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Fontwell 4.10 Jersey Wonder – win bet.
Month: March 2021
Minding’s Sister Off the Mark At Naas
On a day when Ballydoyle showed its strength, the regally-bred 3-year-old filly Empress Josephine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) brought up a treble for the team at Naas in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden over a mile. A full-sister to the high-class G1 1000 Guineas and G1 Epsom Oaks heroine Minding (Ire), the February-foaled bay was sent off the 3-1 joint-second favourite and raced behind the early leaders under cover. Needing racing room in the straight, she was out in good time to carry Seamie Heffernan to the front a furlong from the finish before asserting to beat fellow newcomer New York Angel (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) by 1 1/4 lengths, with the G3 Flame of Tara S. runner-up Ahandfulofsummers (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) a further half-length back in third.
The post Minding’s Sister Off the Mark At Naas appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
Bradshaw Hoping for Another Big Gulfstream Sale
Two years ago, consignor Randy Bradshaw came into the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale with a colt by Blame the barn had nicknamed the beast. The juvenile turned in a :10 flat furlong breeze during the sale's under-tack show and justified his consignor's faith in him when selling for $700,000 to bloodstock agent Kerri Radcliffe. Named Nadal, the colt went on to win three graded races topped by the 2020 GI Arkansas Derby. After a year's absence due to the pandemic, bidding returns to Gulfstream Park this week and Bradshaw's eight-horse 2021 consignment comes neatly packaged inside a catalogue with Nadal's picture front and center on the cover.
“We always enjoy going down there,” Bradshaw said of the Gulfstream sale. “There are a lot of expectations because we try to pick some of our better horses to go down there. This year's group is probably as strong a group as I've taken down there, so we are pretty excited at this point. They all prepped well down there. They just have to do it Monday and I'd be surprised if they didn't show up.”
Bradshaw's Gulfstream contingent includes a pair of fillies by Triple Crown hero American Pharoah. Hip 97, a $150,000 purchase at last year's Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearling Showcase, is out of Crying Shame (Street Cry {Ire}), a daughter of multiple Grade I winner Tout Charmant (Slewvescent). Hip 150, who RNA'd for $70,000 at the showcase, is out of Let Joy Reign (Awesome Again) and is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Celtic Chaos (Dublin).
“A lot of international buyers–especially the Japanese–have really taken a liking to American Pharoahs,” Bradshaw said.
While he didn't have a consignment at the OBS March sale, Bradshaw agreed he was heartened by the activity of Japanese buyers at the first 2-year-old sale of the season. The top two offerings at OBS were both purchased by Japanese interests, including a filly by American Pharoah purchased by Eugenio Colombo on behalf of Shadai's Teruya Yoshida for $600,000.
“The Japanese buyers showed up here at the OBS sale, and from what I've heard from several people who buy for them and work with them, they never got half their money spent,” Bradshaw said. “So we are looking forward to hopefully selling them a couple.”
Bradshaw's Gulfstream contingent also includes a trio of juveniles by freshman sires.
“We have a Classic Empire who has a great pedigree,” Bradshaw said of hip 177. “And he's a really, really nice colt and he might fit a lot of American buyers here that like the look of a dirt horse.”
The first-crop son of juvenile champioin Classic Empire is out of Mriya (Elusive Quality) and RNA'd for $345,000 at the showcase last fall.
Bradshaw continued, “And we have a nice Lord Nelson filly (hip 40). That sire has been highly received so far. They haven't run yet, but going into the sales last year, everybody liked the Lord Nelsons.”
Out of Sweetness 'n Light (Distorted Humor), hip 40 is a half-sister to graded placed Stormy Sky (Sky Mesa) and was a $60,000 Fasig showcase yearling.
The freshman sire contingent is completed by hip 80, a daughter by the late Arrogate out of multiple graded stakes winner Bsharpsonata (Pulpit).
“The Arrogate filly is almost 17 hands tall, but she is a fast for a big girl,” Bradshaw said. “It's surprising. She is big and she's quick and a really beautiful filly.”
Rounding out his consignment, Bradshaw said, “I have a Union Rags colt (hip 167) that I absolutely love. He's a grand-looking horse who has worked really well. Then I have an Into Mischief colt (hip 61) who worked lights out down there and he's a big strong, good-looking horse. And I have an Uncaptured filly (hip 23), same thing, she worked lights out down there. We paid a lot of money for her, but she acts like she could be any kind. It's a really nice family, the mare has produced graded stakes horses. She definitely has the license because she looks the part, she's a big, beautiful filly.”
Purchased for $140,000 at last year's OBS October Yearling Sale, hip 23 is a half-sister to graded stakes winner Elusive Lady (Van Nistelrooy).
After a 2020 juvenile sales season of fits and starts, buyers seemed anxious to jump back into the fray at OBS and Bradshaw hopes that trend continues in South Florida this week.
“There was a lot of excitement and a lot of people at OBS,” Bradshaw said. “I didn't have anything down there, but from everything that I heard, every consignor seemed like they were just slammed. That's a good thing. Horses sold well. We had a lot of middle market horses who sold well, which is a good sign. So I have a lot of expectations that this is going to be a really good sale.”
Reflecting on how he felt heading into the Gulfstream under-tack show with Nadal two years ago, Bradshaw said, “I knew we had a good one. His nickname around the barn was the beast. And that's what he was. He was a big, strong, powerful horse. I have a couple that might be that good in this group. Hopefully, they will show up like he did. Because he was one of those horses that, every time you pulled the trigger, he was right there.”
The under-tack show for the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream gets underway Monday at 9 a.m. The sale will be held Wednesday in the track's paddock with bidding beginning at 2 p.m.
The post Bradshaw Hoping for Another Big Gulfstream Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
Like Father, Like Son for Danon Smash in Takamatsunomiya Kinen
Danon Smash (Jpn) finally broke through at the highest level with a neck defeat of boom mare Resistencia (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) in Chukyo's G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen on Sunday. The Danox Inc. colourbearer followed in his sire's hoofprints, who captured the 1200-metre grass feature in 2013.
Sent off at 5-1, the Takayuki Yasuda trainee assumed position off the fence near the back of the field as the 2020 Takamatsunomiya Kinen winner Mozu Superflare (Speightstown) rocketed straight to the front. That rival remained glued to the fence and set sharp fractions of :22.90 and :45.60 despite the yielding going while on an uncontested lead. Winding up for his run, Danon Smash began to make encouraging progress, cut between Resistencia and a rival at the 200-metre mark and found his way to the line a neck on top.
Group 1 winner Resistencia, favoured at 9-5, spun fairly wide into the stretch, appeared to briefly struggle with the deep ground as the rain continued, before gamely picking up and holding for second. Indy Champ (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}), who had taken over from Mozu Superflare briefly nearer the fence was a neck back in third. Mozu Superflare hung on for fifth.
“I knew that the ground condition was going to be the key factor but I decided not to make any plan and let the horse race where he wants to,” said pilot Yuga Kawada. “We were able to race while eyeing Resistencia in the front. He responded really well at the fourth corner and, although there was a long duel (with the race favorite) at the stretch, he showed his strength at the end. Last year's result (10th) was very disappointing so I'm
really glad he was able to register his first Group 1 title in Japan.”
A potential return to Hong Kong for a start in the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize on Apr. 25 is a possibility for Danon Smash. Resistencia also holds an entry for that Sha Tin feature.
As a juvenile, Danon Smash won two of four starts including the Momiji S., but saved his first group win for the G3 Keihan Hai S. in November of his 3-year-old season. Among his starts as a 4-year-old, the entire ran fourth in the 2019 Takamatsunomiya Kinen and later that season was third in the G1 Sprinters S. in September of 2019. Last term, he saluted the judge four times in seven starts, with a first in the G2 Sankei Sho Centaur S. followed by a runner-up performance in the Sprinters S. and he broke through on foreign soil with a Group 1 win in the Longines Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin on Dec. 13. Sunday's victory was his 6-year-old bow.
Pedigree Notes
Danon Smash is one of five Group 1 winners and 17 group winners for rising sire star Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}), who is in the process of assuming the Shadai Stallion Station kingpin mantle after the passing of star sires Deep Impact (Jpn) and King Kamehameha (Jpn). In addition to each winning the Takamatsunomiya Kinen, the father-son duo also share a win apiece in the aforementioned Hong Kong Sprint.
Although GI King Bishop S. hero Hard Spun's broodmare career is not yet well advanced, the son of Danzig already has 23 black-type winners to his credit, with GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile and GI Haskell Invitational S. victor Good Magic (Curlin) and G1 Cheveley Park S. heroine Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never) representing him at the highest level in addition to the Takamatsunomiya Kinen winner.
His dam, Spinning Wildcat, was plucked for $600,000 by KI Farm out of the Fasig-Tipton November Sale in 2013 in foal to Tapit. That foal was the subsequent winning filly Menuett (Jpn), who saluted over 1600 metres on dirt as a 4-year-old and delivered a filly by Lord Kanaloa as her first foal this spring. Danon Smash is Spinning Wildcat's second foal and one of five winners from five to race. Danon Smash has full-siblings–a juvenile filly and yearling colt who have yet to race, while Spinning Wildcat was covered by Heart's Cry (Jpn) last spring.
Second dam Hollywood Wildcat (Kris S.) was named a champion 3-year-old filly in America and her race record includes three wins out of the top drawer among them the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. At stud, she threw her best runners when crossed with Danzig and his sons, with her star offspring being GI Breeders' Cup Mile winner and sire War Chant (Danzig). Two more of her sons were given places at stud–G2 July S. & MG1SP Ivan Denisovich (Ire) (Danehill) and SW & MGSP Ministers Wild Cat (Deputy Minister). Her best daughter was SW & GSP Double Cat (Storm Cat), while another daughter produced Canadian Classic scorer Danish Dynaformer (Dynaformer).
Sunday, Chukyo, Japan
TAKAMATSUNOMIYA KINEN-G1, ¥253,460,000, Chukyo, 3-28, 4yo/up, 1200mT, 1:09.20, sf.
1–DANON SMASH (JPN), 126, h, 6, Lord Kanaloa (Jpn)
               1st Dam: Spinning Wildcat, by Hard Spun
               2nd Dam: Hollywood Wildcat, by Kris S.
               3rd Dam: Miss Wildcatter, by Mr.Prospector
O-Danox Inc.; B-K. I. Farm (Jpn); T-Takayuki Yasuda; J-Yuga
Kawada. ¥133,822,000. Lifetime Record: G1SW-HK, 23-11-3-1.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
  Rating: F.
2–Resistencia (Jpn), 121, f, 4, Daiwa Major (Jpn)–
Malacostumbrada (Arg), by Lizard Island. O-Carrot Farm;
B- Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥53,092,000.
3–Indy Champ (Jpn), 126, h, 6, Stay Gold (Jpn)–Will Power (Jpn),
by King Kamehameha (Jpn). O-Silk Racing; B-Northern Farm
(Jpn); ¥33,546,000.
Margins: NK, NK, 3/4. Odds: 5.00, 1.90, 5.30.
Also Ran: Travesura (Jpn), Mozu Superflare, Sound Ciara (Jpn), Eighteen Girl (Jpn), Maltese Diosa (Jpn), Seiun Kosei (Jpn), Miki Brillante (Jpn), Daimei Fuji (Jpn), Danon Fantasy (Jpn), Astra Emblem (Jpn), Lauda Sion (Jpn), Katsuji (Jpn), A Will a Way (Jpn), Right on Cue (Jpn), Red en Ciel (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO.
The post Like Father, Like Son for Danon Smash in Takamatsunomiya Kinen appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
