Magnum Moon the One to Beat in Hot Springs
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SATURDAY, APRIL 14, 2018 ‘BELLA’ GETS BEAT IN APPLE BLOSSOM MAGNUM MOON THE ONE It took a terrible start, an overeager favorite and some TO BEAT IN HOT SPRINGS moisture in the track, but a major upset occurred at Oaklawn Park Friday evening as Unbridled Mo (Uncle Mo) blew past universal sure thing Unique Bella (Tapit) to take the GI Apple Blossom H. by 2 1/4 lengths. First-off-the-claim Fuhriously Kissed (Langfuhr) kicked on for third for some lucrative black- type. “This is our first time we've ever been to Hot Springs, and I'm sure we'll be back again,” said Stephen Brunetti, whose father and founder of Red Oak Stable John Brunetti, Sr. passed away last month. “We were going back and forth between a couple of different races and [trainer] Todd [Pletcher] told us how well she was training and he said, 'Let's take a shot in the Apple Blossom.' You never knew what would have happened with Unique Bella. She was shipping and it was a sloppy track. Just all worked out for the best.” Cont. p6 (Click here) IN TDN EUROPE TODAY Magnum Moon | Coady Photo CLASSIC HERO CAPRI WINS ALLEGED G1 Irish Derby and G1 St Leger victor Capri (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) Trainer Todd Pletcher already holds a very strong hand made his 4-year-old bow a winning one, taking the G3 Alleged heading into the GI Kentucky Derby, but he’s got one more ace S. at Naas on Friday. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN up his sleeve in the form of GI Arkansas Derby favorite Magnum Europe. Moon (Malibu Moon). The ‘TDN Rising Star’ will look to take his fourth trip to the winner’s circle Saturday in as many tries while adding to Pletcher’s already record four wins in Oaklawn’s signature event. The Robert and Lawana Low colorbearer bested a field that included Machismo (More Than Ready) sprinting first out at Gulfstream Jan. 13, and followed up with an easy two- turn Tampa optional claiming score Feb. 15. He was extremely impressive showing good stalking speed and a strong late kick in the GII Rebel S. here Mar. 17, reporting home 3 1/2 lengths to the good of 11-10 Solomini (Curlin). Solomini is as due for a break-out win as just about any horse in training. Second to Bolt d’Oro (Medaglia d’Oro) in the GI FrontRunner S. in September and ahead of that one but behind Good Magic (Curlin) when runner-up in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, the Bob Baffert pupil crossed the wire in front of stablemate McKinzie (Street Sense) in the GI Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 9, only to be placed third behind next-out GIII Lecomte S. winner Instilled Regard (Arch) in what was a controversial DQ. Cont. p3 PUBLISHER & CEO Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] V.P., INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Saturday, April 14, 2018 Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN News and Features Editor Ben Massam @BMassamTDN Associate Editors Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN Assistant Editor Bobby Klatt ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistants Alexa Reisfield Rachel McCaffrey Photo Editor/Dir. of Distribution Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew With just three weeks to go until the “Run for the Roses”, the Kentucky Derby trophies [email protected] await their 2018 recipients. | HorsePhotos Social Media Strategist Justina Severni Director of Customer Service TODAY’S GRADED STAKES Vicki Forbes EST Race Click for TV [email protected] 12:25a James Boag’s Premium Australian Oaks-G1, RAN --------------- ------ Marketing Manager 1:05a Longines Queen Elizabeth S.-G1, RAN --------------- ------ Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen 1:45a Schweppes Sydney Cup-G1, RAN --------------- ------ 2:25a Coolmore Legacy S.-G1, RAN --------------- ------ Director of Information Technology Ray Villa 2:30a Arlington Cup-G3, HSN --------------- ------ [email protected] 9:45a Ballylinch Stud 1000 Guineas Trial S.-G3, LEO --------------- ------ 10:50a P.W. 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Rebel third Combatant (Scat Daddy) is one of three signed on for the meet’s leading trainer Steve Asmussen and, like Solomini, has been knocking on the door in stakes company for quite some time. “I think he’s been a little disadvantaged, just with the pace scenarios and his placement in the starting gate,” David Fiske, racing manager for co-owner Winchell Thoroughbreds, said. “I think the circumstances have kind of conspired against him, going all the way back to [his second in the Springboard Mile at] Remington last fall.” Fiske added, “Hopefully, he can catch a break. I was telling somebody [that] if he were to run third and pick up $100,000, he would have almost half-a-million dollars next to his name and still be eligible for non-winners of two.” The Winchells and Asmussen will also be represented by two- for-two Tenfold (Curlin), who followed up a very impressive 5 3/4-length debut romp with a hard-fought optional claiming tally Mar. 18. ‘Rising Star’ Quip (Distorted Humor) bypassed the GII Blue Grass S. last week after his owners’ likely Derby favorite Justify (Scat Daddy) stayed at home for a romp in the GI Santa Anita Derby rather than shipping here. He made his seasonal debut a winning one in the GII Tampa Bay Derby Mar. 10, and was flattered when runner-up Flameaway (Scat Daddy) returned with a similar effort in the Blue Grass and fourth-place Vino Rosso (Curlin) grabbed the GII Wood Memorial S. Quip | Coady Photo TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 13 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • APRIL 14, 2018 FLORIDA FORM HOLDS KEY TO JENNY WILEY Dona Bruja | SV Photography Six of the 11 runners in Saturday’s GI Coolmore Jenny Wiley S. at Keeneland made their prior starts at Tampa Bay Downs. Dona Bruja (Arg) (Storm Embrujado {Arg}) is one of the main contenders off the strength of her four-length success in Tampa’s GIII Endeavour S. Feb. 10. The Argentinian Group 1 winner took her first two starts in graded company here last summer, and was a close dead-heat second in the GI Beverly D. S. in August. She found the one mile of the local GI First Lady S. a bit too sharp when fourth Oct. 7, but kicked off her season auspiciously when clearly best over GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup heroine La Coronel (Colonel John). “Running in a Grade I at Keeneland--it can’t get better than that and you can’t be more excited than that,” Dona Bruja’s trainer Nacho Correas said. “We have our horse the way we want, and that’s all we can do.” La Coronel ran back in the GII Hillsborough S. Mar. 10, and hooked four of these rivals. She checked in third behind Fourstar Crook (Freud) and Proctor’s Ledge (Ghostzapper), and ahead of the former’s Grade I-winning stablemate Off Limits (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) and MGSW Lovely Bernadette (Wilburn). Fourstar Crook and Off Limits are conditioned by Eclipse-winning trainer Chad Brown, as is French Group 3 winner/Group 1-placed Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}), off since a close second behind yet another Brown pupil in New Money Honey (Medaglia d’Oro) in the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational. “We have different goals for the three of them,” said Brown of having multiple entrants in the same race, as he frequently does. “The race is available. The timing’s good. There’s not a lot of options this time of year for horses of this caliber. We’ll get them started here and see what happens.” Earn up to $500,000 Beyond the Sales Ring The Keeneland September Bonus Program celebrates the success of our September Sale graduates at the highest levels of racing. Buy or sell a future winner and earn rewards from your partners at Keeneland. ENTRIES CLOSE MAY 1 LEARN MORE TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 5 OF 13 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • APRIL 14, 2018 CALI INVADERS DRAWN WIDE IN OP ‘CAP Deep closer My Boy Jack (Creative Cause), currently right on the bubble to make it into the GI Kentucky Derby starting gate, A strong California contingent wasn’t done much of a favor at will look to secure his spot in the “Run for the Roses” in Monday’s draw for the GII Oaklawn H., as Accelerate (Lookin At Saturday’s GIII Stonestreet Lexington S., which offers a total of Lucky) pulled post 10 and City of Light (Quality Road) drew the 34 points for the Derby.