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Gunite Returns to Winner’s Circle in Maxfield

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Gunite, winner of last year's GI Hopeful S., scored a determined victory in the Maxfield S. at Churchill Downs Sunday. The 4-5 favorite raced along the rail just off the pace as longshot Overtaxed (Fed Biz) took the field through fractions of :23.08 and :46.25. He had nowhere to run nearing the stretch, but the rail opened at the top of the lane and the favorite snuck through before grittily holding off both My Prankster and Hoist the Gold to get the best of a three-way photo finish on the wire.

Gunite was second in the GII Saratoga Special before his victory in last summer's Hopeful S. capped a remarkable Saratoga meet for his first-crop sire, Gun Runner, but the dark bay colt went to the sidelines following a fifth-place effort in the GI Champagne S. last October. He resurfaced with a runner-up effort over the Maxfield's track and seven-furlong distance in a June 3 optional claimer last time out.

Gunite's full-sister sold for $400,000 at last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Stakes-winning Simple Surprise produced a filly by Copper Bullet in 2021 and she was bred to Tapiture last year. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

MAXFIELD OVERNIGHT S., $160,000, Churchill Downs, 7-3, 3yo, 7f, 1:23.08, ft.
1–GUNITE, 123, c, 3, by Gun Runner
         1st Dam: Simple Surprise (SW, $185,446), by Cowboy Cal
         2nd Dam: Simplify, by Pulpit
         3rd Dam: Classic Olympio, by Olympio
O/B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen;
J-Tyler Gaffalione. $97,311. Lifetime Record: GISW, 8-3-3-1,
$438,099.
2–My Prankster, 120, c, 3, Into Mischief–My Wandy's Girl, by
Flower Alley. ($600,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL). O-Lawana & Robert
Low; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Todd A.
Pletcher. $31,810.
3–Hoist the Gold, 118, c, 3, Mineshaft–Tacit Approval, by Tapit.
($47,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Dream
Team One Racing Stable; B-Dream Team Racing (KY); T-Dallas
Stewart. $15,905.
Margins: HF, HD, 3 1/4. Odds: 0.90, 1.40, 30.70.
Also Ran: Tejano Twist, Burninhunkoflove, Overtaxed.

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Upstart’s Green Up Romps in Boiling Springs

Team Valor International's Green Up romped to an effortless victory in the Boiling Springs S. at Monmouth Park Sunday. The 3-2 shot was under a snug hold while setting fractions of :24.77 and :49.26 in a compact field of four. She skipped clear down the lane to score under wraps.

“My thought was just to go to the lead since she looked like the only speed in the race,” said winning jockey Paco Lopez. “Todd Pletcher told me to do whatever I felt comfortable doing. She jumped a little at the break and didn't break well, but I was able to get to the rail and make the lead pretty easily. I saw Joe Bravo [aboard runner-up Radio Days] pressing us at the three-eighths, but my filly had too much left. She was very strong after we were able to get away with a slow opening half and she just took off when [Radio Days] came to us. This is a very nice filly.”

Purchased privately by Team Valor following a runner-up debut effort at Churchill last May, Green Up was transferred to the barn of Todd Pletcher and returned to the races with a 6 3/4-length graduation at Gulfstream Mar. 13. Tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' for that maiden victory, she added a four-length victory in an Apr. 21 Hallandale allowance last time out.

“She just shipped in this morning from Saratoga,” said Pletcher assistant Anthony Sciametta. “That's where she has been working. She's a nice filly. Even if the field had stayed intact, she would have been very tough to beat. Todd will make the decision on whether she goes to the GIII Monmouth Oaks or not. She's very talented.”

Green Up is out of an unraced half-sister to the dam of GIII Philip H. Iselin S. winner Just Call Kenny (Jump Start). Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

BOILING SPRINGS S., $95,000, Monmouth, 7-3, 3yo, f, 1m 70y, 1:40.93, ft.
1–GREEN UP, 116, f, 3, by Upstart
                1st Dam: Green Punch, by Two Punch
                2nd Dam: Green Jeans, by Green Dancer
                3rd Dam: Duds, by Ack Ack
($10,000 Ylg '20 EASOCT). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Team Valor
International, LLC; B-Althea Richards (VA); T-Todd A. Pletcher;
J-Paco Lopez. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-1-0, $130,760.
2–Radio Days, 117, f, 3, Gun Runner–Remembered, by Sky
Mesa. ($750,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Joseph Allen LLC; B-Hinkle
Farms (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III. $20,000.
3–Captainsdaughter, 118, f, 3, Midshipman–Joan's Rose, by
Service Stripe. O/B-Ocean View Stable (NY); T-Russell J. Cash.
$10,000.
Margins: 5 3/4, 3, 2HF. Odds: 1.50, 0.40, 21.30.
Also Ran: Alittleloveandluck. Scratched: Gina Romantica, Love to Run, Morning Matcha.

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Life Is Good, Olympiad Headed for Whitney Clash

The connections of impressive Saturday graded stakes winners Life Is Good (Into Mischief) and Olympiad (Speightstown) reported Sunday that both horses came out of their efforts well and are likely headed for a star-studded matchup in the Aug. 6 GI Whitney S. at Saratoga.

Life Is Good, this year's GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. romper, bounced back from a fourth-place finish in the G1 Dubai World Cup with a dominant five-length score in Saturday's GII John Nerud S. at Belmont, earning a 112 Beyer, tied for the second-highest figure of 2022.

“He came back excellent,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “We felt confident that he had maintained his form based on the way he had trained, but it's nice to see him go over and live up to expectations.”

Also pointing to the $1-million Whitney, a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, is Saturday's GII Stephen Foster S. hero Olympiad (Speightstown). The Bill Mott-trained bay has surged to the upper echelon of the handicap division by going unbeaten in five starts this year, including four graded stakes, and earned a career-best 111 Beyer for his 2 1/4-length victory Saturday at Churchill.

“The goal is to get him a Grade I win,” Mott said Sunday. “We've always thought about running him in the Whitney. So I'd say that would be the next likely target.”

Pletcher said Life Is Good is ready for a potential clash with Olympiad, and added that it's possible his Foster runner-up Americanrevolution (Constitution) could contest the Whitney as well.

“Olympiad is on quite a streak himself and you'd always expect the Whitney to be a difficult race, but we're very pleased with the way that [Life Is Good] is doing,” the Hall of Fame trainer said.

Pletcher also reported that Charge It (Tapit) came out of his staggering 23-length rout in Saturday's GIII Dwyer S. at Belmont in good order and will point to the GI Travers S. Aug. 27 at the Spa. Charge It earned a 111 Beyer for Saturday's tour de force, easily the top number earned by a 3-year-old thus far in 2022.

“We thought he would run well, and you never think of one winning by that type of margin, but he's a colt that we've always been very high on and he's always trained like a horse that was capable of great things,” Pletcher said. “He's starting to get a bit more maturity and seasoning now and I still think there's room for improvement. [The Travers] is what we're thinking and that's the goal. We're very pleased with the way he ran and I feel like as he matures, he's trained like a horse that a mile and a quarter is within his range.”

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Ce Ce Romps in Princess Rooney Title Defense

Champion Ce Ce (Elusive Quality) successfully defended her title in Gulfstream's GII Princess Rooney S. Saturday and stamped her ticket to Keeneland in November to attempt another title defense in the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint S.

Heavily favored at 2-5 as the pure class of the field, Ce Ce broke alertly, but was content to track from a two-wide third as Make Mischief (Into Mischief) clicked off an opening quarter in :23.01 and half in :45.46. Charging up two wide to take control exiting the bend, the chestnut sailed clear effortlessly to win as she pleased by 6 1/2 lengths. Spirit Wind (Bahamian Squall) completed the exacta and Make Mischief held third.

“I got kind of lucky the outside horse cleared us and I just stocked the leaders. I didn't want to stay too far back today. I wanted to be close to the pace,” jockey Victor Espinoza said. “I didn't want them to sneak away from me, but at the three-eighths I asked her to go and she went on.”

“I told Victor to just bounce on out of there. I wasn't sure what the filly outside of us was going to do. When she ended up catching a flyer out of there, Victor was content to just let her go and sit outside the speed,” trainer Michael McCarthy said. “She did what I expected her to do. Obviously, it's never convenient when you ship all the way across the country, but it's a racetrack that she's fond of. The spacing of the race was great.”

Winner of the GI Apple Blossom H. back in 2020, Ce Ce followed last summer's Rooney win with a third in the GI Ballerina H. at Saratoga and a decisive score in the GIII Chillingsworth S. at Santa Anita in October. She was 6-1 when taking the Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint next out, clinching the Eclipse for top female sprinter. Kicking off this term with a second in the GII Santa Monica S. at Santa Anita Feb. 5, the chestnut beat next-out GI La Troienne S. one-two Pauline's Pearl (Tapit) and Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil)–who came back to win Saturday's GII Fleur de Lis S.–in the GII Azeri S. at Oaklawn Mar. 12. Ce Ce was third in this year's Apple Blossom Apr. 23 prior to this race.

Pedigree Notes:
Ce Ce is a half to MGSW & GISP sire Papa Clem (Smart Strike) and SP Magical Victory (Victory Gallop). She is also a full to SP Stradella Road. A daughter of MGISW Magical Maiden (Lord Avie), the winner's dam Miss Houdini's most recent foal is a 3-year-old colt named Native Thunder (American Pharoah). She was bred in all three years since, but failed to get in foal.

Saturday, Gulfstream
PRINCESS ROONEY INVITATIONAL S.-GII, $300,000, Gulfstream, 7-2, 3yo/up, f/m, 7f, 1:22.20, ft.
1–CE CE, 124, m, 6, by Elusive Quality
1st Dam: Miss Houdini (GISW, $187,600), by Belong to Me
2nd Dam: Magical Maiden, by Lord Avie
3rd Dam: Gils Magic, by Magesterial
O/B-Bo Hirsch LLC (KY); T-Michael W. McCarthy; J-Victor
Espinoza. $174,000. Lifetime Record: MGISW, 20-10-2-4,
$2,277,100. *1/2 to Papa Clem (Smart Strike), MGSW & GISP,
$1,121,190. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Werk Nick Rating: A.
2–Spirit Wind, 116, f, 3, Bahamian Squall–Sacred Psalm, by
Awesome of Course. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O/B-Jacks or
Better Farm Inc. (FL); T-Ralph E. Nicks. $58,000.
3–Make Mischief, 120, f, 4, Into Mischief–Speightful Lady, by
Speightstown. ($285,000 Ylg '19 SARAUG). O-Gary Barber;
B-Avanti Stable (NY); T-Mark E. Casse. $29,000.
Margins: 6HF, 1 1/4, 2 1/4. Odds: 0.40, 6.50, 5.00.
Also Ran: Corey, Glass Ceiling, Allworthy.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG..

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