Old Harbor presses, prevails in Hettinger

by Sarah Mace

Joseph Birnbaum’s homebred filly Old Harbor, by New York sire Raffie’s Majesty, collected her second career stakes victory at Belmont Park on Sunday in the $125,000 John Hettinger for state-bred fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles over the inner turf course.

The Monmouth Park-based 4-year-old, trained for Birnbaum by Russell Cash, pressed a moderate pace set by Freudie Anne (25.02, 49.71), first on the inside from post one, then tipping into the two path in the first turn.

Pressing the leader along the backstretch, she drew even with Freudie Anne midway through the far turn, then kicked clear in upper stretch on her way to a 3 1/2-length victory as 3-1 fourth choice in the relatively evenly-matched field of seven New York-bred fillies and mares.

The Tea Cups, the 2-1 favorite to whom Old Harbor finished second in the Yaddo at Saratoga on August 28, finished second from off the pace, followed across the line by Selenite at 3-1. Unbelievable Dream, Freudie Anne, Chrysolite and Saythreehailmary’s completed the order of finish. Old Harbor’s final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:47.95. [VIDEO[2]]

Winning jockey Elvis Trujillo said, “It was a perfect race. The speed went [to the front], I sat down behind and I could feel that the pace was really slow. Turning for home, I asked and the horse kicked. I could see the TV and saw nobody was coming and my horse wasn’t stopping. [S]he just kept going.”

Miguel Santiago, assistant to trainer Russell Cash, said, “This filly always gives her all. She tries hard and is an absolutely stunning horse. Every time she comes up here she gives her all; her performance speaks for itself. She seems to have a liking for this turf course.”

Now a five-time winner, two-time stakes winner and on-the-board finisher in 12 of 16 starts, Old Harbor has won four races from eight starts over the Belmont sod. Also winner of last year’s NYSS Cupecoy’s Joy at Belmont in a field of 12, she has five stakes placings to her credit and has earned $395,405.

Santiago continued, “When I saw the fractions – the half went in :50 [49.71 seconds] – it was a slow pace. That’s an open gallop for her; she’s a big girl. I just thought at that point if she had anything left she would absolutely accelerate from there, and she did. She had a good turn of foot.”

Old Harbor’s dam Royal Mast was purchased by Cash as a weanling for a mere $8,500 in 2001 at the Fasig-Tipton December mixed sale. A New York-bred daughter of Roy, Royal Mast won her debut on dirt and started twice more, including a runner-up allowance finish, before beginning her career as a broodmare.

Royal Mast has produced all winners from five foals to start, including another multiple stakes-placed Shipwreckstreasure, by Service Stripe, a $254,336-earner. Royal Mast’s most recent reported foal is a yearling colt by Girolamo.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2015/09/20/old-harbor-hettinger/

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Kharafa flies home to capture second Ashley T. Cole

by Sarah Mace

Paul Braverman and Timothy Pinch’s Kharafa (Kitalpha) enjoyed what turned out to be – for him – a dream trip on his way to winning his second $125,000 Ashley T. Cole for New York-breds at 1 1/8 miles over Belmont’s inner turf course on Sunday.

Sometimes rank when on the lead or chasing, the 6-year-old gelding relaxed while covered up in the early stages of the race, then launched an explosive charge in the stretch on his way to a two-length victory.

Off a half-step behind the rest from his outside post of five, Kharafa, second choice at 2-1, tucked in neatly behind Lubash and Iron Power who raced second and third around the clubhouse turn and along the backstretch, while 31-1 longshot More Zen Tea led the field through moderate fractions of 25.62 and 50.88.

Picking up momentum and moving out into the three-path in the far turn, Kharafa then launched his closing bid going widest of all in upper stretch.

Aiming for the lead in tandem with long-time rival and 3-2 favorite Lubash, Kharafa outkicked everyone on his way to a two-length victory. After completing the final furlong in 10.98, his final time was 1:49.13. Runaway Posse closed from last to finish second, while Iron Power, who raced evenly throughout got the show. Lubash and More Zen Tea completed the order of finish. [VIDEO[2]]

Jockey Javier Castellano indicated that increased familiarity with Kharafa over time contributed to the victory. “The one thing about the horse, he needs to relax and stay covered up,” said Castellano. “I think he’s the kind of horse that if you chase horses or go to the lead, he loses power. He’ll lose his kick. He had always dictated the pace but I learned something in April at Keeneland [in an allowance race on the eighteenth]. That day he missed the break and I covered him up and he came from off the pace; he gave me a big kick and finished great. I think that’s the best style for him.”

Castellano said the way the race unfolded was unexpected, however. “Today really surprised me. There wasn’t much speed in the race, and he missed the break, but he was so kind behind the horses. He was laid back, off the bridle, just followed the other horses in a nice, good rhythm. Turning for home, I just asked a little bit, pushed the button, and he just took off. He’s amazing. To ask and see a horse respond like that is an advantage.”

The race dynamics came as a bit of a surprise to trainer Timothy Hills also. “I was surprised the way it came up, said Hills. “I handicapped the race and thought [number one Iron Power] would be in front. I told Javier, ‘Don’t let the one go out and walk the dog and you end up outside fighting him.’ He looked at me funny in the paddock and I thought, ‘OK.’”

Hills continued, “The way it broke, [Kharafa] broke just a step slow and fell in and Javier covered him up. He was so relaxed, which is a problem we’ve had before with him getting rank. [Javier] had him relaxed nicely and he just exploded. I’m not going to give him instructions any more other than ‘Good luck.'”

Kharafa’s second victory in the Ashley T. Cole was his sixth career turf stakes victory overall. With 11 wins, eight second and four thirds, he has earned $835,137 and has won seven of 15 starts over the Belmont sod.

Hills said the gelding may start once or twice more this year before getting the winter off. “You can’t get the urge to push a New York-bred turf horse through the winter. We always put him away for the winter and bring him back. He’ll have a couple more races then he’ll go to the farm and we’ll see you next year.”

Kharafa was bred, and campaigned in the first part of his career, by Lawrence Durocher, Jr. After Durocher passed away in 2013, Kharafa won the Ashley T. Cole for Durocher’s estate and was then was sold by Durocher’s daughter Kate to Braverman, a Boston investment manager.

Foaled at Mill Creek Farm[3] in Stillwater, Kharafa issues from the first North American crop of Kitalpha, a full brother to Kingmambo. Kharafa’s unraced dam Exquisite Cassie (King of Kings [IRE]), who is a half-sister to multiple stakes-winning New York-bred Lovely Amanda ($376,450), has produced one other winner.

Sold to Chadds Ford Stables for $20,000 at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic December Mixed sale, Exquisite Cassie currently has a juvenile full sister to Kharafa named Saratoga Sassy who is a registered New York-bred. The mare also has produced a yearling colt by E Dubai, and a weanling colt by Union Rags.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2015/09/20/kharafa-second-ashley-t-cole/

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Breakthrough stakes victory for Hot City Girl, wire-to-wire winner of G3 Charles Town Oaks

by Sarah Mace

Hot City Girl, owned by Sheila Rosenblum’s Lady Sheila Stable and trained by Linda Rice, was perhaps best known to this point as a promising half-sister to La Verdad, a multiple graded stakes winner and million dollar-earner for the same connections.

The talented sophomore made headlines in her own right on Saturday night in West Virginia when she enjoyed a breakthrough first stakes victory in frontrunning style in the Grade 3, $350,000 Charles Town Oaks.

The two-time winner and two-time stakes-placed daughter of City Zip added blinkers, perhaps tipping her hand that she would use her speed as her main weapon under jockey Jose Ortiz for the two-turn, seven-furlong tilt in the six-furlong Charles Town “bullring,”

Winner of state-bred allowance in January and placed just once during a steady diet of four stakes races since, Hot City Girl ended up as the fourth betting choice in the field of six at odds of 7-1.

Breaking from post three, Hot City Girl darted toward the front to take over the two path, then took possession of the coveted rail spot by the time the field entered the first turn.

Leading by a length, but pressed intently by Tootsie Rules through an opening quarter mile in 22.96 and a half in 46.74, Hot City Girl still kept at least a neck ahead of her rival through the far turn. Opening up at the top of the stretch, she hit the wire a 2 1/2-length winner.

Temper Mint Patty completed a New York-bred exacta, closing from third to nose out Tootsie Rules for the place. White Clover, Fusaichi Red and 3-2 favorite Sarah Sis completed the order of finish. After three-quarters in 1:10.64, Hot City Girl completed the two-turn seven furlongs in a final time of 1:23.60. [VIDEO[3]]

Trainer Linda Rice said, “We’re absolutely thrilled.  I’d scratched her out of the Prioress when she drew the 1 [post] in a large field and I didn’t like the way the race set up for her.  She was 6-to-1 in here, so it wasn’t like she was a big favorite or something, but Jose [Ortiz] rode a beautiful race.”

Added Rice, “We had been trying to get her graded placed or a graded win.  She’s a half-sister to La Verdad and I’ve trained for Mrs. Rosenblum for a while, so this is special.” The conditioner mentioned the Grade 2, $250,000 Lexus Raven Run for 3yo fillies going 7 furlongs on the main track on October 17 at Keeneland as a possibility for Hot City Girl’s next start.

Bred by Eklektikos Stable LLC, and foaled, like La Verdad, at Chester and Mary Broman’s Chestertown Farm in Chestertown, Hot City Girl is another feather in the cap of her dam Noble Fire, a stakes-placed runner bred by Chester and Mary Broman also trained by Rice.

Rice bought Noble Fire for Eklektikos for $115,000 at the 2007 OBS Spring sale of 2-year-olds in training. In addition to stakes winner La Verdad and Hot City Girl, Noble Fire’s first foal, the speedy eight-time winner N. F.’s Destiny, has earned over $300,000 and all together, the mare’s progeny have earned over $1.8 million.

From three firsts and two seconds from nine career starts Hot City Girl has earned $344,150.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2015/09/20/hot-city-girl-charles-town-oaks/

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