“We worked him on Sunday [5f in 1:03.45 over the Belmont main track] and I was not satisfied with the work,” trainer Christophe Clement said of the 5-year-old gelding, campaigned by Madaket Stable, Michael Dubb, Morris Bailey, Wonder Stables and Michael J. Caruso. “He came back and I don't think he is as good as he could be–not bad, but when you go for such a long trip and such a prestigious race, you want to make sure everything is OK. I wasn't comfortable about it, so we'll give him a break and bring him back next year.”

The hard-knocking bay gelding, who has raced competitively with the likes of globetrotting multiple Grade I/Group 1 winners such as champion Yibir (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and State of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) since arriving on these shores in 2021, made six trips to the post this season. Though winless, he ran with credit, with four runner-up efforts in Grade I company, and most recently charged home to miss by a neck in the GII Red Smith S. at Aqueduct Nov. 11.

It has been 30 years since Clement ran his first horse in Hong Kong when Adam Smith (GB) (Sadler's Wells) finished eighth in the race then called the Hong Kong International Cup. Since then, he has started another half-dozen horses, the last coming with Winchester in the 2010 Vase. Pure Sensation was set to represent the stable in the 2016 Sprint and did make the trip over, but was withdrawn in the days leading up to the race.

With few options at home for Soldier Rising at this late juncture, Clement once again looked to Hong Kong.

“Soldier Rising ran a really nice race in the Red Smith and I thought he was doing well, so you just look at your choices,” he said. “The Vase has a big purse of $2 million and we are sure that he stays. So it was attractive at the time to think about it and think a little bit outside the box. But I am a New York trainer, the owners are New York-based and obviously he finished second five times in graded stakes this year, including four times in Grade Is. So that is the priority for next year. For now we'll play it safe and bring him back for the same sort of a program.”

While there are potential early-season targets in the Middle East for a horse like Soldier Rising, the timing isn't quite right, Clement said.

“He could have been one for Saudi or Dubai. I am certainly not against it, but the problem with that is that my idea was to try to go once more [in 2023] and then give him a break and have a fresh horse for next year,” he offered. “Now we are passing Hong Kong and still going to give him a break, which means we also need to pass Saudi and Dubai, as it comes too early.”

Still, it will come as no surprise if Clement circles Sha Tin on his calendar come next December.

“Maybe Big Invasion (Declaration of War) for the Sprint, too,” he said. “Good horses from America compete well in the Breeders' Cup and there's no reason they can't also do so overseas. International competition is good for all of us.”

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The well-supported Live In The Dream (Ire) (Prince of Lir {Ire}) hit the ground running, but he had company from Japanese speedball Jasper Krone (Frosted) through an opening quarter in a slick :21.15. When the latter failed to handle the tight left-handed turn and began to struggle, Live In The Dream was left alone up front, but had gone very hard in the lead and the come-from-behinders were licking their chops. Defending champ Caravel (Mizzen Mast) came there with a winning chance, but it was Nobals who rode the rails into the stretch and the final furlong and drove home first. Big Invasion (Declaration of War) also rallied up the inside for second ahead of Aesop's Fables (Ire) (No Nay Never), who raced over the top to claim third spot.

It was a first win at the Breeders' Cup for perennial Midwest leading trainer Rivelli–and his first Grade I of any variety–and for journeyman jockey Gerardo Corrales, who seamlessly replaced Jareth Loveberry aboard Two Phil's at the 11th hour and delivered a perfect ride in the Ohio Derby.

“Obviously you can't do this without the unbelievable team I've had for 20 years, 15 years. My assistant, Rogelio Sanchez, my assistant Pam Little, Gonzo Gonzalez, all the guys back home. No way possible this could be done without them.

“When I saw the entries, the nominations, I think you could have thrown a blanket over the whole field, to be honest with you, as far as who was better than one another.

“We had Corrales, and we had a great trip. You've got to get lucky in these kinds of races. Our plan was to be a little closer. Didn't work out. They were gone. He ended up working out a trip, and we held on.”

It was also a first elite-level success for Corrales, participating in his third Breeders' Cup.

“It's a lot of confidence in the horse,” the jockey said. “He did good work, on the money. Good solution from the trainer. Everything is good, you know.”

Nobals had made appearances at six different venues this season, defeating Saturday's favorite Motorious (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}) in the GII TwinSpires Turf Sprint in May and added the William Garrett H. at Horseshoe Indianapolis in July ahead of a runner-up effort in Saratoga's GIII Troy S. Aug. 5. He most recently dropped his head on the wire to win the Sept. 9 Da Hoss S. at Colonial Downs.

Pedigree Notes:

On an afternoon where his full-brother Frankel (GB) was also represented by his first Breeders' Cup winner in the form of the sensational Inspiral (GB), the expatriated Noble Mission was siring his second Grade I winner following Code of Honor.

Versatile enough to sire a top stayer like Spanish Mission, Noble Mission has had an outstanding 2023, with five stakes winners worldwide, three at the group/graded level, including GIII Kentucky Downs Ladies' Marathon S. winner Vergara and the American-bred recent Australian Group 3 winner Buffalo River.

Bred by Dr. Chandler, Nobals is out of a winning daughter of Grade III winner Western Ransom and he has a weanling half-brother by Known Agenda foaled this past Mar. 5. Pearly Blue was most recently bred to Dialed In.

REPLAY: Nobals wins the $1 Million #BreedersCup Turf Sprint! Congrats to all connections! #BC23 pic.twitter.com/hpytTFJ2d7

— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) November 4, 2023

Saturday, Santa Anita Park
BREEDERS' CUP TURF SPRINT-GI, $920,000, Santa Anita, 11-4, 3yo/up, 5fT, :55.15, fm.
1–NOBALS, 126, g, 4, by Noble Mission (GB)
       1st Dam: Pearly Blue, by Empire Maker
       2nd Dam: Western Ransom, by Red Ransom
       3rd Dam: Western Wind, by Gone West
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($3,500 Ylg '20 FTKOCT). O-Patricia's Hope LLC; B-John A. Chandler (KY); T-Larry Rivelli; J-Gerardo Corrales. $520,000. Lifetime Record: 18-10-3-0, $1,453,274. *1/2 to My First Pearl (First Samurai), SP, $202,674. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Big Invasion, 126, c, 4, Declaration of War–Curls in Place, by Curlin. ($72,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Reeves Thoroughbred Racing; B-John O'meara (KY); T-Christophe Clement. $170,000.
3–Aesop's Fables (Ire), 124, c, 3, No Nay Never–How's She Cuttin' (Ire), by Shinko Forest (Ire). O-Westerberg, Magnier, Mrs. John, Smith, Derrick and Tabor, Michael B.; B-Barronstown Stud (IRE); T-Aidan P. O'Brien. $90,000.
Margins: NK, HF, HF. Odds: 12.00, 12.40, 10.10.
Also Ran: Live In The Dream (Ire), Motorious (GB), Arzak, Beer Can Man, Tony Ann, Roses for Debra, Caravel, Gear Jockey, Jasper Krone. Scratched: Bradsell (GB), Lane Way, One Timer, Twilight Gleaming (Ire).
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Sam Freedman is not feeling the same pressure with the current favourite Artorius as 12 months ago.

“He is a lot shorter in the market and there is a bit more expectation, but last year it was the unknown and whether he was going to measure up–this year we know he is good enough,” he explained. “I am not so concerned about the opposition, but more where he will end up and where he will get to in the run. I am confident taking on any of the sprinters in the world, but it is a case of getting the right transit and a bit of luck.”

US interest comes in the form of the Christophe Clement-trained Big Invasion (Declaration Of War) on a big day for Dean and Patti Reeves who had a share of the Albany success of Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio) on Friday. He faces a stark new challenge here, but looked the kind of strong closer in the GI Jaipur that will enjoy this stiff six. English queen Highfield Princess (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) is back on the track four days after her gallant effort in the G1 King's Stand S., where she was definitely compromised by Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}) who due to his drift looked a more worthy winner than he actually was. The good news for fans of John Quinn's triple group 1 winner is that she is not the type to let such an injustice fester and the vibe from her accomplished trainer straight after was that the experience will even bring her to a peak.

“We left her down all week and looked at her on Thursday morning and she seems fine, so we're quite happy to roll the dice,” her Malton-based trainer said. “Plenty of horses have run well in both races, so it's doable. She seems bright and she's no travelling to do, which is important.”

Marc Chan's G1 British Champions Sprint S. hero Kinross (GB) (Kingman {GB}) will have to travel faster than he's ever done, something that won't be a problem for the dual Wokingham winner Rohaan (Ire) (Mayson {GB}) who finally gets his crack at the meeting's big one on the fast ground he loves. Based on his times when taking his second renewal of the day's big handicap, he would have been in the mix in this especially as he was carrying seven pounds more than the Platinum Jubilee winner Naval Crown (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and clocked a final three furlongs 2/10 second faster than Artorius.

With the ground quickening with each passing day, Saturday's G2 Hardwicke S. could be robbed of its star turn as connections of Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) revealed they will be checking out the lay of the land ahead of the mile-and-a-half test. Trainer Owen Burrows has avoided this kind of surface since the debut of Shadwell's G1 Coronation Cup winner and would welcome some storms in Berkshire. “This was the obvious race for him, our only slight worry is the ground being a bit quick for him, so I think we'll walk the track at midday on Saturday and make sure we're happy with it,” he said of the 6-year-old who was so impressive in last month's G3 Brigadier Gerard S. “He's won on a range of grounds, but I know speaking to Sheikha Hissa after he won at Sandown that Jim [Crowley] had mentioned to her that he's so much better on good ground and we want to look after him this year–we won't risk him on fast ground.”

George Strawbridge's talented Free Wind (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is hardly the biggest fan of fast ground either, but she handled something near this when accounting for Wednesday's G2 Duke of Cambridge S. winner Rogue Millennium (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G2 Middleton S. at York last month. Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) was on a quick surface when landing the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. over the course and distance when last seen and Willie Muir is relishing the end of the long wait. “As I've said all the way through, this is hopefully a prep race for the King George and will put the edge on him,” he said. “I've got no doubt his ability is all still there, but he's been off the course for a long time and we just want to get through this race and move on. As long as he goes through the race nice and comes home nice, we're laughing.”

Opening the card is the seven-furlong Listed Chesham S., where Ballydoyle's strong collection of juveniles is represented by the Navan scorer Pearls And Rubies (No Nay Never) and the eye-catching Leopardstown third Content (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a daughter of Mecca's Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}). In a renewal dominated by Irish-trained fillies, others to note are Lindsay Laroche's Limerick winner Snellen (Ire) (Expert Eye {GB}) and The Curragh scorer Nemonte (Ire) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}) who is another to represent Reeves Thoroughbred Racing owned in partnership with Steven Rocco.

Shadwell's TDN Rising Star Enfjaar (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Ballydoyle's proven The Antarctic (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Juddmonte's Covey (GB) (Frankel {GB}) seem the trio to focus on in the seven-furlong G3 Jersey S., with the latter unusually impressive in the always-competitive Silver Bowl H. at Haydock last month. “He's a very exciting horse and we look forward to seeing him out again,” Juddmonte racing manager Barry Mahon said. “He looks to have plenty of pace for seven furlongs and he gets a mile, so the stiff seven in Ascot should be fine for him.”

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How good is Caravel (m, 6, Mizzen Mast-Zeezee Zoomzoom, by Congrats)? The defending GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner skipped the G1 King's Stand S. at Royal Ascot and instead stayed closer to home in the GI Jaipur S. at Belmont Park, once again plundering the turf sprint division over males. The $400,000, six-furlong Jaipur is a 'Win and You're In' race for the Turf Sprint and a title defense in the Nov. 4 Santa Anita edition is in the cards for Caravel, reiterated after the Jaipur by Sheikh Fahad Al Thani, Chairman of Qatar Racing, which owns Caravel with Marc Detampel and Madaket Stables.

In the Jaipur, Caravel broke evenly and tracked in second early, breathing menacingly down the neck of the :22.19 first quarter pace set by 13-1 Nothing Better (Munnings). The 5-2 choice drew on even terms coming off the turn as the timer tripped in :44.80 and drew clear to get the five-furlong mark in a scintillating :56.15. The flashy gray had enough left to hold off a late rush by GSW Big Invasion (Declaration of War), who finished three-quarters of a length in arrears, while defending two-time Jaipur winner Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) was just a neck back in third. The final time was 1:07.23.

The Jaipur marked Caravel's fifth win in a row, third win over males, and second victory at the highest level.

“She's in incredible form right now,” said winning trainer Brad Cox. “This is two Grade Is for her against the boys. I don't think I've ever had a filly to beat the boys.

“The Breeders' Cup is our main target. There are some races up at Saratoga but I'm not sure yet how many more times we would need to run prior to the Breeders' Cup. We'll just try to keep her happy and healthy.

“She never ceases to amaze me. She is absolutely amazing. She just never lets you down. She is spot on. I'm very proud of her.”

Originally trained by her breeder, Elizabeth M. Merryman, Caravel won seven of first nine starts, including Saratoga's GIII Caress S. and four other black-type races. Bobby Flay bought into the then-4-year-old in 2021 and she was transferred to the barn of Graham Motion, but she failed to win in three starts and went through the Fasig-Tipton November sales ring days after trailing the field home in the 2021 Turf Sprint. Her current ownership picked her up for $500,000 and transferred the gray to Cox.

Caravel opened her 2022 campaign under Cox with a win in Turfway's Queen S. and added Belmont's GIII Intercontinental S., as well as Saratoga's Smart N Fancy S. after losing a race here and there. She then went on her current tear, beginning with Keeneland's GIII Franklin S. last October. The Turf Sprint was next and her first win over the boys, as well as her first triple-digit Beyer Speed Figure (107). She doubled up on wins over males in her 2023 debut, Keeneland's GII Shakertown S., and dropped back to softer female company for a win on the Kentucky Oaks undercard in the Unbridled Sidney S. at Churchill Downs. With her victory in the Jaipur, Caravel is not only riding a five-race win streak but is also undefeated in 2023.

Pedigree Notes:

Mizzen Mast, a 25-year-old pensioner at his long-time Juddmonte home, is the sire of 63 black-type winners, nearly equal to the average size of his foal crops over 18 seasons. Most of his 26 graded winners and nine Grade I/Group 1 winners have been in the U.S., but he's also responsible for winners at the highest level in both France and Hong Kong. His progeny have won four Breeders' Cup races: Flotilla (Fr) in the 2012 GI Juvenile Fillies Turf, Mizdirection in the 2012-13 GI Turf Sprint, and Caravel in last year's Turf Sprint.

Zeezee Zoomzoom has produced two of the 19 stakes winners out of daughters of WinStar's pensioned Congrats. The mare also has an unraced 2-year-old colt named Enzo (Great Notion)–a full-brother to MSW Witty–and a yearling filly by Street Boss, all, like Caravel, bred by Merryman.

Saturday, Belmont Park
JAIPUR S.-GI, $400,000, Belmont, 6-10, 3yo/up, 6fT, 1:07.93, fm.
1–CARAVEL, 121, m, 6, by Mizzen Mast
                1st Dam: Zeezee Zoomzoom, by Congrats
                2nd Dam: Zee Zee, by Exchange Rate
                3rd Dam: Emblem of Hope, by Dynaformer
($330,000 RNA 3yo '20 WANOCT; $500,000 4yo '21 FTKNOV).
O-Qatar Racing, Marc Detampel and Madaket Stables LLC;
B-Elizabeth M. Merryman (PA); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Tyler
Gaffalione. $220,000. Lifetime Record: 23-15-0-3, $1,897,577.
*1/2 to Witty (Great Notion), MSW, $337,460.
Werk Nick Rating: A++.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Big Invasion, 122, c, 4, Declaration of War–Curls in Place, by
Curlin. 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($72,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP).
O-Reeves Thoroughbred Racing; B-John O'meara (KY);
T-Christophe Clement. $80,000.
3–Casa Creed, 124, h, 7, Jimmy Creed–Achalaya, by Bellamy
Road. ($15,000 Ylg '17 OBSWIN; $105,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP).
O-LRE Racing LLC and JEH Racing Stable LLC; B-Silver Springs
Stud, LLC (KY); T-William I. Mott. $48,000.
Margins: 3/4, NK, 1 1/4. Odds: 2.90, 4.30, 3.95.
Also Ran: Dr Zempf (GB), Nothing Better, Ice Chocolat (Brz), Arrest Me Red, Front Run the Fed, Yes and Yes, Thin White Duke, Coppola, Air Force Red, Go Bears Go (Ire), Surprise Boss. Scratched: Mid Day Image, Our Shot.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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After successfully defending his title in Saratoga's GI Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer S. Aug. 27, Gufo (Declaration of War) returns on short notice for the Kentucky Turf Cup. He is the 7-5 morning-line favorite. The 8-year-old Arklow (Arch) looks for his third win from five attempts in this contest following victories in 2018 and 2020, respectively.

Drawn widest of all in post 12, GII Twin Spires Turf Sprint S. winner and last out GI Jaipur S. runner-up Arrest Me Red (Pioneerof the Nile) is the 9-5 morning-line favorite in the Fanduel Turf Sprint.

The rescheduled GIII WinStar Mint Million S. features last year's winner Pixelate (City Zip). Originally carded for last Saturday, inclement weather forced the cancellation of racing following the day's seventh race.

The streaking Big Invasion (Declaration of War) is the clear-cut one to beat in the GII Franklin-Simpson S. following impressive wins in Saratoga's GIII Quick Call S. and Mahony S. “Every time he runs, he gets better,” jockey Joel Rosario said.

Princess Grace (Karakontie {Jpn}) and Dalika (Ger) (Pastorius {Ger}), one-two in the 2021 GIII Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf S., face off again in Saturday's renewal. Dalika got the better of her aforementioned rival by a half-length in last month's GI Beverly D. S. at Churchill Downs.

The globetrotting Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), most recently a dead-heat third in Royal Ascot's G1 Platinum Jubilee S., returns in the GIII Mint Ladies Sprint S. The full field of 12 also includes the race's defending winner In Good Spirits (Ghostzapper).

“For a non-Breeders' Cup card, this is truly amazing,” Ted Nicholson, Kentucky Downs' Vice President for Racing, said of Saturday's 12-race program.

Baffert Shooting for Fourth Straight Debutante…

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will be represented by a pair, led by 9-5 morning-line favorite and 'TDN Rising Star' Home Cooking (Honor Code), while looking for a fourth straight victory and 11th win overall in Saturday's GI TVG Del Mar Debutante S.

Home Cooking romped by 9 1/4 lengths with blinkers off at second asking Aug. 21 while her stablemate Fast and Shiny (Bernardini) won at a generous 6-1 on debut Aug. 7. Both are owned by Pegram, Watson and Weitman.

The rail-drawn Vegas Magic (Good Magic) puts a perfect three-for-three record on the line for Doug O'Neill following a 14-1 upset in the GII Sorrento S. Aug. 13.

Saturday's graded stakes action also includes: Del Mar's GII John C. Mabee S.; Pimlico's GIII Baltimore/Washington International Turf Cup S.; and the GIII British Columbia Derby at Hastings.

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Rosario, 37, is very much in the hunt for the overall title, a competition led by Irad Ortiz, Jr. Through Thursday's program, Ortiz had 37 wins, eight more than Rosario. However, in graded stakes races, Rosario is far and away the leader with 10 victories from 19 starts, a remarkable 53% win rate. Ortiz is next with five.

With the 10, Rosario is in position to smash the current record of 11 graded stakes wins in a Saratoga season. According to Equibase stats, Hall of Famers Javier Castellano and John Velazquez share the record of 11. Castellano won 11 of 31 graded stakes starts in 2015 and Velazquez, who is nearing 1,000 wins at the track, finished first in 11 of 23 graded stakes in 2005. At 10, Rosario is on level with Castellano (2016) and Jerry Bailey (2001).

“It's unbelievable what we've done early,” Rosario said. “Thanks to all the people who gave us the opportunity. My agent, Ron Anderson, has done a really great job for me. We appreciate the opportunities from the owners and the trainers.”

Rosario is no stranger to success. The native of the Dominican Republic has finished in the top 10 in North American jockey earnings for 13 years, has a resume filled with graded stakes wins, including 13 in the Breeders' Cup. Last year, he had a career year, riding horses that earned $32,956,215 and secured his first Eclipse Award as champion jockey.

In 2020, Rosario was the leading graded stakes winner at Saratoga with seven. Last summer, he finished in a tie with Luis Saez for the top spot at six. This year, he had seven graded wins in the first 13 days of the 40-day season.

“We always are looking for a good meet,” Rosario said, “But, we've been doing really well this year.”

During the first four days of the meet, Rosario won the July 15 GIII Forbidden Apple S. with City Man (Mucho Macho Man) for trainer Christophe Clement; the GI Diana S. on In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) for Chad Brown July 16; and the GIII Quick Call S. on Big Invasion (Declaration of War) for Clement July 17. He completed the month with three wins for Steve Asmussen: the GII Shuvee S. on Clairiere (Curlin) July 24, the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt S. on Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) and the GII Jim Dandy S. on Epicenter (Not This Time).

In August, he won the GII National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame S. on Ready to Purrform (Kitten's Joy) for Brad Cox Aug. 5 and the next day won the GI Test S. on Chi Town Lady Verrazano) for Wesley Ward and the GII Glens Falls on War Like Goddess (English Channel) for Bill Mott.

Six trainers. Dirt. Turf. Sprints. Routes.

Starting on Saturday with the GI Alabama and the GII Lake Placid, there are 17 graded stakes left in the Saratoga season. Rosario has the mount on Haughty (Empire Maker) for Brown in the Lake Placid and will ride Gerrymander (Into Mischief) for Brown in the Alabama. He is likely to be up on contenders in most of the remaining graded stakes, including the Asmussen triumvirate of Epicenter in the GI Runhappy Travers S., Jackie's Warrior in the GI Forego S. and Clairiere in the GI Personal Ensign.

In 2015, six of Castellano's 11 wins were in Grade I races. Velazquez had five Grade I winners in 2005. So far, Rosario has three.

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Coming into the race with four straight stakes victories, the GIII Quick Call July 17 at this venue among them, he was hammered down to 1-5 favoritism in his quest to continue the streak and he made it look a gift. He was equally dominant in the May 29 Paradise Creek at Belmont, William Walker at Churchill Downs May 4, and in the Texas Glitter S. in Hallendale Mar. 26. His only blemish was on debut Jan. 7 behind stakes-placed filly American Starlet (Twirling Candy) who went gate to wire after Big Invasion slammed into the gate on the break.

Rating well off a quick early pace set by That's Right (Goldencents) and a pursuing European invader Cadamosto (Ire), he tracked from fifth on the fence through the early part of the bend. Gradually shifting out to the four path, Joel Rosario set his mount loose in upper stretch and the race was over by the final furlong. Big Invasion inhaled his competition and won geared down by three lengths in a quick 1:01.42.

“I've always thought he was the best 3-year-old in the country on the grass sprinting. We just don't have a program with Grade 1, Grade 2, that's the way the program is made,” said Clement post-race in regards to a start in Grade I company. “But, I don't know, I'd have to talk to [owner] Mr. [Dean] Reeves. I need to give him some time at some stage and maybe we can think about a race like the Breeders Cup even if it's very ambitious. Why not?”

Big Invasion is the third black-type earner in a row for his dam, who claims several multiple winners as half-relations. Curls in Place is out of a stakes-winning half-sister to GSP Going Wild (Golden Missle). In addition to We Miss Susie, the winner is also half to SP Unitedandresolute (Violence). They have a 2-year-old half-sister by Empire Maker, a yearling half-brother by Air Force Blue, and a 2022 half-brother by War of Will. The dam went to Maclean's Music for 2023. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

MAHONY S., $150,000, Saratoga, 8-14, 3yo, 5 1/2fT, 1:01.42, fm.
1–BIG INVASION, 122, c, 3, by Declaration of War
                1st Dam: Curls in Place, by Curlin
                2nd Dam: Pola's Place, by Out of Place
                3rd Dam: Pola, by Strawberry Road (Aus)
($72,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Reeves Thoroughbred Racing; B-John O'Meara (KY); T-Christophe Clement; J-Joel Rosario. $82,500. Lifetime Record: 7-6-1-0, $444,045. *1/2 to We Miss Susie (Creative Cause), SP, $194,692.
2–Cadamosto (Ire), 118, c, 3, No Nay Never–Saucy Spirit (GB), by Invincible Spirit (Ire). (£130,000 Ylg '20 GOFOR). O-D. J. Stable LLC; B-Peter Henley & Eric Mc Donnell (Ire); T-Joseph Patrick O'Brien. $30,000.
3–Determined Kingdom, 122, g, 3, Animal Kingdom–Filia, by Fastnet Rock (Aus). ($47,000 Ylg '20 EASOCT). O-D Hatman Thoroughbreds and Schoenthal, Phil; B-Audley Farm Equine, LLC (VA); T-Phil Schoenthal. $18,000.
Margins: 3, HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 0.35, 6.40, 26.50.
Also Ran: Sky and Sand, Surprise Boss, That's Right, Editorial Comment (Arg).

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Dean Reeves, a native of Atlanta and the co-owner of a commercial contracting company in Georgia, formed Reeves Thoroughbred Racing with his wife Patti in 2009. The couple has campaigned a long line of Grade I performers since.

Reeves was on the Oklahoma backstretch with a smile on his face and a coffee in his hand the morning after their latest victory this week.

“It's just been crazy,” he said of their success at Saratoga. “We got off to a tremendous start right on the first weekend and we thought wow, how can we keep it going?”

City Man (Mucho Macho Man) got the ball rolling for his owners on opening weekend at the Spa with his definitive victory in the GIII Forbidden Apple S. Trained by Christophe Clement and owned in partnership with Peter and Patty Searless, the 5-year-old New York-bred has earned at least one stakes victory every year since his juvenile season, but the Forbidden Apple marked his first graded stakes score.

The win was doubly special as City Man is a son of Reeves Thoroughbred Racing's 2013 GI Breeders' Cup Classic hero Mucho Macho Man.

“City Man is one of my favorite horses,” admitted Reeves. “We bought him as a 2-year-old and he has continued to get better and better. I think that right now, he's at the top of his game. He's a stunning individual and has really shown a lot of the talent that Mucho Macho Man can give them.”

Two days after Reeves got off the duck at Saratoga with City Man, Big Invasion (Declaration of War) replicated his stablemate's success with another Grade III score in the Quick Call S. The sophomore is on a brilliant win streak this year. After breaking his maiden at Gulfstream in February, he reeled off three straight stakes wins before he stepped up to graded company at Saratoga.

“Big Invasion seems to have a lot of talent,” Reeves said. “He is the kind of horse that looks like he can go five-and-a-half to seven furlongs. He seems to be able to go with whatever the pace is and then he still has that kick at the end. That makes him pretty dangerous.”

Earlier this week, Reeves went to the winner's circle with a third Saratoga stakes victor. Coming off a stakes win at Hawthorne, Isolate (Mark Valeski) led gate to wire to claim the Tale of the Cat S. by six lengths.

Reeves said he felt confident going into the race after watching the 4-year-old work four furlongs in :46 flat–best of 128–two weeks ago.

“He's been training really well,” he noted. “We needed to break well and Tyler [Gaffalione] got him out of the gate and into a great position. He had plenty left turning for home.”

Isolate's victory was cause for celebration on several accounts as it marked the 4,000^th win for his trainer Tom Amoss.

“That was so special and so neat for it to be in a stakes race here at Saratoga,” Reeves said. “It couldn't have worked out any better. Tom has done a great job with Isolate and it was exciting to see him win.”

Reeves hopes that their hot streak continues as their stable's top performers prepare to return to the Saratoga starting gate.

This weekend, Big Invasion will compete in a field of seven in the five-and-a-half furlong Mahony S. on Sunday. If all goes well, Reeves said they have their eye on a trip to Keeneland for their turf sprinter this fall.

“We're really looking forward to the race on Sunday,” he said. “I think he'll be some good competition. Down the road, there are possibilities of a race at Keeneland that we would like to do prior to the Breeders' Cup. It's hard to take a 3-year-old in there against those really top horses, but we're going to play it by ear. I'm pretty confident in him.”

While Reeves was hoping to cheer on City Man in the GI Fourstardave H. this weekend, he said they opted to send the turf specialist to the Aug. 26 West Point H., where he will be defending his 2021 title.

“We were between a rock and a hard place,” Reeves explained. “We didn't have quite enough time to come back and catch [the Fourstardave]. The financially smart decision was to wait and run when we could give him more time for the West Point, which has a nice purse. As an owner I wanted to run in the Fourstardave, but fortunately Christophe and [assistant] Miguel have us in the right spot.”

Reeves said he makes a habit of relying on his trainers when it comes to mapping out his runners' racing schedules. He is quick to admit his bias as an owner and explained that his trainers remind him of the bigger picture when it comes to the bottom line.

“It helps us as owners to have trainers that are thinking about the dollars and cents,” he said. “Those types of trainers are helpful when they can just be honest with you about your stock. With Christophe, a lot of times as soon as we finish a race he has it in his head what he wants to do next. They really have thought through what they plan to do with each horse in order for it to be successful.”

Last summer, Reeves purchased a farm in Micanopy, Florida outside of Ocala. Managed by Nellie and Chetley Breeden along with Nellie's father Jimmy Gladwell, the farm allows Reeves to venture into acquiring future members of their racing stable as weanlings and overseeing their early days until they make it to training. Isolate, a $70,000 Keeneland November weanling, was one of their first purchases when they began focusing on shopping for weanlings.

Dean Reeves and Christophe Clement | Sarah Andrew

“I'm able to go in there and get a lot of value,” Reeves explained. “Patti and I come here to Saratoga for the New York-bred weanling sale. There's tremendous value and then we can put them in our program, get them to the farm and take our time with them. It gives us an advantage to really get to the horses earlier and see how they progress.”

“We've been involved in the New York-bred program for the last couple of years and that has really helped,” he added. “It's a great program. The purse money is there and we can go get some very nice New York-breds.”

As their racing stable continues to expand, so too has the number of people Reeves said are essential to its advancement.

“Our success has been because of a lot of people doing a lot hard work,” he emphasized. “We've won a lot of tremendous races, but the main thing is we're in it to have fun. Do we want to strive for those big races? Absolutely. Everyone is working hard and I think we'll have some more of those in our future.”

Winning the GI Breeders' Cup Classic with stable star Mucho Macho Man will always be an irreplaceable highlight for Reeves and his wife, but he said that there are a few races they still dream about.

“Patti wants to win the Arc de Triomphe and the Kentucky Derby, so I said, 'Okay, great. We'll put those two on the list and we'll try to win those.' We've been really blessed. The thing is, we're having a lot of fun. Win, lose or draw, we're enjoying it. It takes a team, and we've got a great one.”

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“Is anybody Irish working there?” he asked.

Another Irishman was working there soon after, sure enough, but it would still be a long and winding road, either side of the ocean, before O'Meara went to an auction in 2002, bought 165 acres just outside Lexington and “became very friendly with the bank”. He called the farm Milestone, for an influential Irish Draft Horse his father had stood at Toomevara Stud back in Co. Tipperary. But if various experiments since have tended to confirm the odds against an enterprise on this modest scale–despite a few dozen winners as a trainer, and a bold attempt to launch a couple of stallions–then equally that's a measure of the exceptional horsemanship underpinning this remarkable treble.

It started with Big Invasion (Declaration of War), whose first three dams have all grazed Milestone pasture. Sold as a yearling for $72,000 at the 2020 September Sale to Phil Hager's Taproot Bloodstock, he has been hurtling up the sophomore ladder with five consecutive wins for Christopher Clement and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, clocking 1:00.80 on his graded stakes debut in the GIII Quick Call S. over 5 1/2 furlongs at Saratoga.

The next afternoon another 3-year-old, Roses for Debra (Liam's Map), followed up her maiden success over the same track with a stakes score against fellow Pennsylvania-breds at Presque Isle Downs. She is trained for O'Meara himself by Michelle Brafford, having been found (knocked down to Chris Drakos) for just $25,000 in the same September Sale.

And within the hour the 6-year-old Change of Control (Fed Biz), a Milestone graduate, took her career earnings to $923,725 with her sixth black-type success in another turf sprint, at Colonial Downs. O'Meara understands Change of Control's connections are hoping to get her to the Breeders' Cup, as a graded stakes winner already at Keeneland. But the real excitement concerns Big Invasion, who got a triple-digit Beyer for his Saratoga win.

“With Declaration of War I thought I'd put some stamina into the mare, but as it turned out the speed has just been compounded in her,” O'Meara reflects. “He'd be unbeaten but for getting left in the gate on his debut. I hope he might [stretch out], because the longer you go, the longer you last. But you can't blame them, if there's big money being given away to run against 3-year-olds going short. He's with a top trainer, they take really good care of their horses, so he'll be getting every chance in the world. It's exciting.”

Whatever happens from here, Big Invasion is already a huge tribute to the way his breeder developed a family from third dam Pola (Strawberry Road {Aus}), acquired for $55,000 back in 2000. O'Meara had actually tried to buy her at the Keeneland November Sale the previous year, when culled by breeder Allen Paulson, but had to surrender at $70,000 after Frank Stronach came in for her.

“She had a lot of speed,” he recalls. “You know, :22, :44 type speed. She didn't get away in her first race, won her second, but then pulled a suspensory. I went to the Keeneland November Sale to buy her, sat around thinking there was a good deal coming up, with Strawberry Road such a solid, sound, under-rated stallion. I didn't have the money to get her that day, but then they just put her in foal to Alphabet Soup and put her in their own sale the next year, with a free Golden Missile season.”

O'Meara retained the Alphabet Soup filly that came with the package, who went on to be stakes-placed, and then used the Golden Missile cover to produce a colt he took to the September Sale with a $29,000 reserve. He made $140,000, before pinhooker Mike Miller had an even bigger touch at Gulfstream the following February, selling to Bob and Beverly Lewis for $600,000. As Going Wild, the colt won the Sham S. for D. Wayne Lukas en route to a crack at the GI Kentucky Derby.

Pola's next date was with Out of Place, and the resulting filly was retained as Pola's Place after failing to meet her reserve as a yearling but did not run until four.

“I couldn't sell her so sent her to Florida as a 2-year-old,” O'Meara recalls. “But she pulled a suspensory so I brought her home, gave her time. Dr. Bramlage ultra-sounded her and said give her more time. So I gave her another three months, took her back. And he said, 'Another two months.' And after that he said, 'Okay, you can go on.' So I sent her to Turfway on the poly, thinking it would be easier on her. And she turned out to be very fast. She was in front every [first] call, every race she ever ran in, and won a stakes race for me.”

Retired to the farm, Pola's Place was given a chance with a couple of foal shares to the young Curlin. One resulted in a filly named Curls in Place, who O'Meara was able to buy out as a $25,000 weanling on account of X-ray issues. Once again, O'Meara had to bide his time. She had ability, but wasn't showing it, including under a tag, and it was again only when she was four that she finally put it together to win a couple of races.

Big Invasion is only her third foal, both previous ones having managed a minor stakes placing.

“And she's still only 11,” O'Meara says. “She's not very big, but a beautiful looker. You look at a Ferrari and look at her, you'd think she's the Ferrari. And she's a very nice, kind mare.”

Big Invasion made a good price for Hip 3303, and will now decorate the page of his half-brother by Air Force Blue when he, too, appears deep in the September Sale. (It will also do no harm that this family has been newly decorated by Nest (Curlin), whose dam is out of a half-sister to Pola.)

“He's in the third last day, I think, but that's fine–once it's there [on the pedigree], it never goes away,” O'Meara says. “Big Invasion wasn't very big, but he was well proportioned, well put together, and a very smart horse. And this colt is much the same, moderate-sized but very intelligent, very easy to deal with.”

Though O'Meara will sell when he can, he is always happier to retain a filly. That's what he is doing with the mare's 2-year-old by Empire Maker; she also has a weanling colt by War at Will and is now in foal to Maclean's Music.

Change of Control's dam, America's Blossom (Quiet American), is also still in a position to exploit her success. She has a big, backward sophomore by Midshipman that O'Meara is still developing, and a yearling filly by Karakontie (Jpn) that he has also retained. She's now pregnant to Dialed In.

America's Blossom was found for just $7,000 at the Keeneland January Sale in 2015. “If you don't have a lot of money, you've got to do your homework,” O'Meara says. “Those Quiet American mares are really good, and she was stakes-placed herself, and very tough. She'd had one foal by Pleasantly Perfect and didn't get in foal when they bred her back, so they obviously decided to cut her loose. And January is the kind of sale where you can get a good deal: people don't want to keep them, and with the breeding season so close you can get straight going.”

We have seen how much patience O'Meara required to develop the mares behind Big Invasion, and again he has been no rush with Roses for Debra.

“She's out of a Bernardini mare that had already produced a stakes winner when I bought her,” O'Meara explained. “I sent her to Florida for the 2-year-old sales and she worked in :10 flat [at OBS April] but chipped her knee. So I had to bring her home and operate on her and give her the time. And because she's Pennsylvania-bred I sent her up there to race. On her first start she got taken down, then a couple of weeks later she won by six and now she's won a $100,000 stakes race.”

Like so many Irishmen working with young horses in the United States, O'Meara was actually raised in a National Hunt and sport horse environment. (Fitting, as such, that he should have bred Blackfoot Mystery (Out of Place), the re-trained Thoroughbred whose eventing career took him to the Rio Olympics in 2016 under Boyd Martin.) Besides Milestone, Prefairy was another resonant name at Toomevara–in both spheres–but O'Meara was only 12 when losing his father in 1969 and instead became one of many young compatriots forever indebted to Michael Osborne's mentorship at the Irish National Stud.

O'Meara then cut his teeth on farms in Australia and New Zealand before that first sampling of the Bluegrass.

“I went home in 1981 and was going to change the world,” he says wryly. “But interest rates were 22% and I couldn't get going. So went back to Mr. Osborne and he set me up with a visa and a job at Spendthrift.”

A stint at Gainesway followed, and he then spent four years working for Carl Nafzger before eventually venturing out on his own, initially renting land and boarding mares before committing to the Milestone gamble.

“My first aim was to train horses,” he says. “If you know what you're doing, you'll know where you are with a horse within a couple of months. Whereas breeding is always like a five-year plan. But while I trained a couple of nice ones, usually someone will come along to buy them and they're on their way.

“I had a couple of stallions for a time, as well. Mancini was a three-parts brother to Unbridled's Song, who was standing for $300,000. I didn't think he could lose.”

But he found a way, evidently? O'Meara responds with a laugh.

“That's a tough game,” he says. “Spendthrift had 47 stallions when I went there. A lot of them didn't make it, but they obviously had Raise A Native, Seattle Slew, J.O. Tobin, Exclusive Native, Lord Avie, Affirmed. They had 200 boarding mares and 200 mares of their own. It was a huge machine: they got the stallions because they had the mares, and the mares because they had the stallions. Mancini got a lot of sound horses but not a lot of support. I supported him as best as I could, but nearly went broke doing it.”

Holding your nerve is both harder, and even more essential, for those who can't play the numbers game. But O'Meara understands how the axiom “more haste, less speed” might have been devised specifically for Thoroughbreds–one legacy, perhaps, of an upbringing among those big, raw horses back in Ireland.

“The thing I couldn't handle about National Hunt horses is that you don't break them until they're three,” he says. “But by then they're so big they want to kill you!”

As it is, O'Meara divides his time between pre-training in the mornings–partly because he still loves the training side, and partly to keep costs under control–and then managing the mares and foals. There are five yearlings to sell this year, leaving another five whose commercial imperfections shouldn't stop them being trained. But the same approach governs both types of prep, whether for the sales or the racetrack.

“Just don't rush them,” O'Meara says. “It's hard to turn out a horse that's fit. But if you don't wait, they'll make you wait. So you just try to breed them to sound horses, take care of them growing up, and then it's just lots of long, slow work.”

And if it's unusual for the dividends to be quite so vividly compressed, O'Meara's recent streak of success will be warmly appreciated by many peers who also persevere in old school tenets of perspiration and patience. Because if you can't afford to travel the wide, smooth highway along the valley floor, every now and then sheer tenacity over the steep, crumbling mountain track will take you to the same destination.

“It's been a great experience the whole way,” O'Meara says, uncomplainingly. “And when this kind of thing happens it's fun to be able to get up in the morning and look at a horse like Curls in Place. Somebody up there seems to be looking down on me, at the moment anyway. Long may it last!”

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