Month: November 2022

Flightline Soars in Classic For the Ages

LEXINGTON, KY – You can add horse of a lifetime to the superlatives now, too.

Unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Flightline (Tapit) ran to his already unworldly reputation, and, dare we say, even more, with a spectacular 8 1/4-length victory in Saturday's $6-million GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland. Olympiad (Speightstown) and fellow 'Rising Star' Taiba (Gun Runner) filled out the minors.

“A great win today. He just ran beautiful; just like we thought he could,” said winning trainer John Sadler, who previously put to bed an 0-for-44 mark at the Championships with Accelerate's win in the 2018 Classic.

“This is one of the greatest horses of all time.”

Just as it figured on paper, the 2-5 favorite chased from second as the classy returning GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner 'TDN Rising Star' Life Is Good (Into Mischief) sped through punishing fractions of :22.55 and :45.47.

With the field down to seven midway through the backstretch run as top 3-year-old Epicenter (Not This Time) went wrong and was pulled up by Joel Rosario–more to come on the GI Runhappy Travers S. winner–the top two were in a race of their own as Life Is Good let it out a notch to lead by three lengths entering the far turn.

If you thought the place was already rocking from the sustained 20-plus mph winds throughout the day, you hadn't seen nothing yet.

Flightline, still on cruise control, made his move beneath Flavien Prat approaching the quarter pole and the crowd of 45,973 absolutely lost it. Life Is Good, out in the three path with Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard, had no response as they straightened, and it was a sight to see from there.

Moving every bit as beautifully as 'Grand Slam' winner American Pharoah was down this same stretch in this race seven years ago, Flightline glided under the line all by himself while stopping the timer for 1 1/4 miles in 2:00.05, just a tick off the track record. Flightline was .02 of a second faster than American Pharoah's Classic.

“I felt like I was in control the whole race,” Prat said after piloting home his fourth winner at the Championships. “Once I broke well and was where I wanted to be, I was in control. You never know what to expect because it's horse racing. Sometimes it doesn't happen the way you think it will. I can't thank John Sadler and [assistant trainer and exercise rider] Juan Leyva enough.”

Campaigned in partnership by the all-star line-up of Hronis Racing, Siena Farm, breeder Summer Wind Equine, West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing, the $1-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling entered the Classic with a Herculean five-for-five record. The combined winning margin of those races was an incredible 62 3/4 lengths.

Flightline's resume was previously headed by a trio of runaway victories in the GI Runhappy Malibu S., GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. and a record-setting 19 1/4-length romp while making his two-turn debut in the GI TVG Pacific Classic S. The latter earned him an astronomic 126 Beyer Speed Figure and a negative 8 1/2 from Thoro-Graph, the fastest number the latter has ever given.

“He's been brilliant,” Sadler said. “Brilliant is his normal. He didn't disappoint. He never has. We're just really thrilled.”

Now, for the question on everyone's mind. Will we see Flightline back for a 5-year-old campaign? Neither co-owner Kosta Hronis or Sadler was quite ready to provide an answer in the post-race press conference.

“The team behind Flightline, I've said this before and I'm going to say it again in front of the world, as blessed as the partnership is to be all together as the partners, to have a horse like Flightline in our lifetime is just unbelievable and great,” Hronis said.

“We're in a partnership. We're very respectful people and we respect the partnership. We'll all get together and discuss it at a later time and decide. We'll always do what's best by the horse. I can promise you that.”

Sadler concluded, “I'll be there in the morning to check him out. And then we'll let him tell us what the best thing is.”

Epicenter Update…

Epicenter was pulled up after sustaining an injury to his right forelimb and was attended to by KHRC Chief Veterinarian Dr. Nick Smith. He walked onto the equine ambulance and was transported to nearby Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. After further evaluation by Dr. Larry Bramlage and his counterparts, Epicenter was found to have sustained a repairable displaced condylar fracture. He will undergo surgery Sunday morning.

Pedigree Notes…

Future Lane's End stallion Flightline becomes the seventh Breeders' Cup winner and first in the Classic for leading sire Tapit. Indian Charlie is also the broodmare sire of Breeders' Cup Sprint winner and champion sprinter Mitole and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Dayoutoftheoffice.

Breeder Jane Lyon bought Flightline's dam Feathered for $2.35 million at the 2016 Keeneland November sale. Feathered produced a 2-year-old full-brother to Flightline named Olivier, who RNA'd for $390,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale.

Lyon is planning on racing him in partnership.

The 10-year-old mare also has a yearling colt by Curlin named Eagles Flight, a filly foaled May 17 by Into Mischief, and has been bred back to Tapit.

Flightline hails from a deep Phipps family. His third dam is MGISW Finder's Fee (Storm Cat), a daughter of GISW Fantastic Find (Mr. Prospector).

Saturday, Keeneland
LONGINES BREEDERS' CUP CLASSIC-GI, $5,340,000, Keeneland, 11-5, 3yo/up, 1 1/4m, 2:00.05, ft.
1–FLIGHTLINE, 126, c, 4, by Tapit
                1st Dam: Feathered (GSW & MGISP, $577,474), by Indian Charlie
                2nd Dam: Receipt, by Dynaformer
                3rd Dam: Finder's Fee, by Storm Cat
'TDN Rising Star'. ($1,000,000 Ylg '19 FTSAUG). O-Hronis
Racing LLC, Siena Farm LLC, Summer Wind Equine LLC, West
Point Thoroughbreds & Woodford Racing, LLC; B-Summer
Wind Equine LLC (KY); T-John W. Sadler; J-Flavien Prat.
$3,120,000. Lifetime Record: 6-6-0-0, $4,514,800. Werk Nick
Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Olympiad, 126, c, 4, Speightstown–Tokyo Time, by
Medaglia d'Oro. ($700,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Grandview
Equine, Cheyenne Stable, LLC & LNJ Foxwoods; B-Emory A.
Hamilton (KY); T-William I. Mott. $1,020,000.
3–Taiba, 122, c, 3, Gun Runner–Needmore Flattery, by Flatter.
'TDN Rising Star'. ($140,000 Ylg '20 FTKOCT; $1,700,000 2yo
'21 FTFMAR). O-Zedan Racing Stables, Inc.; B-Bruce C Ryan
(KY); T-Bob Baffert. $540,000.
Margins: 8 1/4, HF, 2HF. Odds: 0.44, 26.88, 8.26.
Also Ran: Rich Strike, Life Is Good, Hot Rod Charlie, Happy Saver, Epicenter.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Flightline Soars in Classic For the Ages appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The History Of Lottery

Lotteries have been with us for a long time. They go so far back that they’re mentioned in the Bible, and Caesar himself is known to have encouraged lottery games in Rome to help pay for repair work that needed to be done in the city. Legend has it that even the Great Wall of China was paid for by the proceeds of lottery games.

In medieval times, Europe was a hotbed of lottery activity. In 1420, residents of the French town of L’Ecluse decided to follow Caesar’s lead by using a public lottery to help raise money; this time to increase the town’s defenses. Charitable causes prompted officials in the Belgium city of Bruges to hold a lottery in 1466 to raise money for the poor and needy.

In the early 16th century, the Italians caught lottery fever when they introduced the idea of a ‘number’ lottery in Florence. Interestingly, the word ‘lottery’ is thought to originate from the Italian ‘lotto’, which simply means “fate”.

Royalty caught on to lottery’s moneymaking potential in 1520, when King Francis I of France held the first ever state lottery. The proceeds went to the Royal Court. Forty years later, in the 1560s, lottery fever crossed the English Channel when Queen Elizabeth I decided to hold her own state lottery to raise money to improve England’s ailing harbors. Her Majesty’s prizes included tapestry and money.

The lottery gained in popularity in England over the next two centuries. The British Museum in London, today one of the finest in the world, was actually started on the proceeds of a lottery in 1753.

Lotteries were particularly popular in the New World in the 18th century. Benjamin Franklin used one to pay for the cannons that helped win the American War of Independence, and they were also used to pay money to the army. The Mountain Road, one of the key routes into the west from Virginia, was paid for with a lottery organized by George Washington.

Individuals were fond of them too; Thomas Jefferson (the third U.S. President) sold most of his property through a lottery scheme. Many of America’s historic colleges and universities were initially set up with the proceeds of lotteries. Most notably, these include many of the universities in the prestigious Ivy League.

Within the last couple of centuries, lotteries have been legalized and implemented in pretty much every country in the world. As the numbers of people playing become bigger, so do the prizes; a jackpot in the USA’s Big Game lottery in 2000 reached $363 million.

Rebel’s Romance Gives Appleby, Godolphin Another Turf Triumph

Putting an exclamation mark on a near sweep by Irish-breds in the seven Grade 1 Breeders' Cup world championship races over the Keeneland grass course, Godolphin homebred Rebel's Romance swung wide into the stretch and unleashed a powerful stretch kick under James Doyle to win Saturday's $4-million Longines Turf in Lexington, Ky.

It was the second consecutive Turf win for the Godolphin-Charles Appleby team following Yibir's victory in the 2021 running at Del Mar. It also continued the trainer's hot hand in the Breeders' Cup: Appleby won Friday's Juvenile Turf Sprint with Mischief Magic and earlier on Saturday's program won the Mile with Modern Games. All of the wins were for  Godolphin, which also won the  G1 Dirt Mile with Bill Mott-trained Cody's Wish.

Appleby now has a Breeders' Cup record of nine wins from 20 starts.

Three of the other grass races in the two-day Breeders' Cup were won by Aidan O'Brien: the Juvenile Fillies Turf with Meditate and the Juvenile Turf with Victoria Road on Friday and the Filly & Mare Turf on Saturday with a horse named Tuesday.

All six were Irish-breds. The other Breeders' Cup grass race, the Turf Sprint, was won by the Brad Cox-trained Caravel, a Pennsylvania-bred.

Rebel's Romance covered 1 1/2 miles on firm turf in 2:26.35. A 4-year-old gelding by Dubawi, he paid $13.92 for a $2 win wager.

Stone Age, another Irish-bred trained by O'Brien, finished second, beaten 2 1/4 lengths. War Like  Goddess, an English Channel mare trained by Mott and favored for much of the wagering, was another three-quarters of a length back in third. Mishriff fourth and Godolphin/Appleby's Nations Pride, the 5-2 favorite, was fifth. The order of finish was completed by Broome, Channel Maker, Master Piece, Bye Bye Melvin, Gold Phoenix, Red Knight, Highland Chief, and Nautilus.

Bye Bye Melvin, as expected, set the pace under Feargal Lynch, going :24.91 for the opening quarter mile, :49.42 for the half and 1:14.15 for six furlongs in the race that began on Keeneland's backstretch and went 1 1/2 times around the course. He was tracked by 8-year-old Channel Maker, who was making his sixth appearance in a Breeders' Cup race dating back to 2016 when he participated in the Juvenile Turf.

Bye Bye Melvin raced past the mile marker in 1:38.92 while Doyle, aboard Rebel's Romance, waited patiently well behind in 10th position in the run down the backstretch. Rebel's Romance commenced his move on the final turn and was swung out eight or nine wide at the top of the stretch.

Channel Maker momentarily hit the front as Bye Bye Melvin began to retreat when the field straightened away with less than a quarter mile to run, but Stone Age had began his move and War Like Goddess also began to surge toward the leaders after waiting for racing room. But Rebel's Romance had all the momentum, hitting the front at the furlong pole and drawing away for the victory.

Like what you're reading?

Support our journalism while accessing bonus behind-the-scenes content, Q&As, and more. Subscribe to our Patreon stream.
Subscribe

“It was a tremendous performance,” said Doyle. “Being back on fast ground suited him. He can be a quirky horse in the preliminaries, but he was good today. He was very relaxed and having the pony helped. The guys who look after him obviously, Charlie but also Rob Fitzpatrick who rides him out every day have once again done a great job. It's a great result to have a winner here as obviously my sister Sophie has been based out here as a jockey for a while now and I've let her down before at this meeting but I hope she's proud.”

The win was the ninth from 12 starts for Rebel's Romance, who was produced from the Street Cry mare Minidress. His two wins leading up to the Breeders' Cup came in Group 1 races in Germany, in the Grosser Preis von Berlin in August and the Preis von Europa in September. As a 3-year-old in 2021, Rebel's Romance won the G2 UAE Derby on dirt at Meydan in Dubai by 5 1/4 lengths.

“I am delighted to finish the meeting off with a winner,” said Appleby. “From the whole team's point of view, it's great to have James get first Breeders' Cup win and I'm delighted for him. Over the moon for him. It's been a great meeting. The horse has turned himself around, to be fair. You may think it was the switch to the turf, but I watched him train on the dirt here and I almost wished I was running him on the dirt here. Physically, you can just see that time has helped him. I don't want to repeat myself too much, but it's another son of Dubawi—what more can I say. I'm privileged to be associated with them.”

Of the others, Mott was pleased with the effort by War Like Goddess, who was facing males for the second consecutive race, having won the G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic in October at the Belmont at the Big A meet at Aqueduct.

“She ran good,” said Mott. “He (jockey Joel Rosario) had to wait a while to produce her. He was in the stretch before he got to let her run. If he could have let her run maybe a little bit around the turn it might have been helpful, but she ran well. Take nothing away from her. I would have liked to see her start her run just a tick earlier. She saved a lot of ground but she had to wait a little bit. When you are on the inside, that's what happens.”

John Gosden, trainer of Mishriff, called the 5-year-old “an extraordinary horse. Throughout the lockdown years, he was winning French Derbies and Saudi Cups and then he's won the Juddmonte International. His best distance is a mile and a quarter – that (12 furlongs) stretched him today – particularly going three- or four-wide. I tried to sharpen him with the blinkers, but it didn't make any difference. Still, he's a lovely horse and done nothing, but be consistent in his career.”

Hugh Anderson, managing director for Godolphin in the UK and Dubai, tried to put Appleby's success at the Breeders' Cup into perspective: “It's actually quite difficult to find words,” he said.  “It's exceeded our wildest expectations. It's just a simple reality that Charlie has a brilliant track record at this meeting and he plans it a long way out. He is absolutely brought it home in spades. I'm so pleased for him. You also have to love the Cody's Wish win—it couldn't have been a better two days for Godolphin and I'm delighted for the whole team. He's turned Rebel's Romance around immensely and done an exceptional job with him.”

The post Rebel’s Romance Gives Appleby, Godolphin Another Turf Triumph appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Once A Dirt Demon, Now a ‘Rebel’ With a Cause On Turf

Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) began his 4-year-old season as Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum's best hope for the G1 Dubai World Cup, what with his towering success in the G2 UAE Derby as a sophomore. When things on the main track went belly-up over the winter at Meydan, trainer Charlie Appleby and team were compelled to call an audible and switched the gelding–clearly bred to handle the turf–to that surface. The decision has paid off in spades, as the lanky dark bay ran his grass record to five wins from as many starts with a defeat of 12-1 Stone Age (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) in Saturday's GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland.

Rebel's Romance, favored on the morning line, but off at nearly 6-1, was not particularly fast away and found himself in the slipstream of his GI Saratoga Derby and GIII Jockey Club Invitational winner Nation's Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) in the latter third of the field early on. Bye Bye Melvin (Uncle Mo) made the running in advance of Channel Maker (English Channel)–making his fifth straight start in the Turf and sixth Breeders' Cup appearance overall–and the pace was sensible for the distance.

Held up behind midfield and racing with the well-backed War Like Goddess (English Channel) to his inside and the swan-songing Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) to his outer, Rebel's Romance was patiently handled into the final half-mile by James Doyle and commenced an overland rally together with Mishriff as they entered the final five-sixteenths of a mile. Spun about six wide into the lane, Rebel's Romance showed a slightly better turn of acceleration than the 2021 Saudi Cup hero who tried to match strides in upper stretch and hit the front while racing on his incorrect lead with a furlong to travel before kicking on to a game score. Stone Age ran on strongly for second ahead of War Like Goddess, who took the gap between the tiring pacesetters inside the furlong marker and settled for third. Mishriff, who is off to stud in France next year, covered 34 feet (nearly four lengths) more than the winner and rounded out the superfecta.

Trainer Charlie Appleby completed a Breeders' Cup three-timer for the second year running, while James Doyle was winning a Breeders' Cup race for the first time.

“The horse is maturing and well traveled now,” said Appleby. “What he's done this season on the turf has been–rejuvenated from a horse that at one stage we looked like we might have been losing him for a moment.

“But a typical Dubawi, he's gotten stronger. But full credit to the team. Delighted for James to have his first winner.”

Added Doyle: “My sister [Sophie] has been over here a number of years. I hope I made her proud. I've let her down a few times coming over. Hopefully she enjoys this one. And obviously riding for the right team. Any ride for Charlie Appleby in the Breeders' Cup, as we've seen, is pretty dangerous.”

With his treble over the weekend, Appleby has now trained the winners of nine Breeders' Cup races.

After those two early-season dirt debacles at the Dubai World Cup Carnival, in which he was beaten by a combined 51 1/2 lengths, Rebel's Romance was the handy winner of Newmarket's Listed Fred Archer S. in his first spin on the turf June 25 ahead of a more narrow success in the G3 Glorious S. at Goodwood the following month. The hardy dark bay was back on the road just 16 days later, carrying Doyle to a neck score in the G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin at Hoppegarten and entered the Turf off a 3/4-length defeat of this year's G1 Deutsches Derby hero Sammarco (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) in the G1 Preis von Europa at Cologne Sept. 25.

Pedigree Notes:

Rebel's Romance is the fifth individual Breeders' Cup winner for Dubawi, whose progeny have teamed to take down six trophies altogether, when factoring in Modern Games's Mile victory a few races prior.

Rebel's Romance's stakes-placed dam is a daughter of multiple Group 3 winner Short Skirt, also third in the 2006 G1 Vodafone Epsom Oaks, who was purchased by Godolphin for 1.4 million gns out of the 2006 Tattersalls December Mare Sale. Short Skirt also went on to produce Volcanic Sky (GB) (Street Cry {Ire}), winner for Godolphin of the G3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy over 14 grassy furlongs.

Minidress is the dam of the 2-year-old colt Measured Time (GB) (Frankel {GB}). The mare's foal of 2021, a filly by 2015 Turf runner-up Golden Horn (GB), sadly passed away this year.

Saturday, Keeneland
LONGINES BREEDERS' CUP TURF-GI, $3,680,000, Keeneland, 11-5, 3yo/up, 1 1/2mT, 2:26.35 (NTR), fm.
1–REBEL'S ROMANCE (IRE), 126, g, 4, by Dubawi (Ire)
                1st Dam: Minidress (GB) (SP-Eng), by Street Cry (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Short Skirt (GB), by Diktat (GB)
                3rd Dam: Much Too Risky (GB), by Bustino (GB)
O/B-Godolphin (Ire); T-Charles Appleby; J-James Doyle.
$2,080,000. Lifetime Record: MG1SW-Ger, GSW-Eng, GSW-UAE,
12-9-0-0, $2,934,610. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Stone Age (Ire), 122, c, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Bonanza Creek (Ire),
by Anabaa. O-Peter M. Brant, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B.
Tabor, Derrick Smith & Westerberg; B-White Birch Farm Sc
(Ire); T-Aidan P. O'Brien. $680,000.
3–War Like Goddess, 123, m, 5, English Channel–Misty North,
by North Light (Ire). ($1,200 Wlg '17 KEENOV; $1,000 RNA Ylg
'18 KEESEP; $30,000 2yo '19 OBSOPN). O-George Krikorian;
B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-William I. Mott. $360,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, 3/4, NK. Odds: 5.96, 12.05, 3.47.
Also Ran: Mishriff (Ire), Nations Pride (Ire), Broome (Ire), Channel Maker, Master Piece (Chi), Bye Bye Melvin, Gold Phoenix (Ire), Red Knight, Highland Chief (Ire), Nautilus (Brz).
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Once A Dirt Demon, Now a ‘Rebel’ With a Cause On Turf appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights