Frontrunners, Inquiries and Disqualifications

THE WEEKEND’S BEST STORIES

July 24-26

Catch a Flight And Gary Stevens Capture San Diego Handicap By a Head
Saturday, July 25th, saw Catch a Flight and Gary Stevens nose out a frontrunning, pace-setting, Appealing Tale right in the Gr. 2 San Diego Handicap.

The trip was ideal for Gary Stevens and Catch a Flight, who finished a disappointing third in last month’s Gr. 1 Triple Bend stakes at Santa Anita. Stevens and Catch a Flight, trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella,  sat chilly in third, stalking the pace the whole way around before unveiling a surge of late speed one furlong from the finish line. The pair edged out Appealing Tale at the wire by a head, stopping the clock at 1:43.08.

5-2 morning line favorite and last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic winner, Bayern broke sharply from the gate and went on to lead the pack before being challenged by five-year-old Appealing Tale, trained by Peter Miller.  The two dueled back and forth for 3/4’s of the race, setting modest early fractions (quarter in 24.06, half in 47.80), but Bayern was unable to hold his ground and hit the wire third.

Catch a Flight returned $8.40 for the win, $3.80 (place), $2.80 (show). Appealing Tale returned $6.80 for place, $4.40 (show). Bayern, $3.00 for show.

 
Hard Not To Like Robs Tepin Of Diana Stakes Victory By A Nose
Casse Racing’s Tepin won the Gr. 2 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile and last month’s Gr. 1 Just a Game Stakes, and had been eyeing a win in the Gr. 1 Diana for trainer Mark Casse. But the four-year-old, by Bernstein, would have to settle for runner-up when 10-1 Hard Not to Like closed aggressively in the final furlong, catching her by a nose where it counted most—at the wire.

Hard Not to Like, ridden by Johnny Velazquez, sat in fourth behind pace-setting Kitten’s Queen, My Miss Sophia, and Tepin, before making a move on the stretch. The Ontario-bred daughter of Hard Spun recorded a time of 1:45.22 for the 1 1/8 mile turf race, against a field of seven. Trained by Christophe Clement and owned by Speedway Stable LLC, the win marks her second consecutive Gr. 1 achievement, of which she has won three.

Payouts: Hard Not to Like paid $14.40 for the win, $5.90 (place), $4.70 (show). Tepin returned $4.20 for place, $3.20 (show), while long shot Kitten’s Queen paid $7.50 for show.

 
Inquiry Brings Down Magna Light In Sanford Stakes
Frontrunning Magna Light set hot fractions in Saturday’s running of the Gr. 3 Sanford Stakes. The two-year-old son of Magna Graduate and grandson of Mineshaft ran :22.52, 45.98,  and 57.93, completing the six furlong sprint in 1:10.92.

He’s Comin In Hot, ridden by Joel Rosario, and Percolator, ridden by Kendrick Carmouche, pursued the pace-setting Magna Light all the way around the track before fading to fifth and third, respectively.

Midway down the stretch, showing no signs of tiring, the Rudy Rodriguez-trained colt was put under three consecutive left handed whips by jockey Jose Ortiz, veering off the rail and towards the middle of the track, crossing in front of Cocked and Loaded, He’s Comin In Hot and Percolator. An inquiry was put up against the winner, later disqualifying Magna Light and putting up the Todd Pletcher-trained Uncle Vinny, who surged down the lane.

The win for Uncle Vinny returned $10.00, while place and show returned $5.80 and $5.30, respectively.

 
I’m a Chatterbox Disqualified In Coaching Club American Oaks
The weekend of July 24th was packed with inquiries, disqualifications and frontrunners. J. Larry Jones trained filly I’m a Chatterbox broke from the outside post in the Gr. 1 Coaching Club American Oaks and lead a gate to wire victory against a field of eight on Saturday afternoon.

The filly, by Munnings, was stalked by Conquest Eclipse and Curalina until the 3/4 mark when Conquest Eclipse began to fade. But Pletcher-trained Curalina refused to give up and closed the two length gap to I’m a Chatterbox, who ran the mile in 1:36.72. Just a couple hundred feet before the wire, the frontrunner switched from her right lead to her left lead, shifting outwards towards Curalina, who finished second by a nose.

The inquiry lodged by Johnny Velazquez was sustained by track stewards, who disqualified I’m a Chatterbox. Curalina previously won the Gr. 1 Acorn Stakes on June 6th at Belmont Park. The three-year-old filly, by Curlin, is trained by Todd Pletcher, who won the previous day’s Sanford Stakes with colt Uncle Vinny, also by means of disqualification.

The win returned $3.90 for the odds on favorite. Third place went to Mother Goose winner Include Betty, who returned $3.20 for show.

 
Wild Dude Outruns Masochistic in Bing Crosby At Del Mar
11-1 shot Wild Dude shocked in the Gr. 1 Bing Crosby Stakes when he outran the favorite, Masochistic, on the stretch and won by 1 ¼ lengths.

A short field of five horses set out to take on heavy favorite Masochistic, who stalked in third before taking the lead at the top of the stretch with Tyler Baze aboard. The five-year-old, by Sought After, came off a three race winning streak that included the Gr. 2 Kona Gold and Gr. 3 Triple Bend Stakes, but was unable to stand his ground when pressed by Wild Dude down the lane.

Last month, Wild Dude had settled for third behind Masochistic in the seven furlong Triple Bend Stakes at Santa Anita. He sought redemption this time around, bringing home the win for trainer Ron Ellis and owners Los Pollos Hermanos Racing and Jay Em Ess Stable. The win returned $24.60, $5.20 (place), and $2.60 (show).

Distinctive Passion and Caminetto dueled for the lead, setting the early fractions of the race (22.01 and 44.73). They finished last and second-last, respectively. Kobe’s Back and Gary Stevens missed the break and ran in towards the rail after leaving the gate. The pair settle for third, behind Masochistic.

 
Another Monster Work for Haskell Bound American Pharoah
Triple Crown hero American Pharoah looked pumped putting in another blazing fast work at Del Mar on Thursday, July 27th. The colt worked six furlongs handily in 1:11.00 over the Del Mar dirt, shaving off 0:00.40 from his previous work on July 18th. His work was the fastest of twelve.

 
Upstart Smokes 107 Horses In Saratoga Work Saturday Morning
New York-bred Upstart topped 107 horses on Saturday morning, breezing four furlongs in 0:47.20. The three-year-old ridgling, by Flatter, trained by Richard A. Violette Jr., finished a disappointing 18th—and last—in the 141st running of the Kentucky Derby. Prior to being pulled up in the Kentucky Derby, Upstart had quite the winter season at Gulfstream Park winning the Gr. 2 Holy Bull and finishing second in the Gr. 2 Fountain of Youth and Gr. 1 Florida Derby.

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