Tag: Triple Crown

Multiple contenders pointed to this Saturday's Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1) had their final works on Sunday, including the top three finishers from last month's San Felipe (G2).

Practical Move, winner of the San Felipe here March 4, drilled five furlongs in 1:01.20 for trainer Tim Yakteen. Geaux Rocket Ride, who was second beaten 2 ½ lengths in the San Felipe, worked five furlongs in company with a strong gallop-out for Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella. He was timed in :59.4 by track clockers.

“We're all set,” Mandella said following the work.

Geaux Rocket Ride's effort in the San Felipe came in just his second start and first around two turns. Prior to the San Felipe, the son of Candy Ride broke his maiden by 5½ lengths going six furlongs here Jan. 29.

Skinner, who was third in the San Felipe, worked five furlongs in :59.20 under Hall of Famer Victor Espinoza for John Shirreffs.

“He was just cruising,” Espinoza said. “He's ready now.”

Skinner was last of nine after the opening quarter mile of the San Felipe. He then launched a big move on the second turn to draw into contention before flattening out in the stretch to be beaten by 3 ¾ lengths.

Also working Sunday was National Treasure, who was the morning-line favorite for the San Felipe but had to be scratched because of a bruised foot. He has not started since a third in the Sham (G3) Jan. 8 at Santa Anita. The son of Quality Road worked six furlongs in 1:12.6.

Scheduled to work on Monday at around 8 a.m. (PT) is Japanese import Mandarin Hero with Kazushi Kimura in the irons. Mandarin Hero arrived at Santa Anita on Friday. After galloping one lap around the main track on Saturday, the Shanghai Bobby colt toured two circuits around the oval on Sunday. His traveling party indicated Mandarin Hero has taken well to his new surroundings.

The Santa Anita Derby is one of six stakes on tap for this Saturday. Also on the card are the Santa Anita Oaks (G2), Charles Whittingham (G2) at 1 ¼-miles on turf, Monrovia (G3) on the hillside turf course, and a pair of state-bred stakes going 6½ furlongs on the main track: the Echo Eddie for 3-year-olds and Evening Jewel for 3-year-old fillies.

Entries will be taken on Wednesday. NBC Sports will provide television coverage of the card.

The post Practical Move, Skinner Among Santa Anita Derby Hopefuls Posting Final Works Sunday, Mandarin Hero Set To Work Monday appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Forte, a popular and determined winner of the $1-million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa on Saturday at Gulfstreaam Park, will remain in South Florida for now to await his next assignment in the May 6 Kentucky Derby (G1).

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher reported Sunday that the 2-year-old male champion of 2022 emerged from his one-length victory over Mage in good order and left Gulfstream Park early Sunday morning to return to Pletcher's winter base at Palm Beach Downs.

“He's good. He shipped back early this morning and he looks very well,” Pletcher said. “We'll kind of leave it open. I think we'll stay here at least a couple of weeks. We'll monitor the weather here, that it doesn't start to get too hot, and kind of monitor what the Louisville forecast looks like and if it kind of becomes springtime and [there's] not a lot of rain in the forecast then we might shift up there for his last couple of works. I think we'll just play it by ear for a little while and see how things are developing.” (See YouTube video below of Todd Pletcher on Sunday morning).

Forte had plenty to overcome in the Florida Derby to earn his fifth straight victory and fourth in a Grade 1 in an effort and under circumstances that Pletcher felt would be an ideal bridge to the 1¼-mile Kentucky Derby.

“I think the one thing we learned in the Florida Derby is that he handled the race really well. The best part of the race for him was the last sixteenth of a mile, which gives you confidence that the added distance won't be an issue,” Pletcher said. “He seems to have taken it well. He was on his toes after the race which he normally is, just like he is kind of in the walking ring beforehand.

“It showed that he still had some good energy left after the race, but we'll learn a lot more about that as we kind of train this week,” he added. “What was impressive yesterday was when he did make the lead, he kind of pricked his ears again which we've seen him do a number of times. It kind of makes you believe there's a little more in the tank there.”

Sent off the 1-5 favorite, Forte had to beat the largest Florida Derby field since Big Brown also defeated 11 rivals in 2008 and had to do it from the second-widest post since 1991 – Big Brown won from Post 12 and Barbaro from Post 10 in 2006. Both horses would go on to win in Kentucky.

It was a record-extending seventh Florida Derby victory for Pletcher following Scat Daddy (2007), Constitution (2014), Materiality (2015), Always Dreaming (2017), Audible (2018) and Known Agenda (2021). Always Dreaming gave Pletcher his second Kentucky Derby win after Super Saver in 2010.

“The first one was great and every one since then has also been special,” Pletcher said. “We've been very fortunate and blessed.

“The schedule's changed a bit. When I first started coming to Gulfstream the Florida Derby was sort of a prep for a final prep, and now, with the positioning of it five weeks before the Kentucky Derby, to me, it's kind of become the ideal Derby prep,” he added. “I love the spacing of it, the five weeks until the Kentucky Derby. So it's kind of changed a little bit as we've gone along, but really I like where it's positioned.”

In its storied history, the Florida Derby has produced 45 starters that have gone on to win a remarkable 58 Triple Crown races. Twenty-four of those wins have come in the Derby, with Always Dreaming being the most recent.

The Kentucky Derby will be the third start of a sophomore campaign for Forte that began with a powerful 4 ½-length triumph in the Fountain of Youth (G2) March 4 at Gulfstream, coming four months to the day since clinching his division championship in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1). His other wins at 2 came in the Hopeful (G1) and Breeders' Futurity (G1), and he currently tops the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 190 points.

“We liked the schedule that we laid out for him. We liked the Fountain of Youth as his comeback race, which went very smoothly. Then we got a good solid race in the Florida Derby,” Pletcher said. “Part of the reason we chose the Florida Derby over the Blue Grass was the additional week to the Kentucky Derby. I think that spacing is good, hopefully, to have him move forward again.”

Rather than going extremely wide after the short run to the first turn in the Florida Derby, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. opted to drop in and save some ground and wound up trailing all but two horses into the backstretch. Ortiz let Forte find his stride and navigated a trip around horses but still had to chase down Mage, who had gotten the jump on Forge with a bold move on the far turn. Ortiz kept after Forte and he responded even after Mage opened up midway through the stretch to what seemed an insurmountable lead.

“I thought when he angled out there was still a chance, but then when he kind of came by where I was sitting in the grandstand at the eighth pole he still had a lot to do. At that point I was kind of thinking, man, I hope he can get up for second,” Pletcher said. “And then all of a sudden he kind of dropped down. You can visually see him lower down and start extending. To think that when he came by me at the eighth pole that he was going to win by a length, I would have thought that was impossible at that point.

“A race like this where he's 1-5 on the board and everyone's expecting a win – it's not always easy to win a race so you don't take anything for granted, especially when we drew an outside post,” he added. “You're nervous for the horse, wanting him to perform to his capabilities. Knowing how good he is just adds a little more tension to it.”

OGMA Investments, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing and CMNWLTH's Mage, in just his third career start, earned 40 points for his runner-up finish and has likely earned a spot in the Derby field with a total of 50, ranking 12th on the list. The Good Magic colt entered the Florida Derby off a front-running maiden win in January and a fourth in the Fountain of Youth trailing Forte and Holy Bull (G3) winner Rocket Can and just a length behind Cyclone Mischief.

Trainer Dale Romans indicated Albaugh Family Stables and Castleton Lyons' Cyclone Mischief will be Derby-bound. He followed up a redemptive third in the Fountain of Youth with another strong third in the Florida Derby and ranks 15th with 45 points.

“He looks good,” Romans said Sunday. “We look forward to the Derby. His last couple races have been good and he keeps improving, so we'll have him back in there.”

Video of Todd Pletcher Sunday morning, April 2:

The post Forte ‘Looks Very Well’ Morning After Florida Derby Triumph, Will Remain In South Florida For Now appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Dixiana Farms' homebred Hayes Strike along with Mendelssohns March, owned by Harold Lerner, Nehoc Stables, AWC Stables, and Team Stallion Racing Stable, tuned up for expected starts in Saturday's $1-million Toyota Blue Grass (G1) by working five furlongs in 1:00.60 in company over a fast main track at Keeneland Sunday morning.

Hayes Strike, a Connect colt, comes into the 1 1/8-mile Blue Grass off a victory in the Private Terms Stakes at Laurel on March 18.

“I don't run many horses in Maryland,” trainer Kenny McPeek said of Hayes Strike, who has two graded stakes-placings. “His race at Turfway (in the Leonatus Stakes on Jan. 21 in which he finished ninth) … nothing went right. He didn't ship well, and he didn't handle the synthetic surface at all. I just needed to get him back on the dirt and get him back to winning.”

Hayes Strike is a half brother to Senior Investment (by Discreetly Mine), who won the 2017 Stonestreet Lexington (G3) at Keeneland for McPeek.

“Senior Investment needed a mile and an eighth, and his brother is the same,” said McPeek, who also plans to run R.T. Racing Stable and Cypress Creek Equine's Sun Thunder in the Blue Grass. Sun Thunder finished fifth in the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) on March 25 in his most recent start.

Mendelssohns March, a Mendelssohn colt, has two wins from two starts, with victories on the turf at Fair Grounds and on a sloppy dirt track at Oaklawn Park.

McPeek is the most recent of six trainers to have swept the Central Bank Ashland (G1) and Toyota Blue Grass in the same year. He accomplished the double in 2002 with Take Charge Lady and Harlan's Holiday and is expected to send out Magdalena Racing, Colette Marie Vanmatre, and James Ball's Defining Purpose in Friday's Ashland. Defining Purpose worked five furlongs in 1:00.20 Sunday morning.

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Under confident handling by Flavien Prat, Albaugh Family Stables' Angel of Empire swept to contention with a four-wide rally rounding the final turn,  took command from pace-setting Two Eagles River at the top of the stretch, then powered home for an easy 4 1/4-length victory in Saturday's $1,250,000, Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark.

Trained by Brad Cox, Angel of Empire – a Pennsylvania-bred colt by 2017 Arkansas Derby winner Classic Empire out of Armony's Angel, by To Honor and Serve – covered 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:49.68 and paid $11.40 to win.

King Russell, a 58-1 outsider trained by Ron Moquett, finished second, with Reincarnate third, Rocket Can fourth, and Airtime fifth in the field of 10 3-year-olds. Rocket Can, trained by Bill Mott and ridden by Junior Alvarado, was the 5-2 favorite, with Reincarnate, ridden by John Velazquez for Tim Yakteen, the 3-1 second choice. Third choice Red Route One, second in the Rebel for Steve Asmussen, wound up sixth while wearing blinkers for the first time.

Kolomio, a 30-1 morning line outsider, was scratched.

Angel of Empire earned 100 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby, with the second through fifth-place finishers earning 40-30-20-10, respectively.

Updated Kentucky Derby/Oaks Leaderboard

The Arkansas Derby triumph by Angel of Empire gave Cox back-to-back wins in this important Derby prep, having won for the first time with Cyberknife in 2022. It was Prat's first Arkansas Derby victory. It was Cox's third stakes win on the Arkansas Derby card, having won the Hot Springs Stakes with Eyeing Clover and the G3 Fantasy – a  Kentucky Oaks qualifying race – with Wet Paint. Prat was aboard the latter, giving him two stakes wins on the day.

Bred by Forgotten Land Investment Inc & Black Diamond Equine Corp., Angel of Empire was a $70,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale from the Warrendale Sales consignment. He came in to the Arkansas Derby off his initial stakes win in the G2 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds, rallying late to win by a half length. Prior to that he finished second in Oaklawn's Smarty Jones on Jan. 1, finishing three lengths behind Victory Formation.

Two Eagles River was sent to the early lead by Nik Juarez, setting uncontested fractions of :23.27, :47.26 aand 1:12.24 for the opening six furlongs. Reincarnate, a troubled third in the G2 Rebel in his last start, tried to press the frontrunner but could never get on equal terms as those led the way around the final turn.

Angel of Empire, who was seventh early, began to make up ground approaching the far turn, then made a wide, swooping move on the turn to get on equal terms with Two Eagles River entering the stretch. He quickly put away that rival, opened up by 2 1/2 lengths at the furlong pole after a mile in 1:37.56, then drew off for the win.

Arkansas Derby quotes:

Jason Loutsch, racing manager, co-owner of Albaugh Family Stables and son-in-law of stable principal Dennis Albaugh: “It's just really gratifying when you can win a Grade 1, especially the Arkansas Derby. This is a race we've been pointing at a long time and to win it is really special.”

(what kind of confidence will you have going into Louisville) “After seeing that race, I've got a lot of confidence. This is a horse I've been saying day 1 wants to get the distance. He showed that twice at a mile and an eighth . He just keeps running. I thought he ran a great race today, and I'm excited for the First Saturday in May.”

(Albaugh Family Stables also finished third Saturday in the Florida Derby with Cyclone Mischief and third in last week's Louisiana Derby with Jace's Road). “To have three potential starters in the Kentucky Derby is a dream come true. I just can't hardly believe it. I'm so thankful for my father in law, that he believed in us and got us to this point.”

Brad Cox (winning trainer, Angel of Empire): “It's huge. Big day. Very impressed with this horse, how he ran today. He came home quick, and he's a horse that the the longer the better. Looking forward to getting him to the Kentucky Derby in five weeks.”

(on progression) “Age. Just developing. The older he's getting the better he's getting, bottom line. I think he really took to six week's between races. He ran well here to start the year. He showed that he was going to want more ground…. Out of the Risen Star, I thought he was just maybe a little tucked up, a little tired. He's come around over the last three, four weeks. Now he's back in top form and very happy how he looked physically leading up to this.”

“It was a good group of horses. I didn't think there was a standout or a leader — obviously Forte is the leader of the division – (but) I felt it was a nice open race that anybody good step up and win it. And he stepped up. He was very impressive today. I always thought he'd be better with more ground and obviously he's 2 for 2 at a mile and an eighth. Hopefully we can be 1 for 1 at a mile and a quarter in five weeks.”

(Traits this horse brings into the Kentucky Derby?) “His mind. Just watching him in the paddock, I was telling Jason, 'He's a cool, calm horse. If there is anybody who can handle 150,000 people it would be this horse. And then the way he presented himself. Once he was tacked up, he was out in the infield, kind of got on his toes but didn't get hot. It was good energy.”

Winning Jockey Flavien Prat: “Jumped well and then we got ourselves in a good spot. Down the backside, I was traveling really well. Caught a little wide, but I was pleased going this way and I wasn't too worried about it. When I squeezed him turning for home, he really responded well and went on.”

Trainer Ron Moquett, second with King Russell: “That would be cool (going to the Kentucky Derby), but we've always wanted to try to win this race. So, if we've got a good shot, we're going to take a swing at it. (Rafael Bejarano) rode great. Beautiful horse. He's just improving. We know how tough these races are here. As we see when people ship out, they go and run well in stakes races across the country. So, we're proud of the way we represented today.”

Rafael Bejarano, jockey, second on King Russell: “There were tough horses in this race. I was mainly concerned about the 7 (Rocket Can) and the 6 (Angel of Empire). If they had a good trip, they were going to come flying and keep running. But I said my horse, he comes from behind. He loves this track. Every time he was running better and better. I just left him a lone, let  him break good and make sure he had a good trip and find my position. At the half-mile, when I saw the 6 moving outside me, I said, 'Now I have to follow this horse.' Because he looked like he was running. I was in a great spot. Got out in the clear. The horse had a full turn of foot and was running good. I was really happy, especially for the trainer.”

Bill Mott, trainer, Rocket Can, fourth as the favorite: “Had a pretty good trip. Tick wide, but not bad. Really made it around the first turn pretty good. Had a clear trip. He moved up to third going around the (second turn) and then just couldn't find that other gear that he needed to go on. The winner (Angel of Empire) won pretty impressively, the way it looked, and we were very close for second. I think there's a little more there. And Junior (Alvarado) is the same. He (Rocket Can) gives you the feeling there's a little more there, but he's just not quite giving it all to you yet.”

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