Tag: Blazing Sevens

Blazing Sevens Becomes First Grade I Winner For Good Magic in Champagne

'TDN Rising Star' Blazing Sevens (Good Magic), dismissed at 85-10 off a third-place run in Saratoga's GI Hopeful S. Sept. 5 over similarly sloppy conditions, splashed past his foes in the lane to become the first highest-level winner for his freshman sire (by Curlin). In the process, he earned an automatic spot in the starting gate for the Nov. 4 GI Fanduel Breeders' Cup Juvenile–a race his sire won handily in 2017 while still a maiden and coming off a close second in the Champagne. Well-regarded and well-bred Verifying (Justify) settled for the runner-up spot in his second career outing, 3 1/4 lengths behind the winner.

Blazing Sevens was a 6 1/4-length debut scorer at the Spa July 24, and was further flattered when the winner of that event came back to graduate by eight lengths. He was beaten 12 lengths in the Hopeful by 'Rising Star' Forte (Violence), and nine by re-opposing favorite Gulfport (Uncle Mo).

As one of very few signed on Saturday with a proven off-the-pace style, Blazing Sevens was reined in to sit last early while kept well off the fence as speedy New York-bred stakes winner Andiamo a Firenze (Speightstown) showed the way. He snuck inside and inched closer after a :47.09 half, and sliced back out into the clear pointing for home as Verifying and Gulfport tag-teamed the pacesetter. Blazing Sevens responded willingly when set down in earnest by Flavien Prat, and he scampered past the favorites with ease in the late stages.

“He had a good trip,” said Prat, who was riding Blazing Sevens for the first time after Manny Franco had piloted him in his first two tries. “He broke well and he got himself into the race. I was traveling really well on the backside and decided to drop myself in and try to save some ground a bit. He was traveling really well all the way around and when I tipped him out and he changed leads, he really changed gears as well.

“We really felt the horse would like the distance. We were hoping for some solid pace and hopefully it would come back for him today to make a run, and that's what happened. The pace was pretty fair. I think he jumped well getting himself into the race without me rushing him, so I think that was key today.”

Trainer Chad Brown, who also took last year's Champagne with 'Rising Star' Jack Christopher (Munnings) and now owns four titles in the prestigious event overall, said, “It's such a reward because [Good Magic] was unlucky in the Champagne himself. I thought he was very unlucky, actually. It was some good karma for us today that his son was able to get his head in front in the Champagne and win like he did. He's been a wonderful horse to get along with. He's all class. I want to thank Pete Bradley for picking him out and John and Carla Capek, the owners. This is their second year in owning horses and they're lovely people, very deserving. If he comes out healthy, it's on to the Breeders' Cup.”

Brown did admit that he had some concerns with the track conditions: “I was worried. After the Hopeful, I told the owners I was planning on going to the Breeders' Futurity [at Keeneland one week later] and I called an audible last week after his work. I felt like he was doing so well and a legit Breeders' Cup candidate. I was dying to get him around two turns, but I would rather have the five weeks' rest and not four. So I decided to ship him here and, sure enough, the hurricane came north and I was sick over it the last two days. I was already committed here, so I stuck with it and, thankfully, he handled the mud here today. Maybe it was a Saratoga thing last time, I'm not really sure. He didn't run bad last time, he just wasn't himself. Today, he was moving through perfectly.”

Saturday, Belmont The Big A
CHAMPAGNE S.-GI, $500,000, Belmont The Big A, 10-1, 2yo, 1m, 1:37.07, sy.
1–BLAZING SEVENS, 122, c, 2, by Good Magic
                1st Dam: Trophy Girl, by Warrior's Reward
                2nd Dam: Storm West, by Gone West
                3rd Dam: Storm Attack, by Storm Bird
'TDN Rising Star'. 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES
WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. ($140,000 Ylg '21 KEEJAN; $225,000
Ylg '21 FTSAUG). O-Rodeo Creek Racing, LLC; B-Tracy Farmer
(KY); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Flavien Prat. $275,000. Lifetime
Record: 3-2-0-1, $368,750. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Verifying, 122, c, 2, Justify–Diva Delite, by Repent.
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK
TYPE. ($775,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Jonathan Poulin,
Westerberg, Mrs. John Magnier, Derrick Smith & Michael B.
Tabor; B-Hunter Valley & Mountmellick Farm, LLC (KY); T-Brad
Cox. $100,000.
3–Gulfport, 122, c, 2, Uncle Mo–Fame and Fortune, by
Unbridled's Song. 'TDN Rising Star'. ($275,000 Ylg '21 FTKJUL).
O-L. William & Corinne Heiligbrodt, Jackpot Farm, Whispering
Oaks Farm LLC & Coolmore Stud; B-Diamond Creek Farm (KY);
T-Steven M. Asmussen. $60,000.
Margins: 3 1/4, 1HF, 7 3/4. Odds: 8.50, 2.25, 1.55.
Also Ran: Andiamo a Firenze, Champions Dream, Top Recruit.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs.

Pedigree Notes:

The graded racing deities have smiled upon Hill 'n' Dale's freshman sire Good Magic, liberally endowing him with three graded winners to kickstart his stallion career. In addition to the success of Blazing Sevens, Good Magic's Vegas Magic won the GII Sorrento S. and Curly Jack captured the GIII Iroquois S., all since mid-August. This first crop for 2017's champion 2-year-old also includes at least 14 winners. He is the first American freshman of the year with a Grade I winner to his credit and only fellow first-crop stallion Justify matches him with three individual graded winners of 2022 thus far.

Trophy Girl, unraced at two and a dual winner at four, has a yearling filly by Constitution and an Apr. 15 filly by Goldencents. She was bred back to Essential Quality for next term. The daughter of Warrior's Reward–who now has seven stakes winners out of his daughters–is a half-sister to 2012 GI Jamaica H. winner King David (Hat Trick {Jpn}), who is now a sire in Turkey. Tracy Farmer bought Trophy Girl for $62,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall weanling. While Trophy Girl's dam and granddam were unraced, her third dam was Hortensia (Fr) (Luthier {Fr}), a MGSW in France and producer of Glacial Storm (Arctic Tern), a MGSW in England and France, as well as runner-up in the 1988 G1 Epsom Derby and third in that year's G1 Irish Derby.

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Five of Six Have Hopeful Claims

The curtain falls on the 40-day Saratoga meeting Monday afternoon with a field of six set to head to the post for the GI Hopeful S. And a legitimate case can be made for all but one of the juvenile colts signed on.

Half of the Hopeful field have already been accorded 'TDN Rising Star' honors and Gulfport (Uncle Mo) could well go favored for Steve Asmussen and the Heiligbrodts. The $275,000 Fasig-Tipton July purchased could not have looked better in his first two career outings–a seven-length debut at 1-2 at Churchill June 10 followed by a 12 1/4-length tour-de-force at 20 cents on the dollar in the July 4 Bashford Manor S. Odds-on yet again in the Aug. 13 GII Saratoga Special S., the bay found enough trouble 2 1/2 furlongs out to allow fellow 'Rising Star' Damon's Mound (Girvin) to get the jump and was forced to settle for second.

Mo Strike (Uncle Mo) is not a 'Rising Star' but holds the distinction of being the lone previous graded winner in the field, having stalked and pounced to a 3 1/2-length tally in the GIII Sanford S. July 16. Andiamo a Firenze (Speightstown), third home that day, has since returned to wallop state-breds in the Funny Cide S.

“He's doing great. He's been feeling really good and came out of the Sanford in good order,” said trainer Brad Cox. “He's been working every seven days.”

A subpar fourth in Sanford was Forte (Violence), who streaked home by nearly eight on his downstate debut May 27 to earn his 'Rising Star', but never got untracked last time, finishing an even fourth. Trainer Todd Pletcher is willing to give his charge the benefit of the doubt.

“The track was probably a little deep for his liking [in the Sanford]. The pace didn't come back much,” said Pletcher. “I think he should appreciate the added distance.”

Blazing Sevens (Good Magic) also caught what appeared to be a heavy track on his July 24, earning an 85 Beyer when covering six furlongs in 1:13.34 to defeat re-opposing next-out maiden romper Bourbon Bash (City of Light) by 6 1/4 lengths.

“The form looked good in his last race,” said trainer Chad Brown. “He had his last breeze [on Sunday] for the Hopeful, so we'll see.”

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Blazing Sevens A Mix of Genius and Racing Luck

There are no bigger stages and brighter lights than Saratoga in the summer, and Blazing Sevens (Good Magic–Trophy Girl, by Warrior's Reward) showcased his razzle-dazzle with aplomb, blitzing a field of well-regarded debuters to loudly proclaim himself worthy of 'TDN Rising Star'-dom.

Beating out two others in the race by his freshman sire to become a fifth winner, and the first to get the TDN's stamp of approval, for Good Magic, Blazing Sevens added another layer of sheen to breeder Tracy Farmer's banner last Sunday. In addition to being represented by the talented juvenile, Farmer was also the owner and owner/breeder of the runner-up and third-place finishers in Woodbine's GIII Hendrie S.–Amalfi Coast (Tapizar) and La Libertee (Consitution), respectively–as well as the owner of GII Dance Smartly runner-up Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}).

Farmer purchased Blazing Sevens's dam Trophy Girl for $62,000 as a weanling at Fasig-Tipton November in 2013. The bay took a bit of time to get to the races, not debuting until Sept. 30 of her 3-year-old year, but managing to win twice in the opening months at four over Turfway's old synthetic track. She wouldn't hit the board again, and eventually retired due to injury after her final start in July of that year. Sporting a pedigree he really liked, Farmer retired Trophy Girl to his broodmare band, and she's fit into the operation like a well-tailored glove.

“He breeds, sells, races homebreds and buys yearlings, so when we do matings for him, we ultimately concentrate on planning matings that will work for his racing program if he decides to keep the resulting foals,” said TDN columnist and advisor to Farmer, Sid Fernando. “…In the case of Blazing Sevens, we recommended several proven stallions and only one unproven horse–Good Magic–for his dam. Tracy made the decision to use [the stallion].”

With only four on the ground so far, and two of racing age, the sampling is still small, but Team Farmer is happy with what they're seeing from Trophy Girl. The mare's first, an unnamed 3-year-old colt by Distorted Humor, did not reach his reserve at Keeneland September in 2020, so consigner Denali Stud took a different approach to Blazing Sevens, convincing Farmer to sell him in Keeneland's January sale last year. To their credit, the result was successful this go-around, with the colt bringing $140,000 from Chestnut Valley Farm. He would later sell again for $225,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale to Rodeo Creek Racing.

 

“He was a gorgeous yearling when we saw him at the sale,” said bloodstock agent Pete Bradley, who helped put together the Rodeo Creek Racing partnership on the colt. “We had a set price range and he fortunately fell into it. I wanted to buy him as a weanling but lacked the funds at the time.”

Blazing Sevens's score was well-timed as the focus now shifts to the yearling sales season, and this year's renewal of the Saratoga sale coming up shortly (Good Magic has two in the open sale and four more in the subsequent New York-bred auction). Breeding farms with young stallions will be eager to showcase early success, such as a 2-year-old winning at Saratoga and becoming a 'Rising Star' in the process. Good Magic also already has a stakes winner to his name in Vegas Magic, a filly who beat the boys in Pleasanton's Everett Nevin S. July 9.

As for their colt, Bradley says that if the horse is ready to go, and Chad Brown likes what he sees, the GI Hopeful S. at the end of the Saratoga meeting isn't out of the question, but he hesitates to make plans too far in advance. Whether or not it happens is a decision based on conditioner and charge, alone.

“The original plan was always to have him go longer. He's such a chill horse and he didn't look like he turned a hair after that debut,” he reported. “He's taken everything in stride.”

Tracy Farmer shares in the excitement, and is eager to see his stock continue to rise to the head of their class. He's even willing to put what he called 'a little peer pressure' into the universe.

“I hated to see [Blazing Sevens] go, but everything has worked out for the best,” admits Farmer. “And I would love to see him in the Kentucky Derby starting gate.” And there is perhaps no greater honor, and no more sought-after pressure, than a Derby dream fueled by early promise.

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Good Magic Colt Debuts a ‘Rising Star’ for Brown

Rodeo Creek Racing's Blazing Sevens (Good Magic), representing the same red-hot trainer in Chad Brown who conditioned his champion juvenile sire (by Curlin), garnered the 'TDN Rising Star' distinction in Saratoga's Sunday opener as he stalked and pulled away from a salty-looking bunch to become Good Magic's fifth individual winner. Off at odds of 9-2 as the public seemed to struggle to find the standout, Blazing Sevens broke well from the outside, but was out-footed by a couple as Bourbon Bash (City of Light) seized a clear lead. Blazing Sevens made his three-wide move to go and confront the pacesetter into a :46.45 half, and wore down that foe past the eighth pole en route to an easy 6 1/4-length tally in 1:13.20 while galloping out like he was just getting started.

Upgrade (Flatter), a $550,000 KEESEP yearling, was third; while Kentucky invader Faithful and True (Good Magic), a fast-breezing $450,000 OBSMAR grad who ticked down to 2-1 favoritism late, rounded out the super.

Blazing Sevens is the second foal and first to race out of a half-sister to 2012 GI Jamaica H. upsetter King David (Hat Trick {Jpn}). Dam Trophy Girl (Warrior's Reward)'s pair of wins came going long on the Turfway all-weather. Trophy Girl is by the same sire who produced the dam of one of Brown's four straight graded stakes winners at Monmouth Park Saturday in GIII Monmouth Cup S. winner Highly Motivated (Into Mischief). She has a yearling filly by Constitution and a filly foal by Goldencents. The 9-year-old visited another juvenile champ in Essential Quality for 2023.

1st-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 7-24, 2yo, 6f, 1:13.34, ft, 6 1/4 lengths.
BLAZING SEVENS, c, 2, Good Magic
                1st Dam: Trophy Girl, by Warrior's Reward
                2nd Dam: Storm West, by Gone West
                3rd Dam: Storm Attack, by Storm Bird
Sales history: $140,000 Ylg '21 KEEJAN; $225,000 Ylg '21 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $57,750. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-Rodeo Creek Racing, LLC; B-Tracy Farmer (KY); T-Chad C. Brown.

 

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