December, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Misread Tattoo Causes Confusion In Maryland: Rescued Mare Is Not Saskawea

A recently rescued Thoroughbred mare in Maryland has left quite a few people puzzled over the past few days. According to an article on Canadian Thoroughbred, she was originally believed to be the Canadian earner of over $750,000, Saskawea. When the story started to circulate, racing fans immediately took notice.

The mare now named Quizzical Quartz was saved from a neglectful situation by Days End Horse Rescue in 2019. Due to a mistake when reading her lip tattoo to try to identify her and the fact that the two horses had almost identical markings, they incorrectly came to the conclusion that she was the Ontario-bred 16-year-old stakes winner by Stormy Atlantic, Saskawea. This was quickly checked by Canadian Thoroughbred and proven to be false.

After Canadian Thoroughbred tracked down the last known owner of Saskawea through public auction records, Tommy Wente of St. Simon's Place in Lexington, Ky was not pleased upon hearing of the mistake made in regards to the mare he purchased for $2,500 at the Keeneland January sale in 2017. He went on to mention that she does not have foals anymore, but has had embryos flushed and surrogate mares producing Quarter Horse foals.

Days End Horse Rescue took action within an hour of being notified and apologized for the misunderstanding.

“We so regret there was an impact to Tommy, he was getting calls,” said DeEtte Hillman, Equine Programs Director for Days End, to Canadian Thoroughbred's Jennifer Morrison. “We had supplied all the content for the story, nothing appeared in print and it has since been re-written.”

Quizzical Quartz is now thriving in her next career as a riding horse with her adopter, Devon Griffin.

Broodmare Field Turned Training Center: Michelle Nihei’s Story Of Success

Michelle Nihei's Circle 8 Ranch was originally nothing more than an old broodmare field with unseen potential according to Thoroughbred Racing Commentary. When she laid eyes on it, it became a series of furlongs and gallop sets in her mind, and would eventually contribute to her multiple graded stakes wins as a trainer.

The broodmare field eventually turned into a one mile circuit that Nihei has her horses complete three times as part of their daily training and a six-furlong left-handed reseeded turf course. She has seen great results with this facility. The horses are more relaxed and happy and not quite as high strung as you might see on the racetrack.

“When they go back to the racetrack after a couple of months,” said Nihei to Thoroughbred Racing Commentary's Patrick Lawrence Gilligan. “everyone who has ridden them both before and after says it is remarkable how much stronger they are and how much better they takes the turns because now they know how to lift that shoulder instead of just flattening around the turn.”

Nihei was born in Calgary in Western Canada. Her father was a scientist and her mother was a lawyer. Before she began her career in the Thoroughbred industry, Nihei followed in her father's footsteps as a neuroscientist.

Nihei eventually realized she wanted to ride horses for a living instead of neuroscience and made the switch from lab coats to jeans and a helmet by becoming an exercise rider and then assistant to Todd Pletcher. She had the opportunity to gallop some of Pletcher's most well known horses like Scat Daddy, English Channel, and Pollards Vision.

“It was an amazing fantastic experience,” said Nihei to Gilligan. “Everything I know about breezing horses I learnt from Angel Cordero and Johnny Velasquez. I was getting on ten a day sometimes. It was the best education you could get.”

Eventually a riding injury caused her to take a step back from exercise riding and led her to becoming a trainer. That is how she ended up in the presence of her future Grade 1 winner, Prince Will I Am. Michelle still rides Prince Will I Am to this day and now refers to him as her Prince Charming.

Silverfoot Euthanized at 20

Silverfoot (With Approval–Northern Silver, by Silver Ghost), the aptly named gelding who became a fan favorite in turf marathons, was euthanized Tuesday morning at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital due to complications of aging and the debilitating hoof disease laminitis. He was 20 and had been spending the past decade in retirement, most recently at Ballyrankin Stud in Lexington, Kentucky.

Bred by owner Stephanie Clark and campaigned in the name of her Chrysalis Stables, the five-time graded winner won 11 of 40 starts with trainer Dallas Stewart, earning $949,503 before his 2010 retirement.

“Silverfoot was a true champion,” Clark said. “I owe him so much. He gave me so many heartfelt moments.”

“Very sad to hear,” Stewart said of Silverfoot’s passing. “He was and is truly one of my favorites.”

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Lord Kanaloa Leads 30-Strong Shadai Roster

Lord Kanaloa (GB) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) leads the Shadai Stallion Station roster for 2021. The sire of recent dual G1 Japan Cup heroine and Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn), he will command ¥15,000,000 (US$143,654/£107,013/€119,227) tops among the 30-member roster next year. Shadai welcomes three new recruits for the upcoming breeding season-GI Arkansas Derby hero Nadal (Blame) (¥4,000,000), G1 Irish 2000 Guineas victor Siskin (First Defence) (¥3,500,000) and G1 Champions Cup winner Le Vent Se Leve (Jpn) (Symboli Kris S) (¥1,500,000).

A trio of stallions stand at ¥10,000,000 and are already fully booked for 2021-dual Japanese Classic scorer Duramente (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}); Epiphaneia (Jpn) (Symboli Kris S), the sire of this year’s Japanese Fillies’ Triple Crown victress Daring Tact (Jpn); and young sire Kizuna (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). Maurice (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}), the “Beast from the East”, will stand for ¥8,000,000. The 2019 Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar (Giant’s Causeway), who retired to Shadai for 2020, will command ¥6,000,000, as will fellow second-year sire and MG1SW Rey de Oro (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}). A price of ¥4,000,000 has been set for Harbinger (GB) (Dansili {GB}), the sire of globetrotting MG1SW Deirdre (Jpn), as well as for Rulership (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}), sire of 15 black-type winners. Dual G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe hero Orfevre (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn})’s fee is ¥2,500,000, while New Year’s Day (Street Cry {Ire}), whose best progeny is notorious MGISW Maximum Security, is at ¥2,500,000. Two sons of the breeding-shaping Sunday Silence remain on the roster and the venerable pair of Daiwa Major (Jpn) and Heart’s Cry (Jpn) are both listed as private.

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