road to the kentucky oaks | Horse Racing Free Tips

Fourth Win Of The Day: Rosario Executes Perfectly-Timed Ashland Run Aboard Malathaat

Joel Rosario is on fire this Saturday at Keeneland. The veteran jockey orchestrated his fourth win on the card, and third straight, with a late-running nose triumph aboard 3-2 favorite Malathaat in the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes. Owned by the late Sheikh Hamdan's Shadwell operation, the 3-year-old daughter of Curlin and Grade 1 winner Dreaming of Julia (A.P. Indy) has now won all four of her career starts, and Saturday's victory earned her 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks.

“She has a beautiful stride,” Rosario said. “This morning talking with (trainer Todd Pletcher), he told me exactly how to ride her. It looked like (the leader) was getting away from me but I knew my filly would be there for me.”

The leggy Malathaat was in a joint fourth position early on in the Ashland. She trailed six lengths behind leader Simply Ravishing through fractions of :24.26 and :48.56, Rosario patiently biding his time and keeping the lightly-raced filly on the outside of rivals.

Pass The Champagne made a big move around the far turn and stole away to a four-length lead at the top of the short stretch, but Rosario was getting Malathaat into high gear. Though Malathaat changed leads late and seemed rather green, Rosario had timed his run perfectly and nailed Pass the Champagne on the wire by a nose. She completed 1 1/16 miles over Keeneland's fast main track in 1:42.94.

Bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet, Malathaat was a $1.05 million yearling purchase at the Keeneland September sale. Undefeated in four career starts, Malathaat has now earned over $400,000 and is guaranteed a spot in the starting gate for the April 30 Kentucky Oaks beneath the Twin Spires in Louisville, Ky.

“I can't put it into words,” said an emotional Rick Nichols, Vice President and General Manager of winning owner Shadwell Stable. “I am sure (Sheikh Hamdan) is up there with a big smile on his face looking down on us. We really needed this.”

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Search Results Dominates Filly Rivals In Gazelle Stakes At Aqueduct

Search Results ran her record to a perfect 3-for-3 and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. scored his fifth victory on the day when the Klaravich Stables 3-year-old easily defeated five other fillies seeking Kentucky Oaks points in the Grade 3 Gazelle Stakes at Aqueduct racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Racing just off pacesetter Alwayz Late, Search Results moved to the lead on the turn for home without any urging and was never threatened down the stretch, drawing off to win by 2 3/4 lengths. Maracuja, who trailed the field in the run down the backstretch under Kendrick Carmouche, finished second, with Army Wife and Trevor McCarthy third, The Grass Is Blue fourth, Alwayz Late fifth and Mia Martina sixth.

A 3-year-old filly by Flatter bred in Kentucky by Machmer Hall and purchased from Select Sales at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale by Mike Ryan, agent, for $310,000, Search Results, produced from the Candy Ride mare Co Cola, is trained by Chad Brown. She covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:54.14 and paid $2.80 as the odds-on favorite. Fractions of the Gazelle were :24.88, :50.99, 1:15.06 and 1:40.70.

The top four finishers in the Gazelle earned 100-40-20-10 qualifying points for the Kentucky Oaks, to be run at Churchill Downs on April 30.

Search Results did not race at 2 but won her debut at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 3, taking a six-furlong maiden contest by four lengths. Brown sent the filly to New York for her next start in the Busher Invitational on March 6 and she responded with a half-length win, getting up in the final strides to defeat favored Miss Brazil.

Post-race quotes:

Chad Brown, winning trainer of Search Results (No. 8, $2.80*) and fourth-place finisher The Grass Is Blue (No. 5): “I thought she [Search Results] was very professional today. She maybe lost focus when she surged to the front and there was no one around her in deep stretch. When she had a horse in front of her, I loved the way she was moving into the bit. I was relieved to see that she could handle the mile and an eighth. We were cautiously optimistic, but you always have to see them do it first to be sure.”

On running in the Kentucky Oaks on April 30: “If she comes out of it in good shape, that would be the next step and it's something we've been working towards. Although she got her season started late, she seems to be catching up fast on this crop. She seems like one of the contenders, at least, so we're thankful for that.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr., winning jockey aboard Search Results (No. 8): “She relaxed so good. She did everything right. We broke out of there and had a target. Going into the last turn, I had plenty of horse, I was just waiting to make my move. When I asked her, she really picked it up.”

On notching his fifth win on the card and returning to New York to ride in the spring meet: “I'm so happy to be back home in New York. I have to thank all the trainers and owners. I know all the people here and I'm happy to be riding for so many trainers.”

Rob Atras, trainer of runner-up Maracuja (No. 2): The track was a little slow and they were going slow, but I wasn't too concerned as she has that late running style. She was settled and when Kendrick [Carmouche] asked her to pick it up, she did it. She raced wide and closed and ran a really game second. I'm really happy with her effort.”

Kendrick Carmouche, jockey aboard runner-up Maracuja (No. 2): “I loved this filly today. I knew coming from six and a half [furlongs] and stretching out to a mile and an eighth, I just wanted to get a good break and ride her like I did last time [a win on February 21 at Aqueduct]. She made a big run and did it well. I'm looking forward to riding her next time because this distance should really move her forward.”

Trevor McCarthy, jockey aboard third-place finisher Army Wife (No. 4): “I had an inside trip the whole way. The hole was there when we shot for it. We had a bit of inside pressure and outside pressure. It was just a tough situation. Sometimes, you get lucky. Sometimes, you don't.”

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After Game Second Against Males, Javanica Picks Up Mike Smith For Santa Anita Oaks

Javanica, second in her last four races, all stakes and all on either synthetic surfaces or turf, steps up in company and tries dirt for the first time in Saturday's Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks at a mile and a sixteenth on the main track.

Eoin Harty feels she deserves the chance.

“This will be her first time on dirt but she works great on it,” the trainer said.

“She doesn't seem to mind the kickback. She ran against colts last time out and just got beat by a good horse,” alluding to a game neck loss despite a four-wide trip on Feb. 13 to Triple Crown candidate Rombauer in the El Camino Real Derby.

Javanica is a bay daughter of Medaglia d'Oro owned and bred by Godolphin LLC, for whom the 58-year-old Harty has been training just over two decades. The native of Ireland has engaged Mike Smith to ride in the Oaks, which Smith won last year on champion Swiss Skydiver.

The Hall of Fame rider also won the Oaks on two other champions, Midnight Bisou in 2018 and Songbird in 2016.

Javanica is not one to carry her track around with her, having raced at Arlington Park, Woodbine, Del Mar, Santa Anita and Golden Gate Fields in her six starts.

“She's been everywhere,” Harty said.

The Oaks, race six: Moraz, Juan Hernandez, 8-5; Brilliant Cut, Abel Cedillo, 8-1; Soothsay, Flavien Prat, 6-1; Javanica, Mike Smith, 5-2; and Beautiful Gift, John Velazquez, 9-5.

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Pass The Champagne Ready For ‘Big Step Up’ In Ashland

Trainer George Weaver almost made a run at the Kentucky Oaks (G1) in 2019, but his entrant, Point of Honor, did not have enough qualifying points.

On Saturday, Weaver will send out Pass the Champagne for her stakes debut in the $400,000 Central Bank Ashland (G1) at Keeneland, which carries 170 qualifying points toward the April 30 Oaks on a scale of 100-40-20-10 to the first- through fourth-place finishers.

“It is a big step up for her and first time going two turns,” Weaver said Friday morning after the Flatter filly galloped on the main track under exercise rider Nick Bush. “Rusty (Arnold) had her the first time she ran, and we liked what we saw in her debut. They (new owners) negotiated a price and bought her with an eye toward the Oaks if we could do it.”

Five weeks after her debut, Pass the Champagne scored her first career win by 2½ lengths for the new ownership group of R. A. Hill Stable, Black Type Thoroughbreds, Rock Ridge Racing, Black Ridge Stables and James Brown.

“We expected her to run well (in her second start),” said Weaver, who will have Javier Castellano aboard Pass the Champagne for the first time in Saturday's Central Bank Ashland. “We're going to give it a shot.”

After Point of Honor failed to make the Oaks, she went on to win the Black-Eyed Susan (G2) two weeks later. She would go on to place second in three Grade 1 races and earn more than $700,000.

“They are different horses but I think Pass the Champagne has more natural speed,” Weaver said. “They are both class acting fillies.”

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