Tag: Top News

Du Jour Claims First Grade I in Frank E. Kilroe Mile

Du Jour (Temple City) provided the second of trainer Bob Baffert's three graded stakes victories on the card when he powered home first in the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita Sunday. Owned by Jill Baffert and Debbie Lanni, the 6-year-old gelding settled towards the back of the field as Goliad (War Front) took the field through fractions of :22.82 and :45.75. The pacesetter was clear into the far turn, but his advantage soon evaporated at the top of the stretch. While 3-2 favorite Easter (Fr) (Exposhere {Aus}) was rolling up on the outside, it was Du Jour, who had made rapid progress late on the bend, darting to the rail for racing room and striding powerfully to the lead en route to an authoritative victory.

“We had a great ride,” said winning rider Flavien Prat. “The horse showed some speed then settled down nicely down the backside. You always run well fresh, and on paper it seemed like this race was going to have a good amount of pace. My job was just to make sure we were in a comfortable zone, so he was able to show his talent through the final stretch.”

Du Jour won the 2021 GII American Turf S. under Baffert's tutelage before making three starts for New York-based Bill Mott. He was fourth in the GI Belmont Derby and third in the GI Saratoga Derby before concluding his time with Mott with an eighth-place effort in the Dueling Grounds Derby. Back with Baffert, the bay gelding was a narrowly beaten second in last year's GIII Thunder Road S. and Kilroe Mile. He earned a shot at the Breeders' Cup Mile with a win in the GII Del Mar Mile and was 10th, but beaten just 3 1/2 lengths, when last seen on championship weekend.

“It was so exciting, so I won't say unexpected but very exciting,” Lanni said of Du Jour's first top-level victory. “In the Breeders' Cup, he just wasn't himself, I don't think. He only finished 3 1/2 lengths behind, but 3 1/2 short.”

 

Pedigree Notes:

One of 14 graded winners for Temple City, Du Jour became his sire's fourth Grade I winner. Guiltless, a half-sister to graded winner Northern Causeway (Giant's Causeway), was purchased by the O'Callaghans' Woods Edge Farm for $60,000 at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale. The mare produced a yearling filly by Street Sense last year.

Du Jour's third dam, Baby Zip, produced Grade I winner City Zip and Horse of the Year Ghostzapper.

 

Sunday, Santa Anita
FRANK E. KILROE MILE S.-GI, $301,500, Santa Anita, 3-3, 4yo/up, 1mT, 1:33.95, gd.
1–DU JOUR, 122, g, 6, by Temple City
                1st Dam: Guiltless, by Bernardini
                2nd Dam: Getaway Girl, by Silver Deputy
                3rd Dam: Baby Zip, by Relaunch
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($19,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP; $280,000 2yo '20
OBSAPR). O-Natalie J. Baffert and Debbie Lanni; B-Woods Edge
Farm, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Flavien Prat. $180,000.
Lifetime Record: 17-6-3-2, $1,118,220. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Easter (Fr), 122, g, 6, Exosphere (Aus)–Excellent Girl (GB),
by Exceed And Excel (Aus). 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. (€150,000
3yo '21 ARARC). O-Madaket Stables LLC; B-Aleyrion Bloodstock
Ltd. (FR); T-Philip D'Amato. $60,000.
3–Ah Jeez, 120, c, 4, Mendelssohn–Poetic, by Violence.
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($80,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $55,000 2yo '22
OBSAPR). O-Mark Davis; B-Machmer Hall (KY); T-Doug F.
O'Neill. $36,000.
Margins: 2, 1 3/4, HF. Odds: 3.20, 1.50, 61.00.
Also Ran: First Peace, Dandy Man Shines (Ire), Goliad, Prince Abama (Ire), Mackinnon. Scratched: Irideo (Arg).
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Imagination Wins San Felipe Thriller, Leads Baffert Exacta

The GII San Felipe S. last its headliner with the scratch of the Bob Baffert-trained Nysos (Nyquist), but Baffert still dominated the race with stablemates Imagination (Into Mischief) and Wine Me Up (Vino Rosso) running in tandem for much of the 1 1/16 miles and in lockstep down the stretch before Imagination just got his nose in front on the wire Sunday at Santa Anita.

Of his one-two finish in the San Felipe, Baffert said, “We're trying to develop these horses, so it was good for both of them. Wine Me Up ran tough. It's like watching the 49ers Super Bowl game. Unfortunately, someone has to lose, but I'm proud of them both. They both showed up. That's all you can ask for.”

Wine Me Up was fastest out of the gate and had the lead in the early strides, but Imagination, the 4-5 favorite, strode up to challenge for the lead into the first turn.

Scatify (Justify), who broke from the rail in the four-horse field found himself in tight quarters off Wine Me Up's heels with Mc Vay (Constitution) pressing him from the outside. Rattled in the right quarters, he came out into the first turn, knocking Imagination and forcing Mc Vay wide into the bend. Hector Berrios took a strong hold of Scatify down the backstretch and that colt took back to the rear of the field.

Imagination, meanwhile, had recovered his momentum and took a length advantage over his stablemate as the half went up in :47.04. Wine Me Up moved back on even turns with the favorite and the two turned for home together. Imagination looked to be getting the better of his rival in upper stretch, but Wine Me Up along the rail battled back on even terms and it was a ding-dong battle to the finish.

“He broke out and we went to the clubhouse turn the guy behind me struck into me,” said winning jockey Frankie Dettori. “My horse got frightened, and I took him back to get him wide to get him to relax and get him back into the race. He fought a great duel. He was full of heart.”

Tom Ryan of SF Racing, co-owner of the winner, admitted he wasn't sure who had won the photo finish, but he found plenty to be positive about Imagination's effort.

“That was a great race,” Ryan said. “I didn't know which way it went at the wire. It was a little bit of a messy race early on, he had to recollect himself. He kind of got scared, these are young 3-year-old colts, they are learning their craft. It is amazing you could have a 12-horse field and nothing, and in a four-horse field anything can happen.

“It's good to see him have the confidence to put it back together and not back down from a fight and get there at the wire. I think there is a lot of potential in this horse. He is just learning as he goes, and I think the farther the better. He is a classy colt, he's always shown it, he looks it and thankfully his ability matches his looks.”

A $1.05-million Keeneland September yearling, Imagination opened his career with a pair of runner-up efforts at Del Mar late last year. He graduated going one mile at Santa Anita on New Year's Day and missed by just a neck to stablemate and 'TDN Rising Star' Maymun (Frosted) in a one-mile allowance Feb. 11.

 

Pedigree Notes:

Spendthrift's all-conquering Into Mischief was represented by the second and third-place finishers in Saturday's GII Davona Dale S. at Gulfstream Park and his son Timberlake put himself firmly on the Kentucky Derby trail this year with a win in the GII Rebel S. last weekend.

Magical Feeling, the fourth generation of this family bred by Peter Blum, is the dam of last year's GIII Monmouth Oaks winner and GI Acorn S. third Occult (Into Mischief). She has a yearling colt by Gun Runner, but aborted a Flightline foal for this year.

The cross of Into Mischief over Empire Maker mares has resulted in 29 winners from 43 starters and now has seven stakes winners, including Saturday's G3 Burj Nahaar winner Laurel River. As noted by Alan Carasso in Sunday's TDN, the cross has also been represented by GI Kentucky Derby hero Mandaloun, the Grade II winners Occult, Center Aisle and Taraz.

 

Sunday, Santa Anita
DK HORSE SAN FELIPE S.-GII, $294,000, Santa Anita, 3-3, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:44.55, ft.
1–IMAGINATION, 120, c, 3, by Into Mischief
           1st Dam: Magical Feeling (GSW & GISP, $554,532), by Empire Maker
           2nd Dam: Magical Mood (GB), by Forestry
           3rd Dam: Good Mood, by Devil's Bag
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($1,050,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Robert E. Masterson, Waves Edge Capital LLC, Catherine Donovan and Tom J. Ryan; B-Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Lanfranco Dettori. $180,000. Lifetime Record: 5-2-3-0, $256,800. *1/2 to Magical (Tapit), SW, $164,550 and Exulting (Tapit), MSW, $687,370; Full to Occult, GSW & MGISP, $451,450. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Wine Me Up, 120, c, 3, Vino Rosso–Deanaallen'skitten, by Kitten's Joy. ($115,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV; $300,000 2yo '23 OBSOPN). O-Michael E. Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman; B-Kenneth L. & Sarah K. Ramsey (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $60,000.
3–Mc Vay, 120, c, 3, Constitution–Dothraki Sea, by Union Rags. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($1,250,000 Ylg '22 FTSAUG). O-C R K Stable LLC; B-Band of Brothers (KY); T-John A. Shirreffs. $36,000.
Margins: HD, 6 3/4, 31. Odds: 0.90, 1.70, 9.90.
Also Ran: Scatify. Scratched: Nysos.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Arkansas Derby Possible Next Start for Time for Truth

Time for Truth (Omaha Beach) likely earned himself a spot in the Mar. 30 GI Arkansas Derby with his allowance victory at Oaklawn Park Saturday. Owned by Harry Rosenblum and Cheyenne Stables and trained by Ron Moquett, the colt had to be scratched from last week's GII Rebel S. after suffering a minor shin injury the night before the race.

Making his two-turn debut in Saturday's 1 1/16-mile allowance, Time for Truth showed a new dimension by coming from off the pace to post a 1 1/2-length victory under regular rider Rafael Bejarano.

“I was [pleased], knowing where we're at with the horse, knowing he missed some training,” Moquett said. “We didn't come to the race exactly like we had wanted to, considering we really did have a bump on our shin. So, I'm pleased with the horse.”

A debut winner at Oaklawn at the end of December, Time for Truth was second in the six-furlong Ozark S. Feb. 10.

Moquett said he used the Ozark as a bridge to the Rebel after Oaklawn lost 11 days of training (Jan. 13-23) to winter weather.

Time for Truth was 15-1 on the morning line for the Rebel. He was 5-2 Saturday.

“It was a good race for him,” said Bejarano, who rode three consecutive winners to close Saturday's card. “I'm glad he got scratched the last time because it was a tough race. But I think this race will prepare him for the big race next time. It's the first time going two turns. I had a beautiful trip. Hopefully, the horse came back good and we can get ready for next time.”

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Gargan Pleased with Dornoch Following Fountain of Youth Win

Dornoch (Good Magic) pleased Danny Gargan with his victory in Saturday's GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth S. and the trainer said a decision on the colt's next start would likely be made by the end of the week.

“He's great. He looked good this morning. He cooled out nice. We're happy with him. He ate up well,” Gargan said. “We're pleased with him.”

Following Dornoch's professional performance as the 1-5 favorite in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth, Gargan said the 3-year-old full-brother to 2023 GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage would likely return in either the Mar. 30 GI Curlin Florida Derby at Gulfstream or the Apr. 6 GI Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland.

Gargan said a spate of scratches from the Fountain of Youth caused him to call an audible Saturday.

“We wanted to sit behind horses. The scratches hurt. We just decided to go ahead and take control of the race. He did it pretty handily,” Gargan said. “He didn't have to run too hard, so we'll have plenty of horse. We should be able to come back quick and be fine. We're just got to keep moving and stay lucky.”

Vicente Stella Stables LLC's Le Dom Bro (Mucho Macho Man), who made an inside challenge at the top of the stretch before settling for second at 27-1, also exited the Fountain of Youth in good order and is likely to make his next start in the Florida Derby.

“I'd say it's 90% for the Florida Derby,” said Vicente Stella.

Also on track for the Florida Derby is Hades (Awesome Slew). The undefeated winner of the GIII Holy Bull S. worked four furlongs Sunday morning at Gulfstream in :48.64 (15/52).

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