Tag: win and you’re in

Royal Ascot: Ward-Trained Pair Headline Thursday’s ‘Win And You’re In’ Norfolk Stakes

Trainer Wesley Ward is seeking his third victory in the US$113,000 Norfolk Stakes (G2) for 2-year-olds when he sends out U.S. maiden winners Lucci and Nakatomi in the 5-furlong race on Thursday at Royal Ascot. The winner of the Norfolk Stakes will gain an automatic berth into the US$1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 84 stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be held at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California on Nov. 5-6.

As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the Norfolk Stakes winner to start in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, which will be run at 5 furlongs at Del Mar. Breeders' Cup will also provide a travel allowance of US$40,000 for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the Championships' pre-entry deadline of October 25 to receive the rewards.

The Norfolk Stakes is the third of four Breeders' Cup Challenge Series “Win and You're In” races to be conducted during the Royal Ascot meeting. The race will be televised live on NBCSN and TVG.

Andrew Farm, For the People Racing Stable, and Windmill Manor Farm's Lucci, a Kentucky-bred son of Not this Time, won a 5-furlong maiden special weight by 3 lengths over the Widener turf course at Belmont Park on May 9 under jockey John Velazquez, who has the mount again for the Norfolk.

Qatar Racing, Marc Detampel and David Howden's chestnut Kentucky-bred gelding Nakatomi, by Firing Line, broke his maiden by 2 ¼ lengths over a sloppy track in a 4 ½-furlong race at Keeneland on April 14.

“At home, we have been working Lucci and Nakatomi together,” said Ward, who has 11 victories at Royal Ascot coming into the 2021 meeting. “Nakatomi was coming out on top, but then they had a workout in Newmarket on the Limekilns and Lucci turned the tables. He just bounced straight through to the front and would not give up the lead.”

Last year, the Ward-trained Golden Pal finished second by a neck in the Norfolk Stakes before going on to capture the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland. Ward saddled Norfolk winners No Nay Never (2006) and Shang Shang Shang (2018).

Trainer Aidan O'Brien plans to start a son of No Nay Never in the Norfolk with Cadamosto (IRE), owned by Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Westerberg. Cadamosto broke his maiden on April 10, winning the 5-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF maiden by 3 ½ lengths.

O'Brien has saddled three Norfolk Stakes winners in Johannesburg (2001), Waterloo Bridge (IRE) (2015), and Sioux Nation (2017).

Amo Racing Limited and Peter Waney's Go Bears Go (IRE) has a maiden victory over the Ascot course. Trained by David Loughnane, Go Bears Go, a son of Kodi Bear (IRE), won a 5-furlong Novice stakes at May 8 by 1 ½ lengths.

Another winner first time out is Isa Salman Al Khalifa's Instinctive Move (GB). A bay son of Showcasing (GB) out of Peach Melba (GB) by Dream Ahead, Instinctive Move earned a 2 ¼-length victory in a 5-furlong EFB maiden race at Bath on May 12.

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Grade 1 Winners Ce Ce, Kimari Top Nominees To ‘Win And You’re In’ Princess Rooney

Bo Hirsch LLC's Ce Ce, a multiple Grade 1 stakes winner, and Tom Broeck Farm, Inc.'s Kimari, who earned Grade 1 credentials in her most recent start, are prominent on the first invitation list for the $350,000 Princess Rooney Invitational (G2) July 3 at Gulfstream Park.

The seven-furlong Princess Rooney, a 'Win and In' race for this year's Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) at Del Mar, will co-headline the Summit of Speed program with the $200,000 Smile Sprint Invitational (G3) at Gulfstream.

Ce Ce, who captured the Beholder Mile (G1) at Santa Anita and the Apple Blossom (G1) at Oaklawn last year, is trained by Michael McCarthy, who ventured from his Santa Anita base with City of Light to win the $9 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream in 2019. The 5-year-old daughter of Elusive Quality has raced twice this year, debuting with a 3 ¼-length victory in a seven-furlong optional claiming allowance April 17 before coming up short in a fourth-place finish in the two-turn Santa Maria (G2) a month later.

Wesley Ward-trained Kimari, second in the Commonwealth (G1) at Royal Ascot last year, became a Grade 1 stakes winner last time out in the seven-furlong Madison April 3 at Keeneland.

Lothenbach Stables Inc.'s Bell's the One, who finished three-quarters of a length behind Kimari while finishing second in the Madison, is a third Grade 1 winner on the list of 14 Rooney invitees, having won the Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs last September. The Neil Pessin trainee most recently finished fourth in the Derby City Distaff.

The first of three Princess Rooney Invitational lists also includes a trio of graded-stakes winners who are Grade 1 stakes-placed: Medallion Racing and partners' Estilo Talentoso, Lloyd Madison Farm LLC's Sconsin and Tommy Town Thoroughbreds LLC's Victim of Love.

Juan Arriagada-trained Estilo Talentoso won two of six starts at Gulfstream, including a maiden score and an overnight-stakes victory, before hitting the road to finish in a dead-heat with Belle's the One for second in the Madison, check in third in the Derby City Distaff, and win the Bed o' Roses (G3) at Belmont.

Gregory Foley-trained Sconsin, who won the Eight Belles (G2) last year, is coming off a victory in the Winning Colors (G3) at Churchill. The daughter of Include finished second behind Gamine in the Derby City Distaff in her prior start.

Todd Beattie-trained Victim of Love, who captured the May 8 Vagrancy (G3) at Belmont, concluded her 2020 racing second with a third-place finish in the Ballerina (G1) at Saratoga.

Holly Hill Stables LLC's Pacific Gale, who captured the Inside Information (G2) and the Hurricane Bertie (G3) during Gulfstream's Championship Meet, is among several Grade 2 stakes winners invited to the Princess Rooney. Other Grade 2 winners include Frank Fletcher Racing Operations Inc's Frank's Rockette, Godolphin LLC's Lake Avenue, Gary Barber's Laura's Light, and Kueber Racing and partners' Vault.

LBD Stable LLC and David Ingordo's Our Super Freak, who finished third behind Vault last time out in the Ruffian (G2) at Belmont; Daniel J Lopez and George Chestnut's Chub Wagon, who remained undefeated while winning the Shine Again at Pimlico Sunday; and Windylea Farms IV LLC's Thissmytime, who finished second behind Pacific Gale in the Inside Information; round out the Princess Rooney invitation list.

The Princess Rooney invitation list is scheduled to be updated on June 20 and June 27.

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Win And You’re In: Palace Pier, Order Of Australia Headline Tuesday’s Queen Anne At Royal Ascot

Palace Pier (GB), one of the world's top milers, and Order of Australia (IRE), the reigning FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) winner, headline Tuesday's US$563,000 Queen Anne Stakes (G1) in the opening race of the Royal Ascot meeting at Ascot Racecourse. The winner of the Queen Anne will secure an automatic berth into this year's US$2million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 84 stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be held at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California on Nov. 5-6.

As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the Queen Anne winner to start in the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile, which will be run over the Del Mar turf course. Breeders' Cup will also provide a travel allowance of US$40,000 for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the Championships' pre-entry deadline of October 25 to receive the rewards.

The Queen Anne, run over a straight mile, is the first of four Breeders' Cup Challenge “Win and You're In” races to be conducted during the Royal Ascot meeting. The race will be televised live on NBCSN and TVG.

First run in 1840, the Queen Anne Stakes is named for the monarch who established racing at Ascot in 1711.

Palace Pier, owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed al Maktoum and trained by father and son John and Thady Gosden, has won seven times in eight starts, including last year's St. James's Palace (G1) at Royal Ascot and the Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois (G1) at Deauville. A 4-year-old son of Kingman (GB), Palace Pier has won both his starts in 2021, taking the 1-mile bet360 at Sandown on April 23 by 8 lengths, and the 1-mile Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes (G1) at Newberry on May 15 by 1 ½ lengths. His only defeat came in last October's Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1) at Ascot, when he finished third over soft ground.

“He is a lovely horse who has done everything right in his life,” said John Gosden. “He only missed the autumn of his 2-year-old career. He prepped in a Newcastle race last year and came out and won the St. James's Palace Stakes (G1). He did everything right last year until the end when he ran on very soft autumn ground (in the Queen Elizabeth II). He hated that, lost a shoe and got left.”

“He's come back well this year. He did handle that ground (good to soft) in the Lockinge and I've got to be clear that maybe a horse like Lope Y Fernandez did not. Back now on summer ground I think you will see a lot more horses come into play that maybe weren't happy on the ground.”

Frankie Dettori, who leads all jockeys with six Queen Anne wins, has the mount aboard Palace Pier.

Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magner, Michael Tabor and Mrs. A.M. O'Brien's Order of Australia came off the also-eligible list and won last November's FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile at 73-1 at Keeneland. Order of Australia was the first of three Aidan O'Brien-trained runners across the wire, with Circus Maximus (IRE) a neck behind in second and Lope Y Fernandez (IRE) finishing third. A 4-year-old son of Australia (GB), Order of Australia will be making his first start since finishing sixth in last December's Longines Hong Kong Mile (G1) at Sha Tin.

Lope Y Fernandez, a 4-year-old son of Lope De Vega (IRE), started the year well by winning the listed 1-mile Heritage Stakes at Leopardstown on April 14. He went off as the 5-1 second choice in the Lockinge but was caught behind horses with a furlong remaining and wound up eighth.

The 8-year-old Lord Glitters (FR), who won the 2019 Queen Anne Stakes at 14-1, is also coming out of the Lockinge, where the roan/gray son of Whipper finished fourth. Trained by David O'Meara and ridden by Daniel Tudhope, Lord Glitters has won nine races, including two 1 1/8-mile scores at Meydan this year in the Jebel Hatta on March 6 and in the Singspiel Stakes on Jan 21. He also finished sixth in the Dubai Turf (G1) at Meydan on March 27.

“He ran fine in the Lockinge,” said O'Meara. “There were a few younger horses ahead of him and Palace Pier looked unbeatable, but Lord Glitters likes the straight track at Ascot so hopefully he runs his race again. He is better at Ascot than at Newbury.”

Saeed Manana's 5-year-old Top Rank (IRE) finished third in the Lockinge. Trained by James Tate, Top Rank, a gray son of Dark Angel, has won six of nine starts, and has a victory this year in the listed Unibet Doncaster Mile on March 27. Last September, he won the Betfair Superior Mile Stakes (G3) at Haydock. Top Rank will be ridden by P.J. McDonald.

Also entered is the Mrs. R.F. Johnson Houghton's 7-year-old gelding Accidental Agent (GB), who won the 2018 Queen Anne Stakes. Trained by Eve Johnson Houghton and ridden by Charles Bishop, Accidental Agent finished fourth in last year's race.

In addition to the Queen Anne, there will be three other Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races at the Royal meeting: The Prince of Wales's Stakes (G1), held on Wednesday, June 16, will award the winner a free berth into US$4 million Longines Breeders Cup Turf (G1); the Norfolk Stakes (G2), which will be run on Thursday, June 17, offers a “Win and You're In” starting position into US$1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2); and the Diamond Jubilee Stakes (G1) on Saturday, June 19, which gives the winner an automatic berth into the US$1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1).

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Gran Alegria Defends Title In Yasuda Kinen

Gran Alegria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) should jump a warm favourite to become the first repeat winner of the G1 Yasuda Kinen since two-time Horse of the Year Vodka (Jpn) (Tanino Gimlet {Jpn}) when she squares off against 13 males in Japan's premier spring mile. The Yasuda Kinen serves as a 'Win and You're In' qualifying race for the GI Breeders' Cup Mile at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in early November.

The 5-year-old, a daughter of Breeders' Cup winner Tapitsfly (Tapit), has won six of eight over the metric mile, having easily accounted for another two-time Horse of the Year in Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) in this event last season. She overcame late traffic trouble to add the G1 Mile Championship at Hanshin in November and resumed with a fourth in ground easier than she prefers in the Apr. 4 G1 Osaka Hai (2000m). She most recently decimated her peers in the G1 Victoria Mile over Sunday's course and distance May 16, but reportedly missed a bit of work thereafter and atypically did her final piece of work on the uphill gallop this past Wednesday.

“This is the first time she'll have only two full weeks between races, so her fast work this week was on the hill course and just fast enough to keep her tuned up,” said trainer Kazuo Fujisawa. “I didn't need her to go too fast so, with a horse in front, I told the rider it was fine if she caught him or not. She always tries hard and I think it was a good workout.”

 

Indy Champ (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) took this event in 2019 and ran well to be third last year before being outfinished by the favorite in defence of his title in the Mile Championship. Last seen finishing a good third to Danon Smash (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) in the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen over an insufficient six-furlong trip, he gets back out to his pet distance Sunday.

“It won't be easy to beat the Victoria Mile winner,” trainer Hidetaka Otonashi admitted. “I'm hoping he'll rise to the challenge. I've tried many different things, many distances and find ourselves back at the mile. I want him to go out there and win.”

Salios (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), winner of the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity (1600m) at two, was runner-up to Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the G1 Satsuki Sho (2000m) and G1 Toyko Yushun (2400m) last season and was a sneaky good fifth from the widest berth in the Mile Championship. Impossibly wide on the turn, he leveled out beautifully in the stretch, sprinting his final 600 metres in a race-fastest :33.1. He also may not have cared for the soft in the Osaka Hai last time.

It has been 10 years since 3-year-old Real Impact (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) stepped up to beat the older milers in the Yasuda Kinen, but Schnell Meister (Ger) (Kingman {GB}) will have support to do so this weekend. Each of his three wins have come over this specialist trip, including a narrow success from barrier 15 in the G1 NHK Mile Cup at headquarters May 9. Incidentally, Lauda Sion (Jpn) became the first Group 1 winner for Real Impact when taking out the 2020 NHK Mile Cup and lines up here on the heels of a victory in the G2 Keio Hai Spring Cup (1400m) at this venue three weeks ago.

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