Photo: Coglianese Photos/Lauren King

Itsaknockout (right) finishes second to Upstart in the Fountain of Youth, but is awarded the win.
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Holy Bull Stakes (gr. II) winner and 4-5 favorite Upstart was disqualified after crossing the wire first in the $400,000 Besilu Stables Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II) Feb. 21 at Gulfstream Park, with lightly-raced Itsaknockout elevated from second to his first graded win (VIDEO).

Upstart, with Jose Ortiz in the irons, closed steadily in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth to take control from 7-2 second choice Frosted in the final sixteenth. But he bore out under steady left-handed urging from Ortiz against Starlight Racing's Itsaknockout in deep stretch, causing not only a stewards' inquiry, but a jockey's objection by Itsaknockout's rider, Luis Saez.

Itsaknockout, a 3-year-old son of Lemon Drop Kid  , won his first two races and stepped into stakes company in just his third start Saturday. He now has a 3-for-3 record at Gulfstream and will target the March 28 Besilu Stables Florida Derby (gr. I).

"That was a tough decision," Saez said. "I did think (Upstart) would get taken down, because he really bothered me. When we came into the stretch, I felt like my horse wanted to run, so I thought we'd win the race. But the other horse came out and bothered me. I couldn't ride my horse. He's a little better on the outside. Today there was a little speed outside of us, so we had to play with that. At the three-eighths he really responded." 

Todd Pletcher trainee Itsaknockout rated just off the leaders early on, as Bluegrass Singer went a quarter in :24.27 and a half in :47.87 while tracked by Frosted, the second choice at 7-2. Frosted ranged up to take the lead as three-quarters went in 1:11.65. But a determined Upstart was closing to his outside with Itsaknockout off his right hip.

"(Frosted) came out on me and I bumped (Itsaknockout) after that," Ortiz said. "I bumped him just a little, but I don't think enough to take me down."

The stewards thought otherwise. Although Upstart eked out the advantage through a 1:38.98 mile and then drew ahead by 2 3/4 lengths to finish in 1:46.28 on a fast track, the way he drifted out under Ortiz's steady stick while doing so caused them to place him second despite his finish ahead.

"I feel bad for the connections of the other horse," Pletcher said. "He crossed the finish line first, but definitely we got impeded a bit and Luis (Saez) had to stop riding for a couple strides. I don't know how it would eventually affect the outcome."

"Bad call," trainer Rick Violette said of the Upstart disqualification. "(The stewards) have to understand that when the horse gets hit behind the girth, the only place the horse can go is to the right. It's disappointing. The horse ran great, we just don't get credit for it. Don't know what's next, but we might have to go to New York." 

The Fountain of Youth is worth 50 points to the winner for a spot in the starting gate of the May 2 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), with 20,10, and 5 going to the second- through fourth-place finishers. Itsaknockout jumped to the second spot on the leaderboard with his tally.

With 71 points, International Star tops the leaderboard after winning the $400,000 Risen Star Stakes (gr. II) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. Upstart, with 36 points, is now third.

NOVAK: International Star Carries On in Risen Star

Itsaknockout paid $12.80, $5, and $4 at odds of 5-1. Upstart paid $2.60 and $2.10. The late-closing Frammento got up over Frosted to return $12.80. Gorgeous Bird, Bluegrass Singer, Juan and Bina, and Danny Boy completed the order of finish.

"The thing I'm most proud of is for this horse to run this well in his third lifetime start, first time around two turns and first time in a (stakes)," Pletcher said. "It was a very, very good effort. He was in between horses in a situation he hasn't been in before, so it was a big effort."

Itsaknockout was bred in Kentucky by Brookfield Stud out of the Cherokee Run mare Stormy B. He was a $350,000 purchase by agent Frank Brothers from the consignment of Dromoland Farm, agent, at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale after being pinhooked for $130,000 by Black Cherry Farm from the Elm Tree Farm consignment at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale in 2012.

"We knew he had the talent, but you have to always wonder until they do it," said Starlight managing partner Don Lucarelli. "This sealed it. We had never won this race and naturally it gives us a lot of aspirations for going to the Derby. We're just excited for all the partners. We had a big crowd here today. We really rolled the bones and it paid off."

Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/90282/upstart-dqd-in-foy-itsaknockout-wins#ixzz3SbAEpcwJ

Photo: Coglianese Photos/Lauren King

Khozan wins at Gulfstream Park Feb. 22
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A bumped start barely fazed heavily-favored Khozan in his second straight romp at Gulfstream Park.

After an easy seven-furling maiden special weight victory in his debut Jan. 24, the colt, purchased for $1 million by Al Shaqab Racing, impressed again Feb. 22 with a 12 3/4-length win in a one-turn-mile optional claiming event on a fast track (VIDEO).

The 3-year-old son of Distorted Humor   will surely garner plenty of Triple Crown buzz after beating the only other Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I)-nominated colt in the race, Big Family, by such a significant margin.

"It was another very impressive performance," trainer Todd Pletcher said. "It was what we were hoping for, but we were glad to see it all the same. He got a little bit of an education today and did some things he didn't do in his debut."

Pletcher also said the colt, a half brother to champion Royal Delta, will likely head to the Besilu Stables Florida Derby (gr. I) March 28 next time out.

"We'll discuss it, but I think the logical next race would probably be the Florida Derby," Pletcher said. "He's two-for-two over the track and he has trained well here. He has run well over the track, so we'll talk about it and see."

Bred in Kentucky by Adena Springs, Khozan is out of the A.P. Indy mare Delta Princess. He was purchased at the Fasig-Tipton Florida selected 2-year-olds in training sale last February when consigned by Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds, which had pinhooked him for $350,000 from the Adena Springs consignment at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale.

After the bumped start, Khozan spent the first half-mile off the pace Sunday, as leader Bluegrass Luck opened up fractions of :23.51 and :46.57, then moved up to take a clear lead at the quarter pole. Khozan covered the six furlongs in 1:11.57.

The Pletcher trainee then drew off under a hand ride from jockey Javier Castellano in the stretch and finished the mile in 1:38.07. The colt paid $2.10 to win, place, and show. Big Family, second by almost 13 lengths, paid $3 and $2.40.

"The way he did it today was so easy," Castellano said. "My strategy today was not to rush him and let him have a chance to pick it up, because today was a mile race. He reacted so good behind horses. He took dirt in his face and didn't mind at all.

"He put himself in a good spot. I saved all the ground and cut the corner. I really liked the way he did it today. He's a brilliant horse."

Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/90292/khozan-impresses-again-at-gulfstream-park#ixzz3SbAWvbDi

Photo: Coady Photography

Golden Lad leads them home in the Essex Handicap at Oaklawn Park.

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Returning to Oaklawn Park where he secured his first career stakes win, Golden Lad defeated last year's Preakness Stakes (gr. I) runner-up Ride On Curlin in posting a 1 3/4-length victory in the $100,000 Essex Handicap Saturday, Feb. 14 (VIDEO). 

Breaking from the outside in the field of eight older horses, E. Paul Robsham Stables homebred Golden Lad rallied three wide into the stretch. The 4-1 co-second choice in the field of eight snatched the lead at the eighth pole and then opened up a clear advantage late.

In completing the 1 1/16-mile race in 1:44.05 on a fast track, Golden Lad comfortably held off a late move from Daniel Dougherty's Ride On Curlin, who was sent off as the 4-5 favorite in the second start of his 4-year-old season.

Jockey Jon Court, aboard Ride On Curlin, lodged an objection against the winner, alleging interference at the start of the race, but stewards ruled the result stood.

"When we left the gates and he dropped out in front of me, there were three jumps where I had to steady and I was tangled up in his hind legs," said Court. "He cost me a couple of lengths when I needed to get position. I had to overcome that and then then he beats me a length for the win. He just needed to be a little bit clearer coming over in front of horses."

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Golden Lad had not won since taking last year's Razorback Handicap (gr. III) at Oaklawn by nearly seven lengths. The victory by the 5-year-old Medaglia d'Oro   horse Saturday under Ricardo Santana Jr. ended a three-race skid, including a fifth-place finish in his 2015 debut in the Hal's Hope Stakes (gr. III) Jan. 10 at Gulfstream Park. 

"We were disappointed in his first race back," said Pletcher via phone. "He may have been a little fresh off the layoff. We thought coming back here to Oaklawn would be a good idea."

Golden Lad, out of the stakes-winning Seeking the Gold mare Broadway Gold, secured his second stakes win while improving his career mark to 6-2-0 from 12 career starts and earnings of $327,420.

Golden Lad returned $10 to win, $4 to place, and $3.40 to show, while Ride On Curlin paid $2.80 and $2.40. I Got It All, off at 20-1, finished one length farther back in third and paid $6.40 to show.  For Greater Glory, Rocket Time, Code West, Luv Bandit, and Joy Boy completed the order.

Rocket Time was able to dictate the pace before weakening coming into the stretch, carving quarter-mile fractions of :23.5, :47.70, and 1:12.89.

Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/90154/golden-lad-holds-off-ride-on-curlin-in-essex#ixzz3RpP5iE6z

http://www.taylormadestallions.com/horses/graydar2.html#progenyphotos

Trainer Todd Pletcher won three graded stakes races with older horses Feb. 7 at Gulfstream Park, but he also has a wealth of talented 3-year-olds in South Florida.

Seven of the 32 sophomores Pletcher has nominated to the Triple Crown breezed Feb. 8 at Palm Beach Downs, including grade I winners Competitive Edge and Daredevil, Besilu Stables Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II) hopeful Itsaknockout, and talented debut winner Khozan.

Pletcher was pleased with the works and is in the process of finalizing plans for the group en route to the Triple Crown.
 
He had high praise for Champagne Stakes (gr. I) victor Daredevil as well as Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (gr. I) winner and Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) runner-up Carpe Diem, who breezed Feb. 7. Let's Go Stable and WinStar Farm's Daredevil went five furlongs in :59.64, the best of 10 works Sunday, while Carpe Diem, owend by WinStar and Stonestreet Stables, clocked his five furlongs in :59.42 a day earier. It was the best of seven workers that morning.
 
"They're both training exceptionally well," Pletcher said. "Carpe Diem's breeze yesterday was very impressive. He came out of it well, and we're planning to go in the Tampa Bay Derby (gr. II) with him. I thought Daredevil worked extremely well this morning also. We're planning to go in the Swale Stakes (gr. II) with him."
 
Itsaknockout, a perfect 2-for-2 after taking maiden and allowance races at Gulfstream, is on track for the Fountain of Youth Feb. 21. The son of Lemon Drop Kid  , who won his second start by a widening 5 1/4 lengths, was timed going five furlongs in 1:00.22. J S Bach, who broke his maiden by 8 1/2 lengths Jan. 17, also drilled five furlongs. His time for the distance was 1:00.94.
 
"I thought he breezed really well this morning," Pletcher said of Itsaknockout. "He's on schedule for the Fountain of Youth. J S Bach, I was very happy with him this morning. He's either going to go to the Southwest (Stakes) (gr. III) or the Risen Star Stakes (gr. II). We'll make a decision, probably tomorrow, on that."

Materiality, a debut winner Jan. 11, is likely to return in a Gulfstream allowance later in the meet, Pletcher said. Al Shaqab Racing's Khozan, a half brother to two-time champion Royal Delta who opened eyes when decisively breaking his maiden at first asking Jan. 24, is possible for an allowance or a stakes race. Khozan breezed four furlongs Feb. 8 in :49 flat.

"I think he's on a similar program to what Constitution was on last year," Pletcher said of Khozan. "He broke his maiden, won an allowance, and then won the Florida Derby (gr. I). But we have a lot of options."
 
A schedule is still being worked out for Competitive Edge, who won the Hopeful Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga Race Course as a 2-year-old. He breezed five furlongs in 1:00.22. A schedule is also being worked out for Blofeld, undefeated winner of the Nashua Stakes (gr. II) at Aqueduct Racetrack and Futurity Stakes (gr. II) at Belmont Park last year.

"(Competitive Edge) is doing well," Pletcher said. "We haven't decided on a first start (of 2015) yet. (Blofeld) is just going to start back galloping. We just need to get some foundation done first. He's still a little ways away from a breeze."
 
Pletcher also noted that Far From Over, who captured the Withers Stakes (gr. III) Feb. 7 at Aqueduct, exited his win in good order.
 
"He came back well," Pletcher said. "Thankfully he didn't grab anything when he stumbled leaving the gate. I thought it was a pretty impressive effort to do that in his second start. I would say the most likely scenario is that he'll stay in New York and run in the Gotham."
 
Mapping out starts for so many Triple Crown hopefuls can be challenging, but it's a situation Pletcher is familiar with. He says timing is the key when creating schedules.
 
"There's going to be certain cases where we're going to have to run more than one (horse in a prep)," he explained. "A lot of it is about timing. A good thing about this time of year is that there are preps pretty much every weekend, either here or in Tampa or Oaklawn or Louisiana, so we have some options to move them around. Then it's just about timing—when they ran last and what kind of schedule they're on."

Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/90037/pletcher-happy-with-florida-3-year-olds#ixzz3RGBo5uQr

Al Shaqab Racing's Mshawish overcame traffic in the stretch and prevailed in a tight finish with Slumber in the $300,000 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (gr. IT) Feb. 7 at Gulfstream Park (VIDEO).

Prominent from the start, but under restraint, 7-5 favorite Mshawish became bottled up from the quarter pole to furlong marker before Javier Castellano speared him through rivals in midstretch. Slumber engaged him on the outside from there and dueled him to the finish line before settling for second by a nose. War Correspondent finished third, a length back .

Manchurian High, Grand Tito, Amen Kitten, defending winner Lochte, Imagining, and Golden Rifle completed a tightly bunched field of nine that was separated by only three lengths.

A 5-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro  , Mshawish completed the 1 1/8 miles in 1:47.22 on firm turf to earn a third consecutive win and sixth overall victory from 17 career starts. Mshawish became a millionaire with Saturday's win, boosting his lifetime bankroll to $1,055,151.

Darley's Central Kentucky sire Medaglia d'Oro had another graded stakes winner on Saturday's card at Gulfstream when Valid landed the Fred W. Hooper Stakes (gr. III) one race earlier.

Golden Rifle was out to lead early in the Gulfstream Park Turf, opening a 1 1/2-length advantage as Grand Tito pursued, with Mshawish a half length back in third. Golden Rifle maintained his advantage through six furlongs, posting fractions of :24.47, :48.33, and 1:12.20, before Grand Tito moved to take a short-lived lead into the stretch while Mshawish got shuffled back. Mshawish appeared to have nowhere to run until Castellano saw a tiny bit of daylight and drove his game mount through.

Castellano said Mshawish had a tough trip all the way.

"It was very tight from the beginning all the way to the end," he said. " I never had a place to go. I had to stay patient and go from there. At some point in the race I got a little bit frustrated turning for home because I never saw any hole. Finally by the eighth pole when I saw the hole he went through a tiny hole and he made a big effort today. I give all the credit to the horse because they way he did it today, it was amazing. Not too many horses can do it the way he did it today."

Mshawish needs to be covered up, trainer Todd Pletcher said after the race, "and we were able to do that."  

"When you have to cover one up in turf races, you have to roll the dice that you get a seam at some point. He was lucky to find one when he did, and he finished like a good horse. It was a very determined effort. He's a really nice horse."

Mshawish has won three of six starts since coming to North America last summer, including the Fort Lauderdale (gr. IIT) Jan. 10 and El Prado Stakes Dec. 13 in his two previous starts, both at Gulfstream.

Mshawish returned $4.80, $3.20 and $2.60. Slumber brought $7.40 and $4.40 while War Correspondent paid $3.80 to show.

Earlier in the afternoon at the Hallandale Beach, Fla. track, Al Shaqab, Pletcher, and Castellano won the Suwannee River (gr. IIIT) with Sandiva. 

Bred in Kentucky by OTIF 2007, Mshawish is out of the Thunder Gulch mare Thunder Bayou. Nicolas de Watrigant's Mandore International Agency purchased Mshawish as a 2-year-old on behalf of Sheikh Joaan Al Than of Al Shaqab Racing at the 2012 Arqana breeze-up sale, paying  €170,000 (US$219,589) to acquire him from Brown Island Stables, agent.

Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/90025/mshawish-squeezes-out-gulfstream-turf-cap#ixzz3RGB1WKcM

Al Shaqab Racing's Sandiva won her second straight stakes and first North American graded race with a one-length victory over Rosalind in the $150,000 Suwannee River Stakes (gr. IIIT) Feb. 7 at Gulfstream Park (VIDEO).

The 4-year-old Irish-bred filly was favored at 2-1 and made a run at longshot leader Skylander Girl on the final turn of the 1 1/8-mile race on a firm turf course.

Under Javier Castellano, the Todd Pletcher trainee jumped out to a 2 1/2-length lead in the stretch and held off closing bids from Rosalind and third-place finisher Scampering, who was three-quarters of a length behind the runner-up.

"She gave me a great kick turning home," Castellano said of Sandiva. "She's a very straightforward horse."

By Footstepsinthesand, Sandiva finished the 1 1/8 miles in 1:47.31 and paid $6.20, $3.60, and $3 after 15-1 shot Skylander Girl ran the first quarter in :24.32, the half in :48.02, and three quarters in 1:11.45.

Breaking from post 8, Sandiva settled fifth in the 11-horse field until making her move in the final turn.

"It pretty much unfolded the way we thought it would," Pletcher said. "We just wanted to save a little ground on the first turn and try to put her in the clear on the far turn and let her take it from there. We got the trip we wanted and then she came home with a sustained run."

Out of Mark of Esteem mare Miss Corinne, Sandiva pushed her career earnings to $355,557. Her record improved to 6-1-0 in 13 career starts.

Rosalind paid $6.80 and $5 while making her first start for trainer Chad Brown, and Scampering paid $5.20. Starstruck, White Rose, Nellie Cashman, Bitty Kitty, Bohemian Dance, Skylander Girl, Rock On Baby, and Pink Poppy completed the order of finish. E B Ryder, Cay Dancer and Sheer Drama were scratched before the race.

A multiple group III winner in Europe bred by Dennis McDonnell, Sandiva won her first U.S. stakes last time out in the Tropical Park Oaks at Gulfstream, after finishing seventh and fifth, respectively, in the San Clemente Handicap (gr. IIT) at Del Mar and the Mrs. Revere Stakes (gr. IIT) at Churchill Downs last year.

Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/90023/sandiva-surges-to-capture-suwannee-river#ixzz3RGBMujja

Far From Over recovered from a bad start to upset 1-2 favorite El Kabeir Feb. 7 in the $250,000 Withers Stakes (gr. III) at Aqueduct Racetrack, closing much ground en route to his first graded score for owner Steven Marshall's Black Rock Thoroughbreds (VIDEO).

Stumbling at the break from post 2, the 3-year-old son of Blame   spotted five other 3-year-olds 7 1/2 lengths at the first call and 10 1/2 lengths after half a mile while Classy Class set the pace in :24.40 and :47.95. El Kabeir was engaged with that rival neck and neck as three quarters went in 1:12.01, and Far From Over still had a large distance to make up when the field turned for home.

Taking the rail trip, jockey Manuel Franco set the eventual winner down for the stretch drive and his mount found another gear. The duo shifted to the three path and swept past the battling pair of Classy Class and El Kabeir in a 1:37.56 mile, drawing ahead inside the final sixteenth to win by 1 3/4 lengths. 

"He had a bad step coming out of the gate and the game plan changed after that," said Franco, who with the Withers victory secured his first graded stakes score. "I just let him go however he wanted to go comfortable. At the three-eighths pole I picked it up and went for the lead. I thought I would be able to get there (and win)."

Far From Over was making just his second lifetime start after breaking his maiden by a game nose Dec. 12 at Aqueduct. The Withers, a prep race for the Twinspires.com Wood Memorial (gr. I), is worth 10 points to the winner on the road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).

Bred by Alexander, Groves, and Matz out of the A.P. Indy mare Alchemist, Far From Over was a $550,000 purchase by bloodstock agents Sallusto and Albina from the Gainesway consignment at the 2013 Keeneland September yearling sale.

"I thought we were in trouble when, coming out of the gate, he stumbled," said Byron Hughes, assistant to winning trainer Todd Pletcher. "But Manny did a great job relaxing on him and making his move at the right time. It was one big move at the end, and it was perfect.

"Ideally we were trying to sit right off the pace, hopefully, right there on the rail, but that didn't happen. I saw they were going :48 and I thought that wasn't fast enough. He had an awesome turn of foot and got up in time. In his first race he was on the lead, so we didn't know, but Todd was saying he was training great in Florida."

Far From Over completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.93 on a fast track to earn his second victory in as many starts for earnings of $186,000.

He returned $14.40, $4.20, and $2.60 at odds of 6-1, followed home by El Kabeir ($2.50, $2.10) and Classy Class ($2.40). Tencendur, March, and General Bellamy completed the order of finish. Unrivaled scratched.

John Terranova, trainer of Zayat Stables' El Kabeir, said the two-time graded stakes winner had little excuse for his loss at first blush. With the Jerome Stakes (gr. III) and Kentucky Jockey Club (gr. II) under his girth, El Kabeir still tops the leaderboard on the road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) having picked up another four points via the runner-up Withers finish. He now has 25 points.

"It looks like he pulled up fine. It's hard to say just yet. It looked like he had a great trip; sat in a perfect spot. He just got beat today," Terranova remarked. "The winner is one of those young 3-year-olds coming up with one start; he's bred to be any kind. It's hard to say what the difference was, whether he ran his race or this horse outran him.

"Looking ahead, we'll see how he comes out of this, talk it over with the Zayat family."

Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/90022/far-from-over-wins-withers-with-closing-rush#ixzz3RG3gqWbG

WinStar Farm and Twin Creeks Racing Stables' Constitution notched his second grade I victory Feb. 7 at Gulfstream Park and made an impressive 4-year-old debut, taking the $500,000 Donn Handicap (gr. I) wire-to-wire while holding off 2014 Donn winner Lea (VIDEO).

Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/90026/constitution-wires-donn-handicap-over-lea#ixzz3RGAWLSCu

letcher's Big Year Ends With Seventh Eclipse

• By Frank Angst,
• January 17, 2015 9:35 PM
• 39 Comments
• Racing

Photo: Coglianese Photos

Todd Pletcher