Todd Pletcher | Horse Racing Free Tips

Saturday’s Racing Insights: Babies Kick off Big Belmont Card

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

1st-BEL, $90K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 11:35 a.m.
Juvenile colts kick off the festivities on GI Belmont S. day. Trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle three for the big one, and two members of the next generation in here. Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable and Gainesway Stable's Wit (Practical Joke) was a $575,000 Keeneland September buy. He is a half brother to the talented Washington-based GSW Barkley (Munnings). Wit's stablemate Keepcalmcarryon (Union Rags) cost $75,000 at the same auction. His dam Lavender Chrissie (Scat Daddy) was a romping debut winner at Churchill Downs in October of her 2-year-old year, and took the Zia Park Oaks the following season. Lavender Chrissie is full to a G2 Queen Mary S. runner-up and a half to speedy and precocious GSW Baby J (J Be K). Juan Vasquez trainee Magical Knight (Ocean Knight) figures to show some zip. The $9,000 OBSOCT yearling brought $85,000 at OBS March after breezing in a co-quickest :9 4/5. His dam was also a debut winner at two. Hagler (Tapiture) was second on debut here May 16, earning a solid 73 Beyer Speed Figure. He's full to a juvenile stakes winner. TJCIS PPs

The post Saturday’s Racing Insights: Babies Kick off Big Belmont Card appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Con Lima Parlays Pocket Trip Into Wonder Again Victory

The ultra-consistent Texas-bred Con Lima added Thursday's Grade 3 Wonder Again Stakes to her resume with a perfect ride from jockey Flavien Prat over Belmont Park's turf course. The 3-year-old daughter of Commissioner saved ground early behind a slow pace, then had plenty left in the stretch to post an 8-1 upset over the fast-finishing Plum Ali, winning by a half-length at the wire. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Con Lima ran nine furlongs over the turf course rated “good” in 1:50.84.

Con Lima is owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Joseph Graffeo, Del Toro, Eric Nicklaus, and Troy Johnson.

“She didn't seem to mind the turf,” Pletcher said. “It's encouraging to see that she might stay a mile and a quarter. We knew Jouster was the quicker of the two, so I told Flavien to just stalk her and it worked out well. She kicked on. She's shown she can do it both ways now.”

Con Lima's stablemate Jouster was quickest out of the starting gate and established a two-length lead heading into the clubhouse turn, while Con Lima was able to secure second with a perfect spot along the rail. Jouster, the 3-1 co-favorite, set a slow pace of :25.42 and :51.49, but was unable to hold off the rally of Con Lima when Prat switched her out in the stretch.

Prat timed his rally perfectly with Con Lima, striking the lead at the eighth pole and holding off the late runs of Plum Ali and Gift List by about a half-length on the wire. Jouster held on to finish fourth, while Fluffy Socks was fifth.

“We had a good trip,” Prat said. “She broke well. It took me a little time to get her to relax, but she finally did down the backside. She responded really well when I asked her to come home.”

Bred in Texas by Lisa Kuhlmann, Con Lima is out of the stakes-winning Consolidator mare Second Street City. She sold for $15,000 as a weanling at the Keeneland November sale, and didn't achieve her reserve in two subsequent sales appearances. Con Lima was second on debut and won at second asking, both for trainer Carlos David. Eclipse bought in after that and the filly was transferred to Pletcher's barn, where she proceeded to earn back-to-back stakes placings on the dirt.

Switched to the dirt in 2021, Con Lima won the Ginger Brew Stakes, ran second in the G3 Sweetest Chant, and won the G3 Herecomesthebride. After a fourth in the G3 Gulfstream Oaks, she came back to win the Honey Ryder Stakes in early May. Overall, Con Lima has a record of six wins and four seconds from 11 starts, with earnings of over $380,000.

The post Con Lima Parlays Pocket Trip Into Wonder Again Victory appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Runhappy’s Following Sea Romps at Belmont

3rd-Belmont, $85,560, Alw, 6-3, (NW1$X), 3yo/up, 6 1/2f, 1:15.28, gd, 6 1/2 lengths.

FOLLOWING SEA (c, 3, Runhappy–Quick Flip {SW}, by Speightstown) repeated his 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy graduation with a facile romp against allowance company at Belmont Friday. Disqualified from second and placed third on debut at Santa Anita Mar. 6, the Spendthrift homebred stormed home to a 5 3/4-length victory next out at Oaklawn Apr. 10, leading home a Runhappy one-two over next-out Hot Springs maiden romper Happymac. Pointed for Pimlico's GIII Chick Lang S. following that effort, he was withdrawn from consideration for that event and instead transferred from Bob Baffert to Todd Pletcher during Preakness week after the former's GI Kentucky Derby hero Medina Spirit (Protonico) tested positive for betamethasone. Hammered down to 4-5 favoritism in this field scratched down to four, Following Sea kept Wudda U Think Now (Fast Anna) honest from a close-up second through a swift first quarter in :22.03. Drawing even as he hit the half in :44.79, the bay dispatched his foe in early stretch and cruised clear with ease to win by 6 1/2 lengths. Following Sea's stakes-winning dam Quick Flip is a half-sister too SW & MGSP Qahira (Cairo Prince) and SW Stormin' Lyon (Storm Boot). Spendthrift purchased the mare with Following Sea in utero for $230,000 at the 2017 KEENOV sale. They bred her back to their super sire Into Mischief and the resulting filly, a 2-year-old named Gimmick, summoned $450,000 from Mike Ryan at the Fasig-Tipton Select Yearling Sale. She failed to get in foal to Lord Nelson for 2020, but had a Hard Spun colt on St. Patrick's Day this year. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-1, $115,520.Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

O/B-Spendthrift Farm LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.

The post Runhappy’s Following Sea Romps at Belmont appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Thursday’s Trackside Belmont Stakes Report

ELMONT, NY – The handsome gray Knicks Go (Paynter) was among several high-profile runners spotted stretching their legs on an overcast and humid Thursday morning at beautiful Belmont Park ahead of this weekend's GI Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

The GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Mile H.-bound GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and GI Pegasus World Cup winner wrapped up his exercise just before 6 a.m.

With an on-and-off light drizzle falling throughout the morning as temperatures hovered in the low 60s, GI Preakness S. upsetter and Belmont S. second-choice Rombauer (Twirling Candy) appeared very well in the flesh during his gallop about an hour and 20 minutes later. Sporting a white bridle, he was on his toes nicely while making his way back through the scenic barn area.

Speaking of white bridles, trainer Michael McCarthy's former boss Todd Pletcher will have three chances of his own for a fourth Belmont victory with Known Agenda (Curlin), Bourbonic (Bernardini) and Overtook (Curlin), respectively.

Trainer John Sadler was in attendance as the striking Rock Your World (Candy Ride {Arg}) took a spin around Big Sandy at 7:25 a.m. and also visited the starting gate. If his bullet five-furlong breeze at Santa Anita last Friday was any indication, the previously unbeaten GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby hero figures to be on the engine following a disastrous go five weeks ago in Louisville. Hronis Racing and Sadler will also be well-represented by GISW Flagstaff (Speightstown) in Friday's GII True North S.

Photographers and media members lined up by the clubhouse turn as the blinkered Essential Quality (Tapit) entered the track by the gap. A wide-trip fourth in the Derby, his first defeat in six career attempts, last year's champion 2-year-old stood like a gentleman along the outer rail before heading to the gate for a schooling session. Just as he did at Churchill Downs during Derby week, the 2020 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile hero once again subsequently ditched the Godolphin-branded shades for his gallop.

In addition to the aforementioned pair of morning-line favorites for the Met Mile and Belmont S., trainer Brad Cox's powerhouse weekend line-up also includes: 'TDN Rising Star' Caddo River (Hard Spun) (GI Woody Stephens S.); Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) (GI Ogden Phipps S.); and 'TDN Rising Star' Travel Column (Frosted) (GI Acorn S.).

With the rain picking up during the break and the main track now sealed, trainer Doug O'Neill opted to instead send GII Louisiana Derby winner and Kentucky Derby third Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) to gallop over the training track-which remained harrowed–as training hours began to wind down.

The post Thursday’s Trackside Belmont Stakes Report appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post