Tag: Triple Crown

Messier and Adare Manor, winners of their previous races by a combined margin of 28 lengths, each worked Saturday for Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1) and Santa Anita Oaks (G1), respectively, next Saturday, and trainer Tim Yakteen was beyond delighted.

Messier and Adare manor both breezed five furlongs: the former in 1:00.60 and the latter in 1:00.20.

“Messier was spectacular, as was the filly,” Yakteen said. “We're right on point. Messier went at 6:30 (a.m.) with Drayden Van Dyke aboard and Adare Manor went at 7:45 with my exercise rider, Baltazar Contreras.

“The works were just what I was looking for and were perfectly executed.”

Messier, named for hockey great Mark Messier, winner of six Stanley Cups, won the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) on Feb. 6 by 15 lengths. The son of Empire Maker has been favored in each of his five races, four times at odds-on, and will vie for favoritism with Forbidden Kingdom in the Santa Anita Derby.

Adare Manor, a daughter of Uncle Mo, won her last two races by a combined margin of 25 lengths, including a 13-length romp in the Las Virgenes Stakes (G3) Feb. 6.

John Velazquez will ride Adare Manor in the Oaks and Messier in the Santa Anita Derby.

The $750,000 Santa Anita Derby at 1 1/8 miles will be run for the 85th time. It offers the winner 100 qualifying points to the Kentucky Derby, 40 to the runner-up, 20 to the third-place finisher and 10 to the fourth.

There will be early first post time April 9 of 12 noon (PT).

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Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., who won the Curlin Florida Derby (G1) Saturday with White Abarrio, is set to saddle a pair of longshots for the $750,000 Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) next Saturday at Aqueduct in Gentry Farms' A. P.'s Secret and Daniel Alonso's Skippylongstocking.

Manny Franco will have the call aboard A. P.'s Secret and Junior Alvarado will pilot Skippylongstocking in the 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifier as Joseph looks to add to his Derby candidates list.

A. P.'s Secret has made all four career starts at Gulfstream Park, graduating at first asking in a seven-furlong maiden special weight in November and followed two starts later with a prominent score in a one-mile optional-claimer on January 9.

He enters from a troubled seventh in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on March 5 in which he pressed from third position before clipping heels at the quarter pole and dropping back.

Joseph, who saddled Math Wizard to a fourth-place finish in the 2019 Wood Memorial, said A. P.'s Secret exited the Fountain of Youth in good order.

“He came out of that race well and we couldn't really use that bumping as an excuse. He was losing his spot when it happened, but he did get bumped pretty hard,” Joseph said. “I think because he's such a big horse that he was able to take the bump from the inside horse that came out and hit him. He bounced out well and he's worked well since.”

Joseph said A. P.'s Secret, who worked a half-mile in :49.15 Sunday at Gulfstream, should appreciate the added distance.

“He always trained like this distance will be to his liking,” Joseph said. “He didn't run like that his first time going two turns, but I feel like distance is his forte. The longer the better for him.”

Bred in Kentucky by Tami D. Bobo, the gray son of Cupid was purchased for $150,000 at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

Skippylongstocking breezed furlongs in 1:00.40 Saturday at Palm Meadows Training Center. The more experienced of Joseph's contenders boasts a record of 8-2-1-1 with all but one of those starts coming at Gulfstream Park.

A two-time winner at the Hallandale Beach, Fla. oval, Skippylongstocking notched a 10 1/2-length maiden win traveling one mile in September and a last-out 3 3/4-length optional-claiming score on March 2 at the Wood Memorial distance. His lone out-of-town start was a fourth-place finish in the listed Street Sense Stakes in October at Churchill Downs immediately after his maiden score.

“He broke his maiden and that form line didn't come back that strong, so he was kind of disappointing in the Street Sense,” Joseph said. “We were kind of in two minds to cut him back in distance or run him longer.”

Joseph said Alvarado, aboard for his last two starts, suggested stretching out Skippylongstocking after guiding the Exaggerator colt to a fourth-place finish in a one-mile optional claimer on February 4.

“After the one-turn mile, Junior said, 'This horse wants to go two turns,' ” Joseph said. “In all his one-turn races, he was stopping. We ran him two turns and it was quite a competitive allowance race (last time out). He won it well and it was a pleasant surprise. Until he does it against better quality horses, we won't know for sure, but the way he won the other day you would think the two turns helped him big time – not rushing him and letting the race fall into his lap. We believed early on that he wanted to go longer, but it just so happened we were getting one-turn mile races.”

Out of the War Chant mare Twinkling, Skippylongstocking was a $37,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

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Four horses expected to be entered on Wednesday for Saturday's 98th running of the $1 million Toyota Blue Grass (G1) put in works over a fast Keeneland main track Sunday morning.

Trainer Mark Casse was represented by the first two Toyota Blue Grass workers of the morning with Volcanic covering the half-mile in :51.40 when the track opened at 5:30 a.m. and Golden Glider following an hour later in :49.40 for the same distance. Jockey Declan Carroll was aboard for both works.

“I was very pleased with both of them,” said David Carroll, assistant to Casse. “They both got here Friday from Ocala and galloped yesterday. I just wanted to let them get a feel for the track.”

Both colts have returned to Keeneland, where they trained here last spring before making their racing debuts.

For Breeze Easy's Volcanic, Sunday's work was his fifth since a third-place finish in the Sam F. Davis (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 12. Adam Beschizza is scheduled to ride Saturday.

Conrad Farms' Golden Glider had his second work since finishing fourth in the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) on March 12. Clockers caught Golden Glider in fractions of :12.40, :25, :49.40 with an out time for 1:02.40 for five-eighths and 1:16.60 for three-quarters. Ricardo Santana Jr. has the Toyota Blue Grass mount, according to Carroll.

Next at 7:30 a.m. after the first renovation break was Three Diamonds Farm's Grantham, who worked a half-mile in company with an unraced 3-year-old in :48.60 for trainer Mike Maker.

“I thought he worked well,” Maker said of Grantham, who arrived here a couple of days ago from Gulfstream Park.

Second in the Tampa Bay Derby, Grantham will be ridden in the Toyota Blue Grass by Tyler Gaffalione, Maker said.

Following the second renovation break at 9 a.m., El Camino Real Derby winner Blackadder worked five furlongs in company with the five-year-old allowance winner Cibolian in 1:02.80 with Adam Beschizza aboard for trainer Rodolphe Brisset.

The work was the second at Keeneland for Blackadder after being transferred to Brisset. “He did what we wanted, and hopefully it sets him up for Saturday,” said Brisset's wife, Brooke, who supervised the work.

Brisset is scheduled to return to Lexington Sunday afternoon following the victory by Yuugiri in Saturday's Fantasy Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park.

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C2 Racing Stable LLC and La Milagrosa Stable LLC's White Abarrio punched his ticket for Louisville, Ky. Saturday at Gulfstream Park, where the gray son of Race Day took the lead in the stretch and held off Charge It to capture the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1).

“It means the world to me. The Florida Derby is up there with the Kentucky Derby because we're based at Gulfstream,” emotional trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “I'm just thankful and blessed that we have this opportunity. It's amazing.”

The 71st running of the Florida Derby headlined a 14-race program with 10 stakes, six graded, worth $2.2 million in purses.

A sharp winner of the Feb. 5 Holy Bull, White Abarrio was withheld from the March 5 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2), making it imperative that he finish at least second to accumulate enough points to make the May 7 Kentucky Derby (G1) field at Churchill Downs. There were 170 qualifying points for the May 7 Kentucky Derby with 100 going to the winner, 40 to the runner-up, 20 to the third-place finisher and 10 to the fourth-place finisher.

Updated Kentucky Derby/Oaks leaderboard

White Abarrio refused to settle for second, as the 5-2 second betting choice, fought off a strong challenge by Todd Pletcher-trained Charge It by 1 ¼ lengths. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said he was pleased with Charge It's effort in only his third career start.

“Super pleased with the effort. To get a real education in a race like that was very encouraging. He got a little green down the lane. He kind of drifted in behind that horse and felt like if he could have just run straight that last 100 yards, he was going to be right there. But I thought it was a huge effort, considering everything,” said Pletcher, who said the Kentucky Derby will be under consideration after seeing how the son of Tapit comes out of the Florida Derby.

Simplification, the 2-1 favorite who finished second in the Holy Bull and won the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth, took the lead leaving the backstretch but was unable to withstand the bids by White Abarrio and Charge It, finishing third, a length behind Charge It and 3 ½ lengths ahead of Pappacap.

“I'm so happy today. We made the decision to run near the front today, because [Classic Causeway] was speed and [Pappacap] all the time is behind me. (Jockey) Jose (Ortiz) and I talked this morning and we said the last three-eighths you move the horse. I'm just so happy with him. He's very good,” Simplification's trainer Antonio Sano said. “It's very important he ran well and comes back well.”

White Abarrio rated in fifth under Tyler Gaffalione behind pacesetter Classic Causeway around the first turn and into the backstretch. Classic Causeway suddenly dropped back out of contention midway through the backstretch, where Simplistic took a brief lead with Pappacap applying heavy pressure. Simplistic took the lead into the stretch under Ortiz, only to be passed by White Abarrio, who made a three-wide sweep on the turn into the stretch. Charge It saved ground into the stretch before making a determined run, only to fall short under Luis Saez.

White Abarrio's victory was Gaffalione's fifth win on the card, including four stakes.

“That was a childhood dream come true,” Davie, Fla. native said. “It feels amazing. I'm just so thankful to Saffie and the team and the connections, the owners, for giving me this opportunity.”

White Abarrio ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.64 to win his fourth race in four starts at Gulfstream, his only loss coming in a third-place finish in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs last November. Joseph is hoping the Kentucky-bred colt can redeem himself on the first Saturday in May.

“Once he comes out good and all being well, we're going to go to Churchill and keep dreaming,” Joseph said.

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