Month: February 2023

Champion Forte Tops Nominees To Fountain Of Youth

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Forte, who was honored with the 2022 Eclipse Award following a 2-year-old championship season that culminated with a victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), heads a list of 32 nominations for the $400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) March 4 at Gulfstream Park.

The 76th running of the Fountain of Youth, a 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds, will headline a program with nine stakes, including eight graded stakes, worth $1.85 Million in purses.

Forte also leads a list of eight 3-year-olds nominated by Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher to the tradition-rich dress rehearsal for the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1), the premier Triple Crown prep scheduled for Saturday, April 1.

Forte has been preparing for a seasonal debut in the Fountain of Youth at Pletcher's winter training base at Palm Beach Downs.

The son of Violence has won four of five starts. The Kentucky-bred colt finished fourth in the Sanford (G3) at Saratoga after capturing his debut by 7 ¾ lengths at Belmont Park but finished off his championship season with victories in the Hopeful (G1) at Saratoga, Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland.

Pletcher, who has saddled three Fountain of Youth winners (Itsaknockout in 2015; Eskendereyer in 2010; Scat Daddy in 2007), is also represented on the Fountain of Youth nominations list by Whisper Hill Farm's Classic Catch, Three Diamonds Farm's Dude N Colorado, Spendthrift Farm LLC's Kingsbarns and Major Dude, Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Point Proven, Robert LaPenta's Shesterkin, and Whisper Hill Farm LLC and Gainesway Stable's Tapit Trice.

Frank Fletcher Racing Operations, Inc.'s Rocket Can, who captured the Feb. 4 Holy Bull (G3) at Gulfstream Park, is one of three horses nominated to the Fountain of Youth by Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. The son of Into Mischief rallied from off the pace to take the lead in the stretch before holding off Peachtree Stable's Shadow Dragon by three-quarters of a length. Shadow Dragon, a New York-bred son of Army Mule, and Karl Glassman and Cathi Glassman's Arthur's Ride, an impressive maiden winner at Gulfstream Feb. 11, also represent Mott on the Fountain of Youth noms list.

Rodeo Creek Racing LLC's Blazing Sevens, who captured the Champagne (G1) at Belmont, is also nominated to the Fountain of Youth. The Chad Brown-trained son of Good Magic, who won his debut at Saratoga by 6 ¼ lengths, finished a distant third behind Forte in the Hopeful before capturing the Champagne and finishing a troubled fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

Courtlandt Farms' General Jim, who captured the seven-furlong Claiborne Swale (G3) at Gulfstream on the Holy Bull undercard, is among the most prominent Fountain of Youth nominees. A two-time winner on turf last season for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey, the son of Into Mischief finished a troubled fourth in the Jan. 1 Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream prior to his rallying victory in the Swale.

Karl Watson, Michael Pegram and Paul Weitman's Hard to Figure, who lost a photo finish while finishing second in the Robert Lewis (G3) at Santa Anita for trainer Bob Baffert; and Gentry Farms' West Coast Cowboy, a Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained son of West Coast who finished third in the Holy Bull, are also prominent on the Fountain of Youth nominations list.

The Fountain of Youth will be supported on the March 4 card by the $200,000 WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile (G2), $200,000 Davona Dale (G2), $200,000 Mac Diarmida, $200,000 Herecomesthebride, $150,000 Canadian Turf (G3), $150,000 The Very One (G3), $150,000 Honey Fox (G3), and the $200,000 Colonel Liam (formerly the Palm Beach).

The WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile, a one-turn mile stakes for older horses, drew 12 nominations, including Whisper Hill Farm LLC's Charge It, the 2022 Florida Derby runner-up who made an eye-catching 2023 debut for Pletcher while winning a Feb. 5 optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream; and Mark Breen's Endorsed, a 2 ¾-length winner of the Fred Hooper (G3) on the Pegasus World Cup (G1) undercard.

The Davona Dale, a one-turn mile stakes for 3-year-old fillies, attracted 23 nominations, including Ashbrook Farm and Upland Flats Racing's Red Carpet Ready, the undefeated 2 ¼-length winner of the seven-furlong Forward Gal (G3) at Gulfstream Feb. 4. The Rusty Arnold-trained daughter of Oscar Performance is joined on the list by Klaravich Stables Inc.'s Undervalued Asset, Forward Gal runner-up, and a six-pack of Pletcher-trained fillies.

The Mac Diarmida, a 1 3/8-mile turf stakes for older horses, drew 30 nominations, including $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) champion Atone. The Into Mischief gelding is joined on the list by Michael Maker stablemate, Trinity Farm's Red Knight, the winner of the W. L. McKnight (G3) on the Pegasus World Cup undercard; and Otter Bend Stables LLC's Gufo, a multiple graded-stakes winner with more than $2 million in earnings for trainer Christophe Clement.

Atone also tops the nominations list for the Canadian Turf, a 1 1/16-mile turf feature for older horses that drew 29 nominations. Also prominent among Canadian Turf nominees are Nice Guys Stables' King Cause, a Maker-trained son of Creative Cause who was beaten by 2 ¾ lengths by Atone while finishing sixth in the Pegasus Turf; and Siena Farm LLC and WinStar Farm LLC's Emmanuel, a multiple graded stakes-winning son of More Than Ready trained by Pletcher.

Fourteen older fillies and mares nominated to the 1 3/8-mile The Very One on turf. Steven Parkin's Lady Rockstar, who finished third in the Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G3) for trainer Brendan Walsh is prominent on the list.

The Honey Fox, a mile stakes for older fillies and mares on turf, received 19 nominations, including Gainesway Stable's White Frost, the Sweetest Chant (G3) winner last season who scored an impressive optional claiming allowance win at Gulfstream in her recent 2023 debut; and Gary Barber and Team Valor International's Wakanaka, a multiple graded-stakes winner who finished fifth in the Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf last time out. Both are trained by Mott.

The Herecomesthebride, a mile turf stakes for 3-yar-old fillies, drew 36 nominations, including Town and Country Racing LLC and Repole Stable's Cairo Consort, a Grade 1 stakes-placed daughter of Cairo Prince who has won the Ginger Brew and the Sweetest Chant back-to-back for Pletcher.

The Colonel Liam, a mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds honoring the two-time Pegasus Turf winner, drew 27 nominations, including Major Dude, who captured the Kitten's Joy (G3) at Gulfstream last time out; Mark Grier's Candidate, who finished second in the Kitten's Joy after winning the Dania Beach at Gulfstream for trainer Arnaud Delacour; and Edward Seltzer and Beverly Anderson's Bluebirds Over, an undefeated son of English Channel who won the Grey (G3) at Woodbine for Joseph Jr.

The post Champion Forte Tops Nominees To Fountain Of Youth appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Stakes-Placed Hot Seat Took The Long Way From Parx To Kazakhstan

Hot Seat, who finished second to Sharp Azteca in the 2016 City of Laurel Stakes, is standing in Kazakhstan for the 2023 breeding season, the Russian racing news website Hippodrom.ru reports, and his path to get there has dotted points all over the map.

The 10-year-old son of Unbridled's Song arrived in Kazakhstan in late 2021 after a brief stint at the Swedish stallion operation Hallestorp, where he covered no reported mares. He is standing in Kazakhstan for owner Starykh V.N. at a farm in Esik, located in the country's southeast corner, near the border with Kyrgyzstan.

Bred in Maryland by Larry Johnson, Hot Seat was a $260,000 purchase by Gary and Mary West at the 2014 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He is out of the stakes-winning Mr. Greeley mare Grecian Wings, whose runners include Grade 3 winner Hard Enough.

Hot Seat was placed in the barn of trainer Jason Servis, but nagging quarter cracks kept him away from the races until September of his 3-year-old season. He made up for lost time once he finally got in the starting gate by winning his first two starts, both at Parx Racing. His debut score was a 13 1/2-length drubbing of a maiden special weight field, and he followed up with a visually impressive seven-length score against allowance company a month later.

In November of his sophomore campaign, Hot Seat tested stakes competition for the first time when he was entered in the listed City of Laurel Stakes at Laurel Park. He finished second behind Sharp Azteca, who was beginning his ascent into regular graded stakes competition, by 5 1/4 lengths and he finished ahead of Rated R Superstar, who has become a seven-figure earner in the midst of his ninth season at the races.

Hot Seat spent 10 months away from the races after the City of Laurel Stakes, before returning to make one final start at Parx, where he finished a game second in an allowance optional claiming race.

After that start, the horse was purchased by Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum and exported to the U.A.E., where he was placed under the shedrow of trainer Nicholas Bachalard. He never made a start for his new connections.

Hot Seat was later acquired by Hamid Khalili's Decamond Racing, a bloodstock agency active in both the Middle East and Scandinavia, and the horse was relocated to Sweden. He was part of the same purchase and shipment between Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum and Decamond Racing that ultimately led Grade 3 winner Economic Model to stand in Norway. Hot Seat was then spotted by bloodstock agent David Allan's Allan Bloodlines and purchased on behalf of his Kazakh client in October 2021.

Allan Bloodlines, which has offices in England and South Africa, has been buying and selling for clients in Kazakhstan for over two decades. Among his most notable purchases for owners in that country was Make Memories, a son of Street Cry and the first foal out of Grade 1 winner Winter Memories, who he acquired at the 2017 Tattersalls February Sale as an winless 3-year-old. Make Memories went on to win that year's Kazakhstan Derby and 2,000 Guineas, and he won six total Group 1 races in that country racing through age six.

The post Stakes-Placed Hot Seat Took The Long Way From Parx To Kazakhstan appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

British EBF Support Tops £2 Million

Edited Press Release

For the first time in the 40-year history of the organisation, the British European Breeders' Fund will increase its contribution to prize money to £2 million.

“Britain continues to be recognised for the quality of its stallion market: we stand promising young sires and established producers of Champions,” said British EBF Chairman Simon Sweeting. “The support of all our stallion owners to the British

EBF means we can support well over 700 flat races in 2023 with £1.9million, our biggest commitment to date. With our National Hunt programmes considered too, the British EBF contribution is over £2 million, directly to racing's prize money. It is a genuine enhancement of the value of the race programme, with a particular focus on developmental races and projects that protect the diversity of the race programme and, ultimately, the Thoroughbred.”

Areas of the programme that will benefit from the extra support include juvenile developmental races, sire/dam-restricted 2-year-old races and a small series of novice and maidens for 3-year-olds.

“Some of our established high-value Novice and Maiden races at premier fixtures will benefit from extra funding. Our successful sire/dam-restricted races will receive a boost as an important cross-industry initiative to encourage the production of quality stayers in Britain. We are also supporting the BHA in special projects to strengthen developmental opportunities in the older horse programme.

“This is in addition to our long-standing commitments to our high-value fillies' and mares' handicaps, designed to retain mares in GB and give them productive targets throughout the season, and of course, our flagship British EBF £100,000 2yo Series finals founded last year.”

The British EBF 2yo Series covers over 140 qualifying races and is capped by a finale for fillies at Goodwood and one for colts and geldings at York, each worth £100,000. It aims to support the commercial end of the sales and stallion market by utilising Restricted Novice and Maiden races as qualifiers. A number of these, now supported by long standing EBF contributor Juddmonte, are to be run at £30,000, making them valuable qualifying targets on the way to the finals.

In 2022, David Mensuisier's €13,000 purchase Munch (GB) (New Bay {GB}) claimed the fillies' final at Goodwood. The race went on to produce subsequent Listed Winterkonigin Trial winner Sirona (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}). The colts' final was won by the unbeaten Eve Johnson Houghton trained Streets of Gold (Ire) (Havana Gold {Ire}), a £27,000 Tattersalls Ireland purchase whose spring target is the G1 2000 Guineas. The race also produced Legend of Xanadu (GB) (Sixties Icon {GB}) who went on to with the Listed Doncaster S. at the end of last season.

The post British EBF Support Tops £2 Million appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights