Love Reigns Tops Ward Exacta In FanDuel Limestone S.

Topping a Wesley Ward-trained exacta, Love Reigns got her 3-year-old campaign off on the right foot with a late-charging win in Friday's FanDuel Limestone S. over her preferred 5 1/2-furlong distance. Named 'TDN Rising Star' off a 9 3/4-length romp at first asking over this same track nearly a year ago, the daughter of U S Navy Flag then tried her hand across the pond at Royal Ascot, checking in fourth beaten three lengths in the G2 Queen Mary S. Back in the States and back in the winner's circle for Saratoga's Bolton Landing S. last August, Love Reigns ended her season with a distant finish against the boys in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

Stuck behind rivals after a sharp break Friday, the filly was at least able to save ground as she beat only a handful of horses up the backstretch led by Accomplished Girl (Street Boss). Still boxed in as the field swung past the quarter pole, Love Reigns had to check sharply before tipping inside to regain her momentum. Under an expertly-timed ride by Joel Rosario, she dove through an opening between rivals with a sixteenth to run and charged up the fence to nail stablemate Lady Hollywood just before the wire as the 5-2 favorite.

“She's a special filly,” praised trainer Wesley Ward. “I've kind of been waiting for this to come out since her maiden win here. She likes Keeneland, she loved the course when she broke her maiden here a year ago, and we're just real, real happy it worked out. (Jockey) Joel (Rosario) is kind of my come-from-behind guy that I ride on horses that I like to do that with–which aren't many, but this being one. He's just a phenomenal rider. He gets them back there, gets them to relax. He had us a little worried there at the eighth pole, but thank God the seas parted and he came through and he won.”

Love Reigns has a pair of younger siblings–a 2-year-old half-sister by Kodiac (GB) and a yearling half-brother by Mehmas (Ire). Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

FANDUEL LIMESTONE S., $208,188, Keeneland, 4-14, 3yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 1:02.45, fm.
1–LOVE REIGNS (IRE), 120, f, 3, by U S Navy Flag
                1st Dam: Humble And Proud (Ire), by Pivotal (GB)
                2nd Dam: Delauncy (GB), by Machiavellian
                3rd Dam: Casey (GB), by Caerleon
'TDN Rising Star'. (€160,000 Ylg '21 GOFOR). O-Stonestreet
Stables LLC; B-Patrick Grogan (Ire); T-Wesley A. Ward; J-Joel
Rosario. $114,700. Lifetime Record: 5-3-0-0, $242,065. *1/2 to
Glorious Empire (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), GISW,
$977,227.
2–Lady Hollywood (GB), 120, f, 3, Havana Grey (GB)–Dubai
Legend (GB), by Cadeaux Genereux (GB). (11,000gns RNA Wlg
'20 TATFOA; €25,000 Ylg '21 GOFSPT; 58,000gns RNA 2yo '22
TATBRE; $600,000 2yo '22 FTKNOV). O-AMO Racing USA; B-D.
& S. L. Tanker Transport Ltd (GB); T-Wesley A. Ward. $37,000.
3–My Sweet Affair, 118, f, 3, Twirling Candy–Illicit Affair, by
Midnight Lute. ($72,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR). 1ST BLACK TYPE.
O-R. A. Hill Stable and Gatsas Stables; B-Highclere Inc., Dr. Amy
Rabanal & Constance Wickes (KY); T-George Weaver. $23,125.
Margins: HF, HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 2.69, 3.23, 9.90.
Also Ran: American Apple, Sassy Nature, Just a Care (Ire), Accomplished Girl, Stone Silent, Camp Akeela, Twirled, Alluring Angel (GB). Scratched: Danse Macabre.

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Pletcher Derby Crew Works Before Heading To Louisville

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence) returned to training Friday morning for his last local work before shipping to Louisville to begin final preparations for the GI Kentucky Derby.

Working in company with Bright Future, a 4-year-old son of Curlin, the Derby favorite went a half-mile in :50.28 at Palm Beach Downs for trainer Todd Pletcher, according to Mike Welsch of DRF.

“With Forte we were just looking for a nice, easy first work back. He ran in the Florida Derby 13 days ago and he's getting ready to ship on Sunday to Churchill, so we just wanted to let him stretch his legs a little bit and not do too much,” Pletcher said. “It looked like he was just kind of in an open gallop out there, doing really well.”

 

 

 

Also breezing together for Pletcher Friday and bound for Louisville were Spendthrift Farm-owned pair Kingsbarns (Uncle Mo) and Major Dude (Bolt d'Oro) who were timed in :49.49 seconds for four furlongs, according to DRF. Kingsbarns is assured a place in the Derby starting gate with 100 qualifying points after his victory in the GII Louisiana Derby, good for eighth overall. Second in the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks, Major Dude–who is ranked 23rd–is on the bubble with 40 points.

“We were looking for a little more from Major Dude and Kingsbarns. I thought they both went really well [with] good enthusiasm and energy in their gallop-outs and seemed to be moving well so, overall, very pleased,” Pletcher said. “I thought they all went according to plan.”

Friday's works were a relief for Hall of Fame trainer after heavy rains swept through South Florida this week and threatened to disrupt their schedules.

“They've been doing well, they've been eating well, they've been galloping nicely. I was happy to get the works in on the day we scheduled,” he said. “We've had a lot of rain so I wasn't positive that was going to happen, but the track dried out nicely and we had good conditions for it.”

Pletcher also reported that Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable's 'TDN Rising Star' Tapit Trice (Tapit) exited his Apr. 8 victory in the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland in good order and will join his stablemates in Louisville over the weekend. The gray colt is ranked fourth in the Derby leaderboard with 150 points.

Tapit Trice came back super, really good energy. He's been galloping the last few days at Keeneland,” Pletcher said. “He'll ship over to Churchill after training on Sunday. Knock on wood, so far so good.”

 

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Twirling Candy Colt Victorious Over Elders in Maiden Score

1st-Keeneland, $100,000, Msw, 4-14, 3yo/up, 6f, 1:09.94, ft, 2 3/4 lengths.
SWEET CHERRY PIE (c, 3, Twirling Candy–Sweet Cat {MGSP, $232,950}, by Kitten's Joy) clearly had no qualms about facing older horses in just his second start off a troubled fourth-place debut at Gulfstream Park six weeks ago, checking in behind the highly regarded winner Scotland (Good Magic). Cutting back a furlong off his Florida debut at seven-eighths, the Kentucky-bred showed early speed right out of the gate and raced closest to the rail as he battled with Cape Trafalgar (Lord Nelson) for the early lead up the backstretch, with Nasty Habit (Violence) and the 4-5 favored Global Stage (Street Sense) up close and pressing the two early leaders. The winner took the lead around the bend and posted the half-mile in :45.78 as he straightened out for the drive, and despite not swapping leads down the lane, pulled away to the handy 2 1/4-length victory over the favorite at odds of 4-1. Sweet Cherry Pie's dam, Sweet Cat, sold for $45,000 in 2019 while carrying him just yards from the Keeneland winner's circle and he is her last reported foal. Sales History: $32,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV; $175,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $62,475. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-BBN Racing, LLC; B-Theta Holding I, Inc (KY); T-George R. Arnold, II.

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5th Annual PDJF Telethon Scheduled Apr. 23

Hall of Fame riders Sandy Hawley, Chris McCarron, Mike Smith and John Velazquez, among many others, will team with FanDuel TV, the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), Keeneland and Santa Anita on Sunday, Apr. 23rd for the fifth annual telethon to raise money for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF), presented by Lane's End.

The event will be broadcast on both FanDuel TV and America's Day at the Races in collaboration with NYRA and FOX Sports as well as livestreamed. Fans can participate by calling 1-844-884-7353 between 12:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. ET or can click here to donate directly. Callers who give via the telethon will be entered in a drawing to win assorted autographed memorabilia, which will take place each hour.

“We are proud of the way this event has grown each year and that is largely due to the collaborative efforts from the Guild and our partners at Santa Anita, Keeneland, NYRA and FOX Sports,” said FanDuel's Mike Joyce who also serves on the Board of Directors of the PDJF. “Every single day, jockeys assume incredible risk. This event raises important funding and showcases the work that the PDJF does to support these athletes.”

The 2022 edition raised $418,300 to support jockeys who have suffered serious on-track injuries, which was added to $1.2 million in support of the PDJF since the inaugural telethon in 2018.

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