Although what used to be the Lady’s Secret Stakes at Santa Anita Park is now called the Zenyatta Stakes, the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar can easily pass as the Zenyatta Stakes II.
Month: July 2021
Bernardini Dead at 18
Classic winner and leading sire Bernardini (A.P. Indy-Cara Rafaela, by Quiet American) was euthanized July 30 at Darley's Jonabell Farm in Central Kentucky due to complications from laminitis. The 18-year-old stallion, a homebred for Sheikh Mohammed's operation, has stood at Jonabell since he was retired for the 2007 breeding season.
“Bernardini was one of a kind,” said Michael Banahan, director of farm operations for Godolphin USA. “From the day he was born, he exuded class. He was that crop's best foal, best yearling, and best racehorse. His brilliance was only surpassed by his wonderful character. He will be sorely missed by all on the farm, but especially by his handler for the past 15 years, Philip Hampton. It was an honor to be a custodian of this Classic-winning stallion whose legacy will live long as a broodmare sire.”
Sheikh Mohammed purchased Bernardini's dam, 1995 GI Hollywood Starlet S. winner and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Cara Rafaela, privately in 2002 with Bernardini in utero. The mare was eventually named 2006 Broodmare of the Year primarily due to Bernardini's exploits. The son of A.P. Indy burst onto the racing scene as a 3-year-old for Darley, following an off-the-board debut with six straight victories, including daylight wins in the GI Preakness S., GI Travers S., GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, GII Jim Dandy S., and GIII Withers S. He was retired after finishing second to eventual Horse of the Year Invasor (Arg) (Candy Stripes) in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. The Tom Albertrani trainee, who marked the first American Classic winner for Sheikh Mohammed, was honored as the 2006 Eclipse Champion 3-Year-Old Colt.
“Bernardini was such a majestic animal,” said Albertrani. “He was very talented, one of the best horses I've ever been around. I just feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to train him. He was a star.”
With his racing career complete, Bernardini entered stud at Jonabell and quickly delivered with four Grade/Group I winners in his first crop. With 12 crops of racing age to date, Bernardini has sired 48 graded winners and a total of 80 black-type winners, with progeny earnings barely shy of $100 million. His Grade/Group I winners globally number 15. Among his top runners in the U.S. are triple Grade I winner Cavorting, Travers and GI Cigar Mile winner Stay Thirsty, Travers and GI Woodward S. winner Alpha, and Woodward and Cigar Mile winner To Honor and Serve. Bernardini also shuttled to Australia for eight seasons, where his top runners from that foray include New Zealand 2-year-old champion and G1SW Ruud Awakening (Aus). Bernardini ranked 20th on the Lifetime Active Sires List at the time of his death.
For all of Bernardini's accomplishments as a sire, it is as a broodmare sire that he may make the biggest and most lasting impact. For the 2021 season, he currently has the highest percentage of graded stakes winners to starters of all broodmare sires with active runners. In May, he became the youngest stallion in history to hit the mark of 50 black-type winners as a damsire. Among the 54 stakes winners out of his daughters are 32 graded winners and 11 Grade I winners, including Maxfield (Street Sense), Catholic Boy (More Than Ready), Serengeti Empress (Alternation), Dunbar Road (Quality Road), and Colonel Liam (Liam's Map).
“Bernardini was Sheikh Mohammed's first winner of a Triple Crown race–and a homebred one, too–and then a leading sire,” said Godolphin USA president Jimmy Bell. “We have been blessed to have him. A beautiful horse, and a lovely character, we are lucky to have so many of his daughters on the farm to continue his legacy.”
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Golden Gate Fields Schedules Mandatory Payouts For Sunday Card
Mandatory payouts in the Golden Pick Six jackpot wager, the Rolling Super High Five and Pick 5 bets highlight the wagering menu this Sunday, August 1 at Golden Gate Fields. First post on the 9-race program is 1:45 PM PT.
The Golden Pick Six, a 20-cent minimum bet, goes as Races 4 through 9 on the Sunday program. Among the races in the sequence: a 2-year-old maiden special weight, an allowance for colts and geldings, and a pair of turf routes. Heading into the Golden Pick Six wager on Friday, there is a small carryover of $2,270. If there is not a single ticket “jackpot” winner on Friday and or Saturday, the carryover will increase by Sunday.
The Rolling Super High Five is offered in any race in which there are seven or more starters. For horseplayers to hit this $1 minimum bet, they must correctly tab the first five finishers in a race. The mandatory payout for this wager comes in the last race in which the 'High Five is offered.
The Early Pick 5 (Races 1-5), popular amongst horseplayers nationwide, is a low 14% takeout bet every day. The Late Pick 5 (Races 5-9), like the early wager, is a 50-cent minimum bet.
Next Friday, the two-week Wine Country Racing meet begins at Golden Gate. The Wine Country meet offers live racing three days a week, Friday through Sunday. At the conclusion of the Wine Country meet on Sunday, August 15, Golden Gate takes one week off before returning for the remainder of the summer racing season, with live racing scheduled from Friday, August 27 through Sunday, October 3. For more information, please visit goldengatefields.com.
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Sea The Stars’s Baaeed Explosive in Goodwood’s Thoroughbred
Shadwell's homebred 3-year-old colt Baaeed (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) announced his arrival on the scene going three-for-three with a four-length rout in Newmarket's Listed Sir Henry Cecil S. earlier this month and continued a rapid rise through the ranks with an explosive performance in Friday's G3 Bonhams Thoroughbred S. at Goodwood. He had earlier snagged a June 7 one-mile maiden on debut at Leicester, following up under a six-pound penalty in a June 19 novice heat at Newmarket, and went postward with overwhelming crowd confidence for this fourth outing at the one-mile trip. Baaeed employed patient tactics from flagfall and settled off the pace, racing sixth of the seven runners, through halfway. Making eyecatching headway under a motionless Jim Crowley in the straight, the 2-5 favourite loomed large hard on the steel approaching the furlong marker and lengthened clear in impressive fashion to easily outclass G1 Coral-Eclipse fourth El Drama (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) by a widening 6 1/2 lengths. Royal Ascot's G2 King Edward VII S. runner-up Tasman Bay (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) bolstered the form and finished a half length back in third.
“People keep saying he is running good times, but he's just a good horse and keeps doing it,” said trainer William Haggas. “He's sound, healthy and fast. I learnt today that he doesn't need fast ground to be at his best and it confirmed that he is a good horse. Baaeed is a full-brother to Hukum, who stays 14 furlongs, and looking at him, he looks like he is faster than his pedigree suggests. We will stay at a mile for now. He started life on June 7 and it is now July 30. He has had four races and been running in decent company against 3-year-olds. He's in the races that he should be and it is time he took on the better ones in the bigger races. He is entered in the [G1 Prix] Jacques Le Marois, the [G2] Celebration Mile back here and the [G1 Prix du] Moulin. I'm not for running them regularly, but horses are bred to race and I am very happy to run him in a top-class race next time.”
Shadwell's racing manager Angus Gold added, “It looked like he got there very quickly when Jim [Crowley] asked him. He has a fantastic attitude and you've got to think he is a Group 1 horse. Until he proves us wrong, or gets caught out over a mile, there's no point in going up to 10 furlongs. He is very much a 12-furlong horse on pedigree, but you just have to stand behind him and look at his quarters to see where his speed comes from. We are lucky to have him and too much speed is a nice problem to have.”
Reflecting on the performance, rider Jim Crowley commented, “Baaeed has an engine on him and I was quite happy to sit where I was. We had a low draw, but I didn't want to go up the inside and complicate it, especially here at Goodwood. He got into a nice rhythm and, when I pulled him out, I knew I had plenty of horse. We had a few concerns about the good-to-soft ground as he has not gone on it before, but as you could see it was no problem. He is a proper horse and you would like to think that he is a Group 1 horse, but he's got to go and do it. I don't see any reason to step him up in trip at the moment and, from a stallion's point of view, you'd love him to win Groups 1 races over a mile. I am sure, at some stage, he will go up in trip.”
Roger Varian was not downcast in defeat and accepted runner-up El Drama had met with something special. “In trying to stretch the winner, he just tired in the final 100 yards, but we are pleased he held on for second,” the Newmarket trainer said. “We were blown away by the winner, but he ran a nice race. El Drama is a very likeable horse and just shy of the top grade at the moment. I think he will improve with age and will be a nice horse to have in the stable over the next year or two. He is at this level while the winner looked a Group 1 horse.”
Baaeed is the fifth of seven foals and one of three scorers out of Listed Prix de Liancourt victrix Aghareed (Kingmambo), herself a daughter of MGISW US champion Lahudood (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}). Lahudood, in turn, is a granddaughter of Listed Cheshire Oaks runner-up Bashayer (Mr. Prospector), herself one of seven black-type performers out of MGSW blue hen Height of Fashion (Fr) (Bustino {GB}). Baaeed is a full-brother to last term's G3 Geoffrey Freer S. and this month's G3 Silver Cup winner Hukum (Ire). The April-foaled homebred bay is also a half-brother to the hitherto unraced 2-year-old filly Zaghaareed (GB) (Intello {Ger}) and a yearling colt by Nathaniel (Ire).
Friday, Goodwood, Britain
BONHAMS THOROUGHBRED S.-G3, £100,000, Goodwood, 7-30, 3yo, 8fT, 1:41.20, gd.
1–BAAEED (GB), 127, c, 3, by Sea the Stars (Ire)
1st Dam: Aghareed (SW-Fr), by Kingmambo
2nd Dam: Lahudood (GB), by Singspiel (Ire)
3rd Dam: Rahayeb (GB), by Arazi
1ST GROUP WIN. O/B-Shadwell Estate Company Ltd (GB); T-William Haggas; J-Jim Crowley. £56,710. Lifetime Record: 4-4-0-0, $133,500. *Full to Hukum (Ire), MGSW-Eng, $224,940. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–El Drama (Ire), 127, c, 3, Lope de Vega (Ire)–Victoire Finale (GB), by Peintre Celebre. (425,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT). O-Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum; B-Farm Cove Thoroughbreds (IRE); T-Roger Varian. £21,500.
3–Tasman Bay (Fr), 127, c, 3, Le Havre (Ire)–Purely Priceless (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). (€220,000 Ylg '19 ARAUG). O-Sir Peter Vela; B-SARL de Chambure, Haras d'Etreham & SARL Ecurie des Charmes (FR); T-Sir Mark Todd. £10,760.
Margins: 6HF, HF, NK. Odds: 0.40, 11.00, 22.00.
Also Ran: Perotto (GB), Tactical (GB), Khartoum, Rhythm Master (Ire). Scratched: Passionova (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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