Friday, June 26, 2015

June 27-28, 2015

Let's Go To The Races - June 27-28
 This is a non-commercial blog
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AMERICAN PHAROAH PARADE AT SANTA ANITA SATURDAY 
Details for American Pharoah's parade at Santa Anita   Between Races 7 and 8, or about 7:30-8:00 p.m. EDT
Owned and bred by Ahmed Zayat and trained by Bob Baffert, the Kentucky-bred colt by Pioneerof the Nile will enter the track’s Paddock Gardens area at approximately 4:30 p.m. PDT/7:30 p.m. EDT, following a gate to wire screening of his unforgettable Belmont Stakes triumph.

He will then proceed to the track’s Seabiscuit Walking Ring, where he will take a pair of laps that will be accompanied by handlers from Baffert’s stable.  American Pharoah will then be led under the Grandstand and onto Santa Anita’s main track, where he won the final race of his 2-year-old campaign, the Grade I, $300,000 FrontRunner Stakes on Sept. 27.

Once on the main track, he will be led toward Santa Anita’s Club House turn.  After posing for pictures, American Pharoah will turn around and head to the Winner’s Circle, where he will be met by Baffert, regular rider Victor Espinoza and an expected throng of media.

Following an interview with Baffert that will be conducted by Santa Anita’s Michelle Yu, the Triple Crown Champ will walk the length of the stretch back to Baffert’s shed row.
 
Re-live all the excitement, interviews, and replay of the Belmont Stakes - click here 

And, here he is, being a perfect gentleman on Saturday,
giving his fans a thrill and a memory for a lifetime

 
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MANY TOP RACES THIS WEEKEND:
This will be a jam-packed racing weekend on many fronts, in the U.S. and around the globe: the G1 GOLD CUP at Santa Anita; the G1 IRISH DERBY with the filly Epsom Oaks winner, QUALIFY, trying to upset the males on Saturday;  TREVE in France on Sunday in a prep for her march toward history of an attempt at a third Arc;  the G1 TAKARAZUKA KINEN in Japan on Sunday with GOLD SHIP aiming for an unprecedented third straight win. Also on Sunday at the Curragh, LEGATISSIMO is favored over a good field of fillies in the PRETTY POLLY STAKES. In the US, action includes Two Grade 1s at Santa Anita, a G1 in New York including the G1 MOTHER GOOSE. Not to be left out, Iowa's Prairie Meadows puts on its annual festival of the Iowa Oaks, Iowa Derby and the Cornhusker Handicap.

NBC SN will cover the Gold Cup on Saturday, beginning at 8:00 p.m. EDT

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IRISH DERBY FESTIVAL

History at the Irish Derby Festival
Irish Derby bid for Oaks winner Qualify
In 1880 William Brophy completed a unique double by owning the winner of both the Irish Derby with King of the Bees and the Irish Grand National with Controller. Also uniquely both winners were out of the same Dam Winged Bee.

BloodHorse: Qualify will take on males in Irish Derby

On Sunday, LEGATISSIMO, who was narrowly defeated by Qualify in the Epsom Oaks, is the favorite for the G1 Pretty Polly Stakes. The field of competitive fillies includes the undefeated BROOCH, and the well-respected PLEASCACH.
 
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GOLD CUP - Saturday, June 27 - NBC/SN 8:00 EDT


Saturday's $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita S. (G1) is the feature event on a day that also includes the $300,000 Triple Bend S. (G1), $200,000 Royal Heroine S. (G2) and $100,000 Senorita S. (G3) at the Southern California track.

Gold Cup Preview - Catch a Flight favored - A Breeders' Cup Win & You're In race

This weekend: The historic GOLD CUP, formerly, Hollywood Gold Cup, with Seabiscuit and George Woolf taking the inaugural running in 1938. With the closing of Hollywood Park in December 2013, the race was moved to Santa Anita Park beginning in 2014, and renamed the Gold Cup at Santa Anita Stakes.
Don Ameche, Hedy Lamar, Jimmy Stewart at HP
Photo courtesy of Abigail Anderson

 
A look back at the closing of Hollywood Park, the setting for 75 seasons of racing and the original Hollywood Gold Cup.  Goodbye to Hollywood Park

 
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In the U.S. after a race has run, return here and click on the CARD below for a replay
 
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FEATURED RACES
SATURDAY
International - Ireland
1:30 ET  Irish Derby G1, Curr, $1.4 Million US, 3yo  1 1/2 mi T  R7  CARD
IT'S JACK HOBBS IN THE IRISH DERBY - replay click here

Irish Derby bid for Oaks winner
Qualify is the filly who won the Epsom Oaks and should she win, it would be only the third filly to achieve the Oaks - Irish Derby double, following in the legendary hoofprints of Salsabil in 1990 and Balanchine four years' later.
Forecast: 8/11 Jack Hobbs, 5/1 Highland Reel, 7/1 Storm The Stars, 8/1 Giovanni Canaletto, 10/1 Qualify, 16/1 Radanpour, 33/1 Kilimanjaro, 150/1 Carbon Dating

North America
Be sure to double check actual post times - some revisions at SA to accommodate American Pharoah's parade - Here is link to Equibase full card at Santa Anita - the times shown are Pacific Time - Eastern Daylight Savings time is 3 hours later than PT.  Equibase entries for Santa Anita 6-27-15  The closest we can get to actual start of APs parade will be around 4:30 PT/7:30 ET, or just after the completion of Race 7, the Triple Bend, which will include a trophy presentation.

5:28 ET  Mother Goose S G1 Bel   $300,000  3yo f  1 1/16 mi  R9  CARD
5:43 ET  Eatontown S G3  Mth   $100,000  3+ f/m  1 1/16 mi T   R11  CARD
6:20 ET  Oak Tree Distaff  Pln   $100,000  3+ f/m S  6f    R9  CARD
6:47 ET  Senorita S G3  SA   $100,000  3yo f  1 miT    R6  CARD
7:20 ET  Triple Bend S G1  SA   $300,000  3+  7f  R7  CARD 
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American Pharoah parade at Santa Anita between races 7 and 8
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8:14 ET  Royal Heroine S G2  SA   $200,000  3+ f/m  1 miT    R8  CARD
8:30 ET  Bashford Manor S G3  CD   $100,000  2yo  6f     R6  CARD
8:45 ET  Gold Cup *  S G1 BC  SA   $500,000  3+  1 1/14 mi  R9  CARD
9:05 ET  Debutante S (L)  CD   $100,000  2yo f  6f     R7  CARD
9:39 ET  Firecracker S G2 CD   $200,000  3+  1 mi T   R8  CARD
9:52 ET  Iowa Derby G3 PrM   $250,000  3yo  1 1/16 mi    R6  CARD
9:17 ET  Iowa Oaks G3  PrM   $200,000  3yo f  1 1/16 mi   R5  CARD 
10:25 ET Cornhusker H G3  PrM   $300,000 3+  1 1/8 mi     R7  CARD

RESULTS
Awesome Again Colt Wins at Monmouth Park: Awesome Slew (Awesome Again) annexes the Monmouth Park opener for Live Oak Plantation.
Hard Aces rides rail to win Gold Cup
Hard Aces noses out Hoppertunity in Gold Cup
Include Betty draws off in Mother Goose
Masochistic impresses in Triple Bend
Departing scrapes the hedge to make noise in Firecracker
Prize Exhibit goes last to first to capture Senority
He's Comin' in Hot rolls to easy victory in Bashford
I'm Already Sexy gives Paco Lopez sixth win on the card
Proud Citizen Filly Annexes Debutante Beneath Twin Spires: Proud Citizen's Cosmic Evolution got off the mark in the Debutante S. at Churchill Downs Saturday evening.
Include Betty Goes Last-to-First in Mother Goose: Include Betty (Include) goes last-to-first to win the GI Mother Goose S.


More on today's races
'Betty' Looks for Set-up in Mother Goose: Include Betty (Include) hopes to run them all down in Belmont's GI Mother Goose S. Saturday.
Eskenformoney returns in a competitive Mother Goose
The Sky's the Limit in Triple Bend: Seven line up for GI Triple Bend S. at Santa Anita Saturday.
 
SUNDAY

International - Japan
2:40 a.m. ET  Takarazuka Kinen, G1, Hanshin, $2.6 Million US 3+, 1 3/8 miT  CARD

Gold Ship rears up in the gate and totally misses the break and blew any chance to get his third straight win in this race. Overwhelming race favorite and defending champion Gold Ship missed his break, being fractious in the gate, and was used up trying to make up for the delay to finish second from last.  Write-up of race     English replay video of race

From TDN write-up: "The talented but typically unruly Gold Ship, who spotted the field at least 15 lengths at the break after repeatedly rearing in the gate, faced an insurmountable gap and beat one home in his quest to win this for a third straight year."

Robert Kieckhefer's Racing Roundup UPI: "Whatever race the starter was watching Sunday at Hanshin Racecourse, it apparently wasn't the Group 1 Takarazuka Kinen. When the barrier opened, the heavy favorite, Gold Ship, who had been thrashing around in his stall, was standing almost vertically on his hind legs. Fortunate to come down cleanly and safely, Gold Ship spotted the rest of the field double-digit lengths and that cost him any chance to win the race for a third straight year."


No Hat Trick for Gold Ship - Lovely Day outruns Denim and Ruby
King Kamehameha's Lovely Day Takes the Takarazuka Kinen

International - France
11:15 a.m. ET  Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, G1,  4 1 3/8 mi  R5 CARD
Forecast: 5/4 Treve, 5/2 Dolniya, 4/1 Manatee, 5/1 Flintshire, 12/1 Meleagros, 20/1 Feodora, 66/1 Dauran, Al Waab, Altaira

TREVE DOES IT! Replay video
Treve Strikes Again at Saint-Cloud: Al Shaqab Racing's Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}) wins snugly in the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud

International - Ireland
11:30 ET  PRETTY POLLY S.-G1,Curr, €250,000, 3yo/up, f/m, 10fT R5 CARD
SC PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 9 Brooch Empire Maker Smullen Weld 136
2 1 Mutatis Mutandis (Ire) Mastercrftsmn (Ire) Baker Walker 136
3 5 Pollyana (Ire) Whipper Keane Hammond 136
4 8 Ribbons (GB) Manduro (Ger) Dettori Fanshawe 136
5 4 Secret Gesture (GB) Galileo (Ire) Atzeni Beckett 136
6 2 Dmndsandrubies (Ire) Fastnet Rck (Aus) Heffernan A O'Brien 124
7 6 Legatissimo (Ire) Danehill Dncr (Ire) Moore Wachman 124
8 3 Pleascach (Ire) Teofilo (Ire) Manning Bolger 124
9 7 Tamadhor (Ire) Arcano (Ire) Hayes KPrendergast 124

LEGATISSIMO failed by the narrowest margin to complete the 1000 Guineas/Oaks double (she lost out to Qualify in the Oaks), but this could well be her ideal trip, and even in an excellent field, she will be hard to beat. The unbeaten Brooch is in excellent hands, and can prove the main danger, with Ribbons and Pleascach also much respected.
Timeform 1-2-3
1: LEGATISSIMO (7)
2: BROOCH (1)
3: RIBBONS (4)

RACE RESULT: Diamondsandrubies just beats Legatissimo
Fastnet Rock's Diamondsandrubies Resolute in the Pretty Polly

North America
Click on CARD to watch race replay
2:22 ET  Dancin Renee S  Bel  Jun 28 $100,000  3+ f/m S  6f    R3  CARD
4:45 ET  My Dear S  WO  Jun 28 $125,000  2yo f  5f AW   R8  CARD
5:30 ET  San Juan Capistrano S G3  SA  Jun 28 $150,000  3+  abt 1 3/4 mi T R4  CARD
 
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