Maltese Falcon Spies Graded Prize In La Jolla Win

A six-start maiden, Maltese Falcon (Ire) (Caravaggio) was nevertheless dispatched as the public's choice for Sunday's GIII La Jolla H. and duly obliged with a perfect-trip graduation.

Neatly drawn in stall three in a field of eight in this final prep for the GII Del Mar Derby, the 105,000gns Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training purchase found a good spot at the fence right on the back of a sedate tempo set jointly by Agency (Bolt d'Oro) and Justin's Legacy (Justify). Juan Hernandez was content to allow Maltese Falcon to bide his time on the leaders' tails and opted to ride his mount for luck, hoping that a rails run would materialize. That roll of the dice ultimately paid off, as Maltese Falcon slipped through underneath the pace-advantaged Agency at midstretch and went on to prevail. Former Jessica Harrington trainee Panic Alarm (Ire) (Kuroshio {Aus}) was conversely done no favors by the lack of speed and kicked hard to be second in a solid U.S. debut for the Hronis Racing team.

Maltese Falcon was second in a Redcar novice over seven furlongs last Oct. 1 for trainer Rebecca Menzies and found himself at Tattersalls three weeks hence for the Autumn Horses In Training Sale, where he was the least costly of three purchases by Jed Cohen's Red Baron's Barn and son Tim Cohen's Rancho Temescal. The team also paid a sales-topping 850,000gns for I'm A Gambler (Ire) (No Nay Never)–a close third in the Wickerr S. at Del Mar July 23–and 260,000gns for Bellstreet Bridie (GB) (Sir Percy {GB}), who won last year's GIII Red Carpet H. straight off the plane last fall.

Things hadn't gone as swimmingly with Maltese Falcon, who sandwiched a third between a pair of fourth-place efforts at Santa Anita last winter before getting a freshen-up. A troubled third in a May 29 maiden, he backed up on short rest to finish runner-up in the June 11 Cinema S. going a mile and a quarter, an effort good enough to be the pari-mutuel darling Sunday afternoon.

“[Trainer] Leonard Powell told me this horse has a really good kick at the end,” the winning jockey commented. “I was really patient with him. My horse he wanted to run around the three-eighths, but I didn't have space to come through, so I decided to stay the longest I can. Finally around the eighth pole I got lucky because the rail opened for me. He was really brave today.”

Pedigree Notes:

Maltese Falcon is the 14th worldwide stakes winner and 10th group/graded winner for Caravaggio, who last year was sold to continue his stud career at Shizunai Stallion Station in Japan. Produced by a stakes-placed full-sister to Group 3-placed Pandora (Ire) and the multiple listed-placed Allegio (Ire), Maltese Falcon has a 2-year-old full-brother, a yearling half-sister by Mastercraftsman (Ire) and a weanling half-brother by Lope de Vega (Ire).

Sunday, Del Mar
LA JOLLA H.-GIII, $151,500, Del Mar, 8-6, 3yo, 1 1/16mT, 1:44.20, fm.
1–MALTESE FALCON (IRE), 118, g, 3, by Caravaggio
                1st Dam: Isabella (Ire) (SP-Eng), by Galileo (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Song of My Heart (Ire), by Footstepsinthesand (GB)
                3rd Dam: Catch The Moon (Ire), by Peintre Celebre
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. (105,000gns 2yo '22 TATAHI). O-Red Baron's Barn LLC and Rancho Temescal LLC; B-Sir Robert Ogden (IRE); T-Leonard Powell; J-Juan J. Hernandez. $90,000. Lifetime Record: 7-1-2-2, $135,948. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Panic Alarm (Ire), 120, g, 3, Kuroshio (Aus)–Thraya Queen (GB), by Shamardal. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. (12,000gns Wlg '20 TATFOA; £18,000 Ylg '21 TATIRY). O-Hronis Racing LLC; B-McCracken Farms (IRE); T-John W. Sadler. $30,000.
3–Agency, 120, c, 3, Bolt d'Oro–Queen of May, by Bernardini. ($100,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $400,000 2yo '22 OBSMAR). O-Muir Hut Stables, LLC; B-Twin Creeks Farm (KY); T-Mark Glatt. $18,000.
Margins: 1, NO, HD. Odds: 3.20, 6.40, 7.50.
Also Ran: Justin's Legacy, Kid Azteca, Henry Q, Smart Mo, Zalamo (Fr).
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Red Route One Rolls Home In the West Virginia Derby

Sent off the third betting choice at just shy of 4-1, Red Route One (Gun Runner) sustained a run for the better part of the final five furlongs and shot past the dueling pacesetters to give his owner Winchell Thoroughbreds a third win and trainer Steve Asmussen a sixth success in the GIII West Virginia Derby.

Outrun early, the homebred was third-last to make the first turn as Iowa Derby first-past-the-post One In Vermillion (Army Mule) and West Coast Cowboy (West Coast)–fifth in Altoona–eyeballed one another through honest splits. Red Route One began to make progress as he weaved his way through at the midway stage and was up into sixth, but still a good 10 lengths off the leaders as they hit the second turn. Going clearly the best of them nearing the stretch, though with several lengths to find, Red Route One was thrown onto his correct lead by Cristian Torres in the vicinity of the eighth pole and inhaled the front-runners shortly thereafter before kicking clear to score by daylight.

Runner-up in the GIII Southwest S. and again in the GII Rebel S., both sloppy-track affairs at his winter base at Oaklawn, Red Route One was left with too much to do in the GI Arkansas Derby and could do no better than a well-beaten sixth to Angel of Empire (Classic Empire). Winner of the Apr. 22 Bath House Row S. after failing to make the cut for the GI Kentucky Derby, Red Route One was a sound fourth to National Treasure (Quality Road) in the GI Preakness S. May 20 and was eased home a distant eighth when last seen in the GI Belmont S. June 10.

Pedigree Notes:

The 13th graded winner for his Three Chimneys-based stallion, Red Route One is out of an unraced daughter of Grade II winner Fun House, the dam of 2014 Eclipse champion 3-year-old filly and five-times Grade I winner Untapable, whose two most recent foals are Gun Runner colts of 2021 and 2023. Fun House also dropped GISW Paddy O'Prado (El Prado {Ire}) and the dam of GSW Majestic Eagle (Medaglia d'Oro). The deeper family includes Winchell standouts Olympio, Call Now and Early Flyer.

It comes as little surprise that the cross of Gun Runner over Tapit has proved fruitful, having accounted for the likes of GISW Society and other graded scorers Wicked Halo and Disarm. Another half-dozen of Gun Runner's black-type winners descend from other A.P. Indy-line sires. Red House sadly passed away at just five years of age in 2020.

Sunday, Mountaineer Casino & Resort
WEST VIRGINIA DERBY-GIII, $500,000, Mountaineer Casino & Resort, 8-6, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:49.49, gd.
1–RED ROUTE ONE, 118, c, 3, by Gun Runner
                1st Dam: Red House, by Tapit
                2nd Dam: Fun House, by Prized
                3rd Dam: Bistra, by Classic Go Go
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC
(KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-Cristian A. Torres. $297,500.
Lifetime Record: GISP, 12-3-2-1, $1,045,025. *Full to Red Run,
SW & GSP, $385,598. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–West Coast Cowboy, 118, c, 3, West Coast–Coco's Sweetie,
by Tenpins. ($35,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $170,000 2yo '22
OBSAPR). O-Gentry Farms (A.P. Gentry); B-Gary & Mary West
Stables Inc. (KY); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. $100,000.
3–One in Vermillion, 118, c, 3, Army Mule–Given Star, by
Any Given Saturday. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($26,000 Ylg
'21 ARZNOV). O-Jonathan Kalman; B-Richard Barton
Enterprises (CA); T-Esteban Martinez. $50,000.
Margins: 3, HD, 3HF. Odds: 3.90, 7.50, 3.30.
Also Ran: Raise Cain, Groveland, Lord Miles, Timesatappin, Knockout Guy, Looka Looka, Fartlek. Scratched: Dreaming of Kona, My Man Biggie, Russian Hammer, Tapit's Conquest.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/race-replays/0/202202261821OPM11/

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Arcangelo Gets Serious In Travers Work

Blue Rose Farm's GI Belmont S. hero Arcangelo (Arrogate) tuned up for the Aug. 26 GI Travers S. with a five-furlong breeze over the Saratoga main track that was timed in 1:00.21 Sunday morning.

The gray colt was accompanied to the track by trainer Jena Antonucci on horseback and was put through his paces by Javier Castellano. Arcangelo galloped out a full half-mile after completing his move and was clocked in 1:26 1/5 for seven furlongs, 1:39 for the mile and out nine panels in 1:53.

“It was a little more serious work,” said Castellano, who faces a decision whether to stick with Arcangelo or return to Mage (Good Magic), aboard whom he won his first GI Kentucky Derby. “I usually hold him together. Today, I let him stretch out a little bit. I like the way he did it today–good fractions and a good move. The best thing for him is galloping out–he reaches out longer.

The reinsman continued, “In the turn, I asked a little bit and he took off. I just dropped my hands and let him roll. The boss wanted me to put on a good show today. I had been holding and keeping him fresh, but we are in a stage to make it serious because we are facing the best 3-year-olds in the country. You have to put a good foundation in and I think he does.”

According to Antonucci, Arcangelo wanted to do more after nearly linking up with another breezer on his gallop out.

“He swapped leads and went to go again,” said Antonucci, with a laugh. “That's a good quality for a horse to have. We finally got him pulled up over the three-eighths pole. He was kind of pleased with himself.

“He's happy and he loves it and he's enjoying it,” Antonucci added. “What better gift could I have?”

 

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Julias Dream Gives Flameaway His First ‘TDN Rising Star’ At Del Mar

Set for a debut at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club on Sunday afternoon, Julias Dream (Flameaway) gave her freshman sire something to cheer about as she came home a newly-minted 'TDN Rising Star'.

Taking to the grass, the chestnut filly at 6-1 odds shot to the lead up the backstretch and held sway around the far turn. Into the stretch, Julias Dream went on comfortably to win by 5 1/2 lengths and stop the clock at :56.97 over fellow first timer Avoir (More Than Ready).

The winner's dam is a half-sister to GISP Abby Girl (Meadowlake), She also produced a yearling colt by Air Force Blue and she was bred to Blueblood for next year. This is Flameaway's eighth winner and his first 'Rising Star'.

1st-Del Mar, $84,500, Msw, 8-6, 2yo, f, 5fT, :56.97, fm, 5 1/2 lengths.
JULIAS DREAM, f, 2, Flameaway
                1st Dam: Cinnamon Girl by Meadowlake
                2nd Dam: Like an Explosion by Explodent
                3rd Dam: Prove It Darling by Prove It
Sales History: $15,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; $180,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $49,200. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Talla Racing LLC; B-David Soblick (KY); T-Michael W. McCarthy.

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