Month: April 2023

Champion Swiss Skydiver Delivers Kingman Filly In Japan

Swiss Skydiver, an Eclipse Award winner and the sixth filly to win the Preakness Stakes, has delivered her first foal, a filly by Kingman, at Northern Farm in Japan.

The birth was announced Monday by the farm's Twitter account.

Swiss Skydiver has traversed the globe since Northern Farm's Katsumi Yoshida purchased the daughter of Daredevil for $4.7 million at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. After the auction, she was sent to England, where she visited top European sire Kingman at Juddmonte Farms' Banstead Manor Stud. Swiss Skydiver was then sent to Japan to deliver the filly.

Swiss Skydiver raced for Peter Callahan and she was trained by Kenny McPeek during her on-track career, winning seven of 16 starts for earnings of $2,216,480.

Following a stakes-placed 2-year-old season, Swiss Skydiver established herself as an early player on the 2020 Kentucky Oaks trail with a win in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks. Then, as the trail was stretched out, she continued to boost her stock with wins in the G3 Fantasy Stakes and G2 Santa Anita Oaks before testing male competition for the first time in the G2 Blue Grass Stakes, where she finished second.

Swiss Skydiver returned to facing her fellow fillies for a win in the G1 Alabama Stakes and a hard-fought second to Shedaresthedevil in the Kentucky Oaks, before outlasting eventual Horse of the Year Authentic in the Pimlico Race Course stretch to win the Preakness Stakes. She was the first filly to win the Preakness since Rachel Alexandra in 2009, and the effort helped Swiss Skydiver secure the Eclipse Award for champion 3-year-old female of 2020.

Her 4-year-old campaign was highlighted by a victory in the G1 Beholder Mile Stakes.

Kingman, a son of Invincible Spirit, was named Europe's Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old male in 2014 off a campaign that included Group 1 victories in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, St. James's Palace Stakes, Sussex Stakes, and Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard – Jacques Le Marois.

Kingman is the sire of more than 30 graded/group stakes winners, and he was the second-fastest Northern Hemisphere sire to achieve 50 stakes winners, behind only fellow Juddmonte sire Frankel. His most notable runners include St. James's Palace Stakes winner Palace Pier, French 2,000 Guineas winner Persian King, and multiple Grade 1 winner Domestic Spending.

The post Champion Swiss Skydiver Delivers Kingman Filly In Japan appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Jockey Club Round Table To Be Held Aug. 3 In Saratoga Springs

The date of The Jockey Club's 71st Annual Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing will change from its traditional Sunday to Thursday, August 3, 2023. The two-hour conference will be held at the Saratoga Springs City Center in Saratoga Springs, New York, and will begin at 10 a.m. EDT.

The conference will also be streamed on The Jockey Club's website, jockeyclub.com, and Facebook page, facebook.com/USJockeyClub. 

The Jockey Club Round Table Conference was first held on July 1, 1953, in The Jockey Club office in New York City. The following year, it was moved to Saratoga Springs, N.Y., where it has been held every August since.

Transcripts of every Round Table Conference are available in the “Resources” section of The Jockey Club website.

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Sunland Park Derby Winner Wild On Ice Goes Five Furlongs At Churchill In 1:00

Frank Sumpter's Grade 3 Sunland Park Derby hero Wild On Ice had his first published workout at Churchill Downs on Monday morning when he breezed five furlongs in 1:00 with 60-year-old jockey Ken Tohill in the irons.

Trained by Joel Marr, Wild On Ice began his work at 6 a.m. and breezed through fractions of 11:40, :23, :35.20 and :47.60, according to Churchill Downs clocker John Nichols. The New Mexico-based gelding galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.20 and completed seven furlongs in 1:28.

“Everything seemed to work perfectly this morning and you don't really see that a lot in horse racing,” Marr said. “We're taking every day in stride and enjoying being part of this year's Kentucky Derby.”

Wild On Ice would be the first mount for Tohill at Churchill Downs and first starter for Marr. Also, Tohill would become the oldest jockey to ever ride in the Kentucky Derby, surpassing Jon Court, who was 58 when he rode Long Range Toddy to a 16th-place finish in 2019.

“We know coming to Kentucky there are a lot more accomplished jockeys and trainers than us,” Tohill said. “It is the elite of the elite. But, we're coming to compete with them.”

Marr has stayed in Louisville with Wild On Ice for a week and could stay through the duration of the Kentucky Derby.

“I'll probably stick around here,” Marr said. “Not that I don't trust the guys at the barn but it could be a once in a lifetime opportunity and I want to savor every moment.”

Marr, who's most known for training star mare Pepper's Pride throughout her 19-for-19 campaign in the mid-2000s, trains primarily in New Mexico but knows what it's like to prepare horses at Churchill Downs. In 2018, Marr's trainee Blamed, who qualified for the Longines Kentucky Oaks by winning the Sunland Park Oaks, was based at Churchill Downs. Blamed did not get to run in that year's Kentucky Oaks due to injury.

“It was a tough go the last time we were here,” Marr said. “We were in the southeast corner of Barn 43 last time. Maybe it's better we switched things up and are on the southwest corner this time.”

Marr and Tohill have had a long relationship on and off the racetrack. Marr began riding Tohill in the mid-2000s and has been his go-to rider ever since.

“The great thing about Ken is you never have to worry about his work ethic,” Marr said. “He always shows up at 5:30 each morning and is ready to work hard. I've seen his same work ethic 15 years ago as I do today. He's been a part of Wild On Ice's journey to the Kentucky Derby since he started his career at Zia Park.”

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“Loyalty is what comes to mind when I think of Joel,” Tohill continued. “When I first met Joel, I rode a winner for him at Zia Park. During the race there was an incident at the gate and a horse got loose at the start. At the time, I really didn't know what happened but my wife told me, 'Did you see what Joel did?' Joel ended up going onto the racetrack and herded the horse to the outside rail after the outriders weren't able to catch him. By doing that, he saved all of us in the race from what could've been a really bad situation. And the loose horse came back safe. That's just the type of guy Joel is. He's more like family to me than anything. He's supported me and trusted me to ride some of his best horses. He's allowed me to be on this journey with him. Even if I wasn't riding this horse in the Derby, I'd still be supporting Joel.”

No matter what happens in the Kentucky Derby, Marr is enjoying his time training a contender for this year's “Run for the Roses.”

“I know we'll be one of the longest shots on the board. However, last year's race proved anything can happen in the Kentucky Derby,” Marr said.

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Derby Favorite Forte Arrives At Churchill From Palm Beach Downs Base

St. Elias Stable and Repole Stable's Kentucky Derby favorite Forte arrived at Churchill Downs from South Florida just after 4 a.m. Monday.

Forte arrived following a 14-hour van ride from his winter base at Palm Beach Downs in Delray Beach, Fla. The talented 3-year-old colt will enter this year's Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve with a deep résumé that includes victories in the Grade 1 Hopeful, G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile, G2 Fountain of Youth, and G1 Florida Derby.

Forte, the champion 2-year-old male of 2022, is based in Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher's Barn 39 at Churchill Downs, which has quickly become full with 36 horses including fellow Kentucky Derby contenders Kingsbarns and Tapit Trice.

Spendthrift Farm's Kingsbarns arrived around 9 a.m. from Palm Beach Downs.

Less than 24 hours earlier, Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stables' Tapit Trice vanned from Keeneland to Churchill Downs.

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