Tag: Triple Crown

It was already going to be a big week in Maryland for Niall Brennan Stables.

The Ocala, Fla.-based operation had a sizable consignment at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. Having Early Voting, a Brennan training graduate, entered in the Preakness Stakes at nearby Pimlico Race Course was a nice bonus.

Then, Early Voting ran off with the thing, and added another placard to Brennan's already-impressive wall of classic winners – a list that already included Kentucky Derby winners Orb and Nyquist and Belmont Stakes winners Palace Malice and Essential Quality.

Early Voting's detoured road to the Preakness winner's circle has consumed plenty of ink in the past two weeks, but the patience that trainer Chad Brown and owner Seth Klarman displayed in bypassing the Kentucky Derby with their fully-qualified colt was only the latest example of how patience has paid off with the son of Gun Runner.

Brennan first laid eyes on Early Voting ahead of the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where Niall and his son Colin Brennan are part of the buying braintrust grouped with top bloodstock agent Mike Ryan, whose clients include Klarman's Klaravich Stables. The colt was secured for $200,000 under the nom-de-sales ticket Triphammer Farm, and he was immediately sent to Brennan's training center in Florida to take his first steps toward life under tack.

“We didn't have to waste any time with him,” Colin Brennan said. “He went right into the breaking process and never missed a beat.”

Though the horse was a willing student, Niall Brennan said Early Voting was never going to be the kind of early horse that would hit the racetrack in May or June of his juvenile season, owing to the colt's still-developing size and maturity.

Early Voting is out of a daughter of Hall of Famer Tiznow, whose towering size and strength has famously bridged into future generations. Having dealt with plenty of horses carrying Tiznow's blood, Niall knew Early Voting might need time to grow into his frame.

“Sometimes, they're just a little bit immature, but all the parts are there,” Niall said. “They've got the mental attitude, but the light just hasn't gone on yet. It's not a cookie-cutter situation where you put them all in the same frame. I think you've got to identify the horses in February and March, and decide which ones look like they want to be early, and they can handle it mentally and physically, and the ones you want to let develop on their own time.”

Early Voting was a completely different animal to train from his sire, the 2017 Horse of the Year and white-hot young sire Gun Runner, who is one of Brennan's most famous graduates.

“Gun Runner himself came to hand quicker,” Niall said. “He was a little bit slighter in build, very athletic, and quite forward. Even though he was still immature, you could see Gun Runner was going to fill out and improve, but he was still very light on his feet as a 2-year-old in the spring. (Early Voting) had a great mind, which Gun Runner had, and a lot of class. You can't replace that. You either have it or you don't.”

As Early Voting spent more time in training, the Brennan team found that competition was what made the colt tick.

Colin described Early Voting as a colt “on a mission” when he found a dance partner on the track to challenge him. That mentality could be seen on Saturday in the Preakness Stakes when the colt took aim at early leader Armagnac, and left him behind in the Pimlico stretch.

“When we started getting a few nicer breezes in him, the light went on,” Niall said. “This horse was very smooth and a great mover. He loved the job. The more he did it, the stronger he got, and the more he loved it.

“He got a lot of confidence when he was breezing in pairs,” he continued. “You could see everything was changing by this time last year, in May, and he just started looking like a racehorse. He was a big horse, required a lot of condition, and he was coming along on his own time.”

The Brennan team sends their graduates bound for Brown's racetrack shedrow in groups, based on how quickly the young horses put the pieces together to advance toward the next stage. The first flight is for the most precocious of the class, with the goal of packing winner's circles at the summer proving grounds for juveniles, including Saratoga Race Course. Early Voting wasn't that guy.

Instead, the colt was part of Brennan's second group, which arrived in Brown's barn through late June and early July. The timing of the colt's graduation was due in large part to his own physical development, but it also revolved around the shape of the condition books at the tracks where Brown stables.

Niall surmised that Early Voting would be ill-fitting in the shorter races earlier in the season, and if that was true, it could have laid out a completely different path for the colt's career.

“I could see him, when they're going seven-eighths, he could be one of those, and we saw that back in April,” he said. “He didn't want any part of running five and a half races or something. That's just not his style. You can ruin them when you try to do that. You discourage them when you do something they're not bred to do or physically want to do.

“These trainers need to get them into their programs and get to know them themselves,” he continued. “No matter what info we send them, they've still got to be happy with where they are, and continue to develop. Some of them will come to hand very quickly, and some need more time.”

Early Voting's racing career shows that Brown and his team came to the same conclusion. The colt didn't make his first start until December of his 2-year-old season, winning an Aqueduct maiden special weight at one mile. It would be the shortest race of his career to date, and his last so far outside of graded stakes competition.

Colin watched the Preakness from the posh Jockey Club suite in the Pimlico infield, giving him a front-row seat to Early Voting's signature victory, and he was back at the sale the following morning.

After all, it was still going to be a big week for Niall Brennan Stables.

“I don't know how I didn't lose my voice,” he said Sunday morning. “I was definitely riding him home for sure with my program.”

Saturday was a travel day for Niall, meaning his Preakness experience was consumed over a television monitor. Even so, he said he could see signs of the colt that Early Voting was at his training center in Ocala, and flashes of the horse he could become.

“He's still young enough about racing that he's waiting on horses,” Niall said. “It's not that he's tired, it's just that you can see he wants that target for competition. I think he's learning a lot. He obviously rates very well. He doesn't have to have the lead by any means, but I think he's just a horse that's coming along at the right time. He has every right to get better.”

The post Preakness Winner Early Voting Was A Late Bloomer In Early Training For Brennan Team appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

With the $1.5-million Belmont Stakes (G1) set for June 11, the New York Racing Association has released a list of likely starters as well as several possible for the third jewel of the Triple Crown.

The list of six probables for the 1 1/2-mile classic is topped by upset Kentucky Derby winner (G1) Rich Strike, trained by Eric Reed.

Bypassing the Belmont are Early Voting and Epicenter, the respective winner and runner-up of the Preakness Stakes (G1).

The other likely starters are Preakness Stakes third-place finisher Creative Minister (Ken McPeek), Kentucky Derby fifth-place finisher Mo Donegal, Kentucky Derby sixth-place finisher Barber Road (John Ortiz), Peter Pan Stakes (G2) winner We the People (Rodolphe Brisset), and Peter Pan runner-up Golden Glider (Mark Casse).

Among four listed as possible starters are Sir Barton Stakes winner Ethereal Road (D. Wayne Lukas), Kentucky Oaks (G1) runner-up Nest (Pletcher), Preakness fifth-place finisher Skippylongstocking (Saffie Joseph Jr.), and Peter Pan fourth-place finisher Western River (Brisset).

The Belmont anchors nine graded stakes on the June 11 card, including the $1 million Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap (G1).

The post Five Join Rich Strike On List Of Probable Starters For Belmont Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The legacy and importance to the sporting public intrinsically links the three legs of the Triple Crown. With Saturday's 147th running of the Grade 1 Preakness at famed Pimlico Race Course, a plethora of media attention turned to the connection the middle jewel has with the upcoming $1.5 million Belmont Stakes (G1) on June 11.

With the Belmont Stakes – the oldest of the three American Classics, first run in 1867 and the first Preakness following suit in 1873 – there have been ample opportunities for the best crop of 3-year-olds to try and pull off the sweep, with 18 achieving the Preakness-Belmont double in addition to the famed 13 who added Kentucky Derby (G1) victories to achieve exalted Triple Crown status.

But there is a lesser-known connection between the Preakness and a prestigious and historic New York race for sophomores. The Wood Memorial, inaugurated in 1925, has seen 12 horses pull off the Wood-Preakness double, with nine of those horses eventually earning enshrinement in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

Klaravich Stables' Early Voting would not have been part of the list regardless of the outcome of the 147th Preakness contested Saturday. But the trainee of four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown earned black type with a runner-up finish in this year's edition of the Wood Memorial (G2) in April at Aqueduct and six weeks later gave Brown his second win in a classic when he defeated favorite Epicenter by 1 1/4 lengths in the Preakness.

Brown, who earned his previous Triple Crown with fellow Klaravich-owned Cloud Computing in the 2017 Preakness, earned his second signature victory at Pimlico and saw Early Voting bolster the Wood's reputation.

The lightly raced Early Voting had made all three of his starts at the Big A and improved his Beyer Speed Figures each time, going from a 76 for his debut win in December 18 going one mile before commencing his 3-year-old year with a 4 1/2-length gate-to-wire score in the 1 1/8-mile Withers (G3) in February, garnering an 87.

That set up the Gun Runner colt for the 1 1/8-mile Wood Memorial, where he finished just a neck behind Mo Donegal on April 9 for a 96 BSF. After skipping the Kentucky Derby, Brown saw Early Voting break sharp from post 5 in the nine-horse field and outkick Kentucky Derby runner-up Epicenter, earning jockey Jose Ortiz his first Preakness victory. That allowed Early Voting to follow Cloud Computing in another facet, with the latter also earning black type in the Wood before winning the Preakness, running third five years ago.

“I've always felt that New York is a fine place to develop these kind of horses,” Brown said. “I'm very appreciative for NYRA and the facilities they offer us to train year-round at all their tracks, and we've developed several horses there.

“Cloud Computing was another horse that wintered up there,” Brown added. “Not only both of them running in the Wood, but they didn't even go to Florida. It can be done, and I think it just depends on the horse and always just being aware of your environment where you are training these horses, and New York is a good environment.”

The Wood-Preakness connection developed a strong foundation in the earlier stages of the Wood's history. From 1943 – when eventual Triple Crown winner Count Fleet accomplished the double – to 1967 with Damascus, there were seven horses to accomplish the feat. All seven of those winners are in the Hall of Fame, with Assault (1946), Hill Prince (1950), Native Dancer (1953), Nashua (1955), Bold Ruler (1957) and Damascus (1967) comprising a proverbial “Who's-Who” of all-time racing greats that demonstrated their talents across New York and Maryland. There has not been a Wood-Preakness double since Pleasant Colony in 1981.

American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018 won both the Preakness and Belmont in their respective Triple Crown runs. But the last pure Preakness-Belmont double remains Afleet Alex in 2005, a streak that could remain intact as Brown indicated he will likely map out a campaign that forgoes the Belmont Stakes and instead focuses on the $1.25 million Runhappy Travers (G1) on August 27 at Saratoga.

“Certainly a race like the Travers, I know it's a tick further, but I don't believe he will have any trouble getting the mile and a quarter,” Brown said. “But there will be some racing before that. We'll get him back to Belmont, assess him, train him a bit, and then start to map out a campaign that hopefully leads us to the Midsummer Derby.”

Brown took to Twitter on Sunday morning to express his gratitude to all involved in preparing Early Voting for his Preakness success, saying, “Congratulations to our amazing team and horse, they did all the work! Also special thank you to owner Seth Klarman, Mike Ryan who recommended Early Voting as a yearling, and Niall Brennan who did his early training!”

Early Voting returned to Belmont on Sunday morning from Pimlico.

“He's back home at his base here at Belmont, we're happy to have him back,” Brown said.

Early Voting's Preakness triumph was icing on the cake for Klarman, who grew up just blocks away from Pimlico and celebrated his 65th birthday on Preakness Day.

“It was a very memorable day for him,” Brown said. “We're so appreciative of all the business he gives us and for our team here in New York. It's good to see a horse that trained at Belmont Park go on and do something great. We love being over here at NYRA at our year-round base of operations. My team and the horse deserve all the credit.”

Saturday's victory completed a double on the Preakness card for Brown, Klarman, and Ortiz, who combined with Technical Analysis for a gate-to-wire victory in the Gallorette (G3) for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up over the turf.

“She ran super. I don't know where she'll run next but I'm happy to see her move forward in her second start of the year,” Brown said.

The post Preakness, New York Racing Share Strong Connection In Addition To Belmont Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Preakness (G1) winner Early Voting was back in his stall at Belmont Park by mid-morning Sunday, some 15 hours after scoring a 1 ¼-length victory over Epicenter, the 6-5 favorite, in Saturday's middle jewel of the Triple Crown.

Trainer Chad Brown traveled from Baltimore to New York overnight and was at Belmont Sunday to oversee what is typically a busy morning of timed workouts for horses in his stable. During a brief break, Brown said that Early Voting, owned by Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables came out of the race in good condition.

Brown said Sunday morning that Early Voting will not be pointed toward the June 11 Belmont Stakes (G1), the third jewel of the Triple Crown at Belmont Park. He said he was undecided where and when Early Voting would run next, while still savoring his trainee's big day at Pimlico.

“We are thrilled with the victory,” Brown said. “I'm proud of the horse. Proud of my team. It was a super memorable day, especially being on Seth Klarman's birthday in his hometown. Everything lined up. I'm just so appreciative for the day, the performance.”

Brown and Klarman won the Preakness for the second time in five years by using the same formula: skipping the Kentucky Derby (G1) with a promising, stakes-tested but lightly raced colt to focus on the Preakness. In 2017, Cloud Computing gave Brown his first victory in a Triple Crown series race. Like Cloud Computing, Early Voting was given a break after finishing second in the April 9 Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct.

“He's only run four times and he's done everything we asked him to do,” Brown said. “He breaks good from the gate. He makes his own trips. He carries his speed a route of ground. He's a fighter in the stretch. He deserves all the credit here.

“He's been extremely cooperative to work with. He's super intelligent. You train him to do something, and he does it,” he added. “I couldn't be more proud of this horse. He deserves a lot of accolades.”

Early Voting was the third choice in the wagering in the nine-horse Preakness field and paid $13 to win. He completed the 1 3/16 miles in 1:54.54.

Belmont 'A Stretch' for Preakness Runner-Up Epicenter

Ron Winchell, owner of Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness runner-up Epicenter, remarked before Pimlico  middle jewel of the Triple Crown how elusive the 3-year-old classics have been for his family.

That sentiment was compounded Saturday evening, after Epicenter rallied behind a slow pace to finish 1 1/4 lengths behind triumphant Early Voting. The winner and jockey Jose Ortiz took the lead heading into the far turn after being closest to the soft pace set by long shot Armagnac. Meanwhile, Epicenter, who broke with the field but then was squeezed back, was eighth of nine in the early stages, needing to find running room as Joel Rosario picked his way through horses before making a run at Early Voting in the final eighth of a mile.

It was the second-straight year that Winchell and trainer Steve Asmussen had finished second in the Preakness, following Midnight Bourbon's loss to the late-running Rombauer in 2021. In that case, Midnight Bourbon pressed a fast pace and was run down late.

“It's a little tough getting second two years in a row,” Winchell said Saturday evening. “Like I said before, these Triple Crown races are ever-eluding for us. …We're going to try every year. But this guy had all the makings of what it takes to win.”

Winchell now is 0 for 4 in the Preakness, with two seconds and a third. His late father, Verne, finished fourth with his only Preakness starter.

The consolation for Ron Winchell is that he campaigned and still co-owns with Three Chimneys Farm the stallion Gun Runner, the sire of Early Voting. Gun Runner already has five Grade 1-winning sons and daughters, a champion and now a classic winner, from his first crop.

“Let's turn the page to Gun Runner, because he looked unbelievable – just like he's always looked,” Winchell said. “Look, we got beat. Getting beat by a Gun Runner makes it a little less painful.”

Winchell speculated that the two-week turnaround from Epicenter's three-quarters of a length defeat in the Kentucky Derby to 80-1 shot Rich Strike, did not work in his colt's favor Saturday.

“I don't think he benefited from the two weeks,” Winchell said. “He looked a little flat. The quarter going in :24-and-1 and he's way back after that. He didn't seem like the same horse. That's just what I'm seeing on the surface.

Winchell expressed doubt that Epicenter would go on to the Belmont Stakes.

“I would say that's a stretch at the moment,” he said. “He had six weeks between the Louisiana Derby (G2) and the Derby, and that did him well. I think there might have been five weeks between the Risen Star (G2) and the Louisiana Derby, and that did him well. Just looking at how he came back fresh, that seems to be the recipe at the moment. But at least a Gun Runner won.”

Winchell speculated that a race such as Monmouth Park's Haskell (G1) or Saratoga's Travers (G1) could be the next target, with the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Keeneland in early November a logical objective.

“We'll turn the page and see where we want to go from there,” he said. “But that's probably the long-term goal.”

Scott Blasi, chief assistant trainer to Asmussen, said Sunday morning that Epicenter came out of the Preakness in good order. He said Epicenter and his stablemates at Pimlico would van back to Churchill Downs on Monday morning.

Asmussen ran seven horses in six stakes over Preakness weekend, with two wins, two seconds and two thirds.

Creative Minister Likely for Third Jewel of Triple Crown

Fern Circle Stables, Back Racing LLC and trainer Kenny McPeek's Creative Minister, who finished third in the  Preakness , will be pointed toward the Belmont .

McPeek said the colt will likely have a couple of half-mile breezes before the third jewel of the Triple Crown, noting that the son of Creative Cause's breeding could make him a contender in the race.

“He's out of a Tapit mare and Tapits love the Belmont,” McPeek said. “That's the plan.”

Creative Minister earned $181,500 for his third-place finish after his owners put up a $150,000 supplemental fee to make their late-developing colt eligible for the Preakness.

The gray/roan son of Creative Cause will stay at Pimlico for a day or two, McPeek said Sunday, before shipping to New York. The Belmont, run at 1 ½ miles, is the longest of the Triple Crown tests.

“I just think he'll like the added ground, as long as he handles the surface up there,” McPeek said.

Creative Minister made his first career start on March 5 at Gulfstream Park, finishing second by a neck. He broke his maiden on April 9 at Keeneland, came right back to impressively win an allowance race on the Kentucky Derby Day program and stepped up to the Preakness.

“In the classic 3-year-old races, if you've got a good 3-year-old that's doing well, there's nothing to be shy about,” McPeek said. “Although I wouldn't have told you in January and February that this is the colt that I would be bringing, between (graded stakes winners) Smile Happy, Rattle N Roll, and Tiz the Bomb, and even Dash Attack. This horse kind of reminds me of Sarava [his 2002 Sir Barton winner who won the Belmont Stakes at 70-1 odds]. He was a horse so under the radar.”

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas was en route back home to Kentucky Sunday with Briland Farms' Secret Oath, the Preakness fourth-place finisher. Lukas said the plan was for the filly to get eight weeks off and then target a series of races against her own sex. They include the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) July 23 and Alabama (G1) Aug. 20, both at Saratoga, and the Cotillion (G1) Sept. 24 at Parx Racing. Her ultimate goal is the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland in November.

Daniel Alonso's Skippylongstocking is under consideration for the Belmont Stakes, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said Sunday morning. The son of 2016 Preakness winner Exaggerator, who finished fifth in the Preakness, had previously finished third in the Wood Memorial behind Mo Donegal and Preakness hero Early Voting.

“He ran good enough (in the Preakness) and it might be worth taking a shot at it,” Joseph said. “We won't decide for a week. We'll see how he comes out and see how his energy is and then decide. I think he would get a mile and a half.”

Trainer Antonio Sano reported that Tami Bobo and Tristan De Meric's Simplification will be turned out in Ocala, Fla. for rest and relaxation after it was determined that the Fountain of Youth (G2) winner and fourth-place Kentucky Derby finisher had experience exercise-induced pulmonary bleeding during his sixth-place finish in the Preakness.

Trainer Tim Yakteen said Preakness pacesetter Armagnac, owned by SF Racing and Partners, exited his seventh-place finish in good shape and was on his way back home to California.

“We will pick out some races that will be building blocks for him and allow him to develop a little bit,” Yakteen said. “We took a shot. Our next race for him will be to build up his confidence a little bit more.”

Calumet Farms' Happy Jack, who faded in the final furlong of the Preakness and finished eighth, was still on the Pimlico grounds Sunday morning. He is expected to head back to Southern California in the next few days. Trainer Doug O'Neill said the colt will get some time off before a plan is made for his next race. He was one of three Preakness horses – Epicenter and Simplification being the others – that came to Baltimore after running in the Kentucky Derby.

Trainer Kevin McKathan said Villa Rosa Farm and Harlo Stables' Fenwick exited his ninth-place finish in good order.

The post Preakness Winner Early Voting To Skip Belmont Stakes, Runner-Up Epicenter Doubtful For Third Jewel appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post