RED CARPET

DRF PUBLISHES EARLY BEYER FIGURES- Gulfstream Saturday

MANHATTAN DAN 89 – Texas Glitter Stakes, 5 fur turf, Bear Stables’ Noholdingback Bear was 2nd
X Y JET 105
CATHRYN SOPHIA 98
CATCH A GLIMPSE 87
HEART TO HEART 104
MOHAYMEN 95

 

 

 

 

 

Put on a great card of racing and they will come, more importantly, they will bet.
$24 million churned through windows, machines, compueters you name it yesterday on the 13-race card at GUlfstream Park that included the Fountain of Youth Stakes, an important stepping stone event for the Kentucky Derby.

MOHAYMEN probably got a lot more fans yesterday as he powered to 5th career win in 5 races, justifying his $2.2 million price tag at auction. He seems like a smart young colt, a son of Tapit and tractable enough to stay a wee bit away from the crazy pace runners (what exactly were those tactics on the previously unbeaten Awesome Banner?).
He posted his 3rd consecutive 95 Beyer Speed Figure, solid enough for this time of year for the sophomores, and now heads to the Florida Derby for Shadwell and a meeting with the west coast train, NYQUIST, also unbeaten.

Not that, will be a great race.

Of course for the Woodbine community, CATCH A GLIMPSE, owned by Jeff Begg of Mono, ON, Mike Ambler and Greg Lang from the Oshawa/Ajax area as well as Gary Barber of California, made everyone happy with her quick move on her way to her win in the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride.
The City Zip gal, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly Turf winner and contender for awards at the Sovereigns coming up in April, posted an 87 Beyer Figure for her win in 1:42.63 for 1 1/16 miles.

All dolled up in pink, Catch a Glimpse looked good even if she may have been a bit rusty swapping leads on the turn and racing a bit erratically (see recap below).

 

HEART TO HEART continues to make Canada proud. The champion 3-year-old in Canada two years ago is here because Alberta horse breeder Darrell Bauder’s mare Ask the Question produced this small English Channel fellow with a whole lot of …well, heart.
Owned by Terry Hamilton of Alberta, Heart to Heart cantered to his 9th career win on Saturday in the Canadian Turf Handicap (G3), a race named as such in 1967 for Canada.
Brian Lynch trains Heart to Heart who was last seem at Woodbine when 3rd in the Toronto Cup in 2014.

 

 

RECAPS – with files from Gulfstream media

DON’T BLINK – CATCH A GLIMPSE SKIPS TO RETURN WIN
On paper, Breeders’ Cup heroine Catch a Glimpse ($3.20) was the class of the field in the $150,000 Herecomesthebride Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park, and so it proved in reality.

The crowd’s 3-5 choice came away smartly from her outside post under jockey Florent Geroux and tracked longshot Vieja Luna through a soft early pace. Catch a Glimpse took over heading into the final turn, but drifted out a bit entering the stretch. Geroux straightened her out and the duo remained clear for a 2 1/2-length success. The 5-2 second choice Lira finished second to complete the $7.20 exacta, while 15-1 Gone Away edged Hold Harmless for third. The final time for the 8 1/2-furlong Herecomesthebride was 1:42.63.

“I was loaded [going into the far turn],” Geroux said. “Going into the elbow she pointed her ears and lost focus just a little bit, then she just galloped home easy.”

Catch a Glimpse earned her favorite’s credentials on the basis of a stellar 2-year-old season in 2015, when she was unbeaten in three starts on grass for owners Gary Barber, Michael Ambler and Windways Farm and trainer Mark Casse. The athletic daughter of City Zip collected Woodbine’s $200,000 Natalma Stakes (G2) en route to victory in the $1-million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) at Keeneland.

She picked up where she left off in the Herecomesthebride, where she drafted off of Vieja Luna through opening splits of :23.96 and :49.10. Geroux let out a notch and Catch a Glimpse responded immediately. Despite the fact that she did not cut the corner in ideal fashion, Catch a Glimpse was never threatened in the lane and finished up smartly.

“I think she was going so fast around the turn she kind of bore out a little,” assistant trainer Norman Casse offered. “She’s still learning and not 100-percent professional.”

 

A $75,000 yearling purchase at Keeneland, Catch a Glimpse has now earned $767,562 for her connections while winning four of five career appearances. She was bred in Kentucky by Branch Equine from the mare Halo River, who is also the dam of the talented turf miler Old Forester.

 

WE WANT MO MO MO!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

His name means ‘dominant’ or ‘protector’ according to some of the write-ups this year but whatever it means, this grey colt is a solid Kentucky Derby contender and fun to watch.
Shadwell Stable’s Mohaymen continued his impressive march toward the Triple Crown late Saturday afternoon, keeping his perfect record intact by defeating previously unbeaten Zulu and Awesome Banner in the $400,000 Xpressbet.com Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park.

Sent off as the 2-5 favorite in a field of six 3-year-olds, Mohaymen ($2.80) avoided some early jostling on the first turn while racing on the outside, caught lightly raced Zulu approaching the stretch and drew off to win by 2 ¼ lengths in 1:42.84 over a fast main track.

Zulu, making his stakes debut in his third lifetime start, was a clear second four lengths ahead of Fellowship. Awesome Speed, Awesome Banner and 131-l long shot Golden Ray completed the order of finish.

“You just never know,” winning trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said. “Awesome Banner and Zulu were undefeated, but we faced them and we won and everything is great. There will be other ones going forward. We’re going to have to face a lot of them.”

Mohaymen has faced and defeated all challengers thus far, improving his record to 5-0 with his fourth consecutive graded stakes victory. He won the Nashua (G2) and Remsen (G2) to cap a juvenile season that saw him named a finalist for champion 2-year-old male, and kicked off his sophomore campaign with a 3 ½-length score in the Lambholm South Holy Bull (G2) Jan. 30 at Gulfstream.

“It’s special. It’s more nerve-wracking each race because we’re four-for-four going into today and you never know what’s going to happen going forward. He’s obviously a very talented colt. We just hope we don’t have any mishaps in a race like a horse bumping into him or something like that,” McLaughlin said. “He’s a special colt, very smart. You can see he’s not even blowing when he’s coming back. He just does things different.”

Breaking from outside post six under regular rider Junior Alvarado, Mohaymen found himself wider than anticipated when Golden Ray bore out on the clubhouse turn and forced Awesome Speed out as well, causing Alvarado to steer clear of trouble. They sat fifth behind pacesetting Awesome Banner through a quarter-mile in 23.52 seconds, but had moved up to third after a half in 47.07.

Alvarado kept Mohaymen in a clear path on the outside of Zulu, who tracked Awesome Banner before taking over the top spot after running six furlongs in 1:11.02. Mohaymen ranged up to launch his bid rounding the far turn and assumed the lead without resistance at the head of the stretch before sprinting clear.

“It wasn’t what I wanted [going into the first turn] but Thank God he ran his race,” Alvarado said. “I was a little wide, there was a little bumping and I didn’t want to strangle him ant take him back right away and give it easily to the other horses, but he settled nice for me. By the five-eighths pole he started to get into a nice rhythm, that gear, and he started pulling on me, asking for the next step. I just let him cruise around and he was doing it very nicely. I didn’t want to hold him back. He helps me all the time so I didn’t want to go against him.”

Trainer Todd Pletcher was pleased with the performance of Zulu, racing for the first time around two turns after winning his previous two starts at Gulfstream including a 9 ¼-length allowance victory at seven furlongs Jan. 15.

“I thought he ran super,” he said. “He put in a formidable effort against a very good horse. I was proud of his effort. He was second-best today.”

McLaughlin said the next target for Mohaymen will be the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) April 2 at Gulfstream, where he is expected to meet similarly undefeated Nyquist, the California-based champion 2-year-old male of 2015.

 

ALL  HEART

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Terry Hamilton’s Heart to Heart ($3.80) put on another front-running display to secure the $150,000 Canadian Turf Stakes (G3) Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

It was his second graded stakes victory of the Championship Meet and sixth overall in his career. Bet down to 4-5, the Ontario-bred cleared the field from post eight and coasted along on the lead. His rivals attempted to give chase entering the stretch, but jockey Julien Leparoux had plenty in reserve aboard the favorite, and Heart to Heart surged clear to record a 2 1/2-length tally. The 5-year-old was timed in 1:33.52 for the one-mile Canadian Turf.

“He was very comfortable and relaxed down the backstretch,” Leparoux said. “I was very confident [turning for home]. He handles the sharp turns really well and just started galloping easy.”

Heart to Heart had shown his best form when allowed to make the running, and utiltized that style to win the Jefferson Cup (G3) and Commonwealth Turf (G3) as a 3-year-old in 2014. He notched two additional wire-to-wire wins last season in the Oceanport Stakes (G3) and River City Handicap (G3), and kicked off 2016 in similar fashion in the Fort Lauderdale Stakes (G2) going 8 1/2 furlongs over the Gulfstream sod on January 9. Brian Lynch, who has trained Heart to Heart since his sophomore season, believes that his charge’s speed and agility are the keys to his success.

“He’s done it that way most of his career and (his style) sort of speaks for itself out there,” Lynch said. “He runs the turn so well, that’s a real asset to him. By the time you get to him, he’s stolen a couple lengths. When you’ve watched him enough and those little ears get to fluttering back and forth, you know he’s traveling nicely. It’s a great combination (with Leparoux) and the two get along together very well. He just knows how much gas is in the tank. The horse has come into himself as a 5-year-old, he’s gotten bigger and stronger.”

“I was frightened that maybe the 9-horse (Passion for Action) might show a little speed and go with him, but he didn’t seem to break as well so we inherited the lead,” Lynch added. “When he went into the turn he was uncontested and you know he’s going to try to gather momentum. He was just full of run down the lane.”

A son of English Channel and the mare Ask the Question, Heart to Heart took his earnings to $726,030 in the Canadian Turf. He will now tackle the $300,000 Maker’s 46 Mile at Keeneland on April 15.

“We’re going to step him up a little bit, it’s a good time of year to have a miler coming into form,” Lynch said. “Obviously if you can pull off a race like that they’re guaranteed a life somewhere when it’s all said and done—someone will stand him somewhere. These horses do so much and you want to make sure they have the quality of life. Hopefully he’s building a little stud career for himself.”

 

DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU WERE… 10 YEARS AGO TODAY, FEB. 28?

I know where I was!

No camera in hand but enjoying a trip to Florida and the 2yo in training sale at Calder, I watched a flashy bay colt sell for $16 million in an unbelievable seros events.

Of course, we all know who that infamous horse turned out to be – THE GREEN MONKEY.

Not only did he have an unfortunate name, but the colt did not have all that much talent and he has had modest results at stud.