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Kentucky Derby Runner-Up Two Phil’s To Stand At WinStar Farm

Leading 3-year-old Two Phil's, who finished a close second in this year's Kentucky Derby, will stand the 2024 breeding season at WinStar Farm, the farm announced today.

A son of leading sire and Grade 1 winner Hard Spun, Two Phil's retires with five wins from 10 career starts, having amassed earnings of $1,583,450. A stud fee will be announced at a later date.

Bred in Kentucky by Phillip Sagan, and owned in partnership by Sagan, Patricia's Hope, and Madaket Stables, Two Phil's concluded his racing career with three consecutive performances recording triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures. The Larry Rivelli-trained runner ran a 101 Beyer in overpowering his rivals by 5 ¼ lengths in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park in March; He earned a 105 Beyer in finishing second by just a length in the Kentucky Derby; and equaled the 105 Beyer in a dominating 5 ¾-length win in the G3 Ohio Derby at Thistledown in his final career appearance.

“We have been looking for a Danzig-line horse that meets our standard of physicality, pedigree, and race record for some time now,” said Elliott Walden, president, CEO, and racing manager of WinStar Farm. “I think Two Phil's could have been the best 3-year-old in the country if his career had not been cut short after his dominant win in the Ohio Derby with a 5 Ragozin, 105 Beyer, and a negative ¾ on Thorograph. However you look at it, he is top class.”

Two Phil's guaranteed himself a spot in the starting gate for the 2023 Kentucky Derby with a convincing victory in the $700,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks at 1 1/8 miles, emulating his sire who also won the traditional Kentucky Derby prep 16 years earlier when it was named the Lane's End Stakes. Winning under wraps, Two Phil's covered the distance in 1:49.03 under jockey Jareth Loveberry.

In the 149th Kentucky Derby, Two Phil's delivered an exceptional effort and once again followed in the footsteps of his classic-placed sire, Hard Spun, who finished second in the 2007 Kentucky Derby. Two Phil's rated just behind the brutal early fractions of :22.35 and :45.73 and angled to the two-path entering the lane. He surged to the front in the stretch before being caught in the final strides by Mage. Despite being headed by Mage close to home, Two Phil's fought doggedly to the wire to finish a clear second from a hard-charging Angel of Empire who finished third.

Two Phil's once again brought his “A” game to the $500,000 G3 Ohio Derby in June. He rallied three-wide around the far turn of the 1 1/8-mile fixture, making the lead near the quarter-pole. He quickly opened a clear advantage and drew off through deep stretch to win easily in 1:49.60, defeating Bishop's Bay, who was previously second by a head to subsequent Belmont Stakes winner Arcangelo in the G2 Peter Pan Stakes in May.

A well-traveled and versatile horse who did not need to take his racetrack with him, Two Phil's came out running at two. He broke his maiden in his second lifetime start at Colonial Downs, winning a six-furlong maiden special event in front-running fashion in the fast time of 1:09.79. Two Phil's captured the six-furlong Shakopee Juvenile Stakes at Canterbury Downs in his next outing, crushing his rivals in a hand ride by 9 ¾ lengths. He brought the curtain down on his freshman season with a runaway 5 ¼-length triumph in the $200,000 Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs, giving him three wins from five starts as a juvenile.

“From the time he came into my barn at two, Two Phil's was a standout,” said Larry Rivelli. “He is the best horse I have ever trained, and I look forward to his babies.”

Among his esteemed sire's lifetime leading earners and his chief earner in 2023, Two Phil's is produced from the multiple stakes-winning and graded stakes-placed General Quarters mare Mia Torri, a half-sister to graded stakes-placed River Rocks and stakes-placed Go Gator Girl Go and an earner of $314,720.

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Injection Site Infections Are Uncommon For Routine Vaccines

Human skin is often first swabbed with alcohol before an injection is administered, in an effort to prevent bacteria from entering the wound made when the needle pierces the skin. Horses, however, rarely receive this cleaning procedure before an injection.

This is because the horse's hair coat reduces alcohol's effect. If the horse is very dirty, a vet may ask the owner to clean the area in which the injection will be given, but often she will just swipe the bottle top with alcohol and administer the injection.

Injection-site infections are uncommon in horses. A horse may develop localized swelling or a small abscess, but both of these often heal without treatment.

However, a horse that develops a large, painful swelling may have contracted an infection caused by clostridial bacteria, which can be life-threatening. Injections that are given on the side of the neck are easier to treat and drain if needed than injections given in the hip area.

Unlike a horse getting routine vaccinations, a horse receiving a joint injection will be thoroughly scrubbed and disinfected to reduce the likelihood of joint infections. The vet may also opt to shave the area to further reduce the chance of tissue contamination. A horse's immune system can't easily reach the fluid and tissue inside a joint, making the infection harder to treat should one take hold.

Friday’s Graded Turf Stakes Get The Weekend Started Early

With the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, a bevy of graded stakes–marked by Saturday's GI Whitney S.–plus, the annual Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale which begins Monday, Upstate New York once again makes its case as the Thoroughbred fulcrum. To get the weekend started early, we have a pair of Friday graded turf stakes scheduled which will crown winners.

First, the $400,000 GIII Saratoga Oaks Invitational S. for 3-year-old fillies serves as the middle sparkler in NYRA's Fasig-Tipton Turf Tiara series. Since Aspen Grove (Ire) (Justify) has elected to take on the boys in Saturday's GI Saratoga Derby, Papilio (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) will not have the opportunity to avenge her third-place finish when the pair faced one another in the GI Belmont Oaks July 8, a race which Aspen Grove won. Since arriving from Ireland, the Mark Casse trainee has continued to be a mark of consistency against graded company with her best finish coming with a victory in the GII Appalachian S. at Keeneland back in April.

Opposing her bid to wear the tiara will be a number of European challengers, including Caroline Street (No Nay Never) and American Sonja (GB) (Tasleet {GB}) from Joseph O'Brien's yard. The former is a Group 3 winner in Ireland and she was well beaten last time out by Blue Rose Cen (Churchill {Ire}) June 18 in the G1 French Oaks at Chantilly. Also present here, from that same race, is Elusive Princess (Fr) (Martinborough {Jpn}), who finished a respectable fifth. Trained by Jean-Phillippe Dubois, she was second in the G1 Prix Saint Alary at Longchamp May 14.

As for North American-based entries, Solo Album (Curlin), also from Casse's shedrow, won the GIII Selene S. July 1 at Woodbine, and Selenaia (Ire) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) from Jonathan Thomas's barn, who comes to New York after winning the GIII Honeymoon S. June 10 at Santa Anita, arrive in-form.

More Than Looks | Sarah Andrew

To mark the induction ceremony into horse racing's hallowed pantheon, the $500,000 GII National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. for 3-year-old colts going a mile on the Inner Turf brings together an interesting mix of American and European invaders.

Trainer Chad Brown saddles three entries with GISP Appraise (Ire) Kodiac {GB}), Mischievous Angel (Into Mischief) and Carl Spackler (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), while Graham Motion sends GSW and GISP Nagirroc (Lea) to the post after the bay colt finished third in the GIII Manila S. July 7 at Belmont Park. The winner of that race, More Than Looks (More Than Ready) from the stable of Cherie DeVaux, is also present.

The European contingent includes Ocean Vision (Ire) (U S Navy Flag), who has competed in Ireland, France and Qatar and is trained by Godolphin Flying Start program grad Tim Donworth, and Mysterious Night (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) for Charlie Appleby, who will look to harness some of that late speed that he flashed the last time he was in North America when he won the GI Summer S. at Woodbine as a juvenile.

The post Friday’s Graded Turf Stakes Get The Weekend Started Early appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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2-Year-Old Filly Becky’s Joker ‘Just So Level-Headed,’ Runs Back Off Three-Week Break In Sunday’s Adirondack

Lee Pokoik's Becky's Joker flew under the radar in her winning career debut in the Grade 3 Schuylerville in July, but enters the Grade 3, $200,000 Adirondack three weeks later as a prime contender in Sunday's 6 1/2-furlong main track test for juvenile fillies at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Gary Contessa, Becky's Joker provided a stunning upset in the six-furlong Schuylerville, making her career debut off a series of local breezes and facing a seemingly impossible task in squaring off against graded competition for her first afternoon outing. The daughter of Practical Joke responded to the tall order with aplomb, rallying from one length off the pace to coast home geared down under returning Hall of Fame rider Javier Castellano and 3 1/4 lengths clear of returning rival Saratoga Secret.

“I didn't think anybody was better than her physically, and I really thought she could win that race,” said Contessa. “I just didn't know what to expect mentally, because we can't recreate a field of horses in the morning with her getting dirt in her face or a break in the flow or having to overcome traffic. You just don't know how a horse is going to handle that, but I had a very strong belief that mentally she was very sound, and physically she was very talented. It was a combination of the two.”

The $130,000 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale purchase has worked back twice since her Schuylerville coup, including a bullet half-mile in 47.40 seconds on July 26 over the Spa's Oklahoma dirt training track.

“She's incredible because we don't ask her to work,” said Contessa. “We just let her break off at the pole and I tell the rider to just sit on her. She does it all on her own and with her ears up. She's happy to train and her works are well within herself.”

Contessa expressed deep respect for the talented bay, who gave him his first graded score since Sippican Harbor won the Grade 1 Spinaway in 2018. Contessa had planned to wait for the $300,000 Spinaway on September 3 with Becky's Joker, but decided to give her another run after she exited the Schuylerville in exceptional form.

“She's just so level-headed about everything,” said Contessa. “She doesn't get stressed out about anything and she's very cool, calm and collected. She's the perfect horse and ready to run back. I was going to wait for the Spinaway, but she's doing so well and watching her train, I thought it would do well to run her. And, we still have 28 days until the Spinaway after this race, so it's not like we're for want of time.”

Becky's Joker will emerge from the outermost post 10.

Clearsky Farms' Kentucky homebred Here U Come Again [post 3, Florent Geroux] boasts a field-high 86 Beyer Speed Figure for a professional debut victory sprinting five furlongs on July 7 at Ellis Park.

Trained by two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox, the Liam's Map grey tracked in second close to pacesetter Pinotslilgirl before taking charge at the three-eighths call and drawing off down the lane to cross the wire 2 1/4 lengths the best in a final time of 57.27.

“She's doing really good,” said Cox. “She ran really good in her first run and I think she's a good filly – fast filly. She's been pretty good out of the gate and we were hoping to have a bit of a target. She was able to break and sit a nice trip, get herself in good position and finish up well. It was five-eighths and she was meant to run three-quarters the week before but the race didn't go. We put her there and she obviously responded well. I'm pretty happy with what we've seen from her since.”

Cox said he expects Here U Come Again to relish the added ground in the Adirondack.

“I think it's a good thing for her,” said Cox. “I'm not saying she's a mile and a sixteenth filly, but I think she's got a good mind and can sit a good trip and finish up. I've liked her from Day One. The first time I saw her, she was one who stamped herself as really good.”

Here U Come Again is out of the multiple stakes-winning Euroears mare Euro K Shotgun, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Shotgun Kowboy. Her immediate family also includes Maysville Slew, a graded stakes-winning millionaire.

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas vies for a record-extending eighth Adirondack victory and a successful title defense after taking last year's running with Naughty Gal. This year, the veteran conditioner saddles BC Stables' Saratoga Secret [post 6, Flavien Prat] as she attempts to turn the tables on Becky's Joker.

A daughter from the final crop of Arrogate, Saratoga Secret graduated on debut in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden tilt in June at Ellis Park before making the step up to the graded ranks for her first try against winners in the Schuylerville. There, she vied for early command under Luis Saez before racing three-wide into the turn and briefly had the lead before fading down the lane.

“She ran really well,” Lukas said. “I thought she may have needed that race and she's improved a little bit. But the winner was too much, let's be honest. I'd like to take mine out again.”

Lukas acknowledged the feat Becky's Joker accomplished to graduate on debut in a graded event.

“I really think that horse will be a legitimate favorite for her to rope down through there like she did in that last race, that was pretty impressive,” said Lukas. “Gary deserves a good one.”

The undefeated Brightwork [post 4, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] looks to keep her perfect record intact for conditioner John Ortiz after earning her first stakes coup with a narrow score last out in the six-furlong Debutante on July 2 at Ellis Park.

Campaigned by WSS Racing, the Outwork bay impressed on debut in a 4 1/2-furlong sprint in April at Keeneland, winning by three lengths over a field that included Crimson Advocate, who finished third ahead of wins in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies at Gulfstream Park and Group 2 Queen Mary at Royal Ascot. Brightwork stretched out to six furlongs in the Debutante and led at every point of call to gamely fend off V V's Dream.

A half-sister to the stakes-placed Quiet Company, Brightwork is out of the Malibu Moon mare Clarendon Fancy, a half-sister to graded stakes-placed Dubini and stakes-winner What a Catch. Clarendon Fancy is also a full-sister to Catch the Moon, who produced multiple graded stakes-winning millionaires Girvin and Midnight Bourbon, as well as graded stakes-winners Cocked and Loaded and Pirate's Punch.

Completing the field are debut maiden winners Cara's Time [post 1, Dylan Davis], Magic Cross [post 2, Jose Lezcano], Princesa Celina [post 5, Jose Ortiz], who races with blinkers off, Princess Indy [post 7, Manny Franco], Streaming Now [post 8, Joel Rosario] and Copper Em [post 9, Tyler Gaffalione].

The Adirondack is slated as Race 8 on Sunday's 10-race program. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

Saratoga Live will present live coverage and analysis of the Saratoga Race Course summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.

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