Tag: Triple Crown

Seacoast Thoroughbreds of New England's New York homebred General Banker, who finished a closing third in the Jerome on Jan. 7 at Aqueduct Racetrack, had his first breeze back over the Belmont Park dirt training track Sunday.

The son of Central Banker covered a half-mile solo in :49.65, which ranked 25th of 116 timed moves at the distance.

“I had him a few ticks faster than the clockers did, but he galloped out five-eighths pretty good,” said trainer Jimmy Ferraro.

General Banker earned his first stakes victory two starts back with an emphatic maiden-breaking score in the $500,000 NYSSS Great White Way, dominating his 10 rivals by 8 1/2 lengths with a rallying trip under Eric Cancel. He made his open company debut in the Jerome and finished third after racing keenly and running up on the heels of a foe down the backstretch.

“He was a little on the muscle last time,” said Ferraro. “I don't know if he would have won, but he would have been closer if he hadn't been [so keen].”

Ferraro said General Banker has been nominated to the nine-furlong $250,000 Withers (G3) Feb. 4 at the Big A, which offers 20-8-6-4-2 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-five finishers.

“We're going to take a good look at that,” said Ferraro. “They've got the [state-bred] Gander on Feb. 25 going a mile, too.”

General Banker boasts a 9-1-3-1 record with total earnings of $363,600.

Also breezing Sunday over the Belmont training track was Chester and Mary Broman's graded stakes-placed New York-homebred Arctic Arrogance breezed six furlongs in 1:15 flat. The Frosted colt, trained by Linda Rice, finished a game second last time out in the Jerome. He also is one of 20 horses nominated to the nine-furlong Withers.

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Trainer Brad Cox reports that Lecomte (G3) winner Instant Coffee and Silverbulletday 1-2 finishers The Alys Look and Chop Chop all came out of their races in good order. Fair Grounds' media team caught up with him in the track's barn area Sunday morning to discuss those runners as well a pair of other intriguing 3-year-olds.

Q: You have 11 of the 38 horses in Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool #3. What challenges are involved in managing and maximizing so many good, young horses?

Cox: “The goal is to map out a plan to get as many of them into the Derby as possible. We've gotten off to a great start in these preps, but we need to keep it going. That can be challenging, but we've got a deep bench, and hopefully some of these horses can continue to improve. Let's see where they take us.

“I'm thinking with Instant Coffee, just leave him here. Risen Star (G2) then Louisiana Derby (G2), or maybe skipping the Risen Star and just going straight into the Louisiana Derby. We'd just prefer a little more than four weeks (between starts). It's just awfully demanding. You've got to be in these point races and the goal is to get to the Derby, and you've got to be fit and ready to run and doing well to accumulate points, but then you also have to have horse left over for the first Saturday in May. These are still young horses. They're changing and developing and growing. It's definitely an advantage to have multiples. You can get excited quick when you only have one or two. We're in a great position. So far it's been managed fairly well.

“We've got Jace's Road, Hit Show, and Corona Bolt pointed to the Southwest (at Oaklawn). We're set up in New York. We had a horse break his maiden there pretty impressively yesterday (Slip Mahoney, an Arrogate colt who like Instant Coffee also is owned by Gold Square LLC). He's a nice horse. We will probably point him for the Gotham [G3, March 4 at Aqueduct]. That's an avenue we can take, and Florida is always an option as well.”

The record for most horses started in a Kentucky Derby (G1) is five. Todd Pletcher has done it twice (2013 – the first year of the points system and in 2007) and Nick Zito (2005) and D. Wayne Lukas (1996) have each done it once.

Q: You opted for the [Saturday] allowance with [3-year-old] Tapit's Conquest [a maiden winner Oct. 1 at Churchill Downs, who was second by a neck Saturday's 1 1/16-mile contest after racing in last place early in the five-horse field]. Do you think he was the best horse in the race or that he would have won with a better trip?

Cox: “I don't know if he should have won or if he was the best horse in the race, but let's put it this way, he ran well, he galloped out well, and I think there's a lot of room for improvement. Mentally he's not there yet and he hadn't run in a while. He's figuring things out and he's going to be a lot better horse two months from now than he is right now.”

Q: When do you expect [3-year-old Ghostzapper colt] Loggins [a debut winner last September at Churchill Downs who subsequently was runner-up in the Oct. 8 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity G1 at Keeneland] to join your string here in New Orleans, and do you think he can make the Kentucky Derby?

Cox: “Hopefully Feb. 1. We're going to just see. It's going to be tough to get to the Derby. That doesn't mean we couldn't look at the Preakness (G1). We will nominate him to the Triple Crown and see.

Q. The public expected [runner-up] Chop Chop (3-5 favorite) to win the Silverbulletday [a Kentucky Oaks points race], did you?

Cox: “I expected her to win. They had been working together and she looked a little bit better in the mornings, but she had been freshened after the Breeders' Cup [Juvenile Fillies G1] while this other filly [The Alys Look] had a couple of starts during that timeframe. The Alys Look was plenty fit, and I think the wide trip kind of got to Chop Chop late.

The post Fair Grounds: Cox Discusses Plans For Lecomte Winner Instant Coffee, Other 3YOs appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Gold Square LLC's Instant Coffee uncoiled a last-to-first rally to capture the $200,000 Lecomte (G3) from five rival 3-year-olds Saturday at Fair Grounds.

The Bolt d'Oro colt was ridden by Luis Saez for trainer Brad Cox, who earlier on the card took the Silverbulletday with The Alys Look for 3-year-old fillies.

The 6-5 favorite, Instant Coffee struck from off a fast early pace, reeling in front-runner Two Phil's in the final furlong, and shaking clear to a 2 ½-length triumph.

“I really liked the way (Instant Coffee) picked them up at the three-eighths (pole),” Cox said. “Oftentimes in these two-turn 3-year-old races there's some speed and there was (today). Luis did a good job guiding him to the outside and he stayed on down the middle of the track. He likes Churchill (Downs). He likes a long stretch. He's a nice colt. He's a really sound horse with a good mind. Hopefully we can keep him happy and healthy. You have to be able to put them on a van, ship them around. That's what good horses are going to have to do. You can't have any excuses. This horse has been able to do that, but right now I'm pretty content with keeping him right here.”

A horse with proven stamina, Instant Coffee let the field go early, settling in last, six lengths behind the front runner Echo Again, who blitzed through the early factions in :24.20 and :47.19. Confidence Game tracked Echo Again three wide and in the second turn made his move for the front as Echo Again began to tire. Emerging from a relaxed stalking trip in the second turn, Two Phil's moved to the lead at the top of the stretch and dug in for the battle against Instant Coffee, who charged down the five path and proved to be too much.

“We knew there was going to be a little speed in the race and that the long stretch is good for him,” Saez said. “We were in good shape (going in). I felt like when he came into the stretch, he wanted to pass everybody and get there first. He's a pretty honest horse. Brad (trainer Cox) always does a great job.”

Instant Coffee earned 20 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby (G1) and sits in second on the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard with 32 points.

Two Phil's hung on for second, earning 8 qualifying points toward the Kentucky Derby. Trained by Larry Rivelli, the son of Hard Spun was piloted by Jareth Loveberry.

“I thought he moved a half a touch early, but he ran really good,” Loveberry said. “He dug back in, he wanted to come back. He got outrun today but he'll be back.”

Confidence Game finished another 5 1/4 lengths back in third, earning 6 points to go with the 1 point he earned finishing fifth in the Iroquois (G3). Three lengths behind Confidence Game, Denington earned 4, and now has 8. Further up the track, Bromley earned 2 finishing 5th. Pulled up in the homestretch, Echo Again finished last.

Instant Coffee notched his second consecutive stakes win following his Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) victory Nov. 26 at Churchill Downs. That effort followed his fourth in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1), the lone blemish on his record, after his debut win Sept. 3 at Saratoga. His record stands at 3-0-0 from four starts and $442,815 in purse earnings.

Gold Square has hopes that Instant Coffee can be their second Kentucky Derby runner after  Cox-trained Cyberknife competed in last year's edition.

The next Derby points race (50-20-15-10-5) in the Fair Grounds series is the $400,000 Risen Star (G2) on February 18 run at 1 1/8 miles. The series concludes with the $100,000 Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) at 1 3/16 miles on March 25 (100-40-30-20-10).

Bred in Kentucky by Sagamore Farm, Instant Coffee is out of the Uncle Mo mare Follow No One.

The post Instant Coffee Pours It On In Fair Grounds Stretch For Lecomte Victory appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Michael Dubb and Morris Bailey's Prince of Jericho, beaten by Coffeewithchris in his stakes debut last month, avenged that loss by pouncing on the co-favorite at the top of the stretch and steadily drawing away to win Saturday's $100,000 Spectacular Bid by four lengths at Laurel Park.

The third running of the seven-furlong Spectacular Bid, the first in Maryland's series of stakes for 3-year-olds leading up to the 148th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 20 at historic Pimlico Race Course, anchored six stakes worth $550,00 in purses on a Winter Sprintfest program

Prince of Jericho ($5.80) gave trainer Brittany Russell a sweep of Saturday's sophomore stakes, having won the $100,000 Xtra Heat for 3-year-old fillies with Madaket Stables' L Street Lady.

Subbing for Russell's husband, jockey Sheldon Russell, Carol Cedeno settled Prince of Jericho in fourth as 30-1 long shot Tiz No Clown went the opening quarter-mile in :23.35 tracked by multiple stakes-placed Heldish in between horses and Dec. 30 Heft winner Coffeewithchris in the clear three wide.

Coffeewithchris and jockey Jaime Rodriguez were in front after a half-mile in :46.85 but Cedeno began to roll further outside with Prince of Jericho midway around the far turn, closing the gap and moving up to even terms as the field straightened for home.

“Sheldon came back last time and said to me, 'I think I could have won that race. I should have jumped on him a little sooner on the turn,'” Russell said. “[Prince of Jericho] wanted to run around the turn and he said he idled him and messed him up.

“Once he got going again he said he galloped out, his ears were pricked and he had horse. That just made me think about running this horse back in three weeks, and he's trained well,” she added. “He has a lot of energy and he ran well today.”

Prince of Jericho was well in command after going six furlongs in 1:12.34 and completed the distance in 1:25.93 over a fast main track. Coffeewithchris dug in and attempted to make a run at the winner once passed but had to settle for second, 4 ½ lengths ahead of B West. They were followed by On the Mark, Tiz No Clown, We Don't Need Roads, Heldish and My Blue Eyes.

A Kentucky-bred Munnings colt out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Golden Review, bred by Edward Seltzer, Prince of Jericho was purchased from consignor Paramount Sales for $85,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale. Xtra Heat winner L Street Lady also is by Ashford Stud resident sire Munnings.

Prince of Jericho debuted last October at Laurel and ran second to undefeated stakes-winning stablemate Post Time before returning to graduate by 11 ¾ lengths in his subsequent start. Following an optional claiming allowance victory in his first try against winners he made his stakes debut in the seven-furlong Heft, beaten 2 ½ lengths as the runner-up but 4 ½ lengths ahead of third-place finisher Riccio.

Maryland's series of stakes for 3-year-olds continues with the $100,000 Miracle Wood going one mile Feb. 18, $100,000 Private Terms at about 1 1/16 miles March 18 and $125,000 Federico Tesio April 15. The 1 1/8-mile Tesio will serve as a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the Preakness.

“I don't know. We might consider going along with the progression of these races,” Russell said. “We'll just see how he comes out of it. I don't necessarily want to run him back in three weeks again, but more distance might be in his future.”

Spectacular Bid was named champion colt at 2 and 3 and champion older horse and Horse of the Year at 4 for late Maryland-based Hall of Fame trainer Grover 'Bud' Delp, who called him “the greatest horse ever to look through a bridle.” 'The Bid' captured the 1979 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness (G1) and won each of his last 10 races, retiring with 26 wins and nearly $2.8 million in purse earnings from 30 starts. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1982.

The post Prince of Jericho Caps Trainer Russell’s 3YO Stakes Sweep With Munnings Offspring On Laurel’s Winter Sprintfest Card appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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