Top News | Horse Racing Free Tips

Jack Christopher to Cut Back in Distance for Allen Jerkens

Jack Christopher (Munnings), who suffered his first career loss when third in his two-turn debut in the GI TVG.com Haskell S. at Monmouth Park Saturday, is expected to cut back to one turn in the Aug. 27 GI H. Allen Jerkens S. at Saratoga next time out.

“The horse ran really well and I thought he had a good trip,” trainer Chad Brown said. “He got a little quick on the final turn when they moved from [the half-mile in] :46 into [three-quarters in] 1:09. That probably emptied him a little bit. But all in all, it looked like it was a little too far. I was a little disappointed that he couldn't kick on through the lane, but he tried hard. We just shipped him up to Saratoga. As long as he comes out of the race okay, I'll cut him back and point to a race like the Allen Jerkens.”

Despite the Haskell loss, Brown enjoyed a productive day at the Jersey Shore Saturday, winning four straight graded races on the card.

“I was proud of all the horses and my team to have them all ready on a big day like that,” Brown said. “There's a lot of moving parts to get it done and they did fabulous. I'm proud of them all.”

Adhamo (Ire) (Intello {Ger}) earned his first U.S. victory following a pair of Grade I placings in the GI United Nations S. and could make his next start in the Aug. 27 GI Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer Invitational.

“He got the trip we were looking for and he's been a work in progress. He looks to be continually improving and he finished off his race well on Saturday,” Brown said. “He shipped up here today, so we'll see how he bounces out of it, but surely, I would like to point to [the Sword Dancer].”

Brown added that Search Results (Flatter), winner of the GIII Molly Pitcher S., could be “possible” for the Aug. 27 GI Personal Ensign S.

The post Jack Christopher to Cut Back in Distance for Allen Jerkens appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Good Magic Colt Debuts a ‘Rising Star’ for Brown

Rodeo Creek Racing's Blazing Sevens (Good Magic), representing the same red-hot trainer in Chad Brown who conditioned his champion juvenile sire (by Curlin), garnered the 'TDN Rising Star' distinction in Saratoga's Sunday opener as he stalked and pulled away from a salty-looking bunch to become Good Magic's fifth individual winner. Off at odds of 9-2 as the public seemed to struggle to find the standout, Blazing Sevens broke well from the outside, but was out-footed by a couple as Bourbon Bash (City of Light) seized a clear lead. Blazing Sevens made his three-wide move to go and confront the pacesetter into a :46.45 half, and wore down that foe past the eighth pole en route to an easy 6 1/4-length tally in 1:13.20 while galloping out like he was just getting started.

Upgrade (Flatter), a $550,000 KEESEP yearling, was third; while Kentucky invader Faithful and True (Good Magic), a fast-breezing $450,000 OBSMAR grad who ticked down to 2-1 favoritism late, rounded out the super.

Blazing Sevens is the second foal and first to race out of a half-sister to 2012 GI Jamaica H. upsetter King David (Hat Trick {Jpn}). Dam Trophy Girl (Warrior's Reward)'s pair of wins came going long on the Turfway all-weather. Trophy Girl is by the same sire who produced the dam of one of Brown's four straight graded stakes winners at Monmouth Park Saturday in GIII Monmouth Cup S. winner Highly Motivated (Into Mischief). She has a yearling filly by Constitution and a filly foal by Goldencents. The 9-year-old visited another juvenile champ in Essential Quality for 2023.

1st-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 7-24, 2yo, 6f, 1:13.34, ft, 6 1/4 lengths.
BLAZING SEVENS, c, 2, Good Magic
                1st Dam: Trophy Girl, by Warrior's Reward
                2nd Dam: Storm West, by Gone West
                3rd Dam: Storm Attack, by Storm Bird
Sales history: $140,000 Ylg '21 KEEJAN; $225,000 Ylg '21 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $57,750. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-Rodeo Creek Racing, LLC; B-Tracy Farmer (KY); T-Chad C. Brown.

The post Good Magic Colt Debuts a ‘Rising Star’ for Brown appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Oscar Performance Represented By First Japanese Winner

Sent off the 2-1 second betting favorite, Meiner Vision (Jpn) sat three wide the trip and battled on bravely through the final furlong to become the first Japanese winner and third overall for Mill Ridge Farm's freshman sire Oscar Performance (Kitten's Joy–Devine Actress, by Theatrical {Ire}) in an 1800-meter maiden at Fukushima Racecourse.

Drawn gate 11 in a scratched-down field of 12, the bay was nudged along early to take up a prominent position and landed three wide punching the breeze while firmly held by jockey Yukito Ishikawa. Settled nicely while maintaining his position into the final half-mile, the Apr. 12 foal remained three deep on the turn and was asked for some acceleration as they reached the top of the straight. Narrowly in front at the 200-meter marker, Meiner Vision looked to be headed for a stride or two by third choice My Reine (Jpn) (Logotype {Jpn}), but dug in determinedly and reported home a 3/4-length winner (SC 11).

Meiner Vision is the third foal of and first winner from his dam, $290,000 Keeneland September graduate Songoficeandfire (Dynaformer), who carried the silks of Diane Snowden and was trained by Bill Mott to placings in the 12-furlong GIII Orchid S. and GIII Bewitch S. in 2016. The mare, a daughter of G1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine Catchascatchcan (GB) (Pursuit of Love {GB}) and a half-sister to to Irish Group 2 winner and GI Breeders' Cup Mile runner-up Antonius Pius (Danzig), was offered by Denali Stud carrying this colt in utero at the 2020 Keeneland January Sale, where she was hammered down to Big Red Farm for $200,000. Songoficeandfire was barren to Danon Ballade (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) for 2021 and produced a filly by Gold Ship (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) Feb. 16.

Four-time Grade I winner and track-record setter Oscar Performance, already the sire of the stakes-placed Andthewinneris from 85 reported first-crop foals, stood the 2022 breeding season at a fee of $12,500.

The post Oscar Performance Represented By First Japanese Winner appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Cyberknife Leads Home Gun Runner Exacta in Haskell

OCEANPORT, NJ – Gold Square LLC's Cyberknife (Gun Runner) led home a one-two finish for his sire when he charged up the rail in deep stretch to nip Taiba (Gun Runner) on the line while setting a new track record in the GI TVG.com Haskell S. at Monmouth Park Saturday. The victory gave trainer Brad Cox and jockey Florent Geroux their second winner from as many starters in the Haskell following Mandaloun (Into Mischief)'s win via disqualification in the 2021 renewal of the race and put an end to a remarkable streak of four straight graded wins on the card by Chad Brown, who saddled favored Jack Christopher (Munnings) to a third-place finish.

Let go at 7-1, Cyberknife broke from the rail and was allowed to settle into stride as longshot Benevengo (Gormley) took the field through fractions of :23.50 and :46.96 while shadowed by Jack Christopher. The favorite moved to the lead after three-quarters in 1:09.93, while Geroux aboard Cyberknife was waiting for racing room and Taiba was rallying five wide into the lane. Taiba was first to overtake the tiring favorite, but Cyberknife was slicing through a narrow opening along the rail. The two sons of Gun Runner went head to head in the final strides with Cyberknife just getting the better of his foe in the last jump. The final time for the nine furlongs was 1:46.24, lowering the track record set just four races earlier when Highly Motivated (Into Mischief) won the GIII Monmouth Cup S. in 1:46.53. The previous nine-furlong record at Monmouth Park had stood since 1985 when GI Kentucky Derby winner Spend a Buck covered the distance in 1:46.80.

The win, which rewarded the victor with an automatic berth in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, was a hometown score for New Jersey native Al Gold of Gold Square LLC.

“This is a very big deal for me personally,” Gold said. “I started betting horses when I was a kid and have owned horses for 40 years. You always have fantasies. You want to win the Kentucky Derby and all the big races, but this is one of the ones I really wanted to win. We go to the [Aug. 27 GI] Travers next and we'll see where we are. And we're on our way to the Breeders' Cup.”

Cyberknife won the Apr. 2 GI Arkansas Derby, earning a spot in the GI Kentucky Derby. The colt faded to 18th after chasing a hot pace in the Derby, but came back to outnose Howling Time (Not This Time) in the GIII Matt Winn S. at Churchill Downs last time out June 12.

“I think this is his best race to date,” Cox said of Cyberknife's Haskell victory. “Throughout the race I thought he looked very professional with the way he handled himself. At the quarter-pole, Florent Geroux had a nice hold of him and he was loaded. He responded well when asked. He flew at the end. I am very proud of him. He was able to settle. Florent took a good hold of him and then made a run up the backside and got him in position along the rail. Florent looked like he had a lot of horse when he turned for home. He was just figuring out whether he was going inside or outside of the leader. It looked like he made the right decision staying to the inside and we were able to hold off Taiba. It was a big effort. I'm very proud of this horse and our whole staff. He's been a challenging horse at times. A lot of the good ones are.”

With his third-place finish, Jack Christopher was suffering the first loss of his career while making his first start beyond a mile. The loss put a stop to a streak of four straight graded tallies on the Haskell card by Brown, who won the Monmouth Cup with Highly Motivated, the GIII WinStar Matchmaker S. with Lemista (Ire) (Raven's Pass), the GIII Molly Pitcher S. with Search Results (Flatter) and the GI United Nations S. with Adhamo (Ire) (Intello {Ger}).

A crowd of 22,138 attended the races on a stifling hot day on the Jersey Shore Saturday, wagering $1,303,642 on track. All-sources handle totaled $19,896,954–up from the 2021 figure of $16,414,535, but off the record mark of $20,479,392 set in 2020.

Pedigree Notes:

Gun Runner, third in the 2016 GI Kentucky Derby, also came into the Haskell off a win in the Matt Win, but the champ was fifth in the Oceanport oval's signature race. Cyberknife is one of five Grade I winners for the Three Chimneys stallion, who has also been represented by this year's GI Preakness S. winner Early Voting and 2021 2-year-old filly champion Echo Zulu.

Cyberknife's dam Awesome Flower was a multiple stakes winner and three times graded placed for breeders Ken and Sarah Ramsey. She has an unraced 2-year-old colt by Tapit named Tapit Shoes–who was purchased by the BSW/Crow Colts Group and trainer Brad Cox for $300,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton October sale–as well as a weanling colt by Authentic. She was bred back to Gun Runner this year.

The Haskell winner's third dam, Well Dressed, produced G1 Dubai World Cup winner Well Armed (Tiznow), Grade I placed Helsinki (Distorted Humor) and graded winner Witty (Distorted Humor), dam of graded winner Bombard (War Front) and multiple graded placed Amuse (Medaglia d'Oro). Also under the third dam is Grade I winner American Patriot.

Saturday, Monmouth Park
TVG.COM HASKELL S.-GI, $1,017,500, Monmouth, 7-23, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:46.24, ft.
1–CYBERKNIFE, 122, c, 3, by Gun Runner
1st Dam: Awesome Flower (MSW & MGSP, $556,593), by Flower Alley
2nd Dam: Formalities Aside, by Awesome Again
3rd Dam: Well Dressed, by Notebook

($400,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL). O-Gold Square LLC; B-Kenneth L. & Sarah K. Ramsey (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Florent Geroux. $600,000. Lifetime Record: 9-5-2-0, $1,596,520. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Taiba, 122, c, 3, Gun Runner–Needmore Flattery, by Flatter. ($140,000 Ylg '20 FTKOCT; $1,700,000 2yo '21 FTFMAR). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Zedan Racing Stables, Inc.; B-Bruce C Ryan (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $200,000.
3–Jack Christopher, 119, c, 3, Munnings–Rushin No Blushin, by Half Ours. ($145,000 RNA Ylg '20 FTKSEL; $135,000 Ylg '20 FTKOCT). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Jim Bakke, Gerald Isbister, Coolmore Stud and Peter M. Brant; B-Castleton Lyons & Kilboy Estate (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $100,000.
Margins: HD, 2, 4HF. Odds: 7.80, 2.10, 0.70.
Also Ran: Howling Time, Benevengo, King of Hollywood, White Abarrio, One Time Willard.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Cyberknife Leads Home Gun Runner Exacta in Haskell appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post