sheldon russell | Horse Racing Free Tips

The Reds Awarded Federico Tesio Stakes Via Disqualification

Having run second despite encountering trouble both early and late, Flanagan Racing's The Reds was promoted to victory following the disqualification of first-place finisher Excellorator in Saturday's $125,000 Federico Tesio at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

The 40^th running of the 1 1/8-mile Federico Tesio headlined an 11-race Spring Stakes Spectacular program featuring six stakes worth $650,000 in purses. For the sixth straight year, the Tesio offered Triple Crown-nominated 3-year-olds and automatic berth in the 146^th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 15 at Pimlico.

Saturday marked the return of the Tesio to Pimlico, where it debuted in 1981 and stayed every year but two through 2015. Named for the noted Italian breeder, owner and trainer whose homebreds Nearco and Ribot dominate Thoroughbred bloodlines around the world, the Tesio was held at Laurel Park in 1987 and 1989 and each year since 2016.

Sent off the 9-5 favorite in a field of eight that included stakes winners Shackled Love, Hello Hot Rod and his former stablemate Maythehorsebwithu, The Reds ($5.80) gave both local jockey Victor Carrasco and New York-based trainer John Kimmel their first Tesio victory.

“I thought he showed tremendous courage, really,” Kimmel said by phone. “He got squeezed at the start so he ended up losing his spot. He should have been much closer. Then he had a terrible trip getting to where he was when the horse came out on him, which was a call I thought was deserved. We were just very fortunate.”

Shackled Love, who edged Maythehorsebwithu in the March 13 Private Terms at Laurel, broke side-by-side from the two outermost posts and both were intent on the lead, going the first quarter-mile in 24.13 seconds and a half in 48.12 with Excellorator and jockey Angel Cruz tracking in third. Six furlongs went in 1:11.50 with the top two still in front, though Excellorator was closing the gap.

Neither leader was able to maintain their momentum and began to drop back as they came into the stretch, leaving Excellorator to inherit the lead. Meanwhile The Reds, shuffled back between Royal Number and Hello Hot Rod early and steadied on the far turn, got straightened out and was coming with a run when Excellorator drifted out under Cruz's left-handed urging. The Reds was forced to alter his path and had Royal Number closing on his outside.

Once on a straight path, Excellorator dug in and held off The Reds by a head after completing the distance in 1:49.98 over a fast main track. Following a lengthy stewards' inquiry and objections from both Carrasco on Cruz and Royal Number jockey Julian Pimentel on Carrasco, Excellorator was taken down and placed second behind The Reds.

“Not too disappointed really, because the horse ran a wonderful race,” Excellorator's trainer, Hugh McMahon, said. “We did our part. There's just so much we can do, but there's so many external variables that influence these kinds of outcomes.”

The remaining order of finish was unchanged. Royal Number was third, followed by Hello Hot Rod, Maythehorsebwithu, Shackled Love, Zertz and Tiz Mandate.

“He broke good. You could see going into the turn, I'm trying to get him to relax. We had a great outside post and I wanted no part of dueling for the first three-quarters,” jockey Sheldon Russell, aboard Maythehorsebwithu, said. “I'm making every effort to sort of break his stride and get him to relax. We do a lot of work trying to teach them to relax in the afternoon, but we probably had him a little too fresh today. He just ran his race early on. We'll regroup and see how he comes out.”

By Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Tonalist, The Reds broke his maiden in his fifth career start and second this year, a 1 1/8-mile maiden special weight Jan. 31 at Aqueduct. Last time out, he ran fifth in the one-mile Gotham (G3) March 6, also at the Big A.

The Reds is not Triple Crown-nominated, but can be supplemented to the 1 3/16-mile Preakness at the time of entry, May 10.

“This horse is really suited to run further. He's got that kind of temperament. He settles really well,” Kimmel said. “I'm not sure if we'll come back in three weeks but we'll see how the Derby and the participants in the Preakness shakes out and we'll go from there.”

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Laurel Park: Claudio Gonzalez Making Up For Lost Time With Perfect 5-For-5 Start

After going 33 days between starters at Laurel Park, trainer Claudio Gonzalez is more than making up for lost time.

A 16-time meet champion in Maryland who has led the state in overall wins each of the past four years, Gonzalez has won with each of his first five starters at Laurel's spring meet, delayed to an April 8 opening by an equine herpesvirus (EHV-1) quarantine.

Gonzalez's barn was among those unable to enter races, and restricted to training hours separate from the rest of the horse population.

“It's not a good feeling when we can't train them the way we want. We only had 30 minutes to train all the horses, but it was the same way for everybody in quarantine,” Gonzalez said. “I believe the horses are saying thank you now. They got a little rest and they're feeling really good.”

Leading trainer with 28 wins despite missing the final two weekends of Laurel's 2021 winter meet, which had its last three programs canceled due to the quarantine, Gonzalez won with both his starters Friday – Robert D. Bone's Bear Force Won ($4.60) in Race 1 and Magic Stable's Baptize the Boy ($4.80) in Race 4.

Gonzalez won with all three of his starters on Thursday's opening day program – Marden ($5.20) and Queen of Tomorrow ($5.60), both owned by Bone, and Chetram Bhigroog's Cause to Dream ($6.60). Prior to that, Gonzalez hadn't run a horse at Laurel since winning with two of three starters March 7.

“I feel good, especially for the owners because the owners have bills to pay no matter what, and they lose money when they don't run,” he said. “Now they're happy.”

Gonzalez went 1-for-28 running at Parx in the interim. He has won 10 of the last 11 meets at Laurel dating back to the 2018, sweeping all four Maryland meets in 2020 including the Preakness Meet at Pimlico Race Course.

Gonzalez nominated 10 horses to Laurel's April 24 Spring Stakes Spectacular program, including stakes winners Miss Leslie for the $125,000 Weber City Miss), Eastern Bay and Lebda for the $100,000 Frank Y. Whiteley, Landing Zone for the $100,000 Dahlia and Completed Pass for the $100,000 King T. Leatherbury, the latter two on turf.

“The horses are ready to go and we were lucky to have the right races go, too. If we get the right races and the horses are ready, it's good. Everything happens for the better,” Gonzalez said. “If we continue like this, we're going to have some good weekends.”

Notes: Jockey Sheldon Russell and his wife, trainer Brittany Russell, teamed up for a pair of popular maiden wins Friday with 4-year-old filly Memphis Mafia ($2.80) in Race 3 and 4-year-old gelding Ratify ($3) in Race 7 … Russell completed a riding triple aboard Shane's Jewel ($4) for trainer Jamie Ness in Race 8 … Jockey Kevin Gomez notched back-to-back wins with Baptize the Boy ($4.80) in Race 4 and John the Bear ($24) in Race 5 … There will be carryovers of $5,396.14 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 and $922.76 in the $1 Super Hi-5 for Saturday's nine-race card (12:40 p.m. post). Multiple tickets with all six winners Friday returned $1,002.92.

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Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Russell Family ‘Lucky’ To Have Each Other

It seems like some things are just meant to be.

Then-assistant trainer Brittany Trimble Russell first met and dated the man who is now her husband, jockey Sheldon Russell, in 2012. Then, Brittany's boss at the time, Tim Ritchey, offered her the chance to travel the country working at different racetracks, and she couldn't pass up the opportunity.

As Brittany spent the next several years working for trainers like Jimmy Jerkens, Jonathan Thomas, Ron Moquett, and Brad Cox all across the Eastern half of the United States, she and Sheldon remained long-distance friends.

Eventually, the racing game brought them back together again.

“I think everything just worked out the way it was meant to,” Brittany said simply. “It was like I'd never left.”

Each made their way back to Maryland in 2017, and things picked up almost where they'd left off. Today, the couple has built both a relationship and a successful Thoroughbred training business at Laurel Park.

They were married in August of 2018, and their daughter, Edy, was born a year later.

“She is our why; she's why we work so hard,” said Brittany. “I love that I'm able to enjoy this game with my family. It's 24-7 and a lot of dedication and can be a lot to handle, but the fact that Sheldon can ride for us and we can enjoy it together, it's so special.”

Sheldon helps out at the barn and breezes horses in the mornings, while their daughter stays with either his mother or the mother of Brittany's top assistant, Luis Barajas.

“Their family is like our family now,” Brittany said.

Edy is young yet, but she's already fearless with the horses.

“She struts down the shed row like she owns the place,” Brittany laughed. “She has no fear, and you have to watch her or she'll duck right under the webbings. She does have a pony, of course. Sheldon says she's not going to be a jockey, but you know she already loves to ride!”

Both Brittany and Sheldon's careers have been booming over the past four years. Sheldon, a four-time leading rider in Maryland, has won 80 or more starts each season, and Brittany has increased her number of winners each year she's been in business.

She began with 11 wins in 2018, improved to 17 in 2019, and built up to 46 wins and over $1.6 million in earnings in 2020. With 13 wins thus far in 2021, Brittany is on target for her best year yet.

Five-time stakes winner Hello Beautiful has played the starring role in Brittany's career thus far. The Maryland-bred 4-year-old has won seven of her 14 lifetime starts to earn $384,610, well out-performing her $6,500 purchase price.

“She's special for many reasons, and she's really done a lot for us,” Brittany said.

Brittany has come a long way from her beginnings in Peach Bottom, Pa., where her family didn't have anything to do with horses.

“We lived in Amish country, and they're farmers, but not horse farmers,” Brittany quipped. “As a young girl, I always wanted to be able to do everything, right? First I wanted to be a ballerina, then to play softball, then to learn an instrument. … It was always something new. But when I started riding horses, that was the one thing that stuck.”

Her primary equine learning came at nearby Breakaway Farm. She was cleaning stalls on weekends by the age of 12, and by 14 she started to learn how to break and gallop the babies.

“It was a good way to learn how to gallop, the babies and I kind of learned together,” Brittany said. “I didn't really have any formal riding lessons.”

She rode a few amateur jockey races along the way, but Brittany learned she preferred puzzling out the horses from the training side of the industry.

Trainer Jimmy Jerkens was the biggest influence on that part of her horse racing education. Learning from the veteran master horseman taught Brittany what questions she needed to be asking to understand her equine charges.

“I still have the 'Jerkens text hotline,'” she joked. “If I ever have a question or wonder what to do in a specific situation, he's always willing to help. He's wonderful.”

Working for Brad Cox in Saratoga sealed the deal in terms of Brittany's career choice.

“He really intrigued me when he offered me a job, even though I wasn't sure about making the move up to Saratoga at the time,” said Brittany. “That was the job that made me realize I want to do it, to be a trainer. He left me on my own, he trusted me. He was a good teacher, he's a good horseman, and he knows how to win races. He's really good to people, you see so much of his staff stays with him. In this game that says a lot about a person.”

In turn, the thing that says a lot about Brittany is her enduring positive attitude. She doesn't acknowledge the industry treating her any differently due to her gender, and she is grateful for all the time spent as a nomad assistant trainer traveling around the country.

“Being away from family when I was younger, that's sort of what molded me into the person I am today,” Brittany said. “It gave me that education I needed to go out on my own. I missed holidays and things with my family, and they don't quite understand because they're not horse people. But I wouldn't trade it.”

In addition, she and Sheldon have learned to work together in harmony, win or lose.

“At the end of the day you have to realize that the rider doesn't want to mess up,” Brittany explained. “Sheldon will be the first one to say, 'I'm sorry,' and he's done way more good for us than bad. It's one of those things where I'm lucky to have him.”

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Shackled Love Gives Jockey Charlie Marquez First Stakes Win In Private Terms

ZWP Stable and Non Stop Stable homebred Shackled Love pressed Maythehorsebwithu from the gate, forged a narrow lead in mid-stretch and dug in gamely when the even-money favorite surged again near the wire to spring a 21-1 upset of Saturday's $100,000 Private Terms at Laurel Park.

The 32^nd running of the Private Terms at about 1 1/16 miles is the second step in Laurel's series of stakes for 3-year-olds following the one-mile Miracle Wood Feb. 20 and preceding the 1 1/8-mile Federico Tesio April 17, a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the 146^th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 15 at Pimlico Race Course.

A gelded bay son of 2011 Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Shackleford, Shackled Love ($45.60) completed the distance in 1:43.56 over a fast main track to become a stakes winner in his first try. It was also the first career stakes win for rider Charlie Marquez, Maryland's leading apprentice of 2020 who turned 18 Jan. 25.

“I'm just so excited. I'd like to thank the trainers and owners and everybody that's gotten me here from when I first started,” Marquez said. “I'm lost for words. I don't really know what to say.”

Shackled Love was a late addition to the Private Terms field, having been entered for a race March 12 before the program was cancelled as a precaution after a horse at Laurel tested positive for EHV-1. Trainer Gary Capuano also saddled stakes winner Shackqueenking, another son of Shackleford.

“He ran such a game race last time out and he ran a pretty decent number. He's got some staying power, so we thought we'd take a shot,” Capuano said. “He drew a good post and there was nothing coming up right away. He's got some talent.”

Maythehorsebwithu, a four-length winner of the Miracle Wood trying two turns for the first time, got out quickly and assumed the lead from Post 2, going the opening quarter-mile in 23.97 seconds and the half in 47.55 with Shackled Love at his right hip. Shackqueenking ranged up into a contending spot in third around the turn racing on the far outside but was unable to keep up with the top two as they straightened for home.

“I expected to be close. The inside, Sheldon Russell, I thought he was going to be close and I thought my outside had a little bit of pace [Zertz],” Marquez said. “We were walking up front, so I wanted to push the pace a little bit and give my horse the confidence that he needed.”

Shackled Love stuck a head in front at the top of the stretch but jockey Sheldon Russell and Maythehorsebwithu was stubborn on the inside and came back for more, grudgingly giving way in the final yards. It was two lengths back to Excellorator in third, with Shackqueenking fourth by another length.

Zertz, Royal Number and Commodore Perry competed the order of finish.

“The race kind of set up the way we thought. We thought Sheldon on the inside was going to show some speed, and we had speed. It was just [Zertz], we didn't know what he was going to do,” Capuano said. “We thought that the pace would set up just about like that. Shackqueenking had a good shot turning for home and he just kind of hung. The other two just kind of kicked on.”

Shackled Love broke his maiden in debut last fall at Delaware Park but had lost his last four races, all at Laurel, beaten in separate entry-level optional claiming starts in December and January by Maythehorsebwithu and Royal Number. The Tesio in five weeks is a likely landing spot.

“I think so,” Capuano said. “As long as he comes back good, we'll try that.”

Private Terms raced in the colors of Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Janney's Locust Hill Farm, winning 12 races, nine stakes and more than $1.2 million from 1987-89 including the 1988 Federico Tesio (G3) and Wood Memorial (G1) and 1989 Mass Cap (G2). His track record of 1:47 1/5 in winning the 1989 Never Bend Handicap at Pimlico still stands. He sired Grade 1-winning millionaires Soul of the Matter and Afternoon Deelites.

Notes: Jockey Sheldon Russell scored a natural hat trick Saturday with Littlestitious ($10.20) in the $100,000 Beyond the Wire, Glory March ($4) in Race 4 and Whereshetoldmetogo ($2.40) in the $75,000 Not For Love. Both Whereshetoldmetogo and Glory March are trained by his wife, Brittany Russell … Five-pound apprentice Charlie Marquez doubled aboard Six Pack Sara ($6.20) in Race 2 and Shackled Love ($45.60) in the $100,000 Private Terms … Jockey Victor Carrasco also won twice, with Cordmaker ($8.60) in the $100,000 Harrison E. Johnson Memorial and Kiss the Girl ($6) in the $75,000 Conniver … There will be a jackpot carryover of $13,587.89 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 for Sunday's nine-race program (4-9). Multiple tickets with all six winners Saturday each returned $282.58.

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