Mustang Joins Space Force To Encourage Conservation

A 5-year-old Mustang has been added to the Space Force conservation program at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Southern California. The military working horse program supports the Force and patrols the Western Range, which is more than 98,000 acres.

Begun in 1996, the conservation unit and military working horse program is the only equine patrol unit within the Department of Defense. It's one of only four conservation units in the United States Air Force.

Named Ghost, the Mustang is nearly 10 years younger than the other four horses in the program. He is also the only Mustang. Ghost is in training and is being ridden three times a week to prepare him for the workload other military working horses endure.

The program helps protect Mustangs, which are at risk because of overpopulation and its resulting diminished food resources. The Mustangs are great choices for the patrol as they are extremely surefooted.

Six patrolmen use the five horses to patrol coastline, monitor nesting seasons for endangered species, patrol hunting and fishing areas, and enforce state and federal laws.

Read more at CNN.

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Brody’s Cause Filly Graduates in Anoakia

Kalypso broke her maiden in stakes company with a front-running score in the Anoakia S. Sunday at Santa Anita. The chestnut filly strode out to the early lead and was in hand through a quarter in :22.17 and a half :45.14. Three lengths in front with furlong to run, Kalypso was never threatened and sailed under the wire 2 1/4 lengths in front to become the second black-type winner for her freshman sire (by Giant’s Causeway).

“When you ride for Bob [Baffert], he just says, ‘Break well and play the break,'” said winning rider Abel Cedillo. “I knew she had speed, so she broke really sharp and I just took that. She finished really strong and she galloped out really strong too. I think she did it pretty well.”

Kalypso was third behind subsequent GI Del Mar Debutante runner-up Forest Caraway (Bodemeister) and Debutante third-place finisher Illumination in her 5 1/2-furlong debut at Del Mar Aug. 15 and had to settle for second behind Queengol after setting the pace over that same track and distance Sept. 5.

“We’ve been wanting to run her long, but we couldn’t get a race to go,” Baffert said. “She got sick after Del Mar, so we took our time with her. She’s been training well and she’s changed a lot. We’ll stretch her out next time.”

Malibu Cove has a yearling filly by Hit it a Bomb who sold for $4,000 at last year’s Keeneland November sale. The mare, a full-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Prospective and to the dam of this year’s GIII Bashford Manor S. third-place finisher Herd Immunity (Union Rags), also has a weanling by Mor Spirit and she was bred back to Jimmy Creed. Spendthrift’s B. Wayne Hughes purchased the winner’s second dam, Spirited Away, for $290,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling in 2005. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

ANOAKIA S., $77,950, Santa Anita, 10-18, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:10.30, ft.
1–KALYPSO, 118, f, 2, by Brody’s Cause
                1st Dam: Malibu Cove, by Malibu Moon
                2nd Dam: Spirited Away, by Awesome Again
                3rd Dam: Cape North, by Capote
($240,000 Ylg ’19 FTKJUL). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN.
O-Rockingham Ranch and David A Bernsen LLC; B-Spendthrift
Farm LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Abel Cedillo. $46,500. Lifetime
Record: 3-1-1-1, $64,100.
2–Queengol, 120, f, 2, Flashback–Nechez Dawn, by Indian
Charlie. ($22,000 Wlg ’18 KEENOV; $90,000 2yo ’20 OBSMAR).
O-Saragol Stable Corp. & Johana Viana; B-John R. Penn (KY);
T-John W. Sadler. $15,500.
3–Illumination, 118, f, 2, Medaglia d’Oro–Light the City, by
Street Sense. ($900,000 Ylg ’19 FTSAUG). O-George Bolton,
Peter & Karin Leidel, Barry Lipman, & Kerri Radcliffe; B-Breeze
Easy, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $9,300.
Margins: 2 1/4, HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 4.80, 1.20, 6.10.
Also Ran: Forest Caraway, Needless to Say.

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Ironicus Colt Helium Dominates Juvenile Rivals In Woodbine’s Display

Helium, who had stamped himself as one to watch in his victorious debut at Woodbine on September 27, lived up to those notices with a four-length romp as the 7-5 favorite in Sunday's $100,000 Display Stakes at the Toronto, Ontario, track under returning rider Emma-Jayne Wilson.

The $100,000 Display, contested at seven furlongs this year after being raced over 1 1/16 miles since 1994, went with a field of seven 2-year-olds.

Helium was the meet-leading 13th stakes winner for trainer Mark Casse, who also took Saturday's Glorious Song among his eight overall wins on the weekend programs.

“He's a pro, this horse is like an old soul,” said Wilson.” First time he ran, we wanted to just get his legs and come running. He was up near the point and when I asked him to quicken, he quickened.

“So today, I was pretty confident. They set some decent fractions in front of him and he wasn't fazed. Even the horse on the outside moved up and he was like 'Oh, can I go now?' I said 'No, we'll just wait.'

“And sure enough, when I pulled the trigger — you've heard this said time and time again when you're standing in this winner's enclosure … when you pull the trigger and they go, they're good horses. Well, that's what got me here today.”

Maclean's Posse, also coming off an impressive first-out score and the strong 8-5 second favorite, moved sharply to the lead but was headed by Souper Classy through an opening quarter of :23.64.

That margin was reversed as MacLean's Posse caught the half in :46.40, with Gospel Way right there in third place.

Wilson, meanwhile, was biding her time in fourth place, but when she popped the question heading around the final turn, Helium was up to the task and had assumed total command when clocking the six furlongs in 1:10.27.

Gospel Way raced gamely to garner second money, a neck to the good of Decimator, the longest shot in the field at 56-1, who in turn had four lengths on fourth-place Exceed. Both Decimator and the 18-1 chance Exceed are trained by Ashlee Brnjas.

A faltering MacLean's Posse, Knight Kingdom and Souper Classy completed the order of finish as Helium crossed the wire in 1:22.62.

Rocket Reload, who entered in both the Display and the previous day's Glorious Song, opted for the latter race, finishing fifth behind the Casse-conditioned Souper Sensational.

Helium, who races for the D.J. Stable LLC of Len and Jon Green, is a Kentucky-bred colt from the first crop of foals by the Claiborne Farm stallion Ironicus and the Thunder Gulch mare Thundering Emilia.

“It really makes a difference when you have horses that have that sort of competence of what's going on,” said Wilson. “You know that means they're going to develop into something really decent because they've got the fortitude, they've got the brain.

“We talked about all the horses that we have, you know there's different ability levels and different competency levels and trainers are trying to balance that and make it work. But when you've got a horse that has the ability and the competency, they win stakes and they go on to do great things.”

The $55,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky yearling purchase returned $4.80, $2.80 and $2.80 and keyed a 6-7 exactor with Gospel Way ($4.40, $3.60) of $22.60. Decimator ($10.10) completed the 6-7-2 trifecta of $132.10. Decimator rounded out the 6-7-2-1 superfecta worth $578.20 for $1.

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‘This One’s For You, Martha’: Silent Poet Game And Determined In Nearctic Stakes

Silent Poet, under Justin Stein, delivered an emotional victory for trainer Nick Gonzalez in Sunday's $290,000 Nearctic Stakes (G2T) at Woodbine in Toronto, Ontario.

Gonzalez, whose wife, assistant trainer Martha Gonzalez, recently passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer, watched Silent Poet, bred and owned by Stronach Stables, put on a show over six furlongs on a “good” E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

It was Silent Poet who was ushered immediately to the front by Stein in the Nearctic, the 5-year-old son of Silent Name (JPN) engaged quickly by last year's winner City Boy.

The front-running pair took the field of eight (Reconfigure was scratched) through an opening quarter-mile carved out in :23.65. Blind Ambition, in third, and Kanthaka, in fourth, tracked the pacesetting duo.

Silent Poet and City Boy continued their front-end battle through a half-mile clip timed in :46.16. The two continued to go head-to-head around the final turn as their rivals endeavored to keep them in their sights.

As the field straightened for home, it became a two-horse race for all the spoils with Silent Poet to the inside and City Boy to the outside, both digging in for the final push to the wire.

After almost every step of the 1,320 yards run, Silent Poet came out on top a half-length winner in a time of 1:08.57. City Boy finished three-quarters of a length ahead of Kanthaka, who fended off Olympic Runner by a neck for third.

In the last strides, announcer Robert Geller exclaimed, “This one's for you, Martha.”

“It has a lot of meaning,” said Stein, who is enjoying a fruitful 2020 season. “People watching on the outside might not understand, but the family here, the community at Woodbine, I'm sure they were cheering big for this horse for reasons that we all know.”

Stein, who has eclipsed the 100-win mark on the campaign, knew just what to expect from Silent Poet at the beginning of the Nearctic and at the end.

“He just leaves the gate so quick. He hits his stride right away. With a horse like that you get position and just slow him down, save as much horse as you can, and he does the rest. He loves his job, and when you ask him to run, he just gives you everything. He tows you down the lane.”

The win was the fourth from five starts in 2020 for the ultra-consistent dark bay, who now sports a record of 10-4-2 from 18 career starts.

Silent Poet now has three graded titles to his name having won this year's Connaught Cup (G2T) and the 2019 running of the Play the King (G2T).

He launched his career on August 25, 2017, finishing second in his debut before going to win his next two starts the following year.

Silent Poet paid $5.40, $3.70 and $2.80. The 5-8 exactor with City Boy ($10.60, $5.20) returned $51.60 and the 5-8-2 triactor with Kanthaka ($3.20 to show) paid $187.70. Olympic Runner completed a 5-8-2-9 superfecta worth $378.10 for $1.

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