Tag: Virginia Derby

In Start Number Two, Quality Road’s Integration Upsets Virginia Derby

The least experienced of the nine 3-year-olds signed on for Saturday's GIII New Kent County Virginia Derby, with only a maiden victory–albeit a smashing one–to his success, West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing's Integration (c, 3, Quality Road–Harmonize, by Scat Daddy) grabbed heavily favored Program Trading (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) with less than a furlong to go and came away to an impressive victory in new course-record time.

Well-backed at 67-10 despite his overall lack of seasoning, the $700,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga purchase took up a position in the latter third of the field behind a decent early pace and was quietly ridden through the middle stages of the nine-furlong affair by Kendrick Carmouche. Asked to improve leaving the three-eighths pole, he snuck his way into contention, following the move of the last-out GI Saratoga Derby hero into the stretch. Pulled to the outside off the home corner, Integration managed to find extra entering the final furlong, drew alongside the chalk with about 100 yards to race and edged clear.

The word was out on Integration for his debut, which came two years and two days after West Point and Woodford Racing teamed to purchase the colt at Saratoga. Sent off at even money on Arlington Million day Aug. 12, the March foal raced reasonably handy to the pace, and when Tyler Gaffalione asked him to win his race, he did so with gusto, marching through the final furlong to graduate by 6 1/2 lengths. As patient a trainer as there is, Shug McGaughey was comfortable enough to give Integration a big-money shot Saturday and the colt proved more than equal to the task.

“Shug felt his debut here would be the best spot for his first race,” said Dawn Lenert, the Chief Marketing Officer and Director of Partner Relations for West Point Thoroughbreds. “Although it was unconventional, Shug felt a graded stake would be the right spot for his second race, and when a Hall of Fame trainer tells you you're going to come back in a graded stake, you do it. After the race Kendrick (jockey Carmouche) said to me Integration's potential is limitless.”

Pedigree Notes:

With the victory, Integration becomes the 75th worldwide stakes winner and 36th worldwide graded/group winner for his successful Lane's End-based sire.

The bay colt is the second produce for his dam, an $80,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by Larkin Armstrong who campaigned her to five victories, including the 2016 GI Del Mar Oaks. The Seitz family's Brookdale Sales agency consigned Integration to the Saratoga sale on behalf of their long-time client Armstrong. Harmonize's first foal, the 4-year-old gelding Vocalize (More Than Ready), was beaten a head into second in a 5 1/2-furlong allowance over the Colonial turf course Aug. 19 and Harmonize is also the dam of a 2-year-old Curlin colt who fetched $400,000 from Meridian International at KEESEP last year. The 10-year-old Harmonize is represented by a yearling Nyquist filly named Castanet, a colt by Gun Runner foaled Mar. 23 and was among the first book of mares covered by Horse of the Year Flightline.

Saturday, Colonial Downs
NEW KENT COUNTY VIRGINIA DERBY-GIII, $500,000, Colonial Downs, 9-9, 3yo, 1 1/8mT, 1:46.41, fm.
1–INTEGRATION, 119, c, 3, by Quality Road
         1st Dam: Harmonize (GISW, $827,860), by Scat Daddy
         2nd Dam: Mesa Fresca, by Sky Mesa
         3rd Dam: Mayan Maiden, by Lyphard
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($700,000 Ylg '21 FTSAUG). O-West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing, LLC; B-Larkin Armstrong (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III; J-Kendrick Carmouche. $300,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $336,000. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Program Trading (GB), 123, r, 3, Lope de Vega (Ire)–Dreamlike (GB), by Oasis Dream (GB). (250,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Fittocks Stud & Arrow Farm Stud (GB); T-Chad C. Brown. $100,000.
3–Runaway Storm, 118, g, 3, Midnight Storm–Runaway Betty, by Run Away and Hide. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O/B-Robert Joseph Hunt (KY); T-Ethan W. West. $55,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 2 1/4, HF. Odds: 6.70, 0.70, 34.30.
Also Ran: Mondego (GB), Dataman, Gigante, Activist Investing (GB), Salute the Stars, Ari Gold. Scratched: Freedom Trail, Laurel Valley.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPshttp://www.equineline.com/tdn/pedigree.cfm?tk=SAR&cy=USA&rd=09/07/2015&rn=9&de=D  &ref=9104432. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

 

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Colonial Downs Meeting Shatters Records

Buoyed by a record-breaking handle of more than $6.5 million on New Kent County Virginia Derby Day, Colonial Downs shattered all wagering marks this racing season, the fourth under the management of Colonial Downs Group and ownership of Peninsula Pacific Entertainment.

Total handle for the 26-day live racing meet was $74,940,840 for a daily average of $2,882,340, up more than 29% from the 2021 average daily handle mark of $2,231,765 during that season's 21-day session. This race meet marked an all-time wagering high in the history of Colonial Downs.

“The revival of Virginia racing continues to grow as we once again set new all-time handle marks,” said John Marshall, Colonial Downs Group Executive Vice President, Operations. “It is gratifying to see Colonial Downs evolve into one of the nation's elite meets which is what our team set out to accomplish just four years ago. We congratulate all of those who aimed and worked at placing Virginia racing in such an admirable position.”

Purses for the season averaged a Virginia record of $612,000 up from 2021's $521,000 per day in purse distribution. A total of 1382 individual horses representing 321 trainers made a combined 2,179 starts for the season. Field size averaged 8.35 runners per race compared to the 7.17 national per race average.

Mike Stidham took home leading trainer honors with 13 victories. The owners' race ended in a dead-heat between David Ross's DARRS, Inc. and R. Larry Johnson each of whom visited the winner's circle on six occasions. Jevian Toledo won his first Colonial riding crown with 25 victories.

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Capensis, $2-Million Son of Tapit, Scores in Virginia Derby

On paper, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Robert LaPenta and Gainesway Stable's Capensis (Tapit), a $2-million Keeneland September yearling purchase and impressive debut winner at Belmont early this summer, was the most lightly-raced yet still appeared to be among the top contenders in Colonial's GIII New Kent County Virginia Derby Tuesday evening. Backed down to 8-5 favoritism while stepping up to graded company following a sixth in a Saratoga allowance July 30, the flashy grey swept from off the pace late, and despite running greenly in the stretch, took home the lion's share of the $300,000 pot. Breaking evenly from post 10, the Todd Pletcher trainee was content to be settle back early as Vance Scholars (Holy Boss) went to the front with dual British Group 2 winner Royal Patronage (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Catnip (Kitten's Joy) and GII Penn Mile victor Wow Whata Summer (Summer Front) all within three lengths of a moderate pace. While Joel Rosario tried to contain the headstrong Royal Patronage through a :23.24 quarter, Irad Ortiz Jr. found a much easier time of it as his mount Capensis lingered in sixth as the pacesetter carved out a :47.62 half. With three furlongs left to run, the leading rank began to constrict as Capensis began to pick up the tempo, picking off rivals heading to the quarter pole. In the meantime,  leaders Catnip and Royal Patronage battled for supremacy, and while the former gained a slight advantage straightening for home, the steely grey swept out wide turning for home and loomed large down the center of the track. Despite veering in sharply, and then reacting to a left-handed whip to drift outward in the stretch, Capensis proved he was clearly the best of the rest, crossing the wire 2 1/2 lengths over California Frolic (California Chrome) with Limited Liability (Kitten's Joy) getting up for third.

Fresh off another riding title at the recently concluded Saratoga meeting, Irad Ortiz Jr. came away with five wins on Colonial's Virginia Derby Day card.

Capensis was sent off at what now appears to be an overlay at 5-1 in his debut going 1 1/16-miles at Belmont July 2 and quickly showed his class, rolling home an emphatic five-length winner over next out winners Running Bee (English Channel) and Sosua Summer (Summer Front). Rightly bet down to even-money favoritism in his latest start at the Spa, he faced some obstacles but still managed to finish a close-up sixth.

Pedigree Notes:

With his Virginia Derby victory, Capensis becomes the 155th black-type winner and 97th graded winner for Gainesway's leading sire Tapit. The bottom side of the colt's pedigree is no less impressive with 'TDN Rising Star' Tara's Tango (Unbridled's Song), a three-time graded winner including the GI Santa Margarita S. A half-sister to GISW Visionaire (Grand Slam), GSW & MGISP Scarlet Strike (Smart Strike) and GSW Madison's Luna (Tapit), the winner's dam has a juvenile colt by Curlin and a yearling by Quality Road.

Campaigned by her breeder Stonestreet Stables, Tara's Tango hit paydirt quickly as a broodmare when her first foal, a colt by Medaglia d'Oro, brought $2.15 million at Keeneland September in 2019. The following season, Eaton Sales consigned Capensis, who topped the covid-impacted 2020 renewal of the Keeneland September sale.

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Colonials Downs Daily All-Sources Wagering Up 30% Through First Five Weeks

Spearheaded by competitive fields on both of its racing surfaces and continued high interest in its Pick 5 wager, officials at Colonial Downs revealed Monday that the average all-sources wagering through the first five weeks of the 27-day Colonial Downs presented by Woodford Reserve race meeting is up 30.7% over the same corresponding time period of the 2021 meet; the $2,625,248 through the first 15 days of the meeting, compared to $2,008,092 through the first 15 days last year.

A total of $1,113,614 was bet into the sixth race Aug. 9 at Colonial Downs, which is the highest non-Virginia Derby single race pool in the history of the track and contributed to a meet-high daily handle of $4,158,874.

“We are delighted with the response thus far from fans from around the country who are enthusiastically wagering on our high-quality racing product, featuring horses from some of racing's most familiar trainers and competition among top jockeys,” said Jill Byrne, Colonial Downs Vice President of Racing Operations. “Our Pick 5 has been wildly successful since we reduced takeout to 12% on the bet this year. We look forward to continued success for the second half of the meet resuming on August 15.”

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