Tag: Triple Crown

The Road to the Kentucky Derby Championship Series will continue Saturday at Oaklawn Park with the $1 million Rebel (Grade 2) where 10 horses in the 1 1/16-mile event are currently eligible to gain a maximum of 85 points toward qualifying to the $3 million Kentucky Derby (G1) on the first Saturday in May.

A total of 11 horses passed the entry box at Oaklawn on Monday for the Rebel including undefeated colt Newgrange, who was made the 9-5 morning line favorite. The son of Violence, owned by SF Racing (Gavin Murphy), Starlight Racing (Jack Wolf, et al.), Madaket Stables (Sol Kumin), Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables (Barbara Banke), Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital (Gregg Slager), Catherine Donovan, Golconda Stable (Ben Goldberg) and Siena Farm (Anthony Manganaro), is ineligible to garner points in the Rebel because his trainer Bob Baffert is suspended by Churchill Downs Incorporated.

The Rebel will go as Race 11 of 12 with a post time of 6:22 p.m. (all times Eastern). Racing at Oaklawn will be featured on America's Day at the Races on Fox Sports 2 from 1-7 p.m.

In his last start, Newgrange gamely dug deep in the late stages of the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G2) to hold off fast-charging rival Barber Road. The duo are set to have a rematch in the Rebel. Trained by John Ortiz, Barber Road finished fourth on debut at Colonial Downs but, after adding blinkers, has not crossed the wire worse than second in his next five starts. The gray son of Race Day will be ridden by Reylu Gutierrez from post No. 9 at morning line odds of 9-2.

“I'm not really too concerned,” said Ortiz, who trains Barber Road for former Walmart executive William Simon. “I'm worried about my horse running his best race. We've competed against the top horses in here already. We're just going along for the ride. The speed is on the inside. I think Reylu, he'll have the right plan. It's all in his hands.”

Newgrange and Barber Road were the one-two finishers of the Southwest but the three horses that finished directly behind them are also entered in the Rebel: Ben Diesel (post 6, 6-1); Kavod (post 1, 12-1); and Dash Attack (post 11, 8-1).

One of the newcomers in the field is maiden winner Ethereal Road for owner Aaron Sones and four-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Ethereal Road, who will break under Luis Contreras from post 10 at odds of 12-1, garnered his first win in memorable fashion after he trailed by 16 lengths in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight contest. Into the far turn, the son of Quality Road began a swift charge around rivals and finished in front by four lengths.

“It takes them three-eighths of a mile to get that momentum going again,” Lukas said about Ethereal Road, who stands at 16.3 hands and weighs approximately 1,300 pounds. “But when they get going, if they've got the ability, again, I emphasize that – they've got to have the ability – when they get going, they pass horses if they've got the ability. What he did on the turn, if you just took the video and ran it up the half-mile and said, 'Oh, here, let's watch this' – from the half-mile (pole) to the wire, that was spectacular. Every jump he passed a horse.”

Lukas won the Rebel in 1989 with Manatash Ridge and 2013 with Will Take Charge.

A variable that horses may have to deal with Saturday is the weather. The National Weather Service forecast reported that a quarter to a half-inch of ice is possible through Thursday night in Hot Springs, Ark. Conditions are slated to improve Friday with mostly sunny skies and highs near 45 degrees.

The projected 11-horse Rebel field from the rail out:

1. Kavod, Francisco Arrieta to ride, 117 pounds, 12-1 on the morning line;
2. Newgrange, John Velazquez, 122, 9-5;
3. Cairama, Geovanni Franco, 117, 15-1;
4. Un Ojo, Ramon Vazquez, 117, 12-1;
5. Texas Red Hot, Ricardo Santana Jr., 117, 12-1;
6. Stellar Tap, Cristian Torres, 117, 10-1;
7. Ben Diesel, Jon Court, 117, 6-1;
8. Chasing Time, Tyler Gaffalione, 122, 8-1;
9. Barber Road, Reylu Gutierrez, 117, 9-2;
10. Ethereal Road, Luis Contreras, 117, 12-1; and
11. Dash Attack, David Cohen, 122, 8-1.

The post Newgrange, Barber Road Ready For Rematch In Saturday’s Rebel appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said D.J. Stable's Glider will make his next start on March 5 at Aqueduct Racetrack in the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham, a one-turn mile for sophomores offering 50-20-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

By Quality Road and out of the Lemon Drop Kid mare Yellow Boat, the $200,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is a half-brother to the multiple graded stakes winning turf sprinter Fast Boat.

Glider graduated at second asking in a one mile and 70 yard off-the-turf maiden special weight on Jan. 6 at Gulfstream Park and followed with a runner-up effort to the well-regarded Todd Pletcher-trainee Emmanuel in a one mile and 40 yard optional-claimer on Jan. 30 at Tampa Bay Downs.

“I thought his last race was pretty good on dirt. I think the mile should suit him nice,” Casse said. “I'm still trying to figure out exactly what he wants. His last race was pretty good. There wasn't much pace in the race and I think Todd thinks a lot of his horse. We thought the Gotham would be a good spot.”

Glider has worked steadily at Palm Meadows, including a five-eighths breeze in 1:00.30 on February 19.

“He's trained better coming out of the race than he went into it,” Casse said.

Antonio Gallardo will retain the mount aboard Glider.

Rustlewood Farm's homebred Pappacap is in good order following his off-the-board effort in last Saturday's G2 Risen Star at Fair Grounds.

Casse said the Gun Runner colt, who is currently in fourth place [14 points] in the Kentucky Derby points standings, will target the G1 Florida Derby on April 2 at Gulfstream Park.

“I'm still baffled by his poor performance. He's never done that before. He's going to come to Ocala to the training center and see how things go. We're looking at possibly coming back in the Florida Derby,” Casse said. “If he had ran and got beat two or three lengths, you'd say maybe he just wasn't good enough but he just didn't show up at all. Tyler [Gaffalione] had him in a great spot and when he asked him to go, he never went.”

Casse sent out a trio of Derby hopefuls in the Sam F. Davis on February 12 at Tampa, including Volcanic [3rd], God of Love [5th] and Golden Glider [6th].

Casse said Breeze Easy's Volcanic, a Violence chestnut, will point to either the G1 Blue Grass on April 9 at Keeneland or the G2 Wood Memorial on the same day at the Big A. Both races offer 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

“Volcanic ran a great race. He had a wide trip on both turns in his first time going two turns,” Casse said. “Right now, I'm looking at the Blue Grass for him or possibly the Wood Memorial. We're looking at both spots.

“I'll come back in the Tampa Bay Derby [March 12] with Golden Glider – he ran well and got bothered a little bit late by Volcanic,” Casse added. “God of Love will run in the Jeff Ruby [April 2] at Turfway.”

D.J. Stable and Chester and Mary Broman's New York-bred Coinage worked a bullet half-mile in :47.80 over the Palm Meadows Training Center turf on Feb. 18 in his first breeze back out of a third-place finish in the G3 Kitten's Joy on February 5 at Gulfstream.

The 3-year-old Bromans-bred son of Tapit, out of the Grade 1-winning Medaglia d'Oro mare Bar of Gold, won the G3 With Anticipation in September over the Saratoga turf.

Casse said Coinage, who is stakes-placed on dirt, will now target the $125,000 Palm Beach, a one-mile turf test for sophomores on March 5 at Gulfstream.

“Coinage will run in the turf stakes next week at Gulfstream. We're going to keep him on the grass for now,” Casse said.

Gary Barber's multiple graded stakes placed New York-bred Make Mischief worked a half-mile in :48.40 over the Casse Training Center dirt on February 22.

It was the second work back for the 4-year-old daughter of Into Mischief, who was last seen finishing third in the Empire Distaff in October at Belmont.

“We gave Make Mischief a little break and she's training exceptionally well. I haven't thought about a spot just yet for her, but I would think it would be in New York,” Casse said.

Make Mischief posted a record of 10-3-1-3 last year, including a win in the restricted Maddie May at Aqueduct and graded placings in the Grade 1 Acorn at Belmont and Grade 2 Eight Belles at Churchill Downs.

Casse said the time off was by design after a lengthy campaign.

“I like giving my 3-year-olds a break when it gets towards the latter part of the year and they have to run against older horses,” Casse said. “It worked good with Tepin, Got Stormy and World Approval. I've done it with a lot of horses and at some point they have to have a break.”

Casse said Gary Barber and Kinsman Stable's Strong Quality, a maiden winner on Feb. 19 at the Fair Grounds at second asking will look to run through his conditions.

“We like that horse a lot but we're going to take it slower with him. He'll come back in a '1X',” Casse said.

A 3-year-old Quality Road colt, out of the Tiznow mare Tiz So Sweet, Strong Quality was purchased for $500,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale. He finished third on debut on Jan. 23 at Fair Grounds to the Brad Cox-trained Zozos, who came back to win an optional-claimer by 10 1/4-lengths on Feb. 11 at Oaklawn.

The post Casse-Trained Glider Pointed To Gotham; Pappacap Could Resurface In Florida Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Trainer John Ortiz turned 36 Thursday, but he would really prefer a late birthday present.

Ortiz is still seeking his elusive first career Oaklawn stakes victory and he'll have two shots Saturday, sending out Ice Orchid in the $300,000 Honeybee (G3) for 3-year-old fillies and Barber Road in the $1 million Rebel (G2) for 3-year-olds. Both races are 1 1/16 miles.

“I think I know what I want, too, right?” Ortiz said Monday morning. “That would be a great birthday gift, I'm not going to lie. I don't usually celebrate it. I'm not a big fan of parties on my birthday. But you know what? If ever I could get a good gift, I'll take this one.”

Ortiz has four runner-up finishes in stakes races during the last two Oaklawn meetings, including two earlier this year with Barber Road in Kentucky Derby points events. Barber Road ran second to Dash Attack in the $250,000 Smarty Jones at 1 mile Jan. 1 and second to unbeaten Newgrange in the $750,000 Southwest (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 29.

Barber Road, who is owned by former Walmart executive William Simon, has collected eight Kentucky Derby qualifying points for those runner-up finishes. The Rebel will offer 85 points (50-20-10-5) to the top four finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby.

A former assistant under Kellyn Gorder, Ortiz went out on his own approximately 5 ½ years ago and is now poised to have his first Kentucky Derby starter in Barber Road, a gray son of multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Race Day.

“It's a dream,” said Ortiz, the son of former jockey turned trainer/pinhooker Carlos Ortiz. “It's why we wake up every morning. It's why we do it. It's why the owners want to get horses. It can come from a $1.5 million horse or a $15,000 weanling. This game is built on hopes and dreams. This is what we're doing it for, and right now I'm in the dream and I'm just going along for the ride.”

A $15,000 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale graduate in 2019, Barber Road already has bankrolled $300,720 after finishing first or second in five of six lifetime starts. Barber Road also finished second, beaten a half-length by Tejano Twist, in the $200,000 Lively Shively Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs Nov. 27 at Churchill Downs to conclude his 2-year-old campaign.

Barber Road, Ortiz said, represents an evolving blueprint for Simon and his bloodstock agent, Jared Hughes. They are trying to develop promising 2-year-olds each year to reach the races. Simon, for example, purchased Joyful Cadence for $235,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and she became the first Oaklawn winner sired by champion Runhappy in a maiden special weights sprint last year. Joyful Cadence, later in the 2021 Oaklawn meeting for Simon and Ortiz, finished second in the $200,000 Purple Martin Stakes for 3-year-old filly sprinters.

“We wanted to start buying horses and see where our best angle of developing horses is going to be, whether we buy them as weanlings or yearlings or 2-year-olds in training,” Ortiz said. “He (Barber Road) was part of the first project. We liked the horse. My dad in Ocala, Ortiz Training Stables of Carlos Ortiz, he actually started out training the colt. He seemed to be a very nice 2-year-old. When he came into me, I told Bill that he was going to eventually be a two-turn horse because I knew Race Day when I was an assistant trainer for Kellyn Gorder. We had him in his early career. Both horses are very similar. When I saw Barber Road doing the same thing his father was doing, I figured I knew how easy it would be to train him as well. That was the fun part, kind of taking our time and letting him mature. I think letting them mature is the key to these Race Days.”

Race Day, a son of Tapit, did his best work as a 4-year-old in 2015 at Oaklawn, winning the $250,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) and $600,000 Oaklawn Handicap (G2) for trainer Todd Pletcher.

Barber Road began his career with a fourth-place finish at 5 furlongs last August at Colonial Downs before breaking his maiden for a $30,000 claiming tag at 1 1/16 miles Oct. 14 at Keeneland in his next start.

“We got away with one, but it wasn't like I was trying to be smart about it, either,” John Ortiz said, referring to the claiming race. “This is a game of winning and race planning. And race placing is key to winning races. I've learned that through several trainers I've looked up to, Brad Cox, Steve Asmussen and so on.”

Barber Road was beaten 12 ¼ lengths by Tejano Twist in his 5-furlong debut, but Ortiz said he was encouraged by the performance.

“It looked like a very mediocre fourth, but what you don't see on TV is the gallop out,” Ortiz said. “Not only did Barber Road gallop out past Tejano Twist, he went around the mile and a quarter racetrack all the way back around to the five-eighths (pole). If you watch the replay closely, when they got the cameras on Tejano Twist after he won, you can see Barber Road in the background galloping back already while Tejano Twist is still galloping out. I liked that and, obviously, I already had the idea that he was going to be a two-turn horse.”

Now, the mission is to win a stakes race around two turns. Barber Road was beaten two lengths by Dash Attack in the Smarty Jones and 1 ½ lengths by Newgrange in the Southwest after a wide trip and being farther back early than Ortiz expected.

Newgrange and Dash Attack are among 11 horses entered in the Rebel, which is the final major local prep for the $1.25 million Arkansas Derby (G1) at 1 1/8 miles April 2. Newgrange is the 9-5 program favorite, Barber Road the 9-2 second choice.

“I hope to see him a little bit more engaged early in the race,” Ortiz said. “I'm not saying I want him in the front, I want him to be a little bit more in contact with the field. That would make our trip a little better. I think he covered a lot more ground last time than Newgrange. I think if we're able to play on the same course, on the same path, I think we'll have a little fun down the stretch.”

Ortiz is Oaklawn's fourth-leading trainer in 2021-2022 with 14 victories from 65 starts. His stable has flourished in high-end allowance races and already earned $1,214,090 in purses.

The post Barber Road Could Provide John Ortiz With ‘Great Birthday Gift’ In Saturday’s Rebel appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Keeneland's $1 million Toyota Blue Grass (G1), which will be run for the 98^th time on April 9, opening Saturday of Keeneland's 15-day Spring Meet, has attracted 121 nominees led by Winchell Thoroughbreds' Epicenter and Lucky Seven Stable's Smile Happy, the 1-2 finishers in last Saturday's Risen Star (G2) Presented by Lamarque Ford at Fair Grounds and the top two point earners on the 2022 Road to the Kentucky Derby (G1).

The Toyota Blue Grass, Keeneland's signature race and a key Triple Crown prep, features two exciting enhancements this year: The race has been reinstated as a Grade 1 event, and the purse has returned to the $1 million it offered from 2015-2019.

Click here for the list of the Toyota Blue Grass nominees; click here for their past performances.

“The Grade 1 status and $1 million purse of the Toyota Blue Grass reaffirm the stature of this historic event on the spring racing calendar,” Keeneland Vice President of Racing Gatewood Bell said. “Keeneland is appreciative of all the horsemen for their interest in nominating to the Toyota Blue Grass, which anchors a fantastic three-day opening weekend of our Spring Meet.”

The 1 1/8-mile Toyota Blue Grass is one of the nation's most prominent steppingstones to the first leg of the Triple Crown, the $3 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve on May 7 at Churchill Downs. The winner of the Toyota Blue Grass earns 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, while the second-, third- and fourth-place finishers receive 40 points, 20 points and 10 points, respectively.

Captured last year by multiple champion and Belmont (G1) winner Essential Quality, the Toyota Blue Grass is one of five graded stakes worth a combined $2,550,000 to be run April 9 on Keeneland's 11-race card, which has a special first post of 12:30 p.m. Other stakes that day are the $500,000 Madison (G1) for fillies and mares at 7 furlongs on the dirt; $400,000 Appalachian (G2) Presented by Japan Racing Association for 3-year-old fillies at 1 mile on the turf; $350,000 Shakertown (G2) for 3-year-olds and up at 5½ furlongs on the turf and $300,000 Commonwealth (G3) for older horses at 7 furlongs on the dirt.

Keeneland will offer a $500,000 All-Stakes Pick 4 and a $500,000 All Stakes Pick 5.

The Toyota Blue Grass is the ninth race with a 5:10 p.m. post. NBC will televise the race along with the Wood Memorial (G2) Presented by Resorts World Casino from Aqueduct and Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1) from 4:30-6 p.m.

The card formerly included the Central Bank Ashland (G1), a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies. Worth a stakes record $600,000 this year, the Central Bank Ashland has moved to Friday, April 8, opening day of the season.

Epicenter, trained by Steve Asmussen, has won three of five career starts highlighted by a front-running 2¾-length victory in the Risen Star. The performance by the son of Not This Time, purchased at Keeneland's 2020 September Yearling Sale, put him atop the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 64 points.

Smile Happy, trained by two-time Toyota Blue Grass winner Kenny McPeek, made his 2022 debut in the Risen Star after concluding a 2-for-2 campaign in 2021 with a 3¼-length victory in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) in November at Churchill. The Runhappy colt sold as a weanling at Keeneland's 2019 November Breeding Stock Sale and won his career debut here last October during the Fall Meet by 5½ lengths.

Epicenter and Smile Happy lead the 18 horses who are among the top 20 horses on the Derby leaderboard nominated to the Toyota Blue Grass.

Third on the leaderboard is Kentucky West Racing and Clarke M. Cooper's Classic Causeway. From the final crop of Giant's Causeway, Classic Causeway won the Sam F. Davis (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 12 in his 2022 debut. He ended 2021 with a runner-up finish to Smile Happy in the Kentucky Jockey Club for trainer Brian Lynch.

Other Toyota Blue Grass nominees on the leaderboard include Rustlewood Farm's Pappacap (4), runner-up in the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance; Jeff Drown's Zandon (5), third in the Risen Star and runner-up in the Remsen (G2); C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa Stable's White Abarrio (6), winner of the Holy Bull (G3); Donegal Racing's Mo Donegal (7), winner of the Remsen; Lucky Seven Stable's Rattle N Roll (8), winner of the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland last fall; Klaravich Stables' Early Voting (14), winner of the Withers (G3), and Peter L. Cantrell's Call Me Midnight (15), winner of the Lecomte (G3) over Epicenter.

Additional notable horses nominated to the Toyota Blue Grass are three runners from trainer Todd Pletcher, a three-time winner of the race: Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Commandperformance, fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and runner-up in the Champagne (G1), WinStar Farm and Siena Farm's undefeated Major General and Sumaya U. S. Stables' Pioneer of Medina, fourth in the Risen Star.

Pletcher conditions 23 horses nominated to the Toyota Blue Grass to lead trainers. Chad Brown is second with 13 nominees, including Early Voting and Zandon.

The late nomination period for the Toyota Blue Grass closes Wednesday, March 23.

Post positions for the Toyota Blue Grass and the other April 9 races will be drawn Wednesday, April 6.

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