rockingham ranch | Horse Racing Free Tips

Asmussen Prepares Jalen Journey For De Francis Dash At Laurel

A three-furlong blowout Sunday morning put the finishing touches on Grade 1-placed Jalen Journey's preparations for the $200,000 Grade 3 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash Sept. 18 at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

Rockingham Ranch and David Bernsen's 6-year-old Jalen Journey completed the distance in :38.17 over Belmont Park's training track, his fourth work since an 8 ½-furlong blowout victory sprinting 6 ½ furlongs Aug. 6 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

“The key now will be to see if he can repeat that race in the De Francis. That's what we're sort of looking for,” Bernsen said. “Then if he does that, we'll probably look at the Breeders' Cup [Sprint Nov. 6 at Del Mar].”

The six-furlong De Francis for 3-year-olds and up headlines four stakes worth $500,000 in purses joined by the $100,000 Weather Vane for fillies and mares 3 and up, also at six furlongs and a pair of $100,000 stakes going one mile, the Polynesian for 3-year-olds and up and Twixt for females 3 and older.

All four races are part of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series.

Named for the late president and chairman of both Laurel and historic Pimlico Race Course, the De Francis' illustrious roster of winners includes Hall of Famer Housebuster, fellow sprint champions Cherokee Run, Smoke Glacken, Thor's Echo, and Benny the Bull, and Lite the Fuse, the race's only two-time winner (1995-96) honored with his own stakes race in Maryland.

Jalen Journey is trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, North America's all-time leader in wins who already has three sprint stakes victories in Maryland this year – the May 15 Grade 3 Chick Lang with Mighty Mischief, July 4 Lite the Fuse with Yaupon, and Aug. 21 Star de Naskra with Jaxon Traveler.

Asmussen won the De Francis and Grade 3 Maryland Sprint in 2018 with Switzerland. The trainer's other local graded sprint stakes wins in recent years have come with Yaupon in the 2020 Chick Lang, Wicked Whisper in the 2020 Grade 3 Miss Preakness, New York Central in the 2019 Maryland Sprint, and Vertical Oak in the 2017 Miss Preakness.

In 2018, Asmussen won the then-ungraded Chick Lang with Mitole, who would go on to be named the champion sprinter of 2019.

Asmussen nominated four horses to the De Francis, but Jalen Journey is the only one expected to run. The others are Jaxon Traveler and Grade 1 winners Yaupon and Jackie's Warrior.

“Whatever Steve does with them seems to work,” Bernsen said. “Asmussen sort of has them surrounded in the sprint ranks.”

Prior to joining Asmussen, Jalen Journey was third in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby and fourth in the Grade 2 Pat O'Brien in the summer of 2019 after being purchased by Rockingham's Gary Hartunian for $510,000 at Fasig-Tipton's Horses of Racing Age sale that July, following a runner-up finish in the Grade 2 Smile Sprint at Gulfstream Park.

Among the top horses Bernsen has owned with Rockingham are two-time sprint champion Roy H, a 10-time winner of more than $3.1 million in purses including back-to-back editions of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint in 2017 and 2018; and fellow multi-millionaire Stormy Liberal, the champion turf male of 2018 who counted the 2017 and 2018 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint among his 12 lifetime victories.

CEO of Letitride.com, a global computer wagering business based in California, Bernsen plans to be on hand for the De Francis.

“I was just looking at my schedule. I've never been to Laurel,” he said. “I was talking to Aidan Butler [COO of Laurel Park owner 1/ST Racing] earlier in the week and thought that it might be a good one to come out and see.”

The post Asmussen Prepares Jalen Journey For De Francis Dash At Laurel appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Nyquist Filly Tops OBS June Sale’s Second Session

Hip No. 543, a daughter of Nyquist consigned by Eddie Woods, Agent, went to Sweetwater Trading Co., Agent for Rockingham Ranch, for $420,000 to top the second session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's 2021 June Sale of 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age.

The chestnut filly, who breezed an eighth in :10 1/5 at Friday's Under Tack session, is out of stakes winner Midnight Ballet, by Midnight Lute, a half sister to champion Jala Jala (MEX).

Hip No. 418, a daughter of Dialed In consigned by Wavertree Stables, Inc, (Ciaran Dunne), Agent, was sold to Alistair Roden Bloodstock for $350,000. The dark bay or brown filly, who breezed an Under Tack quarter in :21 1/5 on Friday, is a half sister to graded stakes winning OBS graduate Anothertwistafate out of Imprecation, by First Defense.

Karl and Cathi Glassman went to $335,000 for Hip No. 506, a son of Hard Spun who worked an eighth in :10 3/5 at Friday's Under Tack Session. Consigned by Eisaman Equine, Agent, the bay colt is out of Lovisa, by Speightstown, a half sister to graded stakes placed stakes winner Poupee Flash.

Hip No. 319, a son of Quality Road consigned by de Meric Sales, Agent, was sold to Steven W. Young, Agent, for $280,000. The bay colt, who breezed an eighth in :10 flat on Thursday, is a half brother to stakes placed Burger and Fries (FR) out of Figarie, by Bernardini, a daughter of champion Flanders.

Hip No. 447, a daughter of Frosted consigned by Top Line Sales LLC, Agent, who turned in the Friday Under Tack session's fastest eighth in :9 4/5, was sold to John Ballantyne / N B S Stable for $250,000. The gray or roan filly is out of graded stakes winner Jody Slew, a half sister to stakes winner Cape of Bradford.

Larry Zap, Agent for Mike Mellen, went to $240,000 for Hip No. 623, a son of Ghostzapper consigned by Coastal Equine LLC (Jesse Hoppel), Agent, who turned in an Under Tack quarter on Saturday in :21 1/5. The bay colt is out of stakes winner Pacific Heat, by Unusual Heat, a half sister to graded stakes placed stakes winner Long Hot Summer.

Hip No. 487, a daughter of Liam's Map consigned by Coastal Equine LLC (Jesse Hoppel), Agent, was purchased for $230,000 by Mitch Weaver. The gray or roan filly, who turned in an Under Tack quarter in :21 2/5 on Friday, is out of Let It Snow, by Tapit, a half sister to stakes winner Eagle Orb.

Hip No. 596, a son of Klimt consigned by Scanlon Training & Sales, Agent, was sold to James Divito, Agent, for $225,000. The bay colt, who worked an eighth in :10 1/5 at Saturday's Under Tack session, is a half brother to graded stakes placed stakes winning OBS graduate Mo d'Amour out of Neverthesame, by Scat Daddy.

Oracle Bloodstock, Agent went to $220,000 for Hip No. 413, a daughter of Practical Joke consigned by de Meric Sales, Agent. The chestnut filly, a half sister to graded stakes placed stakes winner American Sugar out of I Love America, by Quiet American, breezed an eighth in :10 1/5 at Friday's Under Tack session.

For the session, 191 horses grossed $8,149,600, compared with 173 selling for a total of $4,357,800 at last year's second session. The average was $42,668 up 69.4 percent compared with $25,190 a year ago, while the median price was $17,000, up 38.5 percent compared to $13,000 in 2021. The buyback percentage was 22 percent; it was 18.8 percent last year.

The June Sale concludes Friday, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Hip No.'s 633 – 927 will be offered.

To view the session's full results, click here.

The post Nyquist Filly Tops OBS June Sale’s Second Session appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Kalypso Looks to Double Up in Las Virgenes

David Bernsen, LLC and Rockingham Ranch's Kalypso (Brody's Cause) will look for a second straight score when she goes postward against four foes in the one-mile GIII Las Virgenes S. at Santa Anita Saturday. The chestnut filly won the six-furlong Anoakia S. in Arcadia last October and was second when stretched to 1 1/16 miles in the Dec. 5 GI Starlet S. at Los Alamitos. Cut back to seven furlongs, the Bob Baffert trainee scored by 1 3/4 lengths in the Jan. 3 GII Santa Ynez S.

Richard Mandella sends out impressive maiden winner Moonlight d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro), who scored by three lengths in her first try at two turns at Los Alamitos Dec. 13. Second in that one-mile event was Frosteria (Frosted), who returned to be second again in the Santa Ynez.

Third in that Dec. 13 Los Al maiden was debuting Moraz (Empire Maker). The Don Alberto homebred returned to air by 11 lengths in a one-mile special weight at Santa Anita Jan. 8.

The post Kalypso Looks to Double Up in Las Virgenes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Kalypso a Revelation in Santa Ynez

David Bernsen, Rockingham Ranch and Chad Littlefield’s Kalypso (Brody’s Cause), the 4-5 favorite, strode home an easy winner of the GII Santa Ynez S. at Santa Anita Sunday, becoming the second graded winner from the first crop of her Grade I-winning sire. Cutting back to seven furlongs following a runner-up effort behind her Santa Ynez-scratched stablemate Varda (Distorted Humor) in the 1 1/16-mile GI Starlet S. last month, the chestnut filly broke sharply and had the advantage in the early strides. But she was soon joined by Brilliant Cut (Speightstown) and those two rivals battled through fractions of :22.53 and :45.13. Kalypso took charge nearing the stretch and, once she found her best stride, powered away in the final furlong to finish 1 3/4 lengths in front under a hand ride as stablemate Frosteria (Frosted)–still a maiden–made late progress to be second for the fourth time in four lifetime starts. Brilliant Cut was third.

“She broke good and put me right into the race, in a good position,” said winning jockey Joel Rosario, who was riding Kalypso for the first time in the Santa Ynez. “I’m just happy to be on her. She was the best horse and she’ll be better going longer distances.”

Kalypso provided trainer Bob Baffert with his record sixth win in the Santa Ynez a day after he got back on the Triple Crown trail with the one-two finishers–Life is Good (Into Mischief) and Medina Spirit (Protonico)–in Saturday’s GIII Sham S.

“She has natural speed and she’s a really fast filly,” Baffert said of Kalypso, who was one of three fillies he saddled in the Santa Ynez. “She had the lead for a long time in the [Starlet], backing up, it’s a big difference to go seven-eighths. The way she broke today, she was in a good spot and she was really training well coming into this race, so it’s pretty exciting that she got a win.”

Kalypso opened her career with a third-place effort going 5 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar Aug. 15 and was second at that track and trip Sept. 5 before breaking her maiden going six furlongs in the Oct. 18 Anoakia S. She had a 2 1/2-length advantage in upper stretch before being overtaken by Varda in the 1 1/16-mile GI Starlet S. at Los Alamitos last time out Dec. 5 and was shedding the blinkers for this second graded stakes attempt.

“I would try her long again, as they get older they are maturing,” Baffert said of future plans for Kalypso. “You can slow her down a little bit, like today she was pretty relaxed. She wasn’t too rank where she went real fast, but we’ll just see how they come out of it. The other filly [Frosteria], I think I’ll just run her in a maiden race.”

Pedigree Notes:

Brody’s Cause, winner of the 2016 GI Toyota Blue Grass S., was represented by 2020 GIII Iroquois S. winner Sittin on Go, as well as GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. runner-up Smiley Sobotka and GII Best Pal S. runner-up Girther.

Malibu Cove, a full-sister to multiple graded winner Prospective, produced a filly by Hit It a Bomb in 2019 and a colt by Mor Spirit in 2020. She was bred back to Jimmy Creed. The mare is also a full to Enhanced, who produced last year’s GIII Bashford Manor S. third-place finisher Herd Immunity (Union Rags).

Sunday, Santa Anita
SANTA YNEZ S.-GII, $200,500, Santa Anita, 1-3, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:23.42, ft.
1–KALYPSO, 122, f, 3, by Brody’s Cause
              1st Dam: Malibu Cove, by Malibu Moon
                2nd Dam: Spirited Away, by Awesome Again
                3rd Dam: Cape North, by Capote
   1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($240,000 Ylg ’19 FTKJUL). O-David
A Bernsen, LLC, Rockingham Ranch & Chad Littlefield;
B-Spendthrift Farm LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Joel Rosario.
$120,000. Lifetime Record: GISP, 5-2-2-1, $245,600. Werk Nick
   Rating: B. Click for eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Frosteria, 120, f, 3, Frosted–Hystericalady, by Distorted
Humor. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $40,000.
3–Brilliant Cut, 120, f, 3, Speightstown–Polish a Diamond, by
The Factor. ($160,000 Wlg ’18 KEENOV; $160,000 Ylg ’19
KEESEP). O-ERJ Racing LLC, David Kenney, William Strauss,
Dennis and Doug O’Neill; B-McCauley Farm & Speightstown
Syndicate (KY); T-Doug F. O’Neill. $24,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, 1HF, 3HF. Odds: 0.90, 3.60, 30.90.
Also Ran: Queengol, Nasreddine, Exotic West. Scratched: Varda.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

The post Kalypso a Revelation in Santa Ynez appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post