Thoroughbred Daily News

Jockeys and Jeans, a group founded by former jockeys to raise funds for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, will hold their eighth annual fundraising event at Churchill Downs July 2. The popular event will take place on the final day of Churchill Downs's Spring Meet and include a day of live racing featuring the GII Stephen Foster S.

The event has been scheduled to take place at Churchill Downs since 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic until 2022. In a show of support and recognition that the need for funding still exists through a pandemic, those committed partners turned their event sponsorship into cash donations. Jockeys and Jeans came roaring back in 2021 with its event at Monmouth Park raising a one-year record of $342,000.

“This is our first event in Kentucky,” said Jockeys and Jeans President, Barry Pearl. “For us it's an opportunity to have those in the Bluegrass area who have so generously helped this cause to come out and meet some of those severely injured jockeys they have consistently supported and say hello to a large group of Hall of Famers there to honor their fallen brothers and sisters.”

The 17 Hall of Fame Riders scheduled to attend include Braulio Baeza, Bill Boland, Don Brumfield, Steve Cauthen, Pat Day, Early Fires, Julie Krone, Chris McCarron, Laffit Pincay Jr., Craig Perret, Edgar Prado, Jose Santos, Alex Solis, Gary Stevens, Jacinto Vasquez, and Jockeys and Jeans committee Member Sandy Hawley. Hall of Famer Jerry Bailey will be present as part of NBC's Stephen Foster Stakes broadcast team and will take part in Jockey and Jeans's meet and greet segment.

Other notables scheduled to attend include two of the five living Triple Crown winning jockeys: Jean Cruguet who won the 1977 Triple Crown on Seattle Slew and Steve Cauthen who won the 1978 Triple Crown aboard Affirmed.

All funds raised will go to the PDJF, which makes monthly payments of $1,000 to 60 severely injured former jockeys. The all-volunteer group has raised over $2 million for the charity.

The event begins at 11:00 a.m. in Churchill Downs' Triple Crown Room. Tickets are $75 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster here or can be accessed at www.jockeysandeans.com and www.churchilldowns.com. Lunch is included in the event ticket price.

Noted Keeneland Sales Auctioneer Ryan Mahon will host an auction that will feature rare racing memorabilia and guests will have the opportunity to bid on rare silent auction items. The riders, including those permanently disabled, will sign special autographed posters and other memorabilia brought by fans at a special signing in the grandstand that will be open to the general public.

If you have questions, contact Barry Pearl at jockeysandjeans@gmail.com or (717) 503-0182 or Eddie Donnally at Edjockeysandjeans@gmail.com or (818) 653-3711.

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A New York Racing Association (NYRA) clocker has been suspended for 30 days and fined $2,500 “for altering a published work of a horse to make the horse eligible to race.”

A New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) ruling dated May 19 states that Richard Gazer, a NYRA employee, has appealed his penalties and has been granted a stay while that process plays out.

But the ruling does not list any details about the circumstances, like the horse involved or the date of the alleged wrongdoing.

Asked via email to provide the specifics omitted from the ruling, NYSGC communications director Brad Maione wrote back, “The ruling speaks for itself. Since the matter is under appeal we cannot provide any more details at this time.”

David Grening, writing for DRF.com, got the scoop on Gazer's side of the story directly from the clocker, who has worked in that capacity for about 40 years.

“The horse in question is Papi On Ice (Keen Ice), who on May 1 was initially credited with a five-furlong work in 1:04.60 over the Belmont Park training track for trainer Randi Persaud. The work now reads a half-mile in :51.33,” Grening reported.

On Mar. 19, Papi On Ice debuted in a $20,000 maiden-claimer at Aqueduct and was “very sluggish early on” after brushing the gate at the break, according to the Equibase chart. The 3-year-old colt was pulled up and got walked off.

On Apr. 16, Papi On Ice ran fifth and last in an Aqueduct MSW, beaten 26 ¾ lengths after breaking inward and bumping a rival.

Grening reported that getting beaten more than 25 lengths triggered a precautionary placement on NYRA's “poor performance” list. He wrote that in order to get off that list, a horse must work a half-mile in :53 or faster. But the rule, “oddly, does not allow for a workout farther than a half-mile.”

Because Papi On Ice's workout was initially published as a five-furlong move, the racing office would not accept the colt's entry for an early May race, Grening reported.

Gazer told DRF that the time of the work was not changed, but the distance was shortened to comply with NYRA's rule. Gazer added that he did not supervise the work himself, but said he was told by the clocker who timed Papi On Ice that the horse did work a properly timed half mile as part of the longer five-eighths breeze on May 1.

“I believe I was well within the guidelines of what the protocols are,” Gazer told DRF.

The ruling cites four NYSGC rules under section 4022, all of which have to do with powers of the stewards to regulate and control the conduct of licensees.

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Dazzlingdominika will be the lone horse up for bid in the Fasig-Tipton Digital for the “Ready Made Racing Flash Sale,” where bidding opened Monday. Dazzlingdominika. Trained by William Walden, the 2-year-old daughter of Ghoszapper won a Maiden Special Weight at Churchill Down May 13. She is consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.

Bidding closes Thursday, May 26, at 2 pm EDT.

The filly is out of a half-sister to Grade I winner Heir Kitty. Her immediate family includes last year's GI Arkansas Derby winner Super Stock.

“Dazzlingdominika is a talented, well-bred 2-year-old filly with a bright future ahead of her,” said Leif Aaron, Fasig-Tipton Director of Digital Sales. “She can be purchased and immediately pointed for stakes company at any number of racetracks for a spring and summer campaign.”

For more information, click here.

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West Coast Stables' Tahoma (c, 2, Justify–Madera Dancer, by Rahy) became the first winner for his Triple Crown-winning sire with a two-length victory at Santa Anita Sunday. The chestnut colt, sent off the 4-5 favorite, tracked the pacesetters four wide through an opening quarter in :22.21. Still four wide, he rolled up to take a narrow advantage at the top of the lane, completed the half-mile in :47.01 and drew away inside the final sixteenth for a facile victory. Salta (Carpe Diem) was second and Eagles Landing (Competitive Edge) was third.

“We had high expectations and we feel this colt has a lot of upside,” said Leandro Mora, assistant to winning trainer Doug O'Neill. “We train these babies pretty much like Brian Mayberry used to when I worked for him 30 years ago. We do not over-train a horse for these type of races. This colt has a lot of ability and I feel really confident about his future.”

Tahoma, a $160,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by bloodstock agent Dennis O'Neill, is a half-brother to graded stakes winner Legends of War (Scat Daddy).

“Dennis bought this horse and he has the eye of an eagle,” Mara said. “He provides us with so many nice horses. Doug is on his way back from Maryland, but he's on his phone and he knows we won.”

Doug O'Neill trained Legends of War to a win in the 2019 GIII Franklin-Simpson S. at Kentucky Downs.

Madera Dancer produced a colt by Nyquist this year.

2nd-Santa Anita, $68,902, Msw, 5-22, 2yo, 4 1/2f, :53.89, ft, 2 lengths.
TAHOMA (c, 2, Justify–Madera Dancer, by Rahy) $160,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $40,200.
O-West Coast Stables, LLC; B-Hunter Valley Farm, Fergus Galvin & Golden Vale Farm (KY); T-Doug F. O'Neill. *1/2 to Legends of War (Scat Daddy), GSW-USA, GSP-Eng, $491,240.

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Tickets for the TVG.com Haskell S., Monmouth Park's showcase race, will go on sale Saturday, May 28, starting at 11:30 a.m. The 55th edition of the $1-million race for 3-year-olds, to be held Saturday, July 23, headlines a stakes-filled card that includes the GI United Nations, the GIII Monmouth Cup, the GIII Molly Pitcher, the GIII WinStar Matchmaker and the Wolf Hill. First race post time on Haskell Day is noon.

All tickets for Haskell Day (except for the Dining Club Buffet and Lady's Secret Cafe) may be purchased on seatgeek.com/Monmouth or by visiting the reserved seating booth on the second floor of the Grandstand any live racing day. General admission on Haskell Day is $20.

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Saturday's GI Preakness S. winner Early Voting (Gun Runner) was back in his stall at Belmont Park by mid-morning Sunday, some 15 hours after scoring a 1 1/4-length victory over favored Epicenter (Not This Time) in Saturday's Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown.

Trainer Chad Brown traveled from Baltimore to New York overnight and was at Belmont Sunday to oversee what is typically a busy morning of timed workouts for horses in his stable. During a brief break, Brown said that Early Voting, owned by Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables, came out of the race in good condition, but will not be pointed toward the June 11 GI Belmont S. He added that he was undecided where and when Early Voting would run next, while still savoring his trainee's big day at Pimlico.

“We are thrilled with the victory,” Brown said. “I'm proud of the horse. Proud of my team. It was a super memorable day, especially being on Seth Klarman's birthday in his hometown. Everything lined up. I'm just so appreciative for the day, the performance.”
Brown and Klarman won the Preakness for the second time in five years by using the same formula: skipping the GI Kentucky Derby with a promising, stakes-tested but lightly-raced colt to focus on the Preakness. In 2017, Cloud Computing (Maclean's Music) gave Brown his first victory in a Triple Crown series race. Like Cloud Computing, Early Voting was given a break after finishing second in the Apr. 9 GII Wood Memorial S.at Aqueduct.

“He's only run four times and he's done everything we asked him to do,” Brown said. “He breaks good from the gate. He makes his own trips. He carries his speed a route of ground. He's a fighter in the stretch. He deserves all the credit here. He's been extremely cooperative to work with. He's super intelligent. You train him to do something, and he does it. I couldn't be more proud of this horse. He deserves a lot of accolades.”

Ron Winchell, the owner of Epicenter, who ran second in both the Derby and Preakness, reported that the colt is unlikely to contest the Belmont.

“I would say that's a stretch at the moment,” he said. “He had six weeks between the Louisiana Derby and the Derby, and that did him well. I think there might have been five weeks between the Risen Star and the Louisiana Derby, and that did him well. Just looking at how he came back fresh, that seems to be the recipe at the moment. But at least a Gun Runner won.”

Winchell speculated that Monmouth's GI TVG.com Haskell or Saratoga's GI Travers S. could be the next target, with the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland in early November a logical objective.

“We'll turn the page and see where we want to go from there,” he said. “But that's probably the long-term goal.”

Scott Blasi, chief assistant trainer to Asmussen, said Sunday morning that Epicenter came out of the Preakness in good order. He said Epicenter and his stablemates at Pimlico would van back to Churchill Downs on Monday morning.

Creative Minister (Creative Cause), who ran third in the Preakness after being supplemented to the race for $150,000, will be pointed toward the Belmont, trainer Kenny McPeek reported Sunday. McPeek said the colt will likely have a couple of half-mile breezes before the third jewel of the Triple Crown, noting that the gray's breeding could make him a contender in the race.

“He's out of a Tapit mare and Tapits love the Belmont,” McPeek said. “That's the plan.”

Creative Minister will stay at Pimlico for a day or two, McPeek said Sunday, before shipping to New York.

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas was en route back home to Kentucky Sunday with Briland Farms' Secret Oath (Arrogate), the Preakness fourth-place finisher. Lukas said the plan was for the filly to get eight weeks off and then target a series of races against her own sex, including the GI Coaching Club American Oaks July 23 and GI Alabama S. Aug. 20, both at Saratoga, as well as the GI Cotillion S. Sept. 24 at Parx Racing. Her ultimate goal is the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland in November.

Daniel Alonso's Skippylongstocking is under consideration for the Belmont, trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. said Sunday morning. The son of 2016 Preakness winner Exaggerator, who finished fifth in the Preakness, had previously finished third in the Wood Memorial.

“He ran good enough and it might be worth taking a shot at it,” Joseph said. “We won't decide for a week. We'll see how he comes out and see how his energy is and then decide. I think he would get a mile and a half.”

Trainer Antonio Sano reported that Tami Bobo and Tristan De Meric's Simplification (Not Thsi Time) will be turned out in Ocala for rest and relaxation after it was determined that the GII Fountain of Youth S. winner and fourth-place Kentucky Derby finisher had experience exercise-induced pulmonary bleeding during his sixth-place finish in the Preakness.

Other probable starters for the Belmont, according to New York Racing Association notes, include Barber Road (Race Day), Golden Glider (Ghostzapper), Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo), Rich Strike (Keen Ice) and We the People (Constitution), while also listed as possible are Ethereal Road (Quality Road), Nest (Curlin) and Western River (Tapit).

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TIMONIUM, MD – After a stakes-filled weekend of racing at nearby Pimlico Race Course, the action moves back to Timonium for the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, which begins its two-day run at the Maryland State Fairgrounds Monday morning at 11 a.m.

“I'm always happy to be back in Maryland and to be back in Timonium,” consignor Cary Frommer said as shoppers looked for horses and shady spots on a steamy Sunday morning at the fairgrounds.

Of the action at the barns, Frommer said, “It's actually been quite steady for me. We have not had a moment where we weren't showing something. But I have 12 horses, so I would be busy. It's the usual people and maybe some new faces.”

The juvenile sales season, which opened in mid-March, is winding down and the Midlantic sale is the second-to-last major 2-year-old auction of the year.

“I like the time of year,” Frommer said of the Midlantic sale's late May date. “The horses are more apt to be ready for this. I do early sales, too, but there is a specific horse for an early sale, while this sale encompasses everything. You could take anybody here.”

Steve Venosa's SGV Thoroughbreds will offer two horses in Timonium this week and the consignor agreed the May sale's later date was a benefit for both of them.

“It's my last sale of the year. It's my last two horses that I had left,” Venosa said. “One had cut his hip really bad and missed a lot of training and the other horse was in an earlier sale, but being an Apr. 24 foal, I think he might have just missed. The 60 days allowed him to blossom and fill out. He worked well, he came back good and he's been very well-received.”

Last week's under-tack show ahead of the Midlantic auction was held over the fairgrounds' dirt track and the surface is another benefit of the auction, according to many consignors.

“It's the only sale that is later that is on dirt,” Venosa said.

Joe Pickerrell, watching the action from in front of his Pick View barn, agreed.

“Number one is the dirt,” Pickerell said of the Midlantic sale's appeal. “A lot of the buyers are looking for horses that they can win some dirt races with. This track really translates well to that.

And the later date definitely helps. We actually buy horses targeted for this sale. It gives them a little more time to mature and a horse that may be less of a standout in the fall has a little more time to develop.”

The Pick View consignment was well-represented at Pimlico Saturday, with farm graduates finishing one-two in the GIII Chick Lang S.

“It was a great day of racing,” Pickerrell said. “That's why we do this–for races like that. All of the connections of both horses, we are close with them and it's been fun to follow along and cheer for them.”

For Frommer, the juvenile sales season has been slow and steady, with a strong middle market, but she is looking for things to heat up over the next two days in Maryland.

“I've sold everything this year,” Frommer said. “And almost everything for a profit. I haven't had a breakout, but I am hoping to have it at this sale. The middle market has been pretty good to me. It is usually what we complain about, that there is no middle market, but I have done quite well with that. For this sale, I think I have some top physical individuals who did their job on the track and everything vetted out fine afterwards. So that feels like hitting the lottery right there. Hopefully other people will think so too.”

Jimbo Gladwell of Top Line Sales looks for recent trends to continue in Timonium.

“The market is strong for perceived quality,” Gladwell said. “When you jump through all the hoops–you vet good, you do the work and they are pretty horses on the shank, people are willing to give a lot more money than in years' past. They just seem to stack up on the same horses. The ones that make the cut and are what they think are the good ones, they will step in there and take a big swing at them.”

During last week's under-tack show, a colt by Bernardini (hip 385) consigned by Sequel Bloodstock turned in the fastest furlong work of :9 4/5. A pair of fillies shared the week's fastest quarter-mile breeze of :21 1/5: a daughter of Collected (hip 202, video) consigned by Coastal Equine; and a daughter of Violence (hip 470, video) consigned by All Dreams Equine.

The 2021 Midlantic sale set new marks for gross, average and median. Through two sessions a year ago, Fasig-Tipton sold 357 juveniles for a total of $33,692,000, bettering the previous record of $29,374,000 set in 2019. The average was $94,375, up 4.7% from the 2019 previous record figure of $90,104. The median of $50,000 bettered the mark of $45,000 set in 2015.

A son of Quality Road became the auction's co-highest priced colt ever when topping the 2021 auction at $1.5 million.

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The story is a familiar one. Seth Klarman, Chad Brown and Jose Ortiz teaming up for a win with a lightly-raced colt in the second jewel of the Triple Crown. In 2017, the duo entered the Classic with a fresh horse, and played the spoiler when Cloud Computing (Maclean's Music) upended Classic Empire to take the GI Preakness S. Fast forward to 2022, history repeated itself with the same connections snagging Pimlico's marquee race with Early Voting (Gun Runner). The colt's victory also provided a well-deserved birthday gift for his owner, who grew up three blocks from Pimlico.

“I just wanted to say how happy I am to deliver a Classic victory to one of my best friends, Seth Klarman, on his birthday,” said Brown. “It's really memorable for me.”

Klarman was also cognizant, and appreciative, of the forces propelling him back into the winner's circle on Preakness day.

“Cloud Computing was a once in a lifetime horse and now I have it twice in a lifetime which is really hard to believe it could happen again,” he said. “Only with Chad.”

Armagnac (Quality Road), a front-running winner in his most recent start at Santa Anita, didn't alter the script and went straight to the front as Ortiz opted to ease Early Voting back to second, rather than contending for supremacy, about two lengths behind. Meanwhile, favored Epicenter (Not This Time) broke cleanly but was soon pinched back by the converging duo of Happy Jack (Oxbow) and Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator), costing the favorite valuable ground. Also encountering issues early, Secret Oath (Arrogate) was also affected by the errant Happy Jack, forcing her to take up position at the back of the field going into the first turn. With the frontrunner gifted a soft :24.32 opening quarter, Ortiz opted to keep the 5-1 chance in close contact as they carved out a slightly faster half in :47.44. A motionless Ortiz, who peeked under his shoulder to see who might be coming along, finally nudging the colt into action, taking over from the fading leader turning for home. In control from there, the colt had plenty left in the tank despite drifting outward, and while Epicenter mounted a gallant run up along the inside late, he was unable to get closer than 1 1/4 lengths to the winner at the wire. Creative Minister (Creative Cause), who was supplemented to the race for $150,000, closed to be 2 1/4 lengths back in third. The filly, sent off at 5-1 facing the boys, crossed the wire in fourth.

It was the second win on the afternoon for triumvirate after Technical Analysis (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) won the GIII Gallorette S.

“Yeah, he is a very good horse out of the gate,” explained Ortiz. “He always has been. He broke well, and that was the main thing. Break good and go forward. We knew that Armagnac had speed, and he never has passed a horse on his right, and we knew he was probably going to go into the lead, and he did, but we were ready for it. We executed the plan perfectly.”

“On the back side, it just felt like we had been drilling in the morning. We had been working him just next to a horse, and he was very relaxed. I was very confident passing the 5/8 pole. I knew I was in a good spot. I took a peek back. Nobody was there. I knew my horse was ready.

He added, “I had the trip I wanted. We planned it out, we executed it with perfection, and we came out top.”

Recipe for Success
In front for most of the way, Early Voting came home a 1 1/2-length winner in his Dec. 18 debut before returning to the South Ozone Park oval with a front-running score in the GIII Withers S. going nine furlongs in the mud Feb. 5. Well supported for the Apr. 9 GII Wood Memorial, the bay had to settle for second behind Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo), who got up in the nick of time to catch him at the wire.

“When we've been working the horse We give him a target, and he rates nice. He catches them and finishes them off well,” said Brown, explaining the colt's latest defeat. “I was convinced in the Wood that he was waiting on horses which is why he got beat. He got beat by a good horse, don't get me wrong, with a good trip, but when you are doing this long enough, you can tell a tired horse from a horse that's waiting on horses. And I can see it in his work sometimes as well.”

Explaining the decision to bypass the Kentucky Derby with both of his Preakness winners, Brown explained, “With both horses it's important to know that they were coming out of the Wood, so [we gave] them time. But they're lightly-raced horses. It's not like a horse that we gave time out of the Wood that also had three starts at two and it's their sixth or seventh [lifetime] start. This a lightly-raced horse. In both cases, the Wood was only their third start.”

He continued, “So when you start participating in the Kentucky Derby enough now, you realize what a tough race it is with 20 horses. As the trainer, you have to deal with the aftermath when it doesn't work out. And sometimes, it's not pretty. Those horses need time physically or mentally, and it can really cost a good part of your 3-year-old year if you swing and miss. You could ship all the way over there or draw terrible weather. You name it..I haven't won the [Derby], but we've had a couple of close calls, and I'm a student of it. I feel like you have to have a horse with some experience, and you have to be prepared for a bad post or a bump here or there or a wet track or something.

This horse just didn't have the experience. He is out there on loose leads. He didn't have dirt in his face really. A nice horse, but to throw him in a 20-horse field would not have worked out well for him, I don't believe. It really wasn't that hard of a decision.”

Looking down the road, Brown hopes to have the colt ready to add another Classic later this summer, this time in his neck of the woods.

“[We'll aim for] a race like the [GI] Travers S. [at Saratoga],” said Brown. “I know it's a tick farther, but I don't believe he will have any trouble getting the mile and a quarter. Growing up just 20 minutes from Saratoga, Baltimore native, that was his race today, the Travers would be for me, so that would be really at the top of the list. But there will be some racing before that. We'll get him back to Belmont, assess him, train him a bit, and then start to map out a campaign that, hopefully, leads us to the Midsummer Derby.”

New York, New York
While repeating a Preakness victory for his connections, Early Voting also mirrored the feat accomplished by Cloud Computing in the 2017 renewal of the Classic race. And both colts employed a similar road to victory. While Early Voting took his first two starts, including his initial graded appearance in the Withers, Cloud Computing won his Big A debut, but was runner-up in that season's GIII Gotham S. before finishing third in the Wood. However, despite the subtle differences, both colts sought a Preakness win through the Empire State.

“Cloud Computing was another horse that wintered up [in New York],” he said. “Not only did both of them run in the Wood, but they didn't even go to Florida. It can be done, and I think it just depends on the horse and always just being aware of your environment where you are training these horses, and New York is a good environment.”

Underscoring why remaining in New York over the winter was the right move for his colt, Brown was pragmatic.

“He stayed in New York because he is that kind of make-up,” he said. “He was lightly raced. I didn't want to interrupt his schedule. Sometimes you ship horses down to Florida that are just getting started, and then you have to adjust to ironically the humidity and heat and such when he is just getting going. The weather looked good, so I left him there.”

No 'I' in Team
The relationship between Ortiz and Brown goes far back, and is laden with victory. However, according to Brown, it is the work ethic between professionals that makes the partnership special.

“He rode Zandon [Upstart] in New Orleans [third in the GII Risen Star S. at the Fair Grounds Feb. 19], and he had ridden Early Voting, in the Withers. [They were both scheduled to run on the same day in the [GI Toyota] Blue Grass [S.] and the Wood Memorial [both Apr. 9], I just chose he is going to go ride Early Voting, and I made a change on Zandon [to Flavien Prat]. So I called him to tell him, and he never complained about it. He said, 'Boss, I'll go where you tell me to go.' That's it. He was happy to ride Early Voting. It's hard to be taken off Zandon when they're on the same day because we knew that horse was probably going to go win the Blue Grass and go to the [Kentucky] Derby as one of the favorites. That's how he is. He said, 'I'll go where you tell me to go.'”

Brown continued, “He didn't win the Wood, but it was our feeling that's his horse. He went there for us that day, and I felt that's going to remain his horse. It was never even a thought after the horse got beat to make a change. He went up there and rode him for us, and he rode him brilliantly. Talk about being a team player.”

“I saw the relationship developing with those two. I wasn't sure he was a Derby horse, but I was sure he was a good horse and a Grade I horse. I just know that's a partnership that I want to continue growing, developing that horse, and then I could figure out where I am with Zandon. That's really what it came down to.”

Pedigree Notes:
Gun Runner, the runaway leading first-crop sire based at Three Chimneys, continued the same trend in 2022, leading his U.S.-based contemporaries in worldwide earnings. With Early Voting's Classic win at Pimlico Saturday, the colt became the fifth Grade I winner for the Three Chimneys stallion.
His unraced dam–a $1.75-million KEESEP yearling in 2013–is a full-sister to 2017 GII Blue Grass S. winner and MGISP Irap (Tiznow), as well as a half-sister to champion and leading sire Speightstown (Gone West). They all stem from Canadian champion Silken Cat, tracing back to 1950 Broodmare of the Year Hildene (Bubbling Over), Silken Cat's fifth dam. Amour d'Ete has a 2-year-old full-sister to Early Voting, a yearling filly by Constitution, and was bred back to Volatile. Amour d'Ete's pensioned sire, Tiznow, is the broodmare sire of 52 black-type winners, including 2020 Classic winner Tiz the Law (Constitution).

Saturday, Pimlico
PREAKNESS S.-GI, $1,650,000, Pimlico, 5-21, 3yo, 1 3/16m, 1:54.54, ft.
1–EARLY VOTING, 126, c, 3, by Gun Runner
               1st Dam: Amour d'Ete, by Tiznow
               2nd Dam: Silken Cat, by Storm Cat
               3rd Dam: Silken Doll, by Chieftain
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($200,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Klaravich
Stables, Inc.; B-Three Chimneys Farm, LLC (KY); T-Chad C.
Brown; J-Jose L. Ortiz. $990,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-1-0,
$1,311,500. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Epicenter, 126, c, 3, Not This Time–Silent Candy, by Candy
Ride (Arg). ($260,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Winchell
Thoroughbreds LLC; B-Westwind Farms (KY); T-Steven M.
Asmussen. $330,000.
3–Creative Minister, 126, c, 3, Creative Cause–Tamboz, by
Tapit. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1
BLACK TYPE. ($180,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Fern Circle
Stables, Back Racing, LLC and Magdalena Racing; B-Dell
Ridge Farm, LLC (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek. $181,500.
Margins: 1 1/4, 2 1/4, 2 3/4. Odds: 5.70, 1.20, 10.00.
Also Ran: Secret Oath, Skippylongstocking, Simplification, Armagnac, Happy Jack, Fenwick.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Early Voting Gives Gun Runner First Classic Winner in Preakness appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Ethereal Road (Quality Road) will always be remembered as the horse removed from the 2022 GI Kentucky Derby at the last moment of scratch time, paving the way for an 80-1 longshot to upset America's biggest race. However, on GI Preakness S. Day, he signified he might have something else to say about the 3-year-old picture this year. With stablemate Secret Oath (Arrogate) Preakness-bound after her GI Kentucky Oaks win, Ethereal Road was routed to the undercard Sir Barton S. at Pimlico and looked like a world-beater as he dodged traffic to win going away by 4 3/4 lengths.

Breaking from the rail as the 3-2 choice, Ethereal Road wasn't quick out of the gate and settled comfortably near the back. With just one horse beaten at both the :23.70 first quarter and :47.26 half, he tipped out five wide on the turn to circle horses, quickly took command, and surged to the lead with obvious confidence to post a facile daylight win.

“That's what we expected,” said legendary winning trainer and Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas. “That's his style. It was a picture-perfect ride from Luis [Saez]. We probably should have left him in the Derby, but that's hindsight. He got a good trip. The fractions are realistic. We can definitely build off this.”

Ethereal Road broke his maiden in January at Oaklawn in his fourth career try, then jumped into the deep end and responded with a runner-up finish to Un Ojo (Laoban) in the GII Rebel S. in February. The Sir Barton was his first start following off-the-board finishes in the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. and the GIII Stonestreet Lexington S., both at Keeneland in April. Saturday was Saez's first time on the colt in the afternoon. Saez had won the Oaks in his first time aboard Secret Oath and retained that mount for the Preakness.

“He ran pretty nice,” said Saez. “The pace was perfect for him. It's the style he likes to run–break and make one move. He finished really strong.”

Ethereal Road's dam, Sustained, was second in the 2012 GIII Miss Grillo S. for Paul Pompa, Jr., who bred Ethereal Road and sold him for $90,000 at Keeneland September a month before he passed away in 2020. Sustained was sold at the 2021 Keeneland January sale for $320,000 to Determined Stud while in foal to Connect, whom Pompa also campaigned. The mare produced colts by that Pompa-raced stallion in both 2020 and 2021.

SIR BARTON S. SPONSORED BY BRANDON AND DIANNAH PERRY TO BENEFIT THE THOROUGHBRED AFTERCARE ALLIANCE, $100,000, Pimlico, 5-21, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:43.20, ft.
1–ETHEREAL ROAD, 118, c, 3, by Quality Road
               1st Dam: Sustained (GSP, $184,629), by War Front
               2nd Dam: Sweetstorm Amy, by Lemon Drop Kid
               3rd Dam: Hurricane Amy, by Storm Cat
($90,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Aaron
Sones; B-Paul Pompa (KY); T-D. Wayne Lukas; J-Luis Saez.
$60,000. Lifetime Record: GSP, 8-2-1-1, $354,545. *1/2 to
Turned Aside (American Pharoah), GSW-USA, GSP-Can,
$292,164.
2–B Dawk, 118, c, 3, Gormley–Mott N Hester, by Super
Saver. ($77,000 Ylg '20 KEEJAN; $140,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP;
$425,000 2yo '21 EASMAY; $500,000 RNA 3yo '22 KEEAPR).
1ST BLACK TYPE. O-West Point Thoroughbreds & Joseph
E. Besecker; B-Small Batch Thoroughbreds & Robert Fetkin
(KY); T-Doug F. O'Neill. $20,000.
3–Mr Jefferson, 118, c, 3, Constitution–Clockstrucktwelve, by
Malibu Moon. O/B-R. Larry Johnson (MD); T-Michael J.
Trombetta. $10,000.
Margins: 4 3/4, 2 1/4, HF. Odds: 1.50, 3.50, 6.10.
Also Ran: Ruggs, Good Skate, Unikee, Goldenize, Writeitontheice. Scratched: Brooklyn Diamonds, The Addison Pour.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Derby Scratch Ethereal Road Romps in Sir Barton appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

2nd-Woodbine, C$107,630, Msw, 5-21, 2yo, 4 1/2f (AWT), :51.58, ft, 5 1/2 lengths.
STAYHONOR GOODSIDE (c, 2, Honor Code–Nicki Knew {SW, $386,114}, by Tethra) was favored at 6-5 in this debut and made it look like a gift with a dominant debut score at Woodbine Saturday. Away alertly, the $85,000 KEESEP buy contested the early pace and slammed the door on his rivals in the lane to win for fun by 5 1/2 lengths over Captive Silence (Silent Name {Jpn}). The winner is a half to Imperial Dream (Stormy Atlantic), SW, $156,137 and is the first winner for his dam since that one, Nicki Knew only producing two surviving foals in the eight years between them. There was no report in 2021 but Stayhonor Goodside has a 2022 half-sister by Caravaggio. This is the family of millionaire and MG1SW Hawk Wing (Woodman), GSW turned group-stakes producer Race for the Stars (Fusaichi Pegasus), and Canadian Horse of the Year & Champion grass horse Thornfield (Sky Classic). The colt's name came about by way of a contest on the TDN Writers' Room podcast, when D.J. Stable General Manager Jon Green challenged listeners to come up with a clever name based on the colt's breeding as part of a promotion sponsored by Lane's End Farm. The winning entry was submitted by Skip Anderson, a champion Hampshire sheep breeder from North Dakota. Sales history: $85,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $48,142. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-D. J. Stable LLC; B-Stan Dodson (ON); T-Mark E. Casse.

The post Honor Code Juvenile Romps at Woodbine appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Roughly 12 hours before his peers were set to take to the Pimlico main track for the GI Preakness S., RED-TR Racing's GI Kentucky Derby upsetter Rich Strike (Keen Ice) returned to the worktab, breezing a half-mile in a strong :47.20. With rider Gabe Lagunes in the irons, the chestnut broke off aggressively with an opening quarter-mile in :22.80 and he galloped out five furlongs in 1:00.60.

Immediately following his stunning 80-1 upset beneath the Twin Spires, connections fully intended on pressing on to the Preakness, but it was announced May 12 that the colt would bypass the second jewel of the Triple Crown and would be trained up to the GI Belmont S. June 11.

“Skipping the Preakness was still one of the toughest decisions I had to make as a trainer,” said trainer Eric Reed, who stood alongside owner Rick Dawson for the work. “I just don't think he would've been mentally ready to run against those horses again.”

Reed indicated that Rich Strike would head to New York as soon as next week, but has elected to keep the colt in Barn 17 on the Churchill backstretch until May 31. Tentative plans call for Rich Strike to breeze again Monday, May 30.

“He does so well here I just didn't want to change anything yet,” Reed said. “He'll get eight or nine days at Belmont to gallop and get used to the surface.”

Rich Strike breezes 4 furlongs in :47.20 on Preakness Day in preparation for the @BelmontStakes! pic.twitter.com/mKDm273lnd

— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) May 21, 2022

The post Rich Strike Back To Work at Churchill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Heading into Friday's GII George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan, much of the attention centered around GIII Las Virgenes S. winner Adare Manor (Uncle Mo). However, when the dust had settled, it was Flurry Racing Stables' Interstatedaydream (Classic Empire) who had scampered away to victory, heading a 1-2 finish for Coolmore stallions.

Sent off at 6-1, Interstatedaydream shadowed 11-1 chance Beguine (Gun Runner) through :23.34 and :46.65 splits as favored Adare Manor, the sole graded winner in the bunch, tracked in third. Inching closer to her front-running rival before drawing even turning for home, the Brad Cox trainee took over, and, despite drifting slightly outward in the lane, kept up the tempo late to post a 1 1/4-length score over Adare Manor. Radio Days (Gun Runner) closed to be third.

“There was no game plan,” admitted jockey Florent Geroux. “I thought there would be a couple of fillies, especially on the inside, who would have gone. I was really expecting Adare Manor to be a little bit forwardly placed. But when Johnny [Velazquez] was content to sit right off me, I just took advantage of it. I was not going to pull too hard on my filly just to let him pass. I thought my filly was great where she was.”

The victory was the second graded stakes win on the afternoon for jockey Florent Geroux, who also took the GIII Allaire Dupont Distaff S. with the Norm Casse-trained Super Quick (Super Saver) earlier on the card.

A first out winner at Belmont last June, the Ontario-bred only made one more start in 2021, and that was a runner-up finish behind Wicked Halo (Gun Runner) in the GII Adirondack S. at Saratoga in August. Blowing the doors off with a sparkling 8 1/4-length victory in an Oaklawn optional claimer Mar. 13, she finished a distant third last time behind subsequent Kentucky Oaks runner-up Nest (Curlin) in the Apr. 8 GI  Central Bank Ashland S. at Keeneland.

“She just wasn't ready for it,” said Cox when asked about the decision to bypass the Kentucky Oaks two weeks ago. “It would have been back a little too quick, throwing too much at her too quick. I thought it made the most sense [to wait for the Black-Eyed Susan].”

Pedigree Notes:
A member of the first crop of juvenile champion Classic Empire, the Black-Eyed Susan winner becomes the sixth black-type and second graded stakes winner for the Coolmore stallion. Bred by William Graham in Ontario, Canada, Interstatedaydream is out of the unraced Uncle Mo mare Babcock, also responsible for MSP Emmeline (Violence). The filly's pedigree represents a very productive Canadian family, including grand dam Captivating (Arch), who produced Canadian Horse of the Year and champion 2-year-old Uncaptured (Lion Heart), in addition to MSW Dancing Raven (Tomahawk). The extended family also includes the Classic-winning MGISW Curalina (Curlin).

Friday, Pimlico
GEORGE E. MITCHELL BLACK-EYED SUSAN S.-GII, $250,000, Pimlico, 5-20, 3yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:48.73, ft.
1–INTERSTATEDAYDREAM, 118, f, 3, by Classic Empire
                1st Dam: Babcock, by Uncle Mo
                2nd Dam: Captivating, by Arch
                3rd Dam: Andrea Ruckus, by Bold Ruckus
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($105,000
Ylg '20 KEEJAN; $130,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $175,000 2yo '21
OBSAPR). O-Flurry Racing Stables LLC; B-William D. Graham
(ON); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Florent Geroux. $150,000. Lifetime
Record: 5-3-1-1, $351,225. *1/2 to Emmeline (Violence), MSP,
$243,529. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Werk Nick Rating: A++.
2–Adare Manor, 122, f, 3, Uncle Mo–Brooklynsway, by Giant
Gizmo. ($180,000 Ylg '20 FTKFEB; $190,000 RNA Ylg '20
FTKSEL; $375,000 2yo '21 OBSOPN). O-Michael Lund Petersen;
B-Town & Country Horse Farms, LLC & Gary Broad (KY); T-Sean
McCarthy. $50,000.
3–Radio Days, 118, f, 3, Gun Runner–Remembered, by Sky
Mesa. ($750,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Joseph Allen LLC; B-Hinkle
Farms (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III. $25,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1, 2 3/4. Odds: 6.10, 2.10, 15.80.
Also Ran: Divine Huntress, Favor, Morning Matcha, Miss Yearwood, Distinctlypossible, Midnight Stroll, Candy Light, Luna Belle, Beguine, Missy Greer.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post ‘Interstate’ On Top in Black-Eyed Susan appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

'TDN Rising Star' First Captain (Curlin) looked to have it all to do with a quarter-mile to go in Friday's GIII Pimlico Special S., but he called on his class in the final 50 yards to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Adding blinkers for the first time off a disappointing seventh in the GI Carter H. Apr. 9, the $1.5-million joint-topper at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale was off alertly and settled in fifth position passing under the wire for the first time as recent Excelsior S. runner-up Untreated (Nyquist) led them along through a leisurely opening couple of furlongs in :24.99. Traveling comfortably enough down the backstretch, First Captain raced worse than midfield and was four off the inside and in the clear as the field entered the final half-mile, the pace still very much working against the back markers on a track that seemed to be carrying speed. The chestnut came under a Luis Saez ride with about three furlongs to run and looked to be one-paced at the top of the stretch, as Untreated was still enjoying a soft time of things up front. But, pulled out to the middle of the track, First Captain took aim on favored Vindictive (Uncle Mo)–who'd wrested command from his stablemate Untreated deep inside the final furlong–and fought on bravely to score by a short neck.

An impressive debut winner over seven furlongs last April, First Captain showed determination and poise well beyond his relative inexperience to add a first-level Belmont allowance en route to 'Rising Star' honors the following month. The chestnut made the GIII Dwyer S. his third win from as many appearances July 5, but he stubbed his toe when trying two turns for the first time in the restricted Curlin S. July 30 and was shelved. First Captain made a victorious comeback to the races in a seven-furlong test at Gulfstream Feb. 27, but was always outpaced in the Carter, finishing well down the field.

“I debated on the blinkers last year after the Curlin, but we didn't get that far,” said Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey. “We trained him in them here [at Belmont Park] and we liked what we saw. I saw him gallop here the other morning before he shipped and my thought was, 'If he runs the way he gallops, he's going to be pretty tough.' Obviously, he did.

McGaughey continued, “He had trained well. The Carter was a puzzler. All his other races were good; he's won five out of seven now with a third in a listed stakes. We were anxious to get him around two turns.”

Pedigree Notes:

Bobby Flay, who was also represented Friday by Hilltop S. winner Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), gained access to First Captain's booming female family when acquiring second dam Lacadena privately after she was led out unsold on a bid of $1.4 million at the 2007 Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

The fact that Lacadena, stakes-placed at two for Jim and Alice Sapara, would prove to be so coveted, was no surprise, particularly in the aftermath of the 2007 racing season. The mare's dam, Butterfly Blue, was a half-sister to Better Than Honour (Deputy Minister), whose daughter Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy), defeated First Captain's sire in a stirring renewal of the GI Belmont S., giving an unusually demonstrative trainer Todd Pletcher a first Classic success.

For her second covering, and to no one's surprise, Flay sent Lacadena to A.P. Indy and the mare foaled a filly in March 2011. The celebrity chef elected to retain that produce when bidding stalled out on her at $725,000 at Keeneland September in 2012, and the decision proved shrewd, as America would go on to win five times from 22 starts, including the GIII Turnback the Alarm H., and was third in the GI Delaware H. before retiring to Flay's boutique broodmare band in 2016.

Flay elected to send America to Curlin for her first date in the breeding shed and he must have been pleased with the result, as she returned to the Hill 'n' Dale star for the 2018 breeding season. She foaled a filly in January 2019, eight months before First Captain took his spot in the Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga, where he and a Curlin colt out of Wapi (Chi) (Scat Daddy) shared top honors when hammering for $1.5 million.

The family was given yet another advertisement in the summer of 2020, when Paris Lights (Curlin), a daughter of America's half-sister Paris Bikini (Bernardini), took out the GI Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga. Flay sold Lacadena to Heider Family Stables in foal to Bernardini for $1.3 million at Keeneland November in 2015, while Paris Bikini was hammered down to Katsumi Yoshida for $1.95 million in foal to Uncle Mo at Fasig-Tipton November in 2020.

America visited Uncle Mo in the winter of 2019 and was offered by Flay at that year's Fasig-Tipton November Sale. She was ultimately retained on a bid of $3.1 million. The resulting produce, a colt, was a $550,000 RNA at Keeneland September last fall, while America is responsible for a yearling full-sister to First Captain and a colt by Uncle Mo foaled Mar. 19. She was bred to Curlin again this season.

Friday, Pimlico
PIMLICO SPECIAL S.-GIII, $300,000, Pimlico, 5-20, 3yo/up, 1 3/16m, 1:56.24, ft.
1–FIRST CAPTAIN, 120, c, 4, by Curlin
1st Dam: America (GSW & MGISP, $580,532), by A.P. Indy
2nd Dam: Lacadena, by Fasliyev
3rd Dam: Butterfly Blue (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
'TDN Rising Star' ($1,500,000 Ylg '19 FTSAUG). O-West Point  Thoroughbreds, Siena Farm LLC, Bobby Flay & Woodford Racing LLC; B-B Flay Thoroughbreds (KY); T-Claude R McGaughey III; J-Luis Saez. $180,000. Lifetime Record: 7-5-0-1, $470,100. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*.
2–Vindictive, 120, c, 4, Uncle Mo–Exotic Bloom, by Montbrook.  1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($200,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP).  O-Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stable, LLC & LNJ Foxwoods;  B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Todd A  Pletcher. $60,000.
3–Untreated, 120, c, 4, Nyquist–Fully Living, by Unbridled's  Song. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($550,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP;  $300,000 3yo '21 KEEJAN). O-Team Valor International LLC;  B-Ashview Farm & Old Oak Farm (KY); T-Todd A Pletcher.  $30,000.
Margins: HD, 1 1/4, 7 1/4. Odds: 5.00, 1.00, 4.00.
Also Ran: Workin On a Dream, Mohaafeth, Treasure Trove, Mischief Afoot, Excellorator, Capocostello, Forewarned. Scratched: Shooger Ray Too.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post First Captain Turns In ‘Special’ Performance at Pimlico appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Former claimer Lady Scarlet recorded a career-high victory Friday when coming from off the pace to take the GIII Miss Preakness S. at Pimlico. Allowed to survey the pace in third early as 4-5 favorite Happy Soul, prompted by Gimmick, led the way through opening fractions of :23.01 and :45.58, the dark bay was given the cue by Irad Ortiz, Jr. while swinging out wide turning for home. Slowly reeling in the battling leaders down the lane, she took over and powered clear to score by 3 3/4 lengths over Happy Soul, who out slugged Gimmick to finish second.

“I got the perfect trip,” said Ortiz. “She broke from a great position. I waited for the time to roll, and she did very well. She did everything right, everything perfect. They went out a little fast and I was right there behind them and waited for the time to go. I had plenty left.”

Trainer Mike Maker added, “We left it up to Irad to be creative. If they hooked up on the lead, so be it. If they gave it to us, so be it. She's won on the lead before, and she's won coming from off [the pace]. So it worked perfectly. I think she's a good horse and there's plenty of races out there.”

As to the beaten favorite, John Velazquez said, “She broke good and got good position. I don't think she ran her 'A' race today. Last time out [sixth in the Apr. 8 GI Ashland S.], she was flat. Today, she was mad but she wasn't herself.”

Picked up by current connections for what now looks like a bargain $150,000 in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden claimer at Churchill in November, the filly faded to fifth after setting the pace facing optional claimers at Oaklawn in December.

“It sounds like a lot, which it is, but with the purse structure that there is, the prices of horses has gone up.”

Given some time off following that effort, she returned a winner when coming from just off the pace going six panels at Oaklawn Feb. 26 and made it two straight with a win in Aqueduct's Cicada S. Mar. 19. Weakening late while trying to extend her speed an extra furlong in the GIII Beaumont S. Apr. 10, she finished fourth.

Pedigree Notes:
With the victory, Lady Scarlet becomes the 14th winner for GI Belmont S. winner Union Rags. She is out of SW and GSP Exclude, who is a half-sister to MGSW Exhi (Maria's Mon) and listed winner Diluvien (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}). This represents the prolific family of Canadian Horse of the Year Franfeluche (Northern Dancer), dam of HOTY L'Enjoleur (Buckpasser), champion La Voyageuse (Tentam) and Grade II winner D'Accord (Secretariat). This is also the extended family of French Highweight juvenile Holy Roman Emperor.

Friday, Pimlico
MISS PREAKNESS S.-GIII, $150,000, Pimlico, 5-20, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:10.07, ft.
1–LADY SCARLET, 120, f, 3, by Union Rags
              1st Dam: Exclude (GB), by Include
              2nd Dam: Soldera, by Polish Numbers
              3rd Dam: La Pepite, by Mr. Prospector
   1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($72,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP).
O-Paradise Farms Corp. & David Staudacher; B-Popatop, LLC
(KY); T-Michael J. Maker; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr. $90,000. Lifetime
Record: 9-4-2-0, $303,530. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for
the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Happy Soul, 124, f, 3, Runhappy–Cowgirl Lucky, by Stephen
Got Even. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($50,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP).
O-Gayla Rankin; B-Harris Training Center, LLC (KY); T-Wesley A.
Ward. $30,000.
3–Gimmick, 120, f, 3, Into Mischief–Quick Flip, by
Speightstown. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($450,000 Ylg '20
FTKSEL). O-e Five Racing Thoroughbreds; B-Spendthrift Farm,
LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $15,000.
Margins: 3 3/4, 1, 1. Odds: 2.70, 0.80, 9.80.
Also Ran: Verylittlecents, Saucy Lady T, La Casa d'Oro. Scratched: Sweet Solare, Under the Stars.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Lady Scarlet Pounces Late in Miss Preakness appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Bobby Flay homebred Pizza Bianca, heroine of last term's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, punched her ticket to Royal Ascot in style here.

In an impressive 2021 campaign, Pizza Bianca broke her maiden over the Saratoga grass on debut July 22 at Saratoga and jumped right into Grade I company, finishing second behind Wild Beauty (Frankel {GB}) in Woodbine's GI Natalma S. Sept. 19. That set her up for a run in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar, where she posted a half-length victory at 9-1. Pizza Bianca returned from the bench to be second, beaten just three-quarters of a length, as the 4-5 favorite in the Memories of Silver S. at Aqueduct Apr. 24.

Confidently backed at 2-5 here, she raced in sixth behind pacesetter Murph (Malibu Moon) through an opening quarter in :23.31. Patiently handled and still with plenty to do heading into the far turn, she started to move along the inside, then switched back out as the field turned for home. She was let loose in the stretch and came rolling over the top to win going away.

“[Jockey] Jose [Ortiz] did exactly what we were hoping for,” Flay said. “She broke; he kind of put her to sleep around the track; asked her a little bit; and she performed very nice. Really, a sigh of relief, but also just a beautiful performance.”

The G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot will be next.

“I ran in that race in 2011 with More Than Real,” Flay said. “She didn't run that well, but it doesn't matter. It was an amazing experience. To me, this is what this is all about. These horses can take you on experiences of a lifetime.”

On behalf of Flay, bloodstock agent James Delahooke went to 1.25 million guineas ($2,122,050) for Pizza Bianca's dam White Hot at the 2014 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. Pizza Bianca is the first foal for her unraced dam. The half-sister to G1 Epsom Derby winner Pour Moi (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) is also represented by a yearling colt by Uncle Mo and birthed a colt by Not This Time in 2022.

Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

HILLTOP S., $100,000, Pimlico, 5-20, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:36.54, fm.
1–PIZZA BIANCA, 122, f, 3, by Fastnet Rock (Aus)-White Hot
(Ire), by Galileo (Ire). O-Bobby Flay; B-B. Flay Thoroughbreds
(KY); T-Christophe Clement; J-Jose L. Ortiz. $60,000. Lifetime
Record: GISW, 5-3-2-0, $717,635.
2–Diamond Hands, 118, f, 3, Frosted–Love Cove, by Not For
Love. ($25,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $425,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR).
1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Robert Masiello & Steven Rocco; B-Brant
Laue & Godolphin (KY); T-Christophe Clement. $20,000.
3–Vergara, 120, f, 3, Noble Mission (GB)–Figure of Beauty, by
Street Cry (Ire). ($130,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Gary Broad;
B-Neil Jones (KY); T-H. Graham Motion. $10,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, HD, NK. Odds: 0.40, 7.20, 4.70.
Also Ran: Lady Puchi, Determined Gold, Murph, Hail To, Determined Star.

The post Pizza Bianca Punches Royal Ascot Ticket in the Hilltop appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

A trio of 3-year-olds from the barn of Todd Pletcher took to the Belmont dirt training track Friday morning as they prepare for stakes engagements during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo), who defeated GI Preakness S. hopeful Early Voting (Gun Runner) in the GII Wood Memorial S. Apr. 9 ahead of a closing fifth in the GI Kentucky Derby May 7, breezed a half-mile in the company of his GI Central Bank Ashland S.-winning stable companion Nest (Curlin) in :50.02. Owned by Donegal Racing and Repole Stable, Mo Donegal is pointing for the GI Belmont S. June 11, while Nest is under consideration for a start against the boys in the 'Test of the Champion.' Nest's sire was famously defeated by the Pletcher-trained Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy) in the 2007 Belmont.

“It was a good maintenance breeze,” said Pletcher's New York-based assistant Byron Hughes. “They both were moving well and galloped out well. They were on even terms throughout and we were happy with the breeze.”

'TDN Rising Star' Wit (Practical Joke) went five furlongs in the company of fellow 'Rising Star' Malathaat (Curlin) in 1:01.58 Friday morning. Wit most recently returned from a six-month break to take out the GII Bay Shore S. by a nose Apr. 9 and will remain at the seven-furlong distance for the GI Woody Stephens S. on Belmont S. day. Malathaat also made a victorious return to action in Keeneland's GIII Baird Doubledogdare S. Apr. 22, besting Friday's GII DuPont Distaff romper Super Quick (Super Saver), and faces a mouthwatering matchup with champion Letruska (Super Saver) in the GI Ogden Phipps S. the same afternoon.

“Both are good breeze horses and made a good matchup,” Hughes said. “They went head-and-head throughout in 1:01 and change and had a good, solid gallop out.”

Highland Chief (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), who caused a 19-1 upset in the May 14 GI Man o' War S., is likely to make his next appearance on the Belmont S. undercard in the GI Manhattan S.

“I think we'll point to the Manhattan if he's doing well,” trainer Graham Motion said. “The timing is right and I don't have a concern whatsoever about the mile and a quarter for him. I think he's pretty tactical and I think we're certainly going to keep him over here and not consider taking him over to England anytime soon. It had been mentioned to me before the race, but after we all got together, I think we'll keep him for an American campaign.

Trainer Wayne Catalano has told the NYRA racing office that his GI Breeders' Cup Sprint hero Aloha West (Hard Spun) could make the trip to the Big Apple for the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. June 11. The Maryland-bred 5-year-old made his seasonal debut in the GI Churchill Downs S. May 7, finishing third behind Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) and Reinvestment Risk (Upstart).

“He went on the dead rail and got pushed a little early,” Catalano said. “It was a tough race. The only horse that went up the rail the last eighth of the mile was the Derby winner [Rich Strike]. From what I saw, everyone else was on the middle of the racetrack.”

The Met is also likely to attract undefeated 'TDN Rising Star' Flightline (Tapit) and GI Carter H. hero Speaker's Corner (Street Sense).

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Wesley Ward worked five of his Royal Ascot contenders over the Keeneland turf Friday led by GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Golden Pal (Uncle Mo). He covered five panels in a bullet 1:02.80 (1/8) (video). Winner of the GII Shakertown S. last out Apr. 9, the bay is being pointed at the G1 King's Stand S. at the Royal meeting June 14.

“I thought he had an unbelievable breeze today,” Ward said. “The turf was soggy, and I love to breeze on a deep, soft turf. They come in and out of the works so good. He broke off 10 lengths in front of a 2-year-old filly, ['TDN Rising Star'] Love Reigns (Ire) (U S Navy Flag)–she's no match for a horse like him at this stage of her career–but she had a target. She had a great work (1:03.60) following the fastest horse in the world. He skipped over it–it was unbelievable. That's what you want to see.”

Love Reigns, owned by Stonestreet Stables, scored a 9 3/4-length victory at Keeneland in her Apr. 29 career debut sprinting on turf. She is scheduled to race in the G2 Queen Mary S. June 15.

Stonestreet also owns G1 Platinum Jubilee S.-bound Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) (1:04) and Palace of Holyroodhouse S. contender Ruthin (GB) (Ribchester {Ire}) (1:04.80) (video). Campanelle is bidding for her third win at Royal Ascot, following triumphs in the Queen Mary in 2020 and G1 Commonwealth Cup in 2021.

Ward's other Royal Ascot worker was Andrew Farm and For the People Racing Stable's No Nay Hudson (Ire) (No Nay Never) (1:06.40), who is headed to the Windsor Castle June 15. No Nay Hudson won his career debut at Keeneland Apr. 28 on the dirt.

On June 8, they have a direct flight from Indianapolis to London Stansted Airport, “and they land and have a 10-minute ride to Chelmsford Racecourse, where they'll stay for three days until they go to Ascot,” Ward said.

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The launch of a new television advertisement was announced by officials at We Are NY Horse Racing today; titled 'Community', it seeks to further educate and inform New Yorkers about the importance of horse racing to the New York State economy.

The ad will air on broadcast and cable networks across the state beginning today, with additional ads to be unveiled in the coming months. To view the ad, visit: We Are NY Horse Racing: Community.

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After the connections of GI Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike (Keen Ice) opted to skip the GI Preakness S. and instead prepare for the GI Belmont S., the structure of the Triple Crown races has been a subject of debate leading up to the second leg of the historic series. Should the timing between the races be adjusted? We asked a few veteran industry participants here.

Steve Asmussen:

I think it's what makes it the Triple Crown. There are other lucrative races on the calendar, but these are the American Classics. I think that it all depends on who has what horse in what year.

[Asked about timing between races with Preakness contender Epicenter] I'm far more concerned about the weather, which you would have no control on that if you ran it later. If anything, there's a good probability of it being that much hotter.

The difference of two weeks from the Kentucky Derby to the Preakness and three weeks from the Preakness to the Belmont is negligible. I think a similar argument that would come into that is, would you have more entries if the Belmont wasn't a mile and a half? But the Belmont is a mile and a half. That's what makes it the Belmont. Having the Preakness two weeks after the Derby is what makes it the Preakness.

I've had several runners in the Preakness and our two winners were Rachel Alexandra, who won running back 15 days after the Kentucky Oaks, and then Curlin running back 14 days after the Derby. I've had fresh horses coming into the Preakness who ran well, but none that were winners.

Kenny McPeek:

I don't think there's anything wrong with the timing of the Triple Crown. I think it's fine. It's the ultimate challenge and I think especially without Lasix nowadays, it's even better. Horses can come back quicker. It's tradition and it's hard to do. It takes a really special horse.

Chris McCarron:

I don't think it should be changed. I know that it has changed a number of times over the last 150 years, or whatever it is.

Even if we adjusted things by one week and had three weeks between the Preakness and the Derby and then three to the Belmont, it would certainly make things a little bit easier because a horse is going to have another seven days to rebound and to avoid any kind of a bounce. But if that happened, you'd have to put an asterisk next to any future Triple Crown winners. It would diminish the accomplishment.

With Alysheba, he won the Preakness easily but he was a little bit tired, a little bit knocked out coming into the Belmont. The timing of the races probably did catch up to him. That being said, I don't believe it's in the industry's best interest to fool around with the timing of the races.

Check in tomorrow for more responses from industry participants and see our responses from yesterday here.

The post Should the Triple Crown Be Changed? Veteran Industry Participants Weigh In appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

TIMONIUM, MD – The final session of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale under-tack show, delayed an hour by overnight rains, concluded with 11 juveniles sharing the fastest furlong time of :10 flat, while a filly by Violence turned in the day's fastest quarter-mile work of :21 1/5 Thursday in Timonium.

The Top Line Sales consignment was responsible for three of the furlong bullet workers Thursday, including a pair of fillies by freshman sire Sharp Azteca. A filly by Speightster (hip 484) was first to hit the :10 flat mark for the Gladwells' consignment when working in the day's second set. Out of Little Miss Brown (Big Brown), the chestnut filly was acquired for $35,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale.

“My sister [Nelly Breeden] and Omar [Ramirez] came up here and bought her together out of the Fasig-Tipton sale as a yearling,” Jimbo Gladwell said of hip 484. “She has been phenomenal all year. She is really fast. We knew she was going to work good, it was just a matter of getting her up there and getting her through it.”

Both Sharp Azteca fillies were representing long-time members of the Top Line team. Larry Mejias purchased hip 628 for $20,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall sale and the rider, who also counts Kevin McKathan and Dave Scanlon among his clients at the breeze show, was aboard the filly when she turned in her :10 flat work Thursday.

“There were a lot of nerves going up there,” Gladwell admitted. “Me on the pony, him on the horse. We had three or four plans and we just tried to keep it simple. Don't overrride, let the horse do the work.”

The filly is out of Roxie Dancer (Successful Appeal), a half-sister to graded winner Declan's Warrior (Majestic Warrior).

Rounding out Top Line's three bullet workers Thursday was hip 538, a daughter of Sharp Azteca out of the unraced Munjazaat (Daaher) (:10 flat). Ramirez purchased the dark bay filly for $50,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton July sale.

“Both of the Sharp Aztecas are owned by guys that work for me,” Gladwell said. “I'm proud of them and happy to come up here and they have some success and their horses are working well for them.”

Of the first crop juveniles by GI Cigar Mile H. winner Sharp Azteca that he has worked with, Gladwell said, “They are very pretty horses and they seem willing. I think he's going to be ok.”

As the breeze show was winding down Thursday, Gladwell said, “We had a great day. Horses are breezing to their preps just like they are supposed to. We had high expectations for today, we had a lot of fast horses, it just worked out, on the last day.”

Asked if the overnight rains had effected the track, Gladwell said, “I don't think so. It was a little sloppy earlier, but Fasig did a good job of putting the brakes on and giving the track an extra hour for the crew to work on it and get it right. And it was on the faster side, but I don't think it changed from the other two days, just from the horses' prep times from last week and how they are moving forward. It's pretty much the same as my other horses that breezed on the other days.”

Kevin McKathan is doing double duty this week in Maryland. In addition to overseeing his McKathan Bros. Sales consignment, he has also been busy across town preparing Fenwick (Curlin) for Saturday's GI Preakness S. The Ocala horseman sent out a pair of bullet workers Thursday. Hip 537, a daughter of Cairo Prince, turned in her :10 flat work during the day's second set. She is out of the unraced Mother of Swords (War Front) and was purchased by Fenwick's co-owner Jeremiah Rudan for $50,000 at the 2020 Keeneland November sale. She RNA'd for $100,000 at Keeneland last September and was originally expected to be offered at this year's OBS March sale.

“She is a big, beautiful, stretchy filly,” McKathan said of the juvenile. “I had her in an earlier sale and she ended up getting a little shin before the breeze show, so I scratched her and pinfired her and brought her here. She is a big, sexy filly. Everyone should love her. She's for the guy I have Fenwick for in the Preakness, so it could be a big weekend for him.”

McKathan also sent out a filly by American Pharoah (hip 443) to work in :10 flat. He is consigning the filly, who is out of graded stakes winner Jordan's Henny (Henny Hughes), on behalf of breeders Erv Woolsey and Ralph Kinder. The juvenile will be making her second appearance in a sales ring next week after RNA'ing for $290,000 following a :10 1/5 work at OBS March.

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