A bank of menacing grey clouds rolled low over the barns at Belmont Park the morning of Oct. 2, 1976. A steady rain began to pelt the Long Island, N.Y., track. It was bad news for trainer Frank Whiteley. In 47 previous starts, his champion Forego had run only once on an off-track, finishing third.
Month: September 2020
Breeders’ Cup Mile Likely for Safe Voyage
MGSW Safe Voyage (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}), who won the G2 Boomerange S. at Leopardstown on the first day of Irish Champions Weekend, is a likely starter in the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile in November. Trained by John Quinn, the 7-year-old gelding added the Listed Investec Surrey S. to his haul second up on July 4 and was fourth in the G2 Qatar Lennox S. later that month at Goodwood. Back on top in the G2 Sky Bet City of York S. on Aug. 22, the Ross Harmon colourbearer struck at that level again with a narrow victory in the Boomerang on Saturday.
“We’re delighted it just went his way,” said Quinn. “I think he deserved it as he’s so tough and admirable–everything you want in a top-class racehorse. It was his first win over a mile, which is great–it opens up other doors.
“We’ll see how he comes out of the race, but I’m going to work back from the Breeders’ Cup. We can look at the [G1 Prix de la] Foret [on Oct. 4] and the [G1] QEII [on Champions Day at Ascot on Oct. 17], but he’ll only run in one of those, if any. They’re all very good races, but the Breeders’ Cup Mile is the race that appeals the most.”
Quinn also provided an update on listed winner Keep Busy (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) and G1SP Liberty Beach (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}), second and seventh, respectively, in the G1 Flying Five S. at The Curragh on Sunday. Both horses are eyeing the G1 Prix de l’Abbaye on Arc Day at ParisLongchamp.
“It was a phenomenal run from Keep Busy–she doesn’t know how to run a bad race,” Quinn added. “She got a bump from a horse going backwards and was beaten half a length, but that’s racing and full credit to Kevin and all the connections of the winner.
“Liberty Beach ran a good race as well. She just had no luck in running and was only beaten three lengths. They’re both entered in the Prix de l’Abbaye and if they’re both well, that’s where they’ll go.”
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Glass Slippers, Shale Gain Breeders’ Cup Berths With Victories At The Curragh
Bearstone Stud Limited's 4-year-old filly Glass Slippers (GB) stormed to success to bring home a British 1-2 in the five-furlong Derrinstown Stud Flying Five Stakes (G1) at the Curragh in Ireland with Keep Busy (IRE) back in second, for trainer John Quinn.
That victory earned Glass Slippers an automatic berth into the $1-million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1).
In the second “Win and You're In” race on the day, Shale (IRE) reversed the form with Pretty Gorgeous (FR) to win the Moyglare Stud Stakes (G1) and gain an automatic entry for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) through the international Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.
The Breeders' Cup Challenge is a series of stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into corresponding races of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which is scheduled to be held at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, on Nov. 6-7.
Glass Slippers, a bay daughter of Dream Ahead out of the Mind Games (GB) mare Night Gypsy (GB), had found Battaash (IRE) too hot to handle in her two starts so far this season in the King's Stand Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot and the King George Qatar Stakes (G2), but returned to the form that saw her win the Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp Longines (G1) in her final start of 2019. Glass Slippers sat just off the early pace before picking up the lead inside the final furlong, and prevailed by a half-length over 18-1 Keep Busy.
Glass Slippers' trainer Kevin Ryan said: “She's so tough and genuine, but she has a lot of class.
“She loves it when they go really quick, but the ground was tacky today so she's done well to cope with that. I'm absolutely delighted. It was Terry Holdcroft's (owner of Bearstone Stud) decision to miss the Nunthorpe and give her a bit more time and he's obviously been vindicated. She's an amazing filly, so simple to train and makes my job very easy. She'll go back for the Abbaye now.”
Glass Slippers (9-2) completed the five furlongs in 1:00.58 over a course listed as good.
Shale earns Group 1 honors in Moyglare Stud Stakes
Later in the day, Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier and Michael Tabor's Shale (IRE) (9-2) controlled the seven furlongs very strongly to beat her rival Pretty Gorgeous (FR) and win the Moyglare Stud Stakes (G1) by three-quarters of a length. This was the third clash between the two fillies this season. Shale had come out on top in the Frank Conroy Silver Flash Stakes (G3), before Pretty Gorgeous exacted her revenge in the A.R.M. Holding Debutante Stakes (G2). Today, though, it was Donnacha O'Brien's 2-year-old who triumphed under Ryan Moore to gain an automatic entry for the $1-million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).
Shale, a bay daughter of Galileo (IRE) out of the Holy Roman Emperor (IRE) mare Homecoming Queen (IRE), completed the seven furlongs in 1:27.19 over a good course.
It was a successful day for the O'Brien family with father Aidan winning two Group 1 events in France and his two sons Joseph and Donnacha both winning Group 1 races at the Curragh. Donnacha has now won three Group 1s in his first year as a trainer and praised his filly after the race: “It was a very good performance. She has kept progressing throughout the season. She found a lot for pressure and toughed it out. I spoke to Ryan (Moore) after the race and we'll probably look at the Fillies' Mile (G1) (at Newmarket) or the (Prix Marcel) Boussac (G1) (at ParisLongchamp) next.”
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Gun Runner’s First Yearlings Start Strong At Keeneland September Sale
When a high-profile stallion retires, one of the early milepost goals is to have his first foals make an impression in Book 1 of the Keeneland September Yearling sale. For champion Gun Runner, that plan is coming along nicely.
The 2017 Horse of the Year and resident of Three Chimneys in Midway, Ky., was the leading first-crop sire by average sale price during Sunday's opening session of the Keeneland September sale, and he was responsible for the day's co-most expensive yearling by a rookie stallion: a $750,000 half-brother to champion Untapable.
Gun Runner had five yearlings bring a combined $2,005,000 on Sunday for an average of $401,000 – the eighth-highest overall average of the session. The opening-day effort comes shortly after seven Gun Runner yearlings brought $2,320,000 for an average of $331,429 at the Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase.
After the first few days of selling in central Kentucky, Tom Hamm of Three Chimneys was pleased with what he's seen so far.
“I think it's great,” he said. “It just shows he's being received well. I think the breeders are happy with the way they sold, and I think the people who are out there buying are obviously showing that that like them. It's good for Gun Runner.”
Sunday's top Gun Runner yearling was a colt out of the Grade 2-winning Prized mare Fun House who sold to L&N Racing for $750,000. Fun House earned Broodmare of the Year honors in 2014 with runners including champion Untapable and Grade 1 winner Paddy O'Prado. She is also the dam of graded stakes producer Double Tapped.
Offered as Hip 175, the colt was consigned by Gainesway, agent.
“I looked at that horse on the farm a couple times, and then here at the sale. I thought he was a good colt with plenty of size and scope,” Hamm said. “Obviously, he has a big pedigree, from the family of Untapable. I thought he was worth every penny of that.”
The Gun Runner colt tied for the day's highest price from a first-crop yearling with Hip 116, a colt by the late champion Arrogate who sold to Yuji Hasegawa.
Through the halfway point of Keeneland September's first book, Gun Runner leads all first-crop sires by number sold at $500,000 or more, with three.
Earlier during Sunday's session, Robert Baker and William Mack went to $510,000 for Hip 156, a Gun Runner colt out of the Street Cry mare Esprit de Vie. At the Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase, Fortune Farm and It's All About the Girls bought Hip 570, a filly out of the Grade 2-placed Divine Park mare Divine Dawn, for $500,000.
The high-level performance carries over from last year, when Gun Runner was North America's leading first-crop weanling sire by gross and average, with eight youngsters bringing a combined $2,755,000 and an average of $344,375. His weanling gross was second only to top commercial sire Into Mischief in last year's overall race, as well.
Gun Runner, a 7-year-old son of Candy Ride, has 67 yearlings cataloged in this year's Keeneland September sale, the fifth-most of any first-crop stallion. Adding that to the 12 cataloged in the recent Fasig-Tipton sale, Hamm has had plenty of homework to do in order to hone his eye for what the stallion has to offer. Fortunately, the prices have largely lived up to the expectations set during farm inspections.
“I think I've seen every one that's entered in either the Fasig sale or Keeneland sale – I know I have,” he said. “Overall, they're just really good, athletic horses. They're good movers, and they resemble him a lot. They have plenty of leg, maybe more leg than a lot of people expected. It's a good crop of horses. We're very pleased with them.”
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