tamahere | Horse Racing Free Tips

Brown Trio Heads Ballston Spa

Trainer Chad Brown will saddle half of the six-horse field in the GII Ballston Spa S. at Saratoga Saturday. Brown's trio is led by GI Matriarch S. winner Viadera (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}). The 5-year-old mare opened her stateside campaign with a fourth-place effort in last year's GIII Intercontinental S. before culminating a three-race win streak in the Matriarch last November. In her lone start this year, she was a troubled fourth in the Aug. 8 De La Rose S.

“She had a lot of trouble last time, but she got something out of it and hopefully can move forward off short rest,” Brown said of the Juddmonte homebred.

Kalifornia Queen (Ger) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), a group winner in her native Germany last May, captured her first U.S. victory in a Belmont optional claimer over the Ballston Spa's 1 1/16-mile distance June 13 and is coming off a late-closing second in the nine-furlong GIII Matchmaker S. at Monmouth Park July 17.

“She ran great last time. Cutting her back and taking the blinkers off have done her well,” Brown said of Kalifornia Queen.

Brown's Ballston Spa trio is completed by Tamahere (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}). Winner of last year's GII Sands Point S. at Belmont Park in her U.S. debut, the 4-year-old filly opened 2021 with a runner-up effort in the Apr. 10 GI Jenny Wiley S. at Keeneland. She was a well-beaten ninth in the June 5 GI Just a Game S. and is coming off a runner-up effort over the Ballston Spa's course and distance in a July 28 optional claimer.

Brown will be seeking his record-extending sixth victory in the Ballston Spa, having saddled Zagora (2012), Dacita (2015), Lady Eli (2017), Quidura (2018) and Significant Form (2019) to wins in the race.

The post Brown Trio Heads Ballston Spa appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Chad Brown-Trained Trio Headline Ballston Spa

Trainer Chad Brown will be represented by a trio of turf distaffers while seeking his sixth triumph in Saturday's 33rd running of the Grade 2, $400,000 Ballston Spa for older fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles over the Mellon turf at Saratoga Race Course.

Brown, a three-time leading trainer at the Spa, is the winningest trainer in the Ballston Spa, having saddled Zagora [2012] and Lady Eli [2017] to victories en route to Champion Grass Female honors in their respective years, as well as winning with Dacita [2015], Quidura [2018] and Significant Form [2019].

Juddmonte's Viadera, who arrives off nearly three week's rest, was a troubled fourth as the favorite in the De La Rose on Aug. 8 at the Spa, where she made her first start in over eight months. The 5-year-old daughter of Bated Breath will try to regain her winning form from last season, when she secured three stakes victories.

Following a triumph by a neck in the 2020 De La Rose, which was her second start in North America, she won by the same margin against stable mate Blowout in the Grade 3 Noble Damsel on September 26 at Belmont Park. Viadera brought her form to new heights when shipping to Southern California for the Grade 1 Matriarch on November 29 at Del Mar, besting Blowout once more under a well-timed ride by jockey Joel Rosario to win by a nose.

In the De La Rose last out, Viadera rated at the rear of the field along the rail, checked slightly down the backstretch, and lacked racing room in upper stretch to close late finishing 2 ¾ lengths behind stable mate Regal Glory.

“She had a lot of trouble last time, but she got something out of it and hopefully can move forward off short rest,” Brown said.

Rosario, the pilot in all five of her North American starts, will retain the mount from post 3.

Kalifornia Queen, owned by Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb and First Row Partners, arrives off a late-closing second to stable mate Great Island in the Grade 3 Matchmaker on July 17 at Monmouth Park.

A Group 2 winner in her native Germany, the 4-year-old daughter of Lope de Vega was unplaced in graded stakes in her first two starts in North America, but made her third effort stateside a winning one in an allowance optional claiming tilt at the Ballston Spa distance on July 13 at Belmont Park.

Brown said he was satisfied with the effort.

“She ran great last time. Cutting her back and taking the blinkers off have done her well,” Brown said.

Kalifornia Queen will leave post 6 under jockey Flavien Prat.

Swift Thoroughbreds, Madaket Stables and Wonder Stables' Tamahere seeks her first victory since capturing her North American debut in the Grade 2 Sands Point on October 10 at Belmont Park.

The French-bred daughter of Wootton Bassett finished second in two of her three efforts this season. In her 2021 debut, Tamahere was second to Juliet Foxtrot in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley on April 10 at Keeneland. After a distant ninth in the Grade 1 Longines Just a Game on June 5 at Belmont Park, she received a drop in class into allowance optional claiming company to run second on July 28 at Saratoga.

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. will ride Tamahere from post 2.

Trainer Tony Dutrow will send out Woodford Racing's High Opinion, who bested winners last out on July 31 going one mile over Saratoga's inner turf.

The 4-year-old daughter of Lemon Drop Kid lit up the tote board when breaking her maiden at 97-1 odds on October 10 at Belmont Park and validated the effort when finishing a close second in the next-out Winter Memories on November 15 at Aqueduct.

Jockey Luis Saez will pilot High Opinion from post 1.

R Unicorn Stable's New York Girl has been multiple graded stakes placed since joining the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott last year and will seek a breakthrough victory in the Ballston Spa.

The 4-year-old daughter of New Approach was beaten by one length or less in three graded stakes events to kick off her 2021 season. After losing by one length in the Grade 3 Endeavor on February 6 at Tampa Bay Downs, she returned to the Oldsmar oval to finish third beaten three-quarters of a length one month later in the Grade 2 Hillsborough. In the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile on May 1 at Churchill Downs, she closed late to finish second and miss by a half-length.

New York Girl arrives off a troubled fourth at allowance optional claiming level on August 1 over the Spa inner turf.

Breaking from post 4, New York Girl will be piloted by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, the winningest rider in the Ballston Spa with five victories.

Rounding out the field is Just In Time Racing's multiple stakes-placed Platinum Paynter, who was third in the Grade 3 Beaugay on May 8 at Belmont Park and in the Grade 3 Dr. James Penny Memorial on July 6 at Parx Racing. Trained by Juan Vazquez, the daughter of Paynter made her 5-year-old debut when second to Regal Glory in the Plenty of Grace on April 24 at Aqueduct.

Jockey Jose Lezcano will ride from post 5.

The Ballston Spa is slated as Race 4 on the 13-race card. First post is 11:35 a.m. Eastern. For the third consecutive year, FOX will air the Runhappy Travers as the centerpiece of a 90-minute telecast beginning at 5 p.m. The networks of FOX and FOX Sports will air 7.5 total hours of live racing and analysis on Runhappy Travers Day, with coverage scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. on FS1. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

The post Chad Brown-Trained Trio Headline Ballston Spa appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Powerhouse Stables Of Appleby, Brown Make Up Half The Field In Just A Game

Twelve stakes winners, including 11 graded/group stakes winners—all seeking their first turf Grade 1 score comprise the dozen entered in Saturday's $500,000 Longines Just a Game over one mile on the Widener turf course.

The powerhouse stables of Charlie Appleby and Chad Brown make up half of those in a race that has traditionally showcased some of the best turf females in training, including eight Breeders' Cup winners.

Trainer Charlie Appleby has sent out a mere 15 starters in North America since becoming a head conditioner for Godolphin in 2013, but has won with five of those and earned more than $2.9 million. A pair of grey 4-year-old fillies with stakes victories during Meydan Racecourse's 2021 Dubai World Cup Carnival, Althiqa [post 8, Hall of Famer Mike Smith] and Summer Romance [post 9, Luis Saez], deserve plenty of respect shipping over from England.

Althiqa closed from last to land the one-mile Group 2 Cape Verdi in late January, knocking off her favored stablemate, who tired to fifth after making the running. Summer Romance would make amends three weeks later in the nine-furlong Group 2 Balanchine, running the field off its feet in gate-to-wire fashion. Althiqa checked in third.

While Althiqa is a homebred who has steadily ambled her way up the ranks, it is clear that Summer Romance—an $898,800 daughter of Kingman and half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner Rizeena—has been held in slightly higher regard.

“They all travelled over well and have trained well since they've been there,” Appleby said. “There's been a little rain and the track's very wet this weekend. The fillies are fit and well and have plenty of experience under their belt. The reason we went to America is they carry Group 2 penalties here in Europe for the forthcoming season and the Group 1 older fillies races aren't until later in the year, anyway, so we thought it might be a good opportunity to get a Grade 1.”

Chad Brown's quartet is led by Peter Brant's Blowout [post 11, Flavien Prat], a gate-to-wire winner of the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile last out at Churchill Downs. A daughter of Dansili and French classic winner Beauty Parlour, she cured a case of seconditis in the process after completing the exacta in a trio of events, led by a nose loss in the Grade 1 Matriarch in November at Del Mar.

“Flavien really gets along with her well,” Brown said. “We saw that in the Matriarch. He has great hands and she can be difficult, but he really gets along with her and timed it right. She likes this track very much. She ran one of the best races I've ever had a horse run in defeat that day [in the Grade 3 Noble Damsel, September 26], when she got away from Johnny [Velazquez] and went 44 [seconds for the half-mile] and kept going. I don't know how she was still there at the end. If she can settle at all, she has a good closing kick. She has run well on good ground in the past, but I prefer for it to be firm.”

Brant also entered Regal Glory [post 4, Hall of Famer Javier Castellano], fourth in this last year and cross-entered in Thursday's Grade 3 Intercontinental.

Brown's Grade 2 Sands Point-winner Tamahere [post 10, Jose Ortiz] kicked off her season with a respectable second in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley at Keeneland on April 10. Owned by Swift Thoroughbreds, Madaket Stables and Wonder Stables, the daughter of in-form stallion Wootton Bassett appears primed for a top effort.

“This filly would be no shock to win this race, either,” Brown said. “She's going to really appreciate the cut back to a mile and she loves Belmont. She's been training very well and is a legitimate contender here.”

The fourth for Brown is Juddmonte's Pocket Square [post 6, Irad Ortiz Jr.], who seeks to build off a strong American debut, winning by open lengths at Keeneland on April 7. By smart young stallion Night of Thunder, the chestnut 4-year-old makes her sixth start and owns a stakes win in the Group 3 Prix des Reservoirs at Deauville in 2019.

“She's a pretty good horse and reminds me of some other talented horses I've had,” Brown said. “We did this with Antonoe, going from an allowance at Keeneland to the Just a Game, which she won. She's pretty good and we're lucky to have her. I think she's lined up for a good one.

“Interestingly, she shipped over last year to run in the Saratoga Oaks and she had an issue out of quarantine where she needed some time off,” Brown continued. “Fortunately, the team at Juddmonte did a fantastic job and sent her back to us this winter all healed up and healthy. We did our normal move, like (Bobby) Frankel would have done, which is take our time, find an allowance at Keeneland and then go from there. As impressive as she was in that race, she's come out of it and even taken it up another notch in her workouts. She's been exceptional.”

The three who finished directly astern Blowout in the Distaff Turf Mile—R Unicorn Stable's New York Girl [post 12, Junior Alvarado], Heider Family Stables' Zofelle [post 1, Tyler Gaffalione] and Apogee Racing's Abscond [post 7, Joel Rosario]—will hope to extinguish said rival this time around.

Joseph Imbesi's Sweet Bye and Bye [post 2, Jose Lezcano]—second in the Grade 3 Marshua's River in January to Zofelle—is cross-entered in Thursday's Intercontinental, while Repole Stable's Always Shopping [post 5, Hall of Famer John Velazquez] is cross-entered in Friday's Grade 2 New York.

Jim and Susan Hill's multiple Grade 1-placed Daddy Is a Legend [post 3, Manny Franco], who owns the highest Beyer Speed Figure in the field [102], looks to improve upon her third-place finish in this event in 2019.

The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival runs from Thursday through Saturday, June 5, culminating with the 153rd running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets. The festival will encompass 17 total stakes, including eight Grade 1s on Belmont Stakes Day, capped by the “Test of the Champion” for 3-year-olds in the 1 1/2-mile final leg of the Triple Crown. First post on Belmont Stakes Day is 11:35 a.m. Eastern

The Just a Game is slated as Race 8 on Saturday's 13-race card.

The post Powerhouse Stables Of Appleby, Brown Make Up Half The Field In Just A Game appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Milestone Keeneland Win For Juddmonte As Juliet Foxtrot Takes Jenny Wiley Field Wire To Wire

Juddmonte Farms' homebred Juliet Foxtrot (GB) took the lead out of the gate and cruised to a two-length victory over Tamahere (FR) to win the 33rd running of the Grade 1, $300,000 Coolmore Jenny Wiley Stakes for fillies and mares on a soggy Saturday afternoon at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

The performance marked the 16th graded stakes victory at Keeneland for Juddmonte. In honor of the historic milestone, Juddmonte received a Keeneland Pitcher as part of Keeneland's signature Milestone Trophy Program. Juddmonte becomes the fourth owner to win a Keeneland Pitcher.

It is the fourth victory in the race for Juddmonte, whose previous triumphs came with Tates Creek in 2002 and Intercontinental (GB) in 2004 and 2005.

Trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, Juliet Foxtrot covered the 1 1/16 miles on a yielding turf course in 1:44.51. It is the first victory in the race for Cox and Gaffalione and was the third winner of the afternoon for Cox.

Gaffalione put Juliet Foxtrot right on the lead and led the field of six through fractions of :24.35, :49.45 and 1:13.72 with Tamahere tracking in second.

Juliet Foxtrot maintained a daylight margin into the stretch and never was threatened in the run down the lane.

The victory, the first Grade 1 for Juliet Foxtrot, was worth $180,000. A 6-year-old daughter of Dansili (GB) out of the King's Best mare Kilo Alpha (GB), Juliet Foxtrot increased her earnings to $701,831 with a record of 20-6-2-3.

Sent off as the favorite, Juliet Foxtrot returned $5.40, $3.40 and $2.80. Tamahere, ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., returned $4 and $3.20 and finished a neck in front of La Signare (FR), who paid $3.80 to show under John Velazquez.

It was another three-quarters of a length back to Etoile (FR), who was followed in order by Maxim Rate and Micheline.

Post-race quotes:

Tyler Gaffalione (winning rider of Juliet Foxtrot [GB])
“She really relished the ground. They said that they worked her a couple weeks back over a turf course similar to this and they said she just ate it up. As soon as she broke, I could feel that I had a ton of horse and she was loving every bit of it. I just put my hands down when she broke and she came right back to me. It was an easy ride today.”

Garrett O'Rourke (of winning owner Juddmonte Farms)
“I think there was a confidence that she would be able to handle the soft turf because she had been here a couple years ago and we had a filly that we knew, Gaining (GB), that had won here, and we knew Gaining liked the soft turf and they had worked together on soft turf.

“Tessa (Bisha, trainer Brad Cox's assistant) and Brad both said she loves this. That's a while ago. She's run some great races since. She has been Grade 1-placed and placed in this race last year. It was brave on behalf of everybody at Juddmonte to make the move to keep her (in training) for one more year to try to win that elusive Grade 1. This is huge for the mare. She looked absolutely magnificent today, and for as consistent of a performer as she's been, I just think she thoroughly deserves it, which makes it all the more sweet for us.”

On Juddmonte earning its 16^th graded stakes win here to receive a Keeneland Pitcher – part of the track's signature Milestone Trophy Program. Only three other owners have earned the Keeneland Pitcher: Claiborne Farm [Fall 1968], Bwamazon Farm [Spring 1983] and William S. Farish [Spring 2003].

“It's taken a lot of effort over the years and a tremendous amount of commitment from (the late) Prince Khalid and now his family and sons. It's a great tribute for the effort and planning and perseverance of the whole operation. And it's been a fun ride.”

Irad Ortiz Jr. (rider of runner-up Tamahere [FR])
“She was sitting in a good spot and when the horse in front opened up entering the far turn, we ended up being second best.”

The post Milestone Keeneland Win For Juddmonte As Juliet Foxtrot Takes Jenny Wiley Field Wire To Wire appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post