December, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Who’s Your Pick? Derek MacKenzie

As we approach the end of the calendar, we turn our attention to the incoming sire class of 2021. We asked several judges who their favorite incoming sire is for next year and if there are any other stallions, new or otherwise, that have caught their eye as under-the-radar picks.

DEREK MACKENZIE, Vinery Sales

Higher Power (Medaglia d’Oro), $10,000, Darby Dan

My favorite new sire for 2021 is Higher Power. Physically, he’s just phenomenal and his pedigree is hands down the best this year for the new sires. I also think he is incredible value at $10,000, where I thought he would probably have a $12,500 or $15,000 stud fee factoring in that he’s a Grade I winner by Medaglia d’Oro with that tremendous female family.

Mucho Macho Man (Macho Uno), $7,500, Hill ‘n’ Dale

For under-the-radar stallions with outstanding value this year, I would have to go with Mucho Macho Man at $7,500. What he’s done with the small crop sizes at the racetrack is outstanding– including two Grade I winners. I also love his offspring physically, as they always have great balance to their frame with plenty of length to their hip just like him. His yearlings all just look so athletic and for him being such a big horse (over 17 hands), that is a credit to him that neither he nor his babies are awkward in any way.

Bolt d’Oro (Medaglia d’Oro) [Spendthrift] is another one I really like for value at $15,000 for this year. I’ve loved his babies physically and he’s got a big chance to hit when they hit the racetrack as he ticks all the boxes, including being a good 2-year-old himself.

Do you have a favorite incoming sire pick for 2021 or a stallion that you think might be under-the-radar next year? Email the TDN’s Katie Ritz at katieritz@thoroughbreddailynews.com to give your response.

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Congaree Euthanized at Valor Farm

Edited Press Release, Vicky Van Camp, author

Congaree (Arazi–Mari’s Sheba, by Arazi), a Grade I winner at seven, eight, nine and 10 furlongs, was euthanized due to the infirmities of old age Nov. 22, according to a release from Valor Farm in Texas. He was 22 years old.

Congaree was owned and bred by the late Robert McNair and his wife Janice’s Stonerside Farm and barely survived his foaling, weighing in at a sizeable 152 pounds, suffering several broken ribs in the ordeal.

Eventually put into training with Bob Baffert, Congaree won the 2001 GII Wood Memorial S. and was third in the GI Kentucky Derby after setting a blistering pace. His one-mile split remains the second-fastest in the history of the race. Third to his stablemate Point Given (Thunder Gulch) in the GI Preakness S., Congaree would go on to win the GI Swaps S. later that season. The chestnut added a second Grade I in the 2002 GI Cigar Mile H., and after missing by a head in the 2003 GI Santa Anita H., cut back to seven furlongs to annex the GI Carter H. He defeated Harlan’s Holiday by three lengths in the GI Hollywood Gold Cup over a mile and a quarter and became the only two-time winner of the Cigar Mile later that year, scoring by 5 1/4 lengths. He was one of just a handful of horses retained by the McNairs after they sold the majority of their Thoroughbred holdings and farm to Sheikh Mohammed in 2008.

Initially retired to Adena Springs, Congaree was later transferred to New York and ultimately Texas. He is the sire of 13 stakes winners to date, six at the graded level, includine Grade I winners Jeranimo, Don’t Tell Sophia and Killer Graces.

“Congaree was such a special horse,” said Janice McNair. “I am so grateful for all the many happy memories Congaree gave us. He was so unique, and had the most loving personality. He was a delight to be around, and it was always such a thrill to watch him run. Congaree was truly the horse of a lifetime for us.”

Added John Adger, longtime advisor to the McNairs: “Congaree was the epitome of what we hoped to accomplish with the Stonerside breeding program. It was fitting he

was our first Grade I homebred, as his dam and granddam were part of the purchase of the Elmendorf broodmare band of Jack Kent Cooke in 1997–an acquisition we considered the cornerstone of the breeding program. Congaree, in fact, earned back nearly the entire cost of that investment with his race

earnings. He always gave 100% in every race. He was an Eclipse Award finalist three times–Horse of the Year, Champion Sprinter, and Champion Older Horse.”

Congaree has been laid to rest in the cemetery at Valor Farm, shared by many of the great horses owned and raced by the Scharbauer family. Doug Scharbauer purchased Valor Farm from the estate of his late father Clarence in 2016.

WATCH: Congaree wins his second consecutive Cigar Mile in 2003

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F-T Midlantic Sale Tuesday

The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic December Mixed and Horses of Racing Age Sale will be held Tuesday in Timonium. The one-day sale is comprised of 287 horses of all ages–including broodmares, yearlings and weanlings–as well as 76 horses of racing age.

“I think we are like no other sale,” said Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Director of Sales Paget Bennett. “We are just happy to be having a sale under these conditions. We have something that will peak everybody’s interest. The beauty of this marketplace is we usually have something for all levels of buyers. We are looking forward to putting the sale on and hoping people go away with some successful racehorses.”

Last year’s auction was topped by juvenile stakes winner Laddie Liam (Golden Lad), who summoned $450,000 from DJ Stable. He was sold as part of the dispersal of Joseph Besecker. The dispersal alone grossed $3,005,300 (nearly 69% of the total gross) with 95 of 97 offerings sold (the remaining two failed to receive a bid in the ring). The average was $31,635 and median was $18,000.

In total, the auction saw 249 horses sell for gross receipts of $4,383,700 at an average of $17,605 and median of $8,000. The RNA rate was 18.9%.

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Connemara Ponies At Greater Risk For Ocular Cancer, Study Shows

A genetic risk factor for ocular squamous cell carcinoma that has been identified in Belgian draft horses, Haflingers and Rocky Mountain Horses has been proven to affect three additional breeds: Holsteiners, Belgian Warmbloods and Connemara ponies.

Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common cancer in horses. Drs. Margo Crausaz, Thomas Launois, Kathryn Smith-Fleming, Annette McCoy, Kelly Knickelbein and Rebecca Bellone evaluated three cases of ocular cancer with DNA testing and confirmed that each horse had two copies of the variant gene: one from each parent. The risk allele frequency was highest in Connemara ponies. With this information, the scientists recommend Connemara ponies be DNA tested for the gene to assist in breeding selection and management in an effort to limit the possibility of inheriting a copy of the gene from both sire and dam.

Because Holsteiners and Belgian Warmbloods had lower allele frequencies, the research team recommend that additional warmbloods with cancer be evaluated to determine the importance of genotyping.

Read the study here.