The Bing Crosby Stakes (G1): Another Upset for Roy H and Another Win for Ransom The Moon
For some reason, Roy H just can't seem to win the $300k Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar. The Bing Crosby was his only loss last year and he gave it all his all again Saturday as he pushed for the lead in the stretch, but Ransom the Moon came off the pace on the outside and swept up the $300k stakes race for the second year in a row.
The 6 year old son of Malibu Moon clocked in the six furlongs at 1:10.08 with Roy H finishing second and Touching Rainbows coming in third. Ransom the Moon was piloted by jockey Flavien Prat, who earned his fourth straight Bing Crosby win.
Ransom the Moon had a slow break and Prat approached the race with a new mindset for the horse. He opted for the ground-saving trip, while frontrunner St. Joe Bay set fast fractions, allowing Ransom the Moon to have just enough rally left to blow past the field for the win. Owned by Agave Racing Stable and Jeffry Wilke, Ransom the Moon earned a "Win and You're In" spot for the Nov. 3 Breeders' Cup Sprint to be held at Churchill Downs.
Jockey Kent Desourmeaux believes Roy H's four month break since returning from a tough third in the Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) in Meydan may have been the reason for his flat run. Trainer Peter Miller will use this race as a refresher to have the 2017 TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint winner ready for his next Breeders' Cup start.
Hopefully you had a chance to read our analysis of the Bing Crosby where we identified longshot Touching Rainbows as a horse to include in your exotics and cashed the nice $400.00 trifecta payout. Watch the replay of the Bing Crosby in case you missed it:
The Jim Dandy Stakes (G2): Tenfold
In a small field of five, Flameaway and Tenfold set the pace holding a neck length's distance throughout most of the 1 1/8th mile Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga. Vino Rosso sat behind the pack, at one point over 10 lengths back, before he started gaining ground. Around the turn, Sporting Chance bobbles, blowing the turn and Todd Pletcher's Vino Rosso starts to rally. At the front, Tenfold finally kicked it into gear taking the lead over Flameaway for the win as Vino Rosso had to settle for third behind Flameaway.
The three-year olds showed their age at various points in the race, as distractions seemed to abound. Flameaway, looking for the win after a sixth in the Ohio Derby, ran a pretty straightforward race under Jose Ortiz. Tenfold, in his first start since the Belmont Stakes, hustled to keep up, but ducked out twice into the middle of the track due to watching the infield screen. Ricardo Santana Jr. straightened him out just in time to claim the victory by three quarters of a length in 1:50.49 and at odds of 8-5. Finally, Vino Rosso, the 6-5 favorite, decided to showed up for the race making up 10 lengths in less than a quarter mile. Sporting Chance had to be pulled up after blowing the turn and walked off the course while Reride came in fourth.
The Jim Dandy was a steppingstone for these three horses. Tenfold is on target for the Travers Stakes says Asmussen. Flameaway's Travers status is still undecided. Trainer Mark Casse says it is ultimately up to owner John Oxley. Vino Rosso came out of the Jim Dandy well and is on track for the Travers as long as they can keep him focused on racing 100% of the time. Trainer Todd Pletcher said his race reminded him of a couple of his Tampa races where he started out well, but lingered and then came back in the stretch. Keeping him involved and motivated is going to be key.
In our same article where we covered the Bing Crosby, we also identified Flameaway as a horse that could score an upset in the Jim Dandy. While it didn't pay a ton, we hope that you included him in your exotics. Watch the replay of the Jim Dandy here:
The $1 million Haskell Invitational: Good Magic Shines
The Haskell Invitational featured another small field of just seven horses, but Good Magic gave us the show we've been waiting for. Dueling Justify in a tough Kentucky Derby and a foggy, sloppy Preakness was tough on the colt, but trainer Chad Brown has brought him back around. Despite losing weight after the Preakness, the colt has proved to be resilient as they prepared for the Haskell. Good Magic put in solid works and regained his weight prior to the race, proving his work ethic. Many fans had hoped to see another duel between Good Magic and Justify, but Justify was retired just three days before the race with swelling in his ankle, so off to stud he goes.
Good Magic broke well under Jose Ortiz and found an ideal spot three wide into the first turn, tracking the pace of Roaming Union. As Bravazo approached on the outside, Good Magic responded and bounded home in the stretch winning at 1-2, leaving Bravazo in second by three lengths and with Lone Sailor coming up third.
Owned by Stonestreet Farm and e Five Racing Thoroughbreds, Good Magic is poised for the $1.25 million Travers Stakes (G1) at 1 1/4 mile August 25th at the Spa. With his Haskell win, Good Magic also secured a "Win and You're In" qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) November 3rd at Churchill Downs. This Haskell win was particularly important to trainer Chad Brown, who got his start at Monmouth.
Watch the race replay here:
Best of luck today!
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