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IN TDN AMERICA TODAYLOMBARDI RELISHING QUICK START Some owners wait a lifetime to have a graded stakes winner on the
Triple Crown trail, but for Mike Lombardi, success has come a little
quicker with Lombo (Graydar). Click or tap here to go straight to
TDN America.
FRIDAY, 9 FEBRUARY, 2018
BOLGER FILLY ADDSGLAMOUR TO GOFFS
By Daithi Harvey
Fillies and mares took centre stage on the final day of the
Goffs February Sale on Thursday but over 50 withdrawals left a
catalogue rather depleted in numbers. On the same day last
year 216 mares were offered but with 66 fewer lots presented
on Thursday it was always going to be a struggle to build on the
gains made the previous two days. Last year there were two six-
figure lots headed by Military Angel (Big Brown), who fetched
i210,000, and despite the reduced numbers the sale still held
its own by providing a higher sale topper to 2017 when multiple
stakes winner Glamorous Approach (Ire) (New Approach {Ire})
(Lot 578) headed proceedings when selling to Ballylinch Stud for
i280,000. After three days of trade, the February Sale finished
up with an aggregate of i4,807,000, not surprisingly a bit below
2017. However, gains were posted in both the average and
median, which rose 10% to i14,392 and 20% to i6,650,
respectively. The clearance rate of 65% was in line with last
year.
Jim Bolger regularly gives fellow breeders the opportunity to
tap into families that he has so successfully developed, and that
chance was not wasted on Ballylinch Stud manager John
O'Connor, who clinched the Glebe House Stables-offered sale
topper after determined bids from both Blandford Bloodstock
and Tally-Ho Stud.
Cont. p2
LIGHTNING AND THUNDER AT MEYDAN Godolphin mare Eastern Joy (GB) (Dubai Destination) had her
already lofty reputation boosted at Meydan on Thursday when
two of her progeny picked up black-type wins. Thunder Snow
(Ire) (Helmet {Aus}), already a dual Group 1 winner, took the
featured G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2, while Winter
Lightning (Ire) (Shamardal) opened the card with a victory in the
Listed UAE 1000 Guineas.
Thunder Snow, a distant second first-up to Heavy Metal (GB)
(Exceed and Excel {Aus}) in the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round
1 on Jan. 11, was kept three wide and out of trouble by
Christophe Soumillon while lying much closer to the pace this
time, which was set by North America (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), with
Heavy Metal splitting them. Put to a drive turning for home,
Thunder Snow used the length of the stretch to grind down the
lead of North America and hit the line a neck the best, with
Heavy Metal fading late but hanging on for third from last year=s
winner Furia Cruzada (Chi) (Newfoundland). Cont. p4 (click here)
TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 2 OF 13 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • 9 FEBRUARY, 2018
Federico Barberini and John O=Connor | Goffs
Bolger Filly Adds Glamour To Goffs cont. from p1
"She is a lovely, active, quality mare and we will keep our
options open," O'Connor said. "She could race on for a while
longer or be covered by one of our stallions in Ballylinch. She is
from a great family of Jim's that throws up champions so we are
delighted to get her."
The Tally-Ho Stud team of
Tony, Roger and Henry
O'Callaghan were under-bidders
on the top lot but just two lots
later their persistence was
rewarded when they landed
Harrana (Ire) (New Approach
{Ire}) from the Aga Khan draft.
Lot 580 was a winner for
Dermot Weld at Cork last June
and the close relation of dual
Derby winner Harzand (Ire) (Sea
The Stars {Ire}) will not attempt
to further her race record but
will instead be covered by
Tally-Ho's star stallion Kodiac (GB).
Earlier in the day the O'Callaghans saw off a spirited effort by
Matt Houldsworth to acquire lot 558, also from the Aga Khan
Studs. Elmaliya (Ire) (Sepoy) didn't show a huge amount in two
starts for Dermot Weld last year but such are the depth of the
Aga Khan pedigrees that the 4-year-old commanded a price
i72,000. Tony O'Callaghan was non-committal over potential
plans for the half-sister to G3 Give Thanks S. winner Edelmira
(Ire) (Peintre Celebre) and said,
"We'll keep our options open,
we could even put her back into
training."
Lot 539, Chica Loca (Fr)
(American Post {GB}), was
responsible for one of the
pinhooks of the year in 2017
when her Dabirsim (Fr) yearling,
subsequently named Good
Birthday (Ire), sold for i500,000
at the Orby Sale last September
and the mare herself was
offered by Confey Stud on behalf
of Ecurie Normandie Pur Sang in
foal to Rathbarry stallion
Acclamation (GB). It was Tom Biggs of Blandford Bloodstock who
eventually won the battle for the stakes winning 9-year-old at
i80,000, and he commented, "She is a lovely mare, she will stay
TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 3 OF 13 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • 9 FEBRUARY, 2018
Jim and Jackie Bolger and Clare Manning | Goffs
in Europe and hopefully between the Acclamation cover and her
2-year-old to race she will prove well bought."
The Wardstown Stud team of Mark and Elaine Clarke enjoyed
Group 1 success as breeders last year through the exploits of the
Andrew Balding trained Blond Me (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) and the
Clarkes were keen to bring lot 566 from Moyglare Stud back to
their Co. Meath based farm. In fact, Fille Du Septembre (Ire)
(Choisir {Aus}) is a filly the pair know well, having bred the
former Dermot Weld trained filly before selling her to Moyglare
Stud for i130,000 at the Orby Sale two years ago. It took the
Clarkes' bid of i62,000 to repatriate the winning 3-year-old and
the husband and wife duo said they were delighted to get back
into a family that has served them so well.
"We're delighted to have her back and we will take our time
before deciding on a plan with her," Mark Clarke said. "We could
put her back into training as Fiona [Craig] says she is sound for
racing and she is only three so she has plenty of time to breed.
It's a family we have had a lot of success with. We bred
December Draw, who won a Group 1 in Australia, and it's a
great commercial family that seems to be popular with buyers."
A relatively young stakes performing Sadler's Wells mare in
foal to the Classic sire Le Havre (Ire) has obvious appeal, and
French agent Paul Nataf signed for lot 598, Kithonia (Fr), for
i52,000. Further appeal is provided by a now 2-year-old Le
Havre filly out of the mare who realized i110,000 when bought
by Peter & Ross Doyle as a yearling at Arqana last year.
Another mare with a Gallic background is Damila (Fr) (Milanais
{Fr}), who was a Group 3 winner in France for Henri-Alex Pantall
in 2016 before being bought by Nataf for i20,000 at Arqana
last July. She reappeared under the Baroda & Colbinstown
banner on Thursday as lot 545 and although purchased by the
France based MAB Agency for i45,000, it appears her home for
the foreseeable future at least, will be Ireland.
Cont. p4
Vice President, International OperationsGary King
Twitter: @garykingTDN
+ 1.732.320.0975
International EditorKelsey Riley
Twitter: @kelseynrileyTDN
European EditorEmma Berry
Twitter: @collingsberry
Associate International EditorHeather Anderson
Twitter: @HLAndersonTDN
Marketing ManagerAlayna Cullen
Twitter: @AlaynaCullen
Contributing EditorAlan Carasso
Twitter: @EquinealTDN
Cafe RacingSean Cronin
Tom Frary
Irish CorrespondentDaithi Harvey
Regular ColumnistsAndrew Caulfield
John Berry
Kevin Blake
Tom Peacock
TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 4 OF 13 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • 9 FEBRUARY, 2018
SESSION TOPPERSGoffs February cont.
"I have bought her for an Irish client and she will stay here to
be covered, probably by Gutaifan," Marc Antoine Berghgracht
said afterwards.
The father and son team of John and Jake Warren signed for
three lots on Thursday including lot 594, Kenzahope (Fr)
(Kendargent {Fr}). The 4-year-old achieved five placings in her
racing career but her full-brother Kenhope (Fr)'s racing CV,
which includes a Group 1 placing, helped push her value to
i48,000.
Lawman (Fr) has emerged as an interesting dam sire through
the exploits of crack sprinter Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}),
and that significance was no doubt not lost on Matt
Houldsworth, who struck for lot 626, Myakka Park (Ire)
(Lawman {Fr}), for i55,000. The 4-year-old, offered by Platinum
Bloodstock, also boasts an excellent dam line, being a half-sister
to a pair of stakes winners in Ayrad (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}) and
Dawn Of Hope (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}).
Summing up trade at Goffs this week, Chief Executive Henry
Beeby said, "Over half the sale focuses on weanlings and that
section enjoyed vibrant trade with strong competition from a
huge group of pinhookers who turned out in force to continue
the trends witnessed at our market-leading November Foal Sale.
That was especially evident at the top of the market with four
six-figure weanlings this year and a number of fierce bidding
duels for several of the most desirable lots. The result is a set of
statistics that far outstrip last year with average and median
both growing by over a third, and the clearance rate also making
better reading."
Reflecting on the market for Thursday's breeding stock
session, he continued, "Today's session has not matched last
year in some respects but such is the nature of mixed sales as
there are times when a particular dispersal benefits a sale and
boosts figures. However when such one-offs are not catalogued
it is does not necessarily mean trade is lacking but rather that it
reflects the lots on offer. So we are perfectly content with today
as we welcomed a large international group of buyers back to
Goffs and our i280,000 top price comfortably exceeds that 12
months ago."
GOFFS FEBRUARY SALE
THURSDAY=S TOP THREE LOTSLot Name Status Price (i)
578 Glamourous Approach (Ire) Rcg/b=mare 280,000
(5, New Approach {Ire}--Maria Lee {Ire}, by Rock of Gibraltar {Ire})
Consigned by Glebe House Stables
Purchased by Ballylinch Stud
580 Harrana (Ire) Rcg/b=mare 150,000
(4, New Approach {Ire}--Hazarafa {Ire}, by Daylami {Ire})
Consigned by Aga Khan Studs SC
Purchased by Tally Ho Stud
539 Chica Loca (Fr) i/f Acclamation (GB) 80,000
(9, American Post {GB}--Comete {Fr}, by Jeune Homme)
Consigned by Confey Stud, Property of Ecurie Normandie Pur Sang
Purchased by Blandford Bloodstock
Lightning and Thunder at Meydan cont. from p1
Thursday, Meydan, Middle East
AL MAKTOUM CHALLENGE R2 (SPONSORED BY GULF NEWS)-
G2, $250,000, MEY, 2-8, NH4yo/up & SH3yo/up, 1900m,
1:57.89, ft.
1--THUNDER SNOW (IRE), 125, c, 4, by Helmet (Aus)
1st Dam: Eastern Joy (GB), by Dubai Destination
2nd Dam: Red Slippers, by Nureyev
3rd Dam: Morning Devotion, by Affirmed
O-Godolphin; B-Darley (IRE); T-Saeed bin Suroor; J-Christophe
Soumillon. $150,000. Lifetime Record: MG1SW-Fr, G1SP-Eng &
Ire, 16-6-4-2, $2,301,476. *1/2 to Ihtimal (Ire) (Shamardal),
"Over half the sale focuses on weanlings and thatsection enjoyed vibrant trade with strong
competition from a huge group of pinhookers whoturned out in force.@
-Henry Beeby
GOFFS FEBRUARY SALE
CUMULATIVE 2018 2017 $ Catalogued 633 757 $ No. Offered 508 619 $ No. Sold 334 396 $ RNAs 174 223 $ % RNAs 34.3% 36% $ High Price i280,000 i210,000 $ Gross i4,807,000 i5,205,100 $ Average (% change) i14,392 (+9.5%) i13,144 $ Median (% change) i6,650 (+20.9%) i5,500
Christy Grassick, David O’Loughlin, Eddie Fitzpatrick, Tim Corballis, Maurice Moloney, Gerry Aherne, Mathieu Legars, Jason Walsh, Tom Miller or Neil Magee. Tel: +353-52-6131298. David Magnier, Tom Gaffney, Joe Hernon,John Kennedy or Cathal Murphy. Tel: 353-25-31966/31689. Kevin Buckley (UK Rep.) Tel: +44-7827-795156. E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.coolmore.com
AUSTRALIACHURCHILL
GLENEAGLESHIGHLAND REELNew New
GALILEO and six of his finest sons stand at Coolmore for 2018
SUPERIOR GENES!During the 2017 season almost half the Group 1 races run in Britain, Ireland & France were wonby horses sired by Galileo, sired by sons of Galileo or out of daughters of Galileo
2,000 Guineas1,000 GuineasIrish 2,000 GuineasIrish 1,000 GuineasTattersalls Gold CupCoronation CupOaksSt. James’s Palace StakesPrince of Wales’s StakesCoronation StakesIrish DerbyEclipse StakesFalmouth StakesIrish OaksKing George VI &Queen Elizabeth StakesPrix RothschildNassau StakesPrix Jean RomanetInternational StakesYorkshire OaksMatron StakesIrish Champion StakesIrish St LegerMoyglare Stud StakesSt Leger StakesCheveley Park StakesMiddle Park StakesPrix Jean-Luc LagarderePrix de l’OperaPrix de l’Arc de TriompheSun Chariot StakesDewhurst StakesBritish Champions Fillies & Mares StakesChampion StakesRacing Post Trophy
RULER OF THE WORLDTHE GURKHA
take your pick!
Brilliant 2YO and 7-time Group 1winner HIGHLAND REEL
TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 5 OF 13 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • 9 FEBRUARY, 2018
Thunder Snow overtakes North America | DRC/Andrew Watkins
MGSW & G1SP-Eng, GSW-UAE, $554,857; Always Smile (Ire)
(Cape Cross {Ire}), SW & MG1SP-Eng, $217,288; First Victory
(Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), GSW-Eng; and Winter Lightning (Ire)
(Shamardal), SW-UAE, $212,553. Werk Nick Rating: A+++
*Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2--North America (GB), 126, g, 6, Dubawi (Ire)--Northern
Mischief, by Yankee Victor. (100,000gns wnl >12 TATNOV)
O-Ramzan Kadyrov; B-Qatar Bloodstock Ltd (GB); T-Satish
Seemar. $50,000.
3--Heavy Metal (GB), 126, g, 8, Exceed and Excel (Aus)--Rock
Opera (SAf), by Lecture. O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al
Maktoum; B-Darley (GB); T-Salem bin Ghadayer. $25,000.
Margins: NK, 4, 1HF.
Also Ran: Furia Cruzada (Chi), Second Summer, Eragon (Arg).
Scratched: Grendisar (Ire), Cosmo Charlie.
Click for the Racing Post result. VIDEO.
Thunder Snow, winner of France=s G1 Criterium International
at two, was recording his third win from four tries at Meydan,
having taken last year=s G3 UAE 2000 Guineas and G2 UAE
Derby. Given a shot at the GI Kentucky Derby after displaying an
affinity for the dirt, the bay created a bizarre scene when pulling
himself up and throwing a bucking fit just metres from the
starting gate. Connections regrouped and dropped him back to a
mile on the turf for the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas three weeks later,
where he was much better behaved when finishing second to
Churchill (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). He went even closer a further three
weeks later in Royal Ascot=s G1 St James=s Palace S., finishing
third and 1 1/4 lengths off Barney Roy (GB) (Excelebration {Ire}),
and at last he broke through at the top level again when
returning to France for the G1 Prix Jean Prat in July, again over a
mile on the grass. Thunder Snow missed another Group 1 by just
a quarter length when third in the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois,
and was put away after finishing a puzzling last in the G1 Queen
Elizabeth II S. on British Champions Day.
Returning in Round 1 four weeks ago, Thunder Snow finished
second after likely sitting too far out of it on the speed favouring
track.
ABasically, I think he was the best horse in the race and I rode
him accordingly,@ Soumillon said. AHis stamina was never an
issue, whereas the other pair are quick horses who had more
early speed. My horse actually wanted to go after them earlier
in the back straight, but I was happy to take my time and wait
until the home straight. He then won well in the style of a good
horse. I actually said to Saeed he gives me a better, more
natural feel, on turf whereas, on dirt, I think his class gets him
home.@
Pedigree Notes... After Winter Lightning had won earlier on the card, the Darley-
bred Eastern Joy has now produced five stakes winners from
five foals of racing age. The first of those was Ihtimal (Ire)
(Shamardal), who also excelled on this track, albeit on the all-
weather, when taking the G3 UAE Oaks and Listed UAE 1000
Guineas, and who, like her half-brother, was also good on the
turf, winning the G2 May Hill S. and G3 Sweet Solera S. and
finishing third in the G1 1000 Guineas and G1 Fillies= Mile. The
mare=s second foal, Always Smile (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), was a
listed winner and second in the G1 Sun Chariot S., while First
Victory (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) took the G3 Oh So Sharp S. Thunder
Snow is the first colt out of Eastern Joy, but she has another to
come in a yearling son of Dubawi (Ire).
A glance at the pedigree shows it is no surprise that Eastern
Joy has excelled in her second career; while she was herself just
a minor winner in France, there is class sprinkled across the
page. She is a daughter of Red Slippers (Nureyev), winner of the
Sun Chariot S. when it was a Group 2, and who produced the G1
Prix de Diane winner West Wind (GB) (Machiavellian). Red
Slippers is a half-sister to that classy mare Balanchine (Storm
Bird), winner of the G1 Irish Derby and G1 Irish Oaks. Click for
the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
NOT FOR CATCHING My Catch (Ire) (Camacho {GB}) took full advantage of a rail
draw and reversed finishes behind Comicas (Distorted Humor)
on his last two outings to win Thursday=s G3 Al Shindagha Sprint.
The veteran bay made just one start at last year=s carnival when
10th of 14 in the G1 Golden Shaheen on World Cup night, and
was six lengths behind former Shaheen winner Muarrab (GB)
(Oasis Dream {GB}), with Comicas splitting them, when third in
the Listed Garhoud Sprint over this track and trip on Dec. 21.
Cont. p5
TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 6 OF 13 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • 9 FEBRUARY, 2018
My Catch | DRC/Andrew Watkins
© Copyright Thoroughbred Daily News.
This newspaper may not be reproduced in any form or
by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior
written permission of the copyright owner,
MediaVista. Information as to the American races, race
results and earnings was obtained from results charts
published by The Jockey Club Information Services and
utilized here with their permission.
Al Shindagha Sprint cont.
Drawn wide for the G3 Dubawi S. three weeks ago, My Catch
could manage only fourth behind Comicas, Muarrab and
Reynaldothewizard (Speightstown), but his fortunes were
reversed on Thursday with a favourable draw. Bouncing away
from the barriers, My Catch set the pace down the backstretch
with the aforementioned trio all towards the back. The popular
12-year-old Reynaldothewizard was the first to make his move,
winding up around the bend, and he had three lengths to make
up turning for home. Reynaldothewizard overtook Scrutineer
(Ire) (Intense Focus), who broke down badly shortly thereafter,
passing the 300, but My Catch had drawn five lengths clear as
Comicas and Muarrab battled on. Comicas was finishing best of
the rest as he got up to nip Reynaldothewizard for second, but
My Catch was all too good, hitting the line four in front.
Thursday, Meydan, Middle East
AL SHINDAGHA SPRINT (SPONSORED BY gulfnews.com)-G3,
$200,000, MEY, 2-8, NH3yo/up & SH3yo/up, 1200m, 1:12.50, ft.
1--MY CATCH (IRE), 126, g, 7, by Camacho (GB)
1st Dam: Catch the Sea (Ire), by Barathea (Ire)
2nd Dam: Catch the Blues (Ire), by Bluebird
3rd Dam: Dear Lorraine (Fr), by Nonoalco
(85,000gns yrl >12 TAOOCT; i135,000 2yo >13 ARMMAY;
i120,000 HRA >13 ARAOCT) O-Valentin Bukhtoyarov & Evgeny
Kappushev; B-D Noonan & Loughphilip Bloodstock (IRE);
T-Doug Watson; J-Pat Dobbs. $120,000. Lifetime Record: GSW-
Fr, 23-6-2-3, $409,911. *1/2 to Vladimir (Ire) (Kheleyf), Ch.
Imported 2YO Colt-Spa, SW & G1SP-Fr, $101,264; Pearl Sea
(Ire) (Elusive City), SP-Eng; and Natural (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), SP-
Eng. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: A.
2--Comicas, 128, g, 5, Distorted Humor--Abby=s Angel, by Touch
Gold. O-Godolphin; B-Darley (KY); T-Charlie Appleby. $40,000.
3--Reynaldothewizard, 126, g, 12, Speightstown--Holiday
>TDN Rising Star= Runner, by Meadowlake. ($400,000 yrl >07
KEESEP; $775,000 2YO >08 FTFFEB) O-Zabeel Racing
International Corp; B-Gibraltar Group LP (KY); T-Satish Seemar.
$20,000.
Margins: 4, HD, 3 1/4.
Also Ran: Taamol (Ire), Muarrab (GB), Wonder of Qatar (Ire).
DNF: Scrutineer (Ire).
Click for the Racing Post result. VIDEO.
AThe last couple of weeks this horse has really come back to
himself and started working much better,@ jockey Pat Dobbs
said. AThat low draw really suits him because that is the way he
likes to race; from the front and quickly throughout.@
Trainer Doug Watson added: AWhen we saw the draw, in one,
we were delighted because it is ideal for him. He has not ever
really run a bad race, but things have transpired against him a
few times. He has really started working well over the last
couple of weeks, so we were very hopeful and he has not
disappointed.@
Pedigree Notes... My Catch is one of four stakes horses from five foals of racing
age for Catch The Sea (Ire) (Barathea), a daughter of G3
Ballyogan S. winner Catch The Blues (Ire) (Bluebird) and a half-
sister to the dam of last year=s G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. and G2
Norfolk S. winner Sioux Nation (Scat Daddy). My Catch is the
most accomplished of those, having also won a Group 3 in
France, but his two years older half-brother Vladimir (Ire)
(Kheleyf) hit the board in the G1 Prix Morny in addition to
winning at listed level. Catch The Sea has a 2-year-old filly by
Exceed and Excel (Aus) and a yearling colt by Dark Angel (Ire).
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 7 OF 13 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • 9 FEBRUARY, 2018
Former trainer Gerard Butler | Racing Post photo
YOUNG GUNS
BUTLER SUSPENSION ENDED EARLY
The five-year suspension of Gerard Butler has been reduced to
four, and thus ended, according to Racing Post, the former
trainer having been disqualified in 2013 for administering
steroids to horses under his care.
The ban was reduced due to the inclusion of solicitor Matthew
Lohn on Butler=s disciplinary panel. The use of Lohn was deemed
to have created an image of bias, as he was engaged in other
paid work by the British Horseracing Authority. His presence on
other disciplinary panels has resulted in bans being reduced or
thrown out, including the case of trainer Jim Best, who was
charged with ordering a jockey to stop horses.
According to Racing Post, Butler is currently working on a farm
owned by JJ Pletcher, father of trainer Todd Pletcher, in Ocala,
Florida.
CLAUDIA MCDOUGALL Young Guns is a series where we endeavour to find out more
about some of the young professionals in the industry. Today we
speak with Claudia McDougall, nominations executive at Darley
Stallions.
TDN: What was your path into the industry?
CMD: My mum dabbled in pointing during the 80s and has
always been a National Hunt fan so as a child, if I wasn't on a
horse, I was watching them. I left school to do Equine
Management at Writtle College and progressed to a degree at
Hartpury, where I spent mornings working in a breaking yard.
Needless to say, after spending more time sat on the floor than
in the saddle, it was probably a wise decision to move into stud
work. Hartpury is fortunate enough to be next door to
Tweenhills, which is where it all started really. Stints freelancing
at the sales followed alongside working for the Cumani=s on
their Fittocks Stud. From there, I got a job with Godolphin
working on one of their foaling farms and the rest, as they say, is
history.
TDN: Who has been the biggest influence on your career?
CDM: I can't not mention my mum, she's my number one
supporter and pulling her 1987 Stallion Book off the shelf as an
8-year-old is no doubt where my love of pedigrees started. Rob
Speers has also been incredibly helpful and pushed me to reach
my goals, whilst I owe an awful lot to my boss Dawn Laidlaw
who gave me some great opportunities to shadow a number of
good judges when I worked on the farms.
TDN: What does your role involve?
CMD: My main role is selling nominations to our 38 European-
based stallions which encompasses various tasks such as
discussing mating plans with clients, pedigree research,
contracting and showing our stallions to clients to name just a
few. We are also present at most European bloodstock sales and
spend a lot of time during the spring and summer on the road
visiting clients and viewing our stallions= stock as well as
sometimes representing the company at the races. I love the
variety of the job, no week is ever the same.
TDN: What challenges do you face in your role?
CMD: Selling nominations in a stallions= second and third years
at stud can be notoriously difficult. Generally, everyone wants
something new or they want a proven sire. Luckily for us, we're
fortunate enough to have high-quality stallions such as Golden
Horn that naturally sell themselves.
TDN: What advice would you give your 16-year-old self?
CMD: Keep your head down, work hard and travel while you
can. Don't be disheartened by disappointments, everything
TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 8 OF 13 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • 9 FEBRUARY, 2018
Claudia McDougall with Elarqam as a yearling
happens for a reason and life has a funny way of working out in
the end.
TDN: What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the
industry and how would you solve it?
CMD: Bloodstock wise, our increasing need for stallions to
produce sharp precocious juveniles. As Federico Tesio said, the
Thoroughbred exists because its selection has depended on a
piece of wood, the winning post of the Epsom Derby, yet we
dismiss these horses if their first crop does not fly as juveniles.
There is definitely a place for both at stud but we need to be
conscious of not being completely biased, consequently causing
detriment to the breed.
TDN: How do you think the general public perceives horse
racing?
CMD: My friends outside the industry love going racing because
it's such a vibrant social occasion and events such as Newmarket
Nights create a great opportunity to get more people through
the gates and hopefully gain a new legion of fans. Animal
welfare is also a major concern to the general public so
initiatives such as The Horse Comes First can only be good for
racing's overall image.
TDN: How would you attract more young people into the
workforce?
CMD: We all need to make a conscious effort to advertise what
an amazing industry we work in to the next generation. I'm a
committee member for The Thoroughbred Club, an initiative by
the TBA aimed to educate and inspire the younger generation to
feel actively involved in the industry. Godolphin is also a big
supporter of the Racing to School project and we regularly host
college visits at the stud. It's amazing the number of young
people who have never considered a role in the bloodstock
industry, hopefully we can inspire a few.
TDN: Who is your favorite racehorse of all time and why?
CMD: It has to be Attraction. She was my favorite when I was a
teenager, a complete underdog who proved everyone wrong
taking five Group 1s. I remember being totally star struck when
she walked off the lorry where I used to work and still count
foaling her son Elarqam as one of my proudest moments. She's
turned out to be quite the broodmare too producing 7 winners,
three of which are black-type, with a nice Dubawi 2-year-old still
to run.
TDN: Tell us something about yourself that not many people
would know.
CMD: Being nearly six feet tall, I'm more suited to sitting in a
dressage saddle than a racing one so I'm having a go at this
whole dancing horses malarkey, with varying success.
TDN: What would you like to achieve in the next five years?
CMD: To continue to develop my knowledge. The wonderful
thing about horses is there is always something new to learn.
ADDITIONAL MAIDEN WINNERS:
Meerpat (GB), f, 3, Kyllachy (GB)--Fluttering Rose (GB), by
Compton Place (GB). NC, 2-8, 6f (AWT), 1:12.88. B-Lady
Cobham (GB). *,16,000 Ylg >16 DNPRM; ,22,000 2yo >17
GOFBRE.
AAs Federico Tesio said, the Thoroughbred existsbecause its selection has depended on a piece of
wood, the winning post of the Epsom Derby, yet wedismiss these horses if their first crop
does not fly as juveniles.”
TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 9 OF 13 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • 9 FEBRUARY, 2018
EUROPEAN-BRED WINNERS
BISOGNO TO CHAIR BETTORS FORUM Matt Bisogno on Mar. 5 will take over from Simon Rowlands as
chairman of the Horseracing Bettors Forum, the officially
recognised body representing punters= interests in British racing.
AIt has been a pleasure to witness at first hand, and to
contribute to, the emergence of a voice for the British
horseracing betting public,@ said Bisogno. AWith the support of
the BHA and a huge amount of work from Forum members, HBF
has established itself as a credible and effective lobby group
under Simon=s astute leadership. He will be a very tough act to
follow, and I am grateful that he will continue to serve on HBF
for the foreseeable future.@
CONDITIONS RESULTS:
1st-CHY, i26,000, Cond, 2-8, 3yo, 9 1/2f (AWT), 1:59.94, st.
CASSARD (FR) (g. 3, Air Chief Marshal {Ire}--Corvette {GB}, by
Araafa {Ire}) Lifetime Record: 4-2-1-0, i26,200. O-Loic Moutiez,
Patrick Monfort, Francois Monfort, David John Huelin, Mme
Marie Melois & Denis Guilloux; B-B-Thomas Cunnane (FR);
T-Patrick & Francois Monfort. *i15,000 Ylg >16 OSLATE.
ADDITIONAL MAIDEN WINNERS:
Land of Mind (GB), c, 3, Myboycharlie (Ire)--Coco (SP-Eng), by
Storm Bird. CHY, 2-8, 8f (AWT), 1:37.93. B-Antoine Gilibert &
Ecurie Haras du Cadran (GB). *i35,000 Ylg >16 OSLATE.
Silvery Mist (Fr), f, 3, Stormy River (Fr)--Misty Heights (GB) (SW
& MGSP-Ire, $129,214), by Fasliyev. CHY, 2-8, 8f (AWT),
1:39.06. B-Haras d=Etreham (FR). *i55,000 Ylg >16 AROCT.
**1/2 to Greyfriarschorista (GB) (King=s Best), SP-Eng,
$118,438.
HRI APPROVES GRANTS Horse Racing Ireland has approved capital development grants
for three racecourses under its capital development scheme:
Bellewstown, Clonmel and Dundalk. Dundalk=s i720,000
upgrade, including i252,000 from the scheme, will include a
new dedicated owners and trainers facility and the upgrading of
television sets around the racecourse.
AWe are excited to make strides to afford owners and trainers
a dedicated facility to which they can enjoy fantastic views of
the parade ring and top-class hospitality at Dundalk,@ said
Dundalk Stadium Chief Executive Officer Jim Martin. AIt will be a
wonderful enhancement to the facility in addition to the
upgrading of the network of televisions within the Stadium. We
are grateful to Horse Racing Ireland for their support and look
forward to works commencing.@
IN QATAR:
Sheikspear (GB), c, 4, Bahamian Bounty (GB)--Crinkle (Ire), by
Distant Relative (Ire). Al Rayyan, 2-8, Hcp., 1200m, 1:12.63.
B-Rosyground Stud. *15,000gns Wlg >14 TATDEF; ,28,000 Ylg
>15 DONAUG; 24,000gns HRA >17 TATHIT. VIDEO
Thursday=s Results:
1000 GUINEAS (SPONSORED BY FRIDAY)-Listed, $250,000,
MEY, 2-8, NH3yo & SH3yo, f, 1600m, 1:38.19, ft.
1--WINTER LIGHTNING (IRE), 126, f, 3, by Shamardal
1st Dam: Eastern Joy (GB), by Dubai Destination
2nd Dam: Red Slippers, by Nureyev
3rd Dam: Morning Devotion, by Affirmed
1ST STAKES WIN. O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Saeed bin Suroor;
J-Pat Cosgrave. $150,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $212,553.
*Full to Ihtimal (Ire), MGSW & G1SP-Eng, GSW-UAE, $554,857;
1/2 to Always Smile (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), SW & MG1SP-Eng,
$217,288; First Victory (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), GSW-Eng; and
Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}), MG1SW-Fr, MGSW-UAE,
G1SP-Eng & Ire, $2,301,476.
2--Rayya, 126, f, 3, Tiz Wonderful--Spread, by Coronado=s Quest.
($19,000 RNA FTKJUL; $7,000 FTKOCT; $190,000 2yo >17
OBSAPR). O-Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi. $50,000.
3--Expressiy (Fr), 126, f, 3, Siyouni (Fr)--Express American (Fr),
by American Post (GB). (i37,000 yrl >16 GOFSEP; i260,000
2yo >17 ARQMAY). O-Godolphin. $25,000.
Margins: 2, 2HF, 11.
Also Ran: Queen Estoril (Ire), Two Shots of Happy (Ire), Sa=Ada,
Line House (GB), Flora Sandes.
Winter Lightning had the pedigree to take Thursday=s Listed
UAE 1000 Guineas at Meydan, being a full-sister to the 2014
winner of that race in Ihtimal (Ire), and the lightly raced bay
delivered on her trial win three weeks ago when leading home
the same trifecta from that conditions event. Cont. p10
TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 10 OF 13 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • 9 FEBRUARY, 2018
Winter Lightning | DRC/Andrew Watkins
UAE 1000 Guineas cont.
Working up to a prominent position from the break, Winter
Lightning allowed Rayya to give her a lead down the
backstretch, as she had in the trial, while saving ground on the
rail. Expressiy began to make up ground rounding the bend as
they approached the quarter pole, and it was soon apparent
that the finish would come down to those three. Rayya put up a
game fight on the fence as Winter Lightning gradually ate away
at her lead, and in the end the runner-up was not disgraced as
Winter Lightning pulled away by two lengths. The
disappointments of the race were British shipper Line House
(GB) (Kheleyf) and Godolphin=s $900,000 yearling purchase Flora
Sandes (War Front), who were both finished early.
AShe is just a lovely filly to be involved with and makes my job
very easy,@ jockey Pat Cosgrave said. AShe just gets on with
things, breaks well, relaxes, travels strongly and quickens when I
ask. She is improving and, if connections want, I see no reason
why the extra 300m of the Oaks would be a problem.@
Winter Lighting, remarkably, becomes the fifth stakes winner
from five foals of racing age for her dam Eastern Joy (GB) (Dubai
Destination), who was herself a minor winner in France. Her first
foal was Ihtimal, who in addition to her Dubai triumphs in the
UAE 1000 Guineas and G3 UAE Oaks won Britain=s G2 May Hill S.
and G3 Sweet Solera S. and was third in the G1 1000 Guineas
before her untimely death as a 4-year-old. Next came the listed
winner and dual Group 1-placed Always Smile (Ire) (Cape Cross
{Ire}), who was also ill-fated when passing at five. The filly First
Victory (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) won the G3 Oh So Sharp S., while
Eastern Joy=s first colt, Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}),
moved to the top of the pile when winning the 2016 G1
Criterium International and last year=s G1 Prix Jean Prat in
addition to the G2 UAE Derby and G3 UAE 2000 Guineas, and
made it a double for the dam on this card with a win later in the
featured G2 Al Maktoum Challenge R2.
Winter Lightning was second on debut at Newmarket last
October to Cheveley Park Stud=s >TDN Rising Star= Veracious (GB)
(Frankel {GB}), and was breaking her maiden when beating
Rayya by a nose in the Jan. 18 trial.
Eastern Joy is herself out of the G2 Sun Chariot S. winner Red
Slippers (Nureyev), and therefore a half-sister to the G1 Prix de
Diane winner West Wind (GB) (Machiavellian). Red Slippers is a
half to the G1 Irish Derby and G1 Irish Oaks winner Balanchine
(Storm Bird). Eastern Joy has a yearling colt by Dubawi (Ire).
Click for the Racing Post result. VIDEO.
4th-MEY, $175,000, Hcp, 2-8, NH4yo/up & SH3yo/up, 1000mT,
:57.79, gd.
HIT THE BID (GB) (c, 4, Exceed and Excel {Aus}--Selinka {GB}
{MSW-Eng, $119,968}, by Selkirk) finished second to top local
turf sprinter Ertijaal (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) over this course
and distance four weeks ago, and while the 4-year-old would
have to improve further to reverse placings with that rival, it is
likely he will progress to the G1 Al Quoz Sprint on World Cup
night after shouldering top weight to an authoritative win here.
Leading from pillar to post, the Irish shipper hit the line 1 3/4
lengths the good despite wandering in the closing stages.
Second was Dutch Masterpiece (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}), who had
also finished one spot behind him last out. Hit The Bid, winner of
the G3 Curragh S. at two, hails from a family of speedsters,
being out of the Oh So Sharp S. Winner Selinka (GB) (Selkirk).
Also on the page are the sprinting group winners Log Out Island
(Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Bold Edge (GB) (Beveled) and Brave Edge
(GB) (Beveled). Sales history: 40,000gns yrl >15 TAOOCT.
Lifetime Record: GSW-Ire, 13-3-3-0, $245,216. Click for the
Racing Post result. VIDEO.
O-Straight To Victory Syndicate; B-W & R Barnett (GB); T-Darren
Bunyan.
CONDITIONS RESULTS:
6th-MEY, $100,000, Cond, 2-8, NH3yo & SH3yo, 1400mT,
1:24.57, gd.
WASIM (IRE) (c, 3, Acclamation {GB}--Quiet Protest, by
Kingmambo) Lifetime Record: 8-2-1-2, $83,110. O/T-Ismail
Mohammed; B-Floors Farming, S Roy & Admington Hall (IRE).
*55,000gns yrl >16 TATOCT; 38,000gns 2yo >17 TATAPR.
HANDICAP RESULTS:
7th-MEY, $160,000, Hcp, 2-8, NH4yo/up & SH3yo/up, 2000mT,
2:02.33, gd.
LESHLAA (c, 4, Street Cry {Ire}--Vine Street {Ire}, by Singspiel
{Ire}) Lifetime Record: SW-Tur, 12-4-1-1, $279,725.
O-Godolphin; B-Darley (KY); T-Saeed bin Suroor.
TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 11 OF 13 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • 9 FEBRUARY, 2018
Extreme Choice: Blue Diamond winner, stallion
and Classic graduate | Bronwen Healy
Last year=s Golden Slipper winner She Will Reign was
sold at the Classic sale | Bronwen Healy
2nd-MEY, $60,000, Hcp, 2-8, NH4yo/up & SH3yo/up, 1900m,
1:59.81, ft.
STREET OF DREAMS (GB) (h, 5, Shamardal--Express Way {Arg},
by Ahmad {Arg}) Lifetime Record: 6-2-2-1, $74,702. O-Ali A
Aneizi; B-Darley (GB); T-Doug Watson. *1/2 to El Expresivo (Arg)
(Candy Stripes), G1SW-Arg; Epsilon (Arg) (Accceptable), GSP-Arg;
Rio De La Plata (Rahy), Hwt. Older Horse-Ity at 7 to 9.5f & 9.5 to
11f, MG1SW-Ity, G1SW-Fr, MGSW & G1SP-Eng, G1SP-Ire,
$1,704,167. **AED120,000 HIT >17 ERAAPR.
CLASSIC BIGGER, BETTER THAN EVERBy Kelsey Riley
Before the first yearling even steps into the ring on Feb. 10,
Inglis=s 2018 Classic Yearling Sale can already lay claim to being
the company=s biggest sale ever; with 800 yearlings catalogued
between Feb. 10 and 13, the Classic sale is Inglis=s largest sale
ever numerically, the company having taken full advantage of
the extra space at its new Riverside Stables sales complex.
Whether it is better than ever, one will only know once selling
gets underway, but all indications are that the Classic sale
remains on the rise. Figures for the sale have risen each year
since 2015 for numbers catalogued, average, median and gross,
with the latter having grown a whopping 204% since 2013. The
catalogue grew 28% during that period, but nonetheless the
average has risen 114% since 2013 and the median 112% since
2014.
While the numbers are still not large stacked up against the
world=s highest-grossing yearling salesBthe average last year was
A$71,342 and the median A$55,000Bthe quality to have
emanated from the sale, especially at the middle market, has
certainly been above average. The 2016 Classic sale produced
last year=s G1 Golden Slipper quinella in She Will Reign (Aus)
(Manhattan Rain {Aus}) and Frolic (Aus) (Husson {Arg}), both
bought for A$100,000 or less. Other recent Group 1-winning
graduates of the sale bought in that same price bracket include
Extreme Choice (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}), I Am A Star
(NZ) (I Am Invincible {Aus}), Under The Louvre (Aus) (Excellent
Art {GB}) and Yankee Rose (Aus) (All American {Aus}).
The sale will once again kick off with the Gold Riband session
beginning at 6 p.m. after the Inglis Race Day at Warwick Farm.
The Gold Riband session, which debuted last year, is reserved
for yearlings handpicked to be precocious, and Inglis offers a
A$100,000 bonus split between the named vendor and breeder
of the session=s first stakes winner. For last year=s sale, that
bonus was collected last Saturday by Fiesta (Aus) (I Am
Invincible {Aus}) in the G3 Widden S. Fiesta, now a Golden
Slipper aspirant, was bought by Star Thoroughbreds and Chris
Waller for A$150,000.
The Gold Riband session was deemed a success last year, its
A$130,200 average far surpassing that achieved for the sale as a
whole, and this year 62 yearlings will go under the hammer as
part of the session. Those include a plethora by popular first-
season sire Deep Field (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}), the
group-winning sprinter whose yearlings were tops by average
among first-season sires with three or more sold at the Gold
Coast at A$219,231. His Gold Riband yearlings include lot 62, the
first foal out of stakes winner Scorpio Queen (Aus) (Choisir
{Aus}) and lot 92, a colt out of a winning half-sister to stakes
TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 12 OF 13 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • 9 FEBRUARY, 2018
Black Heart Bart is back to defend his Orr title | Bronwen Healy
winner and Golden Slipper and Blue Diamond runner-up Zizou
(Aus) (Fusaichi Pegasus). Other first-season sires represented in
the Gold Riband include Brazen Beau (Aus), his haul including lot
76, the first foal out of Group 3 winner Written Dash (Aus)
(Written Tycoon {Aus}); and Rubick (Aus), who is represented by
a colt out of a half-sister to last year=s G1 Hong Kong Sprint
winner Mr Stunning (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) (lot 105).
Others of note on pedigree in the Gold Riband include lot 88, an
I Am Invincible colt out of Group 3 winner Camporella (Aus)
(Exceed and Excel {Aus}) and lot 70, a Snitzel (Aus) filly out of
the stakes-placed Suzy Smart (Smart Strike).
Eight siblings to Group 1 winners are catalogued, including two
by first-season sire Hallowed Crown (Aus): a half-sister to Brazen
Beau (lot 30) and a half-brother to last year=s G1 Victoria Derby
winner Ace High (Aus) (High Chaparral {Ire}) (lot 329). Lot 353 is
by Brazen Beau and is a half-sister to New Zealand champion 2-
year-old filly Ruud Awakening (Aus) (Bernardini). Another first-
season sire with two Group 1 siblings going for him is Deep
Field=s Newgate barnmate Dissident (Aus), with a half-sister to
Japonisme (Aus) (Choisir {Aus}) (lot 425) and a half-brother to
Amanpour (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}) (lot 552).
Shuttler Olympic Glory (Ire) has also made a good start with his
first yearlings this year, and his 22 catalogued include a half-
sister to Group 2-winning sprinter In Her Time (Aus) (Time Thief
{Aus}). Among the established sires, Fastnet Rock (Aus) has a
daughter of champion filly Heavenly Glow (Aus) (Spinning
World) (lot 432) and a colt who is the first foal out of the dual
Group 1 winner Platelet (Aus) (Strategic {Aus}) (lot 585) among
his six. Fastnet Rock=s Coolmore barnmate and leading second-
season sire Pierro (Aus) has a pair catalogued out of Group 3
winners, lots 127 and 207, from nine catalogued. The leading
first-season sire on the track, Spirit of Boom (Aus), has seven
catalogued, while Snitzel has three total, Not A Single Doubt
(Aus) 16 and I Am Invincible 12.
With all graduates of the Classic sale this year being eligible for
A$1-million bonus split between the vendor and breeder if they
win the 2019 Golden Slipper, there seems little reason to not be
shopping at Riverside Stables.
A SNEAKY ORR Saturday sees the running of the first Australian Group 1 for
2018, the C.F. Orr S. over 1400m at Caulfield. Black Heart Bart
(Aus) (Blackfriars {Aus}) will be back to defend his crown, having
won second-up last year before success in the G1 Futurity S. at
his next start over Tosen Stardom (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}),
who he will meet here.
Leaning slightly away from the favoured runners, the Anthony
Freedman-trained Mr Sneaky (Aus) (High Chaparral {Ire})
produced an eye-catching effort for second in the G2 Australia S.
on Jan. 26 when resuming and stepping up to the 1400m on
Saturday should only suit. Interestingly it is the same race and
finishing position that last year=s Orr winner Black Heart Bart
recorded prior to his win. Never out of the places at the
distance, and second in the spring at the track and trip in the
G1 Sir Rupert Clarke S., the 4-year-old has started to mature and
although he does have barrier 13 in a field of 14, he often gets
back before charging late.
Outstanding in the spring when fresh in the G2 P.B. Lawrence
S. at the track and trip, Godolphin=s Hartnell (GB) (Authorized
{Ire}) has not tasted success since, but a recent barrier trial
showed that the James Cummings-trained gelding looks on track
for a promising return.
Finishing a length and half behind Hartnell in that trial, Chris
Waller=s last start G1 Cantala S. winner Shillelagh (NZ) (Savabeel
{Aus}) could be a runner that really comes into her own now
that she has broken through at the elite level. Never discount a
mare in form--isn=t that the saying?
Darren Weir=s Japanese pair both look ready to run great races
here with Tosen Stardom coming into the race first-up off a
victory in the G1 Mackinnon S. on Nov. 11, while Brave Smash
(Jpn) (Tosen Phantom {Jpn}) is second-up off the back of his
weakening effort in the G2 Australia S. behind Thronum (Aus)
(Snitzel {Aus}), who also races here.
A surprise winner of the G1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on Oct.
14, the Mick Price-trained Mighty Boss (Aus) (Not A Single
Doubt {Aus}) does have fresh form and come Saturday, we will
know if the 3-year-old is up to tackling the older horses, or will
need to stick to his own age group.
TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 13 OF 13 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • 9 FEBRUARY, 2018
Lizzie l=Amour | Trish Dunell
Kawi | Trish Dunell
AUSTRALIAN-BRED WINNERS
>AMOUR= STRONGEST IN HERBIE DYKE? 2017 G1 Livamol Spring Classic victor Wait a Sec (NZ)
(Postponed) has already captured the G3 Anniversary H. At
Trentham this term, and is looking to add his second victory at
the highest level in the NZ$400,00 G1 Herbie Dyke S. on
Saturday. He was eighth last out to Beefeater (NZ) (Alamosa
{NZ}) in New Plymouth=s G3 Taranaki Cup on Feb. 3. Runner-up
in the Jan. 20 G1 Thorndon Mile over the Trentham course,
Watch This Space (NZ) (Elusive City) was ninth in the Cup.
The 2000-metre distance of the Herbie Dyke should suit 2017
G1 Bonecrusher New Zealand S. heroine Lizzie l=Amour (NZ)
(Zabeel {NZ}). Victorious over 1600 metres in the G2 Cal Isuzu S.
on Dec. 16, the Muray Baker/Andrew Forsman trainee was a
good second to Authentic Paddy (NZ) (Howbaddouwantit) in the
G1 Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie on Boxing Day and, with the latter=s
scratching from Saturday=s contest, looks primed for a big effort.
She found only G1SW Thee Auld Floozie (NZ) (Mastercraftsman
{Ire}) too good in the G2 Westbury Classic at Ellerslie most
recently on Jan. 27.
AShe=s done well and she likes Te Rapa,@ Baker, who also fields
Jan. 1 G2 Rich Hill Mile victress Coldplay (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}),
and GSW Nicoletta (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}), told
www.nzracing.co.nz. AShe=s got to be hard to beat. Coldplay has
only had a few cracks over ground and, if she gets the trip, she=s
a chance. As for Nicoletta, it=s a tough ask, but she=s a Group 3
winner and she runs it out all right.
KAWI HOPES TO TIE RECORD IN SPRINT Te Rapa plays host to a Saturday card loaded with group races,
among them the 1400-metre NZ$200,000 G1 BCD Group Sprint.
Seven-time Group 1 winner Kawi (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}) is the
talking horse on the day, as the gelding will attempt to tie the
great Mufhasa (NZ) (Pentire {GB}) with an elusive eighth victory
at the highest level in his native land. The Allan Sharrock-trained
champion captured the G1 Captain Cook S. at Trentham on
Dec. 9 and was only denied by a short head to make it an octet
of Group 1s in the G1 Telegraph S. on Jan. 20.
AI=m really pleased with him,@ Sharrock told
www.nzracing.co.nz. He=s sailed through his last run and his
work has been up to his best standard. All those behind him
have to come up to his weight on Saturday under weight-for-
age. At Trentham, he was giving them all weight. His form is
better than anything else. I=m pretty confident going into it.@
Kawi leaves from gate nine and Sharrock added, AThese Group
1s are never easy to win and next season could be his last
season, so we=d love for him to level up. As soon as he tells us
he=s had enough, we=ll pull pin. He=s been a great servant and
we=re not going to send him around for the sake of it.@
Te Akau Racing=s Heroic Valour (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), a
Group 1 winner as a juvenile, also returns after finishing fifth,
just a half-length behind Enzo=s Lad (Aus) (Testa Rossa {Aus}) in
the Telegraph. Last year=s Sprint hero Start Wondering (NZ)
(Eighth Wonder {NZ}) is looking to rebound. Fourth in the
G1 Sistema Railway on New Year=s Day, he was 16th of 18 in the
Telegraph.
IN SOUTH AFRICA:
Nautic Spirit (Aus), f, 3, Your Song (Aus)--Karalli (Aus), by
Chateau Istana (GB). Vaal, 2-8, Maiden Plate, 1200mT, 1:10.38.
O-Messrs J F & L M F Wernars & Mrs L C A Bouwer; B-Baddock
Bloodstock (Pty) Ltd (NSW); T-Paul Peter. *A$47,500 RNA Wlg
>15 MMNWNL.
GROUP ENTRIES
Saturday, Caulfield, Australia, post time: 4:45 p.m. (12:45 a.m. EST/5:45 p.m. BST)
LADBROKES C.F. ORR S.-G1, A$500,000 (US$392,348/£282,656/€319,403), 3yo/up, WFA, 1400mT
SC PP HORSE SIRE TRAINER JOCKEY WT
1 12 Hartnell (GB) Authorized (Ire) Cummings Williams 130
2 3 Black Heart Bart (Aus) Blackfriars (Aus) Weir Rawiller 130
3 14 Tosen Stardom (Jpn) Deep Impact (Jpn) Weir Lane 130
4 6 Brave Smash (Jpn) Tosen Phantom (Jpn) Weir Allen 130
5 10 Lord of the Sky (Aus) Danerich (Aus) Laing Oliver 130
6 11 Tshahitsi (Aus) Clangalang (Aus) Crook & Miller McCoull 130
7 13 Mr Sneaky (Aus) High Chaparral (Ire) Freedman McEvoy 130
8 8 Thronum (Aus) Snizel (Aus) D&B Hayes/Dabernig Zahra 130
9 7 Dollar for Dollar (Aus) High Chaparral (Ire) McEvoy Kah 130
10 1 Single Gaze (Aus) Not A Single Doubt (Aus) Olive O’Hara 125
11 2 Shillelagh (NZ) Savabeel (Aus) Waller Dee 125
12 4 Abbey Marie (Aus) Redoute’s Choice (Aus) Kent Nolen 125
13 9 Jester Halo (Aus) Sharkbite (Aus) Koloin Puls 125
14 5 Mighty Boss (Aus) Not A Single Doubt (Aus) Price Walker 122
Saturday, Te Rapa, New Zealand, post time: 3:13 p.m. (9:13 p.m. EST/2:13 a.m. BST)
HERBIE DYKE S.-G1, NZ$400,000 (US$291,245/£209,793/€237,109), 4yo/up, WFA, 2000mT
SC PP HORSE SIRE TRAINER JOCKEY WT
1 9 Authentic Paddy (NZ) Howbaddouwantit Scr Scr Scr
2 12 Wait A Sec (NZ) Postponed Lowry/Cullen Parkes 130
3 7 Watch This Space (NZ) Elusive City Hillis Weatherley 130
4 5 Beefeater (NZ) Alamosa (NZ) Bergerson Myers 130
5 11 Rangipo (Aus) Stryker (Aus) Pike Colgan 130
6 1 Gentil Tonton (Ire) Yeats (Ire) Bell Riddell 130
7 8 Lizzie L’Amour (NZ) Zabeel (NZ) Baker/Forsman Cameron 125
8 6 Coldplay (NZ) Savabeel (Aus) Baker/Forsman Bosson 125
9 4 Devise (NZ) Darci Brahma (NZ) Ritchie Coleman 125
10 10 Promise To Reign (Aus) Manhattan Rain (Aus) M&K Murdoch Du Plessis 125
11 2 Wildflower (NZ) Keeper (Aus) Richardson/Parker McNab 125
12 13 Savvy Dreams (NZ) Savabeel (Aus) Lowry/Cullen Collett 125
13 3 Nicoletta (NZ) Savabeel (Aus) Baker/Forsman Hutchings 125
Saturday, Te Rapa, New Zealand, post time: 4:25 p.m. (10:25 p.m. EST/3:25 a.m. BST)
BCD GROUP SPRINT-G1, NZ$200,000 (US$145,551/£104,999/€118,575), 4yo/up, 1400mT
SC PP HORSE SIRE TRAINER JOCKEY WT
1 9 Kawi (NZ) Savabeel (Aus) Sharrock Riddell 130
2 4 Packing Eagle (NZ) Pins (Aus) Da Cruz Collett 130
3 3 Start Wondering (NZ) Eighth Wonder (NZ) E&JJ Rayner Parkes 130
4 6 Sacred Star (Aus) Flying Spur (Aus) Pike Colgan 130
5 7 Ronchi (NZ) Stravinsky Wallace/Peard Cooksley 130
6 1 Brilliant Shine (NZ) Guillotine (NZ) P&D Williams Du Plessis 130
7 2 Heroic Valour (Aus) Fastnet Rock (Aus) Autridge/Richards Bosson 130
8 5 Elusive Treasure (Aus) Northern Meteor (Aus) Da Cruz Thornton 130
9 8 Ja Ja Binks (NZ) Falkirk (NZ) E&D Browne McNab 125
*All post times are displayed in local time.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2018
Lombo | Benoit
IN TDN EUROPE TODAYBOLGER FILLY ADDS GLAMOUR TO GOFFS Ballylinch Stud went to €280,000 for Jim Bolger’s sale-
topping Glamorous Approach at Goffs on Thursday.
Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe.
LOMBARDI RELISHINGQUICK START
by Jessica Martini
Some owners wait a lifetime to have a graded stakes winner
on the Triple Crown trail, but for Mike Lombardi, success has
come a little quicker with Lombo (Graydar), the first horse he
wholly owns, earning a wire-to-wire to victory in the GIII Robert
B. Lewis S. at Santa Anita last Saturday.
AIt was unbelievable,@ Lombardi, owner of the San Diego-based
construction company Lombardi Contracting, said Thursday.
AWe couldn=t go to the race. It was one of the first times we
couldn=t actually watch our horse run, but it was my youngest
son=s 18th birthday and his winter formal, so we had to be home
for that. We watched it on TV. I=m 51, and my wife Cori is 48 and
we=re jumping around like we were in high school. It was crazy.@
Lombardi had plenty of early exposure to horse racing and
traces his love of the sport to his childhood.
AI grew up in Ohio around two tracks; Scioto Downs, which was
a harness track, and Beulah Downs, which was a Thoroughbred
track,@ Lombardi said. AThey were just regular white collar
tracks, so I was kind of around it when I was a kid. Then I started
going to the Derby with some friends.
AOnce I moved out to California, my wife and I joined the Turf
Club for a few years,@ he continued. AThen we realized we were
too busy with the kids sports, so we stopped doing that. But we
always loved the horses.@
Cont. p3
HENLEY EMBRACING STEEP ASCENT AT
AIRDRIEby Chris McGrath
Some people just stand out from the beginning. Ben Henley,
newly promoted general manager of Airdrie Stud at 37, has long
been marked out for responsibility--much like the man who
appointed him. Brereton C. Jones was only 25, after all, when
becoming the youngest representative ever elected to the West
Virginia House of Delegates. And that didn't work out too badly,
either.
Henley had barely started out in his native Australia, for
instance, when the late Ann Raymond entrusted much of the
day-to-day running of Sledmere Stud to the raw 20-year-old
only recently promoted from the maintenance crew. Yes, Ann
Raymond: doyenne of the Hunter Valley's old school, who
remembered Phar Lap being hidden on her father's stud after
someone took a potshot at him a few days before the
Melbourne Cup. Cont. p5
Friday, February 9, 2018
OP/ED FEEDBACK 10We got an avalanche of thoughtful feedback on Bill Finley’sThursday column, “Trainers Won’t Run Horses, So Why Aren’tOwners Outraged?” See for yourself what a variety of industrystakeholders had to say.
BAFFERT 3YO UPDATES 13Bill Finley talks to Bob Baffert about his array of promising3-year-old males and what engagements he has plannedfor them next.
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A Legendary Team. Charlie Davis, exercise rider for Secretariat, poses with Big Red's
owner Penny Chenery at the Kentucky Derby Museum in 2015. Davis passed away at
the age of 78 Wednesday after a battle with lung cancer. | KY Derby Museum
TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 14 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • FEBRUARY 9, 2018
Lombardi Relishing Quick Start cont. from p1
After toying with the idea of ownership for several years
without pulling the trigger, fate seemed to intervene two years
ago.
AWe were at a charity event and we purchased a >Trainer for a
Day= package that Mike Pender had sponsored,@ Lombardi
recalled. AWe thought, >This sounds fun--behind the scenes, get
to go to the barn, pet the horses, sit in the trainer=s box. It
sounds like a great thing to do. We coordinated with Joel Fihn,
Mike=s PR guy, and he said, >Absolutely, bring your friends. We=ll
make a day of it. So we did that at Del Mar in the summer of
2016. It was so exciting and interesting. We thought at some
point, it sure would be great to be an owner because this is kind
of cool.@
That winter, in search of a Christmas gift for his wife, Lombardi
contacted Pender again.
AI called Mike and I said, >I=m wracking my brain to get my wife
something for Christmas, can I get her a piece of a horse?=@
Lombardi explained. AHe said, >Absolutely. I=ve got the perfect
opportunity.= So I bought this fractional share of her and I came
up with a big Christmas video and surprised her with a Derby hat
and I made up some silks. We just had a blast with it and we
said, >Okay, now we=re owners.= That horse still hasn=t run today,
by the way, but we have a piece of her.@
While the filly, 3-year-old Grandma Gertrude (Lucky Pulpit),
hasn=t made it to the races yet, the experience whet the
Lombardis appetite for ownership and the couple was excited to
find a horse who would be all their own.
A[Pender] went out to the OBS Sale in March,@ Lombardi said.
AI couldn=t go because I had other commitments, but we were
talking on the phone and he was out there for a couple of days
doing all of his research. He saw this Graydar colt, who is now
Lombo, and he just kept talking and talking about him and I said,
>If we can get him for under $100,000, let=s do it.= I want to own
my own horse. I had learned really quickly that when you have
pieces of horses, especially if you don=t have the biggest piece,
it=s not very fun.@
Out of graded stakes placed Burg Berg (Johannesburg) and
from the first crop of Grade I winner Graydar (Unbridled=s Song),
Lombo (hip 407) worked a furlong in :10 2/5 at last year=s OBS
March Sale. Pender acquired the future graded stakes winner
for $75,000.
Lombardi was able to experience the auction scene first hand
later that month when he accompanied Pender to the Barretts
March sale. The two came away with a colt by Violence (hip 90)
purchased for $30,000. Now named For Him, the bay broke his
maiden at Del Mar last August and was a distant fourth in the
GI Los Alamitos Futurity in December. Cont. p4
TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 14 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • FEBRUARY 9, 2018
In the winner=s circle with Lombo | Benoit
AWe bid on him and nobody really raised [our bid],@ Lombardi
said. AWe got him on what I call the clearance rack. So I look for
horses that Mike can do something with, maybe they=re not
perfect and they=re not going to sell for half a million dollars, but
there is something there. The breeding is there and if Mike sees
what he likes, let=s do it.@
The Lombardis currently have five horses in training. In
addition to the two juvenile purchases, the couple also claimed
now 3-year-old Candyman Garret (Overanalyze) out of his
maiden score at Del Mar last August and they own a recently
turned 2-year-old colt by Boisterous.
AThe Boisterous colt is up in Utah with Val Brinkerhoff,@
Lombardi said. AHe just turned two in January, so we are hoping
to get that colt down here in the next couple of months. I
figured if I was going to do this as a hobby, and maybe more
than that down the road, I want to get the gist of it. I want to
know what it=s all about. When they are yearlings and they=ve
never been ridden, how do they get to be two?@
The juvenile sales season looms and Lombardi expects to be a
part of it.
AI have the fever,@ he said. AI admit it. I so have the fever. I love
everything about it. I just like being at the auction. I=ve watched
a lot of videos on my own about conformation. I know just
barely enough to be dangerous, to at least communicate with
Mike. So I do to expect to go to the sales and, knowing me,
we=re probably going to end up with something. I=m not the guy
that is going to go and spend $300,000 on a horse. I think there
is a lot more gratification in finding the $75,000 Lombo that beat
the $400,000 and the $850,000 horse. There is just something
about it--I feel like we were smart that day. Mike saw something
that somebody else didn=t see and I like that.@
With a 21-year-old son off at college in Chicago and an 18-year-
old high school senior, Lombardi admitted the soon-to-be empty
nesters have found a passion in racehorse ownership. Cont. p5
TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 5 OF 14 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • FEBRUARY 9, 2018
Mike and Cori Lombardi
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AOur screen savers on our phones, everything has always been
about the kids,@ Lombardi said. AAnd now, every picture is
horses. My screen saver is Lombo and Flavien [Prat] crossing the
finish line. My boys just look at me and say, >Yeh, I guess we=re
not in little league anymore.=
AWhen you get total access to the paddock and the shedrow
and everything, it=s like
nothing else,@ he
continued. AIt really
makes you feel special.
Our friends think we are
super cool. It is fun to
flash your owner badge
and get in to everything.
We just giggle all of the
time--we=re like, >We are
really nobody, but we
seem like somebody.=@
Lombo, who broke his
maiden sprinting
6 1/2 furlongs at Santa
Anita Jan. 20 (video) in
his third career start,
successfully stretched out to 1 1/16 miles to win the Bob Lewis
(video). It was his third start in just over a month.
As for where the gray colt will start next, Lombardi is leaving
that decision to Pender.
AAt some point, we all understand, you=ve got to get the
[Kentucky Derby] points,@ Lombardi said. AThat means you=re
going to have to face better and better horses as you go. I trust
that Mike will pick the right spot and the horse will tell us when
he=s ready to go. We=ll give it a shot and keep dreaming.@
Henley Embracing Steep Ascent at Airdie cont. from p1
"We had a family friend at Sledmere, so I'd been coming for a
week or two during the summer since I was 11 or 12," Henley
said. "Hard labour, basically, but I just thought it was the best
thing ever, to be on horseback, to work with the cattle and the
horses, I thought it a fantastic way of life. By the time I was 16 I
was a full-time farm hand; did that for two years, and then
spent about four working with the horses.
"About then Miss Raymond got hurt a few times, broke some
bones and was incapacitated. But that was a blessing for me as I
got to pretty much run the farm, on the horse side of things,
reporting to her daily. Sledmere has grown a lot since but back
then it was really a private, family broodmare farm. Miss
Raymond was a great horsewoman and it was a very good way
to learn, hands on, doing everything."
There was no obvious reason for Henley's affinity with the
horses. His father was a stonemason; his mother and stepfather
ran a Sydney restaurant for 20 years. Sure, he had a pony as a
kid; there was even a little dressage and showjumping, but he
soon tired of that: "I was more interested in riding around
chasing cows--'Man From Snowy River' style!"
Yet everywhere he has been, Henley has been fast-tracked. He
left Sledmere when the local breeders' association awarded him
a scholarship to the Irish National Stud course--after which he
was promptly retained as a foreman, to help train the next
intake. By 23, he was helping to establish Oakgrove Stud in
Wales for John Deer. How very apt, then, that when he first
came to Kentucky it should have been with More Than Ready.
He was accompanying the shuttler from Vinery Australia.
Cont. p6
TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 6 OF 14 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • FEBRUARY 9, 2018
Ben Henley
"I had no intention of staying more than six months," Henley
admitted. "But within a week I was just blown away, and knew I
was going to be here a lot
longer."
The Vinery Australia manager,
Peter Orton, was an old mate of
Tim Thornton, who was running
Airdrie for Governor Jones.
Thornton offered Henley a place
on his nominations team; and,
ten years on, it was his
retirement that proved the cue
for Henley to take the reins.
Bret Jones, of course, remains
integral both to the future of the
farm and its present excellence.
But if the Governor's son exudes
the same Jones appeal that won
over voters first in West Virginia,
and ultimately in Kentucky, then
the family also knows that even the strongest stallion roster can
only be as strong as the team behind it. Shortly before Henley's
promotion, for example, Airdrie recruited the highly regarded
Cormac Breathnach from Adena Springs to its nominations desk.
"Yes, it's a big step up," Henley said of his new post. "But I've
been really lucky the way Tim and Brerry took me under their
wing from the start, giving me a
lot of responsibility and
involvement with all aspects of
the business. And Bret shared a
lot of that stuff with me, also;
they've all been amazing: they
took me in like family, treated
me like one of their own from
day one."
The Governor himself, after all,
was younger than Henley when
first restoring Thoroughbreds to
these acres--reviving a great but
latent 19th Century heritage--in
1972. And it's not hard to see
why the Airdrie regime should
have groomed this young man,
so to speak, for high office. For
Henley had gone to exacting lengths to acquire a cosmopolitan
Turf education long before there was any such thing as a Darley
Flying Start.
Cont. p7
TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 7 OF 14 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • FEBRUARY 9, 2018
"The Irish National Stud course really opened my eyes," he
reflected. "At that point I thought racing only existed in Australia
and New Zealand, I had no idea about the international market.
So that was a fantastic opportunity, to meet all these people
from all over the world and learn about European pedigrees. I
couldn't get my head out of those Goffs and Tattersalls
catalogues. And then of course you're also learning a totally
different way of raising a horse. In Australia, they're outdoors in
large groups, and not handled anywhere near as much.
Obviously in Europe the weather doesn't allow for that style of
doing things, so you're in there with them in barns a lot more."
During the year he stayed on, Henley assisted in some 250
foalings--notably a Giant's Causeway filly delivered by none
other than Urban Sea (Miswaki), whose mighty son Galileo (Ire)
had won the Derby the previous year.
"But all the big shots on the farm came in to help with that
one," Henley said with a smile. "It's a bit more intense, that's for
sure, with a mare like that. You want it to go right! But it was
really cool to follow that filly's race career."
My Typhoon (Ire), as she was named, ended up winning the
GI Diana S. In the meantime, Henley had put in those couple of
years as stud groom at Oakgrove until his visa expired.
"It was awesome," he said. "Mr Deer was just getting going
with Averti (Ire) (Warning {GB}) and really focused on getting as
many mares to him as possible, raising them well and racing
them. And we had a lot of luck, Avonbridge (GB) won the
[G1] Prix de l'Abbaye from his first crop. He was out of a great
mare called Alessia (GB) (Caerleon) whose Machiavellian foal a
couple of years before was Patavellian (Ire)--and he won the
Abbaye as well.
"It was testing, to be in a position of responsibility as a
foreigner and still very young,@ he said. AMost of the people
working there were older, so it was a challenge to learn how to
deal with people--and a really good experience for me."
His next move was instructive of the ambition and diligence
underpinning Henley's laid-back demeanour. For while he had
no interest in a track career, he felt that any future stud
manager should have a proper grasp of what a trainer might
expect of a horse arriving from a farm. He duly served a stint
with John Hawkes at Crown Lodge, learning much from Peter
Snowden who was still assistant to Hawkes at that time.
Then it was on to Vinery Australia, where Orton extended his
education into selling seasons, and, with dirt pedigrees and dirt
racing as the final piece of the jigsaw, sent him to Kentucky.
"With the expectation that I'd come home," Henley said with a
grin. "That didn't happen in the end, but I'm forever grateful to
him--as without him none of this would have happened."
So here he is, immersed for a decade in the Airdrie way.
Yes, he misses the cricket; and, when seen at the Keeneland
January Sale, the Sydney weather too. But three years ago he
married a girl who had been to school with Bret, and he has long
ago become a fervent evangelist for the methods and principles
of the Governor, his family and their team.
"The Governor? He's one of a kind," Henley said. "It's
remarkable what he's done, with Libby, building up Airdrie after
starting out with half a dozen broodmares. Now it's one of the
powerhouses of the North American stallion business. He's
raced three [GI Kentucky] Oaks winners in the last ten years, all
by stallions standing at Airdrie. And he's not a billionaire with
some big company that pays for the farm. It's a self-sufficient
business, and that's a remarkable thing to do: to run it for that
long, sustaining it, standing stallions, selling yearlings, racing a
lot of horses every year."
Many of Airdrie's trademark sires--Silver Hawk, Indian Charlie,
Harlan's Holiday, Proud Citizen--have been especially cherished
by the commercial clients who have developed such trust in the
farm. Now their attention is fixed on young stallions like Cairo
Prince (Pioneerof The Nile) and Creative Cause (Giant's
Causeway), each having passed his first tests--respectively in the
sales ring and on the track--in pretty spectacular fashion.
Cont. p8
TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 8 OF 14 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • FEBRUARY 9, 2018
Cairo Prince | EquiSport Photos
"With Cairo Prince, the boss has been very fortunate in that
we've great partners in Darley," Henley emphasized. "We said
we'd guarantee him a certain
number of mares, we'd do the
heavy lifting, it's a win-win for
everyone and we're very grateful
for the opportunity. And the
horse's sales have been
phenomenal. Forty-three
yearlings at $100,000 or
more--off a $10,000 stud fee!
That's incredible, especially for
some of the smaller commercial
breeders.
"We know all our clients so well,
and get all the feedback when the
foals are hitting the ground, and
then when they're preparing
them for the sales. So yes, you
could feel it coming--but it's still remarkable what he's done.
"He's a really laid-back horse, very easy to deal with, a pure
gentleman most of the time. And I think that's part of why the
market really grabbed onto him: their minds seem really good,
they learn things easily. And he's stamping really well. They're
tall, leggy, [and] look like your classic American two-turn horse,
with plenty of scope."
But while everyone now waits
to see whether Cairo Prince can
possibly match expectations with
his first runners, Creative Cause is
already up and away. Though
finding himself among a vintage
intake, he ended 2017 as the
number one second-crop sire by
stakes winners, stakes wins, and
juvenile stakes winners.
"Creative Cause is going great
guns," Henley said. "Quite often
when they make a good start with
their first crop, they can kind of
slow down--but we've seen him
come straight back again with
that second crop of 2-year-olds."
Another emerging prospect is the handsome Summer Front
(War Front), whose first foals were so well received. Nor is he
being treated as inevitably a turf sire by the farm: with versatile
influences on both sides, he has been given plenty of partners
with dirt profiles. Cont. p9
TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 9 OF 14 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • FEBRUARY 9, 2018
Creative Cause | EquiSport Photos
Then there is Upstart (Flatter), with foals now on the ground
from an oversubscribed debut book; and newcomer American
Freedom (Pulpit), launched in
partnership with Gary and Mary
West, with a guarantee of
mutual support across his first
three seasons. And let's not
forget Majesticperfection
(Harlan's Holiday) and old
stalwart Include (Broad Brush),
who between them set such
standards for the young guns.
"Include's been a great servant
to the farm, with ten Grade I
winners including three out of
our mares, while never standing
for big money," Henley says.
"And now we have his daughters
doing good things for us as well.
We sold a Cairo Prince colt last
year for $900,000 out of an Include mare. And from
Majesticperfection's first crop we raced Lovely Maria who won
the Oaks."
Young as he remains, then, it is worth remembering that
Henley has been part of the Airdrie team long enough to savour
cycles of this kind. He needs no
reminding of the scale of his
responsibility: eight stallions,
160 of the farm's own
broodmares on nearly 3,000
acres, and around 70 staff. But
what has qualified him for such
a massive role is the thoughtful
accretion of the little lessons:
day by day, experience by
experience, mentor by mentor.
"I think being around very
good horsemen is the best way
to learn--and I've been very
fortunate, with Brerry and
Timmy; and Peter back in
Australia before that, he's a
great life coach too, I still talk to
him; and even before that Ann Raymond,@ Henley said. AI've
taken bits from all those people and kinda melded it into my
own.
Cont. p10
TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 10 OF 14 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • FEBRUARY 9, 2018
"Bret's been really good, too, because he doesn't skip any
steps. He makes sure he gets a horse the best group of mares
possible. Sometimes you've got to hurt a few people's feelings,
not letting one in, but he'd only be doing it for the horse. So
putting together a nice book of mares, then marketing the foals,
he's always done a really good job at that.
"For us I think integrity is a big thing. And Bret is one of the
most honest people you'll ever meet. He's straight up, true to
his word, and very much like his mother and father. So that's
hugely important to all of us, that respect and integrity."
So much for the brand. How about the mission? Henley shook
his head.
"There are huge shoes to fill," he stressed. "Brerry and Tim
have done such a remarkable job for such a long time, I guess
the first thing is not to mess it up. But we really want to
continue to grow our stallion business. We have eight horses at
the moment, and would love to have a couple of champion sires
standing in the barn in the next few years. We obviously love
racing, too, so a Derby winner would be great as well--especially
one by Cairo Prince or Creative Cause!"
" " "
ATrainers Won=t Run Horses, So Why Aren=t OwnersOutraged?@ In Thursday=s TDN, we ran an op-ed by Bill Finley about thedecline of starts per year by American Thoroughbreds. Finleyasked for feedback, and we were inundated by the replies. Belowis a sampling.
We are quite certain Lasix plays a part in the lack of horses.How could it not be? All you mentioned, Bill, in your article istrue and a piece of the horse racing pie. How could Lasix notaffect racing and our breeding of horses? I am sure that horsesthat can only run on Lasix need to be questionable breedingprospects. Maybe we have in turn weakened the breed? MaybeLasix opened the door for more use of drugs instead of time andreal healing. I know this is the 21st century. The use of drugs isprevalent in our culture, but is it overused? In human beings, wehave the opioid crisis. Do we have a parallel crisis in horseracing? To address your point of owners taking more action in theirhorses running in more races, I find that hard to do. Trainerstrain horses, not owners. One hires trainers to do just that. Mosttrainers given a free hand, enthusiastically supported by theowners, will do a good job for you and your horse.--Gretchen Jackson Cont. p11
TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 11 OF 14 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • FEBRUARY 9, 2018
Bill Finley asked in his Thursday Op/Ed piece if he was "missingsomething." Bill, you are not missing anything, but I think thereis at least one area where more focus needs to be brought tobear. It used to be popular in the racing office to blame a "horseshortage" for small fields. There is not so much a horse shortage,as a shortage of owners willing to pay the upkeep on racingstock in whatever one wants to call this current era in which weare racing. Over the years plenty of solutions to lowering expenses havebeen promulgated to better the situation, yet very little if anyinitiatives have taken place. Here are some of the cost issues,with some remedies, as follows:! FEED: racing associations are certainly capable of buying
feed in bulk and selling it to horsemen at cost plus labor.! VETERINARIANS: a backstretch pharmacy is long overdue,
not only for selling drugs at a low cost, but for officials tokeep track of what has been bought and by whom. Let vetswork like human doctors and invoice clients for their time,and not try to game the system by overcharging on meds.
! TACK: ditto the above.! THERAPY: therapies such as a cold saltwater spa, stalls with
vibrating plates, a Euro-ciser, Aqua-tred, hyperbaricchamber, etc. are all valuable treatments for horses intraining that can prolong wellness in a runner. Racingassociations can erect facilities with these modalities andallow them to be used at subsidized rates.
There are other ideas, but this should be enough food forthought to get the ball rolling. While not directly related to expenses, another issue that iscausing fewer horses to race that is little known outside of thebackstretch is the loss of the integrity of the condition book. Youmentioned that trainers are loathe to race long shots becausethey want to protect their winning percentages. Well racing offices are guilty of not wanting to run races unlessthe field size is large enough to attract a good handle. To thisend, it is now quite common for some racetracks to cardmultiple extra races and to abandon book races all for the sakeof field size. This makes it impossible for trainers to plan racesfor their horses except for stakes races that have finite dates.Trainers don't know when to breeze horses anymore. Thismessing with the condition book causes many horses to missraces.---Barry Irwin, CEO, Team Valor International
It may be foreign to American racing culture but to anybodylooking from an international perspective a possible solution tothe problem Bill Finley poses in ATrainers won't run theirhorses...@ is to put on handicap races. Handicaps may have moreor less disappeared from U.S. racing, but it was not too long agothat some of the best races were handicaps, however, in many
racing countries they make up the majority of races on offer. InBritain handicaps make up around two-thirds of all races, inFrance they not have quite the same acceptance but they arestill around 25% of all races, and then in somewhere like HongKong handicaps account for closer to 90% of all races. Handicaps are on the whole positive for the two principalgroups of racing customers. They are good for those who bet asthey provide open competitive races in which most if not all ofthe runners have a realistic chance of winning. Yesterday's cardat Happy Valley in Hong Kong, for instance, featured eightraces, all handicaps, in which the shortest priced favourite wasat 41-20. They are also good for owners as they provide winningopportunities for horses of every level of ability. And of course they encourage owners and trainers to run theirhorses. If your horse is well handicapped, (you believe it isbetter than its rating), it makes sense to run to make the most ofthis opportunity, and if you think your horse is badlyhandicapped, (it is not as good as its rating), it makes sense torun to convince the handicapper to drop its rating. In Britain where handicaps make up a large majority of races,all but the very best 2- and 3-year-olds compete in handicaps atsome point in their careers. Most of the leading older horses inBritain in 2017, including Group 1 performers like DecoratedKnight, Librisa Breeze, Persuasive, Ballet Concerto, Poet's Word,The Tin Man and Aclaim among many others, competed inhandicaps before moving on to group races. There are a seriesof what are called heritage handicaps which offer about$150,000 to the winner and attract large competitive fields ofhigh class horses at different distances throughout the year. If there are not enough owners and horses to fill races, surelyit makes sense to try offering something a little different?--Jocelyn de Moubray
An important missing element to your story, and possibly thegenesis of this problem, is the negative impact caused by thefraudulent "bounce" theory initially perpetrated by "The Sheets"guys and now morphed into the lexicon of virtually everyone inthe industry. Whenever a horse runs back in three weeks anddoesn't match a prior performance, he "bounced." Exact samesituation and the horse runs back in six weeks, there will be NOmention of when he last raced. For an industry consumed withstatistics, why is it that no one performs a statistical analysis thatwould actually analyze whether or not horses actually run betterwith more time off? There are a lot of factors to consider toensure a proper analysis, but it can be done. There was a studyperformed by Derek Simon a number of years ago thatconcluded there was NO improvement in performance withmore time between starts, but it never received widespreaddistribution. This problem is killing the industry and it's a shamebecause it's fixable. Thanks for shedding the light.--Bill Theodore
TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 12 OF 14 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • FEBRUARY 9, 2018
You guys do first-crop, second-crop, etc., stallion rankings. Run
a top-100 trainers list by earnings and list how many starters
they had in a given year (or six months), how many starts those
horses made and the percentage. I know that many owners feel
that their horses aren=t making enough starts (or worse, the
horse that breezes 50 times and never makes it to the races),
but there was a culture built up at some point where the
trainers told the owner, AI am the expert and you are not, so let
me call the shots.@ That culture continues today and the trainers
do what they want, not what the owner wants. There is a fine
line here, no doubt. We do not want every owner picking out
races and saying, Arun my horse here.@ That could be disastrous
for the horse. If we can find a way to shift the emphasis from
win percentage to start percentage, that would be a start.
Unfortunately, every time you open up the Form or the program
at the races, you only see win percentage--it=s hammered into us
all day long. Thank you for bringing up this issue.
--Braxton Lynch
I can only speak for racing in Maryland, where we race three
days a week mostly, but races don=t fill! Other than maiden
claiming races, very few races fill, especially at the higher levels,
in the winter when there is no grass racing, and dirt races don=t
fill in the rest of the year. Our horse ran a slight temperature
one day and missed his race, an allowance >a other than,= and it
didn=t fill again for five weeks. Because of the three day a week
schedule, it is hard for the racing secretary to get the races to
come up on a weekly schedule. Our racing Secretary,
Georgeanne Hale, does an amazing job, considering days that
are lost to bad weather. Writing extras so everyone gets a
chance to run must be like solving a Rubiks Cube. Also, if you are
trying to run in a non-West Virginia-bred at Charles Town, for
example, your opportunities are limited. Conversely, there are
so many New York-breds trying to get in the New York-bred
races that it can take eight weeks to draw back into a maiden
race. It is not as simple as you made it sound!
--Cynthia McGinnes
I do think you are missing something. And it is actually a good
thing. When I was growing up and going to Santa Anita and
Hollywood Park, I would always watch the post parade and
make notes about horses. There were always a couple horses
that looked bad. A little off, or jogging very sloppy. These horses
were not lame, but a little off or arthritic. Nowadays, that does
not fly. If you have a sore horse, you can't run. The vets in the
mornings are very sharp out here and you cannot run these
horses anymore. If they do pass the morning vet, and they look
bad in the post parade, they will for sure be scratched. Also,
with the new claim rule, nobody is going to run a bad one to get
it claimed. You have zero chance of the claim going through.
So, you space out their races to make sure the are perfect
before you enter. This is a great thing for the horse, which
should be our number one priority.
--Dennis O=Neill
Thanks for your thoughtful article.
As a small owner (four-horse stable), and lifelong student of
the game, I have given lots of thought to the same issues. My
horses made 27 starts last year (my stakes-placed 2-year-old
first started in June and, after three starts, needed surgery to
remove knee chips). So, my other three horses made a total of
24 starts. For me, that seems about right.
Having watched racing since the early >50s (one of my earliest
memories is watching Dark Star beat a beloved Native Dancer) I
think I bring historical perspective to this issue. While you are
probably right that genetically these horses have not changed
since the 1980s when average starts/year were much higher, I
would argue that the typology of the horses selected for has
changed dramatically. I am amazed every time I look back at the
old photos of my racing heroes. Just look at Seabiscuit, Dr.
Fager, Round Table, Kelso, Forego, Ruffian and so many others.
Generally long bodied, slab sided and almost coarse looking by
today's standards. These horses and their contemporaries were
tough and could readily withstand the pounding required of
constant training.
They look very little like today's desired type. Today, given the
yearling and 2-year-old commercial marketplace, we are
breeding big, heavy, Quarter-Horse types--fast horses that can
breeze a quarter in :21. I would argue that this change resulted
directly from the dominance of Wayne Lukas and Bob Baffert
(and their emulators) both of whom came out of the Quarter
Horse industry. They wanted a certain type of horse and, given
their success, the market accommodated them. Hence, we are
stuck with horses that simply cannot train like those old classic
types.
I am not sure I have an answer to this problem but I think Tim
Ritvo is on the right track. Also, I am not totally discouraged
given the increasing popularity of turf racing which will, I think,
lead to future changes in the desired type of horse sought in the
marketplace (I think we're seeing the start of that right now).
Again, I enjoy your articles. Keep them coming.
--Bill Greenstein, Billy Speed Racing Stable
We're talking about such a small number of trainers here. Less
than 5%. The major problem is those same 5% holding over 25%
of the total horse population (super trainers). Evidence is in the
fact that 33% of 300 Triple Crown nominations are from such a
small number of trainers. The answer to me is limiting stall
numbers at tracks. Split the business up amongst trainers so
races fill. As we know, a trainer can only have two horses per
race. So holding 70+ horses at one track hurts field size. Cont. p13
TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 13 OF 14 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • FEBRUARY 9, 2018
Bob Baffert | Keeneland Photo
As a trainer myself, I don't make money on day rate. I earn my
living off of running my horses and those horses earning me 10%
of on the board finishes. I can't afford to not run. So in my
opinion, you=re speaking of a very small percentage of super
trainers that charge high day rate. Just my two cents.
--Tony-Michael Gattellaro
A question to ask is what did the average horse earn in purse
money in 2017 versus 1987? Also, how much does the average
horse cost to train versus 30 years ago? How long does the
average horse still in training now versus years ago? Possibly,
owners want their horses to last longer without getting hurt or
sore. There is more to this than just a trainer's winning
percentage, particularly at the lower end of the sport.
Very interesting and thought provoking piece... thank you.
--Charles C. Fenwick, Jr.
BAFFERT DISCUSSES PLANS FOR 3YO STARS
by Bill Finley
Ax Man (Misremembered) is a hot prospect and will be
favored in Saturday=s seven-furlong GII San Vicente S. at Santa
Anita, but he has a way to go to reach the top of the pecking
order in the Bob Baffert stable. As is so often the case, the Hall
of Fame trainer is loaded with 3-year-old male talent and is
beginning to devise the schedule for his team as he prepares to
get them to Churchill Downs. Baffert has at least seven colts at
this point that he considers prospects for the GI Kentucky Derby.
Ax Man is the Anow@ horse in the Baffert stable. He made his
debut in a Jan. 1 maiden race at Santa Anita and won by 9 1/2
lengths. Because the race was restricted to homebreds or
yearlings that cost $100,000 or less, there was some speculation
that Ax Man didn=t beat the best of fields. But Lombo (Graydar),
who was third, beaten 10 1/2 lengths in that race, has since
come back to win the GIII Robert B. Lewis.
When asked if he thought he had enough time to get the
lightly raced Ax Man ready for the Derby, Baffert replied: AI
think if he=s good enough he can do it. The San Vicente will be a
big step for him, especially out of the one hole. He=s fast and
he=s quick. He=s a light-framed horse and I haven=t seen any
distance limitations with him. But you don=t know that until
they=re put under the gun.@
Baffert will also start Nero (Pioneerof the Nile) in the San
Vicente. He broke his maiden Jan. 13 in his second career start.
AHe has a lot of talent, but was a little bit quirky at first,@ the
trainer said. AHe=s starting to figure things out and he worked
really well for this race. He likes to have a target and he=ll
definitely have a target in this race. I think he should run well
also.@
Baffert said he likes to nominate his top 3-year-olds to Ajust
about everything,@ which allows him to leave his options open.
AWhichever one is doing great that week gets on the plane and
runs that week,@ he said.
The top two in the Baffert lineup at this point are >TDN Rising
Star= McKinzie (Street Sense) and Solomini (Curlin). Solomini
crossed the wire first in the Dec. 9 GI Los Alamitos Futurity, but
was disqualified, resulting in McKinzie being placed first.
Solomini has not run since, while McKinzie has since won the
GIII Sham S.
Baffert said one of the two will go next in the GII San Felipe
Mar. 10 at Santa Anita, while the other will go in the Mar. 17 GII
Rebel at Oaklawn.
AI just go by the way I feel the horse is doing,@ he said. AI know
McKinzie and Solomoni have already proven themselves. I=m
just trying to keep them healthy and give them a positive prep
going in.@
Baffert has penciled in the Feb. 19 GIII Southwest S. at
Oaklawn for Mourinho (Super Saver), who won earlier at the
meet in the Smarty Jones S. Baffert expects the race to be split
into two divisions and is looking at also running >TDN Rising Star=
Zulfikhar (Bodemeister). That colt has not raced since winning a
July 17 maiden at Los Alamitos, but Baffert is high on him.
He has another lightly raced but talented horse in Restoring
Hope (Giant=s Causeway). He broke his maiden Feb. 2 in his third
lifetime start and Baffert is shopping for a Derby prep for him as
well. Baffert normally relies on the Santa Anita and Oaklawn
routes to get to the Derby, but says with so many candidates
this year, you may see him in races he rarely runs in.
Cont. p14
TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 14 OF 14 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • FEBRUARY 9, 2018
AI think you=ll see us in the [GII] Blue Grass or maybe we could
go to Gulfstream and run one there,@ he said. AWe have a few
here we=re getting ready.@
When asked if he thought this could be one of his best groups
of 3-year-olds, Baffert was hesitant to go that far.
AThe year I had American Pharoah and Dortmund, that was a
really good year, and so was the year I had Real Quiet and Indian
Charlie,@ he said. AI=ve had some strong hands. It=s still early.
Over the next month, that is when the serious stuff starts
happening.@
Veteran horseman Eugene Melnyk says he misses owning
Thoroughbred racers
Eugene Melnyk is back in the horse-racing business. He no
longer owns 500-plus quality thoroughbreds but the Ottawa
Senators' owner has started rebuilding with a twist: he's
breeding horses to sell, not race.
Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press
IN OTHER NEWS...A Daily Roundup of Racing Articles in Non-Industry Media
DID YOU KNOW?Champion Unique Bella (Tapit)
was tabbed as a “TDN Rising Star”
Visit the TDN Rising Stars section on our website!
Saturday, Gulfstream Park, post time: 4:10 p.m. EST
GULFSTREAM PARK TURF S.-GI, $300,000, 4yo/up, 1 1/8mT
PP HORSE SIRE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY WT
1 Heart to Heart English Channel Terry Hamilton Lynch Leparoux 123
2 One Go All Go K Fairbanks Rodney Paden Dickey Landeros 117
3 Kurilov (Chi) Lookin At Lucky Head of Plains Partners LLC, Spellman, Doheny, Brown Ortiz, Jr. 119
Coleman and Stud Vendaval, Inc.
4 Hi Happy (Arg) Pure Prize La Providencia, LLC Pletcher Saez 119
5 Money Multiplier K Lookin At Lucky Al Shahania Stud Brown Castellano 119
6 March K Blame Robert V. LaPenta Thomas Gaffalione 119
7 Revved Up Candy Ride (Arg) Phipps Stable McGaughey III Zayas 119
8 Channel Maker K English Channel Joey Gee Thoroughbreds, Wachtel Stable Mott Juarez 121
and Barber, Gary
Breeders: 1-Red Hawk Ranch, 2-Albert P. Coppola, 3-Haras Paso Nevado, 4-La Providencia, 5-Machmer Hall & Haymarket Farm, 6-Lakland Farm,
7-Phipps Stable, 8-Tall Oaks Farm
Saturday, Tampa Bay Downs, post time: 4:20 p.m. EST
LAMBHOLM SOUTH ENDEAVOUR S.-GIII, $175,000, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16mT
PP HORSE SIRE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY WT
1 Truly Together Smart Strike Augustin Stable Matz Rosario 116
2 Dona Bruja (Arg) Storm Embrujado (Arg) Dom Felipe LLC Correas, IV Ortiz 120
3 Westit (GB) Tapit Wertheimer and Frere Motion Franco 116
4 America Mon Amie All American (Aus) Steve Ballou Scott Cotto, Jr. 116
5 Lovely Loyree Cactus Ridge Feel The Thunder Stable, Oak Rock Racing LLC, Boyce Centeno 116
Bojarski, Biondo et al.
6 Josdesanimaux Leroidesanimaux (Brz) Palm Beach Racing Arboritanza Morales 116
7 La Coronel K Colonel John John C. Oxley Casse Lezcano 120
8 Viva Vegas The Factor Bolton, George and Leidel, Peter Ryan Castanon 116
Breeders: 1-Augustin Stable, 2-Gasparotto, Ivan Roberto, 3-Wertheimer et Frere, 4-Captain Jack Racing Stable, 5-Barr Three LLC, 6-Palm Beach Racing II,
LLC, 7-Kim Nardelli, Rodney Nardelli, SusanBunning, A. Jaffreys & B. Jaffreys, 8-Summer Grove Farm, LLC & Terry Gabriel
Saturday, Santa Anita Park, post time: 4:30 p.m. EST
SANTA MARIA S.-GII, $200,000, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16m
PP HORSE SIRE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY WT
1 Shenandoah Queen Henny Hughes Hronis Racing LLC Sadler Van Dyke 120
2 Mopotism K Uncle Mo Reddam Racing LLC O'Neill Gutierrez 124
3 Kathy's Song K Candy Ride (Arg) Abbondanza Racing, LLC, Premier Racing Club Baltas Blanc 120
and McClanahan, Jerry
4 Unique Bella K Tapit Don Alberto Stable Hollendorfer Smith 122
5 Majestic Heat Unusual Heat M. Auerbach LLC, Bardy Farm and McCauley, Ron Mandella Prat 124
Breeders: 1-Emerald Q Partners Inc., Richard S.Reed & Tiffany A. Zammit, 2-Frank T Batten, 3-Payson Stud Inc, 4-Brushwood Stable, 5-Madeline
Auerbach & Barry Abrams
Saturday, Gulfstream Park, post time: 4:43 p.m. EST
SUWANNEE RIVER S.-GIII, $150,000, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8mT
PP HORSE SIRE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY WT
1 Westit (GB) Tapit Wertheimer and Frere Motion Zayas 117
2 Beauly (GB) Sea The Stars (Ire) Rebecca Hillen Walsh Lynch 117
3 Midnight Crossing (Ire) K Dark Angel (Ire) Abbondanza Racing, LLC and Medallion Racing Baltas Jaramillo 123
4 Flipcup Milwaukee Brew Wachtel Stable and Team Penney Racing Mott Gaffalione 119
5 Dream Dancing Tapit John C. Oxley Casse Leparoux 123
6 Ultra Brat Uncle Mo Alex G. Campbell, Jr. Motion Juarez 123
7 Dream Awhile War Front Joseph Allen LLC Brown Ortiz, Jr. 121
8 Elysea's World (Ire) Champs Elysees (GB) Sheep Pond Partners and All Pro Racing LLC Brown Castellano 117
9 Kitten's Roar K Kitten's Joy Ramsey, Kenneth L. and Sarah K. Maker Saez 123
Breeders: 1-Wertheimer et Frere, 2-New England, Mount Coote & P. Barrett, 3-Tom & Geraldine Molan, 4-Team Penney Racing, 5-John C. Oxley, 6-Alex G.
Campbell, Jr. Thoroughbreds, LLC, 7-Mr. Joseph Allen LLC, 8-Haras D'Haspel, 9-Dapple Bloodstock
Saturday, Tampa Bay Downs, post time: 4:52 p.m. EST
SAM F. DAVIS S.-GIII, $250,000, 3yo, 1 1/16m
PP HORSE SIRE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY WT
1 Navy Armed Guard Midshipman Waldron, Harriette, McDaniel, Roger and Scott Castanon 116
Johnson, Robert K.
2 Flameaway K Scat Daddy John C. Oxley Casse Lezcano 120
3 Vino Rosso K Curlin Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable Pletcher Velazquez 116
4 Septimius Severus Roman Ruler R. A. Hill Stable, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing Weaver Ortiz 116
and West Point Thoroughbreds
5 Hollywood Star K Malibu Moon Albaugh Family Stables LLC Romans Rosario 116
6 Catholic Boy K More Than Ready LaPenta, Robert V. and Madaket Stables LLC Thomas Franco 122
7 Vouch K Yes It's True Lael Stables and Three Chimneys Farm Delacour Centeno 116
Breeders: 1-George Pruette & Philip Coomer, 2-Phoenix Rising Farms, 3-John D. Gunther, 4-GB Associates, 5-George Krikorian, 6-Fred W. Hertrich III &
John D. Fielding, 7-Fedai Kahraman
Saturday, Santa Anita Park, post time: 5:00 p.m. EST
THUNDER ROAD S.-GIII, $100,000, 4yo/up, 1mT
PP HORSE SIRE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY WT
1 Next Shares K Archarcharch Dunn, C., McClanahan, J., Marasa, W., Taylor, M. Baltas Bejarano 120
and Robershaw, R.
2 Bowies Hero K Artie Schiller Agave Racing Stable D'Amato Nakatani 124
3 Blackjackcat Tale of the Cat Kirkwood, Al and Saundra S. Glatt Desormeaux 124
4 Tequila Joe K Stormy Atlantic Frankel, Gerald and Ronald McCarthy Talamo 120
5 Ohio (Brz) Elusive Quality Bonne Chance Farm, LLC and Stud R D I, LLC. Lobo Blanc 120
6 Om K Munnings Sareen Family Trust Hendricks Prat 120
Breeders: 1-Buck Pond Farm, Inc., 2-Pope McLean, Pope McLean Jr. &Marc McLean, 3-Al Kirkwood & Saundra Kirkwood, 4-Pin Oak Stud, LLC, 5-Fazenda
Mondesir, 6-Lavin Bloodstock, Bernie Sams & William S. Farish, Jr.
Saturday, Tampa Bay Downs, post time: 5:25 p.m. EST
TAMPA BAY S.-GIII, $175,000, 4yo/up, 1 1/16mT
PP HORSE SIRE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY WT
1 Doctor Mounty K Street Sense Pratt, Larry and Alden, Dave McGaughey III Gallardo 117
2 Noble Thought Harlan's Holiday Pin Oak Stud Pierce Castanon 117
3 Fire Away War Front Phipps Stable McGaughey III Ortiz 117
4 Cheyenne's Colonel K Colonel John Derrick A. Parram Parram Cruz 117
5 Western Reserve K Indian Charlie Turf Stable Sweezey Centeno 117
6 Forge (GB) Dubawi (Ire) Juddmonte Farms, Inc. Mott Franco 117
7 World Approval Northern Afleet Live Oak Plantation Casse Velazquez 124
8 Le Ken (Arg) Easing Along Pozo de Luna, Inc. Correas, IV Lezcano 117
9 Tasit Tapit Augustin Stable Matz Rosario 117
10 Brass Compass K Malibu Moon Braverman, Paul and Guarnere, John Baker Allen, Jr. 117
Breeders: 1-G. Watts Humphrey Jr., Susan Keller,Vicki Oliver & G. Watts Humphrey III, 2-Pin Oak Stud, LLC, 3-Phipps Stable, 4-Builder's Mart, Inc.,
5-Juddmonte Farms Inc, 6-Juddmonte Farms Ltd, 7-Live Oak Stud, 8-Haras Cachagua S.A. & Haras Pozo deLuna S.A., 9-George Strawbridge, Jr., 10-Hill
'n' Dale Equine Holdings, Inc
Saturday, Santa Anita Park, post time: 5:30 p.m. EST
SAN VICENTE S.-GII, $200,000, 3yo, 7f
PP HORSE SIRE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY WT
1 Ax Man Misremembered Earnhardt III, Patti and Hal J. Baffert Van Dyke 120
2 Mr. Jagermeister Atta Boy Roy Boice, Kristin, Cummings, Leslie and Lund, Valorie Lund Franco 120
3 Nero Pioneerof the Nile Tabor, M., Magnier, M., Smith, D. and Baffert Espinoza 120
Stonestreet Stables LLC
Concord Point Kaleem Shah, Inc. Callaghan Baze 120
Jimmy Creed West Point Thoroughbreds Hollendorfer Prat 120
4 All Out Blitz
5 Kanthaka
6 Kris' Rocket Kat K Eskendereya J K Racing Stable LLC and Chandler, Bruce Baltas Bejarano 120
Breeders: 1-Hal J. Earnhardt, 2-Kristin Boice, 3-Thor-Bred Stables, LLC, 4-Kaleem Shah, Inc., 5-Spendthrift Farm LLC, 6-Dell Ridge Farm, LLC
SIRE LISTS Sponsored by
FOR ALL TDN SIRE LISTSBINCLUDING INDIVIDUAL CROP-YEAR REPORTS--VISIT WWW.THETDN.COM/TDN-SIRE-STATS/
2018 Leading Third-Crop Sires by Earningsfor stallions standing in North America through Wednesday, February 7
Earnings and Black-type represents worldwide figures & stud fees are for 2018
Rank Stallion BTW BTH GSW GSH G1SW G1SH Starters Wnrs Highest Earner Earnings
1 Dialed In 1 3 -- 1 -- 1 37 8 $1,300,000 $1,587,356
(2008) by Mineshaft Stands: Darby Dan Farm KY Fee: $25,000 Gunnevera
2 Bodemeister -- 2 -- -- -- -- 73 18 $33,600 $464,858
(2009) by Empire Maker Stands: WinStar Farm KY Fee: $40,000 Yuvetsi
3 Union Rags -- 1 -- 1 -- -- 59 14 $67,200 $419,400
(2009) by Dixie Union Stands: Lane's End Farm KY Fee: $60,000 Free Drop Billy
4 Gemologist -- -- -- -- -- -- 52 11 $31,620 $280,472
(2009) by Tiznow Stands: WinStar Farm KY Fee: $15,000 Stormologist
5 Tapizar -- -- -- -- -- -- 54 9 $20,280 $229,176
(2008) by Tapit Stands: Gainesway Farm KY Fee: $12,500 Waya Ed
6 Shackleford 1 1 -- -- -- -- 55 7 $28,830 $224,580
(2008) by Forestry Stands: Darby Dan Farm KY Fee: $20,000 Wellabled
7 Algorithms -- 2 -- 1 -- -- 54 6 $31,122 $214,180
(2009) by Bernardini Stands: Claiborne Farm KY Fee: $7,500 Deep Red
8 Creative Cause -- 1 -- 1 -- -- 54 8 $26,400 $205,527
(2009) by Giant's Causeway Stands: Airdrie Stud KY Fee: $20,000 Creative Courage
9 Mission Impazible -- -- -- -- -- -- 31 5 $34,200 $203,680
(2007) by Unbridled's Song Stands: Sequel Stallions New York NY Fee: $7,500 She's Delightful
10 Stay Thirsty -- -- -- -- -- -- 58 7 $16,200 $192,260
(2008) by Bernardini Stands: Lovacres Ranch CA Fee: $5,000 Stay Fond
11 To Honor And Serve -- -- -- -- -- -- 49 6 $60,000 $178,133
(2008) by Bernardini Stands: Gainesway Farm KY Fee: $7,500 Eskimo Kisses
12 Star Guitar 1 2 -- -- -- -- 29 6 $36,000 $173,634
(2005) by Quiet American Stands: Clear Creek Stud LA Fee: $7,500 Testing One Two
13 Maclean's Music 1 1 -- -- -- -- 27 3 $78,900 $153,667
(2008) by Distorted Humor Stands: Hill 'n' Dale Farms KY Fee: $25,000 Swing and Sway
14 Jersey Town -- 1 -- -- -- -- 23 3 $45,600 $153,646
(2006) by Speightstown Stands: Road's End Farm BC Fee: 2,000 Bee Jersey
15 Caleb's Posse 1 1 -- -- -- -- 21 4 $86,775 $145,057
(2008) by Posse Stands: Three Chimneys Farm KY Fee: $3,500 Girls Know Best
NHC 18 winner Ray Arsenault
NHC 19 KICKS OFF FRIDAY
by Lucas Marquardt
Nearly $3 million will be up for grabs this weekend in Las Vegas
as the 19th National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) begins
its three-day run Friday. An estimated field of 700 entries will
assemble at Treasure Island to take aim at a projected pot of
$2.96 million--the largest purse in handicapping tournament
history. The winner will get $800,000 and an Eclipse Award as
racing=s official Horseplayer of the Year.
AThis year=s total NHC prize money will be about double what it
was only five years ago, in 2014,@ said NTRA Chief Operating
Officer and NHC Tournament Director Keith Chamblin. AWe are
very grateful to so many horseplayers and participating
organizations throughout the industry for their help making the
NHC a singular event that represents the ultimate prize for
horseplayers.@
The NHC is made up of 570 individual players; 130 are dual
qualifiers playing the maximum two entries.
The tournament is based on mythical $2 win/place wagers.
The top 10% of players after Days 1 and 2, based on a
cumulative bankroll, advance to Sunday=s semifinal. From there,
the highest 10 cumulative scores roll over to the Final Table. The
10 finalists play seven mandatory races to determine the
champion. There is a consolation tournament for those Sunday
players that don=t make the final.
Last year, Thornhill, Ontario=s Ray Arsenault rode a hot streak
to victory in the NHC, and was honored for the achievement at
last month=s Eclipse Awards. Arsenault banked $407.70 from a
total of 53 win/place wagers, selected from a total of 150 races
at eight different tracks. Arsenault said repeating will be
anything but easy.
AYou=re going against 700 of the best handicappers out there,@
said Arsenault. AThey all got there by being good one day or
many days. So it=s very tough. The stars have to align; the horses
have to run for you.@
No player has ever won the NHC twice, but 12 will have the
chance in 2018. Arsenault is back, as is Paul Matties (2016), John
O=Neil (2015), Jose Arias (2014), Michael Beychok (2012), John
Doyle (2011), Brian Troop (2010), John Conte (2009), Richard
Goodall (2008), Stanley Bavlish (2007), Steve Wolfson Jr. (2003),
and Judy Wagner (2001).
AOver the years I=ve met all these great people,@ Arsenault said
about the tournament experience. ABeing at the NHC, we=re all
there, or most of us. We have a great time. And we keep in
touch all year-round. There=s nothing better. The people are
fantastic.@
Several players are eligible for big bonuses in the NHC. The
Breeders= Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) winner Nisan Gabbay
ranks a chance at a huge $3-million BCBC/NHC Bonus. A San
Francisco resident, Gabbay is a 40-year-old software developer
and owner of a tech startup who earned $350,000 for winning
the BCBC at Del Mar in November. Mike Ferrozzo won the 2017
NHC Tour, which earned him $100,000 and an NHC berth. He=s in
line for a $2-million bonus should he win the NHC.
Hawthorne sponsors million-dollar bonuses for their Holiday
Extravaganza champions, John Ukleja and Paul Langley,
respectively. Both are eligible for a $1-million bonus. And Ed
Peters, winner of The Big One at Laurel, is eligible for a $500,000
bonus.
On Saturday, the NTRA also will host an invitation-only online
tournament, the Tito=s $10,000 Charity Challenge. A field of
about 40 celebrities and racing personalities will compete to
have $10,000 donated in their names to three different causes--
the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, official charity of the NHC
($5,000); a nonprofit of the winner=s choosing ($2,500); and a
nonprofit to be determined by Tito=s ($2,500).
Here are some NHC resources:
Tournament scoreboard: https://www.ntra.com/nhc
Live video coverage, hosted by Noel Michaels:
http://www.facebook.com/1NTRA
Twitter news and updates: @NTRA
At the Races with Steve Byk: Sirius 219; XM 206; Online 964 &
http://www.stevebyk.com.
TDN REGIONAL REPORT • PAGE 2 OF 7 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • FEBRUARY 9, 2018
Holiday Disguise | Chelsea Durand
Thursday=s Results:
BIOGIO'S ROSE S., $100,000, AQU, 2-8, (S), 4yo/up, f/m, 1m,
1:41.06, gd.
1--HOLIDAY DISGUISE, 119, f, 4, Harlan's Holiday--Thin
Disguise, by Yes It's True. ($70,000 Wlg '14 KEENOV; $220,000
Ylg '15 SARAUG). O-Lady Sheila Stable; B-Dr. William B. Wilmot
& Dr. Joan M. Taylor (NY); T-Linda Rice; J-Junior Alvarado.
$60,000. Lifetime Record: 5-4-0-0, $209,150. *1/2 to Midnight
Disguise (Midnight Lute), SW, $137,600.
2--Frost Wise, 121, f, 4, Frost Giant--Watch Smartly, by Smart
Strike. ($100,000 2yo '16 OBSAPR). O-George & Stephanie
Autry; B-Gabriel Duignan (NY); T-Michael Dilger. $20,000.
3--No Hayne No Gayne, 117, f, 4, Haynesfield--Star Orchid, by
Successful Appeal. O-Toby Sheets, ZBS Thoroughbreds &
Paradise Farms Corp.; B-ZBS Thoroughbreds (NY); T-Steven M.
Asmussen. $10,000.
Margins: 3 1/4, 4HF, 6 1/4. Odds: 1.30, 1.20, 23.40.
Also Ran: Literata, Decorator Jenn, Carry Your Heels.
Holiday Disguise, off since annexing the Bouwerie S. at
Belmont back in May, picked up right where she left off with a
comfortable score covering the longest distance she=d been
asked to go. Tucking in behind the leaders to track along the
fence, the bay looked loaded for bear as they hit the quarter
pole in 1:14.40. Tipped out for clear sailing by Junior Alvarado,
she cruised away from her competition without ever really being
asked and despite struggling a bit with her leads.
AI thought there was one [or] maybe two speeds in the race,@
said Alvarado. AShe actually broke faster than I thought. But as
soon as I got her covered up behind the [Frost Wise] she settled
very nice for me. Before the half a mile pole, I knew I had a lot of
horse. It was just a matter of time until I give her the green light
and then when we turned for home I just put her in the clear
and she did the rest. I was just a passenger this time.@
A second-out graduate over this strip in April, Holiday Disguise
also romped in a state-bred allowance a few weeks before her
Bouwerie victory.
AShe ran so well when we ran her last year at [6 1/2 furlongs]
and had a nice closing kick,@ trainer Linda Rice said. AAt seven,
she ran so well, so to me, I thought she was a natural to get [one
mile], but you never know until you try them. I could see she
was on the bridle and definitely interested, and I was happy she
wasn't loose on the lead.@
Rice also trains Holiday Disguise=s homebred 3-year-old half-
sister Midnight Disguise, who began her career in the maiden
claiming ranks, but most recently aired in the local Busanda S.
here Jan. 25. Dam Thin Disguise, a half to hard-knocking local
favorite Naughty New Yorker (Quiet American), produced a
Verrazano colt in 2016 and a Tiznow filly last term who
subsequently brought $135,000 as a KEENOV weanling. She was
bred back to Bodemeister. Click for the Equibase.com chart or
VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
NYRA To Host Another Cross-Country Pick 4 Saturday:
The New York Racing Association will host another one of its
popular Cross-Country Pick 4 sequences Saturday featuring races
from Aqueduct, Gulfstream and Santa Anita. The sequence will
begin with race eight at the Big A, the Jimmy Winkfield S., at
4:35 p.m. EST and is followed by race 10 at Gulfstream, the GIII
Suwannee River S., race 11 at Gulfstream, an allowance optional
claiming race and race six at Santa Anita, the Grade II San
Vicente S. The minimum bet for the wager, which is available
ontrack, on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the
country, is 50 cents. Players who use NYRA Bets to play the
sequence will get a 10% winners bonus, capped at $100.
NYRA Announces 2018 Handicapping Challenge Schedule:
Highlighted by the third annual Belmont Stakes Challenge, the
New York Racing Association will host seven live handicapping at
Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course,
NYRA announced Thursday.
Each handicapping contest offers horseplayers the opportunity
to win live money wagered in addition to the prize pool and will
also offer the opportunity qualify for a seat to the Breeders' Cup
Betting Challenge in November and the National Horseplayers
Championship in February 2019.
Click here for the full schedule.
i i FOUR STAR SALES GRADUATE i i
HOPPEL TRAINED • (352) 895-7013
Bred by Stepwise. Sold by Denali
TDN REGIONAL REPORT • PAGE 3 OF 7 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • FEBRUARY 9, 2018
Thursday=s Results:
7th-GP, $46,400, Alw (C)/Opt. Clm ($50,000), 2-8, 4yo/up, 5fT,
:55.54, fm.
LITTLE CHESNEY (g, 4, City Zip--Liberty Flag, by Kingmambo)
was disqualified to second after crossing the wire first in his
debut here Mar. 25. He followed that up with back-to-back
victories on the Gulfstream Park West main track Oct. 4 and
here Dec. 3. Exiting a fifth-place finish in the Turf Dash S. at
Tampa Bay Downs Dec. 30, the 3-5 favorite broke sharply, but
let the speed go and tracked the leaders into the far turn. He
was set down for the drive while swinging out four wide into the
stretch and rallied down the center of the track to get his head
down first in the final stride for the victory. Moonwalker
(Congrats) settled for second. Little Chesney hails from the same
female family as 1987 Champion 3-year-old and MGISW
Sacahuista (Raja Baba). Liberty Flag is responsible for a yearling
filly by Noble Mission (GB) and visited Flat Out last season. Sales
history: $70,000 RNA Wlg '14 KEENOV; $85,000 RNA Ylg '15
KEESEP; $40,000 Ylg '15 EASOCT; $75,000 2yo '16 OBSMAR.
Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-0, $84,630. Click for the Equibase.com
chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
O-Nicholas Vaccarezza; B-Caldara Farm Inc. (KY); T-Carlo
Vaccarezza.
4th-GP, $43,000, Msw, 2-8, 3yo, f, 6 1/2f, 1:21.25, ft.
DIXIELICIOUS (f, 3, Midnight Lute--Dixieinyankeeland, by Dixie
Union) has been consistently working at Palm Meadows since
the middle of December, including a bullet five-furlong breeze
from the gate in 1:01 flat (1/8) Jan.9. Dispatched as the 6-5
favorite, the dark bay broke a step slow and was guided over to
the rail in fourth behind an opening quarter in :22.37. Under
strong urging from Luis Saez entering the far turn, the homebred
got the outside for a clear run at new leader Trickizar (Tapizar) at
the quarter pole. Dixielicious gradually gained on that rival in
the stretch before taking the lead inside the sixteenth pole and
kicked away to a 2 1/4-length score. This is the first winner out
Dixieinyankeeland. She also has a juvenile filly by Candy Ride
(Arg). Sales history: $70,000 RNA Wlg '15 KEENOV. Lifetime
Record: 1-1-0-0, $25,800. Click for the Equibase.com chart or
VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
O/B-Crossed Sabres Farm (KY); T-Dale L. Romans.
6th-GP, $43,000, Msw, 2-8, 4yo/up, 7 1/2fT, 1:28.61, fm.
BATTLE OF BLENHEIM (c, 4, War Front--Volga {Ire} {GISW &
GSW-Fr, $1,141,759}, by Caerleon), after debuting 10th in his
debut for Shug McGaughey Sept. 2016 at Belmont, switched to
Chad Brown=s barn and rattled off consecutive runner-up efforts
at Belmont Oct. 14 and here Dec. 15 to end his 3-year-old
campaign. Breaking from the rail as the 3-5 favorite, the bay sat
in a great stalking position through the early stages, tucked in
behind the leaders along the rail up the backstretch. He
continued to save all the ground on the far turn and squeezed
through an opening before switching to the outside and running
down pacesetter Unbridled Rebel (Unbridled=s Song) in the final
sixteenth for the half-length score. Volga (Ire) is out of MGSW-Fr
Verveine (Lear Fan) is a full to GSW-Fr Victory Cry (Ire) and a
half to MGSW-Fr Vallee Enchantee (Peintre Celebre). She also
has a 3-year-old full-sister to the winner named All Flags Flying
and a yearling colt named Color War (Declaration of War).
Lifetime Record: 4-1-2-0, $49,500. Click for the Equibase.com
chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
O/B-Mr. Joseph Allen LLC (KY); T-Chad C. Brown.
3rd-GP, $53,000, OC 75k, 4yo/up, 7f, post time: 1:05 p.m. ET
MIND YOUR BISCUITS (Posse) is one of a pair of accomplished
runners making their seasonal debuts in this spot. The Eclipse
Award finalist for champion sprinter of 2017 scored in the
G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen and GII Belmont Sprint Championship
last season, and was last seen finishing second in Aqueduct=s
GI Cigar Mile H. Dec. 2. The 5-year-old has been firing bullets at
Palm Meadows while his likely main rival One Liner (Into
Mischief) has been doing the same at Palm Beach Downs. That
Todd Pletcher pupil is unbeaten in three starts thus far, but has
been on the sidelines since a clear-cut success in Oaklawn=s
GIII Southwest S. some 50 weeks ago. TJCIS PPs
4th-OP, $75,000, Msw, 3yo/up, 6f, post time: 3:52 p.m. ET
SOUTH BEACH (Tapit), the $1.8-million topper of the 2016
Fasig-Tipton Florida sale, makes his belated debut here at age
four. Out of a half-sister to Hard Spun, the $1.2-million KEESEP
RNA has been working since the beginning of the year at Sam
Houston. TJCIS PPs Cont. p4
TDN REGIONAL REPORT • PAGE 4 OF 7 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • FEBRUARY 9, 2018
8th-SA, $56,000, OC 75k, 3yo, f, 6 1/2f, post time: 7:30 p.m. ET
As many as four debut winners will take on four other fillies
with stakes form in a very salty optional claiming event at AThe
Great Race Place.@ Godolphin homebred EMBOLDENED (Elusive
Quality), a granddaughter of champion 3-year-old filly Ajina
(Strawberry Road {Aus}), garnered the >TDN Rising Star=
distinction for a front-running local tally at odds of 1-2 Jan. 5.
She hails from the extended female family of red-hot Quality
Road, who sired Michael Talla homebred Highland Lass. The
latter opened her account successfully at Los Alamitos Dec. 1.
Ms Dupree (Violence), meanwhile, counts champion 3-year-old
filly Proud Spell (Proud Citizen) and GISW J P=s Gusto (Successful
Appeal) in her family tree. The $80,000 KEENOV weanling
donned cap and gown in a restricted special weight Jan. 11.
Ahimsa (Animal Kingdom) earned the best Beyer Speed Figure
(82) in the field when she led box to wire at Los Al Dec. 15.
TJCIS PPs
Thursday=s Results:
6th-OP, $75,000, Msw, 2-8, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:11.70, ft.
BELLE MEADE DANCER (f, 4, The Green Monkey--Show Me
Some Rythm, by Concorde's Tune), a $14,000 OBS June juvenile
purchase, went straight to the lead at 8-1 and opened up a two-
length advantage through a first quarter in :22.50. She
continued to open up her lead around the far turn before having
to hold off Ettalusive (Elusive Quality) in the final strides for
debut win by 3/4 of a length. This is the first winner out of Show
Me Some Rythm, who also has a juvenile filly named Tennessee
Cotton (High Cotton) and a yearling colt named Cardarelli (Gone
Astray). Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $45,000. Click for the
Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
O-Cindy Murlowski, Joanne Pasqua & Hugh H. Robertson;
B-Mike & Martha Borchetta, Robert & Martin Silver et al (FL);
T-McLean Robertson.
5th-FG, $41,000, Msw, 2-8, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:11.34, ft.
HOLD HER TIGHT (f, 3, Proud Citizen--Langcita, by Langfuhr)
got going too late and settled for a well-beaten second first up
over track and trip Jan. 12. Supported down to 4-5 to go one
better, she was a bit sluggish early before creeping closer out in
the clear along the bend. Hitting the head of the stretch with a
narrow advantage, the homebred edged away from game
54-1 pacesetter Brooklyn Bites (Graydar) by 1 1/2 lengths. The
winner=s dam visited Cairo Prince last season. Lifetime Record:
2-1-1-0, $32,800. Click for the Equibase.com chart.
O/B-Brereton C. Jones (KY); T-J. Larry Jones.
8th-FG, $41,000, Msw, 2-8, 3yo, 1m 70y, 1:43.25, ft.
CAYMANS COBRA (c, 3, Super Saver--Gold Glimmer, by Smart
Strike) was a distant sixth in a rained-off local sprint Dec. 7, but
improved to be second at 43-1 in another off-the-turfer--this
time at a mile--Jan. 13. Dismissed at 39-1 here as the bulk of
attention landed on much-hyped second timer New Colossus
(Curlin), the $100,000 FTKOCT grad led from the get-go over
28-1 firster Red Right Hand (Lookin At Lucky), who he fended off
by a head at the wire. The exacta returned $1,456, while the
heavy chalk settled for seventh. The winner=s dam produced an
Algorithms filly last year before visiting Tonalist. Lifetime
Record: 3-1-1-0, $32,200. Click for the Equibase.com chart.
O-Cobra Cooper Racing LLC; B-Douglas Arnold (KY); T-W. Bret
Calhoun.
Emerald Adds $100K Stake After Gift From Anonymous Donor:
In an unprecedented development, an anonymous sponsor
has donated $180,000 to be added to the 2018 stakes schedule
at Emerald Downs Racetrack & Casino. The donation will be
used to fund a new six-figure stakes event for 3-year-olds, and
also restore to $50,000 four stakes previously announced as
$30,000 events for the 2018 season.
AThis is truly astounding,@ said Emerald Downs President Phil
Ziegler. AThis person wishes to remain anonymous and we
certainly plan to honor that request.@
The $100,000 Getaway S. for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles will be
run closing day, Sunday, September 23, while the first four
stakes of the meeting--Seattle S. for 3-year-old fillies, Auburn S.
for 3-year-old colts and geldings, Hastings S. for older fillies and
mares and Governor=s S. for 3-year-olds and up--have all been
bumped back up to $50,000.
Holiday Disguise (Harlan’s Holiday) picks up right whereshe left off in Aqueduct’s Biogio’s Rose S.
TDN REGIONAL REPORT • PAGE 5 OF 7 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • FEBRUARY 9, 2018
INDUSTRY INFO
Breeders= Cup Tickets Go On Sale June 7:
Tickets for the 2018 Breeders= Cup World Championships, to
be held at Churchill Downs Nov. 2-3, will go on sale to the
general public Thursday, June 7 at 12:00 p.m. EST, Breeders= Cup
announced Thursday.
Fans are encouraged to sign up now at the Breeders= Cup
website for special pre-sale access as demand for tickets to the
World Championships, last held at Churchill Downs in 2011, is
expected to be high. By signing up, fans will have the
opportunity to purchase tickets before they are available to the
general public and will also receive more detailed ticketing
information, including pricing and seating availability, as it is
released.
First-/second-crop starters to watch: Friday, Feb. 9Farm and fee represent current information
Alternation (Distorted Humor), Pin Oak Stud, $7,500
143 foals of racing age/16 winners/0 black-type winners
10-TP, Msw 5 1/2f, GET TOUGH, 6-1
$19,000 RNA KEE SEP yrl
Animal Kingdom (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}), Jonabell Farm, $35,000
215 foals of racing age/12 winners/3 black-type winners
8-SA, Aoc 6 1/2f, AHIMSA, 4-1
Bind (Pulpit), Red River Farms, $1,500
54 foals of racing age/6 winners/0 black-type winners
3-DED, Msw 5f, BINDING, 9-2
$2,200 ESL YRL yrl
3-DED, Msw 5f, VICTORY BIND, 7-2
$10,000 ESL YRL yrl
Data Link (War Front), Claiborne Farm, $7,500
186 foals of racing age/13 winners/1 black-type winner
6-FG, Msw 1 1/16mT, BURNIN DAYLIGHT, 15-1
$95,000 RNA KEE SEP yrl
7-LRL, Msw 6f, DATA DAMSEL, 15-1
$16,000 RNA FTK OCT yrl
Flat Out (Flatter), Spendthrift Farm, $10,000
230 foals of racing age/23 winners/1 black-type winner
8-SA, Aoc 6 1/2f, ALLIANNA, 6-1
$80,000 FTK OCT yrl; $200,000 EAS MAY 2yo
5-FG, Msw 6f, TRINGALE, 6-1
$35,000 FTK NOV wnl; $42,000 FTK OCT yrl; $135,000 EAS MAY
2yo
Forever Perfect (Perfect Soul {Ire})
2 foals of racing age/0 winners/0 black-type winners
10-TP, Msw 5 1/2f, SPURS ADDICTION, 20-1
Gig Harbor (City Zip)
17 foals of racing age/2 winners/0 black-type winners
6-GG, Msw 6f, XERNEAS, 10-1
Heavy Breathing (Giant's Causeway), Irish Hill & Dutchess Views
Stallions, $2,500
32 foals of racing age/0 winners/0 black-type winners
7-OP, Msw 1 1/16m, SAN JUAN DIEGO, 8-1
$24,000 OBS AUG yrl; $90,000 OBS OPN 2yo
I Want Revenge (Stephen Got Even), Millennium Farms, $10,000
61 foals of racing age/5 winners/0 black-type winners
6-FG, Msw 1 1/16mT, COURT'S REVENGE, 20-1
Jimmy Creed (Distorted Humor), Spendthrift Farm, $12,500
183 foals of racing age/23 winners/2 black-type winners
5-TP, $50K Cincinnati Trophy S., 6 1/2f, THOUGHTLESS DOLL, 10-1
$30,000 RNA KEE SEP yrl; $45,000 OBS OPN 2yo
6-FG, Msw 1 1/16mT, TIME FLIES BY, 5-2
$110,000 KEE NOV wnl
Keep Up (Unbridled's Song), Mill Ridge Farm, $5,000
28 foals of racing age/5 winners/0 black-type winners
7-LRL, Msw 6f, KEEPUPTHEMESSAGE, 20-1
Morning Line (Tiznow), Lane's End Farm, $10,000
134 foals of racing age/17 winners/2 black-type winners
4-FG, Msw 5 1/2fT, CRACKLING BREAD, 8-1
$35,000 KEE SEP yrl
Orb (Malibu Moon), Claiborne Farm, $25,000
195 foals of racing age/13 winners/1 black-type winner
10-TP, Msw 5 1/2f, GROUNDSPEED, 15-1
$14,000 RNA FTK OCT yrl
6-FG, Msw 1 1/16mT, STRONG CURRENT, 6-1
$110,000 KEE SEP yrl
TDN REGIONAL REPORT • PAGE 6 OF 7 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • FEBRUARY 9, 2018
Overanalyze (Dixie Union), WinStar Farm, $10,000
191 foals of racing age/29 winners/4 black-type winners
4-AQU, Msw 6 1/2f, ANALYZE THE BILL, 8-5
7-OP, Msw 1 1/16m, GRADE, 8-1
$15,000 RNA KEE NOV wnl
5-TP, $50K Cincinnati Trophy S., 6 1/2f, MAUK'S TUFF, 20-1
$30,000 KEE NOV wnl; $67,000 RNA FTK JUL yrl; $115,000 RNA
OBS APR 2yo
7-LRL, Msw 6f, MORE BETTER, 15-1
$20,000 KEE SEP yrl
4-FG, Msw 5 1/2fT, WHATWILLBEWILLBE, 15-1
Oxbow (Awesome Again), Calumet Farm, $20,000
167 foals of racing age/5 winners/0 black-type winners
7-LRL, Msw 6f, POCO DEL SOL, 20-1
$85,000 KEE NOV wnl
Power Broker (Pulpit), SAU, $10,000
136 foals of racing age/18 winners/0 black-type winners
4-AQU, Msw 6 1/2f, BAD GUY, 6-1
$10,000 OBS AUG yrl
Shanghai Bobby (Harlan's Holiday), Ashford Stud, $20,000
237 foals of racing age/16 winners/3 black-type winners
6-FG, Msw 1 1/16mT, MENACING, 20-1
$100,000 RNA KEE NOV wnl; $175,000 KEE SEP yrl
Take Charge Indy (A.P. Indy), Kor, $20,000
201 foals of racing age/32 winners/2 black-type winners
10-TP, Msw 5 1/2f, BURCIAGA, 7-2
$14,000 RNA FTK OCT yrl
5-FG, Msw 6f, CHUCK'S DREAM, 12-1
$40,000 FTK JUL yrl; $80,000 FTF MAR 2yo
2-CT, Msw 4 1/2f, JUST CHARGE IT, 5-2
7-OP, Msw 1 1/16m, SANDVILLE, 3-1
$55,000 RNA KEE SEP yrl; $95,000 RNA OBS APR 2yo
Trinniberg (Teuflesberg), Rockridge Stud, $7,500
23 foals of racing age/3 winners/1 black-type winner
4-AQU, Msw 6 1/2f, TRINNI JUICE, 30-1
$1,000 FTN MIX wnl
Violence (Medaglia d'Oro), Hill 'n' Dale Farms, $15,000
248 foals of racing age/36 winners/5 black-type winners
8-SA, Aoc 6 1/2f, MS DUPREE, 4-1
$80,000 KEE NOV wnl
Sunday, February 11, 20184th-KYO, -13,720,000 ($126k), Allowance, 3yo, 1800m BATTLE MEISTER (c, 3, Bodemeister--Elusive Horizon, byElusive Quality) got his career off on a positive note with anarrow runner-up effort to Swing Beat (Tapit--Backseat Rhythm)on his Nov. 11 debut at Tokyo (video, gate 4) and validated 2-5favoritism to graduate by five lengths when last seen at thattrack 15 days later (video, gate 12). The son of a five-timestakes-winning dam, Battle Meister was a $150K KEENOVweanling and $170K KEESEP RNA. He subsequently fetched$250K as an OBSAPR breezer. The female family includes GSWSuper Ninety Nine (Pulpit) and MGISW Exogenous (Unbridled).B-Northwest Farms LLC (KY)
10th-TOK, -41,800,000 ($384k), Open Class, 4yo/up, 1400m LE GRAND FRISSON (h, 5, Smart Strike--Leaning Tower, byTheatrical {Ire}) made the first 22 starts of his career on the turf,winning four times while more than earning his keep. The half-brother to the accomplished turf horses Karelian (Bertrando)and Frostmourne (Speightstown) switched to the dirt for thefirst time at Kyoto Jan. 8 to record a smooth victory (video, gate12) despite covering extra ground. Le Grand Frisson cost ownerKoji Maeda $150K at KEESEP in 2014. B-Green Lantern StablesLLC (KY)
11th-TOK, Kyodo News Hai-G3, -72k ($661k), 3yo, 1800mT AMERICAN WORLD (c, 3, Kitten=s Joy--Limonar {Ire}, by StreetCry {Ire}) improved off a debut fourth over soft Kyoto turf to bethird over a sounder surface Nov. 5 and donned cap and gownwith a convincing 2 1/2-length victory when last seen Jan. 13(video, gate 6). The half-brother to SW & GSP Mokarris (MoreThan Ready) was a $350K KEESEP purchase and is out of astakes-winning half-sister to GISW Talco (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}). B-StElias Stables LLC (KY)
Monday, February 12, 20186th-TOK, -13,720,000 ($126k), Allowance, 3yo, 1600m The word was out on APOLLO TENNESSEE c, 3, Run Away andHide--Font, by Pulpit), as he was sent off the even-moneychoice at first asking Jan. 13 and duly walloped his Kyoto rivalsby five strong lengths (video, gate 11). Bred on the same crossresponsible for GII Best Pal S. winner Run Away and from thesame A.P. Indy female line as Grade III winner Mico Margarita,Apollo Tennessee was led out unsold on a bid of $15K atKEENOV in 2015 and realized $85K as an OBSAPR juvenile lastspring. B-Ron Kirk, John Bates & Michael Riordan (KY) BAlan Carasso
All horses in the TDN are bred inNorth America, unless otherwise indicated
TDN REGIONAL REPORT • PAGE 7 OF 7 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • FEBRUARY 9, 2018
BREEDERS’ EDITION
ALLOWANCE RESULTS:
8th-OP, $78,000,(NW3$X)/Opt. Clm ($50,000), 2-8, 4yo/up, 6f,
1:10.27, ft.
WARRIOR'S CLUB (c, 4, Warrior=s Reward--Thirty Eighth St., by
Citidancer) Lifetime Record: GSP, 20-4-4-4, $365,379.
O-Churchill Downs Racing Club; B-John O'Meara (KY); T-D.
Wayne Lukas. *$25,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP; $47,000 RNA 2yo '16
OBSAPR.
3rd-OP, $76,000, (S), 2-8, (NW1X), 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:13.20, ft.
MS FIFTY FIRST ST. (f, 4, Street Hero--Kwaito, by Clever Trick)
Lifetime Record: SP, 4-2-0-1, $99,170. O-J J Thoroughbreds;
B-Eugenia Thompson (AR); T-Albert M. Stall, Jr.
3rd-AQU, $67,620, (NW2$X)/Opt. Clm ($62,500), 2-8, 4yo/up,
f/m, 6f, 1:12.39, gd.
NISHA (f, 4, First Samurai--Lily's Joy, by Malibu Moon) Lifetime
Record: 9-6-0-1, $169,444. O-James A. Riccio; B-Lesley Campion
(KY); T-Jeremiah C. Englehart. *$20,000 Ylg '15 KEEJAN; $55,000
Ylg '15 FTKJUL.
2nd-SA, $56,345, (S), 2-8, (NW1$X), 4yo/up, 6f, 1:10.92, ft.
TRIBAL ROAR (g, 5, Tribal Rule--Wild Tickle {GSP, $289,685}, by
Roar) Lifetime Record: 24-4-2-4, $110,050. O-Battle Born Racing
Stable, D. Gourman, R. Huson, B. Murray, & P. Osborne; B-Cole
Ranch (CA); T-Genaro Vallejo. *$20,000 Ylg '14 BAROCT.
8th-DED, $50,200, (NW2X)/Opt. Clm ($20,000), 2-7, 4yo/up, f/m,
5f, :59.57, sy.
HALF A MILLION (m, 5, Half Ours--Financingavailable {2x Ch.
Older Mare & Ch. Sprinter-Can, MSW & MGSP, $1,257,832}, by
Kiridashi) Lifetime Record: 15-3-3-4, $99,575. O-Anne Lore
Scardino; B-Alston Thoroughbreds LLC (LA); T-John Rannie
Ladner. *$2,500 Ylg '14 BSCYRL.
9th-DED, $47,000, (S), 2-7, (NW2L), 4yo/up, f/m, 5f, 1:00.40, sy.
NEW ORLEANS SPICE (m, 5, Good and Tough--Magic of Spring,
by Exploit) Lifetime Record: 18-2-8-2, $114,510.
O-David Morales; B-Frank Adolph (LA); T-James B. Ludwig.
ADDITIONAL MAIDEN WINNERS:
Turner Time, c, 3, Eskendereya--Jenny June, by Johannesburg.
FG, 2-8, (C), 6f, 1:11.38. B-Ike & Dawn Thrash (KY). *1ST-TIME
STARTER.
Transistor, c, 3, Forty Tales--Jeepers, by Running Stag. GP, 2-8,
(C), 1 1/16m, 1:45.42. B-Arindel (FL).
An Eddie Surprise, f, 3, Square Eddie--Dani Reese, by High
Demand. SA, 2-8, (S), 6 1/2fT, 1:14.44. B-Reddam Racing, LLC
(CA).
Cape Rosso, g, 5, Cape Blanco (Ire)--Anne Margaret, by
Songandaprayer. FG, 2-8, 5 1/2fT, 1:04.49. B-Terry Adcock
(LA). *$20,000 Ylg '14 ESLYRL. **1/2 to Adrianne G (Indygo
Shiner), MSP, $346,012.
Taste's Legend, g, 6, Roman Ruler--Tastetheteardrops, by What
Luck. SA, 2-8, (C), 6 1/2fT, 1:13.54. B-David Bloom (KY).
*$160,000 RNA Ylg '13 KEESEP; $130,000 RNA Ylg '13 FTKOCT.
**1/2 to Taste of Paradise (Conquistador Cielo), GISW,
$1,019,455; &Taste=s Sis (Marquetry), SW, $147,801
Broken and Trained at Southern Chase Farm
