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Marylou Whitney Stables' Hard Legacy led wire-to-wire in the June 15 $150,000 Regret Stakes (G3T) at Churchill Downs to give trainer Norm Casse his first stakes victory.

Claiborne Farm and Adele B. Dilschneider's Elate lived up to the expectations of her connections and her fans to earn a hard-fought victory in the $250,000 Fleur de Lis Handicap presented by Budweiser (G2) June 15 at Churchill Downs.

Lady Sheila Stable's Holiday Disguise capitalized on class relief June 15, tracking the early speed before a strong close to draw away to a 1 1/2-length victory in the the $100,000 Dancin Renee Stakes at Belmont Park.

A competitive field of 13 entered the starting gate for the $250,000 Wise Dan Stakes (G2T) June 15 at Churchill Downs, and it came down to an exciting photo finish that went to a late-rushing March to the Arch.

The 6-year-old son of Perfect Soul punched his ticket to the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) June 15 with a determined victory in the $600,000 Stephen Foster Stakes (G2), a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" race at Churchill Downs.

Yo Zackly became the first winner for freshman sire Lent June 15, when the 2-year-old gelding proved much the best in a maiden special weight at Hastings Racecourse.

Allied Racing Stable's Mr. Money lived up to his name once more June 15, scoring his second consecutive stakes win by a decisive 6 1/2 lengths in the $150,000 Matt Winn Stakes Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs. 

Southern California-based jockey Rafael Bejarano rode his 4,000th winner June 15 when he led almost every step of Santa Anita Park's third race aboard Jeffrey Lambert and Paradise Farms Corp.'s Portal Creek and drew off in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint.

Spendthrift Farm's freshman sire Race Day was represented by his first winner June 15 when his 2-year-old filly Gee She Sparkles won a maiden special weight on debut at Lone Star Park.

<p>Shartin backed up her win in last year&#39;s Roses Are Red for pacing mares at Woodbine Mohawk Park by capturing it again in 2019, leading at every call and reporting home with a 1:49 verdict in the C$330,000 contest.</p> <p>Tim Tetrick fired Shartin right to the front from post four, putting Caviart Ally (Andrew McCarthy) in the pocket before the 25 4/5 opening quarter.&nbsp; With nobody wanting to move at the big mare, Shartin was able to steal a major breather in the second quarter, getting to the half in just 54 4/5.</p><p><a href="http://classic.drf.com/news/woodbine-mohawk-park-shartin-scores-again-roses-are-red" target="_blank">read more</a></p>

<p>The featured races on Saturday night at Northfield Park were two $50,000 Ohio Sires Stakes races for 3-year-old male trotters, and trainer Chris Beaver won both of them, prevailing with Never Say Uncle and Otsego.</p> <p>Never Say Uncle (Brett Miller) worked out a second-over trip from the trailing post nine and rallied in the lane to take the opening flight by 4 1/2 lengths in 1:56 1/5 over the sloppy going.&nbsp; Dylan The Great (Kurt Sugg) followed the winner from third-over and was the runner-up, with leader Voyage To Paris third.</p><p><a href="http://classic.drf.com/news/northfield-beaver-sweeps-ohio-sires-stakes-trotting-tests" target="_blank">read more</a></p>

<p>Captain Crunch rebounded with style and aplomb from his uncharacteristic break in stride in last week&#39;s elimination, showing early speed and late tenacity to win the C$1 million Pepsi North America Cup for 3-year-old pacing males on Saturday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park in a Canadian, stakes, and track record clocking of 1:47 2/5.</p><p><a href="http://classic.drf.com/news/woodbine-mohawk-park-captain-crunch-comes-through-again-captures-north-america-cup" target="_blank">read more</a></p>

<p>LOUISVILLE, Ky. &ndash; The Grade 3, $150,000 Regret was the last of five graded stakes for Thoroughbreds Saturday evening on Stephen Foster night at Churchill Downs, but the race itself was about firsts. A victory from Hard Legacy gave the 3-year-old filly her first career stakes win, as it did her young trainer, Norm Casse.</p><p><a href="http://classic.drf.com/news/preview/norm-casse-marks-first-stakes-win-hard-legacy-regret" target="_blank">read more</a></p>

<p>LOUISVILLE, Ky. &ndash; Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez and trainer Dallas Stewart flaunted their big-game skills once again Saturday night when Seeking the Soul rallied to win the most important post-Kentucky Derby event of the Churchill Downs spring meet, the Stephen Foster.</p><p><a href="http://classic.drf.com/news/preview/seeking-soul-time-take-stephen-foster" target="_blank">read more</a></p>

<p>They were four across-the-track at the wire of tonight&#39;s C$454,000 Fan Hanover final for sophomore pacing fillies at Woodbine Mohawk Park, and it would be second choice Treacherous Reign getting a narrow victory in 1:48 3/5, a lifetime mark by over a second.</p><p><a href="http://classic.drf.com/news/woodbine-mohawk-park-fan-hanover-showdown-goes-treacherous-reign" target="_blank">read more</a></p>

The lightly raced Hard Legacy (Hard Spun) handily disposed of a competitive field of 10 other fillies to register her (and her trainer’s) first stakes win in the GIII Regret S., a race named for the 1915 Kentucky Derby winner, the first of three fillies to win the storied race under the Twin Spires. Breaking from the five hole, Hard Legacy had a smooth start and very briefly sat behind Winter Sunset before quickly overtaking that rival just after the first quarter. After reasonable fractions of :23.62 and :48.06 with her ears pricked, she was let loose on the turn with a gritty Winter Sunset glued to her flank.

Hard Legacy brushed off Winter Sunset in the stretch, never letting her closer than a half-length, bounding under the wire to reward trainer Norm Casse with the first stakes win of his career. Casse, a son of and former assistant to Mark Casse, sent out his first runner 16 months ago. He also saddled fourth-place finisher Belle Laura (Mucho Macho Man) in the Regret.

A maiden winner at first asking Oct. 20 at Keeneland by seven lengths, Hard Legacy has had an average of two months between each of her starts. A Dec. 23 optional claimer at Gulfstream was also one for the win column, but she was off the board in both the Feb. 3 GIII Sweetest Chant (fifth) and the Apr. 7 GII Appalachian (fourth).

“Churchill Downs is my home, Louisville is my home, to win my first stakes win here is so special,” Casse said. “I thought today would be the day. Hard Legacy had been training very well, we had Julien [Leparoux] up, it was time to get the first stakes win. Hopefully, the first of many.”

Pedigree Notes:

Marylou Whitney homebred Hard Legacy is the 71st stakes winner for the Danzig stallion Hard Spun, who counts champion Questing (GB) and popular Grade I winners Wicked Strong, Hard Aces, and Hard Not to Like among his progeny. Kentucky Oaks runner-up Stone Legacy is the dam of the Regret winner and was also a homebred for Whitney, as was her dam Gulch Legacy. Hard Legacy’s sire, 2004 GI Belmont winner Birdstone, was yet another homebred for Whitney (as were several generations of his female family) and now has four stakes winners to his credit as a broodmare sire. Stone Legacy’s most recent foals are a 2-year-old colt by Mr Speaker, a yearling colt by Graydar, and a 2019 filly by Bird Song. This is the immediate family of GISW Catinca (Storm Cat), who sold at Fasig-Tipton’s Kentucky Fall sale for $2.8 million in 1999.

Saturday, Churchill Downs
REGRET S.-GIII, $150,000, Churchill Downs, 6-15, 3yo, f, 1 1/8mT, 1:48.22, fm.
1–HARD LEGACY, 118, f, 3, by Hard Spun
1st Dam: Stone Legacy (GISP, $225,651), by Birdstone
2nd Dam: Gulch Legacy, by Gulch
3rd Dam: Inca Legacy, by Saratoga Six
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN.
O/B-Marylou Whitney Stables LLC (KY); T-Norm W. Casse;
J-Julien R. Leparoux. $87,420. Lifetime Record: 5-3-0-0,
$164,500. Werk Nick Rating: A+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Winter Sunset, 118, f, 3, Tapit–Winter Memories, by El Prado
(Ire). ‘TDN Rising Star’ ($900,000 RNA Ylg ’17 KEESEP).
O-Coffeepot Stables & Phillips Racing Partnership; B-Phillips
Racing Partnership (KY); T-Wayne M. Catalano. $28,200.
3–Varenka, 118, f, 3, Ghostzapper–Dynamic Cat, by
Dynaformer. O-Augustin Stable; B-George Strawbridge (KY);
T-H. Graham Motion. $14,100.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1HF, 1 3/4. Odds: 5.90, 3.20, 1.90.
Also Ran: Belle Laura, Delta’s Kingdom, Crafty’s Dream, Gamblin Train, Princesa Carolina, Choate Bridge, Hungry Kitten, Fortunate Girl. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

The post Hard Spun Filly Gives Norm Casse First Graded Win in Regret appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

<p>LOUISVILLE, Ky. &ndash; On a night when he received his trophy for winning the Kentucky Derby with Country House, Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott was able to celebrate with another stakes victory Saturday at Churchill Downs after Elate mowed down fellow Grade 1 winners Blue Prize and She&rsquo;s a Julie to take the Grade 2, $250,000 Fleur de Lis.</p><p><a href="http://classic.drf.com/news/preview/elate-punches-bc-distaff-ticket-fleur-de-lis" target="_blank">read more</a></p>

<p>Jimmy Freight knocked off defending Horse of the Year McWicked and seven other classy rivals in the C$100,000 Mohawk Gold Cup Invitational for older pacing males on Saturday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park.&nbsp; The final time was 1:48 1/5, a new lifetime mark.</p><p><a href="http://classic.drf.com/news/woodbine-mohawk-park-jimmy-freight-downs-mcwicked-other-talented-foes-mohawk-gold-cup" target="_blank">read more</a></p>

Seeking the Soul (Perfect Soul {Ire}) came charging down the stretch to fight past a game ‘TDN Rising Star’ Quip (Distorted Humor) by a neck in Saturday evening’s GII Stephen Foster S., a ‘Win and You’re In’ for the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic, beneath the lights at Churchill Downs.

The hard-knocking 6-year-old, off at odds of 9-2, raced in some traffic covered up while placed within striking distance in sixth as Tom’s d’Etat (Smart Strike) narrowly led Quip through easy fractions of :24.60 and :49.43. Locked and loaded on the far turn, John Velazquez threaded the needle as they straightened and Seeking the Soul punched home nicely to grind down Quip for a narrow decision. Tom’s d’Etat stayed on for third. Favored Gift Box (Twirling Candy) was fourth after a wide trip.

Seeking the Soul’s loaded resume includes wins in Churchill’s 2017 GI Clark H. and 2018 GIII Ack Ack S. as well as runner-up finishes behind City of Light (Quality Road) in last year’s GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. Jan. 26. Eighth in the G1 Dubai World Cup Mar. 30, he prepped for this with a third-place finish in the local GII Alysheba S. May 3.

“We will definitely be in the Breeders’ Cup Classic this year,” winning trainer Dallas Stewart said. “This horse is so special to our entire barn. We have to thank Mr. Fipke for allowing us to train him. With family and friends here tonight, this is as good as it gets–we’re in the Classic.”

Velazquez added, “He ran really well here the last time out, and we knew coming from Dubai he probably wasn’t going to be 100%. Today, he was right back to where he normally is, high energy. As soon as I broke out there and got into the first turn, he was a little more aggressive than I want him to be. He’s never been that close in the first part of the race. But I got him back to where I wanted him to be, got comfortable where he was, and then down the stretch, pulling out, he had it.”

Pedigree Notes:

Fipke homebred Seeking the Soul is a homegrown product through and through. His sire, Perfect Soul (Ire), was bred by Fipke out of the Secretariat mare Ball Chairman, whom Fipke purchased at the 1994 Keeneland November sale for $180,000. Perfect Soul became a champion grass horse in Canada, as well as a Grade I winner in America for Fipke, and now has seven stakes winners, including 2011 GI Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner Perfect Shirl (also for Fipke). Seeking the Soul’s dam, Seeking the Title (Seeking the Gold), was a GSW for Fipke after he purchased her dam Title Seeker (Monarchos) for $1.7 million in 2006 as an unraced 3-year-old. Seeking the Gold has been among the leading broodmare sires of the last two decades, with the dams of 167 stakes winners to date, including champions Blame, Surfside, Take Charge Brandi and 10 others. Seeking the Title’s granddam is 1996 Broodmare of the Year and undefeated champion older mare Personal Ensign (Private Account), who singlehandedly established a powerhouse legacy of stakes performers.

Saturday, Churchill Downs
STEPHEN FOSTER S.-GII, $600,000, Churchill Downs, 6-15, 3yo/up, 1 1/8m, 1:49.27, ft.
1–SEEKING THE SOUL, 121, h, 6, by Perfect Soul (Ire)
1st Dam: Seeking the Title (GSW, $274,916), by Seeking the Gold
2nd Dam: Title Seeker, by Monarchos
3rd Dam: Personal Ensign, by Private Account
($37,000 RNA 2yo ’15 OBSOPN). O/B-Charles Fipke (KY);
T-Dallas Stewart; J-John R. Velazquez. $345,960. Lifetime
Record: GISW, 27-7-6-7, $3,335,802. Werk Nick Rating: A++.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Quip, 123, c, 4, Distorted Humor–Princess Ash, by IndianCharlie. ‘TDN Rising Star‘ O-WinStar Farm LLC, China Horse
Club International Ltd. & SF Racing LLC; B-WinStar Farm, LLC
(KY); T-Rodolphe Brisset. $111,600.
3–Tom’s d’Etat, 121, h, 6, Smart Strike–Julia Tuttle, by Giant’s
Causeway. ($330,000 Ylg ’14 KEESEP). O-G M B Racing; B-SF
Bloodstock LLC (KY); T-Albert M. Stall, Jr. $55,800.
Margins: NK, 1 3/4, 5 3/4. Odds: 4.60, 13.90, 4.50.
Also Ran: Gift Box, Thirstforlife, Yoshida (Jpn), Exulting, Runaway Ghost, Tenfold, King Zachary, Alkhaatam, Rated R Superstar.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

The post Seeking the Soul Mows Them Down Late in Stephen Foster appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

‘TDN Rising Star’ Elate (Medaglia d’Oro) enjoyed a bang up season at three, winning four stakes, including two at the Grade I level–the 10-furlong GI Alabama S. and Beldame Invitational–in addition to finishing a close-up second in the GI Coaching Club American Oaks. After rounding out the year with a fourth behind champion Forever Unbridled (Unbridled’s Song) in the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Del Mar, she went on a seven-month hiatus before resuming with professional come-from-behind victory in the 10-furlong GII Delaware H. in July. A neck behind Classic-winning champion Abel Tasman (Quality Road) in the GI Personal Ensign S. at Saratoga in August, she was duly sent to the sidelines for the remainder of the season. Given plenty of time to return, the dark bay marked her 2019 debut with a second behind the classy recent GI Ogden Phipps heroine Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) in the GII Azeri S. at Oaklawn Mar. 16 before finishing third to that rival in the GI Apple Blossom H. Apr. 14.

Sent off the 4-5 choice over fellow Grade I winners She’s a Julie and Blue Prize, Elate settled in along the inside in a ground-saving third as 29-1 Skeptic (Tiznow) ran up to take the early advantage with She’s a Julie in close pursuit. The leader lulled them to sleep with an opening quarter of :25.02 and remained at the fore through a half in :49.70. Despite the pedestrian early fractions, Skeptic began her retreat along the inside turning for home as Blue Prize closed from the back while making a sweeping move to the outside of She’s a Julie. Meanwhile, Elate appeared to be one-paced while hemmed in behind rivals and in need of daylight. With Skeptic out of the picture and the battling duo of Blue Prize and She’s a Julie still fighting it out up front, Jose Ortiz swung his mare out three wide for the stretch drive, gradually wore down the hard-knocking leader’s advantage and found another gear late, sweeping to a 1 1/2-length victory over Blue Prize. She’s a Julie rounded out the trifecta.

“It was a very good race,” affirmed winning rider Jose Ortiz. “I saw Javier [Castellano] had a lot of horse with Blue Prize, so I didn’t want to make a premature move. Once she saw the clear she just cruised home.”

Added Bill Mott, “Jose got the perfect rail trip and once he straightened her out in the lane she came running late. We thought the added distance makes a bit of difference with her and we like to have a goal to shoot for at the end of the year with the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. If she belongs, that’s a race to definitely shoot for.”

Pedigree Notes:

Fleur de Lis winner Elate is one of 127 stakes winners for super sire Medaglia d’Oro, whose 12 crops to race include champions Songbird, Rachel Alexandria, Vancouver (Aus), and Wonder Gadot, plus nearly $125 million in earnings. In addition, Elate’s broodmare sire Distorted Humor has 90 blacktype winners out of his daughters, including champion Arrogate. MGISW New Money Honey was bred on the same Medaglia d’Oro-Distorted Humor cross. Stakes winner Cheery produced Elate as the first of her three foals to date, the youngest of which is the juvenile colt Smirk (Blame). Elate shares lineage with GSW Tax (Arch), whose most recent effort was a fourth in last week’s GI Belmont S., MGSW and MGISP Yell (A.P. Indy) as granddam. Yell hails from one of the most prestigious families in the stud book with Wild Applause (Northern Dancer) as her dam, making Yell a half-sibling to GISW Eastern Echo (Damascus), MGSW Roar (Forty Niner), GSW Blare of Trumpets (Fit to Fight), and the dam of GSW and GISP Congrats (A.P. Indy) and GSP Flatter (A.P. Indy).

Saturday, Churchill Downs
FLEUR DE LIS H.-GII, $250,000, Churchill Downs, 6-15, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8m, 1:50.33, ft.
1–ELATE, 120, m, 5, by Medaglia d’Oro
1st Dam: Cheery (SW, $172,762), by Distorted Humor
2nd Dam: Yell, by A.P. Indy
3rd Dam: Wild Applause, by Northern Dancer
‘TDN Rising Star’ O/B.; B-Claiborne Farm & Adele B.
Dilschneider (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Jose L. Ortiz. $153,450.
Lifetime Record: MGISW, 15-6-5-2, $1,698,775. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++
*Triple Plus*.
2–Blue Prize (Arg), 120, m, 6, Pure Prize–Blues for Sale (Arg), by
Not For Sale (Arg). O-Merriebelle Stable LLC; B-Bioart S.A.
(ARG); T-Ignacio Correas, IV. $49,500.
3–She’s a Julie, 124, f, 4, Elusive Quality–Kydd Gloves, by Dubai
Millennium (GB). ($160,000 Ylg ’16 KEESEP). O-Bradley
Thoroughbreds, Whispering Oaks Farm, LLC, Team Hanley,
Madaket Stables, LLC, Tim & Anna Cambron; B-Godolphin LLC
(KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $24,750.
Margins: 1HF, HD, 7 1/4. Odds: 0.90, 3.40, 2.00.
Also Ran: Go Google Yourself, Auspicious Babe, Skeptic. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

 

The post Elate Returns to Winning Ways in Fleur de Lis appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.