Todd Pletcher | Horse Racing Free Tips

Thankful’s Victory In Ladies One Of Three Aqueduct Wins For Pletcher-Carmouche Tandem

Bass Stables' Thankful overtook Miss Marissa late in the lane to capture Sunday's $100,000 Ladies Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Thankful entered the nine-furlong test for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up from a wide-rallying third in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Comely on November 27 at the Big A when piloted by Big A winter meet leading rider Kendrick Carmouche for the first time.

Carmouche kept Thankful closer to the pace in the rider's return engagement, settling in second position outside of last year's Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan winner Miss Marissa, who commanded the opening quarter-mile in 25.01 seconds and the half in 49.96 on the fast main track.

Miss Marissa, with Jose Lezcano up, continued to dictate terms into the final turn as Thankful pressed into contention on the outside with Smooth With a Kick following her run and Ujjayi in range as three-quarters ticked by 1:14.95.

Carmouche asked Thankful for more as Miss Marissa led the field into the homestretch arriving at even terms at the eighth-pole and powering clear to score by three-quarters of a length in a final time of 1:53.51.

The victory marked the third win on the card for the Pletcher-Carmouche tandem, having previously scored with Too Boss in the opener and Bourbonic in Race 3. Carmouche completed a four-win day at the Big A by guiding Foley Square to victory in the day's final race. He now leads the winter meet standings with 34 wins.

Assistant trainer Byron Hughes was full of praise for the aggressive steer by Carmouche.

“I thought Kendrick put her in a good spot right on the pacesetter's outside hip and not letting them get too far away from her,” said Hughes. “I thought it was a good ride by him to be able to outkick the leader.”

Carmouche, who won this event in 2017 with Wonder Gal, said he felt confident heading into the gate.

“She warmed up good and was very happy, so I thought that was a big plus in my favor,” said Carmouche. “I wanted to ride her out of there to get up close to the pace. When I asked her, she responded really good.”

Miss Marissa held off a late surge from Ujjayi to complete the exacta by a neck. It was a further two lengths back to Lucky Move in fourth, with Am Impazible and Smooth With a Kick rounding out the order of finish. Bridlewood Cat was scratched.

Lezcano said a deep track may have been Miss Marissa's undoing.

“She's a good-running filly and she tried hard,” said Lezcano. “The ground was a little too heavy for her today. She got to hanging around the eighth pole, but she tried hard the whole way around.”

Bred in Kentucky by Profoal Partners, Thankful banked $55,000 in victory while improving her record to 6-3-1-1. The 4-year-old American Pharoah bay returned $7.90 for a $2 win bet.

Live racing resumes Monday at Aqueduct with an eight-race card headlined by the 100th renewal of the $100,000 Interborough on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The seven-furlong sprint for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up is slated as Race 7 at 3:50 p.m. Eastern. First post is 12:50 p.m.

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Breeders’ Cup Winner Bulletin Set For Delayed Aussie Debut

Bulletin (City Zip), who took the inaugural running of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs in 2018, makes his Australian debut for trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott in Saturday’s A$125,000 Sky Racing Active H. over 1100 meters at Rosehill Gardens in Sydney. He was scratched from a similar spot last weekend at Randwick.

Bred in Kentucky by CresRan and sold for $250,000 as a Keeneland September yearling, Bulletin first raced for the partnership of WinStar Farm, China Horse Club and SF Racing and was trained by Todd Pletcher to a debut victory in the Hollywood Beach S. ahead of a 2 3/4-length tally in the Juvenile Turf Sprint, contested in testing underfoot conditions. Winner of the Palisades Turf Sprint in five starts at three, Bulletin made a pair of starts under the care of Steve Asmussen last season, including a runner-up effort in a turf sprint allowance at Churchill when last seen in June.

Now racing for a conglomerate headed up by Australia’s Newgate Stud Farm and China Horse Club, the son of GSW Sue’s Good News (Woodman) will break from gate four in a field of seven. Newgate also campaigned multiple Group 1 winner Con Te Partiro with Waterhouse and Bott, and the horsewoman is expecting a positive result.

“Like a lot of horses I have got from overseas, it has taken a little time for him to acclimatise, but he will give a great show on Saturday. Small fish are sweet to start with,” Waterhouse recently told the Sydney Morning Herald. “He is more like a gelding, he has a lovely attitude. He is a very kind sort of horse, a very nice horse.”

Bulletin, who has finished second in a pair of trials at Randwick leading up to this local unveiling (video), is a half-brother to GISW Tiz Miz Sue (Tiznow), the dam of the Japanese-based, UAE Group 3-placed Serein (Uncle Mo). The female family also includes champion Cozzene, champion and MG1SW Hawkbill (Kitten’s Joy), GISW Free Drop Billy (Union Rags) and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Souper Sensational (Curlin).

“He is worth a go down here,” Newgate’s Henry Field told the Morning Herald. “We were involved with him as a very good 2-year-old on turf in the States, but most of their big races over there are on dirt and he just didn’t handle it. After Con Te Partiro, we know if you find the right horse for Gai and her team, it can work. He is a Breeders’ Cup winner and is still an entire, so if he can work on the track he would have a future as a stallion.”

Bulletin will be ridden by Tim Clark, with post time set for 1:30 p.m. local time Saturday (9:30 p.m. ET Friday evening).

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Vacay Takes On Laobanonaprayer In Franklin Square For New York-Breds

Two-time stakes winner Laobanonaprayer will cut back in distance in Saturday's seventh running of the $100,000 Franklin Square, a 6 1/2-furlong test for New York-bred sophomore fillies at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Owned and trained by Daniel Velazquez, the bay filly is a daughter of second crop stallion Laoban, who broke his maiden against stakes company in the 2016 Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga Race Course.

Like her sire, Laobanonaprayer also notched her first career win at stakes caliber when defeating next-out winner Frost Me in the one-mile Maid of the Mist on October 24 at Belmont Park, which took place following a respective third and second against maiden special weight company at Delaware Park.

Piloted by jockey Kendrick Carmouche in her maiden score against fellow state-breds, Laobanonaprayer tracked a close fifth in behind horses, weaved her way through traffic up the rail around the far turn, took command approaching the eighth pole and drew off to a 5 ½-length victory.

Last out, Laobanonaprayer displayed another dominant effort in the seven-furlong NYSSS Fifth Avenue on December 6 at the Big A, where she rated off the pace from the four path and picked up runners around the far turn before taking command at the three-sixteenths pole and striding away an eight-length winner as the odds-on favorite under Carmouche.

Velazquez said Laobanonaprayer is better suited for longer distances, but a cutback in ground won't hinder her winning chances.

“I still think six-and-a-half is not her key distance,” Velazquez said. “It's just the way things went. We debuted her going 5 ½-furlongs and she was third. I'm not saying she can't do six-and-a-half, but she would be better going anywhere from seven-eighths, a flat mile to a mile and a sixteenth. That's more her cup of tea.”

Based at Parx Racing for the winter, Laobanonaprayer worked five-eighths over the Philadelphia oval in 1:02.24 on January 9.

“We're excited,” Velazquez said. “She's doing really well and it's a good spot for her to win. We were going to try open company, but we figured why do that when we could run against New York-breds. She's extremely versatile and I know she handles the wet track.”

Bred in New York by Christina Deronda, Laobanonaprayer is out of the Raffie's Majesty mare Raffie's Chance. She was purchased by Velazquez for $15,000 from last year's Fasig-Tipton Mid-Atlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, where she was consigned by Hidden Brook.

Carmouche, the leading rider at the winter meet, will retain the mount from post 4.

Laobanonaprayer will face a stiff test from up-and-coming filly Vacay, who is unbeaten in two career starts.

Owned by Repole Stable and Aron Wellman's Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, the dark bay or brown daughter of second crop sire Not This Time won on debut over a sloppy and sealed main track at Belmont Park before winning the six-furlong Key Cents against state-breds on November 15 at the Big A.

Piloted by Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the Key Cents, Vacay was in stalking position and went five wide at the quarter pole before edging up to even terms with the frontrunners at the three sixteenths pole and strolling home a 5 ½ length winner for trainer Todd Pletcher, who won the 2016 Franklin Square with Clipthecouponannie.

Bred by J Stables, Vacay is the third progeny out of the Belgravia mare Florida Sun, who was a stakes winner at six furlongs.

Vacay will emerge from post 1 under jockey Jose Lezcano.

Trainer Ray Handal will saddle Key Cents runner-up Rossa Veloce in attempt of her first stakes victory.

Co-owned by Handal with Blue Streak Racing, Rossa Veloce defeated winners last out in wire-to-wire fashion on December 20 at Aqueduct going six furlongs. With five career starts, the chestnut daughter of Girolamo is the most seasoned filly in the Franklin Square field with a record of 2-1-0. Rossa Veloce won her August 5 debut at Saratoga by a half-length, defeating subsequent stakes winner No Mo Spending.

Jockey Manny Franco retains the mount from post 5.

Completing the field are maiden special weight winners Secret Love [post 2, Pablo Morales], A Life That's Good [post 3, Trevor McCarthy], and Caramocha [post 6, Dylan Davis].

The Franklin Square is slated as Race 8 on Saturday's nine-race program, which has a first post of 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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Noble Mission’s Jouster Says Good ‘Knight’ to Gulfstream Rivals in Rising Star Romp

Jouster (Noble Mission {GB}), a beaten favorite twice on dirt to start her career, took to the turf with dazzling aplomb in the Sunday finale at Gulfstream, running away to a devastating maiden romp and ‘TDN Rising Star’ honors. Unveiled over six furlongs in the Saratoga slop Aug. 29, the $360,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga buy showed big speed before fading to finish second, and again retreated after setting the pace stretching out to a mile Sept. 26 at Belmont. Freshened up since then for a barn that has, as per usual, run roughshod over the Gulfstream Championship Meet thus far, she returned with a sharp Palm Beach Downs worktab capped by a bullet half-mile in :48 1/5 (1/25) Jan. 3. Backed as the fractional 5-2 favorite here, the bay quickly established command and led comfortably through splits of :23.36 and :48.01. Well held as her nearest pursuers were driven approaching the lane, Jouster opened up five lengths by the time heads pointed for home and poured it on down the stretch under mild urging, gliding home 8 3/4 lengths to the good in a sizzling final clocking. Champagne Ivy (Shackleford) was second. The winner is the first foal to race out of a daughter of the Phipps family’s 2002’s champion 2-year-old filly Storm Flag Flying, herself a daughter of the Phippses’ My Flag. Also residing under the third dam on Jouster’s pedigree are MGSWs Parading (Pulpit) and Teresa Z (Smart Strike) and GSW Performer (Speightstown), recently third as the favorite for the Phippses and McGaughey in the GI Cigar Mile H. Playtime produced a filly by West Coast last spring and has an unraced 4-year-old Liam’s Map filly named Dressed Up Gypsy.

11th-Gulfstream, $40,000, Msw, 1-10, 3yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:39.92, fm, 8 3/4 lengths.
JOUSTER, f, 3, Noble Mission (GB)
1st Dam: Playtime, by Street Cry (Ire)
2nd Dam: Storm Flag Flying, by Storm Cat
3rd Dam: My Flag, by Easy Goer
Sales History: $360,000 Ylg ’19 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: 3-1-1-0, $40,920. Click for the Equibase.com chart, VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-Starlight Racing; B-St. Elias Stables, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.

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