Steve Asmussen | Horse Racing Free Tips

Boldor Rallies Wide In The Slop For King Cotton Victory At Oaklawn

Ed and Susie Orr's Boldor is now two for two on the year after securing his second straight stakes victory in Saturday's $150,000 King Cotton Stakes at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark. He was coming off a victory in the Sam's Town Stakes at Delta Downs Jan. 4.

Breaking from post five of six under jockey David Cabrera, Boldor settled into fourth place early as Mr. Jagermeister grabbed the early lead through fractions of :22.52 and :45.78 for the first half mile, while being pressed the whole way by Seven Nation Army. The winner came four wide into the stretch and kicked in late to wear down his rivals for the one-length victory in 1:09.86 for six furlongs over a sloppy track. Seven Nation Army finished a neck in front of Mr. Jagermeister for second.

“I thought I was going to be a little bit more off of it,” Cabrera said. “He broke really sharp. I just let him get comfortable. Pick a spot. He responded to me really good down the lane. I'm pretty happy that (trainer) Steve (Asmussen) gave me the opportunity, that's for sure.”

Grade 2 winner Flagstaff, the 11-10 favorite, finished fourth. He was followed by Strike Power and Mucho.

“I just couldn't get him going,” jockey Florent Geroux said of Flagstaff. “He was just out-paced. I don't know if he didn't like the track. I just couldn't get him going. He was lost and I was riding really hard. Made a nice finish at the end, buy just had too much to do.”

Boldeo, a 5-year-old Munnings gelding, improved his record to 5-2-1 in 14 starts and has now earned $335,197. He returned $21.60, $6.80 and $4 at odds of 9-1.

Live racing resumes Sunday with a special 12:30 first post to accommodate fans wishing to be home in time to watch the Super Bowl.

The post Boldor Rallies Wide In The Slop For King Cotton Victory At Oaklawn appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Essential Quality Tops 326 Early Triple Crown Nominees

Led by 2-year-old champion and two-time Grade I winner Essential Quality (Tapit), a total of 326 3-year-olds were made eligible to compete in this year's Triple Crown during the early nomination phase, which closed Jan. 23. Each of the 326 horses from the 2018 foal crop were made eligible through a $600 payment to compete in any leg of the Triple Crown series. The 2021 Triple Crown opens Saturday, May 1 with the 147th running of the GI Kentucky Derby at Churchill, continues with the 146th GI Preakness S. at Pimlico May 15 and closes with the 153rd running of the GI Belmont S. Saturday, June 5.

Essential Quality, owned by Godolphin, is scheduled to make his 3-year-old debut in the GIII Southwest S. Feb. 15 at Oaklawn, according to his trainer Brad Cox. The champion 2-year-old of 2020 was one of 14 horses Cox nominated to this year's Triple Crown series. Todd Pletcher led all conditioners with 45 horses nominated to the Triple Crown followed by Bob Baffert (23), Steve Asmussen (22) and Chad Brown (18). Godolphin led all individual owners with 11 horses nominated followed by Brad Kelley's Calumet Farm with 10. A total of 42 stakes winners were nominated as well as 13 fillies, led by champion Vequist (Nyquist). Into Mischief topped all sires with 20 nominees, followed by Curlin (14), Uncle Mo (14) and Constitution (13).

Horses not nominated during the early phase can be made eligible until Monday, Mar. 29 with a $6,000 payment. Any horse not nominated during the early or late phases can become Triple Crown eligible through payment of a supplemental nomination fee due at the time of entry for each Triple Crown race: the Kentucky Derby ($200,000), Preakness ($100,000) and Belmont ($50,000).

For a full list of nominees, click here.

The post Essential Quality Tops 326 Early Triple Crown Nominees appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Essential Quality Leads Group Of 326 Early Nominees To Triple Crown

Led by 2-year-old champion and two-time Grade 1 winner Essential Quality, a total of 326 3-year-old Thoroughbreds were made eligible to compete in this year's Triple Crown during the early nomination phase, which closed Jan. 23.

Each of the 326 horses from the 2018 foal crop were made eligible through a $600 payment to compete in any leg of the Triple Crown series. The 2021 Triple Crown opens Saturday, May 1 with the 147th running of the 1 ¼-mile Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (GI) at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. The 146th Preakness, its 1 3/16-mile second jewel, is set for Saturday, May 15 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md. The 153rd running of the Belmont Stakes, the series' 1 ½-mile final leg, is scheduled for Saturday, June 5 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Essential Quality, owned by Godolphin, is scheduled to make his 3-year-old debut in the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (GIII) on Feb. 15 at Oaklawn, according to his trainer Brad Cox. The champion 2-year-old of 2020 was one of 14 horses Cox nominated to this year's Triple Crown series.

Trainer Todd Pletcher led all conditioners with 45 horses nominated to the Triple Crown followed by Bob Baffert (23), Steve Asmussen (22) and Chad Brown (18).

Godolphin led all individual owners with 11 horses nominated followed by Brad Kelley's Calumet Farm with 10.

Overall, 42 stakes winners were nominated to the Triple Crown. Among them are Brooklyn Strong (Remsen); Caddo River (Smarty Jones); Capo Kane (Jerome); Fire At Will (Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf); Get Her Number (American Pharoah); Greatest Honour (Holy Bull); Jackie's Warrior (Champagne); Keepmeinmind (Kentucky Jockey Club); Life Is Good (Sham); Medina Spirit (Robert B. Lewis); Midnight Bourbon (Lecomte); Senor Buscador (Springboard Mile); Sittin On Go (Iroquois); Spielberg (Los Al Futurity).

Total nominations were 21 fewer horses than last year's 347 during the early stage, a slip of 6.1%.

Early Triple Crown Nominees by the numbers:

· $1.5 million: Tied for the highest public auction purchase price between Conquer the World (2019 Fasig Tipton August) and Golden Whim (2019 Keeneland September Yearling).

· 265: Number of Kentucky-bred horses. Other states represented are California (5), Florida (14), Illinois (1), Louisiana (2), Maryland (1), New Jersey (1), New York (17), Pennsylvania (2), Virginia (1), Washington (2) and West Virginia (1).

· 20: Horses produced by top sire Into Mischief. He's followed by Curlin (14), Uncle Mo (14) and Constitution (13).

· 14: Horses foaled outside of the United States. Other countries are Canada (7), Ireland (4) and Japan (3).

· 13: Number fillies that were nominated. Among them are champion 2-year-old filly and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) winner Vequist and Ashland (GI) winner Simply Ravishing.

· 5: Number of horses nominated who are based in Japan including Zennippon Nisai Yushun winner Alain Barows (JPN) and Cattelya Sho winner Lemon Pop.

Horses not nominated during the early phase can be made eligible until Monday, March 29 with a $6,000 payment. Any horse not nominated during the early or late phases can become Triple Crown eligible through payment of a supplemental nomination fee due at the time of entry for each Triple Crown race: the Kentucky Derby ($200,000), Preakness ($100,000) and Belmont ($50,000).

Thirteen horses have swept the Triple Crown series: Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), Affirmed (1978), American Pharoah (2015) and Justify (2018).

The full list of Triple Crown nominees is available here: 2021 Early Triple Crown Nominees

The post Essential Quality Leads Group Of 326 Early Nominees To Triple Crown appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

One Of Bloom’s ‘All-Time Favorite Horses,’ Millionaire Snapper Sinclair Readies For 2021 Debut

Millionaire Snapper Sinclair is scheduled to make his 2021 debut in Thursday's seventh race at Oaklawn, a 1-mile allowance for older horses.

Snapper Sinclair hasn't started since finishing second in the $250,000 Cigar Mile Handicap (G1) Dec. 5 at Aqueduct for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen and owner Jeff Bloom, who also campaigned champion and multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Midnight Bisou.

Snapper Sinclair has only won five times in a 29-race career, but the 6-year-old son of City Zip has bankrolled $1,438,260. The horse has several near misses on his stakes-heavy resume, including runner-up finishes in the $750,000 Tourist Mile (beaten three-quarters of a length) Sept. 7 at Kentucky Downs, the first division of the $100,000 Fifth Season Stakes (beaten a neck) last year at Oaklawn and the $350,000 Essex Handicap (beaten a head) in 2019 at Oaklawn. Snapper Sinclair also was beaten a nose in the $400,000 Risen Star Stakes (G2) for 3-year-olds in 2018 at Fair Grounds.

Snapper Sinclair recorded his biggest career victory to date in the 2019 Tourist Mile over Kentucky Downs' European-style turf course. Bloom said “a little bit of everything” has kept Snapper Sinclair in training. The flashy bay has been based at Oaklawn since mid-December.

“He's healthy, he's sound,” Bloom said. “I feel like we're just inches away from a viable stallion career. He finished second in the Grade 1 Cigar. If he wins that race, it's a game changer for him. He's just such a fun horse to have and we like to race a lot. To be able to race with a horse as honest as Snapper Sinclair, it's part of why you keep coming back for more with this kind of thing. Snapper will always be one of my all-time favorite horses. He's a barn favorite for Steve and his crew. At the end of the day, it comes down to as long as Snapper wants to continue doing what he does and he stays sound and healthy, then so be it. Let's do it.”

Snapper Sinclair was an allowance winner at the 2019 Oaklawn meeting. He has had only two starts in allowance company since the summer of 2019, the last a third-place finish in a 1-mile grass event Nov. 5 at Churchill Downs. Seven-time Oaklawn riding champion Ricardo Santana Jr. is named to ride Snapper Sinclair, the 6-5 program favorite, Thursday. The race also attracted Grade 3 winner Plainsman, the early 5-2 second choice.

“In talking to Steve about it, it's kind of like Snapper sort of deserves a spot like this to kind of kick things off,” Bloom said. “He's shown up to every tough spot out there over the course of his career … none of these races are gimmies, but it's softer competition and, hopefully, we get that win for him. He's always knocking on the door. It would be nice to get him another confidence booster, get him a win, walk him into the winner's circle and then start planning his course of action following this spot.”

Probable post time for Thursday's seventh race is 4:09 p.m. (Central).

The post One Of Bloom’s ‘All-Time Favorite Horses,’ Millionaire Snapper Sinclair Readies For 2021 Debut appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post