Rodney Jenkins | Horse Racing Free Tips

Cordmaker Continues Quest For MATCH Series Championship

Hillwood Stables' Cordmaker, the leader of his Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships (MATCH) Series division and not without a chance to land the overall championship, is one of 11 horses entered in the $100,000 Richard Small Stakes Saturday, Nov. 27, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

The 1 1/8-mile Richard Small is the fifth of sixth legs in the 3-Year-Olds and Up Long–Dirt division. The final stakes in the division, the $100,000 Native Dancer at 1 1/16 miles, is set for Dec. 26 at Laurel.

Cordmaker, trained by Rodney Jenkins, is a 10-time winner, and multiple stakes winner, who is approaching $700,000 in career earnings. He has started in all five MATCH division stakes this year and has been following his normal work pattern since his last start in the one-mile Polynesian Stakes at Laurel Sept. 18.

Though Cordmaker crossed the finish line in second, the 6-year-old Maryland-bred gelding by Curlin was disqualified and placed sixth for drifting out at the three-sixteenths pole. It was the first time in seven 2021 starts that he officially finished worse than fourth.

Based at Laurel, Cordmaker has amassed 24 MATCH Series points including 5 bonus points for making his fourth start in the division last time out and will pick up another 2 bonus points with a start in the Richard Small. Regular rider Victor Carrasco is named again.

“He's going into (the race) real well,” Jenkins said. “He's very sharp. When the weather turned cool, he got cool. He likes it. We're going for the MATCH (title). He's ahead right now for the males.”

McElmore Avenue, owned by trainer Mary Eppler and RAM Racing Stable, will make his third divisional start in the Richard Small and will qualify for MATCH Series bonus money. Horacio Karamanos returns aboard the 4-year-old Maryland-bred gelding by El Padrino who finished second to Cordmaker in the Victory Gallop Stakes at Colonial Downs and fourth in the Polynesian.

McElmore Avenue is one of a handful of horses who would qualify for bonus money. He currently has 10 points, one less than Harpers First Ride, but that runner has been on the sidelines for months and isn't expected to compete in the Dec. 26 finale.

Park-based trainer Uriah. St. Lewis has entered a pair in the Richard Small: Forewarned and Informative, both owned by Train-Brook Stable. Forewarned, a 6-year-old Ohio-bred horse by Flat Out, won the 1 1/4-mile Ohio Endurance in his last start for his first victory of 2021. Forewarned has started twice in the MATCH Series division and has 3 points; a start in the Richard Small and the Native Dancer would put him in the mix for bonus money.

The overall leader in the 2021 MATCH Series is Hello Beautiful, who has 27 points and three starts in the Filly and Mare Sprint—Dirt division. Trainer Brittany Russell said the 4-year-old Maryland-bred filly by Golden Lad is being pointed to the Dec. 26 finale—a victory plus 5 bonus points for her fourth start would give her a maximum of 42 points; the minimum she could have depending on finish position would be 33 points.

MATCH Series division bonus money is awarded to the owner and trainer as follows: $20,000/$10,000 for first, $15,000/$7,500 for second, and $7,500/$3,000 for third. In addition, the owner and trainer of the overall points-earner regardless of division will receive $20,000 and $10,000, respectively.

The post Cordmaker Continues Quest For MATCH Series Championship appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Valued Notion Wins Stakes Debut In Ben’s Cat

Valued Notion made his stakes debut a memorable one for owner Hillwood Stable LLC and trainer Rodney Jenkins when he led gate-to-wire under jockey Xavier Perez to win the $75,000 Ben's Cat by two lengths over Air Token. Oldies But Goodies checked in third while favored Hemp, who broke slowly, finished fourth.

Valued Notion, a lightly raced 4-year-old gelded son of Great Notion, covered the 5 furlongs in :58.19 over the main track after the races were taken off the turf.

Breaking from post 10, Valued Notion broke out of the gate quickly and was chased from the outside by longshot Xmasinthecity past an opening quarter in :22.22 and a half in :45.47. But entering the stretch, Perez put away Xmasinthecity and held off the remainder of his opponents.

“He was in contention right away. I was just trying to let the 12 [Xmasinthecity] go ahead of me,” Perez said. “I watched a couple of his races and he kind of slowed down at the end. As soon as I put my horse against the bit, he took me to the front and I just cruised. He was doing it so comfortable and I just let him do it himself until we got to the top of the lane.”

Valued Notion, who broke his maiden at third asking in February, followed up that victory with an allowance victory before finishing a tired fourth in his last start April 9.

Bred, owned and trained by Hall of Fame horseman King Leatherbury, Ben's Cat won 32 of 63 career races, 26 stakes, and more than $2.6 million in purses from 2010 to 2017. A four-time Maryland-bred Horse of the Year, Ben's Cat died July 18, 2017 from complications following colic surgery.

The post Valued Notion Wins Stakes Debut In Ben’s Cat appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Cordmaker Returns To Pimlico Special For Third Straight Year

Hillwood Stable's multiple stakes winner Cordmaker, third in each of the past two years, is headed for a third straight trip to the historic $250,000 Pimlico Special (G3) May 14 at Pimlico Race Course.

Trainer Rodney Jenkins said Monday that plans call for the gelded 6-year-old son of two-time Horse of the Year and 2014 Hall of Famer Curlin to make his 29th career start in the 1 3/16-mile Special on the undercard of the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2).

“We're going to give it a shot. He's run great the past two years,” Jenkins said. “We're going to give it a chance to see if we can be something besides third this time.”

Bred in Maryland by the late Bob Manfuso and trainer Katy Voss, Cordmaker was beaten two necks when third behind Tenfold and You're To Blame in the 2019 Special. Harpers First Ride was a two-length winner in 2020 when the race was delayed from mid-May to early October amid the coronavirus pandemic, with Cordmaker a half-length behind runner-up Owendale.

Last year's Special came during a career-long winless drought for Cordmaker of 10 races spanning more than 17 months. Second or third in six of those starts, all of them in stakes, he returned to the winner's circle with a front-running one-length triumph in the 1 1/8-mile Harrison E. Johnson Memorial March 13 at Laurel Park.

“It had to be good for him because it got him more confidence. He ran a really nice race,” Jenkins said. “We hope between that and the way he's been training that he's up to this.”

Cordmaker has breezed twice since the Johnson, both times bullet five-furlong moves at Pimlico. He went in 1:00.20 April 18, the fastest of 33 horses, and returned to go in 59.40 seconds April 27, the best of 15 horses.

“He's doing really well. The horse is probably has never done better in his life than he's doing now,” Jenkins said. “He seems to be interested in everything. We took him to Pimlico to work him and he worked good there, so I hope he runs as good as he's training.”

Purchased for $150,000 as yearling in 2016, Cordmaker has nine wins, four seconds and six thirds with purse earnings of $588,640. He won the Jennings for Maryland-bred/sired horses as a 3-year-old in 2018 and the Johnson and Polynesian at Laurel and DTHA Governors Day Handicap in 2019 at Delaware Park.

The Pimlico Special for 3-year-olds and up was created in 1937 by Alfred Vanderbilt, the master of Sagamore Farm, as the first major stakes in the United States set up as an invitational, and was won by Triple Crown champion War Admiral. The following year, War Admiral was upset by Seabiscuit in what Sports Illustrated has called the “Race of the Century.”

Revived in 1988 by the late Maryland Jockey Club president Frank J. De Francis, the Special's illustrious roster of winners also includes Triple Crown winners Whirlaway, Citation and Assault and modern-day Horses of the Year Criminal Type, Cigar, Skip Away, Mineshaft and Invasor.

A total of 16 stakes, 10 graded, worth $3.25 million in purses will be contested over Preakness weekend, May 14-15, at Pimlico, highlighted by the 146th running of the $1 million Preakness Stakes (G1), Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown.

The post Cordmaker Returns To Pimlico Special For Third Straight Year appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

McCarthy Wins Four On Laurel Park Card; Outofthepark Takes Feature

Champion jockey Trevor McCarthy swept the late daily double on a pair of Jamie Ness-trained horses to complete a four-win day Saturday at Laurel Park.

McCarthy, 26, split horses at the top of the stretch and went on to win with favored It's a Journey ($4.40) in Race 10, then came with a rally on the far outside to edge Lucky Ramsey and 10-year-old Chocolate Ride at the wire aboard Minister's Strike ($15) in Race 11.

Earlier on Saturday's program, McCarthy finished first with Cal Lynch-trained Eloquent Lady ($5) in Race 3 and Anima Gemella ($6.80), racing first time for trainer Graham Motion, in Race 6.

Minister's Strike, owned by Ness' Jagger Inc., earned his ninth career win in the finale, a 1 1/16-mile starter optional claimer for 3-year-olds and up on the Kelso turf course. The 6-year-old son of champion English Channel, who went 4-for-8 in 2019, emerged from a three-way photo finish on top.

“He kicked pretty good for me at the top of the stretch when I pulled him out, and I just stayed right on Chocolate Ride's heels the whole way. He was the horse to beat. I just was following him every single step,” McCarthy said. “This horse has been such a warrior. We had such an awesome year with him last year. He's a huge barn favorite, my favorite. Usually he doesn't love this kind of ground, but he showed how much of a warrior he is and how much class he's got. He gave it all he had today.”

Represented by agent Scotty Silver, McCarthy is an 11-time meet titleholder in Maryland and the state's four-time leading rider (2013-14, 2016, 2019) who has dominated since returning to the circuit full-time in the fall of 2018.

“It was a great day. I'm super happy. I just want to thank everybody – Graham and Cal and Jamie for the double. Everything went really smooth, so I was very happy with the day,” McCarthy said. “My agent is doing a great job and it was just one of those days. Everything just kind of clicked. I was very privileged to ride some nice horses today and everything worked out well.”

Saturday Feature Sees Connections Hit One 'Outofthepark'
A belated start to 2020 hasn't slowed Hillwood Stable's Outofthepark, who ran his 4-year-old record to 2-0 with a come-from-behind victory over pacesetter Papal Law in Saturday's featured seventh race at Laurel Park.

A Maryland-bred son of 2014 General George (G3) winner Bandbox, Outofthepark ($6.40) was relentless through the stretch to reel in a stubborn Papal Law and edge past near the wire for a three-quarter-length score in the second-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up over Laurel's world-class turf course.

The winning time for one mile on a firm Kelso course layout was 1:35.57. Victor Carrasco was aboard for trainer Rodney Jenkins and Hillwood's Ellen Charles.

“We were real pleased. Mrs. Charles was with me today and it was exciting,” Jenkins said. “That horse has come a long way since he was a 3-year-old. He was running at the end. He wasn't just playing around.”

Carrasco settled Outofthepark in the clear in fifth as Papal Law, one of three horses entered for a $35,000 tag, led through fractions of 24.96 and 49.07 seconds, pressed to his outside by 35-1 long shot No Bull Addiction. While Papal Law started to gain separation from the field once straightened for home, Carrasco began to roll on Outofthepark around the turn and steadily gained ground on the leader to earn his third win in the last five starts.

Papal Law was a solid second, 1 ½ lengths ahead of 9-5 favorite Taxable Goods, who came on to edge No Bull Addiction by a neck for third.

Winless in his first nine career starts, including a third in the 2018 Maryland Million Nursery second time out, Outofthepark through with a waiver maiden triumph last September, running fourth in the Maryland Million Turf in his subsequent start.

Outofthepark went unraced for seven months before returning with a three-quarter-length score using similar tactics in an entry-level allowance going 1 1/16 miles over a yielding turf at Laurel June 5. Jenkins trained Bandbox to four stakes wins and more than $390,000 in purse earnings for Charles from 2010-14 and hasn't been surprised by his son's development. Since being moved to the turf, Outofthepark has a record of 3-2-1 from seven starts.

“I think that's a Bandbox trait – the older they get, the better they get. They get stronger, they get competitive,” Jenkins said. “I just think it's a growing-up period and if you've got an owner that's patient, you'll see that more than you would with someone that would run this horse at first and then tell the trainer to get rid of him.”

Live racing returns to Laurel Park for programs Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4. Post time both days is 12:40 p.m.

Notes: South Bend, owned by Sagamore Farm of Reisterstown, Md., rallied to be second in the $500,000 Ohio Derby (G3) Saturday at Thistledown in Ohio. Laurel Park-based Lebda, a two-time stakes winner over his home track this winter, dueled for the early lead before finishing sixth in the field of 13.

The post McCarthy Wins Four On Laurel Park Card; Outofthepark Takes Feature appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post