Tag: Triple Crown

Prat in a New York State of Mind for Belmont Stakes Day

ELMONT, NY – There will be a capped crowd of 50,000 on hand for Saturday's blockbuster GI Belmont Stakes program. Nobody will have a better seat in the house all day than jockey Flavien Prat.

The 29-year-old Frenchman will be aboard 2-1 morning-line favorite 'TDN Rising Star' We the People (Constitution) in the final leg of the Triple Crown. He will also pilot unbeaten sensation and fellow 'Rising Star' Flightline (Tapit) in the prestigious GI Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan H. Both will exit from post one.

WinStar Farm, Bobby Flay, CMNWLTH and Siena Farm's We the People will take on seven rivals–including GI Kentucky Derby upsetter Rich Strike (Keen Ice), Derby fifth-place finisher Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) and the filly Nest (Curlin)–in the 1 1/2-mile Classic. He's clearly the one to catch off his 10 1/4-length, front-running romp for trainer Rodolphe Brisset in the Belmont slop in the GIII Peter Pan S.

With Saturday's forecast calling for cloudy skies and temperatures nearing 80 degrees, he'll have a fast main track to work with this time.

“I think the talent is there,” Prat said. “His Peter Pan was a really good race. It's just a question mark with the distance, but it seems like we are all in the same boat.”

The unbeaten Flightline, pound-for-pound the most exciting horse in training, has won his first three starts in Southern California for trainer John Sadler by a combined margin of a whopping 37 1/2 lengths, led by his last out jaw-dropping score with a gaudy 118 Beyer Speed Figure in the GI Runhappy Malibu S. Dec. 26. He will face off against the ultra-talented GI Carter H. winner Speaker's Corner (Street Sense) as well as last year's GI Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Aloha West (Hard Spun) in the highly coveted stallion-making race. The $1-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling and 3-5 morning-line choice is campaigned in partnership by Hronis Racing, Siena Farm, breeder Summer Wind Equine, West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing.

“He feels like a special horse,” Prat said. “He's been responding really well to everything we ask him to do. He could be any type of horse.”

Some of Prat's other high-profile mounts on the absolutely loaded 13-race card include:

  • Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile) (GI Acorn S.) (Brad Cox) (6-5)
  • Speak of the Devil (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) (GI Longines Just a Game S.) (Chad Brown) (even-money)
  • Adhamo (Ire) (Intello {Ger}) (GI Resorts World Casino Manhattan S.) (Chad Brown) (4-1)
  • Bonny South (Munnings) (GI Ogden Phipps S.) (Brad Cox) (8-1)
  • Pappacap (Gun Runner) (GI Woody Stephens S.) (Mark Casse) (10-1)

Prat's rapidly growing resume already includes wins in the first two legs of the Triple Crown and a trio of Breeders' Cup victories. In the irons aboard promoted 2019 GI Kentucky Derby upsetter Country House (Lookin At Lucky) as well as last year's GI Preakness S. hero Rombauer (Twirling Candy), he looks to go one better in the Belmont following a huge second-place finish aboard Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) in 2021. Prat won last year's GI Manhattan S. on the Belmont undercard aboard Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}).

“Whether it's the Belmont, Preakness, Derby or Breeders' Cup weekends, this is the goal when you're a jockey,” Prat said. “You want to ride the best horses and face the best riders. That's the main goal. When you have the chance to ride and participate in these types of weekends, I'm obviously really grateful.”

After dominating the scene in Southern California for the past few years, Prat, somewhat surprisingly, shifted his tack to Belmont–home of the deepest jockey colony in the country–earlier this spring. His goal for the remainder of the year is simple: win an Eclipse Award as the nation's outstanding jockey.

“I was doing really well out there, but if I ever wanted to try New York, I felt like it was the right time to do it,” Prat said of relocating to Long Island along with his wife and two young children. “Try to keep improving my riding style and see what we can do out here.”

It's no coincidence that recent Eclipse Award winners Joel Rosario (2021), Irad Ortiz, Jr. (2018-20), Jose Ortiz (2017) and Javier Castellano (2013-16) all called the Big Apple home. Prat, represented by agent Brad Pegram, was an Eclipse finalist last year while boasting a career high in victories (246) and earnings ($23,214,813). Prat's first full season riding in North America was 2015.

“That's the whole point, to ride with the best riders in the country and also to try to keep improving,” Prat said.

He concluded, “I'm really happy here.”

Stars Come Out on Belmont Stakes Day…

Quality over quantity.

In addition to an intriguing renewal of the GI Belmont S. and a showdown for the ages in the five-deep GI Hill 'n' Dale Met Mile,

there will be six other Grade I events, albeit with some short fields, held on Saturday's star-studded program.

Champion and 'TDN Rising Star' Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) will cut back in distance to a one-turn mile in the GI Acorn S. after suffering the first defeat of her brilliant career while tiring to fourth in the GI Kentucky Oaks. She will meet just four rivals in the Acorn, led by the streaking Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile), a good-looking winner of the GII Eight Belles S. on the Oaks undercard.

The undefeated 'TDN Rising Star' Jack Christopher (Munnings), a dominating return winner in the GII Pat Day Mile S., puts his unblemished three-for-three record on the line against five fellow sophomores in the GI Woody Stephens S. The 1-2 morning-line favorite won last year's GI Champagne S. at Belmont in the fall before scratching from the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile with a stress fracture in his left shin. The seven-furlong contest is named in honor of the legendary late trainer Woody Stephens, who won five consecutive renewals of the Belmont Stakes from 1982-86.

Champions Letruska (Super Saver) and 'TDN Rising Star' Malathaat (Curlin) will clash in a highly anticipated GI Ogden Phipps S. The former has five top-level wins to her credit, including a wire-to-wire tally in this race last year, and is perfect in two attempts since a forgettable performance in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. Last term's GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Malathaat, a good third in the Distaff, kicked off her 4-year-old campaign with a well-timed win in Keeneland's GIII Baird Doubledogdare S.

The best wagering opportunities of the day will likely come in two of the grass stakes.

Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) returns for the 13-deep GI Jaipur S. after pulling off a 10-1 upset last year. Arrest Me Red (Pioneerof the Nile), a last out winner of the GII Twin Spires Turf Sprint S., is the 5-2 morning-line favorite.

A field of 10, led by GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic S. winner Santin (Distorted Humor), MGISW Gufo (Declaration of War) and GI Man o' War S. upsetter Highland Chief (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), will line up for the GI Resorts World Casino Manhattan S. Trainer Chad Brown has won the Manhattan a record seven times, and will send out a trio–Adhamo (Ire) (Intello {Ger}), L'Imperator (Fr) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) and Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire})–seeking a fourth straight.

Speaking of Brown, he will also saddle the three top choices–Speak of the Devil (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), a visually impressive heroine of the GII Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile S. in her U.S. debut, MGISW 'TDN Rising Star' Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) and 'TDN Rising Star' In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire})–in the five-horse GI Longines Just a Game S. He won this race four straight years between 2017-20.

First post for the 13-race program, featuring a trio of Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' events (Met Mile, Ogden Phipps and Jaipur), is 11:20 a.m. ET. Post time for the Belmont Stakes is 6:44 p.m.

National television coverage of Belmont Stakes Day will begin on FS2, where America's Day at the Races will air from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Coverage shifts to CNBC from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and NBC from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Click here for our Belmont Stakes day video preview from TDN Writers' Room.

The post Prat in a New York State of Mind for Belmont Stakes Day appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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‘The Horse Is Calmer When Jerry Is Around’: Bond Of Trust Between Rich Strike, Groom Jerry Dixon, Jr.

When Rich Strike scored his memorable upset victory in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, he provided his connections with a thrill they will carry for the rest of their lives. But particularly for groom Jerry Dixon, Jr., who perhaps knows “Richie” better than anyone.

As Rich Strike's groom, Dixon, Jr. cares for the horse on a daily basis, with his days starting at 4:30 a.m. and stretching into the evening on Saturday after walking home the Derby winner from his start in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.

Dixon, Jr. has worked on the racetrack for 13 years, the past two of which were spent under trainer Eric Reed. He began grooming for Tommy Short, who is based primarily in Ohio and Indiana before working for Reed.

“I learned a lot of things there of what to do and not to do,” Dixon Jr. said. “I've been trying to take all the information of every horseman I've ran across in my life and try to use it. It's best to be a sponge. You got to soak up knowledge.”

A fourth generation horseman, Dixon, Jr. learned from his father, Jerry Dixon, who established a business out of the Churchill Downs receiving barn through “Dixon, Inc.” – a subcontracting service which saddles and cares for horses when their connections ship in for a race. The elder Dixon, who has known Reed for over three decades, also has been hands on with Rich Strike.

“I was always around horses as a kid. I didn't like it as a kid, couldn't stand the smell,” Dixon, Jr. said. “But it grew on me. When your whole family is in the business, you're learning from them, and you're watching them.”

Both Dixon and Dixon, Jr. recall the ups and downs of Kentucky Derby week, and not knowing whether Rich Strike would draw into the race. Rich Strike drew into the race from the also-eligible list when Ethereal Road scratched.

The elder Dixon specifically remembered observing his son reacting to the good news.

“We were at the barn celebrating,” Dixon said. “I watch my son walk off by himself. He got down on his knees and he thanked God.”

Just to be a part of the Kentucky Derby was emotional for both Dixons. Dixon, Jr. recalls the walkover to the paddock with Rich Strike.

“Once we got to the gap, I felt the horse bow his neck and I thought, 'Ooh he's going to run good today',” Dixon, Jr. said. “All we needed was a chance. But to win it? That was icing on the cake right there. To be in the race was the best experience ever, and then to go out and win it was indescribable.”

So indescribable, that it took Dixon, Jr. some time to believe that he actually witnessed Rich Strike shock the Kentucky Derby field. Dixon, Jr. said it was Rich Strike's jockey Sonny Leon who made him realize it wasn't a dream.

“I didn't think it was real at first. It felt like a dream, like I was out on my feet,” Dixon, Jr. recalled. “I had to ask Sonny, 'Is this real? Did we really just win the Kentucky Derby?' Sonny said, 'Papa, I show you,' He threw a rose, it hit my arm, and that's when I knew.”

In preparing for the Belmont Stakes, Rich Strike is fulfilling a lifelong dream for Dixon, Jr., who said he has always wanted to travel with horses.

“Richie here gave me that chance,” Dixon, Jr. said. “I'm just thankful that the team trusts me enough to be in this position. They say hard work pays off.

“We're working hard to keep the horse at his best,” Dixon, Jr. added. “I love the way he's training here.”

The strong rapport between Rich Strike and Dixon, Jr. has been captured in content across social media, including a video of the groom laying down in the stall next to the Derby winner and gently waking him from his slumber.

“If your animal doesn't trust you, you have nothing,” Dixon, Jr. said. “He lets me do whatever I need to do to make sure he's taken care of. Trust is a big thing.”

Dixon, Jr. spoke high volumes of working for Reed.

“This whole experience has taught me to never give up on yourself,” Dixon, Jr. “But the key thing from Eric has been always pay attention to detail. Never short cut even when you don't feel like doing a certain thing a certain way. Give it your best, always.”

Reed expressed strong gratitude for having Dixon, Jr. in the barn to care for Rich Strike.

“Richie loves Jerry Jr. and Jerry Jr. loves Richie,” Reed said. “When you have good karma in the barn and you got a comfort zone with everyone, everything goes smooth and good things happen. We're all family here and everyone gets along well. But there's a bond between Jerry and Richie that is serious. The horse is calmer when Jerry is around, and he's changed all their lives forever.”

Rich Strike had his final gallop Friday in preparation for the Belmont Stakes. The chestnut Keen Ice colt, owned by RED TR-Racing, galloped 1 1/2 miles clockwise around a fast Big Sandy.

“He galloped nice and easy and relaxed,” said Reed.

Rich Strike has routinely visited the main track via the Belmont paddock almost every morning since arriving last Wednesday. He had his first afternoon trip to the paddock yesterday during the first race and had an uneventful outing, which Reed was thankful for.

“I was so happy,” said Reed. “I was worried that I hadn't trained him as much and that he was going to get to the paddock and be keyed up. Now I know he's level-headed and he's got his game face on. We're where we need to be and the way I wanted it to be. No more adjustments – I think it's up to the race now.”

Rich Strike is expected to walk the shed row on Saturday before the Belmont Stakes and have a quiet day since he handled his paddock schooling well.

“I'm happy as I can be,” said Reed. “He always tells if you if you haven't done enough. I would have had to train him harder today and gone back and schooled him today, but all we have to do now is keep him happy.”

The post ‘The Horse Is Calmer When Jerry Is Around’: Bond Of Trust Between Rich Strike, Groom Jerry Dixon, Jr. appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Thursday Morning with Kentucky Derby Winner Rich Strike

ELMONT, NY – With regular exercise rider Gabriel Lagunes in the saddle, GI Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike (Keen Ice) circled the shedrow shortly after 8:30 a.m. on a sticky Thursday morning at Belmont Park.

Making his way through the picturesque Belmont backstretch about 10 minutes later with a good-sized entourage in tow, Rich Strike entered the paddock via the tunnel as owner Richard Dawson and trainer Eric Reed, both sporting plenty of black-and-red Rich Strike swag, chatted by the famed Secretariat statue.

With torrential pre-dawn thunderstorms leaving the main track a sloppy-and-sealed mess, it was a second straight day of light training for the 7-2 third choice on the morning-line for Saturday's 154th GI Belmont Stakes.

“All we were doing today was getting a little maintenance work in him and he had to go school in the gate anyway,” Reed said outside of a sun-splashed Barn 29 after the chestnut was done getting cleaned up.

“With the off track, I didn't want to turn him around in case he decided to get real tough. So, we just went the mile-and-a-half in the wrong direction, stood in the gate and brought him home. Tomorrow, he'll have a little bit of a gallop.”

Rich Strike has breezed twice since shocking the world at 80-1 off the also-eligible list in Louisville, most recently working five furlongs in a bullet :59 at Churchill Downs May 30. The $30,000 claim-to-fame put on a show with an absolute powerhouse gallop at Belmont Park on Tuesday.

“That's what we call the 'happy gallop.' He'll do that once a week,” Reed said. “Two days prior coming off the track with normal gallops, he was rearing up. He was telling me, 'You haven't trained me hard enough.' We don't try to go that fast, we just let him have his way. Usually, he'll set his own pace, then he comes back to us after a little bit.”

After receiving plenty of criticism for taking the road seldomly traveled and skipping the GI Preakness S. with the Derby winner, Reed continues to have no regrets about heading to the final leg of the Triple Crown with a fresh horse.

“It wouldn't have worked with him,” Reed said. “It takes him three weeks to calm down. In a two-week turnaround, he would've been crazy in the paddock. He wouldn't have been behaving on the track. His mind would be way too aggressive and it would've jeopardized this race.”

He continued, “Not that we thought this was a race we couldn't lose. It just made a lot more sense because it was the proper time between races and we know he'll get the distance. Our problem is, he has a terrible running style for this race. Either he has to change it on his own or we have to get really lucky because you just don't come from last and win this race. Since the Derby though, he's a much different animal about how he does things.”

As far as life after the Triple Crown series for Rich Strike, following a break for a month or two, Reed has identified the GI Runhappy Travers S. at Saratoga Aug. 27 as his next potential target.

“Our intentions, if things go well, is to run him next year,” Reed said. “We don't want to stop at the end of this year. We're not gonna dance every dance and run every race, we're gonna pick the right ones and give it our best shot.”

It's almost been five weeks now. Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Eric Reed. How does that sound to you?

“I can't get used to that,” Reed concluded with a big smile.

“I've been real busy and I love what's going on for my guys. I haven't had time to step back yet. I'll get that chance after the Belmont. Then, I think it will all soak in.”

'We' Love the Rain…

Likely GI Belmont S. favorite and controlling speed We the People (Constitution) certainly didn't mind the wet going Thursday morning.

The runaway, front-running winner of a saturated renewal of the local GIII Peter Pan S. stood like a gentleman beneath trainer Rodolphe Brisset after entering the track through the paddock at 7:52 a.m. The 'TDN Rising Star' began to jog the wrong way with the pony about five minutes later, and, after schooling in the starting gate, came rolling down the center of the stretch outside of the dogs for another very good-looking, one-mile gallop.

While leading sire Tapit can't add to his already record four Belmont Stakes tallies this year, his presence will certainly still be felt Saturday. The Gainesway kingpin is the grandsire of both We the People and Kentucky Derby sixth-place finisher Barber Road (Race Day), and he is also the broodmare sire of the lightly raced Preakness third-place finisher Creative Minister (Creative Cause), respectively.

For more pedigree tidbits on the field of eight, stay tuned for Saturday's 'Where Did They Come From?' feature.

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Belmont Contenders We The People, Rich Strike School In Starting Gate Thursday

We the People, the 2-1 morning line favorite for Saturday's Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, schooled at the gate on Thursday along with a one-mile gallop around the sloppy main track at Belmont Park for trainer Rodolphe Brisset.

“He's pretty chill for the gate. He's never had an issue with that,” Brisset said. “I was just hoping he didn't go too fast in his gallop. He's been [training] a mile for the past two days and today was very good. That's the usual for him.”

Owned by WinStar Farm, Bobby Flay, CMNWLTH and Siena Farm, We the People earned his favoritism in the Belmont Stakes after winning the Grade 3 Peter Pan, the local prep for the “Test of the Champion,” by an impressive 10 1/4 lengths in his most recent outing. The son of Constitution has won 3-of-4 lifetime starts, with his only loss coming in a troubled seventh-place finish in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby.

Brisset said We the People will gallop on Friday as well as Saturday before the Belmont.

“He'll gallop on Saturday morning,” said Brisset. “He's the kind of horse who needs to do something. The race is so late anyways. So, he'll gallop a little bit; likely on the main track.”

Thursday was a quieter day for Grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike, who had a very laid-back gallop one clockwise lap around Belmont Park's sloppy main track on his way to the starting gate to school for Saturday's Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.

“He didn't care at all,” trainer Eric Reed said of Rich Strike's first look at the starting gate since arriving at Belmont last Wednesday. “He's still a little fresh and will train a little more tomorrow. He's so different from before the Derby. He never did any of this rearing up and playing. Since the Derby, that's all he wants to do is show off.”

The son of Keen Ice, affectionately nicknamed “Richie,” has continued to impress his team with each gallop and trip around Belmont's paddock. The charismatic chestnut is often seen posing for cameras on the track and in his daily post-gallop bath, keeping his eyes and ears on the excitement around him.

“I saw him today coming out of the tunnel, and they've got all the cameras on the right side. He took about two steps and he stopped and stared at them,” Reed said, with a laugh.

Rich Strike garnered a dedicated following when he upset the “Run for the Roses” at odds of 80-1 with a masterful ride by returning rider Sonny Leon, who rallied the colt from 17 1/4 lengths off the pace and weaved around foes in the stretch to stun as the second-biggest longshot to win the Kentucky Derby.

On most mornings since arriving at Belmont, Rich Strike's team plays Frank Sinatra's “New York, New York” for him to get him familiar with the classic tune that will play as he steps onto Big Sandy on Saturday.

Reed notes that Rich Strike is a horse who relies on a consistent routine, including his daily nap around 11 a.m. once the barn quiets down. He often enjoys making a “pillow” out of his shavings in his stall to rest his head.

“He laid down the other day and had his head on a pillow against the wall,” Reed said. “You can't make this stuff up.”

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