Arcangelo wins Travers Stakes: Belmont Stakes winner Arcangelo romped home with an impressive win in 2023 Travers Stakes at the Saratoga Race Course in New York on Saturday. The son of Arrogate, under the guidance of jockey Javier Castellano, surged past his rivals in the middle part of the US$1.25-million race and sustained his lead to hold off Disarm by one length. Arcangelo’s Travers Stakes conquest followed up his big win in Belmont and allowed Jena Antonucci to become the second woman to train a winning horse in the history of the Grade 1 derby. The No2 favorite behind Forte won his fourth straight race after finishing second and fourth in his first two starts. The three-year-old’s latest conquest places him as a possible sports oddsmakers‘ favorite for November’s Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Arcangelo wins Travers Stakes: A Surprise From the Mid-pack
The gray ridgling completed the 1 1/4-mile race in two minutes and 2.23 seconds. Venezuelan jockey Javier Castellano steadily paced Arcangelo in the mid-pack to prepare him for a big attack in the last four furlongs. The 45-year-old guided the horse to a big surge down the stretch to outclass Disarm, Tapit Trice and top favorite Forte, who checked in second, third and fourth, respectively. National Treasure, Scotland and Mage rounded out the entries in this prestigious race.
It was Castellano’s seventh Travers victory and reinforced his fruitful 2023 that already handed him his first Kentucky and Belmont Derbies as a jockey. Castellano, however, was forced to decide on whether to ride Arcangelo and Mage, the Kentucky Derby winner. Mage’s handlers, however, made it easier for the Venezuelan, as they decided to designate Flavien Prat as their jockey. This allowed Castellano to ride Arcangelo, who eventually secured top honors.
Eda Tops Rancho Bernardo Handicap for 7th Straight Win
Four-year-old filly Eda gained her seventh straight win by topping the Grade 2 Rancho Bernardo Handicap on Sunday at the Del Mar Racetrack. The 4-5 favorite emerged victorious in the 6 1/2-furlong race as she edged past Kirstenbosch by 1 1/2 lengths in the USD126,000 race. The daughter of Munnings finished the race with a time of one minute and 16.49 seconds and recorded her eighth victory in 10 starts. Eda and his handlers won US$75,000 to raise his earnings to US$667,600. Jockey Juan Hernandez guided Eda to victory for the fifth straight time. Princess Adaleigh finished third.
According to Hernandez, Eda came out of the blocks and was running fine. The jockey guided the horse to victory by keeping her relaxed from the five-eighths part of the race to the stretch run. The calm composure enabled the horse to win the race. The stakes win was the fourth of the meet for Hernandez and was the fourth for trainer Bob Baffert. It was also Hernandez’s second win in the Rancho Bernardo and 37th overall at Del Mar. Baffert notched his third Rancho Bernardo Stakes win and 160th overall.
Reyes, Joseph Shine in Royal Palm Meet
Arcangelo Wins Travers Stakes: Jockey Leonel Reyes and trainer Saffie Joseph Jr were the biggest winners in the Royal Palm Meet that concluded on Sunday at Gulfstream Park. Reyes won 93 races in the meet to emerge as the best rider. It was the first riding title in the United States for the 37-year-old Venezuelan, who arrived in South Florida in 2016 after winning 1,400 races in his hometown. Reyes got off to big start and did not waver in the four-month stretch. He finished 18 wins ahead of runnerup Edwin Gonzalez. In a statement, Reyes said that it took a lot of hardwork to help the horses emerge victorious in the races that are part of the meet. He rode 30 winners during the Championship meet to surpass the 100-win mark this year. It was the second straight year that Reyes went past 100 wins.
Gulfstream Glory: Saffie Joseph Jr’s Back-to-Back Triumphs, Equine Stars, and Upcoming Horseracing Excitement
Meanwhile, Joseph added another title in Gulfstream by winning 66 races in the meet. It was the second straight Championship Meet title for the 36-year-old trainer, who was 11 clear of Jose D’Angelo. Another big win for the third-generation horseman, who described that it was vindication for what have happened in May. It may be recalled that Joseph was suspended by Churchill Downs after two of his horses died suddenly. He was reinstated in July and is allowed to enter horses in races as well as apply for stalls at all Churchill Downs Incorporated tracks immediately. The development comes after the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission conducted an investigation and necropsies necropsies of the two horses under his care did not find any conclusive causes.
The horse Dean Delivers was the equine star of the Royal Palm Meet. The Michael Yates-trained thoroughbred reeled in good results in the season, which was highlighted by his 2 3/4-length win in the Grade 3 Smile Sprint on July 1 and came in third in the Grade 1, Alfred G. Vanderbilt at Saratoga. Smile Sprint second placer Big and Classy was the winningest horse in the four-month meet with five victories. Up next is the Sunshine Meet which will kick off on Friday, September 1, and ends on November 26. The meet will serve as the precursor for the Championship Meet Opener on December 1. The world’s top online horseracing betting site will feature the best bets for the season’s races and provide the preferable picks and parlays for the whole meet.
