Tag Archive for: George Weaver

Weaver aims talented trio at Juvenile Turf Sprint

/in /by

Royal Ascot scorer Crimson Advocate will lead George Weaver’s three-pronged attack on the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita.

Crimson Advocate provided her American handler with a first winner at the Royal meeting when blazing a trail in the hands of John Velazquez before showing real guts to hold off William Haggas’ Relief Rally in a thrilling finish to the Queen Mary Stakes.

That form has been boosted by the runner-up who is unbeaten in two starts since and having been freshened up over the summer months, Weaver is confident his daughter of Nyquist can dominate once again when returning to the track in California next month.

Crimson Advocate winning the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot
Crimson Advocate winning the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot (David Davies/PA)

“She is breezing great and hopefully she can get a good trip and show us what she can do,” said the handler.

“I wanted to give her a break when she came back (from Ascot). She had a busy campaign and is not an overly big filly – she’s an April foal. It just seemed like a good time (to take a break) and there wasn’t anything lucrative for her over here in the summer. I just wanted to freshen her up and have her right for the big race.

“She’s doing as good as she ever has, so we’re looking forward to it.”

Joining Crimson Advocate on the teamsheet for the $1,000,000 contest are stablemates No Nay Mets and Amidst Waves.

The former, who is owned by baseball star Alex Bregman, disappointed when the mount of Frankie Dettori in the Norfolk Stakes but has since displayed his class on home soil with victories in both the Tyro Stakes at Monmouth Park and the Rosie’s Stakes at Colonial Downs.

Meanwhile, Amidst Waves has won three of her five career starts and, having secured black-type victories at both Monmouth and Saratoga, earnt her place in the line-up with a fine run to finish a nose second to Committee Of One in Keeneland’s Indian Summer Stakes earlier this month.

“All three of them are going for the race,” continued Weaver.

“At Ascot, that wasn’t No Nay Mets, that wasn’t him. I don’t know if he needed to be ridden differently or it was the ground – Frankie said he wasn’t in the right part of the turf course – but he is better than that and he has shown it since he has come back here.

“They are all legitimate contenders, it’s not like only one of them is a legitimate contender and the others just hopefuls. All three of them have put together resumes that make them look good in this race.

“I hate to run horses against each other, but I guess I would rather have three for one race than none.”



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

Crimson Advocate flies the flag for America in the Queen Mary

/in /by

Crimson Advocate and John Velazquez claimed the narrowest of victories in a thrilling climax to the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot.

A field of 26 juvenile fillies went to post for the five-furlong opener on day two and the George Weaver-trained Crimson Advocate made a rapid start in the hands of his Hall of Fame pilot.

The 9-1 shot, a winner at Gulfstream Park in Florida last month, led her rivals a merry dance for much of the way and it was just a question of whether she would hold on racing inside the final furlong.

Relief Rally, unbeaten in two previous starts for William Haggas, came at the leader hard as the post loomed and was in front just before and just after the line – but the judge confirmed Crimson Advocate was a nose in front where it mattered. Beautiful Diamond, the 11-4 favourite, finished third.

Kentucky-born Weaver had saddled just one previous runner at the Royal meeting, with the Velazquez-ridden Cyclogenisis finishing down the field in the 2015 Commonwealth Cup. He was quick to pay tribute to his wife, Cindy, who was badly injured in a riding accident at Saratoga in July last year.

Weaver said: “My wife is a tremendous horsewoman, she knows more about horses than I’ll ever know.

“She took a fall, she had a dramatic brain injury and it was a very scary time, it’s been a tough year for all of us. It’s a miracle. It’s almost a year ago it happened. At some points we didn’t know if she’d live or have any quality of life. This is her first trip away from home since.”

Crimson Advocate was a Florida winner previously
Crimson Advocate was a Florida winner previously (David Davies/PA)

Weaver admitted that while he had high hopes for Crimson Advocate, he was not certain she could make her mark.

He said: “You come to a new country, a strange place – I have so much respect for the horses over here. It always seems like the European horses are better grass horses than what we have over there, but I knew our filly was very talented and I was hoping that she would be able to get the job done.

“Don’t get me wrong, the way she won at Gulfstream, I was very excited about her, but like I said, I have tremendous respect for the trainers and horses that are over here.

“I came here eight years ago with a horse that wasn’t good enough. I thought it would be great if I could ever come back with something that was, and we did.”

Weaver has another live chance with No Nay Mets in Thursday’s Norfolk Stakes and added: “When you try to plan things, you try to buy horses for Ascot, it never works out. It’s just – things come together, and this year we’ve got two nice horses to bring over here.

“Royal Ascot is Royal Ascot, what can you say? You can feel the electricity when you’re here and how special it is, and it’s a beautiful feather for us to have in our cap.

“It’s not the biggest purse I’ve ever won – Vekoma was a tremendous racehorse and I won the Dubai Golden Shaheen early on in 2005 (with Saratoga County). I’ve had some great moments, but this ranks right up there.”

John Velazquez gives the thumbs up following his Ascot win
John Velazquez gives the thumbs up following his Ascot win (David Davies/PA)

Velazquez – who was riding his fourth Royal Ascot winner – said: “I knew she was going to be fast, it was all about if she handled the turf here. It’s a little bit better than yesterday, it was a bit soft for the Americans yesterday, but she handled it very well and held on.

“It’s very hard when they come from America, there’s also the second hill close home they have to handle. On firmer ground it just helps them and that’s what happened today.

“She’s so nice, she handled everything nicely, in fact she was so calm I had to take her away from the others to wake her up a bit! She was a little too quiet, but behind the gates she was very nice.

“She was going so well and in hindsight I almost messed up the race by going too soon. I should have waited longer with the second hill in mind, but she handled it.

“That’s the first time I’ve ridden her, I knew she’d be pretty fast. Every year I try to come back here to get another winner, now I’ve got one it feels great, I’ll be coming for as long as I can.”

He added: “It’s great for George and his wife. A year ago she had a really bad accident and they didn’t think she would walk again so for her to be here is amazing.”

A philosophical Haggas did not have a lot to add to the obvious.

“We were in front before and after the line, but not on. There you go, that’s the way it is, she’s run a great race and made up a lot of ground in the last furlong. She’s run a fine race,” he said.



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

Dettori could be out of this world for Houston Astros’ superstar Bregman

/in /by

Sporting worlds are set to collide at Royal Ascot when Frankie Dettori partners baseball star Alex Bregman’s No Nay Mets in the Norfolk Stakes.

Trained by American George Weaver and owned by the Houston Astros’ third baseman’s Bregman Family Racing, the son of No Nay Never booked his ticket when landing the ‘win and you’re in’ Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes by an impressive three and a half lengths at Gulfstream in May, and will now attempt to become the third US-trained winner of the Group Two Norfolk.

Joining No Nay Mets on the flight across the Atlantic will be stablemate Crimson Advocate, who was equally as impressive on the same afternoon at the Florida track.

She will head to the Queen Mary Stakes as a general 7-1 chance, with Weaver relishing the prospect of getting on the Royal Ascot scoreboard with his pair of five-furlong fliers.

“They were both sharp in victory last time and earned their shot to make this trip,” Weaver said.

“They both did really well at Gulfstream. With two-year-olds, they are so lightly-raced it is hard to tell what you are running against, but they won the right way and it was never a second thought to bring them over to Ascot if they won.

“You don’t just want to shoot for the sake of it, but both have earned their chance to run in these races at Ascot and we’re excited about it.”

Dettori, of course, is no stranger to partnering American raiders at the Royal extravaganza and will be bidding to add to the four Royal Ascot winners he has previously steered for Wesley Ward during what will be his swansong at the showpiece meeting.

Frankie Dettori will partner No Nay Mets in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot
Frankie Dettori will partner No Nay Mets in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot (Adam Davy/PA)

It will, however, be the first time he has ridden for from Weaver during his career and the trainer is delighted to have secured the services of the 52-year-old.

“Dettori will ride the colt and John Velazquez will ride the filly,” he confirmed.

“I don’t even think I’ve had the chance to give Dettori a ride before. Even though he has been in the States, he has been more California. But the man speaks for himself. What a career he has had – and he’s still got it! He’s one of the best in the world.”

And it appears Weaver will trust the Italian to make the right calls aboard the forward-going No Nay Mets as he bids to emulate his sire’s victory from 10 years ago.

He continued: “Both of these horses have plenty of early speed. I’m not sure what that translates to over in Ascot, as I know it is straight and a little uphill.

“No Nay Mets is a handy horse and I don’t even think he needs to lead. He’s got quality. Certainly, we’ll break away from the gates and try to place him forwardly and then the rest will be down to Frankie.”

Before Dettori has been given the leg-up on No Nay Mets, fellow riding great Velazquez will get the chance to notch his fourth Royal Ascot victory in the Queen Mary.

Hall of Fame pilot Velazquez is best known at the meeting for setting hot fractions aboard raiders saddled by Ward and he can be expected to take his customary position at the head of affairs when he rides Crimson Advocate, who is a precocious daughter of Nyquist.

“She’s so quick out of the gates, I wouldn’t want to take that away from her,” continued Weaver.

“In her first race she was behind horses on the dirt and was a little green about it. She was wearing blinkers and had those on, but then took to the grass really well at Gulfstream.

“If there is another horse that is quicker than her then fine, but we intend to be forward in this race – we will not take that early gate speed away from her.”

Weaver is hoping to fare better than on his sole previous visit to Ascot in 2015 when the Velazquez-ridden Cyclogenisis was unable to back up his strong American form in the Commonwealth Cup, finishing down the field in 14th.

But that experience left a lasting impression on Kentucky-born Weaver, who has been craving a return to the Berkshire track’s summer showpiece ever since.

He continued: “In 2015, I brought over a horse that wasn’t good enough, so this time around I hope I’m bringing at least one horse that is good enough – and maybe two.

“When I was there in 2015, I thought to myself how cool it would be to win a race at Royal Ascot and come back with a horse with a little better chance to win. At the time I thought our horse had somewhat a chance but hindsight is always 20-20.

“Royal Ascot just feels a lot different to American racing as a whole. The big days are big days over here, but Royal Ascot just feels like a special place. There is such an atmosphere there and then there is the pageantry. Everyone I’ve spoken to since I went there, I’ve told them, you need to go to Royal Ascot if you get the chance.

“If you have any sort of love of horse racing and a fan of the sport, going to Royal Ascot should be definitely on your bucket list, it’s a great experience.”



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns