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Alpine Princess Arrives Just in Time at Spa

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – In their first two starts, at Saratoga Race Course, horses owned by Full of Run Racing finished last and last. Sunday, members of the Louisville-based partnership posed for pictures in the winner's enclosure with the 2-year-old filly Alpine Princess (Classic Empire) they co-own with Madaket Stables.

A few minutes later, managing partner Dann Glick said he was starting to breath normally again.

In her second career start, a seven-furlong maiden special weight contest, Alpine Princesss made a wide late run under Manny Franco and scored by a head over Nikitis (Audible). Three-quarters of a length back in the charge to the wire was Caitlinhergreatness (Omaha Beach), who was a neck in front of Snow Dance (Commissioner), the early pacesetter.

“We expect a lot from this filly, but to win like that was fun,” Glick said. “She looked like she wants to go longer. We don't have sprinters. We look for horses that will go forward.”

That's what trainer Brad Cox sees in the bay out of the Curlin mare Le Moine. Cox said she is likely headed to a stakes in Kentucky this fall.

Full of Run Racing was formed in 2004 as a claiming outfit, Glick said. The current version, Full of Run Racing Too, which has 22 members, has a different approach, stocking the roster through sales.

“I needed to keep building and we built and we bought more 2-year-olds this year than we ever have. More yearlings and 2-year-olds,” Glick said.

The stable has eight horses in training, six with Cox, who it has worked with since 2012. Madaket came in as a partner after Full of Run acquired Alpine Princess for $190,000 at Keeneland September.

“Loved her from the start,” Glick said.

Alpine Princess was prepped by the races at the de Meric training center in Florida.

“They loved her. They said she was really straightforward,” Glick said. “We got her to Brad and his team and they right away said that she's good, that they liked her. Brad liked her enough to bring her up here. So we were tickled.”

Alpine Princess ended up third, beaten 9 1/2 lengths in her debut on July 23 at Saratoga.

“She ran OK. She didn't get away as well as we'd hoped,” Cox said. “She showed a lot this summer in her works at Churchill. That's why we brought her up here. She's been pretty steady since that first run. The goal was to get away a little better. She did. I think she really showed today with her race, coming off the turn as wide as she did and getting up late that she's asking for more ground based off her pedigree. We're excited about her moving forward.”

Alpine Princess reached the wire in 1:24.05 and paid $8.90 to win.

“We were obviously excited about her this summer to bring her up here,” Cox said. “They've got to show you something to put them on a van to bring them to Saratoga. Hoping she comes out in good order and we can move forward. We're going to look at a stakes next. Not sure which one, but we'll see.”

6th-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 9-3, 2yo, f, 7f, 1:24.05, ft, head.
ALPINE PRINCESS (f, 2, Classic Empire–Le Moine, by Curlin) raced greenly to be a well-beaten third in her six-furlong debut at Saratoga July 23. Sent off at 3-1, the bay filly rated off the pace behind fractions of :22.54 and :45.63. She ranged up six wide into the stretch and closed relentlessly down the lane to get up in the final jump to win by a head over Nikitis (Audible). Alpine Princess was a $190,000 KEESEP yearling. Le Moine, a half-sister to graded-placed Another Miracle (American Pharoah), has a yearling filly by Mitole and was bred to Game Winner this year. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-1, $70,350.
O-Full of Run Racing Two and Madaket Stables LLC; B-Betz/DJ Stables/Peter V. Lamantia/Classic Empire Syndicate (KY); T-Brad H. Cox.

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Saturday Runners Return Fine, Look To The Future

Three conditioners divided-up the five graded stakes races on Pacific Classic Day. Bob Baffert and Phil D'Amato won two each and Doug O'Neill grabbed the other one. It should come as no surprise to anyone that the three winning trainers top the trainer standings at Del Mar heading into Sunday's racing.

Bob Baffert was in the grandstand Sunday morning watching some of his horses work. Back at the barn, his Pacific Classic winner, Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo) was resting-up from his race; Baffert indicating the 'TDN Rising Star' came out of the race fine.

“That was a good race for him,” Baffert says. “He ran hard.”

Arabian Knight punched his ticket to the Breeders' Cup Classic with his wire-to-wire win Saturday and time will tell as to whether or not he'll run in a prep before the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita in November.

“We don't know what we're going to do there yet,” Baffert says. “We'll give him a couple weeks.”

Same could be said for his rival Geaux Rocket Ride (Candy Ride {Arg}), who came up a neck short. It was a winning effort and for that he got to sleep in.

“We haven't had him out of bed yet,” trainer Richard Mandella said Sunday morning, “but he looked good last night. I think he'll be all right.”

The third-place finisher in the Pacific Classic also came out of his race in good order. Trainer Doug O'Neill says Slow Down Andy (Nyquist) will be pointed to the Breeders' Cup but he did not mention a prep race.

O'Neill's assistant, Leandro Mora, was very proud of  Andy'.

“He just needs a little change in luck,” Mora says with a smile. “We need Baffert to go somewhere else. He sure can do those big races.”

On the East Coast, all was well with the runners from Saturday's GI Jockey Club Gold Cup. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said he was pleased with the effort from Bright Future (Curlin) and that he emerged from the race in good order.

“He looks excellent and came out of the race well,” said Pletcher. “Happy guy.”

Trainer Michael Stidham expressed a strong sense of pride in Godolphin's homebred Proxy (Tapit) who, despite lacking racing room down the backstretch, was able to launch a strong stretch drive to come up a nose shy of the victory.

“He certainly stamped himself in that top group to go to the Breeders' Cup,” Stidham said. “I would say right now, we're looking at just going straight to the Breeders' Cup.”

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Mendelssohn Filly Graduates at the Spa

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – A narrow loser in her debut on Aug. 6, Klaravich Stables's 2-year-old chestnut filly Weigh the Risks (Mendelssohn) showed grit again Sunday to break her maiden in the first race of the afternoon at Saratoga Race Course.

At the end of a nose-to-nose battle through the stretch with Appellate (Constitution), Weigh the Risks reached the wire first with the margin of victory listed as a head. Appellate's Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano claimed foul, alleging interference in the stretch of the 1 1/16 miles turf race, but after a lengthy review the stewards did not change the order of finish. Later Darling (More Than Ready) closed from six lengths back at the top of the stretch to finish third by a neck.

Progeny (Goldencents) and Appellate set the pace with splits of 24.53, 51.14 and 1:16.28. Weigh the Risks was three or four paths off the rail in the backstretch, but had clear running. She went after Appellate in the stretch and they came close to each other three times, which prompted the claim of foul by Castellano.

“She was quite wide in the race off a slow pace,” Brown said. “I'm not saying it was a dream trip, but she didn't have as much trouble.”

Weigh the Risks, the 3-5 favorite, reached the wire in 1:45.49. She paid $3.50 to win. Klaravich purchased Weigh the Risks for $205,000 at Fasig-Tipton October. She was bred by Porta Pai Stables.

“She had a rough trip first time out,” Brown said. “We've always thought a lot of her. An ugly, slow pace today, but she was able to grind it out against another filly who looks like

she's got a bright future. We were just lucky to get our nose down first.”

Weigh the Risks was leading trainer Brown's sixth 2-year-old maiden winner of the Saratoga meet. Five of them have been for Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables.

 

1st-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 9-3, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:45.49, fm, head.
WEIGH THE RISKS (f, 2, Mendelssohn–Beautiful Liar, by Candy Ride {Arg}) was favored in her career unveiling over this course and distance Aug. 6, closing from far off the pace to just get pegged a neck by Ozara (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). Sent off the 3-5 choice to get the job done this time, the chestnut settled into a stalking fifth behind the leading pair of Progeny (Goldencents) and Appellate (Constitution) through a sensible opening quarter in :24.53. Biding her time two wide down the backstretch, she took aim at the leaders from the four-path approaching the quarter pole. Straightening for home, Progeny began her retreat, while Appellate hung tough as Weigh the Risks reached even terms midstretch. With the leading pair seemingly alternating on the front end with each stride, it was the Chad Brown trainee that gained the narrow victory over Appellate at the wire. Arguably the best performance, however, was produced by Later Darling (More Than Ready), who closed like a freight train after a problematic run early on to finish third.  The winner, a half to Cheapskate Diva (Animal Kingdom), MSW, $188,040, is also half to a yearling filly by Protonico and a 2023 colt by Flameaway. Beautiful Liar, who sold for $23,000 carrying a Goldencents colt at Keeneland November in 2019, was bred back to Hard Spun this season. Sales History: $205,000 Ylg '22 FTKOCT. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $78,750.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuelTV.
O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Porta Pia Stables, LLC (KY); T-Chad C. Brown.

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Gold Phoenix Defends His DMR H. Title, On to Breeders’ Cup Turf

Gold Phoenix (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}) will get a second chance at the GI Breeders' Cup Turf. With a win in Del Mar's GII Del Mar H., the 5-year-old gelding earned a 'Win And You're In' spot in the gate for the November event. 10th behind Rebel's Romance (Dubawi {Ire}) in last year's rendition of the race, Gold Phoenix rebounded in 2023 with a pair of graded-stakes wins including a narrow victory in the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile S. to start his year March 23. Though he faltered in both the GII Charles Whittingham S. and the GI Shoemaker Mile S., he entered Saturday's spot off a win in the GII Eddie Read S. July 30.

Favored at 5-2 in a race he also won in similar fashion last year, Gold Phoenix broke smoothly from the outside and let the inside horses clear him, settling near the rear of the field as Azul Coast (Super Saver) and Crosby Beach (Gormley) handled the tempo. Comfortably at the back past the wire for the first time and into the backstretch, the favorite didn't begin to move until the group started to stack up around the far turn. Splitting horses past the quarter pole, he found a seam six wide into the stretch, dove through and still found more than enough to win despite a tardy lead change in the final yards.

“Plan A was to save ground,” said Juan Hernandez. “My horse relaxed really well today and was so patient. This time I go outside because I had a lot of horses in front of me. So I say I want to swing out and see if I can find something. If not I can go back inside. But I was able to find some space to come through, and after that he flew for home. He is getting better every race. Last time he was a little closer and he was able to keep up that space and able to win that race. I just have to wait and he loved the distance.”

Pedigree Note:

Gold Phoenix is the sole winner produced to date out of a full-sister to G1SW Sea Defence and MGSW Jibboom, herself the dam of GSW Flying Jib (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and GSP Accede (Into Mischief). Belardo (Ire), by Lope de Vega (Ire), stood at Darley's Kildangan Stud until last year before moving to Bearstone Stud in Shropshire for 2023. Magnifica foaled a full-brother to Saturday's winner last year and reported a filly by Lucky Vega (Ire) this spring.

Saturday, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club
DEL MAR H. PRESENTED BY THE JAPAN RACING ASSOCIATION-GII, $303,000, Del Mar, 9-2, 3yo/up, 1 3/8mT, 2:15.34, fm.
1–GOLD PHOENIX (IRE), 124, g, 5, by Belardo (Ire)
                1st Dam: Magnifica, by Mizzen Mast
                2nd Dam: Palisade, by Gone West
                3rd Dam: Peplum, by Nijinsky II
(€24,000 RNA Ylg '19 GOFSPT). O-Little Red Feather Racing, Sterling Stables, LLC and Marsha Naify; B-Mighty Universe Ltd (IRE); T-Philip D'Amato; J-Juan J. Hernandez. $180,000. Lifetime Record: GISW, 15-6-3-3, $1,017,757. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Nineeleventurbo, 118, g, 6, More Than Ready–Rosalie Road, by Street Cry (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($300,000 Wlg '17 KEENOV). O-Stepaside Farm, LLC; B-C.W. Swann & Wetherbee Holdings, Ltd. (KY); T-Neil D. Drysdale. $60,000.
3–Cash Equity (Fr), 120, g, 5, Toronado (Ire)–Funny Crazy (Fr), by Chichicastenango (Fr). 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. (€20,000 Ylg '19 AROYRG; €245,000 3yo '21 ARARC). O-Madaket Stables LLC, Michael Dubb and William Strauss; B-S.C.E.A. Des Prairies, Thomas Jeffroy & Benoit Jeffroy (FR); T-Philip D'Amato. $36,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, NO, NO. Odds: 2.50, 13.50, 10.70.
Also Ran: Missed the Cut, Planetario (Brz), Cathkin Peak (Ire), Offlee Naughty, None Above the Law, Win the Day, Crosby Beach, Azul Coast.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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