October, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Classy Empire Maker Colt Becomes Latest Rising Star for Avengers and Baffert

Classier (Empire Maker) became the latest flashy colt unveiled by Bob Baffert and the stallion-making conglomerate nicknamed The Avengers as he streaked home an impressive winner at Santa Anita Saturday worthy of a ‘TDN Rising Star’ nod.

Having tuned up for this with a head-turning six-furlong work from the gate on Monday (6f, 1:12.40, 1/3, XBTV Video), the bay was let go at generous 7-2 odds as two foes with experience took more attention. Off a bit sluggishly from his rail draw, Classier quickly recovered to take command and zip away take a clear lead. He blew the race apart through a :45.68 half, and was never for catching as he continued on to the wire four lengths clear in a display of speed reminiscent of the connections’ 2019 GI American Pharoah S. winner and ‘Rising Star’ Eight Rings (Empire Maker). Second timer Go On (Nyquist) completed the exacta.

Classier is out of a half-sister to the dam of French and U.S. GSW/MGISP Homerique (Exchange Rate). His third dam produced Group 1 winner White Moonstone (Dynaformer). Dam Class Will Tell, by one of the hottest broodmare sires on the planet in Bernardini, has a yearling colt by Tiznow who sold for just $12,000 at KEESEP and a foal filly by Union Rags. Her dam was bred back to More Than Ready for 2021. For coverage on Classier’s sale at Keeneland, see SF, Starlight, Madaket Continue Building Their Empire.

9th-Santa Anita, $57,000, Msw, 10-24, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 1:16.94, ft, 4 lengths.
CLASSIER, c, 2, Empire Maker
                1st Dam: Class Will Tell, by Bernardini
                2nd Dam: Conchita, by Cozzene
                3rd Dam: Desert Gold, by Seeking the Gold
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $33,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm LLC & Robert E. Masterson; B-Mary A Sullivan (KY); T-Bob Baffert. *$775,000 Ylg ’19 KEESEP.

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Pint-Sized Pretty Good Year Surprises In Maryland Million Turf

Lead Off Stable's diminutive gelding Pretty Good Year, standing just 13 hands tall, came with a steady run down the center of the track to catch leaders Cannon's Roar and favored Nick Papagiorgio and spring a 15-1 upset of Saturday's $100,000 Maryland Million Turf at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

Extended another furlong to 1 1/8 miles from 2019, the Turf for 3-year-olds and up was among eight stakes and four starter stakes on the 35th Jim McKay Maryland Million program, 'Maryland's Day at the Races' celebrating the progeny of stallions standing in the state, highlighted by the $150,000 Classic.

Pretty Good Year ($32) gave jockey Sheldon Russell his third win of the day, following Hello Beautiful in the $100,000 Distaff and Jumpstartmyheart in the opener. It was also the third win for sire Great Notion, extending his streak to 11 straight years with a Maryland Million winner and moving him into sole possession of third on the all-time list with 16.

Based at the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md., Pretty Good Year's owner is Bobby Goodyear, racing manager for the 4-year-old gelding's breeder, Stuart Grant's The Elkstone Group. Elkstone also bred and owns Classic contender Top Line Growth.

“It's pretty amazing. I am so proud of this horse, you have no idea,” trainer Kelly Rubley said. “[Goodyear] just loved this horse from the day he was born and look at how it's paid off for him. It's just remarkable. What a neat little horse for this man to have picked out of the field and said, 'He's the one.' He's just 13 hands. He's very small.”

Rising Perry and Seville Barber were in front through a quarter-mile in 24.17 seconds and a half in 48.46, with Nick Papagiorgio biding his time in the clear in third and Cannon's Roar chasing in between horses. Nick Papagiorgio forged a short lead off the turn at the top of the stretch until being passed with a rail move from Cannon's Roar, while Pretty Good Year fanned wide to reel in the front-runners.

“Distance has always been his thing,” Rubley said. “We keep hitting these one-turn miles here and he hits the board and he picks up checks, but the longer the better for him. At the three-eighths pole, I'm thinking, 'Oh my God, we have a lot of horse.'”

Cannon's Roar was second, snapping a three-race win streak, 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Nick Papagiorgio, the 8-5 top choice that had had won five of his last six starts, the only loss coming by a nose. It was 5 1/4 lengths back to defending Turf champion Mr. d'Angelo in fourth.

Pretty Good Year closed from far back to be third in last year's Turf, also with Russell aboard, but had never won on the grass.

“Last year he ran a really good third in the race and I probably had him a little too far back,” Russell said, “but, he had put in some pretty decent races on the dirt and it just happened to work out today. I felt like we had an honest pace, he's a deep-end closer and loves to be on the outside. I just stayed out of his way. At the three-eighths pole I was fully loaded and I knew that as soon as I got to the outside he was going to stretch his legs.”

Pretty Good Year was pre-entered in the Classic but Rubley opted to keep him on turf when the Classic drew only four Maryland-sired horses, allowing Maryland-breds like program favorite and Pimlico Special (G3) Harpers First Ride to run.

“What an experience,” Rubley said. “We were actually hoping the Classic wouldn't open this year because it's a mile and an eighth on dirt, and he runs on both. It would have been very exciting, but we'll certainly take this.”

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Adena Stallions Moving to Hill ‘N’ Dale at Xalapa

Horse of the Year Ghostzapper (Awesome Again), Mucho Macho Man (Macho Uno) and Point of Entry (Dynaformer) will join the stallion roster at John Sikura’s Hill ‘N’ Dale at Xalapa outside of Paris, KY, according to a release from the farm. They are being relocated from Adena Springs. The fees for the three stallions are: Ghostzapper – $85,000 LFSN; Point of Entry – $7,500 LFSN; Mucho Macho Man – $7,500 LFSN.

“I have known John since he was a young man in Canada and his rise as a pre-eminent horseman is something I respect very much,” said Adena Springs’ Frank Stronach. “Two of the sires we are relocating to his new facility represent the epitome of what we have looked to achieve with our racing and breeding operations. Homebred and GI Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Ghostzapper is the best horse we’ve bred to date. The power of his pedigree has made the performance of Ghostzapper’s progeny predictable and outstanding. Champion Mucho Macho Man is another Breeders’ Cup winner who is by a Breeders’ Cup winner that we bred and raced. His two Grade I winners in 2020 prove his ability to sire the type of runner that we are all looking to campaign.”

Stronach continued, “Anyone who has seen the work that John Sikura has done at his new facility at Xalapa will know that it was born from a respect for the land and a passion for excellence. We are partners in this venture and I have no doubt that the great legacy of Ghostzapper will be enhanced under his care.”

Added Sikura: “These three new additions to our roster for 2021 are significant. Ghostzapper has sired five champions and 12 GI/G1 winners. He is a broodmare sire of huge importance being the broodmare sire of Triple Crown winner Justify. We will support him with top mares and we expect breeders will do the same. It is an honor to stand such a great sire.

He continued, “Point of Entry was a serious racehorse who comes from a deep Phipps family and the best is yet to come with him. Mucho Macho Man is a stallion that the more you study, the more you love. He is the sire of GI Pegasus World Cup winner Mucho Gusto as well as Mucho Unusual, winner of the GI Rodeo Drive S. at Santa Anita.”

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Gaffalione, Cox & M and M Racing Top Keeneland Fall Meet Standings

Keeneland’s fall meet concluded Saturday with jockey Tyler Gaffalione, trainer Brad Cox and Mike Sisk’s M and M racing topping the standings in their respective categories.

Gaffalione was the clear leader in the rider standings with 24 victories, including a win aboard Got Stormy (Get Stormy) in the GIII Buffalo Trace Franklin County S. Cox edged out Mike Maker and Steve Asmussen on the final day of the meet, scoring 15 wins, highlighted by Essential Quality’s (Tapit) victory in the GI Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity S. Earning its first title, M and M Racing accounted for five winners at the fall meet.

“On behalf of Keeneland, our sincerest thanks to our fans across the country and around the world, and our racing participants, sponsors, industry and community partners and employees who enabled us to hold a safe, competitive Fall Meet during these unprecedented times,” said Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason, who presided over his final race meet before his retirement Dec. 31. “The silver lining of this pandemic has been the collaboration and creativity of various constituencies in their steadfast support of Thoroughbred racing and our philanthropic mission. There is a true spirit of coming together for the good of all.”

The fall meet was closed to the public due to COVID-19, but fans wagered $148,229,708 during the 17 days of racing from Oct. 2-24. The average daily handle was $8,719,395. Last year’s all-sources wagering handle was a record $160,207,916 for a meet also lasting 17 days, albeit with fans.

With the limited on-track attendance, on-track handle was $2,477,890 with average daily on-track handle at $145,758. In comparison, the 2019 fall meet had an on-track handle of $17,320,852.

“Historically, Keeneland ranks among the top tracks in North America in terms of average daily attendance and enjoys some of the highest on-track handle figures,” Keeneland Vice President of Racing Bob Elliston said. “The difference in all-sources wagering this fall versus last comes down to the loss in on-track wagering.”

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