Tag: road to the kentucky oaks

Where’s My Ring Ships In To Take Gazelle

There's never a bad day to win your first race but Where's My Ring (Twirling Candy) sure picked an opportune day to do it, breaking her maiden and earning 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks with a dominant effort in the GIII Gazelle S. at Aqueduct Saturday.

A career maiden through seven starts, the $100,000 Keeneland September grad could perhaps be forgiven for running behind the likes of MGSW Dreamfyre (Flameaway), champion Just F Y I (Justify) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and not once but twice to 'TDN Rising Star' Kinza (Carpe Diem). Five lengths behind in second to that runner last out in the GIII Santa Ysabel S. March. 9, trainer Val Brinkerhoff opted to ship Where's My Ring to Aqueduct after scratching his runner from last week's GII Fantasy S. at Oaklawn. Favored at 5-2 on the last day to earn qualifying points towards the first Friday in May, Where's My Ring broke with some speed from the inside gate but was quickly headed by Carmelina (Maximus Mischief) to her outside on the run into the first turn. Content to sit off that runner, the favorite was swarmed by a trio of runners and managed to hold third as the top five separated themselves from the second flight. Still glued to the fence around the far turn, Where's My Ring tipped outside of the dueling duo on the lead and ran them both down strongly, surging past 19-1 longshot Regulatory Risk (Omaha Beach) to graduate with her ears pricked on the line.

“It's not about breaking the maiden, we wanted to be in the Oaks, that was our goal,” admitted winning owner Michael McMillan. “I just got into horse racing, I met Val and Kelly Brinkerhoff and I told them 'I'm not in this for little races, we are in it for the big races.' I told them it was going to be the Kentucky Oaks. Everyone was shocked that we came here, but our whole team figured out the best race for us. It was a huge team effort.”

“I'm ecstatic to get a chance like this,” added Brinkerhoff. “I come from the bush tracks in Utah and to get to do this is pretty awesome. It's his [Michael McMillan's] first horse and I've had one in the Breeders' Cup where we ran third [Restrainedvengence in the 2021 Dirt Mile], but this filly has a lot of potential. It's been a long time getting to here and she's getting better and better, so hopefully by the Oaks, we'll be even better.”

Pedigree Note:

Twirling Candy is now represented by his 48th stakes winner and 18th graded winner. The first foal from her dam, Where's My Ring is out of a half to SW Merlazza (Medaglia d'Oro) and MGSP Gold Standard (Medaglia d'Oro). She is also similarly related to Saturday's GIII Distaff S. winner Shidabhuti (Practical Joke) as third dam Crystal Current, a $3.1m FTKNOV broodmare in 2008, is a daughter of Shidabhuti's third dam MGSIW Dream Supreme. Mapit had her 2-year-old McKinzie colt bring $300,000 from Klaravich Stable at the 2023 FTSAUG sale and she reported another colt by McKinzie this spring.

 

Saturday, Aqueduct
GAZELLE S.-GIII, $200,000, Aqueduct, 4-6, 3yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:50.33, ft.
1–WHERE'S MY RING, 118, f, 3, by Twirling Candy
                1st Dam: Mapit, by Tapit
                2nd Dam: Mi Vida, by Distorted Humor
                3rd Dam: Crystal Current, by A.P. Indy
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($100,000
Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Michael McMillan; B-Don Alberto
Corporation (KY); T-Val Brinkerhoff; J-Jose Lezcano.
$110,000. Lifetime Record: 8-1-3-1, $202,620.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or
the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Regulatory Risk, 118, f, 3, Omaha Beach–
Walkwithapurpose, by Candy Ride (Arg). 1ST BLACK TYPE,
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($235,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP).
O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Upson Downs Farm & Louis W.
Wright (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $40,000.
3–Gin Gin, 120, f, 3, Hightail–Before You Know It, by Hard
Spun. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O/B-Calumet Farm;
T-Brad H. Cox. $24,000.
Margins: 4 1/4, 5 1/4, HF. Odds: 2.55, 19.20, 6.80.
Also Ran: Whocouldaskformo, Life Talk, Barbratina, Carmelina, Princess Vino, Munny Grab. Scratched: Six Pack Senorita.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Tarifa Triumphant In Fair Grounds Oaks

Godolphin's Tarifa (Bernardini) extended her win streak to three with a professional score in Saturday's GII Fair Grounds Oaks. Installed the 3-2 choice ahead of GII Golden Rod S. victress Intricate (Gun Runner), the Godolphin homebred broke well and wrestled her rider Flavien Prat into contention as 4-1 Our Pretty Woman (Medaglia d'Oro) led the way through a :23.84 quarter. Continuing to fight for her head through a half in :47.93, she was finally given some rein and duly responded, closing on the frontrunner turning for home. Taking over turning for home, the filly drifted out under a left handed encouragement down the lane but had enough to hold on to 3/4-length win over Our Pretty Woman. V V's Dream (Mitole) was a clear third over Accommodate Eva (Munnings). Second choice Intricate came home a well-beaten fifth as the 2-1 second choice.

“She showed some early speed but once we got to the first turn, she was very keen,” explained Prat. “Then she relaxed well when we got to the backside and she made a nice run down the lane. It will be a different deal when there are a lot of horses around her.”

Unveiled at seven panels last October, the filly ran a similarly headstrong race early before running away with authority to post a six-length TDN Rising Star-earning performance at Keeneland. Fourth when favored next time while extending to a mile in a Churchill optional claimer Nov. 25, the dark bay bounced back to post a narrow score at the Fair Grounds Jan. 20. Sent off second choice to Intricate last time in the Rachel Alexandra, she proved best again on the day, defeating that rival by 2 3/4 lengths.

“I would like to tell you she is settling down and relaxing, but that didn't work out well in the first turn,” said Brad Cox. “Still she was able to overcome it. She needs to learn to relax in the race, and obviously next time we will be facing an older field. She needs to learn to chill out and relax. She is still learning and I am proud of what she has accomplished this far. She is not a real big filly but she has handled everything we've asked from her and hopefully she steps forward.”

Pedigree Notes:
The winner has an unraced juvenile full-sister named Josie's Girl in addition to a yearling brother by Knicks Go. Her dam was bred to Lexitonian for the current season. Godolphin acquired Tarifa's second dam Tizdubai (Cee's Tizzy) for $950,000 at Keeneland November about two months after her full-brother Tiznow recorded the second of his two consecutive wins in the 2001 Breeders' Cup Classic. She is also a full-sister to MGSW and Classic runner-up Budroyale.

Saturday, Fair Grounds
FAIR GROUNDS OAKS PRESENTED BY FASIG-TIPTON-GII, $388,000, Fair Grounds, 3-23, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:43.24, ft.
1–TARIFA, 122, f, 3, by Bernardini
1st Dam: Kite Beach, by Awesome Again
2nd Dam: Tizdubai, by Cee's Tizzy
3rd Dam: Cee's Song, by Seattle Song
TDN RISING STAR. O-Godolphin, LLC; B-Godolphin (KY);
T-Brad H. Cox; J-Flavien Prat. $240,000. Lifetime Record:
5-4-0-0, $518,925. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus* Click
for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free
Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Our Pretty Woman, 122, f, 3, Medaglia d'Oro–Dazzletown,
by Speightstown. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
($900,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Courtlandt Farms (Donald
Adam); B-Woods Edge Farm, LLC & Godolphin (KY);
T-Steven M. Asmussen. $80,000.
3–V V's Dream, 122, f, 3, Mitole–Quay, by Tapit. ($130,000
Wlg '21 KEENOV; $190,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-MJM Racing
and Magdalena Racing (Sherri McPeek); B-Mark Stansell (KY);
T-Kenneth G. McPeek. $40,000.
Margins: 3/4, 3 1/4, 5 3/4. Odds: 1.50, 4.00, 3.60.
Also Ran: Accommodate Eva, Intricate, Midsummer March. Scratched: Alpine Princess, Lucy Got Game.

Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV

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Lemon Muffin Leads Longshot Exacta Home in Honeybee

In a 28-1 shocker, Lemon Muffin (f, 3, Collected–Pelt, by Canadian Frontier) ended her four-race runner-up streak to break her maiden, pick up her first black-type, and score her first Graded victory in the GIII Honeybee S. as well as take home 50 points toward the Kentucky Oaks trail.

Never far from the leaders while traveling comfortably in midpack, she launched her winning bid entering the lane, and despite contact with Tapit Jenallie (Tapit), kicked home to win with open air between them. A jockey's objection from the runner-up was quickly dismissed. West Omaha (West Coast) kept on to collect third.

With her victory here, it tallies as jockey Keith Asmussen's first career Graded stakes win as well as give conditioner D. Wayne Lukas the hat trick on the day.

 

Sales history: $20,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP, $140,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR. O-Aaron Sones; B-Mr. & Mrs. Theodore R. Kuster & Collected Syndicate (KY); T-D. Wayne Lukas.

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Band of Gold a First Stakes Winner For Preservationist In Martha Washington

The 24-1 longest shot in a field of nine for Saturday's Martha Washington S. at a soggy Oaklawn Park, Dixiana Farms LLC's Band of Gold (Preservationist) became the first black-type winner for her young Airdrie Stud-based sire (by Arch) with an irresistible late run to best heavily favored Denim and Pearls (Into Mischief).

Content to drop down onto the fence from her low draw, the $70,000 Keeneland November weanling switched off nicely behind midfield for Brian Hernandez, Jr. and remained within striking distance for the run around the turn. In hand and going well nearing the stretch, she split horses a quarter-mile from home, angled out into the center of the rain-affected strip and did her best work through the line to cause the boilover.

“It's one of those deals, looking at it on paper, a lot of us were coming out of sprints, so there was going to be quite a bit of speed,” said Brian Hernandez Jr. “We ended up being 24-1. We had the two hole, so our advantage was just going to be to save every inch of ground. And if she was good enough from the head of the lane [coming] home, she was going to get there. That's what happened.”

Band of Gold became one of 14 first-crop 2-year-old winners for Preservationist when dropping her nose on the line to graduate over Churchill's one-turn mile in a race taken off the grass Nov. 25, but she never factored in her juvenile finale, a distant fifth in the Dec. 23 Untapable S. at the Fair Grounds.

Band of Gold is out of a half-sister to 2018 GIII Southwest S. hero My Boy Jack (Creative Cause) and her third dam was a winner of the GIII Fleur de Lis S. and runner-up in the GI CCA Oaks in 1996 for the late John Franks. The 2-year-old full-brother to Band of Gold, Chunk of Gold, was purchased for $2,500 at last year's Fasig-Tipton October Sale. Play for Gold is due to Airdrie's Upstart for 2024. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

MARTHA WASHINGTON S., $250,000, Oaklawn, 2-3, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:45.16, sy.
1–BAND OF GOLD, 118, f, 3, by Preservationist
1st Dam: Play for Gold, by Cairo Prince
2nd Dam: Gold N Shaft, by Mineshaft
3rd Dam: Gold n Delicious, by Gold Alert
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. ($70,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV). O-Dixiana Farms LLC; B-Brereton C Jones (KY); T-Kenneth G McPeek; J-Brian Joseph Hernandez Jr. $135,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $206,000.
2–Denim and Pearls, 122, f, 3, Into Mischief–Majestic Presence, by Majestic Warrior. ($500,000 Ylg '22 FTSAUG). O-Red White and Blue Racing LLC; B-Town & Country Horse Farms LLC (KY); T-Brad H Cox. $45,000.
3–Neom Beach, 118, f, 3, Omaha Beach–Giant's Causey, by Giant's Causeway. ($210,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR). O-Bloom Racing Stable LLC (Jeffrey Bloom) & The Line Racing; B-Tami Bobo (KY); T-Steven M Asmussen. $22,500.
Margins: 2 3/4, NK, HF. Odds: 24.30, 1.00, 7.10.

 

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