Tag: Top News

No Distaff But Xigera Still A Winner In Mother Goose

In just her second start on the dirt, Rigney Racing's Xigera (Nyquist) impressed her connections with a 6 1/4-length win in Churchill's Seneca Overnight S. Sept. 23. The effort was enough to prompt a Breeders' Cup discussion and the daughter of Nyquist was pre-entered in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff only to be withdrawn from consideration early week and rerouted to Saturday's GII Mother Goose S. The move proved to be a smart one as Xigera rewarded her connections with another open-length win at even money.

Switched to the main track after four-straight turf races dating back to a poor performance in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, the 3-year-old went off favored Saturday in her second attempt at a graded stake on the dirt (she was fourth in last year's GI Alcibiades). Out moved to the front by an eager Undervalued Asset (Speightstown), Xigera was content to sit a stalking trip in second into the backstretch. A length off that leader through a half mile in :48.46, Julien Leparoux kept his filly under wraps even as Defining Purpose (Cross Traffic) began to make an early bid alongside into the far turn. Sandwiched between runners with a quarter left to run, Xigera had plenty left to offer as the pacesetter faded to the inside and quickly moved clear inside the final sixteenth to win going away under a hand ride. Defining Purpose held on for second over a closing Occult (Into Mischief).

“The hindsight is the easiest sight, so now that it's done, it was the right decision [to come here rather than the Breeders' Cup],' said winning trainer Phil Bauer. “I'm overwhelmed. It's a pretty cool race historically. This year, as a whole, has just been phenomenal for Richard [Rigney, owner] and us, and to accomplish what we have is something special and we need to make sure we don't take it for granted. It was the right decision and hopefully, it will springboard her to a 4-year-old campaign that has been as impressive as her last two races.”

 

Pedigree Note:

Argent Affair, a stakes winner herself, RNA'd at last year's Keeneland November Breeding Stock sale for just $100,000 despite producing GSW Forty Under (Uncle Mo) along with GSP Myriskyaffair (Verrazano) and Saturday's winner. A $190,000 yearling, Xigera is one of 21 stakes winners from four racing crops for champion 2-year-old colt and GI Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist. Damsire Black Tie Affair (Ire), himself a Horse of the Year and GI Breeders' Cup Classic victor, also sired the dam. of MG1SW Mastercraftsman (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}). Xigera's only younger half-sibling is a weanling Street Boss filly. Argent Affair visited Mo Donegal for 2024.

Saturday, Belmont The Big A
MOTHER GOOSE S.-GII, $250,000, Belmont The Big A, 10-28, 3yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:48.99, ft.
1–XIGERA, 122, f, 3, by Nyquist
                1st Dam: Argent Affair (SW, $154,895),
                                by Black Tie Affair (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Caty's Quest, by Norquestor
                3rd Dam: Cataque, by Clever Trick
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($190,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP).
O-Rigney Racing, LLC; B-Cedar Hill, LLC (KY); T-Philip A. Bauer;
J-Julien R. Leparoux. $137,500. Lifetime Record: 9-5-1-1,
$576,601. *1/2 to Forty Under (Uncle Mo), GSW, $380,536;
1/2 to Myriskyaffair (Verrazano), GSP, $271,095. Werk Nick
Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Defining Purpose, 124, f, 3, Cross Traffic–Defining Hope, by
Strong Hope. ($14,000 RNA Ylg '21 KEEJAN). O-Katsumi
Yoshida; B-Colette Marie VanMatre (KY); T-Kenneth G.
McPeek. $50,000.
3–Occult, 124, f, 3, Into Mischief–Magical Feeling, by Empire
Maker. ($625,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Alpha Delta Stables, LLC;
B-Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Chad C. Brown.
$30,000.
Margins: 3HF, 3/4, 2 3/4. Odds: 1.05, 7.20, 2.00.
Also Ran: Julia Shining, Foggy Night, Undervalued Asset, Peak Popularity.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

The post No Distaff But Xigera Still A Winner In Mother Goose appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Practical Joke Filly Sparkles On Keeneland Debut

4th-Keeneland, $100,000, Msw, 10-28, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:10.65, ft, 7 3/4 lengths.
HOWL (f, 3, Practical Joke–How, by Indian Charlie) was crunched into 6-5 favoritism for a belated career debut and overcame a wide trip from the outside draw to open her account in impressive fashion. Not the swiftest away, the aptly named $190,000 Keeneland September yearling worked her way into the thick of things in quick order, but that sluggish dispatch meant that Howl was trapped out as they raced to the turn. Easing down into about the three path around the bend, the scopey dark bay was held together while cornering deep into the lane and turned it on in the final eighth of a mile to report home a powerful 7 3/4-length winner. How, who was RNAd for $90,000 with this filly in utero at Keeneland November in 2019, is also responsible for the 2-year-old filly Practitioner (Classic Empire) and a weanling filly by Good Magic. The mare was most recently bred to Drain the Clock. Howl is bred like this year's GIII Count Fleet Sprint H. winner Skelly, while the cross of Into Mischief over Indian Charlie has resulted in Grade I winner Dayoutoftheoffice and graded winner Frank's Rockette. Sales history: $190,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $56,575. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-LNJ Foxwoods; B-Fredrick Wieting, John McCormick & Bridget Sperl & Castle Park Farm LLC (KY); T-Brad H Cox.

 

The post Practical Joke Filly Sparkles On Keeneland Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Final Works Continue For Breeders’ Cup Weekend

Several horses pre-entered in next weekend's Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita turned in their final preparations Saturday morning.

At Keeneland, these horses each worked a half-mile over a fast track: Brightwork (Outwork) (Juvenile Fillies/Juvenile Turf Sprint) breezed in :47.80 (14/106) for trainer John Ortiz. Gina Romantica (Into Mischief) (FanDuel Mile/Maker's Mark Filly and Mare Turf) went in :47.20 (3/106) in company with Liguria (War Front) for trainer Chad Brown. And Proxy (Tapit) (Classic) worked in :48.40 (29/106) for trainer Mike Stidham.

Working on the turf course labeled good were: Arzak (Not This Time) (Turf Sprint) who covered three furlongs on :34.80 (1/1) for trainer Mike Trombetta and In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) (Filly and Mare Turf/Mile) who went five furlongs in 1:03.60 (2/2) for Chad Brown.

Trainer Brad Cox's Breeders' Cup contingent, all based at Churchill Downs, completed their final workouts Saturday.

The official times for each of Cox's runners were: A Mo Reay (Uncle Mo) (five furlongs, :59.40 {1/32}); Caravel (Mizzen Mast) (four furlongs, :51.60 {1/1}); Idiomatic (Curlin) (five furlongs, :59.60 {2/32}); Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile) (five furlongs, 1:00.80 {13/32}); Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming) (six furlongs, 1:12.20 {1/1}); Wet Paint (Blame) (five furlongs, 1:01 {17/32}); and Zozos (Munnings) (five furlongs, :59.80 {3/32}).

 

GI Breeders' Cup Classic contender Saudi Crown was among the first horses to work Saturday morning and breezed outside A Mo Reay.

“We put him on the inside last week with A Mo Reay and we put him on the outside this week,” Cox said. “I've loved what we've seen from him since the Pennsylvania Derby. A Mo Reay is a good work horse and he's gotten a lot out of his works. By the way he's doing now here in Kentucky, I'm confident he'll run a big race in the Classic.”

At Santa Anita, all five of Phil D'Amato's Breeders' Cup contenders worked Saturday including Desert Dawn (Cupid), who drilled five furlongs on the main track in :59.80 (9/39).

“It was a solid drill. I think we're Distaff bound,” D'Amato noted.

Motorious (Muhaarar {GB}), a contender for the GI Turf Sprint, cruised a half mile on the training track in :50.60 (15/18). D'Amato also worked Gold Phoenix (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}) (five furlongs 1:02 {10/14}) and Masteroffoxhounds (War Front) (five furlongs in 1:01 {4/14}).

The post Final Works Continue For Breeders’ Cup Weekend appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Geaux Rocket Ride Injured During Morning Work

GI Breeders' Cup Classic contender Geaux Rocket Ride (Candy Ride {Arg}) was pulled up during a routine morning work Saturday at Santa Anita. He was vanned off after being helped into the ambulance. The GI Haskell S. winner was breezing into the stretch under veteran jockey Mike Smith when the incident occurred.

An update from the Breeders' Cup read: “Geaux Rocket Ride sustained an open condylar fracture with intersesmoidian ligament damage to his right front leg during a workout this morning under Mike Smith, who was uninjured, dismounted, and tended to the horse. Geaux Rocket Ride was taken via equine ambulance to the Southern California Equine Foundation (SCEF) equine hospital at Santa Anita Park and has since been transferred to his barn to undergo additional evaluation and diagnostics to determine the appropriate course of action. Our thoughts, along with those of the entire racing community, are with trainer Richard Mandella, the Pin Oak Stud LLC team, and all those who care for him during this difficult time.

 

Leading up to the World Championships, the Breeders' Cup has been working closely with Santa Anita Park, the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB), and our veterinary team to ensure every Breeders' Cup runner is fit to race. The Breeders' Cup Veterinary Team also coordinated with regulatory and track veterinarians across the country to thoroughly review the veterinary records associated with all potential Breeders' Cup runners starting in early October. This expanded veterinary review protocol is designed to ensure, to the extent possible, every horse that made the trip to Santa Anita Park for the World Championships was sound to race and train. We have faith in these processes, which include expanded veterinary exam protocols, increased testing, 24-hour equine surveillance starting Tuesday, Oct. 31 for domestic runners and Sunday, Oct. 29 for international runners, and enhanced reporting requirements.

Safety always comes first, which is why Breeders' Cup and industry leaders like the CHRB and 1/ST Racing have been longtime advocates for the uniform safety and integrity reforms that eventually became part of HISA. We are constantly evaluating and updating our safety and screening measures so we can continue to provide the safest possible racing environment.”

 

The post Geaux Rocket Ride Injured During Morning Work appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights