a two-part plan to provide purse parity for Empire State-breds<\/a>\u00a0on The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) circuit, is key to his strategy with rising yearling prices making competing at the sales difficult.<\/p>\n\u201cBeing a breeder, you wait four years to find out if the decision you made was a good one. I know for a lot of people it\u2019s easier to go to the sale and find out six months later if it was a good decision or not,\u201d Cimbora, Jr. said. \u201cIt\u2019s tough having to wait all the time but I\u2019m a true believer in the New York program. I\u2019m going to breed to New York stallions and I\u2019m going to run in New York \u2013 I\u2019m fully on board.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cimbora, Jr. said he is buoyed by the state\u2019s $455 million investment in a new and reimagined Belmont Park complete with two turf courses, a dirt main track and a new Tapeta inner surface.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t wait for Belmont to open,\u201d Cimbora, Jr. said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a showcase for racing and for people that say, \u2018racing is in trouble\u2019 and all that doom and gloom, when you see a place like Belmont being built, you know that people have faith in the industry. That\u2019s a considerable investment in the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n
The installation of a Tapeta surface could also benefit Cimbora, Jr.\u2019s breeding program given that turf horses often perform well on synthetic.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year we were pretty lucky as far as rain was concerned but last year it was horrible with races coming off the turf,\u201d Cimbora, Jr. said. \u201cMy horses are not particularly good in the slop, so you lost so many races, and to have that [Tapeta] as an option is going to be nice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cimbora Jr.\u2019s trio of broodmares include Brazo de Oro and two of her progeny in\u00a0Heavenly Girl\u00a0and\u00a0Happy Hill Lil. He said he is very much looking forward to racing a pair of colts out of Brazo de Oro, including a weanling by War Dancer and a yearling by Tourist.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese foals out of Brazo \u2013 she produces nice babies, and they all have that determination, for sure,\u201d said Cimbora, Jr., who noted that Brazo de Oro will again be producing a War Dancer foal. \u201cShe throws such nice babies with War Dancer, and they all seem to be very good runners and very correct. It\u2019s the fifth time back to the same stallion, but I can\u2019t argue with the results.\u201d<\/p>\n
Win or lose on Saturday, Cimbora, Jr. said he is thrilled with the gamble he took on bringing Twenty Six Black\u2019s dam back to the U.S.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really unbelievable,\u201d Cimbora, Jr. said. \u201cI love the races and the thrill that it gives you, but all the credit for \u201826\u2019 goes to Horacio and his team, Nick and Jaqui, and Lere and Maryke \u2013 they\u2019re truly the ones that have made the horse. All I do is decide on who to breed to, so I can\u2019t take any credit for how good he is. It\u2019s really all due to all those other people.\u201d<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Rebel\u2019s Romance and El Cordobes headline G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic<\/p>\n
Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby will send out a strong pair in\u00a0Rebel\u2019s Romance\u00a0and\u00a0El Cordobes\u00a0in Saturday\u2019s Grade 1, $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, a 12-furlong inner turf test for 3-year-olds and up, at Belmont at the Big A.<\/p>\n
Rebel\u2019s Romance [28-19-0-2, $14.1M], a 7-year-old Dubawi gelding, and El Cordobes [10-4-2-2, $605,688], a 4-year-old Frankel gelding, arrived at John F. Kennedy Airport on Thursday and underwent quarantine at The ARK before shipping upstate Saturday to Saratoga Race Course.<\/p>\n
Chris Connett, traveling assistant for Appleby, noted that both horses were able to stretch their legs at Godolphin\u2019s Greentree facility located adjacent to the Saratoga backstretch on Saturday evening.<\/p>\n
Both horses have trained regularly since, including solo half-mile works over the Oklahoma training turf Monday that saw Rebel\u2019s Romance, with Mark Halford up, timed in 54 seconds flat and El Cordobes, under Jamie Linwood, clocked in 53 seconds flat.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey had a little canter around on the Oklahoma track before we got to have a little breeze Monday on the turf. They went solo and it was just in hand, just to allow them to stretch their legs over the turf course,\u201d Connett said.<\/p>\n
Irish homebred Rebel\u2019s Romance, the reigning Champion Turf Male, won 5-of-6 starts last year, including a neck victory in the Grade 1 Breeders\u2019 Cup Turf at Del Mar \u2013 a race he also won in 2022 at Keeneland.<\/p>\n
The globetrotting dark bay, who has also won races in the U.K., Dubai, Germany, Qatar and Hong Kong, has returned as strong as ever this season. He captured the 1 3\/4-mile Group 2 Yorkshire Cup in May at York ahead of a score in the 12-furlong Group 2 Hardwicke in June at Royal Ascot. He landed third in the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in July at Ascot but returned to winning form in the 12-furlong Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin on August 10 at Hoppegarten.<\/p>\n
The prospect of soft turf kept Rebel\u2019s Romance from attempting a title defense in Sunday\u2019s Group 1 Preis von Europa at Cologne.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe’s had a really solid year,\u201d Connett said. \u201cHe stepped up to a mile and six [furlongs] and won the Yorkshire Cup and then he ran back in the Hardwicke at Royal Ascot and won there as well before a pretty gutsy run in the King George when the race wasn’t really ran to suit him. He bounced back with a win in Germany, so he’s just as good as ever really.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebel\u2019s Romance finished fourth as the mutuel favorite in the 2023 Hirsch.<\/p>\n
El Cordobes, bred in Ireland by Bjorn Nielsen, captured the Group 2 Princess of Wales\u2019s in July at Newmarket before venturing stateside for the first time to post a half-length win in the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer at Saratoga.<\/p>\n
He was sent to post at odds of 4-1 in the Sword Dancer which featured a salty eight-horse field that included four-time Group\/Grade 1-winning stablemate Nations Pride along with returning rivals Rebel Red and three-time Grade 1-winner Far Bridge, the defending Hirsch winner.<\/p>\n
El Cordobes saved ground out of the inside post under Flavien Prat and remained patient in fourth position as Far Bridge made an early move down the stretch for the first time to press longshot pacesetter Vote No. El Cordobes maintained his rail spot down the backstretch to the inside of Rebel Red and waited for racing room into the final turn as Nations Pride took the lead. Rebel Red got the jump into the stretch run but El Cordobes was rolling late in the lane, splitting Nations Pride and Rebel Red to secure the win.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was given a lovely ride that day by Flavien, but you need the horse to take you there as well,\u201d Connett said. \u201cIt was a slight step into the unknown with him going up into Group 1 company but to finish off the race like he did against some very well regarded horses was impressive.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a solid Group 1 and for him to produce that effort was very pleasing for the team,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Hall of Famer John Velazquez will pick up the mount on El Cordobes [post 1] Saturday with Prat slated to ride Grade 2-winner Redistricting for five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown \u2013 a three-time Joe Hirsch winning conditioner. Rebel\u2019s Romance will leave post 3 in rein to Frankie Dettori.<\/p>\n
Connett said strategy will be left to Appleby and the veteran riders, but that both jockeys should have options aboard their versatile charges for the first time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have two very capable pilots on board, but I think both horses are very flexible in their run styles,\u201d Connett said. \u201cEl Cordobes has led in his races before but has also been dropped in like he did in the Sword Dancer. Rebel’s Romance is fairly uncomplicated, as well – he jumps out and has a big old stride on him and if they’re going too slow, he can go on; and if they’re going quick enough, he can take a sit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebel\u2019s Romance and El Cordobes will continue to train upstate before shipping back downstate on Friday.<\/p>\n
The Joe Hirsch, slated as Race 5, headlines a stacked 12-race program supported by the Grade 2, $300,000 Woodward in Race 6, and the Grade 3, $200,000 Vosburgh presented by Army Mule in Race 9, awarding a \u201cWin and You\u2019re In\u201d berth into the Grade 1 Breeders\u2019 Cup Sprint at Del Mar. Also featured are the Grade 2, $250,000 Gallant Bloom in Race 8 and the Grade 3, $200,000 Belmont Turf Sprint in Race 4.\u00a0First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Phileas Fogg seeks redemption in G2 Woodward<\/p>\n
Jupiter Stable\u2019s graded stakes-winner\u00a0Phileas Fogg\u00a0did not land the result his connections were hoping for when disqualified and declared unplaced in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup in August at Saratoga Race Course, but the 5-year-old gelding looks to turn the page in Saturday\u2019s Grade 2, $300,000 Woodward at Belmont at the Big A.<\/p>\n
Phileas Fogg [post 6, Kendrick Carmouche] is expected to face a compact group on Saturday, with Woodward entrants Film Star [per trainer Rob Atras] and Gould\u2019s Gold [per trainer Kenny McPeek] opting to run in the Battery Park on Sunday at Delaware Park. Trainer Norm Casse was undecided as of Thursday morning where Awesome Aaron, cross-entered in the Woodward and Battery Park, will run; and as per the\u00a0Daily Racing Form, Willy D\u2019s will run in Saturday\u2019s Grade 2 Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs.<\/p>\n
In addition to Phileas Fogg, the confirmed Woodward runners are multiple Grade 1-winner Locked [post 7, John Velazquez] and multiple graded stakes-winner Post Time [post 2, Sheldon Russell]<\/p>\n
Trained by Gustavo Rodriguez, Phileas Fogg gets back to the track that saw him post two Listed stakes wins this winter and spring, and cuts back to nine furlongs from the 10-furlong Jockey Club on August 31.<\/p>\n
There, a sharp inward move at the start under Kendrick Carmouche caused a chain reaction that led to the bumping of several rivals and Mindframe to lose jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. Phileas Fogg tracked well behind the pace set by Contrary Thinking and took the lead in the final turn, but was passed in the lane by the victorious Antiquarian and late-running Sierra Leone and crossed the wire third. A stewards\u2019 inquiry led to Phileas Fogg being disqualified and declared unplaced.<\/p>\n
Rodriguez said the result was disappointing, but that he is looking forward to Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all make mistakes, so what can we do? I was happy with a third place, and when they took us down, it was disappointing, but the good thing about it all is that he came out of the race in good shape and we\u2019ve just got to hope for the best on Saturday,\u201d Rodriguez concluded.<\/p>\n
The bay son of Astern has been a model of consistency since being claimed for $62,500 out of an optional claiming turf tilt last summer at the Spa. He has gone on to cross the wire in the top-three in each of his eight starts since, led by a head victory over Antiquarian in the 10-furlong Grade 2 Suburban presented by Subourbon on July 4 at the Spa.\u00a0He also finished a narrow second to possible returning rival Awesome Aaron in the Grade 3 Pimlico Special in May at its namesake course.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything is good. We worked him twice, nothing crazy, and the horse is happy and eating good,\u201d Rodriguez said. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s coming back a little soon from the last race, but what can we do? And, he\u2019s home. This horse likes to run anywhere though \u2013 we take him to Pimlico, Saratoga, Aqueduct and he runs good. He\u2019s a nice horse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bred in Kentucky by Godolphin, Phileas Fogg is out of the unraced More Than Ready mare Merino, a half-sister to Group 1-winner Capezzano. His third dam is 1995 Canadian Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Silken Cat, who produced Grade 1 Breeders\u2019 Cup Sprint winner and influential stallion Speightstown and multiple graded stakes-winner Irap.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Patriot Spirit fits the G3 Vosburgh presented by Army Mule<\/p>\n
George A. Mellon\u2019s multiple stakes-winner\u00a0Patriot Spirit\u00a0carries momentum from a dominant stakes score into Saturday\u2019s Grade 3, $200,000 Vosburgh presented by Army Mule, at Belmont at the Big A.<\/p>\n
The seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up, offering a \u201cWin and You\u2019re In\u201d berth to the Grade 1 Breeders\u2019 Cup Sprint in November at Del Mar, is slated as Race 9 on Saturday\u2019s 12-race card, with a first post of 12:35 p.m. Eastern.<\/p>\n
Trained by Michael Campbell, the 4-year-old Constitution colt dueled for the lead of the seven-furlong Reigh Count last out on July 26 at Colonial Downs, shaking clear by the three-eighths marker and drawing off under a hand ride to a four-length victory over multiple stakes-placed Inveigled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis horse is just such a good horse, but his last race at seven-eighths was spectacular,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cHe was favored, he should\u2019ve won, but the way he handled those horses was impressive. He just did it with complete authority.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patriot Spirit made his prior four starts at one mile or beyond, entering his last race from a three-quarter-length second to Liberal Arts in the one-mile restricted Listed Knicks Go on May 3 at Churchill Downs. That performance earned a 96 Beyer Speed Figure, matching his career-best for a neck second in the one-mile Listed Fifth Season in January at Oaklawn Park.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had multiple options for this horse\u2019s next race, but I could not dismiss that he ran such a big race at seven-eighths of a mile,\u201d said Campbell. \u201cThat\u2019s why we are heading to Aqueduct on Saturday. I hope the weather stays good and we will see you then.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Vosburgh drew a competitive field of nine, headlined by the Hall of Famer Bill Mott-trained Scotland, a rallying second last out in the Grade 1 Forego on August 23 at Saratoga Race Course.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s as much speed in this as you\u2019d expect for a sprint, which should be to our horse\u2019s advantage,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cThis is a good field overall. I think we are live in the race, and I think the horse to beat is Mott\u2019s horse. We are looking for a good race.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patriot Spirit, bred in Kentucky by Blue Heaven Farm, was a $235,000 purchase at the 2023 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. He is out of the Grade 1-winning Game Plan mare Mistical Plan.<\/p>\n
Hall of Famer Javier Castellano has the call from post 8.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cimbora, Jr. trying his luck with Twenty Six Black in Saturday\u2019s G3 Belmont Turf Sprint Rebel\u2019s Romance and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":159947,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[3004,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-159946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-racing","tag-racing","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159946"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159946\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}