The Derby Brothers

The Ortiz brothers race before the first turn at Keeneland in the Blue Grass Stakes!
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Good Magic wins this ride for Jose Ortiz in the Blue Grass Stakes to earn the second spot on the leaderboard for the 2018 Kentucky Derby!
Good Magic (#11) won this ride for Jose Ortiz in the Blue Grass Stakes to earn the second spot on the leaderboard for the 2018 Kentucky Derby!

Oh, lucky day!  With just 13 days left on the countdown to the 144th running of the Kentucky Derby there is still so much to consider when choosing a favorite.  With a field of 20 contenders it is still best to wait for the post position draw on Tuesday to make any hasty decisions.  It is a good time to think about all 40 athletes that will face off on 5/5/18.  The Thoroughbreds always capture my attention and imagination but what thought do I give the jockeys?  Having spent time in and around Keeneland’s jockey quarters this spring meet I have paid more attention to their influence.  In this story, I want to focus on two jockeys that will compete in the upcoming KY Derby, the brothers Ortiz.

 

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Breeders’ Cup Countdown: From Kentucky to California

Racing at Keeneland October, 2017
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And They're Off! At Keeneland 10/17
And They’re Off! At Keeneland 10/17

The best 17 days of Fall are over in the Bluegrass.  Keeneland Racetrack, in Lexington, KY ended their Fall Meet yesterday on a high note filled with many records and new memories.  It was a special meet filled with quality Thoroughbreds, trainers, jockeys and owners.  An outstanding 31 horses that raced and trained at Keeneland this October are pre-entries for the Breeders’ Cup.  The BC World Championships will be held at Del Mar in California on November 3rd and 4th.  Final entries for each of the lucky 13 races will post tomorrow.  Return to this same post for updates.  For now, here is a bit more on the BC bound Thoroughbreds that came through Keeneland this month.

 

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Keeneland Commences

Keeneland's tunnel to the track
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    Keeneland's gateKeeneland’s gate

Go baby go!  The action is back on the track in the heart of the Horse Capital of the World.  Keeneland’s Spring meet kicks off today, April 7, 2017, with race 1 posting at 1:05 P.M. EDT.  Going for a strong start, Blue Grass Weekend includes 7 graded stakes races with a collective purse of $2.55 million in purse money.

 

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Knockout November

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Love The Chase

Photo:  Love The Chase

Don’t blink!  The 2016 Breeders’ Cup finished up on Saturday and in the next moment the Thoroughbreds shipped away.  Some we will see on the track again, some retired and others were sent promptly to Kentucky for the November sales.

Stopchargingmaria

Photo: Stopchargingmaria

On November 4th and 5th, Santa Anita Park in California hosted the Breeders’ Cup.  13 races took place yielding the following results by race and winning Thoroughbreds:

  • Juvenile Turf: Oscar Performance
  • Las Vegas Dirt Mile: Tamarkuz
  • Juvenile Fillies Turf: New Money Honey
  • Longines Distaff: Beholder
  • 14 Hands Winery Juvenile Fillies: Champagne Room
  • Filly and Mare Turf: Queen’s Trust
  • Twin Spires Sprint: Drefong
  • Turf Sprint: Obviously
  • Sentient Jet Juvenile: Classic Empire
  • Longines Turf: Highland Reel
  • Filly and Mare Sprint: Finest City
  • Mile: Tourist
  • Classic: Arrogate

Baffled

Photo: Baffled

There were a whole lot of upsets and close calls but it is all part of the game!  The results of these races lead to updates in bloodlines all over the world and the new information was influential at the following sales.

Cassett

Photo: Cassett

The November Sale at Fasig-Tipton in Lexington, KY was quite the success.  Held at 4 P.M. EST on 11/7/16 there were 175 hips cataloged.  88 horses were sold and 34 did not meet the reserve.  The others scratched prior to the sale.  The auction grossed over $54 million dollars which is up over 22% versus the prior year.  The average price rose nearly 30% versus last year to about $615 thousand dollars.  The median price went up almost 60% to more than $377 thousand dollars.  The horses that didn’t make the reserve, the minimum price per the seller, was down to less than 28% versus 34% in 2015.  15 horses sold for a million dollars or more.

  1. Baffled $3.5 M
  2. Curalina $3M
  3. Stopchargingmaria $2.8M
  4. Cassatt $2.5M
  5. Embellish The Lace $2.4M
  6. Lady Zuzu $2.35M
  7. Jacaranda $2M
  8. Love The Chase $1.95M – oh my goodness, it’s California Chrome’s mom!
  9. Whatdreamsrmadeof $1.65M
  10. Cover Song $1.6M
  11. Cathryn Sophia $1.4M
  12. Tapas $1.3M
  13. Paid Up Subscriber $1.1M
  14. Haveyougoneaway $1.1M
  15. Luminance $1M

Peace And War

Photo: Peace And War

The 2016 November Breeding Stock Sale at Keeneland in Lexington, KY was held starting at 11am on 11/8/16.  It will continue thru November 20th.  Day 1 of Book 1 went very nicely.  Day 1 included 239 hips.  115 Thoroughbreds were sold.  Over $50 million dollars were grossed.  The average price was more than $436 thousand dollars.  The median was $260 thousand.  10 horses sold for 7 figures.

  1. Secret Gesture $3.5M
  2. Celestine $2.55M
  3. Tapicat $2.2M
  4. My Conquestadory $1.5M
  5. Peace And War  $1.45M
  6. Princess Sylvia  $1.4M
  7. Summer Soiree $1.3M
  8. Yellow Ribbon $1.3M
  9. Lexie Lou $1M
  10. Dust and Diamonds $1M

Keenekand November Sale

Photo:  from left to right Dust And Diamonds, Celestine, Tapicat

It was a good couple of days to catch the action in Lexington, KY.  I can’t wait to see what the remainder of the sales yield.  I hope we have a knockout November!  Check back at least weekly and I’ll do my best to keep you updated on new adventures with race horses.

Top Book 1 Keeneland November

Photo: clockwise from top left Summer Soiree, Secret Gesture, Princess Sylvia, My Conquestadory

 

 

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