Soothsay | Horse Racing Free Tips

Flavien Prat Voted Jockey Of The Week After Graded Stakes Double

With no racing in Southern California last week, Flavien Prat plied his trade at Indiana Grand and Belmont Park winning two graded stakes races and earning Jockey of the Week honors for July 6 through July 11. The award, which is voted on by a panel of racing experts, is for jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 950 active riders in the United States as well as retired and permanently disabled jockeys.

On Wednesday, Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella called on Prat to pilot Soothsay in the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks at Indiana Grand. Off as the second choice in the field of nine, Soothsay broke in the air and was last going into the far turn. But Prat stayed calm and regrouped.

“It was just a matter if she could make up the ground,” said Prat.

Soothsay and Prat began closing into contention around the far turn continuing to close to just get up to win by a neck over 40-1 shot Moon Swag in 1:44.36 for the mile and one-sixteenth.

“Flavien showed what a star he has become. He got off bad. He just sat there cool, didn't lose any more ground than he had to. Just a great ride,” said Mandella when reached by phone by Indiana Grand media.

Prat then travelled to Belmont Park to ride Souper Sensational for the first time for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse in the Grade 3 Victory Ride Stakes for 3-year-olds which was part of the Stars and Stripes Day card. Souper Sensational was slowest away from the gate but demonstrated an impressive turn-of-foot late in the turn for a 3-1/4-length win in 1:15.79 for the 6-1/2 furlongs.

“She was travelling well and when I got her in the clear, she really kicked on well,” said Prat. “I bided my time and got to a nice rhythm. In the end, she really responded.”

While limited with only four mounts for the week, Prat's total purse earnings were $392,700. He out-polled fellow jockeys Daniel Centeno who won the G2 Delaware Handicap, Stewart Elliott who posted an impressive 13 wins to lead all jockeys while also capturing the leading jockey title at Lone Star, Ramon A. Vazquez who won the G3 Indiana Derby and Lindey Wade with a win percentage of 47.6 from 21 mounts.

Prat is headed back to California for Opening Day at Del Mar Friday, July 16.

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Soothsay Overcomes Bad Start, Rallies Late To Capture Indiana Oaks

Raydelz Stable's homebred Soothsay looked to have little chance of winning Wednesday evening's Grade 3 Indiana Oaks at Indiana Grand after hopping in the air at the start and spotting the field several lengths, but the daughter of Distorted Humor gained ground into the far turn and rallied relentlessly down the stretch under Flavien Prat to put her neck in front at the finish and capture the winner's share of the $200,000 purse in the race for 3-year-old fillies.

Shipped to the Shelbyville, Ind., track from her home base at Santa Anita in Southern California by Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella, Soothsay rallied past all eight of her rivals in the final half mile, winning by a neck over 40-1 outsider Moon Swag and local rider Deshawn Parker, with another California shipper, Lady Aces, finishing third under Umberto Rispoli, just a head behind the runner-up. They were followed across the wire by Marion Francis, Lovely Ride, 2-1 favorite Will's Secret, Sweet Pearl, Malloy and Li'l Tootsie.

Soothsay, produced from the Bernardini mare, Spellbound – herself a Grade 2 winner for Mandella – was winning for the third time in four starts. She ran the 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:44.36 and paid $8 to win.

Lovely Ride assumed command shortly after the start of the Indiana Oaks under Gabriel Saez. She went the opening quarter mile in :24.71 and the half in :48.88 under pressure from Marion Francis and jockey Florent Geroux. Approaching the far turn, after Lovely Ride clicked off six furlongs 1:12.44, Prat began asking Soothsay to pick it up, and she willingly passed several horses around the final turn.

Heading into the stretch, Moon Swag, who saved ground just behind the top pair for much of the way, swung outside and moved toward the lead, assuming command at the eighth pole. Lovely Ride and Marion Francis fought back briefly, but the danger was coming from the outside as Soothsay was in high gear. The bay filly overtook Moon Swag in deep stretch as Lady Aces rallied alongside the winner late to finish just a head behind the runner-up.

Soothsay won her first two starts, taking a maiden sprint at Santa Anita on Feb. 26, then stretching out to win the G2 Santa Anita Oaks on April 3. That was followed on May 30 by a second-place finish as the 4-5 favorite behind Crazy Beautiful, who came back last week to win the G3 Delaware Oaks.

Soothsay (no. 2) did not get off to a good start in the Indiana Oaks

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Crazy Beautiful Finds Kentucky Oaks Redemption In Summertime Oaks At Santa Anita

Kentucky-based Crazy Beautiful made amends for a disappointing effort in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks as she rallied three-wide turning for home en route to a 1 ¾-length win in Sunday's G2, $200,000 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Trained by Ken McPeek, ridden by Mike Smith and saddled today by locally based trainer Karen Headley, Crazy Beautiful got 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.85.

Last after the first half mile, about three lengths off speedy Lady Aces, Smith saved ground at the rail around the far turn and allowed his filly to idle a bit as longshot Plum Sexy, to his immediate outside, began to tire. Approaching the quarter pole, Smith then angled out to tackle both Lady Aces and heavily favored Soothsay, who was all-out at that point to make the lead while Crazy Beautiful didn't gain the advantage until deep stretch.

“She broke really well, I noticed in the Kentucky Oaks (on April 30), she got slammed leaving there, never really giving her the chance to run,” said Smith, who was aboard Crazy Beautiful for the first time today. “So, I knew (with) a better break and the way she's bred with Liam's Map (and an) Indian Charlie mare, she has some speed if you needed it.

“For a minute there I thought about going to the lead, but they went up there and entertained themselves enough to where I felt confident (about taking off the early pace). With a short field, I was hoping Plum Sexy would drop back and I'd get out when it was time.”

A winner of the G2 Gulfstream Park Oaks two starts back on March 27, but 10th, beaten 10 ½ lengths in the G1 Kentucky Oaks April 30, Crazy Beautiful was the second choice in a field of four sophomore fillies at 6-5 and paid $4.60 and $2.10 with no show wagering.

A Kentucky-bred filly by Liam's Map out of the Indian Charlie mare Indian Burn, Crazy Beautiful is owned by Phoenix Thoroughbred III. In notching her second graded stakes win, she improved her overall mark to 9-4-3-0 and with the winner's share of $120,000, increased her earnings to $520,865.

“She didn't get here to my barn until eight or nine Thursday night, so we just walked her Friday morning,” said Headley. “Mike came out and galloped her Saturday, so I really didn't do much with her at all.”

A winner of her first two starts including the G2 Santa Anita Oaks on April 3, Soothsay sat second, just off of Lady Aces to the top of the lane and then was all-out to finally overhaul her with a sixteenth of a mile to run, at which point the winner blew by both of them.

Trained by Richard Mandella and ridden by Flavien Prat, Soothsay was off at 4-5 and paid $2.10 to win while finishing 1 ¾ lengths in front of a gallant Lady Aces and Umberto Rispoli.

Fractions on the race were 23.66, 48.36, 1:12.84 and 1:37.42.

First post time for special holiday racing on Memorial Day, Monday is at 1 p.m. Three G1 stakes, the Hollywood Gold Cup, the Shoemaker Mile and the Gamely will highlight a nine-race program. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Soothsay Puts Perfect Record on the Line in Summertime Oaks

Undefeated Soothsay (Distorted Humor) looks to take her record to three-for-three in Sunday's GII Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita. A debut winner sprinting in Arcadia Feb. 26, the bay captured the GII Santa Anita Oaks when extended to two turns next out Apr. 3. Connections opted to skip the GI Kentucky Oaks despite earning enough points for that victory and she instead headlines this event.

Soothsay's biggest competition is likely to come from a filly who did not show up on Oaks day, 10th-place finisher Crazy Beautiful (Liam's Map). If you put a line through her Oaks effort, she enters this test with a pretty strong resume. Runner-up in the GI Alcibiades S. last term, the gray rallied to be second in the GII Davona Dale S. Feb. 27 at Gulfstream and captured the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks next out a month later. She got off to a bad start in the Oaks and never really recovered, failing to factor at all in the nine-furlong event. Crazy Beautiful gains the services of Hall of Famer Mike Smith for her West Coast debut.

Peter Eurton saddles a much less experienced runner against the headliners in Lady Aces (Constitution). The dark bay earned her diploma at second asking in a six-panel event in Arcadia May 2.

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