ONE BAD BOY HEADED TO WOODBINE THIS WEEK

California rider sought for Queen’s Plate starter, Santana likely for Tone Broke

ONE BAD BOY – photo courtesy Brooke Hubbard

Speedy ONE BAD BOY, owned by SAYJAY RACING, GREG HALL and BROOKE HUBBARD is on his way to WOODBINE this week for the 1650th Queen’s Plate on June 29, less than two weeks away.

Hubbard told Thoroughblog that a rider from California is being sought to ride the dark bay son of Twirling Candy – Cumulonimble by Stormy Atlantic who has won one of four races. The colt was recently second in the Alcatraz Stakes at Golden Gate on a synthetic surface posting an 89 Beyer Speed Figure for that runner-up showing in the 1 mile race in 1:36 2/5.

One Bad Boy was bred by Ron Clarkson and was a $65,000 yearling purchase.

He worked June 14 in 1:13 2/5 for 6 furlongs at Santa Anita.

The other US shipper is TONE BROKE, by Broken Vow – Mendocino Beano by Smart Strike who will arrive next week for trainer Steve Asmussen and owner Michael Levinson. Tone Broke bounced back from two drab runs in Dubai to be second in the Sir Barton Stakes on the Pimlico dirt on Preakness day. The winner of that race, KING FOR A DAY came right back to win the Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth on Sunday over Maximum Security, the Kentucky Derby winner who was disqualified.

Tone Broke has never raced on a synthetic dirt surface.

TONE BROKE, who posted an 81 Beyer Figure in the Sir Barton, is likely to be partnered with jockey RICARDO SANTANA JR. again.

At WOODBINE on Sunday June 16 both AVIE’S FLATTER and SKYWIRE, who figure to be 7 to 5 and 9 to 5 in the betting for the Plate, worked 5 furlongs in 58 flat on the Tapeta.

Avie’s Flatter is expected to be riddem by Javier Castellano and Eurico da Silva will ride Skywire.

Sir Barton Stakes replay – Tone Broke finishes second to King for a Day

JAVIER CASTELLANO TO RIDE AVIE’S FLATTER IN 160TH PLATE

AVIE’S FLATTER, who has been favoured for the Queen’s Plate since he won the Coronation Futurity last fall at 1 1/8 miles on the Tapeta track for owner and breeder Ivan Dalos, will once again have Javier Castellano as his jockey come Plate day.

“I like the way he does everything,” Castellano said. “He can be on the lead. He can cover up.”

Castellano rode the 3-year-old son of Flatter to victory in the Grade 3 Transylvania at Keeneland and then to a 6th at Churchill Downs in the Grade 2 American Turf. The top US rider has never won the Plate.

Avie’s Flatter, trained by 2-time Plate winning trainer JOSIE CARROLL by-passed the Plate Trial and is training into the race off those races.

The colt’s 1 mile workout on June 2 of 1:38 2/5 was, by accounts from those who watched it, was a stunning move.

The Coronation is the top 2-year-old race in Canada and tends to yield the early Plate favourite but with it comes Canada’s own version of the ‘Kentucky Derby Apollo’ jinx.

While not quite the same (the Derby jinx went on for 100 + years as Apollo had been the last horse to win the Derby having not run as a 2-year-old until Justify broke it in 2018), the Coronation winner has won come back the next year to win the Plate since Norcliffe did it in 1975 – 1976.

The Daily Racing Form reported that Eurico Da Silva, the leading rider, has surprisingly chosen SKYWIRE as his Plate mount over AVIE’S FLATTER.

Of course, Da Silva has been riding most of the starters for trainer Mark Casse sticking with Skywire seems to be a good way to stay in that fold.

SKYWIRE, 2nd in the Grade 3 Marine after his Wando Stakes win, is owned by Lou Tucci of Toronto and US owner Gary Barber. The colt worked 5 furlongs in 59 on June 9.

Meanwhile, agent Anthony Esposito reports that RAFAEL HERNANDEZ will ride Plate Trial Stakes winner PAY FOR PEACE for trainer Rachel Halden and owners Team Penney and Carem Racing.

JUSTIN STEIN will ride RISING STAR in the Plate. The Ghostzapper colt, claimed for $40,000 at Gulfstream, was a troubled 3rd in the Plate Trial.

SKYWIRE – Michael Burns photo

Possible starters (9-11)

AVIE’S FLATTER – Ivan Dalos homebred  Josie Carroll  87, 81, 80 by Flatter

SKYWIRE – Gary Barber, Lou Tucci, Tr- Mark Casse  87, 88, 66  worked Sunday, 59 flat  by Afleet Alex (bred by Bill Graham)

DESERT RIDE (filly)  Sam-Son Farms, Neil Howard,  83, 75, 73 by Candy Ride (arg)

ONE BAD BOY – SayJay Racing, Greg Hall, Brooke Hubbard, tr – Richard Baltas. 89, 85. 73 by Twirling Candy bred by Ron Clarkson

TONE BROKE – L and N Stable, tr – Steve Asmussen 81, Dubai Dubai, 77, 71 – Broken Vow, bred by Ron Clarkson

FEDERAL LAW – Qatar Racing, Tr- Mark Casse  68, 73, 75, by Scat Daddy; bred by Jim Dandy Stable

HE’S A MACHO MAN – Di Scola Boy  Tr- Josie Carroll  son of Mucho Macho Man

PAY FOR PEACE – Team Penney and Carem Stable (Lisa Mosa), tr – Rachel Halden  71, 64, 52; by Silent Name (Jpn); bred by Brian Lynch

BOLD SCRIPT – Chiefswood Stable, Tr- Stuart Simon. 82, 70, 79, by Speightstown

RISING STAR – Zilli Racing, tr – Mike DePaulo.  68, 65 66 by Ghostzapper

WOODBINE WEEKEND

2yo Mr Hustle impresses, Miss Mo Mentum blooms in Trillium

Top Winning Beyer Figures Woodbine last week

95 REVVED UP

94 KINGSPORT

91 JACKS ESCAPRMENT

83 – MR HUSTLE –  2yo

83 MISS MO MENTUM

MISS MO MENTUM and Jerome Lermyte – WOODBINE PHOTO

The jaw-dropping debut by MR HUSTLE, a 2-year-old  by Declaration of War owned by Bill Werner and the upset win by MISS MO MENTUM in the Grade 3 Trillium Stakes highlighted last week’s racing at Woodbine. Both horses posted 83 Beyer Figures.

MR HUSTLE, a gelding born in January in 2017, was a $235,000 yearling purchase and being sold for $60,000 as a weanling.

The Roger Attfield trainee ran 5 furlongs in 56.88, the fastest dash by a baby at Woodbine this year, shading the impressive run by the filly Fast Scene, by Fast Anna on Saturday.

MISS MO MENTUM followed a pattern that many horses trained and raced at Woodbine by the Mark Casse team have shown. Often they have big efforts on the Woodbine Tapeta.

Returning to the scene of her Selene Stakes victory last spring, the Mark Casse-trained filly Miss Mo Mentum accelerated off the final turn in Sunday’s $125,000 Trillium Stakes to earn another Grade 3 title at Woodbine Racetrack.

With Jerome Lermyte aboard in the 1-1/16-mile fillies and mares feature, Miss Mo Mentum settled inside mid-pack. Meanwhile, 2-1 favourite Tapa Tapa Tapa led the 10-horse field through fractions of :24.70, :49.19 and 1:13.08 with Lunar Garden and Bear Paw pressing the pace and Dixie Moon hot on their heels.

“The speed was fast enough to be comfortable,” noted Lermyte afterwards. “She doesn’t have early speed, but then she can get on the bridle and she kind of did in the first turn but then she relaxed pretty well. Mid-turn I was starting to get really confident. She was showing me that she has a lot to give and she produced amazing acceleration and that made a difference.”

Miss Mo Mentum angled outside to find a clear path approaching the final turn and launched four-wide as she accelerated down the stretch to the 1-1/4 length victory, stopping the clock in 1:43.30. Early trailer Hot Cash rallied into a place photo and nosed out Dixie Moon for the runner-up honours while the favoured front-runner Tapa Tapa Tapa settled for fourth.

Miss Mo Mentum, who started her four-year-old campaign with a pair of one-mile turf races at Gulfstream Park, returned $17.10 to win as the 7-1 fourth choice.

Trainer Mark Casse trainee REVVED UP, owned by Kingsport Farm, posted the week’s highest Beyer Figure of 95 according to Daily Racing Form. The Candy Ride horse had not won since 2017 and has been in drab form for a year while competing in graded stakes races. The win sets that horse up well for the Dominion Day Stakes.

MAXIMUM SECURITY STUNNED IN PEGASUS

DQ’d Kentucky Derby winner edged by a King

KING FOR A DAY put race-long pressure on Maximum Security and then was able to pull away in the final 100 yards to score an upset victory in Sunday’s $150,000 TVG.com Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park.

Maximum Security, made the 1-20 favorite by the crowd of 24,062, dug in gamely after setting all of the early fractions despite stumbling at the start before the Todd Pletcher-trained King for a Day surged late for a one-length victory.

It marked the first time in six career starts that Maximum Security did not cross the finish line first in a race. The Jason Servis-trained colt was back racing for the first time since May 4, when he became the first Kentucky Derby winner to be disqualified.

“It stinks getting beat but that’s horse racing,” said Servis. “I think (the stumble) cost me the race, really. I got beat, what – a length? Tough day.

“I think his next race will be better. I needed to get this out of the way. I was glad to get this out of the way even though he got beat by a nice horse. I think his next race will be better. I hope. But I think it will be.”

Jockey Luis Saez said Maximum Security was too eager at the start and then showed some of the effects of the lengthy layoff late.

“He hasn’t run for a while so he was a little desperate in the gate. He wanted to break so he broke so fast he stumbled,” said Saez. “He was all right after that but I sensed he was getting a little tired.

“I’m not disappointed. Definitely not. He will be okay. I think he needed the race. This is horse racing. Anything can happen. He’s a real good horse. That hasn’t changed. I think the next time he will be okay.”

The next time for both King for a Day and Maximum Security could well be a rematch in the $1 million TVG.com Haskell Invitational on July 20. Both horses have already received invitations to Monmouth Park’s showcase race.

HASTINGS PARK: APALACHEE BAY WINS JOHN LONGDEN for Peter Redekop

Here’s Hannah continues winning streak

with files from Derby Newsletter

Trainer Phil Hall and owner Peter Redekop were back in the winner’s circle Sunday celebrating Apalachee Bay’s second stakes victory this year. He won it by two lengths over Calgary Caper, another Hall-trained entry in the six-horse Longden 6000 field for 3-year-olds and up.

A beaming Redekop praised Apalachee Bay’s performance traveling 1 1/16 miles for the first time this year and during his post-race comments Redekop dropped a bit of a scoop in front of simulcast network cameras with an update on Anothertwistafate, his prized 3-year-old that ran 10th in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 18. “He twisted his foot and suffered a small chip in his left ankle,” Mr. Redekop said. “He’ll be back but it will take a little time.”

It didn’t take Hall any time at all to praise Amadeo Perez for his “excellent ride” aboard Apalachee Bay. It was win number three for Perez on Sunday and with two more on Saturday, he has jumped into the lead in the jockey standings with 23, four more than his constant rival Enrique Gonzalez.

Apalachee Bay, a 4-year-old Kentucky bred, finished in a final time of 1:44.40, paying $6.60, $3.80, $2.70.

Here’s Hannah scored her ninth win in 10 starts with Saturday’s Strawberry Morn victory for owners BC Stables and Paul Caravetta. Trained by John Morrison and guided by regular rider Richard Hamel, Here’s Hannah lifted her career earnings to $345,300. But she had to work somewhat harder than most predicted in beating Good Luck to You by 2 ½ lengths in a final time of 1:45.45, paying $3.00, $2.10, $2.10.

An exuberant Morrison said later: “She’s definitely the best filly I’ve had. She trains hard every morning and does everything right, giving 110 per cent.”

ROYAL ASCOT – TUES THROUGH THURSDAY!

The elite three-day summer meeting at ROYAL ASCOT begins tomorrow in England and race goers are in for many delectable racing treats with some of the best horses in the world in action.

Tuesday begins with the Group 1 St James Palace Stakes featuring TOO DARN HOT, owned by Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber. The Champion 2-year-old of 2018 at the Cartier awards is by Dubawi.

Keep tuned into Thoroughblog for more news and results from ROYAL ASCOT this week beginning tomorrow morning.

Also, Racing Post has a lot of news and selections.


ASCOT RACECOURSE TWITTER: Too Darn Hot and Phoenix Of Spain will go head-to-head once again in Tuesday’s third Group 1 at #RoyalAscot

? St James’s Palace Stakes
?Tuesday 18th June
⏰4.20pm

Tuesday, Royal Ascot, Britain, post time: 4.20 p.m.
ST JAMES’S PALACE S.-G1, £538,750, 3yo, c, 7f 213yT
SC PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT

1 8 Bell Rock (GB) Kingman (GB) Murphy Balding 126
2 1 Circus Maximus (Ire) Galileo (Ire) Moore A O’Brien 126
3 11 Fox Champion (Ire) Kodiac (GB) de Sousa Hannon 126
4 5 King of Comedy (Ire) Kingman (GB) Kirby Gosden 126
5 7 Phoenix of Spain (Ire) Lope de Vega (Ire) J Spencer Hills 126
6 4 Royal Marine (Ire) Raven’s Pass Soumillon bin Suroor 126
7 6 Shaman (Ire) Shamardal Guyon Laffon-Parias 126
8 3 Skardu (GB) Shamardal J Doyle Haggas 126
9 9 The Irish Rover (Ire) No Nay Never Heffernan A O’Brien 126
10 2 Too Darn Hot (GB) Dubawi (Ire) Dettori Gosden 126
11 10 Van Beethoven Scat Daddy D O’Brien A O’Brien 126