Month: November 2023

Juddmonte’s Distaff Win by Idiomatic Helps Curlin Equal his Own Breeders’ Cup Record

In 2022, Hill 'n' Dale's super sire Curlin got a record-setting three winners on Saturday's Breeders' Cup card. In 2023, the remarkable sire equaled that as Juddmonte homebred Idiomatic (Curlin–Lockdown, by First Defence) gave her sire a hard-fought victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff sandwiched between the encore wins by Cody's Wish in the GI Dirt Mile earlier on the card and Elite Power later in the GI Sprint. Idiomatic, who has had a stellar year with eight wins from nine starts, has almost certainly sewn up the Eclipse Award as older female and put herself squarely in the middle of Horse of the Year consideration as well with the win.

“I think she definitely deserves some votes for Horse of the Year,” said trainer Brad Cox. “It's a serious record. It's Horse of the Year, not horse of the fall, horse of the summer, horse of the spring, or horse of the Breeders' Cup. She has had a tremendous year from start to finish. Today was just icing on the cake.”

Idiomatic kicked off 2023 with two optional allowance wins at Turfway Park, followed by her first black-type win in the listed Latonia S. in March. While it's safe to say Idiomatic is the first Breeders' Cup winner to come out of that race, it would catapult Idiomatic to graded company. After a runner-up finish, her only 2023 loss, in the GII Ruffian S., Cox teamed her up with Florent Geroux. The two have never lost in their five consecutive pairings, all graded stakes, and have hit triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures every time. Those five straight included both the GI Spinster S., sponsored by her owner and breeder, and GI Personal Ensign S. in her last two starts.

Geroux reflected on the year immediately following the Distaff: “Her prior victories have been very easy for her, but this one she had to earn it. She showed how great she was, and she deserved to be the champion just because of how much fight she showed today and how much heart.

“Sometimes that's what makes the difference between good horses and great horses, and I think she's one of the greats for sure.”

Idiomatic | Benoit

In Saturday's older-mare showcase, GI Alabama S. winner Randomized (Nyquist) shot to the Distaff lead when the gates flew as Idiomatic, under a hard hold, tracked her in second behind :22.31 and :46.26 fractions. Idiomatic began moving on Randomized with three furlongs to go as MGISW Clairiere–another daughter of Curlin–found a dream seam from the back of the field and threatened menacingly from the inside. Idiomatic and Randomized hooked up on the turn to fight down the lane–yet another great battle in a race which has seen some of the sport's top skirmishes. Idiomatic wore down Randomized to shake loose, but not by much, as a mad scramble ensued behind her and the wire loomed. In the end, Idiomatic, a super-sized filly, prevailed by a half-length over Randomized as Spinster second Le Da Vida (Chi) (Gemologist) outfinished Clairiere for third.

“When I needed her the most, the last eighth of a mile when I really went after her and gave her the indication of going forward,” said Geroux, “she just put her head down and start digging for me really hard. She was all heart in that victory.”

Cox and Geroux had previously partnered for Distaff wins in 2018 and 2020 with Monomoy Girl (Tapizar). It was Juddmonte's first win in the Distaff, although the organization has had a number of other top fillies and mares on the grass in the Breeders' Cup, including 2018 Turf winner Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) and 2001 and 2005 Filly and Mare Turf-winning full-sisters Banks Hill (GB) (Danehill) and Intercontinental (GB) (Danehill). Like Idiomatic, they were all homebreds sporting the famed green and pink silks.

After the Distaff, Juddmonte's Garrett O'Rourke added: “[Idiomatic] comes from a pedigree that is Juddmonte through and through. And her dam is Juddmonte, granddam is Juddmonte, her maternal grandsire is Juddmonte. That's tremendously satisfying for an owner/breeder operation like Prince Khalid and his sons.”

On Saturday, Juddmonte also won the aforementioned Sprint with Elite Power, although he was a $900,000 Keeneland September purchase rather than a homebred.

Pedigree Notes:

Juddmonte is recognized across the sport for one of the most extraordinary breeding programs in modern times; in few horses is that more evident than with Idiomatic. A fourth-generation Juddmonte-bred, Idiomatic hails from the direct female line of Broodmare of the Year Best in Show (Traffic Judge), her fifth dam, whose daughters and descendants have produced elite horses for five decades. Among that number was 'TDN Rising Star' and champion Close Hatches, a full-sister to Idiomatic's stakes-winning and multiple Grade I-placed dam, Lockdown. Close Hatches produced 2019 GII Wood Memorial S. winner Tacitus (Tapit), who also placed in both the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont S.

Idiomatic | Benoit

Juddmonte homebred and broodmare sire First Defence, sire of Close Hatches and Lockdown, hails from Juddmonte Broodmare of the Year Toussaud (El Gran Senor) and is out of that legendary mare's GISW daughter Honest Lady (Seattle Slew). Honest Lady finished second against the boys in the 2000 GI Breeders' Cup Sprint and the 2000 GI Met Mile. First Defence has 14 stakes winners out of his daughters and currently stands in Saudi Arabia, while Lockdown died in 2022 after producing just three foals. Idiomatic is the only one to race to date; her final foal is a yearling filly by Into Mischief named Chasten.

The accolades also continue for Idiomatic's sire Curlin, who notched his sixth individual Breeders' Cup winner Saturday with the Distaff winner. Idiomatic's Breeders' Cup win, combined with Curlin's other Saturday repeat victories, made eight winning World Championship races as a sire for the chestnut. It was also his second consecutive year with the Distaff crown, as he also had 2022 winner Malathaat. The tremendous Curlin has 21 Grade I winners to his credit, as well as 55 graded winners and 98 black-type winners worldwide.

Saturday, Santa Anita Park
LONGINES BREEDERS' CUP DISTAFF-GI, $1,820,000, Santa Anita, 11-4, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8m, 1:50.57, ft.
1–IDIOMATIC, 124, f, 4, by Curlin
        1st Dam: Lockdown (SW & MGISP, $445,900), by First Defence
        2nd Dam: Rising Tornado, by Storm Cat
        3rd Dam: Silver Star (GB), by Zafonic
O/B-Juddmonte Farms Inc. (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Florent Geroux. $1,040,000. Lifetime Record: 12-9-1-2, $2,456,840.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Randomized, 121, f, 3, by Nyquist
        1st Dam: French Passport, by Elusive Quality
        2nd Dam: Air France, by French Deputy
        3rd Dam: Twin Propeller, by Known Fact
($420,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Cove Springs, LLC (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $340,000.
3–Le Da Vida (Chi), 124, m, 6, by Gemologist
        1st Dam: Viene Cantando (Chi) (MG1SW-Chi, $119,875), by Gstaad
        2nd Dam: Cantan Las Flores (Chi), by Dynamix
        3rd Dam: Lanza Flores (Chi), by Gallantsky
O-Masaiva Inc.; B-Haras Santa Olga (Chi); T-Ignacio Correas, IV. $180,000.
Margins: HF, NO, NK. Odds: 1.80, 7.90, 16.60.
Also Ran: Clairiere, Desert Dawn, Search Results, Adare Manor, Wet Paint, Hoosier Philly. Scratched: A Mo Reay, Pretty Mischievous. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by Fanduel TV.

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Full-Sister To G1 Tancred Hero Arapaho Primed For Deauville Debut

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Sunday's Observations features a full-sister to a Group 1 winner.

13.58 Deauville, €30,000, Mdn, unraced 2yo, f, 9 1/2f (AWT)
Gitte Poulsen-Allaire's AQUA AUGUSTA (IRE) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) is a Yann Barberot-conditioned daughter of Listed Prix Dahlia victrix Alzubra (GB) (Dansili {GB}) and thus kin to a trio black-type winners, which includes her G1 Tancred S.-winning full-brother Arapaho (Fr). She was the highest-priced filly at last term's Arqana October sale when knocked down for €310,000 and the March-foaled chestnut encounters nine opponents in this debutantes' heat. They include Antonia Devin's homebred Sailors Delight (Fr) (Cloth Of Stars {Ire}), who is out of a full-sister to the owner-breeder's G1 Prix de l'Opera and G1 Dubai Duty Free heroine Terre A Terre (Fr) (Kaldounevees {Fr}); and Pierre Groualle trainee Iberia (Fr) (Bated Breath {GB}), who is a €50,000 Arqana October half-sister to MGSW GI Rodeo Drive S. third Elysea's World (Ire) (Champs Elysees {GB}).

 

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Godolphin’s Knightsbridge Newest ‘TDN Rising Star’ For Nyquist

Knightsbridge (c, 2, Nyquist–Tyburn Brooke, by Bernardini) aired out in his Churchill Downs debut Saturday to become the newest 'TDN Rising Star' and the second overall for his sire. The Godolphin homebred, a half-brother to GISW Speaker's Corner (Street Sense), was outrun out of the chute and raced covered up against the rail in mid pack. Moving up under his own power, the 5-2 second choice ran into a wall of horses all gunning for the lead and had to check back out of a tight spot right at the half-mile marker. Shuffled back to fifth, James Graham finally had a gap open up for his mount between horses midway around the far turn and, once he said go, Knightsbridge swept up three wide and hit the quarter pole under only a hand ride from Graham. Straightened for the run home, the dark bay was visually impressive, motoring into the final sixteenth to win by as much as he pleased.

Tyburn Brook, though unraced herself, hit a home run with her first foal being GI Carter H. winner and now Darley America stallion Speaker's Corner. Out of a daughter of GI Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Round Pound–who Godolphin purchased for $5.75m as a broodmare out of the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Sale–Knightsbridge's dam is herself a half to G1SW Long River (A.P. Indy) and to SW/GSP Lake Lucerne (Dubawi {Ire}). Tyburn Brook reported a full-sister to Speaker's Corner this year and visited both Street Sense and Curlin for 2024.

7th-Churchill Downs, $118,875, Msw, 11-4, 2yo, 7f, 1:22.96, ft, 10 1/2 lengths.
KNIGHTSBRIDGE, c, 2, Nyquist
                1st Dam: Tyburn Brook, by Bernardini
                2nd Dam: Round Pond, by Awesome Again
                3rd Dam: Gift of Dance, by Trempolino
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $69,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-William I. Mott. *1/2 to Speaker's Corner (Street Sense), GISW, $739,963.

 

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Master of the Seas Leads Home Godolphin 1-2 in the Breeders’ Cup Mile

Under normal circumstances, drawing the outside gate in a one-mile race, on turf, going two turns is a kiss of death. At Santa Anita, well, maybe not so much.

Sent off as the 33-10 second betting favorite behind Japan's superstar miler Songline (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), Godolphin's Master of the Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) produced a stunning late burst of speed to run down the commonly owned Mawj (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), whose half-brother Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) was victorious in last year's Mile at Keeneland and in that wild Juvenile Turf at Del Mar the year prior. Adding to Space Blues (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire})'s success in the 2021 Mile–one of his three winners that afternoon–it was a third straight score in the race for Sheikh Mohammed's far-flung operation and the third on the trot for Dalham Hall's irrepressible Dubawi.

The 5-year-old was void of early speed and was angled down into about the three path before settling at the back of the field early on as Win Carnelian (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}) was kept company by Astronomer (Air Force Blue). When the latter went on with it into the turn, that allowed Mawj, victorious in the GI QE II Challenge Cup when last seen, to sit the ideal stalk-and-wait trip from third. Master of the Seas, meanwhile, was still back second-last down the backstretch as the leaders went past the half in a searching :45.37, and Buick sat against him, preparing to roll the dice with one long run.

Asked to kick passing the three-eighths, Master of the Seas had a single option–take the overland route into the lane and hope for the best. Set down outside of Du Jour (Temple City) once heads were turned for home, Master of the Seas sprinted right past Songline at the furlong grounds, and although Mawj was still going great guns up front, Master of the Seas was up on the wire to take it by a long-nose margin in a finish that looked a fair bit closer to the naked eye. Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed), perhaps a bit handier to the pace than expected in his third trip to the Mile, turned in his typically honest effort to round out the trifecta.

Lure, Six Perfections (Fr), Goldikova (Ire) and Karakontie (Jpn) each overcame double-digit gates to win at Santa Anita.

“We had to go out there with a slight plan from that draw,” said trainer Charlie Appleby, registering a 10th victory at the Breeders' Cup. “The plan was that were going to have to try and go for that sling shot ride, and that would've only have ever materialized if the pace is there to be able to do that. Thankfully, the pace was on.

“Far from saying I was confident, but the pace was setting up for that start of the finish for him. William [Buick] obviously gave him a great ride round there, got him in that position. It was a coffee book sort of sling shot.

“Once that horse got the momentum, we all know what sort of an engine he's got. He's been a bit frustrated. He's been beaten three short heads in Grade I. It's just nice for him to get it done today.”

Winner of the G2 Zabeel Mile and a close third in a roughly run G1 Jebel Hatta over the winter, Master of the Seas beat one home in the G1 Dubai Turf in March and got a vacation. An easy four-length winner of the G2 Summer Mile at Ascot July 15, the bay was tons the best when accounting for last year's Mile runner-up and 'TDN Rising Star' Shirl's Speight (Speightstown) in the GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile and was on the wrong end of a bobber with eventual GI Breeders' Cup Turf runner-up Up to the Mark in the GI Keeneland Turf Mile Oct. 7.

Pedigree Notes:

Providing Dubawi with a seventh Breeders' Cup race win, Master of the Seas is one of 10 winners from 12 to the races for his dam, a listed winner and runner-up in the2002 G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches in France and later twice placed in this country at the graded level while under the care of Eoin Harty. Firth of Lorne's G3 UAE Oaks-winning daughter Falls of Lora is not only the dam of Godolphin's treble Australian Group 1 winner Cascadian (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), but also of Albahr (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), winner of the 2019 GI Summer S. at Woodbine. Another daughter of Firth of Lorne, Bint Almatar (Kingmambo), produced G1 Metropolitan S. hero Just Fine (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).

Firth of Lorne's final foal is the 3-year-old filly Sithchean (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), a debut winner over the Chelmsford all-weather Mar. 2.

Saturday, Santa Anita Park
FANDUEL BREEDERS' CUP MILE PRESENTED BY PDJF-GI, $1,840,000, Santa Anita, 11-4, 3yo/up, 1mT, 1:32.45, fm.
1–MASTER OF THE SEAS (IRE), 126, g, 5, by Dubawi (Ire)
                1st Dam: Firth of Lorne (Ire) (SW & G1SP-Fr, MGSP-USA, $163,189), by Danehill
                2nd Dam: Kerrera (Ire), by Diesis (GB)
                3rd Dam: Rimosa's Pet (GB), by Petingo (GB)
O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Charles Appleby; J-William Buick. $1,040,000. Lifetime Record: GISW-Can, MGSW & G1SP-Eng, GSW & G1SP-UAE, 16-8-3-2, $2,214,457. *1/2 to Latharnach (Iffraaj {GB}), SW & G1SP-Eng, $217,472; 1/2 to Falls of Lora (Ire) (Street Cry {Ire}), GSW-UAE, SW-Eng, $246,417; 1/2 to Etive (Elusive Quality), SW-Ger, MSP-Fr, $126,693. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Mawj (Ire), 120, f, 3, Exceed And Excel (Aus)–Modern Ideals (GB), by New Approach (Ire). O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Saeed bin Suroor. $340,000.
3–Casa Creed, 126, h, 7, Jimmy Creed–Achalaya, by Bellamy Road. ($15,000 Ylg '17 OBSWIN; $105,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP). O-LRE Racing LLC and JEH Racing Stable LLC; B-Silver Springs Stud, LLC (KY); T-William I. Mott. $180,000.
Margins: NO, HF, HF. Odds: 3.30, 4.90, 6.30.
Also Ran: Gina Romantica, Songline (Jpn), More Than Looks, Lucky Score, Shirl's Speight, Kelina (Ire), Du Jour, Win Carnelian (Jpn), Astronomer, Masteroffoxhounds. Scratched: Exaulted.

Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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