The Back Ring: Xalapa Farm’s History Of Champions On The Track And Silver Screen

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The latest issue of the Back Ring is now online, ahead of the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale.

The Back Ring is the Paulick Report's bloodstock newsletter, released ahead of, and during, every major North American Thoroughbred auction. Seeking to expand beyond the usual pdf presentation, the Back Ring offers a dynamic experience for bloodstock content, heavy on visual elements and statistics to appeal to readers on all platforms, especially mobile devices.

Here is what's inside this issue…

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS ISSUE OF THE BACK RING

  • Lead Feature, Presented By Gainesway: Myra Lewyn dives into the history of the picturesque Xalapa Farm near Paris, Ky., that was used as a shooting location for “Seabiscuit,” and was recently acquired by Hill 'n' Dale Farms.
  • Stallion Spotlight, Presented By New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc.: A discussion on the veteran New York sire Bustin Stones, who was deemed “the most underrated stallion in the country” by Richard Migliore.
  • Ask Your Veterinarian, Presented By Kentucky Performance Products: Dr. Peter Sheerin of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital explains the difference between putting broodmares under overhead lights or a mask light, and how the light process effects a mare's cycle.
  • Pennsylvania Leaderboard, Presented By Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association: For a third straight year, Blackstone Farm was Pennsylvania's leader by state breeder awards. Stakes winner Dance Code was one of the many on-track successes that got them there.
  • Indiana Yearling Spotlight, Presented By Indiana Thoroughbred Alliance: An analysis of Hip 400, an Indiana-bred yearling by Spendthrift Farm's Goldencents, who will be offered at this year's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale.
  • Best Of The Breeders, Presented By Muirfield Insurance: Thanks to a pair of top-level victories by the hot 3-year-old Newgrange, the partnership of Jack Mandato and Black Rock Stable ended January with a razor-thin lead among breeders of graded stakes winners.
  • First-Crop Sire Watch: Stallions whose first crops of yearlings are represented in the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale, including the number of horses cataloged and the farm where the stallion is currently advertised.

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Pennsylvania Horse Racing Association Offers Educational Foal Watch Program

Through the end of April, the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Association (PHRA) is giving adults and kids across the Commonwealth an educational opportunity to watch what could be the next generation of champion racehorses being born through its free, live foal cams.

The foal cams are streamed live from Pine Grove-based Blackstone Farm, where 60 expectant mares are expected to give birth from now through the spring. 

This year, PHRA is inviting elementary school teachers and students to take a virtual educational field trip to Blackstone Farm for a fun day where they can “bring a horse to class” via a video call. Students will have the opportunity to gain a closer look at the expectant mares, the new foals, and learn about the variety of jobs needed on the farm during foal season. Online educational activities will accompany the virtual field trip. Elementary school teachers who are interested in bringing this virtual educational activity into their classroom can register for more information at https://pennhorseracing.com/foalcams-education.

“We are excited to once again be able to provide horse racing enthusiasts, new fans, and students the opportunity to witness the beauty of a foal being born through our foal cams,” said Pete Peterson, president of the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Association. “The addition of our virtual field trips provides elementary school classrooms the opportunity to learn more about the foaling season, and provide students a fun, educational activity that highlights the breeding basics and the various jobs needed on the farm when a foal is born and raised.”

Visitors tuning in to the PHRA's foal cams can watch the live camera feeds and will see the expectant mares in their stalls as they anticipate the arrivals of their foals, day-to-day interactions between the mares and their caregivers, and — when the timing is right — the opportunity to witness the births of the next generation of racehorses. In addition to the foal cams, the PHRA website includes breeding basics, videos, interactive polls and gender reveals. 

Follow PHRA's Facebook and Instagram for live foaling season updates.

The post Pennsylvania Horse Racing Association Offers Educational Foal Watch Program appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Marion Francis Looks For First Stakes Win In She’s All In Friday At Remington Park

Marion Francis has yet to enjoy the sweet taste of stakes success, but she hails from the barn of the top trainer in the country. The 3-year-old filly ships into Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Okla., and has been established as the 9-5 morning-line favorite in the $100,000 She's All In Stakes on the final night of the season, Friday, Dec. 17.

Brad Cox leads all trainers nationally with earnings of $30,932,681 this year. He has yet to win the She's All In Stakes.

Marion Francis has made $222,578 in 2021 and has lifetime earnings of $232,118 despite never winning in black-type company. Her record is 10 starts, three wins, three seconds, and three thirds.

A daughter of Constitution, out of the Two Punch mare Sophie's Destiny, has been stakes-placed twice. She ran third two races back in the $200,000 Plum Pretty Stakes at Parx Racing in Philadelphia on Sept. 25. Cox's filly also got third in the $150,000 Cathryn Sophia Stakes at Parx on Aug. 24. She broke her maiden at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., this spring on March 28 as the 6-5 favorite. Her margin of victory was 1-1/4 lengths.

Marion Francis picked up her next win at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. against allowance/optional $75,000 claiming fillies. She won that one by three-quarters of a length on May 28 over a wet fast track. She will be entering the She's All In off her third win, beating optional $100,000 claiming fillies under allowance conditions, at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., by a mere neck on Oct. 21. She's been off almost two months since then but has a series of works to prep for this comeback, three of them at Keeneland and her last on Dec. 5 at Oaklawn where she breezed in :48.40 for a half-mile.

Jockey Florent Geroux has been in the saddle for all three Marion Francis wins and all 10 of her starts. Cox will once again give him a leg up in the She's All In. Marion Francis is owned by Madaket Stables, Kent Spellman, and Wonder Stables. She was bred in Pennsylvania by Blackstone Farm. This filly was last purchased for $150,000 in the Ocala (Fla.) Breeders' Spring Sale for 2-year-olds in Training in 2020.

Marion Francis was made the slight favorite over Casual (2-1) from the barn of the nation's second-leading trainer and the all-time winningest conditioner in history, Steve Asmussen. Casual also is a multiple stakes-placed filly and ran fourth in the 2020 She's All In. Asmussen, who is second behind Cox in a heated battle for top-earning trainer this year at $30,523,870, has won the She's All in twice and will be going for his third victory in the past four years. He won with Magical in 2019 and Clever Serve in 2018. Ricardo Santana, Jr., booted home the 2019 winner while David Cabrera, the track's leading rider the past four years, 2018-2021, was aboard Clever Serve. This year, Asmussen will use the riding services of Jose Ortiz, who is fourth in the country among jockeys in money earned ($23,721,025). He trails only Joel Rosario in first, followed by Jose's brother Irad, and Luis Saez.

Casual is owned by Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings (J.G. Sikura), Stretch Run Ventures (Ed McGee), and Windsor Boys Racing (Faheem Hasnain). The 4-year-old daughter of two-time Horse of the Year, Curlin, is out of the Mutakddim mare Lady Tak. She was bred in Kentucky by the first two owners. She may not yet be a stakes winner, but she has finished second or third in six of her last seven tries against stakes company.

Casual ran second in Oaklawn's $200,000 Spring Fever Stakes on Feb. 27 and third in the Carousel Stakes on April 10, followed by a runner-up finish in the $100,000 Skipat Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., on May 15. She continued her run with a third in the $120,000 Shine Again Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Asmussen decided to jump her up into the Grade 1 Ballerina Handicap there, where she ran seventh, beaten 11 lengths by champion Gamine on Aug. 28. Her next stop came here at Remington Park where she finished second to Cinnabunny in the $50,000 Flashy Lady Stakes on Sept. 26.

Casual was shipped out to Zia Park in Hobbs, New Mexico for her final start before the She's All In. She was a distant second in the $75,000 Zia Distaff there, beaten 5 3/4 lengths on Nov. 23.

The filly carrying the local flag in the She's All In will appropriately be She's All Wolfe, a 4-year-old daughter of the mare whose name is on this stakes race. She's All Wolfe, by Magna Graduate, was bred in Oklahoma by owner Dr. Robert Zoellner. All this filly has done for Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Famer trainer Donnie Von Hemel is win five of her eight starts at Remington on the main track. She is the 6-1 fourth favorite in the morning line.

She's All Wolfe is the lone Oklahoma-bred in the She's All In and leads in career victories and earnings. The 4-year-old's record is 20 starts, seven wins, five seconds, and a pair of thirds for a bankroll of $390,761. Her wins at Remington Park include the $30,000 Oklahoma Stallion Stakes for fillies on Sept. 11, 2020, and the $145,000 Oklahoma Classics Distaff last year and this year. Richard Eramia gets the return call on She's All Wolfe. Von Hemel has won the She's All In once since its inception in 2014. He sent out Ready to Confess for Pin Oak Stable in 2017.

She's All In reached millionaire status during her racing career, as well as being dominant in the Oklahoma Classics, winning the Distaff in four consecutive years from 2010-2013.

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Here's a look at the She's All In Stakes field from the rail out with post position, horse, jockey, trainer, and odds:

My Bets, Lane Luzzi, Philip Sims, 12-1
Lady Gwen, Carlos Montalvo, Brent Davidson, 20-1
Island Hideaway, Julien Leparoux, Karl Broberg, 12-1
She's All Wolfe, Richard Eramia, Donnie Von Hemel, 6-1
Paige Anne, Sophie Doyle, John Ennis, 5-1
Casual, Jose Ortiz, Steve Asmussen, 2-1
Marion Francis, Florent Geroux, Brad Cox, 9-5
Content, Danny Sorenson, Tina Hurley, 15-1

The She's All In goes as the 10th race on a 13-race card with an approximate post time of 9:25 p.m.

There are four other stakes races on Dec. 17:

Race 8, $70,000 Jim Thorpe Stakes, 3-year-olds, 1 mile (Oklahoma-breds)

Race 9, $70,000 Useeit Stakes, 3-year-old fillies, 1 mile (Oklahoma-breds)

Race 11, $100,000 Trapeze Stakes, fillies, 2-year-olds, 1 mile

Race 12, $400,000 Springboard Mile, 2-year-olds, 1 mile

The total closing day card will begin at 5 pm. on Friday, Dec. 17. Prior to the final night, racing will take place Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 15-16 starting at 7:07 pm. All times are Central.

The post Marion Francis Looks For First Stakes Win In She’s All In Friday At Remington Park appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Caravel Named Pennsylvania’s 2020 Horse Of The Year

The Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association's 42nd Annual Iroquois Awards was held virtually on May 21 to celebrate the champions of 2020.

Leading the way was Caravel, who was named 2020 Horse of the Year.

The daughter of Mizzen Mast won four of five starts last year, going from last to first to win on debut at Penn National, then taking an allowance race at the same track with a front-running trip. Caravel then shipped to Presque Isle Downs to win the Lady Erie Stakes in her black type debut.

She took her only trip out of the state to race when she shipped to Pimlico Race Course for the Hilltop Stakes, where she finished third. Her season wrapped up back at Presque Isle, where she drew off to win the Malvern Rose Stakes by 4 3/4 lengths.

Caravel is owned, trained, and bred in Pennsylvania by Elizabeth Merryman. She is out of the winning Congrats mare Zeezee Zoomzoom

Following is the complete list of 2020 Iroquois Award winners.

2-Year-Old Filly: Plane Drunk
Bred by Triple Threat Stables LLC

Dazzling in a Parx maiden special weight when winning by nearly a dozen lengths, Triple Threat Stables' homebred Plane Drunk captured Penn National's Shamrock Rose Stakes by more than three lengths after a second-place finish in Delaware Park's Small Wonder Stakes.

2-Year-Old Male: Fire's Finale
Bred by Kenwood Racing LLC

A last-to-first run in the Pennsylvania Nursery at Parx capped a busy season in which Jump Start's son Fire's Finale hit the board in three of five starts outside Pennsylvania before heading to Parx and getting back-to-back wins.

3-Year-Old Filly: Caravel
Bred by Elizabeth M. Merryman

A winner of four of her five starts at three, all by daylight margins, Caravel, a gray filly owned, bred and trained by Lizzie Merryman, accounted for the Lady Erie in her stakes debut and the Malvern Rose, both at Presque Isle Downs, and was stakes-placed on the turf in Pimlico's Hilltop Stakes.

3-Year-Old Male: Dreams Untold
Bred by Patricia L. Chapman

In a sophomore campaign that started with a 14 1/4-length romp in January at Parx, Pat Chapman's Dreams Untold, a homebred son of Smarty Jones, sprinted home in front of four of his eight starts during the year while earning $146,400, the most of any 3-year-old male in 2020.

Older Female: Jakarta
Bred by Arrowwood Farm Inc.

The richest PA-Bred runner of the year, Jakarta traveled the country, recording stakes wins at Gulfstream Park in the Powder Break and Claiming Crown Distaff Dash, winning at Kentucky Downs going gate-to-wire, and placing in the Grade 3 Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes at Keeneland and Caress Stakes at Saratoga. She earned nearly $250,000 with four wins in nine starts.

Older Male: Wait for It
Bred by Fantasy Lane Stable

At age five, Wait for It had his best season yet when winning four times and placing twice in eight starts while earning nearly $210,000. The son of Uptowncharlybrown drew off to easy scores in the Storm Cat Stakes at Parx and Hard Spun Stakes at Presque Isle Downs.

Turf Female: Jakarta
Bred by Arrowwood Farm Inc.

The PA-Bred champion older female adds the turf title after winning or placing in five of her six turf starts, three of them stakes. The richest PA-Bred runner of the year, Jakarta capped her season with a devastating stretch run to win the Claiming Crown Distaff Dash at Gulfstream. Earlier in the year she set the fractions until caught late when second in Saratoga's Caress Stakes, and blazed through the early running of the G3 Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes at Keeneland before finishing third.

Turf Male: The Critical Way
Bred by Blackstone Farm LLC

In a COVID-19 shortened year The Critical Way went from claimer in January to stakes winner in late summer in six starts. His biggest score came in dominating gate-to-wire fashion in the Marshall Jenney Handicap at Parx. Less than a month later he just missed by a head after setting the early fractions against open company in Monmouth Park's Virgil Buddy Raines Stakes.

Female Sprinter: Jakarta
Bred by Arrowwood Farm Inc.

Jakarta is also female sprinter after a season in which she won or placed in stakes from five furlongs to one mile. Her daylight win in the Claiming Crown Distaff Dash came at five furlongs, and she just missed in the 5 1/2-furlong Caress Stakes at Saratoga. She was only beaten a length by multiple Grade 1 winner Got Stormy in the 5 1/2-furlong G3 Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes at Keeneland after blazing through opening fractions of :21 and change and :44 and change.

Male Sprinter: The Critical Way
Bred by Blackstone Farm LLC

Six races, all at five or 5 1/2 furlongs, and The Critical Way was either first or second in five of them. The 5-furlong Marshall Jenney Handicap at Parx was his richest race, but he also won going 5 furlongs in allowance company at Tampa Bay and got caught late when second in Monmouth Park's 5 1/2-furlong Virgil Buddy Raines Stakes.

Horse of the Year: Caravel
Bred by Elizabeth M. Merryman

Caravel was exciting in each and every one of her five starts, with her four wins coming by daylight margins. The gray filly owned, bred and trained by Lizzie Merryman won Presque Isle Downs' Lady Erie in her stakes debut and added the Malvern Rose, winning by a combined eight lengths. In her second start she just missed the 18-year-old Penn National course record for five furlongs as she cruised home by more than five lengths.

PA-Preferred Female: Its a Journey
Bred by Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Szeyller
2020 earnings: $187,260
Won Mrs. Penny Stakes at Parx Racing

PA-Preferred Male: Wait for It
Bred by Fantasy Lane Stable
2020 earnings: $208,610
Won Storm Cat Stakes at Parx Racing and Hard Spun Stakes at Presque Isle Downs
3rd DTHA Governors Day Handicap at Delaware Park

Broodmare of the Year: Avani Force
Owned by Vicky Schowe & Beatrice Patterson
Dam of 2020 stakes winner Pink Caddy

Her first five foals of racing age are all winners, including multiple graded stakes winner Call Paul, the El Padrino filly Pink Caddy, a stakes winner at two and three, and 2020 juvenile stakes-placed Maythehorsebwithu, by Bullsbay.

Leading Breeder Award Recipients:

Blackstone Farm LLC
Award Earnings: $171,522

Glenn E. Brok LLC
Award Earnings: $149,268

Leading Breeding Fund Recipient (horse): Wait For It
Bred by Fantasy Lane Stable
Award Earnings: $191,540

Leading Total Breeding Fund Recipient: Northview Stallion Station Inc.
Award Earning: $306,970

Leading Stallion: Jump Start
Owned by Northview Stallion Station Inc.
Earnings: $172,796

Leading Overall Breeder of Pennsylvania-Breds: Blackstone Farm LLC
Earnings: $1,676,119

Lifetime Achievement Award: Patricia L. Chapman

Award of Merit: Pastures of Point Lookout

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