rodolphe brisset | Horse Racing Free Tips

Three-For-Three In 2021, Crystal Ball Will Try To Stay Perfect In Sunday’s Shuvee

WinStar Stablemates Racing's Crystal Ball, perfect through three starts as a 4-year-old, will put that mark on the line when facing five graded stakes winners in Sunday's 45th running of the Grade 3, $200,000 Shuvee for older fillies and mares going at Saratoga Race Course.

The nine-furlong test honors the multiple stakes-winning Hall of Fame distaffer whose accolades include victories in the Alabama, Mother Goose, Acorn, Coaching Club American Oaks and Beldame. The daughter of Nashua's biggest claim to fame was defeating males in back-to-back years in the Jockey Club Gold Cup [1970-71]. Shuvee earned Champion 3-Year-Old Filly honors in 1969 before being named Champion Older Female the following two years. She was owned by Anne Minor Stone and trained by Willard Freeman.

Trained by Rodolphe Brisset, Crystal Ball has won all three of her 2021 starts over different racetracks with different jockeys. The daughter of Malibu Moon commenced her campaign with an allowance optional claiming score on April 2 at Santa Anita where Flavien Prat piloted her to a career-best 93 Beyer Speed Figure. After shipping to Churchill Downs to win for the next condition going 1 1/16 miles on May 8 under Florent Geroux, she transferred to Brisset's barn and won the nine-furlong Lady Jacqueline on June 26 at Thistledown with Luis Saez up.

“When she got switched to us our main goal was to win a stakes with her and we accomplished that last time,” Brisset said. “The mare is 3-for-3 this year. She's training well, she likes this track. I think it's the next logical spot for her to try and win a graded stakes with her now. She's a gorgeous mare physically. She's obviously going to be in the WinStar broodmare band. It would be nice for her to win that.”

Winless in two starts at the Spa, Crystal Ball made a good showing in her first start at Saratoga in last year's Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks, where she set the pace and battled gamely with fellow WinStar Stablemates color bearer Paris Lights, finishing just a head shy of victory.

“We were able to get her back to Keeneland right after the race in Ohio. We gave her two weeks galloping and she had two nice breezes there. She shipped well here,” Brisset said. “She trained very well Thursday morning. We'll school her at the gate, and we'll just do our normal routine, take her over there on Sunday and see what happens.”

Crystal Ball will be piloted by Saez from post 6.

Trainer Chad Brown brings a trio of graded stakes winners to the Shuvee in Gold Spirit [post 2, Javier Castellano], Dunbar Road [post 4, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] and Royal Flag [post 7, Joel Rosario].

Making her first start in North America, Gold Spirit was a Group 1 winner in her native Chile, capturing the Alberto Solari Magnasco at 1 ¼ miles in November. A victory from Gold Spirit would give owner Sumaya U.S. Stable their second Shuvee victory after winning in 2003 with Wild Spirit, who also made her United States debut in the Shuvee.

Peter Brant's Dunbar Road seeks to recapture her winning form from last season, where she won the Shawnee at Churchill Downs and Grade 2 Delaware Handicap at Delaware Park in her first two starts. The three-time graded stakes winning daughter of Quality Road conquered her lone start at the Spa with a 2 ¾-length victory in the 2019 Grade 1 Alabama.

Dunbar Road boasts the highest lifetime earnings as the field's lone millionaire, banking $1,210,740 through a 12-6-1-3 record.

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W.S. Farish's Royal Flag, second in last year's Shuvee to subsequent Grade 1 winner Letruska, has never missed the board in nine starts bragging a 4-3-2 record.

The 5-year-old daughter of Candy Ride won the Grade 3 Turnback the Alarm on November 7 at Aqueduct going nine furlongs in her only graded stakes victory and returned five months later to finish a narrow second in the Grade 3 Doubledogdare on April 16 at Keeneland.

A Kentucky homebred, Royal Flag is out of the Mineshaft mare Sea Gull, making her a full-sister to graded stakes winner Eagle and multiple graded stakes-winner Catalina Cruiser.

“All three horses are doing well. They're coming off layoffs of some sort, so it's a bit of an obstacle to overcome, but they're all training well,” Brown said. “I've gotten to know Gold Spirit pretty well over the past couple of months and she seems like a quality horse. Dunbar Road ended up having a throat infection that we've been working on and it's good now. I've been very pleased with her last few works.”

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott will saddle two graded stakes winners seeking his second Shuvee victory.

Godolphin's versatile Antoinette, a stakes winner on both dirt and turf, arrives off a runner-up effort in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis on June 26 at Churchill Downs, where she maintained second position throughout and held off a late run from Envoutante.

Following a successful 4-year-old debut on turf, going gate-to-wire in the Grade 3 The Very One on February 27 at Gulfstream Park, she stretched out to 1 3/8 miles for the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay on May 1 at Belmont Park, where she set the pace once more and faded to fifth.

A win would make the bay daughter of Hard Spun a stakes-winner on both surfaces at the Spa having captured last year's Saratoga Oaks Invitational in frontrunning fashion.

“For the time being, she's on dirt,” said Mott, who saddled 2019 Shuvee winner Golden Award. “She's run a couple of good races this year. The Sheepshead Bay may have been a little far. She's shown the natural progression that horses from three to four show. They typically run faster. You like to see them do that.”

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez will ride Antoinette from post 5.

Horologist seeks a fourth graded stakes victory when breaking from post 1 under Junior Alvarado.

The 2020 New Jersey-Bred Horse of the Year, owned by There's A Chance Stable, Medallion Racing, Abbondanza Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Paradise Farms Corporation and David Staudacher, won last year's Grade 3 Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park and the Grade 2 Beldame Invitational at Belmont Park.

The daughter of Gemologist captured her 5-year-old debut in the Top Flight Invitational at Aqueduct and was a disappointing fifth last out as the favorite in the Lady Jacqueline. Through a record of 23-8-2-4, Horologist brags the most lifetime victories.

Completing the field is Christine Hatfield and Phil Hatfield's Liberty M D, who makes her first start going two turns and at stakes caliber for trainer Ian Wilkes.

The 4-year-old bay daughter of third crop sire Constitution won her career debut on May 14 at Churchill Downs going seven furlongs before defeating winners at a one-turn mile by a half-length on June 3.

Jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. will ride from post 3.

The Shuvee is slated as Race 9 on Sunday's 10-race card. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Former Baffert Trainee Du Jour Pointed For Grade 1 Belmont Derby

Du Jour, the winner of the G2 American Turf when conditioned by embattled trainer Bob Baffert, has been transferred to the barn of Bill Mott, according to the Daily Racing Form. The 3-year-old colt, owned by Baffert's wife, Jill, in partnership with Debbie Lanni, is being pointed to the Grade 1 Belmont Derby on July 10.

Baffert has been indefinitely banned from entering horses or utilizing stalls at New York Racing Association racetracks after the Medina Spirit Kentucky Derby controversy, including Belmont Park, hence the trainer switch.

Du Jour, a son of Temple City, has breezed twice for Mott at Belmont: a 49.23-second half on June 6, and a 48.62-second half on June 13. Mott said he believes the colt can move up in distance from the 1 1/8 miles of the American Turf to the 1 1/4 miles of the Belmont Derby.

Other horses reported to have been moved out of Baffert's barn include Bezos, Hozier, and Crystal Ball. All three have been transferred to Rodolphe Brisset, reports Horse Racing Nation, but the new trainer indicated the change has nothing to do with Baffert's Medina Spirit controversy.

“It's just the ownership and Mr. Baffert talked and decided to leave those horses around here and not bring them back to California,” Brisset told HRN.

Hozier will be pointed to the G3 Ohio Derby on June 26 at Thistledown, while Crystal Ball is headed to the Lady Jacqueline Stakes on the same card. No target has yet been named for Bezos.

Read more at the Daily Racing Form and at Horse Racing Nation.

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Saturday’s Racing Insights: Bros to Champions Make Second Starts

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11th-KEE, $79K, Msw, 3yo, 7f, 6:38 p.m. ET

A pair of Pioneerof the Nile brothers to high-profile champions look to go one better off of runner-up debuts to close out the Keeneland card Saturday. John Gunther homebred Stage Raider (Pioneerof the Nile) is half to none other than Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy) as well as the ill-fated GSW The Lieutenant (Street Sense). A $950,000 Keeneland September RNA, the Chad Brown trainee was beaten 8 1/2 lengths by super impressive 'TDN Rising Star' Prevalence (Medaglia d'Oro) going this distance at Gulfstream Jan. 23. Prevalence came back and did what he had to do to take an optional claimer next out, but he settled for sixth in last Saturday's GII Wood Memorial S.

WinStar Farm and CHC Inc.'s Harvard (Pioneerof the Nile), meanwhile, was second going a furlong shorter at Gulfstream Feb. 28, good for a field's-best last-out Beyer Speed Figure of 75. Bred by China Horse Club, the Rodolphe Brisset pupil is a full to 2016 champion juvenile and 2017 GI Arkansas Derby winner Classic Empire, who has first 2-year-olds himself this season. TJCIS PPs

4th-OP, $93K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 2:42 p.m. ET

Bob Baffert brings in Following Sea (Runhappy) for a lucrative maiden special weight try a few races before he'll be represented by the two expected favorites in the GI Arkansas Derby. Spendthrift homebred Following Sea crossed the wire second on debut behind stablemate and subsequent GI Runhappy Santa Anita fourth Defunded (Dialed In) at Santa Anita Mar. 6, but he was moved back to third by the stewards for interference. The bay was a $230,000 in utero purchase at the 2017 Keeneland November sale. His stakes-winning dam has already produced one stakes horse and is half to SW and MGSP Qahira (Cairo Prince), who is also conditioned by Baffert.

Frank Fletcher Racing and Ten Strike Racing will be represented by Brad Cox-trained firster Amazing Rocket (Into Mischief). The $500,000 KEESEP buy is a grandson of MSW Amazing Buy (High Yield). Happymac (Runhappy) was a $360,000 KEESEP yearling who RNA'd last year at OBSAPR for $800,000 following a :20 3/5 bullet breeze. The half-brother to speedy GSW/MGISP Shancelot (Shanghai Bobby) was fourth in the Saratoga mud last August–two slots behind recent GII Toyota Blue Grass runner-up Highly Motivated (Into Mischief)–and was beaten a neck after setting the pace at Keeneland in October. He's one of two to be saddled by Steve Asmussen, along with $170,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred Arms an Armor (Laoban).

Rising Empire (Empire Maker) earned the same Beyer Speed Figure–64–when finishing fourth on debut that Happymac did at Keeneland one day earlier. The half-brother to MGSW marathoner and 'TDN Rising Star' Rocketry (Hard Spun) was a $275,000 KEESEP yearling turned $700,000 OBSAPR grad off a :10 1/5 move. Terawatt (Nyquist) was a $200,000 KEENOV weanling, $300,000 FTSAUG yearling and $295,000 FTMMAY RNA (:10 1/5). He's a half to GSW Native Bombshell (War Front). TJCIS PPs

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‘Very Tricky’ Tarantino Has Finally Matured; Brisset Expecting Big Performance At Turfway

When Tarantino returned East last fall to try a different racetrack and/or go through the auction ring, trainer Bob Baffert cautioned the owners not to sell the colt too cheaply. And when the $610,000 yearling purchase brought a high bid of $240,000 at Keeneland's November sale, Tarantino indeed was not sold.

Baffert's advice has proven sage. Tarantino, now trained by Rodolphe Brisset, is the 3-1 favorite in Saturday's $250,000, Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park. The race offers the maximum 170 points toward qualifying for the May 1 Kentucky Derby, with the 100 points for a win and 40 for a second virtually assuring making the 20-horse field.

Tarantino is a son of the late Pioneerof the Nile, also the sire of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. He's owned by the high profile partnerships and entities of SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Golconda Stable, Siena Farm LLC and Robert Masterson.

The California-based Baffert got his reputation as one of the best trainers who ever lived by winning a ton of Triple Crown races, not for any particular prowess running 2-year-olds on turf. But that's where Tarantino started out after not showing a lot in his workouts on dirt. Tarantino won his debut at a mile on turf at Del Mar, then lost Santa Anita's Zuma Beach, also a mile on grass, by a nose.

“He was very inconsistent on the dirt breezing-wise in California, that's the feedback I got from Mr. Baffert and the ownership team,” Brisset said. “They always thought he had some talent. When he came up to Santa Anita to Mr. Baffert, maybe he didn't really like the track there. Some times at Los Alamitos, he'd work OK, sometimes just so-so. Same at Del Mar.

“Mr. Baffert told the group not to let him go, to put a nice reserve on him, when he went through the sale. He said, 'The horse has talent; we just need to figure him out.' Everybody knows I ride (horses in the morning). We work as a team, and Mr. Baffert said, 'Why don't you send him to Rodolphe, and he can get on him and maybe figure him out?' He showed up to us in beautiful condition. It took us a couple of weeks to figure him out. Then he took a couple of weeks to get (comfortable) in our program, too. He actually trained at Turfway for a month. I breezed him myself there, and he worked very well. Then he went through the sale. He wasn't sold, and we sent him to Florida.”

In his first start for Brisset, the colt won a grass allowance race at Gulfstream Park. Brisset says he actually was hoping the race came off the turf because he thought Tarantino would run well on dirt, given the way he was training.

He got his chance on dirt in Gulfstream Park's Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes, finishing second behind Greatest Honour, and then fourth to the same horse in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth. Greatest Honour is the favorite for Saturday's Florida Derby.

“That's what the group wants,” Brisset said of 3-year-olds on the Kentucky Derby trail. “They're looking for Grade 1 on the dirt. I'm not saying they stay away from the turf, but they want the action of 3-year-olds on the dirt and even 4-year-olds. But they want to be in the big races, on the big day. If you look at the big picture, he's bred for the dirt. I think he can run on anything to be honest.”

Tarantino accumulated nine points toward Kentucky Derby qualifying in the Holy Bull and Fountain of Youth.

“He's a very tricky horse,” Brisset said. “In the morning, you've got to stay busy on him sometimes. He's getting better at that, but you can't quit on him because he'll quit on you…. In the Holy Bull, we were sitting right off the pace and he dug in pretty hard and ran a really good second. The Fountain of Youth was really rough. He was the 7, and on the inside it got pretty ugly. We wound up being seven-wide. On the first turn, we got bumped pretty hard and we ended up being like six, seven-wide. We weren't going to win the race, but maybe it cost us third or second. But it's the past. I think we are where we need to be. He's going to have to show up and run 1-2. If he does, I think we're in” the Derby.

“He's changed a lot, physically, matured a lot,” Brisset continued. “And that's a good thing, between 2 and 3. He got bigger, wider and looks like he's enjoying training. I'm very, very happy the way he looks, and his last work was very, very good. He's a horse who doesn't gallop out in his breeze. He doesn't show anything. Trust me, you don't want to breeze him around the track by himself. But the last couple of weeks he's been way more forward. The breeze the other day, a couple of people took pictures. You could see that he was off the bridle, his ears are up and he went in 48, a minute, 1:12 and change the gallop out, so it was a good work.”

Florent Geroux, coming in off big winter meets at both Arkansas's Oaklawn Park and New Orleans' Fair Grounds, will ride Tarantino for the first time for his close friend and fellow French native.

As far as the Kentucky Derby, most of the partners in Tarantino, including Starlight and SF Racing, also have Rebel Stakes runner-up Hozier (20 points) and Florida Derby contender Spielberg (16) in the thick of the hunt. Those owners also won the Triple Crown in 2018 with Justify and Starlight was a minority owner in 2020 winner Authentic.

Jack Wolf, the Louisville resident who founded Starlight Racing, said any Derby decision would be up to Tom Ryan of SF Racing, in consultation with Brisset, if Tarantino runs like they hope in the Jeff Ruby.

“It's fun to be in these big 100-point races, and at least have the option,” Wolf said. “If he runs well and gets a good number, then I'm sure we'll go ahead and run him. But there, again, it would be up to Tom and Rodolphe.”

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