Excelebration Colt Tops Rescheduled Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up Sale

Two lots sold for 100,000 guineas (US$132,471) or more at the postponed Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up Sale. Alan King and Highflyer Bloodstock secured the top lot whilst 13 lots sold for 50,000 guineas (US$66,250) or more.

Highflyer Bloodstock's Anthony Bromley and trainer Alan King have been long standing supporters of the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up Sale and the pair purchased four lots at this year's renewal for 258,000 guineas (US$341,854) including the sale topping Excelebration colt at 140,000 guineas (US$185,510).

“We don't go on times, but unfortunately he did a good time which increased interest in him, and pushed his price,” said Bromley. “We just like to look at them as individuals, their strides and general way of going.”

“This is the horse we really wanted and we had to really push the boat out to get him,” added the agent.

King, fresh from his three-timer at Royal Ascot, added: “Delighted and he is for two long-standing supporters of the yard in Max McNeill and Niall Farrell.”

The colt, who is out of the Mark of Esteem mare Open Book, was consigned by Meadowview Stables who purchased him at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale for just 18,000 euros (US$20,405).

Dolmen Bloodstock, the partnership of Justin Timmons and Danny O'Donovan, were celebrating after their Make Believe filly out of Olivia Pope was knocked down for 105,000 guineas (US$139,134) to Blandford Bloodstock's Richard Brown after he saw off the efforts of David Redvers. The filly received a significant boost on the weekend when her sire's son Mishriff won the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club.

“It was massive!” commented Timmons on the classic victory on Sunday.

“She has an engine and we were very happy with her breeze. She has been very busy, but it is always hard to gauge,” said Timmons. “We had the right people on her.”

The Kildare-based Dolmen Bloodstock team enjoyed a mighty pinhooking touch, having purchased the filly out of the mare Olivia Pope for just 10,000 euros (US$11,335) at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale.

At the conclusion of the 2020 Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up Sale, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony commented;

“In the current climate we are all looking to accentuate the positives and I think we can reflect on solid if unspectacular trade at this year's renewal of the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up. This is, however, a year where 'solid if unspectacular' is a positive outcome and we would like to thank all those who have participated at today's sale for their contribution. The buyers have worked incredibly hard and the Breeze Up consignors have had to endure uniquely difficult conditions in the run up to the 2020 breeze up sales season, but ultimately everyone can look back on sales which have largely exceeded expectations.

“It has been challenging staging events of this nature with the prevailing COVID related regulations still in place but, despite continued travel restrictions, today's Guineas Breeze Up has seen demand from throughout the world including Australia, Bahrain, Dubai, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Kuwait, Qatar and Spain. The international demand has been accompanied by spirited bidding from the domestic British and Irish buyers and has resulted in some notable pinhooking successes, while the overseas buyers have made use of every possible means at their disposal to participate in the sale, including extensive use of our new live internet bidding platform as well as telephone bidding. It is a tribute to the resilience of the global bloodstock market that we continue to experience this level of international demand and we expect to see further widespread use of the live internet bidding platform at our two-day July Sale which commences tomorrow morning at 10 a.m.”

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Connections Of Belmont Third Max Player ‘Leaning Towards’ Travers Rematch With Tiz The Law

George E. Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbreds' Max Player, who ran third in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes on June 20, is being pointed towards the Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers, trainer Linda Rice said.

Max Player, who finished only behind Dr Post and winner Tiz the Law in last month's first leg of the Triple Crown, registered his first breeze since the Belmont Stakes, going four furlongs in 49 seconds on Sunday over Belmont Park's dirt training track.

“He's doing very well. That was his first breeze since the Belmont and it was just a nice, comfortable breeze, and he's in good order,” Rice said.

Never off the board in four career starts, Max Player could next make his Saratoga debut by running in the “Mid-Summer Derby.” He made his first two starts at Parx, running second in his debut at one mile on November 12 before winning at the same distance at second asking on December 17.

In his sophomore debut, he bested an eight-horse field by 3 ¼ lengths in the 1 1/8-mile Grade 3 Withers on February 1 at Aqueduct Racetrack. That was his previous start since the Belmont Stakes, which was shortened from its famed 1 ½-mile distance to a one-turn 1 1/8 miles to accommodate the revised schedule for 3-year-olds in training.

With the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby set for September 5 and serving as the middle jewel of the Triple Crown this year, Max Player can accumulate even more qualifying points, with the Travers offering a 100-40-20-10 scale to the top-four finishers.

Max Player has accumulated 40 qualifying points for the “Run for the Roses” and is 12th on the current leaderboard for a race that has traditionally taken as many as 20 entries.

Contested at 1 1/4 miles, the Travers would be the longest race Max Player has run, but Rice said she is optimistic the Honor Code colt could handle it.

“We're leaning towards running in the Travers,” Rice said. “We looked at some other options with the [Grade 1] Haskell [at Monmouth] or the [Grade 3] Peter Pan [July 16 at Saratoga], but we are going to point right to the Travers.”

Wicked Trick, who finished fourth in the Grade 2 True North on June 27 at Belmont, will be getting a freshening after three races to start his 5-year-old campaign. The Hat Trick gelding won his seasonal bow against allowance company on January 20 at Aqueduct before running fifth in the Stymie on March 7.

After stepping up to graded stakes company for the first time in 23 career starts in the True North, Rice said she decided to give the Kentucky bred who she co-owns with Stephen Cooper a respite.

“He's just been a little dull lately, so I just sent him to the farm to give him some time off,” Rice said.

Rice has saddled four winners during the Belmont spring/summer meet, which started June 3 and will conclude on Sunday, July 12. She will gear up for the Saratoga meet that runs from July 16 through September 7. Rice has enjoyed success at the Spa, highlighted by the 2009 meet in which she captured the training title.

“I think we were all very happy to just get back to racing in these unusual times,” Rice said. “It's given a lot of relief to the horsemen and the owners so that we can maintain these horses in our stables. Saratoga will be unusual this year as well for sure, but we're just all happy to be back to racing.”

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‘We’d Love To Complete The New York Circle’: Tiz The Law Continues Moving Forward Toward Travers

Grade 1 Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law resumed serious business on Wednesday morning, posting a five-furlong breeze over Belmont Park's main track for trainer Barclay Tagg.

Under the guidance of regular rider Manny Franco, the three-time Grade 1-winning son of second crop sire Constitution recorded his work in 1:01.10 over a main track rated fast. The move was a second work for Tiz the Law since being the first New York-bred in over a century to capture the Belmont Stakes. Last Wednesday, he went an easy half-mile in 50.06 seconds.

“He looked perfect,” Tagg said. “He's got a lot of energy. He wouldn't blow out a candle.”

Unbeaten in all three starts during his sophomore campaign, Tiz the Law began 2020 with wins in the Grade 3 Holy Bull and Grade 1 Florida Derby, both at Gulfstream Park, en route to a victory in the Belmont Stakes, which was run as the first leg of the Triple Crown following a rescheduling of the national stakes calendar due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tiz the Law, bred in the Empire State by Twin Creeks Farm, began his career with a maiden triumph against fellow New York-breds at Saratoga Race Course before winning the Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont Park. His only loss took place in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs, where he was third beaten three-quarters of a length over a sloppy main track.

Tiz the Law remains on target for the Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers on August 8 at Saratoga Race. The colt currently tops the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 272 points and could add to those totals in the Runhappy Travers, which offers 100-40-20-10 to the top-four finishers.

“It's just a matter of keeping him happy and healthy for seven weeks between now and the Travers,” said Jack Knowlton – operations manager for owner Sackatoga Stable. “[Assistant trainer] Robin [Smullen] says nothing phases him. If you watch him around the stable, on the track, and during his races it all seems to be true. Fortunately, Manny has gotten to know what he has under him and has done a great job. Hopefully we can continue the roll that we're on.”

Knowlton has been down a similar road before when Funny Cide won the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness finishing third in the Belmont Stakes but was scratched from that year's Travers.

Knowlton said a win in the Runhappy Travers would be a huge deal for the Sackatoga team.

“Once he won the Champagne in the fall, he was on everyone's radar screen as a top 3-year-old,” Knowlton said. “We had a small bump in the road when we went to Kentucky, but as soon as he won the Holy Bull in Florida, he was right back on top of everyone's list. We're just taking it one race at a time. It will be interesting. No one will have run a mile and a quarter before the Travers and it will be unusual that some horses will have run a mile and quarter before the Derby. This was a race we could have had Funny Cide in, but he got sick. We'd love to complete the New York circle.”

Tiz the Law is scheduled ship to Saratoga on Monday, July 13, where he will continue to train for the Runhappy Travers.

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Churchill Unveils $9.85M Stakes Schedule

A total of 18 stakes events, topped by the Sept. 5 GI Kentucky Derby and Sept. 4 GI Kentucky Oaks are on tap for the 2020 September Meet at Churchill Downs.

The September Meet stakes schedule is led by the revised Kentucky Derby Week, which was moved from April 25-May 2 to Sept. 1-5 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will feature 14 graded stakes, including the GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic and the GI Derby City Distaff, formerly known as the Humana Distaff.

A new addition to the revised Kentucky Derby day stakes schedule is the $200,000 GIII Iroquois presented by Ford, the launch of the Road to the 2021 Kentucky Derby (top 4 points: 10-4-2-1) and a “Win and You’re In Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Division.” The Derby undercard will also feature the GIII Longines Churchill Downs Distaff Turf Mile, the GII Americna Turf S. and GIII Pat Day Mile.

Kentucky Oaks day will feature the GI La Troienne S., the GII Alysheba S., the GII Eight Belles S,, GII Edgewood S. and GII Twin Spires Turf Sprint S.

The GIII Pocahontas S. for juvenile fillies will be held on Thurby, the Thursday before the Derby. It is a 10-point race on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks and is a “Win and You’re In” for the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

The GI Churchill Downs S., which was previously run on Kentucky Derby Day, is tentatively scheduled to be run during the fall meet.

After the Sept. 1-5 Kentucky Derby Week, Churchill Downs will stage its annual nine-day September Meet from Sept. 17-27. The lone stakes event will be the $100,000 Ack Ack for 3-year-olds and up at one mile Sept. 26.

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