Sweet Reason, Got Lucky Class of Gazelle
By Claire Novak,
Grade I winner Sweet Reason and grade II-placed Got Lucky are the class of the $300,000 Gazelle Stakes (gr. II) at Aqueduct Racetrack April 5, an event for sophomore fillies on the road to the Longines Kentucky Oaks (gr. I).
Trained by Leah Gyarmati for Treadway Racing Stable, Sweet Reason flashed brilliance last summer when she went straight off her sparkling 6 1/4-length debut win to capture the Spinaway Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga Race Course. The daughter of Street Sense next turned in a runner-up finish in the Frizette Stakes (gr. II) at Belmont Park behind Artemis Agrotera, then gave a good account of herself with a fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) at Santa Anita Park.
Well-rested from that adventure, Sweet Reason returned March 7 with a good victory in a one mile optional claimer on the inner track to set her up for this start. She recorded a career-low 58 Beyer figure for the race under regular rider Irad Ortiz Jr., but the paltry number did not alarm her trainer.
"If she had got a 58 and not won, it would have been a problem," Gyarmati said. "But Irad never touched her with the stick. He didn't have to.
"I think she's moving along nicely. I need to see her in there against top 3-year-old fillies. I have no reason to believe she is any less than she was last year."
Gyarmati has been building Sweet Reason's stamina with long works for her first test at 1 1/8 miles. She worked with stablemate Noble Moon, a Wood Memorial entrant, six furlongs in 1:14.46 March 29, and also has recorded works at distances of a mile, five furlongs and another six furlongs dating back to Feb. 23.
"She breezes with Noble Moon and plays with him," Gyarmati said. "I'm very happy with her. She's doing super. The last race was a perfect race coming back. I couldn't ask for a better setup coming off the layoff and now with 30 days rest. She's dragging the rider around there."
Sweet Reason carries highweight of 120 pounds in this start while all others are assigned 116; Ortiz retains the the mount from post 3.
Got Lucky returns to New York after tasting the dust of eventual Fair Grounds Oaks (gr. II) winner and current Kentucky Oaks favorite Untapable in the Feb. 22 Rachel Alexandra Stakes (gr. III) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. In that event, the A.P. Indy filly swung five wide into the stretch and, while no match for the 9 1/2-length winner, held well for the place.
Trained by Todd Pletcher for Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings and Philip J. Steinberg, Got Lucky broke her maiden Jan. 29 by 5 1/4 lengths going a mile on the Gulfstream Park dirt. Last year she was second in her only other outings: a maiden special weight at Belmont in October and the Nov. 30 Demoiselle Stakes (gr. II) won by stablemate Stopchargingmaria. Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez comes in to ride Got Lucky, 7-2 on the morning line, from post 2.
"We ran into what appears to be the Kentucky Oaks favorite and probably got a little farther back than we needed (in the Rachel Alexandra)," Pletcher said, "but I thought she ran on well to be second. I felt like the Gazelle made sense as a 1 1/8-mile race that would hopefully be run on a racetrack that would play fairly as opposed to Gulfstream, which might play a little more to speed. She's a very typical A.P. Indy; she's got a good, steady rhythm to her. She'll settle back and make a long, sustained run."
My Miss Sophia is another Pletcher trainee who broke her maiden at Gulfstream. The daughter of Unbridled's Song freaked by 11 lengths in a one-turn mile dirt event at the South Florida oval, getting off to a slow start but moving off quickly to chase the pace before taking over and drawing off. It was her second start. Unraced as a 2-year-old for Mathis Stable, she debuted Feb. 9 at Gulfstream in a 5 1/2-furlong event in which she was urged to the front but gave in to a stalker for a 1 3/4-length loss.
Pletcher hopes My Miss Sophia can emulate two other 3-year-olds in his stable—Constitution, who won the Besilu Stables Florida Derby (gr.I) in his third start, and In Tune, who took the Gulfstream Park Oaks (gr. II) in hers.
"The only difference is she finished second first time out where the other two won," Pletcher said of My Miss Sophia. "She'll be stretching out to two turns for the first time. We're encouraged by the way she's trained, encouraged by the way she's run. It's a calculated risk. We're optimistic she's up to the challenge. She'll be very prominent."
Javier Castellano retains the mount from the 4 hole on My Miss Sophia, the 9-5 second choice on the morning line.
Swilcan Stables' Vero Amore is the most experienced of the bunch with six starts. She has yet to return to the winner's circle after breaking her maiden and winning an allowance consecutively at Parx Racing last year, but was second by a nose in the Ruthless Stakes at Aqueduct Jan. 12 and also turned in a runner-up finish in the Busher there Feb. 1. The Mineshaft filly was a closing third last time out against males in a tough Parx allowance at a mile for trainer Robert Reid Jr. Jose Ortiz will ride from post 5.
Forced to miss stakes objectives because of two quarantine situations this past winter at Parx, Reid is excited to have his filly in the field for the Gazelle. She was beaten just a length by Charleymillionaire, who will compete on the same card in the Bay Shore (gr. III).
"That race was a godsend that I could get that into her," Reid said of the allowance. "I'm totally convinced she'll run this far. I don't think the 1 1/8 miles is a problem."
Another seeking a return to victory is Marylou Whitney's Bird Maker, who looks to find herself for trainer Ian Wilkes after a promising start. The Empire Maker filly was second by a length in the Nov. 30 Golden Rod Stakes (gr. II) at Churchill Downs after breaking her maiden at the Louisville track. But she ran a lackluster fourth in a 1 1/16-mile allowance last time out Feb. 27 at Gulfstream off a runner-up finish there going the same distance Jan. 31.
"I had to use her a little more (in the races at Gulfstream Park)," said Wilkes, who would prefer Bird Maker settle before making her run. "I think she got out of her element. Sometimes you've got to put them in there (close to the pace) a little earlier. This is not going to be an easy race. What's she's got to do is step forward. When she turned from 2 to 3, it took a while to get her where I had her as a 2-year-old. Every horse is different. I love to let them come along at a consistent rate."
To be ridden from the outside by Luis Contreras, Bird Maker gets blinkers on—as does Richard Greeley's homebred Wraith, a maiden-winning daughter of Ghostzapper trained by Mitchell E. Friedman who was third in the March 7 allowance behind Sweet Reason. Wraith completes the field from the rail under Rajiv Maragh.
Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/84180/sweet-reason-got-lucky-class-of-gazelle#ixzz2xnFJGXm3
By Claire Novak,
If Samraat and Uncle Sigh were to give upstart Social Inclusion a little side-eye on the way to the starting gate for the $1 million TwinSpires.com Wood Memorial (gr. I), you couldn't blame them.
The two New York-breds have claimed the prep series in their native state as part of a gutsy rivalry, and here comes this lightly raced Florida shipper with some blazing speed figures and enough hype to overshadow all others in the field of 11 entered for the April 5 test at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Social Inclusion—who galloped to prominence with his 10-length March 12 trouncing of Remsen (gr. II) winner Honor Code in a track record 1:40.97 going 1 1/16 miles at Gulfstream Park— could win the 1 1/8-mile Wood and roll into the May 3 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) an undefeated hype horse for Ronald Sanchez's Rontos Racing Stable and 85-year-old trainer Manny Azpurua. He has the highest Beyer Speed Figure (111) of any 3-year-old racing so far this season and is the 2-1 favorite on the Wood Memorial morning line.
"Our plan was to come here for the Wood and then go directly to the Preakness, but last time he ran so good we started thinking about the Derby and the Triple Crown," Sanchez said. "This horse is really special. If you see the workouts he does, he's floating. Last Saturday he went in :46 4/5 and galloped out in :59 3/5, so easy. He's a classy horse, and you have to give him the chance. He's a professional horse, and it's hard to find a professional horse. We respect all the horses, but we're not scared of anybody."
But the Pioneerof the Nile colt will have to step up his game from the far outside post against the likes of My Meadowview Stables' Gotham (gr. III) and Withers (gr. III) winner Samraat, a Noble Causeway colt who has won five in a row for trainer Rick Violette, and Uncle Sigh, the Indian Charlie runner who has been right there on the road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
"The key is, somebody has to hook Social Inclusion," said Gary Contessa, who trains Uncle Sigh for Wounded Warrior Stables and Anthony Robertson. "He's had two front-running victories (including a 7 1/2-length six-furlong maiden win). I believe that horse has to be challenged or he's going to be really tough to beat. It may turn out to be that he's tough to beat no matter what, but I would like to see him get challenged. And I would be just as happy to be laying back third, fourth, fifth as I would be chasing Social Inclusion. I'd rather be working out a stalking trip if I can."
In the March 1 Gotham, Uncle Sigh gave chase second to a keen In Trouble while Samraat got the stalking trip in third before ranging up to grind out victory over Uncle Sigh by a neck. In the Withers, it was Uncle Sigh who stepped off to a quick early lead with Samraat hounding him before surging ahead to score by a length.
Samraat drew post 8 in the Wood and will have regular rider Jose Ortiz in the irons as the second choice at 7-2, while 5-1 Uncle Sigh departs post 10 with Corey Nakatani aboard.
"Obviously, just like the rest of the world, I've been blown away by Social Inclusion and now I'm going to have to run against him," Contessa remarked. "There's a horse that could be any kind of horse. His numbers suggest that he could be any kind of horse, but he's extremely untested. So I look forward to Saturday."
Only one New York-bred has ever won the Kentucky Derby, Funny Cide in 2003. And it's been a while between drinks for a Wood Memorial winner at the Run for the Roses as well—the last Wood winner to take the Derby was Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000. But in a race worth 100 points to the winner on the Derby leaderboard, there are plenty of connections willing to take a shot.
Take, for instance, Vina Del Mar Thoroughbreds and Black Swan Stable. The partners appeared to have a nice runner on their hands earlier this season, when Kid Cruz drew off to a six-length maiden score going a mile at Aqueduct. Just how nice the Lemon Drop Kid colt is became apparent March 8, as Kid Cruz closed sharply in the 1 1/8-mile Private Terms Stakes at Laurel Park with a powerful last-to-first move to win by four lengths. The Linda Rice trainee will be ridden from the rail by Manuel Franco.
Hronis Racing's Kristo, a California shipper, could also factor. Trainer John Saddler sent this Distorted Humor colt off his maiden win at Santa Anita Park to the Sham Stakes (gr. III) where he was second to Midnight Hawk. He then ran third in the March 8 San Felipe Stakes (gr. II) won by Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) favorite California Chrome. Martin Garcia flies in to ride from the 6 hole.
Treadway Racing Stable's Noble Moon is of interest but faces a tough task. The Virginia-bred Malibu Moon colt took the Jan. 4 Jerome Stakes (gr. II) in his last start for trainer Leah Gyarmati. It was just his third outing after running third in the Nashua (gr. II) won by Cairo Prince last November, that effort off a debut maiden score. Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride from post 3.
Allowance winners Schivarelli and Effinex complete the field along with maiden winners Wicked Strong, Los Borrachos, and Harpoon. The latter, by Tapit , was fifth in the Gotham after finishing a narrow second in the Sam F. Davis Stakes (gr. III) for Todd Pletcher and Let's Go Stable.
"The horse has shown us he has a little more ability than his record suggests," said Pletcher, who won the Wood in 2010 with Eskendereya , in 2012 with Gemologist , and last year with Verrazano . "In his races, he's been a little intimidated by kickback, but he seems to be maturing and getting stronger through the process."
Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/84175/wood-memorial-pits-upstart-against-ny-breds#ixzz2xnEazFni
Sahara Sky Takes Second Crack at Carter
By Claire Novak,
Runner-up in the 2013 Carter Handicap (gr. I) and lightly raced since then, California-based Sahara Sky will get another crack at the seven-furlong sprint April 5 at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer sent his 6-year-old son of Pleasant Tap to New York last year for two outings; first he missed the Carter by three-quarters of a length to Swagger Jack , then he earned a game victory by a nose over Cross Traffic in the Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I) last May.
Next it was to the sidelines for Sahara Sky, his season cut short by injury. He returned for Hollendorfer, who owns him in partnership with Kim Lloyd's Sweetwater Stable, Feb. 2 with a fifth in the Palos Verdes Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita Park. But he got back to winning last time out when making his familiar closing run to take the March 8 San Carlos Stakes (gr. II) by half a length.
"He ran well in the Carter last year, and the timing of this race works well for us and it carries a nice purse," Hollendorfer said. "I didn't have him fit enough in the Palos Verdes, so I'll blame myself for that one. He still ran a pretty good race that day, and the Santa Anita track can be speed-biased. Last time, he got a little lucky as we were able to get him off the rail, and he came with a strong run."
Corey Nakatani picks up the mount from post 6 on Sahara Sky, 122-pound highweight and 2-1 morning-line favorite in a field of seven older runners. His principal competition appears to come from grade I winners Strapping Groom and Golden Ticket, who have both shown good form in recent starts.
Strapping Groom, a 7-year-old son of Johannesburg who upset the Forego Stakes (gr. I) last summer at Saratoga Race Course, comes in off a convincing victory by a length over Dads Caps in the Tom Fool Handicap (gr. III) March 1. He also won the Gravesend Handicap Dec. 21 at the Big A and was second Nov. 28 in the Fall Highweight Handicap (gr. III) while shouldering 135 pounds; he has won five stakes, topped by the Forego, since being claimed for $35,000 in May 2013 by trainer David Jacobson and Drawing Away Stable.
In four starts at Aqueduct through his 27-race career, Strapping Groom has two wins and two seconds. Irad Ortiz Jr. gets the return call from post 5. Strapping Groom carries 120 pounds and is the 4-1 third choice on the morning line.
"We're excited coming into the Carter," Jacobson said. "He's 100 percent. His last couple of races have been very good, and the Forego was the toughest race, as far as I'm concerned. The waters are deep here. We're concerned about them, but I'm sure they're concerned about us."
Dads Caps gets in light for trainer Rudy Rodriguez, and has been knocking at the door with runner-up efforts in each of his past three starts. The 4-year-old son of Discreet Cat , to carry 114 pounds from the 4 hole with Luis Contreras aboard, was second in the Feb. 1 Toboggan Stakes (gr. III) by three-quarters of a length to Candyman E after missing the Dec. 13 Spooky Mulder by the same margin to the same rival.
Golden Ticket, winner of the 2012 Travers Stakes (gr. I) in a dead-heat with Alpha, comes in off a second by a head to 2013 Belmont Stakes (gr. I) winner Palace Malice in the March 8 Gulfstream Park Handicap (gr. II) at a mile. His rally after ducking in at the start just missed, but the Speightstown runner was making his first start of 2014 and first since an eighth in the Nov. 29 Clark Handicap (gr. I) following a runner-up finish in the Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. I).
Although Golden Ticket has never won at less than a mile, and actually put together two of his best wins going a route, his breeding suggests sprinting is a task he could handle. The last time he raced going short was in 2011 while still a maiden. Javier Castellano comes in to ride the 3-1 morning-line second choice from post 3; Golden Ticket carries 118 pounds.
Trainer Al Stall Jr. has another Speightstown colt, Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence's well-traveled Central Banker, who was second by half a length Dec. 26 in the Malibu Stakes (gr. I) going the Carter distance at Santa Anita last time out. Central Banker was second in the six-furlong Thanksgiving Handicap at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots to Gantry, and ran third last summer in the King's Bishop Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga. Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez rides from the rail as part of a 117-pound impost.
Also making his season debut is Up Hill Stable's multiple grade III winner Clearly Now, who took the Bold Ruler Handicap (gr. III) last October at Belmont Park and won the Swale Stakes (gr. III) at Gulfstream early in his 3-year-old season. The 4-year-old Horse Greeley colt has not started since a troubled fifth in the Nov. 30 Cigar Mile Handicap (gr. I).
Clearly Now took a step forward this fall when outfitted with blinkers, winning the Bold Ruler by 1 1/2 lengths and threatening in the Cigar Mile before he clipped the leader's heels while racing in third turning for home.
"He clipped heels and almost went down, which was unfortunate because he was full of run," said trainer Brian Lynch. "He had a laceration at the bottom of his sesamoids which required 14 stitches. The vet did an excellent job. We kept him in the barn for a while before we started building him up slowly, with the Met Mile (on June 7) being our direction."
Jose Ortiz gets the mount from post 2; Clearly Now carries 117.
Completing the field is Mike McCarty's allowance winner Saturday's Charm, a 5-year-old son of Any Given Saturday who is still seeking an elusive graded victory. He was third in the Tom Fool to start his season, and departs the outside with Manuel Franco carrying 112.
Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/84179/sahara-sky-takes-second-crack-at-carter#ixzz2xnF0oIiy
