Latest news with #E.P.Taylor


UPI
a day ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
Fillies She Feels Pretty, Nitrogen, Velocity star in weekend racing
1 of 3 | She Feels Pretty wins Saturday's Grade I E.P. Taylor at Woodbine, earning a Breeders' Cup bid. Photo by Michael Burns, courtesy of Woodbine Aug. 18 (UPI) -- It was fillies on parade in weekend horse racing as She Feels Pretty held off the Godolphin invasion in Canada, Nitrogen raised a hoof for division honors with an impressive win at Saratoga and Velocity upset the Del Mar Oaks. Mansetti won a competitive edition of the King's Plate at Woodbine and there was 2-year-old action hither and yon, on dirt and turf. In France, Sunday's Group 1 The Aga Khan Studs Prix Jacques le Marois was everything promised and more. Here's more ... Distaff Nitrogen seized the lead turning for home in Saturday's $600,000 Grade I Alabama for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga and, despite wandering around in the final furlong, held off the favorite, Good Cheer, to win by 1 1/2 lengths. Margie's Intention was fourth. La Cara, who led all the way to win the Grade I Acorn in her last start with Good Cheer fifth, set a very slow pace in the Alabama and held the lead to the turn, but faded to finish fourth. Queen Azteca, from Norway via Dubai to Saratoga, was not in the mix and finished fifth. Nitrogen, by Medaglia d'Oro, now is a Grade I winner on dirt and has multiple graded stakes placings on turf. Overall, she has won six of 10 starts and never been worse than third. Kentucky Oaks winner Good Cheer, also by Medaglia d'Oro, suffered her second straight defeat after starting her career with a seven-race win skein, but trainer Brad Cox said her effort into an unfavorable pace scenario showed she's still a credible force in the division. Filly & Mare Turf She Feels Pretty defended local honor against the invading Godolphin forces and scored a "Win and You're In" berth in the Breeders' Cup World Championships in Saturday's $750,000 Grade I E.P. Taylor Stakes at Woodbine. The 4-year-old Karakontie filly, with John Velazquez aboard for trainer Cherie DeVaux, came five-wide to take the lead in the stretch in the 1 1/4-mile contest. Diamond Rain, making her first top-level start with William Buick riding for Charlie Appleby, followed in her wake and was moving well at the end, but came up a head short. Velazquez said She Feels Pretty was soundly bumped and suffered cuts during the backstretch run and "from then on, it was a wrestling match with her ... but she got it done." She Feels Pretty, racing for Lael Stables, racked up her eighth victory in 12 starts and has never been worse than third. Five of the eight wins came in Grade I races. Breeders' Cup? "Most definitely," DeVaux said. Out west at Del Mar, Velocity rallied into contention with about a furlong to run in Saturday's $300,000 Grade I Del Mar Oaks, and then took the rail route through the stretch and outfinished Lush Lips, winning by 1/2 length over her. The favorite, Thought Process, was third and British invader Take a Breath finished fourth. Velocity, dispatched at odds of 35-1, ran 1 1/8 miles on firm turf in 1:48.45. Ricardo Gonzalez rode for trainer Michael McCarthy. Velocity, a Nyquist filly, finished fourth in the Grade III Senorita Stakes in April, and then got a three-month break before winning an allowance event July 20 in preparation for the Oaks. Alpha Bella had 'em all the way in Friday's $100,000 CTT & TOC Stakes at Del Mar and edged clear late to a 2 3/4-length victory. The 4-year-old Justify mare, a Don Alberto homebred, ran 1 3/8 miles on firm turf in 2:17.32. Hector Berrios rode for trainer John Sadler. Classic Saturday's $1 million (Canadian) King's Plate for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds always looked to be a wide-open affair and that's how it played out. Mansetti at odds of 18-1 wrestled away the early lead from a rival and just kept running, winning by 2 1/2 lengths over Tom's Magic, who rallied from near the back of the 13-horse field. It was another 2 lengths to the favorite, Notorious Gangster, in third and the Woodbine Oaks winner, No Time, finished ninth. Mansetti, a Collected colt trained by Kevin Attard, got his fourth win from seven starts. Surface to Air surfaced from a pace-stalking trip approaching the quarter pole in Saturday's $250,000 Philip H. Iselin Stakes at Monmouth Park, took the lead and held off a mild bid by odds-on favorite First Mission to win by 3/4 length. Sprint Simcoe was loose on the lead in Saturday's $150,000 (Canadian) Grade III Bold Venture Stakes at Woodbine and easily held on to the big advantage to score by 5 3/4 lengths over Victory Achieved. Filly & Mare Sprint Vincey Girl blasted by the favorite, Haulin Ice, in the final sixteenth of Saturday's $75,000 Sheer Drama Stakes at Gulfstream Park and went on to score a 3 3/4-length beat on that rival. Nerazurri was third. Turf Emmanuel, the odds-on favorite, rallied inside rivals at the top of the stretch in Friday's $150,000 Pennsylvania Governor's Cup at Penn National and slipped away to win by 1 3/4 lengths. Turf Mile Gas Me Up and Wyoming Bill rallied together with a rush to finish 1-2 in Saturday's $200,000 (Canadian) Grade II bet365 King Edward Stakes at Woodbine. Turf Sprint Future Is Now surged to the front near the three-sixteenths marker in Friday's $150,000 Smart And Fancy Stakes for fillies and mares at Saratoga and worked clear to win by 1 1/2 lengths as the odds-on favorite. Juvenile Turf Sprint Lots of action here leading up to one of the highlights of "Future Stars" Day at the Breeders' Cup World Championships. Along the way: Bobrovsky won Saturday's $150,000 Skidmore Stakes at Saratoga while Snow Face Princess took Sunday's companion $150,000 Bolton Landing for fillies. Two Out Hero won Saturday's $150,000 (Canadian) bet 364 Soaring Free Stakes at Woodbine and Corsia Veloce scored in the companion Catch a Glimpse stakes for fillies. Juvenile / Juvenile Fillies Smarty Hardy won Saturday's $100,000 Prairie Meadows Freshman Stakes in Iowa by 3 lengths afer Ritzaphena scored in Friday's $100,000 Prairie Meadows Debutante. Dazzling Dame drew off late to win Sunday's $100,000 Sorority Stakes at Monmouth Park by 2 lengths. Around the world, around the clock: France Diego Velazquez, carrying the famous Sangster family colors, seized the lead late in the 1,600 meters of Sunday's Group 1 The Aga Khan Studs Prix Jacques le Marois and just did hold off Godolphin's Notable Speech. It was a convergence of European racing royalty of many kinds -- Sam Sangster, son of legendary owner Robert Sangster, received the trophy from Princess Zahra Aga Khan, daughter of the sponsor's namesake. Alongside was trainer Aidan O'Brien, who kept the 4-year-old Frankel colt after he was sold by Coolmore. The victory was a significant upset, with Dancing Gemini and Docklands third and fourth, crack Japanese miler Ascoli Piceno sixth as the favorite and Coolmore's own The Lion in Winter last after racing prominently. Diego Velazquez and Notable Speech are likely to meet again in the Breeders' Cup Mile. Ireland Speaking of the Aga Khan, the late racing titan's own colors reported first and second in Saturday's Group 3 Royal Whip Stakes at the Curragh -- an early audition for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe -- with Coolmore's top Arc hope, Los Angeles, finishing fourth. Zahrann, with Ben Coen up, got home first by 2 lengths over his 300-1 chance stablemate Tangapour. Galen was third, with Los Angeles 3 lengths back of the winner.


Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Apprentice jockey Pietro Moran guides Mansetti wins $1-million King's Plate race
TORONTO – Apprentice jockey Pietro Moran rode Mansetti to a wire-to-wire win in the $1-million King's Plate on Saturday. Moran, 20, earned trainer Kevin Attard his third Plate victory as Mansetti, an 18-1 pick, covered the 1 1/4-mile race in two minutes 3.38 seconds. Tom's Magic was second, 2 1/2 lengths back, while Notorious Gangster finished third in the 13-horse field. Moran earned the Plate victory in just his second start in the race. His father, David, also rode in the race aboard William T. The second jewel of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown is the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, which goes Sept. 9 at Fort Erie Racetrack. Earlier, She Feels Pretty took the lead on the final turn then held off a hard-charging Diamond Rain to win the $750,000 E.P. Taylor turf event by a head. That earned She Feels Pretty an an automatic berth into the US$2-million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf event Nov. 1 at Del Mar. She Feels Pretty, the 2/5 favourite ridden by John Velazquez, won the 1 1/4-mile race in 2:00.80. Ready for Shirl came on late to finish third ahead of Valencia. The E.P. Taylor was held Saturday rather than its usual September slot because upgrades to the E.P. Taylor Turf Course will begin shortly. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 16, 2025.


Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Caitlinhergrtness looking to become first Plate-E. P. Taylor Stakes champion
TORONTO – It's a race Kevin Attard has won twice, but a third victory would be historic. Caitlinhergrtness, last year's $1-million King's Plate champion, will be among seven horses competing in Saturday's $750,000 Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack. A win would make the heralded filly the first to complete the Plate–E.P. Taylor double. 'I don't think that far ahead to be quite honest,' said Attard, Canada's top trainer last year. 'You focus on getting the horse as prepared as possible, hope for a little racing luck, and know afterwards if she's able to accomplish the feat that it's going to be very meaningful. 'She's a special horse already in my heart, obviously, winning the King's Plate with her. To win the E.P. Taylor would be a feather in the cap, so to speak.' It would also move Attard into a tie with Lou Cavarlaris Jr., Frank Merrill Jr. and Maurice Zilber for the most E.P. Taylor Stakes wins by a trainer. Attard captured last year's race with Full Count Felicia and won in 2019 with Starship Jubilee. Caitlinhergrtness, named after WNBA star Caitlin Clark, has a win and second-place finish over three starts this year while having registered eight top-three finishes (four wins, twice second, twice third) in 12 all-time races. Canada's '24 champion three-year-old filly has amassed lifetime earnings over $800,000. Caitlinhergrtness is coming off a second-place finish in the $150,000 Grade III Trillium Stakes at Woodbine on July 26 with jockey Rafael Hernandez. On Saturday, Flavien Prat — a multiple stakes-winning jockey from France — will be aboard Caitlinhergrtness. Hernandez will ride the French horse Venencia in the race. The race is being held Saturday rather than in September as upgrades to the E.P. Taylor turf course are slated to begin following this weekend's action. The date change could be good news for both the horse and trainer, given last year's Plate victory. Attard will definitely have an eye on the Plate. He has three starters in the 13-horse field — Dewolf, Faber and Mansetti — and is looking for a third victory in the opening jewel of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown. A factor working in Caitlinhergrtness's favour is the E.P. Taylor covers 1 1/4 miles, the same distance as the Plate. But the former is run on grass while the Plate goes over Woodbine's Tapeta track. 'Some horses appreciate the turf a little bit more; some horses are naturally only turf,' Attard said. 'She's been versatile, which is nice. 'Her only race on the E.P. Taylor was a little disappointing, I'm not sure why. We were really confident going into that race but for some reason she didn't run to her potential. Hopefully, she transitions Saturday a lot better than she did last time.' Caitlinhergrtness was a distant eighth in the Grade 2 Nassau Stakes on June 28 at Woodbine. Attard said the E.P. Taylor Stakes will present his horse with a big challenge. The field also features She Feels Pretty, a four-time Grade 1 winner that captured '23 Johnnie Walker Natalma Stakes at Woodbine. That earned She Feels Pretty a Breeders' Cup entry, eventually finishing third in the Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita. Saturday's winner will secure a berth in the US$2-million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar later this fall. 'A win in the E.P. Taylor would give her an automatic berth into the Breeders' Cup, that would solidify that,' Attard said. 'She's a very good horse, definitely has the potential. 'She has to up her game and put her running shoes on, no doubt about it. Saturday is going to be a good test.' This will mark just the second Grade 1 entry for Caitlinhergrtness after taking third last October in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland, Kentucky. She Feels Pretty won that race. 'We were on the lead, which surprised me a bit, but she's comfortable there,' Attard said. 'The winner was in a race of her own that day, but we were in the hunt, so there's no disgrace in the effort there.' Caitlinhergrtness will break from the No. 5 post Saturday and a seven-horse field should ensure a clean start for all. But Attard said being in a good position by the first turn is important. 'Obviously, with seven horses it's not hugely detrimental, but you can still get parked out a little wide on that first bend,' Attard said. 'You never want to lose ground, especially against top-quality horses. 'We're breaking from the five hole, so it's not a bad post, and she's also pretty tactical to boot. She's doing really well right now, which is all you can ask of her at this point.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2025.
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Yahoo
Maritime Traveler, Son Of Secretariat, Passes At Age 35
Maritime Traveler, Son Of Secretariat, Passes At Age 35 originally appeared on Paulick Report. Maritime Traveler, believed to have been the last living horse sired by legendary 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat, has died at the age of 35, reports the Ocala Gazette. Retired to stud for the 1974 breeding season, Secretariat stood at Claiborne Farm in Kentucky until his death in 1989 at 19 from laminitis. In that time, he sired 663 foals including Maritime Traveler, who was born in 1990 from the last on May 15, 1990, in Ontario, Maritime Traveler was produced from the Northern Dancer mare Oceana, Maritime Traveler was foaled at the famed Windfields Farm. A commercial breeding operation founded by E.P. Taylor in 1950, Windfields was the birthplace of many breed-shaping names in racing. Among the most notable were Nearctic, Nijinsky, and Vice Regent as well as Maritime Traveler's maternal grandsire, Northern Dancer, the first-ever Canadian Thoroughbred to win the Kentucky Derby. Consigned to the 1991 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Maritime Traveler's breeding did much to recommend him. He was purchased by Bridlewood founder Arthur Appleton for a modest $55, the high hopes that ferry any new runner to the track, Maritime Traveler did not quite live up to the heights of his father. Racing exclusively at Woodbine, the chestnut made five attempts in maiden special weight company for trainer Emile Allain. His best effort came at two when he took fourth. The decision to suspend his racing career was made shortly of selling as so many do, Appleton brought Maritime Traveler home to Ocala, where he was enlisted as a teaser for the breeding program. It was there that the horse's stamina and obliging disposition would serve him well in years to come. 'We retired Maritime Traveler as a teaser when he was 28,' George Isaacs, Bridlewood Farm's stallion manager, told the Ocala Gazette. 'Up until his death, he lived in a paddock that backs up to 100 acres of forest. He had a good life here at Bridlewood Farm. It was our honor to have him as a special connection to the great Secretariat.'Read more at the Ocala story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jul 29, 2025, where it first appeared.