So Darn Hot | Horse Racing Free Tips

Gibberish Decisive In Turnback The Alarm At Belmont

Gibberish tracked 2-5 favorite Miss Marissa in the early going, took command before the turn, and finished strong to post a 3 3/4-length victory in Saturday's $150,000 Grade 3 Turnback the Alarm for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going 1 1/8 miles on the main track at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The 27th edition of the Turnback the Alarm, the first of four stakes on Belmont's 10-race card, saw e Five Racing Thoroughbreds' Gibberish post her first victory in nearly a year, earning her first winner's circle appearance in six starts.

Gibberish, off at 3-1, broke from the outermost post under jockey Dylan Davis as Miss Marissa led the five-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in :23.56 and :47.22 for the half over a fast track.

As rider Kendrick Carmouche kept Miss Marissa to the inside, Davis urged Gibberish up from the three-path, taking command with three-quarters in 1:12.29. Gibberish kept command entering the stretch and easily repelled So Darn Hot's late bid, completing the course in a 1:51.93 final time for her first win since the Treasure Chest on November 27, 2020, at Delta Downs in Vinton, La.

The 4-year-old Lea filly returned $8.20 on a $2 win wager, improving to 5-2-1 in 14 career starts. She increased her career earnings to $340,010.

“I just wanted to come out running and not give an easy lead to Miss Marissa. I saw the four-horse [Firing Carol] was getting more engaged, so I was able to back off since she was doing a little more of the dirty work for me” said Davis, who rode Gibberish for the first time. “She's a big, nice-moving filly. She got to the turn and the half-mile pole and started picking up her stride.

“I didn't want to fight with her too much,” he added. “If you start fighting with her, she tends to back off, just looking at her replays. I let her run until the turn there and once we got in the stretch, she got her stride going even more and she was determined to get to the wire.”

Bred in Kentucky by Dell Ridge Farm, Gibberish had posted a pair of stakes runner-up in the current campaign, starting with the Lady's Secret on June 6 at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., before finishing 1 1/4 lengths back to Miss Marissa in the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap on July 10 at Delaware Park in Wilmington, Del.

“We knew who the horse to beat was and we knew Gibberish can be forwardly placed,” said Sarah Shaffer, assistant to Joseph, Jr. “The idea was to be close to that. But if there was not much pace in front, we weren't going to restrain our filly. We wanted her to go to the front and get into a comfortable stride. We had another horse kind of creep up in there and put the pressure on, and it set up beautifully for her.”

Shaffer said Gibberish could be ready to embark on the next phase of her career.

“I have a van set up for her to ship out to the horse sale in Lexington. She's headed to the sale,” Shaffer said. “I think broodmare is in her future and I think she deserved it to go out with another stakes win.”

So Darn Hot, trained by George Weaver, bested Jilted Bride by five lengths for second. Miss Marissa ran fourth while Firing Carol completed the order of finish.

Live racing resumes Sunday with Closing Day of the Belmont fall meet. The 10-race card, which features an 11:50 a.m. first post, will feature a pair of stakes in the $150,000 Zagora for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going 1 1/2 miles on the turf in Race 4 at 1:18 p.m. and the $150,000 Grade 3 Nashua for 2-year-olds in a one-turn mile on the main track in Race 9 at 3:43 p.m.

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.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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Hall Of Fame Jockey Mike Smith Makes Rare Appearance At Laurel Park This Saturday

His Hall of Fame career has taken jockey Mike Smith quite literally around the world. His next stop – and first in more than 14 ½ years – brings the affable 56-year-old to Laurel Park.

Based in California since 2000, Smith will be in town Saturday with three mounts on the $200,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) program led by Grade 1 winner Roadster in the $100,000 Polynesian for 3-year-olds and up.

Smith is also named on 4-year-old filly So Darn Hot in the $100,000 Twixt for females 3 and up, like the Polynesian contested at one mile, and 2-year-old filly Tiger to Remember, a second-time starter that is third on the also-eligible list in Race 7, a one-mile maiden special weight scheduled for the Bowl Game turf course.

According to Equibase statistics, it will be Smith's first time at Laurel since winning the Barbara Fritchie Breeders' Cup Handicap (G2) Feb. 17, 2007. A career winner of 5,623 races and more than $336 million in purse earnings, Smith owns a 32-6-6-4 lifetime record at Laurel with $823,190 in purses earned.

“The first time I ever rode at Laurel I won the [1990] Barbara Fritchie on a filly named Amy Be Good for [trainer] Timmy Kelly. That was probably the first time I ever went to Laurel,” Smith said. “It was a long time ago. I'm looking forward to seeing it. I haven't been there in so many years, it's crazy. I'm glad to be heading back.”

Smith is no stranger to Maryland, having ridden in the Preakness Stakes (G1) at historic Pimlico Race Course 19 times since 1984 with two wins – Prairie Bayou (1993) and Triple Crown champion Justify (2008). He has also run second twice and third four times, and in May finished ninth aboard Concert Tour.

“It's always great to get to Maryland,” Smith said. “I wish I had more time. I'm actually going to land, go right to the track, ride and [head] right back out again. I always love to stay and hang out and have some dinner there if I can and get some crabcakes. I always have a good time.”

In addition to Laurel, Smith is looking forward to his reunion with Speedway Stables' Roadster. The 5-year-old son of Quality Road has had Smith up for six of his 13 starts with three wins, two seconds and a third, highlighted by a half-length triumph in the 2019 Santa Anita Derby (G1) that earned him a trip to the Kentucky Derby (G1), where he ran 11th.

An impressive debut winner under Smith in July 2018, Roadster ran third in the Del Mar Futurity (G1) in his only other start at 2. Smith and Roadster were also second in the 2019 Affirmed (G3) and third in the San Carlos (G3) last March at Santa Anita in their most recent start together.

“I've had a lot of back success with Roadster. He's on his comeback trail, so I'm really excited about riding him,” Smith said. “We expected more out of him than what he's shown, because the ability's there. He's shown it in some of his races and he's shown it in the morning, we just haven't been able to get him to do it on a consistent basis.

“He's had his little setbacks and that's kind of been his problem, these minor little setbacks that put him back just a little bit,” he added. “With time off now and making his comeback we're going to see if we can get out of him what we know is in there.”

Bred by Stone Farm and purchased as a yearling for $525,000 by Peter Fluor and K.C. Weiner of Speedway, Roadster will be making just his fifth start in the last three years and first since a fourth in the April 30 Alysheba (G2).

Trained for most of his career by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, he came back after more than a year between races to run fourth in the March 20 New Orleans Handicap (G2) for Mike Stidham, based at the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md. He ran the Alysheba for Baffert before returning to Stidham's care.

“First time I rode this colt, man, I thought a whole lot of him. I certainly thought he was a Derby horse, and he made it to the Derby,” Smith said. “He won the Santa Anita Derby but after that he kind of went backwards on us. Since then he's shown some spark but I know what's in there. I know what I felt before in the past.

“I'm just happy to get back on him and see if we can get him back to where I know he's supposed to be, and that's one of the top older horses in the country. He's that kind of horse,” he added. “He's shown us that already, so it's not like we're looking for something we haven't seen. It's just a matter of if we can get him back on track.”

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Known as 'Big Money Mike' for his success in big races as part of a quality over quantity approach to riding the past several years, Smith has 18 wins from 132 mounts in 2021. Ten of those wins have come in graded-stakes including the Just a Game (G1) with Althiqa and Del Mar Futurity (G1) with Pinehurst. He also won the San Felipe (G2) and Sham (G3) with Life Is Good, Summertime Oaks (G2) and Delaware Oaks (G3) with Crazy Beautiful and Santa Maria (G2) and Santa Margarita (G2) with As Time Goes By.

“I'm doing well, man. I feel great. I keep myself in amazing shape. I started out the year extremely well and then they all kind of went by the wayside. They either were retired or got hurt or something happened,” Smith said. “So, were trying to rebuild. I've got a couple really good young 2-year-olds so I'm excited about those. And now, with Roadster coming back. Hopefully I stay on Life Is Good, as well. If I can get all those back, we're back strong again.”

The 30th running of the six-furlong De Francis for 3-year-olds and up highlights Saturday's 11-race program, featuring defending champion Laki and recent Saratoga stakes winner Wondrwherecraigis, both based at Laurel, as well as Grade 1-placed Jalen Journey trying to give Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen his fourth sprint stakes victory in Maryland this year.

Also on the card is the $100,000 Weather Vane for fillies and mares 3 and up sprinting six furlongs led by multiple stakes winner Hello Beautiful. All four stakes are part of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series.

First race post time is 12:40 p.m.

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Horologist Goes Wire to Wire In Summer Colony At Saratoga

There's A Chance Stable, Medallion Racing, Abbondanza Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher's Horologist made every pole a winning one in Sunday's $120,000 Summer Colony, at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

A multiple graded-stakes winner – and the 2020 New Jersey-bred Horse of the Year – Horologist broke sharply under Junior Alvarado and never relinquished in the nine-furlong event for older fillies and mares that have not won a graded race in 2021.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Horologist set splits of :23.66, :47.34, and 1:11.77 with Gibberish tracking her early foot in second position over a good and sealed main track. The pacesetter took the field into the final turn with stalkers So Darn Hot and Gold Spirit inching closer with Gibberish failing to pester.

Out of the turn, Horologist widened her advantage to seven lengths and stayed on strong to the wire for an authoritative 8 1/2-length score in a final time of 1:51.57. Gold Spirit completed the exacta by 3 3/4-lengths over So Darn Hot with Gibberish and Thankful, who stumbled at the start, completing the order of finish. Dunbar Road was scratched.

Mott said he wasn't concerned about the off going.

“She hadn't had any previous form on an off track, but she seemed to me that she would be a horse who would handle it fine. I wasn't concerned about that,” Mott said.

Horologist entered from a hard-fought second to Royal Flag after setting the pace from the inside post in the Grade 3 Shuvee on July 25 at the Spa. Two starts back, Horologist was boxed in after exiting the inside post in the Lady Jacqueline on June 26 at Thistledown in North Randall, Ohio.

“She was inside and stuck down in there the last two races,” Mott said. “We let her bounce out of there [today] and do her thing without getting in her way. I think we've kept her from winning on a couple of occasions. A win does everyone some good.”

Alvarado said he rode the even-money favorite with confidence.

“It was simple. I rode her like the best horse and she showed it out there,” Alvarado said. “Once she put herself on the lead, she took me all the way around. She's very quick and is a good gate filly. If she wanted, she could go faster without using much.”

A three-time graded stakes winner, the New Jersey-bred daughter of Gemologist captured the 2019 Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks and last year added the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., and Grade 2 Beldame at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., to her ledger in her award-winning season.

Mott said he will again point Horologist to the nine-furlong $250,000 Grade 2 Beldame, which is slated for October 10 at Belmont.

Horologist banked $66,000 in victory while improving her record to 25-9-3-4. She returned $4.20 for a $2 win ticket.

Live racing resumes Wednesday at Saratoga with a 10-race card featuring the $120,000 John's Call, a 1 5/8-mile stamina test on the Mellon turf course for 4-year-olds and up who have not won a graded stakes this year. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

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