Walk Close stamps Beverly D. ticket with a Modesty win
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Highland Yard LLC’s Walk Close showed brilliant acceleration to best her fellow female turf fillies and mares and win the Grade III $100,000 Modesty Handicap Saturday afternoon at Arlington International Racecourse. After breaking last of all from the four-hole of nine starters, the daughter of Tapit settled in seventh before saving ground on the turn, tipping out and displaying an impressive turn of foot to wear down Mango Diva by a half-length for trainer Christophe Clement. The top three finishers in the Modesty all earned themselves a free roll into the Grade I $700,000 Beverly D. on Aug. 15 – Arlington Million Day.
Ridden by James Graham for the first time, the Kentucky-bred traveled the 1 3/16-miles distance in 1:57.08 over rain-soaked good ground on Arlington's turf course after earlier fractions of 24.02, 49.22, 1:13.71, and 1:38.72 were set by Steven Frum’s Seeking Treasure under Jerome Lermyte. Sent off at a generous 4.80-1, Walk Close returned $11.60, $6.20 and $3.40 as the public's co-fourth wagering choice, earning $57,600 to boost her career bankroll to $279,788. The Modesty was her first graded victory and second stakes victory overall after taking last summer’s $100,000 Wild Applause Stakes at Belmont Park.
“I had a beautiful trip and followed the pace around there, picked up the spread to home and did it well,” beamed Graham. “The ground is a little soft, but she did it the right way. She’s a really nice filly.”
“I was really pleased with her,” Lee Vickers, assistant to Clement, said. “She has been improving and ran her race today. James rode a beautiful race and she showed she’s a very nice filly. The best place to be was on the inside and he kept her there until he had to get her out and she really responded nicely.”
Augustin Stable’s Group II-winning Mango Diva – also at 4.80-1 – finished a hard-driving second under Florent Geroux for trainer Michael Matz in what was only her second American start after 11 in Europe, returning $5.60 and $3.80. Haras Phillipson’s Gaga A, also making her second stateside start after a European tenure, closed from mid-pack to be beaten 2¼ lengths under Flavien Prat for Hall of Fame trainer Neil Drysdale, returning $3.40 to show as the 3.20-1 favorite.
“It was a great trip,” Geroux said. “I was exactly where I wanted to be, but I just got outkicked at the end.”
“I was pleased with that,” echoed Joss Saville, assistant to Matz. “It was encouraging. I think she did everything well, she just got caught. She broke nicely and relaxed and was in good position the whole time. She may like a little quicker ground. We would like to come back here for the Beverly D.”
“We had a good trip, but she is better when the ground is faster,” Prat said of the beaten favorite.
“I think she ran well,” Drysdale said. “She was a bit close and I think she was moving well. She may be a little better on faster ground.”
Multiple graded stakes winner Riposte and Overheard completed the top five, followed by Seeking Treasure, Honey Lake, Lots o’ Lex and Rock Me Mama. Notte D’Oro scratched.
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Live Oak Plantation’s World Approval, a regally bred son of Northern Afleet, notched his first graded stakes win when holding firm in deep stretch to register a neck win in Saturday’s Grade III $100,000 American Derby at Arlington International Racecourse on Million Preview Day. The top-three finishers all received automatic berths into the Grade I $450,000 Secretariat Stakes on August 15 with their entry and starting fees waived.
Sent to post as the even-money favorite, World Approval pressed a soft pace set by Lothenbach Stables’ Nun the Less through splits of 25.46, 52.46 and 1:18.12 over good turf and completed the 1 1/8-miles journey in 1:52.92. Ridden by Jose Lezcano for trainer Mark Casse, World Approval returned $4.20, $3.20 and $2.60. The win was World Approval’s third in seven lifetime starts and the $58,800 winner’s share boosted his career bankroll to $174,050.
“I felt very confident all the way,” Lezcano said. “When I asked him at the quarter, he had a good kick and he went on to win the race. He is very good.”
Casse was equally enthused about his charge’s performance, saying “I’m really happy with him. I’m not sure that’s exactly the way he wants to run, but good horses can overcome things. He got it done and we plan on being back on Aug. 15 (for the Grade I $450,000 Secretariat Stakes).”
Godolphin Racing’s Eoin Harty-trained Crittenden, under jockey Flavien Prat, made a menacing move off the turn, but could not collar the leader in the final strides and returned $6.80 and $4.40. A winner of the $75,000 P D J F Stakes at Indiana Grand in his most recent start, the son of Distorted Humor progressed once more with the game effort.
Prat was pleased with his mount’s effort. “The pace was really slow, but I think if it was faster I could have won,” he noted. “He gave me a good answer.”
Nun the Less dug in until deep stretch after setting modest splits, but was overtaken late and held third for trainer Chris Block and jockey Florent Geroux, returning $3.20.
“We got a great trip,” Geroux said. “I couldn’t have gone any slower. I think that a mile and an eighth might be too much for my horse.”
“I thought he ran hard and I don’t think that was his game,” Block said. “None the less – no pun intended – I thought we may end up there on the lead and we dug in the best we could. (Geroux) did a great job.”
King of New York, Firespike, Raagheb and Slope completed the order of finish.
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Warner Thoroughbreds’ Quiet Force stamped his ticket to the 33rd Grade I $1,000,000 Arlington Million with a powerful performance in the Grade III $100,000 Arlington Handicap Saturday afternoon at Arlington International Racecourse. After breaking on top in the field of seven older horses, the son of the late Dynaformer relaxed in second place before tipping out at the top en route to a hard-fought three-quarter-length score for trainer Mike Maker.
Ridden by Julien Leparoux, the Kentucky-bred traveled the 1 3/16-mile distance in 1:56.50 over good ground on Arlington's world-renowned turf course after stalking earlier fractions of 24.02, 48.39, 1:13.34, and forging to the front after a mile in 1:38.34. Sent off at 5.20-1, Quiet Force returned $12.40, $4.40 and $2.80 as the public's fourth wagering choice, earning $58,800 to boost her career bankroll to $247,870. The Arlington Handicap was only his second race in over a year after a third-place finish in allowance company at Parx and allows him, along with the second- and third-place finishers, a free roll into the Million.
“On paper it didn’t look like too much pace (in the race), so I just wanted to make sure he broke good,” said a very pleased Leparoux. “Actually when (Dramedy) went (to the lead), it was great for us. We got a target and finished up strong.”
Trainer Mike Maker indicated after the race that the victorious bay 5-year-old horse – whom he claimed for $40,000 just six races back in March 2014 out of a Santa Anita dirt race – would be aimed toward the Million on Aug. 15.
Mr. and Mrs. Bertram R. Firestone’s Middleburg finished a game second after shifting to the inside of the winner under a drive and was simply outkicked by the victor under James Graham for trainer Christophe Clement, returning $3.20 and $2.40 as the 2.30-1 second choice. Sam-Son Farm’s Up With the Birds, ridden by Drayden Van Dyke for Graham Motion, closed from the rear of the field, but came up short after a troublesome trip, crossing the wire third – beaten three lengths and returning $2.10 to show as the 1.10-1 favorite. John James Revocable Trust’sDramedy completed the top-four after setting the pace under Rosemary Homeister, Jr.
“He ran good, he was just second best. Just not quite good enough today,” Graham said. Clement assistant Lee Vickers echoed those sentiments, “We couldn’t be happier. I think the winner appreciated the ground a little more than we did, but (Middleburg) ran his race and put in his run.”
The race did not unfold as kindly for race favorite and 2013 Canadian Horse of the Year Up With the Birds. “I had to check out of the gate and going into the first turn (Samantha Colvin on Yankee Dealer) had trouble controlling her horse,” Van Dyke reported. “I got into a good position but then got some pressure and bumping on my outside from her again on the backside. Honestly, I still thought I was the winner turning for home, but I couldn’t get to them.”
“Obviously I’m a little disappointed with the outcome, as he was a short favorite,” Motion said. “Having said that, I thought the race was quite awkward for him in the beginning and he might have shuffled back more than we would have liked. I’d like to give him the benefit of the doubt after that. The idea was (a prep for) the Million and as long as he gets something out of this, we should be able to hopefully move forward.”
“He ran great,” Homeister said of her Grade II-winning fourth-place finisher. “He set a good pace and he is a strong horse who likes to dictate his own terms. When I asked him, he just took off, but we got outsprinted at the end. I thought we were going to be third.”
The 80th running of the Arlington Handicap was completed by Coco Mon, Yankee Dealer and Looks to Spare. Triple Threat, R. Great Adventureand The Pizza Man were scratched.
Source: Arlington Park
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