Tag: Triple Crown

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Forte made an auspicious 3-year-old debut Saturday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., where last year's Eclipse Award-winning juvenile scored a dominating 4 ½-length victory in the $400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2).

\The 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds is a key prep for the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) on April 1, as well as a designated prep for the Kentucky Derby (G1). Forte earned 50 points for his tour de force performance, further cementing his status as favorite for this year's first jewel of the Triple Crown with a total of 140 points.

The Fountain of Youth headlined a 14-race program with nine stakes, eight graded, worth $1.85 million in purses.

Forte was sent to post as the 1-2 favorite in the Fountain of Youth field that was reduced to nine upon the scratch of General Jim Saturday morning. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher was even less surprised by the way Forte won the Fountain of Youth than the bettors who made the son of Violence their heavy favorite.

“Honestly, I can't say I was surprised,” Pletcher said. “I felt really, really good about the way this horse was coming into the race.”

Forte experienced light bumping leaving the gate but quickly recovered to get to the rail heading into the first turf, tracking pacesetter Cyclone Mischief, Dangerous Ride, Rocket Can and Mage. Jockey Irad Ortiz eased Forte off the rail along the backstretch as Cyclone Mischief continued to show the way while putting up fractions of 24.05 and 47.65 seconds for the first half mile.

On the turn into the homestretch, Rocket Can, the Holy Bull (G3) winner ridden by Junior Alvarado, began to put heavy pressure on Cyclone Mischief with Mage hanging in there to their outside, as Ortiz swung Forte four-wide for the drive. The champion quickly asserted his superiority and drew clear to a comfortable victory.

“I had a beautiful trip; everything I expected happened,” Ortiz said. “I wanted to get a good position forwardly placed, I was right behind the horse I had to be; I just bided my time to go, decided to wait a little more, two more jumps until the 3/8ths (pole); I went around horses and let him go and show what he can do.”

Making his first start since capturing the Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland, Forte ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43:12 without pressure.

“We kind of carefully laid it out and put him in a program that would put him in the condition to be ready to run and still having room for improvement and room to continue to develop,” Pletcher said. “I think we were able to accomplish that.”

Forte won four of five starts during his championship juvenile season that he launched with a 7 ¾-length victory at Belmont Park last May. After finishing fourth in the six-furlong Sanford (G2), he rallied from off the pace to win the seven-furlong Hopeful (G1) at Saratoga. He polished off a stellar campaign with a pair of off-the-pace scores around two turns in the Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1).

“It looks like there's a lot of upside,” said Pletcher, who had previously saddled three other Fountain of Youth winners – Itsaknockout (2016), Eskendereya (2010) and Scat Daddy (2007) – with Scat Daddy going on to give his trainer one of his record six victories in the Florida Derby.

Mike Repole, who owns Forte in partnership with Vinnie Viola's St. Elias Stable, was obviously elated with his colt's performance.

“It's special. Very special. Very special. You know, for a horse making his first start in four months against other horses who have already raced this year, he does it with so much confidence,” Repole said. “It's like everything you see – breaks well, sits well, moves well, looks great. He's just checking all the boxes right now. He's a pretty special horse right now.”

Rocket Can held second, 1 ¼ lengths ahead of Cyclone Mischief, to pick up 20 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby, virtually assuring the Holy Bull winner a spot in the Kentucky Derby field with 60 total points.

“He ran big. He was a little sharp leaving there. He broke awfully sharp. He was a little geared up in the post parade. He was a little more wound up than I actually like to see him. I was hoping he wouldn't get too excited, but he still looked like he ran his race,” Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said. “He looked like he held on well. He broke sharp, in good position, was tactical and ran well.”

The post Road To Kentucky Derby: Champion Forte ‘Checking All The Boxes’ With Return Victory In Fountain Of Youth appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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In a performance that clearly stamps him a Kentucky Derby A-List hopeful, the Tim Yakteen-trained Practical Move saved ground throughout and came away through the stretch to score by an emphatic 2 ½ lengths in Saturday's Grade 2, $400,000 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.  Ridden by Ramon Vazquez, Practical Move got a mile and one sixteenth in 1:42.01

With the victory, Practical Move earns 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, while 20-15-10-5 points will be awarded to the remaining top five finishers.

Attentive to pace but well within himself early, Practical Move was on the brakes turning up the backside and tracked pace-setting Hejazi and eventual runner-up Geaux Rocket Ride to the far turn.  When Hejazi drifted out turning for home, Vazquez took advantage and was never threatened the final three sixteenths of a mile.

Hejazi, one of three other horses saddled by Yakteen that were recently transferred from Bob Baffert, finished fourth. The other two, Fort Bragg and Mr Fisk, finished fifth and sixth.

A 3 ¼-length winner of the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity at 10-1 on Dec. 17, Practical Move was off at 4-1 among a field of nine sophomores in the San Felipe and paid $10.40, $5.20 and $3.20.

A Kentucky-bred colt by Practical Joke out of the Afleet Alex mare Ack Naughty, Practical Move was bred by trainer Chad Brown and Head of Plains Partners and is owned by Leslie Amestoy, Jean Pierre Amestoy and Roger Beasley. He was purchased for $230,000 out of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s April 2-year-old in training sale last year.

With today's win, Practical Joke picked up $240,000, increasing his earnings to $434,200 from an overall race record of 6-3-1-2.

In only his second start and his first around two turns, the Richard Mandella-trained Geaux Rocket Ride pressed the early pace set by Hajazi and checked in second, 1 ¼ lengths in front of Skinner.  Off as the 5-2 favorite with Flavien Prat, Geaux Rocket Ride paid $5.00 and $3.20.

Trained by John Shirreffs and ridden by Victor Espinoza, Skinner loomed into contention while wide-out around the far turn, but ran lugged in straightening for home in a solid third-place performance.  The second choice at 5-2, Skinner paid $2.80 to show while finishing a half length in front of Hejazi.

Fractions on the race were 23.14, 47.12, 1:11.08 and 1:35.67.

SAN FELIPE STAKES QUOTES 

RAMON VAZQUEZ: “This horse keeps getting better and better every day. He can go inside or outside. He is comfortable wherever. He lets me do my job and he does the rest.  I only rode him once (in the Los Alamitos Futurity), but I know he is very aggressive from the gate, so I let him do his thing. He galloped out very good. I have always dreamed of winning the Kentucky Derby. I had one previous chance in 2015 (aboard Mr. Z) for Mr. (D. Wayne) Lukas.  I'm hoping for another chance here.”

TIM YAKTEEN: “He is a very healthy horse. He is a phenomenally gifted horse. I am amazed at how strong he is and how he has matured from a 2-year-old to a 3-year-old. Everything has fallen into place. There was only one challenge before this race, I felt we needed to get one more work in.

“There is nothing more satisfying than winning, so I am taking this in stride. I have to give kudos to my staff and thank them for the job they have done. They are the unsung heroes here.

“I've also got to tip my hat to Leslie (Amestoy) and Jean Pierre (Amestoy). They were the ones who went to Florida and bought this horse.

“I plan to start him again. I want to leave the canvas blank now and we'll make the call later, but I think he will have one more start before the Derby.”

LESLIE AMESTOY:  “This was our dream. It's been our dream for years and we love the colt, we are so happy and we really think we have a great horse.”

JEAN PIERRE AMESTOY: “We've seen him improve every race, almost.  The first couple of races, he was green and didn't know how to switch leads. Tim has brought him along perfectly and has taught him, and now he's finishing like we expected he could finish. Like Leslie said, I think we've got a good one. We are super excited, and we think he's that kind (to go to the Kentucky Derby). We are ready to go all the way.”

The post Road To Kentucky Derby: ‘Phenomenally Gifted’ Practical Move Takes San Felipe For Yakteen appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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At about noon Thursday, trainer Ed Moger Jr. was behind the wheel of a horse van on the 210 freeway making his way to Santa Anita from Golden Gate. In tow for the eight-hour trip south were Chase the Chaos, winner of last month's El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate, and millionaire Stilleto Boy for their respective stakes engagements Saturday at Santa Anita.

“We're coming and ready to go,” Moger said. Also onboard the van was Tarantino, who will run in a second-level allowance on turf here Saturday.

Stilleto Boy returns to The Great Race Place for another crack at the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap presented by Yaamava Resort and Casino. Chase the Chaos, who earned his first stakes win in the Feb. 11 El Camino Real over Golden Gate's synthetic main track, will get tested on dirt in the Grade 2 San Felipe for 3-year-olds.

Chase the Chaos enters the 1 1/16-mile San Felipe having won two straight races. In the El Camino Real going 1 1/16 miles, the Pennsylvania-bred by Astute uncorked a winning rally under Armando Ayuso to score by 1 ½ lengths over the heavy favorite Gilmore trained by Bob Baffert.

Following the El Camino Real Derby, which provided an automatic berth in the Preakness Stakes, Moger initially indicated the colt's next start would likely be either the G1 Santa Anita Derby on April 8 or the G3 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park on March 25, which is also run on a synthetic track. But after watching two follow-up works at Golden Gate from Chase the Chaos, Moger zeroed in on the San Felipe, which is a point-paying prep for the Kentucky Derby.

“We could have waited for the Santa Anita Derby or Jeff Ruby, but the horse came out in such great shape there was really no reason to wait,” Moger said.

Chase the Chaos drew the rail for the San Felipe and is 12-1 on the morning line. Ayuso will again be in the irons. He will be trying dirt for the first time since his debut at Canterbury Park on Aug. 28 for former trainer Robertino Diodoro. Catching a muddy track on a race taken off the turf that day, Chase the Chaos finished second as the 5-2 favorite.

“From what I've seen, I think he'll run on anything,” Moger said. “In his debut he was between horses with mud flying everywhere and finished second. Then he broke his maiden on turf and has won twice for us on synthetic. This horse has run good every single race. I'm not worried about the surface.”

Owned by Adam Ference and Bill Dory, Chase the Chaos has a record of 3-2-1 in six starts. He made his first two starts at Canterbury for Diodoro before being transferred. At Golden Gate, prior to his two-race win streak, Chase the Chaos was third in the six-furlong Golden Nugget Stakes and second in the Gold Rush Stakes going a two-turn mile.

“This horse was in great shape when he got to my barn and has continued to improve,” said Moger, who is hoping Chase the Chaos becomes his first starter in a Triple Crown race. “I really liked him right off the bat. Then after seeing him train for a little bit I thought, 'Wow, this is a nice horse.”

After the San Felipe goes as Saturday's sixth race on a 12-race card, Moger will be back for the nightcap to saddle Stilleto Boy in the 1 ¼-mile Santa Anita Handicap. Last year, Stilleto Boy was third in the Big Cap behind winner Express Train and Warrant, the latter of whom is also back this year.
Most recently, Stilleto Boy finished a solid third after setting the pace in the G1 Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 28 at Gulfstream Park.

“I thought he ran great in the Pegasus. The 11 hole is a tough post there. You go right into the first turn going a mile-and-an-eighth,” Moger noted. “I think if we had an inside post, we might have had a chance to win.”

Stilleto Boy is owned by Moger's brother Steve Moger. The 5-year-old Shackleford gelding has banked $1,411,675 in his career with a record of 3-4-8 in 20 starts. While his only graded stakes win came in last year's Grade II Californian at Santa Anita, Stilleto Boy has competed in eight Grade Is and hit the board in five of those efforts.

“He's been a blast,” Ed Moger said of the highest-earning horse he's ever trained. “We ran in the Breeders' Cup Classic, the Pegasus twice. He's a talented horse. Just not quite good enough to beat the likes of a Flightline, Country Grammar or Life Is Good.”

Stilleto Boy will be ridden in the Big Cap by Hall of Famer Kent Desormeaux, who in 2021 was aboard for multiple starts including the Breeders' Cup Classic. Stilleto Boy is the 5-1 fourth choice in a field of 11.

“He's been doing really, really good since the Pegasus,” Moger said. “He couldn't be better.”

The San Felipe is scheduled for 2:27 p.m. with the Big Cap set to go at 5:31 p.m. PT.

The fields in post position order:

San Felipe:

1. Chase the Chaos, Armando Ayuso (12-1);
2. National Treasure, John Velazquez (3-1);
3. Practical Move, Ramon Vaquez (4-1);
4. Bluegrass Go Go, Edwin Maldonado (50-1);
5. Genius Jimmy, Kazushi Kimura (20-1);
6. Hejazi, Mike Smith (7-2);
7. Geaux Rocket Ride, Flavien Prat (5-1);
8. Fort Bragg, Juan Hernandez (8-1);
9. Skinner, Victor Espinoza (5-1);
10. Mr Fisk, Frankie Dettori (15-1).

Santa Anita Handicap:

1. There Goes Harvard, Kazushi Kimura (12-1);
2. Parnelli, Victor Espinoza (20-1);
3. Newgrange, Frankie Dettori (6-1);
4. Stilleto Boy, Kent Desormeaux (5-1);
5. Defunded, Juan Hernandez (7-2);
6. Warrant, Flavien Prat (4-1);
7. Heywoods Beach, Ramon Vazquez (20-1);
8. Hopper, Mike Smith (8-1);
9. Scarlet Fusion, Edwin Maldonado (12-1);
10. Tisquantum, Hector Berrios (30-1);
11. Proxy, John Velazquez, (4-1).

The post ‘I Think He’ll Run On Anything’: El Camino Real Winner Chase The Chaos Tries Dirt Derby Prep At Santa Anita appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Co-owner Ramiro Restrepo has quiet confidence in his 3-year-old colt Mage ahead of Saturday's Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park, despite the fact that the son of Good Magic has only had one start before taking on Champion Forte and Grade 1 winner Blazing Sevens.

Trained by Gustavo Delgado, Mage broke his maiden in that one start on Pegasus World Cup day at Gulfstream, winning by 3 3/4 lengths at odds of nearly 12-1.

“I remember as we were getting closer to his maiden race, Papa Delgado, the trainer, Gustavo Delgado Sr., had this race circled on Pegasus Day,” Restrepo told Nick Luck on the Nick Luck Daily Podcast this week. “We know that on a big day like that, everybody's going to try to bring their best foot forward with an exciting maiden. We were expecting a big performance, but obviously when they prove it on the track it's that much more amazing.”

Restrepo teamed up with Delgado's son at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-old sale to purchase Mage for $290,000, a higher price tag than the pair usually target at the sales.

“He had an eye-catching breeze,” Restrepo recalled. “I remembered the dam (Puca, by Big Brown) clearly; she broke her maiden by like 17 lengths at Belmont, and had a terrible trip in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, but could have won it with a better trip.

“We wanted to swing for the fences with one, and we were fortunate to get this one.”

It won't be the first time trainer Delgado has sent a 3-year-old maiden winner out to face graded stakes company. Previously, the Venezuelan transplant has done so with Majesto, second in the G1 Florida Derby to Nyquist in 2016; with Bodexpress, still a maiden when second to Maximum Security in the 2019 Florida Derby; and last year, O Captain finished third in the G2 Fountain of Youth in his third career start.

With just the one win under his belt, Mage is admittedly the lightest-raced colt Delgado has sent out in a graded stakes contest. He faces a tough field including last year's champion juvenile, Forte, as well as Grade 1 winner Blazing Sevens, both making their first starts of 2023.

“Gustavo is an amazing trainer who I don't think has gotten his flowers,” said Restrepo. “If you're ever gonna take on two Mike Tysons, why not take a shot when they're coming off a big layoff?”

Hear the full interview on the Nick Luck Daily Podcast.

The post Ramiro Restrepo Confident As Maiden Winner Mage Takes On ‘Two Mike Tysons’ In Fountain Of Youth appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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