Tag: Triple Crown

Lord Miles, trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. and piloted by Paco Lopez, returned a whopping $120.50 for his 59-1 upset score in Saturday's Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Curlin colt, a Kentucky homebred for Vegso Racing Stable, finished strongest of all in an all-out battle to the wire while racing to the outside of favored Hit Show with regally bred maiden Dreamlike staying on gamely at the rail.

The rivals came together in the final sixteenth with Lord Miles scoring by a nose over the Manny Franco-piloted favorite Hit Show and the Jose Ortiz-ridden Dreamlike finishing a further head back in third. The pacesetter, Arctic Arrogance, finished 5 1/4-lengths in arrears in fourth, a head better than fifth-place Classic Catch.

Lord Miles survived a stewards' inquiry and jockey objection from Franco to secure the win in the nine-furlong test for sophomores and garner the maximum allotment in the 100-40-30-20-10 Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifier. Lord Miles, who is sixth on the leaderboard with 105 points, covered the nine-furlongs in 1:51.17 and earned a career-best 93 Beyer Speed Figure.

Joseph has saddled two previous Kentucky Derby runners, including Ny Traffic [8th, 2020] and last year's Florida Derby (G1) winner, White Abarrio, who finished 16th in a race won by 80-1 shot Rich Strike.

“This will be our third Derby in the last four years and I've learned just to get there is good and then hope for the best,” Joseph said. “Last year, with White Abarrio, we thought we'd have a pretty good chance, but it didn't work out the way we wanted. But you appreciate being there and anything can happen in the Derby, like we saw last year with Rich Strike.”

Lord Miles shipped out of Belmont Park by van this morning to return to Gulfstream Park and continue preparations for the $3-million Kentucky Derby to be held on May 6 at Churchill Downs.

“He might have both works here or he could work once and then go to Kentucky, but we'll give it a couple days and come up with a plan,” Joseph said. “He was good this morning. He checked up well, ate up his food and came out of the race well.”

Peter Vegso, a native of Montreal, Canada, campaigned multiple Grade 1 winner Splendid Blended and Grade 1 winner Go Between. More recently, Vegso Racing Stable's multiple graded stakes winner Officiating captured last year's om Fool Handicap (G3) at Aqueduct for Joseph. Vegso Racing Stable also bred Caledonia Road, who was voted 2017 champion 2-year-old filly after winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Del Mar.

Joseph said Vegso was over the moon with Saturday's thrilling score by his homebred out of the Majestic Warrior mare Lady Esme.

“He was ecstatic. He's never had a Derby runner before and, for me, that's very important,” Joseph said. “He's been in racing a long time and bred good horses. He's bred a Breeders' Cup winner, so to give him an opportunity to be there is gratifying. At the end of the day, the owners give us these chances and it's our duty to produce for them. It's fulfilling that God blessed us to make it happen.”

Joseph noted that Lord Miles had raced on-and-off the bridle in his races leading up to the Wood Memorial. He made his first three starts at Gulfstream Park, winning on debut traveling six furlongs ahead of a closing third in the Much Macho Man in January. He added blinkers for the Holy Bull (G3) and was a distant sixth before a last-out fifth with blinkers off and Lopez aboard for the first time in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3).

Joseph credited Lopez for his attentive ride on Saturday.

“He traveled well yesterday, but between the five-eighths and the half, he came off the bridle and it looked like he was almost done, but Paco was able to keep him going,” Joseph said.

The Barbados-born conditioner, a third generation horseman, has become one of the top trainers at Gulfstream Park where he recently defended his title at the prestigious Championship Meet. There, he was able to watch first hand two of his strongest rivals for Kentucky Derby glory in Tapit Trice, who captured Saturday's Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland, and Forte, the reigning champion 2-year-old male, who won the Florida Derby (G1) at the Hallandale Beach oval.

Joseph said he has the utmost respect for Forte and Tapit Trice, who are both conditioned by Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, but is hopeful that Lord Miles can level up once more.

“The more he races, the better he's going to get and he's going to need to improve because Forte is a deserving favorite and Tapit Trice would be my Derby pick if I didn't have a horse in the race,” Joseph said. “I think there's more improvement there. The distance should be alright. The main thing with him is his greenness to stay on the bridle. It worked out much better yesterday because he broke well and was able to stay in the clear. The Derby is going to be a different story with 20 horses. Hopefully, he keeps learning and gets more focused.”

Joseph said Lord Miles would likely thrive at the 12-furlong distance of the $1.5-million Belmont Stakes (G1), the third jewel of the Triple Crown slated for June 10.

“We'll take it one race at a time, but you would think he would definitely like the distance with his running style and being by Curlin, there's a lot of stamina,” Joseph said.

Joseph said Arindel's Florida homebred Knox, who finished eighth in the Wood Memorial, will stay with his string at Belmont Park. The Brethren colt, piloted by Jose Gomez, was hustled into the first turn and bumped with rivals before saving ground down the backstretch. The even effort, finishing 10 lengths back of his stablemate, earned a career-best 78 Beyer.

“He tried. He wasn't disgraced and only beat 10 lengths,” Joseph said. “Down the backstretch, he was more forwardly placed and into the bridle than he's ever been, but from there he tapered away.

“Maybe down on the inside wasn't the best place to be yesterday. But it might have just been his best also,” added Joseph. “We'll leave him in New York and look at a 'starter $50K' first and then take a shot again at the big summer races.”

The victory by Lord Miles was a welcome reprieve for Joseph, who was disappointed to have to scratch C Two Racing Stable and Antonio Pagnano's White Abarrio from the co-featured Carter Handicap (G1).

The Grade 1 winner spiked a fever earlier in the week after shipping up from Florida and will now focus on the one-turn mile $175,000 Westchester (G3) on May 5 as a prep for the $1-million Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap (G1) on June 10 at Belmont Park.

“He's been fine, but still coughing a bit,” Joseph said. “Hopefully, that quiets down next week and we can get him back under tack by Wednesday or Thursday and point to the Belmont race [the Westchester].”

The post ‘I’ve Learned Just To Get There Is Good’: Joseph Takes Aim On Kentucky Derby For Third Time With Wood Memorial Upsetter Lord Miles appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable's Tapit Trice, gritty winner of Saturday's $1-million Toyota Blue Grass (G1), will head to Churchill Downs next Sunday to prepare for the Kentucky Derby (G1).

Amelia Green, who is overseeing trainer Todd Pletcher's Keeneland string, said Tapit Trice would be joined at Churchill the following day by Pletcher's two other Kentucky Derby (G1) hopefuls: champion Forte, owned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable, and Spendthrift Farm's Kingsbarns, who will be shipping next Sunday from Palm Beach Downs in South Florida.

Pletcher, who won his record fourth Blue Grass on Saturday, plans to stay in Louisville through the Derby after all his hopefuls for the first jewel of the Triple Crown arrive next week.

Tapit Trice prevailed by a neck over over Verifying in the Blue Grass.

“He ran great,” said Blake Cox, assistant to his father, Brad, of Verifying's first start in six weeks. “He's very good this morning and will head to Churchill on Monday.”

Blazing Sevens, who secured a Derby berth by finishing third in the Blue Grass for trainer Chad Brown, likely will stay at Keeneland for a couple weeks.

“We may do like we did with (Blue Grass winner) Zandon last year and have a work here and then ship to Churchill,” said Baldo Hernandez, assistant to Brown.

Sun Thunder, who finished fourth in the Blue Grass, returned to Churchill Saturday night.

Trainer Kenny McPeek said plans for the Kentucky Derby are undecided. Sun Thunder has compiled 54 points on the Road to the Derby and has secured a spot in the starting gate should his connections decide to run.

Raise Cain rallied to finish fifth, a neck behind Sun Thunder.

“We will train up to the Derby at Keeneland and most likely will give the Derby a shot,” trainer Ben Colebrook said of Raise Cain, who has secured a spot in the Derby starting gate.

The post Derby-Bound Blue Grass Winner Tapit Trice To Ship To Churchill Next Sunday, Valiant Runner-Up Verifying Heads To Louisville Monday appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Vegso Racing Stable's Kentucky homebred Lord Miles prevailed in a dramatic three-pronged stretch duel to capture Saturday's Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct Racetrack.

In victory, Lord Miles secured the maximum allotment in the nine-furlong contest for sophomores which provided 100-40-30-20-10 Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying points to the top-five finishers.

Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. and expertly handled by Paco Lopez, Lord Miles dueled to the outside of 8-5 mutuel favorite Hit Show in the final sixteenth with the inside-traveling Dreamlike, who had the lead at the top of the lane, staying on gamely. The rivals came together in a gritty stretch run with Lord Miles prevailing by a nose over the Manny Franco-piloted Hit Show and the Jose Ortiz-ridden Dreamlike another head back in third. The pacesetter, Arctic Arrogance, landed 5 1/4-lengths back in fourth by a head over Classic Catch.

Following the race, the stewards launched an inquiry into the stretch run and Franco claimed foul against Lopez for interference, but the result stood to give Lord Miles his first career stakes win. The Kentucky Derby-bound Lord Miles now has 105 total points and sits in sixth position on the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard.

“I knew they got in tight. Watching the head on, I thought we were good, but you're dealing with opinion,” Joseph said. “You never want to be in that position, but I accepted that if something happened at least we would be second. But I didn't think there should be a change.”

Lopez concurred with Joseph's assessment.

“The one [Dreamlike] came out and Franco was looking for room and so he bumped into my horse,” Lopez said. “My horse stayed in line all the time and stayed fighting for the line. It was a tight race.”

Hit Show, who now has 60 points and sits in 11th position, was the second Brad Cox-trained horse to come out on the wrong end of a dramatic finish featuring an objection on Saturday after Verifying lost to Tapit Trice in the Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland.

Franco said the contact cost Hit Show, last out winner of the Grade 3 Withers here, the win.

“Yes. Definitely,” Franco said. “I was right in between those horses like a ping pong ball. They hit me on both sides. I don't know. He was there for me and right between horses. Those bumps, I don't know. I don't think he was comfortable with that.”

Joseph, who notched his first Grade 1 in the 2019 Pennsylvania Derby with 31-1 shot Math Wizard, has started three previous horses in the Wood – all of them longshots – finishing fourth in 2019 with the aforementioned Math Wizard [64-1], while Skippylongstocking [17-1] and A.P.'s Secret [49-1] ran third and fourth, respectively, in last year's running.

“Peter Vegso has been a big supporter of us and to run a horse at 59-1, he didn't get scared away. He gave us a chance to do it,” Joseph said. “When you take chances, this is where you are. I learned to take chances because of Math Wizard. John Fanelli, the [co-] owner [of Math Wizard], pushed me to run there and it worked out. From there, I learned in life to never stop taking chances. If the horse is doing good, take a chance, because each chance you don't take is a chance you miss.”

Lord Miles tracked in fourth position in the Wood to the outside of Dreamlike as Arctic Arrogance and Uncle Jake dueled through fractions of :24.88, “49 and 1:12.88 over the fast main track. Ortiz gave Dreamlike his cue into the final turn as Lopez continued to ride Lord Miles for position to the outside of Hit Show.

Dreamlike hooked up with Arctic Arrogance at the top of the lane with Uncle Jake backpedaling, while Lord Miles and Hit Show moved into contention. Dreamlike got the better of a game Arctic Arrogance, setting up a dramatic run to the finish with Lord Miles prevailing in a final time of 1:51.17.

Slip Mahoney finished sixth with Shadow Dragon, the Joseph-trained Knox, Crupi, General Banker, Mr. Swagger and Uncle Jake rounding out the order of finish. Clear the Air scratched in favor of the Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland, where he finished a pacesetting 11th.

Lord Miles, by Curlin, made his first three starts at Gulfstream Park. He graduated on debut in a six-furlong sprint in November before a rallying third in the one-mile Mucho Macho Man in January where he was on-and-off the bridle and defeated just three-quarters of a length.

Joseph attempted to address the lack-of-focus issue by adding blinkers to Lord Miles' repertoire for the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Holy Bull in February, but the bay colt broke poorly and never factored.

Last out, with blinkers off and Lopez aboard for the first time in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby, Lord Miles raced as close as fourth early on before dropping back to eighth and eventually finishing fifth.

Joseph said the impact of Lopez in the Tampa Bay Derby effort pushed Lord Miles to another level on this day.

“He got in such a good position and was more in the bridle. Paco gave him a great ride,” Joseph, Jr. said. “In the Tampa Bay Derby, Paco taught him to keep running. He tried on him and he kept running and got fifth. I was very proud of him that day.

“After his first start, I was dreaming Derby,” Joseph added. “The Mucho Macho Man was good, but from there everything was derailed. The Holy Bull went wrong, the Tampa Bay Derby was a step in the right direction, but we were probably running out of time. Today, here we are, one more time and it worked out.”

Lopez echoed the trainer's comments.

“He ran a very good race. I know at Tampa he didn't give me a very good race the first time I rode him,” Lopez said. “This time, I knew I had a chance. I didn't have too much time to jog and gallop him. This time I had plenty of time and that helped me a lot today and it worked out very well today. He gave me a beautiful run today.”

Ortiz said the regally bred maiden Dreamlike performed admirably for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

“He broke clean. It was good,” Ortiz said. “I was behind horses for the first turn, in the backside I had a window of opportunity to put him in the clear and I did. He's a young horse, only two races, so I didn't want to bury him behind dirt. It was good for him but he only has two races and is very immature, and I feel like he waits a little bit.

“I think race to race he is going to improve,” added Ortiz. “He's a big horse, a threat to go long but just needed to focus a little bit more in this race.”

The Linda Rice-trained Arctic Arrogance, who was piloted by Jorge Vargas Jr. after Jose Lezcano was injured in a spill earlier on the card, has accumulated 36 points which is good for 27th on the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard after completing the exacta in a trio of Derby qualifiers here in the Grade 2 Remsen, Jerome and Grade 3 Withers.

But Rice, who captured the Grade 3 Bay Shore earlier on the card with Joey Freshwater, said whether or not Chester and Mary Broman's New York homebred will make the Derby, “is very up in the air.”

“I don't know where we'll go from here, but I thought he ran well,” Rice said. “We lost Lezcano and I thought Vargas did a good job, but that's horse racing.”

The victory helped brighten what might otherwise have been a somber afternoon for Joseph, who had to scratch White Abarrio from the co-featured Grade 1 Carter Handicap after the Grade 1-winner spiked a fever earlier in the week.

“It was tough when White Abarrio scratched and that's a different owner, but it shows you when things are meant for you, they're meant for you,” Joseph said.

Bred in Kentucky by his owners and produced by the Majestic Warrior mare Lady Esme, Lord Miles banked $400,000 in victory while improving his record to 2-0-1 from five starts. He paid $120.50 for a $2 win ticket.

The post ‘When You Take Chances, This Is Where You Are’: Lord Miles Strikes For Wood Memorial Victory At 59-1 Odds appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Practical Move emerged a nose best after a thrilling three-horse stretch duel with Japanese invader Mandarin Hero and Skinner in Saturday's Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

Ridden by Ramon Vazquez and trained by Tim Yakteen, Practical Move saved ground throughout the 1 1/8 miles of Santa Anita's big 200-point Kentucky Derby prep, moved to the lead at the five-sixteenths pole, then held off a furious challenge down the stretch from Kazushi Kimura and Mandarin Hero, with Skinner and Victor Espinoza just to their outside.

Practical Move put his nose down on the wire first after drifting out into Mandarin Hero in the final yards. Mandarin Hero had a half-length on Skinner, who made a bold bid rounding the turn and into the stretch. National Treasure, a former Bob Baffert runner currently trained by Yakteen, finished  2 1/4 lengths back in fourth, with pacesetter One in Vermillion fifth in the field of eight 3-year-olds. Geaux Rocket Ride, runner-up to Practical Move in the G2 San Felipe, was scratched after spiking a fever.

The top five finishers earned 100-40-30-20-10 points.

Practical Move, winning for the fourth time in seven lifetime starts for Yakteen, ran the 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:48.69. He paid $4.00 as the even-money favorite. The son of the Into Mischief sire Practical Joke from the Afleet Alex mare, Ack Naughty, races for Leslie Amestoy, Pierre Amestoy Jr., and Roger K. Beasley. He was bred in Kentucky by Chad Brown and Head of Plains Partners and sold for $230,000 at the OBS April Sale of 2-year-olds in training where he was consigned by Eisaman Equine.

Breaking just a tad slowly, Practical Move found a good spot on the rail as longshots One in Vermillion and Low Expectations sped to the front. One in Vermillion won that race, going the opening quarter miler in a zippy :22.30 and opening up in the run down the backstretch, the half in :46.30. When the field reached the far turn after six furlongs in 1:11.25, Vazquez guided Practical Move toward the lead as the front-runners began to retreat. Mandarin Hero and Kimura followed the eventual winner down the backstretch and around the turn, then came off the rail at the top of the stretch to challenge. Skinner made it three horses across the track after rallying wide on the turn, and they raced to the wire as a team, with Practical Move narrowly prevailing.

“I made the move a little early because I saw Berrios (Hector Berrios, aboard One in Vermillion) look at me from the inside,” said Vazquez. “I knew he wanted to put me inside a little bit tight, so I just moved my horse to the outside take a new position., made him relax a little bit and when I asked him the last quarter he responded really well. The other horse (Mandarin Hero) is a nice horse too and ran really well. I'm feeling amazing. When you ride a good horse like that, that's your dream always to go to the Kentucky Derby.”

Practical Move came off a 2 1/2-length win in the San Felipe March 4, his 2023 debut. The Yakteen runner concluded his 2-year-old campaign with a 3 1/4-length win in the G2 Los Alamitos Futurity.

“It's a great feeling to go back-to-back in this race,” said Yakteen, who won the 2022 Santa Anita Derby with Taiba – a horse transferred to his care from Bob Baffert after Churchill Downs banned Baffert from its races through this year's Derby. “The rush you get — that's why you get in the game! You're calling wire when you're on the lead, and you're looking for more when you're closing ground.”

Mandarin Hero, by Shanghai Bobby, came to Santa Anita from Japan's National Association of Racing circuit – considered inferior to the Japan Racing Association tracks. He won four of five races – all at Tokyo Ooi – with his most race his only defeat.

Mandarin Hero is trained by Terunobu Fujita, who said after the race: “We're going to the Kentucky Derby! I'm so proud of him. I thought he would not handle the early pace, but he did. I believed he would have a good acceleration in the final stretch as usual. And he did it. Kazushi Kimura gave a really good ride. He made him accelerate at the final stretch. I thought he was going to win. I'm just so excited right now.”

Kimura added: “I thought we got him (Practical Move) at the wire.  I was on this horse since he got here and he was very comfortable.  Today he was a totally different horse.  He was very aggressive in company.   It looks like we'll be headed to the Kentucky Derby.  I've never been in the race, so I'm really looking forward to this opportunity.”

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