Month: August 2022

Record-Setting International Sire More Than Ready Dies

More Than Ready (Southern Halo–Woodman's Girl, by Woodman), whose 216 worldwide stakes winners is the fourth highest total of all time, was euthanized the morning of Aug. 26 at WinStar Farm due to the cumulative effects of old age. He was 25 years old.

“More Than Ready was an amazing horse who touched everyone he came in contact with,” said Elliott Walden, president, CEO, and racing manager of WinStar Farm. “He may not have been the biggest horse in the barn, but he more than made up for it in class, balance, and character. His expressions said it all. We will greatly miss him at the farm.”

Larry McGinnis, longtime stallion manager at WinStar Farm, said of the legend's passing, “To me, he was more than a great stallion, he was a great friend. It was an honor to take care of such a remarkable horse. I will miss him.”

Bred in Kentucky by Woodlynn Farm Inc., More Than Ready was purchased by Edward Rosen, agent for owner Jim Scatuorchio, for $187,000 at the 1998 Keeneland September sale and won his first five starts for trainer Todd Pletcher, including the GIII Tremont S. and GII Sanford S. before tasting defeat for the first time when stretched to a mile in the GI Champagne S. Dead-heat winner of the GII Hutcheson S. in his sophomore debut, More Than Ready was second in the GII Louisiana Derby and was beaten a head when runner-up in the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. ahead of a meritorious fourth to Fusaichi Pegasus in the GI Kentucky Derby. Focusing on one-turn races for the balance of the season, More Than Ready earned Grade I laurels in Saratoga's King's Bishop S. and was second to stablemate Trippi (End Sweep) in the GI Vosburgh S. He retired to Vinery Kentucky for the 2001 breeding season with seven wins from 17 starts and earnings of $1,026,229, and was one of several Vinery stallions that moved to WinStar upon the closure of that nursery.

 

 

 

A Dual-Hemisphere Sensation…

A stallion blessed with tremendous fertility, More Than Ready is the sire of an eye-popping and record-setting 2118 winners to date (72.4% winners to starters), making him the world's most prolific sire of individual winners. With a victory in the GII Wonder Again S. in June 2022, Klaravich Stables' Consumer Spending provided the stallion with his 100th worldwide winner at the group/graded level and the victory occurred on the same Belmont program where Morethanreadyeddie–named in honor of the aforementioned Rosen–won his maiden at first asking over five furlongs. Of his black-type winners (only Galileo {Ire}, Danehill and Sadler's Wells have more), some 26 have struck at the top level in seven racing jurisdictions, including Hong Kong and South Africa. The sire of 17 winners and three stakes winners from his first American crop in 2004, More Than Ready was an instant hit in Australia, where he shuttled to Vinery Stud to serve mares Southern Hemisphere time. To date, he has sired 971 winners in the U.S. and Canada and 905 in Australia and New Zealand. His progeny earnings are in excess of $219 million.

With Australasia's emphasis on speed and precocity, his foals hit the ground running, with six black-type winners among his 17 first-crop winners overall, including G1 Champagne S. heroine Carry On Cutie (Aus). His early Australian crops also featured Benicio (Aus), winner of the 2006 G1 Victoria Derby; Sebring (Aus) and Phelan Ready (Aus), victorious in the prestigious G1 Golden Slipper S. in 2008 and 2009, respectively; G1 Blue Diamond S. hero Samaready (Aus); and G1 Western Australian Derby victress Dreamaway (Aus). More Than Ready has also proven especially potent with Danehill-line mares, resulting in the likes of Group 1 winners More Joyous (Aus), Prized Icon (Aus) and More Than Sacred (Aus) in addition to Benicio (Aus), Sebring (Aus), Perfectly Ready (Aus) and Dreamaway (Aus). More Than Ready's other Southern Hemisphere Group 1 winners include Gimmethegreenlight (Aus) and Entisaar (Aus) in South Africa; and More Than Sacred in New Zealand. His progeny were brilliant enough in the early parts of their careers to score in races like the G1 Golden Slipper and G1 Blue Diamond S., but were equally effective at trips of 2000 meters and beyond in Australian fixtures such as the Queen Elizabeth S., and he accounted for Derby winners in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia. In total, More Than Ready has sired Group 1/Grade I winners in seven countries.

Trainer Todd Pletcher and More Than Ready | Horsephotos

The top-level winners were a bit slower to come at home, but Buster's Ready became More Than Ready's first American Grade I winner in the 2011 Mother Goose S. Verrazano, raced in partnership by Kevin Scatuorchio's Let's Go Stable, became his sire's first male GISW in the 2013 Wood Memorial S. and Daredevil–also raced by Let's Go in partnership–his first Grade I-winning juvenile in the 2014 Champagne S. More Than Ready's son Catholic Boy holds the rare distinction of winning Grade Is on two surfaces–the GI Belmont Derby on turf and the GI Travers S. on the dirt. Catholic Boy is one of four sons of More Than Ready at stud in Kentucky (Copper Bullet, Daredevil, Funtastic), while Verrazano has gone on to become a productive stallion in South America.

More Than Ready is the leading sire of Breeders' Cup winners to date with seven and accounted for multiple Breeders' Cup winners on two separate occasions. He was represented by the winners of the Breeders' Cup juvenile turf events in 2010 (Pluck, More Than Real), while champion Roy H won the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint in 2017 and 2018. 'TDN Rising Star' and future Eclipse Award winner Rushing Fall posted the first of her six career Grade Is in the 2017 GI Juvenile Fillies' Turf. Uni (GB)–another maternal granddaughter of Danehill–beat the boys in the 2019 GI Breeders' Cup Mile. More Than Ready has been represented by 13 champions around the world. Among More Than Ready's 16 offspring that earned the 'Rising Star' distinction is the versatile Emmanuel, third in the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. and front-running winner of his turf debut in the GII Pennine Ridge S. at Belmont this past June. More Than Ready is the only sire to have an Eclipse Award Champion each year from 2017 to 2020.

A Broodmare Sire of Note…

More Than Ready is the broodmare sire of fully 135 stakes winners, 61 group or graded winners and 15 at the top level, including GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf hero Structor (Palace Malice), top Australian sprinter Bivouac (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), the rags-to-riches Group 1-winning juvenile filly Miracles of Life (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) and Hong Kong champion Wellington (Aus). Other U.S. graded winners from More Than Ready mares include Kauai Katie (Malibu Moon), Breeders' Cup winner Four Wheel Drive (American Pharoah) and 'TDN Rising Star' and leading turf distaffer Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom), whose dam Mary's Follies is also responsible for Japan's top dirt galloper Cafe Pharoah (American Pharoah) and Night Prowler (Giant's Causeway), a dual graded winner in the U.S. whose success extended to Barbados and that island nation's richest event, the Barbados Gold Cup.

Rosen Remembers 'Life-Changing' Horse…

Eddie Rosen has been involved with any number of successful horses over the course of his bloodstock career, but it's safe to say none left the impression the same way More Than Ready did.

“Most people are aware of all the amazing statistics he compiled as the greatest dual-hemisphere sire in history, his versatility in the ability to sire dirt, turf, long and sprint winners,” he reflected. “Sometimes forgotten is what a great 2-year-old he was, reeling off the first five starts of his career in spectacular fashion. My family and I will always cherish the wonderful memories sharing his career with the Scatuorchio family. For me, he was life-changing. During Derby week this year, I was able to visit with him and give him one last peppermint. I will miss him dearly!”

 

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Undefeated Flightline Headlines Nominees For Sept. 3 Pacific Classic

Nominations for this year's $1 million, G1 TVG Pacific Classic were released Friday with some expected names and one intriguing surprise. A total of nine horses were nominated for the Classic, which will be run for the 32nd time on September 3.

Topping the list is Hronis Racing, et al's Flightline, the undefeated son of Tapit who has been very impressive in the mornings leading up to the race, not to mention in the afternoons when he does race.

“Couldn't be happier,” trainer John Sadler says. “He'll have a little soft work (Saturday) and then he's ready to go.”

In his last work at Del Mar on August 20, Flightline clicked off fractions of :12.20, :35.20, :47.40; and 1:11.40 before stopping the clock on the seven furlong work in 1:24.00. 'Effortless' seemed to be the consensus of those watching the work as he glided by the grandstand.

What may surprise some is the fact that Flightline didn't appear to scare off many potential rivals from running in the TVG Pacific Classic. Trainer Dick Mandella went so far as to nominate three of his horses to the race though he may run one of them, MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm's Tizamagician, on the grass in one of the Graded stakes on the Pacific Classic undercard.

“We're pointing him to the Del Mar Handicap,” Mandella said, “though we may still decide to run him in the Pacific Classic.”

Mandella's other nominees are Fox Hill Farms and Sienna Farm's Royal Ship, winner of the G2 San Diego at Del Mar last month and Jay Em Ess Stable's Extra Hope, who finished third in the G3 Cougar II on opening weekend at Del Mar.

If there is one trainer who isn't phased by a heavy favorite in the Pacific Classic it would be Richard Mandella. The Hall of Fame conditioner brought Dare And Go to the Classic in 1996 when Cigar shipped in riding a 16-race win streak and was odds-on to set the North American record for consecutive victories. Dare And Go won that day, shocking the racing world.

“Can't win if you ain't in,” Mandella says.

Trainer Bob Baffert has made his intentions known all along that he was bringing Commonwealth Thoroughbreds, et al's Country Grammer to the TVG Pacific Classic. The Dubai World Cup winner used the San Diego as a prep after a four-month layoff to recover from the trip to the Middle East (he raced twice there, winning the Dubai World Cup in his second effort), often a tough ordeal for horses shipping from the U.S. Country Grammer ran second in the San Diego.

Baffert has the utmost respect for Flightline, even paid him the highest of compliments, but that won't stop him from running against him in the TVG Pacific Classic.

“You can't be afraid of one horse,” Baffert says. “He's an exceptional horse, I've watched him train. I haven't seen a horse like that since American Pharoah and another good horse that I had, Arrogate. He's that type of caliber of horse.”

What comes as a surprise to the list of nominees for the TVG Pacific Classic is the inclusion of Zedan Racing Stable's Taiba from the Baffert barn. The 3-year old son of Gun Runner has been training at Del Mar since returning from his runner-up finish to Cyberknife in the G1 Haskell at Monmouth Park last month. He posted a six furlong bullet work on August 20.

C R K Stable's Express Train is another horse with impressive credentials nominated to the TVG Pacific Classic. The son of Union Rags won three in a row to start the year, including the G1 Santa Anita Handicap, giving trainer John Shirreffs his first Big 'Cap victory. He hasn't raced since his runner-up finish to Stilleto Boy in the G2 Californian at Santa Anita in April.

Steve Moger's Stilleto Boy is another one nominated for the TVG Pacific Classic. He's been keeping company with all the big boys on the west coast and always gives a good account of himself.

In addition to Flightline, Sadler has nominated Hronis Racing's Heywoods Beach, winner of the G3 Cougar II at Del Mar.

The post position draw for the G1 TVG Pacific Classic will be held Tuesday afternoon, August 30 at approximately 4 P.M.

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Champion Ce Ce ‘Takes Her Game On The Road’ For Sunday’s Ballerina

Following a cross-country trip from California, Bo Hirsch's champion mare Ce Ce got reacquainted with Saratoga Race Course Friday morning ahead of her return start in Sunday's Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina Handicap.

Along with her Michael McCarthy-trained stablemate Actuator, who is set to run in Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial for 3-year-old sprinters, Ce Ce galloped 1 1/4 miles over the main track and then schooled in the paddock.

“We just wanted to come over and give them something to do,” McCarthy said. “Both seemed like they handled the trip well. Actuator seemed like he got over the racetrack nicely this morning. The filly takes her game on the road. Nothing really fazes her.”

Ce Ce ran third in last year's Ballerina behind Gamine, then defeated that rival in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint to clinch the Eclipse Award as North America's top female sprinter. The Ballerina is a “Win and You're In” qualifier for this year's $1 million Filly & Mare Turf November 5 at Keeneland.

The 6-year-old Ce Ce already clinched a Breeders' Cup berth for her dominant last out triumph in the Grade 2 Princess Rooney July 2 at Gulfstream Park.

“We'll do the same thing tomorrow, gallop a mile and a quarter,” McCarthy said. “We just want to keep her in her routine. She's very easy.”

Ce Ce drew the rail in a field of seven for the seven-furlong Ballerina, where she will carry topweight of 125 pounds including her regular rider, Hall of Famer Victor Espinoza.

“You don't come 3,000 miles, obviously, to draw the one hole, but in these big races anything can happen. That's part of the game. I'll let Victor work out a trip from there. I'm not too worried about it,” McCarthy said.

“He has a lot of faith in her and we all have a lot of faith in each other, so it works out great that way,” he added. “These big kinds of days like that, Victor is cool as a cucumber. They'll pop on out of there and let him kind of feel his way around there.”

Ce Ce owns 10 wins and nearly $2.3 million in purse earnings from 20 lifetime starts traveling coast to coast, with prior Grade 1 wins in the 2020 Beholder Mile and Apple Blossom. She also won the Princess Rooney and Grade 3 Chillingworth in 2021 and Grade 2 Azeri this year.

She has already given McCarthy, a former assistant to Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, his first Eclipse Award as a trainer, but he hoped a victory Sunday would help make a case for Ce Ce to join his mentor in the hall, located across the street from the racetrack.

“Strong mare, always has been. Shows up and lays it down every time, and I would expect more or less the same thing here on Sunday,” McCarthy said. “I would have to think if things were to work out properly tomorrow that she's done a lot and it would be nice, maybe, for her to have a plaque over on Union Avenue.”

Black Type Thoroughbreds' Actuator will break from post position 4 in a field of nine for the Jerkens led by multiple Grade 1 winner Jack Christopher and Gunite, winner of the Grade 1 Hopeful in 2020 and Grade 2 Amsterdam July 31 at Saratoga.

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, who earned his record-extending 1,000th career Saratoga victory Thursday, has the call on the Grade 3 Indiana Derby winner. Actuator is 2-for-2 this year, breaking his maiden at the Jerkens distance June 8 at Churchill Downs before stretching out to 1 1/16 miles in Indiana.

“Actuator is doing well. [It's a] big ask, obviously. With Jack Christopher and some other horses in there it's salty competition but I like where we drew,” McCarthy said. “I thought his race was very gritty in the Indiana Derby. I loved the way he broke his maiden going seven-eighths so I was anxious to go ahead and try him one turn again and see what happens.”

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