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Curlin’s Paris Lights Wins CCA Oaks Stretch Duel

Paris Lights (Curlin), an impressive winner of two straight at Churchill Downs, made her stakes debut a winning one with a ultra-game decision in Saturday’s GI Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga.

The 2-1 chance pressed runaway Bob Baffert-trained Santa Anita maiden winner Crystal Ball (Malibu Moon) from second through fractions of :24.43 and :47.82, and turned up the pressure as they hit the quarter pole.

Paris Lights and Crystal Ball, both owned by WinStar Stablemates Racing, turned for home on even terms, and after a dramatic stretch duel, it was the former who got there by a head.

It was another 4 3/4 lengths back to Antoinette (Hard Spun) in third. Favored Tonalist’s Shape (Tonalist) was checked hard on the clubhouse turn, and after getting rank early, never factored in fourth.

A debut third sprinting in the Gulfstream slop Apr. 26, Paris Lights romped by 6 3/4 lengths while making her two-turn debut in Louisville May 31, then impressively added a first-level allowance there June 27.

After losing a pulsating stretch duel in this race with Elate at the hands of Baffert and Abel Tasman three years ago, it was Hall of Famer Bill Mott who came out on top this time.

“They both fought hard,” Mott said. “Our filly was the best one today and I was very proud of her. She’s won her last three. She didn’t draw away by 10 [lengths], so you’re not going to call her Ruffian just yet, but I’d say she’s a pretty accomplished filly for the lack of seasoning. She’s gained our confidence that she has some grit and she has some quality.”

As for Paris Lights returning in the GI Alabama S. Aug. 15, Mott said, “I don’t see any reason we wouldn’t make that her potential goal. We’ve been lucky enough to win it a couple of times and naturally, I’d like to try it again.”

Saturday, Saratoga Racecourse
COACHING CLUB AMERICAN OAKS-GI, $339,500, Saratoga, 7-18, 3yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:50.81, ft.
1–PARIS LIGHTS, 121, f, 3, by Curlin
                1st Dam: Paris Bikini, by Bernardini
                2nd Dam: Lacadena, by Fasliyev
                3rd Dam: Butterfly Blue (Ire), by Sadler’s Wells
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
WIN. ($200,000 RNA Ylg ’18 KEESEP). O-WinStar Stablemates
Racing LLC; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Tyler
Gaffalione. $192,500. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-1, $287,912.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
   Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*.
2–Crystal Ball, 121, f, 3, by Malibu Moon
                1st Dam: Deja Vu, by Giant’s Causeway
                2nd Dam: Sassy Pants, by Saratoga Six
                3rd Dam: Special Portion, by Czaravich
($335,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP; $750,000 2yo ’19 FTFMAR).
O-WinStar Stablemates Racing LLC; B-Peter E. Blum
Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $70,000.
3–Antoinette, 121, f, 3, by Hard Spun
                1st Dam: Shuruq, by Elusive Quality
                2nd Dam: Miss Lucifer (Fr), by Noverre
                3rd Dam: Devil’s Imp (Ire), by Cadeaux Genereux (GB)
O-Godolphin, LLC; B-Godolphin (KY); T-William I. Mott.
$42,000.
Margins: HD, 4 3/4, 7. Odds: 2.00, 4.30, 5.00.
Also Ran: Tonalist’s Shape, Velvet Crush. Scratched: Altaf.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

Pedigree Notes:
Curlin made it two graded winners on Saturday when Paris Lights captured the GI Coaching Club American Oaks approximately 90 minutes after Global Campaign added the GIII Monmouth Cup S. to his tally. Paris Lights and Global Campaign are bred similarly as Paris Lights is out of a Bernardini mare and Global Campaign is out of an A.P. Indy mare (A.P. Indy is, of course, Bernardini’s sire). With champions Vino Rosso, Good Magic, Stellar Wind, and 29 other graded winners to his credit, plus 67 black-type winners, Hill ‘n’ Dale’s Curlin is frequently among the leading sires. Paris Lights is the third of his daughters to make a splash in the Coaching Club American Oaks, with Curalina taking the race in 2015 and Point of Honor finishing second last year. Like Paris Lights, Point of Honor is also out of a Bernardini mare, making it 38 stakes winners out of his daughters. Paris Lights is the first foal out of her dam, who also has the unplaced 2-year-old colt Cousteau (Into Mischief), a yearling filly by Distorted Humor, and a colt born this year by Always Dreaming. She hails from the exquisite extended family of blue hen Blush With Pride (Blushing Groom {Fr}), who is her fourth dam.

The post Curlin’s Paris Lights Wins CCA Oaks Stretch Duel appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Authentic Hangs on to Give Baffert Ninth Haskell

Heavily favored Authentic (Into Mischief) got surprisingly loose early and held on narrowly late in Saturday’s GI TVG.com Haskell S., upping trainer Bob Baffert’s record win total in the prestigious event to nine and earning an automatic spot in the starting gate for the GI Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic. Off at 3-5 looking to atone for a second-place finish at 1-2 behind Honor A. P. (Honor Code) in the GI Santa Anita Derby last month, the bay broke on top and received only token pressure from Ny Traffic (Cross Traffic) as he was kept off the rail a bit by Hall of Famer Mike Smith through splits of :23.60 and :47.52. He appeared to be going much better than Ny Traffic through six furlongs in 1:11.50, and put several lengths on his pursuer in upper stretch as hard-ridden second choice Dr Post (Quality Road) tried to mount a rally. The top three seemed locked in their positions at midstretch, but Paco Lopez aboard Ny Traffic wasn’t giving up on the top spot yet, and he kept after his mount to get into a tight photo with Authentic.

“He’s a colt with an abundance of talent. Ability is something he does not lack. He’s got a lot of it,” said winning rider Mike Smith, who was celebrating his third Haskell (Holly Bull, 1994; Coronado’s Quest, 1998). “But what he is lacking right now, he’s learning, He’s growing up. He sees things. Down the backside… there are a lot of shadows back there from the sun at this point. He looked at every single one of them and he wouldn’t let me get him down close to the fence because he was looking at them too much.

“Then he kicked away like I wanted him to heading for home. Once that horse started to come at him I wanted to get into him a little bit just to get him going. If he was going to start playing again I thought `I just better stay riding and hope he could hang on at that point’–which he did. I rode him well past the wire just to show him to keep running. I didn’t want him to think it was over when he hit the wire.”

Saturday, Monmouth Park
TVG.COM HASKELL S.-GI, $1,005,000, Monmouth, 7-18, 3yo,
1 1/8m, 1:50.45, ft.
1–AUTHENTIC, 122, c, 3, by Into Mischief
                1st Dam: Flawless, by Mr. Greeley
                2nd Dam: Oyster Baby, by Wild Again
                3rd Dam: Really Fancy, by In Reality
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($350,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP). O-Spendthrift
Farm LLC, MyRaceHorse Stable, Madaket Stables LLC &
Starlight Racing; B-Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY);
T-Bob Baffert; J-Mike E. Smith. $600,000. Lifetime Record:
5-4-1-0, $1,011,200. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*.
   Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Ny Traffic, 122, c, 3, Cross Traffic–Mamie Reilly, by Graeme
Hall. ($27,000 RNA 2yo ’19 EASMAY). O-John Fanelli, Cash is
King LLC, LC Racing & Paul Braverman; B-Brian Culnan (NY);
T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.. $200,000.
3–Dr Post, 122, c, 3, Quality Road–Mary Delaney, by Hennessy.
($200,000 Wlg ’17 KEENOV; $400,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP). O-St.
Elias Stable; B-Cloyce C Clark (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.
$100,000.
Margins: NO, 4HF, 3 1/4. Odds: 0.60, 5.70, 1.80.
Also Ran: Jesus’ Team, Fame to Famous, Lebda, Ancient Warrior.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

Authentic was a first-out winner at Del Mar last November, and was shelved after defeating stablemate Azul Coast (Super Saver) by 7 3/4 lengths in the GIII Sham S. at Santa Anita in January. He resurfaced to defeat Honor A. P. handily in the GII San Felipe S. in Arcadia Mar. 7, but still seemed at that point to be third on Baffert’s depth chart behind ‘TDN Rising Stars’ Nadal (Blame) and Charlatan (Speightstown). Those two each crossed the wire first in divisions of the GI Arkansas Derby in May, but the former was subsequently retired and the latter sidelined. Charlatan was disqualified from his win and Baffert suspended 15 days earlier this week for lidocaine positives (click for more). B. Wayne Hughes’s Spendthrift Farm acquired a majority interest in Authentic when buying the equity owned by SF Racing, Fred Hertrich, John Fielding and Golconda Stables days before the June 6 Santa Anita Derby, and micro-share syndicate MyRacehorse.com got in on the colt after his slow start and pace-pressing second in that event.

“I’m just so proud of him, but I was like everybody else telling Mike, ‘You better stay after him. You’d better keep busy,'” said Baffert from California. “[Authentic] looks at everything, as we’ve seen in his past races. I could tell he wasn’t focused going down the stretch but he held on. He saw that horse coming to him and he took off again.

“[Assistant Jimmy Barnes] said he came back not really that tired. We’re learning about the horse. He might need a little blinker, though. He was playing in the stretch. I had told Mike that he had to stay after him and keep him busy. I could tell he wasn’t laying it down. He was just playing out there and that horse came to him and kept him going. But when he got [out on an easy lead] by himself like that I thought for sure he was just going to go on. But he ran a great race.”

Authentic now sits behind only Tiz the Law for GI Kentucky Derby qualifying points with 200. Ny Traffic is fourth with 110.

“I thought he ran good,” said the runner-up’s trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. “Coming into this race he missed a work and I was a little concerned–did we have enough? At the quarter pole you could see Authentic was cruising and my horse was off the bridle. To dig down and dig deep you can’t be more proud of that. I was pretty sure we lost when I first saw it. We were a head in front right after the bob at the wire. I just want to keep going forward. That’s the important thing. Hopefully all goes well to the Kentucky Derby and we’re living the dream.”

Pedigree Notes:

Authentic is the first member of his direct female family to add blacktype in 35 years. His third dam, Arkansas-bred Really Fancy, captured the GIII Anoakia S. in 1985, but the family has been dormant in stakes company ever since. Peter E. Blum acquired second dam Oyster Baby and bred Authentic’s dam Flawless, a $285,000 Keeneland September yearling RNA and two-time winner, out of her. Flawless, by Mr. Greeley whose 76 stakes winners out of his daughters include champion Ria Antonia (Rockport Harbor), produced two winners from two runners before Authentic and had colts in 2018 and 2019 by Bodemeister named Mint and Push Button, respectively. If Authentic’s dam side has been quiet in recent years, his sire line certainly has not as Into Mischief is currently the leading sire in the nation. His 73 career blacktype winners, 30 of which are graded, include 2019 dual champion Covfefe and a remarkable 18 stakes winners of 2020, which is 10 more than his nearest pursuers. His 2-year-old daughters made up the exacta in Thursday’s GIII Schuylerville S. at Saratoga.

The post Authentic Hangs on to Give Baffert Ninth Haskell appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Another Maker Claim Makes the Grade in UN

Mike Maker’s incredible success with turning claimers into graded winners on the turf is well documented, but that didn’t stop Aquaphobia from getting lost on the board and upending Saturday’s GI United Nations S. at 10-1 off a 9-2 morning line. Taken for $62,500 out of a fourth-place run at Gulfstream Jan. 26 for Drawing Away Stable and Robert Falcone, Jr., the bay immediately began repaying his new connections’ investment when he bested future stablemate and fellow UN competitor Muggsamatic (Any Given Saturday) in a Gulfstream starter stakes race Feb. 17. Fourth in the GII Muniz Memorial Classic S. at Fair Grounds Mar. 21, he was second in a listed event back at Gulfstream May 9 and most recently checked in a close fourth in the GII Wise Dan S. at Churchill June 20.

Aquaphobia settled into a ground-saving third as Paret cruised along through splits of :24.50, :48.90, 1:14.41 and 1:38.48. He looked loaded heading for home but was stuck in the pocket behind Paret and inside the coming-on Corelli. Rider Joe Bravo got busy on Aquaphobia in upper stretch, pushed him through a tight seam midway down the lane and that was that.

“Joe Bravo rode him beautifully,” Maker said. “We had a lot of confidence in the horse coming in and he didn’t let us down. He’s run a mile and quarter in the past in he was successful but he hasn’t had the opportunity to go that long or longer again. We felt this horse was better than we were getting out of him. I think the distance was the reason. He’d been training dynamite, so I was optimistic. Coming out of his last race, the Wise Dan, I thought that was a good race. He was beaten less than two lengths. So it looked like he was getting back to where we think he can be. He’s a classy, sound horse who makes it easy.”

Maker and co-owner Paradise Farms Corp. took the GII Pan American S. in March with $30,000 claim Bemma’s Boy (Into Mischief), who bested Maker trainee, former claimer (not by Maker) and GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational S. Presented by Runhappy hero Zulu Alpha (Street Cry {Ire}). Zulu Alpha took last Sunday’s GII TVG Elkhorn S. at Keeneland.

Saturday, Monmouth Park
UNITED NATIONS S.-GI, $315,000, Monmouth, 7-18, 3yo/up, 1 3/8mT, 2:12.63, fm.
1–AQUAPHOBIA, 125, h, 7, by Giant’s Causeway
1st Dam: Pussycat Doll (MGISW, $797,183), by Real Quiet
2nd Dam: Hookedonthefeelin, by Citidancer
3rd Dam: Prospective Joy, by Allen’s Prospect
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. O-Paradise
Farms Corp, David Staudacher, Hooties Racing LLC & Skychai
Racing, LLC; B-M Roy Jackson (KY); T-Michael J Maker; J-Joe
Bravo. $180,000. Lifetime Record: 36-9-6-6, $647,361. Click
for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: C+.
2–Paret (Aus), 125, g, 6, Harbour Watch (Ire)–Enduja (Aus), by
Encosta de Lago (Aus). (110,000 Ylg ’16 MMLJAN). O-Matthew
Schera & Orangella Racing Stable; B-Qatar Bloodstock (Vic);
T-James L Lawrence, II. $60,000.
3–Corelli, 121, g, 5, Point of Entry–Vignette, by Diesis (GB).
O-Augustin Stable; B-George Strawbridge (KY); T-Jonathan
Thomas. $30,000.
Margins: 1, HF, 3 3/4. Odds: 10.70, 10.50, 6.30.
Also Ran: Arklow, Muggsamatic, Current, Standard Deviation, Eve’s Medal, O Dionysus. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

Pedigree Notes:
Aquaphobia became the third consecutive generation on his dam’s side to add a Grade I victory to his name. Dam Pussycat Doll took down a trio of Grade Is in the mid-2000s and granddam Hookedonthefeelin won the GI La Brea S. in 1999 (which was later one of the races won by Pussycat Doll in 2005). In addition to Pussycat Doll, Hookedonthefeelin also produced 2012 GI Malibu S. winner Jimmy Creed (Distorted Humor). Both mares were also stellar in the sales ring, with Pussycat Doll bringing $2.3 million at the 2007 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November sale and Hookedonthefeelin bringing $2.9 million at the same sale in 2006. Aquaphobia is by Giant’s Causeway, a star on the track and in the breeding shed, and is one of 192 black-type winners–114 graded–by the late sire. He’s also one of 11 stakes winners out of mares by Real Quiet, including half-sister and listed English winner Forever Popular (Dynaformer). Pussycat Doll’s last reported foal is a juvenile colt by Uncle Mo.

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Decorated Invader Continues Perfect Season in Hall of Fame

The uber-talented Decorated Invader returned to the scene of his graduation last summer to earn his third graded victory from as many tries this season. He was reined in to sit second as Get Smokin zipped to the front and opened up a double-digit advantage. The favorite began to creep closer after six panels in 1:13.52, and looked to have the frontrunner in his sights as they straightened for home. Get Smokin wasn’t done yet, and offered up some resistance to midstretch, but Decorated Invader found more in reserves and edged away as previously two-for-two Chad Brown trainee Domestic Spending finished fast to just miss second.

“When I got to the horse on the lead [Get Smokin] turning for home, he kept running a little bit,” said rider Joel Rosario, who took over on Decorated Invader at the beginning of the year. “He had been all alone on the lead but I could feel I had a lot of horse underneath me and he was moving much the best.

“I thought I would be a little closer, but the other horse was off the rail and in the middle of the track. I followed him for a little bit. but I ended up letting my horse be comfortable. I took my time and made my move when it was the right time to move.”

A convincing second-out winner last August, the bay handled yielding turf just fine to take Woodbine’s GI Summer S. Sept. 15. Well supported at 3-1 for the Nov. 1 GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita, he was shuffled back down the backside and then came with a sweeping, very wide rally to be fourth. Decorate Invader resurfaced to defeat a group that included Get Smokin in Gulfstream’s Mar. 28 Cutler Bay S., and dominated his five foes in the GII Pennine Ridge S. at Belmont June 20.

“He’s a top-class horse and has been since Day One for me,” said trainer Christophe Clement, who unveiled impressive ‘TDN Rising Star‘-earning juvenile Momos (Distorted Humor) earlier on the card. “I love him. I love the way he trains. I love the way he races. It’s a different scenario every time we run him, but the final outcome is the same. That’s what good horses do, they win. They win more often than the others.”

Clement said the $500,000 Saratoga Derby Aug. 15 could be up next for Decorated Invader: “That is one of the targets. We’ll have to see how he comes out of this and see how he trains, but that’s a logical spot at the moment.”

Saturday, Saratoga
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF RACING HALL OF FAME S.-GII, $145,500, Saratoga, 7-18, 3yo, 1 1/8mT, 1:49.29, fm.
1–DECORATED INVADER, 124, c, 3, by Declaration of War
1st Dam: Gamely Girl, by Arch
2nd Dam: Helstra, by Nureyev
3rd Dam: Hail Atlantis, by Seattle Slew
($200,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP). O-West Point Thoroughbreds, William T Freeman, William Sandbrook & Cheryl Manning; B-Redmon Farm LLC (KY); T-Christophe Clement; J-Joel Rosario. $82,500. Lifetime Record: GISW, 7-5-1-0, $453,035. *1/2 to Jubliant Girl (Henrythenavigator), SW, $107,067. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ * Triple Plus*.
2–Get Smokin, 120, g, 3, Get Stormy–Hookah Lady, by Smoke Glacken. ($11,000 Ylg ’18 FTKOCT). O-Mary Abeel Sullivan Revocable Trust; B-Hurstland Farm Inc & James Greene Jr (KY); T-Thomas M. Bush. $30,000.
3–Domestic Spending (GB), 120, g, 3, Kingman (GB)–Urban Castle, by Street Cry (Ire). (300,000gns Ylg ’18 TATOCT). O-Klaravich Stables Inc; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Limited (GB); T-Chad C Brown. $18,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, NO, 3/4. Odds: 0.40, 8.60, 2.60.
Also Ran: Moon Over Miami, Ever Dangerous. Scratched: Gufo, Money Moves. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

Pedigree Notes:
Decorated Invader is one of 27 stakes winners and 16 graded winners for his expatriated sire Declaration of War–his stablemate Gufo, who was scratched from this race, became number 27 after taking Delaware’s GIII Kent S. July 4. Decorated Invader’s dam Gamely Girl had a Violence colt in 2019, who died, and a Distorted Humor filly this term. She was bred back to Declaration of War’s sire War Front for 2021. The winner hails from the family of SW and good turf sire Stormy Atlantic (Storm Cat) and Grade I winner Bandini (Fusaichi Pegasus).

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