Quaesitor and jockey Gerry Olguin waited, and waited and waited some more at the back of the pack on Sunday at Woodbine in the 1 3/4 miles Grade III $150,000 […]
Quaesitor and jockey Gerry Olguin waited, and waited and waited some more at the back of the pack on Sunday at Woodbine in the 1 3/4 miles Grade III $150,000 Valedictory Stakes. And when all but one in front had tired, they made their move, surging by the bulk of the field and then running down Eagle Poise in the lane to win by three lengths at odds of 9-2. Heavily favored Eagle Poise (2-5), the defending race champ and track/distance record holder, was a further 3 1/2 lengths ahead of Payton, who went off at 10-1.
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Breaking cleanly from the gate, Olguin was content to take Quaesitor to the back of the seven-horse field (the field was reduced by one with the vet scratch of Tricky Hat), where he loped along in tandem with Eagle Poise through the first mile, while double-digit longshots Gallant Eagle, Turkish and Address Unknown kept each other company on the lead. Even when Eagle Poise began to move going into the far turn, Olguin kept Quaesitor in check as Awesome Overture moved to the lead.
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It wasn’t until they turned for home and Eagle Poise made his run on the lead that Olguin loosened the reigns, and his timing was perfect. By the sixteenth-pole he had poked a head in front, and the favorite essentially threw in the towel. It was the first stakes victory in five tries for the grandson of 1998 Queen’s Plate winner Archer’s Bay, and ups his lifetime record to six wins, a second and four thirds in 17 starts. The Valedictory was the feature on closing day of the 2013 Woodbine thoroughbred meet.
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Saturday, January 29 at Gulfstream Park is one of the biggest races of the year: the Pegasus World Cup (G1)! This $3 million race, covering a mile and an eighth on the Gulfstream dirt track, drew a field of nine handicap horses. The eyes of the racing world will be on Gulfstream on Saturday, and you can bet it from the comfort of your own home here in Canada!
The Kentucky Derby trail makes its way to Oklahoma on Friday, December 17 for the Remington Springboard Mile! The race drew a field of nine up-and-coming two-year-olds to go a mile on the main track. The prizes are rich: a $400,000 purse, as well as Road to the Kentucky Derby points (10-4-2-1) for the first four horses across the wire.
The Los Alamitos Futurity (G2), California’s most important Kentucky Derby Prep in December, is coming up on Saturday, December 11! The race features the most promising two-year-olds in California, set to go a mile and a sixteenth over the dirt at Los Alamitos Racecourse. The race offers a purse of $300,000, as well as Road to the Kentucky Derby points, apportioned 10-4-2-1 to the top four finishers.
Let's have a look at the 2021 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf betting picks and predictions.
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