Month: February 2021

‘He Just Floats Over The Ground’: Life Is Good Fires Bullet Toward San Felipe

Here's a bit of sobering news for rival camps of Life Is Good: the co-individual betting favorite at 8-1 with Eclipse champion Essential Quality in Pool 3 of the Kentucky Derby Future Book Wagering is growing up.

Winner of the Grade 3 Sham Stakes at one mile on Jan. 2, the $525,000 son of Into Mischief worked six furlongs Monday at Santa Anita Park in a bullet 1:12, breezing, for his next engagement, the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes at a mile and one-sixteenth on March 6.

It was the fastest of nine drills at the distance and nearly two seconds faster than the average time of 1:13.86.

“He went really nice,” said Bob Baffert, who trains the bay colt for China Horse Club, Inc. and WinStar Farm, LLC. “I let him work a little bit. We're really happy with how he went.

“He's starting to mature and fill out. He just floats over the ground.”

Baffert, a six-time Kentucky Derby winner and two-time Triple Crown king, is represented by four horses in the KDFW pool: Life Is Good (8-1), Concert Tour (20-1), Freedom Fighter (20-1), and Medina Spirit (20-1).

The category of “All Other Three-Year-Olds” is favored at 9-5.

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George O’Bryan, Agent For Five Hall Of Fame Jockeys, Passes At 100

Regarded as one of the best jockey agents in America for decades, George O'Bryan, who turned 100 years of age on Oct. 25, passed away early Thursday afternoon at Arcadia Methodist Hospital, according to his son, Craig O'Bryan.

One of nine children, George Albert O'Bryan was born in Taylorville, Ill., and left home at age 16 for a career in racing, which included a brief stint as a jockey, riding for eventual Hall of Fame conditioners Ben Jones and his son, Jimmy, in the Midwest.

Athletic, hard working and tremendously knowledgeable, O'Bryan went from exercise boy to jockey to jockey agent, representing many jockeys, including five Hall of Fame riders, Johnny Adams, Ralph Neves, Manuel Ycaza, Laffit Pincay, Jr. and Donald Pierce, spanning parts of six decades from the 1940s into the 1990s.

When asked what his secret was for working with so many top jocks, O'Bryan jokingly responded, “You've got to keep getting fired!”

In a rough and tumble business that has always required sharp elbows, none were ever any sharper than O'Bryan's, who was known as an agent who could and would move lesser riders off any horse that he knew his rider would fit.

George O'Bryan (Benoit photo)

When asked years ago if he preferred to wait until the next morning to follow up with the trainer of a well-backed horse that got beat with anything resembling a questionable ride in an important race, O'Bryan responded with a twinkle in his eye:

“No, you go to the man right then, preferably with the owner right there.  If you see a muck-sack ride, you take advantage of it.”

Following his career as an agent, O'Bryan, along with his late wife Mercedes, was also an owner/breeder of note in California.  His biggest achievement in the breeding arena came with the Don B. mare, Don's Quillo, who was the dam of Megan's Interco, an earner of $1,062,000.

An avid golfer until about 10 years ago, O'Bryan and his wife were regular race day attendees at Santa Anita long after his retirement as an agent and he and his wife relished reminiscing with the many racing figures they had known throughout his career at Santa Anita's annual George Woolf Memorial Award functions.

George O'Bryan was predeceased by his wife Mercedes (2016) and is survived by his son Craig, who is currently representing Santa Anita's leading rider Juan Hernandez, daughter Shannon, grandsons Brandon (agent for apprentice Jessica Pyfer) and Kyle, as well as three great grandchildren.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there are no services planned at this time.

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American Pharoah Represented By First Hong Kong Starter

'TDN Rising Star' Congratulation (American Pharoah), previously raced in Europe as Monarch of Egypt, will become his sire's first runner in Hong Kong when he steps out in Sunday's Class 1 Chinese New Year Cup H. over 1400 metres at Sha Tin Racecourse.

Bred in Kentucky by Ran Jan Racing Inc. and trained by Aidan O'Brien for Peter Brant, Michael Tabor, Sue Magnier and Derrick Smith, the $750,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase won on Naas debut in April 2019 to become American Pharoah's first winner before finishing runner-up to Siskin (First Defence) in the G2 Railway S. and in the G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. (video).

Beaten just over five lengths behind Siskin in last year's COVID-delayed G1 Irish 2000 Guineas June 12, the bay returned on six days' rest to be second in the G3 Jersey S. at Royal Ascot (video) and makes his first appearance since finishing fifth in the G3 Ballysax S. over the Dundalk all-weather last June.

Now conditioned by Douglas Whyte, Congratulation (no 's') has trialled three times and has been the subject of positive reports. His most recent jump-out came over the Sha Tin dirt track Feb. 2 (video), when he ran on nicely from midfield to be second to the talented California Rad (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who he meets again Sunday.

 

 

Congratulation debuts off a lofty local rating of 89 in the 110-85 event and will carry 113 pounds, some 20 pounds fewer than top-weighted MGSP Fat Turtle (Aus) (Smart Missile {Aus}). Keith Yeung rides from gate seven in a competitive field of nine.

“He's settled in well and he's a lovely horse–he's obviously thrown in the deep end for his first run, but having said that, he's had a very good grounding with three trials leading in to this and he's progressively improved with every trial,” Whyte told the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Declan Schuster.

He continued, “I'm going in hopeful that he'll run well, the way that he has progressively increased his competitiveness at the trials shows to me that he's at the right frame both mentally and physically to run a race–it's a small field, it's a competitive field but he's got the quality behind him. He's taken time to adjust– he's been running on tracks with a bit of give in them and he's hit the tracks here and it's just taken time for him to adjust to the firmer tracks, which he has done now. He's on the right track–I have no doubt that he is going to show his true ability going forward and it's his first run, but he has a lovely galloping weight–he's certainly in there with a chance.”

Congratulation is a son of Up (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a dual winner at Group level in Ireland and second in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches in 2012, and a half-sister to G1SW Dutch Art (GB) (Medicean {GB}).

The Chinese New Year Cup goes as race eight on an 11-race program Sunday, with post time set for 4.05pm local time (8.05am GMT).

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Feb. 13 Insights

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

PRICEY FROSTED FILLY DEBUTS IN NOLA

3rd-FG, $60K, Msw, 3yo, f, 6f, 2:02p.m.

CHIONE (Frosted), a $425,000 KEESEP acquisition, makes her career bow in this spot. The gray is a half-sister to Grade I-winning millionaire Hard Aces (Hard Spun) and MSW & GSP Astrollinthepark (Divine Park). TJCIS PPs

EXPENSIVE 'PHAROAH' COLT LOOKS TO OPEN ACCOUNT AT FG

5th-FG, $60K, Msw, 3yo, 1 1/16mT, 3:05p.m.

Louie Roussel unveils a pricey son of American Pharoah in GLOBAL EMPIRE, a $500,000 KEESEP buy. The chestnut hails from the family of GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Believe You Can (Proud Citizen) and MGSW Classic Elegance (Carson City). He displays a speedy series of drills leading up to this test, including a bullet half-mile in :48 1/5 (1/68) in NOLA two back Jan. 29. TJCIS PPs

PLETCHER SADDLES BLUE-BLOODED MEDAG COLT WITH HEFTY PRICE TAG

7th-GP, $50K, Msw, 3yo, 1mT, 3:10p.m.

Derrick Smith, Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable teamed up to acquire the well-bred GOLDEN WHIM (Medaglia d'Oro) for $1.5-million at Keeneland September and he kicks his career off for Todd Pletcher in this test. The bay is a full-brother to MGISW and millionaire New Money Honey and a half to SP Coconut Shrimp (Giant's Causeway). Jane Lyon's Summer Wind Farm purchased their dam Weekend Whim (Distorted Humor), a full-sister to Grade I-winning stallion Any Given Saturday, for $1.4 million at the 2017 KEENOV sale with this colt in utero.

Chad Brown saddles first timer Tour of Duty (War Front) for Peter Brant and Phipps Stable. The bay's second dam is MGSW & MGISP Daydreaming (A.P. Indy), who produced Grade I winner Imagining (Giant's Causeway). This is also the family of Grade I winners Girolamo (A.P. Indy), Callback (Street Sense), Got Lucky (A.P. Indy), Bluegrass Cat (Storm Cat) and Super Saver (Maria's Mon).

Neotropic (Tapit) also makes his first trip to the post here for trainer Jimmy Toner. A half-brother to MGISW General Quarters (Sky Mesa), the gray brought $145,000 at OBS April after breezing in :10 2/5. TJCIS PPs

STRUCTOR RETURNS AT GULFSTREAM

10th-GP, $53K, Opt. Clm. ($75K), 4yo/up, 1mT, 4:44 p.m.

Undefeated STRUCTOR (Palace Malice) makes his long-awaited return to the races Saturday in a Gulfstream optional claimer. A debut winner at Saratoga in August of 2019, the $850,000 OBSMAR purchase captured Belmont's GIII Pilgrim S. that September. The bay followed suit with a rallying score in the GI Breeders' cup Juvenile Turf S. at Santa Anita that November. Injured in June while working towards his 2020 debut, Structor returns after 15 months on the sidelines. TJCIS PPs

The post Feb. 13 Insights appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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