\tRebel\u2019s Romance romps in G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic
\n\tLocked bounces back with G2 Woodward victory
\n\tR Disaster earns elusive graded win in G2 Gallant Bloom
\n\tHennig relishing G2 Beldame victory with Gun Song
\n\tPatriot Spirit on to Breeders\u2019 Cup after G3 Vosburgh presented by Army Mule score
\n\tAlogon to return for Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship title defense<\/p>\n
Godolphin\u2019s globetrotting Irish-homebred Rebel\u2019s Romance took New York by storm on Saturday with a prominent 3 1\/2-length score in the Grade 1, $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, at Belmont at the Big A.<\/p>\n
Trained by Charlie Appleby, the 7-year-old Dubawi gelding earned his ninth top-flight victory, while winning for the 20th time in 29 career starts and registered his 10th win in 13 attempts since 2024.<\/p>\n
Jockey Frankie Dettori felt the early pace set by Redistricting in the 12-furlong inner turf test was a touch too slow and promptly asked Rebel\u2019s Romance to show the way, leading through a half-mile in 49.26 seconds, three-quarters in 1:13.75, and the mile in 1:38.69. Rebel\u2019s Romance traveled comfortably throughout as Redistricting chased but could not reel in the venerable veteran, who stopped the clock in a final time of 2:25.72 and earned a 106 Beyer Speed Figure.<\/p>\n
Redistricting completed the exacta by a neck over the Appleby-trained El Cordobes \u2013 last-out winner of the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer at Saratoga Race Course.<\/p>\n
\u201cDelighted with that result, obviously. What more can we say about Rebel\u2019s Romance? He writes his own story,\u201d Appleby said. \u201cWith respects to El Cordobes, with a bit of cover, he would\u2019ve finished second. We will obviously see how the pair of them come out of the race. Rebel\u2019s Romance is likely to head to the Breeders\u2019 Cup, and we will make a call on what we do with El Cordobes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebel\u2019s Romance, the 2024 Champion Turf Male, will hope to secure a third Grade 1 Breeders\u2019 Cup Turf on November 1 at Del Mar following past success last year at Del Mar and in 2022 at Keeneland.<\/p>\n
The popular dark bay, who has also won races in the U.K., Dubai, Germany, Qatar and Hong Kong, has amassed more than $14.4 million via a 29-20-0-2 ledger.<\/p>\n
***
Locked bounces back with G2 Woodward victory<\/p>\n
Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm\u2019s dual Grade 1-winner Locked found the winner\u2019s circle again when making a sustained rally to collar Phileas Fogg in the final sixteenth of Saturday\u2019s Grade 2, $300,000 Woodward, a nine-furlong route for 3-year-olds and up, at Belmont at the Big A.<\/p>\n
Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Locked entered from two uncharacteristic losses in the Grade 2 Alysheba [fourth] in May at Churchill Downs and Grade 2 Suburban presented by Subourbon [third] in July at Saratoga Race Course, but found his best stride once again after tracking in second-of-3 behind Phileas Fogg throughout the Woodward and making an in-and-out stretch run that saw him best his rival by three-quarter lengths under Hall of Famer John Velazquez. He was awarded a 98 Beyer Speed Figure, his best number since a lofty 109 received for his 8 1\/2-length trouncing of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap in March.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came out of it great,\u201d said Stu Hampson, Pletcher\u2019s Belmont Park assistant. \u201cHe ate everything last night and looked super this morning. He\u2019s pretty proud of himself and it\u2019s good to see him find that form again that we were seeing in the last year. Hopefully, we can sustain that going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hampson praised the ride from Velazquez to maneuver Locked around the Kendrick Carmouche-piloted Phileas Fogg in the lane. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Johnny did a good job,\u201d Hampson said. \u201cI think he wanted to make it look like he was going to commit to the inside and as soon as he [Carmouche] tried to shut the door on him, ultimately the horse appreciated being outside and did his best running in the clear there. Thankfully, he hit the wire in front.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners\u2019 Aron Wellman indicated before the Woodward that the historic route would likely serve as a springboard to a start at this year\u2019s Breeders\u2019 Cup at Del Mar. Locked finished third as the favorite in the 2023 Grade 1 Breeders\u2019 Cup Juvenile to cap a campaign that included a win in Keeneland\u2019s Grade 1 Breeders\u2019 Futurity.<\/p>\n
Locked now boasts a consistent 11-6-1-3 record with more than $1.9 million in total purse earnings. The son of Gun Runner was a $425,000 purchase at the Keenland September Yearling Sale and is out of the winning Malibu Moon mare Luna Rosa, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winners Gabby\u2019s Golden Gal and Always a Princess.<\/p>\n
***
R Disaster earns elusive graded win in G2 Gallant Bloom<\/p>\n
Averill Racing, Two Eight Racing and Anthony Mattera\u2019s R Disaster was second by less than one length in three previous graded attempts, but broke through for the win in Saturday\u2019s Grade 2, $250,000 Gallant Bloom, a 6 1\/2-furlong sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Belmont at the Big A.<\/p>\n
Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., the 4-year-old Awesome Slew bay broke from the inside post under Jose Ortiz and wired the field by 3 1\/2 lengths in a final time of 1:14.78 over the fast main track. The performance registered a career-best 96 Beyer Speed Figure.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought she won well. Obviously, a relief for her to get a graded stakes win, she has been close,\u201d said Joseph, Jr. \u201cYou never know with horses if you\u2019ll hit on your chance. So, I\u2019m glad she got it done. What a resume she\u2019s created, first or second in all 12 races, I\u2019m just really proud of this filly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among R Disaster\u2019s 12-7-5-0 record are seconds in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss in July at Saratoga Race Course, the Grade 3 Vagrancy in May at Belmont at the Big A, and the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie in March at Gulfstream Park.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere wasn\u2019t as much speed in this race, so she was able to get it done nicely,\u201d Joseph, Jr. said. \u201cJose gave her a good ride and she is a filly that shows up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joseph, Jr. said R Disaster\u2019s next race is undecided. The conditioner sent out Soul of an Angel to upset last year\u2019s Grade 1 Breeders\u2019 Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah I don\u2019t know, that [Breeders\u2019 Cup] race really wasn\u2019t the plan, but things can change. The ownership group will talk it over and tell me what they want to do,\u201d Joseph, Jr. said. \u201cI would think if she doesn\u2019t go to the Breeders\u2019 Cup, she\u2019d go to a Florida-bred stake at Tampa. Obviously, it is too early to decide, they\u2019ll talk it over and see what they want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
***
Hennig relishing G2 Beldame victory with Gun Song<\/p>\n
After dealing with persistent foot issues throughout the first half of the year, R. Lee Lewis\u2019 Gun Song returned to her best form on Friday with a 1 1\/4-length victory in the Grade 2, $250,000 Beldame at Belmont at the Big A for trainer Mark Hennig.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a tough year with her with her feet bothering her a bit, but she\u2019s doing great now,\u201d Hennig said. \u201cI thought it unfolded really well. We had a dream setup.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 4-year-old Gun Runner chestnut found the winner\u2019s circle after stalking the pace under Hall of Famer John Velazquez, settling in third 1 1\/2 lengths back in the field of four as Randomized marked splits of 23.78 seconds, 47.26 and 1:11.19 over the fast footing. Gun Song pounced in the turn and took a half-length lead at the stretch call, digging in gamely down the lane to edge clear of the dual Grade 1-winning pacesetter and score in a final time of 1:49.45. She was awarded an 87 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s good. She hasn\u2019t gone back to the track yet, but everything seems good,\u201d Hennig said.<\/p>\n
The talented filly adds to a win in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan last year at Pimlico Race Course, as well as a neck second to subsequent Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna in the Grade 1 Cotillion last September at Parx Racing. Hennig said there are a handful of options for Gun Song\u2019s next start, including the Grade 1 Breeders\u2019 Cup Distaff on November 1 at Del Mar or the Listed $150,000 Turnback the Alarm on November 2 here.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll see how she\u2019s doing before we decide, plus we can watch all these preps and see. It\u2019s a pretty tough group of fillies out there,\u201d Hennig said of the Breeders\u2019 Cup. \u201cThey run the Turnback the Alarm here, but I haven\u2019t really looked around. We are just letting this one soak in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gun Song is out of the graded stakes-winning Mr. Greeley mare Nicole H and was purchased for $400,000 at the 2023 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. She improved her record to 16-5-5-2 with $915,720 in total purse earnings.<\/p>\n
***
Patriot Spirit on to Breeders\u2019 Cup after G3 Vosburgh presented by Army Mule score<\/p>\n
George Mellon\u2019s Patriot Spirit turned away all challengers for a prominent 1 1\/2-length score in Saturday\u2019s Grade 3, $200,000 Vosburgh presented by Army Mule, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up, at Belmont at the Big A. The victory provided a \u201cWin and You\u2019re In\u201d berth to the Grade 1 Breeders\u2019 Cup Sprint at Del Mar.<\/p>\n
Trainer Michael Campbell said that the 4-year-old Constitution bay exited the race in good order.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s perfect. I told him that he\u2019s got to get a plane ride to Del Mar, so he\u2019s excited about it. We are all going,\u201d Campbell said, adding that he didn\u2019t want to commit to the Breeders\u2019 Cup Sprint yet because he wants to take a look at the Grade 1 Breeders\u2019 Cup Dirt Mile as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to go that far yet,\u201d Campbell said of confirming the Sprint. \u201cI\u2019m going to take a look at the mile as well. I just need to get my arms around this a little bit. If you notice the way he galloped out yesterday, I think that was a telltale sign, too. It depends on many factors. I haven\u2019t talked to the owner yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patriot Spirit, piloted by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, stopped the clock in 1:21.84 in the Vosburgh over the fast main track and earned a 96 Beyer Speed Figure, matching his career-best from close seconds at one-mile in the restricted Listed Knicks Go in May at Churchill Downs and the Listed Fifth Season in January at Oaklawn Park.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not choose Javier because of his great finish or the Hall of Fame. It was because of his hands,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cThis horse, he responds to your hands. I wanted a rider with world class hands. The thing that impressed me was the horse\u2019s gallop out, he said \u2018do you want to go some more?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cThe important thing is, this performance wasn\u2019t an isolated incident, he brings his \u2018A\u2019 game,\u201d Campbell added.<\/p>\n
Now, Patriot Spirit will try to take his talents to Del Mar.<\/p>\n
***
Alogon to return for Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship title defense<\/p>\n
Charles T. Matses Kentucky-homebred Alogon proved resilient down the lane to stave off the late bid of Bold Journey and post a neck score in Saturday\u2019s Grade 3, $200,000 Belmont Turf Sprint, at Belmont at the Big A.<\/p>\n
Trained by Ned Allard and piloted by Dylan Davis, the 6-year-old California Chrome gelding utilized a stalking trip and made the front a sixteenth from the wire. He needed every ounce of courage to hold off the Hall of Famer Bill Mott-trained Bold Journey and mark the victory in a final time of 1:07.63. The winning effort registered a 96 Beyer Speed Figure.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think at one point Mott’s horse might have been a nose in front and he still had something left to fight with,\u201d Allard said.<\/p>\n
The victory was a welcome one for Alogon, who raced twice at Saratoga Race Course this year when a two-length third in the Grade 1 Jaipur and a 3 3\/4-length fourth in the Grade 2 Troy. He entered from a neck defeat to world-record holding sprinter Doncho in the Da Hoss on September 6 at Colonial Downs.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe’s a horse that always tries and always puts in a good effort,\u201d Allard said. \u201cThe races at Saratoga this summer came up a little hickory and he still ran very well. I was pleased with his efforts there, but he redeemed himself a little bit yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alogon secured his second local stakes score after dead-heating for victory with the Davis-piloted New York-bred Works for Me in the Listed Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship in November \u2013 a race he hopes to return and win on November 1.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came out of the race super. He licked his tub last night and he’ll probably make one more start this year at Aqueduct and try to defend his title,\u201d Allard said.<\/p>\n
Alogon is out of the Scat Daddy mare Scamper, while his second dam is the Allard-trained stakes-winning Eltish mare Shananies Song, who produced multiple group-winner Mouheeb along with the graded-stakes winner Favorable Outcome and the graded-stakes placed Allard trainee Beguine.<\/p>\n
The family tree is chock full of Allard pupils \u2013 Alogon\u2019s third dam, Shananies Presence is by the Allard-trained multiple stakes-winning Florida-bred Shananie.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve had more horses in that family than you could shake a stick at. It brings back a lot of old memories,\u201d Allard said, with a laugh.<\/p>\n
Alogon, who made his first two starts with distant off-the-board efforts for Daniel Peitz at Oaklawn Park, has come a long way. \u00a0He switched surfaces and won on debut for Allard at the Meadowlands by 6 1\/4-lengths in October 2022 at odds of 6-1 and followed one month later with a 1 1\/4-length win versus elders in a local turf allowance at odds of 58-1.<\/p>\n
Thinking back on those early wins reminded Allard that not all of Alogon\u2019s wins have to come in such dramatic fashion.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe’d been beaten 57 lengths in two races when I got him. At the time, California Chrome\u2019s horses were running better on the grass than the dirt, so I tried him at the Meadowlands in a maiden $25K and he just galloped,\u201d recalled Allard. \u201cIt was towards the end of the season and the only race I could find was an ‘a other than’ at Aqueduct and again he went to the lead and won very easily. Other than that, all his races have been really hard fought.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alogon has banked $633,799 via a 24-7-3-6 ledger.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rebel\u2019s Romance romps in G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Locked bounces back with G2 Woodward victory R Disaster…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":166373,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[3004,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-166372","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\/166372","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=166372"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166372\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}