I have been working as a turf writer for a few years now, but long before my days at the keyboard, I was a horse-crazy kid growing up in a land of ardent college football fans. The few times I went to the racetrack were hours spent taking all of it in, absorbing every detail – the sights, the sounds, even the smells – for later, when it was all done, memories to sustain me until the next time.
Month: November 2022
Muhaarar’s Fee Increased to 7.5k At Haras Des Faunes
Multiple Group 1 winner Muhaarar (GB), fresh off a season that included 13 stakes winners and 20 stakes horses among his progeny, will stand for an increased fee of €7,500 at Haras des Faunes, Jour de Galop reported on Thursday. The sire of 18 black-type winners total, the 10-year-old was priced at €5,000 in his first year at Haras des Faunes this term. Bran (Fr), Trevaunance (Ire) and Polly Pott (GB) all celebrated Grade or Group 2 victories in 2022, while Paris Peacock (Ire) struck at Group 3 level alongside Evening Sun (GB) Stateside.
Standing for €3,500 next year is Born To Sea (Ire). Gutaifan (Ire)'s fee has been set at €3,000, and completing the Haras des Faunes quartet is Captain Chop (Fr) at €1,500.
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Flightline Settling In at Lane’s End
Lexington, KY – While the Flightline connections have been busy at the Keeneland November Sale assembling a powerhouse group of mares to send to their new stallion, the superstar himself has been settling into his new home at Lane's End Farm.
'TDN Rising Star' Flightline (Tapit – Feathered, by Indian Charlie) arrived at the Versailles-based breeding operation less than 24 hours after he cemented his place in history in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic. Accompanied by John Sadler's assistant and exercise rider Juan Leyva and barn foreman Cesar Aguilar, the undefeated son of Tapit came off the van at around 1:30 on Sunday afternoon and then strode down the barn aisle and into his new stall–which is already embellished with his nameplate–without so much as turning a hair.
“Part of the Flightline team was here to help him get settled in at the farm,” said Lane's End Stallion Seasons team member Chris Knehr. “They did a great job with him for his whole campaign and he's such a great horse to be around.”
Knehr added that Sadler and his crew are welcome back to the farm to visit their former trainee whenever they are in Kentucky.
“It's a credit to Sadler's team that he is the way he is,” Knehr said. “One of the things that is so striking about him is that he's got a very big, very intelligent eye. We've all seen that in really smart horses and Flightline has that. There is a class and an intelligence about him that he can take in the environment and adjust to it.”
This week, Flightline has spent a few hours every morning in the round pen before returning to his stall and relaxing throughout the day. Knehr said that Peter Sheehan, who took on the role of Lane's End Stallion Manager last year, is confident that the big bay will get to go out in his own paddock sometime next week.
“Luckily, because he is smart and is so good to work with, he's done very well with the transition,” Knehr said. “It's just kind of a gradual process of letting him down and getting him used to being a horse again.”
Soon, Flightline will be available for the many breeders clamoring to inspect the new stallion. On Wednesday, it was announced that the 4-year-old will command a fee of $200,000 in his first season.
According to Knehr, their team has already taken a deep dive into analyzing Flightline's pedigree and has sought the help of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants' Sid Fernando to begin sketching out guidelines for the types of mares that would suit him best.
“He has Dynaformer and Storm Cat far enough back to where there are a lot of options with him and the mares that can suit him,” Knehr explained. “From that standpoint, the bottom side of the pedigree allows us to try a couple of different things. Obviously being by Tapit, we can use that formula as well with mares that have worked well with Tapit and even some of his sons at stud.”
Flightline was campaigned through six straight career victories by breeder Summer Wind Equine in partnership with Hronis Racing, Siena Farm, West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing. Many of those connections have been signing tickets on high-profile mare at Keeneland November in the hopes of sending most of those purchases to the new stud.
Summer Wind's newest additions include three-time Grade III winner and last year's Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint runner-up Edgeway (Competitive Edge) for $1.7 million, SW Park Avenue (Quality Road) for $1.45 million, and Grade III winner Proud Emma (Include), who sold in foal to Charlatan, for $1 million.
With Terry Finley signing the ticket, Gage Hill bought champion Songbird's half-sister Song of Mine (Ghostzapper) for $700,000 and made several more purchases in partnership with Determined Stud including Salty as Can Be (Into Mischief), a half-sister to Grade I victress Salty (Quality Road), for $2 million as well as the winning Empire Maker mare Finding Fame for $575,000.
Earlier this week on Monday, a 2.5% fractional interest in Flightline sold for $4.6 million to kick off the Keeneland November Sale. Knehr said that the results from the auction more than fulfilled the syndicate's expectations.
“I've never seen [the sales pavilion] as packed as it was,” he said. “The final price was beyond our expectations. The idea was to get attention from people outside of the industry as well. He has a national awareness and with the idea of the Metaverse, we wanted to blend some things together and get some interest in that and for the sport in general. We haven't seen a racehorse like this in quite some time. The attention has been incredible, both from a fan standpoint and from the breeders.”
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Live Racing Returns To Laurel Friday With $23,677 Rainbow 6 Carryover
A pair of allowance races, a five-figure jackpot carryover in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 and a salute to military families highlight Friday's return of live racing at Laurel Park.
Last solved for a $12,582.58 payout Oct. 16, the Rainbow 6 jackpot has gone uncashed for 16 consecutive racing days. The carryover swelled to $23,676.96 following the last live program Nov. 6 and heading into Friday's nine-race card.
First race post time is 12:15 p.m.
The Rainbow 6 jackpot is paid out only when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 60 percent of that day's pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners while 40 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.
Friday's Rainbow 6 begins in Race 4, a starter optional claimer for 3-year-old and up going one mile on the main track. Race 6 is an allowance for Maryland-bred/sired fillies and mares three and up scheduled for 5 ½ furlongs on the All Along turf course that drew an overflow field of 13 including stakes-placed Sparkle Sprinkle and She'sarollingstone for main track only.
Favored at 5-2 on the morning line is Mary Slade's Maryland homebred Island Philo, most recently eighth in the Maryland Million Turf Sprint Oct. 22. The 4-year-old Barbados filly has run third in two 5 ½-furlong grass stakes this year, beaten a half-length in the July 30 Jameela at Laurel and 1 ½ lengths in Sept. 7 Camptown at Colonial Downs.
The feature comes in Race 8, a second-level optional claiming allowance for fillies and mares 3 and up sprinting six furlongs on the main track. The narrow 7-2 program favorite from the rail in a field of 10 is Robert James McGee's Moody Woman, unraced since finishing third in the Sept. 24 Weather Vane at historic Pimlico Race Course. The 3-year-old daughter of Gormley has finished third or better in 13 of 15 career starts with four wins, and has a record of 3-3-2 from nine starts at Laurel.
Among the challengers are No Guts No Glory Farm's Maryland homebred Bandits Warrior, a half-sister to retired multiple stakes winner Anna's Bandit that exits a front-running 9 ¼-length restricted allowance victory going six furlongs Oct. 21 at Laurel; and Spicy Margarita, 3-for-5 lifetime at the distance with one second and one third.
There will also be a carryover of $986.93 in the $1 Super Hi-5 wager for Friday's opener, a maiden claimer for 2-year-olds sprinting 5 ½ furlongs on the main track.
Friday is Military Appreciation Day at Laurel, saluting our military families and featuring free admission, $2 domestics, $3 hot dogs, $5 hamburgers and a Maryland Jockey Club tumbler giveaway to the first 250 guests. Doors open at 11 a.m.
On Saturday, Laurel will host a 10-race card beginning at 11:45 a.m. and featuring three main track stakes – the $100,000 Smart Halo for 2-year-old fillies and $100,000 James F. Lewis III for 2-year-olds, both sprinting six furlongs, and the $100,000 Thirty Eight Go Go for fillies and mares 3 and up going 1 1/16 miles.
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