HASTINGS PARK SPRING TRAINING, UH, DELAYED…
Spring is creeping in to southern Ontario and the Woodbine backstretch mid week. It will be plenty muddy. Meanwhile in British Columbia…
BARRY KNIGHT of Northern American Thoroughbred Horse Company took this photo of Hastings Park on Saturday. A big snow storm hit BC and spring training will be delayed.
CANADIAN-BRED CONQUEST TSUNAMI MAY BE HEADED TO DUBAI
106 Beyer Figure in sizzling Santa Anita stakes score
SANTA ANITA PHOTO – Conquest Tsunami after his Daytona Stakes win
Conquest Tsunami scored a 2 ½ length upset in the Grade III, $150,000 Daytona Stakes, thereby heading a 1-2-3 finish for trainer PETER MILLER that included Stormy Liberal and Calculator. Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Conquest Tsunami led gate to wire en route to getting 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course in 1:12.03. The 106 Beyer Figure was a lifetime best for the gelding.
It was another amazing win for the flashy bay who was, at one point, lost in the confusion of the deadly San Luis Rey fire in December.
The $190,000 yearling purchase (by Conquest Stables) was bred by Yvonne Schwabe and Josham Farms in Ontario and is from the mare Classic Neel.
“There was just one way to go,” said Espinoza, who was aboard the 6-year-old Stormy Atlantic gelding for the first time. “I broke in front and kept my position all the way to the wire. For him the main thing is to let him go and just run his race. I felt he was going pretty quick but he was doing it so easily, so I was pretty much a passenger.
“I just wanted to make sure he crossed the dirt okay and then let him really run in the stretch. “…This is obviously the first time I’ve been on him, but he’s pretty amazing. It takes nothing away from the other two horses who ran second and third…but he was much the best today.”
Owner Gary Barber said after the race:
The way he runs, maybe we’ll try Dubai, if we get invited. He did well with Mark Casse (at Woodbine, Toronto, Canada), but I thought he wanted firmer turf. He loves the downhill here, he really does. This course is perfect for him.”
A scintillating allowance winner in his first start for Miller coming down the hill on Jan. 20, Conquest Tsunami registered his first graded stakes win in today’s Daytona. Off at 5-1 in a field of seven older horses, he paid $12.40, $5.80 and $3.20.
Conquest Tsunami improved his overall record to 22-8-2-2. The winner’s share of $90,000 increased his earnings to $503,066.
Actor MEL BROOK (far left) joins owner GARY BARBER (second from right) following Conquest Tsumani’s Grade 3 win – SANTA ANITA PHOTO
ROSE’S VISION wins maiden, another Queen’s Plate contender for Chiefswood
ROSE’S VISION was a 6 to 1 winner at Gulfstream Saturday and is on the Queen’s Plate trail with stablemate Neepawa for Chiefswood Stable – GULFSTREAM PARK PHOTO
The Artie Schiller- Essential Rose, by Bernardini colt ROSE’S VISION bounced back from an 18-length drubbing on the dirt to win his maiden on the grass at Gulfstream Saturday.Trained by Stuart Simon for Chiefswood Stable, Rose’s Vision was 3rd in the Cup and Saucer Stakes behind Dixie Moon last year as a juvenile. He has never raced on Tapeta.
It was the 2nd race on Lasix for the colt who is the first foal of the unraced mare.
This is the same family as Sam Davis Stakes winner FLAMEAWAY, graded stakes winner TIZ A SLAM and stakes winner Ellan Vannin.
Rose’s Vision ran 1 mile on grass in 1:36.80 for a career best 78 Beyer Speed Figure.
TOWER OF TEXAS, age 7, tries dirt, finishes 3rd in Grade 3 Hal’s Hope
The gallant gelding TOWER OF TEXAS (far left) finishes 3rd in the Grade 3 Hal’s Hope, his first try on a dirt track. Economic Model was the winner – GULFSTREAM PARK PHOTO
Scott Dilworth and Tom Van Meter’s amazing gelding TOWER OF TEXAS rallied to finish 3rd in the one-mile Hal’s Hope Stakes at Guilfstream on Saturday behind winner Economic Model (Flatter) and Irish War Cry.
The son of Street Sense, bred by Anderson Farrms and Rod Ferguson in Ontario, was coming off a hard fought win in a stakes race at Fair Grounds on the grass, the surface on which he has done most of his earning.
The Hal’s Hop was his first race on the dirt and he had a noble run in a race that was marred by the break down and death of raded stakes winner SEND IT IN, who was making his first start since April.
Tower Of Texas was 2 3/4 lengths behind the top 2 and he earned his usual 96 Beyer Speed Figure.
Tower of Texas earned $9,600 to go over $900,000 in earnings. Roger Attfield trains and Tyler Gafflione was his 5th different jockey since June.
COMING UP NEXT WEEKEND- the FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH STAKES
Major Kentucky Derby prep stakes race at Gulfstream
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Good Magic, the champion 2-year-old male of 2017, had an easy half-mile breeze by himself Saturday morning, the final prep for his highly anticipated sophomore debut in the $400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) March 3 at Gulfstream Park.
Owned by e Five Thoroughbred Racing and Stonestreet Stables and trained by Chad Brown, Good Magic went four furlongs in 48.30 seconds over the main track at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.
It was the fifth work since late January for Good Magic, a chestnut son of Hall of Famer Curlin that has not raced since his 4 ¼-length triumph Nov. 4 in the Juvenile which, like the Fountain of Youth, is run at 1 1/16 miles. The time ranked fifth of 56 horses at the distance.
Watch the workout here:
The Fountain of Youth will be only the fourth lifetime start for Good Magic, who ran second in both his maiden special weight debut and the Champagne (G1) last summer and fall, beaten 1 ½ lengths combined, prior to the Breeders’ Cup.
Good Magic was one of several potential Fountain of Youth horses to work Saturday morning. At Gulfstream Park, Breeders’ Futurity (G1) winner Free Drop Billy; Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) third-place finisher Promises Fulfilled and recent Gulfstream allowance winner Storm Runner all breezed five furlongs for trainer Dale Romans.
Storm Runner was timed in 59.01 seconds, fourth-fastest of 39 horses, while Promises Fulfilled went in 1:00.42 and Free Drop Billy completed the distance in 1:01.55.
“Everybody worked well. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do with them all yet, but I’ll make that decision [Sunday],” Romans said. “They’re moving forward all the time. They’re some nice horses, they’re doing well and I’ve just got to pick the right spots for them. They have to step it up now. As long as they step up, we’ll be in good shape.”
Also at Gulfstream, Courtlandt Farms’ undefeated Grade 3 winner Strike Power worked a half-mile in 48.14 seconds in company with 4-year-old gelding Carlino for trainer Mark Hennig, ranking 11th of 85 horses. The son of champion Speightstown was impressive in his unveiling Dec. 23 to win by eight lengths, before coming back with a 2 ¾-length victory in the seven-furlon Swale (G3) Feb. 3, both at Gulfstream.
“I thought he went well. Everything went according to plan. He didn’t work too fast but go something out of it so we were pleased,” trainer Mark Hennig said. “These races are coming up in fairly short order, and we got a good five-eighths last week and we went a half today and galloped out nice. He settled off of Carlino and finished up nice.”
Loooch Racing Stables and Ashley Quartorolo’s Machismo, nominated to the Fountain of Youth off an 11 ½-length maiden triumph Feb. 3 at Gulfstream, breezed five furlongs in a bullet 58.45 seconds at Gulfstream.
