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Stidham Has High Hopes for Promising Sophomores

Trainer Mike Stidham, who recorded the highest earnings mark of his 34-year career in 2023, got the new year off to a quick start when Godolphin's Heckled (Hard Spun) broke her maiden in the eighth race at Fair Grounds Monday. The  conditioner has a pair of promising newly turned 3-year-olds who could help keep the momentum going in 2024.

Godolphin homebred Central Avenue (Street Sense), a first-out winner at Colonial Downs last August, was second in the Oct. 7 GI Frizette S. and, most recently, third in the Nov. 25 GII Golden Rod S. The dark bay filly worked four furlongs in :47.80 (2/82) at Fair Grounds Sunday.

“She's been working well at Fair Grounds,” Stidham said of the filly. “We're looking at her for the preps that lead to the [GII] Fair Grounds Oaks, so we'll see.”

Stidham also has high hopes for Pin Oak Stud's Phantom Speed (Arrogate), a $700,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase. The gray colt just missed when second in his six-furlong unveiling at Fair Grounds Nov. 24. He was third behind the Brad Cox-trained Ethan Energy (Uncle Mo) when stretched to 1 1/16 miles Dec. 23.

“I expected a little bit better, but the Cox horse looks like something special,” Stidham said of that second effort. “Phantom Speed is a big, heavy colt. Certainly he's going to benefit from the race and improve physically and mentally from that run. That came up a very solid maiden race. Anytime you've got a well-bred $700,000 yearling that comes out and runs a big race like he did the first time out, you begin thinking along the lines [of Derbys], but we're a long way out from thinking that high.”

Stidham's New Orleans-based string also includes last year's GIII Monmouth Cup winner Catnip (Kitten's Joy) and Saturday's Pago Hop S. winner Tufani (Distorted Humor).

“He's really doing well,” Stidham said of Catnip. “Training very well. We're happy with him. We're waiting to see if we get an invitation to the [Jan. 27 GI] Pegasus Turf. If that happens, we'll probably go there. If it doesn't happen then we'll definitely be looking at the [Jan. 20] Colonel Bradley.”

Of the now 4-year-old Tufani, who was winning her first stakes race, Stidham said, “Tufani has always shown us a lot of talent since we first got her. She's developed. She's learned to relax. I think the arrow is pointing up for her.”

The Stidham barn reached $5,098,073 in earnings in 2023, led by GI Breeders' Cup Classic third-place finisher Proxy (Tapit).

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‘He Got Out Of The Trouble’: Otello Clears Traffic, Kicks Late To Win Mucho Macho Man

WinStar Farm LLC and Siena Farm's Otello overcame traffic at the top of the stretch to capture Monday's $150,000 Mucho Macho Man with a late surge under Luis Saez on Gulfstream Park's New Year's Day program.

The Mucho Macho Man, a one-turn miles stakes for newly turned 3-year-olds, is the first stop on the Road to the Curlin Florida Derby (G1), the premier Triple Crown prep that will be renewed March 30.

Christophe Clement-trained Otello, a Curlin colt who was the 8-5 betting favorite, was making his stakes debut while coming off a debut victory at Aqueduct Nov. 24.

“He won first time out in New York, and he won well, got into a lot of trouble. The same applied today, so I guess he likes to be in trouble. But he won well, and he got out of the trouble. He was good enough to overcome it,” Clement said. “I'm not exactly sure what he beat today. I know that they liked the second horse. I'm thrilled. I don't train too many Curlins, so it's nice when it works out.”

Saez settled Otello on the rail behind a contested pace along the backstretch set by longshot Everdoit and pressed by Sea Streak for the first half-mile on fractions of :24.33 and :46.63. Approaching the stretch, when an attempt to squeeze inside a tiring Everdoit was thwarted, Saez was forced to bide his time before tipping to the outside aboard the chestnut colt in deep stretch. He responded with an impressive kick once clear of traffic to edge First World War.

“We had a little trouble at the three-eighths because the horse in front was going all over the place,” Saez said. “The thing with him was trying to get a clean run and he did it pretty well.”

Otello, who prevailed by a half-length over First World War, ran a mile in 1:37.76 and returned $5.40 for the win.

First World War, a winner on turf who had finished second in his dirt debut in a Churchill Downs optional claiming allowance last time out, loomed boldly at the top of the stretch while keeping Otello locked in on the rail, but shortened stride late to finish second by a neck over Sea Streak. Inveigled, who lacked room behind horses entering the stretch, made a mild stretch bid to finish fourth, three-quarters of a length behind Sea Streak. No More Time, who made a strong sweeping move on the turn into the stretch before faltering.

The next stop on the Road to the Curlin Florida Derby is the $250,000 Holy Bull (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 3, followed by the $400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) at 1 1/16 miles March 2.

Clement said he would talk with WinStar's Elliott Walden about future plans for Otello, who was bred in Kentucky by co-owner Siena Farm.

“He's had two starts and he's had plenty of schooling,” he said of the winner, who was produced by the Eskendereya mare Isabella Sings, a multiple graded stakes winner. “We'll see how he comes out of it. As you know, Elliott Walden is very involved, so we'll speak with him and have a plan. We'll enjoy this for a day or so and go from there. He'll have to go two turns next time, obviously, the question is: where? We've got time to think about that.”

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Spendthrift’s Mitole Cements First-Crop Sire Honors With Two Oaklawn Winners New Year’s Eve

Mitole, who stands at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, was represented by two winners on the 10-race New Year's Eve program at Oaklawn Park to solidify leading first-crop honors in North America with $2,614,328 in progeny earnings.

Maximus Mischief, another Spendthrift stallion, finished second with $2,266,229. Rankings are compiled by The Jockey Club Information Systems.

Unbeaten Carbone became Mitole's first Oaklawn-sired winner in the eighth race, a one-mile $140,000 first-level allowance. About a half-hour later, Ice Cold became Mitole's first Oaklawn stakes winner in the $200,000 Year's End for fillies, also run at one-mile.

Carbone, a homebred for Texans William and Corinne Heiligbrodt, was among four winners on the card for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

“The last week, we felt like there was no way anybody was going to catch him (Mitole),” Spendthrift stallion sales manager Mark Toothaker said Monday morning. “Steve and Bill both said, 'We've got more stuff to run and we're going to do our part to get him past the finish line.' And they certainly did.”

Carbone's victory carried added significance because the Heiligbrodts and Asmussen campaigned Mitole, who collected an Eclipse Award in 2019 as the nation's champion male sprinter. Mitole, then 4, made his first two starts in 2019 at Oaklawn, winning an allowance race and the Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3)  before capping the year, and his racing career, with a victory in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita.

Carbone (2 for 2) and Indiana-bred standout Ice Cold, a two-time stakes winner, helped Mitole become a standout again – in his second career.

“Unbelievably proud of that,” Asmussen said after winning Sunday's final race. “I think it pretty much cinches him being the leading first-year sire. Unbelievably proud of Mitole for that, as good as he was to the Heiligbrodts and me.”

Ice Cold, who is trained by Kenny McPeek, is one of two stakes winners for Mitole. McPeek also trains the other, V V's Dream, who won the one-mile Pocahontas (G3) for fillies Sept. 16 at Churchill Downs. V V's Dream ($433,105) is Mitole's leading earner.

Carbone, after early tutoring at the Asmussen family's El Primero Training Center in Laredo, Texas, dazzled in his debut, scoring by eight lengths Nov. 19 at Churchill Downs. He covered six furlongs in a sharp 1:09.84.

Sunday, in his his two-turn debut, Carbone recorded another front-running victory, drawing off by four lengths under Ricardo Santana Jr. Carbone's winning time over a fast track was 1:38.63.

“All you can hope for, you know what I mean?” Asmussen said. “Big, beautiful horse. A Mitole homebred for the Heiligbrodts. Started at mom and dad's in Laredo. Went (1:09 4/5) in his first race at Churchill and then looks like that in a two-turn race. Of course, you think crazy things, but he's a very good horse.”

Among first-crop sires, Mitole, a 9-year-old son of Eskendereya, also led North America in number of winners (34), had the individual money leader in V V's Dream and tied for first in graded stakes victories (one).

Purchased for $140,000 at the 2017 OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training, Mitole won 10 of 14 lifetime starts and earned $3,104,910 in his racing career. Spendthrift now owns Mitole, but the Heiligbrodts kept breeding rights and further supported him at public auction.

“Bill Heiligbrodt's kind of like Babe Ruth,” Toothaker said. “He called his shot before he ever did the deal. He goes, 'I've had a lot of luck on making these freshman sires and I've made them with horses not near as good as Mitole.' So, he was very much from the beginning believing that this horse could go on and do it.”

Mitole will stand for an advertisd fee of $15,000 in 2024.

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Otello A Narrow Winner In Mucho Macho Man

After upsetting his maiden field at 5-1 odds Nov. 24, Otello shipped south from Aqueduct to Gulfstream to make a successful jump into stakes company Monday, taking the Mucho Macho Man S. under Luis Saez. Favored this time around at 8-5 for Christophe Clement, the newly-turned 3-year-old executed a very similar race plan than that of his debut, sitting off the pace in fifth as longshot Everdoit (Gary D) was intent on the early lead. In a field that remained rather tightly bunched, Otello sat patiently through a :46.63 half before splitting horses to make a late bid. In a driving finish, the son of Curlin got up just ahead of both First World War and Sea Streak to win.

“He won first time out in New York, and he won well, got into a lot of trouble,” admitted Clement. “The same applied today, so I guess he likes to be in trouble. But he won well, and he got out of the trouble. He was good enough to overcome it. I'm not exactly sure what he beat today. I know that they liked the second horse. I'm thrilled. I don't train too many Curlins, so it's nice when it works out.”

“He's had two starts and he's had plenty of schooling,” Clement continued. “We'll see how he comes out of it. As you know, Elliott Walden is very involved, so we'll speak with him and have a plan. We'll enjoy this for a day or so and go from there. He'll have to go two turns next time, obviously, the question is: where? We've got time to think about that.”

The 101st stakes winner for Curlin, Otello is out of successful race mare Isabella Sings who has produced three winners from as many to race. His 2-year-old Into Mischief half-brother brought a final bid of $650,000 from Repole Stable and Spendthrift Farm last September at Keeneland and Isabella Sings reported a Gun Runner filly last year before visiting Life Is Good for 2024. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

 

MUCHO MACHO MAN S., $150,000, Gulfstream, 1-1, 3yo, 1m, 1:37.76, ft.
1–OTELLO, 118, c, 3, by Curlin
                1st Dam: Isabella Sings (MGSW-USA, GSP-Can,
                                 $648,170), by Eskendereya
                2nd Dam: Isobel Baillie (GB), by Lomitas (GB)
                3rd Dam: Dubai Soprano (GB), by Zafonic
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Siena Farm LLC and WinStar Farm
LLC; B-Siena Farms LLC (KY); T-Christophe Clement; J-Luis Saez.
$92,070. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $138,820.
2–First World War, 118, c, 3, War Front–Sundaysatthebeach,
by Medaglia d'Oro. ($285,000 Wlg '21 FTKNOV; $135,000 RNA
Ylg '22 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Qatar Racing LLC and
Hunter Valley Farm; B-Skyfall Thoroughbreds LLC (KY);
T-Brendan P. Walsh. $29,700.
3–Sea Streak, 118, g, 3, Sea Wizard–High Noon Nellie, by Silver
Deputy. O/B-Holly Crest Farm (NJ); T-Eddie Owens, Jr.
$14,850.
Margins: HF, NK, 3/4. Odds: 1.70, 3.80, 9.00.
Also Ran: Inveigled, No More Time, Everdoit. Scratched: Boy Magic, Orb Alpha.

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