sifting sands | Horse Racing Free Tips

Del Mar Prepares For Turf Festival To Close Out Bing Crosby Season

The close of entries and post position draw for Del Mar's Thanksgiving Day card that includes the $100,000 Grade 3 Red Carpet Stakes is set for Satuday afternoon. On Sunday, similar procedures will be conducted for the Friday program with the $250,000 G2 Hollywood Turf Cup at the Del Mar, Calif., racetrack.

So begins the staging process for the four-day, seven-stakes Turf Festival that will wrap up the Bing Crosby Season at the track. And if the seven previous such closing stands of the fall meeting are any indication, the eager anticipation felt by horsemen and fans is more than justified.

A contingent of quality shippers from the east will arrive Monday or Tuesday in numbers that racing secretary David Jerkens expects will be similar to past years from the stables of trainers whose names top, or are highly stationed, on national lists.

Chad Brown has won nine Turf Festival races, with emphasis on the G1 events – Saturday's $400,000 Hollywood Derby and Sunday's $400,000 Matriarch – where he's notched three in each. He's expected to put seven or eight on the westbound plane, among them defending Matriarch champ Viadera. Brown has multiple graded stakes winner Public Sector and Sifting Sands nominated for the Hollywood Derby and Turf Cup nominee Rockemperor stabled at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., and available for the relatively short trip down the freeway.

Michael Stidham's Princess Grace, who shipped in to win the Yellow Ribbon in the summer and returned for a third-place finish as favorite in the G2 Goldikova during Breeders' Cup Week, has remained on the grounds and is nominated for the Matriarch. So has Goldikova runner-up Zofelle for trainer Brendan Walsh.

Trainer H. Graham Motion, who has notched Red Carpet, Jimmy Durante, and Seabiscuit Stakes wins in past Turf Festivals, has a handful of horses on-site and could bring in reinforcements considering his six stakes nominees. Ken McPeek has indicated he will be sending Camp Hope, a winner of two starts in October at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., and Greg Sacco is sending It Can Be Done off a third-place finish, beaten two lengths by Public Sector in the Hill Prince on October 23 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

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Never Surprised Needs To ‘Settle And Relax’ In Saturday’s Hill Prince Stakes

Repole Stable's Never Surprised will make his third start at graded stakes level in Saturday's 46th running of the Grade 2, $400,000 Hill Prince for 3-year-olds going nine furlongs over the Belmont Park inner turf.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Never Surprised has never been worse than second and arrives at the Hill Prince off a runner-up effort in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Saranac on September 4 at Saratoga Race Course.

The bay son of third-crop sire Constitution set the pace in the Saranac, finishing second beaten a length to returning rival Public Sector. The effort was his first start off an eight-month layoff, where he was second in his 2021 bow in the Grade 3 Kitten's Joy on January 30 at Gulfstream Park.

During his juvenile season, Never Surprised was a 3 ½-length winner on debut going six furlongs over the Aqueduct outer turf en route to a score in the 1 1/16-mile Central Park over good Big A turf.

Pletcher said a more settled journey could lead to recapturing winning form.

“He's a natural speed horse and he's aggressive,” Pletcher said. “The key to success would be for him to be able to settle and relax enough to get the mile and an eighth.”

Never Surprised has trained forwardly over the Oklahoma training turf at Saratoga posting three bullet works, the most recent being a half-mile move in 47.55 seconds on October 15.

“I thought he ran really well off the layoff. It was a strong race and he put in a good effort,” Pletcher said. “I think he'll be able to move forward second time off the layoff. He's been working really well since then. He doesn't seem to mind any kind of ground. The main thing is being able to settle a little bit.”

Pletcher previously teamed up with Repole to capture the 2013 Hill Prince with Notacatbutallama.

Kendrick Carmouche, aboard for both victories last year, will be reunited with Never Surprised from post 10.

In seeking his first graded stakes conquest, Never Surprised will face a familiar foe in Public Sector.

One of three entrants for trainer Chad Brown, the bay son of Kingman captured the Saranac off a ground-saving trip down the backstretch before making a sweeping three-wide move in upper stretch to win by one length.

Four weeks earlier in the Grade 2 Hall of Fame on August 6 at Saratoga, Public Sector received a similar winning trip when a more distant fourth toward the inside, but maintained his hedge-riding position down the stretch to garner a one-length victory.

Public Sector was second in the Grade 2 Pilgrim last October at Belmont before finishing 12th in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf five weeks later at Keeneland.

A victory would provide owner Klaravich Stables with their fourth Hill Prince with three different trainers after scoring with Subordination [1997; Gary Sciacca] and Outperformance [2006; Rick Violette, Jr.]. Brown and Klaravich joined forces with 2015 victor Takeover Target.

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will ride Public Sector from post 9.

Brown also will saddle Peter Brant's Sifting Sands, who makes his graded stakes debut following a win in the restricted Better Talk Now on August 29 at Saratoga.

The blue-blooded Dubawi bay colt put together two game off-the-pace triumphs at the Spa this summer. Prior to his last out coup, Sifting Sands lit up the tote board at 28-1 odds in an allowance optional claimer on July 14.

The Hill Prince will be the first start at nine furlongs for both Public Sector and Sifting Sands.

“They're both coming into the race the right way,” said Brown assistant Dan Stupp. “Distance wise, at this point in their campaign, I don't see a mile and an eighth being any issue for them. They're both rock solid horses.”

Sifting Sands kicked off his career with a distant sixth as the favorite in a Saratoga turf maiden special weight last September. He found the win column next out in his sophomore debut on March 13 at Tampa Bay Downs.

“He's a horse they liked at two. He's just a late-developing 3-year-old turf colt that I think will continue to get better the more we do with him,” Stupp said. “By every indication in the morning, I expect a good effort.”

A $645,273 purchase from the 2019 Tattersalls October Sale, Sifting Sands is a half-brother to three-time winning Group 1-winning millionaire Legatissamo. Both are out of the Montjeu mare Yummy Mummy – a half-sister to 2010 Irish Derby winner Fame and Glory.

Leaving from post 8, Sifting Sands will be ridden by Manny Franco, who has engineered winning trips in his last two starts.

“Manny obviously gets along with him very well. They have confidence in each other,” Stupp said.

Rounding out Brown's contingent is Founder, who found stakes success two starts back in the Tale of the Cat traveling 1 1/16-miles over firm turf on July 31 at Monmouth Park.

Owned by Jeff Drown and Don Rachel, the son of second-crop sire Upstart made his first four starts on dirt, graduating at first asking over subsequent graded stakes-winning stablemate Highly Motivated last summer at the Spa. He enters off a fifth in the Saranac.

Jose Ortiz will ride from post 4.

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Trainer Christophe Clement will saddle Solider Rising, who will see a considerable cutback in ground following a second-place finish in the 12-furlong Jockey Club Derby Invitational.

Never worse than second in a half-dozen lifetime starts, Solider Rising was initially campaigned in France by Andre Fabre and made his debut for Clement when a rallying second in the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational on August 7.

Soldier Rising, a bay son of Frankel, boasts the highest bankroll in the field with $419,481 in lifetime earnings. He is owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Morris Bailey, Wonder Stables and Michael J. Caruso.

A victory would put Clement on even terms with Hall of Famer Bill Mott for most Hill Prince scores, following past success with champion Gio Ponti [2008], Summer Front [2012], and Have At It [2018].

Joel Rosario will pick up the mount from post 11.

Completing the field are starter allowance runner-up Hilliard [post 1, Eric Cancel]; Jockey Club Derby third-place finisher Slicked Back [post 2, Luis Saez]; graded-stakes placed It Can Be Done [post 3, Jose Lezcano]; stakes-winner War Bomber [post 5, Dylan Davis], graded-stakes placed Original [post 6, Javier Castellano] – the winner of the Manila at Belmont two starts back; and New Jersey-bred stakes winner He'spuregold [post 7, Edwin Gonzalez].

The Hill Prince is carded as Race 9 on Saturday's 10-race program, which also features the Grade 3, $200,000 Noble Damsel for fillies and mares on the grass in Race 8. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

The Hill Prince honors Christopher Chenery's 1950 Horse of the Year, who captured that year's Preakness Stakes, Jockey Club Gold Cup, Wood Memorial and American Derby. Hill Prince finished behind Middleground in that year's Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. A three-time stakes winner at two, Hill Prince was named Champion 2-Year-Old in 1949 and Champion Older Horse in 1951. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 1991.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

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Pocket Square Gets 92 Beyer Speed Figure For Athenia, Brown Targets Champagne For Jack Christopher

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown saddled Pocket Square and Miss Teheran to a one-two finish in Saturday's $200,000 Grade 3 Athenia, a nine-furlong inner turf test for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The victory provided Brown with his 100th graded stakes win at Belmont Park, joining Hall of Famers Todd Pletcher and Shug McGaughey as the only conditioners to reach the century mark of graded stakes wins at Belmont.

Juddmonte homebred Pocket Square, with Irad Ortiz, Jr. up, rated in fourth outside rivals before advancing wide through the turn and powering home a 2 1/2-length winner, garnering a 92 Beyer. She paid $2.90 as the odds-on favorite.

Pocket Square, a 4-year-old Night of Thunder chestnut, entered from a 4 1/4-length optional-claiming win traveling nine furlongs on the turf at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on August 25.

“I'm really pleased with how she came out of the race and I'm really happy the way she's put a couple of nice wins together now – impressive wins,” Brown said. “We have her back on track. We've always thought a lot of her.”

Pocket Square, sixth in her lone sophomore start in the Group 3 Musidora at York, was a Group 3 winner as a juvenile in France for her former conditioner Roger Charlton. She notched a debut win for Brown in a 1 1/16-mile allowance tilt at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., in April and followed with back-to-back fifth-place finishes in Grade 1 company in the one-mile Longines Just a Game in June at Belmont and the nine-furlong Diana in August at Saratoga.

Brown said he left the Athenia trip in the capable hands of Ortiz, Jr.

“I certainly wanted her to stay out of trouble as the heavy favorite in a short field, so I did leave it up to Irad,” Brown said. “He knew what he had and he had a plan. Irad has really focused on trying to get to know this horse. He has a terrific record on her. He's ridden her so well. He's been very helpful with the development of her over here.”

Brown said he may have rushed Pocket Square into her recent Grade 1 efforts but that the filly's recent efforts are encouraging.

“Now that I've had a chance to regroup and given her a couple of easier races, she's shown the ability we saw over the winter,” Brown said. “It's probably time now to step into a higher level race again. I'm not sure where or when yet, but her training will guide us.”

Brown said he spoke with Juddmonte general manager Garrett O'Rourke following the race and would even consider stretching Pocket Square out in distance.

“It did strike me yesterday when she stormed to the front and kicked on to the wire and beyond that this filly can run further than I originally thought of her when I started this campaign in the spring at Keeneland,” Brown said. “She looked the part potentially of a miler on form when she came over here.

“I saw something yesterday when she got to the wire and on out that she seemed steady and strong as she kept going out,” Brown added. “I wouldn't be afraid to try her longer distances. I wouldn't have thought of that in the spring or earlier in the summer, but your opinion can change if they develop, certainly.”

Miss Teheran rallied from the back of the pack under Manny Franco to complete the Athenia exacta, but was pulled up in the gallop out and provided a precautionary ride home in the equine ambulance.

“Unfortunately she bled in the race. It's uncharacteristic for her. We'll have to regroup with her and figure out her future,” Brown said.

Swift Thoroughbreds, Madaket Stables, and Wonder Stables' Tamahere romped gate-to-wire in Saturday's 1 1/16-mile Violet at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., contested over yielding turf.

The victory, which garnered a career-best 104 Beyer, was the 4-year-old Wootton Bassett filly's first win since the one-mile Grade 2 Sands Point in October at Belmont in her North American debut, following a trio of starts in her native France.

Tamahere entered the Violet from a pacesetting fourth in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa in August at Saratoga.

“It's nice to get her back on track. Obviously, she's been really keen in her races,” Brown said. “Her year didn't quite go as we planned based on how we started her career over here with an impressive off-the-pace win in the Sands Point, but she's definitely had some difficulties since then and some keen situations and such and been a little inconsistent.

“It was nice to let her cruise along on the lead at Monmouth,” he added. “She certainly loved the course.”

Klaravich Stables' McKulick and e Five Thoroughbreds' Kinchen worked five-eighths in company Sunday on the Belmont inner turf in 1:02.09 in preparation for Saturday's Grade 2 Miss Grillo, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for juvenile fillies.

McKulick, by Frankel and out of the Makfi mare Astrelle, graduated on debut in a 1 1/6-mile turf maiden on August 8 at Saratoga with Ortiz, Jr. up.

Kinchen, by Lope de Vega and out of the Galileo mare Miss Nouriya, rallied to finish second in her August 29 debut at 1 1/16 miles on the Saratoga turf under Tyler Gaffalione.

My Sister Nat [1:00.80] and Orglandes [1:00.40] breezed five-eighths in company on the inner turf in preparation for Sunday's Grade 3 Fasig-Tipton Waya at 11 furlongs on the inner turf.

“They both went super,” Brown said.

Peter Brant's My Sister Nat, a Group 3-winner in France, won last year's Waya when it was contested at 12 furlongs on the Saratoga turf. The 6-year-old Acclamation bay sports a record of 19-3-7-5 with purse earnings of $660,672.

Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, and Michael J. Caruso's Orglandes, a 5-year-old French-bred daughter of Le Havre, won the Grade 3 Red Carpet Handicap in November at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif. She has finished sixth in a pair of Grade 2 starts this year in the Sheepshead Bay in May at Belmont and the Glens Falls in August at the Spa.

Jim Bakke and Gerald Isbister's promising Grade 1 Champagne aspirant Jack Christopher breezed five-eighths in company with sophomore maiden winner Pipeline in 1:00 flat Saturday on the main track.

“Two nice horses there. They both came out of it well,” Brown said. “He's [Jack Christopher] on target for the Champagne. Pipeline, I'm considering waiting and running him in the Perryville at Keeneland later in the meet. He just broke his maiden but his figures are so fast, I'd like to see how the race comes up.”

Jack Christopher, a Munnings chestnut who was purchased for $135,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale, registered a 92 Beyer for his 8 3/4-length debut score in a six-furlong maiden special weight on August 28 at Saratoga.

John Gunther and Eurowest Bloodstock Services' Pipeline, by Speightstown and out of the Empire Maker mare Vivo Per Lei, graduated at fourth asking in a seven-furlong maiden tilt on September 4 at Saratoga. The bay colt's 3 1/4-length score matched a career-best 97 Beyer.

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Klaravich Stables' Domestic Spending worked five-eighths on the inner turf in 1:01.52 in company with Rockemperor [1:01.45].

Domestic Spending, a three-time Grade 1-winner, finished second last out in the Grade 1 Mr. D. on August 14 at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Ill. Brown said the 4-year-old Kingman gelding is likely to make his next start in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf in November at Del Mar.

“I'm going train him [Domestic Spending] to the Breeders' Cup and I'm not sure what I'm going to do with Rockemperor yet,” Brown said.

Technical Analysis breezed five-eighths in 1:02.65 on the inner turf in preparation for the Grade 1 QEII Challenge Cup on October 16 at Keeneland.

“She breezed really good this morning,” Brown said.

Public Sector [1:02.11] and Sifting Sands [1:02.08] breezed five-eighths in company on the inner turf in preparation for the $400,000 Grade 2 Hill Prince, a nine-furlong turf test for sophomores on October 23 at Belmont.

Klaravich Stables' Gerrymander worked a half-mile in :48.77 on the Belmont main track Sunday in preparation for next Sunday's Grade 1 Frizette against a tough field led by Echo Zulu for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

Gerrymander, a 2-year-old Into Mischief bay, garnered a 73 Beyer in her second-out maiden score sprinting six furlongs on the Saratoga main track on August 29.

“I know that's a tough spot but she broke her maiden and I want to try her at a mile,” Brown said. “I like the way the horse is training but she's going to have to really step up. This is a really strong race. Asmussen's filly is in there and I think she's the best 2-year-old dirt filly I've seen run, so everyone has their work cut out for them.”

Klaravich Stables' Portfolio Company breezed a half-mile in :49.05 on the Belmont main track.

Brown said the 2-year-old Kitten's Joy colt, runner-up last out in the Grade 3 With Anticipation, has been training with a new bit and will be piloted by Joel Rosario in the Grade 2 Pilgrim.

“He had a little work on the dirt today and it thought he went well,” Brown said. “I just put a different bit on him for a little more control.”

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Brown Eyes Hollywood Derby For Public Sector, Sifting Sands

Trainer Chad Brown expressed a strong sense of satisfaction with Klaravich Stables' Public Sector, who secured a second graded stakes victory this meet when capturing the Grade 3 Saranac at 1 1/16 miles over the inner turf at Saratoga.

Prior to winning Saturday's Saranac by one length, Public Sector scored by the same margin in the one-mile Grade 2 Hall of Fame on August 6 at the Spa.

“He came out of it in good shape. He continues to develop,” Brown said. “To win two stakes at the meet for a 3-year-old is impressive. I'm very pleased with how far this horse has come along this year.”

Brown also saddled Technical Analysis, a fellow Klaravich Stables color-bearer, to dual graded stakes victories this meet in capturing the Grade 3 Lake George on July 23 and the Grade 2 Lake Placid on August 21.

“Winning two stakes at Saratoga is hard to do. They both have developed as well as they could,” Brown said.

With the Saranac in the rearview mirror, Brown said he will now likely point Public Sector toward the nine-furlong $400,000 Grade 1 Hollywood Derby on November 27 at Del Mar.

“I've had a lot of horses that at four have stretched out effectively,” Brown said. “These horses look like horses that will. How far and when I'm not sure, but we'll slowly get them out a little further over time.”

Both Public Sector and Technical Analysis are by 2014 Cartier Horse of the Year Kingman, whose three stakes winners this meet were all conditioned by Brown.

“Luckily, we were in on the first crop, we believed in the horse. We thought he had tremendous potential. Of course, not knowing what a first crop will do, but he's really developed into one of the top sires in the world,” Brown said. “We've been buying along each crop and supporting the horse. We believe in him and hopefully, we'll be able to still get our hands on some. They are really straightforward and honest horses to train, they should a great turn of foot in the mornings. They're sound horses.”

Brown also has the Hollywood Derby in mind for Peter Brant's Sifting Sands, who won the Better Talk Now on August 29 at one mile over the inner turf.

“I think it's a race that will fit him later in the year,” Brown said. “I plan on running him [and Public Sector] one time beforehand. He's a well-bred and well-meant horse and if he can target that, it's an important race that could make him a stallion at some point.”

Brown visited the winner's circle on Friday with Shadwell Stable's Emaraaty, who picked up a fourth lifetime win, besting an allowance optional claiming field on September 3 going one mile over the inner turf. The son of Dubawi arose from a five-month respite to produce a 95 Beyer. He ran the same figure in his first start for Brown in July 2019, which came off a year-long layoff.

“He's been a little frustrating to keep in a normal training routine of racing and he's a difficult horse to train, but I was really proud of how he ran the other day,” Brown said. “He's back in form now. He's got some age on him now, but he showed he can still do it. I'm hoping to get in a stake next time, but I'm not sure where.”

On Saturday, Brown saddled Pipeline to a maiden special weight triumph at fourth asking. Owned by John D. Gunther and Eurowest Bloodstock, the sophomore son of Speightstown cut back to seven furlongs on the main track after finishing a close second going nine furlongs on July 28, coming up a head shy of victory to next-out winner Vindictive.

Brown said adding blinkers to Pipeline has made all the difference.

“He's been one of my real pleasant surprises of the summer. We liked him, he trained really well but ran not too good in his first two starts. I was sort of lost with him,” Brown said. “Thankfully, we put some blinkers on him and he did a turnaround. With a little bit of racing experience in blinkers, he way exceeded my expectations from his first two races and what I was starting to think about him. He's an example of turning a second into a win later. He obviously got beat by a really good horse [Vindictive] who came back and won. I'm happy to have a nice late-blooming 3-year-old dirt horse going into the fall when some of these other horses might be tired now.”

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