Swale | Horse Racing Free Tips

Luis Saez Voted Jockey Of The Week With Three Stakes Wins At Gulfstream

Leading Gulfstream Park rider, Luis Saez won three of the five graded stakes for 3-year-olds Saturday on Holy Bull Day to earn Jockey of the Week for Jan. 31 through Feb. 6. The honor, 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 1,050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys in the United States.

The seven-furlong, Grade 3 Swale was the first graded stakes of the day with Saez in the irons for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher on My Prankster. Off as the even-money favorite in the field of six and breaking from the rail, My Prankster raced near the back of the field. On the backside, Saez angled My Prankster to the outside and challenged the leaders at the top stretch. My Prankster gained command from Dean Delivers down the lane and posted a one-half length win in 1:23.13.

“He got a good break today,” said Saez. “We knew they had a lot of speed in the race so the plan was to get him in the clear and go from there…he always tries, he tried pretty hard today and he got the job done so it was a good race for him.”

Riding for trainer Brad Cox, Saez was aboard Louisiana invader Girl With a Dream in the filly counterpart to the Swale, the G3 Forward Gal. Breaking from post position six in the field of seven, Saez and Girl With a Dream lead throughout the seven furlongs while holding off the favorite Radio Days to post a one-length victory in 1:23.42.

“She broke from there pretty sharp,” said Saez. “She went and she was pretty comfortable all the way. We came to the top of the stretch and I felt like I had a lot of horse. She kept battling, and she beat them. I felt like every step, when the other filly (Radio Days) came close, she responded more.”

Trainer Roderick Rodriguez gave a leg up to Saez on Opelina in the G3 Sweetest Chant at one mile and one-sixteenth on the turf. Off as the co-second choice in the field of nine, Saez and Opelina settled in fourth. Leaving the backstretch, Saez gave Opelina her cue swinging three wide to quickly pass the leaders and holding on to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:41.56.

“When she took the lead in the stretch, she kind of waited for the other ones, but when she got on the left (lead) she gave me another gear,” said Saez.

Saez's weekly statistics were 43-7-9-7 with total purse earnings of $396,620.

Other nominees for Jockey of the Week were Jose L. Ortiz with two graded stakes wins at Aqueduct, Flavien Prat with a stakes win at Santa Anita, Jaime Rodriguez who tied for number of wins for the week with nine and Tim Thornton who also posted nine wins for the week.

Source of original post

My Prankster Scores Black Type With Gutsy Swale Victory

Robert and Lawana Low's My Prankster earned his first stakes victory Saturday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., rallying from off the pace to win the $100,000 Claiborne Farm Swale (G3).

The seven-furlong Swale was the first of five graded stakes for 3-year-olds on Saturday's program that was headlined by the $250,000 Holy Bull (G3), the first graded stakes on the Road to the Curlin Florida Derby (G1).

Although he lived up to his even-money favoritism with a gutsy half-length victory in the Swale, My Prankster isn't a likely candidate for Gulfstream's premier 1 1/8-mile Triple Crown prep.

“We'll play it by ear,” Pletcher said. “He gives me the impression that he's a one-turn horse, but we won't rule anything out yet.”

My Prankster, who was coming off a Dec. 10 optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream after finishing second in the six-furlong Bowman Mill at Keeneland, broke from the rail post position and was outrun early as In Dreams took immediate command. The Brad Cox-trained frontrunner went on to set fractions of 22.36 and 44.87 seconds for the first half-mile. Leading jockey Luis Saez took My Prankster to the outside on the backstretch and the son of Into Mischief made steady progress to enter contention on the far turn. Dean Delivers and jockey Miguel Vasquez moved alongside the tiring pacesetter on the turn into the homestretch as My Prankster pulled alongside him while making a three-wide sweep. Dean Delivers fought on gamely through the stretch but was unable to hold off the Pletcher-trained favorite.

“We were concerned about the '1' draw. It cost him a little position early and you could see when he was getting dirt in his face, he wasn't liking it. He was climbing the first eighth of a mile,” Pletcher said. “Luis was able to get him out in the clear. The key part of the race, in the middle of the turn, he put in a big run to catch up.”

My Prankster ran seven furlongs in 1:23.13 to register his third victory in five starts.

“Luis said he got there a little sooner than he wanted and he idled a little when he made the lead, but it was another professional effort. He's a nice horse,” Pletcher said.

Saez entered the Swale with a lot of confidence.

“The [last] work was pretty good, pretty easy. I felt like he was ready for this race,” Saez said. “He always tries. He's an honest horse. I'm so glad to be part of the team.”

My Prankster, a $600,000 yearling purchase at the 2020 Keeneland September sale, won his debut by 10 lengths at Saratoga Aug. 21 at 6 ½ furlongs before finishing a well-beaten fourth in the mile Champagne (G1) at Belmont. The Kentucky-bred was narrowly beat in the Bowman Mills while cutting back in distance before returning to the winner's circle in his first two races during Gulfstream's Championship Meet.

Dean Delivers finished 2 ½ lengths ahead of third-place finisher Of a Revolution.

Source of original post

Maclean’s Music Colt Crushes Swale Competition

Drain the Clock (Maclean's Music) built on a 7 1/2-length thrashing of his rivals in the Jan. 2 Limehouse S. with yet another wide-margin victory while making his graded stakes debut in Saturday's GIII Claiborne Farm Swale S. at Gulfstream Park.

The chestnut won the break and led through the opening exchanges, but was content to allow the fleet Poppy's Pride (Khozan) to slide through and take up the running passing the five-furlong pole. Clocking that one's every move beneath a very confident Edgard Zayas, Drain the Clock was allowed to stride into the lead with five-sixteenths of a mile to race, pinched an unassailable advantage and was taken in hand for the better part of the final 70 yards. King's Ovation (Not This Time) made eye-catching inside progress three furlongs out, was steadied slightly between Poppy's Pride and Likeable (Frosted) in upper stretch and ran home gamely, then galloped out past the winner.

Drain the Clock gave his connections a bit of a scare in the last couple of weeks.

“He made it easy today, but 12 days ago he colicked really bad and went to the clinic. Thank God, he got there, and he was good,” winning trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “To see him win like that today–he's a good horse. We had to make the call after he breezed on Tuesday (4f in :50 3/5]. There was no pressure to run. He worked good Tuesday and didn't give us any reason to say, 'no.'”

A six-length debut winner in a local rained-off maiden Sept. 12, Drain the Clock overcame some trouble at the start to add a non-two-lifetime allowance at Gulfstream West Oct. 28. The even-money choice for the Nov. 30 Jean Lafitte S. at Delta Downs, Drain the Clock dropped his rider after an iron snapped, but he bounced back in no uncertain terms in the Limehouse.

Drain the Clock was bred by Nick Cosato and had heretofore been campaigned in the name of his Slam Dunk Racing. Madaket, Wonder Stables and Michael Nentwig were part of the ownership for the first time Saturday. Drain the Clock is possible for the GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. Feb. 27, a race that would represent his first try at a distance of ground.

Pedigree Notes:

One of 21 black-type winners for his Hill 'n' Dale-based stallion, Drain the Clock becomes the fifth winner at the graded level for Maclean's Music. While he has show an affinity for the main track, it would be little surprise to see Drain the Clock on the turf at some point, as his Group 3-winning third dam was responsible for Prince Fahd bin Salman's Midnight Line (Kris S.), third in the 1998 G1 Vodafone Oaks for Clive Brittain and later a Grade II winner and multiple Grade I-placed in North America while under the care of Neil Drysdale. Midnight Line is the dam of MGSW & MG1SP Communique (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}). Manki aborted to Mr Speaker in 2019, but is the dam of a yearling Mineshaft colt and is currently due to Vino Rosso.

Saturday, Gulfstream Park
CLAIBORNE FARM SWALE S.-GIII, $100,000, Gulfstream, 1-30, 3yo, 7f, 1:23.29, ft.
1–DRAIN THE CLOCK, 120, c, 3, by Maclean's Music
1st Dam: Manki, by Arch
2nd Dam: Private Ice (GB), by Pivotal (GB)
3rd Dam: Midnight Air, by Green Dancer
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket
Stables LLC, Wonder Stables & Michael Nentwig; B-Nick Cosato
(KY); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.; J-Edgard J. Zayas. $61,380. Lifetime
Record: 5-4-0-0, $152,550. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–King's Ovation, 118, c, 3, Not This Time–Karen's Silk, by High
Cotton. ($100,000 Wlg '18 KEENOV; $100,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP;
$200,000 2yo '20 OBSAPR). O-West Point Thoroughbreds &
Peacock Stable (Tom Hammond); B-Roxanne Martin Stable Inc.
(KY); T-Dale L. Romans. $19,800.
3–Ultimate Badger, 120, c, 3, Commissioner–El Rebecca, by El
Corredor. ($12,000 Ylg '19 FTKFEB; $140,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP).
O-Jim Bakke & Gerald Isbister; B-Erv Woolsey & Ralph Kinder
(KY); T-Dale L. Romans. $9,900.
Margins: 6 1/4, 3, 2. Odds: 1.10, 36.10, 19.20.
Also Ran: Likeable, Poppy's Pride, By George.
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 Maclean’s Music Colt Crushes Swale Competition appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Drain The Clock Will Stick To One Turn In Saturday’s Swale Stakes

Slam Dunk Racing's Drain the Clock will make his graded-stakes debut in Saturday's $100,000 Claiborne Farm Swale (G3) at Gulfstream Park for connections who are hoping to keep things short and sweet.

Although also nominated to the $200,000 Holy Bull (G3), the 1 1/16-mile Curlin Florida Derby prep that will headline a 12-race program with five graded stakes, Drain the Clock will seek to remain undefeated in South Florida in the seven-furlong undercard feature for 3-year-olds.

“The Swale is a good opportunity to stretch him out an eighth of a mile more. We feel like it's a race that's his for the taking,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said.

Drain the Clock captured his Sept. 12 debut in a five-furlong off-the-turn maiden special weight race at Gulfstream before winning a first-level optional claiming allowance at six furlongs at Gulfstream Park West Oct. 28. The son of Maclean's Music was favored to win the Nov. 28 Jean Lafitte Stakes at Delta Downs but unseated his rider when a rein broke during the race.

The Joseph trainee rebounded in a big way at Gulfstream Park Jan. 2 while winning the six-furlong Limehouse Stakes by 7 ½ lengths.

“His last race was a breakthrough race. We always thought a lot of him. First time out he showed that he could relax. Second time out was more workmanlike. Third time out everything went wrong,” Joseph said. “To see him come back like that was more impressive than we could have imagined. It was satisfying to see him win like that.”

Joseph said he isn't ruling out a future stretch-out for Drain the Clock.

“It's definitely in the backs of our minds. We just want to take it step by step,” Joseph said. “The owners are very realistic. They're not going to get Derby Fever. They want to do what's right by the horse.”

Edgard Zayas, who has been aboard Drain the Clock for all three victories, has the return mount.

Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable and Stonestreet Stables LLC's Likeable will cut back in distance for the Swale after finishing far back in the 1 1/16-mile Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Keeneland after pressing a solid early pace.

“We kind of threw him to the wolves in the Breeders' Cup. He went too fast early on,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “We've regrouped since then and he's been training well. We feel like backing up to seven furlongs will be a good distance for him.”

The son of Frosted finished second in a photo finish in his Saratoga debut Aug. 22 before graduating in a one-turn mile race at Belmont by 8 ¼ lengths.

Luis Saez has the call aboard Likeable.

Jump Sucker Stable, Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider's By George will make only his second career start in the Swale, following his 5 ¼-length maiden romp at Aqueduct Dec. 19.

Irad Ortiz Jr. has the call aboard the Christophe Clement-trained son of Into Mischief.

Stonehedge LLC's Poppy's Pride will seek his fourth straight stakes victory Saturday. The son of Khozan, who is eligible for a $25,000 win-only bonus offered to Florida Sire Stakes-eligible runners, came off a maiden victory to capture the off-the-turf Armed Forces at Gulfstream, the Juvenile Sprint for Florida-breds at Gulfstream Park and the Inaugural at Tampa Bay Downs Dec. 5.

Jesus Rios, who was aboard for the Armed Forces and Juvenile Sprint wins, has the call.

Jim Bakke and Gerry Isbister's Ultimate Badger and West Point Thoroughbreds and Peacock Stable's King's Ovation will represent trainer Dale Romans in the Holy Bull. Ultimate Badger finished fifth in the Mucho Macho Man Jan. 2 at Gulfstream, while King's Ovation was no factor in an optional claiming allowance at Churchill Downs after breaking his maiden in his second career start.

Jose Ortiz has the call on Ultimate Badger, while Corey Lanerie is named on King's Ovation.

The post Drain The Clock Will Stick To One Turn In Saturday’s Swale Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post