Roman Centurian | Horse Racing Free Tips

Rising Star Roman Centurian Works for San Felipe

'TDN Rising Star' Roman Centurian (Empire Maker), last seen finishing a neck second to Medina Spirit (Protonico) in the Jan. 30 GIII Robert B. Lewis S. at Santa Anita, worked Saturday at the Los Angeles-area track, getting five panels in 1:00.40 for trainer Simon Callaghan. The sophomore colt is scheduled to take on fellow 'Rising Star' and subsequent GIII Sham S. winner Life Is Good (Into Mischief), who bested him in their Nov. 22 debut at Del Mar.

A $550,000 Keeneland September yearling, Roman Centurian is being pointed to the GII San Felipe S., which is to be held Mar. 6 at Santa Anita. Regular rider Juan Hernandez rode the Don Alberto Stable and Qatar Racing Limited colorbearer in Saturday's work and will be aboard in the San Felipe.

“I was very happy,” Callaghan said. “It was a typical breeze for him. He moved good and finished up really well.”

Continued the trainer, “I think the San Felipe will reveal a lot, but again, Roman Centurian is a very good horse. I'm happy with him and looking forward to the race. It's five weeks from the Lewis to the San Felipe, so we're going to see some progression in our horse. There's lots of blue sky ahead of him.”

The San Felipe leads into the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby Apr. 3 and offers 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the winner, 20 to the runner-up, 10 to the third-place finisher, and five to the fourth.

The post Rising Star Roman Centurian Works for San Felipe appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

‘He’s Got Game’: Baffert Impressed By Medina Spirit’s Gutty Victory In Robert B. Lewis

Move over, Authentic.

In a performance even more surreal than Authentic's Kentucky Derby triumph, Medina Spirit upstaged Bob Baffert's newly minted Horse of the Year Saturday, staring defeat in the eye down the homestretch and refusing to blink, holding off two pursuers through the last quarter mile to win the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes in a stretch run for the ages.

It wasn't Jaipur and Bill Shoemaker and Ridan and Manuel Ycaza going neck and neck for a mile and a quarter in the 1962 Travers, Jaipur on the outside eventually winning by a nose, but the three-horse battle down the lane in the Lewis will do until the next thing comes along.

(Aside to readers: It's worth watching the '62 Travers and hear announcer Fred Capossela's distinctive, halting, staccato, call. Comedian Robert Klein does a classic impression of 'Cappy' who when asked by his wife what he wants for dinner, responds with, 'I'll have Caesar salad first, roast beef second, mashed potatoes third, peas and carrots fourth …).”

Even Baffert thought he wasn't going to win after Roman Centurian and Hot Rod Charlie hooked pacesetting Medina Spirit at the head of the stretch. As it was, Medina Spirit, who led virtually from the start after breaking from the rail, prevailed by a short neck over Roman Centurian, with Hot Rod Charlie a nose back in third.

“I thought he was beat,” Baffert said after the race.

All was well on Sunday with Baffert's record 10th Lewis triumph safely in the archives.

“He was gutty as could be, showed some grit, and that's what you want to see,” Baffert said Sunday morning. “He's got game. He beat a good field and the California horses (on the Triple Crown trail) are pretty strong.”

Baffert now has the enviable but challenging assignment of deciding on Medina Spirit's next race, as he must with individual Kentucky Derby Future Wager favorite Life Is Good, among others in his barn of well-stocked sophomore bluebloods.

“We'll just go week by week,” Baffert said. “I don't really plan anything out. I'll wait a couple weeks before I decide. As a matter of fact, I wasn't even going to run in the Lewis until the last minute. I decided I liked the way he (Medina Spirit) worked, put him in there, didn't want to be sittin' on him, breezing him. Sometimes they get hurt just working them, so I'd just rather put a race into him.

“We're learning about the horse. It wasn't an ideal way for him to run that way yesterday (on the lead from the rail), but his hand was sort of set from the start when he broke a little slow and he (Abel Cedillo) couldn't really take him back. He never had a chance to really get him out like he did the last time (second to Life Is Good in the Sham).

“There was a lot of speed yesterday, and from a different post he could have relaxed more. But it was good for him, he got something out of it and showed there's a lot of quality.

“It puts him right up with what's out there now. We still haven't seen any American Pharoahs or Justifys yet, but Medina Spirit's win makes Life Is Good look better, too.

“This next couple months you'll see a lot of horses change.”

As to Spielberg, who finished a disappointing fourth, beaten just over 11 lengths, Baffert said, “He was never really in it. He didn't like dirt in his face. He didn't show up, but they'll do that.”

The post ‘He’s Got Game’: Baffert Impressed By Medina Spirit’s Gutty Victory In Robert B. Lewis appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Medina Spirit Emerges With Narrow Victory In Robert B. Lewis Stakes

In a gutty gate to wire performance, Medina Spirit fought off all challengers to take Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes by a neck and thus stamped himself a top tier Derby hopeful for Bob Baffert. Owned by Zedan Racing Stables, Inc. and ridden by Abel Cedillo, Medina Spirit got 1 1/16 miles in 1:46.26 over a Santa Anita main track listed as “good” due to recent rains that deposited 2.4 inches of rain through noon on Friday.

Sent to the lead while head and head with Parnelli and Wipe the Slate into the clubhouse turn, Medina Spirit was pressed up the backside by Wipe the Slate, who was three quarters of length back three furlongs out. With a length advantage at the top of the stretch, Medina Spirit drifted out a bit and was immediately engaged by Hot Rod Charlie and Roman Centurian in a thrilling three-horse battle to the wire. Baffert's other entrant, Spielberg, finished fourth.

The top four finishers earned 10-4-2-1 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby.

Updated Kentucky Derby leaderboard

“He's a very game horse,” said Cedillo, who collected his third win on the day and who has now ridden the Florida-bred colt by Protonico in all three of his races. “At the quarter pole, I didn't know, but he looked around and when he saw those horses, he kept going. He didn't get tired at all. On the gallop out (after the wire), he was by himself.”

A close second to highly regarded stablemate Life is Good going one mile in the G3 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita on Jan. 2, Medina Spirit was heavily backed as the even-money favorite in a field of six sophomores and paid $4.00, $2.80 and $2.20.

“That reminded me a little bit of Silver Charm (1997 Kentucky Derby winner),” said Baffert, who rung up his record ninth Lewis win today. “He had every reason to give it up late in the stretch (when) those horses came to him. I thought he was beat. I thought they were going to get by and he wouldn't let them by, he fought on.

“…We just have to keep him healthy. It's a really tiring track, he went real fast early, but he showed that he had the qualities there. It's nice to win the Robert B. Lewis because it means so much to me. I would have liked my other horse (fourth place finisher Spielberg) to run better than he did, but those things happen.”

A first-out maiden winner going 5 ½ furlongs at Los Alamitos Dec. 11, Medina Spirit, who is out of the Brilliant Speed mare Mongolian Changa, was sold for just $35,000 at public auction last July after being purchased for $1,000 as a yearling – both sales at Ocala Breeders' Sales Company. With today's winnings of $60,000, he increased his earnings to $95,200 from three starts.

Trained by Simon Callaghan, Roman Centurian, an impressive 1 1/16 mile maiden winner on Jan. 3, was last early and rallied resolutely while caught five wide turning for home to best Hot Rod Charlie by a nose for second money. Off at 11-1 with Juan Hernandez, Roman Centurian paid $7.60 and $3.80.

A close second in the Grade I Breeders' Cup Juvenile Nov. 6, Doug O'Neill's Hot Rod Charlie ran huge off the bench, finishing 11 lengths clear of Spielberg. Ridden by Joel Rosario, Hot Rod Charlie was the second choice at 5-2 and paid $2.60 to show.

Fractions on the race, all set by the winner, were 22.89, 46.61, 1:12.36 and 1:39.34.

Named in honor of the late Thoroughbred owner and philanthropist Robert B. Lewis, who along with his wife Beverly, owned two Kentucky Derby winners, Silver Charm in 1997 and Charismatic in 1999, the Lewis winner receives 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, with four to second, two to third and one point to the fourth place finisher.

The post Medina Spirit Emerges With Narrow Victory In Robert B. Lewis Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Baffert Shoots for Record Ninth Robert B. Lewis Victory

Hall of Famer Bob Baffert will have two shots at adding to his growing record with a potential ninth win in Saturday's GIII Robert B. Lewis S. at Santa Anita.

The improving $1-million Keeneland September graduate Spielberg (Union Rags), MGISP as a juvenile, posted a hard-fought, breakthrough nose victory in the GII Los Alamitos Futurity last time Dec. 19. The runner-up that day The Great One (Nyquist), meanwhile, returned with a flashy, 14-length maiden victory for trainer Doug O'Neill last weekend, good for a 92 Beyer Speed Figure.

Baffert will also saddle Medina Spirit (Protonico), who cut his highly regarded unbeaten stablemate and 'TDN Rising Star' Life Is Good (Into Mischief)'s margin of victory to just 3/4 of a length second time out in the GIII Sham S. Jan. 2.

Medina Spirit, the morning-line favorite at 5-2, has been assigned the rail while Spielberg drew widest of all in post eight.

“I don't like being stuck inside, and on the outside, you lose ground, but I think we'll learn more about both horses,” Baffert said. “Right now, we're just trying to figure out their styles and how good they are. They'll start separating themselves. Until they go a mile and an eighth, that's when you'll really know.”

O'Neill will also be represented by a pair of promising sophomores in this deep contest, headed by last out GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile longshot runner-up at 94-1 Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow). The half-brother to champion sprinter Mitole (Eskendereya) previously earned his diploma in game fashion by a neck locally at fourth asking.

O'Neill's other charge Wipe the Slate (Nyquist) tries two turns for the first time. A well-beaten second behind the aforementioned Life Is Good first out Nov. 22, he took a big step forward with a strong maiden win going seven furlongs in Arcadia last time Dec. 26.

Roman Centurian (Empire Maker) received the 'TDN Rising Star' nod following a visually impressive, come-from-behind maiden tally at second asking over course and distance last time Jan. 3. The $550,000 Keeneland September yearling was previously fourth, beaten 12 1/4 lengths, behind Life Is Good and Wipe the Slate at Del Mar.

The Robert B. Lewis carries 10-4-2-1 qualifying points on the road to the GI Kentucky Derby.

The post Baffert Shoots for Record Ninth Robert B. Lewis Victory appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post