Gutierrez Continues Stakes-Winning Ways at Fair Grounds
Image:
Description:
Photo: Hodges Photography / Amanda Hodges Weir
Excess Magic wins the Woodchopper Stakes under Reylu Gutierrez at Fair Grounds Race Course
Hot-riding Reylu Gutierrez, victorious with seven mounts at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots Dec. 26-27, captured three of the five stakes Monday at the New Orleans oval. He piloted Excess Magic to victory in the $75,000 Woodchopper Stakes, Lovely Ride in the $75,000 Pago Hop Stakes, and Chattalot in the $75,000 Sugar Bowl Stakes.
Excess Magic Gets the Bacon in Woodchopper
In the $75,000 Woodchopper, Gutierrez placed the William T. Reed homebred Excess Magic, the 2-1 favorite, in the perfect pressing position on the outside of the pacesetting longshot Rightandjust through early fractions of :24.43 and :49.76. He put that rival away off the turn for home and then held safe of close second choice and grade 1 winner Point Me By to win by 1 1/2 lengths in a final time of 1:38.08 for the mile on turf. Rightandjust faded to third.
"He was coming from a sprint to a route so I let him be a horse, get out there, and get in good position," Gutierrez said. "On the backside I could feel everyone on top of us, so I could tell we were going pretty slow. He was ready to go and when I turned for home, I said 'let's go get some bacon'. He was hungry. I was hungry."
The Woodchopper was the fourth win overall and first in a stakes for the Bret Calhoun-trained Excess Magic ($6.60), who boosted his career bankroll to $164,171.
"He's been a pretty consistent horse for us," Calhoun said. "He had a little injury last year and we had to back off. Being able to run in a sprint prepping for this (win on Nov. 26), it worked out great. The mile is ideal for him. He's got a tremendous turn of foot."
Excess Magic is by Magician out of the Exchange Rate mare Exchanted .
Video: Woodchopper S. (BT)
Lovely Ride Works Out a Trip in Pago Hop
Already a stakes winner on dirt, Allied Racing Stable's Lovely Ride proved her versatility by winning her first-ever start on turf, taking the $75,000 Pago Hop in what was a hard-fought battle down to the wire. It was the second stakes victory on the card for the team of trainer Calhoun and jockey Gutierrez.
Away alertly from an outside post, Lovely Ride sat fourth while in the clear, two-wide down the backstretch while chasing moderate early fractions of :24.17 and :49.30 set by the longshot Touch of Class. With the front-runner wandering about, she ducked inside of her mid-stretch, took the lead, and held safe of the resurgent 3-1 favorite Amiche and the late closing Princess Theorem to score by three-quarters a length in a final time of 1:38.56 for one mile on turf. Only 3 1/4 lengths separated the top seven finishers.
"I had a delightful trip," Gutierrez said.
Winner of the Cathryn Sophia Aug. 24 at Parx Racing, Lovely Ride ($20.80) has looked dominant at times on dirt, but she's been somewhat plagued by inconsistency.
"We thought pedigree-wise she had a big chance to perform well on turf," Calhoun explained.
A homebred for Allied Racing Stable, Lovely Ride is by Candy Ride out of the Tiznow mare Lovely Lil .
With the win, Lovely Ride bolstered her résumé to 5-1-1 in nine starts with earnings of $284,160.
Video: Pago Hop S. (BT)
Chattalot Lets His Speed Do the Talking in Sugar Bowl
Entering Sunday's action, trainer Steve Asmussen had zero wins to show from 21 starters to open the 2021-22 racing season at Fair Grounds. On the other side of Monday, he now has four wins with three of them coming in stakes. So much for that "slump."
On the heels of a Sunday training triple, including stakes wins with Halo Again in the Buddy Diliberto Memorial Stakes and Epicenter in the inaugural running of the Gun Runner Stakes, Asmussen added a little icing to his holiday cake by winning Monday's Sugar Bowl with Chattalot for Bloom Racing and David Bernsen. It was the third stakes win on the card, and fifth in the last two days, for Gutierrez.
Chattalot takes the Sugar Bowl Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course
The winner led for much of the race, completing six furlongs in 1:10.03 with a half-length tally over Underhill's Tab . It was another 1 3/4 lengths back to Blue Kentucky in third. Favored Higher Standard was 5 1/2 lengths back in sixth.
"Today I just let him break and get his feet under him," Gutierrez said. "I saw that no other horses were really getting away from him or going, so I just kind of took it to them."
The winner of the first two starts of his career, the 2-year-old son of Midnight Lute was most recently seen finishing a tired fourth in the Lively Shively Stakes at Churchill Downs Nov. 27. With the win, he improved to 3-0-1 in five races with earnings of $199,095.
Bred in Kentucky by Gryphon Investments, Chattalot ($10) is out of the Kingmambo mare Mamboalot .
She was a $110,000 purchase by Jeffrey Bloom from the Ocala Breeders' Sales' 2021 Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training from the McKathan Bros. Sales consignment.
Video: Sugar Bowl S. (BT)
Girl With a Dream was Filly With the Lead for a Brad Cox Letellier Exacta
Maybe it was more experience, maybe it was the break, maybe it was simply a matter that the most talented 2-year old filly won, but either way, the Brad Cox barn was front and center at Fair Grounds, sending out the Letellier Memorial Stakes $75,000 exacta with Girl With a Dream wiring the field and Com' On Sweet Luv running second.
In a dirt sprint race where it was unclear how the front end would unfold, jockey Florent Geroux capitalized on a sharp break from his mount. By Practical Joke and owned by Jim Bakke and Gerry Isbister, Girl With a Dream set fractions of :22.49, :46.42, and had enough left to repel a slow-breaking Com' On Sweet Luv with six furlongs in 1:10.84. Mystique Saboteur was third.
Girl With a Dream leads on her way to victory in the Letellier Memorial Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course
"When (Com' On Sweet Luv) came close to me at the eighth pole it seemed like she had plenty left," Geroux said. "But we were able to fight her off in the last eighth of the mile."
Cox said he believes Girl With a Dream ($3.40) is likely a one-turn filly. Bred in Kentucky by Machmer Hall and D & J Racing Stable, she is out of the Corinthian mare Henley.
Green Spring Farm purchased her for $115,000 from the Machmer Hall Sales consignment at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
"She's had five runs now at 2 so we'll take a deep breath, regroup with her," Cox said. "It takes a little pressure off you going forward, now being a stakes winner."
Girl With a Dream is now 3-1-0 in five races, earning $170,720.
Video: Letellier Memorial S. (BT)
Add Dirt to the Top of the List: Versatile Audrey's Time Keeps Getting Better
Lothenbach Stables' patient approach with Audrey's Time paid off on Monday, as the soon-to-be 5-year-old mare won the $75,000 Joseph E. "Spanky" Broussard Memorial Stakes. Making her 16th start over three racing campaigns, the daughter of Uncle Mo has raced eight times with one win on turf, one win in her lone synthetic try, and in her seventh dirt start, she earned Monday's trophy for trainer Neil Pessin and regular rider Corey Lanerie.
Run at a mile and 70 yards, Audrey's Time made a winning move on the outside behind a quick pace set by Cheetara . She triumphed by 1 3/4 lengths over Powder River with Velvet Crush in third. Her winning time was 1:43.06 over a fast track.
"My horse got off a little slow," Lanerie said. "The leader was going easy by herself, but I kept my filly in the clear and she pulled up to her on the turn. From that point on I knew I had something left in the tank. I called on her and she took it from there."
She has made $268,226 with a record of 4-1-3 from 16 starts. The Woodford Thoroughbreds-bred mare is out of the Northern Afleet mare Unforgotten . She paid $4.60 to win.