Tamahere Impressive In U.S. Debut For Brown, Wins Sands Point

Swift Thoroughbreds, Inc., Madaket Stables and Wonder Stables' French-bred Tamahere made her North American debut a winning one in Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 Sands Point at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, Tamahere entered the one-turn mile for sophomore fillies on the Widener turf off a nearly three-month layoff from a romping 7 1/2-length score in the Prix la Sorellina at La Teste De Buch in her native country.

Tamahere settled in seventh position as Pure Wow led the eight-horse field through splits of 23.87 seconds, 47.54 and 1:11.68 on the firm turf while being tracked by 2-1 post-time favorite Miss J McKay and longshot Drop a Hint.

Pure Wow maintained a precarious lead turning for home with Giacosa launching a four-wide bid and Tamahere following her run outside of rivals as Drop a Hint angled off the rail to stake her claim. Speaktomeofsummer, winner of the Grade 2 Lake Placid in July at Saratoga, was full of run but trapped behind rivals with a furlong to run as Tamahere, under urging from Irad Ortiz, Jr., demonstrated a powerful turn of foot and surged to a two-length victory in a final time of 1:35.21.

Speaktomeofsummer, with Joel Rosario up, arrived late to complete the exacta by three-quarters of a length over Drop a Hint.

Rounding out the order of finish were Pure Wow, a dead heat for fifth between Selflessly and Giacosa, Miss J McKay and Positive Power.

Brown said Tamahere, who was reluctant to load into the starting gate, performed to the potential she had shown in her morning workouts at Belmont and Saratoga.

“She trained brilliantly,” said Brown, who earned his fourth career Sands Point score. “As you can see behind the gate, there's still some work to do. She's a high-strung horse. She was a little bit keen early on, but Irad got her to settle and she showed us that turn of foot that she showed us in the morning. She's a really exciting horse to have for the future. We're lucky to have her. She gave us a lot of confidence that she would be a good horse.”

Brown's past Sands Point winners include Ball Dancing [2014], Uni [2017] and New and Improved [2019].

Ortiz, Jr., who guided Uni to her Sands Point score, said Tamahere settled nicely once away from the gate.

“She broke good and put me in a good position,” said Ortiz, Jr. “We got some pace in front of us and that worked out perfect because she settled down and relaxed so well. The trainer had told me 'she has a nice turn-of-foot, you're going to love her.' I just trusted Chad and waited as long as I could and when I asked her, she was ready.”

Rosario, aboard the late-closing Speaktomeofsummer, said his filly ran well once she saw daylight.

“It looked like for a second I had a hole to go through and then it just closed, so I had to wait a little longer,” said Rosario. “The other horse just got the jump. She ran well.”

Tamahere, bred in France by E.A.R.L. Elevage Du Sarai, banked $82,500 in victory while improving her record to 7-3-2-1. She paid $7 for a $2 win ticket.

Live racing resumes Sunday at Belmont Park with a 10-race card highlighted by the 130th running of the Grade 3, $100,000 Futurity, a six-furlong turf sprint offering a “Win and You're In” berth to the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint on November 6 at Keeneland. It is one of two turf stakes for juveniles on the 10-race card, with the Grade 3, $100,000 Matron for 2-year-old fillies going six furlongs also on the docket. First post is 12:50 p.m.

The post Tamahere Impressive In U.S. Debut For Brown, Wins Sands Point appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Brown-Trained Duo Selflessly, Tamahere Headline Saturday’s Sands Point Stakes

Trainer Chad Brown will saddle a pair of contenders led by multiple graded-stakes winner Selflessly and French-bred Tamahere as the four-time Eclipse Award-winning conditioner looks to secure his fourth win in Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 Sands Point, a one-mile Widener turf test for sophomore fillies at Belmont Park.

Saturday's blockbuster card includes four Grade 1, Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” challenge races led by the $250,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup, a 1 ¼-mile test for 3-year-olds and up offering a berth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic; the $300,000 Champagne at one-mile for 2-year-olds providing a spot in the starting gate for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile; the $250,000 Flower Bowl at 10-furlongs for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up with a berth in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf on the line; and the $250,000 Frizette, a one-turn mile for juvenile fillies offering a berth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Klaravich Stables' Selflessly, a dark bay daughter of More Than Ready purchased for $190,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, graduated in style at second asking in the 2019 Grade 2 Miss Grillo on the Belmont turf ahead of a fifth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf to close out her campaign.

Selflessly stumbled at the start of her seasonal debut when fifth in the Grade 3 Wonder Again on June 20 at Belmont, but returned to form last out when a nose winner of the one-mile Grade 3 Lake George at Saratoga on Aug. 28, when besting multiple graded-stakes winner Sweet Melania.

Selflessly has breezed four times on the Oklahoma training turf following the Lake George, including a five-eighths effort in 1:02.85 on Oct. 3.

“Selflessly is doing really well coming off a nice win last time out,” said Brown.

Bred in Maryland by George Louis Doetsch, Jr, Selflessly is out of the Grand Slam mare Uniformly Yours and is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Enchanted Ghost.

Swift Thoroughbreds' Tamahere, by Wootton Bassett and out of the Giant's Causeway mare Alatasarai, posted a record of 6-2-2-1 in her native France for former conditioner Francois Rohaut.

She captured the Prix la Sorellina on June 18 at La Teste Buche last out over one mile of soft going before shipping to Brown's stable at Saratoga for a trio of works. The French-bred bay has posted her last two works on the inner turf at Belmont, including a five-eighths effort in 1:01.40 on Sunday.

Jose Ortiz will pilot Selflessly from post 3, while Irad Ortiz, Jr. has the call aboard Tamahere from the inside post as Brown looks to add to a Sands Point winner's ledger that includes Ball Dancing [2014], Uni [2017] and New and Improved [2019.]

Waterford Stable's Speaktomeofsummer will turn back in distance following a Saratoga summer campaign that saw the Summer Front bay capture the nine-furlong Grade 2 Lake Placid on July 19 ahead of a fourth in the 1 3/16-mile Saratoga Oaks Invitational on Aug. 16.

Speaktomeofsummer has posted a trio of works at Belmont following the Saratoga Oaks, including a half-mile effort on the inner turf in 50.60 on Sunday.

“The filly is doing great. She's working well and looks well. I'm excited to see her run,” said Clement.

A maiden winner at second asking on the Monmouth Park turf in September 2019, Speaktomeofsummer rallied for a two-length win in the one-mile Chelsey Flower in November on the Big A turf.

Clement said the turnback in distance won't bother his filly.

“I think she's very versatile from a mile to a mile and a quarter. I don't see the distance as a negative, I think she's perfectly OK with it,” said Clement.

Out of the graded-stakes winning Harlan's Holiday mare Silver Reunion, Speaktomeofsummer was purchased for $135,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.

Joel Rosario retains the mount from post 2.

Maxis Stable, Madaket Stables and Wonder Stables' Miss J McKay will look to make the grade for trainer Cathal Lynch. The Hangover Kid bay, who boasts a record of 8-2-4-2 with purse earnings of $208,553, crossed the wire first at second asking in the five-furlong 2019 Colleen at Monmouth but was disqualified and placed third for interference. The talented filly made amends next out in the 5 1/2-furlong Ann Arundel County when surging to a five-length score over next-out winners Queen of Shades and Bella Aurora.

Bred in Maryland by Linda Oliff Rohleder, Miss J McKay has posted a perfect in-the-money record in three sophomore stakes sprints including a third in the six-furlong Lady Shipman in June at Belmont; a second in the 5 1/2-furlong Coronation Cup in July at Saratoga; and a second last out in the 6 ½-furlong Music City on Sept. 15 at Kentucky Downs.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez has the call aboard Miss J McKay from post 5 as she stretches out in distance for the first time.

Rounding out the field are New York-bred allowance winner Giacosa [post 4, Luis Saez] for trainer H. James Bond; Positive Power [post 6, Manny Franco], a veteran of 17 career starts for trainer John McAllen; Pure Wow [post 7, Jose Lezcano], a maiden winner for trainer John Terranova; and the stakes-placed Drop a Hint [post 8, Junior Alvarado] for trainer Antonio Arriaga.

The Grade 2 Sands Point is slated as Race 10 on Saturday's 11-race program, which offers a first post of 12:20 p.m. Eastern. America's Day at the Races will present daily television coverage of the 27-day fall meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete America's Day at the Races broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

The post Brown-Trained Duo Selflessly, Tamahere Headline Saturday’s Sands Point Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights