Anthony Stroud Snaps Up A Pair Of 625k Colts By Havana Grey And Blue Point Late At Tattersalls

Just a handful of lots from the end of the sale, a colt by last year's leading first-season sire Havana Grey (GB) brought 625,000gns from Anthony Stroud's Stroud Coleman Bloodstock to take what turned out to be joint-top honours at Park Paddocks as the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale wound down. Consigned by Glending Stables, the grey (lot 198) is a half-brother to four winners.

Bred by Maywood Stud, the colt was picked up by Childwickbury Stud for 52,000gns out of the Tattersalls December Foal Sale, and joined Glending Stables when selling for 42,000gns in this ring as a December yearling just a few months ago. G1 Prix Robert Papin heroine Balbonella (Fr) (Gay Mecene) and her G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest-winning sire son Anabaa (Danzig) are under the third dam. A resident of Whitsbury Manor Stud, Havana Grey's progeny are going from strength to strength, and he sired his fourth group winner, Mammas Girl (GB), in Wednesday's G3 Lanwades Stud Nell Gwyn S.

On behalf of Godolphin, Stroud acquired a colt by Darley stallion Blue Point (Ire) for the same amount, 625,000gns, just one lot later to provide a fitting exclamation point to the two-day stand. Lot 199, bred by Armitage Bloodstock and part of the Oak Tree Farm draft, had already passed through this ring twice–when making 110,000gns from John Rowe during the 2021 Tattersalls December Foal Sale, and he was also a 70,000gns buyback from Book 2 of the October Yearling Sale.

The March-foaled bay is a son of Most Beautiful (GB) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}), who won the G3 Balanchine S. and was group/graded placed another three times. Her dam, in turn, won the Listed Pretty Polly S. and was also twice third in the G2 Pride S. Blue Point already has a trio of winners to his name, with his latest being Blue Storm (GB) in a novice stakes on Tuesday.

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Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5 Features All-Stakes Sequence From Aqueduct, Keeneland, Oaklawn

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host an all-stakes Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday featuring racing from Aqueduct Racetrack, Keeneland and Oaklawn Park.

The Cross Country Pick 5 requires bettors to pick the winner of five select races from tracks across the country. The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is available on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country with each week featuring a mandatory payout of the net pool. The Cross Country Pick 5, boasting a low 15 percent takeout, offers sequences with races from Aqueduct Racetrack and partner tracks across the country.

The sequence kicks off at 4:44 p.m. Eastern in Race 8 at Keeneland, the Grade 2, $350,000 Elkhorn for older horses traveling 1 1/2 miles over the turf. The evergreen multiple Grade 1-winner Channel Maker, who makes the second start of his 9-year-old campaign, will vie for a successful title defense for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott off a troubled seventh-place finish in the Grade 3 William L. McKnight on January 28 at Gulfstream Park.

Fellow 9-year-old gelding Red Knight will attempt to double up on graded scores after defeating Channel Maker in the last-out Grade 3 McKnight for trainer Mike Maker, who also sends out the in-form 7-year-old Value Engineering. Younger challengers in pursuit of their first graded score include the Brendan Walsh-trained Rising Empire and the lightly-raced Howe Street, who enters along with Shawdyshawdyshawdy for conditioner Jorge Abreu.

The second leg features a field of eight in the $200,000 NYSSS Times Square [Race 8, 5:06 p.m.], a 6 1/2-furlong turf test for eligible New York-sired sophomores, at Aqueduct. Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse sends out Lifetime of Chance for his first start since being transferred from the barn of Linda Rice. The son of The Lieutenant, who finished third in the NYSSS Great White Way in December, broke his maiden last out with an impressive 16-length score on March 18. His challengers include the Jimmy Ferraro-trained Great White Way-winner and multiple graded stakes-placed General Banker, as well as the streaking Kerness, who arrives with three consecutive victories for conditioner Jamie Ness.

The action switches back to Keeneland for the middle leg in Race 9 [5:16 p.m.], the Grade 3, $300,000 Ben Ali for older horses at 1 3/16 miles. The multiple graded stakes-winning Skippylongstocking makes his return for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. after winning the Grade 3 Challenger by 3 1/4 lengths in March at Tampa Bay Downs. The son of Exaggerator has won three graded events and was third in last year's Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.

He will face a familiar rival in Pioneer of Medina, who finished a close second to his foe in the Grade 3 Harlan's Holiday in December at Gulfstream. Trained by Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, Pioneer of Medina scored a narrow victory in the Grade 3 Mineshaft in February at Fair Grounds. The field also includes graded stakes winners Rattle N Roll for trainer Ken McPeek and the Brad Cox-trained Tawny Port.

The final two legs feature stakes races from Oaklawn Park, beginning with Race 10 [6:06 p.m.], the Grade 2, $1 million Oaklawn Handicap for older horses going nine furlongs. The field of seven is headlined by the matchup of graded stakes winners Charge It and Last Samurai – the latter entering with two graded stakes victories in his last two outings for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Fellow Hall of Famer and former Lukas mentee Todd Pletcher will saddle Charge It on the heels of a disappointing runner-up finish in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile on March 4.

The salty field will also see Grade 1-winner Classic Causeway look to improve off a close second in the Grade 3 Essex Handicap in March for McPeek while Grade 1 Clark-winner Proxy will attempt to return to winning ways for Cox after being defeated a neck last out in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap to returning rival Stilleto Boy.

The sequence concludes in Race 11 [6:46 p.m.] at the Hot Springs oval, the $200,000 Bath House Row at nine furlongs for sophomores. The field of nine will see the return of several former Kentucky Derby hopefuls, including Red Route One, who races for the first time since finishing an even sixth in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on April 1 for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen. Victory Formation is in search of his first win since the January 1 Smarty Jones for Cox as the Christ Hartman-trained Two Eagles River attempts his first stakes victory off a seventh in the Arkansas Derby. Impressive maiden winner Tapit Shoes also enters for Cox as he tries for his first victory against winners.

Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence will be available for download at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/cross-country-wagers.

America's Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct spring meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the best way to bet every race of the Aqueduct Racetrack spring meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

Cross Country Pick 5 – Saturday, April 22

Leg A: Keeneland, Race 8 – G2 Elkhorn (4:44 p.m. Eastern)

Leg B: Aqueduct Racetrack Race 8 – $200K NYSSS Times Square (5:06 p.m.)

Leg C: Keeneland, Race 9 – G3 Ben Ali (5:16 p.m.)

Leg D: Oaklawn Park, Race 10 – G2 Oaklawn Handicap (6:06 p.m.)

Leg E: Oaklawn Park, Race 11 – $200K Bath House Row (6:46 p.m.)

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Speightstown Filly Blazes Quarter-Mile at OBS Wednesday

A filly by Speightstown (hip 618) zipped a quarter-mile in a track record-tying :20 1/5, while six horses shared the day's fastest furlong time, during the fourth session of the under-tack show for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training in Central Florida Wednesday. Hip 618, who worked just after 11:30 a.m. and with temperatures approaching 80 degrees, is consigned by Juan Centeno's All Dreams Equine.

“You never know if they can go that fast, but she prepped pretty fast,” Centeno said. “I knew she could at least tie that prep or improve on it and obviously, she improved. But she's always been that filly who gives her all every time. She just has a natural talent. Every time she goes up there, it's all business. When she is in the stall, she's nice and relaxed. I think she has a brilliant future.”

The filly is out of the unraced Last Dance (Revolutionary), who is a half-sister to graded winner Speightster (Speightstown) and is out of a full-sister to Dance Smartly.

Centeno purchased the filly for $17,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

“She is not perfect,” Centeno said. “Her conformation wasn't perfect. That's probably why people passed on her last year. But we took our chances because she has a beautiful body. And you never know how they are going to come out. You have to play and see what happens. In the early days, you start seeing which ones really start shining from the rest and she was one of those. She was not that fast, but she was always better than the rest.”

The filly's :20 1/5 breeze ties the record for the fastest quarter-mile over the OBS surface, matching, among others, the time of future Grade I winner Princess Noor (Not This Time), who sold for $1.35 million at the 2020 Spring sale.

Asked what it was like to lead his speedy filly up to the track Wednesday morning, Centeno said, “Before you go, you feel sick. You just hope she doesn't take a bad step or anything. It's just nerve-wracking. And after it, you feel so proud for her. She's the one who did it all. It's just a special feeling in your heart to say, 'Wow. Look at these beautiful things.' They can make you feel so wonderful.”

A Day at the Beach for Wavertree

Six juveniles shared the fastest furlong time of :9 4/5 during Wednesday's session of the under-tack show and two were fillies from the first crop of Omaha Beach from the Wavertree Stables consignment, which also sent out a colt by the multiple Grade I winner to work the day's second-fastest quarter-mile time of :20 3/5.

“We went up there with high expectations,” said Wavertree's Ciaran Dunne. “They were horses who had trained really well all year and had advertised themselves in their works as fast horses. And I think they all showed up.”

Working during the day's first set, hip 532 was first to hit the :9 4/5 mark on the day for Wavertree. The bay filly is out of Intelyhente (Smart Stride), a full-sister to graded winner Bel Air Beauty and dam of stakes-placed Count Alexander (Scat Daddy), who Wavertree sold at the 2017 OBS June sale.

“She is huge,” Dunne said of the filly. “She looks like a colt. She's probably 16 hands, plus. We had her half-brother and that probably played a part in us being as strong as we were [in buying her last year]. We thought he was a very good horse. I think he was a better horse than his race record probably panned out to be–he was very unlucky in a couple of races. But she is a bigger, stronger version of him. You could have passed him off as the filly and her as the colt.”

Hip 667 turned in her :9 4/5 work around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. The chestnut filly is out of Malibu Pride (Malibu Moon), a full-sister to By The Light, who produced multiple Grade I winner By the Moon (Indian Charlie).

“She's a medium-sized filly,” Dunne said. “She's real compact and very well-balanced. She's been lightning fast since the first time we said, 'Go.' We spent the spring trying to slow her down. She's really, really quick with a beautiful female family underneath.”

Both fillies were purchased by Paul Reddam and Dunne's Red Wings Enterprises pinhooking partnership for $200,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

“Paul has been my partner in Red Wings for many years,” Dunne said. “He is a guy who really goes with his gut feeling. He was very high on Omaha Beach going into the yearling sales and his marching orders were to buy as many Omaha Beaches as I could. I think I called him at one point and said, 'Is that enough?' and the response I got was, 'no.' So we have to give him the credit–or the blame–for the number of Omaha Beaches we have.”

On behalf of Houston third baseman Alex Bregman, Wavertree sent out a son of Omaha Beach (hip 617) to work a quarter-mile in :20 3/5 in the opening minutes of Wednesday's session of the under-tack show. The bay colt is out of stakes-placed Lantiz (Tizway).

Bloodstock agent Mike Akers purchased the colt on behalf of Bregman Family Racing for $185,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton July sale.

“This is a lovely horse. He doesn't necessarily look fast, which is interesting for as fast as he is,” Dunne said. “He looks like a horse with a bit of stretch that will go a route of ground.”

Bregman was represented by a bullet worker by No Nay Never who worked in :20 4/5 during Monday's second session of the under-tack show.

“Mike Akers has done a really job for Alex sourcing racehorses and obviously now pinhooks,” Dunne said. “I think they are good team and they work together well.”

Omaha Beach now has three juveniles to work in :9 4/5 this week at OBS. Mayberry Farm sent out a colt by the freshman sire (hip 466, video) to work in that time Tuesday.

Omaha Beach, winner of the GI Arkansas Derby and GI Santa Anita Sprint Championship, was scratched as the morning-line favorite three days before the 2019 GI Kentucky Derby. He stands at Spendthrift Farm for $30,000.

“They are lovely horses,” Dunne said of the first-season sire's progeny. “They have a shape to them. They have a bit of size and scope. They move really well. Thankfully, all of those things have transferred as you would want them to from yearlings to 2-year-olds. Once we started training them, we were very pleased. They are nice horses to be around and mentally very easy to deal with. They thrive on work. The more we've done with them, the better they were and the happier they were. Obviously, I am a big fan today.”

Also working the furlong bullet Wednesday was a filly by Divining Rod (hip 544, video) who is a half-sister to GI Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Aloha West (Hard Spun) consigned by Best a Luck Farm; a colt by Maximus Mischief (hip 632, video) consigned by Kings Equine; a colt by Tapwrit (hip 634, video), who is a half to multiple graded-placed Dream Marie (Graydar) and consigned by Top Line Sales; and a colt by Solomini (hip 692, video), who is a half to graded winner Lookin to Strike (Lookin at Lucky) and consigned by Randy Miles.

The under-tack show continues through Saturday with sessions beginning each day at 8 .m. The Spring sale will be held next Tuesday through Friday. Bidding commences at 10:30 a.m. daily.

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Another Shadwell Star To Shine In the Craven?

There is no doubt that, in general, Newmarket's G3 Craven S. has lost much of its former relevance as a 2000 Guineas trial, but in the last two years it has enjoyed a revival with winners Master Of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) going close in the mile Classic. Godolphin and Charlie Appleby have another leading man this time in the GI Summer S. and G3 Prix Francois Boutin scorer Mysterious Night (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), but the one that really catches the eye is Shadwell's Kempton novice winner Mostabshir (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}). A half-brother to the G1 Falmouth S. and G1 Sun Chariot S. heroine Nazeef (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire) and four-time group winner Mostahdaf (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), the John and Thady Gosden-trained grey is tested earlier than that pair with extra precocity from the sire.

“They've all been happy with him at home, so with the season starting we need to know where we are with him,” Angus Gold said. “He's still entered in the Guineas and I'm imagining that will come too quick for him, but let's see how we get on Thursday. He's the least experienced in the field and it will tell us a lot more in terms of his class and the track and all those things. It's a learning curve.”

The Case For Chaldean…

He may not be running until Saturday, but Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is indirectly involved in the Craven with Indestructible (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) just half a length behind Juddmonte's leading 2000 Guineas contender in York's G3 Acomb S. and 3 1/2 lengths in arrears in the G2 Champagne S. at Doncaster, where Silver Knott (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) was behind. Now with Karl Burke, Amo Racing's big Guineas hope is up to a mile for the first time and racing and operations manager Tom Pennington believes that will see improvement.

“His pedigree suggests he will get a mile and he got seven furlongs well last year as a two-year-old,” he said. “The form is there. He has to make the improvement from two to three, but he definitely has the scope to do that and the form is in the book so he will be a nice three-year-old going forward hopefully.”

King Power's course-and-distance G2 Royal Lodge S. winner The Foxes (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) will provide Chaldean's trainer Andrew Balding with more of an idea where he stands ahead of the May 6 Classic, while Isa Salman Al Khalifa's G3 Horris Hill S. third Ancestral Land (GB) (Sioux Nation) can not be left out of equations.

“His whole demeanour gives us the impression he will get a mile and we hope that will be possible,” trainer Clive Cox said. “I trained his dam to win over five furlongs, but he is a horse that has done exceptionally well physically and he hit the line well over seven last year.”

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