Mike Repole bought out his partners in the champion 3-year-old filly of 2022–Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House–for a co-topping $6 million at last fall's Fasig-Tipton November sale.

“When we put her in the sale, I really went there with a game plan of she might retire as a broodmare,” Repole said.

“The Japanese were bidding on her and I've seen so many of these horses go to Japan, and, honestly, I didn't want her to go. If it was Mandy Pope, Coolmore or Spendthrift bidding on her, I would've probably let her go. So, I now owned her 100 percent without partners and I thought, 'You know what? Let's race her.'”

Repole continued, “We gave her time and she's training now at Stonestreet in Ocala. She should be back to Todd (Pletcher) by May 1. I'm excited to watch her run at Saratoga and into the year.”

Nest's sensational sophomore campaign was led by a trio of wins at the top level–the GI Central Bank Ashland S., GI Coaching Club American Oaks and GI Alabama S.–and also runner-up finishes in the GI Kentucky Oaks and GI Belmont S., respectively.

Nest brought a co-topping $6 million at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton November sale | Fasig-Tipton

Fourth as the favorite in that term's GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland, Nest kicked off her 4-year-old stand a bit later than anticipated due to a fever, but she showed no signs of rust with a stylish 2 1/4-length victory over MGISW Clairiere (Curlin) in the GII Shuvee S. at Saratoga July 23. She didn't look anything like herself in her next two attempts, however, beaten both times as the favorite behind future champion Idiomatic (Curlin), finishing a punchless third in the GI Personal Ensign S. at Saratoga Aug. 25 and a well-beaten fourth by 11 1/4 lengths in the GI Spinster S. at Keeneland last out Oct. 8.

“She started late last year,” Repole said. “She ran a great first race and it was probably a little bit too much, too soon. We'll try to get her there a little bit earlier this year–maybe get a race into her in either June or July. We'll get her a nice spot and go from there. We're excited about bringing her back.”

Were any issues discovered with the bay following her head-scratching effort in Lexington last fall?

“Yeah, she was fourth,” Repole replied with a laugh. “And Nest doesn't usually run fourth. She had three races in like an eight-nine week period and it was just too much. She's had a really good rest and I think we have some unfinished business.”

One of 21 Grade I winners for the mighty Curlin, Nest was bred in Kentucky by Ashview Farm and Colts Neck Stables. She brought $350,000 from Repole Stable and company as a yearling out of the Ashview Farm consignment at the 2020 Keeneland September sale.

Her stakes-winning A.P. Indy dam Marion Ravenwood–also responsible for 2021 GI Santa Anita H. winner Idol (Curlin); MSW & GSP Lost Ark (Violence); and MSP Dr Jack (Pioneerof the Nile)–brought $2.6 million from Coolmore's M. V. Magnier in foal to Curlin at the 2022 Keeneland November sale.

Repole is also vested in Nest's aforementioned big brother Idol, who began his career at stud as a Repole Stable/Taylor Made Stallions Venture in 2023 after carrying the colors of Calvin Nguyen during his racing career.

As for Nest, Repole concluded, “She's healthy, happy and sound. And ready to race one more year and maybe make a run for champion older filly.”

NEST!!!!!

She is back in training at Stonestreet for her 5 year old campaign.

She should be at Saratoga May 1st. https://t.co/915iqYq2uH

— Repole Stable (@RepoleStable) February 27, 2024

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“I was a passenger,” said winning rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. “She's doing so good right now. I broke good. Before, she used to break a step slow. Now, the last couple of times she's been breaking good out of there and that's a big advantage because I don't have to use that much. She put herself in the race and I just waited for my time to go. In the turn, I stayed away from the other horses because I was already going by them a little early, but I don't get in her way. I stayed away a little bit just to keep her there and let her do her thing.”

Winner of the GI Ashland S. in April, Nest was second in the GI Kentucky Oaks and against the boys in the GI Belmont S. She staked her claim to the top of the 3-year-old fillies division this summer at Saratoga with wins in the July 23 GI Coaching Club American Oaks and Aug. 20 GI Alabama S.

“She's going to race at four,” said co-owner Mike Repole. “She's so special. She's by Curlin and she's getting better. Those were three 'wow' performances we just saw out of her and she's improving every start. It's great for racing. She's a special filly.”

Repole will hold a strong hand at the Breeders' Cup, with Nest joined by GI Frizette S. winner Chocolate Gelato (Practical Joke) and GI Hopeful S. and GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity winner Forte (Violence).

“Nest will probably be a top two or three favorite [in the Distaff],” he said. “Chocolate Gelato will be first or second choice [in the Juvenile Fillies], Forte will probably be first or second choice [in the Juvenile]. It's been an incredible blessing this year. Seven Grade Is and horses like this have made this year incredible.”

Pedigree Notes:

Marion Ravenwood, the dam of last year's GI Santa Anita H. winner Idol (Curlin), has also been represented this year by Sapling S. winner Lost Ark (Violence). The 14-year-old mare, a half-sister to graded placed Abstraction, was barren in 2021 and 2022 and was bred to Curlin this spring. She was purchased by co-breeder Ashview Farm for $400,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November sale.

Sunday, Belmont The Big A
BELDAME S.-GII, $242,500, Belmont The Big A, 10-9, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8m, 1:52.38, ft.
1–NEST, 120, f, 3, by Curlin
                1st Dam: Marion Ravenwood (SW, $112,598), by A.P. Indy
                2nd Dam: Andujar, by Quiet American
                3rd Dam: Nureyev's Best, by Nureyev
($350,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Repole Stable, Eclipse
Thoroughbred Partners & Michael House; B-Ashview Farm &
Colts Neck Stables (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr.
$137,500. Lifetime Record: MGISW, 10-7-2-1, $1,873,050.
*1/2 to Dr Jack (Pioneerof the Nile), MSP, $156,155;
Lost Ark (Violence), SW, $177,000; Full to Idol, GISW,
$426,964. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–First to Act, 123, f, 4, Curlin–First Passage, by
Giant's Causeway. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O-Andrew
Rosen; B-AR Enterprises, LLC (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III.
$50,000.
3–Hybrid Eclipse, 123, f, 4, Paynter–Super Plan, by Valid Wager.
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($37,000 2yo '20 EASMAY;
$107,000 4yo '22 FTKHRA). O-The Elkstone Group, LLC
(Stuart Grant); B-Alex Venneri Racing, LLC (KY); T-Brittany T.
Russell. $30,000.
Margins: 9 3/4, 5HF, 4 1/4. Odds: 0.05, 9.50, 48.25.
Also Ran: Travel Column, The Grass Is Blue.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Having seen a three-race win streak snapped when she settled for second as the favorite to Secret Oath in the May 6 GI Longines Kentucky Oaks, Nest was coming off a solid second to stablemate Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) in the GI Belmont S. June 11. Despite having lost a two-length decision to Secret Oath in their prior match-up, Nest was installed the public's 4-5 pick over the last-out GI Preakness S. fourth finisher.

Expected pacesetter Society (Gun Runner) was one of the two inside runners to break awkwardly, and Nest immediately to their outside was ridden along by Irad Ortiz, Jr. to seize the narrow lead with Nostalgic (Medaglia d'Oro) and Secret Oath not far behind while one and two paths off the fence, respectively. Society was headstrong in behind the leading trio, and snuck up the fence midway on the first turn to take over briefly. Nest put a head back in front after the opening quarter of :24.10 and before the :47.46 half.

Secret Oath was given her cue by Luis Saez to challenge Nest entering the home bend, and the stage appeared set for a throwdown that could very well decide Eclipse honors at the end of the year. But by midway on the turn it was clear that Nest had far more to give, and the bay quickened nicely with a couple reminders from Ortiz in upper stretch before being wrapped up late.

“My plan was not to be on the lead, but I wanted to break good out of there,” Ortiz said. “Honestly, that was the main thing and I tried to break, and she broke clean and I realized the other filly didn't break well. So I said, 'let's go, Plan B.' I was in front and didn't panic. I just let her do her thing. That was [how] the race came up. Everything changed when the gates opened and I just let her do her thing and she did the rest.”

A five-length debut romper routing at Belmont last September, Nest was a close third in the Tempted S. that November before making the grade by a neck in Aqueduct's nine-panel GII Demoiselle S. Dec. 4. She resurfaced to dominate Tampa's Suncoast S. Feb. 12, and doubled up by daylight in Keeneland's GI Central Bank Ashland S. Apr. 8 ahead of her Oaks and Belmont appearances.

“It's funny how you spend a lot of time analyzing a game plan and then, as they say, everything can change at the break–which it did today,” said Pletcher, winner of a record eight renewals of this event, including one each previously in back-to-back years for Repole (Stopchargingmaria {Tale of the Cat}, 2014) and Eclipse (Curalina {Curlin}, 2015). “The main thing is we wanted to establish some position, get away smoothly and get to the first turn in a forward position. We were able to do that even though everyone wasn't positioned exactly where we thought they would be. It turned out to ultimately to have those four fillies bunch up together and [Nest] was able to fend off the challenge from Secret Oath and keep going.”

Nest and Secret Oath are both likely to return for the 10-panel GI Alabama S. Aug. 20. As for the decision to run in this spot as well, Pletcher said, “We've run a lot of horses in the Belmont over the years, but we've never had one come out any better than she did. She had great energy and she gained weight since that race. She gave us every indication she was ready to run back. Originally, we thought we should wait for the Alabama, but she was just doing too good to bypass this race.”

The runner-up's trainer D. Wayne Lukas, Pletcher's former boss, offered: “I think coming in here, shipping in is always difficult. The winner ran a super, super race. She won fair and square. We hung a little bit. We needed, I think, to have been a little tighter on this track. Coming in here and shipping from out of state is tough–it always has been, and I've been here 50 years. It's always been a place where you do a little better if you have an out over it. But the good news is we'll have another shot.”

Saturday, Saratoga
COACHING CLUB AMERICAN OAKS-GI, $485,000, Saratoga, 7-23, 3yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:51.04, ft.
1–NEST, 121, f, 3, by Curlin
                1st Dam: Marion Ravenwood (SW, $112,598), by A.P. Indy
                2nd Dam: Andujar, by Quiet American
                3rd Dam: Nureyev's Best, by Nureyev
($350,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and House, Michael; B-Ashview Farm & Colts Neck Stables (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr.. $275,000. Lifetime Record: 8-5-2-1, $1,405,550. *1/2 to Dr Jack (Pioneerof the Nile), MSP, $156,155; Full to Idol, GISW, $426,964. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Secret Oath, 121, f, 3, by Arrogate
                1st Dam: Absinthe Minded (MSW & MGISP, $607,747), by Quiet American
                2nd Dam: Rockford Peach, by Great Above
                3rd Dam: Strawberry Skyline, by Hatchet Man
O-Briland Farm; B-Briland Farm, Robert & Stacy Mitchell (KY); T-D. Wayne Lukas. $100,000.
3–Nostalgic, 121, f, 3, by Medaglia d'Oro
                1st Dam: Been Here Before (SP), by Tapit
                2nd Dam: Connie Belle, by Storm Cat
                3rd Dam: Minister's Melody, by Deputy Minister
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-William I. Mott. $60,000.
Margins: 12 1/4, 3, 2HF. Odds: 0.95, 1.20, 20.30.
Also Ran: Society, Butterbean.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Pedigree Notes:

One of Curlin's 18 Grade I winners, Nest is the third daughter of the two-time Horse of the Year  to take the CCA Oaks, joining the aforementioned Curalina and 2020 heroine Paris Lights. She is bred on the same cross with A.P. Indy as stablemate and 2021  champion 3-year-old filly Malathaat, who looks to avenge a narrow loss to Claririere (Curlin) in last month's GI Ogden Phipps S. in Sunday's GII Shuvee S.

Both Clairiere and Paris Lights are out of mares by top broodmare sire Bernardini, and Nest's stakes-winning dam Marion Ravenwood is bred on the same cross as Bernardini being out of a Quiet American mare herself.

In addition to Nest and 2021 GI Santa Anita H. hero Idol, Marion Ravenwood is responsible for $275,000 KEESEP '21 yearling Lost Ark (Violence), who took his unveiling by 5 1/2 lengths for Pletcher and Harrell Ventures earlier this month at Belmont. Out of GSW/GISP and $2.5-million FTKNOV seller Andujar, Marion Ravenwood was barren to City of Light in 2021 and was bred to both Quality Road and Curlin for 2022 but a foal has not been registered as of now.

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Carrying great expectations as the 1-5 overwhelming favorite, Nest briefly drifted out after the break, but went into the first turn comfortably stalking from third to the outside of the field. Glued to Alittleloveandluck (Arrogate) as the pair tracked a frontrunner through a moderate pace in :24.52 and a half in :49.29, they left the early leader behind coming off the final turn. Nest found her best stride by the final sixteenth, spurting clear to a geared down six length victory.

The winner is a full-sister to GI Santa Anita H. winner Idol as well as a half to stakes placed Dr Jack (Pioneerof the Nile). Marion Ravenwood, a half to sire Abstraction (Pulpit), has three stakes winners from five foals to race. Purchased by Ashview Farm for $400,000 at 2017 Keeneland November, the mare's offspring have justifiably been sought after in the auction ring: Total Cooperation (Tiznow) bringing $525,000, Idol bringing $375,000, and Nest dropping the hammer at $350,000, all at Keeneland's September sale. The 2-year-old half-brother by Violence named Lost Ark recently brought $275,000 from Steven Young as a yearling. Marion Ravenwood was barren last year, and is expecting a foal this season after visiting both Curlin and Quality Road. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

SUNCOAST S., $100,000, Tampa Bay Downs, 2-12, 3yo, f, 1m 40y, 1:39.30, ft.
1–NEST, 124, f, 3, by Curlin
1st Dam: Marion Ravenwood (SW, $112,598), by A.P. Indy
2nd Dam: Andujar, by Quiet American
3rd Dam: Nureyev's Best, by Nureyev
($350,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and House, Michael; B-Ashview Farm; Colts Neck Stables (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr..$60,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-1, $265,000. *Full to Idol,GISW, $416,964.
2–Alittleloveandluck, 122, f, 3, Arrogate–Points of Grace, by Point Given. ($135,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP). O/T-Michael Dini; B-Helen Barbazon & Joseph Barbazon (FL). $20,000.
3–Blamethechampagne, 118, f, 3, Candy Ride (Arg)–Quippery, by Forest Wildcat. ($210,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Six Column Stables, LLC, Bloch, Randall L., Gladden, Jim, Riverview Racing, et al.; B-Popatop, LLC (KY); T-Ian R. Wilkes.$10,000.
Margins: 6, 3 1/4, NK. Odds: 0.30, 4.50, 32.20.
Also Ran: Ha' Penny, Princess Elin, Peaceful Surprise, Mining Chrome. Scratched: Mirth 'n Merriment.

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In the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes, Mo Donegal, a son of champion juvenile and leading sire Uncle Mo (by Indian Charlie), was the victor by a nose from Zandon (Upstart), and in the G2 Demoiselle, Nest (Curlin) won by a neck from the Firing Line filly Venti Valentine.

Both of the Kentucky-bred juveniles were foaled and raised at Ashview, which markets is yearlings as organically grown athletes. The marketplace gave a warm reception to those farm-fresh yearlings: Mo Donegal sold to Jerry Crawford of Donegal Racing Stables for $250,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September sale; Nest brought $300,000 at the same sale and races for Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, and Michael House.

As financially and professionally rewarding as those young horses have proven for the farm, Bryan Lyster said that “having bred these two with Mr. Santulli is one of the best things imaginable. He's been right by our side from the mid-1980s, and it's very satisfying that we had a day like that together.

“He's been a longtime client and my dad's best friend. In the last seven to eight years, we have bought a number of mares together.”

The partners own 12 to 15 mares, and breeding a pair of graded stakes winners from a small group of mares is an exceptional accomplishment. Then again, the mares who produced these young athletes are rather special too.

Nest is the fifth foal out of her dam, the A.P. Indy stakes winner Marion Ravenwood, and the Demoiselle winner is a full sister to Idol, who won the G1 Santa Anita Handicap earlier this year, as well as a half-sister to Dr Jack, who also earned black type this season.

In the space of nine months, Marion Ravenwood has become the dam of a pair of graded winners, both by the 2007 and 2008 Horse of the Year, and a multiple stakes-placed racer by Pioneerof the Nile. The three siblings have made their dam a very valuable producer, and the 4-year-old Idol also played a role in Ashview's acquisition of Marion Ravenwood.

Bryan Lyster said, “We bought Marion Ravenwood carrying the Pioneerof the Nile, and we were impressed with her Curlin foal, which is now Idol. At the time we planned the mating that produced Nest, we were hoping for a yearling who had the look of Idol.”

The partners bought Marion Ravenwood for $400,000 from My Meadowview Farm LLC. The following spring, the mare produced a colt by Pioneerof the Nile, and Ashview sold the resulting foal for $250,000 as a November weanling. Named Dr Jack, the colt has placed third in the Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth and the Bourbon Trail Stakes at Churchill, earning $125,857 from seven races in the last eight months.

Lyster noted that neither Marion Ravenwood nor Callingmissbrown, the dam of Mo Donegal, will have a yearling for next year. That's rotten luck, but the breeders have been on the receiving end of the good luck, especially this year, and Marion Ravenwood “will be going back to Curlin. We're hoping to get her in foal early and have been big supporters of Curlin, going back to his first year.”

In fact, Callingmissbrown, the dam of Mo Donegal, is in foal to Curlin for next year, and Lyster said, “Since Mo Donegal is only the mare's second foal, I'd say the win on Saturday would tilt the scales toward a certain sire” for her mating next year.

A Pulpit mare that the Lysters acquired privately for their breeding partnership, Callingmissbrown “is built like a tank. I wouldn't call her big in height, 16 hands or so, but she has a tremendous hip.”

Those qualities no doubt helped when Ashview brought the mare's 2021 yearling, a filly by leading sire Into Mischief, to the Keeneland sales a couple months ago.

By the hot sire but out of a mare who hadn't produced a black-type winner till last Saturday, Callingmissbrown's September yearling brought $500,000 from Frankie Brothers, agent, and Litt/Solis. To bring twice what Crawford paid for the mare's Uncle Mo colt a year before, this filly was quite nice.

Bryan said, “The half to Mo Donegal was so smooth and so athletic in every other way that buyers really wanted her.” Being by Into Mischief put a bull's eye on the filly among discerning horsemen, and she brought a premium for it.

The good work and careful planning that produced a bonus success for Ashview and Colts Neck on the weekend is set to pay off with long-term dividends over the coming seasons from the siblings to these major winners.

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The negative response was expected, because Baffert went through a tough period some years back when a number of his trainees died of apparent “sudden-death” heart attacks, which was the immediate speculation about Medina Spirit. Although Baffert was mostly cleared of wrongdoing and never sanctioned in the prior deaths, they left a black mark that's never been erased. His recent medication violations have only infuriated his detractors and heightened tensions, creating the climate that was a tinderbox for the “shit storm” that hit after the news broke Monday morning.

Ironically, Medina Spirit had been in the news Friday evening, when Baffert's attorney had triumphantly released a statement that said that a lab had determined the betamethasone in the Derby positive had been from an ointment and not an injection.

It's always a gut punch for anyone in this business when a horse dies, especially the connections. I sent condolences via texts to both Baffert and Amr Zedan, the owner, and both responded, Zedan with the praying symbol and Baffert with one word, “Devastated.” When the Derby winner and a high-profile horse like Medina Spirit dies, emotions are understandably amplified, but because it was a Baffert horse, the angst and anger surrounding the death was at another decibel level altogether on social media, where he's positively toxic. Unfortunately, lost in all this were Medina Spirit's accomplishments, some of which were minimized by folks while he was alive because of the betamethasone positive and because he was trained by Baffert. That's too bad, because he was a Classic winner and also a rare type of horse.

Bred by Gail Rice in Florida in a “backyard” breeding program, Medina Spirit exceeded all expectations and was an inspiration to small breeders everywhere. A $1,000 yearling, he was purchased for $30,000 as a 2-year-old in training by Zedan Racing Stable but steadily climbed the ladder in Baffert's elite barn, stepping over high-priced yearlings one at a time to become the third-best 3-year-old for Baffert behind Life Is Good (Into Mischief) and Concert Tour (Street Sense), two Gary and Mary West-bred colts. But when those two failed to make the Churchill Classic, Medina Spirit stepped up to the plate off the bench and delivered the ultimate pinch hit, succeeding at 12-1. His win appeared to surprise even his trainer.

Medina Spirit's road to Louisville had included some tough races, notably two against the stable star, the handsome and brilliantly fast Life Is Good. In the Glll Sham S., Medina Spirit immediately caught the eye for closing the distance when Life Is Good had looked like was going to blow open the race. At the finish, less than a length separated the two horses, but it was Medina Spirit's “try” that caught the eye–he simply wouldn't give up, despite the excuses that were made for his stablemate's lack of focus in the race. That try is the characteristic that most defined Medina Spirit, and it was evident in all 10 of his starts, five of which he won. He placed in the other five races, and it's notable that he never let the popular Godolphin runner and Gl Belmont S. and Travers S. winner Essential Quality (Tapit), the champion 2-year-old colt last year who's touted as the favorite to win the Eclipse as champion 3-year-old colt, finish ahead of him in two meetings.

Medina Spirit wasn't particularly attractive, he wasn't a big horse, and he didn't appear to be a physically athletic standout unlike most in Baffert's barn, but that will to win and the will to never give up that he repeatedly exhibited is the rarest and most sought-after characteristic in racehorses.

Aidan O'Brien once told me that his G1 2000 Guineas winner Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) “would absolutely kill himself stone dead for you,” meaning he'd generously empty the tank and run on fumes if he had to.

That's exactly how I'll remember Medina Spirit. He was that type of warrior, and one of the few horses in recent years that I've admired for his try. He left it all on the track.

Americanrevolution

You've already read in TDN about the notable accomplishment of breeders Ashview Farm and Colts Neck Stables being represented by the juvenile duo of Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) and Nest (Curlin), two Todd Pletcher trainees who won the Gll Remsen and Gll Demoiselle, respectively, at Aqueduct Saturday. They can dream about the Derby and the Gl Kentucky Oaks over the winter.

Pletcher also won the Gl Cigar Mile Saturday with CHC Inc. and WinStar's ascendant 3-year-old colt Americanrevolution (Constitution), who was bred by in New York by Fred W. Hertrich lll and John D. Fielding, who've been having a dream of a year. Alone or in partnership, Hertrich, at the least, should be considered for an Eclipse Award as breeder of the year, because he's had a hand in breeding five Grade l winners in 2021–quite an accomplishment, especially for a fairly small breeding entity that's based at Watercress Farm in Lexington.

Aside from Americanrevolution, a winner of five of seven starts, the other Grade l winners are Beyond Brilliant (Twirling Candy), Juju's Map (Liam's Map), Pinehurst (Twirling Candy), and Maxim Rate (Exchange Rate).

Hertrich and Fielding, along with Robert L. Tribbett, bred Beyond Brilliant, who won the Gl Hollywood Derby for trainer John Shirreffs on Nov. 27.

Hertich alone bred Juju's Map, winner of the Gl Darley Alcibiades at Keeneland on Oct. 8 for trainer Brad Cox.

Hertrich and Fielding bred Pinehurst, who won the Gl Runhappy Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 6 for Baffert.

Hertrich and Fielding bred Maxim Rate, who won the Gl Gamely at Santa Anita on May 31 for Simon Callaghan.

Hertrich and Fielding are commercial breeders who sell with Taylor Made, and these are the prices they got for these five future Grade l winners: Maxim Rate was a $130,000 weanling; Pinehurst sold for $180,000 as a weanling; Juju's Map was a $190,000 short yearling; Beyond Brilliant sold for $50,000 as a fall yearling; and Americanrevolution was a $275,000 summer yearling.

If I were shopping for young horses, I'd be looking carefully in the Taylor Made consignments for horses bred by Hertrich and Fielding.

Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks.

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The feat occurred Saturday at Aqueduct where the Lysters' Ashview Farm and Santulli's Colts Neck Stables bred the winners of the GII Demoiselle S. and the GII Remsen S., contested as the eighth and ninth races on the Big A card. It began in the Remsen with Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) and continued with Nest (Curlin) in the Demoiselle.

“My family has been around long enough to know this was a really special accomplishment because it's so hard to breed a graded stakes winner,” said Gray Lyster, who runs Ashview, located in Versailles, Kentucky, with his father Wayne, his mother Muffy and his brother Bryan. “To breed two and to win two-late season 2-year-old races in New York that everyone is watching back to back on the same day is a perfect storm. That doesn't happen very often, so we are enjoying it.”

Santulli and Wayne Lyster are friends who have known each other for about 40 years and have been long-time partners. Wayne Lyster and Santulli's Jayeff “B” Stables were the breeders of Eclipse Award and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Johannesburg and they also teamed up to breed Sweet Loretta (Tapit), the winner of the 2016 GI Spinaway S.

They're always on the lookout for good mares. They bought Marion Ravenwood (A.P. Indy), the dam of Nest, who was in foal to Pioneerof the Nile, for $400,000 ast the 2017 Keeneland November sale. Callingmissbrown (Pulpit), the dam of Mo Donegal, was bought privately. From there, it's a pretty simple formula–breed to the best stallions out there. (Marion Ravenwood will be bred to Curlin in 2022, and the partnership hasn't finalized plans for Callingmissbrown.)

“We really try to stay in our lane when it comes to breeding,” Lyster said. “We like to breed to really good, top, proven stallions. If not that, we will play the first-year market. Uncle Mo and Curlin are no-brainers for us. They are obviously good stallions and everybody should be using them.”

Mo Donegal was purchased for $250,000 at Keeneland September and races for Donegal Stable. Trained by Todd Pletcher, he broke his maiden in his second career start before stretching out to the mile-and-an-eighth in the Remsen. With Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard, he won by a nose and had to survive a stewards' inquiry.

Nest races for the partnership of Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House and cost $350,000 at the same Keeneland September sale. Also trained by Pletcher and ridden by Ortiz, the Demoiselle was her third career start and came after a third-place finish in the Tempted S. She was also a narrow winner, scoring by a neck.

“That was something else,” Santulli said. “What a fun afternoon.”

It was the second straight year that Pletcher won the Demoiselle with a daughter of Curlin after winning the race last year with likely 3-year-old filly champion Malathaat (Curlin).

At this year's Keeneland September sale, Ashview and Colts Neck sold an Into Mischief filly who is a half-sister to Mo Donegal for $500,000. They also sold a colt by Violence who is a half-brother to Nest for $275,000.

The two yearlings give the Santulli-Lyster partnership something to look forward to in 2022, and so do Nest and Mo Donegal. They've both won graded stakes races around two turns, which bodes well for the GI Kentucky Oaks and the GI Kentucky Derby.

“That's what we're dreaming of, the Oaks and the Derby,” Lyster said. “How can you not? I don't want to say it is surreal, but we kind of had to pinch ourselves Saturday. We're really excited. Even if we don't make it to the Derby or Oaks, what we did Saturday was already a huge accomplishment.”

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A winner at 1 1/16 miles last out, Mo Donegal sat toward mid-pack in the field of eight throughout the first part of the 1 1/8-mile Remsen, with Zandon sitting third behind leader Fromanothamutha, who set early fractions of :25.18 and :51.47 around the first turn and down the backstretch. On the far turn, Midnight Chrome and Mr Jefferson moved past Fromanothamutha, taking over 1-2 briefly as Zandon split them and took the lead into the stretch.

In traffic on the far turn, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. took Mo Donegal to the outside, going five-wide into the stretch. As the field straightened out for home, Zandon was second behind Fromanothamutha, who tired as Mo Donegal, running down the center of the track, took the lead. Zandon hooked up with Mo Donegal midstretch, with Mo Donegal holding a short lead as they came together. Zandon was not done, battling back and trying to pull even with Mo Donegal as they approached the wire. At the finish, Mo Donegal was a nose in front. The close contact between the two down the stretch and a bump as they ran together in the last sixteenth led John Velazquez to claim foul again Ortiz. The inquiry went to the stewards, who upheld the results.

The final time was 1:53.61. Find this race's chart here.

Mo Donegal paid $4.90, $2.70, and $2.30. Zandon paid $3.00 and $2.70. Midnight Chrome paid $7.10.

“We were watching the inquiry upstairs and they put it into four screens so it was hard to see, obviously they came close together right at the finish. I'd have to watch it again. I couldn't see from up there if they touched or not, but Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] did say it was right at the wire,” trainer Todd Pletcher said after the Remsen. “I thought he ran great. He was getting a good, ground-saving trip and put himself in a good spot. He kind of had to angle out a little bit and lost some ground there but it looked like when he got there he is still trying to figure out how to polish it off. The other horse battled back.”

“We were down the lane fighting in a big race. He [Velazquez] was riding his horse and I was riding mine. It was a good race and we got together a little before the wire, but it was a beautiful race. He [Mo Donegal] tried his hardest and I did my best. We got lucky with the head bob and got there,” jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. told the NYRA Press Office after the race. “I was looking for some room [at the turn for home] and there were four horses in front of me. So, I had to wait a few jumps and go around. It probably cost me a length and a half. He idled a little bit. He's a young horse and I tried to meet the other horse and keep going. As soon as he got to the other horse, he fought back. He was ready.”

Bred in Kentucky by Ashview Farm and Colts Neck Stables, Mo Donegal is by Uncle Mo out of the Pulpit mare Callingmissbrown. Trained by Todd Pletcher, the 2-year-old colt is owned by Donegal Racing who purchase the colt from Ashview Farm for $250,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. With his victory in the G2 Remsen, Mo Donegal has two wins in three starts for career earnings of $197,800. He also earns 10 points toward the 2022 Kentucky Derby. Zandon earns four points, Midnight Chrome two points, and Mr Jefferson one point.

The post Mo Donegal Wins Narrow Victory Over Zandon In Remsen appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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“He's actually the fifth generation of the family that we've raised here at Ashview,” Lyster said. “He's a really nice medium size and an unbelievable mover. You can see the Oscar Performance in him, but you can also see the mare and the half-sister Venetian Harbor. They all kind of come together. He looks really racey and his walk is smooth and powerful at the same time.”

But Lyster continued in saying that the yearling's best characteristic is his eye-catching balance, a factor Lyster puts heavy weight upon when determining a yearling's probability of future success.

“His whole body moves together and he's fluid,” he explained. “Everything matches. His hip matches his shoulder, which matches his neck. It's all tied in well together. For me, balance is the most important thing. I think that's what you see in the paddock of these big races. You see all different shapes and sizes, but you always see a balance of the whole horse tied together in front of you.”

Champion Oscar Performance is represented by his first crop at this year's yearling sales. When Price Bell of Mill Ridge Farm was asked to explain some of the qualities he has noticed in the multi-millionaire's first few crops, their consistent balance was the first factor he noted.

“The yearlings and foals that we have on the farm have all had great balance,” he said. “They're nice movers and they really get their hind leg under them well. The way their neck ties into their shoulders, they look like really good racehorses. Time will tell until they get into the gate, but at this stage they certainly exhibit the qualities that we really hoped for.”

Oscar Performance colt out of Sounds of the City will sell as Hip 892 with the Ashview Farm consignment. | Katie Ritz

Bred and owned by Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Amerman, Oscar Performance was foaled and raised at Mill Ridge Farm. Bell said the son of Kitten's Joy was  well-regarded physically as a youngster and that those traits came to fruition when Oscar Performance went on to prove himself on the racetrack.

“Physically, he's a very imposing horse, especially for a turf horse,” he said. “Oftentimes we don't think of [turf horses] to be very physical, but to stand into him, he's over 16.1 hands. Because he's so well proportioned, you have to really stand into him to see just how big he is. He has a very straight hind leg, which I think helped him accelerate quickly and I think that's a little atypical of some turf horses.”

Campaigned by Amerman Racing, Oscar Performance broke his maiden at second asking as a juvenile. That 10 1/4-length win at Saratoga gave him the 'TDN Rising Star' nod. From there, the Brian Lynch trainee took the GIII Pilgrim S. by six lengths followed by a winning, front-running effort in the 2016 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

“His win in the Breeders' Cup was really something to marvel,” Bell said. “He broke from the 13 hole, beat everyone to the turn, dictated a quick pace and then accelerated down the stretch to really put a good group of horses away. In fact, Channel Maker (English Channel) was in that field and could now be one of the best turf horses in the division today.”

At three, Oscar Performance reeled off consecutive victories in the GIII Pennine Ridge S., GI Belmont Derby Invitational S. and GI Secretariat S. while also placing in the GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic S. The following year, he shortened back to a mile in the GIII Poker S. and broke a 20-year-old track record to win by 1 ½ lengths in a final time of 1:31.23. He made it to the winner's circle again at four in the GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile S. and retired later that year with earnings of over $2.3 million.

“Oscar Performance was a brilliant racehorse–arguably Kitten's Joy's most brilliant racehorse,” Bell said. “He happened to also be running when Roaring Lion was running and I think the two of them would compete for that title. He competed in all of his races without Lasix or race-day medication and as the standards of racing adjust to medication-free on race day, it will be interesting to see if that has an effect on his offspring.”

Oscar Performance began his career at stud in 2019 with a $20,000 initial fee. He held the same fee the following year and bred 234 mares in his first two seasons.

Bell said the Mill Ridge team did not shy away from the fact that Oscar Performance was a top performer on the grass when promoting their new stallion to breeders, noting that he believes the buying market is finally beginning to seek out turf runners.

“I think the investment that America is making in turf racing attracts buyers to him,” Bell explained. “You no longer have to make excuses for turf horses. If nearly 50% of races are run on turf and the current turf stallions in America are aging, Oscar Performance is a great opportunity to take advantage of the shift into turf racing.”

With eight youngsters sold from 12 offered at last year's weanling sales, Oscar Performance's first crop  averaged $52,000 and placed their sire among the top 10 first-crop weanlings sires by average. His top lot, a closely-related half-sister to MGSW Kitten's Point (Kitten's Joy), brought $140,000 at the Keeneland November Sale.

Hip 801, a filly out of Maya Princess, sells with the Mill Ridge consignment at the Keeneland September Sale. | Katie Ritz

This summer, Mill Ridge consigned a filly at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale that sold for $180,000 to agent Bo Bromagen. The yearling is out of the Street Sense mare Wild Silk, who hails from the family of GISW Joking (Distorted Humor) and MGSW Fed Biz (Giant's Causeway), as well as blue hen mare Yarn (Mr. Prospector).

“She was an outstanding physical,” Bell noted. “She wasn't the biggest filly, but she had such a presence and such an athletic move to her that she really picked up momentum the longer people had to look at her.”

Oscar Performance will be represented by 33 yearlings at the upcoming Keeneland September Sale. Bell said he is especially looking forward to presenting Hip 801, a filly bred on the same cross as their aforementioned star Saratoga yearling. This September-bound youngster is a daughter of Maya Princess (Street Sense), who has already produced the stakes-placed filly Mariah's Princess (Ghostzapper).

“This filly has always had a nice presence about her,” Bell explained. “Physically, she's very smooth and she's a really flashy kind of filly. She's correct and moves with an athletic, cat-like walk. She's light on her feet and she's always willing to do something new. If she's getting on a van or going into a new barn, she is willing to just drop her head and take it in.”

Bell continued in saying that many of the Oscar Performance yearlings at their farm have that same easygoing temperament.

“They all have really great presence of mind and they're confident horses,” he said. “They kind of take a deep breath, take it all in and then go to the task at hand. They have a very nice, laid-back temperament that oozes confidence and class.”

Bell said he has high hopes for Oscar Performance and his yearlings heading into the Keeneland September Sale and is confident that the strong support from breeders in the early days of the Mill Ridge stallion's career will lead to his offspring's success in the auction ring.

“It's an outstanding group [going to Keeneland September] representing a lot of top breeders,” he said. “Two of the last three Eclipse award-winning breeders are shareholders in Oscar Performance in George Strawbridge and John and Tanya Gunther. It's a diverse group of breeders and they've been raised at great farms, so they should be given every chance.”

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