Month: March 2021

Stakes Winner Gidu, Son Of Frankel, To Enter Stud In Argentina

Gidu, a multiple stakes-winning son of Frankel, will begin his stallion career at Haras Gran Mueñca in Argentina for the 2021 Southern Hemisphere breeding season, the South American publication Turf Diario reports.

The Irish-bred 6-year-old retires with four wins in 21 starts for earnings of $305,457. From the second crop of highly-touted European champion Frankel, he was a $457,683 purchase by Zayat Stables from the 2016 Arqana Deauville August Yearling Sale.

After breaking his maiden as a juvenile, Gidu finished second in the Grade 3 Dania Beach Stakes, then earned a pair of non-graded stakes wins in the Columbia Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs and the Paradise Creek Stakes at Belmont Park. He was sent to the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting after those wins, where he finished sixth in the G1 Commonwealth Cup.

Though he consistently competed in stakes races throughout the rest of his career, Gidu's only remaining earned black type came at the beginning of his 2020 campaign, when he finished second in the G3 Tropical Turf Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Per documents released as part of the Zayat Stables bankruptcy filings, Gidu was sold privately for $100,000 in the spring of 2020 as part of the operation's liquidation of assets. He raced twice for new owner Santa Escolastica Stable, both out-of-the-money efforts in Saratoga, to end his career.

Bred in Ireland by Ecurie Des Monceaux, Gidu is out of the winning Unbridled's Song mare Manerbe, who is also the dam of Grade 3 winner Marbre Rose and French stakes winner Aviatress.

Gidu hails from the family of Grade 1 winners Zoftig, Zaftig, and Zo Impressive, Grade 2 winner Souper Tapit, Grade 3 winner Verve's Tale, and classic-placed Tale of Verve.

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Jockey Antongeorgi Adopts Beloved Mount Gratzie After Her Retirement

Thirteen-time winner Gratzie has been retired and will spend her post-race life in North Carolina on a farm run by jockey William Antongeorgi III and his mother. Gratzie, who went out a winner on Feb. 4 against claiming competition, ended her racing career with earnings of $261,610.

Antongeorgi, who guided Gratzie to four lifetime wins, is excited about spending more time with her in the future. In total, Antongeorgi rode Gratzie in eight different races.

“She was always really honest,” said Antongeorgi. “Even if we didn't win, she was right there-second or third. I would always go see her in the barn and give her lots of attention. We formed a strong relationship.

I told [trainer] Manny [Badilla], 'I love this mare. If the owners are willing, I'll ship her back to my place in North Carolina and she'll be able to go out in the field and live out a good retirement on our farm.' We were able to make it happen.”

Antongeorgi relayed that Gratzie arrived in North Carolina on Tuesday in good order.

“She's a world traveler,” said Antongeorgi. “She's from England. She's traveled before. From what I understand, she had a very smooth trip across the country and looks really happy. We've got a pony named Dusty right next to her. They're already hitting it off and in love with each other, so that's really cool. We'll take her out on the trails, and she'll enjoy her life living out there in the pasture.”

Gratzie, by Grade 2 winner and Juddmonte homebred Three Valleys, was bred in Great Britain by John Troy and Robert Levitt and began her racing career as a 2-year-old in 2013. Three years later, she was sold to American owners Ron Charles and Sam Gordon for $25,685 at the Tattersalls Horses-In-Training Sale of 2016. Since the purchase, Gratzie won 7 races in America, raking in U.S. earnings of just over $150,000. Throughout her career in the states, Gratzie was conditioned by Manny Badilla.

“She's a barn favorite for sure,” said Badilla. “She was always so sweet. You could come up and pet her and feed her and love on her. What I'll remember about [Gratzie] is her heart: not only was she sweet around the barn but she tried so hard in every race she ran in. She never got sour. She always tried and loved being around our team. We'll miss her here.”

With that, Manny had just one more thing to say.

“It's the greatest thing ever to send her somewhere nice.”

 

— Matt Dinerman (@3coltshandicap) March 10, 2021

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Live Racing Permanently Cancelled At Marquis Downs, Saskatchewan’s Only Thoroughbred Track

Prairieland Park is excited to be a part of the discussion/negotiation with the Canadian Premier Soccer League (CPL) and Living Sky Sports and Entertainment to bring Saskatchewan's first, and only, professional soccer league to Saskatoon.

At the same time the Board of Directors of Prairieland Park has come to the difficult decision to permanently cancel Thoroughbred racing at Marquis Downs after a 50-year relationship with the sport. The decision to end Thoroughbred Horse racing was not come to lightly, however, the opportunity presented by CPL and Living Sky Sports will help lead Prairieland into the future, and the board felt it was the time to transition the track space at Marquis Downs to accommodate this new venture.

Marquis Downs is the only Thoroughbred racing track in Saskatchewan, Canada. There was no racing in the Canadian province in 2020 due to COVID-19, and last month, a potential investor pulled out of negotiations to host a 2021 race meet.

The Board recognizes the financial pressures felt by industry members in the wake of the announcement to end Thoroughbred Horse Racing at Marquis Downs, and will offer financial compensation in a one-time payment to horse owners. For each horse that ran in three or more races in 2019, Prairieland will pay $1,000 to the horse owner.

Prairieland is proud of its agriculture heritage and will continue to support the agriculture industry through annual events like the Western Canadian Crop Production Show, Saskatchewan Equine Expo, Beef Expo, Gardenscape, and our youth programs such as; Garden EXperience, Ag EXperience, Youth Leadership Conference and the annual steer sale. Those Prairieland produced events, along with the
community events hosted in the dedicated Ag Center on the property will remain a cornerstone of our ongoing commitment to agriculture in the province.

Additionally, Prairieland continues its negotiations with First Nations Groups to create and operate a First Nations Equine School and Indian Relay Racing Event at the Park.

More details on this and other discussions will be released as those plans are developed.

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Laurel’s Saturday Card Features Five Stakes Races Worth $450,000

Live racing returns to Laurel Park Saturday with a nine-race program featuring five stakes worth $450,000 in purses led by the $100,000 Private Terms for 3-year-olds and $100,000 Beyond the Wire for 3-year-old fillies.

First race post time is 12:25 p.m.

The Private Terms, carded as Race 8 and run around two turns at about 1 1/16 miles, drew a field of seven led by 2-1 program favorite Maythehorsebwithu, four-length winner of the one-mile Miracle Wood Feb. 20 at Laurel. Royal Number, an impressive Laurel allowance winner Jan. 9 at Laurel and exiting a fourth in the Withers (G3) Feb. 6 at Aqueduct, is second choice at 5-2.

Video of Trainer Brittany Russell (Maythehorsebwithu):

The one-mile Beyond the Wire kicks off the stakes action in Race 3. Favored at even money on the morning line is Street Lute, stretching out beyond seven furlongs in search of her sixth consecutive stakes victory and eighth overall. Among her rivals is Fraudulent Charge, second to Street Lute in the Dec. 26 Gin Talking and Feb. 20 Wide Country at Laurel.

Also on the card are the $100,000 Harrison E. Johnson Memorial for 4-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles (Race 6), and a pair of $75,000 stakes restricted to Maryland-bred/sired horses – the Not For Love for 3-year-olds and up sprinting six furlongs (Race 5) and Conniver for fillies and mares 3 and older at seven furlongs (Race 7).

Starting Saturday, following executive orders from both Gov. Larry Hogan and Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman, Laurel will increase its building capacity to allow up to 400 spectators. Current restrictions and physical distancing guidelines remain in place.

Beginning Sunday, March 14, post time moves to 12:40 p.m. for the duration of Laurel's 2021 winter meet, which runs through Sunday, March 28.

Sunday's feature comes in Race 8, a second-level optional claiming allowance for older females sprinting 5 ½ furlongs led by 5-2 program favorite Trunk of Money. Race 7 is a starter optional claimer that includes new gelding Mine Not Mine, second in the Miracle Wood and third in the Private Terms last year.

Eight 3-year-olds will go one mile in Race 3, a maiden special weight where Imagine Hongkong is the lukewarm 3-1 morning-line favorite. The field of eight also includes Pharoah's Fury, a second-time starter by 2015 Triple Crown champion American Pharoah, and Dream Big Dreams, a $115,000 2-year-old in training purchase last May trained by Brittany Russell.

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