Steve Hornstock | Horse Racing Free Tips

The run of successful claims by trainer Mike Maker continued on Friday at Pimlico Race Course when Last Judgment, picked up for $62,500 last October, led at every point of call to win the Grade 3 Pimlico Special.

The 5-year-old Congrats gelding was taken straight to the lead from the outside post by jockey Jose Ortiz, and he crossed the wire for the first time a length and a half ahead of closest challengers Modernist, Cordmaker, and Treasure Trove. Last Judgment took the field into the first turn through an unrushed and untested opening quarter in :23.83 seconds, while the challengers continued to wait their turn.

Longshots Cordmaker and Treasure Trove started to draw closer to the leader on the outside through the first turn, but they soon retreated as they entered the back straightaway through a half in :47.60 seconds.

Ortiz continued to stand calmly in the irons across the backstretch as he was tracked by Treasure Trove and Modernist, and Cordmaker started to weaken, replaced by favorite Fearless.

Ortiz looked behind him started to ask for a little more with his hands as he entered the final turn with Last Judgment after six furlongs in 1:11.54. Modernist and Fearless remained as the only viable challengers as the field turned for home, and Ortiz brought out the crop for some mild urging in the final eighth of a mile, but it was hardly a panicked maneuver.

Neither of the challengers were able to find enough momentum to approach Last Judgment, and the gelding kicked on under a hand ride to win by 1 3/4 lengths. Modernist carried on for second, a neck ahead of Fearless, while Cordmaker continued on to finish fourth, 4 1/4 lengths further back.

Last Judgment completed the 1 3/16-mile Pimlico Special in 1:54.37 over a fast main track, paying $11.80 to win.

Maker saddled Last Judgment for the partnership of Michael Dubb, Steve Hornstock, Bethlehem Stables, and Nice Guys Stables. The Pimlico Special was Last Judgment's fifth start for his new owners since being claimed last October at Belmont Park. Since then, he's tallied wins in the Sunshine Classic Stakes, and the G3 Challenger Stakes, while also finishing second in the G3 Ghostzapper stakes at Gulfstream Park prior to the Pimlico Special.

Friday's race improved Last Judgment's record to eight wins in 18 starts for earnings of $502,965.

Last Judgment was bred in Florida by Woodford Thoroughbreds, out of the Forestry mare Fantasy Forest.

To view the race chart, click here.

$250,000 Pimlico Special (G3) Quotes

Winning Trainer Mike Maker (Last Judgment): “Very classy horse. We like the way he's responded on that stretch out. Fabulous [claim] by these guys (co-owners Steve Hornstock and Steve Spielman).”

“He's run well for us going a mile and an eighth. I was glad to stretch him out and hoped to get a softer pace going longer.”

“I was a little concerned about the outside post, but he doesn't care for the dirt in his face, so he was going to be in the clear anyway. If someone was hell-bent on the lead, so be it.”

“To be honest, I've never really thought about anything further than today. But with a nice horse, you always have a lot of options.”

Winning Jockey Jose Ortiz (Last Judgment): “I thought I was going to get [to the lead], but I knew that if somebody else wanted to get there, I could sit off him, too. It was not like the last time, I cooked in front in 46 [seconds] and that cost me the race for sure. I had a good position. I knew that if he broke well from the gate I could get to the lead nicely. Or if he didn't break well I could sit second. But he broke really good.”

“It was a nice job by Mike [Maker]. He had him ready. The horse relaxed well. When I asked him he was there for me. That's all you can ask for.”

Jockey Junior Alvarado (Modernist; 2^nd): “I had a beautiful trip. The horse that won the race was the only one with the speed, and I was tracking behind him the whole way. Turning for home, I took my shot at it, but that horse in front just kept going. I was in a beautiful spot. If I had to do it 100 times, I would have picked the same spot I was in. I was traveling very beautifully. The horse in front got away with a nice pace and he kept going.”

Trainer Todd Pletcher (Fearless; 3^rd): “I thought he ran well. He got shuffled back a bit. He tried to move him outside into the clear, but it's tough when there's no pace to try to close much ground. I thought he put in a long sustained run. They just didn't come back.”

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. (Fearless; 3^rd): “On the backside, I knew the other horse [Last Judgment] was in control, so I started letting my horse pick it up. He made a long run. It was hard to get there. On the backside, he [Last Judgment] was running comfortable. I knew he was going to be hard to catch, so I started moving. It was a long run.”

The post Successful Claim Last Judgment Leads Every Step Of Pimlico Special appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The under-tack show for next week's Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training continued Tuesday with a livelier track that saw six horses break the :10 flat mark and a filly by Classic Empire turn in the fastest quarter-mile work of the week so far.

Working early in the day's first set Tuesday, a chestnut filly from the first crop of juvenile champion Classic Empire (hip 317) zipped her quarter-mile in :20 2/5. The juvenile is consigned by Keiber Rengifo's Golden Rock Thoroughbreds on behalf of breeders Gabriel and Aisling Duignan of Springhouse Farm.

“She worked really well today,” Rengifo, who was aboard for the work, said. “She just repeated what she had been doing the last couple months at the farm where she showed a lot of talent on the dirt. So we weren't surprised by the time she did over here at OBS because she was working unbelievably the last couple months. The way she worked today is the way she was training the last 60 days.”

The filly is out of the unraced Tigress Tale (Tale of the Cat), who is a half-sister to graded winner Stays in Vegas (City Zip). She RNA'd for $37,000 at Keeneland last September.

“I was one of the bidders,” Rengifo said. “I loved the way she was built, she is a nice-looking filly and I loved the way she looked at Keeneland. I bid almost $27,000, but she didn't make it to the reserve and the breeders still own her. We were talking to Spider and Aisling and they gave me the opportunity to train her.”

Golden Rock, which has 21 juveniles consigned to the Spring sale, was also represented Tuesday by a pair of :10 flat workers: a filly by Lord Nelson (hip 368, :10 flat); and a colt by Tiznow (hip 376, :10 flat).

In addition to breezing all his own horses, Rengifo also works horses for Karl Keegan's Lucan Bloodstock, Scott Kintz's Six K's Training and Sales and Juan Centeno's All Dreams Equine.

“The track was a little bit better today than it was yesterday because of all the water from the thunder storms Sunday,” Rengifo said. “There was still a lot of water in the track Monday. I saw a lot of good horses breezing today, it's 100% a better track today. But the fast horses are still going fast. We had a :10 flat in the last set, so it was pretty consistent if you had the right horse.”

While 13 horses shared Monday's bullet furlong time of :10 flat, six broke through that mark to work the co-fastest time of :9 4/5 Tuesday.

Among them was a filly by Into Mischief (hip 288) who worked in :9 4/5 for Mayberry Farm. The bay filly is out of Take Charge (Hard Spun), a daughter of multiple graded placed Hidden Reserve (Mr. Prospector) and a full-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Reload and a half to graded winners Philanthropist (Kris S.) and Defer (Danzig).

The juvenile was purchased for $300,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale by Paul Manganaro, Nice Guys Stable and Steve Hornstock.

“Visually and emotionally pleasing,” Manganaro said of his reaction to the bullet breeze. “She had been under the care of April Mayberry and her team and they had thought highly of her for a long time. So it was nice to see the talent we thought she had come out at the right time. I've been in this business long enough, so I know anything can happen. But it was exciting at the same time. When she crossed that finish line, it was like watching one of your siblings score the winning goal or touchdown in a sports event.”

Of the filly's appeal at last year's September sale, Manganaro said, “The head of our selection team was the legendary John Williams. So the main attraction was John liked her physically. Then obviously being by arguably the hottest stallion in the world right now in Into Mischief sealed the deal. And she's from a wonderful deep family.”

The initial plan was for the partners to race the filly, but high praise from Mayberry convinced them to test the market.

“We bought this filly and a Gun Runner filly at the Keeneland sale last year without any intention of pinhooking, but April's reports were that she was a very talented filly,” Manganaro said. “When we saw the demand for Into Mischief in the marketplace, we decided, if she can bring us there, let's test the market. She brought us to this point, so we are very happy with that.”

Manganaro, Nice Guys Stables and Hornstock do have a horse to look forward to at the racetrack in impressive maiden winner Defeater (Union Rags).

“We have a few horses together,” Manganaro said of the partnership. “We have a pretty nice 3-year-old colt who was with Tom Amoss named Defeater. We were just starting to get Derby fever with him and he got a slight injury, but he'll be back soon.”

A colt from the first crop of Midnight Storm (hip 264) also shared the co-fastest :9 4/5 furlong time for G.W. Parrish's Parrish Farms.

“He prepped really well, so I was expecting him to work well,” Parrish said of the colt.

Parrish and his wife Karen purchased the dark bay colt for $34,000 at last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

“My wife picked him out, so she was very happy,” he said with a chuckle. “He had a nice head and a nice eye. I did the bidding, but she liked him, so I kind of listened to her–happy wife, happy life.”

The juvenile is out of Summer of Joy (Sky Mesa), a full-sister to multiple graded placed Spectacular Sky.

Also sharing the bullet furlong time Tuesday were: a colt by Speightstown (hip 232, :9 4/5) consigned by Centofanti Thoroughbreds; a colt by Cairo Prince (hip 253, :9 4/5) consigned by Wavertree Stables; a colt by Twirling Candy (hip 262, :9 4/5) consigned by Grassroots Training & Sales; and a filly by Daredevil (hip 395, :9 4/5) consigned by Eddie Woods.

The under-tack show continues through Saturday and commences each day at 8 a.m. The Spring sale will be held next Tuesday through Friday with bidding beginning each day at 10:30 a.m.

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