Bred by Patrick Crowley, the dark bay filly is the first foal out of the Honor Code mare Dressed Up.

Campaigned by Jackpot Farm, Basin broke his maiden at Saratoga before going on to score a runaway 6 1/2-length victory in the meet's premier race for 2-year-old colts–the Hopeful S.

As a 3-year-old, Basin began the year on the Kentucky Derby trail, finishing runner-up to Charlatan in the GI Arkansas Derby after hitting the board behind Nadal in the GII Rebel S. at Oaklawn.

The first Grade I winner by Liam's Map, Basin hails from the multiple stakes-producing Johannesburg mare, Appenzell. An earner of $573,640, Basin is set to stand his second season at stud for a fee of $5,000 S&N.

The post Grade I Winner Basin Represented By First Foal appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Basin (Liam's Map)'s first reported in-foal mare is Littlegreatone (Bernardini), and By My Standards (Goldencents)'s is Danceswithbourbon (Outwork). Known Agenda (Curlin), Rock Your World (Candy Ride {Arg}) and Yaupon (Uncle Mo) each had two mares confirmed as pregnant on the same day. Pink Fizz (Dialed In) and Sunandsea (Henny Hughes) checked in foal to Known Agenda, Hope Lady (Tapiture) and Mrs. O'Connell (American Pharoah) to Rock Your World, and Joy Filled (Pulpit) and An Eddie Surprise (Square Eddie) to Yaupon.

Known Agenda ($10,000 S&N), Rock Your World ($10,000 S&N) and Yaupon ($30,000 S&N)–all three Grade I winners in 2021–are booked full. Grade I winner Basin and multimillionaire By My Standards are both standing for $7,500 S&N and participating in Spendthrift's Share The Upside program.

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“All my horses are crossed with stallions that I feel will throw appealing and sound horses that can provide second and third careers off the track and provide longevity to the breed,” said Fisher. “I look for soundness and attitude with the idea that my foals can have long futures in any discipline after racing.”

APPEALING WAY (m, 8, Tizway–Turkappeal, by Turkoman), to be bred to Complexity

This mare is a half-sister to [GSW] Pink Champagne (Awesome Again) and has a lovely physical. While small in stature, she crosses extremely well with Complexity and should produce a really nice foal.

CHARLIE'S CANDY (m, 6, Twirling Candy–Sister Charlie, by Indian Charlie), to be bred to Tonalist

With a recent black-type winner out of her sister, this mare is big in size and complements Tonalist quite nicely. She should produce a nice, big foal.

FAIRY KERI (m, 3, Fed Biz–Keri's Snowman, by Frosty the Snowman), to be bred to Leofric

She has a phenomenal pedigree with lots of black-type. I chose Leofric for her as he isn't overpowering in size but was a force on the track. His foals look good and have a decent chance to be productive runners.

LAST GREAT (m, 6, Albert the Great–Crouching Thunder, by Thunder Gulch), to be bred to Modernist

Her track record wasn't great but she has the pedigree of a nice regional mare. She is tall in size with excellent balance. Her size makes her a good cross for Modernist who, in my opinion, was bred to be a sire.

LINE OF VISION (m, 7, Court Vision–Gold Lined, by Numerous), to be bred to Audible

She was a multiple stakes winner and a hard-knocking mare. She is short and compact. I chose Audible for her as the line crosses well with Into Mischief. Also because he is tall but not overpowering and has good balance to him. Hopefully this cross will produce a foal that is tall and compact, capable of decent distance.

MONEY INTHE STARRS (m, 6, Abraaj–Our Monstarr, by Demons Begone), to be bred to Knicks Go

This mare is a regional champion in her home state. Sleek and built like a classic racehorse, I chose Knicks Go for this mare. Hoping to throw the heart of both horses and resilience that Knicks Go showed on the track.

LADYSGOTGAME (m, 11, Street Sense–Lady Gamer, by Game Plan), to be bred to Basin

He was a good racehorse and I'm hoping with her legs and stature, she will throw some bone and leg into her foal.

BAREFOOT NATIVE (m, 6, Graydar–Elke, by Dixie Union), to be bred to Spun to Run

It's an excellent cross and her size should put some leg and length to this horse.

NON NEGOTIABLE (m, 9, Distorted Humor–Kiss Mine, by Mineshaft), to be bred to Rock Your World

This Candy Ride (Arg) and Distorted Humor cross is excellent. While the mare herself isn't big, the hope is that they produce a nice foal with good leg and shoulder.

RICH IMAGE (m, 5, Imagining–Richetta, by Polish Numbers), to be bred to Independence Hall

He was an excellent racehorse. Tall with classic build and structure. This mare is good size while slightly compact. I'm hoping to get a foal of similar stature to the stallion.

SAFFRON GIRL (m, 5, Tapizar–Mattie Camp, by Forest Camp), to be bred to McKinzie

This stallion speaks for himself, but this mare is all class. She is tall with excellent motion in her movements. A bit long so am hoping for better balance in the cross.

Let us know who you're breeding your mares to in 2022, and why. We will print a selection of your responses in TDN over the coming weeks. Please send details to: garyking@thetdn.com.

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An online silent auction of non-season items, including halters worn by Life is Good, Curlin, Charlatan, Tapit, Knicks Go and more will be offered. A list of silent auction items is available here.

Most of the seasons will sell during the online auction, however, select seasons to Bolt d'Oro, Charlatan, City of Light, Constitution, Liam's Map, Maxfield (with 2023 breed back), Nyquist (with 2023 breed back), Quality Road, and Yaupon (with 2023 breed back) will be sold at the 'Tis the Seasons Celebration Jan. 9 at 5:30 p.m. at Grand Reserve in Lexington. Bidders or their authorized agents may bid on select seasons by attending the event in-person or they may email ecrady@tca.org to register to bid online.

Non-season items, including a John Deere Gator, accommodations at the Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa “tree house,” a wall box and stall webbing from Charlie Whittingham's barn, and more will also be offered in the live auction.

Tickets can be purchased here.

The auction is generously sponsored by Limestone Bank, Coolmore America, Equine Medical Associates, Bourbon Lane Stable, L.V. Harkness & Co., BloodHorse, Paulick Report, and Thoroughbred Daily News.

For further information regarding the TCA Stallion Season Auction visit tca.org or call (859) 276-4989.

The post TCA Stallion Auction Set for January appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The fundraiser opens with an online auction of stallion seasons at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 5 and continues through 4:30 p.m. EST on Friday, Jan. 7. Over 150 seasons will be available in the online auction including Audible, Basin, Candy Ride, McKinzie, More Than Ready, Speightstown, and Volatile. A full list of seasons is available here.

Most of the seasons will sell during the online auction however select seasons to Bolt d'Oro, Charlatan, City of Light, Constitution, Liam's Map, Maxfield (with 2023 breed back), Nyquist (with 2023 breed back), Quality Road, and Yaupon (with 2023 breed back) will be sold at the 'Tis the Seasons Celebration on Sunday, Jan. 9 at 5:30 p.m. at Grand Reserve in Lexington, Ky.

Bidders or their authorized agents may bid on select seasons by attending the event in-person or they may email ecrady@tca.org to register to bid online. Non-season items including a John Deere Gator, accommodations at the Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa “tree house,” a wall box and stall webbing from Charlie Whittingham's barn, and more will also be offered in the live auction. Tickets can be purchased here.

An online silent auction of non-season items including halters worn by Life is Good, Curlin, Charlatan, Tapit, Knicks Go and more will be offered. A list of silent auction items is available here. More items will be added.

The auction is generously sponsored by Limestone Bank, Coolmore America, Equine Medical Associates, Bourbon Lane Stable, L.V. Harkness & Co., BloodHorse, Paulick Report, and Thoroughbred Daily News. For further information regarding the TCA Stallion Season Auction please visit tca.org or call (859) 276-4989.

Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) was formed in 1990 to raise and distribute funds to approved charities in the Thoroughbred industry. TCA's mission is to fund and facilitate the support of Thoroughbreds and the people who care for them. In 2021, TCA granted over $775,000 to 69 approved charities working within Thoroughbred retraining, rehoming and retirement; backstretch and farm worker services, research and equine-assisted therapy. During the last three decades, TCA has granted over $25 million to more than 200 charities that successfully meet the criteria set forth in its annual grant application. TCA administers the Horses First Fund, founded by LNJ Foxwoods in 2016, to assist Thoroughbreds in need of emergency aid. TCA manages Cómo, a mobile app founded by Godolphin, that connects racing industry employees to the vital services they need through a network of racetrack chaplains and Thoroughbred industry organizations. TCA is the charitable arm of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA).

The post Thoroughbred Charities Of America Stallion Season Auction Set For Early January appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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“We are excited to add Basin to the Spendthrift stallion ranks and to be able to offer breeders a horse of his caliber through our Share The Upside program,” said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift General Manager. “We pride ourselves on being able to offer quality at all levels, and we believe there's a lot to like with this dominant Grade 1-winning 2-year-old by Liam's Map.”

The Share The Upside fee for Basin will be $8,500 for one year. Additionally, breeders must breed one mare in 2023 on a complimentary basis. After the breeder has a live foal in 2023, pays the stud fee, and breeds a mare back, he or she will earn a lifetime breeding right beginning in 2024.

Campaigned by Jackpot Farm and Steve Asmussen at two, Basin broke his maiden at Saratoga before going on to score by 6 1/2 lengths in the GI Hopeful S. in his next start. Early in his sophomore season, Basin was runner-up to Charlatan (Speightstown) in the GI Arkansas Derby, also finishing third behind Nadal (Blame) in the GII Rebel S. at Oaklawn. Turned over to Todd Pletcher later that summer, he came home second to Yaupon (Uncle Mo) in the GII Amsterdam S. at the Spa. This term, the bay won the Sir Shackleton S. at Gulfstream in March before finishing off the board in his three latest starts. He retires with three wins and three seconds from 12 starts and earnings of $573,640.

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The Grade 1-winning juvenile by Liam's Map will stand for a fee of $7,500 S&N and is available for inspection. He also becomes the newest stallion that will participate in Spendthrift's renowned “Share The Upside” program.

“We are excited to add Basin to the Spendthrift stallion ranks and to be able to offer breeders a horse of his caliber through our Share The Upside program,” said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift general manager. “We pride ourselves on being able to offer quality at all levels, and we believe there's a lot to like with this dominant Grade 1-winning 2-year-old by Liam's Map.”

The Share The Upside fee for Basin will be $8,500 for one year. Additionally, breeders must breed one mare in 2023 on a complimentary basis. After the breeder has a live foal in 2023, pays the stud fee, and breeds a mare back, he or she will earn a lifetime breeding right beginning in 2024.

Campaigned by Jackpot Farm, Basin impressively broke his maiden at Saratoga before going on to score a runaway 6 1/2-length victory in the meet's premier race for 2-year-old colts – the G1 Hopeful – in his next start. He stopped the clock in 1:23.48 for the seven furlongs, closing out a juvenile campaign that saw him garner some Eclipse Award votes.

As a 3-year-old, Basin began the year on the Kentucky Derby trail, finishing runner-up to Charlatan in the G1 Arkansas Derby after hitting the board behind Nadal in the G2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn. He turned back to one turn to be runner-up to Grade 1 winner Yaupon in the G2 Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga. In 2021, Basin captured the Sir Shackleton Stakes at Gulfstream.

The first Grade 1 winner by promising young sire Liam's Map, Basin retires to Spendthrift with earnings of $573,640. He hails from the multiple stakes-producing Johannesburg mare, Appenzell.

The post Grade 1 Winner Basin Retired To Spendthrift Farm For 2022 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The 4-year-old son of Liam's Map, who won the Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga as a 2-year-old and then was second in the Arkansas Derby last year to Charlatan, will be making just his fourth start for Pletcher.

Fellow Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen had Basin for his first seven career starts.

A $150,000 yearling purchase who has earned $568,260 in 10 lifetime starts, Basin is coming off an eighth-place finish in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes on May 1 – though he was beaten just 3¾ lengths in that seven-furlong race.

“He wasn't beaten far at Churchill,” Pletcher said. “The whole field was two or three lengths apart. He got squeezed out late but he was just starting to not hold his spot late. I thought he ran competitively in a pretty deep field.”

In three career starts for Pletcher, Basin, owned by Jackpot Farm, shows a second in the Grade 2 Amsterdam last August at Saratoga and a win in the Sir Shackleton Stakes at Gulfstream Park on March 27.

His best efforts, with the exception of the Arkansas Derby, have come at seven furlongs or less. But Pletcher is confident the two-turn Salvator Mile, which has attracted a field of 10, won't be an issue.

“We felt like a two-turn, one-mile race suits him well,” Pletcher said. “He trains like the two turns and longer won't be an issue. I felt like timing-wise this was (a) good (spot) and he's had good breezes since the Churchill race.”

Pirate's Punch, who notched a two-length victory in the Salvator Mile last year, has not raced since the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 7. Trainer Grant Forster said the 5-year-old gelding had a chip surgically removed from one of his knees following that race but that he has trained exceptionally well during the time off.

Ny Traffic, second by nose to 2020 Horse of the Year Authentic in last year's TVG.com Haskell Stakes, turned in an impressive first race back for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. as a prep for this race. He won an allowance optional claimer at Belmont Park by 6 ¾ lengths on May 2.

The 74th running of the Salvator Mile, which carries a purse of $150,000, will go as the 10th race on a 13-race card. First race post time is 12:15 p.m.

The post Pletcher-Trained Basin Will Try To Spring The Upset In Salvator Mile appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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As a freshman, in 2019, the son of Unbridled's Song mustered only two stakes winners. Nothing wrong with that, from 46 starters. Champion American Pharoah had four, from 72. But when he struck the target at all, Liam's Map made sure he hit the bull's-eye. Both those stakes scores came in Grade I races, Basin taking the Hopeful and Wicked Whisper the Frizette.

This time around, with a third wave of juveniles on the launchpad, the Lane's End stallion has again marshaled his forces for maximum impact. On the final Saturday of the Gulfstream meet, his sophomore daughter Crazy Beautiful won the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks; first-crop son Churn N Burn won the GII Pan American S.; and Basin made a fine start to his own third campaign in the Sir Shackleton S.

If those represented three prongs of an unmissable trident, moreover, the shaft of the spear had been flung nicely forward just the previous week when Colonel Liam, winner of the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf in January, had confirmed his stature in the grass division by winning the GII Muniz Memorial Classic at the Fair Grounds.

So while Constitution is perceived as the breakout sire of their intake, Liam's Map not only boasts three Grade I winners against his one, but is now level with six graded stakes winners overall. To be fair to Constitution, they have reached this tally from 16 and nine graded stakes performers respectively, representing 6.4 and 3.6% of named foals. In other words, when Liam's Map gets a good one, he certainly makes it tell.

Of course, these things tend to even themselves out. And it's still early days, or should be in a sane world. But we know the ruthless haste with which the commercial market decides the fate of young stallions. Headline horses, or their absence, make a savage difference to momentum.

Liam's Map was retired to Lane's End in 2016 alongside two horses that had shared one of the most dramatic races of modern times, when his dazzling exhibition of speed in the GI Whitney S. the previous summer set up the late pounce of Honor Code (A.P. Indy), with Tonalist (Tapit) third. It was hard to choose between the trio, each being blessed with an exemplary pedigree, physique and race record, but Honor Code opened for business at $40,000, Tonalist at $30,000 and Liam's Map at $25,000.

Honor Code's first crop included the only colt to beat Horse of the Year Authentic (Into Mischief), while Tonalist has accumulated black-type performers at a more or less identical ratio to Liam's Map. But Honor Code is now down to $20,000, and Tonalist to $12,500–while Liam's Map is $30,000. Sure enough, the gray was fully subscribed last year with 156 mares, compared with 85 for Honor Code and 122 for Tonalist.

Now, far-sighted breeders who actually want to breed runners know that the market's premature conclusions, for better or worse, create value opportunities. There's no reason at all why the other pair can't reward perseverance the way they did on the track–all three, of course, having been older in that memorable Saratoga race than are even their oldest progeny right now. Indeed, we awarded Tonalist gold on our value “podium” for this intake in our annual winter survey of Kentucky stallion options. As things stand, however, it is Liam's Map who has grabbed the headlines; and that self-fulfilling process is demonstrated right here, as we reward his Gulfstream streak with a closer look at his progress.

In this business, after all, the winds of fortune sometimes just seem to turn your way. That is certainly how things must have felt at Gulfstream for Vinnie and Teresa Viola of St. Elias Stable, who raced Liam's Map with West Point Thoroughbreds and include him among four graduates of their racetrack program they're now supporting at stud. For that same afternoon, their silks were carried to success in the GI Curlin Florida Derby by Known Agenda (Curlin), who proceeds to the GI Kentucky Derby already looking assured of a second career himself.

Last week, we spoke with the stable's bloodstock adviser John Sparkman in examining the pedigree of Known Agenda, and took the chance also to discuss the role of Liam's Map in the evolution of the St. Elias program. Because these things have a natural progression: each challenge met on the track creates a fresh one at stud; and St. Elias, respected as a model racing partner, has similarly succeeded in making deals with four different farms: sending Liam's Map to Lane's End; Vino Rosso (Curlin) to Spendthrift; Always Dreaming (Bodemeister) to WinStar; and Army Mule (Friesan Fire) to Hill 'n' Dale.

“You have an owner who really loves his horses and wants to see them succeed,” says Sparkman. “But he's also a businessman and he prefers, eventually, for it to pay for itself. And how are you going to do that? You're going to do that by having a successful stallion.”

And this objective, in turn, dovetails with the development of the St. Elias breeding program. Because the aspiration to breed quality runners, by recruiting the right mares, also allows the team to help these young sires get established. Known Agenda's dam, for instance, included both Liam's Map and Always Dreaming among her first covers.

“Building a top-class breeding program is a 10-year project,” says Sparkman. “And hopefully we're pretty much on schedule. We keep aiming for 40 broodmares, and keep going over that every year! Without getting into specifics, the numbers are changeable, shall we say. But part of the deal is having these young stallions to support.

“So basically we have a core of 30 to 40 high-quality mares, and then we have another group that we cycle through. Not bad mares, and of course nobody can necessarily predict which will turn out to be the really good ones. Some of those not in our core group right now may end up there. But the idea is to get foals by these unproven horses into the hands of as many people as you can.”

Liam's Map has managed to find fresh impetus at times when other stallions tend to tread water. Immediately following his debut season at stud, for instance, his brochure was boosted by half-brother Not This Time (Giant's Causeway), who won the GIII Iroquois S. by nearly nine lengths and then failed by just a neck to run down Classic Empire (Pioneerof The Nile) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Sadly he was then injured and, instead of farther promoting their family, set up into competition at Taylor Made. But his own excellent start there has certainly done no harm to the genetic appeal of Liam's Map.

In breeding both these horses, the Albaugh Family had sought a balance between Classic two-turn influences and the John Nerud-Tartan Farms speed behind their dam Miss Macy Sue (Trippi), a Grade III winner who placed in the inaugural Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. What immediately leaps from the page is the blaring replication, in Miss Macy Sue's dam Yada Yada (showed little in a light career), of Ta Wee (Intentionally)–the champion sprinter who was preceded to the Hall of Fame by her half-brother Dr. Fager (Rough'n Tumble). Yada Yada was by Ta Wee's son Great Above; and her dam was out of Ta Wee's daughter by Secretariat.

That's a ticking bomb of brilliance, especially when you consider that Ta Wee only produced five named foals. And while it was largely defused by a series of forgettable partners chosen for Yada Yada, Trippi kept the family “live” through Miss Macy Sue–first on the track and now, explosively, thanks to the purposeful matings introduced by the Albaugh Family. We all know that two-turn sires combined with fast families can sometimes produce the worst of both worlds, but they have succeeded in twice achieving the speed-carrying grail.

And their choice of Unbridled's Song for Miss Macy Sue brilliantly doubled down on the key ingredient of her pedigree. For not only was Dr. Fager the damsire of his grandsire Fappiano; his sire Unbridled brought Aspidistra (Better Self), the dam of Dr. Fager and Ta Wee, right back into play as his fourth dam.

The other flavor that luminously recurs behind Liam's Map is In Reality. He's the sire of Unbridled's second dam; his son, Valid Appeal, is damsire of Trippi; and his sire Intentionally gave us Ta Wee herself. Moreover, Intentionally sired In Reality out of a champion daughter of Dr. Fager's sire Rough'n Tumble; and (Yada Yada's sire/Ta Wee's son) Great Above was by Rough'n Tumble's son Minnesota Mac.

With this kind of background, Liam's Map is entitled to sire any kind. Himself an $800,000 yearling, obviously before he had Not This Time to help the page, he carried his speed into a second turn to win the GI Woodward S. (after his Whitney heartbreak) and then dominated the GI Breeders' Cup Mile.

On the face of it, he had been a relatively late bloomer, only breaking his maiden in late September as a sophomore. “But actually he was right on top of a race as a 2-year-old, and just had a slight problem,” explains Sparkman. “He would have won first out, easy, but he had this minor issue and Todd [Pletcher] decided not to risk him. So we gave him the time off, which obviously proved well worthwhile.”

Sparkman finds it striking that Colonel Liam and now Churn N Burn have given their sire an early impact on grass.

“Liam's Map, of course, never ran on turf,” he says. “No reason to think he couldn't, but there was no reason to. And yet, at this moment, if you had to rank the top five older turf horses in America, two are by Liam's Map. It's just whatever works. Don't just look at the pedigree, look at the horse and then decide.”

One way or another, then, these are exciting times for St. Elias: a new Grade I winner on the Derby trail, and Liam's Map leading the way for a quartet of promising young stallions. Actually, make that five: Battalion Runner, another son of Unbridled's Song out of a sister to Tapizar (Tapit), runner-up in the GII Wood Memorial S. in the year Always Dreaming won the Derby, is apparently selling himself well as a physical down at Ocala Stud.

But a personal feeling is that any breeder who might retain a filly should be particularly excited by Vino Rosso, given that his sire is out of a Deputy Minister mare while his own second dam is by Touch Gold, himself by Deputy Minister out of a Buckpasser mare. In other words, distaff gold all the way through.

“All of these different farms have done a good job with what we're trying to do,” Sparkman says. “It was difficult for Always Dreaming, because of that really severe case of ulcers after he won the Derby, which took a while to catch. I think that really compromised the rest of his career. We kept him in training but he only ran a couple of times, early, and so by the time he went to stud people had forgotten how good he was. But he's getting very nice foals.

“Army Mule was a brilliant horse and he's been quite well received. In his first two crops, it was no particular problem to get mares to him. This crop, as usual, it's more difficult. So he's one we've bought a number of mares for. And now there's Vino Rosso, who's a very good-looking horse with, as you say, the Deputy Minister in him that's easy to latch onto.”

It was characteristic of Viola that he invited Monique Delk, appointed the stable's Executive Director of Racehorse Development after 10 years working with the late Jimmy Crupi, to lead in Known Agenda at Gulfstream. So there will be plenty of people wishing him well with Liam's Map, the first horse picked out for his stable by Crupi.

“Mr. Viola is a very generous and kind man, and very classy,” agrees Sparkman. “He's always very much aware of giving credit to the people who have helped. As for Liam's Map, he's in that really tough market after their first couple of years. We've been supporting him during the time when people are waiting to see, but hopefully at this point they've seen that he's a good horse.”

The post A Stallion Putting Himself On the Map appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The Sir Shackleton, a seven-furlong sprint for older horses, was one of 10 stakes on a 14-race card that was headlined by the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa.

Basin, a Liam's Map colt who won the 2019 Hopeful (G1) and was awarded the victory in the 2020 Arkansas Derby (G1) via the subsequent disqualification of the first-place finisher while being trained by Steve Asmussen, was making his first start since finishing second in the Aug. 29 Amsterdam (G2) at Saratoga in his first start for Todd Pletcher.

Basin broke well but was allowed to settle off a contested pace set by Shivaree and pressed by Frosted Grace, who dueled for the lead during a :22.55 first quarter of a mile. Frosted Grace eased away from Shivaree to take the lead under Edwin Gonzalez while completing the first half-mile in :45.03. Frosted Grace took the lead into the stretch and responded to urging but was unable to hold off Basin, who launched a sustained stretch drive under Jose Ortiz.

Basin, the 3-2 favorite, prevailed by a half-length over Frosted Grace while completing the seven furlongs in 1:23.19. Frosted Grace held off Town Classic by another half-length.

Sir Shackleton Quotes

Winning Trainer Todd Pletcher (Basin): “I got a little anxious. It looked like he backed up on the turn, but he kept grinding it out. Irad (Ortiz Jr., aboard Town Classic) came up outside of him and that kind of encouraged him a little bit. He got in a good stretch duel and he was very game at the end.

“He's a quality horse He trains really well. We felt like he was just ready. We didn't want to go over the top for the first one back. We cut it close, but we had him ready to get the job done today. I think he'll move forward from the race.”

Winning Jockey Jose Ortiz (Basin): “He broke well, but they went a little bit fast and I felt like I was rushing him off his feet so I decided to relax a little bit at the five-eighths pole and sit behind Cool Arrow. It worked out nice. I had to grind it out. But when the horse came to his outside, he dug in. Close to the wire the horse inside came out, too, and that helped him find another gear. He was very game. It was a very game performance.”

The post Basin Sharp After Layoff, Wins Sir Shackleton For Pletcher appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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