Triple Crown | Horse Racing Free Tips

Pletcher: Known Agenda Has ‘Good Energy’ Morning After Florida Derby Victory

St. Elias Stable homebred Known Agenda, showing “good energy” Sunday morning, will remain in South Florida for the time being before heading out for his next step along the Triple Crown trail.

Known Agenda earned his spot in the May 1 Kentucky Derby (G1) with a sharp 2 ¾-length triumph in Saturday's $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa, Gulfstream Park's signature race that has produced a remarkable 60 Triple Crown race winners in its history.

Pletcher, who extended his own record with a sixth Florida Derby victory, five of them coming in the last eight years, was pleased with how Known Agenda emerged from his first career stakes victory.

“Excellent. He came back in great shape, good energy. I'm very happy with him,” Pletcher said. “He'll stay here for a little while. We'll just kind of monitor the weather everywhere and play it by ear whether he has one work at Churchill [Downs] or two works.”

Known Agenda, by two-time Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer Curlin, was the beneficiary of a perfect ride from Irad Ortiz Jr. They were able to settle in along the rail and save ground before tipping out approaching the stretch, catch leader Soup and Sandwich and draw clear on the main track at the Hallandale Beach, Fla., oval.

“He's made a lot of progress in his last two starts. I think the addition of blinkers has been part of it, and part of it is he's getting more experienced and more comfortable in those scenarios when he's behind horses and inside of horses and taking some dirt,” Pletcher said.

“I've been pleased with the way he's been able to get a better position in the race and improve his position going along. We've always had a strong feeling that added distance was going to be to his liking,” he added. “To have three wins at a mile and an eighth now is great, and we feel great about him stretching out even further.”

Also pointing to the Kentucky out of the Florida Derby are runner-up Soup and Sandwich and Greatest Honour, the Holy Bull (G3) and Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) winner trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey who finished third as the 4-5 favorite. Nova Rags and Collaborate, respectively fourth and fifth, will be pointed in other directions.

The Florida Derby put an exclamation point on a winter where Pletcher won his 17th Championship Meet training title – another track record – and second in a row after having his unprecedented 15-year run atop the standings ended in 2018-19.

Pletcher won 12 stakes, seven graded, including two of the three Grade 1 races on the winter calendar, the other coming with Colonel Liam in the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational. He was also tops with more than $3.5 million in purse earnings.

Among other stakes wins for Pletcher were Largent in the Fort Lauderdale (G2), Fearless in the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2), Always Shopping in the La Prevoyante (G3), Zaajel in the Forward Gal (G3), Con Lima in the Herecomesthebride (G3) and multiple Grade 1 winner Basin in Saturday's Sir Shackleton.

“We've been blessed. A lot of people put a lot of hours and effort into it and we've got a great group of owners and horses and staff making it happen,” Pletcher said. “Gulfstream has been a fun place for us and it's always great when you're able to win a meet but even more special when you're able to win races like the Florida Derby and Pegasus Turf. It's been a great meet.”

Approaching 5,100 career wins, the 53-year-old Pletcher has reached many of his career milestones at Gulfstream. They include his first career start (Jan. 13, 1996) and win (Jan. 26. 1996); 3,000th (Feb. 11, 2002) and 4,000th (March 18, 2016) career victories; and a record six Florida Derby (G1) triumphs.

Holder of a record seven Eclipse Awards as champion trainer and North America's career leader with more than $402 million in purse earnings, Pletcher is a first-time finalist for induction into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame this summer. Among his biggest victories are two in the Kentucky Derby, including 2017 Florida Derby winner Always Dreaming, three in the Belmont Stakes (G1) and 11 in the Breeders' Cup.

“It's a special honor to be nominated. We'll wait and see if we're voted in, but it sort of gives you pause to reflect a little bit. It's hard to believe it's been 25 years so quickly,” Pletcher said. “We've been very fortunate to get a lot of great opportunities and a lot of support from owners and staff, so many people contribute to something like that. It's certainly not an individual achievement as much as it is a team achievement. I'm very grateful to everyone that's contributed.”

The post Pletcher: Known Agenda Has ‘Good Energy’ Morning After Florida Derby Victory appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Hush Of A Storm Takes Detour From Turfway To Keeneland For Blue Grass

Joseph P. Morey Jr. Revocable Trust's Hush of a Storm, a winner of three consecutive races, could make his next start Saturday in the 97th running of Keeneland's $800,000 Toyota Blue Grass (G2) in Lexington, Ky. The race is worth 170 qualifying points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby (G1) on a 100-40-20-10 basis to the top four finishers.

Updated Kentucky Derby leaderboard

“We hope to run in the Blue Grass,” trainer Bill Morey said Sunday morning at Keeneland. “When we scratched (out of Saturday's Jeff Ruby Steaks-G3 at Turfway Park), we brought him here yesterday afternoon.”

A son of Creative Cause, Hush of a Storm was the 4-1 second choice on the morning line for the Jeff Ruby off a victory in the Feb. 26 John Battaglia Memorial. In that race, he defeated eventual Ruby winner Like the King.

Morey said Hush of a Storm is scheduled to work Monday morning. Santiago Gonzalez, who has been aboard for all three of Hush of a Storm's victories, would have the mount in the Toyota Blue Grass.

According to stakes coordinator Tiffany Bourque, here is the prospective field for the race:

$800,000 TOYOTA BLUE GRASS (G2) – Essential Quality (trainer Brad Cox), Hidden Stash (Vicki Oliver), Highly Motivated (Chad Brown), Rombauer (Michael McCarthy), Sittin On Go (Dale Romans). Possible: Hush of a Storm (William Morey), Keepmeinmind (Robertino Diodoro).

The post Hush Of A Storm Takes Detour From Turfway To Keeneland For Blue Grass appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

St. Elias Homebred Known Agenda Gives Pletcher His Sixth Florida Derby

St. Elias Stable's Known Agenda received a perfect trip from Irad Ortiz Jr. to win Saturday's $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa, providing the defending three-time Eclipse Award-winning rider with his record-breaking 138^th victory of the 2020-2021 Championship Meet at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

Known Agenda ($12.80) also provided his trainer Todd Pletcher with his record sixth success in the Florida Derby while also earning a stall in the starting gate in this year's Kentucky Derby.

“It has so many great meanings but for me what is so special about this is to win it for St. Elias with a horse that they bred,” Pletcher said. “I know how much that means to them, that makes it a little more extra special for us.”

St. Elias is operated by Vincent and Teresa Viola.

The 70^th running of the Curlin Florida Derby headlined a 14-race program with 10 stakes, six graded. The tradition-rich 1 1/8-mile event for 3-year-olds, which has produced the winners of 60 Triple Crown races, offered 170 qualifying points for the May 1 Kentucky Derby (G1) on a 100-40-20-10 basis.

Courtlandt Farms' Greatest Honour, the 4-5 favorite who had won the Jan. 30 Holy Bull (G3) and Feb. 27 Fountain of Youth (G2), finished third and Nova Rags fourth.

Updated Kentucky Derby leaderboard

Known Agenda, who had captured a 1 1/8-mile optional claiming allowance by 11 lengths Feb. 26 at Gulfstream, settled in fifth while saving ground as Nova Rags set the pace, pressed by Soup and Sandwich, around the first turn and along the backstretch, producing fractions of 23.43 and 47.73 seconds for the first half mile. Nova Rags and Soup and Sandwich continued to lead the 11-horse field into the homestretch turn, where Ortiz found room to slip Known Agenda off the rail and made a three-wide move around Nova Rags and Soup and Sandwich. The son of Curlin kicked in powerfully through the stretch to score by 2 ¾ lengths.

“I was really pleased with the progress he was making up the backside because one of the things we were a little bit worried about was if he got stuck inside, he didn't seem to handle that in the Remsen [last fall] very well. A lot of horses are more confident when they're outside in the clear,” Pletcher said. “When he was making progress up the backside and picking off horses while he was inside and behind horses, I had a pretty good feeling at that point that he was running his race today and that it was a matter of – we're going to find out how good he is.”

Known Agenda received a ground-saving trip because Ortiz had no other viable options.

The Florida Derby winner is led into the winner's circle

“The instructions were to try and stay as close as I can without going too crazy and start working my way out and put the horse in the clear outside. I saw a couple horses outside of me and I had to take a hold to go around and I said it was too much, so I just followed the flow of the race,” said Ortiz after surpassing Luis Saez's old record of 137 set during the 2017-2018 Championship Meet. “I had to go to the rail, and it worked out great. When I took him out he started rolling.”

Soup and Sandwich, ridden by John Velazquez, raced greenly through the stretch but held on to finish second, three lengths ahead of Greatest Honour. Nova Rags faded to fourth. Collaborate, who stalked the early pace into the far turn, finished fifth. Bob Baffert-trained Spielberg was bumped at the start and was never a factor while finishing seventh.

Known Agenda ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.45 in his third start of the year to capture his first stakes. The homebred colt had finished fifth in the Feb. 6 Sam F. Davis (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs before winning impressively in his Feb. 26 romp while equipped with blinkers for the first time.

“We were looking for a couple of things in that last race. One, to see if blinkers made an improvement in his being a little more tactical and secondly, we wanted to see how he handled the Gulfstream surface. I thought we got very good answers to both of those questions,” Pletcher said. “The only thing was we were taking a fairly significant step back in class. It wasn't an overwhelming field, but the way he did it, to win by 11 anytime in a race like that, and [jockey] Irad [Ortiz Jr.] kind of wrapped up on him the last part, I thought it was not only an impressive race but a step in the right direction. It showed us that the blinkers helped and that he handled Gulfstream.”

Known Agenda's Florida Derby score was not the first time the Pletcher trainee was able to defeat Greatest Honour. He beat the McGaughey trainee by a head while graduating in a 1 1/8-mile maiden race at Aqueduct Nov. 8.

Greatest Honour, who raced inside of horses along the backstretch, found running room entering the stretch but was unable to make a serious challenge while closing to third under Jose Ortiz.

“I thought we were OK on the turn there and he just didn't kick on the way I thought he would,” Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey said. “I thought he ran fine. I think the winner ran a huge race.”

McGaughey said that Greatest Honour will be pointed toward a start in the Kentucky Derby, for which he has 80 qualifying points.

“As of right now, yeah. We just have to see how he is,” he said. “He belongs, as long as he's OK.”

Greatest Honour's jockey was far from discouraged by his mount's first defeat in four starts at Gulfstream.

“He broke a little slow like he always does. I tried to be aggressive but I wasn't fast enough to make it into a nice position, so I had to take him back and drop in. Actually, I had Known Agenda in front of me and I followed him the whole way,” Ortiz said. “At the three-eighths pole I kept following him. I felt like I was in contention at the quarter-pole, but the winner ran a nice race. He was the best horse today, but we'll turn the tables on them on Derby day, that's for sure.”

Trainer Mark Casse said Soup and Sandwich, who earned 40 qualifying points in his stakes debut, would be pointed toward the Kentucky Derby with the hopes that the son of Tapit has earned sufficient points to get into the field.

“I was very pleased, especially if he ever learns what he's doing. [Jockey] Johnny [Velazquez] said he had to fight with him a little. He stayed on his left lead all the way down the stretch. He's like that in the morning, too,” Casse said. “The thing that will help him is it was a little difficult to ship him down from Palm Meadows. It got him a little worked up. He'll run a lot better out of his stall at Churchill Downs.”

Pletcher had previously visited the Florida Derby winner's circle with Scat Daddy (2007), Constitution (2013), Materiality (2014), Always Dreaming (2017) and Audible (2018).

The post St. Elias Homebred Known Agenda Gives Pletcher His Sixth Florida Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Like The King Rallies For Jeff Ruby Win At Turfway, Earning 100 Kentucky Derby Points

M Racing Group's Like the King surged in deep stretch under jockey Drayden Van Dyke to win Saturday's 50^th running of the $250,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (Grade 3) at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky.

Trained by Wesley Ward, Like the King received 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby for his victory in the 1 1/8-mile race over the synthetic Tapeta surface.

Like the King (by Palace Malice) was relegated to seventh in the early stages of the race as Moonlite Strike opened up a two-length advantage on the field into the first turn through opening quarter-mile fractions of :22.93 and :46.81. On the backstretch, Moonlite Strike continued to lead but received pace pressure from Gretzky the Great through a six-furlong time of 1:11.65. Meanwhile, Like the King began his rally to the front. By the quarter-mile pole, the colt made his charge to the lead and took clear advantage in the last 1/16^th of a mile to win by one length.

“I got together with my agent (Gary Stevens) and Wesley and we decided to change up the tactics a bit today,” Van Dyke said. “We went back and watched some replays of this horse and thought he doesn't really like to be up in the race. It ended up working out well for us. With moving my tack to Kentucky, this is a huge confidence booster going into the Keeneland meet.”

“We spaced out some of his races and I think it's helped because he's a big, rangy colt,” Ward said. “He's always showed an affinity for grass and that's why we kept him on the Tapeta surface this winter with this race in mind. I'm glad this came through and worked out with Gary (Stevens). Now that he became an agent for Drayden, it's special to partner to win this race. Growing up I always idolized Gary and it was a good combination to get us to this win today. We were in the Derby once before but had post 20 and Mr. Tabor wanted to scratch. Now that we're here again it's very exciting.”

The top four finishers received points on a 100-40-20-10 scale for the May 1, $3 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (GI). Like the King was the 7-1 fourth-choice in the betting and paid $16, $7.60 and $5.60. Sainthood with Gerardo Corrales, paid $9.40 and $6.60.Hockey Dad with Rafael Bejarano in the irons, returned $6.20.

Hard Rye Guy, Gretzky the Great, Moonlite Strike, Dyn O Mite, Awesome Gerry, King's Ovation, Smiley Sobotka and Tarantino completed the running order.

Like the King earned $145,700 for his victory in the Jeff Ruby Steaks. This was his second win in five lifetime starts and sports earnings of $195,420. He was bred in Kentucky by Horseshoe Racing.

Tarantino, the 5-2 post time favorite, broke awkwardly from the starting gate and was not in contention throughout the running of the race.

“He broke so slow from the gate that it was over going into the first turn,” jockey Florent Geroux said. “I just took care of him after that.”

Hush of a Storm, the $100,000 Battaglia Memorial winner, was scratched from the Jeff Ruby Steaks in favor of next Saturday's $800,000 Blue Grass (G2) at Keeneland, according to trainer Bill Morey.

There was a jockey's objection in the stretch of the Jeff Ruby Steaks lodged by runner-up finisher Sainthood against winner Like the King. Following a stewards' review, the objection was dismissed.

One race prior to the Jeff Ruby Steaks, Godolphin's Adventuring earned 50 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks Championship Series with a two-length win in the $150,000 Bourbonette Oaks.

Ridden by Geroux and trained by Brad Cox, Adventuring covered one-mile in 1:37.31.

“She showed a lot of class today getting black-type,” Geroux said. “She seems to be moving in the right direction with this level of competition. She's won on the dirt at Fair Grounds and now on the Tapeta. I think she could run well on the turf, probably, too.”

Adventuring was the 5-2 favorite and returned $7.20, $5 and $3.60. Spritz, with Corrales in the saddle, held second and paid $24.60 and $11.60. Candace O and Bejarano finished third and paid $5.60.

The top four finishers in the Bourbonette Oaks received 50-20-10-5 points toward the April 30, $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI). Oliviaofthedesert, Wait for Nairobi, Forever Boss, Roll Up Mo Money, Into Vanishing, Speeding and California Lily completed the order of finish.

Earlier in the card, Williamson Racing's Visitant held of the late charge of favored Set Piece to win the $150,000 TwinSpires.com Kentucky Cup Classic (Listed)

Trained by Morey and ridden to victory by Deshawn Parker, Villanelle covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.12.

“He loves this track. He can run well at any distance, too,” Morey said. He won at 5 ½ furlongs way back when he broke his maiden at Golden Gate Fields. We moved to Kentucky almost two years ago and it's the hot spot for racing, sales, everything. Kentucky is really the epicenter for everything. Turfway has a great surface to race on with big, competitive fields.”

In the $100,000 Rushaway (Listed), Godolphin's Cave Hill tracked the early lead of Extrasexybigdaddee to win by two lengths.

Trained by Brendan Walsh, Cave Hill covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.52 with jockey Declan Cannon in the irons.

“He got in a really good rhythm going onto the backside,” Cannon said. “Going into the far turn he took a big breather and I knew he still had a lot of energy left in him.

Cave Hill paid $8.60, $5.20 and $3.20. Extrasexybigdaddee with Corrales returned $10.20 and $4.40. Editor in Chief rounded out the top three finishers and paid $4.60 with Brian Hernandez Jr. up.

In the $100,000 Latonia Stakes, Full of Run Racing's Dreamalildreamofu split horses in the late stages of the one-mile event to win by three-quarters of a length.

Ridden by Geroux and trained by Cox, Dreamalildreamofu covered one-mile in 1:36.95.

Dreamalildreamofu was bet down to the 2-1 favorite and returned $6.40, $4.40 and $3.80. Color Me Pretty and Bejarano paid $16.80 and $9.80. Rogue Too, with Rogelio Miranda in the saddle, returned $6.60.

“Flo gave her great ride,” owner Dann Glick said. “She really stepped up today. She's improved a lot as a 4-year-old and as you can tell in the paddock and on the track she has her quirks to her.”

In the $65,000 Animal Kingdom, Breeze Easy's Outadore rallied late in the stretch under Corrales to win the 6 ½-furlong race.

Trained by Ward, Outadore returned $3.80, $2.60 and $2.40. Gagetown got through late to finish second under Geroux and paid $2.80 and $2.60. Nicky Two Shoes finished third under Brian Hernandez Jr. and paid $4.80.

“I think he'll be better sprinting,” Ward said. He still had a tough time getting through that traffic. It's a beautiful day and maybe the track is a little sticky. He's goal has now turned to sprinting.”

Saturday was Turfway Park's closing day of their meet. Action in Kentucky switches to Keeneland on Friday, April 2.

The post Like The King Rallies For Jeff Ruby Win At Turfway, Earning 100 Kentucky Derby Points appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post