After winning last year’s race, Bo Hirsch’s Ce Ce to be definitively repeated in $300,000 Princess Rooney Invitation Shares (G2) on July 2 at Gulfstream Parkearned another paid landing in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) at Keeneland in the fall.
Daughter trained by Michael McCarthy’s Elusive quality captured Princess Rooney by 3 1/4 lengths last year before winning the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Del Mar to win the Eclipse Award as the champion female sprinter.
said McCarthy, who watched Princess Rooney in her Southern California living room before arriving Santa Anita . Park. “She’s very special.”
Ce Ce’s encore performance probably topped her first visit to Gulfstream Park. She scored 6 1/2 lengths as 2-5 favorites.
The 6-year-old mare placed in fourth place on the leaderboard is Do pranks Set speed along the backstretch after breaking cautiously from her zero. 6th place just outside of Ce Ce.
Based on Gulfstream Spirit Wind keep a close eye on the stakeholder along the rear boom and at the fork before challenging Make Mischief to the villager’s turn and taking the lead. Meanwhile, Ce Ce responded when commanded by Hall of Fame jumper Victor Espinoza, running three laps and apparently with an outside steering stroke.
Ce Ce stamped her ticket to @BreedersCup Filly and Mare Sprint with another win in G2 Princess Rooney Invitational Stakes @GulfstreamPark! Cheers to all Trainer connections @mwmracing, @VictorEspinoza & Owner Bo Hirsch, LLC!@breederscup #winandyourin pic.twitter.com/6mzVJFv0Wl
– TVG (@TVG) July 2, 2022
“I was lucky that the horse outside cleared us up and I just released the leads. I didn’t want to stay too far today. I wanted to get up to speed,” Espinoza said. “I didn’t want them to sneak away from me, but at three-eighths I asked her to go and she moved on.”
Ce Ce competed seven times in 1hr 22.20 to collect her 10th win and push her career earnings to $2,277,100. Carrying a tall 124 pounds, she paid $2.80 to win.
“I told Victor to just get out there. I’m not sure what outside we would do. speed,” McCarthy said. “She did what I expected her to do. Obviously, it’s never convenient when you’re shipping around the country, but it’s a track that she loves. The distance of the race was great. .”
For McCarthy, Ce’s victory continues his fortune at Gulfstream Park, where he saddles his horse City of light to win the 2019 Pegasus World Cup Tournament (G1). McCarthy reports that the plan for Ce Ce’s next start has yet to be decided.
“We’re going to play it by ear, but we can follow the same program we followed last year,” said McCarthy, last year’s champion mare that ran in the Ketel One Ballerina Handicap (G1) at Racecourse Saratogaand Chillingworth Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita ahead of her Breeders’ Cup point.
Ce Ce out of place 1 mare wins Belong to Me Miss Houdini . The dam has nine winners out of 10 starting ponies including Papa Clem , winner of the Arkansas Derby (G2) and the San Fernando Stakes (G2). She also generates the stakes set Stradella Road . Her last reported pony was a 3 year old American pharoah The pony is named Native Thunder.
Video: Princess Rooney Invitational S. (G2)
Willy Boi Captures Smile Sprint, Drain the Clock 4
Lea Farms’ Willy Boi Benefit from a perfect ride led by Chantal Sutherland to sign up for a previously comfortable long period win on the card in the $150,000 Smile Sprint Invitational (G3) Stakes.
Slightly favored at level 4-5 over the winner of class 1 Watch discharge Willy Boi also scooped up a $50,000 ‘Win Only’ bonus for Florida bred winners.
Drain the Clock took a 3-goal lead into the penalty area but was quickly beaten by Willy Boi, who was rated slower than the pace of contention. Willy Boi continued to open up a clear lead in the section and controlled the line, keeping a late run Pudding .
Willy Boi ran six feathers in 1:09.71. Pudding increased from last position to second position, front 3 1/4 length Absolute Grit . Discharge the Fatigue Watch to complete another length back in fourth place.
Willy Boi Wins Smile Sprint Invitational Stakes at Gulfstream Park
Sutherland said: “I was a bit nervous at the gate because there was a bit of noise and commotion. “We broke a little bit slow, but the track played a bit for the slow-closers and didn’t hold the pace either, so it worked in our favor.
“I’m comfortable, but I still have my eye on (Discharge the watch). I think he ran a great race. In the lane when I got to him I wanted to stay away from him because I knew. he’s a pit bull and he is. I’m going to fight, and I don’t want to fight him today, so I want to stay away from him.”
The 4-year-old captured Hutcheson Stakes and finished fourth in last year’s Smile competition, now undefeated in three starts since being transferred to coach Jorge Delgado, having taken eight months off his job to get his hands on optional claim allowance on April 8. at Tampa Bay Downs before preparing for Smile with an impressive win in Big Drama Staking on May 28 at Gulfstream.
SPRINT G3🏆 SMILE
• WILLY BOI •
Jorge Delgado @RacingDelgado
Chantal Sutherland @jockeychantal pic.twitter.com/rsHsxfcbPp– Claudia Spadaro (@ClaudiaSpadaro) July 2, 2022
“I am very grateful that Lea Farms gave me the opportunity to train these horses,” said Delgado. “I hope I can get more of this horse’s quality because I love winning races like this.”
For Sutherland, winning the Smile Sprint further revived his career at Gulfstream Park.
Sutherland said: “Initially it meant a lot to me, being at the top, but now being at the top and at the bottom, to come back, it means even more, ‘ said Sutherland.
The Smile is one of 12 classified dirt stakes included in Breeders’ Cup Dirt Dozen, an incentive-based participation bonus program. Willy Boi earned a $30,000 credit toward the $2 million Qatar Racing Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) entry fee on November 5 in Keeneland. Second-place finisher Pudding received $15,000 in credits, while third-placer Absolute Grit received $7,500 in credits.
Delgado said he has no firm plans for Willy Boi’s next start.
“Still undecided but I think we’ll go to Saratoga with him,” said Delgado, whose ultimate goal is his 4-year-old son. Not collected is Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
Willy Boi escapes mare Yes It True Shining moment who has six winners out of six ponies to start with. Among the ones she produced were Petulant Delight , winner $182,029. Willy Boi was her last reported pony.
Video: Smile Sprint Invitational S. (G3)
