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Tapit–Havre de Grace Colt Runs Away to Debut Score at Belmont

4th-Belmont, $90,000, Msw, 6-26, 3yo/up, 6 1/2f, 1:17.20, ft, 4 lengths.

SAINT TAPIT (c, 3, Tapit–Havre de Grace {Horse Of The Year, Ch. Older Mare, MGISW, $2,586,175}, by Saint Liam), the fifth foal to race out of 2011 Horse of the Year Havre de Grace, flashed potential that he might be her most talented foal to date with a convincing first-out success Sunday at Belmont. Showing an above average but not eye-popping worktab, capped by a half-mile gate breeze over this track in :48 4/5 (17/61) June 19, the homebred opened up chilly on the board, but took more and more money in the waning minutes before post time and broke as the narrow 19-10 second choice. Showing speed from the rail before getting shuffled a bit as frontrunning longshot Upper Level (Midnight Storm) cleared through a :23.07 quarter, the blaze-faced chestnut put increasing pressure on that rival around the turn and poked his head in front turning for home. Getting clear past midstretch, Saint Tapit was never threatened from there and hit the wire four lengths to the good. Golden Alchemist (Nyquist) won a tight photo for second. The winner is a full-brother to Graceful Princess, GSW, $264,474. Famously bought for $10 million by Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm at the 2012 Fasig-Tipton November Sale, Havre de Grace is responsible for a yearling colt by Justify. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $49,500. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

O-Whisper Hill Farm, LLC; B-Whisper Hill Farm, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.

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Tawny Port Whistles Home at Thistle

Saturday's GIII Ohio Derby–the lone graded event carded annually in the Buckeye State–attracted three runners who made their last start on the first Saturday in May beneath the Twin Spires in neighboring Kentucky. The trio, sent off the first, second and fourth wagering choices in the $500,000 test, would go on to combine for a trifecta that returned a chalky 14-1, as Peachtree Stable's 13-10 favorite Tawny Port (Pioneerof the Nile), a respectable seventh in the Derby, gathered up 3-2 second-elect White Abarrio (Race Day)–16th at Churchill–in the waning stages to take it by a length. Classic Causeway (Giant's Causeway), who outran odds of nearly 79-1 to be 11th in the Run for the Roses, boxed on gamely for third in his first run for the Ken McPeek barn.

Tawny Port broke without incident and was happy enough to sit back in the latter half of the field as longshot Pineapple Man (Gormley) and Classic Causeway led from White Abarrio, who appeared to be falling into yet another perfect trip. Classic Causeway, who displayed a bit of a rating gear, re-engaged and poked his head in front with about five furlongs to travel and galloped them along down the backstretch, as the chief protagonists bided their time a few lengths in arrears. White Abarrio was the first to come after the front-runner at the three-eighths marker and Tawny Port was also finding his best stride while forced to cover a bit of ground on the turn. White Abarrio poked his gray snout in front between rivals at the top of the lane, but Tawny Port was doing slightly the better work to the outside and grinded out the victory.

Two-for-two over the Turfway synthetic to start his career, Tawny Port was an even fifth behind Epicenter (Not This Time) in the GII Risen Star S. Feb. 19 before returning to the Florence oval to complete the exacta underneath Tiz the Bomb (Hit It a Bomb) in the Apr. 2 GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks. Backing up on just two weeks' rest in an attempt to pick up the necessary points for a Kentucky Derby bid, the dark bay scored a one-length success in the GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. at Keeneland. Drawn 18 of 20 in the Derby and sent off at 80.50-1–30 cents lower than the victorious Rich Strike (Keen Ice)–Tawny Port raced in the last third of the field for the opening three-quarters of a mile, came six wide for the drive and was beaten just under five lengths.

Pedigree Notes:

It has been a remarkable 2022 posthumously for Pioneerof the Nile, who passed away suddenly just over three years ago. Of course the sire of Triple Crown hero American Pharoah, Pioneerof the Nile has been represented by no fewer than nine black-type winners this season, including recent GI Acorn S. heroine Matareya, GII Summertime Oaks/GII Santa Ynez S. victress Under the Stars, GII TwinSpires Turf Sprint hero Arrest Me Red and Canoodling, winner of the GIII Megahertz S. and GIII Wilshire S. He is the sire of an additional 10 black-type performers this season alone.

Tawny Port is one of three winners from four to the races for his talented dam, a half-sister to Korean-based stakes winner and millionaire Clean Up Joy (Purge). Third dam Trust Greta bred eight winners from as many starters, including six-time GSW Surf Cat (Sir Cat) and GSW Rosie O'Greta (Fight Over). Livi Makenzie is the dam of a yearling filly by Always Dreaming from the same Empire Maker sire line as Tawny Port and foaled a colt by Global Campaign this past Apr. 25.

Saturday, Thistledown
OHIO DERBY-GIII, $500,000, Thistledown, 6-25, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:50.46, ft.
1–TAWNY PORT, 126, c, 3, by Pioneerof the Nile
1st Dam: Livi Makenzie (SW & MGSP, $354,069), by Macho Uno
2nd Dam: Greta's Joy, by Joyeux Danseur
3rd Dam: Trust Greta, by Centrust
($430,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Peachtree Stable; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr. $300,000. Lifetime Record: 7-4-1-0, $727,000. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–White Abarrio, 126, c, 3, Race Day–Catching Diamonds, by Into Mischief. ($7,500 Ylg '20 OBSWIN; $40,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR). O-C2 Racing Stable LLC & La Milagrosa Stable, LLC; B-Spendthrift Farm, LLC (KY); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.. $100,000.
3–Classic Causeway, 126, c, 3, Giant's Causeway–Private World, by Thunder Gulch. O-Kentucky West Racing LLC & Clarke M. Cooper; B-Kentucky West Racing LLC & Clarke M. Cooper Family Living Trust (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek. $50,000.
Margins: 1, 1 1/4, 5. Odds: 1.30, 1.50, 6.30.
Also Ran: Barese, Droppin G's, Ethereal Road, Pineapple Man. Scratched: Brigadier General. 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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Maclean’s Music’s Top of the Charts Lives Up to His Name With Rising Star Win

Top of the Charts (Maclean's Music) proved his impressive debut was no fluke with another good-looking score against winners at Churchill Downs Saturday. He wired a six-panel maiden special weight at this oval in his May 28 career bow, graduating by 2 3/4 lengths and earning an 87 Beyer Speed Figure. Gelded after that debut, the bay was the slight second choice at 9-5 ($1.90) behind another son of Maclean's Music named Favorite Outlaw ($1.80), who earned a whopping 95 Beyer Speed Figure for his second-out graduation at Oaklawn in January (click here for story).

The top two choices hustled right to the front and, when Favorite Outlaw insisted on leading the way, Top of the Charts settled right on his heels through a :22.87 opening quarter. The gelding turned up the heat on the pacesetter through a :45.96 half-mile and the two turned for home on even terms. Top of the Charts kicked it into high gear at the top of the lane, bounding clear for a four-length score.

Top of the Charts is the third 'TDN Rising Star' for his sire Maclean's Music. The winner's dam Tiz Ro is a half to two-time Grade I winner Jambalaya (Langfuhr) and SW Riley Ripasso (Johannesburg). The 12-year-old mare is also responsible for the juvenile colt Canboulay (Honor Code) and a yearling filly named Destiny Ro (Lookin At Lucky).

10th-Churchill Downs, $127,000, Alw, 6-25, (NW1X), 3yo/up,
6 1/2f, 1:15.56, ft, 4 lengths.
TOP OF THE CHARTS, g, 3, Maclean's Music
                1st Dam: Tiz Ro, by Hard Spun
                2nd Dam: Muskrat Suzie, by Vice Regent
                3rd Dam: Muskrat Love, by Muscovite
Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $142,880. Click for the Equibase.com chart, free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Raroma Stable; B-Rajendra Maharajh (KY); T-Brian A. Lynch.

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NYRA’s Caesars Turf Triple Leans Heavily on European Invites

The Caesars Turf Triple, the New York Racing Association (NYRA)'s series for 3-year-olds on the grass, will kick off July 9 at Belmont Park and may include a major European contingent. NYRA released the invitees Saturday for both the GI Caesars Belmont Derby Invitational, worth $1 million, and the $700,000 GI Belmont Oaks Invitational. Both the male and female divisions begin at the distance of 1 1/4 miles. Of the six races in the series–three each for colts and fillies–four were won last year by European-based trainers.

Aidan O'Brien, who took the 2021 Belmont Derby and Belmont Oaks with Bolshoi Ballet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), respectively, has Aikhal (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Stone Age (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) for the Derby and Concert Hall (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) for the Oaks this year. Joseph O'Brien, who saddled State of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) to capture the 2021 GI Saratoga Derby (second leg), secured an invitation for Agartha (Ire) (Caravaggio) for the Oaks. Charlie Appleby won the 2021 Jockey Club Derby (third leg) with Yibir (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and has Nations Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) for the Derby this year, as well as With The Moonlight (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) for the Oaks.

Other Europeans include Charlie Johnston with Royal Patronage (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) (Derby); Pia Brandt with Implementation (Constitution) (Derby) and Hot Queen (Fr) (Recorder {GB}) (Oaks); Fabrice Chappet with Machete (Fr) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) (Derby); and Francis-Henri Graffard with Know Thyself (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) (Oaks).

“It looks like the trip, track, and ground–all the conditions at Belmont–should suit him well,” said Johnston of Royal Patronage. “I'm looking forward to taking him out there.”

Many of the European-based trainers echoed Johnston's remarks regarding their own runners. All Europeans are expected to ship and arrive Friday, July 1.

A total of 26 horses combined for the two races have been invited, including contenders from the barns of Todd Pletcher, Shug McGaughey, Chad Brown, Mike Maker, Ken McPeek, Bob Hess, Christophe Clement, Brendan Walsh, and Graham Motion.

“You're going to encounter the best and that's why the series was designed,” said Pletcher on meeting top foreign-based horses on the track. “That's what you would expect in these big million-dollar races. It will be a challenge, I'm sure.”

The second legs of the Caesars Turf Triple are scheduled at Saratoga for Aug. 6 (GI Caesars Saratoga Derby) and Aug. 7 (GIII Saratoga Oaks) at 1 3/16 miles.

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