Dual-Hemisphere Sire Pure Prize Dies In Argentina At Age 23

Pure Prize, a Grade 2 winner who had success at stud in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, died Saturday at Haras La Providencia in Argentina following complications from a stroke, the South American publication Turf Diario reports. He was 23.

A Phipps Stable homebred by Storm Cat, and out of the champion Heavenly Prize, Pure Prize raced for three seasons, and won five of 17 starts for earnings of $475,459. The Shug McGaughey trainee got better with age, earning his first graded stakes placing at four when he ran second in the Grade 3 Fourstardave Handicap. In his next and final start, he picked up his first graded stakes victory in the G2 Kentucky Cup Classic Handicap at Turfway Park.

Pure Prize retired to Vinery in Lexington, Ky., for the 2003 breeding season, and he remained there for every Northern Hemisphere season through 2012. He joined the rest of Vinery stallions in moving to WinStar Farm for the 2013 season. All the while, he shuttled to Argentina for the Southern Hemisphere breeding season, where he became a star.

Pure Prize was Argentina's leading sire in 2012 and 2013, he relocated to the country permanently during his second championship season, moving to Haras Carampangue.

The stallion was a steady producer of champions in Argentina, siring 2015 Horse of the Year Hi Happy, and year-end honor-earners Winning Prize, Ollagua, Jumbalaya, Puerto Real, and Kononkop, as well as Peruvian champion Hija Rubia.

Despite leaving the country nearly a decade ago, Pure Prize remained a stallion of note in the U.S., with several Argentine-breds that shipped north and won major races.

Chief among them was Blue Prize, who won the 2019 Breeders' Cup Distaff, and promptly sold to Larry Best's OXO Equine as a broodmare prospect for $5 million. After earning Argentina's champion 2-year-old colt and champion miler honors in 2012, Winning Prize shipped to Southern California, where he won the G1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita Park. Hi Happy came stateside after securing 2015 Horse of the Year honors and took a pair of graded stakes races, including the G1 Man O'War Stakes.

In terms of domestically-sired U.S. runners, Pure Prize's record is led by Grade 1 winners Pure Clan and Pure Fun, Grade 2 winner Dothraki Queen, and Grade 3 winner Birdbirdistheword, Red Knight, Holy Nova, and Now I Know.

In total, Pure Prize has sired 13 crops of racing age, with 1,138 winners and combined progeny earnings in excess of $74.9 million. He was pensioned from stud duty in 2016 and relocated to Haras La Providencia to live out his remaining days.

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Mattmu Has His First Winner At Redcar

Bearstone Stud's first-season sire Mattmu (GB) (by Indesatchel {Ire}) became the latest to get off the mark as Favourite Child (GB) captured Redcar's racingtv.com EBF Restricted Novice S. on Monday. Sent off at 8-1, the Karl Burke-trained filly who had been fourth on debut at Southwell Apr. 26 tracked the leaders early and after seizing the advantage with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining held on to score by a neck from Chief's Will (Ire) (Slade Power {Ire}).

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Albany Under Consideration For Hermana Estrella

Sunday's G3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies Sprint S. victress Hermana Estrella (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) is being aimed at a start in the G3 Albany S. at Royal Ascot on June 18. The filly, a 50-1 longshot at Naas, was making her first start and has come out of the race well.

“She'd been working well at home,” said trainer Fozzy Stack. “She hasn't been away to work or anything and hasn't even worked on grass, so it was actually a very good performance.

“She'd shown plenty of talent at home. If it hadn't worked out we'd have been left with egg on our face if she'd run very green, but it worked out well. She's a smart filly.”

“Royal Ascot would be a possibility, or maybe the race on Derby weekend here,” Stack added. “It will be the Albany or that race, I'd imagine. We'll take our time and talk to connections and see what everybody wants to do.

“She gets six furlongs well, so the soft ground in Naas might have helped on that front, but I don't think she needs it soft. I'd like to think she could step up in trip for something like the [G1] Moyglare [Stud S.] later in the season.”

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After Disappointing 2021 Debut, Decorated Invader Could Target Shoemaker Mile

Trainer Christophe Clement said Grade 1-winner Decorated Invader could be a possibility for the $100,000 Seek Again on Saturday in a one-mile turf contest for 4-year-olds and up at Belmont Park after breezing five furlongs in 1:02.87 yesterday over Belmont's inner turf course.

Owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, William Freeman, William Sandbrook and Cheryl Manning, Decorated Invader might skip the Seek Again and be shipped out to California, with Clement saying the Grade 1, $300,000 Shoemaker Mile on May 31 at Santa Anita is also under consideration.

“We can run him back either this weekend or go to California, we just have to think about it,” Clement said. “The race in California is also a mile, so we'll see.”

Decorated Invader, who won the Grade 1 Summer as a juvenile going one mile in September 2019 over Woodbine's turf course, twice won graded stakes in his sophomore campaign. Back-to-back wins in the Grade 2 Pennine Ridge last June at Belmont, as well as in his next start in the Grade 2 Hall of Fame going 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga Race Course, helped give the Declaration of War colt four stakes wins in his career.

In his 2021 debut, Decorated Invader ran third off a nearly five-month layoff in the Danger's Hour on April 10 going one mile over the Aqueduct Racetrack turf.

Clement said he expected more from that effort but is looking forward to the upcoming start, regardless of which coast he chooses for the Kentucky bred.

“I was actually very disappointed; he had trained OK, but I was unhappy with the race, unhappy with the trip and unhappy with everything, but that's OK, we just turned the page and moved on,” Clement said.

Creative Cairo, who also covered five furlongs in 1:02.87 Saturday on the inner turf, broke her maiden last out in her second start, edging Miss Bonnie T by a nose in a 1 1/8-mile turf route on April 10 at the Big A. The 3-year-old Cairo Prince filly, who garnered a 74 Beyer for the win, is now on target for the Grade 3, $200,000 Wonder Again on the opening day of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival on Thursday, June 3.

Owned and bred by Brereton C. Jones, Creative Cairo made her debut in March, running fourth in a one-mile turf contest at Gulfstream Park.

“She worked yesterday morning very well and now we'll get ready for the Wonder Again,” Clement said. “We're very happy with her, so we'll just have to keep going.”

Clement said Plum Ali, owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Bethlehem Stables, is also on target for the Wonder Again.

Plum Ali, who won the Mint Juvenile Fillies in September at Kentucky Downs and won her only previous Belmont start with a victory in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo in October at Belmont, capped her 2-year-old year with a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November at Keeneland.

Plum Ali returned to run third in her 2021 bow in the Grade 2 Appalachian on April 3 at Keeneland. Plum Ali breezed a half-mile in 50.55 seconds on Sunday over Belmont's inner turf course.

Bach Stables' Bye Bye handled the step up in class with aplomb Saturday, holding off Invincible Gal's late charge to win her stakes debut by a neck in the Grade 3, $100,000 Soaring Softly over firm going on Belmont's Widener turf course in her stakes debut.

Making just her third start overall – and just second on turf – Bye Bye earned an 83 Beyer for the effort, improving her number in every start. Jockey Eric Cancel piloted Bye Bye to victory from the outermost post in the 11-horse field, with Clement saying a day later he was happy to see that effort.

Clement said he was still unsure of Bye Bye's next start, though the sophomore Into Mischief filly, unraced as a juvenile, has won her last two starts.

“I was very happy and for Bach Stables, they deserve it,” Clement said. “I was thrilled. She was good enough to win. She keeps improving. She was training well coming into the race. I don't know yet where we'll go next, but we'll just enjoy it and go from there.”

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