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Arrogate’s Grade I-Winning Daughters on Display at Fasig-Tipton

With his third and final crop wrapping up their juvenile season, Arrogate has a narrow window remaining to make his mark as a sire, and yet his legacy is far from being fully written as his offspring now begin their careers as producers.

Arrogate, the son of Unbridled's Song who delivered one jaw-dropping performance after another on the racetrack, began his stud career at Juddmonte with seemingly limitless potential until he suddenly and tragically passed away the summer before his first crop sold as yearlings. Since then his progeny have succeeded at the highest level and Arrogate is now responsible for more Grade I winners than any other third-crop sire aside from Gun Runner.

Among his five Grade I winners, three daughters of Arrogate will begin the next chapters of their careers this week as And Tell Me Nolies, Fun to Dream and Secret Oath go through the ring at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

“Arrogate was honestly one of the most talented racehorses I think any of us have witnessed,” reflected Fasig-Tipton's Boyd Browning. “The name Juddmonte is synonymous with the highest caliber and Arrogate certainly achieved that as a racehorse. He has clearly passed that on to his offspring with their desire to win and to compete. When you look at the success that he's had at the highest levels, it's pretty remarkable. We all mourn his loss because I think we're going to see that we had an opportunity to witness another great stallion in the making, but his influence will continue on through these outstanding daughters as well.”

The first to claim Grade I status for her sire, Secret Oath won an unforgettable edition of the Kentucky Oaks when she handed legendary conditioner D. Wayne Lukas his fifth Oaks win in her two-length score over a field that featured champions Nest (Curlin) and Echo Zulu (Gun Runner).

Secret Oath's career was nothing short of a fairytale story for her owners and breeders, Robert and Stacy Mitchell of Briland Farm. Out of their stakes-winning, Grade I-placed homebred Absinthe Minded (Quiet American), Secret Oath was a winner at two and her 3-year-old season included two standout performances against males with a third-place finish in the GI Arkansas Derby and a fourth-place effort in the GI Preakness S. She also claimed the GIII Honeybee S. by seven and a half lengths and was second to Nest in both the GI Coaching Club American Oaks and GI Alabama S.

This year at four, Secret Oath scored in the GII Azeri S., defeating MGISW Clairiere (Curlin), and was runner-up in three more Grade I contests. She placed in 14 of her 18 career starts and earned over $2.4 million.

“She was a picture of consistency,” Lukas said upon her retirement in October. “She showed up every time. Whenever I ran her she was right there. Secret Oath was good every time we started her. She always hit the board.”

And Tell Me Nolies wins the GI Del Mar Debutante | Benoit

And Tell Me Nolies was the first to prove Arrogate's ability to produce a top-level juvenile with her victory in the 2022 GI Del Mar Debutante, but the next day Cave Rock followed her effort up with a win in the GI Del Mar Futurity. A month later, the pair claimed headlines on the same day as Cave Rock got his third straight win in the GI American Pharoah and And Tell Me Nolies stumbled at the start but rallied to win the GII Chandelier.

A $230,000 2-year-old purchase out of a Grade III-winning half-sister to GISW Macho Again (Macho Uno), And Tell Me Nolies went on to claim two runner-up efforts behind Faiza (Girvin) this year in the GIII Santa Ysabel S. and GII Santa Anita Oaks and later run third in her turf debut in the GII San Clemente S.

Arrogate's third Grade I-winning daughter Fun to Dream was a debut winner at three and she followed that effort with a near 10-length victory in the Fleet Treat S. Trained and co-bred by Bob Baffert, the Cal-bred filly boasted a near perfect five-for-six record as a sophomore when she concluded the year with a win in the GI La Brea S. This year at four, Fun to Dream claimed the GII Santa Monica S. and lost by a narrow head to A Mo Reay (Uncle Mo) in the GI Beholder Mile S.

Fun to Dream scores in the GI La Brea S. | Benoit

Arrogate's influence continued to grow this year with the achievements of Arcangelo, winner of the GI Belmont S. and GI Travers S. Withdrawn from the Breeders' Cup Classic due to a foot issue, Arcangelo will be the first son of Arrogate to go to stud as he retires to Lane's End Farm.

Although dual Grade I winner and Breeders' Cup Juvenile runner-up Cave Rock sadly died of laminitis, Arrogate could perhaps have another potential heir from his final crop in Liberal Arts, winner of the GIII Street Sense S. on Oct. 29.

“It's a continuation of a sire line that has been a really important influence in North American racing over the last 25 years in Unbridled's Song,” said Browning. “Arrogate is out of a Distorted Humor mare, so you've got really some of the 'who's who' of North America racing assembled in terms of a pedigree perspective and they've achieved the success on the racetrack.”

A fourth graded stakes winner by Arrogate will be offered at Fasig-Tipton on Nov. 7. Campaigned by AMO Racing and trained by Graham Motion, Affirmative Lady, who is out of stakes winner Stiffed (Stephen Got Even), was a contender on the Kentucky Oaks trail as she ran second to Julia Shining (Curlin) in the GII Demoiselle S. at two and this year claimed the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks, defeating GISP Sacred Wish (Not This Time).

“We've now got four daughters that are of the highest level of success and I think it gives people the opportunity to have a piece of history and continue the legacy of Arrogate as he makes his mark for future generations.”

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New York Thunder Takes Perfect Record To GI Jerkens

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Unbeaten and hardly challenged so far through four starts, New York Thunder (Nyquist) will not be an unknown Saturday in his second visit this summer to Saratoga Race Course.

New York Thunder made a grand entry on the big stage at the Spa on July 28 with a resounding victory in the GII Amsterdam S. Sent off at 11-2 in his first race on dirt, he rolled to a 7 1/2-length score under jockey Tyler Gaffalione. Though he was eased up in the stretch when the outcome was no longer in doubt, New York Thunder completed the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:14.65. His six-furlong split of 1:07.77 was faster than the 1:07.92 track record set in 2019 by Imperial Hint (Imperialism) in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. He got a Beyer Speed Figure of 110.

In the $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial, New York Thunder will step into Grade I competition for the first time. He drew Post 5 in the field of six and will be flanked by Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert's runners, Fort Bragg (Tapit) and Arabian Lion (Justify). Both of the Baffert horses are coming off wins at Belmont Park. Arabian Lion prevailed in GI Woody Stephens S. on June 10 Belmont Stakes program. Fort Bragg stumbled at the start of the GIII Dwyer on July 1, recovered and won by a nose over Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming).

If trainer Jorge Delgado had his way, New York Thunder would be a low-profile outsider in the Jerkens. He understands that it is not a likely scenario with a horse that has won his races by a combined 23 1/4 lengths and is now proven on dirt.

“Hopefully, we can stay under the radar and let the horse do the talking for me,” Delgado said. “I would not like too many expectations and just approach the race like we did last time. We didn't have any pressure from the outside.”

“When we were approaching the Amsterdam, no one was actually paying attention to him. When I was in the walking ring, I saw that they were interviewing a couple of other trainers on camera with other horses. With the way he won, I know he's going to be in the spotlight. People are going to be watching him and a couple of other horses. I'm sure people are going to be looking forward to see what he can do.”

Delgado, 33, is the nephew of trainer Gustavo Delgado, whose GI Kentucky Derby winning colt, Mage (Good Magic), will run in the GI Travers S. three races after the Jerkens. Jorge Delgado worked for his uncle in Venezuela and the U.S. before opening his own stable in 2017.

For Jorge Delgado, New York Thunder has been an exciting adventure. Though the colt with a dirt pedigree was bred in Kentucky and was purchased for $130,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Sale, he was prepared for the races in Europe. New York Thunder arrived in Delgado's care last year from the training center with a reputation of being very fast.

“In the very beginning with him we really didn't know what direction to go as far as the surface,” Delgado said, “since he was training in (Europe) and they don't have a main track there to train on. They have grass, and run on synthetic and grass.”

New York Thunder connections | Sarah Andrew

Brazilian-born former jockey Robson Aquiar, was on the team that selected New York Thunder at Keeneland for Kai Joorabchian's AMO Racing USA and did the pre-training.

“Robson told me that he was excellent on both but he liked the synthetic more,” Delgado said. “That was the reason, since I was in Gulfstream in the winter, it makes sense to put him on the Tapeta.”

Delgado was right. New York Thunder debuted on Nov. 27 and scored in a five-furlong race by 6 1/2 lengths.

“He was like 70 to 80% ready for racing and when he wins the way he did it, you think he's a Tapeta horse or a grass horse,” Delgado said. “That's the first thought that comes to your mind.”

One month later, New York Thunder picked up his first level-allowance victory, taking a five furlong turf race by 1 3/4 lengths.

“He won but he wasn't as excellent like he was on the other surface,” Delgado said. “So I spoke to the owner and said, 'let's keep going the Tapeta direction.'”

Joorabchian, 52, is an Iranian-born entrepreneur, who has a long involvement in soccer in Europe and South America. He has been a horse owner in Europe for two decades and has had a North American AMO division since 2021. AMO's first U.S. graded stakes winner was Affirmative Lady (Arrogate), who earned that victory for trainer Graham Motion in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks on April 1. She finished 11th in the GI Kentucky Oaks. Affirmative Lady and New York Thunder came to AMO out of the 2021 Keeneland sale, as did King of Steel (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who has emerged as a top 3-year-old in England with a narrow second in the GI Epsom Derby and a win in the GII King Edward II S. at Royal Ascot.

New York Thunder scratched out of the $250,000 Animal Kingdom S. on March 25 at Turfway Park and made his stakes debut on April 30 at Woodbine in the six-furlong Woodstock. He romped by 7 1/2 lengths.

“We won the race at Woodbine and right away, we were targeting a race on dirt,” Delgado said. “The owner was insisting he wants to run back in a graded stakes race.”

Jorge Delgado | Sarah Andrew

Drawing the rail in the Woody Stephens, he was scratched with a foot bruise before Delgado shipped him up from his summertime base at Monmouth Park for the Amsterdam.

“That for some people didn't make any sense,” Delgado said. “To switch the horse's surface in a graded stakes race is not like the best idea always. But it turned out to be something really good. Now the horse has a name. Most people in the country know him. We have received a few offers for the horse and the owner is actually not a big seller, but at least we were sitting in that spot.”

Speedy Ryvit (Competitive Edge) stumbled leaving the gate and New York Thunder was alone on the lead. He ran the first quarter mile in :21.48 seconds and followed that with a 22.08 to reach the half-mile in 43.46. Even-money favorite Drew's Gold (Violence) moved up alongside on the turn, but New York Thunder and jockey Tyler Gaffalione responded quickly to the threat and were gone.

Delgado said that since the Amsterdam and the Jerkens are only 29 days apart, he has been very careful with New York Thunder in the interim. The two breezes have been slow by the colt's standards: four furlongs in :52. Delgado said New York Thunder is showing him that he is ready for another big outing.

“This horse hasn't said no once,” Delgado said. “He hasn't said, 'I'm not eating' or 'I'm not feeling well,' or 'I don't have energy.' He hasn't given any of those signals. He hasn't communicated any of that.

“Actually, he's been the opposite. Since the day he came back, the day after the Amsterdam, he was proud, he was moving around in his stall, he was looking around.

I know it's very tough to repeat the same performance, to repeat the same number, but he's really going to need that and more to win the race. But I believe in the horse, I believe in his heart and I believe in what we do.”

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Streaking Wet Paint Headlines Full Field Drawn for Kentucky Oaks

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Godolphin homebred Wet Paint (Blame), an impressive come-from-behind winner in three straight while sweeping the Oaklawn Park series for 3-year-old fillies headed by the GIII Fantasy S. Apr. 1, was tabbed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite for Friday's GI Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. Conditioned by two-time Kentucky Oaks-winning trainer Brad Cox, Wet Paint was assigned post seven in the full field of 14. Flavien Prat will ride.

Cox will also saddle impressive Bourbonette Oaks heroine and 4-1 second-choice Botanical (Medaglia d'Oro) (post six), who tries dirt for the first time; and GII Fair Grounds Oaks third-place finisher The Alys Look (Connect) (post two; 15-1).

Cox won the 2018 Oaks with Monomoy Girl and the 2020 Oaks with Shedaresthedevil.

“I thought it was a good draw for all of these fillies,” Cox said. “Botanical and Wet Paint are in the middle of the gate which is fine for both of them. The Alys Look is inside but can work out a trip from there.”

Southlawn (Pioneerof the Nile) (post four; 8-1) figures to receive plenty of tote support following a pair of visually impressive tallies for trainer Norm Casse this term, headed by a 3 1/4-length win over Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) (post 14; 10-1) in the Fair Grounds Oaks.

“I think it's a perfect draw,” Casse said. “I played baseball my entire life and I was No. 4. So, it's my lucky number.”

Champion Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) (post five; 12-1), trained by Norm's father Mark Casse, looks to get back on track following a head-scratching sixth in the GI Ashland S. at Keeneland.

The gone-too-soon Arrogate, responsible for last year's Oak's winner Secret Oath, will be represented by GII Gulfstream Park Oaks heroine Affirmative Lady (Arrogate) (post 13; 10-1) and GII Santa Anita Oaks runner-up And Tell Me Nolies (Arrogate) (post nine; 15-1).

The Oaks field also includes last out 20-1 GI Central Bank Ashland S. upsetter Defining Purpose (Cross Traffic) (post 11; 12-1).

The 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Oaks serves as the highlight of Friday's 13-race program that begins at 10:30 a.m. The Oaks will go as the day's 11th race with a 5:51 p.m. post time.

From the rail out, the complete field for the Kentucky Oaks with morning-line odds:

1-Mimi Kakushi (City of Light) (20-1)

2-The Alys Look (Connect) (15-1)

3-Gambling Girl (Dialed In) (15-1)

4-Southlawn (Pioneerof the Nile) (8-1)

5-Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) (12-1)

6-Botanical (Medaglia d'Oro) (4-1)

7-Wet Paint (Blame) (5-2)

8-Promiseher America (American Pharoah) (30-1)

9-And Tell Me Nolies (Arrogate) (15-1)

10-Flying Connection (Nyquist) (15-1)

11-Defining Purpose (Cross Traffic) (12-1)

12-Dorth Vader (Girvin) (20-1)

13-Affirmative Lady (Arrogate) (10-1)

14-Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) (10-1)

Also-Eligibles: Taxed (Collected) (20-1); Julia Shining (Curlin) (15-1); and Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief) (30-1).

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Nyquist Filly Fastest At OBS Friday

A filly by Nyquist, who is half-sister to leading GI Kentucky Oaks contender Affirmative Lady (Arrogate), turned in the fastest quarter-mile work of Friday's penultimate session of the under-tack show for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, while a daughter of Speightstown and a colt by Into Mischief shared the fastest furlong time of the week.

The daughter of Nyquist (hip 1024) turned in the day's fastest quarter-mile breeze–and second fastest of the week–when covering the distance in :20 2/5. The dark bay filly, consigned by Wavertree Stables, is out of Stiffed (Stephen Got Even), whose daughter Affirmative Lady heads into Oaks off a win in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks.

She was purchased by the Red Wings Enterprises pinhooking partnership of Ciaran Dunne and Paul Reddam–who won the GI Kentucky Derby with her sire in 2016, for $170,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

“She is just an unassuming, quiet filly to be around,” Dunne said. “She trains every day, easy and quiet, and then when you ask her to go, she just explodes. She has done really well. She was somewhat of a nondescript yearling, but she has matured into a big, powerful filly.”

Of the filly's Classic-bound half-sister, Dunne quipped, “Typical of me, I was the last to know [about the update].”

He added, “You kind of forget about pedigrees once they are bought and in the barn. Usually it doesn't come back up until after the breeze show. So, this was kind of a pleasant surprise right at the time that this filly was doing so good to have something like that happen.”

Wavertree Stables was also responsible for a colt by Into Mischief (hip 967) who equaled the fastest furlong time of the week with his :9 3/5 breeze Friday.

“The Into Mischief colt has been a wonderful horse all year,” Dunne said. “He's the kind that makes you want to get up in the morning and go to the barn. Everything he does is effortless. He just acts like he is very special. And to this point, he hasn't done anything to prove us wrong.”

Purchased by Red Wing Enterprises for $300,000 at Keeneland last September, the bay colt is out of multiple stakes winner and graded-placed Singing Kitty (Ministers Wild Cat).

The two bullet workers led a big day for the consignment, which was also represented by a Coal Front filly (hip 924, video) and a colt by Omaha Beach (hip 961, video) who worked the week's second-fastest furlong time of :9 4/5. Wavertree also had a pair of fillies by Omaha Beach work in :9 4/5 earlier in the week.

“We've had a great day,” Dunne said. “We are very fortunate to have a tremendous group of clients who support us and give us horses like these. And we have a crew at the farm who work all winter to make days like this happen. Days like this don't just happen. You work towards them. The horses that worked today, we had high expectations coming into today. It was a little nerve-wracking, but I think for the most they showed up and performed like we expected them to.”

DeBerdt Hopes More Success With Spooky Woods

The Speightstown filly (hip 1012) became the third juvenile of the week to work a furlong in :9 3/5 early in Friday's first set. She is consigned by Scanlon Training & Sales as agent for Bruno DeBerdt's Excel Bloodstock.

“I knew she was going to work well,” DeBerdt, who watched the work from his California home, said. “How well, I didn't know. She's been training really well for us and if there were any of the horses that were going to have a black-type work, I thought she could do it. But until you lead them up there and they show up, you just don't really know.”

Of the end result, DeBerdt continued, “Obviously we were very pleased with the way she did it and the fact that she did it well within herself and galloped out very strongly. She showed her true ability. And she's got a great mind. A good horse requires two things. One, obviously the ability, but equally important they have to have the mind. If they don't have the mind, it doesn't matter how much ability they have, it's not going to work.”

DeBerdt and Scanlon Training purchased the chestnut for $135,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

“I like the sire and I liked the filly as an individual,” DeBerdt said of the youngster's appeal last fall. “She was a little bit rough around the edges, but nothing that I thought would preclude her from developing into a nice horse. So I guess you might say we looked for the diamond in the rough and, with good diet and training, nature took care of the rest.”

DeBerdt also had a positive association with the filly's dam, Spooky Woods (Ghostzapper), whom he pinhooked for $250,000 at the 2016 Barretts March sale. She finished third for West Point Thoroughbreds in the 2017 GIII Santa Ysabel S. and sold again, with hip 1012 in utero, for $400,000 to Yeguada Centurion at the 2020 Keeneland November sale.

Spooky Woods is a half-sister to multiple graded-placed Kinsley Kisses (Congrats), as well as to the dam of graded-stakes winning sophomore Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo).

The under-tack show concludes with a final session beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday. The Spring sale will be held next Tuesday through Friday and bidding commences each day at 10:30 a.m.

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