thoroughbreds | Horse Racing Free Tips

Sunday Insights: $1.2-Million Into Mischief Filly Makes The Saratoga Races

6th-SAR, $136.5K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, 4:08 p.m.
Sunday's racing slate features a daughter of Into Mischief who fetched $1.2-million at FTSAUG sale when she was purchased by Koji Maeda. MUGEN, trained by Steve Asmussen and ridden by Joel Rosario, is out of GI Test S. heroine Paola Queen (Flatter). TJCIS PPs

1st-SAR, $136K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:10 p.m.
Heading to Saratoga's turf, there are number of first timers here worth mentioning. Sands of War (War Front) brought $550,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling sale and the Cherie DeVaux trainee's dam Egyptian Storm (Pioneerof the Nile)–a $750,000 purchase at FTKNOV in 2019–is a half-sister to Triple Crown champ Justify (Scat Daddy). Speaking of that Horse of the Year, he is the sire of Justdeny, who was a $175,000 KEEJAN and $460,000 KEESEP buy and whose second dam Nell Gwyn (Ire) (Danehill) counts European Horse of the Year Rock of Gibraltar (Ire) as a full-brother.

Ozara (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) from Christophe Clement's stable was a TATTOCT Ylg graduate who was purchased by Mike Ryan for $416,346 and her dam Cercle d'Or (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) is a half to G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Golden Horn (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}). Another Chad Brown trainee will seek to break her maiden in $240,000 KEENOV weanling turned $650,000 KEESEP yearling Spendalot (More Than Ready). The gray filly is a full-sister to stablemate and MGSW Consumer Spending.

Lastly, Causeway's Jewel (More Than Ready) is a full-brother to MGSW and GISP 'TDN Rising Star' Emmanuel. Her dam is a half to both MG1SW Hawkbill (Kitten's Joy), plus GISW and GISP Free Drop Billy (Union Rags). Also, $500,000 KEESEP buy Miz Sense (Street Sense)'s dam produced GSW Canoodling (Pioneerof the Nile) and she is a half-sister to champion 2-year-old colt Shanghai Bobby (Harlan's Holiday). Both will look to draw off the also-eligible list. TJCIS PPS

9th-WO, $111K, Msw, 3yo/up, 7f, T, 5:27 p.m.
Ready Shakespeare (More Than Ready) was set to begin his career Thursday at Woodbine before the card was canceled because of the heat. Click here for his Insight. TJCIS PPS

8th-DMR, $82K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 8:39 p.m.
Swinging out west to Del Mar, Gate of Paradise (Arrogate) will be making her debut for trainer John Shirreffs. At OBSMAR, the gavel dropped at $950,000 and to view her prior under tack breeze, along with others from this race, click here.

Another filly to watch is Thermal (Nyquist) from John Sadler's shedrow, who brought $625,000 at FTSAUG sale. Her latest works July 17 at Santa Anita (4f, :47.60, 8/39) and July 24 at Del Mar (5f, :59.60, 3/53) flatter. TJCIS PPS

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A Jim Dandy Of A Graded Stakes Weekend

Equine or human, history is always about the six degrees of someone in racing's world. For instance, at 100-1 Jim Dandy beat Triple Crown champion Gallant Fox in the 1930 edition of the Travers S., which only featured four entries total.

The horse who set up the longshot by engaging in a speed duel with the favorite over the mud was Whichone, a colt owned by Harry Payne Whitney (yes, that important family). And what other Thoroughbred did Whitney own? Well, that would be Upset, who did just that, when he handed the great Man o' War his only career loss. And that is a minor example of a nexus.

As part of the Saratoga weekend card, it seems fitting that Saturday's GII Jim Dandy S. is the main prep for next month's GI Travers S. Horse racing, like life, always reflects irony of some type.

In this year's edition, Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming) isn't going to be 100-1. However, compared to the experience of GIII Matt Winn S. victor and 'TDN Rising Star' Disarm (Gun Runner), Eclipse champion 2-year-old and 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence), who will be wearing first-time blinkers, Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}), winner of the GIII Withers S. and second in the GII Wood Memorial S., and GI Arkansas Derby star and GI Kentucky Derby third Angel of Empire (Classic Empire), the 3-year-old colt has something to prove after running second last time out in the GIII Dwyer S. July 1 at Belmont Park. The Brad Cox trainee passed the eye test in his debut at Keeneland in April and against allowance company May 21 at Churchill Downs.

Not to be missed on the Saratoga Saturday card is another race with historical connections in spades. This year's GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. will feature a rematch from February's G3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint in Saudi Arabia in which the reigning Eclipse champion dirt sprinter and GISW Elite Power (Curlin) stepped away as GISW Gunite (Gun Runner) gave chase for second. The $900,000 Keeneland September buy built on that win with another impressive display in the GII True North S.

Elite Power | Sarah Andrew

Elite Power worked a half mile alone in :51.22 Sunday over the Oklahoma training track in a breeze that Mott indicated was similar to the chestnut's half-mile work in :51.11 on Oct. 28 over the same surface ahead of his Breeders' Cup victory. “That's him by himself,” Mott said. “He's run well off of those kind of works right before his races. He did that in Saudi. He was working :51 before he won the Breeders' Cup. He wouldn't wow anyone when he's working by himself.”

Looking elsewhere on Saturday in North America, Monmouth Park will card its own Oaks. The Grade III includes Promiseher America (American Pharoah) from Ray Handal's stable and Occult (Into Mischief), who was last seen running third to MGISW Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) in the GI Acorn S. on the Belmont S. undercard.

In the wake of cancellations due to heat the past couple of days, Woodbine Racetrack will hope to run the GII Seagram Cup for 3-year-olds and up. Tyson (Tapit) will garner much attention since the 4-year-old gray colt won the GIII Dominion Day S. last time out for trainer Josie Carroll.

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club will have plenty of action to contribute as their program includes the GII San Diego H. and the GI Bing Crosby S., which offers a Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' voucher for the GI BC Qatar Racing Sprint.

Both Del Mar races sport field sizes of 10-plus. The San Diego includes MGISW Defunded (Dialed In), who won Santa Anita's GI Gold Cup May 29 and will carry the most weight here at 125. With 12 hopefuls entered for the Bing Crosby, Anarchist (Distorted Humor) returns to California after running second to Elite Power in the GII True North S. The 4-year-old colt will face some veteran runners in G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen hero Sibelius (Not This Time) and MGISW and '21 winner Dr. Schivel (Violence).

Rebel's Romance works at Saratoga | Sarah Andrew

Shifting to Sunday, not to be missed on the stakes slate are a pair of Grade IIs for 3-year-olds and up over the turf. Saratoga's Bowling Green S. has enticed GI Breeders' Cup Turf conqueror Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) for trainer Charlie Appleby. Last seen running a well-beaten seventh in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic in March, the 5-year-old gelding will look to get his second half of his season off on the right foot.

“He's a well-traveled horse; Germany, Keeneland, England and Dubai,” said Appleby's traveling assistant Chris Connett. “He's traveled this trip pretty well and he's settled in good shape. He's a typical Dubawi, he's got better with age. He's a big horse that's really grown into his frame. Hopefully, we'll get to see him at his best on Sunday.”

Count Again | Horsephotos

Meanwhile the Eddie Read S. at Del Mar includes four entries from Phil D'Amato's shedrow, including MGISW Count Again (Awesome Again), winner last time out of the GI Shoemaker Mile S. May 30 at Santa Anita Park, and MGSW Balnikov (Ire) (Adaay {Ire}), who is looking to bounce back after finishing eighth in that same race. The competitive Leo Powell trainee and MGSW Dicey Mo Chara (GB) (Adaay {Ire}) goes out for a barn that won last weekend's GII San Clemente S. The 5-year-old gelding's last start yielded a finished third-place finish at Santa Anita May 13 in the GIII San Luis Rey S.

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MGISW Echo Zulu Earns Fastest Six Furlong Beyer Of The Year, Ballerina Could Be Next

Winchell Thoroughbreds and L and N Racing's Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) has won three Grade Is and earned an Eclipse Award, but in Wednesday's GII Honorable Miss H. the 4-year-old filly added to her resume when she posted a Beyer Speed Figure of 112–the fastest number recorded by any horse going six furlongs this year.

“I'm extremely proud of her race. That obviously was an impressive race and that would put a [big] number on it,” Asmussen said. “I'm very happy with how she came out of the race yesterday. I'm unbelievably impressed with her and I honestly didn't expect anything less.”

While the GI Ballerina H. Aug. 26 at Saratoga is the likely next target for Echo Zulu, neither Asmussen nor Winchell Thoroughbreds' racing manager David Fiske ruled out a future start against males.

“It probably has everything to do with how Gunite [by Gun Runner, who is entered in Saturday's GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H.] does in the division with the common ownership,” Asmussen said. “But I'm definitely not scared to run her against anybody. We'll do whatever is best for the other horses that Winchell and L and N own.”

Winchell and Asmussen also campaign MGSW and MGISP Wicked Halo (Gun Runner), who won last weekend's Twin Bridges S. at Ellis Park.

“The plan last week was that if Wicked Halo ran well and Echo Zulu ran well, they would both show up in the Ballerina,” said Fiske. “We'll try to keep everyone healthy and go on down the path. People are speculating that Echo Zulu should go to the [GI] Breeders' Cup Sprint and pass the [GI Breeders' Cup] Filly and Mare Sprint. We do have Wicked Halo, but I don't know what we would do with Gunite because he could win the Sprint, too.”

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Graded Stakes Sunday Pits Clairiere Versus Nest In Shuvee

After a rousing Saturday lineup, the stakes weekend isn't complete yet, as Saratoga, Woodbine and Del Mar present graded offerings.

The marquee match on Sunday is the GII Shuvee S. at Saratoga, which honors the 1970 and 1971 champion older female by Nashua who was the second filly to win the Triple Tiara. The Virginia bred is also the only filly to ever defeat colts in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. And she did that twice.

Though only four are entered here, the race includes the defending champion from last year in Clairiere (Curlin), who comes in after a pair of Grade I victories in the Apple Blossom H. at Oaklawn Park and the Ogden Phipps S. at Belmont Park.

The veteran mare trained by Steve Asmussen will take on last year's champion 3-year-old filly Nest (Curlin), who is making her first start of the year for trainer Todd Pletcher. The bay filly collected a pair of Grade I wins last summer at Saratoga when she won the Coaching Club of America Oaks and the Alabama S.

Shifting to Woodbine, they card a pair of graded races on Sunday starting with the GIII Trillium S. for 3-year-old fillies and up over the Tapeta, which has Souper Hoity Toity (Uncle Mo) as the 2-1 morning-line leader. The $550,000 OBSMAR purchase won the GIII Belle Mahone S. by a neck and the Mark Casse trainee will face many of the same competitors once again in this spot. Switching to the grass, the other graded event in Toronto is the GII Connaught Cup S., which includes veteran turf traveler Bound for Nowhere (The Factor). The 9-year-old will face the winner of the GII Highlander S., Lucky Score (Lookin At Lucky) and Churchtown (Air Force Blue), who just missed last time out in the Opening Verse S. at Churchill Downs.

Finally, the weekend graded action wraps up at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club with the annual renewal of the 12-furlong GIII Cougar II S. over the dirt. The class edge goes to Kiss Today Goodbye (Cairo Prince), who ran third May 29 in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita and Azul Coast (Super Saver) who hasn't been seen since he ran second last November at Del Mar in the GIII Native Diver S. Bye Bye Bobby (Quality Road), an $870,000 KEESEP buy, ships in from New Mexico.

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