Triple Crown | Horse Racing Free Tips

After Easy Goer ‘Walk In The Park,’ Handal May Wheel Celtic Striker Back In July 16 Peter Pan

Trainer Ray Handal reported that all was well with Celtic Striker the morning after a 19 3/4-length romp in Thursday's Easy Goer, which scratched down to a field of two at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The newly minted stakes victor earned an 80 Beyer Speed Figure for the triumph and Handal said Celtic Striker's next start could take place in the Grade 3, $100,000 Peter Pan on July 16 at Saratoga Race Course.

“He's looking really good. Came back like it was just a walk in a park,” Handal said. “He ran though. It wasn't like he went around there and galloped. He didn't just canter around there. He performed. He ran hard.”

Normally contested at Belmont Park, the Peter Pan, a 1 1/8-mile event for 3-year-olds, found a home at The Spa for this year's summer meet following a readjustment to the stakes schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, it offers the Top 4 finishers 50-20-10-5 qualifying points towards the Grade 1, $3 million Kentucky Derby on Sept 5 at Churchill Downs.

“It's a little sooner than I want to but the way he came out of it that's the short term goal,” said Handel who also offered the Grade 2, $150,000 Jim Dandy on September 5 at Saratoga as another possibility.

Celtic Striker, bred in Kentucky by Stoneview Farm and Craig D. Upham, scored a third lifetime victory in seven starts in the Easy Goer. Two starts after a second-out graduation at Monmouth Park in October, he defeated winners at Parx Racing. He was purchased for $100,000 from the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Celtic Striker's win in the Easy Goer marked the first match race on the NYRA circuit since Painted Poney topped Epiphany in a claiming sprint on January 29, 2015 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Handal also said stakes-placed Kansas Kis, second to Water White in the March 7 Busher Invitational at Aqueduct, will receive a freshening in preparation for a campaign during the second half of the year.

“She's been running hard. She just needed some time off, so we gave her 60 days and we'll look for a big second half of the year with her,” Handal said.

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Ohio Derby: Gonzalez Says Lebda ‘Feeling Really Good And He’s Ready’

Unbeaten as a 3-year-old with back-to-back stakes wins at Laurel Park in Maryland, Euro Stable's Lebda (by Raison d'Etat) will face his biggest challenge yet when he stretches out for his return to graded company in Saturday's $500,000 Ohio Derby (G3) at Thistledown.

Based at Laurel with summer meet-leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez, Lebda is listed as second choice on the morning line at odds of 7-2 in a field of 15 led by lukewarm 3-1 program favorite Storm the Court, the 2019 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner and subsequent 2-year-old male champion.

“We've been looking at races everywhere because here at Laurel we don't have anything right now, and this race came up,” Gonzalez said. “He needs to run. He's feeling really good and he's ready, that's why we decided to go over there. And he fits right in with the horses there.”

Contested at 1 1/8 miles, the Ohio Derby will be the Lebda's longest race to date and first since a convincing 4 ¼-length triumph in the Private Terms March 14 at Laurel, also around two turns at about 1 1/16 miles. He was a front-running three-quarter-length winner of the one-mile Miracle Wood Feb. 15 in his season opener.

Lebda raced twice in graded-stakes as a 2-year-old, running third in the 1 1/16-mile Iroquois (G3) at Churchill Downs before a ninth-place finish in the one-mile Nashua (G3) in November at Aqueduct – his only time off the board in eight career starts that include four wins.

“All the time he gets better and better. He's more mature now and he's concentrating more on his training,” Gonzalez said. “He won around two turns and he ran two turns before at Churchill Downs, too, and I don't think he ran bad.

“I really think he's going to like the track over there and he's going to run good. He's going to be right there,” he added. “We're going to try to get a good position going into the first turn and then we'll see what happens.”

Thistledown, located in North Randall, Ohio, outside Cleveland, will be the fifth racetrack for Lebda, having also romped by 11 lengths in a 5 ½-furlong optional claiming sprint last summer at Delaware Park.

Lebda was among the late nominees to the Triple Crown for a fee of $3,000, half of the original price tag before the deadline was extended to June 4 amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which put Maryland's live racing on pause for 2 ½ months until May 30.

Maryland's leading trainer the past three years, Gonzalez has given Lebda nine timed works over Laurel's main track since the Private Terms, including three consecutive bullet five-furlong breezes – 59.20 seconds May 29, 59.60 seconds June 12 and 1:00.20 June 19, respectively the fastest of 26, 11 and 17 horses.

“The owner [Valter Ramos] is a really good owner, a really good person, and that's why I try to run in the big races because you never know, especially when they're doing good,” Gonzalez said. “He's doing really good. He's happy.”

Gonzalez has one graded-stakes victory on his resume, the 2017 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) at Laurel with Chublicious. Regular rider Alex Cintron will make the trip to ride with four previous graded wins, two of them coming last year – the Highlander (G1) on Wet Your Whistle and Honorable Miss (G2) aboard Minit to Stardom.

Cintron and Lebda will break from Post 4. Post time for the Ohio Derby, Race 8 at Thistledown, is 4:22 p.m. ET.

Other Ohio Derby horses with Maryland connections are stakes winner South Bend, owned by Sagamore Farm of Reisterstown, Md., and Trin-Brook Stables Inc.'s Informative, second by a nose in the James F. Lewis III last November at Laurel.

Magic Weisner, based in Maryland with his late breeder, owner and trainer Nancy Alberts, won the Private Terms and was second in the Preakness Stakes (G1) in 2002 before capturing that year's Ohio Derby.

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Honor A. P. To Lane’s End Upon Retirement

Honor A. P. (Honor Code-Hollywood Story, by Wild Rush) will be retired to Lane’s End Farm upon the conclusion of his racing career, the farm announced today. The three-year-old is from the first crop by his sire, who also stands at Lane’s End, and is his highest earner.

Honor A. P. has finished first or second in each of his four starts, winning the GI Santa Anita Derby in his last outing June 6, and establishing himself as a favorite for the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby.

“He’s a horse that we have had an eye on since David Ingordo bought him as a yearling for Lee and Susan Searing’s CRK Stable,” said Bill Farish. “He was a standout at Saratoga and at $850,000 ended up being the highest-priced yearling in Honor Code’s first crop. April Mayberry was quietly touting him while he was being broken and John Shirreffs has been high on him since he arrived at Santa Anita. We are very excited to secure another prospect from the A.P. Indy line. As is the case with most of our stallions having a strong syndicate behind them is very important to their success. We are emboldened by the quality of the syndicate that has come together to support him. His looks, pedigree and his growing resume as a top racehorse gives him a great chance to be a successful sire.”

Honor A. P. debuted August 17, 2019 at Del Mar, racing greenly to be second. He won his next start at Santa Anita in October as the 2-5 favorite, drawing away to win by 5 1/4 lengths. Before he could race in 2020, he suffered a stone bruise in February which briefly sidelined him, and he was second in his comeback and 2020 debut to Authentic in the GII San Felipe March 7. He subsequently defeated the previously unbeaten Authentic next out in the G1 Santa Anita Derby, while posting a 102 Beyer, the highest of any three-year old colt currently on the Derby trail.

His trainer, John Shirreffs, said, “I think we started seeing something in Honor A.P. when he started to gallop, and he started to lengthen his stride. If you ever see him, he just floats over the ground. He’s only just begun to show his potential.”

“We named Honor A.P. in homage to his grandsire, the breed-shaping A.P. Indy,” said Lee Searing. “It has always been my goal to race a horse of this caliber and to stand him at Lane’s End. I plan to keep an interest in Honor A. P. and help make him a top stallion.”

Honor A. P. Is out of the multiple Grade I stakes winner Hollywood Story, who earned $1,171,105 in her career. He is a half-sibling to three black-type or graded black-type winners. Hollywood Story has produced yearling and weanling fillies by Curlin and Tapit, respectively, in the past two breeding seasons.

His sire, Honor Code, was one of 36 foals from the last crop of A. P. Indy and is currently the third-leading second-crop sire in the country. His dam’s sire Wild Rush, like Honor Code a previous winner of the GI Met Mile, hails from the Icecapade line, was eventually exported to Japan, and has produced 28 stakes winners out of his daughters. Honor A. P. will have one more start before the Kentucky Derby September 5th.

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Kentucky Governor Approves Churchill’s Plan For Spectators To Attend Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby

Churchill Downs Racetrack announced that after consultation with Gov. Andy Beshear and state public health officials the 146th runnings of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve and Longines Kentucky Oaks will occur with spectators under strict guidelines.

Kentucky Derby Week will be held Sept. 1-5 with the Oaks on Friday, Sept. 4 and the Derby on Saturday, Sept. 5.

“We truly appreciate the leadership of the Governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, and all of the hard work, collaboration and guidance that state and local officials and public health experts have provided us to safely and responsibly host Kentucky Derby Week in September with spectators,” said Churchill Downs Racetrack President Kevin Flanery. “Our team is deeply committed to holding the very best Kentucky Derby ever, and we will take all necessary steps to protect the health and safety of all who attend and participate in the Derby. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have established a comprehensive set of operating procedures, which include a multitude of precautionary measures to be followed while fans are in attendance at our facility. We are determined to keep our customers, employees and communities as safe as we responsibly can.”

Churchill Downs' plan was developed in conjunction with advice and counsel set forth by the Louisville Metro Health Department and Kentucky's Healthy at Work guidance. Some of the steps that will be taken to ensure guest and employee safety include:

· Venue capacity reductions to limit overall crowd density, including general admission, outdoor reserved seating, premium dining and suites. More information on ticketing and seating areas will be released in the coming days and also will be sent directly to ticket holders.

· General admission tickets will be limited to a specified number and only grant access to the infield. No general admission will be allowed in the “front side” or paddock areas of the facility.

· Access throughout the facility will be severely limited.

· Credentials for employees, media and guests will be reduced.

· Barn area access will be restricted to essential personnel. Guests and parties in the barn area for morning workouts and during race days will be eliminated.

· Changes in venue operations to limit person-to-person touchpoints.

· Team member protocols established to protect employees and guests.

· A revised Fan Code of Conduct that establishes expectations for guests coming to the Derby.

o Guests will be consistently and frequently encouraged to wear a mask at all times unless seated in their reserved seat or venue. This includes when:

§ Riding on a shuttle

§ Traveling through the venue

§ Going to the restroom

§ Placing an in-person wager

§ Purchasing food or beverages from a concession stand

o Guests will be asked to wash their hands for 20 seconds or sanitize them frequently.

o Guests will be encouraged to socially distance themselves from others when possible.

More detailed and additional information will be provided in the coming days online at www.KentuckyDerby.com/Updates.

“The impact of the Kentucky Derby extends well beyond the Twin Spires of Churchill Downs,” Flanery said. “It is an incredibly important time for the City of Louisville and the Commonwealth of Kentucky both culturally, economically and with respect to our time-honored traditions. Both employees and guests are asked to take an active role in following all guidelines. We must all do our part to ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable experience.”

Tickets purchased for the originally scheduled Kentucky Derby Week dates are automatically valid for the new race dates. Guests may arrive on the new dates in September with their printed ticket or mobile ticket to be scanned for entry at the gates. Guests that have purchased a ticket and are not able to attend the newly scheduled race dates, can visit www.KentuckyDerby.com/TicketStatus for more information. Guests who purchased tickets from a vendor or secondary market website other than Churchill Downs, Ticketmaster.com or Derby Experiences must contact those sites directly. Churchill Downs is unable to process refunds for those tickets.

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