Tag: Triple Crown

Trainer Cathal Lynch and Nick Sanna Stables' undefeated Recruiter will test deeper waters in the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham, a one-turn mile test for sophomores that awards 50-20-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-five finishers, on March 4 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Recruiter, a dark bay son of 2018 Grade 1 Carter Handicap-winner Army Mule, will make both his graded stakes debut and first start beyond sprint distances on the heels of an off-the-pace victory in the seven-furlong Parx Juvenile on January 3 at Parx Racing.

Ridden by Mychel Sanchez, Recruiter stalked one length from the pace in fourth through the first quarter-mile before challenging pacesetter Winning Time at the half-mile call and inching clear at the top of the stretch to come home a 2 3/4-length winner in a final time of 1:26.75.

“Mychel kept him just off the pace and he finished up well for us,” said Lynch, who trained El Areeb to a third-place finish in the 2017 Gotham following scores in the Grade 3 Jerome and Grade 3 Withers at the Big A. “If you can ship them to Parx, I think you can ship anywhere because that track can be pretty tricky.”

Recruiter is undefeated in four starts, stretching out in each outing after a debut victory sprinting five furlongs in August at Monmouth Park. He followed with a wire-to-wire score when facing winners for the first time in a 5 1/2-furlong October optional claimer at Laurel Park before earning his first stakes triumph in the six-furlong James F. Lewis, III in November over the same oval.

Lynch said Recruiter has responded well to longer breezes at Fair Hill, where he regularly posts five and seven-furlong works over the dirt. He most recently breezed five-eighths in 1:01.20 on Thursday.

“He worked good here Thursday and that is probably his last work before he runs,” said Lynch. “We may pop him out of the gate on Tuesday. I have worked him seven-eighths and a mile in between races, and I don't think distance is going to be a problem.”

Recruiter first impressed Lynch at last year's OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, but was scratched and re-entered in the company's June sale.

There, he breezed an eighth of a mile in 10 seconds flat and was bought by Lynch for $125,000 from the consignment of Wavertree Stables.

“He fell into our price range, so we took a shot,” said Lynch. “He's a beautiful-bodied horse, well-balanced, and has a nice walk. He worked well and we got a little value for our money. We've had a few Army Mules and they all can run. We're very happy with them and a lot of my guys are looking to breed their mares back to Army Mule because of him [Recruiter].”

Bred in Florida by Beth Bayer, Recruiter is out of the winning Medaglia d'Oro mare Lady Halite. His second dam, the stakes-placed Ada's Dream, is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winner Buffalo Man. Recruiter has amassed $170,100 in earnings through his perfect 4-for-4 record.

The post ‘I Don’t Think Distance Is Going To Be A Problem’: Undefeated Recruiter Targeting New York Derby Prep appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Graded stakes-placed Carmel Road will seek to prove his Kentucky Derby credentials when shipping to the East Coast for the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham going a one-turn mile on March 4 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Carmel Road, a bay son of Champion-producing stallion Quality Road, was last seen finishing second traveling 1 1/16-miles in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 17.

He graduated with a frontrunning score at second asking in August going a two-turn mile at Del Mar, building on his advantage through every point of call and strolling home an 8 3/4-length winner for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.

Now trained by Tim Yakteen, Carmel Road will be making his sophomore debut in the Gotham which offers 50-20-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby points to the top-five finishers. He is owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan.

Carmel Road has fired bullets in his last two works, most recently going five furlongs in 59 seconds flat on Monday at Santa Anita.

“He worked very well last week and came out of it well,” said Tom Ryan, who manages the ownership group. “Last week's work made everyone pay attention. He cruised down there hard held and wanted to gallop out even further. He's a horse that's feeling great at the moment and this is the time of the year that you want your 3-year-olds to be doing well. The plans are firm at the moment that he will run in the Gotham as long as he's in good shape.”

Bred in Kentucky by Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, Carmel Road was bought for $650,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He is out of the multiple stakes-winning Unbridled's Song mare Inspired.

Inspired is a half-sister to the Medaglia d'Oro mare Treasure – the dam of dual Grade 1-placed sophomore National Treasure. Coincidentally, National Treasure is owned by the same partnership as Carmel Road and could also be targeting Derby points in next Saturday's Grade 2 San Felipe at Santa Anita.

“National Treasure is out of a Medaglia d'Oro mare and you can see that in him. This one is a little more compact at this time,” Ryan said. “Both are beautifully balanced and well-made colts. We have loads of confidence in them both.”

A frontrunning victor on debut in September at Del Mar, National Treasure finished second in the Grade 1 American Pharoah the following month at Santa Anita before completing the trifecta in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile in November at Keeneland.

Ryan also mentioned the Gotham as a possible landing spot for graded stakes-placed Fort Warren, who recently joined the barn of Maryland-based conditioner Brittany Russell. The bay son of Curlin was a pacesetting first-out winner on October 30 at Santa Anita, defeating next-out winner Spun Intended by a half-length. He then completed the trifecta in the seven-furlong Grade 2 San Vicente on January 29 at the Southern California oval.

Ryan said Fort Warren's Gotham status will depend on how he works this weekend with the seven-furlong Grade 3, $200,000 Bay Shore on April 8 at the Big A also under consideration.

“He needs to tout himself and tell us that he's ready,” Ryan said. “If he is, we'll take a look. If not, we'll look at the Bay Shore.”

Fort Warren was bought for $550,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and is out of the graded-stakes placed Bernardini mare La Appassionata – a full-sister to graded stakes winner Wilburn.

The post Carmel Road’s Bullet Work ‘Made Everyone Pay Attention’; Now Trained By Yakteen, Colt Targeting Gotham Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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After calling an audible to win a Kentucky Derby points race earlier this month in New York, trainer Brad Cox is sticking with the same play for two of his most promising Triple Crown prospects in Arkansas. He will send out Verifying and Giant Mischief in the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles Saturday at Oaklawn.

Verifying, the 2-1 program favorite, returns to Oaklawn after a smashing entry-level allowance victory at one mile Jan. 14 in his 3-year-old debut. From the first crop of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify, Verifying has been targeting the Rebel for weeks.

As for Giant Mischief, he's been pointing to the Rebel for months. The early 5-2 second choice, Giant Mischief hasn't started since finishing a troubled second in the $400,000 Remington Park Springboard Mile Stakes Dec. 17. Giant Mischief suffered his first career loss in the Springboard Mile, beaten 1 ¼ lengths by Wildatlanticstorm, after missing the break and spotting the field several lengths. Giant Mischief, last early in his two-turn debut, made a dazzling move on the outside to reach contention turning for home and was slowly getting to a ground-saving Wildatlanticstorm approaching the wire.

“I expected him to run big that night and he did,” Cox said. “I never expected him to break like that. Just rocked back a step right before they popped him. Just caught himself giving them too much early. The winner, obviously, got a great trip. He's a good horse as well. We're looking forward to giving him another run around two turns.”

Giant Mischief shipped to Oaklawn immediately after the Springboard Mile and spent a short time in Hot Springs before joining Cox's long list of Kentucky Derby prospects, including Verifying, in the warmer climate at Fair Grounds.

“That's totally why he's there,” said Cox, who has worked Giant Mischief five times this year at Fair Grounds in advance of the Rebel. “Just to kind of keep him on a little bit more of a consistent (training) schedule.”

Giant Mischief would have earned four Kentucky Derby qualifying points for his runner-up finish in the Springboard Mile, but he ran on Lasix. Horses are ineligible to collect points in Kentucky Derby points races if they race on the anti-bleeder medication.

Still, Cox has six of the top 18 horses (Angel of Empire, Instant Coffee, Hit Show, Jace's Road, Victory Formation, and Tapit's Conquest) on the latest Kentucky Derby Leaderboard after winning six points races in 2022-2023.

Victory Formation and Angel of Empire ran first and second, respectively, in Oaklawn's first Kentucky Derby points race, the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes at one mile Jan. 1. Angel of Empire returned to win the $400,000 Risen Star Stakes (G2) at 1 1/8 miles last Saturday at Fair Grounds.

Cox entered three horses in Oaklawn's second Kentucky Derby points race, the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 28. He decided to scratch Hit Show and re-routed the son of Candy Ride to the $250,000 Withers Stakes (G3) Feb. 4 at Aqueduct. Hit Show won the 1 1/8-mile Withers, delayed until Feb. 11 because of harsh winter weather.

Giant Mischief figures to be the last of Cox's Kentucky Derby prospects to debut in 2023.

“I think it (Rebel) gives him the best shot of giving him another run around two turns,” Cox said. “Gives him a solid two months between the Remington race and the Rebel. It's probably a better introduction, a better first race for him in this region, going a mile and a sixteenth as opposed to going a mile and an eighth in the Risen Star. For him and bringing him along the right way, I think the Rebel probably makes the most sense.”

A son of champion sire Into Mischief and Oaklawn-raced Vertical Oak, Giant Mischief has won 2 of 3 career starts and $193,400 for a conglomerate of powerhouse owners, including his breeder, Stonestreet Stables (Barbara Banke), and Spendthrift Farm (Eric Gustavson). Prominent Arkansas automobile dealer Steve Landers and 2022-2023 Oaklawn leading owner Ten Strike Racing (Marshall Gramm) also have interests in Giant Mischief, who debuted at 5 ½ furlongs Sept. 22 at Horseshoe Indianapolis and cleared his first allowance condition at seven furlongs on the Breeders' Cup undercard Nov. 4 at Keeneland.

“He's a nice colt,” Cox said.

Giant Mischief and Verifying both arrived Wednesday night at Oaklawn. Four-time Eclipse Award winner Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride Giant Mischief for the first time in the Rebel. Florent Geroux is named on Verifying after riding Giant Mischief in his last two starts.

Cox, with a victory Saturday, would join Hall of Famers Bob Baffert, Steve Asmussen and D. Wayne Lukas as the only trainers to sweep Oaklawn's four-race series of Kentucky Derby points races. Cox has won four of Oaklawn's last 10 Kentucky Derby points races, including the $1.25 million Arkansas Derby (G1) last year with Cyberknife.

The Rebel will offer 100 points (50-20-15-10-5, respectively) to the top five finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby. All 11 entrants are eligible to collect qualifying points because they won't be running on Lasix.

The $1.25 million Arkansas Derby (G1) at 1 1/8 miles April 1 is Oaklawn's fourth and final 2023 Kentucky Derby points race.

The post Cox: Shorter Distance Of Rebel Gives Derby Hopeful Giant Mischief ‘Better Introduction’ To Two Turns At Oaklawn appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Angel Of Empire's upset win in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes boosted the son of Classic Empire to fifth in Week Four of the NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll. The longest price at 13-1 of three Brad Cox-trained Risen Star starters, Angel of Empire edged clear in the stretch to defeat Sun Thunder in the 1 1/8 mile race at Fair Grounds.

Another Risen Star starter from the Cox barn, the previously undefeated Victory Formation had been ranked in sixth position but dropped out of the top 10 to 14th after fading to finish ninth.

The Top 3-Year-Old Poll of 2023 continues to be led by Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Forte, a son of Violence trained by Todd Pletcher. The colt has not yet started this year, but is expected to target the Florida Road to the Kentucky Derby.

In second position is remains G3 Southwest winner Arabian Knight (trained by Bob Baffert), while G3 Lecomte winner Instant Coffee sits in third (Cox).

The 3-Year-Old poll represents horses competing up and through the Triple Crown.

TOP THREE-YEAR OLD POLL

Week Four of the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll remains mostly unchanged, with Pegasus World Cup winner Art Collector remaining atop the bunch. The Bill Mott trainee kicked off his 6-year-old season with the biggest win of his career, drawing away to win the Grade 1, $3 million Pegasus World Cup by 4 1/2 lengths. Art Collector, sired by Bernardini, now owns 11 wins from 21 starts with earnings over $4 million.

Taiba is next on the Top Thoroughbred Poll, the 4-year-old Gun Runner colt's most recent start a win in the G1 Malibu on Dec. 26. Trained by Bob Baffert, Taiba is expected to target the Saudi Cup. Country Grammer, most recently winner of the Dec. 26 San Antonio Stakes and also trained by Baffert, comes in at third on the poll, while stablemate and Pegasus runner-up Defunded sits in fourth. Taiba and Country Grammer are expected to start in this Saturday's $20 million Saudi Cup.

TOP THOROUGHBRED POLL

The post Angel Of Empire Jumps To Fifth Position In NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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