September, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

American Pharoah Filly Leads Gains At Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings And Horses Of All Ages Sale

The third edition of Fasig-Tipton's California Fall Yearlings and Horses of All Ages sale marked a jubilant return to the California market Tuesday at Fairplex in Pomona, Calif.

Held as a yearling sale in 2019 and 2020, the 2021 renewal included 21 mares and weanlings among the 272 head cataloged. Tuesday's bullish session resulted in across-the-board gains over the sale's first two editions, soundly confirming its placing in the California market.

A filly by 2021 Hall of Fame inductee American Pharoah topped the sale when sold for $350,000 to Beckerle & Grey from the consignment of Lovacres Ranch, agent (video).

Offered as Hip 196, the chestnut filly is out of EZ Indy (A.P. Indy), an unraced half-sister to champion filly Banshee Breeze and stakes winner Unbridled Wind. EZ Indy is also a half-sister to the dams of multiple Grade 2 winner American Anthem and stakes winner Whirl. Hip 196 was bred in California by Terry C. Lovingier.

Current number-two first-crop sire Practical Joke was well represented when a filly from his second crop sold for $300,000 early in the sale (video).

Brian Koriner, agent for Jay Em Ess Stable, purchased Hip 10 from the consignment of Barton Thoroughbreds, agent. The filly is out of Miss Lavinia (Speightstown), whose four winners to date include stakes placed Arch Cat (Arch), a 15-time winner of more than $450,000 to date. Miss Lavinia is a half-sister to Breeders' Cup champion and stakes winner producer More Than Real, and to the dam of Breeders' Cup champion Structor. Hip 10 was bred in California by Richard Barton Enterprises.

Last year's champion freshman sire Nyquist was responsible for the sale's top colt, purchased for $275,000 by Sausalito Partners (video).

Offered as Hip 83 by Woodbridge Farm, agent, the colt is a half-brother to three winners from as many to race, including There Goes Harvard (Will Take Charge), who was recently second in the Ellis Park Derby. Hip 83 is out of the winning Fusaichi Pegasus mare Soul Crusader, a half-half sister to two full stakes winners and to the dams of Grade 1 winner Killer Graces; Grade 2 winner Chocolate Ride; and multiple stakes winner Mrs. Orb. The colt was bred in California by Bud Petrosian.

Rounding out the top four was Hip 171, a colt from the first crop of Breeders' Cup Champion City of Light, purchased for $260,000 by Slugo Racing/Steve Gasparelli. Consigned by Excel Bloodstock (Bruno DeBerdt), the colt is out of the winning Cherokee Run mare Chicalelee, a half-sister to multiple stakes winner O K to Dance and a full sister to stakes winner Running Bride. Hip 171 hails from the immediate family of multiple Grade 1 winner Devil His Due and was bred in California by PT Syndicate #1.

The top-priced yearling by a California-based sire came in the form of Hip 30, a colt by pensioned California stalwart Square Eddie. Boomer Bloodstock and Radley Equine purchase the colt for $200,000 from the consignment of Fairview. The colt is out of stakes winner North Freeway (Jump Start). That mare has produced four winners to date, including Grade 1 placed multiple stakes winner Take the One O One (Acclamation) and stakes winner Square Deal, a full brother to Hip 30. The bay colt was bred in California by Thomas W. Bachman.

Of the breeding stock offered, a weanling colt from the first crop of champion Mitole (Hip 267) sold best, bringing $80,000 Blair and Rachel Bloodstock. Hip 267 was consigned by Checkmate Thoroughbreds (Adrian Gonzalez), agent, and bred in Kentucky by Lou Neve out of the winning Arch mare Raving About You.

The top-priced broodmare was Oh Pretty Woman (Hip 249), purchased for $50,000 by Donald Valpredo from the consignment of Harris Farms, agent. A six-year-old winning daughter of Scat Daddy, Oh Pretty Woman is in foal to Street Boss, carrying her first foal. The young mare is out of a full sister to multiple Grade 2 winner Liberian Freighter, from the immediate family of Grade 1 winners Memories of Silver and Winter Memories.

In its third year, the California fall sale eclipsed the 2019 and 2020 editions in every category. Overall, 177 horses changed hands for a gross of $6,933,550, up 85.6 percent from $3,735,700 in 2020. The average rose 74.1 percent to $39,173 from $22,504, while the median doubled to $20,000. Seventeen horses sold for $100,000 or more, nearly six times the three sold for six figures in 2020. The RNA rate was 24.4 percent.

Full results are available online.

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Vibrant Trade at Fasig California Sale

by Dan Ross and Jessica Martini

The third time proved the charm for the Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings Sale, which produced the strongest results in its short three-year history with a session of lively bidding in Pomona Tuesday.

“Today was the most encouraging day we have had in California in a sales environment in the last three years that we've been involved here,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “There was a dramatic increase in the average and the median doubled from the sale last year and the RNA rate was down. But more important than that was the energy and the enthusiasm that I think everybody could sense at the sale. We felt pretty good with the pre-sale activity Monday and Tuesday morning. So today was very encouraging from that perspective.”

A total of 164 yearlings sold Tuesday for a gross of $6,672,050. The average was $40,683 and the median was $20,000. The buy-back rate was 24%.

During last year's auction, which was displaced to Los Alamitos due to the pandemic, 166 head sold for $3,735,700 for an average of $22,504 and a median of $10,000. The buy-back rate was 35.2%.

At the inaugural California sale in 2019, 137 yearlings grossed $3,667,800 for an average of $26,772 and a median of $13,000.

Seventeen horses sold Tuesday for $100,000 or more, and two sold for $300,000 or more. Tom Beckerle made the auction's highest bid when going to $350,000 to acquire a filly by American Pharoah.

Only three horses brought six figures with a top price of $200,000 in 2020, while in 2019 six yearlings brought six figures with a top price of $150,000.

“First of all, we all have to keep in mind when comparing 2021 to 2020 results, that 2020 was a COVID year and this area was particularly hard hit,” Browning said of the upswing. “And 2020 was very difficult for most businesses, including Thoroughbred auctions. There was a drop off from 2020 compared to 2019, so I think there was some built-in recovery as we have seen in virtually every sale that there was comparable numbers for in 2021 compared to 2020.

Browning continued, “If you look around, the economy is strong and in racing handle is up, purses are up, there is a positive feeling, for the most part, in the racing industry throughout the United States and that is certainly a factor. And some breeders answered the call and supported us with higher quality horses this year than they have in the past.”

Another Pharoah for Beckerle

Tom Beckerle, who already has a stakes winner by American Pharoah, purchased another filly by the 2015 Triple Crown winner for a sale-topping $350,000 Tuesday at the Fasig-Tipton California sale. The yearling (hip 196) was bred by Terry Lovingier and was consigned by his Lovacres Ranch. In partnership with Lovingier and Amanda Navarro, Beckerle campaigns Fi Fi Pharoah (American Pharoah), who won the Melair S. in June.

“I have some partners that wanted to get an American Pharoah,” Beckerle said. “We liked her for breeding down the road and Fi Fi Pharoah has already made us a couple hundred thousand dollars. We think this one can do the same thing.

We will see what happens.”

Hip 196 is out of the unraced Ez Indy (A.P. Indy), who is a half-sister to champion Banshee Breeze (Unbridled). The mare, in foal to Animal Kingdom, was purchased by Lovingier for $85,000 at the 2016 Keeneland November sale.

Beckerle, based in Fallbrook, California, purchased three other yearlings from the Lovacres Ranch consignment Tuesday. He acquired a colt by Stay Thirsty (hip 134) for $100,000 and a pair of fillies by the GI Travers S. winner (hip 8 and hip 31) for $50,000 each.

Siegel Strikes Early For Practical Joke Filly

Trainer Brian Koriner, bidding on behalf of Samantha Siegel's Jay Em Ess Stable, got the Fasig-Tipton California sale off to a quick start when purchasing a filly by Practical Joke (hip 10) for $300,000. The yearling was consigned by Barton Thoroughbreds and was bred by Richard Barton Enterprises, which purchased her unraced dam Miss Lavinia (Speightstown) for $4,200 at the 2016 Keeneland November sale.

“She is by Practical Joke and she is out of a Speightstown mare,” Koriner said of the yearling's appeal. “She's bred to be very fast and maybe early and precocious.”

The 14-year-old Miss Lavinia is a daughter of Miss Seffens (Dehere), who is also the dam of GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner More Than Real (More Than Ready). Miss Lavinia is the dam of graded placed Arch Cat (Arch), as well as the dam of multiple Grade I placed Cassies Dreamer (Flatter).

Jay Em Ess Stable was making its first purchase of the yearling sale season, according to Koriner.

“She is very excited,” he said of Siegel. “She hasn't bought any yearlings all year, she waited and she's very excited to get a Cal-bred by Practical Joke.”

Barton Thoroughbreds also had sales success Tuesday with a filly by Palace Malice (hip 79) who sold for $135,000 to Legacy Ranch. The operation purchased her dam, Smiling Cruise, with this foal in utero, for $22,000 at the 2019 Keeneland November sale.

Nyquist Colt a Classic Purchase

Ocala horsewoman Danzel Brendemuehl returned to her California roots to purchase a colt by Nyquist (hip 83) in the name of her Classic Bloodstock as agent for partners Sasulito and Breckenridge Bloodstock in Pomona Tuesday.

“We loved everything about him,” Brendemuehl said. “He's by Nyquist, he's a California-bred and he's a very nice colt. We are probably going to pinhook him in a Fasig-Tipton sale–probably Miami.”

Brendemuehl did not rule out a return trip to California for the yearling.

“California needs a 2-year-old sale and Boyd Browning is working real hard with Fasig-Tipton to make it happen,” she said. “If it happens, we'll be here with that colt and we'll top the sale.”

Hip 83 is out of Soul Crusader (Fusaichi Pegasus), a daughter of graded winner Michigan Bluff (Skywalker). He was consigned by Woodbridge Farm and was bred by Bud Petrosian who purchased the mare with this foal in utero for $22,000 at last year's Keeneland January sale.

Also Tuesday, Brendemuehl also purchased a colt by Smiling Tiger (hip 44) for $27,000. Coleen Smith's Breckenridge Bloodstock returned later in the session to acquire a filly by City of Light (hip 208) for $170,000.

Slugo Racing Gets in on the Light'

Steve Gasparelli's Slugo Racing added a colt by in-demand young sire City of Light to its roster when acquiring hip 171 for $260,000 Tuesday in Pomona.

“We like the City of Lights,” Gasparelli, who did his bidding alongside trainer Mike Puype, said. “We think he has a lot of potential as a stallion. And I really liked the way this colt looked, very correct. And the mare has dropped winners already. We only came for a couple and he was on our short list.”

The yearling is out of Chicalelee (Cherokee Run) and is a half-brother to stakes-placed Touchdown Brown (Cairo Prince). He was consigned by Bruno DeBerdt's Excel Bloodstock on behalf of his breeder, PT Syndicate #1 LLC.

Square Eddie Colt to Blacker

Three years ago, Dan Blacker was an underbidder on a yearling by Square Eddie out of North Freeway (Jump Start), but the trainer would not be denied for the colt's full-brother, going to $200,000 Tuesday to acquire hip 30.

“I was underbidder on the brother two years ago to Simon Callaghan, so I am kind of glad that he didn't show up today and I got to buy this one,” Blacker said after signing the ticket on behalf of a partnership of owners.

The bay yearling was bred by Thomas Bachman and was consigned by his Fairview LLC. Stakes-winning North Freeway is already the dam of stakes winner and Grade I placed Take the One O One (Acclamation) and the Callaghan-trained stakes winner Square Deal (Square Eddie).

“He looks really solid,” Blacker, who did his bidding alongside Boomer Bloodstock's Craig Rounsefell, said of the yearling. “He looks like a really sound horse that is going to be fun for our partners. And it's a good family, the mare is great and he really looked really solid soundness wise and soundness is so important these days. Hopefully we will get him to the races at Del Mar next summer and go on from there.”

Impressive Return for Christophersons

Neal and Pam Christopherson, owners of Bar-C Racing Stables, enjoyed a quick return on their investment in the mare Joyce and Me (Discreet Cat) Tuesday. The couple purchased the mare, in foal to Stanford, for just $1,000 at the CTBA January sale in 2020. They sent the mare's Stanford filly (hip 230) through the ring in Pomona to sell for $100,000 to Slugo Racing.

“That's a nice return on the investment. I like to gamble on stuff that looks like that,” Neal Christopherson said.

Joyce and Me produced a filly by Stanford this year and was bred back to Harbor the Gold.

Bar C Racing Stables was already coming off a big score in the sales ring this month. As part of a foal-share, the operation sold a filly by Uncle Mo out of Fresia (El Prado {Ire}) (hip 371) for $700,000 at the Keeneland September sale. The Christophersons purchased Fresia for $35,000 at the 2015 Keeneland November sale. She was carrying subsequent multiple stakes winner Galilean (Uncle Mo) at that auction.

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Maryland Horsemen Navigate New Corticosteroid Guidelines In Wake Of Lab Switch

At a virtual meeting on Sept. 28, Maryland horsemen tried to understand what the newest change in corticosteroid testing in the state will mean for them. The Maryland Racing Commission last week approved a motion to remove testing thresholds for five different corticosteroids and begin using the laboratory's limit of detection for all five drugs.

While that sounds like a big change, experts on the call said it's mostly intended to bring testing into line with the regulations the commission approved in 2019.

In the wake of the Santa Anita fatality spike of 2018-19, The Stronach Group and the California Horse Racing Board determined that backing out the last acceptable administration for intra-articular corticosteroids and other drugs was beneficial to equine safety, because it reduced the likelihood that the drugs could cloud a veterinarian's assessment of a horse pre-race and also the chance for a horse with an underlying problem to continue running. In 2019, with this background in mind, Maryland adopted Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) model rules backing up the administration of intra-articular corticosteroids including prednisolone, betamethasone, isoflupredone and triamcinolone, from seven days pre-race to 14 days pre-race.

The problem, officials say, is that the testing laboratory contracted at that time — Truesdail Laboratories of Irvine, Calif., — did not change the threshold they used to determine whether a sample was positive for corticosteroids or not. From that regulation change in 2019 until April 2021 when the contract expired, it was illegal to give the drugs in the joint closer than 14 days pre-race, but the only way the commission could have caught someone was through surveillance, or if they turned in a treatment sheet showing an administration in the prohibited timeframe. Testing was only going to pick up an administration within one week.

(This wasn't the first or only issue racing jurisdictions discovered with Truesdail, which in 2015 was the subject of a quality control audit by the Indiana Horse Racing Commission which found that seven positive tests were missed over a 26-day period.)

When Industrial Laboratories of Wheat Ridge, Colo., began testing for Maryland, it implemented a threshold that would catch corticosteroids at 14 days. The lab also implemented thresholds to match the 72-hour withdrawal requirement given for intramuscular or intravenous administration of dexamethasone, which is also a corticosteroid.

That's when there were a handful of high-profile positives, including one from trainer Claudio Gonzalez. Gonzalez and others told the commission they had been giving dexamethasone inside the 72-hour window but at a lower dose and had previously had no trouble with positives.

The trouble with using a threshold, according to Racing Medication and Testing Consortium executive director Dr. Mary Scollay and The Stronach Group's equine medical director Dr. Dionne Benson, is people get focused on the threshold itself. (And some trainers like Gonzalez figure out how to beat thresholds by giving lesser doses closer in to races.) What regulators are hoping trainers will begin doing instead is following withdrawal guidelines.

“It quite frankly is the best and only way to regulate these drugs,” said Alan Foreman, chairman of the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association.

By removing thresholds, track officials and the commission believe they can more precisely recognize when someone has violated administration rules. Now, these corticosteroids will be tested at the limit of laboratory detection — which the laboratory generally does not want to publish. All the public knows is that limit of detection is greater than 0. British data suggests that the safest timeframe for IV or IM dexamethasone administration in a “limit of detection” scenario is five days. Scollay stressed that it isn't illegal for trainers to give that drug through either IV or IM injection at 72 hours, but that could come with an increased risk of a positive test. It's also true, however, that different labs have different limits of detection, and that should be worrying to horsemen who travel.

“You should not, with confidence, cross state lines and say I was giving it at 72 hours in Maryland and I'm going to be ok in California doing it the same way, because chances are you may not,” she said. “Their limit of detection may be lower … that's where the five-day guidance comes in. It gives you that added safety for labs that may have a lower limit of detection.”

Intra-articular corticosteroid injections are regulated by date of administration, not lab results, though lab results can help regulators catch someone breaking the rules on those.

According to Benson, these changes will go into effect Nov. 2. At that point, the lab will begin reporting whatever corticosteroids it can see in a sample.

“The risk [of a positive test] is no different than it has been,” said veterinarian Dr. Tom Bowman, who chairs the Equine Safety Health and Welfare Advisory Committee of the Maryland Racing Commission. “The level of awareness [is] — you now know that five days out is safer than three days.”

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Friday’s Speakeasy At Santa Anita To Offer Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint Slot

An impressive first-out winner on dirt, Richard Mandella's Forbidden Kingdom merits top billing on grass in Friday's $100,000 Speakeasy Stakes at Santa Anita which has attracted a field of seven juveniles, including three fillies. To be contested at five furlongs on turf, the Speakeasy is a Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” Challenge Race qualifier to the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint Nov. 5 at Del Mar.

A chestnut colt by American Pharoah, out of the Five Star Day mare Just Louise, Forbidden Kingdom was purchased for $300,000 out of the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Selected Yearlings Showcase Sale and is owned by MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm, LLC. With a solid 79 Beyer Speed Figure in-hand, Forbidden Kingdom will hope to act on turf as well with Juan Hernandez back in the saddle.

A Chicago mainstay, jockey E.T. Baird will be back aboard the speedy One Timer, who is trained by Larry Rivelli and will be making his Southern California debut. A Kentucky-bred gelding by Trappe Shot, One Timer comes off a pair of impressive sprint wins over synthetic surfaces. A first-out 12 ½ length open maiden winner going five furlongs at Arlington Park June 26, One Timer, who is owned by Richard Raven and Patricia's Hope, LLC, then sped to a 3 ¾ length score in an ungraded stakes going 5 ½ furlongs at Woodbine July 31.

With five Arlington Park works over synthetic since winning in Canada, One Timer, who has registered Beyer Speed figs of 80 in both of his starts, can be expected to handle turf and if so, rates a big chance in a race that could set him up for Breeders' Cup stardom.

Owner Gary Barber's Time to Party, a chestnut gelding by Kantharos, comes off a 1 ½ length maiden win going five furlongs on turf as the 3-5 favorite on Sept. 2 and figures to attract ample pari-mutuel attention. Trained by Peter Miller, Time to Party has shown plenty of speed in two starts, his first a narrow second place finish under the same conditions Aug. 1.

With Flavien Prat back aboard, Time to Party, who was purchased for a modest $72,000 at the 2020 Ocala Breeders' Sale Company Winter Mixed Sale, is based at San Luis Rey Downs and will hope to step forward for his high percentage connections on Friday.

Of the three fillies entered, Wesley Ward's turf stakes winning Miss Alacrity rates the best chance in what will be her third start. A New York-bred by Munnings, she was a 10 length first-out winner versus statebreds going five furlongs on dirt at Belmont Park May 20 and came back at even money to drill open fillies going five furlongs on turf in an ungraded stakes Aug. 1 at Monmouth Park. She'll be ridden by John Velazquez, who was aboard for the maiden win.

The remaining fillies are the Bob Hess, Jr. conditioned Blame It On Rose, a maiden $32,000 claiming winner two starts back who then took a first condition allowance going six furlongs on dirt Aug. 28 at Del Mar and Rock the Belles, a $2,000 supplemental entrant. Trained by Luis Mendez, Rock the Belles was an impressive first-out maiden $150,000 claiming winner versus fillies Aug. 14 and was then well beaten in the Grade I Del Mar Debutante Sept. 5.

$100,000 SPEAKEASY STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS
IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 5 of 9 Approximate post time 3 p.m. PT

Rock the Belles—Edwin Maldonado—115
One Timer—E.T. Baird—122
Anmer Hall—Joel Rosario—118
Forbidden Kingdom—Juan Hernandez—118
Miss Alacrity—John Velazquez—119
Blame It On Rose—Drayden Van Dyke—115
Time to Party—Flavien Prat—118

The Speakeasy is one of four stakes on a nine-race program Friday, opening day of Santa Anita's 16-day Autumn Meet which concludes on Oct. 31. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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