santa anita | Horse Racing Free Tips

Mo Forza Flies Late For Second Consecutive City Of Hope Mile Score

Unhurried early under Flavien Prat, Mo Forza closed with a furious rush to nail front-running Smooth Like Strait in the final strides of Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 City of Hope Mile Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. The 5-year-old horse by Uncle Mo out of Inflamed, by Unusual Heat, was winning his fourth consecutive graded stakes – including last year's City of Hope Mile – and eighth race overall from 14 starts.

Smooth Like Strait, who went to the lead under Umberto Rispoli, then allowed Red Storm Risen to head him in the run down the backstretch, edged a fast-closing Hit the Road for second as the 9-5 second choice. Hit the Road, off at 5-1, was well clear of Red Storm Risen in fourth and Order and Law completed the order of finish.

Trained by Peter Miller and owned by Bardy Farm and OG Boss, Mo Forza was bred in Kentucky by the late trainer Barry Abrams in the name of his Bardy Farm.

Mo Forza covered the mile on firm turf in 1:32.45 after fractions of :22.61, :46.66, 1:08.98 and 1:20.57. He paid $3.20 to win.

Mo Forza was coming off a hard-fought head victory over Smooth Like Strait in the G2 Del Mar Mile on Aug. 21, his first start since last year's City of Hope Mile. In this year's edition of the City of Hope, Prat settled Mo Forza at the back of the pack as Smooth Like Strait rushed up to take command early from the five post, holding a clear advantage while rounding the first turn.

In the run down the backstretch, Joe Bravo swung Red Storm Risen – who had broken from the rail post – to the outside and ranged up alongside Smooth Like Strait, taking a short lead into the far turn.

Prat, meanwhile, kept Mo Forza to the outside of Hit the Rail and Florent Geroux, and commenced a rally around the three-eighths pole. At midstretch, Smooth Like Strait looked home free, but in the blink of an eye Mo Forza pounced on the front-runner with Hit the Road racing to his outside.

Mo Forza closed with a rush, hitting the front in the final strides and looking like a serious contender for the G1 Breeders' Cup Mile to be held at Del Mar on Nov. 6.

The post Mo Forza Flies Late For Second Consecutive City Of Hope Mile Score appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

$1.5 Million Quality Road Colt Corniche Wires American Pharoah Field

A $1.5 million sales purchase in April, Speedway Stables' Corniche ran like it on Friday at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., as he dictated terms throughout under Mike Smith to register an emphatic 3 ¼-length victory in Santa Anita's Grade 1, $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes. With Bob Baffert picking up his record 10th American Pharoah win, Corniche ran the 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:44.75.

A Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” Challenge Race qualifier, Corniche, a Kentucky-bred colt by Quality Road, now has a fees-paid berth into the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Nov. 5 at Del Mar.

Breaking from the rail in a field of seven, Corniche, who came off a scintillating first-out maiden score going 5 ½ furlongs on Sept. 4 at Del Mar, was pressed by stablemate Rockefeller to the quarter pole, dispatched of him turning for home and won in-hand in a very impressive effort.

“There's just so much upside to this horse,” said Smith. “This is what's really exciting about him. When he broke his maiden as impressive as he did, he just gave me that feeling that we weren't even close to his full potential. … He's a big colt and he carries a lot of flesh. As he starts to get even fitter and harder inside, he's gonna be a force to reckon with.”

The 2-5 favorite, Corniche paid $2.80, $2.20 and $2.10.

Owned by Peter Fluor's Speedway Stables, LLC, Corniche, who is out of the Najran mare Wasted Tears, picked up $180,000 for his efforts, increasing his earnings to $222,000. Bred in Kentucky by Bart Evans and Stonehaven Steadings, Corniche was a $385,000 buyback at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, then was offered by De Meric Sales at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-year-olds in training, where he brought a final bid of $1.5 million.

“You never know until you send them two turns whether they'll be able to handle it or not, and it looked like he handled it pretty well,” said Baffert. “He's got a great mind, so I'm pretty happy about that. I loved how they both broke well and were forwardly placed, that's where we like to be. Down the backside, he was being chased by a really good horse (Rockefeller, who checked fourth)…”

When asked about the issue of Corniche not receiving what was to have been 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points due to the fact Churchill downs has issued an edict precluding any of Baffert's Derby prospects from earning said points, he responded, “We're just going to let the process play itself out and not think about that now. The main thing is to keep them healthy and have them ready for the next dance. I just focus on these horses day in and day out…”

Pappacap, who overtook Rockefeller at the top of the lane, finished well to be second under Joe Bravo and paid $6.80 and $4.20 while off at 13-1.

Ridden by Kent Desormeaux, early trailer Oviatt Class finished a half length back in third and paid $3.00 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.55, 47.26, 1:11.91 and 1:37.85.

The post $1.5 Million Quality Road Colt Corniche Wires American Pharoah Field appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Lieutenant Dan Cruises In Eddie D. As Racing Returns To Santa Anita Hillside Course

Celebrated by racing fans nationwide, racing returned to Santa Anita's Camino Real hillside turf course in Arcadia, Calif., on Friday as California-bred Lieutenant Dan pressed the pace and took control turning for home en route to a half-length victory in the Grade 2, $200,000 Eddie D. Stakes. Ridden by Geovanni Franco, “Dan” got the “about” distance of 6 ½ furlongs down the hill on firm turf in 1:11.74.

Owned and bred by Nick Alexander, Lieutenant Dan sat a close third early to pacesetter Charmaine's Mia, who was pressed to her immediate outside by Law Abidin Citizen. Hand-ridden over the dirt crossing at the top of the stretch, Lieutenant Dan cruised to the lead and was never seriously challenged through the lane.

Off as the 5-2 favorite in a field of nine 3-year-olds and up, Lieutenant Dan, who notched his third consecutive victory today, paid $7.00, $3.80 and $3.20. The 5-year-old gelding by Alexander's stallion Grazen has now won eight of 16 career starts.

“It was so unexpected,” said Alexander of the horse's growing resume. “I think he was the seventh or eighth foal out of the mare (Excusabull), and the first seven did nothing so, we had very low expectations for this horse and he just continues to exceed them. He just loves to win.

“I love that turf course,” Alexander added. “We have always excelled on it and Grazen babies just seem to love that distance and that downhill. It is so beautiful.”

“He's a pretty fast horse and he's very versatile,” said Franco. “He broke sharp like he always does and put me in a nice spot where if they were going too slow, I could have gone and if they were going too fast, I could have sat back.

“All in all, he was the one taking me through the trip. At the end of the race he kept on going. I heard some noises of people coming but he never slowed down or waited for anybody.

“It was a great feeling to ride the hill again, it is definitely different than any other race or surface,” added Franco. “You have a lot of fun out there, especially when you have a horse like this one.”

[Story Continues Below]

Highly accomplished Snapper Sinclair, who shipped in from Churchill Downs for Steve Asmussen, kept to his task from off the pace and finished second in a solid effort, finishing a neck in front of the Bob Hess, Jr. Chaos Theory. Off as the 7-2 second choice, he paid $4.40 and $3.20.

Ridden by Kent Desormeaux, Chaos Theory was off at 36-1 and paid $10.80 to show while finishing a half length better than a late closing Gregorian Chant.

Fractions on the race were 21.61, 42.95 and 1:05.66.

The Eddie D is named for legendary retired Hall of Fame jockey Eddie Delahoussaye.

The post Lieutenant Dan Cruises In Eddie D. As Racing Returns To Santa Anita Hillside Course appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Trappe Shot Colt Shoots and Scores in WAYI Speakeasy

Chicago-based invader One Timer took to the turf Friday to skate into the GII Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar with a guaranteed spot in the starting line-up. A 12 1/2-length debut romper at Arlington back in June over recent GIII Iroquois S. runner-up Tough to Tame (Speightster) and another future stakes performer, the bay paired up 80 Beyer Speed Figures when annexing Woodbine's Victoria S. July 31. He was scratched as a would-be heavy favorite from the Aug. 28 Arlington-Washington Futurity won by stablemate Nobals (Noble Mission {GB}), having shown no published works since before the Victoria, but breezed three times in September over the Arlington all-weather and soon proved he was ready to roll.

One Timer was hustled along between horses by ET Baird to knock heads with favored Forbidden Kingdom. He began to get away from that rival after a :21.01 opening quarter, and looked to be in complete control approaching the straight as Forbidden Kingdom struggled to corner. Time to Party got going and made a race of it late, but One Timer had already built up an insurmountable advantage and glided under the line a comfy winner.

“First of all I want to say the reason that he's name that is because [trainer] Larry [Rivelli]'s son is an excellent hockey player,” said Baird. “He's a hot prospect right now and that's where his name comes from.”

Rivelli's son Dominick plays right wing for the Green Bay Gamblers, a junior team in the competitive USHL, and has committed to Miami of Ohio.

“He broke well, I had to ask him out of there, but he's pretty professional outside of the post parade,” Baird said of One Timer. “He just kept running true. I think he took to the [turf] great. We worked him one time in Chicago [back in July] over the grass and I happened to work another horse, an older horse on the same morning, and the older horse ended up winning a stake after that work, against older horses, but he didn't work that well over it, and this horse worked excellent over it. It pretty much hasn't changed–he just likes to go. I mean, he's competitive, he loves to run.”

The winner is a grandson of GSW grasser La Gran Bailadora (Afleet Alex), who produced 2019 GI Belmont S. winner Sir Winston (Awesome Again). He has a yearling half-brother by Tapwrit and a foal half-sister by Arrogate. Spanish Star, who sold for $275,000 to Crestwood Farm at last year's Keeneland November sale, visited Twirling Candy for 2022.

SPEAKEASY S., $100,500, Santa Anita, 10-1, 2yo, 5fT, :55.45, fm.
1–ONE TIMER, 122, g, 2, by Trappe Shot
                1st Dam: Spanish Star, by Blame
                2nd Dam: La Gran Bailadora, by Afleet Alex
                3rd Dam: Affirmed Dancer, by Affirmed
($21,000 Ylg '20 FTKOCT). O-Patricia's Hope LLC & Richard
Ravin; B-St. Simon Place LLC (KY); T-Larry Rivelli; J-E. T. Baird.
$60,000. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, $138,153.
2–Time to Party, 118, g, 2, Kantharos–Party Smart, by Smart
Strike. ($12,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV; $72,000 Ylg '20 OBSWIN;
$45,000 RNA 2yo '21 OBSMAR). O-Gary Barber; B-Gainesway
Thoroughbreds LTD & Bridlewood Farm, LLC (KY); T-Peter
Miller. $20,000.
3–Forbidden Kingdom, 118, c, 2, American Pharoah–Just
Louise, by Five Star Day. ($300,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL).
O-MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm LLC; B-Springhouse
Farm (KY); T-Richard E. Mandella. $12,000.
Margins: 3/4, 2HF, 1HF. Odds: 1.90, 6.80, 1.80.
Also Ran: Miss Alacrity, Blame It On Rose, Rock the Belles. Scratched: Anmer Hall.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Trappe Shot Colt Shoots and Scores in WAYI Speakeasy appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post