Bloodlines Presented by Caracaro: Into Mischief Works His Magic With Sugar Swirl 1-2 Finish

The Grade 3 Sugar Swirl Stakes at Gulfstream Park provided another example for leading sire Into Mischief (by Harlan's Holiday) to show the speed upgrade he offers, as he was sire of the first two finishers. The winner was first-time stakes winner Center Aisle, and the second-place finisher was multiple G2 winner Frank's Rockette, who also was second in the G1 Spinaway and Frizette in 2019  as a 2-year-old. Into Mischief's ability to sire quality speed in his offspring has made him the most expensive stallion in North America and one of its most popular.

The broad-bodied bay lends speed to nearly any mating, whether it's a distinguished family or not, but Into Mischief's contribution seems particularly effective with good lines that have just gotten stale, or faintly lacking in speed for the finish.

Bred in Kentucky by Breffni Farm, Center Aisle is out of a mare of distinguished pedigree that had produced modest results until this filly came along. The marketplace knew it immediately, paying $165,000 for her as a weanling at the Keeneland November sale in 2017. The emerging excellence of Center Aisle brought a bigger price of $450,000 at the September yearling sale, and her final presentation at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Florida March auction realized another major adjustment upward to $1.5 million from OXO Equine, which races the new G3 stakes winner.

The filly's first two dams were bred and raced by Juddmonte Farms; the third and fourth dams were bred and raced for Christiana Stables.

Both operations were known for an insistence upon quality of pedigree and performance, and it is no surprise that the fifth dam, Enchanted Eve (Lovely Night), was a high-class racemare who finished second in the 1952 Alabama Stakes and became the dam of Tempted (Half Crown), the champion older mare of 1959.

A winner of the Alabama Stakes, Tempted won the Beldame and Maskette (twice), plus a half-dozen other stakes in a distinguished career for earnings of $330,760 when that was real money.

Tempted's younger sibling Instant Sin (Restless Native) was born a decade after the older filly's championship season and had only a maiden victory from three starts, earning $3,024.

Retained by Christiana and bred to the famed breeder's Futurity Stakes winner Cyane (Turn-to), Instant Sin produced the unraced Nimble Folly, who was unable to have a racing career but proved to be the jackpot at stud.

Sold to Derry Meeting Farm at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November sale for $285,000, Nimble Folly promptly produced G1 winner Contredance (Danzig). Sold to Henryk de Kwiatkowski at the 1983 Saratoga select sale for $175,000, Contredance won the Arlington-Washington Lassie and Adirondack, finished third in the Spinaway, and later won the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland before it became a G1.

Acquired subsequently by Juddmonte, Nimble Folly then produced three more stakes winners, including G2 winner Skimble (Lyphard), a lovely chestnut who won the G2 Dahlia and Wilshire handicaps. Retired to the elite broodmare band at Juddmonte, Skimble produced the notably inbred Skimming (Nureyev), thus 2×3 to Northern Dancer. Racing for Juddmonte, Skimming twice won the G1 Pacific Classic at his beloved Del Mar, where he was unbeaten, and earned more than $2.2 million.

Intriguingly, Skimming was Skimble's first foal, and she was thereafter sent almost exclusively to stallions from the Mr. Prospector line. Toward the end of that sequence of minor performers was Specification (Empire Maker), who was unplaced in a pair of starts in Ireland.

With a list of duds from Skimble and that piddling race record, Specification was surplus to requirements for Juddmonte's splendid broodmare band, and the bay daughter of Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker was sent to the 2011 December mares sale at Tattersalls, where she sold to Mick Shannon for 48,000 guineas (about $78,000). The price suggests that she was a respectable specimen, and there wasn't much to quibble about in the racing class of the dam and sibling.

Brought to Kentucky, Specification proved a dam of winners. Sent through the Keeneland November sale in 2017 in foal to the quick sire Kantharos, she brought $37,000 from Todd and Shawn Hansen. The foal that followed her into the ring was a bay filly by Into Mischief.

Now we know her as Center Aisle.

Frank Mitchell is author of Racehorse Breeding Theories, as well as the book Great Breeders and Their Methods: The Hancocks. In addition to writing the column “Sires and Dams” in Daily Racing Form for nearly 15 years, he has contributed articles to Thoroughbred Daily News, Thoroughbred Times, Thoroughbred Record, International Thoroughbred, and other major publications. In addition, Frank is chief of biomechanics for DataTrack International and is a hands-on caretaker of his own broodmares and foals in Central Kentucky. Check out Frank's lively Bloodstock in the Bluegrass blog.

The post Bloodlines Presented by Caracaro: Into Mischief Works His Magic With Sugar Swirl 1-2 Finish appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Center Aisle Much The Best In Sugar Swirl, Earns First Stakes Victory

Center Aisle stalked a quick pace over six furlongs at Gulfstream Park and dueled with Frank's Rockette down the stretch to take the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl by a length. After two in-the-money finishes in other graded stakes races, the daughter of Into Mischief breaks through to win her first graded stakes.

Loriloupies was quickest out of the gate at the Hallandale Beach, Fla., track, setting early fractions of :21.72 for the quarter mile and :44.18 for a half mile. She was part of a four-across quartet of Frank's Rockette, Center Aisle, and Quinoa Tifah down the backstretch and into the race's only turn. As they straightened for home, Center Aisle and Frank's Rockette began to separate themselves from the field, dueling down the Gulfstream straight.

The two fillies were head to head throughout the stretch run, but Center Aisle was able to pull away from Frank's Rockette to win by a length. Bronx Beauty was third.

The final time was 1:09.54. Find this race's chart here.

Center Aisle paid $6.20, $2.80, and $2.60. Frank's Rockette paid $2.60 and $2.20. Bronx Beauty paid $2.80.

Bred in Kentucky by Breffni Farm, Center Aisle is by Into Mischief out of the Empire Maker mare Specification. She is owned by OXO Equine LLC and trained by Paulo Lobo. The filly was consigned by Tom McCrocklin and purchased by her owners for $1.5 million at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Florida Select Two-Year-Olds In Training Sale. With her win in the G3 Sugar Swirl, the 4-year-old filly has three wins in three starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of four wins in eight starts and career earnings of

The post Center Aisle Much The Best In Sugar Swirl, Earns First Stakes Victory appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Lady’s Island Successfully Defends Title In Sugar Swirl At Gulfstream Park

Averill Racing LLC and Matties Racing's Lady's Island survived an inquiry to successful defend her title in the $100,000 Sugar Swirl (G3) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The Sugar Swirl, a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares, was one of five stakes on Saturday's program, including the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2), a key prep for the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Jan. 23.

Lady's Island's front-running score came a day after owner Rich Averill and his partners retired their 10-year-old turf sprint star Pay Any Price following a second-place finish in Friday's last race at Gulfstream.

“I have had a couple of emotional days,” said trainer Georgina Baxter. “I am so pleased she was able to defend her crown. They write her off, but to me, where she's right, she's one of the quickest fillies in America.”

The 6-year-old daughter of Greatness ($11) broke alertly under Emisael Jaramillo to show the way along the backstretch on her way to setting fractions of 22.12 and 44.54 seconds for a half mile. She continued to show the way into the stretch and maintained her lead while steadily drifting out. The Florida-bred mare shortened stride late but was able to hold off a late-running Bronx Beauty by a head.

Cinnabunny, the even-money favorite ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., closed steadily in the stretch while racing in tight quarters to finish third, three-quarters of a length back. Lady's Island ran six furlongs in 1:10.46.

Ortiz filed an objection, but after a lengthy review, the stewards made no change in the order of finish.

The successful title defense was the 17th victory in 34 career starts for Lady's Island, who scored a front-running 9 ¾-length victory in last season's Sugar Swirl.

“We don't know what the future holds for her,” said Averill. “This could be one of her last races.”

The post Lady’s Island Successfully Defends Title In Sugar Swirl At Gulfstream Park appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Weekend Lineup: Gulfstream Swings Into Graded Stakes Action

The Gulfstream Park championship meet, whose first Saturday featured the popular Claiming Crown races on Dec. 5, kicks into high gear this weekend with an 11-race Saturday program with five stakes, four of them graded, that could showcase horses competing in the Hallandale Beach, Fla., track's Jan. 23 Pegasus World Cup and World Cup Turf.

Gulfstream is the only track offering American graded stakes this weekend, with all of their races available on TVG and your favorite ADW streaming service. Gulfstream's first post is 12:05 p.m., and remember that the track is sticking to estimated post times this meet whenever possible.

Here's a brief look at the four graded stakes at Gulfstream on Saturday (all times Eastern).

1:35 p.m. – $100,000 G3 Rampart 

Rohan Chrichton, who won the training title at the recently concluded Gulfstream Park West meet, sends out Bajan Girl off two wide-margin victories at GP West in allowance/optional claiming company – both at one mile, the distance of the Rampart. Bajan Girl's last foray on the Gulfstream Park main track was in March when the Speightstown filly ran fourth behind Swiss Skydiver in the G2 Gulfstream Park Oaks. Letruska, winner of the G3 Shuvee at Saratoga in August, won the Copa Invitacional del Caribe Stakes for her trainer, Fausto Gutierrez, last December at Gulfstream, after arriving from her home base in Mexico City, Mexico.

https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/GP121220USA4-EQB.html

2:38 p.m. – Sugar Swirl G3

Cinnabunny will be making her first start for Brad Cox in this six-furlong test for fillies and mares, 3 and up, and that's enough to suggest taking a serious look at this daughter of Golden Lad who is coming off a five-length allowance/optional claiming victory at Parx when trained by Kathleen DeMasi. Irad Ortiz Jr. will be aboard. Golden Ami won her debut at Gulfstream in March for trainer Josie Carroll, then won her only start at Woodbine in Canada on Nov. 14. Red-hot Tyler Gaffalione rides. Lady's Island is always tough at Gulfstream, showing seven wins in 11 starts, and she demolished the field in this race last year, winning by 6 3/4 lengths.

https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/GP121220USA6-EQB.html

4:09 p.m. – Harlan's Holiday G3

Most of the runners in this seven-horse field are known quantities in stakes races – including 2019 Harlan's Holiday runner-up Phat Man, 2019 G2 Jim Dandy winner Tax and 2019 G1 Pennsylvania Derby winner Math Wizard. The most intriguing entrant might be the Tapit colt Tatweej from the Todd Pletcher barn. Winner of three of four starts at Gulfstream up to one mile, Tatweej will be making his stakes debut and trying two turns for the first time. The Harlan's Holiday winner could have his trainer thinking Pegasus World Cup.

https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/GP121220USA9-EQB.html

4:40 p.m. – Ft. Lauderdale G2

Halladay is unbeaten in three starts over the Hallandale lawn for Todd Pletcher and figures to be out winging under Luis Saez in this 1 1/8-mile contest as he was in the G1 Breeders' Cup Mile last out when leading till inside the furlong pole. Factor This had a troubled trip in that same Breeders' Cup race and will be making his local debut for Brad Cox. Chad Brown and Irad Ortiz Jr. could have a say in the outcome with Delaware, as the son of Frankel looks for his first U.S. win in his fifth start. The Group 3 winner in France is coming off his strongest performance with a close third to Therapist in the Artie Schiller at Aqueduct Nov. 14.

https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/GP121220USA10-EQB.html

 

The post Weekend Lineup: Gulfstream Swings Into Graded Stakes Action appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights