Alabama | Horse Racing Free Tips

Aron Wellman Talks Nest, Buying Strategies, HISA On Writers’ Room

It's a busy time of year for Aron Wellman's Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, with yearling sale season now in full swing alongside the iconic Saratoga and Del Mar meets. But Wellman and his partners are full of energy these days thanks in large part to their Nest (Curlin)–co-owned with Repole Stable and Michael House–who likely sewed up an Eclipse Award for Champion 3-Year-Old Filly with a dominant victory in the GI Alabama S. Saturday at the Spa. Tuesday, Wellman sat down with the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland as the Green Group Guest of the Week to discuss Nest but also a variety of industry issues in an expansive interview.

“I felt oddly calm going into the race,” Wellman said of his mindset before the Alabama. “She just allows for us to have a lot of confidence. There's plenty of reason to be nervous when you're arguably going for a championship, but she had just thrived so much in the month between the CCA Oaks and Alabama that we went in with a lot of conviction that she was going to go out and perform well again. As far as the performance was concerned, it was nothing short of brilliant. She put on another breathtaking display, and she's just getting stronger and better and more comfortable in her own skin.”

Asked whether or not Nest will return to race as a 4-year-old, Wellman said, “We have every intention of running her back next year. Look, Eclipse is in the business of racing. And while we certainly have a program, an established pipeline of what we refer to as Eclipse fillies that we've made a habit out of developing over the course of the past decade and then selling for seven figures at auction or privately, this filly is cut from a different cloth than most of our Grade I fillies have been in the sense that she's only supposed to get better. Health, of course is always in the back of your mind, but being by Curlin out of an A.P. Indy mare, the thought of her maturing into a 4-year-old and beyond is super exciting. And Mike Repole is the ultimate sportsman. Mike House is getting up there in age and is having the time of his life. I don't want to speak for them, but I would say that having a filly that's capable of running in the races that she's capable of running in at the end of this year and through next, hopefully it's far more important than any zeros that they could add to their ledger at this point.”

The conversation turned to the sometimes rocky implementation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, and Wellman was asked for his impression of HISA's early days.

“The types of partners Eclipse attracts are interested in integrity in all respects and really, what they want most when we send a horse out onto the track is a level playing field,” he said. “Nobody's taking an edge or able to take an edge. So I don't think there's any downside to HISA. Are there going to be growing pains? Absolutely. Any initiative like this, especially in the political realm, is going to have bumps in the road, and we're seeing that. But I've got to be honest, I've been very impressed with HISA's upper management, with [CEO] Lisa Lazarus. She is willing to listen, and although change and getting it right might not be immediate and it might not be happening as fast as we all want it to be, they're trying. And we finally broke down that barrier of actually having some unified governing body as it relates to medication, at least. We've been fighting an impossible battle for decades where we've made very little progress. At the end of the day, we can't lose sight of the fact that the reason HISA is in effect is that we want to operate on a level playing field. If we keep our eye on the ball in that respect, we're going to be okay.”

Elsewhere on the show–which is also sponsored by Coolmore, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, XBTV, Three Chimneys, West Point Thoroughbreds and Legacy Bloodstock–Joe Bianca, Bill Finley and Jon Green reacted to the arrest of Chad Brown and the suspension of Jamie Ness and looked forward to a blockbuster GI Runhappy Travers S. day at card. Click here to watch the show; click here for the audio-only version or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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Background Check: Alabama

In this continuing series, we examine the past winners of significant filly/mare races by the lasting influence they've had on the breed. Up today is the GI Alabama S., one of the oldest stakes races in the country.

Dating to 1872, eight years after the first Travers S. was run and 12 years after the first Queen's Plate (the oldest stakes race in North America), the Alabama is the last leg in New York's Triple Tiara following the GI Acorn S. and the GI Coaching Club American Oaks. The major-league 3-year-old filly contest was run at different distances early, but has remained a constant at 1 1/4 miles since 1917. It's a safe bet anyone with a good sophomore filly would love few things more than adding the Alabama to their win column. As with most races this old, a few years were skipped owing to various circumstances, but history has recorded 141 individual winners of the Alabama. How have they fared as broodmares?

Several Alabama winners through the years also won the GI Test S., GI CCA Oaks, GI Diana S., or GIII Schuylerville S.; please see those previous profiles for notes on broodmare phenomenons Sky Beauty, November Snow, Tempted, Busanda, Vagrancy, and Cleopatra. Following are the some of the other most important Alabama winners by what impact they have had on the breed through their sons and daughters.

Pretty Discreet (1992, Private Account–Pretty Persuasive, by Believe It): Her three stakes winners were all colts–GISWs Discreet Cat and Discreetly Mine, as well as MSW & MGISP Pretty Wild–and her three daughters to stay in this country are all stakes producers. She is also the granddam of GISW Awesome Maria, who sold for $4 million at the 2013 Keeneland November sale, and June 9 Astoria S. winner Devious Dame, the first black-type winner for freshman sire Girvin.

Heavenly Prize (1991, Seeking the Gold–Oh What a Dance, by Nijinsky II): One would expect a mare descended from Blitey and Lady Pitt to do great things and Heavenly Prize held up her end of the bargain. Her sons included MGISW Good Reward and GSW Pure Prize, while her descendants thus far include GISWs Persistently, Queen Goddess, and Instilled Regard, plus GSW & MGISP Stays in Vegas.

Versailles Treaty (1988, Danzig–Ten Cents a Dance, by Buckpasser): GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner George Vancouver is out of this mare, as is GII Remsen S. winner and GI Met Mile runner-up Saarland. Her daughters and granddaughters have produced GISW Mongolian Groom, MGSW Dragon Bay, and several other stakes performers.

Maplejinsky (1985, Nijinsky II–Gold Beauty, by Mr. Prospector): Her daughter, Sky Beauty, won the Alabama and the CCA Oaks in 1993, was named champion older mare in 1994, and captured a total of nine Grade I races before producing MGSW Hurricane Cat and a daughter who would later be granddam of GISW Violence. Maplejinsky didn't stop there. Other daughters and granddaughters have produced MGISWs Guarana, Point of Entry, Pine Island, and Tale of Ekati, as well as GI Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Pleasant Home and a slew of other high-quality stakes winners. Her great-granddaughter Magical World sold for $5.2 million at last year's Fasig-Tipton November sale, while Magical World's daughter Guarana brought $4.4 million at the same sale.

MG1SW State of Rest traces to 1979 Alabama winner It's in the Air | Sarah Andrew

It's in the Air (1976, Mr. Prospector–A Wind Is Rising, by Francis S.): This mare, often remembered as her sire's first of many champions, has had some very significant activity among her female descendants in the last year. Her MGISW granddaughter, Music Note, produced the 2021 G1 Dubai World Cup winner Mystic Guide, while another unraced granddaughter is the dam of 2021 GI Saratoga Derby Invitational S. winner State of Rest (Ire), who is also a G1 winner in England, France, and Australia. Other GI/G1 winners produced by her daughters include Musical Chimes and Storming Home (GB).

Lauries Dancer (1968, Northern Dancer–Its Ann, by Royal Gem II {Aus}): Although she didn't produce a stakes winner, this Canadian Horse of Year's daughters and granddaughters have produced MGISWs Will's Way and Tizway, as well as GISW Willa On the Move, and GISP and excellent Maryland sire Citidancer.

Fanfreluche (1967, Northern Dancer–Ciboulette, by Chop Chop): This Canadian Horse of the Year, even more famous for her abduction than for her race record, was also a remarkable producer with long-reaching influence on multiple continents. Honored as Canadian Broodmare of the Year in 1978, her own foals included two-time Canadian Horse of the Year and U.S. GISW L'Enjoleur, additional Canadian champions La Voyageuse and Medaille d'Or, GSW D'Accord, and MSW Grand Luxe. Her female-line descendants have thus far included French highweight and multiple G1SW Holy Roman Emperor (Ire), as well as European G1SWs Majestic Roi and Erupt (Ire); U.S. GISWs Aube Indienne (Fr) and Combatant; Australian G1SWs Russian Revolution (Aus), Flying Spur (Aus), Encosta de Lago (Aus), and Duais (Aus); and New Zealand G1SW Sherwood Forest (Aus).

Natashka (1963, Dedicate–Natasha, by Nasrullah {GB}): Named Broodmare of the Year in 1981, Natashka sports a long list of black-type winners tracing to her, including leading U.S. sire Elusive Quality and a number of champions.

High Bid (1956, To Market–Stepping Stone, by Princequillo {GB}): This Wheatley/Phipps mare is on this list for one very sound reason. Her first foal was Bold Bidder, not only a champion on the racetrack, but sire and broodmare sire of several luminaries. His two Kentucky Derby winners in a six-year span included one considered among the Top 10 runners of the 1900s: Horse of the Year Spectacular Bid.

Coolmore stallion Wootton Bassett is a descendant of 1931 Alabama winner Risque | Coolmore Stud

Parlo (1951, Heliopolis {GB}–Fairy Palace, by Pilate): Her daughters included 1969 Broodmare of the Year All Beautiful, who produced Horse of the Year Arts and Letters and is great-granddam of dual champion and five-time GISW Silverbulletday.

Salaminia (1937, Man o' War–Alcibiades, by Supremus): A number of stakes winners trace to this daughter of Man o' War, none more notable than English Horse of the Year and excellent sire Sir Ivor. He lives on particularly through his daughters, although his sire son, Sir Tristram (Ire), redefined the breed in Australia and New Zealand.

Risque (1928, Stimulus–Risky, by Diadumenos {GB}): 1980 Broodmare of the Year Key Bridge traces to her, as does U.S. Horse of the Year Fort Marcy and Canadian Horses of the Year Izvestia and With Approval. Champion Key to the Mint, MGISW Touch Gold, and excellent European sire Wootton Bassett (GB) are just a few on the long list of other high-class descendants of Risque.

Escutcheon (1927, Sir Gallahad III {Fr}–Affection {Fr}, by Isidor {GB}): In addition to producing Kentucky Oaks winner Mars Shield, this mare is the ancestress of Broodmares of the Year Levee and Delta, champions Shuvee, Slew o' Gold, Bayou, Smart Deb, Talking Picture, Sacahuista, Playful Act (Ire)–and many more.

Malachite (1913, Rock Sand {GB}–Miss Hanover, by Hanover): A number of stakes performers trace to this mare, most importantly 1943 Horse of the Year and Triple Crown winner Count Fleet. He was ranked among the leading sires and broodmare sires in the country for many years.

Sallie McClelland (1888, Hindoo–Red and Blue, by Alarm): This wonderful producer of yesteryear is the dam of 1904 Kentucky Oaks winner Audience and ancestress of Horses of the Year Whisk Broom II and Crusader, as well as dual champion Top Flight.

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Pletcher and Brown Stars Highlight Saratoga Worktab

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown were both quite busy Saturday morning at Saratoga, working some of their respective stables' top stars. GI Belmont S. runner-up Nest (Curlin) turned in her final breeze Saturday morning before her rematch with Secret Oath (Arrogate) July 23 in the GI Coaching Club American Oaks.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said the filly “worked really well” after she covered five furlongs in company with champion Corniche (Quality Road) in 1:01.44 under jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. on the main track.

Secret Oath and Nest ran one-two in the GI Kentucky Oaks. They then jumped into the Triple Crown series with Secret Oath finishing fourth in the GI Preakness S. and Nest running second to stablemate Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) in the Belmont. Secret Oath and Nest could also meet in the GI Alabama Aug. 20.

Nest is a member of Pletcher's battalion of runners headed to graded stakes at Saratoga. Life is Good (Into Mischief) breezed a half-mile in :49.49 on July 15 for the GI Whitney S. Aug. 6. Americanrevolution (Constitution), runner-up in the GII Stephen Foster, and Dynamic One (Union Rags), winner of the GII Suburban, are on course for the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup Sept. 3.

Pletcher said that Charge It (Tapit) will train up to the GI Runhappy Travers Aug. 27. In his first start since a 17th-place finish in the GI Kentucky Derby, the Whisper Hill Farm homebred crushed his competition in the GIII Dwyer S. July 2 at Belmont Park, winning by 23 lengths.

“It's the first time I've ever watched a race at Belmont and actually looked at that Secretariat pole as they were coming to the finish line,” Pletcher said. “It was like, 'wow'. He's a horse that we've thought a lot of from the beginning. He showed he's still a little green in the Florida Derby and displaced his palate in the Kentucky Derby, so I think we're starting now to get it all together. From a talent perspective, he is as good as good as anyone in the crop, if he can just continue to mature.”

Jeff Drown's Zandon (Upstart) worked a half-mile in :49.69 Saturday in preparation for his scheduled start in the GII Jim Dandy July 30.

The Jim Dandy, the local prep for the Travers, will be Zandon's first race following his third-place finish in the GI Kentucky Derby May 7.

Meanwhile, Brown's two other graded stakes-winning 3-year-old colts, GI Preakness S. star Early Voting (Gun Runner) and the unbeaten Jack Christopher (Munnings) worked at Belmont Park. Jack Christopher is headed to the GI Haskell Invitational S. next weekend at Monmouth Park. Brown has not yet made the call on whether Early Voting will go in the Haskell or the Jim Dandy.

“I'll decide in the morning,” Brown said. “I'll see how all the horses come out before I make a decision.”

Brown was pleased with the way Zandon handled the breeze.

“The horse worked super,” he said.

Zandon's work under veteran exercise rider Kriss Bon was his first at Saratoga this summer and satisfied a couple of goals.

“Just to get him to stretch his legs,” Brown said. “He's been working along down at Belmont. I freshened him up after the Derby. I'm really pleased with him. He put some weight on. He really looks better than ever right now. I have just given him a little bit of a breather from the racing end of it anyway. Our plan was just to get him over the track and get him a good feel for it and he couldn't have went any better.”

Despite his strong performance in the Derby, Zandon was never a possibility for the Belmont because Brown said he doesn't consider him a mile and a half horse. But Brown is confident that he will be sharp off a nearly three-month break between races.

“Just knowing the horse, he'll run good, fresh,” Brown said. “I can just see it in his training. The way he's matured, the way he's worked gives me a lot of confidence that he will be ready to go.

Early Voting worked four furlongs in :49.25 and Jack Christopher was timed in :49.80 for the same distance.

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Six States, Two Without Racing, Join Fight To Derail HISA

The attorneys general from six new states have sided with existing plaintiffs in Oklahoma, West Virginia and Louisiana by filing a Sept. 21 “friend of the court” brief in one of two currently active federal lawsuits aiming to get the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) voided for alleged constitutional violations before HISA even goes into effect.

Curiously, two of those six states–Alaska and Mississippi–have no current forms of legal pari-mutuel horse racing. The other states expressing support for the alleged unconstitutionality of HISA are Arkansas, Idaho, Nebraska and Ohio.

The Tuesday filing in United States District Court (Eastern Division of Kentucky) refers to HISA as “the Horse Act” and terms the HISA Authority board that will craft Thoroughbred racing's new regulatory framework as “the Private Corporation.” The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which is slated to control the drug testing aspects of HISA, is labelled in the filing as “the Private Consultant.”

Although the Authority and USADA will both fall under the theoretical auspices of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which is a pre-existing federal agency within the executive branch, the brief calls into question how this hierarchy will actually function in practice if HISA goes into effect July 1, 2022, as mandated by the 2020 law that created it.

“Which entity is really calling the shots, the Private Corporation or FTC?” the filing asks rhetorically. “The answer is the Private Corporation.”

The filing continues: “The Horse Act unconstitutionally delegates legislative power. That follows from three insights. First, the Private Corporation is a private entity. Second, the Private Corporation wields governmental power. Third, the Private Corporation wields the power as a principal actor–it does not perform mere ministerial or advisory tasks for the federal government…

“The Horse Act gives the Private Corporation the power to act as the federal government.

The Private Corporation writes the rules governing horseracing, enforces those rules, and issues interpretive guidance at will. While a federal agency will oversee the Private Corporation in some instances, that oversight is more symbolic than substantive…

“Because the Constitution forbids allowing private entities to exercise governmental power, the Horse Act is unconstitutional,” the filing states.

The attorneys general wrote that “the Horse Act creates an imbalance of power, and it gives the lion's share to the Private Corporation. This delegation of power undermines the Constitution.”

The filing also asks the court to “remember the importance of accountability,” stating that “Under the Horse Act, the People have no power to hold the Private Corporation to account.”

The filing continues: “The People have no say, even indirectly, in who runs the Corporation: they cannot elect anyone to the Private Corporation's board of directors, and the People's elected representatives similarly have no authority to confirm, remove, or even manage those who sit on the board…

“It is thus the will of the Private Corporation that binds the People. The Constitution tolerates no such thing,” the filing states.

The six states also write in their brief that HISA would also be operating contrary to binding legal precedent.

“When Congress directs a private entity to assist a federal agency, Congress must make the federal agency the commanding regulator,” the filing states. “Congress failed to do that here… the Private Corporation does not 'function subordinately' to the [FTC]…. The Private Corporation is chief policymaker, and that role far exceeds any ministerial or advisory duties.”

Among the plaintiffs in this lawsuit, which was originally filed Apr. 26, are three Oklahoma tracks–Remington Park, Will Rogers Downs and Fair Meadows.

The defendants are the United States of America, the HISA Authority, and six individuals acting in their official capacities for either HISA or the FTC.

This lawsuit is separate from the similar complaint over constitutional issues initiated by the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association against FTC members.

Both lawsuits are facing motions to dismiss by the defendants that have yet to be ruled upon by the federal judges in each case.

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