2020 Belmont Stakes awards 150 Kentucky Derby points to the winner, virtually ensuring Tiz the Law a spot in the starting gate for the Run for the Roses, rescheduled for Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs.

A New York-bred son of Constitution, Tiz the Law completed the one-turn, 1 1/8-mile contest in 1:46.53 over Belmont's fast main track, becoming the first New York bred to win the Belmont in over 100 years. The 4-5 post time favorite gave New York-based jockey Manny Franco his first win in the Triple Crown series.

Unbridled Stakes winner Dr Post finished second, about four lengths behind the winner, while Withers winner Max Player closed from near the rear of the field to check in third. Pneumatic, also up close early, finished fourth.

Tagg had been preparing Tiz the Law for the Belmont since the colt won the G1 Florida Derby in late March, making the goal official as soon as the new Triple Crown dates were announced. The trainer worked his charge regularly at Palm Meadows in South Florida through the end of May, shipping him up to New York in early June and recording two local breezes over the Belmont main track.

When the gates opened for the first major sporting event since the coronavirus shutdowns, Tiz the Law was right up with the frontrunners but sensibly allowed Franco to ease him back into third position for the long run up the backstretch. As expected from his inside post position, the speedy Tap It To Win went straight to the front with a one-length advantage over Fore Left. Franco kept Tiz the Law in the clear three-wide, biding his time and watching the race unfold.

Tap It To Win set fractions of :23.11, :46.16, and 1:09.94, the Mark Casse-trained allowance winner looking comfortable under Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez. However, when Franco sent Tiz the Law after the leader with a three-wide bid in the far turn, Tap It To Win faltered.

Tiz the Law galloped by that rival and easily cleared the rest of the field, leaving the hard-charging Dr Post in his wake as he stretched toward the wire. Franco took a peek under his arm near the eighth pole to make sure no one was coming, then hand-rode his charge through the finish to win decisively by about four lengths.

Dr Post had been mid-pack early in the race, and moved into third around the far turn but was no match for Tiz the Law in the lane. Max Player, second-last of the 10-horse field up the backstretch, closed well to finish third, just a half-length behind Dr Post. Pneumatic threatened briefly around the far turn, but couldn't keep pace when the others accelerated and had to settle for fourth.

The remaining order of finish was: Tap It To Win, Sole Volante, Modernist, Farmington Road, Fore Left, and Jungle Runner.

Bred in New York by Twin Creeks Farm, Tiz the Law is out of the Grade 2-winning Tiznow mare Tizfiz. Her 2014 daughter by Tapit, Awestruck, was placed in multiple stakes races and ran out earnings of over $350,000, so the result of the mating to freshman stallion Constitution, by Tapit, drew some attention at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton New York-bred Yearling sale.

Jack Knowlton, Sackatoga principle, secured the colt with a final bid of $110,000, and he rewarded the stable's faith with a debut victory and a second-out win in the G1 Champagne. Tagg and Knowlton opted to skip the Breeders' Cup with Tiz the Law, and brought him to Churchill Downs for the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club in late November only to see him finish third after being blocked in for part of the run around the turn.

Rested until February, Tiz the Law returned with a bang when he won the G3 Holy Bull by an easy three lengths over eventual Fountain of Youth winner Ete Indien. A rematch in the Florida Derby saw Tiz the Law successful once again, winning by 4 1/4 lengths this time.

Overall, the colt has won five of his six starts to earn just shy of $1.5 million.

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Monmouth Offering $1 Million Bonus For Sweep Of Haskell, Kentucky Derby, Breeders’ Cup Classic

With the TVG.Com Haskell Stakes already offering a $1 million purse, points for the Kentucky Derby and “Win and You're In” status for the Breeders' Cup Classic, Monmouth Park is sweetening the pot even more for its showcase race.

The track announced Thursday that it will offer a $1 million bonus this year to any horse that sweeps the Haskell Stakes, the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders' Cup Classic.

The Haskell will be contested for the 53rd time on July 18 when it headlines a stakes-filled program. The $3 million Kentucky Derby has been re-scheduled to Saturday, Sept. 5, from its traditional first Saturday in May slot due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic will be held on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Keeneland.

In 2015 American Pharoah swept the three races en route to his Horse of the Year title.

For the first time in Haskell history, the top four finishers will earn points (100-40-20-10) for the Kentucky Derby.

Monmouth Park's 75th season gets underway on Friday, July 3.

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Ellis Park’s Aug. 9 Audubon Oaks Added To Churchill’s Road To The Kentucky Oaks

Ellis Park not only has the $200,000 Ellis Park Derby as a qualifying race for the rescheduled Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby, the track's $100,000 Audubon Oaks is now a stop on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. Both stakes races are Sunday Aug. 9.

Ellis Park's 98th annual meet will run from July 2 through August 30.

This year's Ellis Park Derby winner will receive 50 points, virtually ensuring a spot in the 20-horse Kentucky Derby under Churchill Downs' tiered system of qualifying races. Also earning points from the 1 1/8-mile race will be the runner-up (20), third place (10) and fourth (5). The seven-furlong Audubon Oaks, back on the Ellis Park stakes schedule after an 11-year hiatus, will offer a total of 17 points (10-4-2-1) for the top four finishers toward making the Sept. 4 Kentucky Oaks' 14-filly field.

“We cannot thank Churchill Downs enough for including the Audubon Oaks as one of its additions to the Kentucky Oaks points races,” said Ellis Park general manager Jeff Inman. “This is a huge and obviously historic opportunity for Ellis Park to have official prep races for the Derby and Oaks. We decided to bring the Audubon Oaks back off the shelf this year and being on the Kentucky Oaks schedule is a great way to welcome it back.

“We assume we will get horses trying to secure a spot in the Derby or Oaks, in addition we think our stakes are also positioned perfectly for horses who already have qualified but could benefit from a tune-up four weeks out. Trainers can stay put in Kentucky from now through the Derby and beyond, with the Breeders' Cup being at Keeneland this year. We're an easy ship from Churchill Downs, Keeneland and the state's training centers. With one of the best racing surfaces in the country, Ellis Park offers a convenient way to get in that final prep without the stress of significant travel.”

The Ellis Park Derby falls four weeks after Keeneland's Toyota Blue Grass and 4 1/2 weeks after Indiana Grand's Indiana Derby. The Audubon Oaks offers similar spacing from Keeneland's Ashland Stakes and Beaumont, as well as the Indiana Oaks.

Ellis Park has a tie to the past two winners of the Kentucky Oaks, with 2019 winner Serengeti Empress taking the 2018 Ellis Park Debutante and 2018 heroine Monomoy Girl training all summer at Ellis before launching her 2-year-old career.

The Ellis Park Derby could be a stepping stone to the Kentucky Derby for Lloyd Madison Farms' Major Fed, whose next start will be either the Blue Grass or the Indiana Derby, said trainer Greg Foley, who added that the Audubon Oaks could be a good fit for his filly Sconsin, a recent Churchill Downs allowance winner at 19-1 odds.

“I think it will be great for Ellis Park,” said the Louisville-based Foley. “Those people down there, they love that racing. It's sure coming in handy for them, the weird year we having. There will be people showing up for those points, and it's a great, safe racetrack. Those will probably come up pretty tough races.”

Brad Cox, a two-time leading trainer at Ellis Park, is among those welcoming the additions. Cox said that Godolphin Racing's Shared Sense, who finished second in a second-level allowance race June 13, and Rupp Racing's recently gelded Shake Some Action could be candidates for the Ellis Park Derby. Flurry Racing Stables' Shedaresthedevil, an impressive Churchill Downs allowance winner on June 5, could be a possibility for the Audubon Oaks, he said.

“It's good money,” Cox said of the Ellis Park Derby. “It's an opportunity they're giving us, and I'm hoping to have something for it.”

Owner Chester Thomas of Madisonville also hopes to participate in the Ellis Park Derby at what he considers his hometown track. One possibility could be the Bret Calhoun-trained Mr. Big News, winner of the April 11 Oaklawn Stakes at 46-1 odds in his last start.

“As someone who has been going to Ellis Park my entire life, I'm unbelievably excited about the track having a Kentucky Derby prep — although I'm hoping these are once-in-a-lifetime circumstances and we never have to deal with a coronavirus again,” said Thomas, a two-time Ellis Park leading owner. “But it's a great opportunity to have Derby contenders coming to Ellis Park, and hopefully we can have something in the Ellis Park Derby starting gate and, even better, in the winner's circle.”

Ellis Park 2020 stakes

July 5 — $50,000 Ellis Park Turf Stakes, fillies & mares 3 years old & up, 1 1/16 miles (turf).
July 26 — $50,000 Good Lord Stakes, 3-year-olds & up, 6 1/2 furlongs.
Aug. 2 (all on turf) — $100,000* Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Sprint, fillies & mares 3 years old & up, 5 1/2 furlongs; $100,000* Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Cup, 3-year-olds & up, 1 1/4 miles; $100,000* Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf, fillies & mares 3 years old &up, mile); $100,000* Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Sprint, 3-year-olds & up, 5 1/2 furlongs; $100,000* Kentucky Downs Preview Tourist Mile, 3-year-olds & up, mile.
Aug. 9 — $200,000* Ellis Park Derby, 3-year-olds; 1 1/8 miles; $100,000* Audubon Oaks, 3-year-old fillies, 7 furlongs; $100,000* Ellis Park Juvenile, 2-year-olds, 7 furlongs; $100,000* Ellis Park Debutante, 7 furlongs.
*-includes $25,000 from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund

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