Wesley Ward | Horse Racing Free Tips

Friday Winners in Good Order

The winners of Friday’s juvenile races at the Breeders’ Cup were reported in good order Saturday morning. Trainer Brad Cox celebrated two winners on the championship card when Aunt Pearl (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) captured the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf S. and Godolphin homebred Essential Quality (Tapit) won the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

“It was a fantastic day,” Cox said. “Both came out of their races really well. So far so good. Both are a little tired, but they have a right to be. They both appear to have bounced out of the races very well. We’ll see how things go moving forward. We don’t have anything picked out as far as races, but we’re looking forward to coming up with a game plan for next year.”

Aunt Pearl, purchased for 280,000gns at last year’s Tattersalls October sale, won the GII JPMorgan Chase Jessamine S. and is now unbeaten in three starts. Essential Quality, also three for three, added his Breeders’ Cup win to a victory in the GI Claiborne Breeders Futurity.

“These are both horses that have shown us a lot since we picked them up in the spring,” Cox said. “It’s a long process getting to a point like this and it’s just a testament to the help, the assistants, the foremen, the exercise riders, the hotwalkers, the grooms, everyone we have in place. I’m just really proud of our staff and really appreciative of the opportunities owners have given us with really nice horses. Aunt Pearl was an expensive purchase out of Tattersalls last year and fortunate to have been given her. Obviously, Godolphin has a very well-bred homebred. Sometimes that’s what it takes to get to a stage like this. It’s very rewarding and we’re very fortunate.”

Trainer Butch Reid was also pleased with GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Vequist (Nyquist).

“When I saw her in the morning jogging and stuff, I thought she looked really good but then when she got over there into the paddock in the afternoon, I thought she looked spectacular,” said Reid. “In my mind, I thought she won the paddock show. She looked good, calm, relaxed. We felt pretty good.”

Reid added that Vequist, campaigned by Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable and Swilcan Stable, will now head to Barry Eisaman’s farm in Florida for a freshening to prepare for a sophomore campaign he hopes will include the 2021 GI Kentucky Oaks.

“Four starts as a 2-year-old is plenty for me and we got her stretched around two turns, which is what I wanted,” Reid said. “She’ll soak up some sun and pick on some grass.”

Ranlo Investment’s Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) will also be getting a break following his win in Friday’s GII Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

“He’s doing great this morning,” trainer Wesley Ward said. “He’s a champion. He’s going to hang out here at Keeneland and let down until about Christmas. Usually Keeneland has a turf sprint for 3-year-olds on opening day that we’ll point for and then point to the G1 King’s Stand at Royal Ascot with him.”

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Golden Pal Proves Deserving Favorite To Give Ward Back-To-Back Wins In Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint

Not all brilliant racemares are able to pass on their talents to their offspring, but it's really something special when they do. That was the case on Friday afternoon at Keeneland, when Golden Pal delivered redemption for his dam in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint as the 4-5 favorite in a field of 14 2-year-olds.

Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) is the first foal out of Randal Lowe's homebred Lady Shipman, who ran second in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in 2015, the last time the World Championships were held at Keeneland. Racing for Lowe, Golden Pal went one better with a front-running 3/4-length triumph over Cowan (11-1).

Golden Pal is named in honor of owner/breeder Lowe's mentor, John C. Mabee. Mabee operated Golden Eagle Farm, and his best horse was Best Pal, hence Golden Pal. The colt is 35-year industry veteran Lowe's first winner in the Breeders' Cup.

It was the second straight victory in the Juvenile Turf Sprint for trainer Wesley Ward, who won the race last year with Four Wheel Drive. Coming off a win in the previous race, the TAA Stakes with Rocketry, jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. piloted Golden Pal through the 5 1/2 furlong contest over Keeneland's “good” turf course and stopped the clock in 1:02.82.

Golden Pal out-broke the rest of the field at the start, leaping out to a two-length advantage in the backstretch. Ortiz tried for a sixteenth of a mile to gently ease the colt back off the bridle, but before the half-mile pole the jockey had to reach down and grab the reins hard to slow Golden Pal down. Even with the head-tossing and giving up his early lead, Golden Pal marked the first quarter in 21.62 seconds.

Stablemate Blame the Booze was also prominently placed early, but Golden Pal surged ahead by the quarter pole to again have a two-length lead over the rest of the field.

Meanwhile, Ubettabelieveit totally missed the break and spotted the field several lengths out of the gate. The Nigel Tinkler-trained colt wove through the field around the bend and was making up a ton of ground in the stretch.

Cowan also came from off the pace, inching into Golden Pal's lead in the final strides to nab second, beaten three-quarters of a length for trainer Steve Asmussen and jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. Ubettabelieveit rallied to finish another 1 3/4 lengths back in third, while Lipzzaner was fourth.

“He's just amazing,” Ward said of the winner. “I got a little worried on the backside. Irad kind of lost a little momentum there and took a pretty good hold of him, but then he just accelerated down the lane. When he accelerated past the quarter-pole, I knew we were O.K. I got a little worried on the last part and was hugging onto my son, but we got there. He's a champion colt. Thank God (Randy Lowe) gave him to me to train. I really appreciate it. (Next year's Breeders' Cup) is where we're heading, but first we're going to Royal Ascot. Here we come. He's going to get them this year!”

Bred in Florida by owner Randall Lowe, Golden Pal is out of the Midshipman mare Lady Shipman. The 13-time winner earned over $900,000 on the track, including multiple Grade 1 placings.

Her first colt finished second in his debut at Gulfstream in April, then traveled to Royal Ascot and was just beaten a neck in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes in June. Waiting until August to run Golden Pal again, Ward sent him out to finally break his maiden in the listed Skidmore Stakes at Saratoga. After giving his owner Lowe a first Breeders' Cup victory, Golden Pal's record stands at two wins and two seconds from four starts for earnings of $623,056.

Lowe said the colt will be given a break before coming back to Keeneland in April, then pointing to the Group 1 King's Stand at Royal Ascot and the Group 1 Nunthorpe after that, before a return to the Breeders' Cup next fall.

The post Golden Pal Proves Deserving Favorite To Give Ward Back-To-Back Wins In Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Golden Boy: Wide Draw No Problem for Uncle Mo Colt in BC Juvenile Turf Sprint

Randall Lowe’s speedy homebred Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) overcame the 13 hole and a few awkward strides to kick off the Breeders’ Cup action Friday while providing trainer Wesley Ward with his second consecutive victory in the GII Juvenile Turf Sprint. Looking to avenge his dam Lady Shipman (Midshipman)’s neck second in the 2015 GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint over this same course and distance, the 4-5 favorite blasted out of the gate and cleared off early until Irad Ortiz, Jr. tapped on the brakes and Golden Pal began to toss his head about. The chalk was swamped on both sides by foes approaching the turn, but was given his head again and began to edge clear around the bend. He was a couple lengths clear and seemingly on cruise control heading for home. Far in front after a :44.63 half, his lead diminished in the final furlong, but victory always looked pretty close to certain as the bay struck the wire 3/4 of a length to the good over slow-starting Cowan (Kantharos). British invader Ubettabelieveit (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) completed the trifecta.

“He’s a really nice horse,” Ortiz said. “He did the hard job. I just sat on him waiting for the time to go. He ran great. He really has a lot of potential.”

A close second at 1-2 odds on the Gulfstream dirt back in April behind a subsequently stakes-placed runner, Golden Pal nearly made all the running in Royal Ascot’s G2 Norfolk S., only to be collared on the line by Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf also-ran The Lir Jet (Ire) (Prince of Lir {Ire}). He resurfaced in Saratoga’s Skidmore S. Aug. 21, and put it all together to best stablemate Fauci (Malibu Moon) by 3 1/2 lengths while earning a standout 92 Beyer Speed Figure. He was scratched out of the local Indian Summer S. Oct. 4 in favor of training up to the Breeders’ Cup.

“He’s just amazing,” said Wesley Ward, whose win 12 months ago came with Four Wheel Drive (American Pharoah). “I got a little worried on the backside. Irad kind of lost a little momentum there and took a pretty good hold of him, but then he just accelerated down the lane. When he accelerated past the quarter pole, I knew we were OK. I got a little worried on the last part and was hugging onto my son, but we got there. He’s a champion colt. Thank God [Randy Lowe] gave him to me to train. I really appreciate it. [Next year’s Breeders’ Cup] is where we’re heading, but first we’re going to Royal Ascot. Here we come. He’s going to get them [next] year!”

For more on how Ward came to train Golden Pal, listen to the TDN Writer’s Room podcast. Ward was represented by three other runners in the Juvenile Turf: After Five (The Factor), Into the Sunrise (Into Mischief) and Blame the Booze (Blame).

“When he was born, I went into our stall and the mares are very protective when babies are born,” recalled owner/breeder Randy Lowe. “I went in there and stood there and put my hand out and he came right over and put his chin in the palm of my hand and I knew from that point on he was going to be something special.”

For more on Lowe, click here for a Second Chances feature following Golden Pal’s debut second this spring.

Pedigree Notes:
Golden Pal becomes the 39th graded stakes winner for Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie), winner of the 2010 GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and an emerging sire of sires. Uncle Mo’s BC Juvenile-winning son Nyquist was represented by GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies heroine Vequist two races later.

Golden Pal is the first foal to race out of brilliant 13-time winner Lady Shipman (Midshipman), who missed by a neck in the 2015 GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. Lady Shipman has not produced a live foal since Golden Pal and was bred back to Omaha Beach for 2021.

Golden Pal is the first and only stakes winner from limited foals thus far out a mare by Midshipman, who took the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile himself in 2008.

Friday, Santa Anita
BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE TURF SPRINT-GII, $920,000, Keeneland, 11-6, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, 1:02.82, gd.
1–GOLDEN PAL, 122, c, 2, by Uncle Mo
                1st Dam: Lady Shipman (GSW & GISP, $902,387),
                                by Midshipman
                2nd Dam: Sumthingtotalkabt, by Mutakddim
                3rd Dam: Nannetta, by Falstaff
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($325,000 RNA Ylg ’19 KEESEP).
O-Ranlo Investments LLC; B-Randall E Lowe (FL); T-Wesley A.
Ward; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr. $520,000. Lifetime Record: GSP-Eng,
4-2-2-0, $593,056. Werk Nick Rating: A+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Cowan, 122, c, 2, Kantharos–Tempers Flair, by Smart Strike.
($185,000 Ylg ’19 KEESEP; $385,000 RNA 2yo ’20 OBSMAR).
O-L. William & Corinne Heiligbrodt, Madaket Stables LLC &
Spendthrift Farm LLC; B-Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings, Inc (KY);
T-Steven M. Asmussen. $170,000.
3–Ubettabelieveit (Ire), 122, c, 2, Kodiac (GB)–Ladylishandra
(Ire), by Mujadil. (€35,000 Wlg ’18 GOFNOV; 50,000gns Ylg ’19
TATOCT). O-Martin Webb Racing; B-Ringfort Stud (IRE); T-Nigel
Tinkler. $90,000.
Margins: 3/4, 1, 1 3/4. Odds: 0.80, 11.10, 26.90.
Also Ran: Lipizzaner, After Five, County Final, Momos, Bodenheimer, Dirty Dangle, Windy City Red, Mighty Gurkha (Ire), Second of July, Into the Sunrise, Blame the Booze. Scratched: Amanzi Yimpilo (Ire), Gypsy King, Trade Deal.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Breeders’ Cup Scratches: Amanzi Yimpilo Out Of Juvenile Turf Sprint, Tetragonal Out Of Juvenile Fillies Turf

Early scratches for Friday's Breeders' Cup races at Keeneland have been announced by the racing office.

Wesley Ward trainee Amanzi Yimpilo (15-1) has been ruled out of the Juvenile Turf Sprint, allowing post position 15, Blame The Booze (30-1) to draw in. The 2-year-old son of Blame is also trained by Ward.

Also-eligibles Gypsy King and Trade Deal have been scratched.

Both also-eligibles were scratched from the Juvenile Turf, as well: Barrister Tom and Harlan Estate.

No changes were reported in the Juvenile Fillies.

Tetragonal (20-1), trained by Richard Baltas, has been ruled out of the Juvenile Fillies Turf, allowing Invincible Gal (30-1) to draw in for Graham Motion. Jose Ortiz will ride the 2-year-old daughter of Invincible Spirit from post 15, while Manny Franco will take over the mount on number 13, Union Gables (20-1), for trainer Todd Pletcher.

Also-eligible Snowfall has been scratched.

No changes were reported in the Juvenile.

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