speilberg | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘See How He Stacks Up’: Baffert Sending Spielberg For Florida Derby

Multiple Grade 1 stakes-placed Spielberg has joined the star cast of scheduled starters for the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farm at Xalapa March 27 at Gulfstream Park.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, the 3-year-old son of Union Rags is scheduled to clash with Holy Bull (G3) and Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G1) winner Greatest Honour in the 1 1/8-mile stakes that has produced the winners of 60 Triple Crown events.

“We'll see how he stacks up,” Baffert said Friday.

Spielberg, who is scheduled to breeze Sunday at Santa Anita before shipping to South Florida, finished second behind Eclipse champion Essential Quality in the Feb. 27 Southwest (G3) at Oaklawn Park following a poor start.

“He's a great-feeling horse,” Baffert said. “He came out of that race in great shape.”

In his 2021 debut, the Kentucky-bred colt stumbled at the start of the Robert B. Lewis (G3) at Santa Anita before finishing fourth behind Baffert-trained winner Medina Spirit.

“He needs to get away from the gate well,” said Baffert of Spielberg's chances of winning the Florida Derby.

Spielberg had a productive six-race juvenile campaign, in which he finished second in the Del Mar Futurity (G1) and third in the American Pharoah (G1) at Santa Anita before breaking is maiden in his fourth start. He went on to win the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) two starts later.

Spielberg was purchased for $1 million at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The colt is owned by SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stable LLC, Golconda Stables, Sienna Farm LLC and Robert Masterson.

In addition to Greatest Honour and Spielberg, the Florida Derby field is likely to include Collaborate, Known Agenda, Nova Rags, Soup and Sandwich, Papetu, Quantum Leap, Jirafales and Siglioso.

The post ‘See How He Stacks Up’: Baffert Sending Spielberg For Florida Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Champion Essential Quality Takes the Southwest

Mother Nature did her level best over the last couple of weeks to try to wreak havoc with the seasonal debut of Godolphin's undefeated Eclipse Award winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Essential Quality (Tapit).

An atypically cold and snowy stretch of weather in and around Hot Springs left the track closed for several days and set maintenance crews the monumental task of first clearing the better part of a foot of snow, then caring for the strip which bore a resemblance more to a construction site than it did Thoroughbred horse track. Oaklawn triumphantly welcomed the return of racing this past Thursday, and Saturday, hosted a potentially mouthwatering match-up between the champ and the outstanding MGISW Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music). In the end, however, it was a one-horse show, as Essential Quality belied a near four-month absence and an interrupted training regimen to consolidate his position atop most every Derby poll with a sound defeat of California raider Spielberg (Union Rags). Jackie's Warrior was a valiant, albeit well-beaten third.

“He showed up and ran his race. It was somewhat of a relief to get this race over with,” said trainer Brad Cox. “The delay of the race, the track condition, just a lot of obstacles to overcome. Good horses do overcome, but it doesn't mean the trainer doesn't worry. We just want to wrap him in bubble wrap and get to the next race.”

Favored at 90 cents on the dollar while making his first start since securing the 2-year-old championship in the Nov. 7 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland, Essential Quality jumped neatly from gate one and was almost immediately guided away from the inside by Luis Saez, as 6-5 Jackie's Warrior made the running from the two path in advance of the progressive Woodhouse (Speightstown). As he did with Mystic Guide in the Razorback a few races earlier, Saez kept the gray colt in the clear and out of harm's way while tugging against him through the middle stages before allowing him to take closer order on the second turn. Handled confidently while asked to win his race three wide off the final corner, Essential Quality eased alongside the dueling pacesetters after six furlongs in 1:13.59, easily claimed Jackie's Warrior in upper stretch and powered home a much-the-best winner. Spielberg was slowly into stride from the outside alley, took a mild run at the eventual winner passing the midstretch marker and kept on to be clearly second.

“The plan was to try to follow him [Jackie's Warrior] the whole way,” Saez said. “Everything came together. He broke pretty well and at the five-eighths pole he took the bridle and was really pulling me, but I was waiting, just trying to wait with him. We came to the stretch just so easy. He switched leads and just took off. What a nice horse. He finished very strong and I still had a lot of horse.”

Accorded 'Rising Star' status off an impressive four-length debut success over six furlongs of the Churchill main track on the Derby undercard Sept. 5, Essential Quality validated 19-10 favoritism to give his owners a second consecutive victory in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland Oct. 3. The second choice to Jackie's Warrior on Breeders' Cup Friday, the homebred got the race run to suit, as he closed from midpack off a furious pace to best Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) and next-out GII Kentucky Jockey Club hero Keepmeinmind (Laoban) by three-parts of a length. Jackie's Warrior attended those enervating fractions and was scarcely disgraced in finishing fourth.

Pedigree Notes:

Essential Quality gave his sire the first half of a sweep of the day's Derby preps, preceding by about 20 minutes the scintillating performance of Greatest Honour in the GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream. His Grade III-placed dam is a daughter of Contrive, the dam of 2005 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and Eclipse Award winner Folklore (Tiznow) and SW & GSP Divided Attention (A.P. Indy). Folklore is the dam of Rhodochrosite (Unbridled's Song), whose son Contrive (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) swept all three legs of the Japanese Triple Crown in 2020 and is preparing for a possible 4-year-old debut in the G1 Osaka Hai Apr. 4. Delightful Quality is the dam of a 2-year-old filly by Uncle Mo and is due to the latter's son Nyquist this year.

Saturday, Oaklawn
SOUTHWEST S.-GIII, $750,000, Oaklawn, 2-27, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:45.48, sy.
1–ESSENTIAL QUALITY, 119, c, 3, by Tapit
1st Dam: Delightful Quality (GSP, $253,900), by Elusive Quality
2nd Dam: Contrive, by Storm Cat
3rd Dam: Jeano, by Fappiano
'TDN Rising Star' O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Luis Saez. $450,000.
Lifetime Record: 4-4-0-0, $1,785,144. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Spielberg, 119, c, 3, Union Rags–Miss Squeal, by Smart Strike.
($1,000,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing,
Madaket Stables LLC, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm LLC and
Masterson, Robert E.; B-G. Watts Humphrey (KY); T-Bob
Baffert. $150,000.
3–Jackie's Warrior, 119, c, 3, Maclean's Music–Unicorn Girl, by
A.P. Five Hundred. ($95,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Robison, J. Kirk
and Judy; B-J & J Stables (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $75,000.
Margins: 4 1/4, 4 1/4, 2 3/4. Odds: 0.90, 7.20, 1.20.
Also Ran: Woodhouse, Last Samurai, Santa Cruiser, Saffa's Day. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

The post Champion Essential Quality Takes the Southwest appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Baffert Duo Spielberg, Medina Spirit Take On Competitive Field In Bob Lewis

Although Bob Baffert will be packing a heavy one-two punch with Spielberg and Medina Spirit, Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes has attracted a very competitive field of eight sophomores, with no clear-cut standout. To be contested at a mile and one sixteenth over Santa Anita's main track, the Lewis is a key prep to the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 3. Originally titled the Santa Catalina, the Lewis will be run for the 83rd time on Saturday.

Named in honor of the prominent late owner and philanthropist Robert B. Lewis, who along with his wife Beverly, owned two Kentucky Derby winners, Silver Charm in 1997 and Charismatic in 1999, the Lewis winner will receive 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. The second place finisher will receive four, third place nets two points and the fourth place finisher will get one point.

Spielberg comes off a gutty nose victory at the same distance in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 19, which was his sixth career start. The win no doubt took on added luster when the runner-up, Doug O'Neill's The Great One, came back to demolish a field of maidens by 14 lengths this past Saturday.

Purchased for $1 million as a Keeneland September Yearling, Spielberg, a chestnut colt by Union Rags, out of the Smart Strike mare Miss Squeal, has been favored in four of his six starts and he'll be making his fifth graded stakes appearance. Owned by SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, LLC, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm, LLC and Robert Masterson, Spielberg will be ridden back by Flavien Prat and be trying to provide Baffert with his third consecutive Lewis win and his record ninth overall.

A first-out maiden winner going 5 ½ furlongs at Los Alamitos Dec. 11, Medina Spirit far outran his 9-1 odds in finishing a fast closing second, beaten three quarters of a length by his highly regarded stablemate Life Is Good in the G1 Sham Stakes going one mile on Jan. 2. Owned by Zedan Racing Stables, Inc., Medina Spirit, a Florida-bred colt by the Giant's Causeway stallion Protonico, was purchased for a modest $35,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company July 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale, 2020.

Second the entire trip in the Sham, Medina Spirit hit his best stride late and earned a lofty 99 Beyer Speed figure in the process. He'll be ridden back by Abel Cedillo, who comes of a fabulous three-day week at Santa Anita in which he posted nine wins.

Dismissed at 94-1, Doug O'Neill's Hot Rod Charlie made the lead a furlong from home and finished second, beaten three quarters of a length in the Grade I Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Nov. 6 at Keeneland, earning a 94 Beyer. A one mile maiden winner here two starts back on Oct. 2, this colt by Oxbow is vastly improved, has been training impressively and will get the first time services of Joel Rosario. Owned by Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, LLC and Strauss Bros Racing, Hot Rod Charlie closed much ground at Keeneland and will hope to be rolling late with plenty of pace to exploit in the Lewis.

A $500,000 Keeneland September Yearling purchase, C R K Stable's Parnelli could likely pose significant trouble for anyone with front-running aspirations. A galloping 5 ¾ one mile maiden winner two starts back at Del Mar Nov. 28, this colt by Quality Road was a bit rank while under restraint early in the Sham on Jan. 2 and was never a factor thereafter. With a win, three seconds and a third, Parnelli, who is trained by John Shirreffs, will be ridden for the first time by Umberto Rispoli.

Owned by Reddam Racing, LLC and trained by Doug O'Neill, Wipe the Slate could also add plenty of fuel to the early pace fire, as he comes off an impressive 3 ¼ length maiden win going seven furlongs here on Dec. 26. A Kentucky-bred colt by Reddam's 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist, Wipe the Slate looms a legitimate contender in his third start with Mario Gutierrez riding back.

THE GRADE III ROBERT B. LEWIS STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 7 of 8 Approximate post time 3:30 p.m. PT

Medina Spirit—Abel Cedillo—120
Rombauer—Mike Smith—120
Parnelli—Umberto Rispoli—120
Hot Rod Charlie—Joel Rosario—20
Roman Centurian—Juan Hernandez—120
Waspirant—Ricardo Gonzalez—120
Wipe the Slate—Mario Gutierrez–120
Spielberg—Flavien Prat—124

First post time for an eight-race card on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m. All of Santa Anita's races are offered free of charge at santaanita.com/live and fans can watch and wager at 1st.com/Bet.

The post Baffert Duo Spielberg, Medina Spirit Take On Competitive Field In Bob Lewis appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post