winchell thoroughbreds | Horse Racing Free Tips

Epicenter To Stand at Ashford Stud

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Epicenter (Not This Time–Silent Candy, by Candy Ride {Arg}), a leading candidate for champion 3-year-old honors, will enter stud in 2023 at Ashford Stud. He will stand for $45,000.

Bred at Mike, Brent and Kevin Harrises' Westwind Farms in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Epicenter was hammered down to the Winchell team for $260,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September sale and was ultimately turned over to the operation's Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. A maiden winner at second asking going the one-turn mile at Churchill Downs, the bay romped by 6 1/2 lengths to become a stakes winner for the first time in the Gun Runner S. at the Fair Grounds last December before dropping a narrow decision when making his graded stakes debut in the GIII Lecomte S. An all-the-way winner of the GII Risen Star S. in February, Epicenter showed a new dimension in the GII Louisiana Derby, settling a bit further off the pace before quickening home to score by 2 1/2 lengths.

Epicenter's winter efforts made him the 4.10-1 favorite for the GI Kentucky Derby and he raced better than midfield, surged to the lead at the furlong grounds and was outfinished by Rich Strike (Keen Ice). He was similarly unlucky to not win the GI Preakness S., finishing runner-up to recent Coolmore addition Early Voting (Gun Runner) after a slow start and some upper-stretch traffic, but he atoned for those defeats at Saratoga over the summer with some authority.

Epicenter was a romping winner of the GII Jim Dandy S., besting Grade I winner Zandon (Upstart), and, at even-money, the GI Runhappy Travers S., where dual GISW Cyberknife (Gun Runner) was left some 5 1/4 lengths behind. His Beyer Speed Figure of 112 was the highest of any of his generation on dirt this year. Epicenter, who was pulled up when the second pick to Flightline (Tapit) in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic and is recovering nicely from his injuries, retires with a record of 6-3-0 from 11 starts and earnings of $2,940,639.

“Epicenter was solid all year and the Travers was the breakout performance he needed and deserved, and he did it in an emphatic way,” said trainer Steve Asmussen. “He put everything together on a grand stage.”

“He was a brilliant horse whose best racing days were still in front of him,” said Ron Winchell who raced the colt. “Bred on the reverse of Gun Runner's Candy Ride/Giant's Causeway cross he's a hugely exciting stallion prospect.”

“Epicenter is the best son of Giant's Causeway's best sire son Not This Time and is out of a stakes winner by the sire of Gun Runner,” said Coolmore's Dermot Ryan. “His combination of speed and stamina made him a potent force and he's a very good-looking horse to boot. Breeders are going to love him.”

One of three top-level and one of nine graded winners for his boom stallion, Epicenter is the most accomplished foal from his stakes-winning and Grade III-placed dam, who fetched $625,000 carrying a full-sibling to Epicenter at this year's Keeneland November Sale. Westwind acquired Silent Candy for $130,000 in foal to Scat Daddy at KEENOV in 2014.

WATCH: Epicenter storms clear in the 2022 GI Runhappy Travers S.

The post Epicenter To Stand at Ashford Stud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Gun Runner’s Wicked Halo Streaks to Raven Run Win

Sent off the lukewarm 5-2 choice, Winchell Thoroughbred's Wicked Halo (Gun Runner) made that price seem like a gift after rolling home an emphatic four-length winner in Saturday's GII Lexus Raven Run S. at Keeneland. Settled in third, Wicked Halo waited as Smash Ticket (Midnight Lute) sprinted to the front and carved out an opening quarter in :22.73 while Freedom Speaks (American Freedom) pressed the issue. Three wide and ready to pounce at any moment following a half in :46.09, Wicked Halo collared the front-running duo while fanned out several paths wide turning for home, bounded clear through the stretch as the early leaders faded and proved much the best while scampering home comfortably ahead of SW Fingal's Cave (Carpe Diem), who closed from well off the pace to edge Midnight Stroll (Not This Time) for the runner-up spot. The victory represented the second stakes win on the card for Winchell, Asmussen and Gun Runner following Gunite's score in the Perryville S.

“It's extremely special,” said Asmussen. “Their level of ability is obvious, but the fact that they thrive with racing and have continued to get better is so rare. I think they are very similar in the fact that they've just accepted their job and continuously gotten faster. Obviously, they're very sound horses–great homebreds for Winchell. I'm very fortunate to have them.”

Showing her talent right out of the box, Wicked Halo went wire-to-wire in her career bow at Lone Star and added a victory in the GII Adirondack S. at the Spa later that summer. Sidelined for the rest of her juvenile season after that, she needed a few starts to get going, finishing third in two of three starts in the first part of 2022 before kicking off a three-race win skein in Churchill's Leslie's Lady S. In June. Stretching to a mile for the Tepin S. July 2, the grey handled that with aplomb and duly followed up with a narrow victory in Saratoga's six-furlong GII Prioress S. Sept. 2.
“She did everything very easily,” added winning rider Tyler Gaffalione, who was also aboard for Gunite's win earlier in the day. “I'm just so thankful I was able to get the opportunity to steer them around there. It was a lot of fun today.”

Pedigree Notes:
Wicked Halo's dam, Just Wicked, also showed early precocity to win the 2015 renewal of the Adirondack. Following Wicked Halo, the half-sister to GSW My Miss Lilly (Tapit) produced a pair of Gun Runners, a colt in 2020 and a filly last term. She was bred back to the hot sire for 2023.

Saturday, Keeneland
LEXUS RAVEN RUN S.-GII, $334,500, Keeneland, 10-22, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:24.30, ft.
1–WICKED HALO, 120, f, 3, by Gun Runner
1st Dam: Just Wicked (GSW, $208,460), by Tapit
2nd Dam: Wicked Deed, by Harlan's Holiday
3rd Dam: Marfa's Squall, by Marfa
O/B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-Tyler Gaffalione. $206,150. Lifetime Record: 10-6-0-3, $780,200. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Fingal's Cave, 120, f, 3, Carpe Diem–Barbie On a Budget, by Mineshaft. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($75,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR). O-Alifyfe Racing, LLC; B-Chester & Mary R. Broman (NY); T-David G. Donk. $57,000.
3–Midnight Stroll, 120, f, 3, Not This Time–Midnight Magic, by Midnight Lute. ($14,000 RNA Ylg '20 OBSWIN; $225,000 Ylg '20 OBSOCT). O-Gatsas Stables, R. A. Hill Stable and Steven Schoenfeld; B-Carolin Von Rosenberg (FL); T-John P. Terranova, II. $28,500.
Margins: 4, NK, 3 3/4. Odds: 2.52, 4.46, 5.05.
Also Ran: Freedom Speaks, Last Leaf, Smash Ticket, Colorful Mischief, Republique, Union Lake.
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.

The post Gun Runner’s Wicked Halo Streaks to Raven Run Win appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Gunite Dazzles In Perryville

In another dominating display of talent, Gunite pounced on dueling rivals and rolled home to a flashy victory in Keeneland's Perryville S.

Second to fleet-footed stakes-winner Conagher (Jimmy Creed) in a non-winners of three at Churchill Downs June 3, he parlayed that effort into victories in that track's Maxfield S., Saratoga's GII Amsterdam S., and a runner-up effort two-back to Jack Christopher (Munnings) in the GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial S. Returning to winning ways last out Sept. 24 in the Harrods Creek S. beneath the Twin Spires over familiar foe Conagher, the 3-5 favorite made short work of his rivals here when the real running began.

Perched in third early as Provocateur (Into Mischief) and Of a Revolution (Maclean's Music) battled through :22.38 and :45.82 splits, Tyler Gaffalione was content to range into his striking position approaching the five-sixteenths pole before inhaling the tiring pacesetters. Kicking clear in upper stretch, Gunite meant business as he strode home 3 3/4 lengths best over 25-1 longshot Hoist the Gold (Mineshaft), who valiantly tried to make a race of it.

“[Gunite has shown] beautiful consistency. He has performed at the highest levels and continues to impress. He carries himself like he can do this. He's got a confidence. He accepts what's happening and does it extremely well,” said conditioner Steve Asmussen in a winner's circle interview.

And as for a possible start in the GI Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint in two weeks' time?

“This was the first test: how he handles Keeneland,” said Asmussen. “I thought he ran really well. He was very comfortable and looked great over the race track. Now it will all be about how he comes back. But we have until Monday [pre-entry deadline] to decide.”

Out of a stakes-winning half-sister to MSW Optionality (Gun Runner) and SP Simply Sovereign (American Pharoah), Gunite is his dam's only foal to the races thus far. Simple Surprise has a 2-year-old full-sister to the winner named Surprise Attack and produced a pair of half-sisters to those–a yearling by Copper Bullet and a 2022 weanling by Tapiture. She went back to Gun Runner for 2023. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

PERRYVILLE S., $250,000, Keeneland, 10-22, 3yo, 7f, 1:23.21, ft.
1–GUNITE, 122, c, 3, by Gun Runner
1st Dam: Simple Surprise (SW, $185,446), by Cowboy Cal
2nd Dam: Simplify, by Pulpit
3rd Dam: Classic Olympio, by Olympio
O/B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-Tyler Gaffalione. $151,125. Lifetime Record: GISW, 12-6-4-1, $965,934.
2–Hoist the Gold, 118, c, 3, Mineshaft–Tacit Approval, by Tapit. ($47,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Dream Team One Racing Stable; B-Dream Team Racing (KY); T-Dallas Stewart. $48,750.
3–B Dawk, 118, c, 3, Gormley–Mott N Hester, by Super Saver. ($77,000 Ylg '20 KEEJAN; $140,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $425,000 2yo '21 EASMAY; $500,000 RNA 3yo '22 KEEAPR). O-West Point Thoroughbreds and Joseph E. Besecker; B-Small Batch Thoroughbreds & Robert Fetkin (KY); T-Doug F. O'Neill. $24,375.
Margins: 3 3/4, 3, 3 3/4. Odds: 0.62, 25.78, 7.02.
Also Ran: Artorius, Friar Laurence, Of a Revolution, Provocateur. Scratched: Pinehurst.

The post Gunite Dazzles In Perryville appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Into Mischief’s Extra Anejo Romps To ‘Stardom’ On Debut At Keeneland

EXTRA ANEJO, a $1,350,000 KEESEP purchase bet down to 7-5 for his debut performance, backed up those odds with an impressive romp on debut to earn 'TDN Rising Star' status. After breaking on top, he took steady pressure from a pair of rivals to his outside up the backstretch run. He began to edge clear under his own power into the far turn and showed another gear when asked with a single tap of the crop at the top of the lane to draw off readily. Under a motionless Tyler Gaffalione, Extra Anejo hit the line a geared-down 9 1/2 lengths ahead of a chasing Tshiebwe (Race Day) in second.

Out of a half-sister to MGSP Abingdon (Street Cry {Ire}), Extra Anejo is from the extended female family of MG1SW, GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner, and champion grass mare Islington (Ire) (Sadler's Wells). Further back are a plethora of graded-stakes performers including: G1SW & MG1SP Greek Dance (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), G1SW Mountain High (Ire) (Danehill), G1SP Election Day (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), MGSW & G1SP Patkai (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}), and GSW New Morning (Ire) (Sadler's Wells). Superioritycomplex, herself purchased by Mt. Brilliant Farm for 400,000gns out of the 2017 Tattersalls December Mixed Sale, produced a weanling colt by Tapit and was bred back to the leading Gainesway sire for the 2023 season.

7th-Keeneland, $99,588, Msw, 10-13, 2yo, 7f, 1:27.17, ft, 9 1/2 lengths.
EXTRA ANEJO, c, 2, Into Mischief
                1st Dam: Superioritycomplex {Ire}, by Hard Spun
                2nd Dam: Justlookdontouch (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
                3rd Dam: Hellenic (Ire), by Darshaan (GB)
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $58,125. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC; B-Mt. Brilliant Farm & Ranch, LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. *1,350,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP.

The post Into Mischief’s Extra Anejo Romps To ‘Stardom’ On Debut At Keeneland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post