scat daddy | Horse Racing Free Tips

American-Breds Join Japanese Stallion Ranks

There will be an infusion of new American blood into the Japanese stallion ranks in 2021 with retirements to stud of Mozu Ascot (Frankel {GB}) and Mr Melody (Scat Daddy). Each is the first of their respective sires’ progeny to take up stud duty in the island nation.

Bred in Kentucky by Jane Lyon’s Summer Wind Farm, Mozu Ascot was led out unsold on a bid of $275,000 at the 2015 Keeneland September sale before being acquired privately by Capital System Co. Ltd. A maiden winner at third asking under the care of the colorful Yoshito Yahagi, the chestnut found his niche at distances between 1400 and 1600 meters, winning the one-mile G1 Yasuda Kinen on turf in 2018 in a time of 1:31.30. Having made his first 19 career starts on the grass, Mozu Ascot won the G3 Negishi S. (1400m) when trying the dirt for the first time last Feb. 2, then validated 9-5 favoritism in the G1 February S. (1600m) at Tokyo three weeks later (see below). He ran on strongly to be fifth in the G1 Champions Cup (1800m) in his final career appearance Dec. 6.

WATCH: Mozu Ascot becomes a dual-surface G1SW in the February S.

Mozu Ascot is a son of India (Hennessy), raced by Summer Wind to a pair of graded victories and earnings of over $630,000. Also the dam of SW & ‘TDN Rising Star’ Kareena (Medaglia d’Oro), India is a half-sister to SW Pilfer (Deputy Minister), the dam of MGISW To Honor and Serve (Bernardini), GISW Angela Renee (Bernardini) and SW & GISP Elnaawi (Street Sense). He joins the likes of California Chrome and Lani at Arrow Stud on the island of Hokkaido.

Mr Melody, by contrast, began his career on dirt, setting a Tokyo track record in graduating over 1300 meters on debut, then won the G3 Falcon S. in his first try on the turf in 2018. A near-miss second in the G2 Hanshin Cup to close his sophomore season, Mr Melody posted the most important of his four career victories in the 2019 G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen, covering the six furlongs in 1:07.30 (see below), and was a close fourth in the G1 Sprinters’ S. He turned in a pair of strong efforts in defeat this term, finishing third to recent G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint winner Danon Smash (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) in the G2 Centaur S. and a close fourth behind the talented filly Gran Alegria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn} x Tapitsfly) in the Sprinters’ S.

Bred in the Bluegrass by Bell Tower Thoroughbreds, Mr Melody was a $75,000 Keeneland November buyback, a $100,000 Keeneland September acquisition and blossomed into a $400,000 OBS April breezer. A son of Trusty Lady, the half-brother to GSP Trendy Lady (Unbridled’s Song) is a maternal grandson of MGSW & MGISP Klassy Kim (Silent Screen). He enters stud at Yushun Stallion Station on Hokkaido, the home of Henny Hughes, among others.

WATCH: Mr Melody gets his Group 1 in the Takamtsunoimya Kinen

The post American-Breds Join Japanese Stallion Ranks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Half-Sister To Scat Daddy, Lovestruck Stays Undefeated In Tepin Stakes

Godolphin Stable's Lovestruck, the half-sister to the late stallion Scat Daddy, won her first stakes appearance in similar fashion to her career debut on Sunday. The 2-year-old filly stayed off the pace before a strong stretch-drive kick to post a one-length victory in the $100,000 Tepin Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Kentucky homebred was a one-length winner going 1 1/16 miles over the firm inner turf at Saratoga Race Course on Sept. 7. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott elevated the Tapit filly to stakes company for her second start, where she again won at the same distance, this time over an inner turf course rated good.

Lovestruck broke sharp under jockey Junior Alvarado from post two, being forwardly placed in third position as 20-1 longshot Big Time Lady led the eight-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in 24.05 seconds, the half in 50.50 and three-quarters in 1:16.21.

Turning for home, Big Time Lady was kept inside by jockey Eric Cancel, but Lovestruck pressed on and overtook the pacesetter from the outside. Invincible Gal, piloted by Jose Ortiz, made a strong bid near the rail, but Alvarado set down Lovestruck to repel the threat and hit the wire in 1:47.14.

A stewards' inquiry focused on bumping at the head of the stretch between Big Time Lady and Lovestruck resulted in no change to the order of finish.

“She's been ready for quite a while,” Alvarado said. “We were expecting the kind of run from her that we saw today. There's still room for her to improve. She's still a little bit green and when she got to the lead she was wandering around the track, which is fine. When she puts it all together, we'll get a little more from her.”

Off as the even-money favorite, Lovestruck returned $4.20 on a $2 win wager. She more than doubled her career earnings to $94,600.

“I knew she was going to be sharp, but I like to teach them to relax behind horses and have a nice finish,” Alvarado said. “I didn't want to just let her go. Even though it was a slow pace, I knew I was close enough that she wouldn't have too much to do at the end.”

Invincible Gal, fresh off an 11th-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on Nov. 6 at Keeneland, outkicked Big Time Lady by 1 ½ lengths for second. The Graham Motion trainee has run second in three of her four stakes starts, adding to her runner-up efforts in the Sorority in September at Monmouth Park and the Selima on Preakness Day, Oct. 3, at Pimlico.

“I had a beautiful trip. I found an opening on the inside in the stretch and I thought I had a shot to get there but the winner, she showed up,” Ortiz said. “She's the real deal.”

Island Treasure, Fifth Risk, Bravo Regina and Lexinator completed the order of finish. Thursday was pulled up and vanned off.

Frost Me was scratched, as were main-track only entrants Hit the Woah, Dollar Mountain and Malibu Curl.

Live racing resumes Thursday at Aqueduct with a nine-race card that features a 12:20 p.m. Eastern first post.

The post Half-Sister To Scat Daddy, Lovestruck Stays Undefeated In Tepin Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Half to Scat Daddy Stays Undefeated in Tepin S.

TEPIN S., $100,000, Aqueduct, 11-29, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:47.14, gd.
1–LOVESTRUCK, 120, f, 2, by Tapit
1st Dam: Love Style, by Mr. Prospector
2nd Dam: Likeable Style, by Nijinsky II
3rd Dam: Personable Lady, by No
Robbery
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O/B-Godolphin, LLC (KY); T-William I. Mott;
J-Junior Alvarado. $55,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $94,600. *1/2 to Scat Daddy (Johannesburg), Among the Leading Sires-U.S., Leading Sire-Chi, MGISW, $1,334,300;
1/2 to Antipathy (A.P. Indy), GSW & GISP, $341,784; 1/2 to Grand Daddy
(Johannesburg), SW, $151,669.
2–Invincible Gal (GB), 120, f, 2, Invincible Spirit (Ire)–Alsindi
(Ire), by Acclamation (GB). (200,000gns Ylg ’19 TATOCT).
O-Michael J. Ryan, Jeff Drown, & Team Hanley; B-Rabbah
Bloodstock Limited (GB); T-H. Graham Motion. $20,000.
3–Big Time Lady, 120, f, 2, Big Brown–Liza Lu, by Menifee.
($100,000 Ylg ’19 SARAUG). O-Repole Stable; B-Spruce Lane
Farm, et al (NY); T-Rudy R. Rodriguez. $12,000.
Margins: 1, 1HF, 3/4. Odds: 1.10, 2.30, 26.75.
Also Ran: Island Treasure, Fifth Risk, Bravo Regina, Lexinator, Thursday. Scratched: Dollar Mountain, Frost Me, Hit the Woah, Malibu Curl.

Lovestruck didn’t bat an eye over the leap from a Sept. 7 maiden special weight win over this distance at the Spa into black-type company in the Tepin S. Her one-length maiden victory notched a solid 75 Beyer Speed Figure and she’d been entered twice prior to the Tepin, including the rained-affected Chelsey Flower S. earlier in the month.

Eager out of the gate in the Tepin, Lovestruck was kept under a hard hold by rider Junior Alvarado. He kept the gray reserved in third on the inside through a quarter in :24.05 and a half in :50.50. Looking for room, she moved out several paths to find a seam in upper stretch. Lovestruck was sitting on go and once she found the front about a sixteenth from home, a couple of right-handed taps was all she needed to edge away with authority and remain undefeated in two starts.

“She’s been ready for quite a while,” said Alvarado. “We were expecting the kind of run from her that we saw today. There’s still room for her to improve. She’s still a little bit green and when she got to the lead she was wandering around the track, which is fine. When she puts it all together, we’ll get a little more from her.

“I knew she was going to be sharp, but I like to teach them to relax behind horses and have a nice finish. I didn’t want to just let her go. Even though it was a slow pace, I knew I was close enough that she wouldn’t have too much to do at the end.”

The 140th stakes winner for Tapit, Lovestruck is a Godolphin homebred and is the fourth black-type winner out five foals to race for her unraced dam. Love Style, herself out of GISW Likeable Style, is best known as the dam of the late MGISW and stellar sire Scat Daddy. The 21-year-old mare has a weanling filly by Into Mischief and has been bred back to Frosted for next term. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

The post Half to Scat Daddy Stays Undefeated in Tepin S. appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Van Beethoven To Stand In France

G2 Railway S. winner Van Beethoven (Scat Daddy-My Sister Sandy, by Montbrook) has been retired from racing and will stand at Haras de Grandcamp in 2021.

Van Beethoven ran eight times at two for trainer Aidan O’Brien in the Michael Tabor silks, winning twice including the Railway. He was second, beaten a length, in the GI Secretariat S. at Arlington Park the following summer and hasn’t run since the 2019 GI Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland.

Van Beethoven is out of a full-sister to the dam of triple Grade I-winning mare Stopchargingmaria (Tale of the Cat).

Samuel Blanchard of Winning Bloodstock told Jour de Galop, “He comes from a classic American line and won the Railway S. at The Curragh in June of his 2-year-old career, running no less than eight times between April and September. This is a real guarantee of precocity, at a time when France Galop is upgrading the juvenile category. At three, he finished second in the Secretariat S. over a mile at Arlington Park. He is a horse that travelled a lot, having raced in Ireland, but also in England, France, Dubai and the United States.”

“Van Beethoven didn’t win a Group 1, but was a top 2-year-old,” Blanchard added. “Among the five best sires of juveniles in France this year, four had not won a Group 1. This is also the case with Mehmas, the leading first-season sire in Europe. Coolmore has [retained] a significant interest in him, while 15 shares will be on the market. Van Beethoven is an exceptional model: a good size but not too big. Like his father, we can expect him to bring precocity and quality.”

The post Van Beethoven To Stand In France appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post