Sharing with you my fascinating discoveries about Thoroughbred racing, sales, fashion, food, beverage, tips and more.
Here we go, racing fans! Up next, is the second jewel. Will we get a Triple Crown winner? History would predict it is unlikely but the fans know what they want. The early favorite for the Preakness Stakes is no other than, Always Dreaming, winner of the Kentucky Derby. Check out his competition here.
Continue reading “Preakness Perspective”
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Welcome to the 143rd consecutive running of the Kentucky Derby! We have waited a long time to get to this historical moment and the time is upon us this weekend. Who will win The Run For The Roses?
Continue reading “Derby Digest”
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Classic Empire, takes to the dirt at Churchill Downs for the Bashford Manor Stakes.
In the days leading up to the 2016 Kentucky Derby some 2 year-old Thoroughbreds were already in training for 2017’s big race. 3 days short of the 142nd Run for the Roses, on May 4, 2016, Classic Empire broke his maiden at Churchill Downs.
Classic Empire was foaled to Pioneer of the Nile and Sambuca Classica on 3/21/14. Classic Empire has an outstanding pedigree. He is the half brother of American Pharoah by his sire. His dam carries Secretariat in her genes. Classic Empire was bred in KY by Steven and Brandi Nicholson. He is owned by John C. Oxley who purchased him for $475,000 in the 2015 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Oxley’s silks are gold and blue blocks with white stripes on the sleeves and a gold cap. This colt is trained by Mark E. Casse and his current jockey is Julien R. Leparoux.
Classic Empire parades out before the 2016 Bashford Manor Stakes.
Classic Empire is at the top of the leaderboard for the $2 million dollar, Grade 1, 143rd KY Derby. The KY Derby selects its field of 20 horses using a tiered point system they apply to certain qualifying races. Most of the early races award 10 points to win, 4 to place, 2 to show and 1 point for a finish at 4th place. Some important stakes and the later races carry more points, except for the final prep. Nine of these 37 races have already taken place. The first race was held at Churchill on 9/17/16. The last will be held at Keeneland on 4/15/17 and the KY Derby will take place on 5/6/17.
Classic Empire has 30 points. In second, on the leaderboard, is Practical Joke with 14 points. The next 5 horses have half as many points as Classic Empire. I first saw Classic Empire when I went to Churchill Downs for my extended birthday celebration. On 7/2/16, Classic Empire won the Grade 3 Bashford Manor Stakes. He has finished 1st in 4 of his 5 career starts. He did not finish the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes when he was stopped by the outriders after unseating his jockey, Irad Ortiz, Jr. That allowed Practical Joke to win the Hopeful. Classic Empire got his 1st 10 points when he won the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland on 10/8/16. He gathered a whopping 20 points when he won the Grade 1 Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
Classic Empire blurs through the finish in the Bashford Manor.
The next KY Derby prep race in on 12/10/16. 5 preps take place throughout January. Trainer Casse has reportedly said that Classic Empire will winter in Florida. He will be stabled at Gulfstream Park. The Holly Bull, another KY Derby prep race, takes place at Gulfstream on 2/4/17. Perhaps that will be Classic Empire’s next race?
In the mean time, I will be looking forward to racing at Los Alamitos, in Cypress, California. The 12/10/16 Grade 1 Los Alamitos CashCall Futurity is a one and 1/16th mile race that carries a $300,000 purse and KY Derby points. It is a dirt race for 2 year old colts. Who will pick up the next 10/4/2/1 points and how will the leaderboard change? Then on 12/17/16, California Chrome, who has stabled at Los Alamitos for 3 years will race there himself for the first time. This was a tremendous surprise to Chrome’s fans, after the BC Classic, as we thought his next and last race would be the Pegasus World Cup in January. The Winter Challenge is a race that Los Alamitos developed specifically to attract Chrome to race there once before he headed off for the Pegasus and following retirement. I can never get enough of California Chrome. Check back, you know I will roll out a nice story for my fellow Chromies!
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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.
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 Pharoah. Sambuca 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.
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.
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.
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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