the great one | Horse Racing Free Tips

O’Neill Starters To Face Off With Medina Spirit, Rock Your World In Shared Belief

Who knew that Bob Baffert was going to supplement disputed Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit to run in Sunday's $100,000 Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.?

“I knew it weeks ago,” said John Sadler, who switched targets with Santa Anita Derby winner Rock Your World from the Del Mar Derby to the Shared Belief and beat Baffert to the announcement by a few days. “It was the worst kept secret in the stable area.”

Without the benefit of the grapevine, trainer Doug O'Neill figured out the Medina Spirit entry a couple of weeks ago. It was the Rock Your World commitment that came as something of a surprise to O'Neill.

“When Medina Spirit worked 1:11 and change (6f, 1:11.80 on August 12), I assumed that's where he was headed,” O'Neill said Friday morning. “I didn't know about Rock Your World.”

The developments were of great interest, of course, since O'Neill had two of his own charges set for the one-mile main track test for 3-year-olds.

“What a tough spot with the Kentucky Derby winner and the Santa Anita Derby winner,” O'Neill conceded.

O'Neill's entrants are Team Merchants, J. Paul Reddam homebred son of 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist and The Great One, another son of Nyquist owned by Erik Johnson, a defenseman with National Hockey League's Colorado Avalanche, and partners.

Team Merchants posted a half-length victory at 6 ½ furlongs on the opening day of the meeting, July 16, that was his second win in four career starts. The Great One opened his 3-year-old campaign with a 14-length maiden-race victory at Santa Anita in January, but was overmatched and overwhelmed in both the Grade 2 San Felipe and Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby.

“Team Merchants we're looking to stretch his ability out to two turns – win, lose or draw,” O'Neill said. “The Great One just needs a place to run. He's ready to get back to the races and we've been targeting this one for awhile. It's a good place to start for steps down the road.”

The Great One was beaten 16 ¾ lengths by Life Is Good and eight by Medina Spirit in the San Felipe. The margins were 20 ½ behind Rock Your World and 15 ¾ by Medina Spirit in the Santa Anita Derby.

“It was all mental, physically he was OK,” O'Neill said. “One of the owners has a beautiful place in Ocala, FL, so we sent him down there for about six weeks to freshen him up. He's been back and is training good and looking good. Whether he's good enough to beat these guys is a real question, but we're excited to have him back at the races.”

The field for the Shared Belief Stakes from the rail with jockeys and morning line odds in parentheses: Willy The Cobbler (Victor Espinoza, 20-1); Medina Spirit (John Velazquez, 7/5); Rock Your World (Umberto Rispoli, 8/5); Team Merchants (Mario Gutierrez, 5-1); The Great One (Flavien Prat, 6-1), and Stilleto Boy (Kent Desormeaux, 6-1).

While post position isn't likely to prove crucial, Rock Your World's trainer John Sadler said he was glad to be outside Medina Spirit as the marquee runners drew side-by-side posts.

“It will give us options,” Sadler said.

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Pacific Classic Contenders Put In Final Works

Summer Wind Equine's Magic On Tap worked five furlongs under jockey Abel Cedillo in :59 flat this morning for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert in a final prep for the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic which is now one week away. It was one of five works, at Del Mar and Saratoga, by nominees for the signature event of the summer season.

“It went well. We're running in the Pacific Classic,” Baffert said via text of Magic On Tap's exercise.

Working with stablemate Private Mission, who Del Mar clockers also timed in :59 for five furlongs, Magic On Tap completed a series of three workouts since finishing fifth in the $250,000 Grade 2 San Diego Handicap on July 17.

A stumble at the start severely compromised the 5-year-old son of Tapit's chances in the 1 1/16-mile San Diego Handicap, the major prep for the 1 ¼-mile TVG Pacific Classic. Magic On Tap had arrived at Del Mar with a record of three victories in six career starts and earnings of $228,800 and was fresh from a win in the seven-furlong Grade 2 Triple Bend Stakes at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., in May.

Later in the morning, Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella sent MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm's Tizamagician out for a five-furlong work in one minute flat with an interim clocking of :36.20 under exercise rider Austin Solis, the son of retired Hall of Fame jockey Alex Solis.

“He looked great. Couldn't be better,” Mandella said of the 4-year-old son of Tiznow.

Tizamagician has five wins in 18 career starts and earnings of $427,851. He stamped himself as a TVG Pacific Classic contender by winning the 1 ½-mile Grade 3 Cougar II Stakes on July 18.

Perry and Denise Martin's Mo Mosa, trained by Michael Maker, went five furlongs in 1:00.60 at Del Mar under exercise rider Marcelo Medina in a team work with stablemate Fight On. Track clockers recorded splits of :11.2; :23.0; :35.2, and a final quarter in :25.1.

“It was a great work, we were very pleased with it,” said Nolan Ramsey, in charge of the Del Mar string for Maker. “We need to speak with the owners. The Pat O'Brien is an option, but it (Pacific Classic) is still on the table for discussion.”

Mo Mosa finished fourth — behind TVG Pacific Classic nominees Express Train, Tripoli, and Royal Ship – in the San Diego Handicap shipping in from a stakes victory in May at Lone Star Park in Texas.

Cupid's Claws, owned by Flawless Racing and partners and trained by Craig Dollase, worked five furlongs from the gate at Del Mar in 1:00 under Umberto Rispoli.

“He looked good and he finished up very well,” Dollase said. “It's a go for the Pacific Classic.”

At Saratoga, Todd Pletcher-trained Dr Post worked four furlongs in :49.22, 27th of 80 at the distance. “We're pleased with his workout and he'll go west,” Pletcher said. “He is scheduled to ship on Tuesday.”

TVG Pacific Classic nominee The Great One went six furlongs in 1:13.20, but trainer Doug O'Neill said the 3-year-old is more likely to stay in competition with his age group peers in the $100,000 Shared Belief Stakes on August 29. Trainer Mike McCarthy said Independence Hall, who worked Friday, still has the Charlestown Classic as the main target.

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Concert Tour, Caddo River Head 3yo Worktab Saturday

Heading the likely cast of contenders in the Apr. 10 GI Arkansas Derby, undefeated Concert Tour (Street Sense) worked five furlongs in 1:00.80 under Juan Ochoa at Santa Anita Saturday morning.

“He went great; he looked fantastic,” said trainer Bob Baffert. “He couldn't have looked any better. He just cruised around there in a minute and change.”

Taking over as top dog in the Baffert barn following the injury of Life Is Good (Into Mischief), Concert Tour a perfect three-for-three this season, including wins in the GII San Vicente S. and GII Rebel S.

Also working ahead of the Arkansas Derby, Caddo River (Hard Spun) breezed a half-mile in :48 after Oaklawn's first surface renovation break under Fernando De La Cruz. Caddo River, working with stablemate Joe Frazier, who credited with the same time. Clockers had the Brad Cox-trained duo galloping out five panels in 1:00, six furlongs in 1:13 and 7/8ths in 1:27.60.

A homebred for John Ed Anthony, Caddo River was a record-setting 10 1/4-length winner of the Smarty Jones S. Jan. 22 before finishing fifth in the Rebel.

Also at Oaklawn, Rebel sixth Keepmeinmind (Laoban) breezed after the second renovation break under regular rider David Cohen. Keepmeinmind went five furlongs in 1:00 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.60, according to clockers. The colt is expected to make his next start in either the Arkansas Derby and GII Blue Grass Stakes Apr. 3 at Keeneland and a decision on the colt's next start is expected by Monday.

“If it's the Blue Grass, he's going to miss a little bit of serious training, shipping over there and stuff,” trainer Robertino Diodoro said. “I gave him a stiff work today. If we run him next weekend, he's not going to be doing a whole bunch from now until then. We'll jog him, little easy gallop. If he stays here for the Arkansas Derby, then we'll probably come back next weekend with a real easy half.”

Prepping for this season's Classics on the West Coast, a host of sophomore's posted their final major works ahead of next weekend's GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby. Saturday's worktab included GII San Felipe S. third Dream Shake (Twirling Candy), who went five furlongs in :59.80 and Roman Centurian (Empire Maker), second in the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. and fourth in the San Felipe, who negotiated the same distance in 1:00.40 for Simon Callaghan. San Felipe fifth-place finisher The Great One (Nyquist) worked six furlongs in 1:14.20 for Doug O'Neill. The Louisiana bred finished runner up in last season's GII Los Alamitos Futurity.

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Even With Top Colt Sidelined, Life On Triple Crown Trail Is Still Good For Baffert

Medina Spirit, twice runner-up to unbeaten stablemate Life Is Good, is scheduled to have his final major work Sunday for the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby, a race trainer Bob Baffert has won a record nine times, starting with California-bred Cavonnier in 1996 and culminating to date with Roadster in 2019.

Even with the defection of early Kentucky Derby favorite Life Is Good due to a small chip in his left hind ankle, Baffert still has three other Triple Crown hopefuls, among them undefeated San Vicente Stakes and Rebel Stakes winner Concert Tour, who worked five furlongs Saturday morning in 1:00.80 under Juan Ochoa for the Arkansas Derby on April 10.

“He went great; he looked fantastic,” the two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer said of the son of Street Sense owned and bred by Gary and Mary West.

“He couldn't have looked any better. He just cruised around there in a minute and change.”

Runhappy Santa Anita Derby candidates working Saturday included Dream Shake for Peter Eurton, five furlongs in 59.80, Roman Centurian, five furlongs in 1:00.40 for Simon Callaghan, and The Great One, six furlongs in 1:14.20 for Doug O'Neill.

The 68-year-old Baffert is closing in on fellow Hall of Fame member D. Wayne Lukas for the lead in Grade 1 wins from Jan. 1, 1976 through yesterday. The 85-year-old Lukas has 219 wins from 1,390 starts; Baffert is one back with 218 from 915 starts.

With 896 career wins at Santa Anita (not including Oak Tree), Baffert also is nearing the record for most races won at The Great Race Place, 21 behind the late Bobby Frankel's 917.

The Runhappy Santa Anita Derby headlines six stakes this Saturday, four of them graded and two showcasing California-bred or sired runners.

In addition to the Runhappy Santa Anita Derby, they are the G2 Santa Anita Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles; the G2 Royal Heroine for fillies and mares 4 and up at one mile on turf; and the G3 Providencia Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles on turf.

Also, the two Golden State Series races, the $150,000 Echo Eddie Stakes for three year olds at 6 ½ furlongs and the $150,000 Evening Jewel Stakes for three-year-old fillies at 6 ½ furlongs.

Saturday's local weather forecast calls for partly cloudy skies, zero percent chance of rain, and a high of 77 degrees.

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