May, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘Interstate’ On Top in Black-Eyed Susan

Heading into Friday's GII George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan, much of the attention centered around GIII Las Virgenes S. winner Adare Manor (Uncle Mo). However, when the dust had settled, it was Flurry Racing Stables' Interstatedaydream (Classic Empire) who had scampered away to victory, heading a 1-2 finish for Coolmore stallions.

Sent off at 6-1, Interstatedaydream shadowed 11-1 chance Beguine (Gun Runner) through :23.34 and :46.65 splits as favored Adare Manor, the sole graded winner in the bunch, tracked in third. Inching closer to her front-running rival before drawing even turning for home, the Brad Cox trainee took over, and, despite drifting slightly outward in the lane, kept up the tempo late to post a 1 1/4-length score over Adare Manor. Radio Days (Gun Runner) closed to be third.

“There was no game plan,” admitted jockey Florent Geroux. “I thought there would be a couple of fillies, especially on the inside, who would have gone. I was really expecting Adare Manor to be a little bit forwardly placed. But when Johnny [Velazquez] was content to sit right off me, I just took advantage of it. I was not going to pull too hard on my filly just to let him pass. I thought my filly was great where she was.”

The victory was the second graded stakes win on the afternoon for jockey Florent Geroux, who also took the GIII Allaire Dupont Distaff S. with the Norm Casse-trained Super Quick (Super Saver) earlier on the card.

A first out winner at Belmont last June, the Ontario-bred only made one more start in 2021, and that was a runner-up finish behind Wicked Halo (Gun Runner) in the GII Adirondack S. at Saratoga in August. Blowing the doors off with a sparkling 8 1/4-length victory in an Oaklawn optional claimer Mar. 13, she finished a distant third last time behind subsequent Kentucky Oaks runner-up Nest (Curlin) in the Apr. 8 GI Central Bank Ashland S. at Keeneland.

“She just wasn't ready for it,” said Cox when asked about the decision to bypass the Kentucky Oaks two weeks ago. “It would have been back a little too quick, throwing too much at her too quick. I thought it made the most sense [to wait for the Black-Eyed Susan].”

Pedigree Notes:
A member of the first crop of juvenile champion Classic Empire, the Black-Eyed Susan winner becomes the sixth black-type and second graded stakes winner for the Coolmore stallion. Bred by William Graham in Ontario, Canada, Interstatedaydream is out of the unraced Uncle Mo mare Babcock, also responsible for MSP Emmeline (Violence). The filly's pedigree represents a very productive Canadian family, including grand dam Captivating (Arch), who produced Canadian Horse of the Year and champion 2-year-old Uncaptured (Lion Heart), in addition to MSW Dancing Raven (Tomahawk). The extended family also includes the Classic-winning MGISW Curalina (Curlin).

Friday, Pimlico
GEORGE E. MITCHELL BLACK-EYED SUSAN S.-GII, $250,000, Pimlico, 5-20, 3yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:48.73, ft.
1–INTERSTATEDAYDREAM, 118, f, 3, by Classic Empire
                1st Dam: Babcock, by Uncle Mo
                2nd Dam: Captivating, by Arch
                3rd Dam: Andrea Ruckus, by Bold Ruckus
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($105,000
Ylg '20 KEEJAN; $130,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $175,000 2yo '21
OBSAPR). O-Flurry Racing Stables LLC; B-William D. Graham
(ON); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Florent Geroux. $150,000. Lifetime
Record: 5-3-1-1, $351,225. *1/2 to Emmeline (Violence), MSP,
$243,529. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Werk Nick Rating: A++.
2–Adare Manor, 122, f, 3, Uncle Mo–Brooklynsway, by Giant
Gizmo. ($180,000 Ylg '20 FTKFEB; $190,000 RNA Ylg '20
FTKSEL; $375,000 2yo '21 OBSOPN). O-Michael Lund Petersen;
B-Town & Country Horse Farms, LLC & Gary Broad (KY); T-Sean
McCarthy. $50,000.
3–Radio Days, 118, f, 3, Gun Runner–Remembered, by Sky
Mesa. ($750,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Joseph Allen LLC; B-Hinkle
Farms (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III. $25,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1, 2 3/4. Odds: 6.10, 2.10, 15.80.
Also Ran: Divine Huntress, Favor, Morning Matcha, Miss Yearwood, Distinctlypossible, Midnight Stroll, Candy Light, Luna Belle, Beguine, Missy Greer.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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First Captain Rallies Late, Edges Pletcher Duo In Pimlico Special

First Captain, the only runner in the field of 10 to have a North American graded stakes victory on his resume, rallied late under Luis Saez to win the Grade 3, $300,000 Pimlico Special by a head over even-money favorite Vindictive, with pace-setting Untreated 1 1/4 lengths back in third on Friday at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

Trained by Shug McGaughey, the 4-year-old by Curlin ran 1 3/16 miles on a fast track in 1:56.24 and paid $12 for the win, his fifth in seen starts. He is owned by the partnership of West Point Thoroughbreds, Siena Farm LLC, Woodford Racing LLC, and Bobby Flay. The latter bred First Captain and sold the colt through consignor Stone Farm for $1.5 million at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale.

First Captain was produced from the A.P. Indy mare, America, a graded stakes-winning homebred for celebrity chef Flay, who had a big day on the Black-Eyed Susan day program. Earlier in the afternoon, Flay's homebred Pizza Bianca, winner of the 2021 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, scored her first victory of the year in the Hilltop Stakes and is bound for England's Royal Ascot next month.

Racing with blinkers for the first time and with Saez taking over from Jose Ortiz, who'd ridden him in all of his previous starts, First Captain settled into fifth position and well off the rail in the run down the stretch for the first time.

Untreated, one of two horses in the race along with Vindictive trained by Todd Pletcher, eased his way to the front under Joel Rosario and went the opening quarter mile in a leisurely :24.99 and a half in :49.80. Workin On a Dream was a little over a length behind with Vindictive and Irad Ortiz Jr. getting a ground-saving trip to his inside.

They continued that way down the backstretch, with First Captain still well off the rail and in fifth or sixth position approaching the far turn after six furlongs in 1:14.27. Rounding the turn, Workin On a Dream put added pressure on the front-running Untreated, and Vindictive swung out to pose an even stiffer challenge after a mile was run in 1:38.46.

Saez, meanwhile, bided his time until swinging First Captain to the outside at the top of the lane and took aim at the Pletcher duo, needing the length of the Pimlico stretch to get the job done.

The complete order of finish: First Captain, Vindictive, Untreated, Workin On a Dream, Mohaafeth, Treasure Trove, Mischief Afoot, Excellorator, Capocostello, Forewarned.

First Captain won his first three races last year, beginning with an April 24 maiden race going seven furlongs at Belmont Park. He came back a month later, winning an allowance over a sloppy surface at Belmont, then took the G3 Dwyer going a mile. Favored at 13-10 in the Curlin Stakes at Saratoga on July 30, First Captain finished a well-beaten third and did not resurface until February of this year at Gulfstream Park. He won that optional claiming/allowance event by a head, then was a well-beaten seventh in the G1 Carter Handicap at Aqueduct on April 9.

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Just A Princess Tops Arqana Grand Steeple Sale

Arqana's Grand Steeple Sale at Saint-Cloud Racecourse grossed €2,313,000 with 29 lots sold from 35 (83%) through the ring. The Magdalen Bryant Dispersal accounted for €1,043,000 of that total, which consisted of the first 21 lots in the catalogue. The average was €79,759 and the median was €55,000.

An even 10 lots made six figures or better, and it was the AQPS Just A Princess (Fr) (Ivanhowe {Ger}) (lot 5), a member of trainer David Cottin's consignment and part of that dispersal, that topped the sale. The sophomore was knocked down for €260,000 on a bid from Anthony Bromley's Highflyer Bloodstock. She holds an entry into the G3 Prix Sagan at Saint-Cloud on Saturday.

Bromley was also in action for the second-highest lot on the day, the €200,000 Zarak The Brave (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) (lot 8). Offered by Stephane Wattel, the bay is already a winner on the Flat and will be sent to Willie Mullins to further his career in the National Hunt sphere.

After the sale, Bryant's daughter KC Graham said, “This is a very special day for us, full of emotion. What can I say, we are very happy with the results of this sale. The horses sold well, they were eagerly awaited and it's a great tribute to our mother and to David Powell. We loved David's genius, to whom we owe today's results.”

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Skippylongstocking’s Preakness Bid Could Be Monumental For Doble Jak Investments, Top Line Sales

For many in this year's Preakness Stakes field, the road to Pimlico Race Course involved a six-figure trip through the auction ring. Skippylongstocking took a similar route to Baltimore, but with a key detour.

The Exaggerator colt is the lone horse in the Preakness field to change hands at a 2-year-old sale prior to his racing career, and his $37,000 sale price at the 2021 Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training was the lowest of this year's entries.

Across town from Pimlico, Jimbo Gladwell plans to watch the race from the Maryland State Fairgrounds as he shows horses from his Top Line Sales consignment ahead of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. If Skippylongstocking pulls off the upset, it would be a monumental name to add to Top Line's fast-growing list of prominent alumni.

However, Gladwell is quick to acknowledge that he did not have his hands on the horse for very long before he went through the ring. The colt shipped directly to the Top Line shedrow at last year's OBS Spring sale after the father-son team of Tito and Luis Guevara of Doble Jak Investments did the heavy lifting getting him ready.

“They did a great job with the horse,” Gladwell said. “They had the horse ready. He came straight to us and trained good, prepped good, was in one piece, and we just got the honor of selling him for them. We didn't do a whole lot of work other than hold him together and point him down the track.”

Getting a horse in the gate for any of the Triple Crown races is a triumph against the odds for even the biggest operations that start and resell racehorses, but Skippylongstocking's entry in the Preakness is a special kind of moonshot for the Doble Jak operation, which keeps its numbers between five and 10 young horses to start each year.

“It's pretty much me, my father, and my grooms,” Luis Guevara said about the Florida-based Doble Jak operation. “For the most part, we like to keep it small and hands-on.”

Luis (left) and Tito Guevara of Doble Jak Investments.

Luis said he and and his father Tito complement each other's strong points when it comes to pinhooking horses.

Luis handles the business end, taking care of the buying and selling of the horses, working with the consignors, sale companies, clients, and potential buyers. Tito, who was a jockey in Venezuela for over 25 years, handles what can be done in the saddle.

“He's the mastermind,” Luis said of his father. “I've learned not to question him. He always seems to be right.

“The best sale horse we ever had was Sarah Sis,” he continued. “We breezed her, I'm not lying to you, one time, and he said, 'We're not breezing this filly again until we get to OBS.' We never breezed her again. She ended up earning almost a million dollars at the races. After that, I thought maybe I should listen to him a little more.”

Both Luis and Tito were skeptical of Skippylongstocking before he went through the ring at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, but the colt fit their price range between $10,000 and $20,000, and as the very last horse on offer for the session, they wondered if they might find a soft spot in the market after most other buyers had left for the night.

“The sale was really hard that year, everything was so expensive,” Luis said. “He comes up, and I kind of overlooked him because he was really immature. He was a big horse, lanky and narrow, but you could tell he was going to need a lot of time.

“I remember the guy running the (consignor) South Point shows saw me looking at him, and my dad and I were walking away, and he comes up running and says, 'Man, you need to take another look at him. His half-brother is breezing pretty hard at Gulfstream,'” Luis continued, referencing Moonlite Strike, who has since become a stakes winner. “We went back I talked to my dad, and he said if we give him the time, he thought he was going to be a nice horse. He was so lanky, and we knew if we put in the time, he would fill out eventually, and that's pretty much how it went.”

Doble Jak landed the colt for $15,000. The underbidder was trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., who had Moonlite Strike in his barn. Joseph would eventually saddle Skippylongstocking, as well.

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Luis said the colt was never outstanding during his time learning how to become a racehorse with Doble Jak, but he wasn't a problem child in training. His behavior in the barn was another issue.

“He was pretty much straightforward,” Luis said. “The only thing that was different was his attitude. He was a very mean horse. Feeding time was bad for him, for us, because he used to try to kick you, bite you, run up to you. Stuff like that.”

The Doble Jak method for training is just that – methodical. Luis said his dad is patient to a fault when it comes to bringing a horse along, making sure the one or two furlongs they cover during the breeze show isn't the peak of their athletic careers.

“He doesn't like to push,” Luis said. “I get frustrated sometimes when I feel like we need to push them a little harder, but he gets on them, and he knows which ones are ready and which ones need a little more work. We only work them about five times prior to the sale.”

Skippylongstocking breezed an eighth of a mile in :10 2/5 seconds during the OBS Spring breeze show, and he finished under his reserve when he went through the ring. However, the Guevara team got the colt sold privately when he returned to the barn, going to owner Daniel Alsono – and into Joseph's barn – for $37,000.

Even if Skippylongstocking doesn't run a step on Satruday, it has already been a solid purchase for Alsono. Skippylongstocking has won a pair of races at Gulfstream Park and earned $156,100 on the racetrack, most recently finishing third in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial.

With a day left before the big race, Luis said he was still mulling over if and how he'd make it to the Preakness to watch Skippylongstocking run. It could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but he's also got to try to create the next once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“I was trying to get the tickets, but I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to make it to the race or not,” he said. “I've got four horses in the (OBS) June sale, and it kind of conflicts with the timing. I might not have one in there for a very long time, if ever again.”

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