Breeders’ Cup Berth On the Line in Runhappy Turf Sprint

A full field of 12 and three also-eligibles have been entered for Saturday’s GIII Runhappy Turf Sprint at Kentucky Downs, a ‘Win and You’re In’ qualifier for the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland Nov. 7. The six-furlong dash will offer up one of the afternoon’s toughest handicapping challenges to boot.

Totally Boss (Street Boss) pounced from just off the pace to scoop this valuable prize by 1 1/4 lengths last year, then lost all chance when steadied three furlongs from home in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and finished 10th. A troubled eighth in a May 29 Churchill allowance he was bound to need in the first place, the bay completed a Rusty Arnold 1-2 in the GII Shakertown S. at Keeneland, dropping a head decision to Leinster (Majestic Warrior) while finishing a neck ahead of Bound For Nowhere (The Factor).

The latter makes just the 15th start of his career and second at Kentucky Downs, where he annexed the 2018 Tourist Mile. A very impressive winner of a seven-furlong Belmont allowance last October, the 6-year-old entire failed by a head in the GIII San Simeon S. at Santa Anita, skipped the trip to Royal Ascot he’d made each of the last three seasons and instead ran a cracking race in the Shakertown.

Kanthaka (Jimmy Creed) can improve in his second start off a 13-month absence. The chestnut was set what appeared to be a pretty tall task in returning to action in the GI Jaipur S. on the Belmont S. undercard, but he came to win the race at the eighth pole, only to be run down by the talented Oleksandra (Aus) (Animal Kingdom).

Stubbins (Morning Line), a close fourth in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, was a troubled third in the May 23 GIII Daytona S. at Santa Anita and was right on a sizzling pace in the Jaipur before weakening to fourth. He handled this course nicely when runner-up in last year’s GIII Franklin-Stamps S.

Imprimis (Broken Vow) was 2 3/4 lengths behind Totally Boss in fourth in this event last year and was across the line first in the GIII Troy S. first off a nine-month layoff, only to be controversially disqualified to third.

The post Breeders’ Cup Berth On the Line in Runhappy Turf Sprint appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

‘Fresh’ Totally Boss Chasing ‘Win And You’re In’ Berth In Kentucky Downs’ Turf Sprint

Part of the charm of Kentucky Downs is the unique level of hominess the Franklin, Ky., track offers to those making the trek down Interstate 65. While its purses are among the most elite in the nation, the airy atmosphere that surrounds the European-style course gives off a welcoming feel whether one is simply observing the high-level action taking place or trying to claim some of that ample prize money.

At last year's meet, few enjoyed the track's hospitality as much as trainer Rusty Arnold and his hard-knocking charge, Totally Boss. This Saturday, the two will once again aim to take in all the spoils Kentucky Downs has to offer when Totally Boss sets out to defend his title in the Grade 3, $700,000 RUNHAPPY Turf Sprint Stakes.

The Turf Sprint Stakes is one of five stakes, four of them enjoying Grade 3 status, on Saturday's Calumet Farm Day card with the headliner being the $1 million Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup.

With respect to all the title sponsors, Arnold made the venue's signature day his own personal showcase a year ago. In addition to watching Totally Boss earn his first career graded stakes-victory when he prevailed in the six-furlong Turf Sprint, Arnold also saddled Morticia to the win in the 2019 edition of the $500,000 stakes now known as the Real Solution Ladies Sprint, making it one of the most lucrative days of the venerable horseman's career.

It was also the day that Totally Boss uncorked arguably the best race of his life. Where Kentucky Downs' undulating course can throw some runners off their game, Totally Boss relished the going en route to earning a 1 ¼-length triumph over a field the included his graded stakes-winning stablemate Leinster and Stormy Liberal, the champion turf male of 2018.

“He did, he loved it down there last year,” Arnold said of Totally Boss, who has six wins from 18 career outings. “He likes the (six furlongs) I think the better than the five-eighths. He gets to relax a little bit, get his spot and he is really doing well. I don't think he's a natural five-eighths horse. He's trained good for this and he's ready to go.”

With the coronavirus pandemic throwing schedules for a loop, Totally Boss has only had two prior starts this season heading into the Turf Sprint Stakes. The 5-year-old Street Boss gelding was given a freshening after finishing 10th in the $1 million, Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita Park last November, then had an eventful seasonal bow at Churchill Downs on May 29 when he was taken up abruptly on the turn while finishing eighth in an allowance race.

His most recent outing in the Grade 2 Shakertown Stakes at Keeneland July 11 produced a return to form for Jim and Susan Hill's runner, even if it didn't yield a victory. After racing well back early on in the 5 1/2-furlong Shakertown, Totally Boss came flying late on the outside only to lose the photo finish to his friendly rival Leinster.

“(Totally Boss) just never runs bad. He never runs bad, other than the Breeders' Cup race, it's really the only time,” Arnold said. “But he got the 1 hole (in the Breeders' Cup) that day and had no chance. So you take out that race and he doesn't have a bad race.

“I've told both owners (of Leinster and Totally Boss) that the one thing the pandemic did for me this year was keep me from over-racing these horses. So I've got two fresh horses going into the fall. Anything can happen, anything can go wrong. But right now both horses are very sound, very fresh and ready to go. That's important. They've both had two starts, and they're both going to run one more time. So they're going into the Breeders' Cup off three starts where last year they had five or six starts.”

Reflecting on good times is fun. Topping such achievements is better. To that end, Arnold could enjoy another banner Kentucky Downs meet this week as he also has morning-line favorite Bama Breeze set to run in Thursday's $750,000 Gun Runner Dueling Grounds Derby and graded-stakes winner English Affair slated for either Saturday's Grade 3 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Stakes or Sunday's TVG Stakes (formerly the Ladies Marathon), both $500,000 races.

Owned by Ashbrook Farm and BBN Racing, Bama Breeze is seeking his first victory since breaking his maiden at Churchill Downs last September 14. The 3-year-old Honor Code gelding finished sixth in both the Grade 3 Transylvania Stakes at Keeneland on July 12 and the 1 3/16-miles Saratoga Derby Invitational on August 15.

“We've kind of pointed to this race all year,” Arnold said of Bama Breeze. “I think the horse wants to go that distance, we think he's a mile and a half horse. You don't know exactly who will handle (Kentucky Downs) but he sure seems a real handy horse to do it. He kept getting himself in trouble but he did not get in trouble in New York last time, he ran his race. Those were a pretty tough bunch in there but he came out of it good and we're very optimistic that he's going to show up (today).”

Calumet Farm homebred English Affair showed her best self in some time when she captured the Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf Stakes at Ellis Park on August 2. The 6-year-old daughter of English Channel won the 2018 Grade 3 Cardinal Handicap but suffered a hind-end injury coming out of the 2019 Grade 3 La Prevoyante Stakes that kept her on the sidelines for over a year.

“I'm really happy that Calumet was patient enough to run her as a 6-year-old,” Arnold said. “It would have been easy to pull the plug on her. She was a graded-stakes winner at the end of her 5-year-old year and they could have taken her home. But they knew she had talent and they like to race and we got her back.”

Since coming back to the races this February, English Affair has made incremental progress in each of her outings. After dropping her first three starts of 2020, the chestnut mare skipped over the rain-soaked course at Ellis to capture the Preview Ladies Turf Stakes by 1 ½-lengths.

How much moisture ends hitting Kentucky Downs this weekend will likely determine which race the smallish distaffer will head to post for.

“She's a nice filly when everything is right with her,” Arnold said. “She likes a little cut in the ground and we are going to enter her for Sunday and decide which race to run in. We're going to look at both races and see how they come up and … she is going to run on which track we think has the softest ground because she is tough on soft ground.

“That race at Ellis was a bog but she fell in love with it. She's a little filly, she's light, and she gets across it.”

The post ‘Fresh’ Totally Boss Chasing ‘Win And You’re In’ Berth In Kentucky Downs’ Turf Sprint appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Leinster Leads 1-2 Finish For Rusty Arnold In Shakertown Stakes

Amy Dunne, Brenda Miley, Westrock Stables and Jean Wilkinson's Leinster collared 2018 Shakertown winner Bound for Nowhere at midstretch and held off stablemate Totally Boss by a head to win the Grade 2 Shakertown Stakes at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

Ridden by Tyler Gaffalione for trainer Rusty Arnold, Leinster covered the 5½ furlongs on a firm turf course in a course-record 1:00.86.

Bound for Nowhere, under regular rider Julio Garcia, led the field through fractions of :21.16 and :43.55 with Tiger Blood in closest pursuit and Leinster stalking in fourth.

Bound for Nowhere opened a daylight advantage in the upper stretch and grudgingly gave way to Leinster, who in turn held off Totally Boss.

The victory was worth $90,000 and improved Leinster's bankroll to $524,211 with a record of 21-4-6-4. Leinster is a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Majestic Warrior out of the Royal Academy mare Vassar.

Leinster paid $22.40, $8.60 and $5.40. Totally Boss, with Brian Hernandez Jr. aboard, returned $7.40 and $5.20 with Bound for Nowhere finishing another neck back in third and paying $3.80 to show.

Fast Boat finished another half-length back in fourth and was followed in order by Extravagant Kid, Tell Your Daddy, Corruze, Tiger Blood, Just Might, Texas Wedge, Real News, Shared Legacy and Wildman Jack.

Shakertown Quotes
Tyler Gaffalione: “(Leinster) broke well. He put himself right in the race. I was able to drop in behind the speed. I had the perfect trip, really. All credit goes to (trainer) Rusty (Arnold) and his team. He told me when I got to the Paddock that (Leinster) was ready today. And he definitely showed it.”

Did you think you won the photo? “I was very confident. I had the momentum going forward.”

Rusty Arnold, trainer of 1-2 finishers Leinster and Totally Boss:

What was it like waiting out that photo finish? “It was probably the first time in my life I was begging for a dead heat. I've watched it three times and I couldn't tell (who won). It was going to work good for me either way, but it would have worked really good for me if it was a dead heat.”

Did you think both horses would have performances like that? I did. They both came back from their one race at Churchill (a May 29 allowance, their first start of 2020), which they didn't win. But they were hung up in the virus this winter in Florida and we didn't get them going as early as we wanted. They have really done well here, both horses.”

How do you get them to peak again here for Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1)? “Not sure yet, but I'm going to work on that. I think the race today is probably good enough to get them both in. But we'll work our way backwards from that. That's where we want them both.”

The post Leinster Leads 1-2 Finish For Rusty Arnold In Shakertown Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights