The fields for the 14 races that comprise the Breeders’ Cup World Championships begin to really come into focus in late summer and early fall.
Month: August 2021
Hay Jude, Dam Of Breeders’ Cup Winner Little Mike, Dies At Age 26
Hay Jude, the dam of 2012 Breeders' Cup Turf winner Little Mike, died of an apparent heart attack at Old Friends Equine Retirement's annex farm, the farm announced Monday. She was 26.
The Illinois-bred daughter of Wavering Monarch raced as a homebred for Long Meadow Stables, competing exclusively in her home state and becoming a multiple allowance winner. She retired with five wins in 30 starts over five seasons of racing for earnings of $113,152.
After her racing career, Hay Jude entered the Florida broodmare band of horseman Carlo Vaccarezza, and her second foal was the Tiger Ridge gelding Little Nick, who became a three-time stakes winner in Florida and New York.
Her most notable work as a broodmare came with her fourth foal, the Spanish Steps gelding Little Mike, who earned over $3.5 million on the racetrack, with Grade 1 wins in the Breeders' Cup Turf, Arlington Million, and Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes in 2012, and another top-shelf victory in the G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational Stakes a year later.
Like Hay Jude, Little Mike was retired to Old Friends, and he currently resides at the farm.
After the success of Little Mike's 2013 campaign, Hay Jude was offered at that year's Fasig-Tipton November Sale in foal to Distorted Humor, but she was kept by Vaccarezza, finishing under her reserve with a final bid of $235,000.
Hay Jude was pensioned from her broodmare career after delivering the Liam's Map filly Little Jewel in 2016. In total, she produced 12 foals, with eight winners from 10 starters.
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Charity Auction to Be Part of RoR Racing to Cricket Day
There will be seven lots, including a share in a racehorse and nominations to stallions Nathaniel (Ire) and Time Test (GB), on offer during the charity auction portion of the Racing to Cricket Day, Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) announced on Tuesday.
Other lots include two tickets on Centre Court at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships and accompanying hospitality; four seats for a production of “The Nutcracker” at the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden with dinner at the Balconies restaurant; the use of a fully catered private box for 14 people on the finishing line at Ascot Racecourse excluding Royal Ascot; a case of vintage 2013 Grand Vin de Lafite wine; and a quarter-share (25%) in a yearling filly by Twilight Son (GB) with all expenses paid for one year. The auction will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 5, but RoR is also accepting bids by email at auction@ror.org.uk up to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 4.
During the Racing to Cricket Day, eight racing teams will compete at Wormsley Cricket Ground, near High Wycombe on Sunday, Sept. 5 to win the 2021 RoR Racing to Cricket Trophy.
“We are delighted that the event is going ahead in 2021 and we hope for another memorable day at a special venue,” said RoR Chief Executive Di Arbuthnot. “We are so grateful for the generosity and support of donors, who have given us these wonderful auction lots.”
For more information, please visit www.ror.org.uk.
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There’s No Cooling Off Sub-Zero’s Jim Bakke
Owner Jim Bakke's experience in horse racing has been fairly typical. He started off with a small stable, didn't have much success and waited for his day to come. It looks like he's not going to have to wait any longer.
Along with Gerald Isbister, Bakke is the co-owner of 'TDN Rising Star' Jack Christopher (Munnings), a Chad Brown-trained colt who brought down the house Saturday with an 8 3/4-length maiden win at Saratoga. Jack Christopher, who is named for Bakke's six-month-old grandson, will head to the GI Champagne S., which could be a springboard to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Bakke is also the owner of Girl With a Dream (Practical Joke). She broke her maiden impressively on July 24 at Ellis Park and will make her next start in Sunday's GI Spinaway S. for trainer Brad Cox. The hope is that she will earn her way to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.
Jack Christopher earned a 92 Beyer figure, just one point less than the leader among 2-year-olds, Big City Lights (Mr. Big).
Bakke is the president and CEO of Sub-Zero, a luxury refrigeration company based in Madison, Wisconsin that has been in the Bakke family since 1945. A longtime racing fan who attended many a running of the GI Kentucky Derby, he decided to get involved in ownership in the late nineties, but did so on a small scale.
“I started out really small with my brother-in-law, Fred Schwartz,” Bakke explained. “He's the one who introduced me to ownership back then. We had been going to the Derby forever and then we decided to buy some horses about 1998, 1999. We were buying just one or two a year, very modest horses. They were all claimers.”
Bakke enjoyed his first taste of real success when Mr Freeze (To Honor and Serve) came around in 2018. Trained by Dale Romans, he earned $1,595,000 and won the 2018 GIII West Virginia Derby, the GIII 2019 Ack Ack S., the 2020 GII Gulfstream Park Mile S. and the 2020 Hagyard Fayette S. He was also second in the 2020 GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational.
Mr. Freeze, a $75,000 Keeneland September purchase, was part of a plan. Bakke was ready to spend a bit more on horses, building up quantity and quality. Mr Freeze is also co-owned by Isbsiter, who is a distributor for Sub-Zero.
“This has been about my love of the game,” he said. “I was hoping to have a little more luck and the way you do that in horse racing is to increase your numbers, the amount of horses you buy every year and who you have buying them for you.”
Bloodstock advisor Bradley Weisbord signed on to work for Bakke and was told to go find more horses like Mr Freeze.
“I have picked really great partners,” said Bakke, whose stable at this time of year usually numbers from 10 to 12. “Chad Brown is the trainer of Jack Christopher and Bradley Weisbord and his team did a tremendous job finding Jack Christopher.”
Bakke said he offers little, if any, input on picking out the horses, but there is a budget. Liz Crow chose Jack Christopher for $135,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall yearling sale, and Girl With a Dream for $115,000 at Keeneland September. That's his price range.
“Potentially, I could buy more expensive horses,” he said. “Over the years, I have bought a few in the 300 to 350 range. But when those horses don't turn out so well, it hurts. Buying them where I'm at right now, if they don't work out we can reload and try again. I have had tremendous luck buying horses in that price range, starting with Mr. Freeze, who I got for $75,000. If you employ people who know what they are looking for and are good at it, I think you can buy a little bit down market and be successful. Let's face it, you need a lot of luck in this game. And even if you do have a successful horse, keeping them sound is another issue. They are so fragile. When you start buying in those upper-price ranges and if your horse doesn't do well or does well and gets hurt, that's just a big bite out of you.”
Bakke is so hands off that he never once spoke to Brown prior to Jack Christopher's debut.
“I think they also appreciate that I don't micro-manage things,” he said. “I don't call them up and ask them how a horse is doing even on a weekly basis. I might call them before a big race or every once in a while. But I don't keep track of the horses on a daily basis. I still have my job back in Madison, so I've got plenty to do on a daily basis.”
Yet, he knew the colt had potential.
“With Jack Christopher, I think Chad was going to wait for the horse to run and let Jack Christopher do the talking,” he said. “I knew he was enthused about the horse because I was getting positive reports.”
While he is optimistic about Jack Christopher's future, Bakke says he tries not to get too carried away with his young horses. With Jack Christopher and Girl With a Dream, that may be hard to do.
“It's great to have these kind of quality 2-year-olds,” he said. “Once in a while, I've hit on a few, but probably nothing like this. Both of them will be running in Grade I's over the next 30 days. We'll see where it goes. It's been a great ride and I'm looking forward to the ride continuing in the future.”
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