Withers | Horse Racing Free Tips

Pletcher Pair Overtook, Promise Keeper Preparing For Belmont In Peter Pan

Newly minted Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle graded-stakes placed Overtook and two-time winner Promise Keeper in Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan at Belmont Park.

The nine-furlong Peter Pan for sophomores is the traditional local prep for the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes slated for Saturday, June 5 at 1 1/2-miles on Big Sandy.

Saturday's card features five graded stakes, led by the Grade 1, $700,000 Man o' War at 1 3/8-miles on the turf for 4-year-olds and upward and is bolstered by the Grade 3, $150,000 Runhappy, a six-furlong sprint for older horses; the Grade 3, $150,000 Beaugay for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16-miles on turf; and the Grade 3, $150,000 Vagrancy at 6 1/2-furlongs on the main track for filly and mare sprinters 4-years-old and up.

Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable, Michael B. Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier and Derrick Smith's Overtook graduated at third asking with blinkers off traveling a one-turn mile on December 20 at the Big A.

Last out, Overtook, a $1 million purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, rallied from last-of-9 to complete the exacta behind Peter Pan-rival Risk Taking in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Withers on February 6 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Pletcher said a moderate pace in the Withers may have hampered Overtook's chances.

“He made a sustained run. He's a grinder. He'd benefit from some pace. The further the better,” said Pletcher.

Pletcher said he initially hoped to point Overtook to the nine-furlong Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on April 3 at Aqueduct, but changed plans after watching the colt train at Palm Beach Downs in Florida.

“We took him down there [to Florida] after the Withers with the idea that we might come back for the Wood,” said Pletcher, who has captured the Peter Pan with Purge [2004], Sunriver [2006], and Madefromlucky [2015]. “It took him a little while to find his best, so we decided to wait for the Peter Pan. It seems like the last two or three weeks, he's really come around.”

Overtook posted a bullet half-mile breeze in 48.32 seconds on April 30 at Palm Beach Downs and Pletcher said he is hoping Overtook will prove worthy of a run at the final leg of the Triple Crown.

“Historically, the Peter Pan has been a good stepping stone to the Belmont,” said Pletcher. “He has a pedigree that suggests he wants to go that far and now it's time to see if he's good enough.”

Hall of Famer John Velazquez, fresh off a Kentucky Oaks–Kentucky Derby double with the Pletcher-trained Malathaat and the Bob Baffert-conditioned Medina Spirit, respectively, will guide Overtook from the inside post. Velazquez captured the Peter Pan for Pletcher in 2004 with Purge and for conditioner Robert Barbara in 1996 aboard Jaimes First Punch.

Woodford Thoroughbreds, WinStar Farm and Rock Ridge Racing's Promise Keeper, purchased for $160,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, earned a career-best 85 Beyer Speed Figure last out with a 5 1/2-length score in a nine-furlong optional-claiming event on April 8 at Keeneland.

The Constitution chestnut graduated at second asking in February when stretched out to one mile on a sloppy track at Gulfstream, but followed by finishing last-of-12 in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby in March.

Pletcher said the Keeneland win made up for the disappointing Tampa Bay Derby effort.

“It wasn't his day for sure,” said Pletcher. “We just drew a line through it, regrouped at Keeneland and he ran very well that day. We've been pointing for this since then.”

Pletcher said a prominent trip last out proved beneficial for Promise Keeper after being mired behind horses in the Tampa Bay Derby.

“He's one that wants to be involved,” said Pletcher. “He didn't get away great [at Tampa.] He just never got into the race and probably didn't like the surface at Tampa. He trained well after that and I thought the allowance race at Keeneland was impressive.”

Pletcher said he expects Promise Keeper to be versatile, capable of winning at a variety of distances.

“I don't think he needs two turns, but I do think he appreciates the mile and an eighth,” said Pletcher.

Luis Saez retains the mount on Promise Keeper from post 3.

Risk Taking, trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown for Klaravich Stables, captured the nine-furlong Grade 3 Withers on February 6 at the Big A.

The Medaglia d'Oro bay, a $240,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, followed with a flat seventh last out in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Wood Memorial.

Brown said he hopes Risk Taking, who breezed five-eighths in 1:00.34 on May 1 over Big Sandy, can regroup from a less than favorable trip in the Wood Memorial.

“He did take a lot of dirt and was a little wide. We quite liked his chances in that race,” said Brown, who has captured the Peter Pan with Timeline [2017] and Country Grammer [2020]. “He's come back and worked really well. His last work was particularly good for him. It was the best we've seen from him. We're giving it another shot in here to see if he can get back on track.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr. retains the mount from the outermost post 6.

Woodslane Farm homebred Wolfie's Dynaghost earned an 84 Beyer in his impressive debut sprinting seven furlongs over a Big A main track rated good on November 14 when 1 1/2-lengths the better of eventual graded-stakes winner Weyburn.

Tom Albertrani has trained Wolfie's Dynaghost into his second career start at Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida, where the colt posted a bullet five-eighths breeze in 1:01.20 on April 25.

“He's doing great. He had a bit of time off but he's been training well lately and we're looking forward to getting him back on the track,” Albertrani said. “He showed so much promise the first time he ran. His works prior to that, he showed a lot, so it was great watching him win first-time out.”

By Ghostzapper and out of the Dynaformer mare Dynaire, Wolfie's Dynaghost is a half-brother to the Albertrani-trained Sadler's Joy, a Grade 1 winner and $2.6 million earner.

Jose Ortiz, who won the 2016 Peter Pan aboard Unified, has the call from post 4.

Michael Shanley's Nova Rags was bumped at the start of the Grade 1 Florida Derby last out before making the lead en route to a fourth-place finish on March 27 traveling nine furlongs around two turns at Gulfstream.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said the rugged start didn't affect the outcome.

“It's horse racing. You don't like to get bumped but it happens,” said Mott. “He got away good and was on the lead.”

The Union Rags chestnut, a Kentucky homebred, graduated at first asking in October sprinting six furlongs at Belmont and completed an abbreviated juvenile campaign with a fourth in the Grade 3 Nashua in November at Aqueduct.

Nova Rags made a winning sophomore debut in the seven-furlong Pasco in January at Tampa Bay Downs ahead of a second at the same track in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Sam F. Davis won by fellow Mott trainee Candy Man Rocket.

Mott said a return to one-turn racing at Belmont may benefit Nova Rags, who will not be using the Peter Pan as a springboard to the Belmont Stakes.

“He ran well at one turn so I guess the mile and an eighth is the question,” said Mott. “I don't think we'd go to the Belmont with him.”

Nova Rags will exit post 2 under Junior Alvarado.

Rounding out the field is Curragh Stables' I Am the Law, a maiden son of Mshawish purchased for $125,000 at the OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

Trained by John Terranova, I Am the Law has hit the board in both career starts, including a closing second last out in a one-turn mile maiden special weight contested on a sloppy Big A main track on March 28 that garnered a 72 Beyer.

Kenrick Carmouche returns to the irons from post 5.

The Peter Pan is slated as Race 9 on Saturday's 11-race card. First post is 1 p.m.

Belmont Park is now open to a limited number of spectators. All admission must be purchased in advance at nyra.com/belmont/tickets/.

For comprehensive information on health and safety protocols in effect for the Belmont Park spring/summer meet, please visit: https://www.nyra.com/belmont/visit/plan-your-visit.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the spring/summer meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

The post Pletcher Pair Overtook, Promise Keeper Preparing For Belmont In Peter Pan appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Highly Motivated Makes His Sophomore Debut In Saturday’s Gotham

Owner Klaravich Stables and trainer Chad Brown already campaigned a winner in a Kentucky Derby qualifier in New York when Risk Taking captured the Grade 3 Withers last month. On Saturday, they will look to earn “Run for the Roses” points with stakes-winner Highly Motivated in the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham for sophomores at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The one-turn mile event is the penultimate local qualifying prep race for the Grade 1, $3 million Kentucky Derby on May 1 at Churchill Downs, awarding the top-four finishers points via a 50-20-10-5 scale. The historic event has been a stopping point for all-time greats like 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat, whose final winning time of 1:33.40 was only one second and one-fifth off the world-record time set by 1967 Gotham winner Dr. Fager's 1:32.20 in the 1968 Washington Park Handicap. In 1989, Ogden Phipps' Easy Goer broke Secretariat's one-mile track record, completing the journey in 1:32.40.

Highly Motivated has produced a consistent start to his career, with back-to-back wins following his runner-up debut effort behind stablemate Founder in August at Saratoga Race Course.

Highly Motivated graduated at second asking going 6 ½ furlongs over the Belmont Park main track on September 27, where he defeated eventual two-time winner Known Agenda, who finished third in the Grade 2 Remsen in December.

Last out, Highly Motivated displayed a winning effort in the Nyquist on November 6 traveling 6 1/2-furlongs at Keeneland. The son of Into Mischief settled a close fourth behind a grueling pace and took command just inside the eighth pole to draw off by 4 ½ lengths, defeating next-out winners Quick Tempo and Roderick while recording a 96 Beyer Speed Figure.

“All three of his races have been excellent, they have been outstanding efforts,” said Brown, who trained 2016 Gotham-winner Shagaf. “He certainly has kept good company. That's the thing about starting these horses at Saratoga in the summer and at Belmont in the fall, you never know who you'll run into. Looking back, history tells how strong these races are and he was in some pretty strong ones. It looks to be a real solid group of 3-year-olds everywhere, and he's one of them.”

Highly Motivated arrives at the Gotham off a sharp half-mile breeze on February 28 over a fast main track at Payson Park Training Center, completing the four-furlong journey in 49.40 seconds. He shipped to Brown's Belmont Park division on Wednesday morning.

“Every work of his has been an improvement,” Brown said. “His last couple in particular have been very strong works. We rested him a bit and brought him back slowly. We're ready to get his 3-year-old campaign underway.”

Bloodstock agent Mike Ryan selected Highly Motivated as a weanling from Lanes' End's consignment at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale, where he was purchased for $240,000.

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano has ridden Highly Motivated in all three of his starts and will return to the saddle, breaking from post 3.

“He's a big, strong horse,” Brown said. “Javier has come back after his races and says he should improve going further. His gallop outs have been eye-catching so that indicated that stretching out in distance won't be an issue.”

Brown and Klaravich also team up with impressive maiden-winner Crowded Trade, a son of More Than Ready. The chestnut colt registered an 83 Beyer on debut when hustled out of the gate and settled a distant fifth off a moderate pace before taking command just a few strides out from the finish line.

Since his debut victory, Crowded Trade has made three appearances on the work tab, most recently completing a four-furlong move in 49.03 seconds on February 28 over the Belmont training track.

Breaking from post 5, Crowded Trade will be piloted by Eric Cancel.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert sends out graded stakes-placed Freedom Fighter after finishing a close second to stablemate Concert Tour in the Grade 2 San Vicente on February 6 at Santa Anita.

Owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm and Robert E. Masterson, the son of Violence was after the front end early from his inside post commanding a moderate tempo and dueled with his stablemate throughout the stretch run but came up a half-length shy of victory in the seven-furlong event.

Freedom Fighter was a winner on debut going six furlongs on August 1 at Del Mar six months prior to his next out stakes debut.

“He ran a pretty courageous race after some time off to finish second to Concert Tour, who I think is a nice horse,” Baffert said. “I wanted to keep him one turn for now. I'm not sure what his distance limitations are going to be right now, but I think the Gotham is a good step up going from seven-eighths to a mile. He should be ready for that.”

Freedom Fighter arrives at the Gotham off a sharp five-furlong drill in 59.20 seconds on February 27 at Santa Anita – the fastest of 63 recorded works at the distance.

“He's been working well. He's coming into the race in top form,” said Baffert. “We'll see if he can get the mile. If you look at him, he's built for speed – a sprinter type. But so was [2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner] Smarty Jones. You never know. I'll give the horse a chance to develop on his own.”

Bred in Kentucky by Mr. and Mrs. Troy Reed, Freedom Fighter is out of the New York-bred City Zip mare Canadian Ballet, who was a six-time stakes winner going one turn on both dirt and turf. Freedom Fighter was bought for $120,000 from the Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency consignment at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $120,000.

Baffert said Freedom Fighter will have to demonstrate his Derby credentials on Saturday if he is to advance to the first Saturday in May.

“I'm not really thinking Derby with him yet,” said Baffert. “He's going to have to prove himself and then we'll see where he fits in.”

Jockey Manny Franco has the call aboard Freedom Fighter from post 7.

Bing Cherry Racing and Leonard Liberto's Capo Kane returns to the Big A after finishing a pace-setting third in the Grade 3 Withers on February 6.

The California-bred Street Sense colt trained by Harold Wyner graduated at second asking on November 25 at Parx, leading the field the whole way around. He shipped to Aqueduct on New Years' Day to capture the Jerome in similar style, earning 10 Derby points.

Wyner said Capo Kane is likely to rate on Saturday and he prepared the colt with a smart five-eighths breeze in 1:00.21 on February 26 at Parx where he sat off a pair of workmates before circling his company and finishing strong.

Although the Street Sense bay has posted both career wins in gate-to-wire fashion, Wyner noted that Capo Kane ran second on debut in October at Parx going seven furlongs while utilizing an off-the-pace trip.

“We have rated him before,” said Wyner. “In his first race, he came from behind and made the lead and then got a little tired and finished second. Lately, he's been on the lead because he has speed, but I think there will be other speed in the Gotham, so we'll let it play out.”

Wyner said Capo Kane has benefitted from a more consistent training pattern heading into the Gotham.

“I think the cut back to a one-turn mile is going to help him,” said Wyner. “In the Withers, I didn't really have the screws all the way tight on him because I had missed five days of training and I couldn't breeze him when I wanted to breeze him. Going into this race, I was able to breeze him when I wanted to and train him as normal.”

Jockey Dylan Davis, who guided Capo Kane in his last two efforts, will return from post 6.

Trainer Todd Pletcher will send out Atlantic Road following a maiden victory at second asking on February 8 at Aqueduct, where he led from gate to wire to hold off Nepotism by a head.

Owned by Jack and Laurie Wolf's Starlight Racing, the son of Quality Road finished fifth on debut going six furlongs on January 9 at Gulfstream Park in a maiden special weight which saw three other next-out winners. He displayed frontrunning dimensions in his following start when breaking from the rail, shaking off a confrontation from next-out winner Three Two Zone and holding off a late challenge from Nepotism.

Pletcher will be targeting his third Gotham victory having won previously with Cowtown Cat [2007] and Stay Thirsty [2011], who finished a respective 20th and 12th in their subsequent Kentucky Derby efforts.

Atlantic Road breaks from post 1 under Jorge Vargas, Jr.

Reddam Racing's Wipe the Slate ships to New York from California for trainer Doug O'Neill and will remove blinkers and cut back to one turn after a distant sixth in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis on January 30 at Santa Anita.

The son of second crop sire Nyquist was second to highly-regarded Life Is Good on debut at Del Mar before a second-out graduation on December 26 at Santa Anita going seven furlongs, which he won by 3 ¼ lengths while garnering an 88 Beyer.

Jockey Kendrick Carmouche rides Wipe the Slate from post 4.

Completing the field are Flanagan Racing's nine-furlong maiden winner The Reds [post 2, Pablo Morales] for trainer John Kimmel and seven-furlong maiden winner Weyburn [post 8, Trevor McCarthy] for owner Chiefswood Stables and trainer Jimmy Jerkens.

The Gotham is slated as Race 9 on Saturday's 10-race card. First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

The post Highly Motivated Makes His Sophomore Debut In Saturday’s Gotham appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

‘Maturing’ Capo Kane Cuts Back To One-Turn Mile For Gotham

Bing Cherry Racing and Leonard Liberto's Capo Kane, a pace-setting third last out in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Withers, turns back to a one-turn mile in Saturday's Grade 3 Gotham at Aqueduct.

Trainer Harold Wyner put Capo Kane through a smart training session on Feb. 26 at Parx with the California-bred working behind a pair of horses before circling his company and completing the five-eighths breeze in 1:00.21.

“He worked real well. We had two horses set off in front of him and he sat behind them and got the dirt in his face and passed them. He finished off his work real strong,” said Wyner. “I know there's going to be a lot of speed in the Gotham and I don't think he needs to be on the lead.”

Wyner said Capo Kane, who has demonstrated a tendency to drift out during the stretch run, completed his work straight as an arrow.

“In his work the other day, he didn't drift out one little bit,” said Wyner. “He stayed right where he should be and went around the horses nicely and didn't drift at all. He's maturing. He's a lot bigger and wider now.”

The Street Sense colt picked up 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points on New Year's Day when taking the one-mile Jerome. He added two additional qualifying points for his Withers effort and currently sits in 11th position in the standings with 12 points.

Wyner said the connections will consider a start in the Kentucky Derby if the $26,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Two-Year-Olds-In Training sale purchase posts a strong effort on Saturday with 50-20-10-5 qualifying points on the line.

“I still think this horse will get the mile and an eighth and the mile and a quarter,” said Wyner. “If he runs real well in the Gotham, I'm almost forced to try him in the Wood Memorial going a mile and an eighth [on April 6] to see if he'll get the distance because if he doesn't there won't be any point going to the Derby. The timing is close so we'll have to see how he runs in the Gotham and go from there.”

Capo Kane ran second on debut in October at Parx going seven furlongs and capped his juvenile year with a maiden-breaking 4 1/2-length score on Nov. 25 at the same track stretched out to a mile and 70 yards.

Capo Kane won his first stakes start – and sophomore bow – in gate-to-wire fashion, besting a five-horse Jerome field by 6 1/4 lengths, garnering a personal-best 84 Beyer.

Wyner said Capo Kane will ship to New York on the day of the race with jockey Dylan Davis to retain the mount.

The post ‘Maturing’ Capo Kane Cuts Back To One-Turn Mile For Gotham appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

With Wood Memorial On Calendar, Risk Taking Posts First Drill Since Withers Victory

Klaravich Stables' Risk Taking, who earned a career-best 89 Beyer winning the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers last out at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y., had his first breeze back on Sunday morning.

The Medaglia d'Oro bay went a half-mile in 50.06 on the Belmont dirt training track working in company with 4-year-old Mystic Night, a $500,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase who earned an 80 Beyer in his third-out graduation on January 30 at the Big A.

“Risk Taking had his first work back since his win in the Withers and it went very well,” said Dan Stupp, the New York-based assistant to trainer Chad Brown. “I was pleased with the work. He came out of the race in great shape and his energy and appetite have been good.”

Risk Taking, a $240,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, is 2-for-2 traveling nine furlongs at Aqueduct. He graduated on December 13 at the distance ahead of his rallying Withers score which garnered 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Following the Withers, Brown said Risk Taking would likely target the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on April 3 at the Big A. The nine-furlong Wood Memorial is the final local prep for the Grade 1, Kentucky Derby and awards the top-four finishers qualifying points according to a 100-40-20-10 scale.

Louis Lazzinnaro's The Grass Is Blue, a sophomore daughter of Broken Vow, impressed with a one-length win last out in the nine-furlong Busanda on January 24 at the Big A. The chestnut, who earned a 72 Beyer in victory along with 10 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points, worked a half-mile in 49.21 Sunday.

“The Grass Is Blue worked a solo half and worked very easy,” said Stupp. “It was a very nice maintenance work and I'm happy with her work.”

The Grass Is Blue captured an optional-claiming sprint at Keeneland in October sprinting 6 1/2-furlongs ahead of an off-the-board effort in the Songbird in November at the same distance at the Lexington oval. She entered the Busanda from a closing third in the 1 1/16-mile Anne Arundel County in December at Laurel Park.

“She appreciated the stretch out in the Busanda,” said Stupp. “Earlier on, we thought she wanted to go short but watching her races Chad decided to see if she would be better stretching out and she certainly showed that in her last race. She certainly handled the mile and an eighth. She's trained very well out of that win and seems to have improved a lot for us here over the winter.”

The post With Wood Memorial On Calendar, Risk Taking Posts First Drill Since Withers Victory appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post