Roderick | Horse Racing Free Tips

Weston’s Best Pal Score Gives Trainer Hanson, Sire Hit It A Bomb First Graded Stakes Victories

Chris Drakos and Ryan Hanson's Weston got up in the final stride to triumph in the 50th running of the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes for 2-year-olds at Del Mar near San Diego, Calif., on Saturday.

The gelding became the first stakes winner for the freshman sire Hit It a Bomb, just getting the best of 32-1 longshot Girther, owned by Altamira Racing Stable. Finishing third via disqualification of the original third-place finisher Ambivalent

Chris Drakos and Ryan Hanson's Weston got up in the final stride to triumph in the 50th running of the Grade II Best Pal Stakes for 2-year-olds at Del Mar Saturday.

The gelded son of the young stallion Hit It a Bomb just got the best of 32-1 longshot Girther, owned by Altamira Racing Stable. Sonic Breeze was awarded third when the original third-place finisher, Ambivalent, was disqualified for interference and placed fourth.

The 1-2 race favorite, Breeze Easy's Roderick, who had shipping in from New York and was coming off an impressive victory there, failed to fire in the lane and finished last of the seven runners.

“Boy, I had to work hard for that one,” said Van Dyke. “But I'm glad I did. I was happy to win it for (trainer) Ryan Hanson. He's such a kind man and a good horse trainer. And this horse showed some class, too. Ryan told me he never got to paddock him (prior to the race), but he was just standing in there like an old pro. I knew I got there in the end and I'm real glad I did.”

Weston is trained by co-owner Hanson and the bay's score was the first graded stakes win in Thoroughbred racing for the conditioner, as well as his first stakes victory at Del Mar.

“He broke sharp, just like we wanted him to, but then it looked like he just sat there for a minute,” said Hanson. “I got a little nervous when he got shuffled back, but then he got back up there and fought on. The time was not very impressive, but that doesn't matter. I didn't think we were going to win it. I thought we'd be second to the Peter Miller horse, who had had a trip over the track. But I'm just really happy. We'll see how he looks tomorrow and let him tell us what to do (regarding the $250,000, Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity on closing day, September 7). ”

Weston paid $12.20, $6.80 and $4.60 across the board and picked up a check for $90,000 from the $151,000 purse.

Final time for the six furlongs was 1:12.72.

The winner was a $7,000 yearling purchase at the Keeneland September Sale in 2019. He captured his only previous start when he flashed speed and tallied by a length and a quarter in a four and a half furlong straight maiden race at Santa Anita on June 21.

The post Weston’s Best Pal Score Gives Trainer Hanson, Sire Hit It A Bomb First Graded Stakes Victories appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Roderick Heads West for Best Pal

Runaway Belmont debut winner Roderick (Into Mischief), scratched out of Friday’s deep GII Saratoga Special S., has been tabbed as the 9-5 morning-line favorite in Saturday’s GII Best Pal S. at Del Mar.

Roderick crushed a trio of rivals on debut for trainer Wesley Ward on Long Island June 21, including runner-up Zippy Baby (Cairo Prince), who returned to graduate next out at Saratoga.

Purchased by Breeze Easy for $550,000 as a KEESEP yearling, Roderick is a full-brother to GIII Southwest S. winner One Liner and hails from the same female family as Grade I winners Albertus Maximus (Albert the Great) and Daredevil (More Than Ready).

Highly regarded maiden Ambivalent (Constitution), a $550,000 OBSMAR graduate, looks to go one better following a strong second-place finish on debut behind wire-to-wire winner Weston (Hit It a Bomb) going 4 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita June 21 (Second Chances).

Santa Anita debut winner Herd Immunity (Union Rags) is the lone runner in the field with stakes experience, entering off a well-beaten third in Churchill’s GIII Bashford Manor S. June 27.

The post Roderick Heads West for Best Pal appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Wesley Ward Ships Live Chance To Del Mar For Saturday’s Best Pal

When Wesley Ward ships one in – standby. Mr. Ward does not come to play, be it anywhere in the U.S., or Europe, too. The man fires bullets from coast to coast and across the ocean.

Eight times already he's rung the stakes bell at Del Mar and Saturday he's aiming for another gong with a quick 2-year-old colt named Roderick, who ran away and hid from a straight maiden field at Belmont Park in New York on June 21 in his lone outing and – in a lineup that lacks a stakes winner – looks like a solid favorite for the 50th edition of the Best Pal Stakes.

The race, a six-panel spin for juveniles that carries Grade II status and a $150,000 purse, has drawn a field of seven runners and Roderick has drawn post No. 4 and Del Mar's leading rider, Flavien Prat. Ward, the former Eclipse Award winning jockey (top apprentice, 1984), is likely to watch his charge run from his headquarters in Lexington as his west coast guy – trainer Blake Heap – saddles his Into Mischief colt Saturday for his ownership group that goes under the name Breeze Easy.

The local hope with the best chance to outfoot the youthful invader appears to be Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Herd Immunity, a Union Rags offspring who won at first asking in a straight maiden race at Santa Anita in early June, then was shipped to Churchill Downs where he ran third in the Bashford Manor Stakes on June 27. For his go in the Best Pal, the Peter Miller-trained colt will be partnered by Abel Cedillo and break from post No. 5.

Here's the full field (in post position order with riders and morning line odds) for the 2-year-old headliner that is a key prep to the meet's top event for the juvenile set, the Grade I, $250,000 Del Mar Futurity on closing day, Labor Day, September 7:

Strauss, Suarez or Tsukashima's Sonic Brees (Umberto Rispoli, 6-1); Reddam Racing's Ambivalent (Mario Gutierrez, 5-1); Kaleem Shah's Schnell (Ruben Fuentes, 12-1); Roderick; Herd Immunity; Drakos or Hanson's Weston (Drayden Van Dyke, 5-1), and Altamira Racing Stable's Girther (Ricky Gonzalez, 6-1).

Weston, who is trained by Ryan Hanson, broke his maiden in good fashion at Santa Anita on June 21. The Kentucky-bred gelding by the War Front stallion Hit It a Bomb, has had three solid works at Del Mar since and gets his chance to step up a notch Saturday.

Girther, also trained by Peter Miller, scored his initial victory in his second start here at Del Mar on July 11, hanging on for a nose tally at five furlongs. He's a Florida-bred colt by the Giant's Causeway stallion Brody's Cause.

The Best Pal will go as the sixth race on an 11-race card that also features the Grade II, $150,000 Yellow Ribbon Handicap for fillies and mares. First post Saturday is at 2 p.m.

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Sunday’s Racing Insights

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2nd-BEL, $64K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:50 p.m.

Wesley Ward has a pair of Keeneland-based juveniles entered in this spot. Breeze Easy’s Roderick (Into Mischief) was a $550,000 KEESEP yearling and is a full-brother to two-turn GSW One Liner. He hails from the extended female family of highest-level winners Albertus Maximus, Daredevil and King Charlemagne. Roderick’s stablemate Copley (Air Force Blue) is from a Ned Evans family that includes the likes of Grade I winners Swagger Jack and Malibu Prayer. Winfromwithin (Into Mischief), just a $100,000 September yearling, was produced by a half-sister to turf MGSW and MGISP Shakis (Ire) (Machiavellian). Zebra Cake (Runhappy), yet another September buy ($200,000), is out of a half to GSW Mo Tom (Uncle Mo) and SW and MGISP juvenile Beautician (Dehere). Further down the page is talented GII Black-Eyed Susan S. winner Red Ruby (Tiznow). Peter Vegso homebred Berhanu (The Factor) is out of a debut and stakes-winning full-sister to GSW juvneile Aegean (Northern Afleet). TJCIS PPs

3rd-SA, $50K, Msw, 2yo, 4 1/2f, 4:30 p.m.

Doug O’Neill-trained Ambivalent (Constitution) was a $95,000 KEESEP yearling turned $550,000 OBS March juvenile–the fourth-highest price paid at that auction–off a powerful :20 4/5 breeze. The Reddam Racing colorbearer is a grandson of MGSW turfer Roshani (Fantastic Light). TJCIS PPs

11th-SA, $50K, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 6 1/2f, 8:33 p.m.

Bob Baffert will saddle a pair of well-bred fillies here. Newcomer Provocation (Into Mischief), a $350,000 OBS April pick-up last year (:20 3/5), is out of GISW Meadow Breeze (Meadowlake), making her a half to ‘TDN Rising Star‘ and turf GSW Magic Star (Scat Daddy) and GISP juvenile Royal Copy (Bodemeister). Meadow Breeze is half to GISW Overanalyze (Dixie Union), GISP Majesto (Tiznow) and GSP Mighty Monsoon (Forestry). Grand Farm Family’s Himiko (American Pharoah), a $1-million Fasig-Tipton November weanling, was eighth with some trouble when debuting in a turf sprint here May 16. She’s a half to the talented GISW and fellow Baffert pupil Bodemeister (Empire Maker). GSW and GISP dam Untouched Talent (Storm Cat), a $5,000,000 Fasig-Tipton November seller in 2012, is also responsible for MGISP Fascinating (Smart Strike). Himiko shares a second dam in MGSW Parade Queen (A.P. Indy) with last week’s GI Ogden Phipps S. heroine She’s a Julie (Elusive Quality).TJCIS PPs

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