Happy November and goodbye to another year of the Thoroughbred Makeover! Congratulations to all of my fellow competitors and a big thank you to everyone who made it such a wonderful event. It’s hard to believe we have made it to the other side of this big thing I’ve been anxiously – and I mean, up all night, crazy person, anxiously – awaiting for close to a year.
Month: November 2022
Dan Skelton insists Protektorat has had the perfect build up for his re-match with A Plus Tard
Protektorat has 17-and-a-half lengths to make up on Henry De Bromhead-trained A Plus Tard, who is defending his Betfair Chase crown having won by 22 lengths last season.
‘She’s A Warrior’: Fun To Dream Digs Deep To Win Battle For Betty Grable At Del Mar
Fun to Dream, the 1-5 favorite, found herself in a serious horse race inside the eighth pole Sunday at Del Mar in the $100,000 Betty Grable Stakes as rival Taming the Tigress dug deep. But 'Dream' was up to the task and dug in even deeper to edge past her foe late and score by a head.
The two leaders brushed in the stretch, but the stewards saw no reason to put up the inquiry sign.
“I was thinking we'd go right to the front the way the track is playing, but I think we got bumped by the four (Big Novel) at the start and we had to go to a Plan B,” said Jimmy Barnes, assistant to Fun to Dream's trainer and breeder Bob Baffert. “She does sit off of horses, that's why we took off the blinkers last time to get her to relax. She did what she needed to do. The other filly (Taming the Tigress) put in a helluva fight. Luckily she's a warrior and she wore her down.”
Fun to Dream, owned by Baffert's wife, Jill, and Connie Pageler, earned a first prize of $57,000 for her hard work in the California-bred race for fillies and mares, pushing her bankroll to $246,590 with her fourth victory in her fifth start.
Fun to Dream was ridden by Del Mar's leading rider, Juan Hernandez, who was completing a sweep of the track's trio of stakes over its three-day opening weekend. Baffert won his record 153rd Del Mar stakes.
“She didn't want to get beat,” Hernandez said. “There was some bumping in the stretch and after my filly got bumped, she got tougher. She tried harder. At the quarter pole she switched leads and we got to running. Then they came together some and my filly showed some fight. I like it. The other filly (Taming the Tigress) ran hard, but my filly did, too.”
The game Taming the Tigress is owned by Mia Familia Racing Stable and trained by Librado Barocio. Finishing third, almost six lengths behind was Harris Farms' All Dialed In.
Fun to Dream is a daughter of the late champion Arrogate, one of trainer Baffert's true stars. This past summer she won Del Mar's seven-furlong Fleet Treat Stakes for California-breds by almost 10 lengths. She covered the Betty Grable's seven furlongs in 1:22.14 and returned $2.40.
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Weanlings Colts By Vekoma, Country House Bring Highest Prices Sunday At Keeneland November Sale
Weanling colts from the first crop of sires Vekoma and Country House sold for $290,000 and $250,000, respectively, to top Sunday's seventh session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.
Cumulative sales with three days remaining in the auction were $201,383,300 for 1,566 horses, for an average of $128,597 and a median of $60,000. The gross was 8.17 percent above the same period last year when 1,690 horses sold for $186,168,500. The average rose 16.74 percent from $110,159, while the median remained the same.
On Sunday, 279 horses sold for $9,349,400, slightly lower than the $9,455,400 in sales for 299 horses during the corresponding session last year. The average increased 5.97 percent from $31,623 to $33,510, and the median declined 13.04 percent from $23,000 to $20,000.
The weanling colt by multiple Grade 1 winner Vekoma sold to Oreo Racing for $290,000. Out of stakes winner Female Drama, by Indian Charlie, he was consigned by Brookdale Sales, agent for Susan Anderson Racing. The colt, who is a half brother to stakes-placed Startdfromdabottom, is from the family of 2001 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Monarchos and Group 1 winner New Real Deal.
Bellarmine Racing acquired the weanling colt by 2019 Kentucky Derby winner Country House for $250,000. Gainesway, agent, consigned the colt, who is the first foal of the winning Ghostzapper mare Georgia Clay. He is from the family of multiple French Group 1 winner Act One and stakes winners Maedean, Summer Solstice, Summer Breezing, and Adirondack Summer.Gainesway
Gainesway was the session's leading consignor with sales of $1,186,500 for 23 horses.
Wimberley Bloodstock paid $200,000 for Indian Mound, a 3-year-old filly by Medaglia d'Oro from the family of Grade 1 winners Eastern Echo and Elate along with Grade 2 winners Yell, Roar, and Tax. Consigned by Indian Creek, agent, she is out of the winning Distorted Humor mare Veracity.
Spending $380,000 for three horses, Wimberley Bloodstock was the leading buyer.
Lastchanceforlove, a 5-year-old winning, stakes-placed daughter of Violence, sold to Shepherd Equine Advisors, agent for Larry Hirsch, for $190,000. Out of the winning Awesome Again mare Awe Hush, she was consigned by Brookdale Sales, agent.
Indian Creek, agent, also consigned Bullseye Beauty, a 4-year-old stakes winner by Dialed In who sold to Sheamus Mills Bloodstock for $180,000. A half sister to stakes winner Vergara, she is from the family of English highweight Millenary, Group 2 winner Knight to Behold, and Group 3 winners Dancing Bloom, Head In The Clouds, and Cosmo Meadow. Bullseye Beauty is out of Figure of Beauty, by Street Cry.
The November Breeding Stock Sale continues Monday and runs through Wednesday. All sessions begin at 10 a.m. ET.
On Thursday, Keeneland will present the November Horses of Racing Age Sale. The auction starts at noon.
All Keeneland sales are streamed live on Keeneland.com.
The post Weanlings Colts By Vekoma, Country House Bring Highest Prices Sunday At Keeneland November Sale appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
