Always Shopping Shows Her Versatility With Via Borghese Triumph

Repole Stable's Always Shopping, a graded-stakes winner on dirt last spring, continued her success story since being moved to the turf this summer by rolling to a second straight grass stakes victory in Saturday's $100,000 Via Borghese at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The fifth running of the 1 3/16-mile Via Borghese for fillies and mares 3 and up served as a supporting stakes to the $100,000 Mr. Prospector (G3), where Sleepy Eyes Todd bested a field that included Grade 1 winners Firenze Fire and Mind Control and defending champion Diamond Oops.

Always Shopping ($7.40) was the third win of the day for jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. and first in the Via Borghese for both Ortiz and trainer Todd Pletcher. The winning time was 1:54.34 over a firm turf course.

Ortiz settled Always Shopping in third as Traipsing broke sharply and took the field through moderate fractions of 24.31 and 50.11 seconds, tracked by 99-1 long shot Lady Panda. Always Shopping tipped to the outside on the turn and took over the lead once straightened for home, powering through the stretch to win by three lengths.

“It worked out perfect,” Ortiz said. “I thought I was going to sit second but [Traipsing] broke sharp and I didn't want to use my horse to get position. So I stayed third. She was comfortable. I waited for the time to go and when I asked her she responded very well.”

Pletcher was impressed with the way Always Shopping finished up to earn her fourth career win and third in a stakes. She won the 1 1/8-mile Gazelle (G2) last April on dirt and the 1 1/16-mile Monroe Sept. 7 at Gulfstream in her second career try on turf.

“We anticipated [Traipsing] would be on the lead. I thought we might be laying second but Irad was in a comfortable spot and he said she was taking him wherever he wanted her to go throughout the race,” Pletcher said. “She really jumped in at the top of the stretch and kicked on hard. They weren't going very fast early, but they were late.”

Great Island outran Always Shopping's stablemate, Cap de Creus, to be second, but was disqualified for bearing out in the stretch and placed third behind Cap de Creus, ridden by Hall of Famer John Velazquez.

“I was delighted to get her stakes-placed. We've knocked on the door a few times, so that was big,” Pletcher said. “It looked like Johnny had to steady her pretty hard at one point but it was a good effort.”

Always Shopping, a daughter of Awesome Again out of multiple stakes winner Stopshoppingmaria, by More Than Ready, was bred by Repole. She now owns two wins from three tries over the Gulfstream turf and pushed her career bankroll over $400,000.

“She seems to like the course here,” Pletcher said. “There's a great program of stakes here so we'll look to keep her going in those.”

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Spielberg Up to Give Baffert Seven Straight Futuritys at Los Al

After 8 1/2 furlongs of Saturday’s GII Los Alamitos Futurity, it was a ‘Close Encounter’ with pacesetting outsider The Great One (Nyquist)–playing ‘Catch Me If You Can’–but $1-million Keeneland September yearling purchase Spielberg (Union Rags) managed to snatch victory from the ‘Jaws’ of defeat, as he was the recipient of the kindest of headbobs to give Bob Baffert his seventh consecutive victory in the event, now held at the Orange County oval.

Drawn widest in a field of six, the second betting choice attended the pace three wide outside of GII Best Pal S. hero Weston (Hit It a Bomb) as the maiden The Great One made play from the fence. The front-runner hit the three-eighths going great guns and took them into the stretch, daring them to catch him. Spielberg emerged as the lone chance to do so as favored Red King (Tamarkuz), impressive in romping in the GIII Bob Hope S. last time out, began to paddle at midstretch. The Great One kicked on gamely into the final sixteenth of a mile, but the blaze-faced Spielberg dug in resolutely and dove home just in front. The win was the 14th overall in the race formerly known as the Hollywood and then CashCall Futurity and the winner represents a seventh different ownership group in the seven years the race has taken place at Los Al.

Second in the Sept. 7 GI Del Mar Futurity and third in the Sept. 26 GI American Pharoah S. as a maiden, Spielberg was more workmanlike than brilliant in graduating by a neck going a mile at Del Mar Nov. 1 and he was exiting a fourth, beaten 9 1/2 lengths, when last seen in the Bob Hope Nov. 15.

“I knew he was going to run well because he had shipped well over here and was really on it in the paddock,” said Baffert. “I thought it was an easy spot last time and he didn’t ship well. He got nervous when he got in the stall there [Del Mar] and was just flat. We ran him back too quick. I asked [jockey Flavien Prat] if there’s more there and he said there’s a lot more. I think he’ll get better with maturity.”

Pedigree Notes:

Spielberg becomes the 16th black-type winner and ninth at the graded level for Union Rags and is bred like his sire’s Grade I winner Union Strike. The winner’s dam is a daughter of SP Miss Kate (Storm Cat)-the cross of Union Rags over the late Overbrook sire is responsible for another two of Union Rags’s GISWs-also the dam of the SWs Outplay (Bernardini),  Raconteur (A.P. Indy) and Katerbug (Pulpit). Spielberg’s dual Grade I-winning third dam produced Clear Mandate (Deputy Minister), herself a three-time winner at the highest level and dam of MGSW/MGISP Newfoundland (Storm Cat), GISW Strong Mandate (Tiznow) and SW Full Mandate (A.P. Indy). Miss Squeal is the dam of a yearling filly by Honor Code, a weanling filly by Bernardini and was most recently bred to City of Light.

Saturday, Los Alamitos
LOS ALAMITOS FUTURITY-GII, $200,500, Los Alamitos, 12-19, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:42.56, ft.
1–SPIELBERG, 120, c, 2, by Union Rags
1st Dam: Miss Squeal, by Smart Strike
2nd Dam: Miss Kate, by Storm Cat
3rd Dam: Dream Deal, by Sharpen Up (GB)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($1,000,000
Ylg ’19 KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket
Stables LLC, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm LLC & Robert E.
Masterson; B-G. Watts Humphrey (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Flavien
Prat. $120,000. Lifetime Record: MGISP, 6-2-2-1, $257,200.
Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–The Great One, 120, c, 2, Nyquist–Little Ms Protocol, by El
Corredor. ($125,000 Ylg ’19 OBSOCT; $185,000 2yo ’20
OBSOPN). O-ERJ Racing, LLC, Train Wreck Al Racing Stables,
Niall J. Brennan, Tom Fritz & William Strauss; B-Coteau Grove
Farms (LA); T-Doug F. O’Neill. $40,000.
3–Petruchio, 120, g, 2, Into Mischief–Satirical, by Distorted
Humor. O-Perry R. Bass II & Ramona S. Bass; B-Bass Stables,
LLC (KY); T-Richard E. Mandella. $24,000.
Margins: NO, 3HF, 5. Odds: 1.90, 33.60, 6.00.
Also Ran: Red Flag, Weston, Positivity.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Barberini Lands Goffs Topper

KILDARE, Ireland–Different day, different trade. As expected, business at Goffs on Saturday proved a good bit more lively as pin-hookers and end users alike did battle for some quality foals. Although last year’s corresponding top price of €135,000 was exceeded by a €155,000 Sea The Stars (Ire) filly foal, other sale indicators suggest the market continues to struggle in the face of uncontrollable circumstances. The clearance rate of 79%, while considerably improved from Friday was still a little shy of last year’s 86%. Similarly, the aggregate of €4,855,900, average of €27,907 and median of €20,000 all failed to keep tabs on 2019’s figures, though these numbers are still perfectly respectable in the current grand scheme of things.

Lot 451, the only foal by Sea The Stars catalogued on the day, was bound to attract a lot of interest and, when the filly in question hails from the immediate family of the Gilltown stallion’s brilliant but ill-fated daughter Sea Of Class (Ire), then it was no surprise that agent Federico Barberini was pushed to €155,000 to secure the Oak Lodge & Springfield House Stud consigned foal. The Razza Del Velino bred filly is out of Mooney Ridge (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}), a half-sister to G1 Irish Oaks winner Sea Of Class who is already the dam of two stakes performers in Italy.

Barberini, acting for an undisclosed client, said, “She has been bought to race and her page speaks for itself. She has lots of residual value and her 2-year-old half-brother by Australia (GB) is highly regarded.”

A return to a sale ring next year is also not the plan for Lot 354 rather a racing career in Sheikh Hamdan’s silks is in store as the son of Whitsbury Manor Stud stallion Havana Grey (GB) was knocked down to Shadwell’s Stephen Collins for €135,000. The grey colt is a half-brother to Martyn Meade’s quality sprinter Method (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) and his yearling half-brother by Belardo (Ire) sold at the Orby Sale in Doncaster for £60,000.

After getting the better of a series of determined bids from Ger Morrin Collins said, “He was our pick of today. He is a very nice colt, forward, mature and athletic with a great attitude. He will go to Derrinstown to be raised and we’ll start to think about where to send him this time next year.”

The sale was a fine return for breeder Michael Phelan of Pipe View Stud in Kilkenny with the foal bred from the inexpensive mare Darsan (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) off an advertised 2019 covering fee of £8,000.

The Mehmas (Ire) factor kicked in with Lot 512 when the Morrin family’s Pier House Stud dug in to acquire the first foal out of unraced Single Thought (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) for €130,000.

It was a huge result for breeder Mick Buckley who consigned the colt foal through his Curragh based Harefield Cottage Stud and who picked up the dam for very small money at Tattersalls in 2018.

“I’m delighted, absolutely over the moon,” said Buckley. “He is a lovely horse and a lot of it is a case of the right sire at the right time. I think I got lucky at Tattersalls when I bought the mare as England were playing in the semi-final of the World Cup when she went through the ring and a lot of people were pre-occupied and I managed to get her for 2,000gns. My luck didn’t end there as when I brought her to Tally-Ho to get covered by Kessaar (Ire), my original choice, he was busy so I had to make do with Mehmas! Lots of luck involved but there can be plenty of bad luck in this game, so I’ll gladly take today’s result. All the right people liked him, he vetted well and I’m delighted he is going to a good home and I hope he is lucky for the Morrins. He’ll be a right bull of a yearling next year and I look forward to seeing him wherever he turns up,” Buckley added.

Coolmore stallion Saxon Warrior (Jpn)’s first foal to be offered at Goffs was certainly well received and Lot 329 was eventually knocked down to MAB Agency and Larry Stratton for €88,000. The Castlebridge consigned bay filly is the first produce out of Cascella (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), who in turn is out of the multiple stakes winner Lily’s Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}). Another Coolmore sire to have a good day was Australia (GB) and Luke Barry of Manister House Stud will be monitoring the American racing results with interest over the coming months after parting with €80,000 to purchase a son of the Classic stallion from Irish Emerald Stud. Lot 301 is a full-brother to Counterparty Risk (Ire), who broke her maiden last month at Aqueduct for the powerful combination of Chad Brown and Klaravich Stables.

Bigger targets will no doubt await that 3-year-old filly having cost 325,000 gns as a yearling at Tattersalls and this colt’s page, which already features GI Canadian International winner Sarah Lynx (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) could look even better in 10 months’ time. For breeder and vendor Irish Emerald Stud it was a fantastic result having purchased the 11-year-old mare Anklet (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) at Tattersalls 12 months ago carrying this foal for just 18,000gns. While obviously delighted with the price, Gary Duffy, owner of Kildare based Irish Emerald Stud said he wouldn’t have been surprised if the colt had made even more.

“He is a cracking foal and it’s a great pedigree, so I was expecting him to be popular,” said Duffy. “Luckily for me Australia had hit a bit of a flat spot this time last year and the mare was at a bit of a crossroads, so I was able to get her for what is now great value. Australia then had plenty of good success on the track this year and the filly winning in America was also a great help and I believe there are plans to run her in a Grade I. The mare is in foal to Ribchester (Ire) but after today, and with Counterparty Risk, I’d say she’ll have to go back to Australia (GB).”

Baroda Stud also found favour with an Australia colt when selling Lot 504, a half-brother to the stakes-placed American Lady (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) for €72,000 before making an impact as a purchaser when buying lot 530 for €90,000. This colt by Teofilo (Ire) was consigned by Clare Manning’s Boherguy Stud on behalf of her grandfather Jim Bolger and is a full-brother to the smart stakes placed 3-year-old Agitare (Ire).

Friday’s top price was equaled early Saturday morning when the fourth foal into the ring, Lot 291 was bought by BBA Ireland’s Eamonn Reilly for €75,000. By the ever popular Dandy Man (Ire) the Milestream Stud offered colt is the second produce out of the Raven’s Pass mare Zehrah (Ire), who is a half-sister to stakes winner Sameem (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}).

Another Dandy Man (Ire) colt, Lot 380 fetched the same price of €75,000 when selling to Yeomanstown Stud. Offered by Airdreigh Stud the colt is out of Fancy Feathers (Ire) whose five winners to date include the stakes winner Elnadim Star (Ire) (Elnadim). Not long after Joe Foley rowed in to support his own stallion when going to €67,000 to buy J.P Condren’s son of Dandy Man, Lot 428 before yet another Dandy Man colt, Lot 464, out of a winning half-sister to G2 Queen Mary S. winner Elletelle (Ire) (Elnadim) was knocked down to Euro Ventures for €72,000. Rounding off a quintet of high end foals by the super dependable sire lot 491 from Ballinacurra Stud also reached the €72,000 mark when selling, like a previous one by the stallion, to Yeomanstown Stud. That quintet grew to a sextet late in the day when one of the bravest pin-hookers in the business Philip Stauffenberg gave €72,000 for Oak Leaf Stud’s Dandy Man filly (Lot 525) from the family of Quarter Moon (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells).

Some much needed festive cheer will be added to Sunday’s session when well known sales groom Brenda Shortt will don a Mrs. Claus outfit while leading up the final foal in the sale Lot 759, a Dark Angel (Ire) colt offered by the McEnery’s Vinesgrove Stud. Shortt is raising money for mental health in a year that has been understandably tough for so many. To contributions to the worthy cause, click here.

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