It can be easy for horseplayers to underestimate the $700,000 Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park as a pivotal prep race for the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve.
Month: March 2023
Three Lots Added To Auctav March Sale
Three more lots have been added to the Auctav March Sale set for Mar. 29. Dream Ahead 2-year-old Perhaps Traou Land (Fr) (lot 8) is a half-brother to seven winners and will be offered by trainer Edouard Monfort.
Monfort said, “This colt is still growing. He should be ready late spring or early summer. I bought him at the sales, I liked him a lot. He is a late season-born colt. He is well made and has a good temper. From what he shows in the morning, he is very “Dream Ahead”, more of a speed and short-distance oriented horse.”
There is also a 1/60th share in Group 1 sire Complacent (Aus) (lot 3B) set to go under the hammer, as well as a 1/90th share in trotting stallion Feeling Cash (Fr) (lot 10).
The post Three Lots Added To Auctav March Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
‘The Ultimate Thoroughbred’: Top Australian Sire Lonhro Pensioned From Stud Duty
Today marks the end of an era for the Australian breeding community with the decision to retire Lonhro from covering duties confirmed by Godolphin Australia for the Darley stallion, very much revered as the people's horse.
The rising 25-year-old will remain in residence at Kelvinside Stud in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia, not far from where he was born and bred at the famous Woodlands Stud, with his day-to-day team and routine to remain.
“Most importantly, Lonhro retires from the Darley roster sound, happy, healthy and will remain in residence at Kelvinside. The stallion team, led by Barley Ward-Thomas and Yev Kovalov, plus Lonhro's long-time mate Deen Griesheimer and all other handlers who have contributed within our stallion barn have done a wonderful job caring for this Australian icon for over a decade, and who will continue to do so,” Cox continued.
“It's important to us that the horse retires on his terms and to all who have supported Lonhro throughout his career, we thank you enormously.”
Where It All Started
A striking black colt born on Thursday, Dec. 10, 1998; by Octagonal and the seventh foal of Shadea, Lonhro was a phenomenon from day one.
Another author of the Lonhro story is Suzanne Philcox. Well known for naming Godolphin Australia's horses, it all began for Philcox back in 1987 naming horses for Jack and Bob Ingham's Woodlands Stud.
Talking to Racenet, Philcox revealed that if not for the intervention of the Australian Stud Book, racing's most popular horses may have been called 'Tiny'.
“Lonhro's foaling sheet described him as 'tiny but perfect',” Philcox told Clinton Payne.
“At the time I was reading a magazine called Private Eye which had stories about a businessman called Tiny Rowland and he was described as “tiny but perfect”.
“I tried to get 'Tiny' and 'Rowland' for the colt, but they weren't available.
“Tiny Rowland was the CEO of the London Rhodesia Mining Company, so I used his company's stock exchange code LONRHO and made a deliberate mistake with the spelling.”
Off and Racing
A glittering 35-start career, the winner of 11 Group 1 races, 24 at Group level and 26 overall victories, Lonhro won the cream of races in Australia.
The Caulfield Guineas, Caulfield Stakes (twice), the Mackinnon Stakes, Chipping Norton, George Ryder, Queen Elizabeth, CF Orr, Chipping Norton and George Main Stakes.
But, arguably his most stunning performance came in the 2004 Australian Cup (2,000 meters) at Flemington where he was pocketed until the final 200 meters, but still managed to get up to beat Delzao and Elvstroem.
In a period of far less prize money, Lonhro amassed a staggering $5,790,510 (Australian) and was the pin-up horse of Australian racing when he retired to Woodlands Stud in 2004, with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum securing the bloodstock operations of Ingham Enterprises in May of 2008. Lonhro has remained a Darley stallion since.
A gifted equine athlete, Lonhro exceeded his racetrack exploits while in the breeding barn.
Leaving a Legacy
“What can you say about him that hasn't already been said?” Alastair Pulford pondered. “From the time he was born he's been the ultimate Thoroughbred.”
Darley Australia's Head of Stallions Alastair Pulford has helped plan and steer the great sire's career in the Darley breeding barn for the past 15 seasons.
“He went on to be an amazing racehorse, the Horse of the Year, who then became champion sire, leading broodmare sire and now has sons at stud who will carry on his name.
“He was one of the keys behind the purchase of the Ingham racing operation all those years ago and a lot of the success of that deal relied on him.
“He's certainly got an aura about him, even at his age he's still so fondly remembered by so many people.”
Pulford said Lonhro had done a marvellous job and would continue to be well cared for in retirement.
Lonhro sired his 1,000th individual winner recently – 3-year-old Lake Agawam for David Jolly on Saturday, March 11 – and at date of publish his progeny earnings are $147,105,222 (Australian).
He has 95 individual Stakes winners of 191 Black-Type races and has sired a string of elite Stakes winners including Impending, Kementari, Pierro, Lyre, Aristia, Lindermann, Beaded, Bounding, Benfica, Denman, Exosphere, Mental and The Conglomerate.
Lonhro was crowned champion sire and leading Australian sire of winning 3-year-olds in 2010-11, the top Australian sire of 2-year-olds in 2011-12 and the leading Australian sire of winners in 2013-14 and 2014-15.
His reputation grew and he shuttled to the United States between 2012 and '14.
Lonhro also became a sire of sires – with Impending, Pierro, Denman, Encryption and Exosphere standing at stud in Australia.
Lonhro's early influence as a broodmare sire is equally as remarkable with his daughters producing 101 Group-winning horses including the likes of So Si Bon (So You Think), Osborne Bulls (Street Cry), Barber (Exceed And Excel), Niedorp (Not A Single Doubt), Golden Mile (Astern), Trobriand (Kermadec), Serene Majesty (Fastnet Rock) to name but a few.
His exploits in the sale ring reflect that of a wonderful racetrack career with his yearlings offered at public auction netting supporters $71,939,788, his top lot a $1.4 million Inglis Easter yearling and just last year producing a $1.05 million result for a filly out of Cool Passion.
However, the opportunity to race the stock of Lonhro still remains with six yearlings cataloged for the coming Inglis Easter Yearling Sale and two remaining crops to grace the sale rings.
His retirement announcement comes at a timely moment having sired Saturday's Group 1 Rosehill Guineas winner Lindermann, a 3-year-old colt bred and raced by Debbie Kepitis' Woppitt Bloodstock.
The Ultimate Thoroughbred
And with the curtain being drawn on his breeding career, Vin Cox reflected further on stories proving that Lonhro truly is the people's horse.
“A few times a year we have people come up for their anniversaries and want to see Lonhro.
“We've even had a couple get engaged in front of Lonhro, people name their kids' middle names Lonhro.
“He is a horse who has charisma, and the effect he has had on people has been quite significant.”
On behalf of the Darley stallions' team, to all who supported Lonhro's journey – we thank you.
The post ‘The Ultimate Thoroughbred’: Top Australian Sire Lonhro Pensioned From Stud Duty appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Elm Drive Returns To Souther California For Saturday’s Desert Stormer Stakes At Santa Anita
A Grade 2 stakes winner in her second start at age two, Phil D'Amato's talented Elm Drive, idle since well beaten Sept. 24 at Pimlico Race Course, returns to Southern California and heads a field of five older fillies and mares going six furlongs in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Desert Stormer Stakes at Santa Anita.
A 4-year-old filly by Mohaymen out of the Indian Charlie mare Lets Dance Charlie, Elm Drive's last Southern California start was a third place performance in the G2 Great Lady M Stakes at Los Alamitos on July 4, 2022. Subsequently distanced in the G1 Test Stakes at Saratoga Aug. 6, she then showed early speed but checked in sixth, beaten 11 ½ lengths in an ungraded stakes going six furlongs at Pimlico on Sept. 24.
A galloping 2 ¼ length winner going seven furlongs here in the ungraded Angel's Flight Stakes four starts back on May 8, 2022, Elm Drive, who is owned by Little Red Feather Racing, will be ridden for the first time by Ramon Vazquez as she seeks her third stakes win and her fourth overall from nine starts.
The leading money earner in the field with $228,140, Elm Drive has six works on her tab at Los Alamitos and two here at Santa Anita, the most recent a five furlong main track drill in 1:00.40 on March 20.
Well beaten in a 6 ½ furlong hillside turf allowance Feb. 20, Mark Glatt's Grade 1 stakes placed Dance to the Music switches to dirt and will be making her second start off a nearly six month vacation in the Desert Stormer. A well beaten second in the G1 Del Mar Debutante in her second start at age two, Dance to the Music, a 4-year-old filly by Maclean's Music, sold for $575,000 at an Ocala 2-year-old in training sale and will be making her ninth career start on Saturday.
Owned by Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal, Dance to the Music has two wins and as many seconds and will be ridden for the first time by Edwin Maldonado.
Stakes placed once on dirt and once on turf and raced exclusively on grass in her last 10 starts, trainer Keith Desormeaux's Stella Noir returns to the main track in search of her first career stakes victory in what will be her 18th start.
A first-out maiden 6 ½ furlong winner on dirt here two years ago on March 19, 2021, Stella Noir is 1-1-2 from seven tries on dirt and will likely hope for a stalking trip with Luis Contreras up for the first time. A 6 ½ furlong hillside turf allowance winner two starts back on Jan. 13, Stella Noir is a 5-year-old mare by Stay Thirsty out of the Cuvee mare Guadalupe High.
Owned and bred in Kentucky by Rose Hill Farm, Desormeaux, Wayne Detmar and Gene Voss, Stella Noir is 17-3-3-3 overall with earnings of $207,642.
THE GRADE 3, DESERT STORMER WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 8 of 9 Approximate post time 5 p.m. PT
- Violent Runner – Edwin Maldonado –120
- Half Past Twelve – Tiago Pereira – 120
- Dance to the Music – Juan Hernandez – 120
- Elm Drive – RAmon Vazquez – 124
- Stella Noir—Luis Contreras—120
First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 1 p.m. with admission gates opening at 11 a.m.
The post Elm Drive Returns To Souther California For Saturday’s Desert Stormer Stakes At Santa Anita appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
