Author: News

‘This Is A Really Nice Colt’: Locked Effortless In Final Breeze For Breeders’ Cup Juvenile

On Friday, trainer Todd Pletcher sent out 12 horses who are pre-entered in the 40th Breeders' Cup World Championships Nov. 3-4 at Santa Anita for half-mile works on a fast track.

Pletcher, who is based primarily in New York, had about 20 horses stabled at Keeneland throughout the Fall Meet. He opted to consolidate his Breeders' Cup hopefuls at Keeneland in advance of their departure to Santa Anita on Saturday, Oct. 28.

“We had three horses that were coming off wins here that were already here,” Pletcher said, referring to Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) winner Locked, Coolmore Turf Mile (G1) winner Up to the Mark and Darley Alcibiades (G1) winner Candied. “I didn't think it made sense to take them back to New York then go from New York to California. I felt like the easiest thing was to consolidate here and prepare from here. I like the way that the track has been playing.”

Here are the work times for the Pletcher horses with some of the trainer's comments:

Pilgrim (G2) winner Agate Road (Juvenile Turf) in company with Haul (:49).

Darley Alcibiades (G1) winner Candied (NetJets Juvenile Filles) in company with Chandelier (G2) runner-up Scalable (Juvenile Fillies) (:49.20).

Click here for a video of the work by Candied and Scalable.

About Candied, Pletcher said, “She worked very well. She worked on the inside of Scalable. Finished up nicely, galloped out good. She was a little late on her lead change, which has kind of been a thing with her. But she did get it the second time when Luis (Saez) asked for it. And once she did, she leveled off nicely, finished up strong and galloped out great.”

Suburban (G2) winner Charge It (Big Ass Fans Dirt Mile) (:48.60).

Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) winner Bright Future (Classic or Dirt Mile) in company with Pennsylvania Derby (G1) runner-up Dreamlike (Dirt Mile or Classic) (:48.40; out 6 furlongs in 1:00.80).

Maiden winner Fierceness (FanDuel Juvenile) in company with Castle & Key Bourbon (G2) runner-up Noted (Juvenile) (:48.60).

Click here for a video of the work by Fierceness and Noted.

Frizette (G1) third-place finisher Life Talk (Juvenile Fillies) in company with Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) winner Locked (Juvenile) (:48; out 6 furlongs in 1:00).

“Locked just does everything so easily and effortlessly,” Pletcher said. “He's a colt that we had high expectations for when he came in. He's a very quiet, laid-back colt. Unassuming, until we got serious with him, and then it was like, wow, this is a really nice colt. I thought his debut was sneaky impressive. I thought his mile maiden win at Saratoga was the most impressive 2-year-old performance of the meet. Then to come here and win (the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity) from an outside draw and a wide trip the entire way, I thought that was a very determined effort on his part. He's done everything well since then. We've been blessed with some very good 2-year-olds, and I think that he's right there with them.”

Miss Grillo (G2) runner-up Life's an Audible (Juvenile Fillies Turf) in company with Appellate (:48.80).

Coolmore Turf Mile (G1) winner Up to the Mark (Turf or Mile) in company with Be You (:48.80).

“Up to the Mark has had two good breezes now since his win in the (Coolmore) Turf Mile,” Pletcher said. “I thought we got what we wanted in terms of some good conditioning. Strong gallop out, seems to be doing well. We're going to continue to lean towards going in the Turf.”

After winning one race in five starts on dirt, Up to the Mark made his turf debut in January at Gulfstream Park. In six races on grass, he has five wins, including the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic (G1), Resorts World Casino Manhattan (G1) and Coolmore Turf Mile in consecutive starts.

“We were frustrated because he was a horse that always trained well on the dirt,” Pletcher said about the surface switch. “He broke his maiden on debut on the dirt, and we felt like something just wasn't adding up for a horse that trained better than he was running. So once we switched to the turf, I thought his allowance win at Gulfstream was an outstanding performance. And when we saw that, we were like, wow, this might be a real grass horse. And subsequently, to do what he did and win three Grade 1s at three different distances, it's exceptional. He's been a remarkable horse.”

Also on Friday, these trainers sent their Breeders' Cup pre-entrants for half-mile works:

  • Rodolphe Brisset – Thoroughbred Club of America (G2) winner Yuugiri (PNC Bank Filly and Mare Sprint) (:48.40). She is to leave for Santa Anita on Monday, Oct. 30.
  • Ignacio Correas IV – Juddmonte Spinster (G1) runner-up Le Da Vida (CHI) (Distaff) (:49). She is to leave for Santa Anita on Monday, Oct. 30.
  • Cherie DeVaux – Jefferson Cup winner More Than Looks (Mile) in company with Zverev (:49.20); Johnnie Walker Natalma (G1) winner She Feels Pretty (Juvenile Fillies Turf) (:47.80); and Ack Ack (G3) runner-up Stage Raider (Dirt Mile) in company with Mr. Faversham (:48.40).

Click here for a video of the work by More Than Looks.

The DeVaux runners are to leave Keeneland for Santa Anita on Saturday.

The post ‘This Is A Really Nice Colt’: Locked Effortless In Final Breeze For Breeders’ Cup Juvenile appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Saturday’s Insights: Daughter of Grade I Winner Romantic Vision Debuts at Keeneland

4th-KEE, $100K, Msw, 3yo/up, f, 6f, 2:36 p.m. ET.
G. Watts Humphrey campaigned homebred Romantic Vision (Lemon Drop Kid), who won three out of her four tries at Keeneland, including the 2017 GI Juddmonte Spinster S. Now, her first offspring RARE AFFAIR (Medaglia d'Oro) debuts and like her dam, she's trained by Rusty Arnold.

Romantic Vision is also responsible for a yearling colt by Nyquist, who just sold during Keeneland September for $700,000 to the Three Amigos, foaled a colt by Essential Quality Apr. 1 and she was bred to City of Light for next year.

Rare Affair hails from a deep family of Humphrey homebreds which includes second dam GSP Perfect for You (Giant's Causeway), fourth dam GSW Dream Scheme (Danzig) and her half-sister, MGISW Clear Mandate (Deputy Mininster), herself the dam of MGSW and MGISP Newfoundland (Storm Cat) and GISW Strong Mandate (Tiznow), among others. TJCIS PPS

7th-WO, $111K, Msw, 2yo,, f, 7fT, 4:37 p.m. ET.
Switching to the E.P. Taylor Course at Woodbine, a $550,000 Keeneland September purchase by Tracy Farmer named Aspen Dawn (Quality Road) makes her first start for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse.

Out of unraced dam Aspen Light (Bernardini), who went to Eaton Sales for $360,000 at the '20 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale with the bay filly in-utero, Aspen Dawn counts GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. hero Owendale (into Mischief) as a half-brother.

This is an extended female family which includes GI Lane's End Breeders' Futurity winner Great Hunter (Aptitude), GIII Peter Pan S. champ Promise Keeper (Constitution) and champion 3-year-old filly Stellar Wind (Curlin). TJCIS PPS

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Jess’s Dream Gelded, Will Pursue Under-Saddle Career For Stonestreet

Jess's Dream (Curlin), a son of Hall of Fame mare Rachel Alexandra, has been retired from stud duty at Florida's Ocala Stud and gelded accorded to a social media post from Stonestreet Farm.

Posted to X, the message reads: “Jess's Dream (Curlin x Rachel Alexandra) has been retired from duty & is healthy & happy at the Stonestreet Training Center where he will begin his third career as our track pony. He has been gelded & we look forward to restarting him under tack in the new year.”

A winner and 'TDN Rising Star' in his only career start at Saratoga, Jess's Dream entered stud in 2017 and was a top sire in Florida. His progeny include Suncoast S. winner Dreaming of Snow and stakes winners Beth's Dream and Intrepid Daydream.

 

 

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Tattersalls Autumn HIT Sale Concludes With Strong Clearance Rate

After a busy five days of selling, the Tattersalls Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale concluded at Park Paddocks in Newmarket on Friday.

Topping the final session was Veiled Illusion (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) (lot 1562), who sold for 55,000gns to Nawaf Abdullah Al-Saif. Consigned by James Tate's Jamesfield Stables, the Lingfield winner is bound for Saudi Arabia.

“He is in good form, and will ship soon to Saudi,” said Al-Saif. “I think he will like the better weather in the Middle East and should be one to go on both the turf and dirt surfaces at the King Abdulaziz racecourse.”

One day longer than 2022's edition, the sale's Friday session resulted in 88 lots sold from 162 offered (81%). The aggregate was 1,076,859gns. The average was 8,158gns and the median was 4,500gns.

Overall, despite the larger catalogue, the clearance rate remained high at 87% dropping only three points from the record-breaking 2022 sale. The gross for the 1,089 lots that found new homes was 33,705,774gns. Both the average and median were down, with the average settling at 30,951gns (-14%) and the median was 15,000gns (-6%) compared to last term.

Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony said, “Sale turnover second only to last year's wide-margin record is a very solid performance from the 2023 renewal of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale. As ever this unique fixture, the largest and most popular of its type in the world, has attracted an extraordinarily diverse collection of buyers from all corners of the world and this has been reflected in figures which yet again demonstrate the enduring appeal of British and Irish horses in training as well as quality stock from France and Germany.

“Similar to so many Tattersalls sales the Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale has made relentless progress in the past decade. Only 10 years ago the sale recorded turnover a little over 20 million guineas, an average price of 23,000 guineas and eight lots selling for 200,000 guineas or more. This year's sale has achieved turnover of almost 34 million guineas, an average price well over 30,000 guineas and 28 lots have sold for 200,000 guineas or more which is only one fewer than at last year's record-breaking sale.

“The sustained and widespread demand from throughout the Gulf region has yet again played an enormous part in the success of the sale as racing in that part of the world continues to grow and flourish, but equally significant has been the impact of a particularly strong contingent of Australian buyers whose presence has been felt in all sectors of the market, but most notably at the very top. Ten of the top 20 highest priced horses sold this week and nearly 50 horses in total are heading down to Australia which is a tribute to the top level success of recent graduates of the sale like Just Fine (Ire) and Zaaki (GB). Similarly success driven, although largely at a different level of the market has been the notable contribution from the numerous European buyers in particular Spanish and Italian buyers who have been busy from start to finish and have also accounted for more than 80 horses between them this week. We work hard alongside our extensive network of overseas representatives to promote this and every other Tattersalls sale and it is rewarding to see this reflected in the unrivalled overseas participation which is the hallmark of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale.

“Alongside international buyers from more than 30 different countries the domestic British and Irish influence has also been felt in all sectors of the market this week with Flat and National Hunt buyers all making a significant contribution and we look forward to seeing equally diverse international and domestic demand at the forthcoming Tattersalls December Foals and Mares Sale which annually provides a showcase for the very best European bloodstock.”

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