Who’s Who At Age 2

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So, Thoroughbred U, who’s who at age 2?  Well, I would be rich if I knew for sure.  I was fortunate to explore that question a bit last Saturday (7/2/16) at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY.  I saw eleven races that day, two of which were stakes for 2-year-olds.

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Race 7 was the 115th running of The Bashford Manor.  This race is the 1st chance race for 2-year-old colts to compete in a graded stakes race.  Classic Empire, wearing the red blanket above, and owned by John C. Oxley was the winner.  I will definitely follow this horse.  He is trained by Mark E. Casse and Julien Leparoux is his jockey.  Classic Empire is sired by Pioneer of the Nile, the same sire as American PharoahSambuca Classica by Cat Thief is the dam of Classic Empire.  He won by 3/4 of a length, finishing 6 furlongs in a fast 1:09.39.  Recruiting Ready finished 2nd and Tip Tap Tapizar was 3rd.

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The 8th race, the 116th running of The Debutante, had a lot of similarities.  This is the 1st opportunity 2-year-old fillies have at a graded stakes win.  The same owner, jockey and trainer won as in the Bashford.  Pretty City Dancer was the winner.  She is a filly by Tapit and Carson City.  Pretty City Dancer covered the 6 furlongs of dirt in 1:11.01.  She is the lovely gray horse in the 2nd picture grouping on the right.  Anna’s Bandit took 2nd place and Country Candy finished 3rd.

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Mark E. Casse won the title of leading trainer at Churchill for the Spring meet.  The night I attended was the last day of the meet.  He has a barn at Churchill where my beloved Tepin lives!  If you love Tepin check my site out for several good Tepin stories.

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Not a 2-year-old but I threw in a picture of The Kelly’s Landing Overnight Stakes winner Alsvid just to complete my re-cap of my Churchill adventure.

Next week I’ll be visiting at Fasig-Tipton in Lexington, KY.  Monday (7/11/16) will feature the July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale.  The sale begins at 5 p.m. EST.  There are over 100 entries and there has to be some big winners in the catalogue.  This sale historically turns out graded stakes winners.  Might this be where the next best 2 year-old is?

The following day is the July Selected Yearling Sale.  This sale will be especially meaningful to me because it will mark the 1st time I’ve ever owned a horse at an auction.  I bought into a pinhooking partnership last Fall and I’m excited to see how the 1st of my group’s 12 yearlings sells.

Thank you for following and look for my Fasig-Tipton story next week.  If you are going to the auction, leave a comment.

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Racing in the Red, White and Blue!

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Happy 4th of July weekend!  I hope everyone has some fun plans for the 3 day weekend.  I am heading to Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY this evening for the closing night of the 38 day long Spring race meet.

On 7/2/16, Churchill is hosting “Downs After Dark-My Country ‘Tis of Thee”.  The theme is patriotic.  I spent a good part of my day yesterday planning my dressy red, white and blue attire.  In addition to 11 live Thoroughbred races there will be displays of military equipment, thousands of American flags, music by Wildwood and a presentation to honor 4 soldiers.

The 1st race posts at 6 p.m. EST.  Gamblers will delight in the mandatory payout of the Single 6 Jackpot which may be around $3 million dollars!  To play, bet races 4 thru 9.  Other special contests are featured as well.  I am especially excited to see the 3 stakes races.  These are the Grade 3 Bashford Manor Stakes, the Debutante Stakes and the Kelly’s Landing Overnight Stakes.

The 115th running of the Bashford Manor is a 6 furlong dirt race for 2 year-olds.  In race 7, nine horses will compete for their 1st time in a graded stakes race.  This race has a purse of $100,000 and posts at 9 p.m. EST.

The 116th running of the Debutante is another 6 furlong dirt race with an equal purse of $100,000.  The 8th race is for 2 year-olds as well but they must be fillies.  10 horses are entered.  9:39 p.m. EST is the post time.

The 7th running of the Kelly’s Landing Overnight Stakes is longer at 7 furlongs on the dirt.  The purse is $67,000 and participants must be 3 or older.  It is the 10th race on the card and features 7 horses.  Post time is 10:42 p.m. EST.

In other news, per Equibase there have been as many as 10 horses named Fourth of July.  Two of those were quarter horses.  The most recent Fourth of July was foaled in March, 2012.  He was sired by Street Cry and his dam was Dixie Holiday.  The last time he raced at Churchill Downs he won.  That was last November.  He had a workout at Churchill last week.  His jockey is Channing Hill.  Wayne M. Catalano trains this horse for Avers Wexler.  In 12 starts Fourth of July has 2 wins, 2 times placing and 1 time in third place.

Leave me a comment if you are going to Churchill Downs tonight.  I’ll get a ton of pictures to share for those who can’t be there.  Have a blessed and happy 4th of July!

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Greetings from Gainesway

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It is my first day of vacation and I started it out on the right hoof foot!  Earlier in the week I logged on to Horse Country and booked a tour to Gainesway Farm.  This is the home of many Thoroughbreds including Tapit, seen above!

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The tour started in the office before 12:30 pm.  Marilyn Brashear, the receptionist, and two sweet dogs offered a warm welcome as we collected in the seating area.  We were surrounded by lovely equine art and many framed cover shots from Bloodhorse magazine.  Ian Tapp, with Sales and Bloodstock Development, fetched us and led us onto the beautifully maintained grounds.  He explained that the area had once belonged to the Shawnee Indians.  Several generations of horseman have owned the land, Ben Ali Haggin, C.V. Whitney, John Hay Whitney, John R. Gaines, Graham Beck and Antony Beck.  The farm has rolling hills and plenty of bluegrass, clover and rye making it a great place for Thoroughbreds to thrive.

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During the 1980s, the eight stone barns, a few seen above, housed as many as 52 stallions.  Now they have eight available sires living on the farm.  These lucky sires are Afleet Alex, Afleet Express, Birdstone, Empire Maker, Hat Trick, Karakontie, Tapit and Tapizar.  The stalls are clean and well ventilated to keep a comfortable environment for their tenants year round.

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Entering barn three, I met Afleet Alex.  When he raced he won the 2nd and third legs of the Triple Crown after a third place finish in the 2005 Kentucky Derby.  He won an Eclipse Award that same year.  His progeny include Texas Red, Materiality, Afleet Express and many more.

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Next, I had the pleasure of viewing Birdstone.  He was a Belmont Stakes winner in 2004.  Swipe, Mine That Bird and Summer Bird are some of his well know offspring.

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Then, Empire Maker made an appearance.  The name is so appropriate.  The empire he produced includes Bodemeister and Pioneer of the Nile.  The later is the sire of the only Grand Slam winner, American Pharoah.  When Empire Maker was racing he was 2nd in the Kentucky Derby and he won the Belmont Stakes.

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With much built up anticipation, Tapit finally hoofed it on over.  He is the beloved sire of Juba, Twitter’s favorite horse!  Tapit is stunning, as he looks snow white.  He is the leading sire for 2014 and 2015.  He is well on his way to the 2016 title as well.  He sired the adorable, Lani.  Some of his other crops include Creator, Frosted, Tapizar, Tonalist, Untapable, Mohaymen, Cupid and many more.

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Our next stop was the breading shed.  As MTV Cribs would have put it, “this is where the magic happens”.  Tapp went into a lot more in depth information on that subject.  I admit, it is quite the process and it was educational.  We learned about resident teasing stallion, Bud.  He has an important job to do up to three times per day during the busiest of seasons.

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As the tour was about to wrap we walked thru the barn that houses Afleet Express and To Honor and ServeAfleet Express is a multiple graded stakes winner including both the Pegasus Stakes and the Travers Stakes in 2010.   He began his stud career in 2011.  His graded stakes winning filly Diva Express frequents Churchill Downs.

To Honor and Serve won the Cigar Mile in 2011 and the Woodward Stakes in 2012 as well as a few more multiple graded stakes.  He came to Gainesway in 2013 and his crop produced some pricey Thoroughbreds at the sales.

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The Gainesway tour was wonderful.  I would love to see their mares, weanlings and yearlings too.  It was such a neat experience to view these champion sires up-close.  If you find yourself in Lexington, KY, I recommend checking the place out yourself.  Enjoy my photos and check back soon for my next Thoroughbred story.

 

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A Big Fan Of Wise Dan

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Wise Dan will make an appearance at Churchill Downs this Saturday!  Prior to the race, that was named for him, he will parade for his fans.  He has raced at Churchill eleven times and won 7 of those races.  I had the pleasure of watching him parade at Keeneland this past October, as seen above.  He raced there on 10 occasions with a lot of success as well.

Wise Dan was quite a champion at many more tracks during his racing career.  He was bred in Kentucky by Morton Fink, his owner.  He was foaled on 2/20/07 .  Wiseman’s Ferry is his sire and his dam is Lisa Danielle.  He began racing in 2010 and he stayed with the game for 31 starts.  During those years he racked up 6 Eclipse Awards, he was Champion Older Horse, Champion Grass Horse and Horse of the Year all in both 2012 and again in 2013.  He won the Breeders’ Cup Mile in each of those years as well.  He won 23 races total and was second twice as well.  Charles LoPresti was his trainer throughout his career and his latest jockey was  John R. Velazquez.  In 2011 and 2013, Wise Dan won the Grade 2 Firecracker Handicap at Churchill Downs.

Tomorrow, Wise Dan will be present to witness the first ever Wise Dan Stakes!  The Firecracker which was inaugurated in 1991 was renamed for the two time champ Wise Dan this year.  It is a 1 and 1/16th mile (8.5 furlong) race on the grass, the Matt Win Turf Course, for Thoroughbreds 3 years old or older.   The purse in $200,000.

The field is as follows by post/horse/jockey/trainer:

  1. Thatcher Street/Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr./Ian R. Wilkes
  2. The Pizza Man/Florent Geroux/Roger A. Brueggemann
  3. Granny’s Kitten/Gary L. Stevens/Michael J. Maker
  4. Flatlined/Miguel Mena/Charles. L. Dickey
  5. Conquest Typhoon/Joe Bravo/Mark E. Casse
  6. Potomac River/Juan P. Vargas/Jose L. Lopez
  7. R. Great Adventure/Joseph Rocco, Jr./Brian Williamson
  8. Pleuven/Channing Hill/Philip A. Sims
  9. Za Approval/Julien R. Leparoux/Mark E. Casse
  10. Kasaqui/Robby Albarado/Ignacio Correas, IV
  11. Behesht/Corey Lanerie/George R. Arnold

Watch the Wise Dan Stakes, race 7, at Churchill Downs at 9:05 PM EST on 6/18/16.  Then, stick around for the next race at the same track.  Posting at 9:39 PM is the Stephen Foster Handicap, part of the Breeders’ Cup Win And You’re In series for the Classic.  Effinex will be back in action!

Have a happy Father’s Day!  More to come next week…

 

 

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Breakdown for the Belmont

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One more day to go to reach the crowning jewel!  Tomorrow, Saturday, 6/11/16, is the 148th running of the Belmont Stakes.  It is the third leg of the Triple Crown of U.S. Thoroughbred  racing.  The “Test of the Champion”  will post at 6:32 P.M. EST at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

A lucky 13 horses will compete.  Only 4 of these contenders did not run in at least one of the prior legs of the Triple Crown.  The field is as follows, by post/horse/jockey/trainer/ owner:

  1. Governor Malibu/Joel Rosario/Christopher Clement/Jump Sucker Stable and Oak Bluff Stable
  2. Destin/Javier Castellano/Todd Pletcher/Twin Creeks Racing Stabel and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners
  3. Cherry Wine/Corey Lanerie/Dale Romans/William Pacella, Frank L. Jones, Jr. and Frank Shoop
  4. Suddenbreakingnews/Mike Smith/Donnie Von Hemel/Samuel F. Henderson
  5. Stadivari/John Velazquez/Todd Pletcher/John Gunther, Michael Tabor, Susan Magnier, Derrick Smith
  6. Gettysburg/Paco Lopez/Steve Asmussen/WinStar Farm
  7. Seeking the Soul/Florent Geroux/Dallas Stewart/Charles Fipke
  8. Forever d’ Oro/Jose Ortiz/Dallas Stewart/Charles Fipke
  9. Trojan Nation/Aaron Gryder/Patrick Gallagher/Julie Gilbert and Dr. Aaron Sones
  10. Lani/Yutaka Take/Matsunaga Mikio/Koji Maeda
  11. Exaggerator/Kent Desormeaux/Keith Desormeaux/Big Chief Racing, Head of Plains Partners/ Rocker O Ranch
  12. Brody’s Cause/Luis Saez/Dale Romans/Albaugh Family Stable
  13. Creator/Irad Ortiz, Jr./Steve Asmussen/WinStar Farm

Notice that there are a lot of repeats on trainers and owners.  If the horse’s last race out was the Kentucky Derby or the Preakness Stakes, check my old stories to limit repetition.

Derby Deciphered

Preview Pimlico’s Preakness

Governor Malibu did not run the KY Derby or the Preakness.  He is a New York bred horse so he is right at home.  He has raced at Belmont 3 times of 7 starts in his career.  He won twice, placed on 4 occasions and showed once as well.  It took him 4 races to break his maiden.  Most recently he finished 2nd in the Grade II Peter Pan Stakes.

Destin finished 6th in the KY Derby.  He will likely position himself near the lead.

Cherry Wine was second in the Preakness Stakes.

Suddenbreakingnews came in 5th in the KY Derby.

Stradivari was the 4th horse to finish in the Preakness.  He is know to run in the lead.  Post position 5 is where American Pharoah broke from last year to win.

Gettysburg has had 7 starts.  He has one win, one 2nd place and 1 third place finish in his career.  His sire is Pioneer of the Nile who sired last year’s Triple Crown winner, American PharoahGettysburg is grey and he finished 5th in both the Sam F. Davis Stakes and the Arkansas Derby.  In his last race he was 3rd at Belmont.  He is a front runner.  He has a fun Twitter personality.

Seeking the Soul has only raced 3 times, breaking his maiden in his last race at Churchill Downs. At the same track, he placed 5th in his prior race on KY Derby day.

Forever d’ Oro is sired by Medaglia d’ Oro who was 2nd in the 2002 Belmont Stakes.  The winner of the 2002 Belmont is pictured above in my #Flashback Friday photo.  That is Sarava!  I met Sarava last summer at Old Friend’s Farm In Georgetown, KY.  Forever d’ Oro’s maternal grandsire was Lemon Drop Kid who won the Belmont Stakes in 1999.  Forever d’ Oro has a nice family history but jut like Seeking the Soul he has only raced 3 times.  He also broke his maiden in the last race, however it was at Belmont Park.  He got his start at my home track, Keeneland!

Trojan Nation was 16th in the KY Derby.

Lani is my favorite Twitter character  in the race.  He has a nice following of fun stories, memes and videos.  He was 9th in the KY Derby and 5th in the Preakness.  He is the 1st Japanese horse to go for all three legs of the Triple Crown.

Exaggerator is the favorite.  He was 2nd in the KY Derby and he won the Preakness Stakes.

Brody’s Cause was 7th in the KY Derby.

Creator finished lucky 13 in the KY Derby.  He takes post position 13 which has never had a Belmont Stakes winner.

Belmont Stakes Fun Facts:

  • The purse is $1.5 million dollars
  • The drink is  The Belmont Jewel
  • The flower is the white carnation, thus “The Run for the Carnations” with a blanket of 700 carnations
  • The race is 1 and 1/2 miles (12 furlongs) on dirt
  • The song is “New York, New York”
  • The trophy is the August Belmont Memorial Cup by Tiffany and Co.
  • 5 other Grade 1 stakes are on Saturday’s Belmont card
  • NBC Sports Network will televise the event from 3 to 5 P.M. EST and 7 to 7:30 P.M. EST  while NBC will cover the live race from 5 to 7 P.M. EST

Unfortunately, this isn’t the year for a Triple Crown winner but it is still going to be a great day for racing.  Have a super weekend everyone.  I’ll find something new to bring you next week!

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The Shoemaker Is A Shoo-In

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Salutations to all of my faithful readers and anyone new who happens upon this story.  I hope you each had a nice long holiday and are looking forward to some exciting racing this coming weekend.  This Saturday will leave us hanging exactly one more week until the 148th Belmont Stakes but it marks the 1st race in the U.S. for the 2016 Challenge Series that paves the path to the Breeders’ Cup.

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The 33rd Breeders’ Cup World Championships will be hosted at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California on November 4th and 5th in 2016.  The Breeders’ Cup authorities identified 77 races in which the winner will automatically qualify for placement in a BC race.  These 77 races are the 2016 Challenge Series, also known as the “Win And You’re In” races.  49 of these races take place in North America.  The other 28 races are abroad in 11 countries.  59 of these races are classified as Grade or Group I thus they are some of the best races in the world.

Eight races in the Series have already taken place.  The 1st and 2nd race was on 1/9/16 at Kenilworth in South Africa.  Australia held 3 more races at Randwick in April.  The May races were held at Palermo in Argentina, Club Hippico de Santiago in Chile and San Isidro, also in Argentina.  These races gave us entries in 5 of the 2016 BC races.

  • BC Mile: Legal Eagle, Winx, Kitcat
  • Filly and Mare Turf: Smart Call, Azkadellia
  • Turf Sprint: Chautauqua
  • Longines Distaff: Corona Del Inca
  • Longines Turf: Don Inc

At the very same track that will host the BC this year, we will witness the 1st North American race in the series, The Shoemaker Mile!  On June 4th the Grade I Shoemaker Mile will feature six Thoroughbreds with BC dreams.  The Shoemaker Mile was inaugurated in 1938 at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewoood, CA as the Premier Handicap.  The race now has a purse of $400,000.  It is a turf race of 8 furlongs (1 mile) and eligible for horses 3 years old or older.  Hollywood Park has closed and in 1990 the race name was changed in honor of Bill Shoemaker.

William Lee “Bill/Willie/The Shoe” Shoemaker was a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey.  He died at age 72 in 2003.  He received 2 Eclipse Awards.  Willie won 11 races of the Triple Crown series.  For 10 years he led in earnings and in 5 years he had the most wins.  The Shoe won many awards and honors.  I remember him most as Ferdinand’s jockey.

Last year’s Shoemaker Mile winner was the late, great Talco.  He passed away months after his big win, following surgery.  Talco was sired by Pivotal, his dam was Trylko.  Rafael Bejarno was Talco’s jockey.  Bejarno will ride Midnight Storm this year.  Talco was trained by John S. Sadler and owned by Hronis Racing, LLC.

This years 6 entries by post position/horse/jockey/trainer/and owner are:

  1. Heart to Heart/Julien Leparoux/Brian Lynch/Terry Hamilton
  2. Twenttwentyvision/Flavien Prat/Richard Mandella/Ellen and Peter Johnson, Sr.
  3. Tourist/Jose Lezcano/William Mott/Gary Barber, Wachtal Stable and WinStar Farm, LLC
  4. Home Run Kitten/Joseph Talamo/David Hofmans/Tarabilla Farms Inc.
  5. Cape Wolfe/Mike Smith/Philip D’Amato/Sterling Stables LLC, Andy Ellis, Mark Gorman, Mike Lewis and Jeff Owen
  6. Midnight Storm/Rafeal Bejarano/Philip D’Amato/A Venneri Racing and Little Red Feather Racing

I have watched Heart to Heart Race live.  He has a nice heart shaped star on his head.  The photos above are him finishing second at Keeneland on 4/15/16 in the Maker’s 46 Mile.  Miss Temple City won that race.

The Shoemaker Mile will be the 6th race at Santa Anita this Saturday, 6/4/16.  Post time is 4:30 P.M. PT. (that is 7:30 P.M. EST).  Don’t miss out on all the BC fun.  The winner is a shoo-in for the BC Mile!  As they like to say about the BC, “The Best Is Yet To Come”!  Look back for my Belmont Stakes Preview story following the post position drawing next week for all the information that you might need.

 

 

 

 

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Mounts To Memorialize

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Woo hoo!  It’s a long weekend off for many Americans.  It’s time for friends, family, the opening of pool season, maybe some picnics and of course, racing!  More importantly, this federal holiday, Memorial Day, is a day to remember those that gave there lives so that we may live free.  It is the day to honor those whose died while serving in the armed forces.

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This morning, I got my “On this Day” reminder, from my personal Facebook page.  Nine nice photos from my 5/27/13 trip to Camp Nelson National Cemetery, in Jessamine County, KY,  were displayed.  The acres of grave markers are beautiful in their own way.  I have so much respect for the men and women who have served our country.  Often, during the Memorial Day ceremony held  at Camp Nelson, a riderless horse is led in by a solider to depict the loss of human life.  As a horse writer and lover I respect the animals who have served as well.  No horses are buried at Camp Nelson but many have memorials throughout the country.

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The Civil War was a time of great loss for our country.  About 620,000 people lost their lives during those tragic years of 1861 to1865.  The animal lives lost is a far greater number.  Factoring in mules along with horses their death toll exceeds one million for the Civil War alone.  Horses have been instrumental to our military historically.  Unless shot at close range, most of the shot horses endured numerous bullets before bleeding to death.  Many horses simply worked to exhaustion, suffered deadly diseases or starved.

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War isn’t happy and I like my stories to be positive but I am positively thankful to all of those who have served.  I am appreciative of all, humans and animals, that has fought for my freedoms.  Be especially thoughtful of those who gave their life in battle.  However, remember to enjoy yourself this weekend because veterans have provided you with that privilege.  There are a ton of stakes races this weekend and Monday.  What race are you most excited about this weekend?  Who’s made it to Belmont already?

 

 

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Preview Pimlico’s Preakness

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The 141st running of the Grade I Preakness Stakes will take place this Saturday, 5/21/16.  I will be betting on Nyquist (update: that is him pictured above), our latest Kentucky Derby winner!  He was just announced as the morning line favorite with 3/5 morning-line odds immediately following the post position draw.  Here is the full field:

Post Position: Horse/Jockey/Trainer/Owner/M-L Odds

  1. Cherry Wine/Corey Lanerie/Dale Romans/William Pacella and Frank L. Jones, Jr./20-1
  2. Uncle Lino/Fernando Hernandez Perez/Gary Sherlock/Tom Mansor, Purple Shamrock Racing and Gary Sherlock/20-1
  3. Nyquist/Mario Gutierrez/Doug O’Neill/Reddham Racing/3/5
  4. Awesome Speed/Jevian Toledo/Alan Golberg/Colts Neck Stables/30-1
  5. Exaggerator/Kent Desormeaux/Keith Dersormeaux/Big Cheif Racing, Head of Plains Parteners, Rocker O Ranch, et al./3-1
  6. Lani/Yutaka Take/Mikio Matsunaga/Yoko Maeda/30-1
  7. Collected/Javier Castellano/Bob Baffert/Speedway Stable/10-1
  8. Laoban/Florent Geroux/Eric Guillot/McCormick Racing and Southern Equine Stable/30-1
  9. Abiding Star/J.D. Acosta/Edward Allard/Stonehinge, LLC/30-1
  10. Fellowship/Jose Lezcanno/Mark Casse/Jacks or Better Farm/30-1
  11. Stradivari/John Velazquez/Todd Pletcher/John Gunther, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and John Magnier/8-1

While the Preakness Stakes is eligible to 14 Thoroughbreds only these 11 will be participating.  That is 3 more than last year’s small field when American Pharoah became the 14th horse to take the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes.  He went on to win at the Belmont Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Classic to become our 12th Triple Crown winner and our first Grand Slam winner.  The competition is tough to see if Nyquist can follow in those horseshoes.

Cherry Wine was an “also eligible” as the 22nd horse in a 20 post position race for the Kentucky Derby but he did not get his chance that day.  He is a lovely grey late bloomer.  It took him 5 starts to break his maiden.  His last 2 of 8 career races were graded stakes.  He finished 4th in the Rebel Stakes and then 3rd in the Blue Grass Stakes.  In all he has 2 wins, 1 place and has come in third twice.  American Pharoah won from post position 1 in last year’s Preakness.

Uncle Lino wasn’t in the Kentucky Derby.  His last race out was the California Chrome Stakes.  He finished 1st place with his only win since he broke his maiden his second start.  Out of his 7 races he has been twice at each 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.  He has has finished in the top four of all three of his graded stakes, Robert B. Lewis, San Felipe and Santa Anita Derby.  His sire is Uncle Mo, making him a half brother to Nyquist and Laoban and Abiding Star.

Nyquist is the favorite and I have written about him a few times if you want a more complete history on him check on my webpage, ThoroughbredU.com.  He is undefeated in 8 starts and he wants to keep that title.  He just won the KY Derby by 1 and 1/4 lengths on 5/7/16.  California Chrome won the Preakness from post position 3 in 2014.  Secretariat liked this post in 1973.

Awesome Speed has finished 1st in 4 of his 6 career starts however, he was 4th in his only graded stakes race, the Fountain of Youth.  His connections have noted that he has bumped around a lot in his last couple of races.  He is a pacemaker in his running style.

Exaggerator ran an exciting late sprint to earn 2nd to Nyquist in the KY Derby.  He is 1 of only 3 horses from that race to step up to the Preakness challenge.  His sire, Curlin, won the 2007 Preakness.  To read more about Exaggerator, look back to my KY derby story.

Lani is the final horse to return from this past KY Derby.  This lovely grey son of Tapit finished 9th in the KY Derby.  Lani is described in more detail in my former KY Derby story.  His dam sire, Sunday Silence, won the Preakness in 1989.

Collected is trained by Bob Baffert.  Baffert has won the Preakness with Silver Charm, Real Quiet, Point Given, War Emblem, Lookin At Lucky and American Pharoah.  In 6 career starts, Collected has 4 wins and a finish in 2nd place as well.  He has won 2 of his 4 graded stakes races.  These were the Cecile B. DeMille, Sham, Southwest and Lexington Stakes.

Laoban was the other “also eligible” that missed the KY Derby by a post.  One of the 4 sired by Uncle Mo he is a front runner but also he has never won a race!  Despite that, his connections have raced him 5 times and 3 of those where graded stakes, the Sham, Gotham and Blue Grass Stakes.

Abiding Star is the 4th and final horse sired by Uncle Mo in this race.  He has had an amazing 11 career starts in which he has won 5 times and finished at 2nd and 3rd place each once.  It took him 7 times to break his maiden.  He has never ran in a graded stakes race, however he is on a five race winning streak.

Fellowship is trained by Mark Casse.  He is the trainer of one of my favorite Thoroughbreds, TepinFellowship has had a total of 12 starts.  He has finished 1st two times and 2nd and 3rd three times each.  He raced at Churchill Downs on KY Derby day in the Pat Day Mile where he finished fourth.  That race was his fourth graded stakes race.  He is of the Secretariat lineage.

Stradivari is the final horse in the Preakness.  He has only been in 3 races.  He won the last two.  These were not stakes races.  To my personal surprise, his trainer Todd Pletcher, despite all his fame, has never won the Preakness.  Pletcher was 3rd in 2000 with Impeachment.

Preakness Fun Facts:

  • the food of the day, crabcakes
  • the flower, Black-Eyed Susans
  • the blanket is actually made of Viking Poms
  • the race is “The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans”
  • the song, “Maryland, My Maryland”
  • the trophy, a silver replica of the 1860 Woodlawn Vase
  • the track record, 1:55 set by Secretariat
  • the drink is also the Black-Eyed Susan
  • post time is 6:45 PM EST
  • NBCSN will televise starting at 2:30 PM EST
  • NBC will televise starting at 6:30 PM EST
  • Pimlico starts racing at 10:30 AM EST that day and the Preakness is the 13th race
  • the race is 1 and 3/16 miles or 9.5 furlongs on the dirt
  • the race is for 3YO Thoroughbreds

I hope everyone finds this info useful and helpful for their Preakness Stakes planning.  Check back after the race for another blog post.  Go, Nyquist, go!  Let’s wish the rain holds off this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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California Chrome Concisely

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It’s back to work for California Chrome!  Today, 5/14/16, Chrome returned to the Los Alamitos Quarter Horse track in California to work 3 furlongs.  He was clocked on the fast dirt with a time of 36.20 and rank 13/36.  This is his first workout since he won the $10 million dollar Dubai World Cup on 3/26/16.

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California Chrome was foaled at Harris Farms in California on 2/18/11.  He is the champion son of Lucky Pulpit and Love the Chase by Not For Love.  His breeders are Perry Martin and Steve Coburn.  Martin and Taylor Made Farm are his current owners. Chrome is trained by Art Sherman and his jockey is Victor Espinoza.  California Chrome is a good looking and well behaved horse.  That made him attractive to fans early on.  Chrome, also known as Junior, was thrust into stardom when he won the Kentucky Derby in 2014.  He has had 21 career starts that have made him the wealthiest in earnings for any Thoroughbred in North America, in all of racing history.  He has earned $12,532,650 in his lifetime.  He holds two Eclipse Awards.  Following the Dubai World Cup, Junior came to Taylor Made Farm in Kentucky to rest up but after last weekend’s Kentucky Derby he headed back to California.

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California Chrome has many more races to win before he retires to stud.  His connections have him pointed towards a 3 race bonus opportunity. Santa Anita and Del Mar tracks will reward an additional $1 million dollars to the horse that can win the Pacific Classic, the Awesome Again Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Classic.  Chrome was third in the 2014 BC Classic.  To prepare for the bonus threesome Chrome will first take on the $200,000 Grade II San Diego Handicap. Following the BC Classic he may race in the inaugural Pegasus World Cup.  This race will top the Dubai World Cup by becoming the world’s richest race, offering a purse of $12 million dollars.  Here is Chrome’s predicted path:

  • San Diego Handicap 7/23/16 at Del Mar in California
  • Pacific Classic 8/20/16 at Del Mar
  • Awesome Again Stakes 10/1/16 at Santa Anita in California
  • Breeders’ Cup Classic 11/5/16 at Santa Anita
  • Pegasus World Cup 1/28/17 at Gulfstream Park in Florida

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Earlier this week Longines announced that California Chrome is still tied for the World’s Best Racehorse with Winx.  They are both ranked number one with a rating of 126.  Last week’s KY Derby win by another California bred horse put Nyquist on the chart in a 4 way tie for rank 2 and an 124 rating.

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Let’s hope Chrome continues to be all smiles as he continues his impressive career.  I wish that he will sweep all of these races and then I look forward to the day he begins his stud career at Taylor Made.  I can’t wait to cast my eyes upon some Chrome babies!  Until then keep sharing and as always, thank you for reading my posts!

 

 

 

 

 

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Derby Deciphered

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It is hard to contain my enthusiasm with only 2 days to go until the 142nd Kentucky Derby.  Post time is 6:34 P.M. EST on 5/7/16 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY.  The KY Derby Undercard can be watched from 12 PM to 4 PM on NBCSN and then NBC will broadcast coverage from 4 PM to 7:30 PM EST.

The Longines Kentucky Derby has taken place annually since 1875.  The race is held on the first Saturday of May.  The track is dirt and is raced 10 furlongs, 1 and 1/4 miles.  Contenders are 3 year old Thoroughbreds that were selected from a points system in 35 qualifying races.  Points are awarded to the 1st four finishers on those races.  The first race, on the road to the KY Derby, was the Iroquois held at Churchill Downs on 9/12/15.  The last race to qualify in was the Lexington at Keeneland on 4/16/16.  Last evening 22 horses drew post positions.  20 will race, the final 2 are “also eligible” if there is a scratch before 9 A.M EST on 5/6/16.  The field is as follows:

Post position. Horse/Jockey/Trainer/Owner

  1. Trojan Nation/Aaron T. Gryder/Patrick Gallagher/Julie Gilbert and Aaron Sones
  2. Suddenbreakingnews/Luis Quinonez/Donnie Von Hemel/Samuel F. Henderson
  3. Creator/Ricardo Santana Jr./Steven Asmussen/WinStar Farm LLC
  4. Mo Tom/Corey J. Lanerie/Thomas M. Amoss/GMB Racing
  5. Gun Runner/Florent Geroux/Steven M. Asmussen/Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC, Three Chimneys Farm LLC and Besilu Stables
  6. My Man Sam/Irad Ortiz Jr./Chad C. Brown/Sheep Pond Partners, Newport Stables LLC and Jay W. Bligh
  7. Oscar Nominated/Julien R Leparoux/Michael Maker/Ken and Sarah Ramsey
  8. Lani/Yutaka Take/Mikio Matsunaga/Koj Maeda/North Hills Co Limited
  9. Destin/Javier Castellano/Todd Pletcher/Twin Creeks Racing Stables LCC and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners
  10. Whitmore/Victor Espinoza/Ron Moquett/Robert LaPenta, Harry Rosenblum and Southern Springs Stables
  11. Exaggerator/Kent J. Desormeaux/J. Keith Desormeaux/Big Cheif Racing LLC, Head of Plains Partners LLC, Rocker O Ranck LLC, et al.
  12. Tom’s Ready/Brian Joseph Hernandez Jr./Dallas Stewart/GMB Racing
  13. Nyquist/Mario Gutierrez/Doug F. O’Neill/Reddam Racing
  14. Mohaymen/Junior Alvarado/Kiaran McLaughlin/Shadwell Stable
  15. Outwork/John Velazquez/Todd Pletcher/Repole Stable
  16. Shagaf/Joel Rosario/Chad C. Brown/Shadwell Stable
  17. Mor Spirit/Gary Stevens/Bob Baffert/Michael Lund Petersen
  18. Majesto/Emisael Jaramillo/Gustavo Delgado/Grupo 7 C Racing Stable
  19. Brody’s Cause/Luis Saez/Dale L. Romans/Albaugh Family Stable
  20. Danzing Candy/Mike E. Smith/Clifford W. Sise Jr./Halo Farms and Jim and Dianne Bashor
  21. “Also Eligible” Laoban
  22. “Also Eligible” Cherry Wine

Trojan Nation has not even broken his maiden in 6 starts but he received his qualifying Derby points when he finished 2nd in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct on 4/9/16.  His dam sire, Summer Squall, was 2nd in the KY Derby in 1990.  Ferdinand was the last horse that won the KY Derby from post position 1 and that was back in 1986.

Suddenbreakingnews has raced 8 times with 7 times winning or placing.  He is experienced in 3 graded stakes races that are all KY Derby select races.  He got his points in the Arkansas Derby, 2nd, and the Southwest Stakes, 1st, while he was a disappointing 5th place finisher in the Rebel Stakes.  His dam sire, Afleet Alex, was 3rd in the 2005 KY Derby.

Creator also has 8 starts behind him.  He has finished in the top 3 in 7 races.  He is a lovely grey son of Tapit Juba, my favorite horse is sired by Tapit Lani and Mohaymen are also sired by TapitCreator did better in both the Rebel, 3rd, and the Arkansas Derby, he was the winner, than Suddenbreakingnews who ran 5th and 2nd respectively.

Mo Tom has finished 1st or 3rd in 6 of 7 races.  He is the offspring of Uncle Mo as are Nyquist and OutworkMo Tom ran in 4 KY Derby qualifying graded stakes races and gathered points in each of them.  He was 3rd in the KY Jockey Club, 1st in the LeComte, 3rd in the Risen Star and 4th in the Louisiana Derby.

Gun Runner, son of Candy Ride, has participated in 5 races and won all but the KY Jockey Club Stakes when he came in 4th, right behind Mo Tom.  He beat out Mo Tom in 2 other graded stakes when he won both the Risen Star and the Louisiana Derby. He shares a trainer with CreatorCalifornia Chrome won the KY Derby from post 5 in 2014!

My Man Sam has only raced 4 times.  It took him twice to break his maiden and he placed twice since then.  He has only been in one graded stakes and he finished 2nd.  It was the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on 4/9/16 that gave him his KY Derby points.

Oscar Nominated has finished 4th or better in his 7 races.  In his 3rd stakes race he won the Grade 3 Spiral Stakes and earned his KY Derby points.  The Ramsey’s are frequent winners at Keeneland and Churchill but they have never had a KY Derby horse yet.

Lani is another Tapit colt.  He is also a champ on an international level.  He has raced 6 times in Japan and in the United Arab Emirates.  It was his win in the U.A.E. Derby that qualified him to “Run for the Roses.  In all 142 KY Derbys he is only the 2nd Japan based entry.  Ski Captain was the other Japan based horse.  He came in 14th in 1995 in the KY Derby with the same jockey as Lani has now, Take.

Destin has 3 wins and 1 show finish is his 5 starts.  Two of his 3 graded stakes races were part of the KY Derby prep series.  He was 4th in the LeComte, where Mo Tom won, and he was 1st in the the Tampa Bay Derby.  He is a pretty grey.

Whitmore will be have the winner of the past 2 KY Derbys on his back, Espinoza!  Espinoza won with California Chrome and again with American PharoahWhitmore has 2 firsts, 2 seconds and 1 third place finish out of his 6 races.  4 of his races were KY Derby prep stakes.  He earned no points in the Delta Downs Jackpot where he finished 5th.  He was 2nd in both the Rebel Stakes and the Southwest Stakes. In the Arkansas Derby he finished 3rd.  He lost to Suddenbreakingnews in the Southwest but beat him in the Rebel.  Whitmore beat Creator in the Rebel too.

Exaggerator has had a whopping 9 starts in his lifetime. 5 of these races were for KY Derby points.  He was 1st in the Santa Anita Derby and the Delta Downs Jackpot.  He took second in the Breeders’ Futurity.  He was 3rd in the San Felipe Stakes and 4th in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.  He has beat out Whitmore in the Delta Down Jackpot.  Nyquist beat Exaggerator in the San Vicente Stakes.  Exaggerator’s sire Curlin was 3rd in the 2007 KY Derby.

Tom’s Ready has had 9 starts too.  He is a Pennsylvania bred horse. His dam sire, Broad Brush, was 3rd in the 1986 KY Derby.  He is owned by the same owner as Mo Tom.  He hasn’t won since he broke his maiden his 3rd time out.  He participated in 4 KY Derby preps.  He finished 8th in the KY Jockey Club.  He was 2nd in the LeComte and the Louisiana Derby and 7th in the Risen Star.  He finished behind Mo Tom in the KY Jockey Club and the Risen Star but bested him in the LeComte and the Louisiana Derby. Gun Runner has beat him in 3 prep races.  Tom’s Ready beat Destin in the LeComte.

Nyquist is the favorite to win and I have agreed with that for some time.  I have seen Nyquist on several occasions and written a great deal about him.  He is pictured at the top.  He is undefeated in seven races.  He drew lucky post 13 which is the post he won from in the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, where I first saw him.  Three of his races were in the KY Derby prep series, the FrontRunner Stakes, the BC Juvenile and the Florida Derby.  He has beaten Exaggerator in the San Vicente and Mohaymen in the FL Derby.

Mohaymen is another lovely grey sired by Tapit.  He has raced 6 times and was undefeated until his last race. Nyquist beat him in the Florida Derby where he can in a very unexpected 4th place.  His other 3 Derby preps were the Remsen Stakes, the Holly Bull Stakes and the Fountain of Youth Stakes where he dominated them all.

Outwork is a fine colt of Uncle Mo.  He has only 4 career starts.  He did 2 KY Derby preps.  He was 2nd in the Tampa Bay Derby and 1st in the Wood Memorial Stakes, when he beat Trojan NationOutwork drew post 15, the post that American Pharoah won from last year!  Outwork’s dam sire, Empire Maker, was 2nd in the 2003 KY Derby.

Shagaf has the same trainer as My Man Sam and the same owner as MohaymenShagaf took on two KY Derby prep races in his slim 4 starts.  He won the Gotham Stakes but he scored no points in his 5th place finish in the Wood Memorial Stakes.  Trojan Nation beat him in his last race.

Mor Spirit is trained by Baffert, winner of last year’s KY Derby.  He has 3 1st place finishes and 4 2nd place races in his 7 starts.  5 of these were KY Derby prep races.  He was 2nd in the KY Jockey Club, San Felipe Stakes and Santa Anita Derby.  Mor Spirit was 1st in the Los Alamitos and Robert B. Lewis Stakes.  He has beaten Mo Tom, Tom’s Ready,Exaggerator and Gun Runner.

Majesto has raced 6 times.  It took 5 times out to break his maiden but then his next time out he was 2nd in the Florida Derby.  Nyquist beat him out that day but he still bested Mohaymen.

Brody’s Cause also has had 6 starts.  4 of them were on the road to the KY Derby.  He won the Breeders’ Futurity and the Blue Grass Stakes.  He was 3rd in the BC Juvenile and a sad 7th in the Tampa Bay Derby.  He has lost to Nyquist,  Outwork, Exaggerator and Destin.  He has beaten My Man Sam.

Danzing Candy has put in 5 races with 2 KY Derby preps.  He won the San Felipe Stakes but was 4th in the Santa Anita Derby.  He has lost to but also beaten both Exaggerator and Mor Spirit.

Finally, if there is a scratch by tomorrow morning there are 2 also eligibles and I will add an update if that happens.

KY Derby Fun Facts:

  • American Pharoah won last year
  • The record is held by Secretariat who finished in 1:59.40
  • The largest margin is 8 lengths held by 4 horses: Old Rosebud, Johnstown, Whirlaway and Assault
  • The song is My Old Kentucky Home
  • The Drink is the Mint Julep
  • The official flower is the red rose, thus “The Run for the Roses” and a garland of roses is draped on the winning horse
  • The purse is $2 million dollars
  • The trophy is 22 inches tall and gold on a jade base
  • May 17, 1875 was the inaugural race

I hope everyone has an opportunity to do something special for the Kentucky Derby.  I will be cheering for Nyquist as I could never get enough of watching him win.  Just as I mentioned with my KY Oaks story, you may want to bookmark Thoroughbred U for a quick reference for this information on race day.  Who is your Derby favorite?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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