Red Knight has coming out party in Gulfstream’s H. Allen Jerkens Stakes

By Sarah Mace

Red Knight, a homebred for Tom Egan’s Trinity Farm, officially staked out his territory as a turf marathoner to be reckoned with Saturday when he came out on top of a 13-horse field in Gulfstream Park’s $100,000 H. Allen Jerkens Stakes, a two-mile tilt run twice around the turf course. In the process of winning his first stakes victory, the massive son of Pure Prize, who is also a half-brother to Trinity homebred Macagone, put his name in the record books by establishing a course record time of 3:19.87 for the distance.

A relatively lightly-raced 4-year-old gelding with 10 prior starts, Red Knight had already compiled a strong record in shorter turf routes, winning five of eight tries on grass. A maiden-breaker second out on July 15, 2017 going 1 1/16 miles at Belmont Park, Red Knight won four of his next five races, winning through his New York-bred allowance conditions, missing a win by just a nose in an initial try against open company, then winning a pair of open allowance races. Graduating to the state-bred stakes ranks, Red Knight finished fifth by two lengths in the Ashley T. Cole and collected third in the Mohawk. Last out on November 17, in the off-the-turf Red Smith Handicap, the gelding started poorly before finishing fifth.

Red Knight (5-1 third choice) spent the early stages of Saturday’s marathon in midpack, still in ninth after a full circuit of the track and only beginning to pick up steam with four furlongs left to go. The early splits were fairly aggressive for the distance (24.22, 48.40, 1:13.02, 1:39.05).

Rounding the fourth and final turn, Red Knight made a powerful five-wide move under jockey Luis Saez and swept to the lead. In command in the stretch, he still one more challenge to face, when odds-on favorite Soglio under Jose Ortiz came calling.

Digging down deep in the final strides, Red Knight held off the interloper to secure the victory by a head. Finishing third as the 9-2 second choice was Nessy under Julien Leparoux.

“It was a long race and they went pretty fast at first. I just tried to hold my horse, because he wanted to run off also in the first turn,” Saez said. “I just tried to stay patient all the way and in the last turn at the five eighths pole I came out and let him pick it up a little. When we came to the three eighths pole, he was ready to take off.”

“Luis made a tactical move leaving the backstretch,” said Ken McCarthy, trainer Bill Mott’s longtime assistant. “He got the jump on the favorite, who looked like he had a little trouble. It worked out well for our horse.”

Red Knight’s first stakes victory improves his record to six wins, two seconds and a third from 11 career starts and increases his earning’s bankroll to $340,440.

Red Knight, who was foaled at Keane Stud[3] in Amenia, is one of four winners and the second foal to earn black type out of Isabel Away, a winning daughter of Skip Away. Her third foal is Macagone by Artie Schiller, a New York-bred three-time stakes winner, including his sire’s namesake race in 2016 and back-to-back editions of the Danger’s Hour Stakes in 2016 and 2017. Macagone has started 35 times and earned $558,731, while Isabel Away’s full brother to Red Knight Birchwood Road, another iron horse, made 46 lifetime starts.

Isabel Away has a weanling colt by Magician and was bred in 2018 to Twirling Candy.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2018/12/29/red-knigh-jerkens/

---

Mr. Buff proves mighty tough in Alex M. Robb

By Sarah Mace

Chester and Mary Broman’s Mr. Buff garnered his first career stakes victory with pure grit when he won the 9-furlong, $100,000 Alex M. Robb Stakes for New York-bred 3-year-olds and up on Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack. After winning an early battle for the lead, the 4-year-old chestnut gelding raced under pressure throughout, then dug down deep to fend off a final late surge by Twisted Tom.

Second choice at odds of 5-2 in the field of six veterans – scratched down from eight after the defection of Hit It Once More and Caledonia – Mr. Buff faced his fourteenth and final start of the year looking to cap a highly successful 2018 for trainer John Kimmel and the Bromans. Seven times in the exacta, with three wins, and nine times in the money in 13 tries, Mr. Buff was also looking for his third straight victory in Robb as well as a first stakes tally. On November 14 and 28, going the same 1 1/8-mile trip as the Robb at Aqueduct, the chestnut won through his open allowance conditions.

Following an even break for all and outkicked early by the speedy Black Tide, Mr. Buff settled in second at the rail. Midway along the backstretch, he took matters into his own hands and struck the front.

When Black Tide threw in the towel late on the backstretch, ultimately to be put under a precautionary hold, Twisted Tom advanced from third to second and made it his mission to pressure Mr. Buff all the way to the wire.

The pair got on virtually even terms at the quarter pole, but Mr. Buff, with his inside track, again shook off his rival, apparently putting him away.

Twisted Tom, however, starting only twice before in 2018 and well-beaten on both occasions, appeared resurgent following a 131-day break and move to the barn of Bill Mott. His determination, too, was on display to the wire. In deep stretch, he made a final surge and drew up close to Mr. Buff. When the wire intervened in the battle, Mr. Buff had the decision by a nose.

Winning jockey David Cohen said, “[Mr. Buff]’s the type of horse that even though he’s very speedy, you don’t really want to ask him, because he gets too rank early. So, in my mind, I thought the outside horse [Black Tide] was going to go like it did. I let him develop into his pace and find his stride that he likes down the backside. Once he finds his stride, he has so much heart and is really hard to pass. He showed that again today.”

Following fractions of 23.95, 48.42, 1:13.26, 1:39.45, the final time for 1 1/8 miles over the drying-out muddy (harrowed) oval was 1:53.59. Finishing behind the front two were 3-2 favorite Control Group in third, Testosterstone, Winston’s Chance and Black Tide. [VIDEO REPLAY[3]]

Mr. Buff is a third generation Broman homebred through – exceptionally enough – the male line. He is sired by the couple’s multiple stakes winning homebred Friend or Foe, who is, in turn, a son of Friends Lake, the Broman’s homebred graded stakes winner also turned sire.

Mr. Buff’s dam is Speightful Affair (Speightstown), a graded stakes placed Ontario-bred who was purchased by Chester and Mary Broman for $80,000 at the Fasig-Tipton 2013 winter mixed sale. In 2018 she produced a full sister to Mr. Buff and has been bred back to Friend or Foe, who stands at Smallwood Farm in Virginia.

For his career, from seven wins, six seconds and three thirds in 25 starts, Mr. Buff has earned $477,536.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2018/12/29/mr-buff-robb/

---

Espresso Shot impresses in East View

By Sarah Mace

NY Final Furlong Racing Stable and Maspeth Stable’s Espresso Shot dispatched a full, competitive field of New York-bred juvenile fillies to win Saturday’s co-featured $100,000 East View at Aqueduct Racetrack in impressive fashion.

Strongly supported by bettors as the 2-1 co-favorite of 11 fillies, Espresso Shot got out of the gate cleanly from post seven and settled into stride mid-pack. Meanwhile, the speedy multiple stakes winner Sassy Agnes and Shelley Ann, who was fresh off a December 8 maiden special weight romp on December 8, vied for the lead. Shelly Anne, hugging the rail from her inside post, took command along the backstretch and opened up a one-length advantage.

Espresso Shot, six-deep along the backstretch, steadily advanced from sixth to fourth position by the early part of the far turn, while maneuvering further toward the fence. Moving well in the bend, Espresso Shot drew even with the pacesetters, and the trio lined up across the track: Shelley Ann at the rail, Sassy Agnes between fillies and Espresso Shot three-wide.

Grabbing the lead, and fully in command by the quarter pole, Espresso Shot ultimately galloped off unchallenged to a 3 1/4-length victory.

Shelley Ann, far outrunning her 16-1 odds, stayed on well to preserve the place, fending off a strong closing bid from Elegant Zip (9-1) who finished a head back in third. After a half-mile in 48.10 and six furlongs in 1:14.16, the final time for the one-turn mile was 1:40.73 over a drying-out muddy (harrowed) track.

Completing the order of finish were: Forever Changed, Awesome Alana, Lem Me Have It, Three Birds, Sassy Agnes, Take Me to Hardoon and Little Song. [VIDEO REPLAY[2]]

Winning jockey Eric Cancel said, “I had a wonderful trip. The filly was just dragging me all the way. I just tried to keep her in the clear, trying to get the best spot in the race for her, and that’s how it worked out. We were in the clear all the way and as soon as I asked her and let her go, she opened up on the field.”

The pilot added, “I think she appreciates going a mile. I can place her a little bit better without having to do too much. She likes to be up close going long, and that’s why I let her be where she wanted to be, and it worked out well.”

Abreu, for whom this was a first career stakes victory as a trainer since striking out on his own after serving as an assistant to Chad Brown for nine years, was feeling optimistic about his charge’s chances from the time the race was drawn, especially given her 5-furlong work on December 23, best of 34 at the distance that day at Belmont.

“She’s been training very well,” said Abreu that day. “We skipped the [the Fifth Avenue division of the New York Stallion Series Stakes on December 15] because I think three-quarters is too short for her. I think she wants to go a mile or a mile and a sixteenth. She had a really nice breeze today and a nice gallop out. She’s doing really well.”

Reylu Gutierrez, the jockey aboard runner-up Shelley Ann, was full of praise for his filly’s outstanding effort. “[Shelley Ann] is so game. She showed tremendous heart. [Espresso Shot] passed me a couple of lines wide, but when [Elegant Zip] tried to pass me for place, she pinned her ears and gave it one more try. She’s all heart.”

Espresso Shot’s first career stakes victory in the East View was nicely foreshadowed by her strong performance last out, also under Cancel, when she rallied from well out of it to claim second in the Key Cents Stakes behind Sassy Agnes on November 23 while posting a 75 Beyer Speed Figure, the best last-out figure in the East View field.

Overall, in five starts the Mission Impazible filly has only had one sub-par outing. Third on debut at Saratoga on August 16 in a turf sprint, Expresso Shot came back on September 14 to break her maiden going 1 1/16 miles in an off-the-turf event. Next out, reflecting the high regard in which she is held by her connections, she tried the Grade 2 Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland, where she finished last after being steadied in the first turn. The Key Cents was her next assignment. From two wins, a second and a third the filly has earned $118,600.

Bred by Twin Creeks Farm and sired by leading New York-based third-crop sire Mission Impazible[4] (Sequel Stallions[5]), Expresso Shot is out of Glory Gold, a winning daughter of Medaglia d’Oro bred in New York by Dr. Lance G. Bell. Glory Gold was purchased by Twin Creeks Farm for $125,000 at the 2013 Keeneland November sale and has since changed hands twice, most recently when snapped up by Final Furlong Racing for $13,000 at this year’s renewal of the same sale.

Espresso Shot, Glory Gold’s first foal to earn black type originally sold as a short yearling at the 2017 Keeneland January Sale for $22,000, before being purchased later that year by Final Furlong Racing for $69,000 at the Fasig-Tipton preferred New York-bred yearling sale in Saratoga.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2018/12/29/espresso-shot-impresses-in-east-view/

---