Month: September 2021

High-Class Annapolis Steps Into Stakes Company In Pilgrim

After passing his maiden test with aplomb, regally-bred Annapolis will take on his first stakes endeavor for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher in Saturday's 43rd running of the Grade 2, $200,000 Pilgrim going 1 1/16 miles over the inner turf at Belmont Park.

The Pilgrim, which is named after Joseph Widener's winner of the 1919 Remsen, has seen three of its last five winners go on to capture the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, including Oscar Performance [2016], Structor [2019] and Fire At Will [2020].

Owned and bred by Bass Stables, Annapolis was a stylish winner on debut going 1 1/16 miles over the Saratoga inner turf on September 4. The bay son of prolific sire War Front, and first offspring out of graded stakes winner My Miss Sophia, was eighth down the backstretch and inched his way into contention approaching the far turn, drawing away in deep stretch to a 4 ½-length win. The first-out victory registered a 76 Beyer Speed Figure.

“He trained like he was going to run well in his debut, but it's hard sometimes to win going a mile and a sixteenth first out,” Pletcher said. “He did everything right, settled in well, put in a good run and kicked on. He moved up on a nice field of horses and I couldn't have asked for more on debut.”

Pletcher trained My Miss Sophia during her sophomore campaign, winning the Grade 2 Gazelle by open lengths before running second in the Grade 2 Kentucky Oaks in 2014. After being purchased for $2.15 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale, My Miss Sophia was transferred to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott for a 4-year-old campaign, where she was twice graded stakes placed on grass.

“We never ran her on the turf, but she was a filly that always trained exceptionally well before her debut and seemed to get better and better,” Pletcher recalled. “She ran a great race in the Kentucky Oaks. She was a good mare and it appears that she's gone on to be a good producer.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will return to the irons from post 3.

Pletcher also entered Repole Stable's Midnight Worker, who makes his turf debut following a stakes-placing.

The son of Outwork, a second-crop sire, was a narrow but game winner on debut in July going six furlongs at Saratoga. He stretched out to two turns for his following effort, garnering black type with a third-place finish in the one-mile Sapling on September 5 at Monmouth Park.

Midnight Worker has acclimated to the Belmont turf with a pair of breezes, including a half-mile on Sunday in 48.44 seconds – the fourth fastest of 20 recorded works at the distance.

Luis Saez will ride from post 2.

Chad Brown will seek his fourth Pilgrim triumph when saddling Portfolio Company, who seeks to build on a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 With Anticipation last out at Saratoga.

Owned by Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables', Portfolio Company was a debut winner on July 17 over a good inner turf at Saratoga en route to the With Anticipation, where he garnered a field best 82 Beyer. Breaking from post 4 under Ortiz, Jr., Portfolio Company was rank heading into the first turn and was placed along the rail down the backstretch before being turned back when confronting pacesetter Coinage.

Brown said the Kitten's Joy colt has been training with a new bit in advance of the Grade 2 Pilgrim.

“We've been working with the horse,” Brown said. “After that debut, he got a little keen with us and Irad had some trouble with him in that race, especially after he didn't break that well and he was trying to catch up. It just was a big mess. We're doing our best to get him to settle and changed some equipment on him. The horse seems to be doing pretty well.”

Joel Rosario will pick up the mount aboard Portfolio Company from post 1.

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Limited Liability, third in the With Anticipation, will attempt to give owner Stuart Janney III and Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey their second collaborative Pilgrim victory after teaming up with Air Support in 2010.

The son of Kitten's Joy was a late rallying 2 ¾-length winner of his July 31 debut over the Mellon turf at Saratoga, before coming off a slow pace and finishing a closing third in the With Anticipation.

Limited Liability added blinkers for a half-mile work in 50.24 over the Belmont inner turf Sunday and will wear them for Sunday's race.

“He wasn't keen with them. I'm just hoping he'll engage a little earlier depending on the pace,” McGaughey said. “Last time, they went three quarters in 15 and we were four lengths off the pace, it's hard to catch up.”

Limited Liability is out of the Blame mare Hold Harmless, whose prolific third dam Meghan's Joy produced Grade 1-winning turf millionaire Ironicus, graded stakes-winning turf millionaire On Leave, dual graded turf stakes winner Quiet Harbor, and Norumbega, a graded stakes winner on dirt.

Jose Ortiz will ride from post 4.

Completing the field are Doctor Jeff [post 5, Jose Lezcano], who makes his turf debut for trainer Rudy Rodriguez; and maiden City At Night [post 6, Kendrick Carmouche], who will attempt to give his jockey, owner Three Diamonds Farm and trainer Mike Maker their collaborative second straight Pilgrim triumph following Fire At Will.

The Pilgrim is slated as Race 4 on Sunday's 10-race card. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.

Sunday's program also includes the Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette, a one-mile “Win And You're In” qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies; and the Grade 3, $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Waya for fillies and mares travelling 1 3/8 miles over the turf.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

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‘Going To Have To Catch Her’: Echo Zulu Towers Over Frizette Field

Winchell Thoroughbreds and L and N Racing's Echo Zulu will pursue a validation of dominance amongst the juvenile filly division on the East Coast when attempting a second Grade 1 victory in Sunday's 72nd running of the Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette going a one-turn mile at Belmont Park.

The Frizette is a “Win And You're In” qualifying event offering an automatic entry into the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies on November 5 at Del Mar.

Unbeaten in both lifetime starts, Echo Zulu, a daughter of leading first-crop sire Gun Runner, enters the Frizette off a wire-to-wire four-length win in the Grade 1 Spinaway going seven furlongs on Sept. 5 at Saratoga.

Echo Zulu registered a 92 Beyer Speed Figure on debut – one of the top-three highest recorded by a 2-year-old this year – when breaking her maiden going 5 ½ furlongs in July at Saratoga. Echo Zulu showed early speed in her maiden score and responded well when asked by Ricardo Santana, Jr., powering home to a 5 ½-length score.

A victory would provide Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen with a fourth Frizette triumph, following scores with My Miss Aurelia [2011], Nickname [2015] and Wicked Whisper [2019].

Echo Zulu was acquired for $300,000 from the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where she was consigned by Betz Thoroughbreds. She is out of the Menifee mare Letgomyecho, who also produced Grade 1-winner Echo Town and graded stakes winner J Boys Echo.

Like many of Asmussen's young horses, Echo Zulu was sent to El Primero Training Center in Laredo, Texas – owned by Asmussen's parents Keith and Marilyn Asmussen – prior to her racing career.

David Fiske, Winchell Thoroughbreds' racing and bloodstock advisor, noted the strong gate ability many horses that develop at El Primero acquire.

“The horses that come out of Laredo tend to be pretty fast from the gate. We call it the Laredo leap,” Fiske said. “They'll come out and be a length or two in front of the rest. It's just a testament to what they do at Laredo. Steve's dad does a great job getting them to leave the gate. A lot of the Gun Runners get out of the gate well, but they aren't rocket ships out of there. But once they get going, they go for a long time.”

Fiske said Echo Zulu flaunted early ability, but her speed figures surprised her connections.

“We knew she was fast. I don't know that we thought she was 92 Beyer fast,” Fiske said. “This year, there have only been a couple of other 2-year-olds with bigger figures than her. She always had trained well, but fast in the morning is different than fast against competition.”

With a likely start in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies to follow the Frizette, Fiske expressed no concern with Echo Zulu stretching out to two turns in the future.

“There's a lot of speed at the bottom side of her pedigree with Echo Town,” Fiske said. “Hopefully there's some genetic influence that would enable her to go two turns.”

Fiske said Echo Zulu is likely to be on the lead Sunday when exiting post 6 under Santana, Jr.

“Someone's going to have to catch her,” Fiske said. “Change the track surface from Saratoga to Belmont and add another furlong, and who knows. But so far, she gives every indication that the mile shouldn't be a problem for her. As fast as she is, she should be able to hold the turns well. It should be easier for her.”

Trainer Chad Brown will saddle Klaravich Stables' Gerrymander, who will attempt to give leading sire Into Mischief his second straight offspring to win the Frizette after last year's winner Dayoutoftheoffice.

Following a distant second as the favorite to Velvet Sister on debut going 5 ½ furlongs on June 10 at Belmont Park, Gerrymander emerged off a 2 ½ month layoff to dazzle at 10-1 odds on August 29 at Saratoga going six furlongs. She broke sharply from the gate, dropped back a close fourth, and made a sweeping four-wide move approaching upper stretch to take the lead past the eighth pole and fended off late rallies from two foes to win by a half-length.

“I've always thought a lot of her. She was bet first out, and I had to totally restart with her and then she showed us what we thought of her in that last race at Saratoga,” said Brown, who teamed up with Klaravich to capture the 2017 Frizette with Separationofpowers. “That's what we thought very early on in the year with her and then she's come back and trained well. We brought her down here and the filly worked fabulous on the main track, so we'll give her a shot to step up. She's going to like a mile, we'll see if she likes the competition. That's the difference.”

Brown said Gerrymander has trained forwardly since her maiden score. Following a bullet half-mile in 48.31 seconds over Saratoga's Oklahoma training track on September 19, she travelled the same distance Sunday on the Belmont main track in 48.77 seconds.

“I like the way the horse is training but she's going to have to really step up,” Brown said. “This is a really strong race.”

Joel Rosario will pilot Gerrymander from post 8.

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Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey will seek a sixth Frizette triumph when he saddles Magic Cap Stables' Frosty Brew.

The dark bay or brown daughter of second crop sire Frosted was a 1 ¾-length winner on debut going six furlongs on September 8 at Laurel Park.

“She ran a good race down there,” said McGaughey, whose Frizette coups include subsequent champions Personal Ensign [1986], Heavenly Prize [1993] and Storm Flag Flying [2002]. “She laid a little bit off of it and picked it up.”

McGaughey said Frosty Brew should have no issue stretching out to a mile.

“That ain't going to hurt her,” McGaughey said. “She'll lay where she needs to lay and hopefully, she'll finish. It's a tough spot for her.”

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano will ride from the inside post.

The Elkstone Group's Jester Calls Nojoy is one of two entrants from the barn of Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, who has won the Frizette three times.

The bay daughter of Maclean's Music was an impressive second-out graduate travelling seven furlongs over a good main track at Saratoga, leading at every point of call to draw away by 10 lengths.

Luis Saez was aboard for the outstanding triumph and will ride once more from post 7.

My Racehorse Stable and Spendthrift Farm's A Mo Reay will try to break her maiden at Grade 1 level for Pletcher. The daughter of Uncle Mo was a late-closing third last out, making up 11 lengths from ninth to round out the trifecta, just a half-length to fellow Frizette aspirant Gerrymander.

A Mo Reay will leave from post 2 under Jose Lezcano.

Rounding out the field are LLP Performance Horse's Jumeirah [post 5, Junior Alvarado], a stakes-placed daughter of Twirling Candy for trainer Carlos David; J.W. Singer's first-out maiden winner Magic Circle [post 9, Manny Franco]; James Chapman trained and co-owned Saucy Lady T [post 3, Dylan Davis], who finished third in all three graded stakes for juvenile fillies at Saratoga; and KEM Stable's Linda Rice-trained second out maiden winner Hot Fudge [post 4, Jose Ortiz].

The Frizette honors the multiple stakes-winner who is more aptly known for her stellar career as a broodmare. Campaigned by James Keene and subsequently owned by Herman Duryea, Frizette was responsible for producing multiple prominent broodmare lines including champion Myrtlewood, whose descendants include 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, influential patriarch Mr. Prospector and 1942 Kentucky Oaks victress Miss Dogwood.

Other descendants of Frizette include 1986 Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand and 1942 Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Vagrancy. The Frizette has also been a popular stopping point for subsequent winners of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, including Meadow Star [1990], Flanders [1994], Storm Song [1996], Storm Flag Flying [2002], Indian Blessing [2007], My Miss Aurelia [2011], and Jaywalk [2018].

The Frizette is slated as Race 9 on Sunday's 10-race card. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.

Sunday's program also includes the Grade 2, $200,000 Pilgrim for juveniles going 1 1/16 miles over the turf and the Grade 3, $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Waya for fillies and mares travelling 1 3/8 miles over the turf.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

The post ‘Going To Have To Catch Her’: Echo Zulu Towers Over Frizette Field appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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NYRA: New Procedures Are ‘Exactly’ What Baffert Asked For, Hearing Pushed To Oct. 11

Last week, Hall of Famer Bob Baffert's attorneys filed a letter with U.S. District Judge Carol Bagley Amon requesting she hold the New York Racing Association in contempt for scheduling a hearing. NYRA fired back at Baffert in court on Wednesday, reports the Thoroughbred Daily News, arguing that the new hearing procedures are exactly what the trainer argued he was entitled to when filing his lawsuit.

NYRA notified Baffert ahead of the Belmont Stakes that it was suspending his ability to enter horses in races or have stall space at its racetracks due to his recent history of medication violations (five over a one-year period), the conflicting statements he provided to media around the Medina Spirit scandal, and Churchill Downs' suspension of the trainer.

Judge Amon of the Eastern District of New York determined that NYRA's suspension of Baffert should not have taken place without some sort of hearing allowing him to address the organization's accusations against him. Although NYRA was asserting its private property rights in the case, Amon said the organization is closely entwined enough with the state that its suspension of Baffert constituted a state action, thereby requiring due process.

NYRA issued a statement of charges against Baffert and fellow trainer Marcus Vitali on Sept. 10, and scheduled a hearing for Baffert to begin on Sept. 27. However, that hearing was delayed until Oct. 11 as Baffert's attorney requested additional time. The trainer will not be participating on that date, because the first hearing will be about scheduling future dates and deadlines.

The Sept. 29 filing by NYRA reads: “Plaintiff moves to hold NYRA in contempt for providing Plaintiff exactly what he argued he was entitled to in support of his motion for a preliminary injunction–notice and an opportunity to be heard.

“Plaintiff incorrectly asserts that the Notice of Hearing, Hearing Rules and Procedures, and Statement of Charges demonstrate that, 'NYRA's conduct is simply a repackaged version of the same action already enjoined. What the Hearing Rules and Procedures and Statement of Charges actually show is a substantially different process that is now in place, which was not afforded in connection with the May 17 suspension that the Court enjoined.”

“Plaintiff's speculation that NYRA created its Hearing Rules and Procedures to target him is incorrect,” the filing continued. “The Hearing Rules and Procedures are of general applicability and are designed to afford the process this Court deemed necessary in its Order.”

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

An archive of stories about Baffe

Additional stories about Baffert's Kentucky Derby positive and ensuing legal battles can be found here.

The post NYRA: New Procedures Are ‘Exactly’ What Baffert Asked For, Hearing Pushed To Oct. 11 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Figures Strong At Sportsman’s Sale

There was barely time for the dust to settle on a successful renewal of the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale before the firm continued on Thursday with the first of two days of its Sportsman's Yearling Sale, which likewise returned strong results.

The Sportsman's Sale, like the Orby, was relocated last year to the Goffs UK headquarters in Doncaster with the pandemic making it all but impossible for visitors to travel to Ireland, and back at its rightful home in Kildare on Thursday the first session returned positive figures. Whereas in 2020 during the first session 104 yearlings had grossed £1,404,000, 186 were sold on Thursday for €3,945,000. This year's average of €21,210 was up 43% on last year's figure of £13,500, and even improved on the 2019 first-day average of €17,954. The median likewise climbed 45% to €16,000; it was £10,000 last year and €14,000 on day one in 2019. The clearance rate was 90%.

Topping trade on Thursday was a Dark Angel (Ire) filly from Lumville Farm knocked down to Cathy Grassick of Brian Grassick Bloodstock for €140,000. Bred by Shadwell, Lot 475 is the first foal out of the listed-placed Ghazawaat (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), whose dam and half-sister Simply Striking (Fr) (Kheleyf) were both stakes-placed.

“In terms of this sale she was a standout and we're delighted to have gotten her,” said Grassick. “I've bought horses this week for a new client and ones from America and Australia and they are going to keep their purchases in training here which is great to see.”

There was one Siyouni colt offered on the day, and Tom Whitehead of Powerstown Stud swooped to get him at €105,000. He is likewise a first foal; lot 577 was bred by Sunderland Holding and is out of the placed Dawn Approach (Ire) mare Miss Aiglonne (GB), herself a daughter of the G3 Prix Fille de l'Air victress Aiglonne (Silver Hawk) and a half-sister to four stakes winners including G1 Prix d'Ispahan scorer Mekhtaal (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) and G3 Prix Thomas Bryon victor Normandy Bridge (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}).

Bungle Inthejungle (GB) has been in the news of late thanks to his G1 Nunthorpe S. winner Winter Power (Ire), and a filly by the Rathasker Stud sire found favour with Rodrigo Goncalves and Robson Aguiar at €90,000. The filly (lot 630) offered by Rathasker is out of the listed-winning Princess Janie (Elusive Quality), and a half-sister to the listed-placed Lundy (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), and she will be raced by Kia Joorabchian's Amo Racing.

“She has been bought in partnership with Robson Aguiar for Amo Racing and she is a lovely filly,” said Goncalves. “She looks a really sharp and early type and she is by the same sire as Winter Power so hopefully she can progress like her. She looks a filly with a real future.”

First-crop sire US Navy Flag enjoyed good results at Orby, and a filly by him bred by Peter and Hugh McCutcheon sold for €82,000 on Thursday to Montgomery Otto.

Cotai Glory has enjoyed good results with his first runners this season, and he accounted for three of the top 10 sellers on Thursday, including a filly (lot 497) picked up by Joe Foley for €68,000.

All yearlings purchased at the Sportsman's Sale are eligible for the €100,000 Goffs Sportsman's Challenge, which will be held over six furlongs at Naas next September.

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